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he has called. And God gives them food, since they call upon him after the manner of perfect men, concerning whom it is said, They called upon the Lord, and he heard them. You will understand the young of ravens to be those from the gentiles who have believed and for this reason call upon the Lord, that he might give them spiritual food. For the raven is unclean and dark. Such are the evil demons and those who have melted into impiety, whose former sons, having believed, received the heavenly food.

1274 Ps 147,2.3 The gates of Jerusalem are the introductory instructions *

placed upon them the through * dissoluble words or those who act as ambassadors * orders, that is of Jerusalem, and having the ability to silence those who contradict. Because he has blessed your sons in you, those who have acquired ability in deed and thought; or because they are thus her sons, being blessed in her they are never further from her, not * of deed having learned to walk in the house of the Lord all the days of their life. And the word, interpreting how he blessed her sons in her†, adds next "who makes your borders peace," with all war having been driven out from her borders, in comparison with the Lord who shatters wars and makes the borders of the city peace. speaking of peace the * and he also gives her spiritual food. And if you wish to call the instructive words of God wheat (this to the * who is filled by it?), you do not err. For it is said in the prophet from the person of God to the false prophets, "What is the chaff to the wheat? so are my words," says the Lord; calling his own words wheat, and theirs chaff through the expression. 1275 Ps 147,4 Just as the wisdom from God is not earthly, not soulish, not demonic, but comes down from above from him, so also his saying, not being from the earth, is sent upon the earth, becoming for each of those able to serve him the same thing as the word given by the Lord to those who preach the gospel with great power. Then, this having been given, being distributed to more souls, will run swiftly, being the word of God, fulfilling "Their sound went out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world." For as soon as his ascension happened, the word of the gospel immediately went forth in all the earth which is under heaven. 1276 Ps 147,5 In relation to what was said before, it seems to us that these things have been brought in as in the manner of a parable, the works of the cosmic creation being set alongside in likeness to the economy concerning the church. For just as snow flows down upon a place and frost after this melts and pours out waters, so the divine word, having first descended upon the Jews, after this was poured out upon all. Therefore, both the sending of the word and the breathing of the spirit are well signified through the cosmic works, because indeed, when the word came into the world and the spirit blew, the word of the sacred and saving teaching went out from Jerusalem to the entire world. 1277 Ps 147,5.6 But if one is to take it also for allegory, since it spiritually represents his word that will run; for even "You will wash me, and I will be made whiter than snow," suggests we are not to think of perceptible snow. For how can the soul be made whiter than perceptible snow, since the brightness of the rational nature is not comparable to the whiteness of snow? To this thought also runs, "If your sins are as scarlet, I will make them white as snow;" for I cannot even conceive of sins being whitened like bodily snow. Is it not then that a most radiant word is cast upon the earth by the Lord like wool, from which it is possible to make a garment for the soul, this wool being produced by the lamb of God who takes away the

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προσηγόρευσε. δίδωσι δὲ τούτοις ὁ θεὸς τροφήν, ἐπείπερ ἐπικαλοῦνται αὐτὸν κατὰ τοὺς τελείους ανδρας, περὶ ων ειρηται ̓Επεκαλέσαντο τὸν κύριον, καὶ αὐτὸς εἰσήκουεν αὐτῶν. Νεοσσοὺς δὲ κοράκων νοήσεις τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκότας καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐπικαλουμένους τὸν κύριον, ινα δῷ αὐτοῖς τροφὴν πνευματικήν. ἀκάθαρτος γὰρ κόραξ καὶ ζοφώδης. τοιοῦτοι δὲ οἱ πονηροὶ δαίμονες καὶ οἱ τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ προστετηκότες ων οἱ πάλαι αὐτῶν γενόμενοι υἱοὶ πιστεύσαντες ετυχον τῆς οὐρανίου τροφῆς.

1274 Ps 147,2.3 Πύλαι τῆς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ αἱ εἰσαγωγικαὶ παιδεύσεις εἰσίν *

ἐπικείμενοι αὐταῖς οἱ διὰ κατα * αλυτοι λόγοι η οἱ πρεσβεύοντες * τάγματα ητοι τῆς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἱκανότητα εχοντες τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας ἐπιστομίζειν. Οτι εὐλόγησε τοὺς υἱούς σου ἐν σοί, τοὺς πράξει καὶ νοήσει ἱκανότητα κεκτημένους· η διὰ τὸ ουτως υἱοὶ τυγχάνειν αὐτῆς ἐν αὐτῇ εὐλογούμενοι περαιτέρω αὐτῆς οὐδεπώποτε γίνονται, οὐ * ου πράξει μαθόντες ἐν οικῳ κυρίου ἀναστρέφεσθαι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς ἑαυτῶν. ̔Ερμηνεύων δὲ ὁ λόγος ὡς ὁ εὐλογήσας τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτῆς ἐν αὐτῇ† ἐπιφέρει ἑξῆς τὸν θέντα τὰ οριά σου εἰρήνην, παντὸς πολέμου πεφυγαδευμένου ἐκ τῶν ὁρίων αὐτῆς, πρὸς τοὺς συντρίβοντος πολέμους κυρίου καὶ τιθέντος τὰ ορια τῆς πόλεως εἰρήνην. εἰρήνην λέγων τὴν * καὶ τροφῆς δὲ αὐτῇ πνευματικῆς μεταδίδωσιν. εἰ δὲ καὶ τοὺς παιδευτικοὺς θεοῦ λόγους πυρὸν εἰπεῖν θέλεις (ουτος ταῖς * τίς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐμπιπλᾶται;), οὐχ ἁμαρτάνεις. ειρηται γὰρ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ ἐκ προσώπου θεοῦ πρὸς τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας Τί τὸ αχυρον πρὸς τὸν σῖτον; ουτως οἱ λόγοι μου, λέγει κύριος· σῖτον μὲν τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ λόγους, αχυρον δὲ τοὺς ἐκείνων διὰ τῆς λέξεως. 1275 Ps 147,4 Ωσπερ ἡ ἐκ θεοῦ σοφία οὐκ εστιν ἐπίγειος οὐ ψυχικὴ οὐ δαιμονιώδης ἀλλ' ανωθεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατερχομένη, ουτω καὶ τὸ λόγιον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐκ γῆς ὑπάρχον ἀποστέλλεται ἐν τῇ γῇ, γινόμενον πρὸς εκαστον τῶν διακονεῖν αὐτῷ δυναμένων τυγχάνον τὸ αὐτὸ τῷ διδομένῳ ὑπὸ κυρίου ῥήματι τοῖς εὐαγγελιζομένοις δυνάμει πολλῇ. ειτα δοθὲν τοῦτο νεμόμενον πλείονας ψυχὰς εως τάχους δραμεῖται, λόγος ων θεοῦ, πληρουμένου τοῦ Εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν. αμα γοῦν γέγονεν ἡ ἀνάληψις αὐτοῦ, καὶ εὐθέως διέβη ὁ εὐαγγελικὸς λόγος ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ ητις ἐστὶν ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν. 1276 Ps 147,5 Πρὸς τὰ προειρημένα φαίνεται ἡμῖν οιον ἐν παραβολῆς τρόπῳ ταῦτα ἐπῆχθαι, τῶν τῆς κοσμικῆς δημιουργίας εργων παρατιθεμένων καθ' ὁμοίωσιν τῇ περὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν οἰκονομίᾳ. ωσπερ γὰρ χιών ἐστι καταρρυεῖσα τόπον καὶ πάχνη μετὰ ταῦτα λύεται καὶ υδατα προχεῖ, ουτως ὁ θεῖος λόγος εἰς ̓Ιουδαίους κατασκήψας τὰ πρῶτα, μετὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ πάντας διακέχυται. διὸ καὶ ἡ τοῦ λόγου ἀποστολὴ καὶ ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος πνεῦσις καλῶς διὰ τῶν κοσμικῶν εργων ὑποδηλοῦται, οτι δὴ λόγου παραγινομένου εἰς κόσμον καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος πνεύσαντος ἐξῆλθεν ἐξ ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ὁ λόγος τῆς ἱερᾶς καὶ σωτηρίου διδασκαλίας. 1277 Ps 147,5.6 Εἰ δὲ πρὸς ἀλληγορίαν ἐκλαμβάνειν καὶ αὐτό, ἐπειδὴ πνευματικῶς τοῦ δραμοῦντος λόγου αὐτοῦ, παρίσταται· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸ Πλυνεῖς με, καὶ ὑπὲρ χιόνα λευκανθήσομαι, οὐ περὶ αἰσθητῆς χιόνος νοεῖν ὑποβάλλει. πῶς γὰρ ὑπὲρ τὴν αἰσθητὴν χιόνα λευκανθῆναι ἡ ψυχὴ δύναται, οὐκ ουσης συμβλητῆς τῆς φαιδρότητος τῆς περὶ τὴν λογικὴν φύσιν τῇ τῆς χιόνος λευκότητι; εἰς ταύτην τὴν διάνοιαν συνδραμεῖται καὶ τὸ ̓Εὰν ωσιν ὑμῶν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ· ἁμαρτίας γὰρ λευκαινομένας κατὰ τὴν σωματικὴν χιόνα οὐδὲ ἐννοεῖν εχω. μήποτε ουν φαιδρότατος λόγος εἰς τὴν γῆν ὑπὸ κυρίου βάλλεται ἐρίῳ ἐοικὼς ἐξ ου ἱμάτιόν ἐστι κατασκευάσαι τῇ ψυχῇ, τοῦ ἐρίου τούτου καρποφορουμένου ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀμνοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ αιροντος τὴν