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a young son of a hundred years, but the sinner who dies a son of a hundred years will also be accursed. And it holds the same age for the righteous and for sinners; for the enjoyment of the righteous and the punishment of sinners are both immortal. And it casts out the different ages, both the untimely and the past-due, but the perfect number, that is, one hundred, it has placed for the unending life. And the phrase: a son of a hundred years, it has set down according to the idiom of the Hebrews and Syrians instead of: a hundred years old. 21And they shall build houses and they themselves shall inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards and they themselves shall eat their produce; 22and they shall not build and others inhabit, and they shall not plant and others eat. Figuratively it has set these things down according to its proper idiom, calling houses and vineyards virtue. Thus also the divine apostle: "For whatever a man sows, this he will also reap; he who sows to his flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to his spirit will from his spirit reap eternal life," and again: "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows in blessings will also reap in blessings," and elsewhere: "Each will receive his own reward according to his own labor." For as the days of the tree of life shall be the days of my people, the works of their labors shall grow old. How can these things be adapted to those who pass through this mortal life? For the prophetic word promises eternal life. For concerning that tree God said: "Lest Adam stretch forth his hand and eat from the tree of life and live forever." But the saving cross has become for us a tree of life; for it received as a kind of fruit the life-giving body, from which those who stretch out their hands and partake of the fruit live eternal life. My elect 23shall not labor in vain nor shall they beget children for a curse, because they are a seed blessed by God, and their offspring with them. Thus also the divine apostle said: "Your labor is not in vain in the Lord." And he calls blessed children and offspring those who are reborn through faith, about whom the divine apostle also said: "For if you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus through the |183 b| gospel I have begotten you." And writing to the Galatians he said thus: "My little children, for whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you." 24And it shall be, before they cry out, I will hearken to them, while they are still speaking I will say: What is it? Thus in Jerusalem the Lord appeared to Paul when he was imprisoned, saying: "Take courage, Paul; for as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome." Thus in Philippi he shook the foundations of the prison and broke the bonds, thus he led the chief of the apostles out of the prison, thus he released the entire choir of the apostles when they were imprisoned. 25Then wolves and lambs shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like an ox. These things he has also already said before, when he foretold the shoot from the rod of Jesse. And we see the fulfillment of the prophecy; for at the same time rulers and ruled, and kings and subjects, and wise and simple have one table, the teaching of the Spirit. For he called those living together in gentleness lambs, and he named those who desire more wolves, and the one who has attained royalty a lion, and those deemed worthy of the priesthood oxen, and straw the food set apart for oxen, that is: no longer will the lion be a flesh-eater but will partake of the food of oxen. But the serpent, earth as bread. For this food the just judge assigned to him from the beginning: "And upon your breast and your belly you shall go, and you shall eat earth all the days of your life." And he calls the common enemy of men a serpent; he subjected this one to the ancient curses. And what follows also makes clear: They will not do wrong nor will they cause harm on all my holy mountain, says the Lord. For wallowing on the earth and being trodden down by the saints and by the wood of the

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νέος υἱὸς ἑκα τὸν ἐτῶν, ὁ δὲ ἀποθνῄσκων ἁμαρτωλὸς υἱὸς ἑκατὸν ἐτῶν καὶ ἐπικατάρατος ἔσται. Καὶ τῶν δικαίων καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἴσην ἔχει τὴν ἡλικίαν· ἀθάνατος γὰρ καὶ ἡ τῶν δικαίων ἀπόλαυσις καὶ τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων ἡ κόλασις. Καὶ τὰς διαφόρους δὲ ἡλικίας ἐκβάλλει, καὶ τὴν ἄωρον καὶ τὴν ἔξωρον, τὸν δὲ τέλειον ἀριθμόν, τουτέστι τὸν ἑκατόν, τέθεικεν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀτελευτήτου ζωῆς. Τὸ δέ· υἱὸς ἑκατὸν ἐτῶν, κατὰ τὸ Ἑβραίων καὶ Σύρων ἰδίωμα τέθεικεν ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἑκατὸν ἐτῶν. 21Καὶ οἰκοδομήσουσιν οἰκίας καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐνοικήσουσι, καὶ φυτεύσουσιν ἀμπελῶνας καὶ αὐτοὶ φάγονται τὰ γενήματα αὐτῶν· 22καὶ οὐ μὴ οἰκοδομήσουσι καὶ ἄλλοι ἐνοικήσουσι, καὶ οὐ μὴ φυτεύ<σ>ουσι καὶ ἄλλοι φάγονται. Τροπικῶς ταῦτα κατὰ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἰδίωμα τέθεικεν, οἰκίας καὶ ἀμπελῶνας τὴν ἀρετὴν ὀνομάζων. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος· «Ὃ γὰρ ἐὰν σπείρῃ ἄνθρωπος, τοῦτο καὶ θερίσει· ὁ σπείρων εἰς τὴν σάρκα αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς θερίσει φθοράν, ὁ δὲ σπείρων εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ θερίσει ζωὴν αἰώνιον», καὶ πάλιν· «Ὁ σπείρων φειδομένως φειδομένως καὶ θερίσει, καὶ ὁ σπείρων ἐπ' εὐλο γίαις ἐπ' εὐλογίαις καὶ θερίσει», καὶ ἑτέρωθι· «Ἕκαστος τὸν ἴδιον μισθὸν λήψεται κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον κόπον.» Κατὰ γὰρ τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς ἔσονται αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ λαοῦ μου, τὰ ἔργα τῶν πόνων αὐτῶν παλαι<ώ>σουσιν. Πῶς δύναται ταῦτα προσαρμοσθῆναι τοῖς τὸν θνητὸν τοῦτον διοδεύουσι βίον; αἰώνιον γὰρ ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος ὑπισχνεῖται ζωήν. Περὶ γὰρ ἐκείνου τοῦ ξύλου ἔφη ὁ θεός· «Μήποτε ἐκτείνῃ Ἀδὰμ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ καὶ φάγῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς καὶ ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.» Γέγονε δὲ ἡμῖν ξύλον ζωῆς ὁ σωτήριος σταυρός· ἐδέξατο γὰρ οἷόν τινα καρπὸν τὸ ζωοποιὸν σῶμα, εἰς ὃ οἱ τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτείνοντες καὶ τοῦ καρποῦ μεταλαμβάνοντες τὴν αἰώνιον ζῶσι ζωήν. Οἱ ἐκλεκτοί μου 23οὐ κοπιάσουσιν εἰς κενὸν οὐδὲ τεκνοποιήσουσιν εἰς κατάραν, ὅτι σπέρμα εὐλογημένον ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσι καὶ τὰ ἔγγονα αὐτῶν μετ' αὐτῶν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος ἔφη· «Ὁ κόπος ὑμῶν οὐκ ἔστι κενὸς ἐν κυρίῳ.» Τέκνα δὲ καὶ ἔγγονα εὐλογημένα τοὺς διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἀναγεννωμένους καλεῖ, περὶ ὧν καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος ἔφη· «Ἐὰν γὰρ μυρίους παιδαγωγοὺς ἔχητε ἐν Χριστῷ, ἀλλ' οὐ πολλοὺς πατέρας· ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ διὰ τοῦ |183 b| εὐαγγελίου ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς ἐγέννησα.» Καὶ Γαλάταις δὲ γράφων οὕτως ἔφη· «Τεκνία μου οὓς πάλιν ὠδίνω, ἄχρις οὗ μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν.» 24Καὶ ἔσται πρὶν ἢ κεκρᾶξαι αὐτοὺς ἐγὼ ἐπακούσομαι αὐτῶν, ἔτι λαλούντων αὐτῶν ἐρῶ· Τί ἐστιν; Οὕτως ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις καθειργμένῳ τῷ Παύλῳ ὤφθη ὁ κύριος λέγων· «Θάρσει Παῦλε· ὡς γὰρ διεμαρτύρω τὰ περὶ ἐμοῦ εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ, οὕτως σε δεῖ καὶ εἰς Ῥώμην μαρτυρῆσαι.» Οὕτως ἐν Φιλίπποις ἔσεισε τὰ θεμέλια τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου καὶ διέλυσε τὰ δεσμά, οὕτω τὸν κορυφαῖον τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐξήγαγε τῆς φυλακῆς, οὕτως ἅπαντα τὸν τῶν ἀποστόλων χορὸν καθειργμένον ἀπέλυσεν. 25Τότε λύκοι καὶ ἄρνες βοσκηθήσονται ἅμα, καὶ λέων ὡς βοῦς φάγεται ἄχυρα. Ταῦτα καὶ ἤδη προείρηκε, τῆς ἐξ Ἰεσσαὶ ῥάβδου προαγορεύσας τὴν βλάστην. Ὁρῶμεν δὲ τ ῆς προφητείας τὸ τέλος· κατὰ ταὐτὸν γὰρ καὶ ἄρχοντες καὶ ἀρχόμενοι καὶ βασιλεῖς καὶ ὑπήκοοι καὶ σοφοὶ καὶ ἰδιῶται μίαν ἔχουσι τράπεζαν, τὴν διδασκαλίαν τοῦ πνεύ ματος. Ἄρνας γὰρ ἐκάλεσε τοὺς ἐπιεικείᾳ συζῶντας, τοὺς δὲ τοῦ πλείονος ἐφιεμένους λύκους ὠνόμασε, λέοντα δὲ τὸν τῆς βασιλείας ἐπειλημμένον, βοῦς δὲ τοὺς ἱερωσύνης ἠξιωμένους, ἄχυρα δὲ τὴν βουσὶν ἀφωρισμένην τροφήν, τουτέστιν· οὐκέτι σαρκοβόρος ἔσται ὁ λέων ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν βοῶν τροφῆς μεταλήψεται. Ὄφις δὲ γῆν ὡς ἄρτον. Ταύ την γὰρ αὐτῷ τὴν τροφὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὁ δίκαιος ἀπένειμε δικαστής· «Καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ στήθει καὶ τῇ κοιλίᾳ πορεύσῃ καὶ γῆν φάγῃ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου.» Ὄφιν δὲ καλεῖ τὸν κοινὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐχθρόν· τοῦτον ὑπέβαλε ταῖς ἀρχαίαις ἀραῖς. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· Οὐκ ἀδικήσουσιν οὐδὲ λυμανοῦνται ἐπὶ παντὶ τῷ ὄρει μου τῷ ἁγίῳ, λέγει κύριος. Ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς γὰρ ἰλυσπώμενος καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων καταπατούμενος καὶ τῷ ξύλῳ τοῦ