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to partake.” 4.15 Since countless... other such things are found by one who pays attention to the reading of the divinely inspired scripture, in order that the discourse not be lengthened beyond what is necessary, one must proceed to the subject at hand concerning Lebanon and its trees, which is as follows.

4.16 Zach. XΙ, 1-2: Open, O Lebanon, your gates, and let fire devour

your cedars. Let the pine tree wail, because the cedar has fallen, because the great ones have been greatly brought to misery. Wail, you oaks of Bashan, because the dense forest has been torn down. 4.17 The name Lebanon, allegorically, signifies sometimes idolatry, and at other times arrogance and pride. For in the Song of Songs, her bridegroom Christ, calling the Church from the nations, says: “Come from Lebanon, bride,” he says, “you shall come and pass through from the beginning of faith.” For having received the word of the beginning of Christ, she comes to the one calling her from practical wickedness to moral virtue and from ignorance and unbelief to divine knowledge and a faith that excels through perfection. 4.18 And just as the aforementioned text calls Lebanon the most impious worship of idols and demons, so it represents pride in the passage: “Lebanon shall be changed like Mount Carmel,” that is, the arrogant and insolent one will be led to the knowledge of the circumcision which is designated of the heart in spirit; for Carmel is interpreted as “knowledge of circumcision.” 4.19 The one who has this knowledge achieves freedom from pride, having learned from Jesus to be humble in heart and in spirit. 4.20 To this twofold Lebanon the spirit-bearing prophet calls out, or rather the Lord through him, to open its gates, so that the cedars within its gates may be devoured by fire. And these are sinful demons and arrogant men, being shattered by the voice of the Lord, according to what is sung in the twenty-eighth Psalm in this manner: “The voice of the Lord shattering cedars; the Lord will shatter the cedars of Lebanon.” 4.21 Against these plants which are wild and bear no edible fruit, it is written in Isaiah, among other things, as follows: “A day of the Lord of hosts is upon every insolent and proud and lofty and exalted one,” and after a little: “and upon every cedar of Lebanon, the high ones, and upon every oak tree of Bashan.” These trees so wild have been planted for idolatry and arrogance, being shattered and consumed by fire along with those who sophistically advocate for them, according to what was said in the same Isaiah: “And Lebanon with its high ones shall fall.” 4.22 For idolatry falls along with the demons and sophist men who advocate for it; likewise also arrogant men along with their boastfulness will fall when God opposes the proud, according to what is conveyed in the writing of the divine Proverbs thus: “God opposes the proud.” 4.23 Concerning those who are thus high-necked, those who achieve freedom from pride send up a prayer to God, crying out thus: “Lift up your hands against their pride forever,” and after other things in the same Psalm: “The pride of those who hate you has ascended continually to you.” 4.24 The divine word commands the Lebanon which was explained in a twofold manner to open its gates. For when pride and idolatry have been opened and spread out, the fire of punishment will consume the cedars, both the high-necked men and the arrogant demons, being none other than “the rulers of this age,” and of human and, as the scripture says, “fleshly wisdom,” teaching “lofty things raised up against the knowledge of God.” 4.25 When the cedars have been devoured by fire, the pine trees wail, since the stronger ones, called cedars, have fallen. And perhaps the incorporeal evil powers

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μετέχειν.» 4.15 Μυρίων ··· ἄλλων τοιούτων εὑρισκομένων τῷ προσέχοντι τῇ ἀναγνώσει τῆς θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ πέρᾳ τοῦ δέοντος μηκυνθῆναι τὸν λόγον, ἐλευστέον ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον περὶ τοῦ Λιβάνου καὶ τῶν ξύλων αὐτοῦ, ἔχον οὕτως.

4.16 Zach. XΙ, 1-2: ∆ιάνοιξον, ὁ Λίβανος, τὰς θύρας σου, καὶ καταφαγέτω πῦρ

τὰς κέδρους σου· ὀλολυξάτω πίτυς, διότι πέπτωκεν κέδρος, ὅτι μεγάλως μεγιστᾶνες ἐταλαιπώρησαν· ὀλολύξατε, δρύες τῆς Βασανίτιδος, ὅτι κατεσπάσθη ὁ δρυμὸς ὁ σύμφυτος. 4.17 Τὸ ὄνομα τὸ Λίβανος πρὸς ἀλληγορίαν ὁτὲ μὲν τὴν εἰδωλολατρείαν, ὁτὲ δὲ τὴν ὑπεροψίαν καὶ ὑπερηφανίαν σημαίνει. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ Ἄισματι τῶν Ἀισμάτων τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίανκαλῶν ὁ νυμφίος αὐτῆς Χριστός· «∆εῦρο ἀπὸ Λιβάνου, νύμφη, φησίν, ἐλεύσῃ καὶ διελεύσῃ ἀπὸ ἀρχῆς πίστεως.» ∆εξαμένη γὰρ τὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ λόγον, ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν προσκαλούμενον ἀπὸ πρακτικῆς κακίας εἰς ἠθικὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ ἐξ ἀγνοίας καὶ ἀπιστίας ἐπὶ θείαν γνῶσιν καὶ πίστιν ὑπερβάλλουσαν διὰ τελειότητα. 4.18 Ὥσπερ δὲ ἡ ῥηθεῖσα λέξις Λίβανον λέγει τὴν εἰδώλων καὶ δαιμόνων ἀσεβεστάτην θεραπείαν, οὕτως τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν παρίστησιν ἐν τῷ· «Μετατεθήσεται ὁ Λίβανος ὡς τὸ ὄρος τὸ Χελμέλ», τοῦτ' ἔστιν ὁ ὑπερόπτης καὶ αὐθάδης α᾿̣χθήσεται εἰς τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς περιτομῆς τὴν πνεύματι καρδίας προσαγομένην· τὸ γὰρ Χελμὲλ ἑρμηνεύεται ἐπίγνωσις περιτομῆς. 4.19 Ὁ ταύτην τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν ἔχων ἀτυφίαν κατορ̣θ̣οῖ, μαθὼν ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ ταπεινὸς εἶναι τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ τῷ πνεύματι. 4.20 Τῷ διττῷ τούτῳ Λιβάνῳ προσφωνεῖ ὁ πνευματόφορος προφήτης, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ Κύριος δι' αὐτοῦ, διανοῖξαι τὰς θύρας αὐτοῦ, ἵνα καταβρωθῶσιν ὑπὸ πυρὸς αἱ εἴσω τῶν θυρῶν αὐτοῦ κέδροι· αὗται δ' εἰσὶν δαίμονες ἀλιτήριοι καὶ ἄνθρωποι ὑπερόπται, συντριβόμεναι ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου φωνῆς, κατὰ τὰ ἐν εἰκοστῷ καὶ ὀγδόῳ Ψαλμῷ ᾀδόμ̣ε̣ν̣α̣ τῷδε τῷ τρόπῳ· «Φωνὴ Κυρίου συντρίβοντος κέδρους· συντρίψει Κύριος τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιβάνου.» 4.21 Κατὰ τῶν τ̣ο̣υ´̣των φυτῶν ἀγρίων ὄντων καὶ καρπὸν ἐδώδιμον οὐ φερ̣ο´̣ν̣των ἐν Ἠσαΐᾳ γρ̣α´̣φεται πρὸς ἑτέρ̣οις ο̣ὑ´̣τ̣ως· «Ἡμέρα Κυρίου σαβαὼθ ἐπὶ πάντα ὑβριστ̣ὴν̣ καὶ ὑπερήφανον καὶ ὑψηλὸν καὶ μετέωρον», κ̣α̣ὶ μετ̣' ο᾿̣λ̣ι´̣γ̣α̣· «καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν κε´̣δ̣ρ̣ον τοῦ Λιβάνου τῶν ὑψηλῶν καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶν δένδρον βαλάνου Βασάν.» Τ̣α̣υ῀̣τ̣α̣ τ̣α`̣ οὕτως ἄγρια ξύλα πεφύτευται ἐπὶ τὴν εἰδωλολατρείαν καὶ ὑπεροψίαν, συντριβόμενα καὶ πυρὶ ἀναλισκόμενα σὺν τοῖς συναγορεύουσιν σοφιστικῶς περὶ αὐτῶν, κατὰ τὸ λεχθὲν ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ· «Ὁ δὲ Λίβανος σὺν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς πεσεῖται.» 4.22 Πίπτ̣ει γὰρ ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία σὺν τοῖς συναγορεύουσιν αὐτῇ δαίμοσι καὶ ἀνθρώποις σοφισταῖς· ὡσαύτως καὶ οἱ ὑπερόπται ἄνθρωποι σὺν τῇ ἀλαζονείᾳ πεσοῦνται ὅταν τοῖς ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάττηται Θεός, κατὰ τὸ φερόμενον ἐν τῇ τῶν θείων Παροιμιῶν γραφῇ οὕτως· «Ὁ Θεὸς ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάττεται.» 4.23 Περὶ τῶν οὕτως ὑψαυχενούντων, οἱ ἀτυφίαν κατορθοῦντες τῷ Θεῷ ἀναπέμπουσιν εὐχήν, οὕτως ἀναφθεγγόμενοι· «Ἔπαρον τὰς χεῖράς σου ἐπὶ τὰς ὑπερηφανίας αὐτῶν εἰς τέλος», καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ Ψαλμῷ· «Ἡ ὑπερηφανία τῶν μισούντων σε διὰ παντὸς̣ α᾿̣ν̣ε´̣βη πρὸς σέ.» 4.24 Πρὸς τὸν διττῶς ἀποδοθέντα Λίβανον προστάττει ὁ θεῖος λόγος διανοῖξαι τὰς θύρας αὐτοῦ. ∆ιανοιχθείσης γὰρ καὶ ἐξαπλωθείσης τῆς ὑπερηφανίας καὶ εἰδωλολατρείας, τὸ τῆς κολάσεως πῦρ ἀναλώσει κέδρους, τούς τε ὑψαύχενας ἀνθρώπους καὶ ὑπερόπτας δαίμονας, οὐχ ἑτέρους ὄντας «τῶν ἀρχόντων τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος», ἀνθρωπίνας καί, ὡς ἡ γραφή φησιν, «σαρκίνας σοφίας», παιδευούσας «ὑψώματα ἐπαιρόμενα κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ». 4.25 Καταβρωθεισῶν ὑπὸ πυρὸς τῶν κέδρων, ὀλολύζουσιν αἱ πίτυες, πεσουσῶν τῶν ἰσχυροτέρων, κέδρων καλουμένων. Καὶ τάχα μὲν αἱ ἄσαρκοι πονηραὶ δυνάμεις