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the flower has fallen. But these things the prophecy taught more generally, and next the Hebrew text, making mention of the Jewish people, specifically says: truly the people are grass; the grass withered, the flower has fallen. But instead of: but the word of our God remains forever, Symmachus has said, but the word of our God will stand forever. These things "the voice in the wilderness" prophesied concerning the Word of God, I mean John, teaching about Christ, that he alone will stand forever, and will guard those standing with him and remaining with him, those who have received his salvation. 2.17 These things too strongly follow the meaning of what was said before, opportunely making mention both of the evangelists and evangelizing the presence of God to men, after the things concerning "the voice crying in the wilderness." For the word about the evangelists of the savior followed the prophecy about John the Baptist, as well as the declaration of his theophany. But according to the other interpreters, instead of: he who brings good tidings, it is said, she who brings good tidings; at any rate Symmachus says: go up on a high mountain for yourself, O Zion who brings good tidings, and lift up your voice on high, O Jerusalem who brings good tidings, lift it up, do not be afraid. And through these things also, see how the word knows Zion and Jerusalem as ensouled and living; at any rate it urged her to go up of herself to a high mountain and to raise her voice in evangelizing the presence of God. Who then is this Zion, going up on a high mountain other than herself? For she too was a mountain, as the scripture which says, "this Mount Zion, where you have dwelt," makes clear, and the Apostle: "you have come to Mount Zion," or certainly she who was previously named "the heart of Jerusalem." And is it not perhaps that the apostolic choir chosen from the circumcision of the former people is signified in this way? For this is Zion and Jerusalem, which has received "the salvation of God," being herself also elevated and likened to the mountain of God, his only-begotten Word, whom he commands, having gone up on a high mountain, to evangelize the word of salvation. And indeed the evangelical choir and the holy souls, elevated in the mindset of virtue, named Zion and Jerusalem, are commanded to go up to the high mountain of the divinity of the only-begotten of God and from there, from on high, to evangelize and proclaim to all men the earthly presence of Christ the God. Then, since it was likely that many would rise up against them, he necessarily adds: Lift it up, do not be afraid. Then in addition to the former things, he commands them to announce to the cities of Judah, I mean to the Jewish synagogues, that God, proclaimed of old through the prophets to come and visit men, had indeed come, and he himself, the Lord long expected by them. But also that he will come again and will make his second coming with great strength, and that his arm will come with lordship, as if he said more clearly, with despotic and lordly authority. And he adds: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. These things are about the second coming of Christ, in which he will come "in glory to render to each according to his works." This therefore he will do as master and lord, with strength and with his so-called arm. But what is said next: as a shepherd he will shepherd his flock, was fulfilled during his first coming, in which "emptying himself and taking the form of a slave, and being found in fashion as a man," in the manner of a shepherd, putting on the sheep's skin, the human body, he shepherded his flock, or according to Symmachus: he fed his herd. For not as lord with strength nor as an arm with its proper lordship and mastery, but as a shepherd, he says, he will shepherd his flock. which indeed he was testifying

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ἄνθος ἐξέπεσεν. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν καθολικώτερον ἐδίδαξεν ἡ προφητεία, ἑξῆς δὲ ἀφωρισμένως ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ λέξις τοῦ Ἰουδαίων λαοῦ μνήμην ποιουμένη ἐπιλέγει· ἀληθῶς χόρτος ὁ λαός· ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, ἐξέπεσε τὸ ἄνθος. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· τὸ δὲ ῥῆμα τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ὁ Σύμμαχος ὁ δὲ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν στήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα εἴρηκε. ταῦτα «ἡ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ φωνὴ» περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου ἐθέσπιζε, λέγω δὲ Ἰωάννης περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ διδάσκων, ὡς ἄρα μόνος αὐτὸς στήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, φυλάξει τε τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ ἑστῶτας καὶ συνδιαμένοντας αὐτῷ τοὺς τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ παραδεδεγμένους. 2.17 Σφόδρα καὶ ταῦτα τῇ τῶν προλεχθέντων ἕπεται διανοίᾳ εὐκαίρως καὶ τῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν μνήμην ποιούμενα καὶ παρουσίαν θεοῦ ἀνθρώποις εὐαγγελιζόμενα, μετὰ τὰ περὶ «τῆς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ βοώσης φωνῆς». εἵπετο γὰρ τῇ περὶ Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ προφητείᾳ ὁ περὶ τῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν τοῦ σωτῆρος λόγος, ἥ τε τῆς θεοφανείας αὐτοῦ δήλωσις. κατὰ δὲ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς ἀντὶ τοῦ· ὁ εὐαγγελιζόμενος, ἡ εὐαγγελιζομένη εἴρηται· λέγει γοῦν ὁ Σύμμαχος· ἐπ' ὄρος ὑψηλὸν ἀνάβηθι σεαυτῇ ἡ εὐαγγελιζομένη Σιών, καὶ ἔπαρον ὑψηλῶς τὴν φωνήν σου ἡ εὐαγγελιζομένη Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἔπαρον, μὴ φοβοῦ. καὶ διὰ τούτων δὲ θέα ὡς ἔμψυχον καὶ ζῶσαν τὴν Σιὼν καὶ τὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ οἶδεν ὁ λόγος· ἀναβῆναι γοῦν αὐτὴν ἑαυτῆς ἐπὶ ὑψηλὸν ὄρος καὶ τὴν φωνὴν αὐτῆς ὑψῶσαι ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίζεσθαι τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ παρουσίαν παρεκελεύετο. τίς οὖν ἐστιν αὕτη Σιὼν ἐπ' ὄρος ὑψηλὸν ἕτερον παρ' αὐτὴν ἀνιοῦσα; καὶ αὕτη γὰρ ὄρος ἦν, ὡς δηλοῖ ἡ φάσκουσα γραφή· «ὄρος Σιὼν τοῦτο, ὃ κατεσκήνωσας ἐν αὐτῷ», καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος· «προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει», ἢ πάντως που ἡ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν «καρδία Ἰερουσαλὴμ» ὠνομασμένη. καὶ μήποτε νῦν ὁ χορὸς ὁ ἀποστολικὸς ὁ ἐκ τοῦ προτέρου λαοῦ ἐκ περιτομῆς ἐξειλεγμένος τοῦτον σημαίνεται τὸν τρόπον; αὕτη γάρ ἐστι Σιὼν καὶ Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἡ «τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ» παραδεδεγμένη, ἐπηρτημένη τις οὖσα καὶ αὕτη καὶ τῷ ὄρει τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ μονογενεῖ αὐτοῦ λόγῳ παρεικασμένη, ᾗ προστάττει εὐαγγελίζεσθαι ἀνελθούσῃ ἐπ' ὄρος ὑψηλὸν τὸν σωτήριον λόγον. καὶ δὴ ὁ εὐαγγελικὸς χορὸς καὶ αἱ ἅγιαι καὶ ἐπηρτημέναι τῷ τῆς ἀρετῆς φρονήματι ψυχαὶ Σιὼν καὶ Ἰερουσαλὴμ ὀνομαζόμεναι ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ ὑψηλὸν τῆς θεότητος τοῦ μονογενοῦς τοῦ θεοῦ κελεύονται ἀνιέναι κἀκεῖθεν ἄνωθεν ἀφ' ὑψηλοῦ εὐαγγελίζεσθαι καὶ κηρύττειν ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν ἐπὶ γῆς παρουσίαν. εἶτ' ἐπειδὴ εἰκὸς ἦν ἐπανίστασθαι πολλοὺς αὐτοῖς ἀναγκαίως ἐπιλέγει· ὑψώσατε, μὴ φοβεῖσθε. εἶτα πρὸς τοῖς προτέροις ἀπαγγέλλειν προστάττει ταῖς πόλεσιν Ἰούδα, λέγω δὲ ταῖς Ἰουδαϊκαῖς συναγωγαῖς, ὡς ἄρα εἴη ἐληλυθὼς ὁ πάλαι ἥξειν καὶ ἐπιδημήσειν ἀνθρώποις διὰ τῶν προφητῶν κηρυττόμενος θεὸς καὶ αὐτὸς κύριος ὁ ἐκ μακροῦ προσδοκώμενος αὐτοῖς. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς αὖθις ἥξει καὶ τὴν δευτέραν αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν ποιήσεται μετὰ μεγάλης ἰσχύος καὶ ὡς ὁ βραχίων αὐτοῦ ἥξει μετὰ κυρείας, ὡσεὶ σαφέστερον ἔλεγε μετὰ δεσποτικῆς καὶ κυριακῆς αὐθεντείας. καὶ ἐπιλέγει· ἰδοὺ ὁ μισθὸς αὐτοῦ μετ' αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ἔργον ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ. ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τῆς δευτέρας τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας, καθ' ἣν ἥξει «ἐν δόξῃ ἀποδώσων ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ». τοῦτο μὲν οὖν ὡς δεσπότης καὶ κύριος ποιήσει μετὰ ἰσχύος καὶ μετὰ τοῦ καλουμένου βραχίονος αὐτοῦ. τὸ δ' ἑξῆς ἐπιλεγόμενον· ὡς ποιμὴν ποιμανεῖ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ, κατὰ τὴν πρώτην αὐτοῦ πάροδον ἐπληροῦτο, ἐν ᾗ «κενώσας ἑαυτὸν καὶ μορφὴν δούλου λαβών, σχήματί τε ὡς ἄνθρωπος εὑρεθείς», ποιμένος τρόπον τὴν τῶν προβάτων δορὰν τὸ σῶμα τὸ ἀνθρώπινον περιβαλόμενος ἐποίμαινε τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· τὴν ἀγέλην αὐτοῦ ἔβοσκεν. οὐ γὰρ ὡς κύριος μετὰ ἰσχύος οὐδ' ὡς βραχίων μετὰ τῆς οἰκείας κυρείας τε καὶ δεσποτείας, ἀλλ' ὡς ποιμήν φησι ποιμανεῖ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ. ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐμαρτύρει