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they themselves will bring gifts to his heavenly temple, entering in with the great high priest. But so that this might happen and proceed through deeds, he necessarily prayed, saying: “Command, O God, your power; strengthen, O God, this which you have wrought in us.” “Rebuke the beasts of the reed.” Just as he prayed for cooperation with the things said before, saying: “Command, O God, your power;” and “Strengthen, O God, this which you have wrought in us;” so again he prays that the hindrances be removed from the midst, so that the word may run without hindrance. For he saw with foreknowledge the persecutions that were about to rise up against the evangelical preaching and the intelligible beasts, from which he who said prayed to be delivered: “Do not deliver to the beasts the souls that confess you;” and you will understand beasts of the reed, learning from Job how it is said by the devil: “He sleeps under every kind of tree, beside papyrus 23.716 and reed and sedge.” For he says he rests not beside a fig tree, nor beside a vine, nor beside an olive, or a palm, or anything similar to these, but beside papyrus and reed and sedge, alluding in this way to the weak and watery souls that bear no necessary fruit; for the dragon rested among such as these. And the terrible beasts of the reed happen to be the opposing powers, both the wicked demons and the venomous and reptilian spirits, whom the Holy Spirit prays God to rebuke through the words that follow, saying: “Rebuke the beasts of the reed.” And he beseeches him to rebuke the assembly of bulls, or, according to Symmachus, the “company of giants,” and the heifers of the peoples; and the heifers of the peoples and bulls among the Jews are the persecutors of the word. Of whose works the following is stated, in, “so that they who have been tested by silver might be shut out;” which Symmachus interpreted more clearly, saying: “To those who kick at the approved, as at a testing of silver.” For these bulls, and the aforementioned heifers, being energized by the beasts of the reed, make every effort to shut out the saints of God from the hope promised to them. And the saints of God are those tested by silver. For just as “the oracles of the Lord are pure, silver refined by fire,” so also are the men of God tested like silver; wherefore they say: “You have tested us, O God, you have refined us as silver is refined.” Therefore, the beasts of the reed and the assembly of the bulls, and the heifers of the peoples, strive to shut out those tested by silver from the hope promised to them. Or, according to Symmachus, “They kick at these same ones who are approved as at a testing of silver.” Therefore, so that the aforementioned may not become an obstacle to the saints of God, it is necessarily said: “Rebuke the beasts of the reed, the assembly of bulls among the heifers of the peoples.” And otherwise you will understand bulls as the rulers of the Jews; and their heifers as the synagogues under them and the peoples who rose up during the passion of our Savior. And the voice from the person of the Savior himself in the 21st psalm testifies to this account, stating: “For many calves have compassed me, fat bulls have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths.” By which he alluded to the rulers of the Jewish people and the multitudes under them who rose up against him. “Scatter the nations that desire wars.” The preceding things were declared concerning the opposing powers, and concerning the rulers of the Jewish nation, but the present things concern the enemies of the Church among the other nations. For since the Holy Spirit saw that those of the nations who remained in unbelief would rise up against the faithful, and would stir up persecutions against the Church of God, he necessarily also prays concerning this, saying:

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αὐτοὶ δῶρα προσοίσουσιν εἰς τὸν ναὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν ἐπουράνιον, συνεισερχόμενοι τῷ μεγάλῳ ἀρχιερεῖ. Ὅπως δὲ τοῦτο γένηται καὶ δι' ἔργων προχωρήσῃ, ἀναγκαίως ἐπηύξατο εἰπών· «Ἔντειλαι, ὁ Θεὸς, τὴν δύναμίν σου, δυνάμωσον, ὁ Θεὸς, τοῦτο ὃ κατειργάσω ἡμῖν.» «Ἐπιτίμησον τοῖς θηρίοις τοῦ καλάμου.» Ὥσπερ ηὔξατο συνεργῆσαι τοῖς προλεχθεῖσιν εἰπών· «Ἔντειλαι, ὁ Θεὸς, τὴν δύναμίν σου·» καὶ «∆υνάμωσον, ὁ Θεὸς, τοῦτο ὃ κατειργάσω ἡμῖν·» οὕτω πάλιν εὔχεται τὰ κωλύματα ἐκποδὼν ἀρθῆναι ἐκ μέσου, ὅπως ἀκωλύτως ὁ λόγος διαδράμῃ. Συνεώρα γὰρ τῇ προγνώσει τοὺς μέλλοντας ἐπανίστασθαι τῷ εὐαγγελικῷ κηρύγματι διωγμοὺς καὶ τοὺς νοητοὺς θῆρας, ὧν ηὔχετο ῥυσθῆναι ὁ εἰπών· «Μὴ παραδῷς τοῖς θηρίοις ψυχὰς ἐξομολογουμένας σοι·» θηρία δὲ καλάμου νοήσεις, μαθὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ὅπως εἴρηται ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου· «Ὑπὸ παντοδαπὰ δένδρα κοιμᾶται, παρὰ πάπυρον 23.716 καὶ κάλαμον καὶ βούτομον.» Οὐ γὰρ παρὰ συκῆν, οὐδὲ παρὰ ἄμπελον, οὐδὲ παρὰ ἐλαίαν, ἢ φοίνικα, ἤ τι τῶν τούτοις παραπλησίων, ἀλλὰ παρὰ πάπυρον καὶ κάλαμον καὶ βούτομον ἀναπαύεσθαί φησιν αὐτὸν, τὰς ἀτόνους καὶ καθύγρους καὶ μηδένα καρπὸν ἀναγκαῖον προφερούσας ψυχὰς τοῦτον αἰνιξάμενος τὸν τρόπον· παρὰ τοιαύταις γὰρ ἀνεπαύετο ὁ δράκων. ∆εινὰ δὲ θηρία καλάμου τυγχάνουσιν αἱ ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμεις, οἵ τε πονηροὶ δαίμονες καὶ τὰ ἰοβόλα καὶ ἑρπυστικὰ πνεύματα, οἷς ἐπιτιμῆσαι τὸν Θεὸν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον διὰ τῶν μετὰ χεῖρας εὔχεται λέγον· «Ἐπιτίμησον τοῖς θηρίοις τοῦ καλάμου.» Καὶ τῇ συναγωγῇ δὲ τῶν ταύρων, ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «συνόδῳ παμμεγέθων,» καὶ ταῖς δαμάλεσι τῶν λαῶν ἐπιτιμῆσαι ἱκετεύει· δαμάλεις δὲ λαῶν καὶ ταῦροι οἱ παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις εἰσὶ διῶκται τοῦ λόγου. Ὧν ἔργων τὸ ἑξῆς ἐπιλεγόμενον ἐν τῷ, «τοῦ ἐκκλεισθῆναι τοὺς δεδοκιμασμένους τῷ ἀργυρίῳ·» ὅπερ σαφέστερον ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Σύμμαχος εἰπών· «Τοῖς διαλακτίζουσι τοὺς εὐδοκήτους ὡς δοκιμὴν ἀργυρίου.» Οὗτοι γὰρ οἱ ταῦροι, καὶ αἱ προλεχθεῖσαι δαμάλεις, ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων τοῦ καλάμου ἐνεργούμεναι, τὴν πᾶσαν ποιοῦνται σπουδὴν πρὸς τὸ ἐκκλεισθῆναι τοὺς ἁγίους τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς ἐπηγγελμένης αὐτοῖς ἐλπίδος. Ἅγιοι δὲ Θεοῦ οἱ δεδοκιμασμένοι τῷ ἀργυρίῳ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ «τὰ λόγια Κυρίου ἁγνὰ, ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον,» οὕτως καὶ οἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωποι δεδοκιμασμένοι εἰσὶν ὡς τὸ ἀργύριον· διό φασιν· «Ἐδοκίμασας ἡμᾶς, ὁ Θεὸς, ἐπύρωσας ἡμᾶς ὡς πυροῦται τὸ ἀργύριον.» Οἱ οὖν θῆρες οἱ τοῦ καλάμου καὶ ἡ συναγωγὴ τῶν ταύρων, καὶ αἱ δαμάλεις τῶν λαῶν, τοὺς δεδοκιμασμένους τῷ ἀργυρίῳ ἀποκλεισθῆναι σπουδάζουσι τῆς ἐπηγγελμένης αὐτοῖς ἐλπίδος. Ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «∆ιαλακτίζουσι τούτους αὐτοὺς εὐδοκήτους ὄντας ὡς δοκιμὴν ἀργυρίου.» Ἵν' οὖν μὴ ἐμποδὼν γένωνται τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῦ Θεοῦ οἱ προλεχθέντες, ἀναγκαίως εἴρηται· «Ἐπιτίμησον τοῖς θηρίοις τοῦ καλάμου, ἡ συναγωγὴ τῶν ταύρων ἐν ταῖς δαμάλεσι τῶν λαῶν.» Καὶ ἄλλως ταύρους νοήσεις τοὺς Ἰουδαίων ἄρχοντας· δαμάλεις δὲ αὐτῶν τὰς ὑπὸ τούτους συναγωγὰς καὶ τοὺς λαοὺς τοὺς ἐπισυστάντας κατὰ τὸ πάθος τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν. Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τῷ λόγῳ ἡ ἐξ αὐτοῦ προσώπου τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐν καʹ ψαλμῷ φωνὴ φάσκουσα· «Ὅτι ἐκύκλωσάν με μόσχοι πολλοὶ, ταῦροι πίονες περιέσχον με. Ἤνοιξαν ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν.» ∆ι' ὧν ᾐνίττετο τοὺς ἄρχοντας τοῦ Ἰουδαίων λαοῦ καὶ τὰ ὑπ' αὐτοὺς πλήθη τὰ ἐπισυστάντα κατ' αὐτοῦ. «∆ιασκόρπισον ἔθνη τὰ τοὺς πολέμους θέλοντα.» Τὰ μὲν ἀνώτερα περὶ τῶν ἀντικειμένων δυνάμεων, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους ἐδηλοῦτο, τὰ δὲ προκείμενα περὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσι πολεμίων τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἑώρα τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τοὺς ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ ἀπομείναντας τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπαναστησομένους τοῖς πιστοῖς, καὶ διωγμοὺς κατὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Θεοῦ κινήσοντας, ἀναγκαίως καὶ περὶ τούτου εὔχεται λέγον·