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a power, to which those who need such punishment will be delivered. But another might say that when the consummation of all that is seen occurs, the fluid substance of bodies will be dissolved, as will heaven itself and the stars in it, and I mean that the unseen powers in it will cast off the bodies that surround them for a change to a better life, and that this is indicated by the Apostle who says: “that creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” And first having pursued the evil and opposing powers in the airy region, the aforementioned sword of God secondly pursues the souls of the impious on the earth. Wherefore it adds: it will come down upon Idumea and upon the people of destruction; and what will come down, but the sword? And Idumea is interpreted as earthly, upon which the sword, having come down, is filled with blood and as if from the fat of the slaughtered, is fattened. And who are these lambs and goats and rams, it says: the lambs, or according to the other interpreters, sheep, signifying those who have pursued a common and private life, and the goats and rams, those who have had much power “in principalities and authorities,” whom the sword of God will pursue, as if working a sacrifice by slaughtering and sacrificing the aforementioned lambs and goats and rams. And it will do these things in Bosor, which is interpreted as the flesh, with the word signifying in these things the resurrection of the flesh. Wherefore, teaching that the slaughter of the aforementioned will be in the flesh, it says: that there is a sacrifice to the Lord in Bosor and a great slaughter in Idumea; for it will pursue every earthly soul; For Edom is the earthly one, and Idumea is interpreted as earthly, as also elsewhere. Wherefore the prophet himself, proceeding in order concerning the Savior and the judgment that will be by him, says: “Who is this that comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bosor?” For in this way he indicated his incarnate presence having occurred upon the earth. But nevertheless, it says in the preceding verses that the strong and the rams and the bulls will fall, so that the earth will be drunk with the blood and with the fat of those slaughtered by the sword of God. And according to Symmachus: and lofty unicorns, it says, and calves with the mighty will come down, and the earth will be drunk with blood and their dust will be enriched with fat. But I think the divine spirit used such threatening words to represent the vengeance of God against the impious and to frighten those who hear these things with their customary and duller hearing, because not everyone is able to understand otherwise the punishments to be brought upon the impious, nor are they able to conceive of the manner of the punishment. Wherefore it uses cruder sayings and more customary words productive of fear, so that those who hear these things, being thus afraid, might turn back. 2.8 The word, alluding to the siege of Jerusalem by saying: “your ropes were torn, because they did not hold firm; your mast leaned, it will not slacken the sails; it will not raise a sign, until it is given over for plunder.” Then in order, having spoken about the nations that besieged her and about the universal judgment of God that will pursue all the impious, it takes up again the word concerning Zion and Jerusalem, teaching that a year of recompense and a day of judgment will come to her. And in the preceding it was also said: “Rich women, arise,” “make mention of the days of a year in pain with hope.” What then was this year, for which it commands to mourn “with pain,” the present prophecy shows, saying the preceding things. And it is necessary to set alongside these things the word of the same prophet, speaking in the person of Christ in the following: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim

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δύναμιν, ᾗ παραδοθήσονται αἱ δεηθεῖσαι τοιαύτης κολάσεως. ἄλλος δ' ἂν εἴποι συντελείας γιγνομένης τοῦ ὁρωμένου παντὸς τὴν τῶν σωμάτων ῥευστὴν οὐσίαν λυθήσεσθαι ὡς καὶ αὐτὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ ἀστέρας, λέγω δὲ τὰς ἐν αὐτῷ ἀφανεῖς δυνάμεις ἀποδύσεσθαι τὰ περικείμενα αὐτοῖς σώματα ἐπὶ μεταβολῇ ζωῆς κρείττονος, καὶ τοῦτο δηλοῦσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ φάσκοντος Ἀποστόλου· «ὅτι καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ κτίσις ἐλευθερωθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς δουλείας τῆς φθορᾶς εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς δόξης τῶν τέκνων τοῦ θεοῦ». πρώτας δὲ μετελθοῦσα τὰς ἐν τῷ ἀερίῳ τόπῳ πονηρὰς καὶ ἀντικειμένας δυνάμεις ἡ λεχθεῖσα μάχαιρα τοῦ θεοῦ δευτέρας μετέρχεται τὰς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τῶν ἀσεβῶν ψυχάς. διὸ ἐπιλέγει· ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν καταβήσεται καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν τῆς ἀπωλείας· τίς δὲ καταβήσεται, ἀλλ' ἢ ἡ μάχαιρα; Ἰδουμαία δὲ ἑρμηνεύεται γεώδης, ἐφ' ἣν ἡ μάχαιρα καταβᾶσα πληροῦται αἵματος καὶ ὥσπερ ἀπὸ στέατος τῶν κατασφαττομένων παχύνεται. τίνες δέ εἰσιν οὗτοι ἀμνοὶ καὶ τράγοι καὶ κριοί φησι· τῶν μὲν ἀμνῶν, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς ἀρνῶν, σημαινόντων τοὺς τὸν δημώδη καὶ ἰδιωτικὸν μετελθόντας βίον, τῶν δὲ τράγων καὶ κριῶν τοὺς πολλὰ δεδυνημένους «ἐν ἀρχαῖς καὶ ἐξουσίαις», οὓς μετελεύσεται ἡ μάχαιρα τοῦ θεοῦ ὥσπερ θυσίαν ἐργαζομένη διὰ τοῦ κατασφάττειν καὶ θύειν τοὺς προλεχθέντας ἀμνοὺς καὶ τράγους καὶ κριούς. καὶ ταῦτα ποιήσει ἐν τῇ Βοσόρ, ἣ μεταλαμβάνεται εἰς τὴν σάρκα τοῦ λόγου τὴν ἀνάστασιν τῆς σαρκὸς σημαίνοντος ἐν τούτοις. διὸ τὴν τῶν εἰρημένων σφαγὴν ἐν σαρκὶ ἔσεσθαι διδάσκων φησίν· ὅτι θυσία τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν Βοσὸρ καὶ σφαγὴ μεγάλη ἐν τῇ Ἰδουμαίᾳ· πᾶσαν γὰρ τὴν γεώδη ψυχὴν μετελεύσεται· Ἐδὼμ γὰρ ὁ γήϊνος καὶ Ἰδουμαία γεώδης ἑρμηνεύεται ὡς καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ. διὸ αὐτὸς ὁ προφήτης ἑξῆς προϊὼν περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος καὶ τῆς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γενησομένης κρίσεώς φησι· «Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγενόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ, ἐρύθημα ἱματίων ἐκ Βοσόρ»; τὴν γὰρ ἔνσαρκον αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς γενομένην τοῦτον ἐδήλου τὸν τρόπον. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ συμπεσεῖσθαί φησιν ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις τοὺς ἁδροὺς καὶ τοὺς κριοὺς καὶ τοὺς ταύρους ὡς μεθυσθῆναι τὴν γῆν ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ στέατος τῶν σφαττομένων ὑπὸ τῆς μαχαίρας τοῦ θεοῦ. κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· καὶ καταβήσονταί φησιν ὑψηλοὶ μονοκέρωτες καὶ μόσχοι μετὰ κραταιῶν, καὶ μεθυσθήσεται ἡ γῆ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος καὶ ὁ χοῦς αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ στέατος λιπανθήσεται. οἶμαι δὲ τὸ θεῖον πνεῦμα τοιαύταις κεχρῆσθαι λέξεσιν ἀπειλητικαῖς εἰς τὸ παραστῆσαι τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκδίκησιν καὶ εἰς τὸ φοβῆσαι τοὺς τούτων ἀκροωμένους τῇ συνήθει καὶ παχυτέρᾳ ἀκοῇ τῷ μὴ δύνασθαι τοὺς πάντας ἄλλως νοεῖν τὰς ἐπαχθησομένας τοῖς ἀσεβέσι τιμωρίας μηδὲ τὸν τρόπον τῆς κολάσεως ἐπινοῆσαι δύνασθαι. διὸ παχυτέροις ῥήμασι καὶ συνηθεστέραις λέξεσι φόβου ποιητικαῖς κέχρηται, ἵνα κἂν οὕτως φοβηθέντες ἐπιστρέψωσιν οἱ τούτων ἀκούοντες. 2.8 Τὴν πολιορκίαν τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ αἰνιξάμενος ὁ λόγος διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν· «ἐρράγησαν τὰ σχοινία σου, ὅτι οὐκ ἐνίσχυσεν· ὁ ἱστός σου ἔκλινεν, οὐ χαλάσει τὰ ἱστία· οὐκ ἀρεῖ σημεῖον, ἕως οὗ παραδοθῇ εἰς προνομήν». εἶθ' ἑξῆς περὶ τῶν πολιορκησάντων αὐτὴν ἐθνῶν διαλαλήσας καὶ περὶ τῆς καθ' ὅλου κρίσεως τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς μετελευσομένης τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς πάντας ἐπαναλαμβάνει τὸν περὶ τῆς Σιὼν καὶ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ λόγον διδάσκων, ὅτι ἥξει αὐτῇ ἀνταποδόσεως ἐνιαυτὸς καὶ ἡμέρα κρίσεως. καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω δὲ ἐλέγετο τό· «Γυναῖκες πλούσιαι, ἀνάστητε», «ἡμέρας ἐνιαυτοῦ μνείαν ποιήσασθε ἐν ὀδύνῃ μετ' ἐλπίδος». τίς οὖν ἦν οὗτος ὁ ἐνιαυτός, ἐφ' ᾧ κόπτεσθαι «μετ' ὀδύνης» προστάττει, ἡ παροῦσα προφητεία παρίστησι λέγουσα τὰ προκείμενα. τούτοις δὲ παραθεῖναι ἀναγκαῖον τοῦ αὐτοῦ προφήτου τὸν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς φάσκοντα λόγον· «Πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμέ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέ με· εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέ με, κηρύξαι