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thus it will be taken away. For he will remit his debts in due season. And this is his blessing. For if he had exacted the penalty according to what was deserved, the word spoken to Abraham would not have come to pass in deed, "Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you," since his descendants had transgressed so greatly. But when, he says, will you be free from transgressions? When those called through faith campaign against the ancient error, wiping out every remnant of it, in accordance with the 2241 apostolic words; but when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then all Israel will be saved. He calls Israel an inhabited flock, as once abounding in good deeds. Which being abandoned, the intelligible beasts will devour, with no one any longer to ward off the evil powers. But not even the Romans, in making this clear, gave up until they had shown it to be desolate of even the smallest things. Some say that "pasturage" signifies the tribute from enemies. For just as a blessing is promised to those who cease from idolatry, so desolation with servitude is promised to those who remain. ιαιγʹ. 9Women coming from a spectacle, come here. For it is not a people that has understanding; therefore he who made them will not pity them, nor will he who formed them have mercy on them. And it will be in that day, the Lord will fence in from the channel of the river to Rhinokoroura9, etc. Having spoken of the complete desolation of those of the circumcision, as no men worthy of salvation were found among them, he summons women to bear witness to the wondrous works, so that by coming they might enlighten the people sitting in darkness, and their forsaken city. Therefore, according to Aquila, it is said: Women coming enlighten her. And according to Symmachus: Women coming and revealing her. But who are these, let us learn. He says: "There were many women there, watching from a distance, who had followed him from Galilee, ministering to him," whose names he adds. And Luke: "Certain women who were following, who had come with him from Galilee, saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Who, having learned about the resurrection of the Savior, returned from the tomb, proclaiming the good news of everything to the apostles." Since, therefore, the people without understanding did not obey the preaching of the apostles, even though the Gentiles accepted the word, for this reason the divine Spirit calls the women. For they slandered the apostles, saying they had stolen the Savior's body by night. Therefore he calls the unsuspected women for the refutation of the foolish. For they alone disobey, seeing Churches everywhere in the world, not perceiving the divine virtue of the evangelical preaching. But women are the first to be entrusted with the resurrection, since a woman was also the first to receive the serpent's deceit. Therefore, through their mission they repel the charge of terrible crimes. For the word "rejoice" was said to them by the one who imposed the curse in the beginning, who said to Eve, "In sorrow you shall bring forth children." But he says he will not have mercy on the Jews as being without understanding. And in the indicated time, 2244 he says, the Lord will fence in from the channel of the river, which the others have interpreted as "will strike," indicating that the Lord will strike those unbelievers, and the people without understanding. Then he defines a place from the stream of the river to the torrent of Egypt, according to Symmachus, to which the others are also equivalent, as the word defines the war against the Jews that will be waged by the Romans, perhaps from the river Jordan to the torrent of Rhinokoroura, which is the border of Egypt. But these, he says, the Lord himself will beat with a rod, bringing upon them the scourge that brings conversion, the army of the enemies. Therefore he also said above: "Woe to the Assyrians, the rod of anger, and of wrath in their hands." But some say that the borders of Judea are the Euphrates and Rhinokoroura. And "will fence in" instead of "will besiege" and "will afflict." For the "fencing in" is a shutting up of inescapable evils. But the mind of the Jews has also been shut up, not admitting the light of truth.

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οὕτως ἀναιρεθήσεται. Ἀνήσει γὰρ καὶ αὐτῷ κατὰ καιροὺς τὰ ὀφλήματα. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἡ εὐλογία αὐτοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ ἀπῄτει πρὸς ἀξίαν τὴν δίκην, οὐκ ἂν ἔργῳ προῆλθε τὸ ῥηθὲν Ἀβραὰμ, "Εὐλογῶν εὐλογήσω σε, καὶ πληθύνων πληθυνῶ σε," τοσαῦτα πεπλημμεληκότων τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ. Πότε δὲ, φησὶν, ἔσῃ τῶν πλημμελημάτων ἐλεύθερος; ὅτε οἱ διὰ πίστεως κεκλημένοι τῆς ἀρχαίας καταστρατεύσωνται πλάνης, πᾶν αὐτῆς ἐξαλείφοντες λείψανον, συμφώνως τοῖς 2241 ἀποστολικοῖς· ὅτ' ἂν δὲ τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ, τότε πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται. Κατοικούμενον δὲ ποίμνιον ὀνομάζει τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, ὡς πάλαι ποιήσεσιν ἀγαθοῖς πληθυνόμενον. Ὃ καταλειφθὲν οἱ νοητοὶ κατανεμεθήσονται θῆρες, μηδενὸς ἔτι τὰς πονηρὰς ἀποσοβοῦντος δυνάμεις. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ Ῥωμαῖοι δηλοῦντες ἀπεῖπον πρινὴ καὶ τῶν σμικροτάτων ἀπέδειξαν ἔρημον. Τινὲς δὲ βόσκημα τὴν ἐκ τῶν πολεμίων φορολογίαν σημαίνειν φασίν. Ὡς γὰρ εὐλογίαν παυομένοις τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας ἐπήγγελται, οὕτως ἐρημίαν μετὰ δουλείας τοῖς ἀπομείνασιν. ιαιγʹ. 9Γυναῖκες ἐρχόμεναι ἀπὸ θέας, δεῦτε. Οὐ γὰρ λαός ἐστιν ἔχων σύνεσιν· διὰ τοῦτο οὐ μὴ οἰκτειρήσει ὁ ποιήσας αὐτοὺς, οὐδὲ πλάσας αὐτοὺς, οὐ μὴ ἐλεήσει. Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, συμφράξει Κύριος ἀπὸ τῆς διώρυγος τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἕως Ῥινοκούρων9, κ.τ.λ. Τὴν παντελῆ τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς ἐρημίαν εἰπὼν, ὡς ἀνδρῶν οὐχ εὑρισκομένων ἐν αὐτοῖς σωτηρίας ἀξίων, ἀνακαλεῖται γυναῖκας τῶν παραδόξων ἔργων εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ὡς ἂν ἐλθοῦσαι φωτίσαιεν τὸν ἐν σκότῳ καθήμενον λαὸν, καὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀφειμένην. ∆ιὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν εἴρηται· Γυναῖκες ἐρχόμεναι φωτίζουσιν αὐτήν. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Γυναῖκες ἐρχόμεναι καὶ δηλοῦσαι αὐτήν. Τίνες δὲ αὗται, μανθάνωμεν. Φησίν· "Ἦσαν ἐκεῖ γυναῖκες πολλαὶ ἀπὸ μακρόθεν θεωροῦσαι αἵτινες ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας διακονοῦσαι αὐτῷ," ὧν ἐπάγει τὰ ὀνόματα. Λουκᾶς δὲ, "Κατακολουθοῦσαι γυναῖκές τινες, αἵ τινες ἦσαν συνεληλυθυῖαι ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας αὐτῷ, ἐθεάσαντο τὸ μνημεῖον, καὶ ὡς ἐτέθη τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ. Αἵτινες μαθοῦσαι τὰ περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ὑπέστρεψαν ἀπὸ τοῦ μνημείου εὐαγγελιζόμεναι πάντα τοῖς ἀποστόλοις." Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ὁ λαὸς ὁ μὴ ἔχων σύνεσιν, τῷ κηρύγματι τῶν ἀποστόλων οὐκ ἐπείθετο, καί τοι τῶν ἐθνῶν παραδεχομένων τὸν λόγον, τούτου χάριν τὰς γυναῖκας τὸ θεῖον Πνεῦμα καλεῖ. Τοὺς γὰρ ἀποστόλους διέβαλλον, ὡς νυκτὸς κλέψαντας τοῦ Σωτῆρος τὸ σῶμα. ∆ιὸ τὰς ἀνυπόπτους καλεῖ τῶν ἀνοήτων εἰς ἔλεγχον. Μόνοι γὰρ ἀπειθοῦσι, πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης Ἐκκλησίας ὁρῶντες, τὴν ἔνθεον ἀρετὴν τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ μὴ συνορῶντες κηρύγματος. Γυναῖκες δὲ πρῶται πιστεύονται τὴν ἀνάστασιν, ἐπεὶ καὶ γυνὴ πρώτη τοῦ ὄφεως τὴν ἀπάτην ἐδέξατο. ∆ιὰ τῆς οὖν ἀποστολῆς τῶν δεινῶν ἐγκλημάτων ἀποκρούονται τὴν αἰτίαν. Εἴρηται γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὰς τὸ χαίρετε παρὰ τοῦ τὴν ἀρὰν ἐπιθέντος ἐν ἀρχῇ, "Ἐν λύπαις τέξῃ τέκνα," πρὸς Εὔαν εἰπόντος. Ὡς ἀνοήτους δὲ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους οὐκ ἐλεήσειν φησίν. Ἐν δὲ τῷ καιρῷ λέγει 2244 τῷ δηλουμένῳ, συμφράξει Κύριος ἀπὸ τῆς διώρυγος τοῦ ποταμοῦ ὅπερ πατάξει ἑρμήνευσαν οἱ λοιποὶ, δηλοῦντες πατάξειν Κύριον τοὺς ἀπίστους ἐκείνους, καὶ τὸν λαὸν τὸν ἀσύνετον. Εἶτα τόπον ἀφορίζει ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥείθρου ποταμοῦ ἕως τοῦ χειμάῤῥου Αἰγύπτου, κατὰ Σύμμαχον, ᾧπερ ἰσοδυναμοῦσι καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ περιορίζοντος τοῦ λόγου τὸν κατ' Ἰουδαίων ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων γενησόμενον πόλεμον, ἀπὸ ποταμοῦ τάχα τοῦ Ἰορδάνου μέχρι τοῦ χειμάῤῥου Ῥεινοκορούρων, ἥπερ ἐστὶν Αἰγύπτου μεθόριον. Ἀλλὰ τούτους μὲν, φησὶ, ῥαβδίσει Κύριος αὐτὸς, ἐπάγων αὐτοῖς τὴν μάστιγα τὴν ἐπιστρεπτικὴν, τὸ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδον. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἄνω ἔλεγεν· "Οὐαὶ Ἀσσυρίοις, ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς ὀργῆς, καὶ τοῦ θυμοῦ ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῶν." Τινὲς δὲ φασὶν, ὡς Ἰουδαίας ὅροι Εὐφράτης καὶ Ῥεινοκόρουρα. Τὸ δὲ συμφράξει, ἀντὶ τοῦ πολιορκήσει, καὶ θλίψει. Ἡ γὰρ σύμφραξις, συγκλεισμός ἐστιν ἀφύκτων κακῶν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ συγκέκλεισται τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὁ νοῦς οὐ προσιεμένων τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ φῶς.