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peace, but according to Symmachus: and the tongue of stammerers will hasten to speak clearly. Zion, therefore, the thirsty land, formerly a desert, would be the church, and the heart of the weak, and the stammering tongues of the nations who formerly did not know God nor speak rightly, to whom he promises the change for the better. To these he adds: And they will no longer say to the fool, ‘Rule’; just as they did before, when they entrusted their souls to their truly foolish teachers, and these were "the wise of this age whose wisdom God has made foolish." But formerly they entrusted their rule to this teacher who was atheistic and polytheistic due to foolishness, but now the word says they will no longer say to the fool, 'Rule.' But instead of: and your servants will no longer say, 'Be silent,' Symmachus says: nor will the deceitful be called savior; for all the former rulers, being foolish, did not permit those who wished to learn something and to ask about the truth. Wherefore, according to the Septuagint, it is said: and your servants will no longer say, 'Be silent,' for the fool will speak foolish things. Such truly was everyone who professed "the wisdom of this age." And his heart understood vain things to accomplish lawless deeds and to speak error against the Lord, to pervert hungry souls, or according to the other interpreters: to smite or cut off hungry souls, and to make thirsty souls empty. For all these things the foolish rulers of men of old used to do, and since their counsel was wicked, they devised lawless things to destroy the humble in soul with their words, or according to Symmachus: to destroy the gentle with false speeches and to scatter the words of the humble. For if ever any moderate and humble person brought forth a right word concerning truth, they would make it disappear by scattering it. These things were in the past, he says, but they will no longer be in the new Zion. For they will not say to the fool, 'Rule,' nor will the deceitful be called savior, but the pious, he says, have devised prudent things, and this counsel will remain, but according to Symmachus, after the account against the foolish rulers, it is added: and a ruler will devise princely things and a leader will arise. By which are signified the apostles of our savior, to whom the righteous king has given the rule of his church and leadership of it. Wherefore it is said from his own person: "But you, O man, my leader and my acquaintance." But it is worthy to observe that in these promises Israel is nowhere named, nor Judah who is often named, nor Jacob, because the prophecy is concerning Christ and concerning those in his church who are converted from the error of men. Rightly, therefore, according to the Septuagint, at the beginning of the pericope the word "blessed those having" "seed in Zion and kinsmen in Jerusalem," in this new Zion, it is clear, and in the new Jerusalem of Christ, in which the seed of the blessed men of old, having blossomed, bore fruit, so that the entire world was filled with the blessing from them. Wherefore, concerning them the blessed prophets of God of old, prophesying, said: "If the Lord of Sabaoth had not left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom and we would have been made like Gomorrah." But those who say these things have not become without seed and barren and fruitless "like Sodom and like Gomorrah"; wherefore they are blessed in the church of God for having acquired such "seeds" and such "kinsmen." Wherefore it is said: "Blessed is he who has seed in Zion and kinsmen in Jerusalem." And in many places of the present prophecy, as you proceed, you will find the church from the gentiles being designated in this way. 2.3 The Word, having prophesied the appearance of Christ and the right oversight "with judgment" of his apostles by saying: "Behold, a righteous king will reign, and rulers will rule with judgment," then having added the conversion of the gentiles to God from

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εἰρήνην, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· γλῶσσα δὲ τραυλῶν ταχυνεῖ λαλεῖν τρανά. Σιὼν τοίνυν ἡ καὶ γῆ διψῶσα ἡ πάλαι ἔρημος εἴη ἂν ἡ ἐκκλησία καὶ καρδία ἀσθενούντων καὶ γλῶσσαι τραυλίζουσαι αἱ τῶν πάλαι τὸν θεὸν μὴ νοούντων μηδὲ ὀρθὰ λαλούντων ἐθνῶν, οἷς ἐπαγγέλλεται τὴν ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττω μεταβολήν. Τούτοις ἐπιλέγει· καὶ οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ εἴπωσι τῷ μωρῷ ἄρχειν· ὥσπερ οὖν πρότερον ἐποίουν, ὅτε τοῖς ὡς ἀληθῶς μωροῖς διδασκάλοις αὐτῶν ἐπέτρεπον τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχάς, ἦσαν δὲ οὗτοι «οἱ σοφοὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ὧν ἐμώρανεν ὁ θεὸς τὴν σοφίαν». ἀλλὰ πάλαι μὲν τούτῳ τῷ διὰ μωρίαν ἀθέῳ καὶ πολυθέῳ διδασκάλῳ ἐπέτρεπον τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀρχήν, νυνὶ δὲ ὁ λόγος οὐκέτι φησὶν ἐροῦσι τῷ μωρῷ ἄρχειν. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· καὶ οὐκέτι μὴ εἴπωσιν οἱ ὑπηρέται σου Σίγα, ὁ Σύμμαχος· οὐδὲ τῷ δολίῳ ῥηθήσεταί φησι σωτήρ· πάντες γάρ που οἱ πάλαι ἄρχοντες μωροὶ ὄντες οὐκ ἐπέτρεπον τοῖς βουλομένοις τι μανθάνειν καὶ περὶ ἀληθείας ἐρωτᾶν. διὸ κατὰ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα εἴρηται· καὶ οὐκέτι μὴ εἴπωσιν οἱ ὑπηρέται σου Σίγα, ὁ γὰρ μωρὸς μωρὰ λαλήσει. τοιοῦτος δὲ ἦν ἀληθῶς πᾶς ὁ «τὴν σοφίαν» ἐπαγγελλόμενος «τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου». καὶ ἡ καρδία δὲ αὐτοῦ μάταια ἐνόει τοῦ συντελεῖν ἄνομα καὶ λαλεῖν πρὸς κύριον πλάνησιν, τοῦ διαστρέψαι ψυχὰς πεινώσας, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς· τοῦ κόψαι ἢ ἐκκόψαι ψυχὰς πεινώσας, καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς τὰς διψώσας κενὰς ποιῆσαι. Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα πάλαι ἔπραττον οἱ πάλαι μωροὶ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῆς βουλῆς αὐτῶν πονηρᾶς οὔσης ἄνομα ἐβουλεύοντο εἰς τὸ καταφθεῖραι τοῖς αὐτῶν λόγοις τοὺς τὰς ψυχὰς ταπεινούς, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· εἰς τὸ καταφθεῖραι πραεῖς ἐν λαλιαῖς ψευδέσιν καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ διασκεδάσαι λόγους ταπεινῶν. καὶ γὰρ εἴ πού τις μέτριος καὶ ταπεινὸς ὀρθὸν περὶ ἀληθείας προεφέρετο λόγον, τοῦτον ἠφάνιζον διασκεδαννύντες. ταῦτα μὲν πάλαι πρότερον οὐκέτι δὲ ἔσεσθαι ταῦτά φησιν ἐν τῇ καινῇ Σιών. οὐ γὰρ εἴπωσι τῷ μωρῷ ἄρχειν, οὐδὲ τῷ δολίῳ ῥηθήσεται σωτήρ, ἀλλ' οἱ εὐσεβεῖς συνετά φησιν ἐβουλεύσαντο, καὶ αὕτη ἡ βουλὴ μενεῖ, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον μετὰ τὴν κατὰ τῶν μωρῶν ἀρχόντων διήγησιν ἐπιλέγεται· ἄρχων δὲ ἀρχοντικὰ βουλεύσεται καὶ ἡγεμὼν ἀναστήσεται. δι' ὧν σημαίνονται οἱ ἀπόστολοι τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, οἷς εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς ἐκκλησίας αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ἡγεῖσθαι αὐτῆς ὁ δίκαιος δεδώρηται βασιλεύς. διὸ εἴρηται ἐξ αὐτοῦ προσώπου· «σὺ δέ, ἄνθρωπε, ἡγεμών μου καὶ γνωστέ μου». ἐπιτηρῆσαι δὲ ἄξιον ὡς ἐν ταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις ταύταις οὐδαμοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὠνόμασται οὐδὲ ὁ πολλάκις ὠνομασμένος Ἰούδας οὐδὲ Ἰακὼβ διὰ τὸ τὴν προφητείαν περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἶναι καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀρρένων ἐπιστρεφόντων πλάνης. εἰκότως οὖν κατὰ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς περικοπῆς ὁ λόγος «ἐμακάριζε τοὺς ἔχοντας» «ἐν Σιὼν σπέρμα καὶ οἰκείους ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ», ταύτῃ δῆλον δ' ὅτι τῇ καινῇ Σιὼν καὶ τῇ νέᾳ Χριστοῦ Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἐν ᾗ τὸ σπέρμα τῶν πάλαι μακαρίων ἀνδρῶν ἐξανθῆσαν, ἐκαρποφόρησεν ὡς τὴν σύμπασαν οἰκουμένην τῆς ἐξ αὐτῶν εὐλογίας πληρωθῆναι. διὸ περὶ αὐτῶν οἱ πάλαι τοῦ θεοῦ μακάριοι προφῆται θεσπίζοντες ἔλεγον· «εἰ μὴ κύριος σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα, ὡς Σόδομα ἂν ἐγενήθημεν καὶ ὡς Γόμορρα ἂν ὡμοιώθημεν». ἀλλ' οὐ γεγόνασιν οἱ ταῦτα λέγοντες ἄσποροι καὶ ἄγονοι καὶ ἄκαρποι «ὡς Σόδομα καὶ ὡς Γόμορρα»· διὸ μακαρίζονται ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ τοιαῦτα «σπέρματα» τοιούτους «οἰκείους» κτησάμενοι. διὸ εἴρηται· «Μακάριος ὃς ἔχει ἐν Σιὼν σπέρμα καὶ οἰκείους ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ». πολλαχοῦ δὲ τῆς προκειμένης προφητείας εὑρήσεις προϊὼν τὴν ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦτον χρηματίζουσαν τὸν τρόπον. 2.3 Θεσπίσας ὁ λόγος τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ τὴν «μετὰ κρίσεως» ὀρθῆς ἐπιστασίαν διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν· «ἰδοὺ βασιλεὺς δίκαιος βασιλεύσει, καὶ ἄρχοντες μετὰ κρίσεως ἄρξουσιν», εἶτ' ἐπισυνάψας τῶν ἐθνῶν τὴν ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν ἐπιστροφὴν τῷ ἐκ