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having spoken of pines and cedars according to the law of allegory, through which the holy place of God is glorified, the place of his feet, that is, the church. In addition to all these things, since many, being jealous of the people of God, are sawn asunder in their souls, having been able to do nothing, they are humbled and play the hypocrite, pretending to honor and to receive the word of salvation with irony, the prophet did not pass over the memory of these things. wherefore he says: And the sons of those who humbled you and provoked you shall come to you fearing; and otherwise, we know many of those who formerly blasphemed the church and provoked her and persecuted have changed and have come to worship the God in her. And then, he says: you shall be called the City of the Lord, Zion; for then truly, when "the fullness of the Gentiles has come in," then "all Israel will be saved." For the choir of the ancient saints of God, having been united with the people of the Gentiles joined together through Christ and having become "one body," will make one connected city. wherefore the "body" united from all will be called city of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Then he adds: Because you have been forsaken and hated, and there was no one to help, for since "if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it," those in the former people who transgressed and "the natural branches of the good olive tree having been cut off," have become forsaken and hated, and there was no one to help them. But now, in place of "the branches that were cut off," those "from the wild olive tree" having been brought in have filled up the lacking part of the place of those who were cast out, and so by the power of the Savior the fullness of those who are being saved was established, and one perfect choir of God from both peoples, and one city from both orders called Zion of God, to which, when perfected, he promises the following, saying: And I will make you an everlasting joy, a gladness from generation to generation. And again he proclaims that she will be provided the milk of the nations, saying: and you shall suck the milk of nations; and what might the milk of nations be if not the new mystery of the evangelical teaching and the elementary teaching of the new covenant, in which those who are born again in Christ partake? and he promises the wealth of kings to the people indicated. again here also one must not think of other kings than those worthy of the beatitudes, to whom the Savior has promised "the kingdom of heaven." But who, seeing provisions granted to the church of God by the rulers, and rich gifts and offerings being brought to her, would not say without a doubt that these things have been confirmed even literally from all that has been said; you will know, he says, that I am the Lord who saves you and the God of Jacob who delivers you. But in addition to what has been rendered, learn these things also, that there will no longer be need of useless wood; for these are the leavings of fire, nor of stones, that is, of foolish souls, will you have need. wherefore instead of these I will bring you things more precious than these, and the men formerly of bronze and resistant, and harsher than any iron and hardened in their ways, having been changed into gold and silver, will fit into "your building according to God." And the foolish and more senseless than dry wood, having changed, will be useful to you instead of bronze and iron, becoming better than themselves and more useful for "the building of God" according to the first ones, who instead of bronze and iron, exchanged the value of gold and silver. But when these things have thus advanced, your rulers in peace will henceforth lead their own life, presiding over and guiding the church of God, whom, if it is necessary to anticipate with prophetic foreknowledge to address by the proper name of bishops, God has already from this point named them, saying: And I will make your rulers peace and your bishops righteousness. To these things he adds this: and injustice shall no longer be heard in your land, that is, in the

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πεύκας καὶ κέδρους κατὰ νόμον ἀλληγορίας εἰπών, δι' ὧν δοξάζεται ὁ τόπος ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ τόπος τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, δηλαδὴ ἡ ἐκκλησία. Πρὸς τούτοις ἅπασιν ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ διαφθονούμενοι τῷ λαῷ τοῦ θεοῦ διαπρίονται τὰς ψυχὰς μηδὲν δεδυνημένοι, ταπεινοῦνται καὶ καθυποκρίνονται προσποιούμενοι τιμᾶν καὶ τὸν σωτήριον λόγον μετ' εἰρωνείας ἀποδέχεσθαι, οὐδὲ τὴν τούτων μνήμην παρῆλθεν ὁ προφήτης. διό φησι· καὶ πορεύσονται πρὸς σὲ δεδοικότες υἱοὶ ταπεινωσάντων σε καὶ παροξυνάντων σε· καὶ ἄλλως δὲ τῶν πάλαι βλασφημησάντων τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ παροξυνάντων αὐτὴν καὶ διωξάντων πολλοὺς ἴσμεν μεταβαλόντας καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ προσκυνεῖν τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ θεὸν ἐληλυθότας. καὶ τότε δέ φησι· κληθήσῃ Πόλις κυρίου Σιών· τότε γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς, ἐπειδὰν «τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ», τότε «πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται». ἑνωθεὶς γὰρ ὁ τῶν παλαιῶν ἁγίων τοῦ θεοῦ χορὸς τῷ ἐθνῶν διὰ Χριστοῦ συναφθέντι λαῷ καὶ «ἓν σῶμα» γενόμενος μίαν συνημμένην πόλιν ἐργάσεται. διὸ κληθήσεται τὸ ἐξ ἁπάντων ἑνωθὲν «σῶμα» πόλις κυρίου Σιὼν ἁγίου Ἰσραήλ. Εἶτα ἐπιλέγει· διὰ τὸ γεγενῆσθαί σε ἐγκαταλελειμμένην καὶ μεμισημένην, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ βοηθῶν, ἐπειδὴ γὰρ «πάσχοντος μέλους συμπάσχει πάντα τὰ μέλη» τῶν ἐν τῷ προτέρῳ λαῷ παραβεβηκότων καὶ «τῶν κατὰ φύσιν κλάδων τῆς καλλιελαίου ἐκκοπέντων» γεγόνασιν ἐγκαταλελειμμένοι καὶ μεμισημένοι, καὶ οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς ὁ βοηθῶν. νυνὶ δὲ ἀντὶ «τῶν ἀποκοπέντων κλάδων» ἀντεισαχθέντων οἱ «ἐκ τῆς ἀγριελαίου» ἀντανεπλήρωσαν τὸ ὑστεροῦν μέρος τῆς τῶν ἀποβληθέντων χώρας καὶ οὕτω τῇ τοῦ σωτῆρος δυνάμει συνέστη τὸ τῶν σῳζομένων πλήρωμα καὶ τέλειος θεοῦ χορὸς εἷς ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν λαῶν, μία τε πόλις ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν ταγμάτων ἡ καλουμένη τοῦ θεοῦ Σιών, ᾗ τελειωθείσῃ ἐπαγγέλλεται τὰ ἑξῆς λέγων· καὶ θήσω σε ἀγαλλίαμα αἰώνιον καὶ εὐφροσύνην γενεῶν γενεαῖς. Καὶ πάλιν τῶν ἐθνῶν τὸ γάλα παρέξειν αὐτῇ θεσπίζει λέγων· καὶ θηλάσεις γάλα ἐθνῶν· γάλα δὲ ἐθνῶν τί ποτ' ἂν εἴη εἰ μὴ τὸ καινὸν μυστήριον τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς διδασκαλίας καὶ ἡ στοιχειώδης διδασκαλία τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης, ἧς μετέχουσιν οἱ ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναγεννώμενοι; καὶ τὸν πλοῦτον δὲ τῶν βασιλέων ἐπαγγέλλεται τῷ δηλουμένῳ λαῷ. πάλιν κἀνταῦθα βασιλέας οὐχ ἑτέρους χρὴ νοεῖν ἢ τοὺς τῶν μακαρισμῶν ἀξίους, οἷς ὁ σωτὴρ ἐπήγγελται «τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν». τίς δὲ ὁρῶν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ σιτοδοσίας χορηγουμένας παρὰ τῶν κρατούντων, δῶρά τε αὐτῇ καὶ ἀναθήματα πλούσια προσφερόμενα, οὐκ ἀναμφιβόλως εἴποι ἂν αὐτὰ καὶ πρὸς λέξιν πεπιστῶσθαι ἐξ ἁπάντων δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων· ἐπιγνώσῃ φησὶν ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος ὁ σῴζων σε καὶ ὁ ἐξαιρούμενός σε θεὸς Ἰακώβ. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ πρὸς τοῖς ἀποδοθεῖσι καὶ ταῦτα μάνθανε, ὡς οὐκέτι ξύλων ἀργῶν δεήσει· πυρὸς γὰρ ταῦτα ἀποβρώματα, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ λίθων, τοῦτ' ἔστι ψυχῶν ἠλιθίων, ἔσται σοι χρεία. διὸ ἀντὶ τούτων οἴσω σοι τὰ τούτων τιμιώτερα, οἵ τε πάλαι χάλκεοι καὶ ἀντίτυποι ἄνδρες σιδήρου τε παντὸς τραχύτεροι καὶ ἀπόσκληροι τοὺς τρόπους μεταβληθέντες εἰς χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον ἐφαρμόσουσι «τῇ σῇ κατὰ θεὸν οἰκοδομῇ». καὶ οἱ ἠλίθιοι δὲ καὶ ξύλων ξηρῶν ἀναισθητότεροι μεταβαλόντες ἀντὶ χαλκοῦ καὶ σιδήρου χρησιμεύσουσί σοι, βελτίους μὲν ἑαυτῶν γενησόμενοι καὶ χρησιμώτεροι «τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκοδομῇ» κατὰ τοὺς πρώτους, οἳ ἀντὶ χαλκοῦ καὶ σιδήρου, χρυσοῦ τε καὶ ἀργύρου τιμὴν ἀντικατηλλάξαντο. ἀλλὰ γὰρ τούτων ὧδέ πη προχωρησάντων οἱ ἄρχοντές σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον τοῦ λοιποῦ διάξουσιν ἐπιστατοῦντες καὶ καθηγούμενοι τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ θεοῦ, οὓς εἰ χρὴ προλαβόντας προγνώσει προφητικῇ κυρίῳ προσειπεῖν ὀνόματι ἐπισκόπους ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη θεὸς αὐτοὺς ἐπωνόμασεν εἰπών· καὶ καταστήσω τοὺς ἄρχοντάς σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ καὶ τοὺς ἐπισκόπους σου ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ. Τούτοις ἐπιλέγει τό· καὶ οὐκέτι ἀκουσθήσεται ἀδικία ἐν τῇ γῇ σου, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἐν τῇ