169

teaching the justice of punishment, he said that the Lord of all things exacts penalties from those who oppose him. Having thus shown the destruction of the Jews, he prophesies the birth pangs of the church and speaks of the new people that sprouted in an instant: 7Before she who was in labor gave birth, and before the pain of childbirth came, she escaped and brought forth a male child. And he has shown the swiftness of the birth and the strength of the one born; for by the male child he signified strength. Then, astonished, he says: 8Who has heard such a thing or who has seen it thus? Has a land travailed in one day, and has a nation been born at once? For Zion travailed and bore her children. What the prophet taught through his words, experience shows clearly; for when the great Peter preached, grace gave birth to three thousand at once, and again when he offered another teaching, it brought forth five thousand at the same time; and these were "all zealous for the law," as the divine James says. These things the God of all foretold through the prophetic tongue, and this he also shows through what follows: 9And I have given this expectation, and shall I not bring forth? Have I foretold, he says, and shall I not give fulfillment to the prophecy? But while I do these things, those who live with wickedness, seeing such a miracle, persist in disbelieving. And you did not remember me, says the Lord. Did not I, behold, make the one who bears children and the barren one? says the Lord your God. You long ago bore prophets, but the church from the Gentiles was barren at that time. But now the opposite has happened; for you have ceased to bear, while she has received the grace of having many children. 10Rejoice together, Jerusalem, and hold a festival in her, all you who love her; rejoice together with her with joy, all you who mourn for her, 11that you may suckle and be filled from the breasts of her consolation, that having suckled you may delight in the entrance of her glory. He invites those from the Gentiles together with those from the Jews and commands them to share in the joy of those saved from among them, promising through these to provide |184 b| consolation to them; for through the holy apostles those from the Gentiles who have believed were both born again and were nourished. 12For thus says the Lord: Behold, I am turning toward them like a river of peace, and like a torrent flooding over with the glory of nations. He says these things about the holy apostles, whom he made famous and much talked of among all people. He compared their prize and glory to a river and a flooding torrent. Their children will be lifted onto shoulders and will be comforted upon knees. The divine apostle gave of this nourishment to the Corinthians, saying: "I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able." And elsewhere one can hear them saying: "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk." Thus again the divine Paul exhorts the Ephesians, saying: "I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you," and to the Corinthians: "I urge you, brothers, that you all say the same thing," and to the Romans: "I urge you, therefore, brothers, through the mercies of God," and again: "Our affections are opened to you, Corinthians, our heart is enlarged, you are not restricted in us." 13As a mother will comfort someone, so I also will comfort you, and in Jerusalem you will be comforted 14and you will see, and your heart will rejoice, and your bones will flourish like grass. For not only in the present life will I bring you every kind of consolation through my preachers, but also in the heavenly city I will fill you with every sort of joy, bestowing the resurrection from the dead. For he signified this, comparing the sprouting of the bones to growing grass. And the hand of the Lord will be known to those who fear him, and he will threaten those who disobey. And teaching the nature of the threat, he says: 15Behold, the Lord will come like fire, and his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his vengeance with anger and his rebuke with a flame of fire. Through these things he foretells the second coming of the Lord. And what is said in the holy gospels is like these things; for he says, "You will see"

169

τιμωρίας διδάσκων τὸ δίκαιον εἶπεν ὅτι τῶν ὅλων ὁ κύριος δίκας πράττεται τοὺς ἀντικειμένους αὐτῷ. Οὕτω δείξας τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὸν ὄλεθρον τὰς τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὠδῖνας θ εσπί ζει καὶ τὸν ἐν ἀκαρεῖ βλαστήσαντα νέον λαόν φησιν· 7Πρὶν τὴν ὠδίνουσαν τεκεῖν καὶ πρὶν ἐλθεῖν τὸν πόνον τῶν ὠδίνων ἐξέφυγε καὶ ἔτεκεν ἄρσεν. Καὶ τὸ σύντομον τῆς γεννήσεως καὶ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν τοῦ γεννηθέντος δεδήλωκεν· διὰ γὰρ τοῦ ἄρρενος τὴν ἰσχὺν παρεδήλωσεν. Εἶτα ἐκπληττόμενός φησιν · 8Τίς ἤκουσε τοιοῦτον ἢ τίς ἑώρακεν οὕτως; Εἰ ὤδινε γῆ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ καὶ ἔτεκεν ἔθνος εἰς ἅπαξ; Ὅτι ὤδινε Σιὼν καὶ ἔτεκε τὰ παιδία αὐτῆς. Ἃ διὰ τῶν λόγων ὁ προφήτης ἐδίδαξεν, ἡ πεῖρα δείκνυσιν ἐναργῶς· τοῦ γὰρ μεγάλου δημηγορήσαντος Πέτρου ὁμοῦ τρισχιλίους ἡ χάρις ἐγέννησε καὶ πάλιν ἄλλην διδασκαλίαν προσενεγκόντος πεντακισχιλίους κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἀπεκύησεν· οὗτοι δὲ «πάντες ζηλωταὶ τοῦ νόμου» ἐτύγχανον, ᾗ φησιν ὁ θεῖος Ἰάκωβος. Ταῦτα διὰ τῆς προφητικῆς γλώττης προηγόρευσεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεός, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς δηλοῖ· 9Ἐγὼ δὲ ἔδωκα τὴν προσδοκίαν ταύτην καὶ ἐγὼ οὐ γεννήσω; Προεῖπόν φησι καὶ οὐ δώσω τῇ προρ ρή σει τὸ τέλος; ἀλλ' ἐγὼ μὲν ταῦτα ποιῶ, οἱ δὲ πονηρίᾳ συζῶντες τοιαύτην ὁρῶντες τὴν θα υματουρ γίαν ἐπιμένουσιν ἀπιστοῦντες. Καὶ οὐκ ἐμνήσθης μου, λέγει κύριος. Οὐκ ἰδοὺ γεννῶσαν καὶ στεῖραν ἐγὼ ἐποίησα; λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός σου. Σὺ πάλαι ἐγέννησας προφήτας, ἡ δὲ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησία στεῖρα ἦν κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρόν. Νῦν δὲ τοὐναντίον ἐγένετο· σὺ μὲν γὰρ ἐπαύσω τοῦ τίκτειν, αὕτη δὲ τῆς πολυπαιδίας τὴν χάριν ἐδέξατο. 10Εὐφράνθητε ἅμα Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ πανηγυρίσατε ἐν αὐτῇ πάντες οἱ ἀγαπῶντες αὐτήν, χάρητε ἅμα αὐτῇ χαρᾷ πάντες ὅσοι ἐπενθεῖτε ἐπ' αὐτῇ, 11ἵνα θηλάσητε καὶ ἐμπλησθῆτε ἀπὸ μαστῶν παρακλήσεως αὐτῆς, ἵνα ἐκθηλά σαντες τρυφήσητε ἀπὸ εἰσόδου δόξης αὐτῆς. Μετὰ τῶν ἐξ Ἰουδαίων τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν προσκαλεῖται καὶ παρακ ε λεύεται κοινωνῆσαι τοῖς ἐκ τούτων σεσωσμένοις τῆς εὐφροσύνης, ὑποσχόμενος διὰ τούτων παρέ ξειν |184 b| αὐτοῖς παράκλησιν · διὰ γὰρ τῶν ἱερῶν ἀποστόλων οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκότες καὶ ἀνεγεννή θησαν καὶ ἐτρά φ ησαν. 12Ὅτι τάδε λέγει κύριος· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐκκλίνω εἰς αὐτοὺς ὡς ποταμὸς εἰρήνης καὶ ὡς χειμάρρους ἐπικλύζων δόξαν ἐθνῶν. Ταῦτα περὶ τῶν ἱερῶν ἀποστόλων λέγει, οὓς ἀοιδίμους καὶ πολυθρυλήτους παρὰ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἀπέφηνεν. Τούτων τὸ γέρας καὶ τὸ κλέος ποταμῷ ἀπείκασε καὶ χειμάρρῳ πλημμυροῦντι. Τὰ παιδία αὐτῶν ἐπ' ὤμων ἀρθήσεται καὶ ἐπὶ γονάτων παρακληθήσεται. Ταύτης Κορινθίοις μετέδωκε τῆς τροφῆς ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος λέγων· «Γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα, οὐ βρῶμα· οὔπω γὰρ ἐδύνασθε.» Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ ἔστιν ἀκοῦσαι λεγόντων αὐτῶν· «Ὡς ἀρτιγέννητα βρέφη τὸ λογικὸν ἄδολον γάλα ἐπιποθήσατε.» Οὕτω πάλιν ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος Ἐφεσίους παρα καλεῖ λέγων· «Παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς ἐγὼ ὁ δέσμιος ἐν κυρίῳ», καὶ Κορινθίοις· «Παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς ἀδελφοί, ἵνα τὸ αὐτὸ λέγητε πάντες», καὶ Ῥωμαίοις· «Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς ἀδελφοὶ διὰ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ θεοῦ», καὶ πάλιν· «Τὰ σπλάγχνα ἡμῶν ἀνέῳγε πρὸς ὑμᾶς Κορίνθιοι, ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν πεπλάτυνται, οὐ στενοχω ρεῖσθε ἐν ἡμῖν.» 13Ὡς εἴ τινα μήτηρ αὐτοῦ παρακαλέσει, οὕτως κἀγὼ παρακαλέσω ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ παρακληθήσεσθε 14καὶ ὄψεσθε, καὶ χαρήσεται ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία, καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ ὑμῶν ὡς βοτάνη ἀνατελεῖ. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν κηρύκων παντοίαν ὑμῖν προσοίσω παράκλησιν ἀλλὰ κἀν τῇ ἐπουρανίῳ πόλει παντο δαπῆς ὑμᾶς εὐφροσύνης ἐμπλήσω, τὴν ἀνάστασιν τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν δωρούμενος. Ταύτην γὰρ παρεδήλωσε, βοτάνῃ φυομένῃ τῶν ὀστῶν ἀπεικάσας τὴν βλάστην. Καὶ γνωσθήσεται ἡ χεὶρ κυρίου τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν, καὶ ἀπειλήσει τοῖς ἀπειθοῦσιν. Καὶ διδάσκων τῆς ἀπειλῆς τὸ εἶδός φησιν· 15Ἰδοὺ κύριος ὡς πῦρ ἥξει καὶ ὡς καταιγὶς τὰ ἅρματα αὐτοῦ ἀποδοῦναι ἐν θυμῷ ἐκδίκησιν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀποσκορακισμὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν φλογὶ πυρός. Τὴν δευτέραν τοῦ κυρίου παρουσίαν διὰ τούτων προλέγει. Ἔοικε δὲ τούτοις καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς εὐαγγελίοις εἰρημένα· «Ὄψεσθε» γάρ φησι