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you offer; but you water the whole inhabited world to satiety; you have multiplied to enrich it. "The river of God was filled with waters." 80.1356 But Symmachus has put the three in the optative mood; 80.1356 Visit the earth, and you will water it, with much fruit you will enrich it, with channels of God full of waters; But the once barren inhabited world, the Master has shown to be both fruitful and bearing much fruit, having brought irrigation by the divine channels. And what else could be the channels of God full of waters, but the divine apostles? concerning whom the Master Christ said: "He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from his belly;" and again, "He who drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; but the water that I shall give him will become a spring of living water welling up to eternal life." And the river of God, according to the Septuagint, is the grace of the Spirit, which is divided into channels, pouring forth for one the word of wisdom, and supplying to another knowledge, and to another the gift of healing, and to another kinds of tongues, and through these watering the inhabited world. "You prepared their food, for so is the preparation." But Symmachus has it thus, You will bring to fruition her seed of all kinds, so you established her. For having freed her from her former error [and having established her in pious doctrines], you will prepare the fruits of virtue to come to fruition; which will both gladden you, and will nourish those who are sprouting. For according to the Septuagint, the fruit that grows is the food of those who grow it; "For you prepared," it says, "their food, for so is your preparation." For this purpose, it says, you have prepared them to bear fruit, so that through this they might be nourished. 11. "Make her furrows drunk." From this it is clear that it is a prophecy of things to come, and not a narrative of things that have happened. "Multiply her produce. 80.1357" Persist, it says, Master, watering their thoughts, as if they were furrows, and stirring them up to bear fruit. "In her drops she will rejoice as she springs up." And the droplets brought in season by the teachers will gladden her and prepare her to blossom. 12. "You will bless the crown of the year of your goodness." A year of goodness, what is called by Isaiah the acceptable year of the Lord; "For the Spirit," he says, "of the Lord is upon me; because he has anointed me, he has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to call the acceptable year of the Lord." Therefore, he calls the time after the incarnation of our Savior a year of goodness, as offering to him piety as its one fruit-bearing. For this the prophetic word prays for a blessing. "And your plains will be filled with richness. [13] The beautiful places of the wilderness will be made rich; and the hills will be girded with gladness." And with this goodness appearing, the once-barren wilderness will give ripe fruit. And the hills, once defiled by the sacrifices of demons, having received those who continuously praise God and embrace the angelic life, will become bright and conspicuous. And the deeds bear witness to the words. For we see everyone running together to those who have occupied the mountain tops, and who pursue the highest virtue. 14. "The rams of the sheep have clothed themselves." The prophet Ezekiel also calls the powerful the 80.1360 rams of the sheep. But he accuses them, because they grazed on the good pasture, and trampled the rest with their feet; and they drank the clear water, and disturbed the rest with their feet. Here, however, good things are also prophesied for these. For it says that they clothe themselves and are dressed; and the divine Paul speaks of the nature of the clothing. "For as many of you," he says, "as were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ." For since the Master Christ chose fishermen at the beginning, and artisans, and those living in poverty, the grace of the Spirit prophesies, also of the wealthy and

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προσφέρεις· ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν εἰς κόρον ἀρδεύεις τὴν οἰκουμένην· ἐπλήθυνας τοῦ πλουτίσαι αὐτήν. "Ὁ ποταμὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπληρώθη ὑδάτων." 80.1356 Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος εὐκτικῶς τὰ τρία τέθεικεν· 80.1356 Ἐπίσκεψαι τὴν γῆν, καὶ ποτιεῖς αὐτὴν, πολυκαρπίᾳ πλουτίσεις αὐτὴν, ὀχετοῖς Θεοῦ μεστοῖς ὑδάτων· Τὴν δὲ πάλαι ἄκαρπον οἰκου μένην, εὔκαρπον ὁμοῦ καὶ πολύκαρπον ἀνέδειξεν ὁ ∆εσπότης, τοῖς θείοις ὀχετοῖς τὴν ἀρδείαν προσενεγ κών. Ὀχετοὶ δὲ Θεοῦ πλήρεις ὑδάτων τίνες ἂν εἶεν ἕτεροι, ἢ οἱ θεῖοι ἀπόστολοι; περὶ ὧν ὁ ∆εσπότης ἔφη Χριστός· "Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ Γραφὴ, ποταμοὶ ἐκτῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδα τος ζῶντος·" καὶ πάλιν, "Ὁ πίνων ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ διψήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ἀλλ' ἔσται τὸ ὕδωρ ὃ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, πηγὴ ὕδατος ζῶντος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον." Καὶ ποτα μὸς δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ, κατὰ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα, ἡ χάρις τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἡ εἰς ὀχετοὺς διαιρουμένη, καὶ τούτῳ μὲν τὸν λόγον τῆς σοφίας προχέουσα, ἑτέρῳ δὲ χορηγοῦσα τὴν γνῶσιν, ἄλλῳ δὲ τῶν ἰαμάτων χάρισμα, καὶ ἄλλῳ γένη γλωσσῶν, καὶ διὰ τούτων τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀρδεύουσα. "Ἡτοί μασας τὴν τροφὴν αὐτῶν, ὅτι οὕτως ἡ ἑτοιμασία." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως, Τελεσφορήσεις τὴν παν σπερμίαν αὐτῆς, οὕτως ἥδρασας αὐτήν. Τῆς γὰρ προτέρας αὐτὴν πλάνης ἐλευθερώσας [καὶ ἐν τοῖς εὐσεβέσι δόγμασι βεβαιώσας], τοὺς τῆς ἀρε τῆς παρασκευάσεις τελεσφορῆσαι καρπούς· οἵ σε μὲν εὐφρανοῦσι, τοὺς δὲ βλαστάνοντας διαθρέψουσι. Κατὰ γὰρ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα, ὁ φυόμενος καρπὸς, αὐτῶν ἐστι τῶν φυόντων τροφή· "Ἡτοίμασας γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν τροφὴν αὐτῶν, ὅτι οὕτως ἡ ἑτοιμασία σου." Ἐπὶ τούτῳ, φησὶ, φέρειν αὐτοὺς τὸν καρπὸν παρεσκεύασας, ὥστε διὰ τούτου τρέφεσθαι. ιαʹ. "Τὰς αὔλακας αὐτῆς μέθυσον." Ἐντεῦθεν δῆλον, ὅτι πρόῤῥησίς ἐστι μελλόντων, καὶ οὐ γεγε νημένων διήγησις. "Πλήθυνον τὰ γεννήματα αὐ 80.1357 τῆς." Ἐπίμεινον, φησὶ, ∆έσποτα, καθάπερ τινὰς αὔλακας, τοὺς λογισμοὺς αὐτῶν ἄρδων, καὶ εἰς καρποφορίαν διεγείρων. "Ἐν ταῖς σταγόσιν αὐτῆς εὐφρανθήσεται ἀνατέλλουσα." Εὐφρανοῦσι δὲ αὐτὴν, καὶ ἀνθῆσαι παρασκευάσουσιν, αἱ κατὰ και ρὸν παρὰ τῶν διδασκάλων φερόμεναι ψεκάδες. ιβʹ. "Εὐλογήσεις τὸν στέφανον τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τῆς χρηστότητός σου." Ἐνιαυτὸς χρηστότητος, ὁ παρὰ Ἡσαΐᾳ κληθεὶς ἐνιαυτὸς Κυρίου δεκτός· "Πνεῦμα γὰρ, φησὶ, Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμέ· οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέ με, εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέ με, ἰάσασθαι συντετριμμένους τὴν καρδίαν, κηρύξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν, καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν, καλέ σαι ἐνιαυτὸν Κυρίῳ δεκτόν." Ἐνιαυτὸν τοίνυν χρηστότητος, τὸν μετὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν τοῦ Σω τῆρος ἡμῶν ὀνομάζει χρόνον, ὡς μίαν αὐτῷ καρποφορίαν προσφέροντα τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Τούτῳ τὴν εὐλογίαν ὁ προφητικὸς ἐπεύχεται λόγος. "Καὶ τὰ πεδία σου πλησθήσονται πιότητος. [ιγʹ] Πιανθήσονται τὰ ὡραῖα τῆς ἐρήμου· καὶ ἀγαλ λίασιν οἱ βουνοὶ περιζώσονται." Ταύτης δὲ τῆς χρηστότητος ἐπιφαινομένης, ἡ πάλαι ἔρημος ὥριμον δώσει καρπόν. Καὶ οἱ ταῖς τῶν δαιμόνων θυσίαις μιαινόμενοι βουνοὶ, τοὺς τὸν Θεὸν διηνεκῶς ὑμνοῦν τας, καὶ τὸν ἀγγελικὸν ἀσπαζομένους βίον ὑποδεξά μενοι, λαμπροί τινες ἔσονται καὶ περίβλεπτοι. Τοῖς δὲ λόγοις καὶ τὰ πράγματα μαρτυρεῖ. Ὁρῶμεν γὰρ συντρέχοντας ἅπαντας πρὸς τοὺς τὰς ἀκρωρείας κατειληφότας, καὶ τὴν ἀκροτάτην ἀρετὴν μετιόντας. ιδʹ. "Ἐνεδύσαντο οἱ κριοὶ τῶν προβάτων." Κριοὺς προβάτων καὶ Ἰεζεκιὴλ ὁ προφήτης τοὺς 80.1360 δυνατοὺς ὀνομάζει. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος κατηγορεῖ, ὅτι τὴν καλὴν νομὴν ἐνέμοντο, καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν τοῖς ποσὶ κατεπάτουν· καὶ τὸ καθαρὸν ὕδωρ ἔπινον, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν τοῖς ποσὶ συνετάραττον. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ, ἀγαθὰ καὶ τούτοις θεσπίζεται. Λέγει γὰρ αὐ τοὺς ἐνδύεσθαι καὶ ἀμφιέννυσθαι· τὴν δὲ τοῦ ἐνδύματος φύσιν ὁ θεσπέσιος λέγει Παῦλος. "Ὅσοι γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χρι στὸν ἐνεδύσασθε." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἁλιέας τὴν ἀρχὴν, καὶ χειροτέχνας, καὶ πενίᾳ συζῶντας ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς ἐξελέξατο, προθεσπίζει τοῦ Πνεύματος ἡ χάρις, καὶ τῶν πλουτούντων καὶ