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Exhortation to bear poverty nobly and without being base. 13.258 And open (it says) you rulers. Following the 'beckon with the hand' is 'to open the hand,' which Scripture is accustomed to take for the act of sharing, when it says: 'When you open your hand, all things shall be filled with goodness.' Therefore, open your houses, and open the treasures of your possession to strangers and to the poor; do not hold back what you have for the comfort of the afflicted. And do this first, you rulers, so that by your example you may also lead the people. But it can also be understood of opening the Scriptures and showing what is closed, so that no one may become liable to the judgment of the Pharisees and Scribes, who, having the keys of the kingdom, neither enter themselves, nor do they allow those who are able to enter. Therefore, he is speaking to the rulers, those having the keys of knowledge. Having heard this saying, Paul said: Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians. 13.259 I command and I lead them. We must do what is possible for us. But the one leading them is the Lord, and the one who assigns each one in the body of the Church according to his own worth. Giants are coming to fulfill my wrath, at once rejoicing and acting insolently. The word threatens the advent of certain wicked and god-fighting men sent for vengeance against those who have sinned. For this reason, providing for those who fear him, he leads them up to the steadfast height of the mountain, and secures them on the level ground of the summit. And he gives them the sign as a protection, suggesting to them through good works to beckon with the hand to the afflicted, to open the mouth for the teaching of the disciples, so that they may escape the attack of the giants. For giants, for the most part, are appointed for what is worse. Perhaps the Psalm more clearly named the giants here 'evil angels', saying: 'He sent upon them the anger of his wrath, wrath and anger and affliction, a mission by evil angels.' For this reason, such ministers have been devised for those who have done things worthy of punishment, since from great cruelty, having no sympathy for those being punished, nor being able to take on bowels of compassion, they rejoice over the men being scourged and insult them, making the toil and the pain and the grief of those being flogged their own enjoyment. 13.260 A voice of many nations on the mountains, like many nations, a voice of kings and of nations gathered together. Perhaps the voice of the many nations on the mountains is of the Church. For this reason she was also called a level mountain, so that she might have ample space for the gathering of the multitude of those ascending to the height of the knowledge of God. Therefore, he saw on the level mountain the great multitude gathered from many places, and uttering one voice of faith. And the Holy Spirit says through the Prophet: A voice of many nations on the mountains (on which the sign was raised) like many nations. And the voice is one, and it is like the many voices of the nations. One, according to the harmony of the faith, but it seems like many voices because of the tongues of fire distributed by the Holy Spirit upon each of the Apostles who were about to sow the Gospel to the nations in the inhabited world. A voice of kings (it says) and of nations gathered together. Perhaps we must understand the nations as us who have run together from all places to the calling; and the kings, as the elect in the Church, whom the Lord also named sons of the kingdom. Or perhaps it indicates the multitude of the giants, that it is a voice of many nations and a voice of kings. For because they run rejoicing and acting insolently to the fulfillment of the Lord's wrath, having been appointed to the ministry, they imitate the sound of many nations, and of certain kings puffed up in their pride, being ignorant that they are ministers of punishment, tormentors of those who sin; but not by their own authority,

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προτροπὴ τοῦ φέρειν πενίαν εὐγενῶς καὶ ἀταπεινώτως. 13.258 Καὶ ἀνοίξατε (φησὶν) οἱ ἄρχοντες. Ἕπεται τῷ παρακαλεῖν τῇ χειρὶ τὸ ἀνοίγειν τὴν χεῖρα, ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῆς μεταδοτικῆς ἐνεργείας ἔθος ἐστὶ τῇ Γραφῇ λαμ βάνειν, ὅταν λέγῃ· Ἀνοίξαντος δέ σου τὴν χεῖρα, τὰ σύμ παντα πλησθήσονται χρηστότητος. Ἀνοίξατε οὖν τοὺς οἴ κους ὑμῶν, καὶ τοὺς θησαυροὺς τῆς κτήσεως ἀνοίξατε ξένοις καὶ πένησι· μὴ συνέχετε τὰ προσόντα ὑμῖν εἰς παραμυθίαν τῶν καταπονουμένων. Καὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖτε πρῶτον, οἱ ἄρχον τες, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ ὑποδείγματος καὶ τὸν λαὸν ἐναγάγητε. ∆ύναται δὲ νοηθῆναι καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ διανοίγειν τὰς Γραφὰς καὶ τὰ κεκλεισμένα ὑποδεικνύναι, ἵνα μή τις γένηται τῷ κρίματι τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Γραμματέων ὑπόδικος, οἵτινες ἔχοντες τὰς κλεῖς τῆς βασιλείας, οὔτε αὐτοὶ εἰσέρχονται, καὶ τοὺς δυναμένους εἰσελθεῖν κωλύουσι. Πρὸς οὖν τοὺς ἄρχοντας δια λέγεται, τοὺς ἔχοντας τὰς κλεῖς τῆς γνώσεως. Τούτου κα τακούσας τοῦ ῥητοῦ ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγε· Τὸ στόμα ἡμῶν ἀνέῳγε πρὸς ὑμᾶς, Κορίνθιοι. 13.259 Ἐγὼ συντάσσω καὶ ἐγὼ ἄγω αὐτούς. Ἡμᾶς χρὴ ἐνεργεῖν τὸ ἡμῖν δυνατόν. Ὁ δὲ ἄγων αὐτοὺς Κύριός ἐστι, καὶ ὁ κατατάσσων ἕκαστον ἐν τῷ σώματι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν ἀξίαν. Γίγαντες ἔρχονται πλη ρῶσαι τὸν θυμόν μου, χαίροντες ἅμα καὶ ὑβρίζοντες. Ἀπειλεῖ ὁ λόγος πονηρῶν τινων καὶ θεομάχων ἐπιδημίαν εἰς ἐκδίκησιν ἀποστελλομένων κατὰ τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, προ νοούμενος τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν, ἀνάγει μὲν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὸ καρτερὸν ὕψος τοῦ ὄρους, ἐνασφαλίζεται δὲ αὐτοὺς τῇ ὁμα λότητι τῆς κορυφῆς. ∆ίδωσι δὲ αὐτοῖς φυλακτήριον τὸ σημεῖον, ὑποτιθεὶς αὐτοῖς τὴν διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων πα ρακαλεῖν τῇ χειρὶ τοὺς θλιβομένους, ἀνοίγειν τὸ στόμα πρὸς διδασκαλίαν τῶν μαθητευομένων, ἵνα φύγωσι τὴν ἐπιδρο μὴν τῶν γιγάντων. Γίγαντες γὰρ, ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ, ἐπὶ τοῦ χείρονός εἰσι τεταγμένοι. Τάχα δὲ τοὺς ἐνταῦθα γίγαντας ὠνόμασε σαφέσ τερον ὁ Ψαλμὸς ἀγγέλους πονηροὺς, λέγων· Ἐξαπέστειλεν εἰς αὐτοὺς ὀργὴν θυμοῦ αὐτοῦ, θυμὸν καὶ ὀργὴν καὶ θλίψιν, ἀποστολὴν δι' ἀγγέλων πονηρῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὲ τοιοῦτοι διάκονοι τοῖς ἄξια κολάσεως πεποιηκόσιν ἐπινενόηνται, ἐπείπερ ἀπὸ πολλῆς ὠμότητος μηδεμίαν ἔχοντες πρὸς τοὺς κολαζομένους συμπάθειαν, μηδὲ οἰκτιρμοῦ σπλάγχνα ἀνα λαβεῖν δυνάμενοι, ἐπιχαίρουσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μαστιζομένοις καὶ καθυβρίζουσιν αὐτοὺς, οἰκείαν ἀπόλαυσιν ποιούμενοι τὸν πόνον καὶ τὴν ὀδύνην καὶ τὴν λύπην τῶν μαστιγουμένων. 13.260 Φωνὴ ἐθνῶν πολλῶν ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων, ὁμοία ἐθνῶν πολλῶν, φωνὴ βασιλέων καὶ ἐθνῶν συνηγμένων. Τάχα τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν πολλῶν τῶν ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων φωνή ἐστιν Ἐκκλησίας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πεδινὸν ὄρος αὐτὴ ἐξελέχθη, ἵνα εὐρυχωρίαν ἔχῃ πρὸς τὴν συλλογὴν τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ἀνα βαινόντων ἐπὶ τὸ ὕψος τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἶδεν οὖν ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ πεδινῷ πολὺ τὸ πλῆθος πολλαχόθεν συνειλεγμένων, καὶ φωνὴν μίαν ἀφιέντων τῆς πίστεως. Καί φησι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον διὰ τοῦ Προφήτου· Φωνὴ ἐθνῶν πολλῶν ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων (ἐφ' ὧν ἤρθη τὸ σημεῖον) ὁμοία ἐθνῶν πολλῶν. Καὶ μία ἐστὶν ἡ φωνὴ, καὶ ἔοικε φωναῖς πολλαῖς ἐθνῶν. Μία μὲν, κατὰ τὴν συμφωνίαν τῆς πίστεως, πολλαῖς δὲ φωναῖς ἔοικε διὰ τὸ μερισθῆναι γλώσσαις πυρὸς παρὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐφ' ἕκαστον τῶν Ἀποστόλων τῶν μελλόντων τοῖς ἐν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ ἔθνεσιν ἐπισπείρειν τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον. Φωνὴ βασιλέων (φησὶ) καὶ ἐθνῶν συνηγμένων. Τάχα δεῖ τὰ μὲν ἔθνη νοῆσαι ἡμᾶς τοὺς πανταχόθεν συνδραμόντας ἐπὶ τὴν κλῆσιν· βασιλεῖς δὲ, τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, οὓς καὶ υἱοὺς βασιλείας ὠνόμασεν ὁ Κύριος. Ἢ τάχα τὸ πλῆθος ἐμφαίνει τῶν γιγάντων, ὅτι φωνή ἐστι πολλῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ φωνὴ βασιλέων. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὸ χαίροντας αὐτοὺς καὶ ὑβρί ζοντας τρέχειν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκπλήρωσιν τοῦ θυμοῦ Κυρίου, τε ταγμένοι εἰς τὴν διακονίαν, μιμοῦνται πολλῶν ἐθνῶν ἦχον, καὶ βασιλέων τινῶν ἐπηρμένων τῷ φρονήματι, ἀγνοοῦντες ὅτι ὑπηρέται κολάσεώς εἰσι, βασανισταὶ τῶν ἁμαρτανόν των· οὐχὶ δὲ οἰκείᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ,