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And so much for them. CHAPTER 27. 111. 9In that day God will bring his holy, and great, and strong sword against the dragon, the fleeing serpent; against the dragon, the crooked serpent, and he will slay the dragon9, etc. But those who thought these things were spoken about the end of the age, and of the judgment upon it, said that when these things are accomplished, the last enemy to be destroyed is death. Therefore at the end of all things, and after everything (for this is what "in that day" means), God will bring his holy and strong sword (and instead of "holy," the others have published "hard"), which, having been brought against none of the others, was reserved for his wickedness, in proportion to the one who tripped up Adam in paradise and cast him down from his station with God. Concerning whom he says, "Now the serpent was more subtle than all the beasts on the earth." He who, after the first-formed and their descendants, captured them through deceit, was fittingly called a serpent, as both crawling on the ground and lying in wait for the feet of men, so that by casting his venom into them he might cast them down from the right path that leads to God. "For he," it says, "will watch for your head, and you will watch for his heel." Moses, therefore, having spoken only of the deceit from him, omitted the judgment awaiting him, which the present prophet taught. The rod of God, therefore, being straight and for chastisement, according to, "A rod of uprightness is the rod of your kingdom," is reserved for the correction of those who have sinned curably. But the [serpent], who is entirely curved and crooked, crawling on the ground upon belly and breast and watching the heels of all, after all the impious, will be handed over to the hard and great and strong sword, which the Seventy mentioned; by which is signified the word of God, living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, who, coming against the dragon as an adversary, they say, destroyed him, making his substance disappear from among existing things, and dissolving his existence into 2233 non-existence, for he is not deemed worthy of the wrath of God, which is for chastisement and for turning one back, concerning which he says: "Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, nor chasten me in your wrath." For the one is for rebuking, the other for chastising. These things are fitting for those who have sinned curably, but not for the Dragon who ought only to be annihilated. But when he sees the sword brought against him, he will turn to flight, being unable through foolishness to say, "Where shall I go from your spirit, and where shall I flee from your presence?" He will try, therefore, fleeing to his own lairs [or, haunts] to hide in the so-called sea, in which it is said there is this dragon, "whom you formed to be a plaything for him." Concerning whom Job says: "Will you draw out the dragon with a hook?" And after other things: "This is the beginning of the creation of the Lord, made to be mocked by his angels." And again: "He is king of all that is in the waters." And it teaches that for this reason he was permitted to live, so that he might be mocked by the saints who are being trained in the struggle against him. But when the contest is over, and the rewards are justly given to each one after the judgment against the impious, the sword will be brought against the dragon, the fleeing serpent, against the dragon, the crooked serpent. But as Symmachus has it, against Leviathan the crooked serpent, and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea in that day. But as Aquila has it, against Leviathan the hardened or resolute [or, hardened or strengthened] serpent, and he will kill with the sea-monster that is in the sea in that day. But Leviathan is everywhere named as a proper name, according to the Hebrew. For even in, "He who is about to subdue the great sea-monster," Leviathan is said. And in, "This dragon." And in "Will you draw out the dragon with a hook." And he has many names, as he has many heads. He is called Dragon, and Serpent, and Devil, and Sea-monster, and Satan, and Leviathan, and Lion, and Basilisk. But at the first coming of the Savior, he did not use it as a sword, nor did he slay him, but only stepped on him and trampled on his powers. To whom it was said: "Upon the asp and

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Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν οὗτοι. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΚΖʹ. αιαʹ. 9Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐπάξει ὁ Θεὸς τὴν μάχαιραν τὴν ἁγίαν, καὶ τὴν μεγάλην, καὶ τὴν ἰσχυρὰν ἐπὶ τὸν δράκοντα τὸν ὄφιν φεύγοντα· ἐπὶ τὸν δράκοντα ὄφιν σκολιὸν, καὶ ἀνελεῖ τὸν δράκοντα9, κ.τ.λ. Οἱ δὲ περὶ τῆς συντελείας εἰρῆσθαι ταῦτα, καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ ταύτῃ νομίσαντες κρίσεως, ἔφασαν, ὡς τούτων ἐπιτελεσθέντων ἔσχατος ἐχθρὸς καταργεῖται ὁ θάνατος. ∆ιὸ ἐπὶ τέλει τῶν ὅλων, καὶ μετὰ πάντα (τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ) ἐπάξει ὁ Θεὸς τὴν μάχαιραν τὴν ἁγίαν καὶ τὴν ἰσχυρὰν (μήτι δὲ τοῦ τὴν ἁγίαν, σκληρὰν ἐξέδωκαν οἱ λοιποὶ) ἥτις μηδενὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπαχθεῖσα ἐτηρεῖτο τῆς αὐτοῦ κακίας, ἀναλόγως τῷ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ σκελίσαντι, καὶ στάσεως καταβαλόντι τῆς παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ. Περὶ οὗ φησὶν, "Ὁ δὲ ὄφις ἦν φρονιμώτερος πάντων τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." Ὁ μετὰ τοὺς πρωτοπλάστους καὶ τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν δι' ἀπάτης ἑλὼν, προσφυῶς ὄφις ῥηθεὶς, ὡς ἕρπων τε χαμαὶ καὶ τοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐφεδρεύων ποσὶν, ὡς ἂν αὐτοῖς τὸν ἰὸν ἐμβαλὼν τῆς ὀρθῆς καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀγούσης καταβάλοι πορείας. "Αὐτὸς γάρ σου, φησὶ, τηρήσει κεφαλὴν, καὶ σὺ τηρήσεις αὐτοῦ πτέρναν." Μωσῆς μὲν οὖν τὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ μόνον ἀπάτην εἰπὼν, τὴν μένουσαν αὐτὸν δίκην παρέλιπεν, ἣν ὁ παρὼν προφήτης ἐδίδαξεν. Ἡ μὲν οὖν τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥάβδος εὐθεῖά τις οὖσα καὶ παιδευτικὴ, κατὰ τό· "Ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος, ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου," τοῖς ἰάσιμα ἡμαρτηκόσι τετήρηται πρὸς διόρθωσιν. Ὁ δὲ [ὅφις] ὅλος δι' ὅλου καμπύλος καὶ σκολιὸς ἕρπων τε χαμαὶ ἐπὶ κοιλίαν καὶ στῆθος καὶ τὰς ἁπάντων πτέρνας τηρῶν, μετὰ τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς πάντας, τῇ σκληρᾷ καὶ μεγάλῃ καὶ ἰσχυρᾷ μαχαίρᾳ παραδοθήσεται, ἣν ἔφασαν οἱ Ἑβδομήκοντα· δι' ἧς ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ σημαίνεται λόγος ὁ ζῶν καὶ ἐνεργὴς καὶ τομώτερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον, ὃς ὡς ἐναντίῳ τῷ δράκοντι ἐπελθὼν ἀνεῖλεν φασὶν αὐτὸν, ἐξ ὄντων τὴν ὑπόστασιν ἀφανίζων αὐτοῦ, καὶ πρὸς τὸ 2233 μὴ ὃν ἀναλύων τὴν ὕπαρξιν, οὐ δὲ γὰρ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ καταξιοῦται παιδευτικῆς οὔσης καὶ ἐπιστρεπτικῆς, περὶ ἧς φησί· "Κύριε, μὴ τῷ θυμῷ σου ἐλέγξῃς με, μὴ δὲ τῇ ὀργῇ σου παιδεύσῃς με." Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐλεγκτικὸν, τὸ δὲ παιδευτικόν. Ἅπερ ἁρμόττει τοῖς ἡμαρτηκόσιν ἰάσιμα, ἀλλ' οὐ τῷ ∆ράκοντι τῷ ἐξαφανισθῆναι μόνον ὀφείλοντι. Τὴν δὲ ἐπαγομένην θεασάμενος μάχαιραν χωρήσεται πρὸς φυγὴν, δι' ἀφροσύνην λέγειν οὐχ οἷός τε ὢν, "Ποῦ πορευθῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός σου, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου ποῦ φύγω;" Πειράσεται δ' οὖν εἰς τοὺς ἰδίους ἀποφεύγων ἰουχοὺς [φ. ἰωχμοὺς] κατακρύπτεσθαι τῇ καλουμένῃ θαλάσσῃ, ἐν ᾗ εἴρηται δράκων οὗτος, "ὃν ἔπλασας, ἐμπαίζειν αὐτῷ." Περὶ οὗ φησιν Ἰώβ· "Ἄξεις δὲ δράκοντα ἐν ἀγκίστρῳ. Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· Τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀρχὴ πλάσματος Κυρίου πεποιημένον ἐγκαταπαίζεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ." Καὶ πάλιν· "Αὐτός ἐστι βασιλεὺς πάντων τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν." ∆ιδάσκει δὲ τούτου χάριν αὐτῷ συγκεχωρῆσθαι τὸ ζῇν, ἐπὶ τῷ πρὸς τῶν ἁγίων ἐγκαταπαίζεσθαι γυμναζομένων τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν πάλῃ. Λελυμένου δὲ τοῦ ἀγῶνος, καὶ τῶν ἀμοιβῶν ἑκάστῳ δικαίως παρεχομένων μετὰ τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν κρίσιν, ἡ μάχαιρα ἐπαχθήσεται ἐπὶ τὸν δράκοντα ὄφιν φεύγοντα, ἐπὶ τὸν δράκοντα ὄφιν σκολιόν. Ὡς δὲ Σύμμαχος, κατὰ Λευϊαθὰν τοῦ ὄφεως τοῦ σκολιοῦ, καὶ ἀποκτενεῖ τὸν δράκοντα τὸν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ. Ὡς δὲ Ἀκύλας, ἐπὶ Λευϊαθὰν ὄφιν ἐσκιρωμένον ἢ ἐπειρωμένον [φ. ἐσκιῤῥωμένον ἢ ἐπεῤῥωμένον], καὶ ἀποκτενεῖ σὺν τὸ κῆτος τὸ ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ. Ὡς δὲ κύριον ὄνομα τὸ Λευϊαθὰν πανταχοῦ, κατὰ τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν, ὀνομάζεται. Κἂν τῷ γὰρ, "Ὁ μέλλων τὸ μέγα κῆτος χειροῦσθαι," Λευϊαθὰν εἴρηται. Καὶ ἐν τῷ, "∆ράκων οὗτος." Καὶ ἐν τῷ "Ἄξεις δράκοντα ἐν ἀγκίστρῳ." Πολυώνυμος δέ ἐστιν, ὡς πολυκέφαλος. ∆ράκων, καὶ ὅφις, καὶ διάβολος, κῆτός τε, καὶ Σατανᾶς, καὶ Λευϊαθὰν, καὶ λέων, καὶ βασιλίσκος ὀνομάζεται. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς πρώτης ὁ Σωτὴρ παρουσίας οὐκ ἐχρήσατο αὐτῷ ὡς μαχαίρᾳ, οὐδὲ ἀνεῖλεν αὐτὸν, ἐπέβη δὲ μόνον αὐτῷ, καὶ τὰς δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ κατεπάτησεν. Πρὸς ὃν εἴρηται· "Ἐπὶ ἀσπίδα καὶ