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for those who wish to learn this more precisely. 2. "Cloud and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his throne." Through the darkness and the cloud, he taught the invisibility of the divine nature; for just as it is impossible to see one who is concealed by some cloud and darkness, so it is entirely impossible to behold the invisible nature. He reminds us, however, that he 80.1653 is the one who on Mount Sinai made his own epiphany through cloud and darkness; and he teaches that even if it is impossible to see the divine nature, yet it is possible to contemplate its power through its activity. For he instructed men in righteousness, and taught those who do all things indiscriminately to live with right judgment; these things his throne and his kingdom have established. 3. "A fire will be kindled before him, and will flame round about his enemies." These are the decrees of the second epiphany. The divine Daniel also saw these things; "His throne," he says, "is a flame of fire, his wheels are a burning fire; a river of fire issued forth and came out from before him; a thousand thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened." 4. "His lightnings have shone upon the world." The activities of the fire are two; for it not only burns, but also gives light. But the choir of saints enjoys the one, while those who have lived in transgression experience the other. And the Master likened his presence to lightning. For he spoke thus: "For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." "The earth saw, and was shaken." For who does not dread that fearful tribunal? 5. "The mountains melted like wax from the presence of the Lord, from the presence of the Lord of all the earth." For not only the ruled, but also the rulers and kings themselves, like wax approaching a fire, will be dissolved by fear. For by how much the administration of more affairs was entrusted to them, by so much are they subject to more accountabilities. And the greater the debt, the greater the dread. 6. "The heavens declared his righteousness; and all the peoples saw his glory." This has both happened and will happen. For when the Master Christ was born, a choir of angels appeared and offered the hymn to God for the salvation of men, and they cried out, singing: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." He therefore called the heavenly powers 'heavens,' just as he also often calls the inhabitants of the earth 'earth.' 80.1656 And the peoples throughout the world saw, through their own change, the power of our God and Savior; the second coming, however, will clearly teach all men the kingdom of the Master; then we shall all hear the hymnody of the angels. 7. "Let all who worship carved images be ashamed, who boast in their idols." Therefore, when the true light has dawned, let the darkness retreat, and let those who serve error be submerged, let those who worship idols be veiled. "Worship him, all you his angels." And the blessed Paul applied this prophecy to the Savior. For he says thus in the Epistle to the Hebrews: "But when he again brings the firstborn into the world, he says, 'And let all the angels of God worship him.'" And the Prophet has placed this here at the right time. For having shown the worshippers of idols being ashamed and veiled, he points to the innumerable myriads of angels worshipping our God. 8. "Zion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Judea rejoiced, because of your judgments, O Lord." And here he calls the pious community 'Zion'; and 'daughters of Judea,' the Churches throughout the world. For the apostles of the Savior, who planted and begat them, were of Jewish descent. And the divine Paul is a witness to the Corinthians

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τοῦτο μαθεῖν ἀκριβέστερον βουλομένους. βʹ. "Νεφέλη καὶ γνόφος κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ· δικαιο σύνη καὶ κρῖμα κατόρθωσις τοῦ θρόνου αὐτοῦ." ∆ιὰ τοῦ γνόφου, καὶ τῆς νεφέλης, τὸ ἀθέατον τῆς θείας ἐδίδαξε φύσεως· ὥσπερ γὰρ καὶ τὸν νεφέλῃ τινὶ, καὶ γνόφῳ συγκαλυπτόμενον ἀδύνατον κατ ιδεῖν· οὕτω πάμπαν ἀδύνατον θεάσασθαι τὴν ἀόρα τον φύσιν. Ἀναμιμνήσκει δὲ ὅμως, ὡς αὐτός 80.1653 ἐστιν ὁ ἐν τῷ Σινᾷ ὄρει διὰ νεφέλης καὶ γνόφου τὴν οἰκείαν ποιησάμενος ἐπιφάνειαν· καὶ διδάσκει, ὅτι εἰ καὶ τὴν θείαν φύσιν ἀδύνατον κατιδεῖν, ἀλλ' οὖν διὰ τῆς ἐνεργείας τὴν ταύτης δύναμιν ἔνεστι θεω ρῆσαι. ∆ικαιοσύνην γὰρ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐπαίδευσε, καὶ τοὺς ἀδιακρίτως ἅπαντα δρῶντας, μετὰ κρίσεως ὀρθῆς ἐδίδαξε πολιτεύεσθαι· ταῦτα αὐτοῦ ὁ θρόνος καὶ ἡ βασιλεία κατώρθωσεν. γʹ. "Πῦρ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ καυθήσεται, καὶ φλο γιεῖ κύκλῳ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ." Ταῦτα τῆς δευτέ ρας ἐπιφανείας τὰ θεσπίσματα. Ταῦτα καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἐθεάσατο ∆ανιήλ· "Ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ, φησὶ, φλὸξ πυ ρὸς, οἱ τροχοὶ αὐτοῦ πῦρ φλέγον· ποταμὸς πυρὸς ἐκπορευόμενος εἷλκεν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ· χίλιαι χι λιάδες ἐλειτούργουν αὐτῷ, καὶ μύριαι μυριάδες παρ ειστήκεισαν αὐτῷ· κριτήριον ἐκάθισε, καὶ βίβλοι ἠνεῴχθησαν." δʹ. "Ἔφαναν αἱ ἀστραπαὶ αὐτοῦ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ." ∆ύο τοῦ πυρὸς αἱ ἐνέργειαι· οὐ γὰρ μόνον τὸ καίειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ φωτίζειν ἔχει. Ἀλλὰ τῆς μὲν ὁ τῶν ἁγίων ἀπολαύει χορὸς, θατέρας δὲ οἱ παρανομίᾳ συ ζήσαντες. Ἀστραπῇ δὲ αὑτοῦ τὴν παρουσίαν καὶ ὁ ∆εσπότης ἀπείκασεν. Ἔφη δὲ οὕτω· "Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ ἀστραπὴ ἐξέρχεται ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν, καὶ φαί νεται ἕως δυσμῶν, οὕτως ἔσται ἡ παρουσία τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου." "Εἶδε, καὶ ἐσαλεύθη ἡ γῆ." Τίς γὰρ οὐ δειμαίνει τὸ φοβερὸν ἐκεῖνο δικαστή ριον; εʹ. "Τὰ ὄρη ὡσεὶ κηρὸς ἐτάκησαν ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου, ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου πάσης τῆς γῆς." Οὐ μόνοι γὰρ οἱ ἀρχόμενοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ δυνα στεύοντες καὶ βασιλεύοντες, κηροῦ δίκην πυρὶ πε λάζοντος, τῷ φόβῳ διαλυθήσονται. Ὅσῳ γὰρ πλειό νων πραγμάτων οἰκονομίαν ἐνεχειρίσθησαν, τοσού τῳ πλείοσιν εὐθύναις ὑπόκεινται. Ὅσῳ δὲ πλέον τὸ χρέος, τοσούτῳ πλέον τὸ δέος. ʹ. "Ἀνήγγειλαν οἱ οὐρανοὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐ τοῦ· καὶ εἴδοσαν πάντες οἱ λαοὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ." Τοῦτο καὶ γέγονε, καὶ γενήσεται. Ἡνίκα μὲν γὰρ ὁ ∆εσπότης ἐτέχθη Χριστὸς, χορὸς ἀγγέλων φανεὶς τῷ Θεῷ τὸν ὕμνον ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων προσ ενήνοχε σωτηρίᾳ, καὶ ἐβόων ὑμνοῦντες· "∆όξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη, ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία." Οὐρανοὺς τοίνυν ἐκάλεσε τὰς οὐρανίας δυνάμεις, ὥσπερ αὖ καὶ γῆν πολλάκις τοὺς τὴν γῆν 80.1656 οἰκοῦντας καλεῖ. Εἶδον δὲ καὶ οἱ κατὰ τὴν οἰκου μένην λαοὶ, διὰ τῆς οἰκείας μεταβολῆς, τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τὴν δύναμιν· ἡ δευτέρα μέντοι παρ ουσία σαφῶς ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους διδάξει τοῦ ∆ε σπότου τὴν βασιλείαν· τότε καὶ τῆς ἀγγέλων ὑμνῳ δίας ἀκουσόμεθα πάντες. ζʹ. "Αἰσχυνθήτωσαν πάντες οἱ προσκυνοῦντες τοῖς γλυπτοῖς, οἱ ἐγκαυχώμενοι ἐν τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐ τῶν." Τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ τοίνυν φωτὸς ἀνατείλαντος, ὑποχωρείτω τὸ σκότος, καὶ καταδυέσθωσαν οἱ τῇ πλάνῃ δουλεύοντες, ἐγκαλυπτέσθωσαν οἱ τοῖς εἰδώ λοις λατρεύοντες. "Προσκυνήσατε αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγ γελοι αὐτοῦ." Καὶ ταύτην ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος τὴν προφητείαν τῷ Σωτῆρι προσήρμοσε. Φησὶ δὲ οὕτως ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους Ἐπιστολῇ· "Ὅτ' ἂν δὲ πάλινεἰσαγάγῃ τὸν πρωτότοκον εἰς τὴν οἰκουμένην, λέγει· Καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι Θεοῦ." Εἰς καιρὸν δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα τέθεικεν ὁ Προφή της. ∆είξας γὰρ αἰσχυνομένους καὶ ἐγκαλυπτομέ νους τοὺς τῶν εἰδώλων προσκυνητὰς, ὑποδείκνυσι τὰς ἀναρίθμους τῶν ἀγγέλων μυριάδας, τὸν ἡμέτερον προσκυνοῦντας Θεόν. ηʹ. "Ἤκουσε καὶ εὐφράνθη Σιὼν, καὶ ἠγαλλιά σαντο αἱ θυγατέρες τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ἕνεκεν τῶν κρι μάτων σου, Κύριε." Καὶ ἐνταῦθα Σιὼν τὴν εὐσεβῆ πολιτείαν καλεῖ· θυγατέρας δὲ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, τὰς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην Ἐκκλησίας. Ἐξ Ἰουδαίωνγὰρ κατῆραν τὸ γένος οἱ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀπόστολοι, οἱ ταύτας φυτεύσαντες καὶ γεννήσαντες. Καὶ μάρ τυς ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος Κορινθίοις