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of Christ but also their own souls." And seeing these things, the ancient mother is filled with joy; then you will see and rejoice and be afraid and be amazed in your heart; but the phrase, 'and you will be afraid,' is not found among the other interpreters. For if "there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents," over so many nations turning, how will the souls of the saints who have gone before not rejoice, they who began the same piety and were perfected in it? And furthermore, such will rejoice seeing the wealth of the sea turning to her, and that of the nations and of all foreign peoples. Wherefore, according to Symmachus it is said: when the multitude of the sea turns to you, the power of the nations. And here also, observe how he likened the great multitude of those being saved to the multitude of the sea. And the power of the nations would be those who succeed, not having grown weak in the struggle of the life according to God, but being strengthened so as to say: "I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me." Therefore, she will first rejoice at their power, but after these things she will also see the other multitudes of those less perfect and more irrational in piety, whose ways he likened to herds of camels, saying: and herds of camels shall come to you, and the camels of Midian and Ephah shall cover you; all shall come from Sheba, bearing gold, and they shall bring frankincense; And I think that through these things he alludes to those in the church who are wealthy and overflowing with great riches. Thus, at any rate, the savior also, comparing "the rich man to a camel," said: "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." But this was the wonder, that "this which is impossible with men becomes possible with God." Wherefore Jerusalem is also amazed, being filled with joy, beholding souls compared to camels changing and, as it were, "through the eye of a needle," "through the narrow and afflicted way, entering into eternal life." And they did not approach without a burden, but offered gifts to God, fittingly "the ransom for their souls." And camels will come from Sheba, from the barbarian nations, the rest of the barbarian nations being signified through the one nation of the Shebans, that such camels were rational. Pay careful attention to how it is said concerning the same things: herds of camels will come to you, and the camels of Midian and Ephah will cover you; all will come from Sheba, bearing gold, and they will bring frankincense and will evangelize the salvation of the Lord; therefore, camels evangelize the salvation of the Lord, along with bearing the aforementioned gifts, frankincense, the spiritual fragrance of theology, and gold, bodily wealth. And Midian and Ephah are barbarian lands fertile in camels, like Sheba, situated beyond Arabia, among whom the race of camels is numerous; wherefore the word uses their image. But this was the most paradoxical thing of all, that the beastly and more irrational souls of the rich in the world, likened to camels because the animal is a burden-bearer, thick-skinned, and crooked, would be changed and come to such usefulness as to evangelize the salvation of the Lord themselves. And this salvation was Christ himself, but he also says the flocks of Kedar will be gathered, and the rams of Nebaioth will come and be offered upon the altar of God, and it seems to me that through such things the word charms and sweetens the infantile ears of the carnal Jews in order to draw them in and urge them to hasten to the life according to God. So that even thus, since they were not able in any other way, they might come into a desire for the promises of God, just as someone might condescend, lisping to an infant child; and would promise those things that seem familiar and most pleasant to a child's age for the encouragement of what he might wish to teach the child; for I think the same

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Χριστοῦ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχάς». Ταῦτα δὲ ὁρῶσα ἡ παλαιὰ μήτηρ χαρᾶς πίμπλαται· τότε ὄψει καὶ χαρήσῃ καὶ φοβηθήσῃ καὶ ἐκστήσῃ τῇ καρδίᾳ· τὸ δέ· καὶ φοβηθήσῃ, οὐκ ἐμφέρεται παρὰ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἑρμηνευταῖς. εἰ γὰρ «ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ χαρὰ γίνεται μετανοοῦντι ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς», ἐπὶ τοσούτοις ἔθνεσιν ἐπιστρέφουσι, πῶς οὐ χαρήσονται αἱ προεξελθοῦσαι τῶν ἁγίων ψυχαὶ αἱ τῆς αὐτῆς θεοσεβείας προαρξάμεναι καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τελειωθεῖσαι; ἔτι δὲ αἱ τοιαῦται χαρήσονται ὁρῶσαι μεταβάλλονται τῆς θαλάσσης τὸν πλοῦτον εἰς αὐτὴν καὶ τὸν τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ τῶν λαῶν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἁπάντων. διὸ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον εἴρηται· ὅταν μεταστραφῇ ἐπὶ σὲ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς θαλάσσης, ἡ δύναμις τῶν ἐθνῶν. καὶ ἐνταῦθα δὲ τήρει ὅπως τὴν πολλὴν πολυπλήθειαν τῶν σῳζομένων πλήθει θαλάσσης ἀπείκασεν. δύναμις δὲ τῶν ἐθνῶν οἱ κατορθοῦντες εἶεν ἂν μὴ ἐξασθενήσαντες πρὸς τὸν τόνον τοῦ κατὰ θεὸν βίου, ἀλλ' ἐνισχύοντες ὥστε λέγειν· «πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ». προηγουμένως μὲν οὖν χαρήσεται ἐπὶ τῇ τούτων δυνάμει, μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ ὄψεται καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πλήθη τῶν ἐν θεοσεβείᾳ ἀτελεστέρων καὶ ἀλογωτέρων, ὧν τοὺς τρόπους ἀγέλαις καμήλων ἀπείκασε φήσας· καὶ ἥξουσί σοι ἀγέλαι καμήλων, καὶ καλύψουσί σε κάμηλοι Μαδιὰμ καὶ Γεφάρ· πάντες ἐκ Βασὰν ἥξουσι φέροντες χρυσίον καὶ λίβανον οἴσουσιν· αἰνίττεσθαι δὲ οἶμαι διὰ τούτων τοὺς ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ εὐπόρους καὶ πλούτῳ πολλῷ περιρρεομένους. οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ «τὸν πλούσιον καμήλῳ» παραβάλλων ἔλεγεν· «εὐκοπώτερόν ἐστι κάμηλον διὰ τρυμαλιᾶς ῥαφίδος διελθεῖν ἢ πλούσιον εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν». πλὴν ἀλλὰ τὸ θαῦμα τοῦτ' ἦν, ὅτι «τὸ παρ' ἀνθρώποις ἀδύνατον τοῦτο δυνατὸν γίνεται τῷ θεῷ». διὸ καὶ ἐξίσταται ἡ Ἰερουσαλὴμ διὰ τοῦ χαρᾶς πληροῦσθαι καμήλοις παραβεβλημένας ψυχὰς θεωμένη μεταβαλλούσας καὶ ὡσπερεὶ «διὰ τρυμαλιᾶς ῥαφίδος» διὰ «τῆς στενῆς καὶ τεθλιμμένης ὁδοῦ εἰς τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν εἰσιούσας». οὐ δίχα δὲ φόρτου προσῄεσαν αὗται, δῶρα δὲ τῷ θεῷ προσφέρουσαι εἰκότως «τὰ λύτρα τῆς αὐτῶν ψυχῆς». κάμηλοι δὲ ἀπὸ Σαβὰ ἥξουσιν ἀπὸ τῶν βαρβαριαίων ἐθνῶν δι' ἑνὸς τοῦ τῶν Σαβαϊτῶν ἔθνους καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν βαρβάρων ἐθνῶν σημαινομένων, ὅτι δὲ λογικαὶ ἦσαν αἱ τοιαίδε κάμηλοι. πρόσσχες ἐπιμελῶς ὅπως περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν εἴρηται τό· ἥξουσί σοι ἀγέλαι καμήλων, καὶ καλύψουσί σε κάμηλοι Μαδιὰμ καὶ Γεφάρ· πάντες ἐκ Βασὰν ἥξουσι φέροντες χρυσίον καὶ λίβανον οἴσουσι καὶ τὸ σωτήριον κυρίου εὐαγγελιοῦνται· οὐκοῦν κάμηλοι τὸ σωτήριον κυρίου εὐαγγελιοῦνται μετὰ τοῦ δῶρα φέρειν τὰ προλεχθέντα, λίβανον μὲν τὴν τῆς θεολογίας πνευματικὴν εὐωδίαν, χρυσὸν δὲ τὴν σωματικὴν εὐπορίαν. ἡ δὲ Μαδιὰμ καὶ Γεφὰρ γόνιμοι καμήλων εἰσὶ χῶραι βαρβάρων ὡς καὶ ἡ Σαβὰ ὑπὲρ τὴν Ἀραβίαν κείμεναι, παρ' οἷς πολυπληθεῖ τὸ τῶν καμήλων γένος· διὸ τῇ τούτων κέχρηται ὁ λόγος εἰκόνι. πλὴν ἀλλὰ τὸ μάλιστα παραδοξότατον τοῦτο ἦν τὸ μεταβληθήσεσθαι τὰς κτηνώδεις καὶ ἀλογωτέρας τῶν κατὰ κόσμον πλουσίων ψυχὰς καμήλοις ἀπεικασμένας διὰ τὸ ἀχθοφόρον καὶ πολύτομον καὶ σκολιὸν τοῦ ζῴου καὶ εἰς τοσαύτην ὠφέλειαν ἐλθεῖν ὡς τὸ σωτήριον κυρίου εὐαγγελίζεσθαι αὐτάς. τοῦτο δὲ ἦν τὸ σωτήριον αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστός, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πρόβατα Κηδάρ φησι συναχθήσεσθαι καὶ κριοὺς Ναβεὼθ ἥξειν καὶ ἀνενεχθήσεσθαι ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τοῦ θεοῦ, καί μοι δοκεῖ διὰ τοιούτων ὁ λόγος θέλγειν καὶ ἐκγλυκαίνειν τὰς ἀκοὰς τὰς νηπιώδεις τῶν σωματικῶν Ἰουδαίων εἰς τὸ ἐφελκύσασθαι αὐτὰς καὶ προτρέψαι σπεύδειν ἐπὶ τὴν κατὰ θεὸν πολιτείαν. ἵνα κἂν οὕτως ἐπεὶ μὴ ἄλλως οἷοι τ' ἦσαν, ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ γένοιντο τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπαγγελιῶν ὡσεὶ καὶ νηπίῳ παιδὶ συμψελλίζων τις ὑποβαίνοι· καὶ τὰ τῇ παιδικῇ ἡλικίᾳ γνώριμά τε καὶ ἥδιστα εἶναι δοκοῦντα ὑπισχνεῖτο εἰς προτροπὴν ὧν ἂν βούλοιτο διδάσκειν τὸν παῖδα· τὸν γὰρ αὐτὸν οἶμαι