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For he blesses the one who has seized and overcome by his own wisdom the childbearing of the confused mind, which is named Babylonian, and then dashing them against the rock. But the rock in this case also is Christ; for the one who smites the wicked doctrines with the word of truth, this is the one who dashes the Babylonian infants against the rock. If therefore the children of Babylon are the doctrines of the heterodox (confusing the soul of the one who receives them), it is good that the Babylonian child, having been seized, should be dashed against the rock. 13.274 And Babylon shall be, which is called glorious by the king of the Chaldeans, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah; it shall not be inhabited for an age of time, nor shall they enter into it for many generations, nor shall Arabs pass through it, nor shall shepherds rest in it. And wild beasts shall rest there, and the houses shall be filled with a sound. And sirens shall rest there, and demons shall dance there; and onocentaurs shall dwell there and hedgehogs shall make their nests in their houses. It comes quickly and will not delay, and her days shall not be prolonged. After these things he recounts the humiliation of Babylon. And since the remembrance of its former glory makes the effect more intense, it shows from what a state to what a change it has come. And Babylon shall be (he says), which is called glorious. This became like its own epithet, and everyone named it with the addition: Babylon the glorious. And the king of the Chaldeans made it renowned, by having subdued many and having transferred to it the power of those who had been captured, and by surrounding it with great walls, and by equipping a great military force, and by exalting it with splendid buildings. This, therefore, shall be overthrown as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and it shall not be inhabited for an age of time. But perhaps he limits its destruction and desolation to a certain time, which is why he did not say absolutely, "and it shall be overthrown forever," but added: For an age of time. And what follows also shows that he does not foretell its complete desolation; For they shall not enter into it for many generations, as the desolation will occur for many generations, and after these things it will be inhabited again. 13.275 Nor shall Arabs pass through it, nor shall shepherds rest in it. The word depicts a grim desolation, that it will be so desolate, that not even shepherds can find shelter in it, nor Arabs, who inhabit the desert. Who, plundering and robbing everything, search cities and villages, these do not enter, on account of its despair, because there are neither inhabitants, nor is anything found for sustenance. But it shall be (he says) a haunt of wild beasts, and the houses shall be filled with a sound. The sound signifies the extremity of the desolation; for the sound is a reflected voice, from hard and resisting surfaces returning again to the one who sent it forth; which in deserted places returns with a clear sound; but in inhabited cities or villages, being both cut off by things moving through the air and shattered by sound intruding from the side, it is not allowed to be completed. There, therefore, the houses will be filled with sound. The sound is a symbol of desolation. And sirens will rest there, and demons will dance there; and onocentaurs will dwell there, and hedgehogs will make their nests in their houses. Secular literature has handed down that sirens are certain singing women; but here it seems to be a name for demons; which is why Aquila said the sirens were ostriches. The animal is a lover of the desert and, for the most part, makes its lair in the most barren sands. Therefore, the word conveys the extremity of the desolation through the dwelling of ostriches. And the onocentaurs, which the Seventy mentioned, Aquila named hairy ones. It seems to represent a certain race of demons, shaggy and darkened in appearance, whose work is

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Μακα ρίζει γὰρ τὸν κρατήσαντα καὶ περιγενόμενον τῇ ἑαυτοῦ σοφίᾳ τῆς τεκνογονίας τοῦ συγκεχυμένου νοῦ, ὅστις ὀνομάζεται Βαβυλώνιος, ἔπειτα δὲ προσαράσσων αὐτὰ τῇ πέτρᾳ. Ἡ πέτρα δὲ καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν· ὁ γὰρ συγκρούων τὰ φαῦλα δόγματα τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὰ Βαβυλώνια νήπια τῇ πέτρᾳ προσεδαφίζων. Εἰ οὖν τέκνα Βαβυλῶνος, τὰ τῶν ἑτεροδόξων δόγματα (συγχέοντα τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ παραδεχομένου) καλῶς τὸ Βαβυλώνιον τέκνον κρατηθὲν ἐδαφίζοιτο πρὸς τὴν πέτραν. 13.274 Καὶ ἔσται Βαβυλὼν, ἣ καλεῖται ἔνδοξος ὑπὸ βασιλέως Χαλδαίων, ὃν τρόπον κατέστρεψεν ὁ Θεὸς Σόδομα καὶ Γό μοῤῥα· οὐ κατοικηθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον, οὐδὲ μὴ εἰσέλθωσιν εἰς αὐτὴν διὰ πολλῶν γενεῶν, οὐδὲ μὴ διέλθω σιν αὐτὴν Ἄραβες, οὐδὲ ποιμένες οὐ μὴ ἀναπαύσωνται ἐν αὐτῇ. Καὶ ἀναπαύσονται ἐκεῖ θηρία, καὶ ἐμπλησθήσονται αἱ οἰκίαι ἤχου. Καὶ ἀναπαύσονται ἐκεῖ σειρῆνες, καὶ δαι μόνια ἐκεῖ ὀρχήσονται· καὶ ὀνοκένταυροι ἐκεῖ κατοικήσουσι καὶ νοσσοποιήσουσιν ἐχῖνοι ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις αὐτῶν. Ταχὺ ἔρχεται καὶ οὐ χρονιεῖ, καὶ αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτῆς οὐ μὴ ἐφελκυ σθῶσιν. Ἐπὶ τούτοις διηγεῖται τὴν ταπείνωσιν τῆς Βαβυλῶνος. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ σφοδροτέραν ποιεῖται τὴν ἐνέργειαν ἡ ὑπόμνη σις τῆς πρὸ τούτου δόξης, δείκνυσιν ἀπὸ οἵας καταστά σεως εἰς οἵαν ἦλθε μεταβολήν. Καὶ ἔσται (φησὶ) Βα βυλὼν, ἣ καλεῖται ἔνδοξος. Ὥσπερ ἴδιον ἐπώνυμον ἐγένετο τοῦτο, καὶ πάντες αὐτὴν μετὰ προσθήκης ὠνόμαζον· Βα βυλὼν ἡ ἔνδοξος. Ἐποίει δὲ αὐτὴν περιβόητον ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Χαλδαίων, τῷ πολλοὺς καταστρεψάμενος εἰς αὐτὴν μεταθεῖναι τῶν ἑαλωκότων τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ μεγάλα μὲν αὐτῇ περιβαλεῖν τείχη, πολλὴν δὲ στρατιωτικὴν δύναμιν ἐξαρτύσασθαι, λαμπροῖς δὲ οἰκοδομήμασιν αὐτὴν ἐξᾶραι. Αὕτη τοίνυν καταστραφήσεται Ὃν τρόπον κατέστρεψεν ὁ Θεὸς Σόδομα καὶ Γόμοῤῥα, καὶ οὐ κατοικηθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον. Τάχα δὲ περιορίζει τὴν καταστροφὴν αὐτῆς καὶ τὴν ἐρήμωσιν χρόνῳ τινί, διὸ οὐκ εἶπεν ἀπολύτως «καὶ καταστραφήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα», ἀλλὰ προσέθηκεν· Εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐφεξῆς, ὅτι οὐ παντελῆ αὐτῆς προαγορεύει τὴν ἐρήμωσιν· Οὐ γὰρ μὴ εἰσέλθωσιν εἰς αὐτὴν διὰ πολλῶν γενεῶν, ὡς ἐν πολλαῖς γενεαῖς τῆς ἐρημώσεως γενησομένης, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πάλιν οἰκιζομένης. 13.275 Οὐδὲ μὴ διέλθωσιν αὐτὴν Ἄραβες, οὐδὲ ποιμένες οὐ μὴ ἀναπαύσωνται ἐν αὐτῇ. Σκυθρωπὴν ἐρήμωσιν ὑπογράφει ὁ λόγος, ὅτι οὕτως ἔσται ἔρημος, ὥστε μηδὲ ποιμέσι σκέπην ἐν αὐτῇ εὑρίσκεσθαι, μηδὲ Ἄραβας, τοὺς τὴν ἔρημον οἰκοῦντας. Οἳ πάντα λεηλα τοῦντες καὶ λῃστεύοντες διερευνῶνται πόλεις καὶ κώμας, οὗτοι οὐκ εἰσέρχονται, διὰ τὴν ἀπόγνωσιν αὐτῆς τῷ μήτε οἰκοῦντας εἶναι, μήτε εὑρίσκεσθαί τι τῶν πρὸς βίον. Ἀλλ' ἔσται (φησὶ) καταγώγιον θηρίων, ἐμπλησθήσονται δὲ αἱ οἰκίαι ἤχου. Ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἐρημώσεως ὁ ἦχος σημαίνει· φωνὴ γάρ ἐστιν ἀνακλωμένη ὁ ἦχος, ἀπὸ στεῤῥῶν καὶ ἀντιτύπων ἐπὶ τὸν προέμενον πάλιν ἐπανιοῦσα· Ἥτις ἐν μὲν ταῖς ἐρημίαις εὐήχως ἐπανακάμπτει· ἐν δὲ ταῖς οἰκουμέναις πόλεσιν ἢ κώμαις, ὑπό τε τῶν παραφερομένων σκευῶν τοῦ ἀέρος δια κοπτομένου καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκ πλαγίου παρεμπιπτούσης φωνῆς καταθραυομένη, ἀποτελεῖσθαι οὐ συγχωρεῖται. Ἐκεῖ τοίνυν αἱ οἰκίαι ἤχου ἐμπλησθήσονται. Ἐρημώσεως σύμβολον ὁ ἦχος. Ἀναπαύσονται δὲ ἐκεῖ σειρῆνες, καὶ δαιμόνια ἐκεῖ ὀρχή σονται· καὶ ὀνοκένταυροι ἐκεῖ κατοικήσουσι, καὶ νοσσοποιή σουσιν ἐχῖνοι ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις αὐτῶν. Σειρῆνας ὁ μὲν ἔξωθεν λόγος παραδέδωκε γυναῖκάς τινας μελῳδούσας· ἐνταῦθα δὲ δαιμόνων ἔοικεν ὄνομα εἶναι· διὸ Ἀκύλας τὰς σειρῆνας στρου θοκαμήλους εἶπε. Φιλέρημον δὲ τὸ ζῶον καὶ ταῖς ἀγονω τάταις ψάμμοις, ὡς τὰ πολλὰ, ἐμφωλεῦον. Τὴν οὖν ὑπερ βολὴν τῆς ἐρημίας ὁ λόγος διὰ τῆς τῶν στρουθοκαμήλων σκηνώσεως παραδίδωσι. Τοὺς δὲ ὀνοκενταύρους, οὓς εἶπον οἱ Ἑβδομήκοντα, τριχιῶντας ὠνόμασεν ὁ Ἀκύλας. ∆αιμό- νων τι γένος ἔοικε παριστᾷν, κάθυλον καὶ ἐσκοτισμένον τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ, ὧν ἔργον ἐστὶ