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with the other priests also conspiring, he said: “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests,” at which he, being displeased, stretched out his hand in anger for the priests to be seized by the guards so that he might harm them; but immediately his hand became leprous, so that the tyrant was immediately cast out of the temple, the holy place having been defiled by his rashness and cruelty, wanting to usurp an act not belonging to another but only to the priests ministering in the temple. 5.62 In addition to having failed in what he wished to draw upon himself, he was also hindered from the works of the kingdom by the unclean leprosy, his son who was about to succeed to the rule carrying them out thereafter. 5.63 In the days of the earthquake from the confusion, a ravine was formed, clinging to the mountains, in the days of Judah, when Uzziah was king. 5.64 The earthquake now indicated is also found at the beginning of Amos the prophet: “For the words,” he says, “of Amos, which came from Tekoa, two years before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah,” the earthquake being spoken of here, according to a current Jewish tradition, as the vision that appeared to Isaiah, concerning which it is thus written: “It came to pass in the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and Seraphim stood round about him, each one had six wings, and each one had six wings,” and after a little: “And one cried to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the heaven and the earth are full of his glory.” 5.65 The heaven and the earth became full of the glory of God when Uzziah died after the transgression he had committed. For how was it not a convulsion of change for the better when God appeared, so that heaven and earth might be filled with his glory, and that there might be a removal of the iniquities of him who was pierced in seeing the divine vision and remission of the sins of all the people? 5.66 In the days of the death of Uzziah, who wished to cast down the divine laws, wishing to usurp the priestly ministry which did not belong to him, the division of the laws which he had innovated was healed, the priest again performing his own duties in the temple without hindrance and the king attending to the governance of his subjects, no longer touching the priestly things because the service of the priests was not assigned to him. 5.67 Or whether Asael here is the name of a place, let him who has surveyed the places of Judea declare, having grasped something that seems precise. 5.68 Zach. XIV, 5-7: And the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with him. In that day there will be no light. And there will be cold and frost for one day. And that day will be known to the Lord. And not day and not night, and towards evening there will be light. 5.69 The preceding utterance can signify the second and glorious coming of the Savior, concerning which John in the Apocalypse spoke sublimely and in a manner befitting God, thus: “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who pierced him.” 5.70 This thought is suggested by what the Savior said about himself: “The tribes will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” For how will he who is to come as a king not shine with great glory? And he comes with great power, with the saints coming with him, not only of men but also of angels. For it is fitting that “those who became his eyewitnesses and ministers” and “the ministering spirits sent forth for service” by him should shine with him, so that he may be known as their king and they as his powers, that is, his army. 5.71 On the day in which the Lord God will come there will not be perceptible light, the true and eternal light making it, according to the things proclaimed beforehand in Isaiah concerning the perfect illumination, which are as follows: “The sun will no longer be your light by day,

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συμπνεόντων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων θεραπευτῶν φήσας· «Οὐ σοί, Ὀζία, τοῦ θυμιάσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀλλ' ἢ τῶν ἱερέων», ἐφ' ᾧ δ̣υσχεράνας ἐξέτεινε τὴν χεῖρα μετὰ θυμοῦ ἐπὶ τῷ συλληφθῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν δορυφόρων τοὺς ἱερέας ἵνα αὐτοὺς κακώσῃ· ἀλλ' εὐθέως ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ λελέπρωται, ὡς παραχρῆμα ἔξω τοῦ ναοῦ βαλέσθαι τὸν τύραννον, μιανθέντος τοῦ ἱεροῦ ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ προπετείᾳ καὶ ὠμότητι αὐτοῦ σφετερίσασθαι θελήσαντος τὴν μὴ προσήκουσαν ἄλλῳ πρᾶξιν ἢ μόνοις τοῖς προσεδρεύουσι τῷ ναῷ ἱερεῦσιν. 5.62 Πρὸς τῷ ἀποτετευχέναι ᾧ εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἐπισπάσασθαι βεβούληται, καὶ τῶν ἔργων τῆς βασιλείας ἐκ τῆς ἀκαθάρτου λέπρας ἐνεποδίσθη, ἐκτελοῦντος αὐτὰ λοιπὸν τοῦ μέλλοντος διαδέξασθαι τὴν ἀρχὴν υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ. 5.63 Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τοῦ ἐκ τῆς συγχύσεως σεισμοῦ, φάραγξ γέγονεν ἐγκολληθεῖσα τοῖς ὄρεσιν, ἐν ταῖς τοῦ Ἰούδα ἡμέραις, βασιλεύοντος Ὀζίου. 5.64 Ὁ νῦν δηλούμενος σεισμὸς κεῖται καὶ ἐν ἀρχῇ Ἀμὼς τοῦ προφήτου· «Λόγοι γάρ, φησίν, Ἀμώς, οἱ γενάμενοι ἐκ Θεκουέ, πρὸ δύο ἐτῶν τοῦ σεισμοῦ ἐν ἡμέραις Ὀζίου», σεισμοῦ λεγομένου ἐνταῦθα, κατὰ περιφερομένην παράδοσιν ἰουδαϊκήν, τῆς φανείσης ὀπτασίας τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ, περὶ ἧς οὕτω γέγραπται· «Ἐγένετο τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, οὗ ἀπέθανεν Ὀζίας ὁ βασιλεύς, εἶδον τὸν Κύριον καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἐπηρμένου, καὶ Σεραφὶμ̣ εἱστήκεισαν κύκλῳ αὐτ̣οῦ, ἓξ πτέρυγες τῷ ἑνὶ καὶ ἓξ πτέρυγες τῷ ἑνί», καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· «Καὶ ἐκέκραγεν ὁ ἕτερος πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον· Ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος Κύριος σαβαώθ, πλήρης ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ.» 5.65 Πλήρης ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ γέγονεν τεθνηκότος τοῦ Ὀζίου μεθ' ἣν ἔπραξεν παρανομίαν. Πῶς γὰρ οὐ κλόνος μεταβολῆς εἰς τὸ κρεῖττον γέγονεν ὀφθέντος Θεοῦ ὅπως πληρωθῇ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ, καὶ ἀφαίρεσις γένηται τῶν ἀνομιῶν τοῦ κατανυγέντος ἐν τῷ ἑωρακέναι τὴν θείαν ὀπτασίαν καὶ ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τοῦ λαοῦ παντός; 5.66 Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τοῦ θανάτου Ὀζίου τοῦ βαραθρῶσαι θελήσαντος τοὺς θείους νόμους, σφετερίσασθαι θελήσαντος τὴν μὴ προσήκουσαν αὐτῷ ἱερατικὴν λειτουργίαν, ἐνεκολλήθη ἣν ἐκαινοτόμησεν διάσχισιν τῶν νόμων, πάλιν τοῦ ἱερέως ἀκωλύτως τὰ ἴδια ἐν τῷ ναῷ ἐκτελοῦντος καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν τῶν ἀρχομένων προστασίαν περιέποντος οὐκ ἐφαπτομένου τῶν ἱερατικῶν ἔτι διὰ τὸ μὴ αὐτῷ ἀνακεῖσθαι τὴν τῶν ἱερέων θεραπείαν. 5.67 Ἢ τὸ Ἀσαὴλ ἐνταῦθα ὄνομα τόπου ἐστίν, ὁ τοὺς τόπους τῆς Ἰουδαίας περιαθρήσας ἀποφηνάσθω, τὸ δοκοῦν ἀκριβές τι κατειληφώς. 5.68 Zach. XIV, 5-7: Καὶ ἥξει Κύριος ὁ Θεός μου καὶ πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι μετ' αὐτοῦ. Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ οὐκ ἔσται φῶς. Καὶ ψύχη καὶ πάγος ἔσται μίαν ἡμέραν. Καὶ ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη γνωστὴ τῷ Κυρίῳ. Καὶ οὐχ ἡμέρα καὶ οὐ νύξ, καὶ πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἔσται φῶς. 5.69 Ἡ προκειμένη φωνὴ σημαίνειν δύναται δευτέραν καὶ ἐπίδοξον παρουσίαν τοῦ Σωτῆρος, περὶ ἧς ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐν Ἀποκαλύψει ὑψηλῶς καὶ θεοπρεπῶς εἶπεν οὕτως· «Ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται μετὰ τῶν νεφελῶν, καὶ ὄψεται αὐτὸν πᾶς ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ οἵτινες αὐτὸν ἐξεκέντησαν.» 5.70 Ἡ νόησις αὕτη ὑποβάλλε̣ται ἐξ οὗ εἶπεν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Σωτήρ· «Φυλαὶ ὄψονται τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ μετὰ δυνάμεως καὶ δόξης πολλῆς.» Πῶς γὰρ οὐ μετὰ δόξης πολλῆς ἐπιλάμψει ὁ βασιλικῶς ἐλευσόμενος; ῎Ε̣ρχεται δὲ καὶ μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆς, τῶν ἁγίων μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐλευσομένων, οὐκ ἀνδρῶν μόνων ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀγγέλων. Ἀκόλουθον γὰρ ὑπάρχει «τοὺς αὐτόπτας κ̣αὶ ὑπηρέτας αὐτοῦ γεναμένους» καὶ «τὰ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα εἰς διακονίαν ἀποσταλέντα» ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐπιλάμπειν σὺν αὐτῷ, ὅπως καὶ αὐτὸς γνωσθῇ βασιλεὺς αὐτῶν καὶ αὐτοὶ δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν στρατιά. 5.71 Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐν ᾗ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἥξει οὐκ ἔσται φῶς αἰσθητόν, τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ καὶ ἀϊδίου φωτὸς ποιοῦντος αὐτήν, κατὰ τὰ ἐν Ἠσαΐᾳ προαναφωνηθέντα περὶ τοῦ τελείου φωτισμοῦ ὧδε ἔχοντα· «Οὐκ ἔσται σοι ὁ ἥλιος εἰς φῶς τῆς ἡμέρας,