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from the womb; [which] Jeremiah made clear, saying. "And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Before I formed you from the womb, I know you" saying the word of the Lord, the Creator of those being carried in the womb. Then, since the discourse is about freedom, He fittingly named Himself as the one redeeming, speaking of a bodily formation as to those who are bodily. I am, he says, the one who formed you from a small substance, and as if from some dark cave brought you out, your parents knowing nothing about this, but I having established what was formed. But if this seems to you a small thing in relation to divine power, consider whence the greatest things of the world came into existence, just as David also says: "Who stretches out the heaven like a curtain." And again: "He established the earth on its firm foundation." But instead of 'he who finishes,' the others have rendered 'he who made.' "For all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made." Because, "He spoke, and they were made. He commanded, and they were created." And what such a great one has done at various times he has brought forth, that he will destroy the divinations everywhere and the oracles through which the demons deceived those before the coming of Christ, pretending to know the future, and saying the things that come into their hearts; concerning which Ezekiel said: "Woe to those who prophesy from their own heart, and see nothing at all." And he scattered these things both by causing them to cease, and by doing things that are for them inconclusive, and unknowable. And the prudent were turned away. He calls prudent the wise among the Greeks, whose wisdom he made foolish by their missing the truth, the wisdom in them being proven useless. for it was soulish, and earthly, demonic, which Paul also says has been made foolish; that is, the magi. For they called these also wise. These things, then, I will scatter. But of my Son and Christ, about whom I have foretold many things, and of his angels the apostles, I will establish both the words and the counsel. And the words of Christ are the saving 2416 proclamation. And the counsel of his angels, is that all, having ceased from wickedness and error, should run to truth and virtue. And I who am about to do these things, from here now foretell and promise, that I will rebuild Jerusalem which was destroyed by the Babylonians and the cities of Judea, whose desolate places will again be established as from the beginning. But I will also make the multitude of wickedness, called an abyss, desolate. And Babylon, which flows with multitudes of inhabitants as with rivers, I will dry up, putting an end to them. But some say that the 'abyss' refers to the populousness of Babylonia. 'Rivers,' the nations flowing into it, which, being around it, it called for aid, it being a Scriptural custom to call many nations rivers and seas and waters. For David also says: "The voice of the Lord is upon the waters. The God of glory has thundered," showing that the saving proclamation has spread through the nations, thundering with a high voice. Such also is, "The rivers have lifted up their voices." For the voices of the apostles, being great, have become known. And it has been said also concerning Babylon itself and Nineveh, "Her waters are like a pool of water." But some have said the abyss is the Red Sea made desolate, when it was parted for the people passing through it; and the rivers dried up, the Jordan turned back. Through which he suggests to understand, that 'If you give yourselves to me, I will calm your surging thoughts and I will dry up your flooding pleasures.' And these things indeed they say. But 'All things concerning you and the Babylonians I will do,' he says, 'using a man as a servant, whose name I also foretell, calling him Cyrus, whom I will appoint as a servant of my counsels, having given him pious understanding, so as to recognize what must be done against Babylon, and the release of the people, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem with the temple.' But Symmachus rendered: He who says to Cyrus, My shepherd. And again: And the temple will be founded. For after Cyrus died, the progress of the works has been hindered by some slander from the one who reigned after him, of the temple's foundations under Cyrus

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ἐκ κοιλίας· [ὅπερ] Ἱερεμίας ἐδήλωσεν εἰπών. "Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρός με λέγων· Πρὸ τοῦ με πλάσαι σε ἐκ κοιλίας ἐπίσταμαί σε" λόγον εἰπὼν Κυρίου τὸν τῶν κατὰ γαστρὸς κυοφορουμένων ∆ημιουργόν. Εἶτ' ἐπειδὴ περὶ ἐλευθερίας πρόκειται λόγος· λυτρούμενον ἑαυτὸν εἰκότως ὠνόμασεν, σωματικὴν πλάσιν ὡς δὴ σωματικοῖς λέξας. Ἐγώ εἰμι, φησὶν, ὁ ἐκ μικροῦ σε πλάσας ὑποκειμένου, καὶ ὡς ἐκ σπηλαίου τινὸς ἐξαγαγὼν σκοτεινοῦ, μηδὲν περὶ τούτου τῶν γονέων εἰδότων, ἐμοῦ δὲ τὸ πλασθὲν ὑποστήσαντος. Εἰ δὲ σμικρόν σοι τοῦτο πρὸς θείαν φαίνεται δύναμιν, σκόπει τοῦ κόσμου τὰ μέγιστα πόθεν ἔσχε τὴν ὕπαρξιν, καθά φησι καὶ ∆αβίδ· "Ὁ ἐκτείνων τὸν οὐρανὸν ὡσεὶ δέῤῥιν." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἐθεμελίωσε τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀσφάλειαν αὐτῆς." Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ ὁ συντελῶν, ὁ ποιήσας ἐξέδωκαν οἱ λοιποί. "Πάντα γὰρ δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδέν." Ὅτι, "Αὐτὸς εἶπε, καὶ ἐγενήθησαν. Αὐτὸς ἐνετείλατο, καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν." Ὁ δὲ τοσοῦτος τί ἐποίησεν κατὰ καιροὺς ἐπενήνοχεν, ὡς ἀπολεῖ τὰς πανταχοῦ μαντείας καὶ τὰ χρηστήρια δι' ὧν οἱ δαίμονες ἐφενάκιζον τοὺς πρὸ τῆς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας, εἰδέναι τὸ μέλλον πλαττόμενοι, καὶ τὰ ταῖς καρδίαις ἐπερχόμενα λέγοντες· περὶ ὧν ἔφασκεν Ἰεζεκιήλ· "Οὐαὶ τοῖς προφητεύουσιν ἀπὸ καρδίας αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸ καθόλου μὴ βλέπουσι." ∆ιεσκέδασε δὲ ταῦτα καὶ τῷ παῦσαι, καὶ τῷ ποιεῖν ἅ ἐστιν ἐκείνοις ἀτέκμαρτα, καὶ ἀπρόγνωστα. Ἀπεστράφησαν δὲ καὶ φρόνιμοι. Φρονίμους καλεῖ τοὺς παρ' Ἕλλησι σοφοὺς, ὧν ἐμώρανεν τὴν σοφίαν τῷ τῆς ἀληθείας διαμαρτεῖν, ἀχρήστου τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀποδειχθείσης σοφίας. ψυχικὴ γὰρ ἦν, καὶ ἐπίγειος, δαιμονιώδης, ἣν καὶ ὁ Παῦλος μεμωράνθαι φησίν· ἤγουν τοὺς μάγους. Σοφοὺς γὰρ καὶ τούτους ἐκάλουν. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν διασκεδάσω. Τοῦ δὲ ἐμοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ Χριστοῦ, περὶ οὗ πολλὰ προεῖπον, καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων, στήσω τὰ ῥήματά τε καὶ τὴν βουλήν. Ῥήματα δὲ Χριστοῦ τὸ σωτή 2416 ριον κήρυγμα. Βουλὴ δὲ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ, τὸ παυσαμένους πάντας κακίας καὶ πλάνης προσδραμεῖν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἀρετῇ. Ἐγὼ δὲ ὁ ταῦτα μέλλων ποιεῖν, ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη προλέγω καὶ ἐπαγγέλλομαι, ὡς ἀνοικοδομήσω τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἣν ὑπὸ Βαβυλωνίων καθῃρημένην καὶ τὰς πόλεις τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ἧς ὡς ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὰ ἔρημα πάλιν συστήσεται. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν πολυπληθίαν τῆς κακίας ἄβυσσον ὀνομαζομένην ἔρημον καταστήσω. Καὶ τὴν Βαβυλῶνα, τὴν πλήθεσιν οἰκητόρων ὡς ποταμοῖς διαῤῥέουσαν ξηρανῶ, πέρας αὐτοῖς ἐπιθείς. Τινὲς δὲ ἄβυσσον μὲν τὸ πολυάνθρωπον εἰρῆσθαι τῆς Βαβυλωνίας φασί. Ποταμοὺς δὲ, τὰ εἰς αὐτὴν ἐπιῤῥέοντα τῶν ἐθνῶν, ἃ πέριξ αὐτῆς ὄντα πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν ἐκάλεσεν, ἔθους ὄντος Γραφικοῦ ποταμοὺς καὶ θαλάσσας καὶ ὕδατα, πολλὰ καλεῖν ἔθνη. Λέγει γὰρ καὶ ∆αβίδ· "Φωνὴ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων. Ὁ Θεὸς τῆς δόξης ἐβρόντησεν, τὸ σωτήριον κήρυγμα διὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν κεχωρηκέναι δηλῶν ὑψηλῇ βροντῆσαν φωνῇ. Τοιοῦτον καὶ τὸ, "Ἐπῆραν οἱ ποταμοὶ φωνὰς αὐτῶν." Μεγάλαι γὰρ αἱ τῶν ἀποστόλων οὖσαι φωναὶ γεγόνασι γνώριμοι. Εἴρηται δὲ καὶ περὶ Βαβυλῶνος αὐτῆς καὶ Νινευὴ, "Ὡς κολυμβήθρα ὕδατος τὰ ὕδατα αὐτῆς." Τινὲς δὲ ἄβυσσον εἰρήκασι τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν ἐρημωθεῖσαν, ὅτε διέστη παριόντος αὐτὴν τοῦ λαοῦ· Ποταμοὺς δὲ ξηρανθέντας, τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἀναχαιτίσαντα. ∆ι' ὧν ὑποβάλλει νοεῖν, ὡς Εἴ μοι ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδώσητε, τοὺς λογισμοὺς ὑμῶν κοιμίσω κυμαινομένους καὶ ξηρανῶ πλημμυρούσας τὰς ἡδονάς. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν οὗτοι. Τὰ δὲ καθ' ὑμᾶς τε καὶ Βαβυλωνίους πάντα ποιήσω, φησὶ, διακόνῳ χρησάμενος ἀνδρὶ, οὗ καὶ τοὔνομα προλέγω Κῦρον καλῶν, ὃν προστήσομαι τῶν ἐμῶν βουλευμάτων διάκονον, φρόνησιν αὐτῷ παρασχὼν εὐσεβῆ, ὡς τὰ κατὰ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπιγνῶναι πρακτέα, τοῦ τε λαοῦ τὴν ἄνεσιν, καὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ σὺν τῷ ναῷ τὴν ἀνάκτισιν. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος ἐξέδωκεν· Ὁ λέγων Κύρῳ, Ποιμήν μου. Καὶ πάλιν· Ὁ δὲ ναὸς θεμελιωθήσεται. Τελευτήσαντος γὰρ Κύρου κεκώλυται μὲν ἔκ τινων βασκανίας ἡ τῶν ἔργων ἐπίδοσις παρὰ τοῦ μετ' αὐτὸν βασιλεύσαντος τοῦ ναοῦ θεμελίων ἐπὶ Κύρου