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the Lord has called <you> in spirit,” but Symmachus thus: “For as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit the Lord has called <you>, and a wife of youth when she is put away.” From the beginning and from of old the nature of men turned away from God, but nevertheless He called it back again; for this is what the prophetic word said: God said: 7For a little while I forsook you, and with great mercy I will have mercy on you, 8in a little wrath I turned my face away from you, and with everlasting mercy I will have mercy on you. He called the time of abandonment 'little', measuring it against the infinite ages. The Lord who redeemed you said: 9From the water of Noah this is to me; as I swore to it at that time that I would no longer be angry with the earth, nor with my threat 10move its boundaries, nor shall its hills be moved, so also my mercy to you shall not fail, nor shall my covenant be moved. Remember, he says, the covenants I made with Noah and see the truth of them; for having promised no longer to deliver the earth to such utter destruction, I have fulfilled what I promised. Having, therefore, the former covenant as a pledge, believe that you too will continuously enjoy my love for mankind, and I will keep your peace secure and will no longer dissolve this cohabitation. For the Lord said, gracious to you: 11Humble |169 b| and unsettled, you were not comforted. But Symmachus thus: “The Lord who has pity on you said: Humble, storm-tossed, not comforted.” I have become gracious to you; for I saw you wandering here and there as if by certain storms of the spirits of deceit †surrounded and having an unsettled mind. Behold, I am preparing for you carbuncle as your stone, and sapphire for your foundations, 12and I will make your battlements of jasper, and your gates of crystal stones, and your enclosure of choice stones. He calls the pious commonwealth a city. The achievements of the saints are different, but nevertheless all are pleasing to God; for which reason he also names all precious stones, even if they have a different appearance. One must understand carbuncle as the fiery love for God; and sapphire as that which conceals virtue, for the color of sapphire is deep; and jasper, or “chalcedony” according to Symmachus, I think is named for the brilliance of miracle-working. For this reason he foretells that the battlements will be built from this, and the foundations from sapphire, and the gates from crystal; for clear teaching is necessary for those who are brought in. These things, then, he said concerning the leaders of the church, whom he also named foundations and battlements and gates; and the rest of the crowd of the faithful was called ‘choice,’ for he says, “I will build your entire enclosure with precious and choice stones.” Then, leaving the figurative form, he moved his speech to what is clearer: 13and all your sons taught by God, and in great peace your children, 14and in righteousness you will be built. You showed <...> he figuratively called the forms of virtue 'stones'. And here he promises peace with God. Of this building the blessed Paul also makes mention, and he speaks thus: “As a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear.” Keep away from the unrighteous one, and you shall not be afraid, and trembling shall not come near you. Having enjoyed this benefit, do not be ungrateful to the benefactor; for thus you will be stronger than those who make war. 15Behold, proselytes will come through me and will sojourn with you and will take refuge in you. He calls proselytes those who, so to speak, are hunted each day from the nations and who approach divine baptism. And so we see the fulfillment of this prophecy. Then he teaches the manner of the new creation:

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πνεύματι ἐκάλεσέ <σε> κύριος», ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως· «Ὡς γὰρ γυναῖκα ἐγκαταλελειμ μένην καὶ κατώδυνον πνεύματι ἐκάλεσέ <σε> κύριος καὶ γυναῖκα νεότητος ὅταν ἀποστῇ.» Ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀπέστη τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις, ἀλλ' ὅμως αὐτὴν πάλιν ἀνεκαλέσατο· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ προφητικὸς ἔφη λόγος · Εἶπεν ὁ θεός· 7Χρόνον μικρὸν κατέλιπόν σε καὶ μετ' ἐλέου μεγάλου ἐλεήσω σε, 8ἐν θυμῷ μικρῷ ἀπέ στρεψα τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἀπὸ σοῦ καὶ ἐν ἐλέῳ αἰωνίῳ ἐλεήσω σε. Μικρὸν ἔφη τὸν τῆς ἐγκαταλείψεως χρόνον , τοῖς ἀπεί ροις αἰῶσι τοῦτον παραμετρῶν. Εἶπεν ὁ ῥυσάμενός σε κύριος· 9Ἀπὸ ὕδατος τοῦ ἐπὶ Νῶε τοῦτό μοί ἐστιν· καθότι ὤμοσα αὐτῇ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ τῇ γῇ μὴ θυμωθήσεσθαι ἔτι ἐπ' αὐτῇ μηδὲ ἀπειλῇ μου 10τὰ ὅρια αὐτῆς μεταστῆσαι, οὐδὲ οἱ βουνοὶ αὐτῆς μετακινηθήσονται, οὕτως οὐδὲ τὸ παρ' ἐμοῦ σοι ἔλεος ἐκλείψει, οὐδὲ ἡ διαθήκη μου οὐ μὴ μεταστῇ. Ἀναμνή σθητί φησι τῶν γεγενημένων μοι συνθηκ ῶν πρὸς τὸν Νῶε καὶ βλέπε τούτων τὸ ἀληθές· ἐπαγγειλάμενος γὰρ μηκέτι τοιαύτῃ πανωλε θρίᾳ παρα δώσειν τὴν γῆν, ἅπερ ὑπεσχόμην πεπλήρωκα. Ἔχουσα τοίνυν ἐνέχυρον τὴν προτέραν διαθή κην πίστευσον ὡς καὶ σὺ διηνεκῶς τῆς ἐμῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἀπολαύσῃ, καὶ βεβαίαν σοι τὴν εἰρ ήνην φυλάξω καὶ οὐκέτι τοῦτο διαλύσω τὸ συνοικέσιον. Εἶπε γὰρ κύριος ἵλεώς σοι· 11Ταπεινὴ |169 b| καὶ ἀκατά στατος οὐ παρεκλήθης. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως· «Εἶπεν ὁ οἰκτείρων σε κύριος· Ταπεινή, καταιγισθεῖσα, μὴ παρη γορημένη.» Ἵλεώς σοι γεγένημαι· εἶδον γάρ σε πεπλανη μένην καὶ τῇδε κἀκεῖσε καθάπερ ὑπό τινων καταιγίδων τῶν τῆς ἀπάτης πνευμάτων †περικειμένην καὶ ἀκατάστατον ἔχουσαν τὴν γνώμην. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἑτοιμάζω σοι ἄνθρακα τὸν λίθον σου καὶ τὰ θεμέλιά σου σάπφειρον 12καὶ θήσω τὰς ἐπάλξεις σου ἴασπιν καὶ τὰς πύλας σου λίθους κρυστάλλου καὶ τὸν περίβολόν σου λίθους ἐκλεκτούς. Τὸ εὐσεβὲς πολίτευμα πόλιν καλεῖ. ∆ιά φορα δὲ τῶν ἁγίων τὰ κατορθώματα, ἀρεστὰ δὲ ὅμως ἅπαντα τῷ θεῷ· οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ ἅπ αντας λίθους ὀνομάζει τιμίους, εἰ καὶ διάφορον ἔχουσι τὴν ἰδέαν. Ἄνθρακα δὲ ὑποληπτέον τὸν περὶ τὸν θεὸν διάπυρον ἔρωτα· σάπφειρον δὲ τὸν τὴν ἀρετὴν κατακρύπτοντα, βαθεῖα γὰρ ἡ τοῦ σαπ φείρ ου χροιά· ἴασπιν δέ, ἢ «καρχηδόνιον» κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, τὸ λαμπρὸν τῆς θαυματουργίας ὀνο μά ζεσθαι νομίζω. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὰς ἐπάλξεις ἐκ τούτου προλέγει οἰκοδομηθήσεσθαι, ἐκ δὲ τῆς σαπφείρου τὰ θεμέλια, τὰς δὲ πύλας ἐκ κρυστάλλου· σαφοῦς γὰρ τοῖς εἰσαγομένοις διδασκα λί ας δεῖ. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν περὶ τῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἡγεμόνων ἔφη, οὓς καὶ θεμέλια καὶ ἐπάλ ξεις καὶ πύλας ὠνόμασεν· καὶ ὁ λοιπὸς δὲ τῶν πιστῶν ὅμιλος ἐκλεκτὸς προσηγορεύθη, ἅπαντα γάρ σού φησι τὸν περίβολον ἐκ πολυτίμων καὶ ἐκλεκτῶν δομήσομαι λίθων. Εἶτα τὸ τροπικὸν καταλιπὼν σχῆ μα ἐπὶ τὸ σαφέστερον τὸν λόγον μετήνεγκεν· 13καὶ πάντας τοὺς υἱούς σου διδακτοὺς θεοῦ, καὶ ἐν πολλῇ εἰρήνῃ τὰ τέκνα σου, 14καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ οἰκοδομηθήσῃ. Ἔδειξας <...> λίθους τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς εἴδη τροπικῶς προσηγόρευσεν. Εἰρήν ην δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὴν πρὸς θεὸν ὑπισχνεῖται. Ταύτης τῆς οἰκοδομίας καὶ ὁ μακάριος μέμνηται Παῦλος, λέγ ει δὲ οὕτως· «Ἐγὼ ὡς σοφὸς ἀρχιτέκτων θεμέλιον τέθεικα, ἄλλος ἐποικοδομεῖ, ἕκαστος δὲ βλεπέτω πῶς ἐποικοδομεῖ. Θεμέλιον γὰρ ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός. Εἰ δέ τι ἐποικοδομεῖ ἐπὶ τὸν θεμέλιον τοῦτον, χρυσὸν ἄργυρον λίθους τιμίους ξύλα χόρτον καλάμην, ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον φανερὸν γενήσεται.» Ἄπεχε ἀπὸ ἀδίκου, καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσῃ, καὶ τρόμος οὐκ ἐγγιεῖ σοι. Ταύτης ἀπο λαύσασα τῆς εὐεργεσίας μὴ γένῃ περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην ἀχάριστος· οὕτω γὰρ κρείττων ἔσῃ τῶν πολεμούντων. 15Ἰδοὺ προσήλυτοι προσελεύσονται δι' ἐμὲ καὶ παροική σουσί σοι καὶ ἐπὶ σὲ καταφεύξονται. Προσηλύτους καλεῖ τοὺς καθ' ἑκάστην ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν ἡμέραν ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀγρευομένους καὶ τῷ θείῳ προσιόντας βαπτίσματι. Καὶ ταύτης τοίνυν τῆς προφητείας ὁρῶμεν τὸ τέλος. Εἶτα δι δάσκει τῆς νέας δημιουργίας τὸν τρόπον·