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that certain times have been wrought against Christianity along with the holy places by the nations the contents signify, let the reader judge. But these invisible enemies, called nations, prevailed to such an extent as to lay waste the city that was once God's, so that with no fruit any longer remaining in it, it was made into a lodge in a garden of cucumbers. The lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as it is written in Isaiah, is for a cucumber field; and cucumbers and melons are its fruits, Egyptian foods which the people desired when they were sinning, even though they had the manna and the heavenly food from God, but also to set the dead bodies of God's servants as food and sustenance for the birds of the air. For the sinning soul, which sees the peace of God, when it conducted itself well as Jerusalem, had certain reasonings which on account of their earnestness and virtue happened to be servants of God. But these did not entirely remain laying claim to incorruptible life, but took on something mortal in doing something with passion. This, therefore, being the dead body, became food for the birds that snatch what was sown along the way, which the Savior interpreted to be the evil one and those made sick by him. For these, being called vultures and the young of vultures, being beasts of the earth, do not devour the holy ones but their flesh. For if anything carnal and passionate is found, it is nourished. But if it is possible to apply these things to the martyrs of Christ, you yourself will know; many in the persecutions having become food for birds and prey for beasts, yet neither the spiritual birds of the air nor the beasts themselves have been able to devour their souls, as God does not deliver to the beasts a soul that confesses him. And they pour out blood, who become the cause of the soul's destruction, instead of its vital power tropically called blood, not far nor distant from Jerusalem but round about it. And this is the vision of peace. But since the one who is scandalized is outside Jerusalem, that is, the orthodoxy of the dogmas, his aforementioned blood is poured out about it and round about it, he being not even worthy of burial on account of his sins' excess; such are the things stumbled upon after the knowledge of the truth. Since therefore the one who is baptized is buried with Christ, and there is no second washing, it is fitting that there is no one burying those who have acted impiously after the washing. 817 Ps 78,4 But according to the spiritual sense you will call the heretics neighbors; for they have their dwellings very near us because they supposedly hold to the same scriptures. These, therefore, reproach us for proclaiming them heretics, while calling us servile, simple, and foolish. And round about us would be the wise among the Greeks, mocking and deriding us for believing without examination and foolishly. 818 Ps 78,5-6 You have disciplined, he says, the Jews sufficiently; now at last turn your wrath upon the impious nations and upon kingdoms foreign to your worship. 819 Ps 78,7.8a And according to the spiritual sense: if the saying is about invisible enemies, these have devoured the one who once became the supplanter of the worthless, for which reason their place was also made desolate. And the place of each is the principle of life he has chosen; for the temperate man in a way dwells in temperance. We say, therefore, that some inhabit the place of the temperate and others the order of the just. If, therefore, it happens that those who possess these characteristics are devoured by enemies, their order and their place will be made desolate. We speak, therefore, in the church of the place of a bishop and a presbyter. As, therefore, the saved are the food of Jesus, so the perishing are the food of the wicked. Remember not our former iniquities. And in other places we have said that no one confesses the evils he is still doing, but those which he did long ago, because it was stated before: Remember not the sins of my youth and my ignorance. And now, therefore, those who are repenting ask that their iniquities which have ceased, and for this reason are former ones, not be remembered by God. Therefore, the perceptive always entreat God not concerning recent deeds but past ones, We have sinned, we have done wrong

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τινας καιροὺς τῷ χριστιανισμῷ αμα τοῖς ἁγίοις τόποις ἐνεργηθέντα ὑπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν σημαίνει τὰ ἐγκείμενα, κρινέτω ὁ ἐντυγχάνων. Ουτοι δὲ οἱ ἀόρατοι ἐχθροὶ εθνη καλούμενοι εἰς τοσοῦτον ισχυσαν ὡς τήν ποτε πόλιν θεοῦ γενομένην ἐρημῶσαι, ὡς μηδενὸς ετι καρποῦ ἐν αὐτῇ περιλειπομένου εἰς ὀπωροφυλάκιον αὐτὴν τεθῆναι. τὸ δὲ ὀπωροφυλάκιον, ὡς ἐν ̔Ησαΐᾳ γέγραπται, διὰ σικυήρατόν ἐστι· σίκυες δὲ καὶ πέπονες τούτου οἱ καρποί, Αἰγύπτια βρώματα απερ ἁμαρτάνων ὁ λαὸς ἐπεθύμει, καίτοι γε εχων τὸ μάννα καὶ τὴν οὐράνιον τροφὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ θνησιμαῖα τῶν θεοῦ δούλων βρώματα καὶ τροφὴν θέσθαι τοῖς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πετεινοῖς. ἡ γὰρ ἁμαρτοῦσα ψυχὴ ἡ τὴν εἰρήνην τοῦ θεοῦ ὁρῶσα, οτε καλῶς διῆγεν ̔Ιερουσαλήμ, λογισμούς τινας ειχεν οι διὰ τὸ σπουδαῖον καὶ ἐνάρετον δοῦλοι ἐτύγχανον θεοῦ. ουτοι δὲ οὐ πάντῃ εμειναν ἀντιποιούμενοι τῆς ἀφθάρτου ζωῆς, ἀλλὰ θνητόν τι προσείληφαν ἐν τῷ πράττειν τι ἐμπαθῶς. τοῦτο ουν τὸ θνησιμαῖον βρῶμα γενόμενον τῶν πετεινῶν τῶν ἁρπαζόντων τὰ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν σπαρέντα, α ἑρμήνευσεν ὁ σωτὴρ τὸν πονηρὸν ειναι καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τούτου νοσοποιουμένους. ουτοι γὰρ γῦπες καὶ νεοσσοὶ γυπῶν χρηματίζοντες θηρία γῆς οντα οὐ τοὺς ὁσίους ἀλλὰ τὰς σάρκας αὐτῶν κατεσθίει. ει τι γὰρ εὑρίσκεται σαρκῶδες καὶ ἐμπαθές, τρέφεται. Εἰ δὲ ἀνάγειν ταῦτα δυνατὸν εἰς τοὺς Χριστοῦ μάρτυρας, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπιστήσεις· πολλῶν ἐν τοῖς διωγμοῖς βρῶσις ὀρνέων καὶ θηρίων βορὰ γεγενημένων, πλὴν τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν οὐδὲ τὰ πνευματικὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ οὐδ' αὐτὰ θηρία κατεδωδῆσαι δεδύνηται, οὐ παραδιδόντος τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς θηρίοις ψυχὴν ἐξομολογουμένην. ̓Εκχέουσι δὲ αιμα οἱ αιτιοι γινόμενοι ἀναιρέσει ψυχῆς, ἀντὶ τοῦ τὴν ζωτικὴν αὐτῆς δύναμιν τροπικῶς αιμα καλουμένην, οὐ μακρὰν οὐδὲ πόρρω τῆς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ ἀλλὰ κύκλῳ αὐτῆς. αυτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ τῆς εἰρήνης ορασις. ἐπεὶ δ' ὁ σκανδαλιζόμενος εξω γίνεται τῆς ̔Ιερουσαλήμ, τῆς τῶν δογμάτων ὀρθότητος, περὶ αὐτὴν καὶ κύκλῳ αὐτῆς ἐκχεῖται αὐτοῦ τὸ προειρημένον αιμα, οὐδὲ ταφῆς αξιος ων διὰ τὸ ὑπεραίρειν αὐτοῦ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα· τοιαῦτα δὲ τὰ μετὰ τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀληθείας πταιόμενα. ἐπεὶ ουν συνθάπτεται Χριστῷ ὁ βαπτιζόμενος, δεύτερον δὲ οὐκ ειη λουτρόν, εἰκότως οὐκ εστι θάπτων τοὺς μετὰ λουτρὸν ἠσεβηκότας. 817 Ps 78,4 Κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν δὲ γείτονας ἐρεῖς τοὺς αἱρετικούς· εγγιστα γὰρ ἡμῶν τὰς οἰκήσεις εχουσι διὰ τὸ ταῖς αὐταῖς δῆθεν ἐπανέχειν γραφαῖς. ουτοι ουν ὀνειδίζουσιν ἡμᾶς σφᾶς μὲν αἱρετικοὺς ἀναγορεύοντας, ἡμᾶς δὲ ὡς ἀνδραποδώδεις εὐήθεις καὶ ἠλιθίους ἀποκαλοῦντες. κύκλῳ δὲ ἡμῶν ειεν ̔Ελλήνων οἱ σοφοὶ μυκτηρίζοντες καὶ χλευάζοντες ἡμᾶς ὡς ἀνεξετάστως καὶ μωρῶς πιστεύοντας. 818 Ps 78,5-6 Πεπαίδευκας, φησίν, τοὺς ̓Ιουδαίους ἱκανῶς· ηδη ποτὲ μετάγαγε τὴν ὀργήν σου ἐπὶ τὰ εθνη τὰ δυσσεβῆ καὶ ἐπὶ βασιλείας ἀλλοτρίας τοῦ σοῦ σεβάσματος. 819 Ps 78,7.8a Κατὰ δὲ ἀναγωγήν· εἰ περὶ ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν ειη ὁ λόγος, κατέφαγον ουτοι τὸν τῶν φαύλων ποτὲ γενόμενον πτερνιστὴν ἐφ' ῳ καὶ ὁ τόπος αὐτῶν ἠρημώθη. τόπος δ' ἑκάστου ἡ ὑπόθεσις ου ειλατο βίου· ὁ γὰρ σώφρων τρόπον τινὰ οἰκεῖ τὴν σωφροσύνην. λέγομεν ουν τινας οἰκεῖν τὸν τῶν σωφρόνων τόπον καὶ αλλους τὴν δικαίων τάξιν. ἐὰν ουν συμβῇ καταβρωθῆναι ὑπὸ ἐχθρῶν τοὺς τὰς εξεις ταύτας περιέποντας, ἐρημωθήσεται ἡ τάξις καὶ ὁ τόπος αὐτῶν. λέγομεν ουν ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐπισκόπου καὶ πρεσβυτέρου τόπον. ὡς ουν ̓Ιησοῦ τροφὴ οἱ σῳζόμενοι, ουτω βρῶσις τῶν πονηρῶν οἱ ἀπολλύμενοι. Μὴ μνησθῇς ἡμῶν ἀνομιῶν ἀρχαίων. καὶ ἐν αλλοις ειπομεν μηδένα ἐξομολογεῖσθαι ἐφ' οις ετι πράττει κακῶς ἀλλ' ἐφ' οις πάλαι ἐνήργησεν, οτι προέκειτο ̔Αμαρτίας νεότητός μου καὶ ἀγνοίας μου μὴ μνησθῇς. καὶ νῦν ουν οἱ μετανοοῦντες τὰς πεπαυμένας ἀνομίας αὐτῶν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀρχαίας ουσας ἀξιοῦσι μὴ μνημονεύεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ. ἀεὶ γοῦν οἱ αἰσθητικοὶ οὐκ ἐπὶ νεαροῖς ἀλλὰ παρῳχηκόσιν εργοις παρακαλοῦσι θεόν, ̔Ημάρτομεν ἠδικήσαμεν