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they receive the occasion for wealth. For this reason He said both, both the good things from recompense, and the things from grace that are about to be given by the Great Giver. For the yoke that was laid upon the nations has been taken away; they have shaken off the heavy yoke of the one who subjected them to the slavery of sin, and who bent their neck with a rod, so that, having cast down the apostolic preaching from their soul, they might not submit to the slavery of sin. 9.226 For He has scattered the rod of the exactors, as on the day against Midian. A terrible exactor has stood over human life, beating with a rod and demanding his own will, our common enemy. Do you wish to learn the blows of this rod? Hear the one who says: My wounds have festered and are corrupt. The wicked rod produces foul-smelling wounds in the one who is struck. Consider for me someone who is possessed by various desires and is vehemently set upon the enjoyment of pleasures; how he is like one being beaten with a rod and led away to sin. Desire does not cease, inflicting goads and pains upon the licentious man, until it has produced the wound of sin in his soul, leaving behind a stench in the memory of shameful things. Therefore, He will scatter this rod, as He scattered the rule and the power of the Midianites; whose history (I think) you remember, either that in Numbers, or that in Judges. For in Numbers it says: They waged war against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they killed every male, and they killed the kings of Midian along with their slain. And in Judges: Gideon returned to the camp of Israel and said: Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into our hands. And what is the meaning of: "They will repay every garment gathered by deceit and a cloak with reconciliation"? I think it means that those who impose the heavy yoke of sin and crush with a rod, forcing one to sin, these will repay the garment gathered with deceit and the cloak with reconciliation. Those who stripped men and by deceit showed them to be naked of their coverings, will repay with reconciliation. For when the common enemy takes us under his own power, he takes away our garments, which put comeliness on our uncomely parts. And the garment of Christians, covering the uncomeliness of our sin, is faith in Christ; For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. And even before faith in Christ, our enemy exposed human uncomeliness, stripping away our concepts by which our life was adorned, and making our nakedness public. Since, therefore, he disrobed us with deceitful devices, he will repay every garment gathered by deceit and every cloak with reconciliation. For not only do we receive back what was taken from us, but we are also improved by the addition of the knowledge of Christ. For he has clothed me (he says) with a garment of salvation and a tunic of gladness. Therefore, every garment gathered by deceit, that is, secretly stolen, they will repay with reconciliation, and "They will wish, if they had become burnt with fire," because "A Child is born to us." The evil powers after the Lord's coming cried out: "What have we to do with you, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Then they choose to be burned with fire rather than to be condemned by the appearance of Christ in the flesh. 9.227 Because "A Child is born to us, a Son also is given to us, whose government was upon his shoulder." "His name is called Angel of Great Counsel." How many names of the Lord have we already been taught, we heard earlier. "Behold, the Virgin shall conceive in her womb and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel." Here His name is called Angel of Great Counsel. He, who made known the great counsel that was hidden from the ages, which was not revealed to other generations. He, who announced and revealed his unsearchable riches among the nations, that the nations should be

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ὑποδέχονται τοῦ πλούτου τὴν ἀφορμήν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀμφότερα εἶπεν, καὶ τὰ ἐξ ἀντιδόσεως ἀγαθὰ, καὶ τὰ ἐκ χάριτος ὑπὸ τοῦ Μεγαλοδώρου δίδοσθαι μέλλοντα. Ἀφῄρηται γὰρ ὁ ζυγὸς ὁ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν κείμενος, ἀπεσείσαντο τὸν βαρὺν ζυγὸν τοῦ τῇ δουλείᾳ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοὺς ὑπο ζεύξαντος, καὶ ῥάβδῳ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτῶν κατακάμποντος, ἵνα τὸ ἀποστολικὸν κήρυγμα τῆς ψυχῆς καταβαλόντες, μὴ ὑποκύψωσι τῇ δουλείᾳ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. 9.226 Τὴν γὰρ ῥάβδον τῶν ἀπαιτούντων διεσκέδασεν, ὡς τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἐπὶ Μαδιάμ. ∆εινὸς ἀπαιτητὴς ἐφέστηκε τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ ζωῇ, ῥαβδίζων καὶ ἀπαιτῶν τὰ ἑαυτοῦ θελήματα, ὁ κοινὸς ἡμῶν ἐχθρός. Βούλει μαθεῖν τῆς ῥάβδου ταύτης τὰς πληγάς; Ἄκουε τοῦ λέγοντος· Προσώζεσαν καὶ ἐσάπησαν οἱ μώλωπές μου. ∆υσώ δεις μώλωπας ἐμποιεῖ τῷ πληγέντι ἡ πονηρὰ ῥάβδος. Ἐν νόησόν μοί τινα συνεχόμενον ἐν ἐπιθυμίαις ποικίλαις καὶ σφο δρῶς ἐγκείμενον τῇ ἀπολαύσει τῶν ἡδονῶν· πῶς ῥαβδιζο μένῳ ἔοικε καὶ ἀπαγομένῳ πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Οὐκ ἀνίησιν ἡ ἐπιθυμία κέντρα καὶ ὀδύνας ἐμποιοῦσα τῷ ἀκολάστῳ, ἕως ἂν τὸν ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μώλωπα τῇ ψυχῇ ἐμποιήσῃ, δυσωδίαν ἐναφιέντα ἐν τῇ τῶν αἰσχρῶν ἀναμνήσει. Ταύτην τοίνυν τὴν ῥάβδον διασκεδάσει, ὡς διεσκέδασε τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὴν δυνασ τείαν τῶν Μαδιηναίων· ὧν (οἶμαι) τῆς ἱστορίας μέμνησθε, ἢ τῆς κατὰ τοὺς Ἀριθμοὺς, ἢ τῆς ἐν τοῖς Κριταῖς. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς φησι· Παρετάξαντο ἐπὶ Μαδιὰμ, καθ' ἃ ἐνε τείλατο Κύριος τῷ Μωϋσεῖ· καὶ ἀπέκτειναν πᾶν ἀρσενικὸν καὶ τοὺς βασιλεῖς Μαδιὰμ ἀπέκτειναν ἅμα τοῖς τραυματίαις αὐτῶν. Ἐν δὲ τοῖς Κριταῖς· Ὁ Γεδεὼν ἀπέστρεψεν εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ εἶπεν· Ἀνάστητε, ὅτι παρέδωκε Κύριος ἐν χερσὶν ἡμῶν τὴν παρεμβολὴν Μαδιάμ. Τί δέ ἐστι τὸ Πᾶσαν στολὴν συνηγμένην δόλῳ καὶ ἱμάτιον μετὰ καταλλαγῆς ἀποτίσειν; Οἶμαι λέγεσθαι, ὅτι οἱ τὸν βα ρὺν ἐπιτιθέντες τῆς ἁμαρτίας ζυγὸν καὶ ῥάβδῳ συντρίβοντες, συναναγκάζουσι πρὸς ἁμαρτίαν, οὗτοι τὴν μετὰ δόλου ἐπι συνηγμένην στολὴν καὶ τὸ ἱμάτιον μετὰ καταλλαγῆς ἀπο τίσουσιν. Οἱ λωποδυτήσαντες τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ δόλῳ αὐτοὺς γυμνοὺς τῶν σκεπασμάτων ἀποδείξαντες, μετὰ κα ταλλαγῆς ἀποτίσουσιν. Ὅταν γὰρ λάβῃ ἡμᾶς ὑπὸ τὴν ἑαυ τοῦ ἐξουσίαν ὁ κοινὸς ἐχθρὸς, ἀφαιρεῖ ἡμῶν τὰ ἱμάτια, τὰ τοῖς ἀσχήμοσιν ἡμῶν εὐσχημοσύνην περιτιθέντα. Ἱμάτιον δὲ Χριστιανῶν, σκέπον τὸ ἄσχημον ἡμῶν τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἡ εἰς Χριστὸν πίστις· Ὅσοι γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε. Ἦν δὲ καὶ πρὸ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως γυμνῶν τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν ἀσχημοσύνην ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἡμῶν τὰς ἐννοίας ἡμῶν, αἷς ἡ ζωὴ ἡμῶν κατεκοσμεῖτο, περιαιρῶν, καὶ τὴν γύμνωσιν ἡμῶν δημοσιεύων. Ἐπεὶ οὖν δολεραῖς ἐπινοίαις ἀπημφίασε, πᾶσαν στολὴν ἐπισυνηγμένην δόλῳ καὶ πᾶν ἱμάτιον μετὰ καταλλαγῆς ἀπο τίσει. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἀπολαμβάνομεν, ἃ ἀφῃρήμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ προσθήκῃ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἐπιγνώσεως βελτιούμεθα. Ἐνέ δυσε γάρ με (φησὶν) ἱμάτιον σωτηρίου καὶ χιτῶνα εὐφροσύνης. Πᾶσαν οὖν στολὴν ἐπισυνηγμένην δόλῳ, τουτέστι λαθραίως ὑφαιρεθεῖσαν, μετὰ καταλλαγῆς ἀποτίσουσι, καὶ Θελήσουσιν, εἰ ἐγένοντο πυρίκαυστοι, ὅτι Παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν. Αἱ πονηραὶ δυνάμεις μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπιδημίαν ἔκραζον· Τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοὶ, Υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ἦλθες ὧδε πρὸ καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς; Τότε αἱροῦνται γενέσθαι πυρίκαυστοι μᾶλ λον, ἢ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐν σαρκὶ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφανείας κατακρίνεσθαι. 9.227 Ὅτι Παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, Υἱὸς καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν, οὗ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐγενήθη ἐπὶ ὤμου αὐτοῦ. Καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Μεγάλης βουλῆς Ἄγγελος. Πόσα ἤδη ὀνόματα ἐδιδάχθημεν τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀνώτερον ἠκούομεν. Ἰδοὺ ἡ Παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ λήψεται καὶ τέξεται υἱὸν, καὶ καλέσουσι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ. Ἐνταῦθα καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Μεγάλης βουλῆς Ἄγγελος. Οὗτος, ὁ τὴν μεγάλην βουλὴν τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων γνω ρίσας, τὴν ἑτέραις γενεαῖς μὴ φανερωθεῖσαν. Οὗτος, ὁ ἀναγ γείλας καὶ φανερώσας τὸν ἀνεξιχνίαστον ἑαυτοῦ πλοῦτον ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, εἶναι τὰ ἔθνη