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manner, along with delivering mystical and divine thoughts to those whose souls are enlightened, veiling the word as he addressed the Jewish people, who were infants in understanding, by proffering the promises in words and expressions familiar and customary to them. And perhaps all these things would have been fulfilled for them literally in this way, if they had accepted our savior and lord Jesus Christ, as we have already said before. Therefore, when the word had exhorted them to be enlightened, it added the connected things that follow, if they should be enlightened by the light of saving grace. But when the light first shone on them and they did not partake of it, it followed that they should also not enjoy the things that were brought forth next; therefore, they on the one hand fell short of the things expected for them, but God, fulfilling his promises, showed them to be true, being established in a spiritual sense as befitting divine pledges. For that the divine scripture knows how to represent the more simple rational souls among men as sheep is clear from the voice of the gospel that says: “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Therefore it adds: and all the sheep of Kedar shall be gathered to you, and the rams of Nebaioth shall come. And again, Kedar is interpreted as darkness; and it is said to be around the desert of the so-called barbarian Saracens. And again, Nebaioth would be some other country foreign to the land of Israel. Therefore, just as it said that certain foreign and alien camels would come from Midian and Ephah and from Sheba, so also with the sheep and rams from Kedar and Nebaioth, alluding to the foreign and alien nature of such nations. Therefore, through the camels the well-off and rich among men were indicated, and through the sheep the most gentle and simple, and through the rams the more prominent of those from the nations who were converting; whom the word says will be brought up as gifts to the altar of God. And it is possible to see the saying being fulfilled, whenever one might see such souls from the conversion of the nations having dedicated themselves to the word of piety and attending to the service of the altar of God; for then especially through the conversion and salvation of such people the church of God is glorified. Therefore it is said next: And the house of my prayer shall be glorified. These things, therefore, were promised to the old Jerusalem, the mother of the new city, which they said was the assembly of the prophets and patriarchs, righteous and God-loving men, who were perfected in the old people, to whom the word first preached the good news of the coming of Christ. But the things that follow are brought forth from the person of these same people, through which it is said: Who are these that fly like clouds, and like doves with their young to me? And we will understand this by paying attention to the voice of Paul teaching, that indeed “we who are alive, who are left until the coming of Christ, will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will always be with the Lord,” being joined, that is, and brought together with the choir of those who were perfected in the former people. Therefore, marveling at the grace of Christ poured out upon men and the multitude of those being saved from the nations, and their flight to heaven after their departure from life, they say: Who are these that fly like clouds, and like doves with their young to me? The islands waited for me; and the word often alluded to the churches as islands, signifying them also in the preceding passages. Since, therefore, the churches of God, going through the prophecies, were expecting the promises that had been promised to the fathers, it rightly says: The islands waited for me, but also the ships of Tarshish among the first, to bring your children; And the ships of Tarshish allude to the bodies on which the souls sailed through mortal life. And Tarshish, again, was a country of foreigners; therefore concerning the unbelieving foreigners it is said somewhere: “with a violent wind you will shatter the ships of Tarshish.” But those, on the one hand, were “shattered,”

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τρόπον μετὰ τοῦ μυστικὰ καὶ θεῖα νοήματα παραδιδόναι τοῖς τὰς ψυχὰς πεφωτισμένοις συνεσκιασμένως τὸν λόγον ὡς νηπίοις τὰς φρένας τῷ Ἰουδαίων προσομιλῶν λαῷ ταῖς γνωρίμοις καὶ συνήθεσιν αὐτοῖς λέξεσί τε καὶ φωναῖς τὰς ἐπαγγελίας προϊσχόμενον. τάχα δέ που καὶ ταῦτα πάντα σωματικῶς οὕτως ἐπληρώθη ἂν εἰς αὐτούς, εἰ τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἦσαν παραδεδεγμένοι, ὡς εἴρηται ἡμῖν ἤδη πρότερον. παρακελευσάμενος γοῦν αὐτοῖς ὁ λόγος φωτίζεσθαι ἐπήγαγε τὰ ἑξῆς συνημμένα, εἰ φωτισθεῖεν τῷ φωτὶ τῆς σωτηρίου χάριτος. ὅτε δὲ τοῦ φωτὸς πρώτοις ἐπιλάμψαντος οὐ μετέσχον, ἀκόλουθον ἦν μηδὲ τῶν ἑξῆς ἐπιφερομένων ἀπολαῦσαι αὐτούς· διόπερ οἱ μὲν τῶν προσδοκηθέντων αὐτοῖς ἐξέπεσον, ὁ δὲ θεὸς τὰς αὐτοῦ πληρῶν ἐπαγγελίας ἀψευδεῖς αὐτὰς παρίστη κατὰ διάνοιαν συνισταμένας θείαις ὑποσχέσεσι πρεπόντως. ὅτι γὰρ πρόβατα οἶδεν ἡ θεία γραφὴ ψυχὰς λογικὰς τὰς ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἀφελεστέρας παραστῆσαι ἐστὶν ἐκ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς φωνῆς τῆς λεγούσης· «πορεύεσθε πρὸς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ». διὸ ἐπάγει· καὶ πάντα τὰ πρόβατα Κηδὰρ συναχθήσονταί σοι, καὶ κριοὶ Ναβεὼθ ἥξουσι. πάλιν δὲ καὶ ἡ Κηδὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται μὲν σκοτασμός· λέγεται δὲ ἀμφὶ τὴν ἔρημον εἶναι τῶν καλουμένων βαρβάρων Σαρακηνῶν. καὶ πάλιν Ναβεὼθ ἑτέρα τις εἴη χώρα ἀλλοτρία τῆς γῆς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. ὥσπερ οὖν καμήλους ξένας τινὰς καὶ ἀλλοτρίας παρέσεσθαι ἔλεγεν ἀπὸ Μαδιὰμ καὶ Γεφὰρ καὶ ἀπὸ Σαβά, οὕτω καὶ τὰ πρόβατα καὶ κριοὺς ἀπὸ Κηδὰρ καὶ Ναβεὼθ τὸ ἀλλογενὲς καὶ ἀλλόφυλον τῶν τοιούτων ἐθνῶν αἰνιττόμενος. διὰ μὲν οὖν τῶν καμήλων οἱ εὔποροι καὶ πλούσιοι τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἐδηλοῦντο, διὰ δὲ τῶν προβάτων οἱ ἡμερώτατοι καὶ ἁπλούστατοι, διὰ δὲ τῶν κριῶν οἱ ἀρχικώτεροι τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐπιστρεφόντων· οὓς ἀνενεχθήσεσθαι δῶρα ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τοῦ θεοῦ φησιν ὁ λόγος. καὶ ἔστι τὸ λόγιον πληρούμενον θεάσασθαι, ἐπειδὰν ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπιστροφῆς τοιάσδε ψυχὰς ἴδοι τις ἀναθείσας ἑαυτὰς τῷ τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγῳ καὶ τῇ λειτουργίᾳ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου προσεδρευούσας τοῦ θεοῦ· τότε γὰρ μάλιστα διὰ τῆς τῶν τοιούτων ἐπιστροφῆς τε καὶ σωτηρίας ἡ ἐκκλησία τοῦ θεοῦ δοξάζεται. διὸ λέλεκται ἑξῆς· καὶ ὁ οἶκος τῆς προσευχῆς μου δοξασθήσεται. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπηγγέλλετο τῇ πάλαι Ἰερουσαλὴμ τῇ μητρὶ τῆς νέας πόλεως, ἣν ἔφασκον μὲν εἶναι τὸ σύστημα τῶν ἐν τῷ παλαιῷ λαῷ κατορθωσάντων προφητῶν καὶ πατριαρχῶν, δικαίων τε καὶ θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν, οἷος ὁ λόγος πρώτοις τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν εὐηγγελίζετο. Τὰ δ' ἑξῆς ἐκ προσώπου τούτων αὐτῶν ἐπιφέρεται, δι' ὧν εἴρηται· τίνες οἵδε ὡς νεφέλαι πέτονται καὶ ὡς περιστεραὶ σὺν νεοσσοῖς ἐπ' ἐμέ; καὶ τοῦτο δὲ νοήσομεν ἐπιστήσαντες τῇ Παύλου φωνῇ διδασκούσῃ, ὡς ἄρα «ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι εἰς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἁρπαγησόμεθα ἐν νεφέλαις εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ κυρίου εἰς ἀέρα· καὶ οὕτως πάντοτε σὺν κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα», συναφθέντες δηλαδὴ καὶ συγκαταγαγέντες τῷ χορῷ τῶν ἐν τῷ προτέρῳ λαῷ κατωρθωκότων. διὸ ἀποθαυμάζοντες τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους χυθεῖσαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριν καὶ τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν σῳζομένων τὸ πλῆθος, τήν τε εἰς οὐρανοὺς αὐτῶν ἀνάπτησιν τὴν μετὰ τὴν ἔξοδον τοῦ βίου φασί· τίνες οἵδε ὡς νεφέλαι πέτονται καὶ ὡς περιστεραὶ σὺν νεοσσοῖς ἐπ' ἐμέ; ἐμὲ νῆσοι ὑπέμειναν· τὰς ἐκκλησίας δὲ νήσους καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ὁ λόγος πολλάκις ᾐνίττετο σημαίνων. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τὰς ἐπηγγελμένας πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ἐπαγγελίας αἱ ἐκκλησίαι τοῦ θεοῦ τὰς προφητείας διερχόμεναι προσεδόκων, εἰκότως φησίν· ἐμὲ νῆσοι ὑπέμειναν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλοῖα Θαρσεῖς ἐν πρώτοις, ἀγαγεῖν τὰ τέκνα σου· πλοῖα δὲ Θαρσεῖς αἰνίττεται τὰ σώματα οἷς ἐπενήξαντο κατὰ τὸν θνητὸν βίον αἱ ψυχαί. Θαρσεῖς δὲ πάλιν ἀλλοφύλων ἐτύγχανε χώρα· διὸ περὶ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἀπίστων εἴρηταί που· «πνεύματι βιαίῳ συντρίψεις πλοῖα Θαρσεῖς». ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα μὲν «συνετρίβετο»,