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has forgotten me. Will a woman forget her child, or not have pity on the offspring of her womb? But if a woman should forget these things, yet I will not forget you, said the Lord. Behold, upon my hands I have painted your walls9, etc. It has already been said that it is proper to understand Zion and Jerusalem in three ways: either in a sensory way; or according to the godly polity of those on earth; or according to the angelic polity in the heavens, concerning which Paul says: "But the Jerusalem above is free." And, "For you have not come to Mount Zion," and so forth. Now, therefore, the discourse is concerning the God-loving polity, which long ago was established among the Jews. but having been demolished, it has been changed into the Church from the Gentiles. For it was discoursing about the islands and the nations, to which it consistently says: even if the godly polity among the Jews has been demolished, let it not say, The Lord has forsaken me. And by the example of the mother, it showed the impossibility of forgetfulness. For being, as it were, offspring of God, if he should cease his providence for us, we too would cease to be. And it elaborates on the meaning, saying: Behold, upon my hands I have painted your walls. But Symmachus, instead of "I have painted," says, "I have established you"; and Aquila: "Behold, on the palms I have made you exact." And Theodotion: "I have engraved you." For hands, in truth, that is, the energies of God, build such a city, engraving the types of the polity according to God on the souls of men. Which indeed the builder of his own city, the Word of God, himself taught, saying: "Upon this rock I will build my Church." And the ro 2477 ck was again he himself, upon which the first foundations were laid, concerning which it has been said: "having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone." And that the energies of God are called hands in Scripture is shown by this, "Your hands have made me and fashioned me." "For the sea is his, and his hands formed the dry land." And again: "And the heavens are the works of your hands." But some say this because of the piercing of the hands on the cross. For having suffered for us, how could he forget us? For he showed the whole passion from a part. And one might say it in another way. They say that all who have believed are in the hands of the Father. For Christ said concerning his own sheep, that "No one will snatch them out of my Father's hands," showing the protection from there. And the walls of the Church are the disciples and apostles of Christ, of whom he does not become forgetful. For their names were written in heaven, inscribed in the book of the living. For primarily, the wall of the Church is Christ, just as he is also the light; but by having become partakers of him, the disciples are called each of these things. But some, understanding these things in a sensory way, say that he speaks of future things as present. For all things are present to him, and he prefigures the future building of the walls after the capture by Babylon, to which you were led, he says, being disciplined, not having fallen from my providence. Therefore, those who tore down will build, rising up from your places; and if you have faith, see also those who are about to be gathered to you. For the hearing of the faithful is, so to speak, sight, just as is that of the prophets. For Micah also says: "Behold, I see the people scattered on the mountains, like sheep having no shepherd." Therefore, he says that you will have inhabitants as a kind of bridal adornment. Therefore, they say, the adorning of brides is not to be rejected, for the stirring of desire which holds together the unity of the marital union, which cannot exist without love. But leaving the historical account, let us return to the first exegesis. For since the Church from the Gentiles was established in a short time, after the godly polity among the Jews had fallen, he adds: You will be built quickly by those by whom you were demolished. For just as the rulers of the Jews became the cause of its demolition, saying: "We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he is from;" so again from it were the apostles, being workers of the new building; but they themselves the Judaic

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ἀπελάθετό μου. Μὴ ἐπιλήσεται γυνὴ τοῦ παιδίου αὐτῆς, ἢ τοῦ μὴ ἐλεῆσαι τὰ ἔκγονα τῆς κοιλίας αὐτῆς; Εἰ δὲ καὶ ταῦτα ἐπιλάθοιτο γυνὴ, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐπιλήσομαί σου, εἶπε Κύριος. Ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ τῶν χειρῶν μου ἐζωγράφησά σου τὰ τείχη9, κ.τ.λ. Ἤδη προείρηται ὡς κατὰ τρόπους τρεῖς προσήκει νοεῖν τὴν Σιὼν καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ· ἢ αἰσθητῶς· ἢ κατὰ τὸ θεοσεβὲς τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ὄντων πολίτευμα· ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀγγελικὴν πολιτείαν, περὶ ἧς φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος· "Ἡ δὲ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστί." Καὶ, "Οὐ γὰρ προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Νῦν οὖν ὁ λόγος περὶ τοῦ θεοφιλοῦς πολιτεύματος, ὃ πάλαι μὲν παρ' Ἰουδαίοις συνίστατο. καθαιρεθὲν δὲ μεταβέβληται εἰς τὴν ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίαν. Περὶ νήσων γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν διελέγετο, οἷς ἀκολούθως φησίν· εἰ καὶ καθήρηται τὸ θεοσεβὲς παρ' Ἰουδαίοις πολίτευμα, μὴ λεγέτω, Ἐγκατέλιπε Κύριος. Καὶ τῷ τῆς μητρὸς παραδείγματι τὸ τῆς λήθης ἀδύνατον ἔδειξε. Θεοῦ γὰρ ὄντες οἷον γεννήματα, εἰ παύσαιτο τῆς περὶ ἡμῶν προνοίας, καὶ τοῦ εἶναι παυσόμεθα. Καὶ τὴν ἔννοιαν ἐπεξεργάζεται λέγων· Ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ τῶν χειρῶν μου ἐζωγράφησά σου τὰ τείχη. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐζωγράφησα, ἐστήριξά σε φησίν· ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας· Ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ τῶν ταρσῶν ἠκρίβωσά σε. Ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων· ∆ιεχάραξά σε. Χεῖρες γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἐνέργειαι Θεοῦ, τὴν τοιαύτην οἰκοδομοῦσι πόλιν, τοὺς τύπους τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν πολιτείας ἐγχαράττουσαι ταῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ψυχαῖς. Ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πόλεως οἰκοδόμος ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος ἐδίδαξε λέγων· "Ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν." Ἡ δὲ πέ 2477 τρα ἦν πάλιν αὐτὸς, ἐφ' ἣν οἱ πρῶτοι θεμέλιοι κατεβλήθησαν, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· "Ἐποικοδομηθέντες ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν, ὄντος ἀκρογωνιαίου Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ." Ὅτι δὲ αἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνέργειαι χεῖρες εἴρηνται τῇ Γραφῇ, δηλοῖ τὸ, "Αἱ χεῖρές σου ἐποίησάν με, καὶ ἔπλασάν με." "Ὅτι αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἡ θάλασσα, καὶ τὴν ξηρὰν αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ ἔπλασαν." Καὶ πάλιν· "Καὶ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σού εἰσιν οἱ οὐρανοί." Τινὲς δὲ διὰ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ διάτρησιν τῶν χειρῶν λέγουσιν. Ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γὰρ παθὼν, πῶς ἂν ἡμῶν ἐπιλάθοιτο; Τὸ γὰρ ὅλον πάθος ἐκ μέρους ἐδήλωσεν. Εἴποις δ' ἂν καὶ ἄλλως. Φασὶν ὡς ἐν ταῖς τοῦ Πατέρος χερσὶν πάντες εἰσὶν οἱ πιστεύσαντες. Ἔλεγε γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς περὶ τῶν ἰδίων προβάτων, ὡς "Οὐδεὶς ἁρπάσει αὐτὰ ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ Πατέρος μου," τὴν ἐκεῖθεν σκέπην δηλῶν. Τείχη δὲ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαθηταὶ καὶ ἀπόστολοι, ὧν οὐ λαμβάνει λήθην. Ἐγέγραπτο γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς τὰ ὀνόματα τῇ βίβλῳ ζώντων ἐγκείμενα. Προηγουμένως μὲν γὰρ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τεῖχός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὥσπερ καὶ φῶς· ἐν μεθέξει δὲ αὐτοῦ γεγονότες οἱ μαθηταὶ τούτων ἑκάτερον λέγονται. Τινὲς δὲ τὰ παρόντα νοήσαντες αἰσθητῶς, Ὡς παρόντα, φασὶ, λέγει τὰ μέλλοντα. Πάντα γὰρ αὐτῷ πάρεστι, καὶ προδιαγράφει τὴν μέλλουσαν, μετὰ τὴν ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος ἅλωσιν, τῶν τειχῶν οἰκοδόμησιν, εἰς ἣν ἀπήχθης, φησὶ, παιδευόμενος, οὐ τῆς ἐμῆς προνοίας ἐκπεπτωκώς. Τοιγαροῦν οἱ καθελοῦντες οἰκοδομήσουσι, τῶν σῶν ἐξανιστάμενοι τόπων· εἰ δὲ καὶ πίστιν ἔχεις, ὅρα καὶ τοὺς εἰς σὲ συναχθήσεσθαι μέλλοντας. Ὄψις γὰρ, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἡ τῶν πιστῶν ἀκοὴ, καθὰ καὶ ἡ τῶν προφητῶν. Καὶ Μιχαίας γάρ φησιν· "Ἰδοὺ θεωρῶ τὸν λαὸν διεσκορπισμένον ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν, ὡς πρόβατα ποιμένα μὴ ἔχοντα." Φησὶν οὖν ὡς ἕξεις τοὺς οἰκήτορας, ὡς κόσμον τινὰ νυμφικόν. Οὐκ ἄρα, φασὶ, τὸ κοσμεῖσθαι νύμφας ἀπόβλητον πρὸς κίνησιν πόθου συνέχοντος τὴν τῆς συζυγίας ἑνότητα, ἣν ἀδύνατον ἀγάπης συνεστᾶναι χωρίς. Ἀλλὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν ἀφέντες, ἐπὶ τὴν πρώτην ἐξήγησιν ἀναδράμωμεν. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἐν βραχεῖ χρόνῳ ἡ ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησία συνέστη, πεπτωκότος τοῦ παρ' Ἰουδαίοις θεοσεβοῦς πολιτεύματος, ἐπάγει· Ταχὺ οἰκοδομηθήσῃ, ὑφ' ὧν καθῃρέθης. Ὡς γὰρ Ἰουδαίων ἄρχοντες τῆς καθαιρέσεως αὐτῆς γεγόνασιν αἴτιοι, λέγοντες· "Ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν ὅτι Μωσεῖ λελάληκεν ὁ Θεὸς, τοῦτον δὲ οὐκ οἴδαμεν πόθεν ἐστί·" οὕτω πάλιν ἐξ αὐτῆς ἦσαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι, τῆς οἰκοδομῆς τῆς νέας ὄντες ἐργάται· αὐτοὶ δὲ οἱ τὴν Ἰουδαϊκὴν