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«How long will you limp on both knees? If the Lord is, go after him; but if Baal is, go after him.» 4.159 Clearly and plainly, he who said in the manner of a threat that he would raise up a shepherd upon the earth who does not visit the perishing sheep, nor again seek the scattered one, who does not bind up nor heal the broken one, who does not strive to set right the whole one, that it might be even more healthy, commands the prophet to take the pastoral implements of an inexperienced man, one who has neither the skill nor experience of a good shepherd, so that he might show to those to whom he prophesies what the power of the things commanded to him is. For those who do not understand words pay attention to the deeds performed by the teacher. 4.160 Since, therefore, the hearers had to understand about an inexperienced shepherd who did not have the pastoral art, the divinely inspired saint took the said implements in a perceptible way, so that, being asked by those who saw what pastoral implements he took, not of an experienced but of an inexperienced man, he might say about them also what they signify. 4.161 Many things are thus recorded as being arranged in the prophets, especially in Ezekiel. 4.162 It is not unlikely that the things concerning such a destructive shepherd were proclaimed beforehand concerning the Antichrist, as is found in many scriptures. He said chosen sheep whose flesh he devours, not the once and for all and truly chosen, but those whom the one who devours their flesh chooses as friends and his own. 4.163 Zach. XI, 17: O shepherds of vanities and who have forsaken the sheep; a sword upon his arm and upon his right eye; his arm shall be completely withered, and his right eye shall be utterly blinded. 4.164 The divine word accuses, or rather threatens, the false shepherds, who have turned away from and abandoned the sheep, hunting after vain things, clearly shameful gains and the devouring of the flesh of the flocks entrusted to them, as if about each of them or as if to all as one because they are made according to the same wickedness, “A sword upon the arm,” that is, his work. For it has often been shown that the arm allegorically signifies a work. 4.165 What then is the sword upon the arm and eye of the guilty shepherd, but the chastising word about which in Isaiah God says to those being given the law: “If you are willing and obey me, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you are not willing and do not obey me, a sword shall devour you.” Concerning this avenging sword, again in Jeremiah God says: “I will stretch out my hand against all the inhabitants of the land,” with the result that they will suffer these painful things. 4.166 According to another understanding, the divine sword can be the word that separates those who are entangled in worse things from them. For instance, in the Gospels the Savior: “Do not think,” he says, “that I have come to bring peace on earth, but a sword.” For the evangelical teaching does not prepare one to be at peace with earthly things and the earth, but it separates from it those who mind earthly things and bear the image of the man of dust. 4.167 This sword was given to Abraham in the manner of an oracle, that it might separate him “from his land and his kindred and his father’s house,” the land being understood as the body which he wore, kindred as those practicing and brought up in the same things, and the father’s house of the mind is the uttered word, as one of the wise men concerning the Mosaic teaching has interpreted. 4.168 The things spoken by the divine bridegroom, or rather by his father, are equivalent to the oracles given to Abraham: “Listen, daughter, and see and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father’s house because the king has desired your beauty, and he is your Lord.” For it is the same thing for one to forget one’s own people and one’s father’s house as for one who has been urged to do this to go out from one’s kindred and one’s father’s house. 4.169 The aforementioned chastising sword

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«Ἕως πότε χωλανεῖτε ἐπ' ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς ἰγνύαις; Εἰ ἔστιν Κύριος, πορεύεσθε ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ· εἰ δὲ ὁ Βαάλ, πορεύεσθε ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ.» 4.159 Φανερῶς καὶ ἐναργῶς ὁ ἀπειλῆς τρόπῳ φήσας ποιμένα ἐγεῖραι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τὸ ἐκλιμπάνον πρόβατον οὐκ ἐπισκεπτόμενον, οὐδ' αὖ ζητοῦντα τὸ ἐσκορπισμένον, μὴ καταδεσμεύοντα μηδ' ἰώμενον τὸ συντετριμμένον, μὴ σπουδάζοντα κατευθύνειν τὸ ὁλόκληρον, ἵν' ἔτι μᾶλλον ὑγιαίνῃ, προστάττει τῷ προφήτῃ λαβεῖν ποιμενικὰ σκεύη ἀπείρου, οὐ τέχνην οὐ πεῖραν ἀγαθοῦ νομέως ἔχοντος, ἵν' ἐπιστήσῃ τοὺς οἷς προφητεύει τίς ἡ δύναμις τῶν προσταχθέντων αὐτῷ. Ἐφιστάνουσι γὰρ οἱ μὴ λόγους νοοῦντες τοῖς ἐπιτελουμένοις ἔργοις τοῦ διδασκάλου. 4.160 Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν περὶ ποιμένος ἀπείρου καὶ τέχνην ποιμαντικὴν οὐκ ἔχοντος ἔδει νοῆσαι τοὺς ἀκροατάς, ἀισθητῶς ἔλαβεν ὁ θεολημπτούμενος ἅγιος τὰ εἰρημένα σκεύη, ἵν' εἴπῃ περὶ αὐτῶν καὶ τί σημαίνουσιν ἐρωτηθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ὁρώντων ἃ ἔλαβεν σκεύη ποιμενικὰ οὐκ ἐμπείρου ἀλλ' ἀπείρου. 4.161 Πολλὰ οὕτως οἰκονομούμενα ἐν τοῖς προφήταις φέρεται, μάλιστα ἐν τῷ Ἰεζεκιήλ. 4.162 Οὐκ ἀπεικὸς περὶ τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου προαναπεφωνῆσθαι τὰ περὶ τοῦ οὕτω ὀλεθρίου ποιμένος, ὡς ἐν πλείοσιν γραφαῖς εὑρίσκεται. Ἐκλεκτὰ πρόβατα εἶπεν ὧν τὰς σάρκας κατεσθίει, οὐ τὰ καθάπαξ καὶ ἀληθῶς ἐκλεκτά, ἀλλὰ ἃ ἐκλέγεται ὡς φίλα καὶ οἰκεῖα ὁ τὰς σάρκας αὐτῶν κατεσθίων. 4.163 Zach. XΙ, 17: Ὦ οἱ ποιμαίνοντες τὰ μάταια καὶ οἱ καταλελοιπότες τὰ πρόβατα· μάχαιρα ἐπὶ τοῦ βραχίονος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν τὸν δεξιὸν αὐτοῦ· ὁ βραχίων αὐτοῦ ξηραινόμενος ξηρανθήσεται, καὶ ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς ὁ δεξιὸς αὐτοῦ ἐκτυφλούμενος ἐκτυφλωθήσεται. 4.164 Αἰτιᾶται, μᾶλλον δ' ἀπειλεῖ ὁ θεῖος λόγος τοῖς ψευδέσιν νομεῦσιν, ἀποστραφέντας καὶ καταλείψαντας τὰ πρόβατα, θηρῶντας τὰ μάταια, τὰς αἰσχροκερδίας δηλονότι καὶ τὴν κατάβρωσιν τῶν σαρκῶν ὧν ἐπιστεύθησαν θρεμμάτων, ὡς περὶ ἑκάστου αὐτῶν ἢ ὡς πρὸς ἕνα πάντας διὰ τὸ κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν κακίαν πεποιῶσθαι, «Μάχαιρα ἐπὶ τὸν βραχίονα», τοῦτ' ἔστιν τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ. Πολλάκις δὲ ἀποδέδεικται ὅτι ἔργον ὁ βραχίων κατ' ἀλληγορίαν δηλοῖ. 4.165 Τίς δὴ μάχαιρα ἡ ἐπὶ τὸν βραχίονα καὶ ὀφθαλμὸν τοῦ ὑπαιτίου ποιμένος, ἢ ὁ κολαστικὸς λόγος περὶ οὗ ἐν Ἠσαΐᾳ ὁ Θεός φησιν πρὸς τοὺς νομοθετουμένους· «Ἐὰν θέλητε καὶ εἰσακούσητέ μου, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλητε μηδὲ εἰσακούσητέ μου, μάχαιρα ὑμᾶς κατέδεται.» Περὶ τούτου τοῦ ἀμυντικοῦ ξίφους ἐν Ἰερεμίᾳ πάλιν ὁ Θεὸς λέγει· «Ἐκτενῶ τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν», ἐπὶ τῷ αὐτοὺς τάδε πείσεσθαι τὰ ἐπίπονα. 4.166 Κατὰ νόησιν ἑτέραν, μάχαιρα εἶναι δύναται θεία ὁ διαίρων λόγος ἀπὸ τῶν χειρόνων τοὺς ἐνεσχημένους αὐτοῖς. Αὐτίκα γοῦν ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ὁ Σωτήρ· «Μὴ νομίσητε, φησίν, ὅτι ἦλθον εἰρήνην βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν.» Ἡ γὰρ εὐαγγελικὴ διδασκαλία οὐ παρασκευάζει εἰρηνεύειν πρὸς τὰ γήϊνα καὶ τὴν γῆν, ἀλλὰ διαιρεῖ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τοὺς τὰ ἐπίγεια φρονοῦντας καὶ φοροῦντας τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ. 4.167 Αὕτη ἡ μάχαιρα χρησμοῦ δίκην τῷ Ἀβραὰμ δέδοται, ἵνα διέλῃ αὐτὸν «ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ τῆς συγγενείας αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ πατρῴου οἴκου», γῆς νοουμένης τοῦ σώματος οὗ περιέκειτο, συγγενείας δὲ τοὺς τὰ αὐτὰ ἐπιτηδεύοντας καὶ ἀνατραφέντας, οἶκος δὲ πατρὸς τοῦ νοῦ ὁ προφορικὸς λόγος ἐστίν, ὥς τις τῶν σοφῶν περὶ τὴν μωσαϊκὴν παίδευσιν ἡρμήνευσεν. 4.168 Ἰσοδυναμεῖ τοῖς χρησθεῖσιν τῷ Ἀβραὰμ τὰ λεχθέντα πρὸς τοῦ θείου νυμφίου, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ· «Ἄκουσον, θύγατερ, καὶ ἰδὲ καὶ κλῖνον τὸ οὖς σου, καὶ ἐπιλάθου τοῦ λαοῦ σου καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου ὅτι ἐπεθύμησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ κάλλους σου, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Κύριός σου.» Ταὐτὸν γὰρ τὸ ἐπιλαθέσθαι τινὰ λαοῦ τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρὸς τῷ ἐξελθεῖν ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρὸς τὸν εἰς τοῦτο προτραπέντα. 4.169 Ἡ προειρημένη κολαστικὴ μάχαιρα