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Midian, and all the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you. But the word teaches that even those who are more irrationally disposed will partake of the light of the knowledge of God. And indeed, he said that not irrational gifts would be brought up to the altar but |176 b| acceptable ones, that is, pleasing. His is the voice: "A sacrifice of praise will glorify me," and: "Offer to God a sacrifice of praise." 8Who are these that fly like clouds, and like doves with their young to me? It is Zion. Some of the copies do not have "Zion," nor does the Hexapla, nor the edition of Aquila and Symmachus and Theodotion, nor the Hebrew scripture itself, but nevertheless we will interpret it as it stands. For we have often shown that Zion is named not only that ancient city, but also the church of God and the commonwealth of the heavens; for it says, "You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." Therefore the church of God is amazed, seeing the clouds of peoples running together to it, who imitate doves flying with their young. And if anyone wishes to understand the passage precisely, at the public festivals, either the Lord's or those of the holy martyrs, let him observe the crowds flowing in, the women carrying their daughters in their arms or leading them by the hand, and the men walking with their sons, and he will truly see spiritual doves flying with their young and coming to the new Zion. 9The islands shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish among the first, to bring your children from afar, and their silver and their gold with them, for the sake of the holy name of the Lord, and because the Holy One of Israel is glorious. We have heard the blessed David saying: "The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents," and again: "He shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Arabia." And he calls Tarshish Carthage, the metropolis of what was formerly called Libya but now Africa. For when the same prophet said: "Wail, you ships of Carthage, for it is destroyed," in the Hebrew we find "Tarshish" written. 10And sons of foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you. Cyrus indeed commanded Jerusalem to be built, but the work remained unfinished; and in the time of Darius son of Hystaspes only the divine temple was rebuilt; and in the time of Artaxerxes Longimanus, Nehemiah, being not a foreigner but a Jew, took care of the building of the walls, not having the expense from royal funds but collecting it from contributions; however, after the destruction of the Jews, the Roman emperors built the walls of Jerusalem. And one who wishes to understand more precisely might find teachers from foreign nations guarding and protecting it with prayers and teachings. For in my wrath I struck you, and in my mercy I have loved you. And these things are fitting for the old Jerusalem, which was destroyed on account of sin but rebuilt through philanthropy alone, and for the church of God, which formerly was compared to a desert, not being deemed worthy of divine care, but afterwards enjoyed the providence of the Savior. 11And your gates shall be opened continually, day and night they shall not be shut, to bring to you the power of nations, and their kings being led. What power of nations ran to the old Jerusalem for the sake of worship? And what kings, being led by others, worshipped the God of all there? But the gates of the church of God are always open, receiving those who approach, which also receive the pious kings being led by the teaching of the holy apostles. 12For the nations and the kings that will not serve you shall perish, and the nations shall be utterly desolate. And this clearly refutes the drunken violence of the Jews; for neither nations nor kings served the Jews after the return from Babylon, but they serve the church of God, and all who have refused servitude are ridiculous and wretched and thrice-miserable in the present life

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Μαδιάμ, καὶ πάντα τὰ πρόβατα Κηδὰρ συναχ θήσεταί σοι. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ ὁ λόγος ὅτι καὶ οἱ ἀλογώτερον διακείμενοι τοῦ τῆς θεογνωσίας φωτὸς κοινωνή σουσιν. Καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον οὐκ ἄλογα εἶπεν ἀνενεχθήσεσθαι δῶρα ἀλλὰ |176 b| δε κτά, τουτέστιν ἀρεστά. Αὐτοῦ ἔστι φωνή· «Θυσία αἰνέσεως δοξάσει με», καί· «Θῦσον τῷ θεῷ θυσίαν αἰνέσεως.» 8Τίνες οἵδε ὡσεὶ νεφέλαι πέτονται καὶ ὡσεὶ περιστεραὶ σὺν νεοσσοῖς αὐτῶν ἐπ' ἐμέ; Ἐστὶ Σιών. Τὸ Σιὼν ἔνια τῶν ἀντιγράφων οὐκ ἔχει οὐδὲ τὸ Ἑξαπλοῦν οὐδὲ ἡ Ἀκύλα καὶ Συμμάχου καὶ Θεοδοτίωνος ἔκδοσις οὐδ' αὐτὴ ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ γραφή, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡμεῖς ὡς κείμενον ἑρμηνεύσομεν. Σι ὼν γὰρ πολλάκις ἐδείξαμεν οὐ μόνον τὴν παλαιὰν ἐκείνην ὀνομαζομένην ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίαν καὶ τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν πολιτείαν· «Προσεληλύθατε» γάρ φησι «Σιὼν ὄρει καὶ πόλει θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ.» Ἐκπλήττεται τοίνυν ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησία τὰ νέφη τῶν πρὸς αὐτὴν συντρεχόντων θεωμένη δήμων, οἳ μιμοῦνται περιστερὰς μετὰ τῶν νεοττῶν πετομένας. Εἰ δέ τις ἀκριβῶς νοῆσαι βούλεται τὸ χωρίον, ἐν ταῖς δημοτελέσιν ἑορταῖς, ἢ ταῖς δεσποτικαῖς ἢ ταῖς τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων, θεασάσθω τὰ πλήθη συρρέοντα καὶ τὰς μὲν τὰς θυγατέρας ἢ ταῖς ἀγκάλαις φερούσας ἢ ταῖς χερσὶ ποδηγούσας τοὺς δὲ μετὰ τῶν υἱέων βαδίζοντας, καὶ ὄψεται ἀληθῶς πνευμα τικὰς περιστερὰς μετὰ τῶν νεοττῶν πετομένας καὶ πρὸς τὴν νέαν παραγινομένας Σιών. 9Ἐμὲ νῆσοι ὑπομένουσι καὶ πλοῖα Θαρσὶς ἐν πρώτοις τοῦ ἀγαγεῖν τὰ τέκνα σου μακρόθεν καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ χρυσίον αὐτῶν μετ' αὐτῶν διὰ τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου τὸ ἅγιον καὶ διὰ τὸ τὸν ἅγιον Ἰσραὴλ ἔνδοξον εἶναι. Ἠκούσαμεν τοῦ μακαρίου ∆αυὶδ λέγον τος · «Βασιλεῖς Θαρσὶς καὶ νῆσοι δῶρα προσοίσουσιν», καὶ πάλιν· «Ζήσεται καὶ δοθήσεται αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ χρυσίου τῆς Ἀραβίας.» Θαρσὶς δὲ τὴν Καρχηδόνα καλεῖ τῆς πάλαι μὲν Λιβύης νῦν δὲ Ἀφρικῆς ὀνομαζομένης τὴν μητρόπολιν. Καὶ γὰρ ἡνίκα ὁ αὐτὸς εἶπε προφήτης· «Ὀλολύζετε πλοῖα Καρχηδόνος ὅτι ἀπώλετο», παρὰ τῷ Ἑβραίῳ «Θαρσὶς» εὕρομεν κείμενον. 10Καὶ οἰκοδομήσουσιν υἱοὶ ἀλλογενεῖς τὰ τείχη σου καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς αὐτῶν παραστήσονταί σοι. Κῦρος μὲν τὴν Ἱερου σαλὴμ οἰκοδομηθῆναι προσέ ταξε , μεμένηκε δὲ τὸ ἔργον ἀτέλεστον· ἐπὶ ∆αρείου δὲ τοῦ Ὑστάσπου ὁ θεῖος μόνος ἀνῳκοδομήθη νεώς · ἐπὶ Ἀρταξέρξου δὲ τοῦ Μακρόχειρος Νεεμίας οὐκ ἀλλογενὴς ὢν ἀλλ' Ἰουδαῖος τῆς τῶν τειχῶν οἰκοδο μίας ἐφρόντισεν οὐ βασιλικῶν χρημάτων ἔχων δαπάνην ἀλλ' ἐξ ἐράνου ταύτην συλ λέξας · μετὰ μέντοι τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατάλυσιν οἱ Ῥωμαίων βασιλεῖς τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ τοὺς περι βό λους ἐδείμαντο. Εὕροι δ' ἄν τις ἀκριβέστερον νοῆσαι θελήσας τοὺς ἐξ ἀλλοφύλων ἐθνῶν διδασκά λους εὐχαῖς ταύτην καὶ διδασκαλίαις φρουροῦντάς τε καὶ φυλάττοντας. ∆ιὰ γὰρ ὀργήν μου ἐπάταξά σε καὶ διὰ ἔλεόν μου ἠγάπησά σε. Καὶ τῇ πάλαι Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἁρμόττει ταῦτα καταλυθείσῃ μὲν δι' ἁμαρτίας, ἀνοικοδομηθείσῃ δὲ διὰ μόνην φιλανθρωπίαν, καὶ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἥτις πάλαι μὲν ἐρήμῳ ἀπείκασται θείας οὐκ ἀξιουμένη κηδεμονίας, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος προνοίας ἀπήλαυσεν. 11Καὶ ἀνοιχθήςονται αἱ πύλαι σου διὰ παντὸς ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς καὶ οὐ κλεισθήσονται τοῦ εἰσαγαγεῖν πρὸς σὲ δύναμιν ἐθνῶν καὶ βασιλεῖς αὐτῶν ἀγομένους. Ποία δύναμις ἐθνῶν εἰς τὴν παλαιὰν ἔδραμεν Ἱερουσαλὴμ προσκυνήσεως χάριν; Ποῖοι δὲ βασιλεῖς ὑπ' ἄλλων ἀγόμενοι τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεὸν ἐκεῖ προσεκύνησαν; Τῆς δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας αἱ πύλαι διὰ παντὸς ἀνεῴγασι τοὺς προσιόντας ὑποδεχόμεναι, αἳ καὶ τοὺς εὐσεβεῖς ὑποδέχονται βασιλέας ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν ἱερῶν ἀποστόλων ἀγομένους διδασκαλίας. 12Τὰ γὰρ ἔθνη καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς οἵτινες οὐ δου λεύσουσί σοι ἀπολοῦνται, καὶ τὰ ἔθνη ἐρημίᾳ ἐρημωθήσεται. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς ἐλέγχει τὴν Ἰουδαίων παροινίαν· οὔτε γὰρ ἔθνη οὔτε βασιλεῖς μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον Ἰουδαίοις ἐδούλευσαν, τῇ δὲ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ δουλεύουσι καὶ ὅσοι τὴν δουλείαν ἠρνήθησαν καταγέλαστοι μὲν καὶ δείλαιοι καὶ τρισάθλιοι κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον