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The leadership, now tropically called "mountains," are said "to be shaken" at the coming of the Lord from heaven. And who would not confess how this came to pass, seeing that after the time of our Savior Jesus Christ all those things were not only shaken but also removed? And "valleys" still melting now would be their synagogues, established in every city instead of Jerusalem and Mount Zion, lamenting and bewailing and melting "like wax before the face of fire" because of excessive grief and mourning, on account of both the desolation of their own property and their long and many-yeared slavery. 6.13.6 And in another sense, spiritually, the "treading upon" of the divine Word did not take place in chasms and hollows, nor in humble and groveling thoughts, but in minds of lofty sentiment. For this reason, more tropically, the Lord himself was said to come down upon "the high places of the earth." 6.13.7 And "mountains" shaken "underneath him" were those very ones, where "he was led up by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil," when also "the devil takes him to a very high mountain," "and he was with the wild beasts." 6.13.8 Again, "mountains" could tropically be the idolatry formerly performed in the mountains, and the invisible and ruling powers that worked in these, which the teaching of our Savior greatly shook and moved. For his inspired word and his miraculous and wondrous power secretly destroyed their long and ancient dominion over men. 6.13.9 Likewise also, "valleys melting like wax before the face of fire" could be chthonic and terrestrial demons, against whom he sent the burning fire of their own wickedness, saying: "I came to cast fire upon the earth, and what do I wish if it is already kindled?" Being burned by this fire, and unable to bear the torments from the invisible flame, they withdrew from human bodies, and confessed that which constrained and drove them, crying out: "Ah, what have we to do with you, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" "We know who you are, the Holy One of God." 6.13.10 And he especially tormented these and cast down their rulers, because, not being content with the corruption of the other nations, through which they had cast all into polytheistic error, they also conspired against the ancient people of God, that is, the people of the circumcision, and having made them apostatize from God, they also entangled them in all kinds of impieties. Therefore the Lord especially made his descent from heaven, 6.13.11 whence he says next: "For the impiety of Jacob all these things, and for the sin of the house of Israel." And in addition to these things he next clarifies the reason for the Word's descent from heaven, by enumerating the impieties of the people of the circumcision and the destruction that came upon them for these things, and by proclaiming beforehand the calling of the nations throughout the whole world; for it was for these reasons that the Word of God sojourned from heaven upon earth. 6.13.12 And hear the words: "For the impiety of the house of Jacob all these things, and for the sin of the house of Israel. What is the impiety of the house of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the sin of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem? And I will make Samaria into a watch-tower of a field and a planting of a vineyard, and I will drag her stones down into the chasm, and I will uncover her foundations," 6.13.13 and he adds: "Evils have come down from the Lord to the gates of Jerusalem, a noise of chariots and of horsemen," 6.13.14 and again: "The glory of the daughter of Jerusalem, shave and shear yourself for your delicate children, widen your widowhood like an eagle, because they were taken captive from you." In addition to these things: "Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall be as a watch-tower, and the mountain of the house as a grove of the forest." 6.13.15 And Zion and Jerusalem and what is called "the mountain of the house," these were those things previously declared through "and the mountains will be shaken from beneath him, and the valleys will melt like wax before the face of fire,"

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προεδρία «ὄρη» νῦν τροπικῶς ὀνομαζόμενα, «σαλευθήσεσθαι» λέγονται ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ κυρίου ἐξ οὐρανῶν παρουσίᾳ. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ὅπως τέλους ἔτυχεν τίς οὐκ ἂν ὁμολογήσειεν, μετὰ τοὺς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ χρόνους πάντ' ἐκεῖνα θεωρῶν οὐ μόνον σαλευθέντα ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκποδὼν γεγενημένα; «κοιλάδες» δὲ εἰσέτι νῦν τηκόμεναι εἶεν ἂν αἱ ἀντὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ τοῦ Σιὼν ὄρους κατὰ πᾶσαν πόλιν συνεστῶσαι αὐτῶν συναγωγαί, ἀποθρηνοῦσαι καὶ ἀποκλαιόμεναι καὶ «ὡς κηρὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου πυρὸς» τηκόμεναι διὰ λύπην καὶ πένθους ὑπερβολήν, τῆς τε τῶν οἰκείων ἐρημίας καὶ τῆς μακρᾶς καὶ πολυετοῦς δουλείας ἕνεκεν. 6.13.6 καὶ ἄλλως δὲ κατὰ διάνοιαν ἡ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ θείου «ἐπίβασις» οὐκ ἐν χάσμασι καὶ κοιλώμασιν, οὐδ' ἐν ταπειναῖς καὶ χαμαιπετέσιν διανοίαις ἀλλ' ἐν ἐπηρμέναις τὸ φρόνημα κατεγίνετο. ταύτῃ γοῦν τροπικώτερον αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος καταβήσεσθαι ἐπὶ «τὰ ὕψη τῆς γῆς» εἴρητο. 6.13.7 «ὄρη» δὲ σειόμενα «ὑποκάτωθεν αὐτοῦ» αὐτὰ δὴ ἐκεῖνα ἦν, ἔνθα «ἀνήχθη ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος πειρασθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου», ὅτε καὶ «παραλαμβάνει αὐτὸν ὁ διάβολος εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸν λίαν», «καὶ ἦν μετὰ τῶν θηρίων». 6.13.8 «ὄρη» δ' ἂν εἴη αὖθις τροπικώτερον ἡ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι τὸ πρὶν ἐπιτελουμένη εἰδωλολατρία, καὶ αἱ ἐν τούτοις ἐνεργήσασαι ἀόρατοι καὶ ἀρχοντικαὶ δυνάμεις, ἃς οὐ μικρῶς ἡ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀνέσειέν τε καὶ ἀνεκίνει διδασκαλία. τούτων γὰρ ὁ ἔνθεος· αὐτοῦ λόγος ἥ τε θαυματουργὸς καὶ παραδοξοποιὸς ἰσχὺς λεληθότως τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων μακρὰν καὶ παλαιὰν δυναστείαν καθῄρει. 6.13.9 ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ «κοιλάδες τηκόμεναι ὡς κηρὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου πυρὸς» δαίμονες ἂν εἶεν χθόνιοι καὶ περίγειοι, καθ' ὧν τὸ καυστικὸν τῆς μοχθηρίας αὐτῶν πῦρ ἠφίει, λέγων· «πῦρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ τί θέλω εἰ ἤδη ἀνήφθη;» ὑφ' οὗ πυρὸς δὴ καιόμενοι, καὶ μὴ οἷοί τε ὄντες τὰς ἀπὸ τῆς ἀοράτου φλογὸς φέρειν βασάνους, ὑπανεχώρουν τῶν ἀνθρωπείων σωμάτων, καὶ τὸ συνέχον γε καὶ ἐλαῦνον αὐτοὺς ἀνωμολόγουν βοῶντες· «ἔα, τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί, υἱὲ τοῦ θεοῦ; ἦλθες πρὸς καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς;» «οἴδαμέν σε τίς εἶ, ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ». 6.13.10 τούτους δὲ μάλιστα ᾐκίζετο καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τούτων ἄρχοντας καθῄρει, ὅτι μὴ ἀρκεσθέντες τῇ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐθνῶν διαφθορᾷ, δι' ἧς τοὺς πάντας εἰς τὴν πολύθεον πλάνην καταβεβλήκεσαν, καὶ τῷ πάλαι τοῦ θεοῦ λαῷ, αὐτῷ δὴ τῷ ἐκ περιτομῆς, ἐπιβεβουλεύκασιν, καὶ ἀποστήσαντές γε τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦτον παντοίαις περιέπειραν δυσσεβείαις. διὸ καὶ μάλιστα τὴν ἐξ οὐρανῶν πεποίητο ὁ κύριος κάθοδον, 6.13.11 ὅθεν ἑξῆς φησιν· «διὰ τὴν ἀσέβειαν Ἰακὼβ πάντα ταῦτα καὶ δι' ἁμαρτίαν οἴκου Ἰσραήλ». καὶ ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις τῆς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καθόδου τοῦ λόγου τὴν αἰτίαν ἑξῆς διασαφεῖ, τοῦ μὲν ἐκ περιτομῆς λαοῦ τὰς δυσσεβείας ἀπαριθμούμενος καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ ταύταις μετελθόντα αὐτοὺς ὄλεθρον, τῶν δὲ ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐθνῶν προαναφωνῶν τὴν κλῆσιν· διὰ ταῦτα γὰρ ἐπεδήμει ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος ἐξ οὐρανῶν ἐπὶ γῆς. 6.13.12 καὶ τῶν γε λέξεων ἄκουε· «δι' ἀσέβειαν οἴκου Ἰακὼβ πάντα ταῦτα, καὶ δι' ἁμαρτίαν οἴκου Ἰσραήλ. τίς ἡ ἀσέβεια οἴκου Ἰακώβ, οὐ Σαμάρεια; καὶ τίς ἡ ἁμαρτία Ἰούδα, οὐχὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ; καὶ θήσομαι Σαμάρειαν εἰς ὀπωροφυλάκιον ἀγροῦ καὶ εἰς φυτείαν ἀμπελῶνος, καὶ κατασπάσω εἰς χάος τοὺς λίθους αὐτῆς, καὶ τὰ θεμέλια αὐτῆς ἀποκαλύψω», 6.13.13 καὶ ἐπιλέγει· «κατέβη κακὰ παρὰ κυρίου ἐπὶ πύλας Ἱερουσαλήμ, ψόφος ἁρμάτων καὶ ἱππευόντων», 6.13.14 καὶ αὖθις· «ἡ δόξα τῆς θυγατρὸς Ἱερουσαλήμ, ξύρησαι καὶ κεῖραι ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα τὰ τρυφερά σου, ἐμπλάτυνον τὴν χηρείαν σου ὡς ἀετός, ὅτι ᾐχμαλωτεύθησαν ἀπὸ σοῦ», ἐπὶ τούτοις· «Σιὼν ὡς ἀγρὸς ἀροτριαθήσεται, καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὡς ὀπωροφυλάκιον ἔσται, καὶ τὸ ὄρος τοῦ οἴκου εἰς ἄλσος δρυμοῦ». 6.13.15 Σιὼν δὲ καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ τὸ καλούμενον «ὄρος τοῦ οἴκου», ταῦτ' ἦν ἐκεῖνα τὰ πρόσθεν δεδηλωμένα διὰ τοῦ «καὶ σαλευθήσονται τὰ ὄρη ὑποκάτωθεν αὐτοῦ, καὶ αἱ κοιλάδες τακήσονται ὡς κηρὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου πυρός,