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to ask for an inheritance, not the nation of the Jews, but all the nations and the ends of the earth, who could it be but the one who established the Church from the nations? For this inheritance of His, therefore, He set apart a willing rain; wherefore it has been said of Him: "He shall come down like rain upon a fleece, and as drops that fall upon the earth." And the willing rain was the evangelical word, and the preaching of the New Testament delivered to the Church from the nations. And the addition of "willing rain" is good; for through Moses the word was not provided willingly to the ancients, since it was not legislated according to His will; wherefore the Savior said to them: "Moses wrote this for your hardness of heart;" but the evangelical word, according to the counsel and choice of God, was set apart for His "inheritance," which having grown weak, You, it says, perfected; and according to Aquila, "Having been exhausted," he says, "You established her;" and according to Symmachus, "Which you fashioned," he says, "and established." And it does not need many words to show how the church from the nations was formerly exhausted, worn out by the toils and labors of the error of idolatry; and it was exceedingly weak, so that no power was left in it. But the Savior, having taken it up, perfected it, establishing it upon the unbreakable and unshakable rock of His faith; which indeed He also promised to do, saying: "Upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." And having established and perfected it, He settled His living creatures in it. And what would you say are the living creatures of God other than the souls that draw from the life with Him and are made alive? And all these things, it says, "You prepared" through Your kindness and love for mankind, or through "Your goodness," according to the other translators, "for the poor." And here He mystically calls poor the man according to the flesh of our Savior, who "being rich, became poor for our sakes, that we through His poverty might become rich." And He Himself also showed His poverty, saying: "Learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart." Therefore for this poor one, God His Father with His love for mankind and kindness pre- 23.696 pared all the aforesaid things; I mean the willing rain, the indicated inheritance, the aforesaid living creatures. Wherefore to all it is added, "You have prepared in your goodness for the poor. The Lord will give the word to those who proclaim the good news with great power." The achievements, then, of the Lord who has mounted upon the west are such. But since it was necessary for these things to be heard by all men, again the same Lord accomplishes this also in addition to the others. And how and in what manner? To men not having their own word, nor their own wisdom, but being entirely unlearned laymen, He Himself will supply a word full of unspeakable and great power. And they, being empowered and given a voice by the word granted to them, will become heralds of good things for the whole world, preaching the good news of the aforesaid things to all men. Therefore, following the achievements of the Lord, it is added: "The Lord will give a word to those who proclaim the good news with great power." And it was necessary for us to know this also. Since above He exhorted some to sing and make melody to God, and to make a way for Him who has mounted upon the west, He presented it, saying: "The Lord will give a word to those who proclaim the good news with great power." For to these who proclaim the good news and make a way for Him for His passage to men, He Himself who is proclaimed by them will give a divine word. For so many were they who were receptive with great power; and this word was great to them and sufficient for the ministry of the Gospel. For the Lord Himself was the perfect Word of God. But those who received a word and were deemed worthy of some small inspiration of His power, filled the whole inhabited world, preaching the Gospel with great power. This, then, also

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αἰτεῖν κληρονομίαν, οὔτε Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος, ἀλλὰ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη καὶ τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, τίς ἂν γένοιτο ἢ ὁ τὴν ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίαν συστησάμενος; Ταύτῃ οὖν τῇ κληρονομίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἀφώρισε βροχὴν ἑκούσιον· διὸ λέλεκται περὶ αὐτοῦ· «Καταβήσεται ὡς ὑετὸς ἐπὶ πόκον, καὶ ὡσεὶ σταγόνες στάζουσαι ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν.» Λόγος δὲ ἦν εὐαγγελικὸς ἡ βροχὴ ἡ ἑκουσία, καὶ τὸ τῆς Καινῆς ∆ιαθήκης κήρυγμα τῇ ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίᾳ παραδεδομένον. Καλὴ δὲ ἡ προσθήκη τῆς «ἑκουσίας βροχῆς·» διὰ Μωϋσέως μὲν γὰρ οὐχ ἑκούσιος τοῖς παλαιοῖς παρείχετο λόγος, ἐπεὶ οὐ κατὰ γνώμην τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐνομοθετεῖτο· διὸ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔλεγεν ὁ Σωτήρ· «Μωϋσῆς πρὸς τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν ὑμῶν ἔγραψεν·» ὁ δὲ λόγος ὁ εὐαγγελικὸς κατὰ βουλὴν καὶ κατὰ προαίρεσιν Θεοῦ ἀφωρίσθη «τῇ κληρονομίᾳ» αὐτοῦ, ἣν ἀσθενήσασαν σὺ, φησὶ, κατηρτίσω· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, «Μεμοχθηκυῖαν, φησὶ, σὺ ἥδρασας αὐτήν·» κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «Ἣν ἐξεπόνησας, φησὶ, καὶ ἥδρασας.» Οὐ δεῖ δὲ πολλῶν λόγων εἰς τὸ παραστῆσαι ὅπως ἡ ἐξ ἐθνῶν πάλαι πρότερον ἦν μεμοχθηκυῖα πόνοις καὶ μόχθοις τῆς εἰδωλολάτρου πλάνης καταπονηθεῖσα· ἀσθενήσασά τε ἦν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν, ὡς μηδεμίαν ἐν αὐτῇ καταλειφθῆναι δύναμιν. Ἀλλ' ἀναλαβὼν αὐτὴν ὁ Σωτὴρ κατηρτίσατο αὐτὴν, ἑδράσας ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν τὴν ἀῤῥαγῆ καὶ ἄσειστον τῆς αὐτοῦ πίστεως· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐπηγγείλατο ποιήσειν εἰπών· «Ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν· καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς.» Ἑδράσας δὲ αὐτὴν καὶ καταρτισάμενος, τὰ ζῶα ἑαυτοῦ κατῴκισεν ἐν αὐτῇ. Ζῶα δὲ τίνα ἂν εἴποις τοῦ Θεοῦ ἢ τὰς ἐκ τῆς παρ' αὐτῷ ζωῆς ἀρυομένας καὶ ζωοποιουμένας ψυχάς; Καὶ ταῦτα πάντα, φησὶν, «ἡτοίμασας» διὰ τῆς σῆς χρηστότητος καὶ φιλανθρωπίας, ἢ διὰ «τῆς σῆς ἀγαθωσύνης,» κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς, «τῷ πτωχῷ.» Πτωχὸν δὲ ἐνταῦθα κέκληκε μυστικῶς τὸν κατὰ σάρκα ἄνθρωπον τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ὃς «πλούσιος ὢν ἐπτώχευσε δι' ἡμᾶς, ἵνα ἡμεῖς τῇ αὐτοῦ πτωχείᾳ πλουτήσωμεν.» Ἐδήλου δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν πτωχείαν καὶ αὐτὸς λέγων· «Μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ.» Τούτῳ οὖν τῷ πτωχῷ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ αὐτοῦ τῇ αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίᾳ καὶ χρηστότητι ἡτοί 23.696 μασε τὰ προλεχθέντα πάντα· λέγω δὲ τὴν ἑκούσιον βροχὴν, τὴν δηλωθεῖσαν κληρονομίαν, τὰ προλεχθέντα ζῶα. ∆ιὸ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐπενήνεκται τὸ, «Ἡτοίμασας ἐν τῇ χρηστότητί σου τῷ πτωχῷ. Κύριος δώσει τὸ ῥῆμα τοῖς εὐαγγελιζομένοις δυνάμει πολλῇ.» Τὰ μὲν κατορθώματα τοῦ ἐπιβεβηκότος ἐπὶ δυσμῶν Κυρίου τοιαῦτα. Ἐπεὶ δ' ἐχρῆν αὐτὰ ἐξάκουστα πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις γενέσθαι, πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς Κύριος καὶ τοῦτο πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐπιτελεῖ. Πῶς δὲ καὶ τίνα τρόπον; Ἀνθρώποις μὴ ἔχουσιν ἴδιον λόγον, μηδὲ οἰκείαν σοφίαν, παντελῶς δὲ ἰδιώταις ἀνεπιστήμοσιν, αὐτὸς ἐπιχορηγήσει ῥῆμα μεστὸν ἀφάτου καὶ πολλῆς δυνάμεως. Οἱ δὲ δυναμωθέντες καὶ στομωθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ δωρηθέντος αὐτοῖς ῥήματος κήρυκες ἀγαθῶν τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου καταστήσονται εὐαγγελιζόμενοι πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις τὰ προλελεγμένα. ∆ιὸ ἀκολούθως τοῖς τοῦ Κυρίου κατορθώμασιν ἐπενήνεκται τό· «Κύριος δώσει ῥῆμα τοῖς εὐαγγελιζομένοις δυνάμει πολλῇ.» Ἀναγκαῖον δὲ ἦν γνῶναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τοῦτο. Ἐπειδὴ ἀνωτέρω παρεκελεύετό τισιν ᾄδειν καὶ ψάλλειν τῷ Θεῷ, ὁδοποιεῖν τε τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ δυσμῶν, παρέστησεν εἰπών· «Κύριος δώσει ῥῆμα τοῖς εὐαγγελιζομένοις δυνάμει πολλῇ.» Τούτοις γὰρ τοῖς εὐαγγελιζομένοις καὶ ὁδοποιοῦσιν αὐτῷ τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους πάροδον αὐτὸς ὁ πρὸς αὐτῶν καταγγελλόμενος δώσει ῥῆμα θεϊκόν. Τοσοῦτοι γὰρ ἦσαν χωρητικοὶ σὺν πολλῇ δυνάμει· καὶ μέγα ἦν αὐτοῖς τουτὶ τὸ ῥῆμα καὶ αὔταρκες εἰς τὴν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου διακονίαν. Αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ ὁ Κύριος ὁ τέλειος ἦν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος. Οἱ δὲ ῥῆμα λαβόντες καὶ βραχείας τινὸς τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως ἐμπνεύσεως καταξιωθέντες τὴν σύμπασαν ἐπλήρουν οἰκουμένην τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου σὺν πολλῇ δυνάμει κηρύττοντες. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ