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had power? For it is written about God: "He who holds the circle of the earth, and those who dwell in it are as grasshoppers." And Isaiah says: "Are not all the nations as a drop from a bucket, and will be reckoned as saliva, and were reckoned as the turn of a balance? To whom have you likened the Lord?" But Aquila, instead of 'Whom did you fear that you lied to me,' says, 'But you remained from eternity fearless and without a hold;' showing that, even if you ever seemed to profess to worship God, even then you falsified the profession, For you did not even before this take me into memory, and you have remained such even now. Therefore I will leave you desolate, and henceforth avenging wrath will seize you, convicting you of your evils. And who of your gods will then deliver you? and elsewhere he says: "And in the time of evils they will say," he says, "Arise, save us." But instead of, 'let them deliver you in your affliction,' Symmachus says, 'let your gatherings deliver you;' clearly teaching that their gatherings are useless; unless perhaps he so called the multitude of idols they had assembled. But these, he says, the wind will take away, speaking either of the gods or of those who were accused. For through Ezekiel he also says to their Synagogue: "As you have done, so shall it be to you." And Isaiah also says: "Woe to the lawless one; it shall happen to him according to the works of his hands." And now he says that as you have overlooked me, you will be overlooked, suffering justly in return for your evils. And so much for these things. But those who have chosen the good portion, God, will have the fitting reward. For they will possess the land promised to the meek, and a holy mountain, the heavenly city; who will also appear as teachers of others, exhorting them to make level the ways of the people, making teachings that have nothing crooked in them pure and smooth. For he who is justified before God does not care for his own salvation alone, but also commands to make level the way of godliness, and to remove the seeming stumbling blocks from the divine 2580 readings through their clearer interpretation. It would be fitting for these things to be said about the choir of the apostles, who inherited the holy mountain. About which David also says: "Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord;" and the things that follow. Who, holding fast to the love of Christ, said, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" to whom, he says, it will be said, "Prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight." In what way? 'Take up the stumbling blocks,' he says. That is, show the smooth way, the way through faith, by removing from the midst the legal commandments, which were difficult to achieve. Such also is, "Go through my gates, and cast the stones from the way." That is, free the way from difficulties. But others have interpreted the whole saying thus: After the promise of the things foretold, he shows how by their manner of life they will attain them. After which he comforts the proselytes; then the eunuchs who think it a curse not to have seed in the blessed race, nor to be able to receive an inheritance in the land of promise. And he necessarily advised these things to those who were about to be under the decree spoken to Hezekiah, that from his lineage they would make eunuchs; to which Daniel and the three young men fell subject, and they received comfort through these things, as not pursuing the commands of God without benefit. Therefore he says he will gather such men together with the pious foreigners. But to the other disobedient ones he foretells the things that will happen from the Chaldeans, who will leap upon them like wild beasts. And the reason is that they were willingly made foolish, imitating rabid dogs, who do not recognize their masters, nor those who feed them, nor are able to bark; which indeed they have suffered. For hearing, as in sleep and in beds, the things spoken by demons, they feigned drowsiness, leaving aside the things foretold by God with proof at hand, with the sun having turned back, and the one hundred and eighty-five thousand having been slain. Being blind to these things, they did not get their fill of evils; but also seeing the circumstances which happen to the just,

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ἴσχυεν; γέγραπται γὰρ περὶ Θεοῦ· "Ὁ κατέχων τὸν γύρον τῆς γῆς, καὶ οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ, ὡς ἀκρίδες." Καὶ Ἡσαΐας δέ φησιν· "Οὐχὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὡς σταγὼν ἀπὸ κάδου, καὶ ὡς σίαλος λογισθήσονται, καὶ ὡς ῥοπὴ ζυγοῦ ἐλογίσθησαν; τίνι ὡμοιώσατε Κύριον;" ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας ἀντὶ τοῦ τίνα φοβηθεῖσα ἐψεύσω με, ∆ιέμεινες δέ φησιν, ἐξ αἰῶνος ἄφοβος καὶ ἄνευ λαβῆς· δεικνὺς ὡς, εἰ καί ποτε θεοσεβεῖν ἔδοξας ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι, καὶ τότε τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἐψεύσω, Οὐδὲ γὰρ πρὸ τούτους ἔλαβές με πρὸς μνήμην, καὶ δὲ νῦν τοιαύτη παρέμεινας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καταλείψω σε ἔρημον, καὶ λοιπὸν ἔκδικος ὀργή σε καταλήψεται, τὰ σὰ κακὰ διελέγχουσα. Καὶ τίς σε τότε τῶν σῶν ἐξελεῖται θεῶν; καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ δέ φησιν· "Καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῶν κακῶν ἐροῦσι, φησὶν, Ἀνάστα, σῶσον ἡμᾶς." Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ἐξελέσθωσάν σε ἐν τῇ θλίψει σου· Σύμμαχος ἐξελέσθωσάν σε, φησὶν, αἱ συναγωγαί σου· σαφῶς διδάσκων ἀνωφελεῖς εἶναι τὰς αὐτῶν συναγωγάς· εἰ μὴ ἄρα τῶν συνηγμένων αὐτοῖς εἰδώλων οὕτω τὸ πλῆθος ἐκάλεσεν. Τούτους δὲ, φησὶν, ἄνεμος λήψεται, ἢ τοὺς θεοὺς, ἢ τοὺς κατηγορηθέντας λέγων. Καὶ δι' Ἰεζεκιὴλ γάρ φησι πρὸς τὴν τούτων Συναγωγήν· "Καθὼς ἐποίησας, οὕτως ἔσται σοι." Καὶ Ἡσαΐας δέ φησιν· "Οὐαὶ τῷ ἀνόμῳ· κατὰ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ συμβήσεται αὐτῷ." Καὶ νῦν δέ φησιν ὡς παριδοῦσά με παροραθήσῃ, ἀντὶ τῶν σῶν κακῶν παθοῦσα δικαίως. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν τούτοις. Οἱ δὲ τὴν καλὴν ἐπιλεξάμενοι μερίδα, τὸν Θεὸν, τὴν πρέπουσαν ἕξουσιν ἀμοιβήν. Κτήσονται γὰρ τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην τοῖς πραέσι γῆν, καὶ ὄρος ἅγιον, τὴν ἐπουράνιον πόλιν· οἳ καὶ ἑτέρων φανοῦνται διδάσκαλοι, παραινοῦντες αὐτοῖς ἐξομαλίζειν τὰς ὁδοὺς τοῦ λαοῦ, καθαρὰς ποιουμένους καὶ λείας διδασκαλίας σκολιὸν ἐχούσας μηδέν. Οὐ φροντίζει γὰρ μόνης τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας ὁ κατορθώσας παρὰ Θεῷ, προστάττει δὲ καὶ τὴν τῆς θεοσεβείας ἐξομαλίζειν ὁδὸν, καὶ τὰ δοκοῦντα προσκόμματα τῶν θείων ἀνα 2580 γνωσμάτων περιαιρεῖν διὰ τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ σαφέστερον αὑτῶν ἑρμηνείας. Πρέποι δ' ἂν εἰρῆσθαι ταῦτα περὶ τοῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων χοροῦ, οἳ τὸ ἅγιον ἐκληρονόμησαν ὄρος. Περὶ οὗ φησι καὶ ∆αβίδ· "Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ Κυρίου·" καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τούτῳ. Οἳ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἀγάπης σφοδρῶς ἀντεχόμενοι ἔλεγον, "Τίς ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ;" οἷς ῥηθήσεται, φησὶν, τὸ, "Ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου. Εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ." Τίνα δὲ τρόπον Ἄρατε σκῶλα, φησίν; τοῦτ' ἔστι τὴν λείαν ὁδὸν, τὴν διὰ πίστεως ὑποδείξατε αἰρομένων ἐκ μέσου τῶν νομικῶν ἐνταλμάτων, ἅπερ ἦν δυσκατόρθωτα. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ, "Πορεύεσθε διὰ τῶν πυλῶν μου, καὶ τοὺς λίθους διὰ τῆς ὁδοῦ ῥίψατε." Τοῦτ' ἔστι δυσχερείας ἀπαλλάξατε τὴν ὁδόν. Ἄλλοι δὲ τὴν πᾶσαν οὕτως ἐξηγήσαντο ῥῆσιν· Μετὰ τὴν τῶν προλεχθέντων ἐπαγγελίαν, ὑποδείκνυσι πῶς βιοῦντες αὐτῶν ἐπιτεύξονται. Μεθ' ἃ παραμυθεῖται τοὺς προσηλύτους· εἶτα τοὺς εὐνούχους κατάραν οἰομένους τὸ μὴ σπέρμα ἐν τῷ εὐλογημένῳ γένει κεκτῆσθαι, μηδὲ κληρονομίαν δύνασθαι λαβεῖν ἐν τῇ γῇ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας. Ἀναγκαίως δὲ ταῦτα συνεβούλευε τοῖς μέλλουσιν ὑπὸ τὴν ἀπόφασιν κεῖσθαι τὴν ῥηθεῖσαν πρὸς Ἐζεκίαν, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ γένους αὐτοῦ ποιήσουσι σπάδοντας· ᾗπερ ὑποπεσὼν ∆ανιὴλ, καὶ οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες, παραμυθίας διὰ τούτων ἐτύγχανον, ὡς μὴ ἀνονήτως τοῦ Θεοῦ μετιόντες τὰς ἐντολάς. Τοὺς οὖν τοιούτους μετὰ τῶν εὐσεβούντων ἀλλογενῶν ἐπισυνάξειν φησί. Τοῖς δὲ ἄλλοις ἀπειθοῦσι προλέγει τὰ συμβησόμενα παρὰ Χαλδαίων δίκην θηρίων ἐμπηδώντων αὐτοῖς. Τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, ὅτι ἑκόντες ἐμωράνθησαν, τοὺς κύνας τοὺς λυττῶντας μιμησάμενοι, τοὺς μὴ δεσπότας γνωρίζοντας, μή τε τοὺς τρέφοντας, μήθ' ὑλακτεῖν δυναμένους· ὃ δὴ πεπόνθασιν. Ἀκούοντες γὰρ, ὡς ἐν ὕπνῳ, καὶ κοίταις, τὰ παρὰ τῶν δαιμόνων λεγόμενα, προσεποιοῦντο νυσταγμὸν, ἀφέντες τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ μετ' ἀποδείξεως τῶν ἐν ποσὶ προλεγόμενα, τοῦ μὲν ἡλίου ἀναποδίσαντος, τῶν δὲ ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα πέντε χιλιάδων ἀνῃρημένων. Πρὸς ἃ τυφλώττοντες, τῶν κακῶν οὐκ ἐλάμβανον κόρον· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς περιστάσεις ὁρῶντες, αἳ τοῖς δικαίοις συμβαίνουσι,