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Nor will there be a lion, nor will any of the evil beasts go up there. But the redeemed by the Lord shall walk in it." On these things, he turns the discourse to the synagogue of the Jews, insisting on the metaphor of the ship. For just as when the wind blows more violently, they are not strong enough to pull down the sails, and the mast, being bent by these, causes the shipwreck; so, he says, you will suffer similar things. But the city will not even raise a sign of a trophy in victory; but rather it will be given over for plunder, being unable, like the new city, to escape the attacks of Satan, whether he attacks as if at sea, or as if in war, even though it has the law compelling it to walk uprightly. But the gentiles, who were formerly lame with idolatry, will make plunder, gaining the things from God, by which they conquer Satan, having put aside their former burden, and the toil from it, having obtained the remission of sins through the grace in faith, which Israel did not accept; who might also say reasonably, My iniquities have gone over my head. As a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. For whom the law was also very burdensome. But the new people justly hear, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Thus, again, some others have explained. The prophet points to Jerusalem, and reminds of the watchwords given in it by God. For having given the Law and a temple and the Holy of Holies, he pitched it like a tent, holding it together with the ropes of his care, having supplied all things richly. And there was no room for being straitened, as far as God was concerned, with his name blossoming among them, from which, as from certain rivers and channels, you drew the abundance of good things. For God is so great as to fill all things, for the finding of whom you would not need a longer road, nor much sailing. For he is everywhere present to the one who lifts up holy hands, and he is not like one passing by, that someone should fail of the 2308 knowledge of him. And being judge of all, he makes a visitation of evils, checking them, not wishing to destroy. For as a good ruler and king he does all things for salvation. And the word also refers to Christ, who has become perfect help, having shown us himself being invisible, and through himself the Father. But he says that God having given you all things out of care, and with rich gifts, rousing the thoughts as if a mast, these would never have fallen away, had you not cut the ropes of goodwill and turned aside your own mind. But not even so did God abandon you, punishing you only for healing, raising you up and preventing you from falling. For by his permission the attackers also came on, so that even the lame man is strong, receiving no sensation of toil, so that for you there might be a cleansing of sins. CHAP. 34. 1-7. 9Draw near, nations, and listen, rulers. Let the earth hear and those in it; the world and the people in it, because the wrath of the Lord is on all the nations, and his anger on their number to destroy them, and to give them over to slaughter9, etc. And in the preceding parts, where the word prophesied the siege of Jerusalem, it brought on next the judgment against all nations, just as also now; for being God of all, he restrains all who transgress with threats. And first those from Israel, according to: "Among those who approach me I will be sanctified." But some say that having spoken of the shipwreck of the synagogue of the Jews, and the calling of the nations (for many lame, he says, will make plunder), he now necessarily gives instruction to these who were formerly lame, speaking of the judgment against all. And as those standing far off because of idolatry, he calls them, saying "draw near, nations." But some say that these things are said to the Assyrians who took Jerusalem, not understanding that these things happened by God's permission, and that the word transfers from these to the universal judgment. Thus also the Savior in the Gospel, they say, foretelling the things that were to happen to Jerusalem, brings in what concerns the universal.... CHAP. 35. 1-11. 9Be glad, thirsty desert. Let the desert rejoice, and blossom

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Οὐδὲ ἔσται λέων, οὐδὲ τῶν θηρίων τῶν πονηρῶν οὐδὲν οὐ μὴ ἀναβῇ ἐκεῖ. Ἀλλὰ πορεύσονται ἐν αὐτῇ λελυτρωμένοι διὰ τὸν Κύριον." Ἐπὶ τούτοις, τὸν λόγον πρὸς τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων μεταστρέφει συναγωγὴν, τῇ τῆς νεὼς ἐπιμείνας μεταφορᾷ. Ὡς γὰρ ἀνέμου προσβαλόντος σφοδρότερον, τὰ μὲν ἱστία κατασπᾷν οὐκ ἰσχύουσιν, ὁ δὲ ἱστὸς ὑπὸ τούτων κλινόμενος τὴν ναυαγίαν ἐργάζεται· οὕτω, φησὶ, πείσῃ τὰ παραπλήσια. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τροπαίου σημεῖον ἡ πόλις ἐπαρεῖ νικῶσα· παραδοθήσεται δὲ μᾶλλον εἰς προνομὴν, μὴ δυναμένη κατὰ τὴν καινὴν πόλιν τὰς τοῦ Σατανᾶ διαφυγεῖν προσβολὰς, εἵθ' ὡς ἐν θαλάττῃ, εἴθ' ὡς ἐν πολέμῳ προσβάλλοντος, καίπερ ἔχουσα τὸν νόμον ὀρθοποδεῖν ἀναγκάζοντα. Οἱ δὲ τὸ πρὶν τῇ εἰδωλολατρείᾳ χωλεύοντες ἐθνικοὶ ποιήσονται προνομὴν, κερδαίνοντες τὰ παρὰ Θεοῦ, δι' ὧν νικῶσι τὸν Σατανᾶν, τὸ πρὶν ἀποθέμενοι φορτίον, καὶ τὸν κόπον τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ, τῆς τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τυχόντες ἀφέσεως διὰ τῆς ἐν πίστει χάριτος, ἣν Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ ἐδέξατο· ὃς καὶ λέγοι ἂν εἰκότως, Αἱ ἁμαρτίαι μου ὑπερῆραν τὴν κεφαλήν μου. Ὡσεὶ φορτίον βαρὺ ἐβαρύνθησαν ἐπ' ἐμέ. Οἷς καὶ ὁ νόμος ὑπῆρχε βαρύτατος. Ὁ δὲ νέος λαὸς ἀκούει δικαίως, Μακάριοι ὧν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι, καὶ ὧν ἐπεκαλύφθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. Οὕτω δὲ πάλιν ἄλλοι τινὲς ἐξηγήσαντο. Ὁ προφήτης ὑποδείκνυσι τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τά τε ἐν αὐτῇ παρὰ Θεοῦ δοθέντα ὑπομιμνήσκει συνθήματα. Νόμον γὰρ δοὺς καὶ ναὸν Ἅγιά τε ἁγίων, ὥσπερ τινὰ σκηνὴν ἐπήξατο, τοῖς τῆς κηδεμονίας συνέχων σχοινίοις, χορηγήσας πάντα πλουσίως. Καὶ οὐκ ἦν στενοχωρηθῆναι, ὅσον ἧκεν εἰς τὸν Θεὸν, ἐπανθοῦντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ, ἀφ' οὗπερ, ὡς ἀπό τινων ποταμῶν καὶ διωρύχων ἠρύεσθε τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀφθονίαν. Τοσοῦτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, ὡς πάντα πληροῦν, οὗ πρὸς εὕρεσιν οὐκ ἂν δεηθείης οὐχ ὁδοῦ μακροτέρας, οὐ ναυτιλίας πολλῆ. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ πάρεστι τῷ χεῖρας ὁσίας ἐπαίροντι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν οἷά τις παριὼν, ἵνα τις ἀποτύχοι τῆς αὐ 2308 τοῦ γνώσεως. Καὶ κριτὴς ὢν ἁπάντων ἐπίσκεψιν ποιεῖται τῶν κακῶν, ἀνακόπτων οὐκ ἀπολέσαι βουλόμενος. Ὡς ἄρχων γὰρ καὶ βασιλεὺς ἀγαθὸς ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ πάντα ποιεῖ. Ἀναφέρεται δὲ καὶ εἰς Χριστὸν ὁ λόγος, ὃς ἀντίληψις τελεία γεγένηται, δείξας ἡμῖν ἑαυτὸν ἀόρατον ὄντα, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τὸν Πατέρα. Πάντα δέ φησιν ὑμῖν διὰ τὸ κήδεσθαι δεδωκότος Θεοῦ, καὶ πλουσίοις δωρήμασι, καθάπερ ἱστόν τινα διεγείροντος τὰ φρονήματα, οὐκ ἄν ποτε ταῦτα διέπεσε, διακοψάντων ὑμῶν τῆς εὐνοίας τὰς σχοίνους καὶ πλαγιασάντων τὸν ἴδιον νοῦν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτως ὑμᾶς ἀφῆκε Θεὸς, μέχρι μόνης θεραπείας κολάζων ὑμᾶς, ἀνιστῶν τε καὶ κωλύων πεσεῖν. Αὐτοῦ γὰρ συγχωρήσει καὶ οἱ ἐπιόντες ἐπῆλθον, ὡς καὶ τὸν χωλὸν ἰσχύειν μηδεμίαν αἴσθησιν καμάτου λαμβάνοντα, ὡς ἂν ὑμῖν ἁμαρτημάτων γένοιτο κάθαρσις. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Λ∆ʹ. αζʹ. 9Προσαγάγετε, ἔθνη, καὶ ἀκούσατε, ἄρχοντες. Ἀκουσάτω ἡ γῆ καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτῇ· ἡ οἰκουμένη καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἐν αὐτῇ, διότι θυμὸς Κυρίου ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ ὀργὴ ἐπὶ τὸν ἀριθμὸν αὐτῶν τοῦ ἀπολέσαι αὐτοὺς, καὶ παραδοῦναι αὐτοὺς εἰς σφαγὴν9, κ.τ.λ. Καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν εἴπου τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ πολιορκίαν ὁ λόγος ἐθέσπιζεν, ἐπῆγεν ἑξῆς τὴν κρίσιν τὴν κατὰ πάντων ἐθνῶν, ὥσπερ καὶ νῦν· πάντων γὰρ ὢν Θεὸς, πάντας τοὺς πλημμελοῦντας ἀπειλαῖς ἀνακρούεται. Καὶ πρώτους ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, κατὰ τό· "Ἐν τοῖς ἐγγίζουσί μοι ἁγιασθήσομαι." Τινὲς δέ φασιν, ὡς τῆς Ἰουδαίων συναγωγῆς εἰπὼν τὸ ναυάγιον, καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν τὴν κλῆσιν (πολλοὶ γὰρ χωλοὶ, φησὶ, προνομὴν ποιήσουσι), τούτοις τοῖς πάλαι χωλαίνουσιν ἀναγκαίως νῦν ποιεῖ τὴν κατήχησιν, τὴν κατὰ πάντων κρίσιν εἰπών. Ὡς δὲ πόῤῥω διὰ τὴν εἰδωλολατρείαν καθεστηκότα καλεῖ προσαγάγετε λέγων ἔθνη. Τινὲς δὲ πρὸς Ἀσσυρίους λέγεσθαι ταῦτά φασι τοὺς ἑλόντας τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, μὴ συνιέντας ὡς Θεοῦ συγχωρήσει ταῦτα γεγένηται, καὶ τὸν λόγον ἐκ τούτων ἐπὶ τὴν καθόλου κρίσιν μετενεγκεῖν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ, φασὶ, τὰ μέλλοντα γεγενῆσθαι προλέγων τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὑπεξάγει περὶ τῆς καθόλου .... ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΕʹ. αιαʹ. 9Εὐφράνθητι, ἔρημος διψῶσα. Ἀγαλλιάσθω ἔρημος, καὶ ἀνθείτω