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being examined by things similar to these, which is why he called it lowly and unsettled. Then he adds: you were not comforted; for there was no one among the prophets nor among the men who love God great enough to take her up and restore her. But even if he says no one did these things for you, yet behold, I myself prepare for you carbuncle as your stone, instead of which Symmachus has: behold, he says, I lay your stones with antimony, and Theodotion: behold, I will set your stones in antimony. For just as a woman adorning herself "would paint her eyes with antimony," so I myself, he says, will set the stones of your building beyond all beautification and adornment, but according to the Septuagint, it is said that he will prepare for her a precious stone, a carbuncle. Perhaps this carbuncle signifies the purification of the soul, since also "one of the Seraphim cleansed the lips of the prophet Isaiah with a carbuncle from the altar." But he says he will prepare every stone of your building to be of such a kind, that is, purified, so that no stone of the building is unclean, but I will lay your foundations with sapphire stone. Which is why according to the others it is said: and I will found you on sapphires. But I will also build your battlements of jasper stone, or according to Symmachus: and I will make your houses of chalcedony and your gates of carved stones, but according to the Septuagint: and your gates of crystal stones and your wall of choice stones. We will understand all these as precious and costly souls, from which God promises to build the godly commonwealth. He likens them to sapphire because the sapphire resembles the color of heaven. and that their commonwealth has become heavenly and angelic, as Paul teaches when he says: "But our commonwealth is in heaven." And it is also said by the prophet Ezekiel that the place "under the throne of God was like sapphire." These indeed, then, "all the prophets and the apostles were foundations," some firm and "steadfast" of the godly commonwealth, likened to "sapphires" because of "the heavenly commonwealth" and because of "bearing" "the image of the heavenly man." Therefore it is said: And I will make your foundations sapphire. And the battlements of this new and recent Jerusalem were of jasper stone, or chalcedony according to Symmachus, which was a certain choice and transparent stone. Such would be those in the church of God who have fortified the faith with rational preparation, being like ramparts of the godly commonwealth, on account of their ability "to destroy" "every lofty thing raised against the knowledge of God" and to refute every false word hostile to the truth. For just as on the walls the battlements are ramparts prepared for deployment against the enemy, so also those powerful in word and wisdom in the church might reasonably be called battlements. With these he enumerates others, likening them to crystal stones, through which he decrees the gates of the city will be established, representing the transparent and pure quality of the sound faith of those entrusted with the primary and elementary and introductory teaching. In addition to these, he promises to make the wall of the new city of God from choice stones; such would be those who surround and, in place of every fence, secure through prayers to God the entire building of the city and the great and costly and honorable buildings of the city. Such things, but the remaining multitudes of those who will inhabit the said city will inscribe God himself as teacher; for this is what the saying indicates, having said: and all your sons will be taught by God; for he who said in the Gospels: "do not call anyone teacher on earth; for you have one teacher in heaven." will make the sons of her who was formerly "barren" to be taught by God, but also that her children will be in great peace. For this he promised them, saying:

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τούτων παραπλησίοις ἐξεταζομένη, διὸ ταπεινὴν καὶ ἀκατάστατον αὐτὴν ὠνόμασεν. εἶτ' ἐπιλέγει· οὐ παρεκλήθης· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἦν τῶν προφητῶν οὐδὲ τῶν θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν τοσοῦτος ὡς ἀναλαβεῖν αὐτὴν καὶ ἀνακτήσασθαι. ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ μηδεὶς ταῦτά φησιν ἔπραξεν ἐπὶ σοί, ἀλλ' ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ αὐτὸς ἑτοιμάζω σοι ἄνθρακα τὸν λίθον σου, ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχος· ἰδοὺ ἐγώ φησι συντίθημι στίμει τοὺς λίθους σου, ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐμβαλῶ ἐν στίμει τοὺς λίθους σου. ὡς γὰρ ἂν γυνὴ καλλωπιζομένη «στιμίζοιτο τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς», οὕτως αὐτὸς ἐγώ φησιν ὑπὲρ πάντα ὡραϊσμὸν καὶ καλλωπισμὸν τοὺς τῆς σῆς οἰκοδομῆς λίθους διαθήσω, κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα ἄνθρακα λίθον τίμιον ἑτοιμάσει αὐτῇ λέγεται. μήποτε δὲ ὁ ἄνθραξ οὗτος τὸ καθάρσιον αἰνίττεται τῆς ψυχῆς, ἐπεὶ καὶ «τὸ ἓν τῶν σεραφεὶμ τοῦ προφήτου Ἠσαΐου τῷ ἄνθρακι τῷ ἀπὸ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ἐκάθηρε τὰ χείλη». ἀλλὰ πάντα μὲν τὸν τῆς οἰκοδομῆς σου λίθον τοιοῦτον, δηλαδὴ κεκαθαρμένον φησὶ παρασκευάσειν ὡς μηδένα λίθον τῆς οἰκοδομῆς εἶναι ἀκάθαρτον, τὰ δὲ θεμέλιά σου ἀπὸ λίθου σαπφείρου συνθήσω. διὸ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς εἴρηται· καὶ θεμελιώσω σε ἐν σαπφείροις. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἐπάλξεις σου ἀπὸ λίθου ἰάσπιδος οἰκοδομήσω, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· καὶ ποιήσω καρχηδόνιον τὰς οἰκίας σου καὶ τὰς πύλας σου λίθους γλυφῆς, κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα· καὶ τὰς πύλας σου λίθους κρυστάλλου καὶ τὸν περίβολόν σου λίθους ἐκλεκτούς. ταῦτα δὲ πάντα νοήσομεν ψυχὰς τιμίας καὶ πολυτελεῖς, ἀφ' ὧν οἰκοδομήσειν ὁ θεὸς ἐπαγγέλλεται τὸ θεοσεβὲς πολίτευμα. σαπφείρῳ δὲ αὐτοὺς ἀπεικάζει διὰ τὸ ἐοικέναι τῷ οὐρανίῳ χρώματι τὸν σάπφειρον. καὶ τούτων δὲ τὴν πολιτείαν οὐράνιον γεγονέναι καὶ ἀγγελικήν, ὡς διδάσκει λέγων ὁ Παῦλος· «ἡμῶν δὲ τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει». εἴρηται δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῷ προφήτῃ Ἰεζεκιὴλ ὁ τόπος ὁ «ὑπὸ τὸν θρόνον τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς σάπφειρος». οὗτοι δὴ οὖν «οἱ προφῆται πάντες καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι θεμέλιοί» τινες ἦσαν τοῦ θεοσεβοῦς πολιτεύματος εὐπαγεῖς καὶ «ἑδραῖοι» «σαπφείροις» ἀφωμοιωμένοι διὰ «τὸ οὐράνιον πολίτευμα» καὶ διὰ τὸ «φορεῖν» «τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου». διὸ εἴρηται· καὶ θήσω τὰ θεμέλιά σου σάπφειρον. καὶ αἱ ἐπάλξεις δὲ τῆς νέας ταύτης καὶ καινῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἴασπις ἦν λίθος, ἢ καρχηδόνιος κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, ἐξαίρετός τις ἦν καὶ διαφανής. τοιοῦτοι δ' ἂν εἶεν οἱ ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ λογικῇ παρασκευῇ τὴν πίστιν ὠχυρωμένοι ὥσπερ προμαχῶνες ὄντες τοῦ θεοσεβοῦς πολιτεύματος διὰ τὸ δύνασθαι «πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ» «καθαιρεῖν» καὶ διελέγχειν πάντα ψευδῆ λόγον τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας πολέμιον· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν τειχῶν αἱ ἐπάλξεις προμαχῶνές εἰσιν ἐπὶ παρασκευῇ τῆς πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους παρατάξεως παρεσκευασμένοι, οὕτω καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας οἱ ἐν λόγῳ καὶ σοφίᾳ δυνατοὶ λεχθεῖεν ἂν εἰκότως ἐπάλξεις. τούτοις συγκαταλέγει ἑτέρους ἀφομοιῶν αὐτοὺς λίθοις κρυστάλλου, δι' ὧν τὰς πύλας τῆς πόλεως συστήσεσθαι θεσπίζει τὸ διαυγὲς καὶ καθαρὸν τῆς ὑγιοῦς πίστεως παριστῶν τῶν πεπιστευμένων τὴν πρώτην καὶ στοιχειώδη καὶ εἰσακτικὴν διδασκαλίαν. ἐπὶ τούτοις τὸν περίβολον τῆς νέας τοῦ θεοῦ πόλεως ἐκ λίθων ἐκλεκτῶν θήσειν ἐπαγγέλλεται· τοιοῦτοι δ' ἂν εἶεν οἱ περιφράττοντες καὶ ἀντὶ παντὸς ἕρκους ἀσφαλιζόμενοι διὰ τῶν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν εὐχῶν τὴν πᾶσαν οἰκοδομὴν τῆς πόλεως καὶ τὰ μὲν τῆς πόλεως μεγάλα καὶ πολυτελῆ καὶ ἔντιμα οἰκοδομήματα. Τοιαῦτα τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ πλήθη τῶν τὴν εἰρημένην πόλιν οἰκησόντων θεὸν αὐτὸν ἐπιγράψονται διδάσκαλον· τοῦτο γὰρ παρίστησι τὸ λόγιον φῆσαν· καὶ πάντας τοὺς υἱούς σου διδακτοὺς θεοῦ· ὁ γὰρ εἰπὼν ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις· «μὴ καλέσητε διδάσκαλον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· εἷς γάρ ἐστιν ὑμῶν διδάσκαλος ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς». διδακτοὺς θεοῦ ἀποτελέσει τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς πάλαι «στείρας», ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν πολλῇ εἰρήνῃ ἔσεσθαι αὐτῆς τὰ τέκνα. τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐπηγγείλατο εἰπών·