148

manifestation, knowing Him to be a just judge. For through the care of widows, and the solicitude for orphans, He showed the justice of His providence. This disturbance and fear of the demons, the history of the holy Gospels also teaches us; For we hear them saying: "What have we to do with you, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"-"God is in His holy place." Since He said, "Let God arise," and, "Make a way for Him who has ascended to the west," He has fittingly added this, as if to say, Let no one think that the God of all makes His dispensations by means of transposition. Such is that which was said by the Lord: "No one has ascended into heaven, except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven." 80.1380 For through these things also He showed the uncircumscribed nature of the divine essence; and taught that when He had come down, and was dwelling below, and living as a citizen among men, He was also in heaven, and was not separated from the Father. 7. "God makes the solitary to dwell in a house; leading out the fettered with might; likewise the rebellious, those who dwell in tombs." He calls "solitary" those who have one purpose, and who choose to care for virtue alone, and not those who choose now these things, now those things. He says that these are made to dwell in the divine house. And "fettered," those who are bound by the chains of sin; whom He foretold are made courageous when they are loosed. Such was Matthew, such was James the son of Alphaeus, such was Zacchaeus; who, having been freed from the bonds of injustice, most manfully took up the war against him who had fettered them. Not only, he says, does He make the fettered courageous; but also those who have reached the extreme of impiety, and who dwell as if in foul-smelling tombs, in their own bodies. For He will deem these also, with them, worthy of salvation. 8, 9. "O God, when you went forth in the midst of Your people, when You passed through the wilderness, the earth was shaken, for the heavens also dropped water." Symmachus translated this thus: O God, when You went before Your people, as You walked through the uninhabited land, the earth was shaken, and the heaven dropped water. About to pass, he says, into that desert and uninhabited land, which had not yet received the ray of light, You shook the earth, and made it tremble; and from heaven You let fall drops of grace. The one thing happened at the cross; for then the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split; [and the whole of the earth was shaken, beholding with a certain sense the Creator of all, hanging upon a cross;] the other, after the ascension into heaven. For at that time the grace of the Spirit came upon the apostles, imitating as it were certain drops of dew. Then, teaching the Jews more clearly who it was that did all these things, he added. "from the presence of the God of Sinai; from the presence of the God of Israel." 80.1381 For He who on Mount Sinai, he says, appeared to our forefathers, this same one also shook the earth at the time of the passion, reproving your madness, and bestowed the grace of the Spirit. 10. "You will set apart a willing rain, O God, for Your inheritance." What he called "drops" above, here he has named "rain." For grace was supplied to the teachers according to the need of the learners. For he calls the watering of teaching "rain;" and he called it "willing," on account of the free choice of the will. For one is not watered by necessity, but being persuaded by the teaching, he enjoys the grace. "And it was weakened; but You perfected it." He said that not [the rain, but] the inheritance was weakened; and he called the uprisings of the impious "weakness." Thus also the Lord said to Paul: "My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in weakness." But also in the time of the uprising, You confirm and strengthen the athletes. For You have these as an inheritance, according to the prophecy that says: "Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession." And so also Symmachus translated: Which You made and established. But he

148

ἐπιφάνειαν, δίκαιον αὐ τὸν κριτὴν ἐπιστάμενοι. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τῆς τῶν χηρῶν κη δεμονίας, καὶ τῆς τῶν ὀρφανῶν ἐπιμελείας, τὸ δί καιον αὐτοῦ τῆς προνοίας ἐδήλωσε. Ταύτην τῶν δαι μόνων τὴν ταραχὴν καὶ τὸ δέος, καὶ τῶν θείων Εὐαγγελίων ἡμᾶς ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει· Ἀκούομεν γὰρ αὐτῶν λεγόντων· "Τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοὶ, υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ; ἦλθες πρὸ καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς"-"Ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ." Ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν· "Ἀναστήτω ὁ Θεὸς," καί· "Ὁδοποιήσατε τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ δυσμῶν," εἰκότως τοῦτο προστέθεικε, μονονουχὶ λέ γων, Μηδεὶς ἡγείσθω τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν μετα βάσει χρώμενον τὰς οἰκονομίας ποιεῖσθαι. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου εἰρημένον· "Οὐδεὶς ἀνα βέβηκεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, εἰ μὴ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κα ταβὰς, ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ." 80.1380 Καὶ διὰ τούτων γὰρ τὸ τῆς θείας φύσεως ἀπερί γραφον ἔδειξε· καὶ ἐδίδαξεν, ὡς κατελήλυθε, καὶ κάτω διάγων, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συμπολιτευό μενος, καὶ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἦν, καὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐκ ἐκε χώριστο. ζʹ. "Ὁ Θεὸς κατοικίζει μονοτρόπους ἐν οἴκῳ· ἐξάγων πεπεδημένους ἐν ἀνδρείᾳ· ὁμοίως τοὺς παραπικραίνοντας, τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν τάφοις." Μονοτρόπους καλεῖ, τοὺς ἕνα σκοπὸν ἔχοντας, καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς μόνης ἐπιμελεῖσθαι προαιρουμένους, καὶ μὴ νῦν μὲν ταῦτα, νῦν δὲ ἐκεῖνα προαιρουμένους. Τούτους ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τῷ θείῳ κατοικίζεσθαι λέ γει. Πεπεδημένους δὲ, τοὺς τὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας πε ρικειμένους δεσμά· οὓς λυομένους ἀνδρείους ἀποτε λεῖσθαι προείρηκε. Τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ Ματθαῖος, τοιοῦτος ὁ Ἰάκωβος ὁ Ἀλφαίου, τοιοῦτος ὁ Ζακχαῖος· οἳ τῶν τῆς ἀδικίας ἀπαλλαγέντες δεσμῶν, ἀνδρικῶς μάλα τὸν κατὰ τοῦ πεδήσαντος ἀνεδέξαντο πόλεμον. Οὐ μόνον δὲ, φησὶ, τοὺς πεπεδημένους ἀνδρείους ἐργά ζεται· ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς εἰς ἄκρον δυσσεβείας ἐλη λακότας, καὶ ὡς ἐν τάφοις δυσώδεσι, τοῖς οἰκείοις σώ μασι κατοικοῦντας. Καὶ τούτους γὰρ μετ' ἐκείνων ἀξιώσει τῆς σωτηρίας. ηʹ, θʹ. "Ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῷ ἐκπορεύεσθαί σε ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ σου, ἐν τῷ διαβαίνειν σε ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, γῆ ἐσείσθη, καὶ γὰρ οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἔσταξαν." Τοῦτο ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἡρμήνευσεν· Ὁ Θεὸς, προερχομένου σου πρὸ τοῦ λαοῦ σου, βαίνοντος διὰ τῆς ἀοικήτου, γῆ ἐσείσθη, οὐρανὸς δὲ ἔσταξε. Μέλλων, φησὶ, διαβαίνειν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ἐκείνην καὶ ἀοίκητον, καὶ μηδέπω δεξαμένην τοῦ φωτὸς τὴν ἀκτῖνα, ἐκλόνησας μὲν τὴν γῆν, καὶ συνέσεισας· οὐρανόθεν δὲ τὰς τῆς χάριτος ψεκάδας ἐπέσταξας Γέγονε δὲ τὸ μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ· τότε γὰρ ἡ γῆ ἐσείσθη, καὶ αἱ πέτραι ἐῤῥάγησαν· [καὶ τὸ πᾶν τῆς γῆς ἐκλονεῖτο, τὸν ∆ημιουργὸν τοῦ παντὸς αἰ σθήσει τινὶ θεώμενον, ἐπὶ σταυροῦ κρεμάμενον·] τὸ δὲ μετὰ τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἄνοδον. Τηνικαῦτα γὰρ ἐπεφοίτησεν ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις, οἷόν τινας δρόσου ψεκάδας μιμουμένη, τοῖς ἀποστόλοις. Εἶ τα σαφέστερον Ἰουδαίους διδάσκων τὸν πάντα ταῦ τα δρῶντα, ἐπήγαγεν. "Ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ Σινᾶ· ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰσραήλ." Ὁ 80.1381 γὰρ ἐν τῷ Σινᾶ ὄρει, φησὶ, τοῖς ἡμετέροις προγό νοις φανεὶς, οὗτος καὶ τὴν γῆν ἔσεισε παρὰ τὸν τοῦ πάθους καιρὸν, τὴν ὑμετέραν διελέγχων μανίαν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐδωρήσατο χάριν. ιʹ. "Βροχὴν ἑκούσιον ἀφοριεῖς, ὁ Θεὸς, τῇ κληρονο μίᾳ σου." Ἅσπερ ἄνω ψεκάδας ἐκάλεσεν, ἐν ταῦθα ὑετὸν προσηγόρευσε. Πρὸς γὰρ τὴν χρείαν τῶν μανθανόντων ἐχορηγεῖτο τοῖς διδασκάλοις ἡ χά ρις. Ὑετὸν γὰρ τῆς διδασκαλίας τὴν ἀρδείαν καλεῖ· ἑκούσιον δὲ αὐτὴν προσηγόρευσε, διὰ τὸ τῆς γνώ μης αὐθαίρετον. Οὐ γὰρ ἀνάγκῃ τις ἄρδεται, ἀλλὰ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ πειθόμενος, ἀπολαύει τῆς χάριτος. "Καὶ ἠσθένησε· σὺ δὲ κατηρτίσω αὐτήν." Ἠσθε νηκέναι οὐ [βροχὴν, ἀλλὰ] τὴν κληρονομίαν ἔφη ἀσθένειαν δὲ τὰς τῶν δυσσεβῶν ἐπαναστάσεις ἐκά λεσεν. Οὕτως καὶ ὁ Κύριος πρὸς τὸν Παῦλον ἔφη· "Ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις μου· ἡ γὰρ δύναμίς μου ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦται. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ τῆς ἐπανα στάσεως καιρῷ, σὺ βεβαιοῖς καὶ στηρίζεις τοὺς ἀθλητάς. Τούτους γὰρ ἔχεις κληρονομίαν, κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν τὴν λέγουσαν· "Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου, τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς." Οὕτω δὲ καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν· Ἣν ἐξεποίησας καὶ ἥδρα σας· Ὁ δὲ