191

enter; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then after those, he commanded his own disciples to preach the gospel to all the nations in his name. So, therefore, also in the present case the God of all ordains that he will dwell in his holy one, and in him and through him he will speak to men; and that he will receive Ephraim and Manasseh and Judah together and at the same time; who long ago were divided, when Judah reigned in Jerusalem, and Ephraim in Sichem and Samaria, and Manasseh dwelt in Gilead. Therefore, as there is no longer any separation or division among them, he calls them in first; then Moabites and Ammonites, Idumeans and all the rest of mankind dwelling throughout the whole world. And you would know from the history of the Gospels, how at the times when the holy one of God sojourned in Sichem, and in Samaria itself, and in Jerusalem, Israel was then united, and there was no division in it; and so also he sent out his own apostles first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; and after these things, using as it were the same shoes, he deemed the whole race of men worthy of saving grace. “Who will bring me into the fortified city? or who will lead me as far as Idumea? Is it not you, O God, who has 23.572 cast us off? and will you not go out with our forces?” The Prophet, having fixed his mind on the meaning of what was said before, is utterly astonished at the miracle of the unexpected change of the foreign nations. Then when God had said, “Upon Idumea I will stretch out my shoe,” he marvels at the word, if God himself, using a shoe, should ever come not to Jerusalem, nor to Samaria, nor to any other part of Israel, but to the foreign Idumeans. Therefore he calls blessed those to whom God was about to come; and he makes a prayer to be deemed worthy himself someday of the sight of these things; wherefore he says: “Who will bring me into the fortified city? Or who will lead me as far as Idumea?” For he prayed to be led and to extend the times of his life to that season in which God was about to stretch his shoe over Idumea, that he might see the great sight, God sojourning among men and walking about in Idumea, and foreigners subjected and friendly to him; wherefore he says: “Who will lead me as far as Idumea?” And he calls the Church of God a fortified city, fenced about with a strong and most secure wall, by the saving power, which he also prayed to see; wherefore he said: “Who will bring me into the fortified city?” But see how he did not pray to be led as far as Jerusalem, or as far as Gilead, or as far as Sychem, or as far as Ephraim, or as far as Judah; but as if astonished at the unexpectedness of the promise, if the descendants of the hated and profane Esau would then obtain such grace, that God would come upon them, he prays saying: “Who will lead me as far as Idumea?” And it is very wonderfully said that God would walk about not with bare feet, but with shoes; the word hinting at the souls that minister to his will, through whom, having made the calling of the nations, he established his city everywhere on earth, I mean his catholic Church, and the system of the polity of the godly; concerning which it is said elsewhere: “Glorious things have been spoken of you, O city of God;” and, “The streams of the river make glad the city of God.” And so the Prophet, thirsting to see this fortified city, said: “Who will bring me into the fortified city?” or, “into a fenced city?” for so Symmachus translated it. For gates and doors and bars of divine powers fence it around, so that it may not endure any siege. Wherefore the Savior said concerning it: “Upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it.” This therefore

191

εἰσέλθητε· πορεύεσθε δὲ μᾶλλον πρὸς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ.» Εἶτα μετ' ἐκείνους προσέταττε τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς εὐαγγελίζεσθαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ. Οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς ἐνοικήσειν ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ, ἐν αὐτῷ τε καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ λαλήσειν ἀνθρώποις θεσπίζεται· καὶ ὡς ὁμοῦ καὶ κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ τὸν Ἐφραῒμ καὶ τὸν Μανασσῆν καὶ τὸν Ἰούδαν εἰσδέξεται· οἳ πάλαι μὲν ἦσαν διεστῶτες, ὅτε ὁ μὲν Ἰούδας ἐβασίλευεν ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὁ δὲ Ἐφραῒμ,ἐν Σικίμοις καὶ Σαμαρείᾳ, ὁ δὲ Μανασσῆς ᾤκει τὴν Γαλαάδ. Ὡς μηκέτι τοίνυν ἀφορισμοῦ, μήτε διαστάσεως οὔσης ἐν αὐτοῖς, πρώτους αὐτοὺς εἰσκαλεῖται· εἶτα Μωαβίτας καὶ Ἀμμανίτας, Ἰδουμαίους τε καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους τοὺς καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης οἰκοῦντας. Γνώσεις δ' ἂν ἐκ τῆς ἱστορίας τῶν Εὐαγγελίων, ὅπως καθ' οὓς χρόνους ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῖς Σικίμοις ἐπεδήμει, καὶ αὐτῇ Σαμαρείᾳ, τῇ τε Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἡνωμένου τότε τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ μηδεμιᾶς οὔσης ἐν αὐτῷ διαστάσεως· οὕτω δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ ἀποστόλους πρὸς τὰ πρόβατα ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ ἐν πρώτοις διεπέμπετο· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα, τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὥσπερ ὑποδήμασι χρώμενος, τὸ πάντων ἀνθρώπων γένος τῆς σωτηρίου κατηξίου χάριτος. «Τίς ἀπάξει με εἰς πόλιν περιοχῆς; ἢ τίς ὁδηγήσει με ἕως τῆς Ἰδουμαίας; Οὐχὶ σὺ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἀπ 23.572 ασάμενος ἡμᾶς; καὶ οὐκ ἐξελεύσῃ ἐν ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἡμῶν;» Ἐπιστήσας τῇ τῶν προλεχθέντων διανοίᾳ ὁ Προφήτης, ὑπερεκπλήττεται τὸ θαῦμα τῆς παραδόξου τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐθνῶν μεταβολῆς. Εἶτα τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰρηκότος, «Ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν ἐκτενῶ τὸὑπόδημά μου,» τὸν λόγον ἀποθαυμάζει, εἰ μέλλοι ποτὲ Θεὸς αὐτὸς, ὑποδήματι χρησάμενος, ἐπιβαίνειν οὐ τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, οὐδὲ τῇ Σαμαρείᾳ, οὐδὲ ἄλλῃ τινὶ τῇ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων Ἰδουμαίων. ∆ιὸ μακαρίζει μὲν τούτους, οἷς ἐπιδημήσειν ἤμελλεν ὁ Θεός· εὐχὴν δὲ τίθεται καταξιωθῆναί ποτε καὶ αὐτὸν τῆς τούτων θέας· διό φησι· «Τίς ἀπάξει με εἰς πόλιν περιοχῆς; ἢ τίς ὁδηγήσει με ἕως τῆς Ἰδουμαίας;» Ηὔχετο γὰρ ὁδηγηθῆναι καὶ παρατεῖναι τοὺς τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ χρόνους ἐπὶ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον, καθ' ὃν ἤμελλεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν ἐκτείνειν τὸ ὑπόδημα αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἂν ἴδοι τὸ μέγα θέαμα, Θεὸν ἐπιδημοῦντα ἀνθρώποις καὶ ἐμπεριπατοῦντα τῇ Ἰδουμαίᾳ, ἀλλοφύλους τε αὐτῷ ὑποτεταγμένους καὶ φιλιάζοντας· διό φησι· «Τίς ὁδηγήσει με ἕως τῆς Ἰδουμαίας;» Πόλιν δὲ περιοχῆς καλεῖ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, περιπεφραγμένην στεῤῥῷ καὶ ὀχυρωτάτῳ τείχει, τῇ σωτηρίῳ δυνάμει, ἣν καὶ αὐτὴν ἰδεῖν ηὔχετο· διὸ ἔλεγε· «Τίς ἀπάξει με εἰς πόλιν περιοχῆς;» Θέα δὲ ὅπως οὐκ ηὔξατο ὁδηγηθῆναι ἕως τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἢ ἕως τῆς Γαλαὰδ, ἢ ἕως τῆς Συχὲμ, ἢ ἕως τοῦ Ἐφραῒμ, ἢ ἕως τοῦ Ἰούδα· ἀλλ'ὥσπερ ἐκπλαγεὶς τὸ παράδοξον τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, εἰ τοῦ μεμισημένου καὶ πόρνου Ἠσαῦ οἱ ἀπόγονοι τοιαύτης τότε τεύξονται χάριτος, ὡς ἐπιβῆναι αὐτοῖς τὸν Θεὸν, εὔχεται λέγων· «Τίς ὁδηγήσει με ἕως τῆς Ἰδουμαίας;» Σφόδρα δὲ θαυμαστῶς ὁ Θεὸς ἐμπεριπατήσειν οὐ γυμνοῖς ποσὶ λέλεκται, ἀλλὰ δι' ὑποδημάτων· αἰνιττομένου τοῦ λόγου τὰς ὑπηρετικὰς τοῦ βουλήματος αὐτοῦ ψυχὰς, δι' ὧν τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν κλῆσιν ποιησάμενος, πανταχοῦ γῆς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ συνεστήσατο πόλιν, λέγω δὲ τὴν καθολικὴν αὑτοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ τὸ σύστημα τῆς τῶν θεοσεβῶν πολιτείας· περὶ ἧς εἴρηται ἀλλαχοῦ· «∆εδοξασμένα ἐλαλήθη περὶ σοῦ, ἡ πόλις τοῦ Θεοῦ·» καὶ, «Τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὰ ὁρμήματα εὐφραίνουσι τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Καὶ ταύτην οὖν τὴν πόλιν τῆς περιοχῆς διψῶν θεάσασθαι ὁ Προφήτης ἔλεγε· «Τίς ἀπάξει με εἰς πόλιν περιοχῆς;» ἢ, «εἰς πόλιν πεφραγμένην;» οὕτως γὰρ ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Σύμμαχος. Πύλαι γὰρ αὐτὴν καὶ θύραι καὶ μοχλοὶ θείων δυνάμεων περιφράττουσι, πρὸς τὸ μή τινα ὑπομεῖναι πολιορκίαν. ∆ιὸ περὶ αὐτῆς ἔλεγεν ὁ Σωτήρ· «Ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς.» Ταύτην οὖν