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the Lord is my praise, and the Lord has become my salvation.” And again: “I will love you, O Lord, my strength.” Likewise, Jeremiah also says to God: “My strength and my help and my refuge, O Lord my God.” Paul, speaking in Christ, writes the same things most powerfully as the hymnodist and prophet Jeremiah: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” 3.321 When the arrogance of the Assyrians was removed and the kingdom of the Egyptians was destroyed, having armed themselves with the name of the benefactor, they boast against those who were overthrown, each one all but saying: “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” For when the world has been crucified so as no longer to be active, being prevented from going wherever it wishes and from doing what is dear to it, the servant of Christ is crucified to it, so that with his feet and hands prevented from being active any longer, he will boast blamelessly, saying: “I have been crucified with Christ.” 3.322 He who nobly has this confidence in Christ boasts according to what was said: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord,” not boasting in anything of his own that he is able to possess, either spiritual or bodily, nor in anything external. For all these things are forbidden: “For let not the wise man,” it says, “boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his wealth, but let the one who boasts, boast in this, in understanding and knowing the Lord, and in doing mercy and judgment in the midst of the earth.” 3.323 The mother of the prophet Samuel also sent up this cry, giving thanks at the birth of the child born against expectation, only changing wisdom to prudence. 3.324 And we too shall have valiant deeds from God so that we may give thanks to the great giver who has offered them. 3.325 Since the third discourse on the prophet Zechariah has been sufficiently described, let us stop here, exhorting the God who multiplies visions “to give a word in the opening of the mouth,” so as to also clarify what follows as much as possible, if it seems good to him.

4.t 1Volume IV 1 4.1 He who is wise according to God, having an articulate and very precise understanding

“understands a parable and a dark saying, the utterances of wise men and their riddles.” But sayings delivered with concealment are riddles. At any rate, the present text of the prophet, being uttered enigmatically, brings forth a hidden teaching. .... is a riddle: "Open your doors, O Lebanon." 4.2 For the command is not given to the perceptible mountain, which is inanimate, and to the trees in it from perception and imagination ......... that the doors of Lebanon should be opened and the fir trees should wail for the fallen cedars, but ... to boastful and proud men falling into lawless idolatry towards "the rulers of this age." 4.3 Incorporeal p...o...w...e...r...s... a...n...d... w...i...s...d...o...m... ... smal... promising ... understand... mortal rational animals and the other rational animals led by reason. But when trees and w...i...l...d... t...i...m...b...e...r... ...... man, who was made in the image and likeness of God, which honor he received from the creator 4.4 w...a...s... c...o...m...p...a...r...e...d... t...o... t...h...e... irrational beasts ...... G...o...d... ... and pleasure-loving they had passionate ...... of such the prophetic word says: "They became horses raging for females, each one neighs after his neighbor's wife," ... of all divine ..., and of the commanding divine oracle: 4.5 "Do not be like the horse and the mule, which have no

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ὕμνησίς μου Κύριος, καὶ ἐγένετό μοι Κύριος εἰς σωτηρίαν.» Καὶ ἔτι· «Ἀγαπήσω̣ σε, Κύριε, ἡ ἰσχύς μου.» Ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ Ἰερε̣μίας πρὸς τὸν Θεόν φησιν· «Ἰσχύς μου καὶ βοήθειά μου καὶ καταφυγή μου, Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου.» Τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ υ῾̣μνῳδῷ καὶ προφήτῃ Ἰερεμίᾳ, καὶ ὁ ἐν Χριστῷ λαλῶν Παῦλος ἐρρωμενέστατα γράφει· «Πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντι.» 3.321 Ἀφαιρεθείσης τῆς ὕβρεως τῶν Ἀσ̣συρίων καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν Αἰγυπτίων καταλυ̣θείσης, τῇ τοῦ εὐεργέτου προσηγορίᾳ ὁπλισάμενοι κατακαυχῶνται κατὰ τῶν ἀνατραπέντων, μόνον οὐχὶ ἕκαστος λέγων· «Ἐμοὶ δὲ μὴ γένοιτο καυχᾶσθαι εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δι' οὗ ἐμοὶ κόσμος̣ ἐσταύρωται κἀγὼ κόσμῳ.» Σταυρωθέντος γὰρ τοῦ κόσμου̣ ὡς μηκέτ' ἐνεργεῖν, κωλυόμενον̣ ὅπῃ βούλεται χωρεῖν καὶ πράττειν τὰ αὐτῷ φίλα, σταυροῦται αὐτῷ ὁ Χριστοῦ δοῦλος, ὥστε τῶν ποδῶν καὶ τῶν χειρῶν κ̣ωλυθέντων ἔτι ἐνεργεῖν, ἀνεμεσήτως καυχήσεται φάσκων· «Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι.» 3.322 Ὁ ταύτην τὴν πεποίθησιν γενναίως ἔχων ἐν Χριστῷ καυχᾶται κατὰ τὸ λεχθέν· «Ὁ καυχώμενος ἐν Κυρίῳ καυχάσθω», οὐ καυχώμενος ἐπ' οὐδενὶ ὧν ἰδίων ἔχειν δύναται ψυχ̣ικῷ, οὐ σωματικῷ, οὐδὲ τῶν ἐκτός τινι. Ἀπη̣γόρευται γὰρ τα̣ῦτα πάντα· «Μὴ καυχάσθω γάρ, φησίν, ὁ σοφὸς ἐπὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ, μηδὲ ὁ ἰσχυρὸς ἐπὶ τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὐτ̣ο̣ῦ, μηδὲ ὁ πλ̣ούσιος ἐπὶ τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τούτῳ καυχάσ̣θω ὁ καυχώμενος, συνίειν καὶ εἰδέναι τὸν Κύριον καὶ ποιεῖν ἔλεον καὶ κρίμα ἐν μέσῳ τῆς γῆς.» 3.323 Ταύτην τὴν φωνὴν καὶ ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ προφήτου Σαμουὴλ ἐπὶ τῷ τοκετῷ τοῦ παρὰ προσδοκίαν γεναμένου τέκνου εὐχαριστοῦσα ἀνέπεμψεν, μόνον ἐναλλάξασα ἀντὶ τῆς σοφίας φρόνησιν. 3.324 Ὑπάρξεται δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν θεόθεν ἀνδραγαθήματα ἵν' εὐχαριστήσωμεν τῷ ὀρέξαντι αὐτὰ ὑπάρχοντι μεγαλοδώρῳ. 3.325 Αὐτάρκως̣ περιγραφέντος καὶ τοῦ τρίτου λόγου τοῦ εἰς πρ̣οφήτην Ζαχαρίαν, αὐτοῦ που καταπαύσωμεν παρακαλοῦντες τὸν ὁράσεις πληθύνοντα Θεὸν «δοῦναι λόγον ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματος», πρὸς το`̣ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς ω῾̣ς οἷόν τε σαφηνίσαι, ἐὰν αὐτῷ δοκῇ.

4.τ 1Τόμος ∆ʹ 1 4.1 Ὁ κατὰ Θεὸν σοφὸς διηρθρωμένην νόησιν καὶ πάνυ ἠκριβωμένην ἔχων

«νοεῖ παραβολὴν καὶ σκοτεινὸν λόγον ῥήσεις τε ἀνδρῶν συνετῶν καὶ αἰνίγματα». Οἱ λόγοι δὲ μετ' ἐπικρύψεως ·· ἀπαγγελλόμενοι τυγχάνουσιν αἰνίγματα. Αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ ἡ προκειμένη τοῦ προφήτου λέξις αἰνιγματωδῶς προφερομένη ἐπικεκρυμμένην διδασκαλίαν προφέρει. ···· αἴνιγμά ἐστιν τό· «∆ιάνοιξον, ὁ Λίβανος, τὰς θύρας σου.» 4.2 Οὐ γὰρ πρὸς τὸ αἰσθητὸν ὄρος ἄψυχον ὑπάρχον καὶ ξύλα τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐξ αἰσθήσεως καὶ φαντασίας ········τα πρόσταξις γίνεται ἵνα αἱ θύραι τοῦ Λιβάνου διανοίγωνται καὶ ὀλολύξωσιν αἱ πίτυες κέδρων πεπτωκότων, ἀλλὰ ··· πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἀλαζόνας καὶ ὑπερηφάνους πιπτομένους ἐν ἀθεμίστῳ εἰδωλολατρείᾳ τῇ πρὸς «τοὺς ἄρχοντας τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος». 4.3 Ἄσαρκοι α̣ι῾̣ δ̣υ̣ν̣α´̣μ̣ε̣ι̣ς̣ κ··· σ̣ο̣φ̣ι´̣α̣ ···· μ̣ι̣κ·· ἐπαγγελλόμ̣ε̣ν̣α̣ι̣ εν···· ···········νο̣ειν····φ·ον τὰ θνητὰ λογικὰ ζῷα καὶ τὰ ἄλλα λογικὰ ἀγόμενα λόγῳ ζῷα. Ὅτε δὲ δένδρα καὶ ἄγρι̣α̣ ξ̣υ´̣λ̣α̣ ····ο̣ρ̣ι̣·ε̣ν̣··μ̣η̣σ̣υ̣ν̣·ε̣·σ̣·α̣ι̣ ὁ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος ἣν ἔσχε τιμὴν παρὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος 4.4 σ̣υ̣ν̣ε̣β̣λ̣η´̣θ̣η̣ τ̣ο̣ι῀̣ς̣ κ̣τ̣η´̣νεσιν τοῖς ἀνο̣η´̣τ̣ο̣ι̣ς̣ ······ Θ̣ε̣ο`̣ς̣ ··αι··νεις̣ καὶ φιληδόνους εξ··εσχον ἐμπαθη`̣ς̣ ····· ε̣·····τ̣·μ̣α̣χ̣ω̣····ι̣ο̣···α̣ζ̣ω̣·········λε̣τ̣ε̣ εκτ······ τῶν το̣ι̣ούτων ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος φησίν· «Ἵπποι θηλυμανεῖς ἐγενήθησαν, ἕκαστος ἐπὶ τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ χρεμετίζει», πάσης θείας ····ε······εντ̣ες, καὶ τοῦ προστάττοντος θείου λογίου· 4.5 «Μὴ γίνεσθε ὡς ἵππος καὶ ἡμίονος οἷς οὐκ ἔστιν