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these are Israel." Such is that from the Apostle, "My joy and crown." The prophetic word, having said these things concerning the apostles, speaks from another beginning concerning the conversion of the Gentiles: The poor and the needy shall rejoice. But the word "shall rejoice" is marked with an obelus; for by the others it is said: The poor and the needy will seek water, and there will be none. But they have suffered these things of old. But now, "I will not forsake them, but I will bring up rivers upon the mountains," and so on. For the souls of old, lacking the knowledge of God, so that their tongue and the word spoken by it was dried up, having no drop of life-giving drink, these, beyond hope, drink the streams of salvation through grace, according to what was foretold: "And they shall drink water from the springs of the Savior." And indeed, also from the springs of Israel, according to what is in the Psalms: "In the congregations bless God the Lord from the springs of Israel." And this is the Holy Spirit, which springs forth life-giving waters in the churches, from the Scripture of both the Old and New Testaments; where also holy men, as rivers, flood the formerly desolate land, flowing from the great river, whose streams make glad the city of God, on account of which it is said, "The river of God is filled with water." For it is possible to see the Church, once waterless, desolate of God and of every good thing, now from so many waters having souls that are flourishing and exalted above the earth, like plants that stand in the abundance of water 2360 only. For he mentions these things. Concerning this water, the Savior also said: "But whoever drinks of my water," and so on. And again: "He who drinks of the water that I will give him, rivers of living water will flow from his belly." And he said this concerning the Spirit, which those who believe in him were about to receive, which grants to those who have believed that which is flourishing and lofty, incorruptible and fragrant. The olive tree, therefore, and the palm, and the vine in Scripture signify the fruits of the Church. But the things now mentioned—the flourishing, and distinct, the new and vigorous state of those who join her—which is paradoxical to happen in a desert. Therefore he says, "The hand of the Lord has done these things," so that those rooted on the earth, in mortal and human life, might run up to a heavenly height, hanging their own hopes on the kingdom of heaven. Thus God made a wonderful change among the nations. And he called the teachers of the Church aqueducts, who, as from springs and rivers, having taken the word of the divinely inspired Scripture into their mind, also transmit it to others, so that they might have fragrance through their way of life; and through abstinence from worldly pleasures, incorruptibility; and through a stable and firm disposition in all things, to be rooted, and to bear the assaults of the spirits. For the Lord supports the righteous. And one must consider him the cause, and not think these things happen automatically. But some have said concerning the whole passage, that God reminds the Israel of progress what sort of relationship it has always had with him, having lit this one for the whole world like a torch of the knowledge of God; having called Abraham from the end of the earth, and having taken these from another end, from Egypt, and having accounted them in all things. Therefore, having experienced so many wonders, take courage; even if many nations surround you, do not go astray. For I who have pursued your enemies, even if others should appear, they will be counted as nothing. But perhaps you are afraid, seeing your small number and the multitude of those surrounding you. But consider my help, by which you will cut down those who have risen up against you, so that they are compared to mountains and hills. Which happened in the case of the 185,000 Assyrians, when Israel did not even fight. And the things that will befall their enemies, this signifies: They will seek water, and they will not find it. And they say that the things concerning the rivers also happened in the history, as when precipitous rocks also burst forth with water; and again rivers failed, as the Jordan when the people were crossing. Which the sea also suffered, and was poured out again for the destruction of the Egyptians; who were also cast up, not into

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οὗτοι Ἰσραήλ." Τοιοῦτον παρὰ τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ τὸ, "Χαρὰ καὶ στέφανός μου." Ταῦτα περὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος εἰπὼν, ἐξ ἑτέρας ἀρχῆς περὶ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπιστροφῆς λέγει· Ἀγαλλιάσονται οἱ πτωχοὶ, καὶ οἱ ἐνδεεῖς. Ὠβέλισται δὲ τὸ ἀγαλλιάσονται· παρὰ γὰρ τοῖς λοιποῖς εἴρηται· Οἱ πτωχοὶ, καὶ οἱ ἐνδεεῖς ζητήσουσιν ὕδωρ, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάλαι πεπόνθασι. Νῦν δὲ, Οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψω αὐτοὺς, ἀλλ' ἀνάξω ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων ποταμοὺς, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Αἱ γὰρ πάλαι ψυχαὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ γνώσεως ἐνδεεῖς, ὡς τὴν γλῶσσαν αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸν λόγον ἐξηράνθαι τὸν δι' αὐτῆς προφερόμενον, ῥανίδα πόματος οὐκ ἔχοντα ζωτικοῦ, αὗται παρ' ἐλπίδας σωτήρια πίνουσι διὰ τῆς χάριτος νάματα, κατὰ τὸ προῤῥηθέν· "Καὶ πίονται ὕδωρ ἐκ τῶν πηγῶν τοῦ σωτηρίου." Καὶ μὴν, καὶ ἀπὸ πηγῶν Ἰσραὴλ, κατὰ τὸ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς· "Ἐν ἐκκλησίαις εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Θεὸν Κύριον ἐκ πηγῶν Ἰσραήλ." Τοῦτο δέ ἐστι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, τὸ πηγάζον ἐν ἐκκλησίαις ὕδατα ζωτικὰ, ἐκ τῆς Γραφῆς τῆς τε Παλαιᾶς, καὶ Καινῆς· ἕνθα καὶ ποταμοὶ ἅνδρες ἅγιοι τὴν πρὶν ἔρημον κατακλύζουσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ μεγάλου ῥέοντες ποταμοῦ, οὗ τὰ ὁρμήματα εὐφραίνουσι τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, δι' ὃν εἴρηται· "Ὁ ποταμὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπληρώθη ὑδάτων." Ἔστι γὰρ ἰδεῖν τὴν ἄνυδρον πάλαι τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, τὴν ἔρημον Θεοῦ καὶ παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ, νῦν ἐκ τοσούτων ὑδάτων ψυχὰς ἔχουσαν εὐθαλεῖς καὶ ὑπερυψουμένας τῆς γῆς, κατὰ τὰ φυτὰ τὰ ἐν ὑδάτων 2360 μόνον πλήθει συνεστηκότα. Τούτων γὰρ μέμνηται. Περὶ τούτου καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ τοῦ ὕδατος ἔλεγεν· "Ὃς δ' ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ ὕδατος," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ πάλιν· "Ὁ πίνων ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος, οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος." Τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγε περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὅπερ ἤμελλον λαμβάνειν οἱ πιστεύοντες εἰς αὐτὸν, τὸ εὐθαλές τε καὶ ὑψηλὸν, ἄσηπτόν τε καὶ εὐῶδες τοῖς πεπιστευκόσι χαριζομένου. Ἐλαία μὲν οὖν, καὶ φοῖνιξ, καὶ ἄμπελος ἐν τῇ Γραφῇ τοὺς καρποὺς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας σημαίνουσι. Τὰ δὲ νῦν λεχθέντα, τὸ εὐθαλὲς, καὶ διῃρημένον, νεαρόν τε καὶ ἀκμαῖον τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ προσκοπτόντων, ὅπερ ἐν ἐρήμῳ γενέσθαι παράδοξον. ∆ιό φησι, Χεὶρ Κυρίου ἐποίησε ταῦτα, ὥστε τοὺς ἐπὶ γῆς ἐῤῥιζωμένους, ἐν τῷ θνητῷ καὶ ἀνθρωπίνῳ βίῳ πρὸς ὕψος ἀνατρέχειν οὐράνιον, τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἀναρτῶντας ἐλπίδας. Οὕτω θαυμαστὴν ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἔθνεσιν ἐποίει μεταβολήν. Ὑδραγωγοὺς δὲ τοὺς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας διδασκάλους ἐκάλεσεν, οἳ καθάπερ ἐκ πηγῶν τε καὶ ποταμῶν, τὸν τῆς θεοπνεύστου Γραφῆς εἰς νοῦν εἰσοικησάμενοι λόγον, καὶ εἰς ἑτέρους αὐτὸν παραπέμπουσιν, ὡς ἂν ἔχοιεν διὰ μὲν πολιτείας, τὸ εὔοσμον· διὰ δὲ τῆς ἀποχῆς τῶν κοσμικῶν ἡδονῶν, τὸ μὴ φθείρεσθαι· διὰ δὲ τῆς εὐσταθοῦς καὶ βεβαίας ἐν ἅπασιν ἕξεως, τὸ ἐῤῥιζῶσθαι, καὶ φέρειν τῶν πνευμάτων τὰς προσβολάς. Ὑποστηρίζει γὰρ τοὺς δικαίους ὁ Κύριος. Καὶ δεῖ τοῦτον αἴτιον ἡγεῖσθαι, καὶ μὴ ταῦτα νομίζειν αὐτόματα. Τινὲς δὲ περὶ τῆς πάσης ἔφασαν ῥήσεως, ὡς ὑπομιμνήσκει Θεὸς τὸν κατὰ προκοπὴν Ἰσραὴλ οἵαν ἀεὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὴν σχέσιν ἐκτήσατο, τοῦτον ἀνάψας τῷ παντὶ κόσμῳ καθάπερ δᾷδα θεογνωσίας· Ἀβραὰμ μὲν καλέσας ἀπ' ἄκρου τῆς γῆς, ἐξ Αἰγύπτου δὲ τούτους ἑτέρου ἐξελόμενος ἄκρου καὶ ἐν πᾶσι λογισάμενος. Τοσούτων οὖν γεγονὼς ἐν πείρᾳ θαυμάτων, θάῤῥει· κἂν πολλά σε ἔθνη περικυκλοῖ, μὴ πλανῶ. Ἐγὼ γὰρ ὁ τοὺς σοὺς ἐχθροὺς μετελθὼν, κἂν ἕτεροι φανεῖεν, εἰς οὐδὲν λογισθήσονται. Ἀλλ' ἴσως δειλιᾶς, τὴν σὴν ὀλιγότητα βλέπων καὶ τῶν κυκλούντων τὸ πλῆθος. Ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐμὴν σκόπει βοήθειαν, δι' ἧς κατακόψετε τοὺς καθ' ὑμῶν ἐπαρθέντας, ὡς ὄρεσι καὶ βουνοῖς ἀπεικάζεσθαι. Ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ρπεʹ χιλιάδων τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐγένετο, μηδὲ πολεμήσαντος Ἰσραήλ. Τὰ δὲ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν καταληψόμενα πάθη δηλοῖ τό· Ζητήσουσιν ὕδωρ, καὶ οὐχ εὑρήσουσι. Τὰ δὲ περὶ τῶν ποταμῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἱστορίας γεγονέναι φασὶν, ὡς καὶ πέτρας ἀκροτόμους ἐκραγῆναι πρὸς ὕδατα· καὶ αὖθις ποταμοὺς ἐκλιπεῖν, ὡς τὸν Ἰορδάνην τοῦ λαοῦ διαβαίνοντος. Ὃ καὶ ἡ θάλασσα παθοῦσα, πρὸς ἀναίρεσιν αὖθις τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐχέετο· οἳ καὶ ἐξεβράσσοντο, οὐκ εἰς