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She has become the cause for herself, he says: "Because I came, and there was no man; I called, and there was no one who answered." And elsewhere he says: "You did not call me as your own, nor as a Father and the founder of your virginity." And again: "You are the daughter of your mother, who abandoned her husband." And he calls the widow desolate according to scriptural custom. For she did not have the Word, the sower of good things; whom, having received as a Bridegroom, she surpassed the other in childbearing, so that she required the greatest breadth for the reception of her children, the tabernacle of Moses being taken as an image of this. For he used the same words, at once declaring the immovability of the Church through the stakes. For that one prefigured a type of this one, even if in far smaller measures. Wherefore also it had courts surrounding each side, long and wide. But what are these, and the measures of the temple, compared to the multitudes and sizes and beauties of the Churches established everywhere, of the one catholic Church that exists out of all of them? To which he adds, And your seed shall inherit the nations. This indicates the evangelical word, concerning which he says: "A sower went out to sow." And "Did you not sow good seed in your field," from which she has become the mother of many saints? From whom 2536 it came to pass that rulers of the nations were leaders, initiating the people who came to them, to whom Christ also promised leadership in the age to come, to one five, and to another ten cities, according to the distribution of the talents. And they say, rejoicing: "He has subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He has chosen his inheritance for us." For the inheritance of leading peoples belongs to Christ alone. Wherefore he commands to call no one Rabbi. "For one," he says, "is your teacher, the Christ." But he imparted this dignity to his disciples. For being the true light, he calls his disciples light. And being Son by nature, he has given authority to those who believe in him to call God Father, boasting in the dignity of sonship, who also will inhabit the desolate cities, that is, the ruined ones, according to Symmachus. He means the Churches of God formerly desolate; that is to say, that Your seed will be so numerous that the populous cities will in no way be sufficient for them, but they will be able to fill even the desolate ones; wherefore he exhorts her to despise her former shame, when she was barren and a widow of the Word, the Bridegroom, saying, that the Lord of hosts is he who makes you. For she was not established by men, nor through man, but through the Lord himself, who also says: "Upon this rock I will build my Church." The word is therefore of God, who grants forgiveness for the polytheistic and shameful error. For as a father has compassion on his sons, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. And as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our sins from us. He therefore takes away the fear for sins. For he came not judging, but saving. "For God," he says, "did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him." Grace therefore conquers, which justifies the ungodly. "For God," says Paul, "is the one who justifies, who is the one who condemns?" And how does he make her, but by creating her into his conformity through the Spirit? For he says in Ezekiel: "I will take away their heart of stone out of their flesh, and I will give them a heart of flesh, that they may know me, that I am the Lord." Christ therefore created the two peoples into one new man, being renewed according to the image of his Creator. And so that the matter, being transformed, might not be disbelieved, he called himself Lord of hosts. And what the time of this re-creation is, he made clear by saying that He who has redeemed you, the God of Israel himself, will be called God of the whole earth; that is, when Christ reigned over 2537 all the nations, according to that which says: "And the Lord shall be one, and his name one, encircling all the earth." For formerly God was known only in Judea; but now to him every knee bows, and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore also David said: "All you nations, clap your hands," and

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ἑαυτῇ, φησὶ, γέγονεν αἰτία· ∆ιότι ἦλθον, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἄνθρωπος· ἐκάλεσα καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ὑπακούων." Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ δέ φησιν· "Οὐχ ὡς οἰκεῖόν με ἐκάλεσας, οὐδ' ὡς Πατέρα καὶ ἀρχηγὸν τῆς παρθενίας σου." Καὶ πάλιν· "Θυγάτηρ τῆς μητέρος σου εἶ συγκαταλιποῦσα τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς." Ἔρημον δὲ τὴν χήραν κατ' ἔθος καλεῖ Γραφικόν. Τὸν γὰρ τῶν ἀγαθῶν σπορέα Λόγον οὐκ εἶχεν· ὃν δεξαμένη Νυμφίον τὴν ἑτέραν τῷ τίκτειν παρέδραμεν, ὡς πλείστου δεῖσθαι πλάτους πρὸς τὴν τῶν τέκνων ὑποδοχὴν, εἰς εἰκόνα τούτου παρειλημμένης τῆς παρὰ Μωσεῖ σκηνῆς Ταῖς γὰρ αὐταῖς ἐχρήσατο λέξεσιν, ὁμοῦ καὶ τὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀσάλευτον διὰ τῶν πασσάλων δηλῶν. Τύπον γὰρ ταύτης ἐκείνη κατέγραφεν, εἰ καὶ μέτροις ἄγαν ἐλάττοσι. ∆ιὸ καὶ καθ' ἕκαστον κλίμα περικειμένας εἶχεν αὐλὰς μακρὰς ὁμοῦ καὶ πλατείας. Ἀλλὰ τί ταῦτα, καὶ τοῦ νεὼ τὰ μέτρα πρὸς τὰ πλήθη καὶ μεγέθη, καὶ κάλλη τῶν πανταχοῦ καθιδρυμένων Ἐκκλησιῶν μιᾶς τῆς ἐκ πασῶν ὑπαρχούσης καθολικῆς; Πρὸς ἣν ἐπιφέρει, Καὶ τὸ σπέρμα σου κληρονομήσει ἔθνη. Τοῦτο δὲ τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν λόγον δηλοῖ, περὶ οὗ φησιν· "Ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι." Καὶ οὐχὶ καλὸν σπέρμα ἔσπειρας ἐν τῷ σῷ ἀγρῷ, ἐξ οὗ πλείστων ἁγίων γέγονε μήτηρ; Ἐξ ὧν 2536 ἐθνῶν ἄρχοντας καθηγεῖσθαι συνέβαινεν τὸν τῶν προσιόντων μυσταγωγοῦντας λαὸν, οἷς καὶ εἰς αἰῶνα τὸν μέλλοντα καθηγεῖσθαι Χριστὸς ἐπηγγέλλετο, τῷ μὲν πέντε, τῷ δὲ δέκα πόλεων πρὸς τὴν τῶν ταλάντων διανομήν. Οἳ καί φασιν εὐφραινόμενοι· "Ὑπέταξε λαοὺς ἡμῖν, καὶ ἔθνη ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ἡμῶν. Ἐξελέξατο ἡμῖν τὴν κληρονομίαν ἑαυτοῦ." Χριστοῦ μὲν γὰρ μόνου κλῆρος τὸ καθηγεῖσθαι λαῶν. ∆ιὸ κελεύει μηδενὶ λέγειν Ῥαββί. "Εἷς γάρ ἐστι, φησὶν, ὑμῶν καθηγητὴς ὁ Χριστός." Μετέδωκε δὲ τῆς ἀξίας τοῖς μαθηταῖς. Καὶ φῶς γὰρ ὑπάρχων ἀληθινὸν, φῶς καλεῖ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ μαθητάς. Καὶ Υἱὸς ὢν κατὰ φύσιν, δέδωκεν ἐξουσίαν τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς αὐτὸν Πατέρα καλεῖν τὸν Θεὸν τὸ τῆς υἱότητος αὐχοῦσιν ἀξίωμα, οἳ καὶ πόλεις ἠρημωμένας, ἤγουν ἠφανισμένας, κατὰ Σύμμαχον, κατοικιοῦσιν. λέγει δὲ τὰς ἐρήμους πάλαι Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίας· ἤγουν φησὶν, ὅτι Τοσοῦτον ἔσται σου τὸ σπέρμα, ὡς μηδαμῶς αὐτοῖς τὰς πολυανθρώπους πόλεις ἀρκεῖν, δύνασθαι δὲ καὶ τὰς ἐρήμους πληροῦν· ἐφ' οἷς ὑπερορᾷν αὐτῇ τῆς παλαιᾶς αἰσχύνης παρακελεύεται, ὅτε ἄγονος ἦν καὶ χήρα τοῦ Λόγου Νυμφίου λέγων, ὅτι Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεών ἐστιν ὁ ποιῶν σε. Οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, οὐδὲ δι' ἀνθρώπου συνέστη· δι' αὐτοῦ δὲ Κυρίου, ὃς καί φησιν· "Ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν." Θεοῦ τοίνυν ὁ λόγος, τὸ ἀμνησίκακον δωρουμένου ἐπὶ τῇ πολυθέῳ καὶ ὀνείδους ἀξίᾳ πλάνῃ. Καθὼς γὰρ οἰκτείρει πατὴρ υἱοὺς, οἰκτείρησεν Κύριος τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν. Καὶ καθ' ὅσον ἀπέχουσιν ἀνατολαὶ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν ἐμάκρυνεν ἀφ' ἡμῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν. Τὸν οὖν φόβον περιαιρεῖ τὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν. Ἦλθε γὰρ οὐ κρίνων, ἀλλὰ σώζων. "Οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλε, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ' ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος δι' αὐτοῦ." Νικᾷ τοίνυν ἡ χάρις ἡ δικαιοῦσα τὸν ἀσεβῆ. "Θεὸς γὰρ, φησὶ Παῦλος, ὁ δικαιῶν, τίς ὁ κατακρίνων;" Πῶς δὲ ποιεῖ αὐτὴν, ἀλλ' ἢ κτίζων εἰς συμμορφίαν αὐτοῦ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος; φησὶ γὰρ ἐν Ἰεζεκιήλ· "Ἐκσπάσω τὴνκαρδίαν αὐτῶν τὴν λιθίνην ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτῶν, καὶ δώσω αὐτοῖς καρδίαν σαρκίνην τοῦ εἰδέναι αὐτοὺς ἐμὲ, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι Κύριος." Ἔκτισε τοίνυν ὁ Χριστὸς τοὺς δύο λαοὺς εἰς ἕνα καινὸν ἅνθρωπον ἀνακαινούμενον κατ' εἰκόνα τοῦ Κτίσαντος αὐτόν. Ὡς ἂν δὲ μὴ ἀπιστηθῇ μετατυγχάνον τὸ πρᾶγμα, Κύριον ἑαυτὸν ἐκάλεσε δυνάμεων. Τίς δὲ ὁ τοῦ ἀνακτίζεσθαι καιρὸς, διεσάφησεν εἰπὼν, ὅτι Ὁ ῥυσάμενός σε αὐτὸς Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ πάσῃ τῇ γῇ κληθήσεται· τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ὅτε Χριστὸς ἐβασίλευσεν ἐπὶ 2537 πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, κατὰ τό· "Καὶ ἔσται Κύριος εἷς, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἓν, κυκλοῦν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν." Πάλαι γὰρ ἧν κατὰ μόνην τὴν Ἰουδαίαν γνωστὸς ὁ Θεός· νῦν δὲ αὐτῷ κάμπτει πᾶν γόνυ, καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογεῖται, ὅτι Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ Πατέρος. ∆ιὸ καὶ ∆αβὶδ ἔφη· "Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, κροτήσατε χεῖρας," καὶ