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they might change. But some say that sometimes cities and villages are called islands, having around them a wide land, unplowed and laid waste, such as they say are those of the Idumeans, and the Moabites, as they lie in the desert, to which he addresses himself, taking them as an example of the madness of the other idolaters, signifying in part the reception of the Gentiles, whom he wishes to pass over to a newness of life, having left behind the error that made them old, so that they might become a pure virgin, having no spot or wrinkle. Whose rulers change their strength, as having become better than those in the law, and altogether excelling in spiritual power. But some say that he advises souls grown old in pleasures to take up again the powers of their souls, having washed away the saltiness of the passions, that is, the old man, and having put on the new, according to what seemed good to Paul. Then he says next: Let them draw near and speak together, God calling the nations to himself, and teaching them to say and to think these things in the Church, and to proclaim the mystery of Christ with discernment. For since those from Jerusalem call the law judgment, setting the saving proclamation against it, he called it judgment. For it does not have a shadow of righteousness, but the true righteous judgment of God, which the new rulers, having learned from Christ, teach, being the will of God the Father. But some say that he wishes the nations, having learned the word concerning judgment, to also report it to others, and to know who raised up righteousness from the east. For it is the work of righteousness that not only the Jews, but also the rest of the nations should know the Lord. And the divine Apostle also calls Christ righteousness, saying: "Who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption." Thus he also calls the evangelical word, saying: For I am not ashamed of the Gospel and having called it the power of God 2348 he adds: For the righteousness of God is revealed in it. He also raised it up from the east of light to follow him, giving it before the nations, so that their kings were first disturbed, raising persecutions against those who had it, but were defeated by it, as God fought for it. For he himself made their warlike things disappear like dry sticks, making the way smooth, so that his feet might pass through in peace, calling righteousness from ancient generations, by which in the last times having rescued us from corruption, and from the greed of the devil, he justified us through faith, enlightening those who were darkened, saying through the prophet: "And to you who fear my name the sun of righteousness will arise." He therefore called it to be revealed to those on earth, that is, he prepared it to come, so as also to walk in the footsteps of the one who called. For he walked in the track of God the Father, fulfilling his works, and showing him in his own nature. For he was equal to him. Therefore he says: "If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me," and what follows. And following his will, or rather being the will of the Father, he said to the Jews: "You judge according to the flesh, I judge no one." And: "If I judge, my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me," which is to walk in the footsteps of the Father, whence he said: "I am in the Father, and the Father is in me." And: "He who has seen me, has seen the Father." Through all of which, he delivered from their tyranny those who from the beginning were oppressed by the world-rulers of this darkness; whom you might call kings, astonished at so great a change of life, seeing their own fall, and how they have become like dry sticks, and every way of their wickedness has been weakened, Christ having plundered their goods. "For," he says, "an enemy will not prevail against him, and a son of iniquity will not add to his affliction." Therefore, the enemies having been driven away, the way of his feet has become one of peace. For nothing has become an obstacle to his ordering our affairs. I therefore, he says, who in the last time have shown righteousness, have also called it from ancient generations. For of Christ

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μεταβάλοιεν. Τινὲς δέ φασιν ὡς ἔσθ' ὅτε νῆσοι καλοῦνται πόλεις καὶ κῶμαι, πλατεῖαν ἔχουσαι κύκλῳ γῆν ἀνήρωτον καὶ κεχερσωμένην, οἵας τὰς Ἰδουμαίων εἶναί φασι, καὶ Μωαβιτῶν, ὡς ἐν ἐρήμῳ κειμένας, αἷς προσφωνεῖ παράδειγμα λαβὼν αὐτὰς τῆς τῶν ἄλλων εἰδωλολατρῶν μανίας, τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν πρόσληψιν ἐκ μέρους δηλῶν, ἃ βούλεται πρὸς καινότητα μεταβῆναι ζωῆς τὴν παλαιώσασαν αὐτὰ καταλείψαντα πλάνην, ἵνα γένωνται παρθένος ἁγνὴ, μὴ ἔχουσαι σπίλον ἢ ῥυτίδα. Ὧν οἱ ἄρχοντες ἀλλάττουσι τὴν ἰσχὺν, ὡς τῶν ἐν νόμῳ κρείττους γενόμενοι, καὶ καθάπαξ δυνάμει πνευματικῇ διαφέροντες. Τινὲς δέ φασιν ὡς ψυχαῖς παλαιωθείσαις ἐν ἡδοναῖς τὰς ψυχικὰς αὐτῶν ἀναλαβεῖν συμβουλεύει δυνάμεις, ἀπονιψαμένας τὸ τῶν παθῶν ἀλμυρὸν, τοῦτ' ἔστι τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ τὸν νέον ἐνδυσαμένας, κατὰ τὸ Παύλῳ δοκοῦν. Εἶθ' ἑξῆς φησιν· Ἐγγισάτωσαν καὶ λαλησάτωσαν ἅμα, τὰ ἔθνη καλῶν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ταῦτα λέγειν τε καὶ φρονεῖν ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ διδάσκων, κεκριμένως τε τὸ Χριστοῦ καταγγέλλειν μυστήριον. Τῶν γὰρ ἐξ Ἱερουσαλὴμ κρίσιν ὀνομαζόντων τὸν νόμον, ἀντεξάγων αὐτῷ τὸ σωτηρίον κήρυγμα κρίσιν ἐκάλεσεν. Οὐ γὰρ δικαιοσύνης ἔχει σκιὰν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀληθῆ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοκρισίαν, ἣν οἱ νέοι παρὰ Χριστοῦ μαθόντες διδάσκουσιν ἄρχοντες, βούλησιν οὖσαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατέρος. Τινὲς δέ φασιν, ὡς τὸν περὶ κρίσεως λόγον βούλεται τὰ ἔθνη μαθόντα καὶ ἑτέροις ἀπαγγέλλειν, γνῶναί τε τίς ἐξήγειρεν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν δικαιοσύνην. ∆ικαιοσύνης γὰρ ἔργον τὸ μὴ μόνον Ἰουδαίους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπιγνῶναι τὸν Κύριον. Ὁ δὲ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν δικαιοσύνην καλεῖ λέγων· "Ὃς ἐγενήθη ἡμῖν σοφία ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, δικαιοσύνη τε καὶ ἁγιασμὸς, καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις." Οὕτω δὲ καὶ τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν καλεῖ λόγον, λέγων· Οὐ γὰρ ἐπαισχύνομαι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον δύναμίν τε καλέσας Θεοῦ 2348 ἐπάγει· ∆ικαιοσύνη γὰρ Θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται. Ὃς καὶ ἐξ ἀνατολῶν αὐτὴν ἤγειρε τοῦ φωτὸς εἰς τὸ ἕπεσθαι αὐτῷ, δοὺς αὐτὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐναντίον, ὡς θορυβηθῆναι τὰ πρῶτα τοὺς αὐτῶν βασιλεῖς διωγμοὺς τοῖς ἔχουσιν αὐτὴν ἐπεγείραντας, ἡττηθῆναι δὲ πρὸς ταύτης ὑπερμαχοῦντος Θεοῦ. Αὐτὸς γὰρ τὰ πολεμικὰ τούτων φρυγάνων δίκην ἠφάνισεν, ὁδὸν ὁμαλίσας, ὡς ἐν εἰρήνῃ διελθεῖν τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ, τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἀπὸ γενεῶν καλέσας ἀρχαίων, δι' ἧς ἐπ' ἐσχάτων ῥυσάμενος ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς φθορᾶς, καὶ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου πλεονεξίας, ἐδικαίωσε διὰ πίστεως φωτίσας ἐσκοτισμένους διὰ προφήτου λέγων· "Καὶ ἀνατελεῖ ὑμῖν τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸ ὄνομα μου ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης." Αὐτὸς οὖν ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὴν ἐμφανισθῆναι τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἐλθεῖν παρεσκεύασε, ὡς καὶ πορεύεσθαι κατὰ πόδα τοῦ κεκληκότος. Κατ' ἴχνος γὰρ ἐβάδιζε τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατέρος, τὰ ἐκείνου ἔργα πληρῶν, ἐν ἰδίᾳ τε τοῦτον φύσει δεικνύς. Ἦν γὰρ ἴσος αὐτῷ. ∆ιό φησιν· "Εἰ οὐ ποιῶ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Πατέρος μου, μὴ πιστεύετέ μοι," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τῇ αὐτοῦ δὲ θελήσει ἀκολουθῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ θέλησις ὢν τοῦ Πατέρος, ἔλεγεν Ἰουδαίοις· "Ὑμεῖς κατὰ τὴν σάρκα κρίνετε, ἐγὼ οὐ κρίνω οὐδένα." Καί· "Ἐὰν κρίνω ἐγὼ, ἡ κρίσις ἡ ἐμὴ δικαία ἐστὶν, ὅτι οὐ ζητῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με," ὅπερ ἐστὶ κατὰ πόδα χωρεῖν τοῦ Πατέρος, ὅθεν ἔλεγεν· "Ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατέρι, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί." Καί· "Ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ, ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα." ∆ι' ὧν ἁπάντων, τοὺς ἐξ ἀρχῆς καταδυναστευθέντας ὑπὸ τῶν κοσμοκρατόρων τοῦ σκότους τούτου τῆς τυραννίδος ἀπήλλαξεν· οὓς εἴποις ἂν βασιλέας ἐξεστηκότας ἐπὶ τῇ τοσαύτῃ τοῦ βίου μεταβολῇ, τὴν πτῶσιν ὁρῶντας τὴν ἑαυτῶν, καὶ ὡς φρυγάνοις ἴσοι γεγόνασιν, καὶ πᾶς αὐτῶν κακουργίας ἠσθένησε τρόπος, Χριστοῦ τὰ σκεύη αὐτῶν διαρπάσαντος. "Οὐ γὰρ ὠφελήσει, φησὶν, ἐχθρὸς ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ υἱὸς ἀνομίας οὐ προσθήσει τοῦ κακῶσαι αὐτόν." Τῶν οὖν ἐχθρῶν δεδιωγμένων, ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ γέγονεν ἐν εἰρήνῃ. Γέγονε γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐμποδὼν οἰκονομοῦντι τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς. Ἐγὼ τοίνυν, φησὶν, ὁ ἐν ἐσχάτῳ καταδείξας καιρῷ τὴν δικαιοσύνην, κεκληκὼς δὲ αὐτὴν ἀπὸ γενεῶν ἀρχαίων. Τὸ γὰρ Χριστοῦ