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adornment and for the life beneficial to men? For I made the earth not a desolate nor a useless element, but a dwelling-place for men. Therefore I also prepared the rest of the animals and plants for the use and service of men, and I established the heaven, having adorned it with stars, which I commanded to make their movement orderly and harmonious, so that at one time they "give light" to those "upon the earth," and at another they are "for signs and for seasons and for days and months and years." I, therefore, the creator of so many works, along with the other good things, also accomplished this for the sake of my people and have raised up a king with righteousness. But who is this, and of what sort? Someone will say "Cyrus," the king of the Persians, whom the word has also mentioned before, so that concerning him is said this: and all his ways are straight, or according to Symmachus: and all his ways I will make straight. And he will build my city; for in effect it was he who built the city of Jerusalem by permitting those who wished to go up from Babylon and to rebuild the place, but also the captivity of my people, he says, he will restore not with a ransom nor with gifts, said the Lord God, which indeed the aforementioned king of the Persians fulfilled according to the history. But another might say these things are said about Zerubbabel, who, springing from the royal family from the tribe of Judah and the succession of David, indeed led the return from Babylon of those who returned to Judea, and built the temple while Haggai and Zechariah were prophesying, so that concerning him was said: "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will also finish it." But someone else besides these will refer the preceding words to the Christ of God, "whom the Father raised from the dead," "having loosed the pains of death," and He established him as king with righteousness, so that He says, fulfilling it: "But I was appointed king by Him on Zion, His holy mountain." And of Christ alone were all ways truly straight, and He himself built the true city of God, concerning which He has made a promise, saying: "Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." For this is truly a city composed of "living" "stones," it is an indestructible city of God, extending "from the rising of the sun to its setting," and filling all the nations through its godly constitution, but also Christ of God alone restored the captivity of souls, freeing them from demonic deceit and slavery. And this He did not with a ransom nor with gifts, which indeed the Apostle teaches, saying: "By grace we have been saved." And one might say that the things concerning Zerubbabel or concerning Cyrus that happened historically contain images and symbols of the true things, but the things concerning the true Lord and the true Christ of God have been fulfilled spiritually, so that in his case the word is more true which said: "Thus says the Lord to my anointed, to Cyrus." For according to the literal text, neither being the Christ of God does the Persian king appear to have built Jerusalem, but nor at all during his life did the work of building progress; for they only began the foundations in his time, then, the work having been halted, the place remained desolate until the reign of Darius. And the things said next would apply more to the Christ of God than to the king of the Persians, and more to our Savior than to Zerubbabel. For thus he says: says the Lord of Sabaoth, The labor of Egypt and the merchandise of the Ethiopians, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you and shall be your slaves and they shall follow behind you, bound in manacles. And he says that Egypt has toiled through idolatrous error, when to the devil and the wicked demons around him

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διακόσμησιν καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποις βιωφελῆ βίον; γῆν μὲν γὰρ ἐποίησα οὐκ ἔρημον οὐδὲ ἄχρηστον στοιχεῖον, οἰκητήριον δ' ἀνθρώπων. διὸ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ζῷά τε καὶ φυτὰ εἰς χρῆσιν καὶ ὑπηρεσίαν ἀνθρώποις παρεσκεύασα, οὐρανόν τε ἐστερέωσα κοσμήσας ἄστροις, οἷς ἐνετειλάμην εὔτακτον καὶ ἐναρμόνιον ποιεῖσθαι τὴν κίνησιν, ὡς τοτὲ μὲν «φαίνειν» τοῖς «ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς», τοτὲ δὲ εἶναι «εἰς σημεῖα καὶ εἰς καιροὺς καὶ εἰς ἡμέρας καὶ μῆνας καὶ ἐνιαυτούς». Ἐγὼ τοίνυν ὁ τῶν τοσούτων δημιουργὸς ἔργων μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καλῶν καὶ τοῦτο διεπραξάμην τοῦ ἐμοῦ λαοῦ χάριν καὶ ἤγειρα μετὰ δικαιοσύνης βασιλέα. τίνα δὲ τοῦτον ἢ ποῖον; ὁ μέν τις ἐρεῖ τὸν τῶν Περσῶν βασιλέα «Κῦρον», οὗ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ἐμνημόνευσεν ὁ λόγος, ὥστε περὶ αὐτοῦ λέγεσθαι τό· καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ εὐθεῖαι, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· καὶ πάσας τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ εὐθυνῶ. καὶ οὗτος οἰκοδομήσει τὴν πόλιν μου· δυνάμει γὰρ αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ τὴν πόλιν οἰκοδομήσας τὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ διὰ τοῦ συγχωρῆσαι τοῖς ἐθέλουσιν ἀνιέναι ἀπὸ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος καὶ ἀνεγείρειν τὸν τόπον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ μού φησιν ἐπιστρέψει οὐ μετὰ λύτρων οὐδὲ μετὰ δώρων, εἶπε κύριος ὁ θεός, ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ ἐπλήρου κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν ὁ δηλωθεὶς Περσῶν βασιλεύς. ἄλλος δ' ἂν εἴποι ταῦτα λέγεσθαι περὶ τοῦ Ζοροβάβελ, ὃς ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ γένους ὁρμώμενος ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα καὶ τῆς τοῦ ∆αυὶδ διαδοχῆς καθηγήσατο μὲν τῆς ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπανόδου τῶν ἐπανελθόντων εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, ᾠκοδόμησε δὲ τὸν νεὼν προφητευόντων Ἁγγαίου καὶ Ζαχαρίου, ὡς περὶ αὐτοῦ λελέχθαι τό· «αἱ χεῖρες Ζοροβάβελ ἐθεμελίωσαν τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον, καὶ αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ ἐπιτελέσουσιν αὐτόν». ἕτερος δέ τις παρὰ τούτους ἀνοίσει τὰ προκείμενα ἐπὶ τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, «ὃν ὁ πατὴρ ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν» «λύσας τὰς ὠδῖνας τοῦ θανάτου», κατέστησέ τε μετὰ δικαιοσύνης βασιλέα, ὥστε αὐτὸν ἐπαληθεύοντα λέγειν· «ἐγὼ δὲ κατεστάθην βασιλεὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Σιὼν ὄρος τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ». μόνου δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πᾶσαι ἀληθῶς αἱ ὁδοὶ ἦσαν εὐθεῖαι, καὶ αὐτὸς ᾠκοδόμησε τὴν ἀληθινὴν πόλιν τοῦ θεοῦ, καθ' ἣν πεποίηται ἐπαγγελίαν εἰπών· «ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς». πόλις γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς αὕτη «ἐκ λίθων» συνεστῶσα «ζώντων» τυγχάνει πόλις θεοῦ ἀκαθαίρετος «ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου μέχρι δυσμῶν» διήκουσα καὶ πληροῦσα πάντα τὰ ἔθνη διὰ τοῦ θεοσεβοῦς πολιτεύματος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τῶν ψυχῶν αἰχμαλωσίαν μόνος ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπέστρεψε τῆς δαιμονικῆς πλάνης ἐλευθερώσας αὐτὰς καὶ δουλείας. καὶ τοῦτ' ἔπραξεν οὐ μετὰ λύτρων οὐδὲ μετὰ δώρων, ὃ δὴ διδάσκει ὁ Ἀπόστολος εἰπών· «χάριτί ἐσμεν σεσῳσμένοι». καὶ εἴποι δ' ἄν τις τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ζοροβάβελ ἢ κατὰ τὸν Κῦρον ἱστορικῶς γενόμενα εἰκόνας καὶ σύμβολα περιέχειν τῶν ἀληθῶν, τὰ δὲ κατὰ τὸν ἀληθῆ κύριον καὶ τὸν ἀληθῆ Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ πνευματικῶς πεπληρῶσθαι ὡς ἐπ' αὐτοῦ μᾶλλον ἀληθεύειν τὸν λόγον τὸν φήσαντα· «τάδε λέγει κύριος τῷ χριστῷ μου Κύρῳ». κατὰ γὰρ τὸν πρόχειρον λέξιν οὔτε Χριστὸς ὢν τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ Περσῶν βασιλεὺς φαίνεται οἰκοδομήσας τὴν Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ὅλως κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ ζωὴν προὔκοψε τῆς οἰκοδομῆς τὸ ἔργον· μόνον γὰρ ἤρξαντο τῶν θεμελίων κατὰ τοὺς αὐτοῦ χρόνους, εἶτ' ἐπισχεθέντος τοῦ ἔργου διέμεινεν ἔρημος ὁ τόπος μέχρι τῆς ∆αρείου βασιλείας. καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ ἐπιλεγόμενα μᾶλλον τῷ Χριστῷ τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ τῷ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεῖ ἐφαρμόσειεν ἂν καὶ μᾶλλον τῷ ἡμετέρῳ σωτῆρι ἢ τῷ Ζοροβάβελ. Οὕτως γάρ φησι λέγει κύριος σαβαώθ Ἐκοπίασεν Αἴγυπτος καὶ ἐμπορία Αἰθιόπων, καὶ οἱ Σαβαεὶμ ἄνδρες ὑψηλοὶ ἐπὶ σὲ διαβήσονται καὶ σοὶ ἔσονται δοῦλοι καὶ ὀπίσω σου ἀκολουθήσουσι δεδεμένοι χειροπέδαις. Αἴγυπτον δέ φησι κεκοπιακέναι διὰ τῆς εἰδωλολάτρου πλάνης, ὁπηνίκα τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν δαίμοσι πονηροῖς