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the host of the heavens, but according to Symmachus: and all the power of the heavens shall be melted, and according to Theodotion: and all the powers of the heavens shall be melted. These, then, were the mountains, concerning which it is said: and the mountains shall be melted with their blood; for the powers of the heavens, being understood as mountains, are said to be melted, as having become the cause of the destruction of the aforementioned. And these would be they concerning whom the Apostle says: "For our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places"; for these powers that traverse the aerial region are called powers of the heavens; since Scripture is also accustomed to call things that move through the air "birds of heaven," saying: "the birds of the heaven and the fish of the sea." And since the phrase, "and all the powers of the heavens shall be melted," was not present in the Septuagint interpretation, it was added with asterisks from the interpretation of the others. But since we needed to know when these things will be, the prophetic word teaches this also, showing that the aforementioned things will happen after "the consummation of this age." Therefore he adds: and the heaven shall be rolled up like a scroll, and all the stars shall fall like leaves from a vine, and as leaves fall from a fig tree. And the Savior, too, in the Gospels, when delivering the things concerning the consummation, said: "and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven." And instead of: and all the stars shall fall like leaves, Aquila has: and all their host will fall away as a leaf falls away from a vine and as a fallen thing from a fig tree, but according to Symmachus: and all their power will fall as a leaf falls from a vine and as a fallen thing from a fig tree, and similarly also Theodotion: and all their power will fall as leaves fall from a vine and as a fall from a fig tree. And these things have been preserved by us to show that what are called "stars" by the Seventy were named "powers of heaven" by the other interpreters. But what powers, if not those about which was just spoken? According to Aquila: and all the host of the heavens shall be melted, but according to Symmachus: and all the power of the heaven shall be melted, and according to Theodotion: and all the powers of the heavens shall be melted. These, then, are those powers which we have shown to be "the principalities and the powers and the world-rulers of this darkness and the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." These very things are said to fall like leaves from a vine at the time of judgment, when the heaven will be rolled up like a scroll. But having come to this point in the discourse, it is worth observing that the word does not signify that there will be a corruption or destruction and annihilation of heaven, but "as when a book is rolled up" the things written in it are revealed, but "the book" is certainly not destroyed; in the same way, when the writing in heaven is "unrolled," which contains the deeds of the entire age, the opposing powers fall away, having been cast down from their sojourn in the air. And Daniel, too, teaching the things concerning the judgment, said: "the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened." And what books? Surely those that contain written in them all the deeds of those who have lived in every age, which you would not be wrong to say are the heaven that is here said to be rolled up like a scroll, in which, as in a writing, the deeds of all are contained. Then the opposing powers, which long ago deceived many in the likeness of stars, will fall, since "Satan himself, being transformed into an angel of light, has fallen like lightning from heaven." And these powers will fall, since he says, my sword has been made drunk in heaven, we understanding the sword to be the punishing

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στρατιὰ τῶν οὐρανῶν, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· καὶ τακήσεται πᾶσα δύναμις τῶν οὐρανῶν, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Θεοδοτίωνα· καὶ τακήσονται πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν. ταῦτα τοίνυν ἐτύγχανε τὰ ὄρη, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται τό· καὶ τακήσονται τὰ ὄρη ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτῶν· αἱ γὰρ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν ὄρη νοούμεναι τακήσεσθαι λέγονται ὡς αἴτιαι γενόμεναι τῆς ἀπωλείας τῶν εἰρημένων. εἶεν δ' ἂν αὗται, περὶ ὧν φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· «οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχάς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις»· αὗται γὰρ αἱ δυνάμεις αἱ τὸν ἀέριον χῶρον διατρέχουσαι δυνάμεις οὐρανῶν εἴρηνται· ἐπεὶ καὶ τὰ δι' ἀέρος φερόμενα «πετηνὰ οὐρανοῦ» καλεῖν εἴωθεν ἡ γραφὴ λέγουσα· «τὰ πετηνὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἰχθύας τῆς θαλάσσης». μὴ κείμενον δὲ ἐν τῇ τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα ἑρμηνείᾳ τό· καὶ τακήσονται πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν, μετὰ ἀστερίσκων ἐκ τῆς τῶν λοιπῶν ἑρμηνείας προσετέθη. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐχρῆν ἡμᾶς γνῶναι, πότε ταῦτα ἔσται, καὶ τοῦτο διδάσκει ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος παριστὰς ὡς μετὰ «τὴν συντέλειαν τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου» γενήσεται τὰ προλεχθέντα. διὸ καὶ ἐπιφέρει· καὶ εἱλιγήσεται ὡς βιβλίον ὁ οὐρανός, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἄστρα πεσεῖται ὡς φύλλα ἐξ ἀμπέλου καὶ ὡς πίπτει φύλλα ἀπὸ συκῆς. καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ δὲ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις τὰ περὶ τῆς συντελείας παραδιδοὺς ἔλεγεν· «καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες πεσοῦνται ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ αἱ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν σαλευθήσονται. καὶ τότε φανήσεται τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν οὐρανῷ». ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· καὶ πάντα τὰ ἄστρα πεσεῖται ὡς φύλλα, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας· καὶ πᾶσα στρατιὰ αὐτῶν ἀπορρεύσει ὡς ἀπορρεῖ φύλλον ἀπὸ ἀμπέλου καὶ ὡς ἀπόπτωμα ἀπὸ συκῆς, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· καὶ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν πεσεῖται ὡς πίπτει φύλλον ἀπὸ ἀμπέλου καὶ ὡς ἀπόπτωμα ἀπὸ συκῆς, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων· καὶ πᾶσα δύναμις αὐτῶν πεσεῖται ὡς πίπτει φύλλα ἀπὸ ἀμπέλου καὶ ὡς πτῶμα ἀπὸ συκῆς. τετήρηται δὲ ταῦτα ἡμῖν εἰς τὸ δεῖξαι, ὅτι τὰ παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβδομήκοντα εἰρημένα ἄστρα παρὰ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἑρμηνευταῖς δυνάμεις τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὠνομάσθησαν. ποῖαι δὲ δυνάμεις ἢ περὶ ὧν ἀρτίως ἐλέγετο; κατὰ μὲν τὸν Ἀκύλαν· καὶ τακήσονται πᾶσα στρατιὰ τῶν οὐρανῶν, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· καὶ τακήσεται πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Θεοδοτίωνα· καὶ τακήσονται πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν· αὗται τοίνυν ἐκεῖναι αἱ δυνάμεις, ἃς ἀποδεδώκαμεν εἶναι «τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας καὶ τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου καὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας τὰ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις». ταῦτα αὐτὰ ὡς φύλλα ἐξ ἀμπέλου πεσεῖσθαι εἴρηται κατὰ τὸν τῆς κρίσεως καιρόν, καθ' ὃν εἱλιγήσεται ὁ οὐρανὸς ὡς βιβλίον. ἐπιτηρῆσαι δὲ ἄξιον ἐνταῦθα γενομένους τοῦ λόγου ὡς οὐ φθορὰν οὐδὲ ἀπώλειαν καὶ ἀφανισμὸν ἔσεσθαι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ σημαίνει ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ' «ὡς ἂν εἱλισσομένης βίβλου» φανεροῦται τὰ ἐγγεγραμμένα, οὐ μὴν φθείρεται «ἡ βίβλος» τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον «ἀνελιττομένης» τῆς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ γραφῆς περιεχούσης τὰς τοῦ σύμπαντος αἰῶνος πράξεις, αἱ ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμεις ἀπορρέουσι τῆς κατὰ τὸν ἀέρα διατριβῆς ἀποπεσοῦσαι. καὶ ὁ ∆ανιὴλ δὲ τὰ περὶ τῆς κρίσεως διδάσκων ἔφασκεν· «κριτήριον ἐκάθισε, καὶ βίβλοι ἠνεῴχθησαν». ποῖαι δὲ βίβλοι; ἢ πάντως που αἱ πάσας τὰς πράξεις τῶν ἐν παντὶ τῷ αἰῶνι πολιτευσαμένων ἐγγεγραμμένας περιέχουσαι, ἃς οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις εἶναι λέγων τὸν λεγόμενον ἐνταῦθα βιβλίου δίκην εἱλιγήσεσθαι οὐρανόν, ἐν ᾧ ὥσπερ ἐν γραφῇ αἱ πάντων περιέχονται πράξεις. τότε δὲ αἱ ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμεις αἱ πάλαι δίκην ἄστρων πολλοὺς ἀπατήσασαι πεσοῦνται, ἐπεὶ «καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ σατανᾶς μετασχηματιζόμενος εἰς ἄγγελον φωτὸς πέπτωκεν ὡς ἀστραπὴ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ». Πεσοῦνται δὲ αὗται αἱ δυνάμεις, ἐπειδήπερ ἐμεθύσθη φησὶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἡ μάχαιρά μου, μάχαιραν νοούντων ἡμῶν τὴν κολαστικὴν