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“My peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you.” To which he adds: and in righteousness you shall be built. For according to what is most just, the builder of all things himself, the wisdom of God, attaching “the living” and well-compacted “stones” to the building, some he made battlements, for others he laid foundations, and others he arranged in the enclosures, and some he set apart for the temple of the city, others for the innermost parts of the sanctuary, and others adorned the rest of the city. Therefore it has been said: and in righteousness you shall be built. And the things promised by God to his church are of such a kind. Next, he gives instructions to her, saying: Abstain from injustice and you will not be afraid, and terror will not come near you. For the things that have pre-existed for you will be from my grace, of such a kind. But if you are anxious lest fear come upon you from some enemy attack. Take courage in my command: for if you do these things, these things will not befall you, but if you do not keep the command, blame yourself for falling into human fears. Therefore I bear witness to you and say: Abstain from injustice and you will not be afraid, and terror will not come near you, but also to you who abide with me and worship God according to the fitting word, proselytes will come, not without my counsel. For through me they too will sojourn. You might call proselytes, after the aforementioned orders of the church, those who do not genuinely or purely approach among the multitudes; whom he says will sojourn with her, but not dwell, because they make their entrance as if in passing. Therefore it is said to the best: Behold, proselytes will come to you through me and will sojourn with you and will take refuge in you. For such people approach as needing refuge, some needing protection, some needing assistance, and others for the sake of another reason, whence he also called them proselytes and said they would sojourn, appropriately to the disposition of the men. And all these things I, the Lord himself says, will do, since I myself have become your founder, “having built my church upon the rock,” and I created you not by any human art, but by divine and ineffable grace. Therefore I also say: Behold, I created you, not as a blacksmith blowing on coals and bringing forth a vessel for a work; for human manufactures and things constructed by human effort happen to be of such a kind. Therefore it proceeds to corruption and to destruction, but my work is by nature incorruptible. Therefore I say: But I created you, not for destruction, nor to destroy every vessel fashioned against you; for no such thing will be found in my work as to corrupt and destroy it. But also every voice, he says, that shall rise up, and everyone who plans to contend against you, will be defeated, and he adds: you will defeat them all. Following these things it is said: There is an inheritance for those who serve the Lord, very consequently; for after all the things that have been said, it was necessary to remind also of the underlying inheritance in the age to come. And what could this be but the kingdom of heaven? But what is said by the Seventy: but your guilty ones will be in it is found neither in the Hebrew nor among the other translators. Following these things it is added: And you shall be righteous for me, says the Lord, which is connected, according to the other translators, with the preceding words. Therefore according to Symmachus it is said: This is my inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me, says the Lord. 2.44 The prophecy at hand refers to Christ of God himself, saying: You who thirst, go to the water. Then, hinting at the grace freely given to men through the Savior, it says: and as many as have no money, go buy and drink without money. But instead of: and for a price of wine and fat, that you may be honored with silver, Symmachus says wine and milk even without exchange, and Aquila likewise translated wine and milk, as not only water, but also wine and milk

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«εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν, εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν ἀφίημι ὑμῖν». Οἷς ἐπιλέγει· καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ οἰκοδομηθήσῃ· κατὰ γὰρ τὸ δικαιότατον αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων οἰκοδόμος, ἡ σοφία τοῦ θεοῦ, «τοὺς ζῶντας» καὶ εὐπαγεῖς «λίθους» προσάπτων τῇ οἰκοδομῇ τοὺς μὲν ἐπάλξεις ἐποίει, τοὺς δὲ θεμελίους κατεβάλλετο, τοὺς δὲ ἐν τοῖς περιβόλοις κατέταττε, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀφώριζεν εἰς τὸν νεὼν τῆς πόλεως, τοὺς δὲ εἰς τὰ ἐνδοτάτω τοῦ ναοῦ, τοὺς δὲ τὴν λοιπὴν πόλιν ἐκόσμει. διὸ λέλεκται· καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ οἰκοδομηθήσῃ· καὶ τὰ μὲν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπηγγελμένα τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ αὐτοῦ, τοιαῦτα ἑξῆς δὲ τῇ αὐτῇ διαστέλλεται λέγων· ἀπέχου ἀπὸ ἀδίκου καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσῃ, καὶ τρόμος οὐκ ἐγγιεῖ σοι· τὰ μὲν γὰρ προϋπάρξαντά σοι ἐξ ἐμῆς χάριτος ἔσται, τοιαῦτα εἰ δὲ ἀγωνιᾷς μήποτε ἐπίστη σοι φόβος ἔκ τινος πολεμίων ἐπιθέσεως. θάρσει τῷ ἐμῷ παραγγέλματι· εἰ γὰρ τάδε ποιήσειας, οὐκ ἔσται σοι τάδε, εἰ δὲ μὴ φυλάξειας τὸ παράγγελμα, σαυτὴν ἐπιμέμφου φόβοις ἀνθρωπίνοις περιπεσουμένη. διὸ μαρτύρομαί σοι καί φημι· ἀπέχου ἀπὸ ἀδίκου καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσῃ, καὶ τρόμος οὐκ ἐγγιεῖ σοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ μενούσῃ παρ' ἐμοὶ καὶ θεοσεβούσῃ κατὰ τὸν πρέποντα λόγον προσήλυτοί σοι προσελεύσονται, οὐκ ἄνευ τῆς ἐμῆς βουλῆς· δι' ἐμοῦ γὰρ καὶ οὗτοι παροικήσουσι. εἴποις δ' ἂν προσηλύτους μετὰ τὰ προλεχθέντα τῆς ἐκκλησίας τάγματα τοὺς οὐ γνησίως οὐδὲ καθαρῶς προσβάλλοντας ἐν τοῖς πλήθεσιν· οὓς καὶ παροικήσειν, ἀλλ' οὐ κατοικήσειν φησὶν αὐτὴν διὰ τὸ ὡς ἐν παρόδῳ ποιεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς τὴν εἴσοδον. διὸ λέλεκται τοῖς καλλίστοις· ἰδοὺ προσήλυτοί σοι προσελεύσονται δι' ἐμοῦ καὶ παροικήσουσί σοι καὶ ἐπὶ σὲ καταφεύξονται· ὡς γὰρ καταφυγῆς δεόμενοι προσέρχονται οἱ τοιοῦτοι, οἱ μὲν προστασίας, οἱ δὲ ἐπικουρίας δεόμενοι, οἱ δὲ ἑτέρας ὑποθέσεως ἕνεκεν, ὅθεν καὶ προσηλύτους ἀπεκάλεσε καὶ παροικήσειν αὐτοὺς εἶπε προσφυῶς τῇ τῶν ἀνδρῶν προαιρέσει. Καὶ ταῦτα πάντα ἐγώ φησιν αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ποιήσω, ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτός σου γέγονα κτίστης «ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν οἰκοδομήσας μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν», καὶ ἔκτισά σε οὐ τέχνῃ τινὶ ἀνθρωπίνῃ, θεϊκῇ δὲ καὶ ἀρρήτῳ χάριτι. διὸ καί φημι· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἔκτισά σε, οὐχ ὡς χαλκεὺς φυσῶν ἄνθρακας καὶ ἐκφέρων σκεῦος εἰς ἔργον· τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἀνθρώπινα ἐπισκευάσματα καὶ ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνης σπουδῆς συνιστάμενα τοιαῦτά τινα τυγχάνει. διὸ καὶ εἰς φθορὰν χωρεῖ καὶ εἰς ἀπώλειαν, τὸ δὲ ἐμὸν ἔργον ἀδιάφθορον πέφυκε. διό φημι· ἐγὼ δὲ ἔκτισά σε, οὐκ εἰς ἀπώλειαν, οὐδὲ εἰς τὸ φθεῖραι πᾶν σκεῦος σκευαστὸν ἐπὶ σέ· οὐδὲν γὰρ τοιοῦτον εὑρεθήσεται ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐμοῦ ἔργου ὡς διαφθεῖραι αὐτὸ καὶ ἀπολέσαι. ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσα φωνή φησιν, ἥτις ἀναστήσεται, καὶ πᾶς ὁ βουλευόμενος διακριθῆναι πρὸς σέ, ἡττηθήσεται, καὶ ἐπιλέγει· πάντας αὐτοὺς ἡττήσεις. ἑξῆς τούτοις εἴρηται· ἔστι κληρονομία τοῖς θεραπεύουσι κύριον, σφόδρα ἀκολούθως· μετὰ γὰρ τὰ προλεχθέντα πάντα ἐχρῆν ὑπομνῆσαι καὶ τῆς ὑποκειμένης ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι κληρονομίας. τίς δ' ἂν γένοιτο αὕτη ἀλλ' ἢ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν; τὸ δὲ λεγόμενον παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβδομήκοντα· οἱ δὲ ἔνοχοί σου ἔσονται ἐν αὐτῇ οὔτε ἐν τῷ Ἑβραϊκῷ φέρεται οὔτε παρὰ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἑρμηνευταῖς. τούτοις ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγεται· καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔσεσθέ μοι δίκαιοι, λέγει κύριος, ὅπερ συνῆπται κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς τοῖς προτέροις. διὸ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον εἴρηται· αὕτη ἡ κληρονομία μου τῶν δούλων κυρίου, καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτῶν παρ' ἐμοῦ, φησὶ κύριος. 2.44 Ἡ μετὰ χεῖρας προφητεία εἰς αὐτὸν ἀναπέμπει τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φάσκουσα· Οἱ διψῶντες, πορεύεσθε ἐφ' ὕδωρ. εἶτα τὴν χάριν τὴν διὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος προῖκα δωρηθεῖσαν ἀνθρώποις αἰνιττομένη φησί· καὶ ὅσοι μὴ ἔχετε ἀργύριον, πορευθέντες ἀγοράσατε καὶ πίετε ἄνευ ἀργυρίου. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· καὶ τιμῆς οἴνου καὶ στέαρ, ἵνα τιμᾶσθε ἀργυρίου ὁ Σύμμαχος καὶ ἄνευ ἀλλάγματος οἶνόν φησι καὶ γάλα, καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας δὲ ὁμοίως οἶνον καὶ γάλα ἡρμήνευσεν, ὡς μὴ μόνον ὕδωρ, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἶνον καὶ γάλα