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Take courage, believing, that He who worked such great things for the ancients will not be unable to accomplish similar things for you also. Therefore "come and see the works of God," how awesome He is "in counsels above the sons of men." For He turned the sea into dry land; and at the Jordan river He worked other terrible wonders, when those coming from the desert passed over on foot to this land, the river having been held back. Following in these same footsteps, then, take courage, that the same God will also drive away your spiritual Egyptians, 23.653 wicked demons, who long have oppressed your souls. And even if the sea of men rages, and even if the life of the atheists and the impious raises billows and dangers against you; you take courage, having the clear example of the sea long ago turned into dry land. For thus for you too the passage from error to truth will be smooth and unimpeded. And if the ancients once crossed the river Jordan in a wondrous way, yet you too from this are now evangelized, knowing that we ourselves who say these things and you who hear them "there we shall rejoice in Him." There, that is, in the aforementioned river. For there will be, there will be a time, when, as if preparing for a banquet, those being freed from the Egyptian error will come to the laver of regeneration for the mystical cleansing in the Jordan river. And by these things the Word signifies the laver of regeneration, beginning from the Jordan river, at which time John the Baptist went through the desert of Judea, preaching a baptism of repentance, and he received all Greeks and Jews to the confession of their transgressions; when also our Savior and Lord Himself, appearing, deemed the same river worthy of His divine treading. Therefore in the preceding it is said: "There we shall rejoice in Him." From which the same prophetic spirit, evangelizing the desert through Isaiah, rightly also made mention of the Jordan, saying: "Be glad, thirsty desert; but let the desert rejoice, and blossom as a lily; and the deserts of the Jordan will blossom and rejoice. Be strong, you weak hands, and paralyzed knees; comfort the faint-hearted in mind. Be strong, do not be afraid. Behold, our God has rendered judgment in return; He Himself will come and save us. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will hear. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will be clear; for water has broken forth in the desert, and a ravine in a thirsty land." This it discusses at present: "There we shall rejoice in Him;" which indeed was fulfilled according to the theophany of our Savior to men. From which the present psalm, addressing all the nations, rightly said: "Come and see the works of God;" and again: "Say to God: How awesome are Your works!" And having very consistently said: "There we shall rejoice in Him," it adds: "Who rules by His might forever." You will understand this also hearing the Savior Himself saying: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth; go and make disciples of all the nations in My name." Therefore according to Aquila it is said: "Who has authority in his might forever." And otherwise we shall rejoice in Him, having been deemed worthy of the aforementioned things. And when shall we rejoice, but when the age to come arrives, of which no other will have the dominion and authority, except He alone who has received the power 23.656 from the Father? For now in the present age there are many principalities, and authorities and dominions, and spiritual forces of wickedness and world-rulers; but then, when He shall abolish every principality and authority and power, He alone will rule the age, in which the present word promises us the

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θαρσεῖτε, πιστεύοντες, ὅτι ὁ τὰ τοσαῦτα ἐργασάμενος ἐπὶ τῶν παλαιῶν οὐκ ἀδυνατήσει τὰ ὅμοια καὶ ἐφ' ὑμῶν καταπράξασθαι. ∆ιὸ «δεῦτε καὶ ἴδετε τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ,» ὡς φοβερός ἐστιν «ἐν βουλαῖς ὑπὲρ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων.» Μετέστρεψε γοῦν τὴν θάλασσαν εἰς ξηράν· καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου δὲ ποταμοῦ ἄλλα τινὰ φοβερὰ θαύματα εἰργάσατο, ὅτε διῆλθον τοῖς ποσὶν, ὑποσταλέντος τοῦ ποταμοῦ, οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρήμου παριόντες ἐπὶ τήνδε τὴν γῆν. Τούτοις δὴ οὖν αὐτοῖς ὑποδήμασι χρησάμενοι, θαρσεῖτε, ὡς καὶ τοὺς ὑμετέρους νοητοὺς Αἰγυπτίους, 23.653 δαίμονας πονηροὺς, τοὺς πάλαι καταδυναστεύοντας τῶν ὑμετέρων ψυχῶν, ἀπελάσει ὁ αὐτὸς Θεός. Κἂν κυμαίνῃ δὲ ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων θάλασσα, κἂν ὁ τῶν ἀθέων καὶ ἀσεβῶν βίος κλύδωνας καὶ κινδύνους ἐγείρῃ καθ' ὑμῶν· θαρσεῖτε ὑμεῖς, ἐναργὲς ἔχοντες ὑπόδειγμα τὴν πάλαι στραφεῖσαν θάλασσαν εἰς ξηράν. Οὕτως γὰρ καὶ ὑμῖν ὁμαλή τις ἔσται, καὶ ἀπαραπόδιστος ἡ ἀπὸ τῆς πλάνης πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν διάβασις. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ποταμόν ποτε τὸν Ἰορδάνην παραδόξως διῆλθον οἱ παλαιοὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη εὐαγγελίζεσθε, γινώσκοντες, ὅτι ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ οἱ ταῦτα λέγοντες καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ ἀκούοντες «ἐκεῖ εὐφρανθησόμεθα ἐν αὐτῷ.» Ἐκεῖ, δηλαδὴ ἐν τῷ μνησθέντι ποταμῷ. Ἔσται γὰρ, ἔσται καιρὸς, καθ' ὃν, ὥσπερ εἰς συμπόσιον παρασκευαζόμενοι, ἐπὶ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας ἀπαντήσουσιν εἰς τὴν ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ ποταμῷ μυστικὴν ἀποκάθαρσιν οἱ τῆς Αἰγυπτιακῆς ἐλευθερούμενοι πλάνης. Σημαίνει δὲ διὰ τούτων ὁ λόγος τὸ λουτρὸν τῆς παλιγγενεσίας, ἀρξάμενον ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου ποταμοῦ, ὁπηνίκα ὁ Βαπτιστὴς Ἰωάννης ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τῆς Ἰουδαίας παρῄει, κηρύσσων βάπτισμα μετανοίας, προσίετό τε πάντας Ἕλληνας καὶ Ἰουδαίους ἐπὶ τὴν ἐξομολόγησιν τῶν παραπτωμάτων· ὅτε καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν ἐπιστὰς τὸν αὐτὸν κατηξίωσε ποταμὸν τῆς θεϊκῆς αὐτοῦ ἐπιβάσεως. ∆ιὸ ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις λέλεκται· «Ἐκεῖ εὐφρανθησόμεθα ἐν αὐτῷ.» Ἔνθεν εἰκότως τὸ αὐτὸ προφητικὸν πνεῦμα διὰ Ἡσαΐου τὴν ἔρημον εὐαγγελιζόμενον καὶ αὐτοῦ μνήμην πεποίηται τοῦ Ἰορδάνου λέγον· «Εὐφράνθητι, ἔρημος διψῶσα· ἀλλ' ἀγαλλιάσθω ἔρημος, καὶ ἀνθείτω ὡς κρίνον· καὶ ἐξανθήσει καὶ ἀγαλλιάσεται τὰ ἔρημα τοῦ Ἰορδάνου. Ἰσχύσατε, χεῖρες ἀνειμέναι, καὶ γόνατα παραλελυμένα· παρακαλέσατε οἱ ὀλιγόψυχοι τῇ διανοίᾳ. Ἰσχύσατε, μὴ φοβεῖσθε. Ἰδοὺ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν κρίσιν ἀνταποδέδωκεν· αὐτὸς ἥξει καὶ σώσει ἡμᾶς. Τότε ἀνοιχθήσονται ὀφθαλμοὶ τυφλῶν, καὶ ὦτα κωφῶν ἀκούσονται. Τότε ἁλεῖται ὡς ἔλαφος ὁ χωλὸς, καὶ τρανὴ ἔσται γλῶσσα μογιλάλων· ὅτι ἐῤῥάγη ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ὕδωρ, καὶ φάραγξ ἐν γῇ διψώσῃ.» Ταύτην διαλέλεκται ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος· «Ἐκεῖ εὐφρανθησόμεθα ἐν αὐτῷ·» ἃ δὴ ἐπληροῦτο κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν εἰς ἀνθρώπους θεοφάνειαν. Ἔνθεν εἰκότως ὁ παρὼν ψαλμὸς ἅπασι τοῖς ἔθνεσι προσφωνῶν ἔλεγε· «∆εῦτε καὶ ἴδετε τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ·» καὶ πάλιν· «Εἴπατε τῷ Θεῷ· Ὡς φοβερὰ τὰ ἔργα σου!» Σφόδρα δὲ ἀκολούθως εἰπών· «Ἐκεῖ εὐφρανθησόμεθα ἐν αὐτῷ,» ἐπιφέρει· «Τῷ δεσπόζοντι ἐν τῇ δυναστείᾳ αὐτοῦ τοῦ αἰῶνος.» Νοήσεις δὲ καὶ τοῦτο αὐτοῦ λέγοντος ἀκούων τοῦ Σωτῆρος· «Ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· πορεύοντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου.» ∆ιὸ κατὰ μὲν τὸν Ἀκύλαν εἴρηται· «Τῷ ἐξουσιάζοντι ἐν τῇ δυναστείᾳ αὐτοῦ δι' αἰῶνος.» Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ εὐφρανθησόμεθα ἐν αὐτῷ τῶν προειρημένων καταξιωθέντες. Πότε δὲ εὐφρανθησόμεθα, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὰν ὁ μέλλων ἐπιστῇ αἰὼν, οὗ τὴν δεσποτείαν καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν οὐδ' ἕτερος ἕξει, ἢ μόνος αὐτὸς ὁ τὴν δυνα 23.656 στείαν παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς εἰληφώς; Νῦν μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῷ παρόντι αἰῶνι ἀρχαὶ πολλαὶ, καὶ ἐξουσίαι καὶ κυριότητες, καὶ πνευματικὰ πονηρίας καὶ κοσμοκράτορες· τότε δὲ, ὅτε καταργήσῃ πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν καὶ ἐξουσίαν καὶ δύναμιν, μόνος αὐτὸς ἐξουσιάσῃ τοῦ αἰῶνος, ἐν ᾧ ἐπαγγέλλεται ἡμῖν ὁ παρὼν λόγος τὴν