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the word exhorts the choir of the just to act; and next he commands to do something useful to others. For in order that God may mount upon the life of men, and that he may walk among those on earth, he commands to make the way for him smooth and level, saying: «Make a way;» or according to Symmachus, «Pave;» and according to Aquila, «Remove the obstacles,» that is, remove every crooked thing, and level every rough thing, so that the journey of God to men might become smooth and level. And Isaiah also indicated this, saying: «Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low. And the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough into smooth ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.» But here he does not command them to make a way before they have first learned how one must sing to God and how to sing psalms to his name. For having learned these things beforehand and having accomplished them in deeds, he next wishes them to make a way, that is, to prepare the souls of men, to make them pure and ready for the advent of the aforementioned God. Therefore he says: «Make a way for him who has mounted upon the west, the Lord is his name.» And he has called the Lord here with a newer word according to the Hebrew word; for he named him "ia"; whence Symmachus interpreted, «Through 'ia' is his name;» and the fifth edition, «In 'ia' is his name.» And he hinted at the name of the Savior Jesus through the first syllable. And he teaches that this Lord, whose name he says is through 'ia', or in 'ia', has mounted upon the west; and it signifies his passage to men and the incarnate advent. For he did not, by showing himself unveiled as God the Word in the form of God, flash forth upon the life of men like lights, but having taken the form of a servant and 23.688 having restrained the rays of his own divinity, and as if having set in the body, and having come to be at the setting of mortal life, (which the divine Apostle called darkness, saying: «Against the rulers of the world of this darkness;») or having set in death itself, it is said that he has mounted upon the west. To this one, therefore, he says, to the Lord who has mounted upon the west, whose name Jesus is signified by 'ia', make a way. And the prophetic Spirit commands these things to the apostolic choir, and urges them to do this with great eagerness and boldness. Therefore he adds next: «And rejoice before him;» or according to Symmachus, «And exult in his presence.» And he gives another identifying mark of the aforementioned Lord, saying: «The father of orphans and judge of widows.» For if he had not deigned to become father of orphans, and avenger and judge of widows, there would have been no reason for him to be concerned with the lowly on earth. But since through an excess of love for mankind he condescended to mount upon the west, and to be called father of the orphans in the darkness, and to become judge and avenger of both the unprotected widows and desolate souls; fittingly he exhorts them to make the way leading to the orphans who do not know the heavenly Father, and to the widowed souls deprived of the bridegroom. And in another way, the thought might be representative of the discourse concerning Providence, teaching that widows and orphans are left desolate and unprotected in life not without the reason and wisdom of God, but for his glory and for a demonstration of his divine oversight. Often, at least, orphaned children deprived of their parents have partaken of instruction and education more than those raised by fathers, and have become long-lived and of many years; and not only have they had plenty of nourishment, but they have also advanced to become distinguished men. And likewise women who have had the misfortune of widowhood, more than those in marriage, have gone through a cheerful and griefless and godly life; with God having established himself as a father above all for the orphans, and as a helper and avenger for the widows. Therefore it is said: «Of the

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παρακελεύεται τῷ τῶν δικαίων χορῷ πράττειν ὁ λόγος· ἑξῆς δὲ πρᾶγμά τι ποιεῖν ἑτέροις χρήσιμον προστάττει. Ἵνα γὰρ ἐπιβῇ ὁ Θεὸς τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίῳ, καὶ ὅπως ἐμπεριπατήσῃ τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς, τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτῷ λείαν καὶ ὁμαλὴν ἀπεργάζεσθαι διακελεύεται φάσκων· «Ὁδοποιήσατε·» ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «Καταστρώσατε·» κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, «Ἀποσκολοπίσατε,» τουτέστι πᾶν σκολιὸν ἀφέλετε, καὶ πᾶν τραχὺ καταστρώσατε, ὡς ἂν γένοιτο λεία καὶ ὁμαλὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ εἰς ἀνθρώπους πορεία. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ Ἡσαΐας ἐδήλου λέγων· «Ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ. Πᾶσα φάραγξ πληρωθήσεται, καὶ πᾶν ὄρος καὶ βουνὸς ταπεινωθήσεται. Καὶ ἔσται τὰ σκολιὰ εἰς εὐθεῖαν, καὶ ἡ τραχεῖα εἰς ὁδοὺς λείας, καὶ ὄψεται πᾶσα σὰρξ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐ πρότερον ὁδοποιεῖν κελεύει ἢ πρῶτον αὐτοὺς μαθόντας ὅπως χρὴ ᾄδειν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ὅπως ψάλλειν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ. Ταῦτα γὰρ προμαθόντας καὶ ἔργοις ἐπιτελέσαντας, ἑξῆς βούλεται ὁδοποιεῖν, τουτέστι τὰς παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ψυχὰς παρασκευάζειν, καθαράς τε καὶ ἑτοίμους αὐτὰς ἀπεργάζεσθαι εἰς τὴν ἐπιδημίαν τοῦ προδηλωθέντος Θεοῦ. ∆ιό φησιν· «Ὁδοποιήσατε τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ δυσμῶν, Κύριος ὄνομα αὐτῷ.» Κέκληκε δὲ τὸν Κύριον ἐνταῦθα καινοτέρᾳ φωνῇ κατὰ τὴν Ἑβραϊκὴν λέξιν· ἴα γὰρ αὐτὸν ὠνόμασεν· ὅθεν ὁ Σύμμαχος, «∆ιὰ τοῦ ἴα ἡ ὀνομασία αὐτοῦ,» ἡρμήνευσεν· ἡ δὲ πέμπτη ἔκδοσις, «Ἐν τῷ ἴα τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ.» Ἠνίξατο δὲ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Σωτῆρος Ἰησοῦ διὰ τῆς πρώτης συλλαβῆς. Καὶ τοῦτον τὸν Κύριον, οὗ τὸ ὄνομά φησιν εἶναι διὰ τοῦ ἴα, ἢ ἐν τῷ ἴα, ἐπιβεβηκέναι ἐπὶ δυσμῶν διδάσκει· σημαίνει δὲ τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους αὐτοῦ πάροδον καὶ τὴν ἔνσαρκον ἐπιδημίαν. Οὐ γὰρ τὸν ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ Θεὸν Λόγον γυμνὸν ἐπιδείξας φώτων δίκην ἐξήστραψε τὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίον, μορφὴν δὲ δούλου λαβὼν καὶ 23.688 τὰς ἀκτῖνας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ θεότητος συστείλας, καὶ ὥσπερ καταδὺς ἐν τῷ σώματι, ἐπὶ δυσμῶν τε γενόμενος τοῦ θνητοῦ βίου, (ὃν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος σκότος ὠνόμασεν εἰπών· «Πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου·)» ἢ ἐν αὐτῷ καταδὺς τῷ θανάτῳ, λέλεκται ἐπιβεβηκέναι ἐπὶ δυσμῶν. Τούτῳ οὖν, φησὶ, τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ δυσμῶν Κυρίῳ, οὗ τὸ Ἰησοῦ ὄνομα διὰ τοῦ ἴα σημαίνεται, ὁδοποιήσατε. Προστάττει δὲ ταῦτα τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ προφητικὸν τῷ ἀποστολικῷ χορῷ, καὶ τοῦτο πράττειν σὺν πολλῇ προθυμίᾳ καὶ παῤῥησίᾳ ἐπικελεύεται. ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγει ἑξῆς· «Καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ·» ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «Καὶ γαυριᾶσθε εἰς πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ.» Καὶ ἄλλο δὲ γνώρισμα δίδωσι τοῦ προδηλωθέντος Κυρίου, λέγων· «Τοῦ πατρὸς τῶν ὀρφανῶν καὶ κριτοῦ τῶν χηρῶν.» Εἰ μὴ γὰρ ὀρφανῶν ἠξίωσε γενέσθαι πατὴρ, χηρῶν τε ἔκδικος καὶ κριτὴς, οὐδεὶς ἦν αὐτῷ λόγος πρὸς τοὺς ἐπὶ γῆς ταπεινούς. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καθ' ὑπερβολὴν φιλανθρωπίας κατηξίωσεν ἐπιβῆναι ἐπὶ δυσμῶν, καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ σκότῳ ὀρφανῶν χρηματίσαι πατὴρ, τῶν τε ἀπεριστάτων χηρῶν τε καὶ ἐρήμων ψυχῶν κριτὴς καὶ ἔκδικος γενέσθαι· εἰκότως τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν ἄγουσαν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὀρφανοὺς τοὺς τὸν ἐπουράνιον ἀγνοοῦντας Πατέρα, ἐπί τε τὰς ἐστερημένας τοῦ νυμφίου χήρας ψυχὰς ὁδοποιεῖν παρακελεύεται. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ, τοῦ περὶ Προνοίας λόγου γένοιτ' ἂν ἡ διάνοια παραστατικὴ, διδάσκουσα, ὅτι χῆραι καὶ ὀρφανοὶ ἔρημοι καὶ ἀπερίστατοι καταλείπονται ἐν τῷ βίῳ οὐκ ἄνευ λόγου καὶ σοφίας Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' εἰς δόξαν αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς αὐτοῦ θείας ἐπισκοπῆς. Πολλάκις γοῦν οἱ γονέων ἐστερημένοι παῖδες ὀρφανοὶ μᾶλλον τῶν ὑπὸ πατράσι τραφέντων λόγων καὶ παιδείας μετέσχον, μακρόβιοί τε καὶ πολυχρόνιοι γεγόνασι· καὶ οὐ μόνον τροφῆς ηὐπόρησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς ἐπισήμους ἄνδρας προῆλθον. Καὶ γυναῖκες ὡσαύτως χηρείαν δυστυχήσασαι μᾶλλον τῶν ἐν συζυγίᾳ βίον εὔθυμον καὶ ἄλυπον καὶ θεοσεβῆ διεξῆλθον· τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῖς μὲν ὀρφανοῖς ὑπὲρ πάντα πατέρα καταστάντος, ταῖς δὲ χήραις ἀντιλήπτορος καὶ ἐκδίκου. ∆ιὸ εἴρηται· «Τοῦ