143

after the knowledge of the savior, they have imitated the height of the cypress and the fragrance of the myrtle and proclaim through their deeds the power of our God and savior, showing their own transformation as a sign and wonder, great and paradoxical and enduring. And this sign will be eternal and will not cease, just as the glory of the Jews ceased. [Let us, therefore, show ourselves as a sign worthy of our God and savior, not only by adhering to sound doctrines but also by embracing a suitable life, so that when people know "our good works" they "may glorify our Father who is in heaven," to whom is due all glory, honor, and majesty, with his only-begotten Son and the all-holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

18 VOLUME 18 56 Thus says the Lord: Keep judgment and do righteousness, for it has drawn near

for my salvation to come and for my mercy to be revealed. The divine prophets were accustomed not only to prophesy future events but also to offer exhortations, both doctrinal and ethical. For they proclaimed to the ancients both judgment and salvation, so as both by the promise of good things |171 a| and by the threat of painful things to turn them away from vice, and to exhort them to virtue. This is easy to learn from these sayings. For after advising to hold to righteousness and to have the soul's judgment unwavering, the prophetic word joined the prophecy of salvation and the revelation of mercy. And both signify the Lord's coming. 2Blessed is the man who does these things, and the person who holds fast to them and keeps the sabbaths from being profaned and keeps his hands from doing injustices. He joined the reward to the working of good things, and the greatest reward is the blessing. And he commanded to take care of the keeping of the sabbaths, as the law was still in force. And he also taught how one must honor the sabbath; for he says it is fitting to keep the hands innocent of injustice, for thus the sabbath is not profaned. For that which is not holy is profane, that is, common. Since, therefore, the sabbath was consecrated to the work of divine things, if, he says, you transgress the established law, you will render it a common day, that is, profane. And the divine scripture teaches us this distinction in other places also; for it says, "You shall separate between holy and profane." And it calls that which is fitting for God holy, and that which is common profane. 3Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say: The Lord will surely separate me from his people. In these things he suppresses the Jewish pride; for since they neglected virtue, but were very proud of the root of Abraham, the God of all teaches that he seeks virtue and not lineage. And let not the eunuch say: I am a dry tree. And in this, similarly, he both exhorts the eunuchs to virtue and brings down the arrogance of those who boast in having many children. 4For thus says the Lord to the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths and choose the things that I desire and hold fast to the covenant: 5I will give to them in my house and in my wall a renowned place and a good name, better than sons and daughters; I will give them an eternal name, and it will not cease. The promise is true. And those around the divine Daniel and Ananias and Azarias and Mishael bear witness; for though deprived by the enemies of becoming fathers, they became more renowned than fathers of many children, and their glory remains unquenchable. Thus God rendered Abdemelech, who was both a foreigner and a eunuch—for he was an Ethiopian—famous for his piety. 6And to the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to serve him and to love

143

μετὰ τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ σωτῆρος τῆς κυπαρίσςου τὸ ὕψος καὶ μυρσίνης τὸ εὐῶδες μεμίμηνται καὶ κηρύττουσι διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τὴν δύναμιν, οἷόν τι σημεῖον καὶ τέρας μέγα καὶ παράδοξον καὶ διαρκὲς ἐπιδεικνύντες τὴν οἰκείαν μεταβολήν. Τοῦτο δὲ τὸ σημεῖον αἰώνιον ἔσται καὶ οὐκ ἐκλείψει, καθάπερ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐξέλιπεν ἡ δόξα. [ ̓Επιδείξωμεν τοίνυν ἑαυτοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν σημεῖον θεοπρεπές, μὴ μόνον τοῖς ὑγιέσι προσέ χοντες δόγμ ασιν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν κατάλληλον ἀσπαζόμενοι βίον, ἵνα γνόντες «τὰ καλὰ ἔργα» ἡμῶν οἱ ἄνθρωποι «δοξάσωσι τὸν πατέρα ἡμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς», ᾧ πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα, τιμὴ καὶ μεγαλοπρέπεια σὺν τῷ μονογενεῖ αὐτοῦ υἱῷ καὶ τῷ παναγίῳ πνεύματι νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

18 ΤΟΜΟ Σ ΙΗʹ 56ιΤάδε λέγει κύριος· Φυλάσσεσθε κρίσιν καὶ ποιεῖτε δικαιοσύνην, ἤγγικε γὰρ

τὸ σωτήριόν μου παραγίνεσθαι καὶ τὸ ἔλεός μου ἀποκαλυφθῆναι. Οἱ θεσπέσιοι προφῆται οὐ μόνον τὰ ἐσόμενα προθεσπίζειν ἀλλὰ καὶ παραινέσεις προσφέρειν εἰώθεσαν δογματικάς τε καὶ ἠθικάς. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὴν κρίσιν καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν τοῖς πάλαι προηγόρευον, ὥστε καὶ τῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὑποσχέσει |171 a| καὶ τῇ τῶν ἀλγεινῶν ἀπειλῇ κακίας μὲν αὐτοὺς ἀποτρέπειν, ἐπ' ἀρετὴν δὲ προτρέπειν. Τοῦτο ἐκ τουτωνὶ τῶν ῥητῶν καταμαθεῖν εὐπετές. Συμβουλεύσας γὰρ ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος ἔχεσθαι δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἀκλινὲς ἔχειν τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ κριτήριον, συνῆψε τῆς σωτηρίας τὴν πρόρρησιν καὶ τοῦ ἐλέου τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν. Ἀμφότερα δὲ σημαίνει τὴν δεσποτικὴν παρου σίαν. 2Μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὁ ποιῶν ταῦτα καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ἀντεχό μενος αὐτῶν καὶ φυλάσσων τὰ σάββατα μὴ βεβηλοῦν καὶ διατηρῶν τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ μὴ ποιεῖν ἀδικήματα. Τῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐργασίᾳ συνέζευξε τὸν μισθόν, μισθὸς δὲ μέγιστος ὁ μακαρισμός. Τῆς δὲ τῶν σαββάτων φυλακῆς ἐπιμελεῖσθαι προσέταξεν ὡς ἔτι κρατοῦντος τοῦ νόμου. Ἐδίδαξε δὲ καὶ πῶς δεῖ τιμῆσαι τὸ σάββατον· ἀθῴους γάρ φησι προσήκει τὰς χεῖρας ἀδικίας φυλάττειν, οὕτω γὰρ οὐ βεβηλοῦται τὸ σάββατον. Βέβηλον δέ ἐστι τὸ μὴ ἅγιον, τουτέστι τὸ κοινόν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν εἰς τὴν τῶν θείων ἐργασίαν ἀφιερώθη τὸ σάββατον, ἐάν φησι παραβῇς τὸν κείμενον νόμον, κοινὴν αὐτὸ ἡμέραν ἀποφανεῖς, τουτέστι βέβηλον. Ταύτην δὲ τὴν διαφορὰν καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις ἡμᾶς ἡ θεία διδάσκει γραφή· «Ἀφοριεῖτε» γάρ φησιν «ἀνὰ μέσον ἁγίου καὶ βεβήλου.» Ἅγιον δὲ κα λεῖ τὸ τῷ θεῷ προσῆ κον , βέβηλον δὲ τὸ κοινόν. 3Μὴ λεγέτω ὁ ἀλλογενὴς ὁ προσκείμενος πρὸς κύριον λέγων· Ἀφορισμῷ ἀφοριεῖ με ἄρα κύριος ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ. Τὸν Ἰουδαϊκὸν ἐν τούτοις καταστέλλει τῦφον· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὠλιγώρουν μὲν ἀρετῆς, μέγα δὲ ἐφρόνουν ἐπὶ τῇ ῥίζῃ τοῦ Ἀβραάμ, διδάσκει ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς ὡς ἀρετὴν ἀλλ' οὐ γένος ζητεῖ. Καὶ μὴ λεγέτω ὁ εὐνοῦχος ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ξύλον ξηρόν. Κἀν τούτῳ παραπλησίως καὶ τοὺς εὐνούχους ἐπ' ἀρετὴν προτρέπει καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ πολυπαιδίᾳ μεγαλαυχουμένων τὴν ὀφρῦν καταλύει. 4Ὅτι τάδε λέγει κύριος τοῖς εὐνούχοις τοῖς φυλασσομέ νοις τὰ σάββατά μου καὶ ἐκλεγομένοις ἃ ἐγὼ θέλω καὶ ἀντεχομένοις τῆς διαθήκης· 5∆ώσω αὐτοῖς ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου καὶ ἐν τῷ τείχει μου τόπον ὀνομαστὸν καὶ ὄνομα ἀγαθὸν κρεῖττον υἱῶν καὶ θυγατέρων, ὄνομα αἰώνιον δώσω αὐτοῖς, καὶ οὐκ ἐκλείψει. Ἀψευδὴς ἡ ὑπόσχεσις. Καὶ μαρτυροῦσιν οἱ περὶ τὸν θεσπέσιον ∆ανιὴλ καὶ Ἀνανίαν καὶ Ἀζαρίαν καὶ Μισαήλ· ἀφαιρεθέντες γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων τὸ γενέσθαι πατέρες, πολυθρύλητοι μᾶλλον ἢ οἱ πολλῶν παίδων πατέρες ἐγένοντο, καὶ ἄσβεστον αὐτῶν διαμένει τὸ κλέος. Οὕτω τὸν Ἀβδεμέλεχ καὶ ἀλλογενῆ καὶ εὐνοῦχον ὄντα-Αἰθίοψ γὰρ ἦν-ἀοίδιμον διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἀπέφηνεν ὁ θεός. 6Καὶ τοῖς ἀλλογενέσι τοῖς προσκειμένοις κυρίῳ δουλεύειν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀγαπᾶν