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they were harmed. But it was rashly and in vain and by their own folly; for especially when hearing of God, they ought to have understood that it was said figuratively; but now Scripture has not neglected to teach them the impassibility of God through other words. Hear, then, elsewhere how it shows the ease of his punishment, saying: Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered. Is there need of weapons? Is there need of a sword? It is enough, he says, only for him to rise. But this again is crude; wherefore in many places it says: He who looks upon the earth, and makes it tremble. And again: The earth was shaken from before his face. But this too is crude. Hear what is more sublime: All that he willed, he did; for it is enough for him only to will. But consider how even in these cruder terms he shows the self-sufficiency of God. For he did not mention weapons before he called him mighty; and again, having listed the weapons, he ascribed the whole victory to his right hand, that is, to his nature and his power. Which also another prophet declared, saying: His government shall be upon his shoulder; not that you should think of a shoulder—far from it—but so that you might know that God does not need the alliance of others. Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one, in your comeliness and your beauty. What then does it say here? Through these cruder names it shows his energy, through which he set the world aright, through which he ended the war, and set up the trophy. For it was a difficult war, the most bitter of all wars, not of barbarians warring, but of 55.191 demons plotting, and corrupting the entire world. For this very reason Isaiah also said: And he will divide the spoils of the strong; and again: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; for which he has anointed me, he has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives. For this very reason also Paul, writing everywhere in his epistles, said: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. And again: For he is our peace, who made both one. But lest, hearing, Gird your sword, you think it a physical sword, hear what follows. For having said, Gird your sword, he added, In your comeliness, and in your beauty; this is the sword, his comeliness, and his beauty, and the glory, and the dignity, and the majesty. and the magnificence. For that substance needs nothing to accomplish what is set before it; for it is self-sufficient. The prophet therefore exhorts, leading him out to war on behalf of the world. Then from sublime things he brings the discourse down again to cruder ones. For having spoken of a sword and a thigh, he ascended to comeliness; and again from there he descends to more bodily things, and says: And bend your bow, and prosper, and reign. And in saying, Bend your bow, he signified to us the bow and the arrow. Then showing again, that he has no need of weapons, he added, And prosper, and reign. But another interpreter says, Advance. And here he speaks of the kingdom which he, coming, established in the last times, the one according to appropriation and knowledge. 2. But these words are especially of prophetic longing, seeing already the accomplishments, and the world being led by the hand to truth. For this reason he uses the form of speech in an exhortatory manner. For it is a custom for even inferiors, when they are fervent toward their superiors, to use these words. For the sake of truth and meekness and righteousness. He uses an adverbial expression of truth. Do you see how Scripture interprets itself, and shows that the victory is intellectual and spiritual? For he who mentioned weapons, and a sword, and bows, how does he here make mention of meekness? For what fellowship is there between meekness and war, between gentleness and battle? A great one, indeed, if one

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ἐβλάβησαν. Ἀλλ' εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς οἰκείας ἀνοίας· μάλιστα μὲν γὰρ ἀκούοντες Θεὸν, ὤφειλον συνιέναι, ὅτι τροπικώτερον εἴρηται· νυνὶ δὲ οὐ διὰ ῥημάτων ἑτέρων αὐτοὺς παιδεῦσαι τὸ ἀπαθὲς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἠμέλησεν ἡ Γραφή. Ἄκουσον γοῦν ἀλλαχοῦ πῶς αὐτοῦ δείκνυσι τὴν εὐκολίαν τῆς τιμωρίας, λέγων· Ἀναστήτω ὁ Θεὸς, διασκορπισθήτωσαν οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ. Μὴ χρεία ὅπλων; μὴ χρεία ῥομφαίας; Ἀρκεῖ μόνον, φησὶν, ἡ ἀνάστασις. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν παχύ· διὸ πολλαχοῦ λέγει· Ὁ ἐπιβλέπων ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ποιῶν αὐτὴν τρέμειν. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἐσαλεύθη ἡ γῆ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο παχύ. Ἄκουσον τὸ ὑψηλότερον· Πάντα, ὅσα ἠθέλησεν, ἐποίησεν· ἀρκεῖ γὰρ αὐτῷ τὸ θελῆσαι μόνον. Σκόπει δὲ πῶς καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς παχυτέροις τούτοις δείκνυσι τὸ ἀνενδεὲς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ πρότερον ὅπλων ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἕως ὅτε δυνατὸν αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσε· καὶ πάλιν καταλέξας τὰ ὅπλα, ὅλην τὴν νίκην τῇ δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ ἐλογίσατο, τουτέστι, τῇ φύσει αὐτοῦ καὶ τῇ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ. Ὅπερ καὶ ἄλλος προφήτης δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Ἡ ἀρχὴ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὤμου αὐτοῦ· οὐχ ἵνα ὦμον νοήσῃς μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλ' ἵνα εἰδῇς ὅτι οὐ δεῖται ἑτέρων Θεὸς συμμαχίας. Περίζωσαι τὴν ῥομφαίαν σου ἐπὶ τὸν μηρόν σου, δυνατὲ, τῇ ὡραιότητί σου καὶ τῷ κάλλει σου. Τί οὖν ἐνταῦθα λέγει; ∆ιὰ τῶν παχυτέρων ὀνομάτων τούτων τὴν ἐνέργειαν αὐτοῦ δείκνυσι, δι' ἧς τὴν οἰκουμένην κατώρθωσε, δι' ἧς τὸν πόλεμον ἔλυσε, καὶ τὸ τρόπαιον ἔστησε. Καὶ γὰρ πόλεμος ἦν χαλεπὸς, πολέμων ἁπάντων ὁ πικρότατος, οὐ βαρβάρων πολεμούντων, ἀλλὰ τῶν 55.191 δαιμόνων ἐπιβουλευόντων, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην διαφθειρόντων ἅπασαν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Ἡσαΐας ἔλεγε· Καὶ τῶν ἰσχυρῶν μεριεῖται σκῦλα· καὶ πάλιν· Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμέ· οὗ ἕνεκεν ἔχρισέ με, εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέ με, κηρῦξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος πανταχοῦ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν προγράφων ἔλεγε· Χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν. Καὶ πάλιν· Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν, ὁ ποιήσας τὰ ἀμφότερα ἕν. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ ἀκούων, Περίζωσαι τὴν ῥομφαίαν σου, μάχαιραν νομίσῃς αἰσθητὴν, ἄκουε τῶν ἑξῆς. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Περίθου τὴν μάχαιράν σου, ἐπήγαγε, Τῇ ὡραιότητί σου, καὶ τῷ κάλλει σου· τοῦτό ἐστιν ἡ μάχαιρα, ἡ ὡραιότης αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ κάλλος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ δόξα, καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα, καὶ ἡ μεγαλωσύνη. καὶ ἡ μεγαλοπρέπεια. Οὐδενὸς γὰρ δεῖται ἡ οὐσία ἐκείνη εἰς τὸ κατορθῶσαι τὰ προκείμενα· ἀνενδεὴς γάρ ἐστι. Παρακαλεῖ τοίνυν ὁ προφήτης, ὑπὲρ τῆς οἰκουμένης εἰς πόλεμον αὐτὸν ἐξάγων. Εἶτα ἀπὸ τῶν ὑψηλῶν πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ παχύτερα κατάγει τὸν λόγον. Εἰπὼν γὰρ μάχαιραν καὶ μηρὸν, ἀνῆλθεν εἰς τὴν ὡραιότητα· καὶ πάλιν ἐκεῖθεν κάτεισιν ἐπὶ τὰ σωματικώτερα, καί φησιν· Καὶ ἔντεινε, καὶ κατευοδοῦ, καὶ βασίλευε. Εἰπὼν δὲ, Ἔντεινε, τὸ τόξον ἡμῖν ἐδήλωσε καὶ τὸ βέλος. Εἶτα δεικνὺς πάλιν, ὅτι οὐχ ὅπλων αὐτῷ δεῖ, ἐπήγαγε, Καὶ κατευοδοῦ, καὶ βασίλευε. Ἕτερος δὲ ἑρμηνευτής φησι, Πρόκοπτε. Βασιλείαν δὲ ἐνταῦθα λέγει, ἣν ἐλθὼν κατώρθωσεν ἐν ὑστάτοις καιροῖς, τὴν κατ' οἰκείωσιν καὶ γνῶσιν. ʹ. Ταῦτα δὲ τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ πόθου μάλιστά ἐστι τοῦ προφητικοῦ, ὁρῶντος ἤδη τὰ κατορθώματα, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην πρὸς ἀλήθειαν χειραγωγουμένην. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τρόπῳ παρακελευομένῳ κέχρηται τῷ σχήματι τῆς λέξεως. Ἔθος γὰρ καὶ τοῖς ἐλάττοσιν, ὅταν διαθερμαινόμενοι πρὸς τοὺς μείζους ὦσι, ταύταις κεχρῆσθαι ταῖς λέξεσιν. Ἕνεκεν ἀληθείας καὶ πραότητος καὶ δικαιοσύνης. Ἐπιῤῥήματι ἀληθείας χρῆται. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἑαυτὴν ἑρμηνεύει ἡ Γραφὴ, καὶ δείκνυσι νοερὰν οὖσαν τὴν νίκην καὶ πνευματικήν; Ὁ γὰρ ὅπλων μνημονεύσας, καὶ ῥομφαίας, καὶ τόξων, πῶς πραότητος ἐνταῦθα μέμνηται; Ποία γὰρ κοινωνία πραότητι καὶ πολέμῳ, ἐπιεικείᾳ καὶ μάχῃ; Πολλὴ μὲν οὖν, ἐάν τις