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to the world; but also as fertile and good land He cultivated it, and as a garden growing and flourishing with the 232 sprouts in it, with which the great paradise of God is said to be planted; and these things will be, he says, since the Lord, being just, and being God not only of Jews but also of Gentiles, made His righteousness arise, that is, His Christ, before all the Gentiles who believe through Him. Ps. 33. Raise a standard for the nations. For behold, the Lord has made it heard to the end of the earth; say to the daughter of Zion, behold, your savior has come, having his reward with him, and his work before his face; and he will call him a holy people, redeemed by the Lord; and you will be called a sought-after city, and not forsaken. Who is this who comes from Edom, with redness of garments from Bozrah? so beautiful in his robe, with force and strength? I speak righteousness and a judgment of salvation. Why are your garments red, and your clothes like from a trodden winepress? Full of what has been trodden, and of the nations there is no man with me, and I trod them in my anger. Again here the prophecy urges to take a standard concerning the church from the Gentiles, promising that the Lord will make something heard to the end of the earth; which indeed has come to pass at the coming of our Savior Jesus, as the sound of His apostles went out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. Next it is said: say to the daugh 233 ters of Zion; that is, to the churches from the Gentiles; for these would be daughters of the heavenly Zion, which is our mother according to the apostle; behold, your savior comes having his reward, and the things that follow, by which the second coming of Christ is signified, when He will come as judge to give to each the rewards for their present labors, and for the evil deeds which each has now done, the recompense. Following these things, the word, as if questioning, says, Who is this who comes from Edom, redness of garments which is interpreted as earthly redness of garments from Bozrah? so beautiful in his robe? This he seems to have said marveling at the fact that even after the incarnation, and the emptying, and the sojourn on earth, and after the passion, and the descent to the dead, the beautiful and splendid beauty of the Savior was in no way diminished, nor did he take upon himself any stain or blemish or spot from the material and bodily condition of earthly and human affairs; and moreover, being astounded at his strength, who had overcome the whole army of the devil. He adds, so beautiful in his robe with force and strength? to which question the Savior answers, teaching who he is, and says, I speak righteousness and a judgment of salvation. And again the word says to him as because of the passion, why are your garments red, and what follows; for as the lamb of God, who took upon himself the sins of the world, he put on red garments from our sins; so that because of this it is also said in Zechariah the prophet, 234 and Jesus was clothed in filthy garments; and these were the clothes from our sins; on account of which it was said a little before, this man bears our sins, and suffers for us; for he committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. And again the Savior, answering the question, teaches why his garments became red, saying, from the nations; which nations, with no man cooperating with him, he alone subjected, trampling down all the opposing power of the evil spirits hostile to him. Ps. 34. And the Lord remembered the days of old; who brought up from the earth the great shepherd of the sheep, who put the holy spirit in them. And who else would be the one brought up from the earth by the Lord, shepherd of the sheep of God, than our Savior who came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel? For this is the good

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κόσμῳ· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς εὔφορον καὶ ἀγαθὴν γῆν ἐγεώργησεν αὐτὴν, ἔτι τε ὡς κῆπον αὔξοντα καὶ θάλλοντα τοῖς 232 ἐν αὐτῷ βλαστήμασι, οἷς καὶ ὁ μέγας τοῦ Θεοῦ παράδεισος καταπεφυτεῦσθαι λέγεται· ἔσται δὲ ταῦτα φησὶν, ἐπεὶ δίκαιος ὢν Κύριος, καὶ οὐ μόνον Ἰουδαίων ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐθνῶν ὑπάρχων Θεὸς, ἀνέτειλε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δικαιοσύνην, τοῦτ' ἔστι τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ, ἐναντίον πάντων τῶν δι' αὐτοῦ πιστευόντων ἐθνῶν. Ψ. ΛΓʹ. Ἄρατε σύσσημον εἰς τὰ ἔθνη. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, Κύριος ἐποίησεν ἀκουστὸν ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς· εἴπατε τῇ θυγατρὶ Σιὼν, ἰδού σοι ὁ σωτὴρ παραγέγονεν ἔχων τὸν ἑαυτοῦ μισθὸν μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ· καὶ καλέσει αὐτὸν λαὸν ἅγιον, λελυτρωμένον ὑπὸ Κυρίου· σὺ δὲ κληθήσῃ ἐπιζητουμένη πόλις, καὶ οὐκ ἐγκαταλελειμμένη. Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγενόμενος ἐξ Ἐδὼμ, ἐρύθημα ἱματίων αὐτοῦ ἐκ Βοσόρ; οὕτως ὡραῖος ἐν στολῇ αὐτοῦ, βίᾳ μετὰ ἰσχύος; Ἐγὼ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίσιν σωτηρίου. ∆ιατί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ τὰ ἐνδύματά σου ὡς ἀπὸ πατητοῦ ληνοῦ; Πλήρης καταπεπατημένης, καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνὴρ μετ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ κατεπάτησα αὐτοὺς ἐν θυμῷ μου. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα ἡ προφητεία παρακελεύεται λαβεῖν σύσσημον περὶ τῆς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίας, ὑπισχνουμένη ἐξάκουστόν τι ποιήσειν τὸν Κύριον ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς· ὃ καὶ πέρας εἴληχεν φεν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ παρουσίας, εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξελθόντος τοῦ φθόγγου τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τῶν ῥημάτων αὐτῶν. Ἑξῆς εἴρηται· εἴπατε ταῖς θυγα 233 τράσι Σιών· δηλαδὴ ταῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίαις· αὗται γάρ τοι θυγατέρες ἂν εἶεν τῆς ἐπουρανίου Σιὼν, ἥτις ἐστὶ μητὴρ ἡμῶν κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον· ἰδού σοι ὁ σωτὴρ παραγίνεται ἔχων τὸν ἑαυτοῦ μισθὸν, καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἑξῆς, δι' ὧν δηλοῦται ἡ δευτέρα τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσία, ὅτε κριτὴς ἥξει ἀποδώσων ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος πόνων τοὺς μισθοὺς, καὶ ὧν ἕκαστος φαύλων εἰργάσατο νῦν τὰς ἀμοιβάς. Ἑξῆς τούτοις οἱονεὶ ἐπερωτῶν ὁ λόγος φησὶν, Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδὼμ, ἐρύθημα ἱματίων ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται γήϊνος ἐρύθημα ἱματίων ἐκ Βοσόρ· οὕτως ὡραῖος ἐν στολῇ; Τοῦτο δὲ ἔοικεν εἰρηκέναι ἀποθαυμάζων τὸ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν, καὶ τὴν κένωσιν, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ γῆς διατριβὴν, καὶ μετὰ τὸ πάθος, καὶ τὴν κάθοδον τὴν εἰς νεκροὺς, ὡραῖον καὶ λαμπρὸν τοῦ κάλλους τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐν μηδενὶ συγχυθέντος, μηδὲ ῥύπον μήτε μὴν κηλίδα καὶ σπίλον ἀπὸ τῆς ὑλικῆς καὶ σωματικῆς καταστάσεως τῶν τε γηΐνων καὶ ἀνθρωπείων πραγμάτων ἀναδεξαμένου· ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτοῦ καταπληττόμενος, τὴν πᾶσαν τοῦ διαβόλου στρατιὰν καταγωνισαμένου. Ἐπιφέρει τὸ, οὕτως ὡραῖος ἐν στολῇ βίᾳ μετὰ ἰσχύος; πρὸς ἣν πεῦσιν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἀποκρίνεται, διδάσκων ὅστις ποτὲ εἴη, καὶ φησὶν, Ἐγὼ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίμα σωτηρίου. Πάλιν δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ λόγος ὡς διὰ τὸ πάθος φησὶν, διὰ τί σοῦ ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· οἷα γὰρ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἄρας εἰς ἑαυτὸν τὰς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ κόσμου, ἐκ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἁμαρτιῶν ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια περιεβάλετο· ὡς διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν Ζαχαρίᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ 234 λέγεσθαι τὸ, καὶ Ἰησοῦς ἦν ἐνδεδυμένος ἱμάτια ῥυπαρά· ταῦτα δ' ἦν τὰ ἐκ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἁμαρτημάτων ἐνδύματα· δι' ἃ μικρῷ πρόσθεν ἐλέγετο, οὗτος τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν φέρει, καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται· αὐτὸς γάρ τοι ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ. Πάλιν δ' ὁ Σωτὴρ ἀμειβόμενος τὴν ἐρώτησιν, ὅθεν ἐρυθρὰ γένοιτο αὐτοῦ τὰ ἱμάτια διδάσκει λέγων, ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν· ἅπερ ἔθνη, μηδενὸς ἀνθρώπων αὐτῷ συνεργοῦντος, μόνος ὑπέταξεν, καταπατήσας τὴν ἀντικειμένην πᾶσαν δύναμιν τῶν πολεμίων αὐτῷ πονηρῶν πνευμάτων. Ψ. Λ∆ʹ. Καὶ ἐμνήσθη Κύριος ἡμερῶν αἰωνίων· ὁ ἀναβιβάσας ἐκ τῆς γῆς τὸν ποιμένα τῶν προβάτων τὸν μέγαν ὁ θεὶς ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Καὶ τίς ἂν ἄλλος εἴη ὁ ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου ἀναβιβασθεὶς ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ποιμὴν τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ προβάτων, ἢ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τὰ ἀπολωλότα πρόβατα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ; Οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ καλὸς