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of the poor. For God is not of the luxurious, nor of the haughty and boastful, but of the humble and poor. Therefore it is said: "On whom shall I look, if not on the meek and humble, and quiet, and who trembles at my words?" Therefore seek God with confidence, knowing that the Lord will hearken to you who are poor, and will not despise his fettered ones; or according to Symmachus, "And he will not despise his own prisoners." And you will understand how these poor have become prisoners and fettered on hearing Paul say: "Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ;" in a similar way the rest of the disciples were also prisoners of Christ. But also those who are in the tent, as if in bonds, groan, imploring to be released from the bonds; which is why they say: "Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?" Therefore those who are weighed down by the corruptible body, and who turn away from corruption, and who groan over this corruptible life, happen to be prisoners of God, and his fettered ones, whose prayers he will not despise, nor will he turn away from them. But those who fatten their own bonds, and tend to them through much luxury, would reasonably be called prisoners of corruption and death. "Let the heavens and earth praise him, the sea and all things that creep in it." Since he promised the kingdom of heaven to the poor, saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven;" very consequently after the word concerning the poor he adds: "Let the heav 23.765 ens praise him." Since throughout the whole world, on land and sea, Churches were about to be established for God from the aforementioned poor, it is consequently added, "and earth and sea and all things that creep in them." And the creeping things on land and sea, commanded here to praise along with heaven and earth, happen to be the nations, which in the mortal life of men, in the manner of reptiles, formerly went upon their breast and belly. And in Isaiah, the nations are called beasts and reptiles in an allegorical manner, where it is said: "And the wolf shall graze with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the lion shall eat straw like an ox. And a nursing child shall put his hand on the hole of asps and on the lair of the offspring of asps, and they shall not do harm;" which the word, interpreting next, adds: "And there shall be the root of Jesse, and he who rises to rule the nations, in him shall the nations hope." Therefore, since this change of the nations occurs at the coming of Christ, it is fitting that the afore-mentioned reptiles are commanded to praise God along with heaven and the angels in heaven. Therefore it has been said: "Let the heavens and the earth praise him, the sea and all things that creep in them." But how can reptiles praise God, unless they partake of wisdom and the knowledge of God? Shall not the reptiles therefore offer the sacrifice of praise? That it alludes to men through these things, the Gospel teaches, in which it is written: "Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance." "For God will save Zion, and the cities of Judea will be built." It gives the reason for which the heavens and earth and sea and all things in them are said to praise God. And this is the reason, "For God will save Zion, and the cities of Judea will be built." But which Zion, if not clearly the Church of our Savior established throughout the whole world? And do not hesitate to call the divinely-inspired Scriptures the cities of Judea, through which the Jewish polity has been fashioned. But these cities were destroyed, as far as the Jews were concerned, but they have been built up through the new teaching in Christ; through which also the true circumcision is established, and the spiritual Sabbaths, and the spiritual sacrifices and everything consistent with these according to the interpretation of the spiritual law. Thus, therefore, are the cities of Judea built,

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πενήτων. Οὐ γὰρ τρυφώντων ἐστὶν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐδὲ ἐπῃρμένων καὶ ἀλαζονευομένων, ἀλλὰ ταπεινῶν καὶ πενήτων. ∆ιὸ εἴρηται· «Ἐπὶ τίνα ἐπιβλέψω ἢ ἐπὶ τὸν πρᾶον καὶ ταπεινὸν, καὶ ἡσύχιον καὶ τρέμοντά μου τοὺς λόγους;» Θαρσοῦντες οὖν ζητήσατε τὸν Θεὸν, εἰδότες, ὅτι εἰσακούσεται ὑμῶν τῶν πενήτων Κύριος, καὶ τοὺς πεπεδημένους αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «Καὶ τοὺς δεσμώτας τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ οὐκ ἐξευτελίσει.» Νοήσεις δὲ ὅπως οἱ πτωχοὶ οὗτοι δεσμῶται καὶ πεπεδημένοι γεγόνασιν ἀκούων Παύλου λέγοντος· «Παῦλος δέσμιος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ·» ᾧ παραπλησίως καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ μαθηταὶ δέσμιοι ἦσαν Χριστοῦ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ὄντες ἐν τῷ σκήνει ὥσπερ ἐν δεσμοῖς ὄντες στένουσι λυθῆναι τῶν δεσμῶν ἱκετεύοντες· διό φασι· «Ταλαίπωρος ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος, τίς με ῥύσεται ἐκ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου;» Οἱ μὲν οὖν τὸ φθαρτὸν σῶμα βαρούμενοι, καὶ τὴν φθορὰν ἀποστρεφόμενοι, στένοντές τε ἐπὶ τῷ φθαρτῷ βίῳ, δεσμῶται τοῦ Θεοῦ τυγχάνουσι, καὶ πεπεδημένοι αὐτοῦ, ὧν τὰς εὐχὰς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει, οὐδὲ ἀποστραφήσεται. Οἱ δὲ τοὺς ἑαυτῶν δεσμοὺς πιαίνοντες, καὶ διὰ πολλῆς τρυφῆς περιέποντες, δεσμῶται φθορᾶς καὶ θανάτου λεχθεῖεν ἂν εἰκότως. «Αἰνεσάτωσαν αὐτὸν οὐρανοὶ καὶ γῆ, θάλασσα καὶ πάντα τὰ ἕρποντα ἐν αὐτῇ.» Ἐπειδὴ τοῖς πτωχοῖς ἐπηγγείλατο βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν εἰπὼν, «Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν·» σφόδρα ἀκολούθως μετὰ τὸν περὶ τῶν πενήτων λόγον ἐπιφέρει· «Αἰνεσάτωσαν αὐτὸν οὐρα 23.765 νοί.» Ἐπειδὴ κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην κατά τε γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν ἤμελλον Ἐκκλησίαι τῷ Θεῷ συνίστασθαι ἐκ τῶν προλελεγμένων πτωχῶν, ἀκολούθως ἐπισυνῆπται, «καὶ γῆ καὶ θάλασσα καὶ πάντα τὰ ἕρποντα ἐν αὐτοῖς.» Ἕρποντα δὲ ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης ἐνταῦθα κελευόμενα σὺν οὐρανῷ καὶ γῇ αἰνεῖν τὰ ἔθνη τυγχάνει τὰ ἐν τῷ θνητῷ βίῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἑρπετῶν δίκην τὸ παλαιὸν ἐπὶ τῷ στήθει καὶ τῇ κοιλίᾳ πορευόμενα. Καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ θηρία καὶ ἑρπετὰ ἀλληγορικῷ τρόπῳ τὰ ἔθνη κέκληται, ἐν οἷς εἴρηται· «Καὶ συμβοσκήσεται λύκος μετὰ ἀρνὸς, καὶ πάρδαλις συναναπαύσεται ἐρίφῳ, καὶ λέων ὡς βοῦς φάγεται ἄχυρα. Καὶ παιδίον νήπιον ἐπὶ τρώγλην ἀσπίδων καὶ ἐπὶ κοίτην ἐγγόνων ἀσπίδων τὴν χεῖρα ἐπιβαλεῖ, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀδικήσουσιν·» ἃ καὶ διερμηνεύων ἑξῆς ὁ λόγος ἐπιφέρει· «Καὶ ἔσται ἡ ῥίζα τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ καὶ ὁ ἀνιστάμενος ἄρχειν ἐθνῶν, ἐν αὐτῷ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσι.» Τῆς οὖν μεταβολῆς ταύτης τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίᾳ γιγνομένης, εἰκότως σὺν οὐρανῷ καὶ τοῖς κατ' οὐρανὸν ἀγγέλοις τὰ ἀποδοθέντα ἑρπετὰ αἰνεῖν προστάττεται τὸν Θεόν. ∆ιὸ λέλεκται· «Αἰνεσάτωσαν αὐτὸν οὐρανοὶ καὶ γῆ, θάλασσα καὶ πάντα τὰ ἕρποντα ἐν αὐτοῖς.» Πῶς δὲ δύναται τὸν Θεὸν αἰνεῖν τὰ ἑρπετὰ, εἰ μὴ μετάσχοι φρονήσεως καὶ Θεοῦ γνώσεως; Οὐκοῦν θύσει τὴν θυσίαν τῆς αἰνέσεως καὶ τὰ ἑρπετά; Ὅτι δὲ ἀνθρώπους διὰ τούτων αἰνίττεται, διδάσκει τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἐν ᾧ γέγραπται· «Γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, τίς ὑπέδειξεν ὑμῖν φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς; Ποιήσατε οὖν καρποὺς ἀξίους μετανοίας.» «Ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς σώσει τὴν Σιὼν, καὶ οἰκοδομηθήσονται αἱ πόλεις τῆς Ἰουδαίας.» Αἰτίαν ἀποδίδωσι δι' ἣν οὐρανοὶ καὶ γῆ καὶ θάλασσα καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς αἰνέσειν λέγονται τὸν Θεόν. Ἡ δὲ αἰτία ἐστὶν αὕτη, «Ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς σώσει τὴν Σιὼν, καὶ οἰκοδομηθήσονται αἱ πόλεις Ἰουδαίας.» Ποίαν δὲ Σιὼν, ἢ δηλονότι τὴν καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης ἱδρυθεῖσαν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἐκκλησίαν; Πόλεις δὲ Ἰουδαίας μὴὄκνει λέγειν τὰς θεοπνεύστους Γραφὰς, δι' ὧν ἡ Ἰουδαϊκὴ πολιτεία τετύπωται. Ἀλλ' αὗται μὲν αἱ πόλεις καθῄρηντο, ὅσον ἐπὶ Ἰουδαίοις, οἰκοδομὴν δὲ εἰλήφασι διὰ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ καινῆς διδασκαλίας· δι' ἧς καὶ ἡ ἀληθινὴ περιτομὴ συνίσταται, καὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ Σάββατα, καὶ αἱ πνευματικαὶ θυσίαι καὶ πάντα τούτοις ἀκολούθως κατὰ τὴν ἑρμηνείαν τοῦ πνευματικοῦ νόμου. Οὕτως οὖν οἰκοδομοῦνται αἱ πόλεις τῆς Ἰουδαίας,