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are called cedars, the men who are influenced by them being named pines, heterodox and wise of this world and of this age. 4.26 What was spoken enigmatically is resolved by the following phrase, which runs thus: "Greatly have the great ones suffered." These are they who are puffed up with authority, not only men, but also the fleshless rulers of this age. 4.27 Concerning these who lead arrogantly, it is also said in Nahum the prophet—he is the seventh of the Twelve Prophets—to Nineveh: "And upon thy glorious things they will cast a lot and all thy great ones shall be bound in manacles," so that they might not do the forbidden things with nimble and unhindered hands; for it is for good to hinder "hands that weave injustices." 4.28 When the oaks of Bashan have greatly suffered, the congenial forest is torn down; and a forest is a place of wild trees that bear no edible fruit. And this is torn down when its dense plantation is consumed by fire. 4.29 The wailing oaks are not inanimate plants, but allegorically interpreted are the souls of men and opposing powers. 4.30 It must not be ignored that the tangible oaks sometimes signify all trees, and sometimes a certain kind of tree. For when we call all trees oaks, we call the one who cuts them a woodcutter and things made from them oaken, from which meaning we name the bound fences balustrades and the fruits of the trees tree-fruits. In addition to the generic name, there is a certain kind of tree which is an oak, just as another is cypress, fir, or boxwood. 4.31 The gates of Lebanon which the divine word commands to be opened, being blameworthy, are the same as those of death, concerning which in the ninth Psalm the psalmist says of God: "You who lift me up from the gates of death." Concerning these, as being of wickedness, it is proverbially commanded to the wise man: "Do not go near the doors of her house," and further concerning all false opinion and impiety: "A foolish and bold woman comes to want a morsel, who knows not shame; for she has sat on a stool at the doors of her own house, openly in the broad ways inviting those who pass by." 4.32 He who has distanced himself from these doors knocks at the doors concerning which the Savior said: "Knock, and it shall be opened to you," concerning which Wisdom says in Proverbs: "Blessed is the man who will hearken to me, and the man who will keep my ways, watching daily at my doors, observing the posts of my entrances." 4.33 He who watches daily at these doors does not approach the doors of the personified harlot and foolish woman, nor those of Lebanon which it is proper to open, when the seeming security is destroyed, so that the things laid up within may appear what deformity they have, and may be hated and abandoned, with no sober person wishing to see them. 4.34 That what was said about the different trees was not said about inanimate things can be seen from many scriptures, and especially prophetic ones, an exposition of which has already been partially made; but it is sufficient to mention one, the prophet Ezekiel, as Pharaoh and Assyria are like trees. These are evil powers, the one the tyrant of Egypt, the other of Assyria, having roots and shoots lifted up from much water, which the trees of the paradise of the delight of God emulated in imitation, having large branches imitating both firs and pines. 4.35 For how is it possible to understand even with plausibility that tangible trees envy and imitate such great tyrants, in whose shoots and branches all the birds lodge and the wild beasts give birth? But so that the prophecy may be easy to survey, let us set forth a certain part of it, which runs thus: 4.36 "Behold, Assyria, a cypress in Lebanon, and beautiful in its shoots and thick in its foliage and lofty in its stature,

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κέδροι προσαγορεύονται, πιτύων ὀνομαζομένων τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐνεργουμένων ἀνθρώπων, ἑτεροδόξων καὶ σοφῶν τοῦ κόσμου τούτου καὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος. 4.26 Λύεται τὸ αἰνιγματωδῶς εἰρημένον διὰ τῆς ἑπομένης λέξεως οὕτως ἐχούσης· «Μεγάλως μεγιστᾶνες ἐταλαιπώρησαν.» Οὗτοι δ' εἰσὶν οἱ ἐπὶ ἀρχῇ ὀγκυλλόμενοι, οὐκ ἄνθρωποι μόνοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἄσαρκοι ἄρχοντες τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος. 4.27 Περὶ τούτων τῶν ἀλαζονικῶς ἡγουμένων, καὶ ἐν Ναοὺμ τῷ προφήτῃ-ἕβδομος δ' οὗτος ὑπάρχει τῶν ∆ώδεκα Προφητῶν -εἴρηται τῇ Νινευῇ· «Καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἔνδοξά σου βαλοῦσιν κλῆρον καὶ πάντες οἱ μεγιστᾶνές σου δεθήσονται χειροπέδαις», ὅπως μὴ εὐλύτοις καὶ χερσὶν μὴ ἐμποδιζομέναις πράττωσιν τὰ ἀπηγορευμένα· πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ γάρ ἐστι τὸ ἐμποδίζεσθαι «τὰς ἀδικίας συμπλεκούσας χεῖρας». 4.28 Ταλαιπωρησάντων μεγάλως τῶν τῆς Βασανίτιδος δρυῶν, κατασπᾶται ὁ σύμφυτος δρυμός· δρυμὸς δ' ἐστὶν τόπος ἀγρίων ξύλων καρπὸν τρόφιμον ο̣υ᾿̣ φερόντων. Κατασπᾶται δ' οὗτος, ἀναλισκομένης ὑπὸ πυρὸς τῆς πεπυκνωμένης αὐτοῦ φυτείας. 4.29 ∆ρύες ὀλολύζουσαι οὐκ ἄψυχα φυτὰ τυγχάνουσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἀλληγορίαν ἀναγόμεναι ψυχαὶ ἀνθρώπων οὖσαι καὶ ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμεις. 4.30 Οὐκ ἀγνοητέον ὅτι αἱ αἰσθηταὶ δρύες ὁτὲ μὲν πάντα τὰ ξύλα σημαίνουσιν, ὁτὲ δὲ εἶδός τι ξύλου. Ὅταν γὰρ πάντα τὰ ξύλα δρύας καλῶμεν, τὸν τέμνοντα αὐτὰ δρυοτόμον καὶ τὰ ἐξ αὐτῶν κατασκευαζόμενα δρύϊνά φαμεν, ἀφ' οὗ σημαινομένου τὰς δετὰς πλόκας δρυφάκτους ὀνομάζομεν καὶ τῶν δένδρων τοὺς καρποὺς ἀκρόδρυα. Πρὸς τῷ γενικῶς ὀνομαζομένῳ, ἔστιν τι εἶδος ξύλου δρῦς τυγχάνον, ὡς ἕτερον κυπάρισσος, ἐλάτη, πύξος. 4.31 Αἱ θύραι τοῦ Λιβάνου ἃς διανοιχθῆναι προστάττει ὁ θεῖος λόγος ψεκταὶ τυγχάνουσαι, αἱ αὐταί εἰσιν ταῖς τοῦ θανάτου, περὶ ὧν ἐν ἐνάτῳ Ψαλμῷ ὁ ὑμνῳδὸς περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ φησιν· «Ὁ ὑψῶν με ἐκ τῶν πυλῶν τοῦ θανάτου.» Περὶ τούτων ὡς οὐσῶν τῆς κακίας προστάττεται τῷ σοφῷ παροιμιωδῶς· «Μὴ ἐγγίσῃς πρὸς θύραις οἴκων αὐτῆς», καὶ ἔτι περὶ πάσης ψευδοδοξίας καὶ ἀσεβείας· «Γυνὴ ἄφρων καὶ θρασεῖα ἐνδεὴς ψωμοῦ γίνεται, ἣ οὐκ ἐπίσταται αἰσχύνην· ἐκάθισεν γὰρ ἐπὶ δίφρου ἐπὶ θύραις τοῦ ἑαυτῆς οἴκου, ἐμφανῶς εἰς τὰς πλατείας προσκαλουμένη τοὺς παριόντας.» 4.32 Τούτων τῶν θυρῶν ὁ μακρυνθεὶς κόπτει τὰς θύρας περὶ ὧν εἶπεν ὁ Σωτήρ· «Κρούετε καὶ ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν», περὶ ὧν ἡ σοφία ἐν Παροιμίαις φησίν· «Μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὃς εἰσακούσεταί μου, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὃς τὰς ἐμὰς ὁδοὺς φυλάξει, ἀγρυπνῶν ἐπ' ἐμαῖς θύραις καθ' ἡμέραν, τηρῶν σταθμοὺς ἐμῶν εἰσόδων.» 4.33 Ὁ πρὸς ταύταις ταῖς θύραις καθ' ἡμέραν ἀγρυπνῶν οὐκ ἐγγίζει πρὸς ταῖς θύραις τῆς προσωποποιουμένης πόρνης καὶ ἄφρονος γυναικός, οὐδὲ ταῖς τοῦ Λιβάνου ἃς διανοίγειν προσήκει, καταλυομένης τῆς δοκούσης ἀσφαλείας, ἵνα τὰ ἔνδον ἀποκείμενα φάνῃ οἵαν ἀμορφίαν ἔχουσιν, μισηθῇ καὶ ἐγκαταλειφθῇ, οὐδενὸς νήφοντος ὁρᾶν αὐτὰ θέλοντος. 4.34 Ὅτι δὲ τὰ ῥηθέντα περὶ διαφόρων ξύλων οὐ περὶ α᾿̣ψ̣υ´̣χων εἴρηται, καὶ ἐκ πολλῶν μὲν γραφῶν καὶ μάλιστα προφητικῶν ἔστι θεωρῆσαι, ὧν ἔκθεσις ἤδη ἀπὸ μέρους γέγονεν· ἀρκεῖ δὲ ἑνὸς ἐπιμνησθῆναι τοῦ προφήτου Ἰεζεκιήλ, ὡσπερεὶ ξύλων ὄντων Φαραὼ καὶ Ἀσσούρ. Πονηραὶ δὲ δυνάμεις οὗτοι, ὁ μὲν τῆς Αἰγύπτου, ὁ δὲ τῆς Ἀσσυρίας τύραννοι, ἔχοντες ῥίζας καὶ παραφυάδας ὑψωθείσας ἀφ' ὕδατος πολλοῦ, οὕσπερ ἐζήλωσεν κατὰ μίμησιν τὰ ξύλα τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ, κλάδους εὐμεγέθεις ἔχοντας ἐλάτας τε καὶ πίτυας μιμουμένους. 4.35 Πῶς γὰρ καὶ μέχρι πιθανότητος ἐκλαβεῖν δυνατὸν αἰσθητὰ ξύλα ζηλοῦντα καὶ μιμούμενα τηλικούτους τυράνν̣ους, ὧν ἐν ταῖς παραφυάσι καὶ κλάδοις κατασκηνοῦσι πάντα τὰ πετεινὰ καὶ τίκτουσι τὰ ἄγρια θη̣ρία; Ὅπως δὲ εὐσύνοπτος ἡ προφητεία γένηται, ἐκθώμεθα μέρος τι αὐτῆς, οὕτως ἐχούσης· 4.36 «Ἰδοὺ Ἀσσου`̣ρ̣ κυπάρισσος ἐν τῷ Λιβάνῳ καὶ καλὸς ταῖς παραφυάσιν καὶ πυκνὸς ἐν τῇ σκέπῃ καὶ ὑψηλὸς τῷ μεγέθει,