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having been tested by myriads of trials and ordeals, having given a precise test of their own choice, they will be more precious than any unrefined gold and than any most precious stone, which seems to be found in Soupheir. And it seems to speak of a certain country in the Indian nation, Soupheir, around which the most valuable of stones are accustomed to be found. But unrefined gold is that which has no doubt of foreign matter in itself, but as soon as it appears, it persuades the sight of those who see it that it is tested and unmixed with bronze, or any other alloy. 13.270 For the heaven will be angered and the earth will be shaken from its foundations, because of the wrath of the anger of the Lord Sabaoth, in the day on which his wrath should come. All creation is moved with the Master to the vengeance of those who have sinned against him. For just as the heaven is amazed and shudders at the unexpected transgressions of the people, when they abandon the Lord, so, when the sins of the apostates are fulfilled and the time of retribution comes, it is said to be angered and to rise up together with the wrath of God. But one must understand the wrath of heaven as the terrible things from it falling upon those being punished, whenever there is a darkening of the stars, and the sun is without light and the moon no longer illuminated; whenever lightning bolts dart across and thunders break forth terribly; whenever the air overhead is darkened, so that from every side the torment is inconsolable for those delivered to wrath. For creation, serving the Maker, is intensified for punishment against the unjust, but is relaxed for beneficence on behalf of those who trust in him. And these things happen because of the wrath of the anger of the Lord. But it is customary for Scripture to call "wrath of anger" the exhalation and, as it were, ignition of the punishment that occurs at the retribution for wicked deeds. 13.271 And the earth will be shaken from its foundations. It shows that the earthquake will not be superficial, nor ordinary, with the upheaval occurring on the surface, but it overturns its very seat, and its shaking will touch it throughout. But the foundations of the earth are unknown to human nature, as we have learned in Job, when the Lord says: Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who set its measures, if you know? Or who stretched a line upon it? Upon what are its rings fastened? And who is it that laid its cornerstone? Or perhaps, according to the opinion of outsiders, the Lord founded the earth at the center of the sphere that contains the cosmos, so that because of its equilibrium, being equally distant from heaven on all sides, it stands securely and rests immovably. But if the earth is so firmly established, clearly when it is moved from its foundations, it will be displaced from its existing base. And since being angry is a property of rational and ensouled beings, some have already imagined that heaven is also ensouled and endowed with reason, so as to be able to rise up in indignation with the Master. But such a thing is a mythical fabrication; For Scripture often by metonymy names as heaven the heavenly creatures, just as it is a custom also with us to say: the whole city went out; and the city asked this of the ruler; for we speak instead of the inhabitants of the city. Thus, then, heaven is also angered, when the heavenly powers consent to the just wrath of God. For just as there is joy in the heavens over one sinner who repents, so also is there vexation and grief over those who fall away from the creator through sin. 13.272 And those who are left will be like a fleeing gazelle and like a wandering sheep, and there will be no one to gather them, so that a man might turn back to his people and a man might flee to his country. For whoever is caught will be defeated; and those who are gathered together will fall by the sword. And they will dash their children before their eyes, and they will plunder their houses and have their wives. In the assault of the enemies, those who engaged in combat,

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μυρίων πειρασμῶν καὶ δοκιμαστηρίων ἐξετασθέντες, βάσανον τῆς ἑαυτῶν προαιρέσεως ἀκριβῆ δεδωκότες, παντὸς ἀπύρου χρυσίου ἔσονται τιμιώτεροι καὶ παντὸς λίθου τι μιωτάτου, ὃς δοκεῖ ἐν τῇ Σουφεὶρ εὑρίσκεσθαι. Ἔοικε δὲ χώραν τινὰ λέγειν ἐν τῷ ἔθνει τῷ Ἰνδικῷ τὴν Σουφεὶρ, περὶ ἣν οἱ πολυτίμητοι τῶν λίθων πεφύκασι γίνεσθαι. Ἄπυρον δὲ χρυσίον, τὸ μηδεμίαν ἀμφιβολίαν ὕλης ἀλλο τρίας ἔχον ἐν ἑαυτῷ, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ τῷ φανῆναι, πεῖθον τὴν ὄψιν τῶν ὁρώντων, ὅτι δόκιμόν ἐστι καὶ ἀμιγὲς χαλκοῦ, ἤ τινος ἄλλης ἐπιπλοκῆς. 13.270 Ὁ γὰρ οὐρανὸς θυμωθήσεται καὶ ἡ γῆ σεισθήσεται ἐκ τῶν θεμελίων αὐτῆς, διὰ θυμὸν ὀργῆς Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ᾗ ἂν ἐπέλθῃ ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ. Πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις συγκινεῖται τῷ ∆εσπότῃ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκδί κησιν τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ἡμαρτηκότων. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐξίσταται ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ φρίσσει ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀπροσδοκήτοις παρανομίαις τοῦ λαοῦ, ὅταν ἐγκαταλείπωσι τὸν Κύριον, οὕτως, ἐπειδὰν συμπληρωθῶσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι τῶν ἀποστατησάντων καὶ ἔλθῃ ὁ καιρὸς τῆς ἀνταποδόσεως, θυμοῦσθαι λέγεται καὶ συνδια νίστασθαι τῇ ὀργῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Θυμὸν δὲ οὐρανοῦ νοεῖν χρὴ τὰ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ φοβερὰ ἐπιπίπ τοντα τοῖς κολαζομένοις, ὅταν σκότωσις μὲν γένηται τῶν ἀστέρων, ἀφεγγὴς δὲ ὁ ἥλιος καὶ ἡ σελήνη οὐκέτι πεφωτι σμένη· ὅταν σκηπτοὶ διατρέχοντες καὶ βρονταὶ φοβερῶς κα ταῤῥηγνύμεναι· ὅταν ὁ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς ἀὴρ ἐσκοτισμένος ὑπάρχῃ, ὡς πανταχόθεν ἀπαραμύθητον εἶναι τοῖς τῇ ὀργῇ παραδεδομένοις τὴν βάσανον. Ἡ γὰρ κτίσις, τῷ Ποιήσαντι ὑπηρετοῦσα, ἐπιτείνεται μὲν εἰς κόλασιν κατὰ τῶν ἀδίκων, ἀνίεται δὲ εἰς εὐεργεσίαν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπ' αὐτῷ πεποιθότων. Ταῦτα δὲ γίνεται διὰ θυμὸν ὀργῆς Κυρίου. Θυμὸν δὲ ὀργῆς λέγειν τῇ Γραφῇ σύνηθες τὴν ἀναθυμίασιν καὶ οἱονεὶ ἔξαψιν τῆς ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνταποδόσει τῶν πονηρῶν ἔργων γινομένης κολάσεως. 13.271 Ἡ δὲ γῆ σεισθήσεται ἐκ τῶν θεμελίων αὐτῆς. ∆είκνυσιν ὅτι οὐκ ἐπιπόλαιος, οὐδὲ συνήθης ὁ σεισμὸς ἔσται, περὶ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τοῦ βρασμοῦ γινομένου, ἀλλ' αὐ τὴν τὴν ἕδραν αὐτῆς ἀναστρέφει, καὶ ὁ κλόνος αὐτῆς δι' ὅλου ἅψεται. Θεμέλια δὲ γῆς ἄγνωστα ἀνθρώπου φύσει, ὡς μεμαθήκαμεν ἐν τῷ Ἰὼβ, τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος· Ποῦ ἦς ἐν τῷ θεμελιοῦν με τὴν γῆν; Ἀπάγγειλον δέ μοι, εἰ ἐπί στασαι σύνεσιν. Τίς ἔθετο τὰ μέτρα αὐτῆς, εἰ οἶδας; Ἢ τίς ὁ ἐπαγαγὼν σπαρτίον ἐπ' αὐτῆς; Ἐπὶ τίνος οἱ κρίκοι αὐ τῆς πεπήγασι; Τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ βαλὼν λίθον γωνιαῖον ἐπ' αὐ τῆς; Ἤπου κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἔξωθεν ὑπόληψιν ἐθεμελίωσεν ὁ Κύριος τὴν γῆν, ἐν τῷ κέντρῳ τῆς περιεχούσης τὸν κό σμον σφαίρας, ὡς διὰ τὴν ἰσοῤῥοπίαν αὐτῆς ἴσον ἀπεχούσης πανταχόθεν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, βεβηκέναι ἀσφαλῶς καὶ ἐρηρεῖσθαι ἀκλινῶς. Εἰ δὲ οὕτως ἐστήρικται βεβαίως ἡ γῆ, δηλονότι ἐκ θεμελίων κινουμένη, ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπαρχούσης αὐτῇ βάσεως μετατεθήσεται. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ θυμοῦσθαι ἴδιόν ἐστι τῶν λογικῶν καὶ ἐμψύχων, ἤδη τινὲς ἐφαντάσθησαν καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔμψυχον εἶναι καὶ λόγῳ κεχρῆσθαι, ὡς δύνασθαι καὶ εἰς ἀγανάκτησιν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ συνδιαναστῆναι. Ἔστι δὲ μυθικὸν ἀνάπλασμα τὸ τοιοῦτον· Πολλάκις γὰρ ἡ Γραφὴ μετωνυμικῶς οὐρανὸν ὀνομάζει τὰ ἐπουράνια ζῶα, ὡς ἔθος καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν λέγειν· ἡ πόλις ἐκβέβηκε πᾶσα· καὶ ἡ πόλις ᾔτησε παρὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος τόδε· ἀντὶ γὰρ τῶν ἐνοικούντων τὴν πόλιν λέγο μεν. Οὕτως οὖν καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς θυμοῦται, τῶν οὐρανίων δυνάμεων συντιθεμένων τῇ δικαία ὀργῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὡς γὰρ χαρὰ γίνεται ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι, οὕτω καὶ παροξυσμὸς καὶ λύπη ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀποστατοῦσι διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ κτίσαντος. 13.272 Καὶ ἔσονται οἱ καταλελειμμένοι, ὡς δορκάδιον φεῦ γον καὶ ὡς πρόβατον πλανώμενον, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ συν άγων, ὥστε ἄνθρωπον εἰς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἀποστραφῆναι καὶ ἄνθρωπον εἰς τὴν χώραν αὐτοῦ διῶξαι. Ὃς γὰρ ἂν ἁλῷ, ἡττηθήσεται· καὶ οἵτινες συνηγμένοι εἰσὶ, μαχαίρᾳ πεσοῦνται. Καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν ῥάξουσιν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰς οἰκίας αὐτῶν προνομεύσουσι καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας αὐ τῶν ἕξουσιν. Ἐν τῇ ἐφόδῳ τῶν πολεμίων, οἱ μὲν εἰς χεῖρας ἐλθόντες,