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or the saving Gospel, concerning which it is said: "Let the mountains receive peace for the people, and the hills righteousness." And these things will be, since the aforementioned son of the king "will judge the poor of the people, and will save the sons of the needy;" for having first judged them to be worthy of salvation, thus he saves them. For not without judgment, but with examined judgment does he grant salvation to his own poor and to the sons of the needy, of whom the prophecy also makes mention, saying: "He has sent me to preach the gospel to the poor; to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind." But what sort of poor does he mean, if not those who are able to say with Paul: "To the present hour we hunger and thirst, and are poorly clothed, and are buffeted, and have no fixed abode;" and those who said with Peter: "Silver and gold I do not have." Such poor he prepared for himself, exhorting them not to acquire gold or silver in their belts, no bag for the journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff. "Such also were those who of old went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, mistreated, wandering in deserts and mountains, and in caves, and in the holes of the earth." But if the word had mentioned only these, everyone who is not such would have been excluded; but now a second order is also enumerated, saying: "And he will save the sons of the needy." The sons of the needy were the acquaintances of the apostles and disciples of our Savior, such as the Apostle indicated when he said: "For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you;" and again: "My children, of whom I am in labor again until Christ is formed in you." But his poor and the sons of the needy he saves with righteousness and right judgment; but the slanderer who has chosen to war against both his people and the Church (and countless slanderers accuse his Church), and others slander the life of those who are distinguished in his Church; paying attention to the end of their life, you will see how it is said, "And he will humble the slanderer." For who of the tyrants23.800, who encompassed the Church of our Savior with blasphemies and slanders, has not been humbled? Who of the wise of this age, having sharpened his tongue against the divinely-inspired Scripture, has not suffered the wages of slander? But while very many known slanderers against his Church are all humbled in their time, he himself is prophesied to endure with the sun, like the sun illuminating the whole world with the rays of his teaching; and before the moon; or according to Aquila, "And in the face of the moon;" or according to Symmachus, "And he will remain before the moon." For not before the moon, that is, before the moon came to be; but as it were in the presence of and going before the moon. For just as the sun, when it is over the earth, makes the day, and the moon dispels the darkness of night with its own light; in the same way the one prophesied both illumines like the moon the souls that are in darkness and night, and similarly to the sun he illuminates the whole world, and he remains and endures until the consummation of the age. For as long as the sun brightens the whole world, so long also he, enduring and extending with the sun, illumines the souls of men; and likewise he is said to endure, similarly to the full moon, for generations of generations. "He will come down like rain upon a fleece, and like drops that fall upon the earth." You will understand the descent of the God Logos, by paying attention to the descent and condescension by which, accommodating himself to the lowliness of men, "he humbled himself, taking the form of a servant, and being found in appearance as a man." For which reason it is said: "He will come down."

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ἢ τὸ σωτήριον Εὐαγγέλιον, δι' ὃ λέλεκται· «Ἀναλαβέτωσαν τὰ ὄρη εἰρήνην τῷ λαῷ, καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ δικαιοσύνην.» Καὶ ταῦτα ἔσται, ἐπειδὴ ὁ προλεχθεὶς υἱὸς τοῦ βασιλέως «κρινεῖ τοὺς πτωχοὺς τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ σώσει τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν πενήτων·» κρίνας γὰρ πρότερον ἀξίους εἶναι σωτηρίας, οὕτως αὐτοὺς σώζει. Οὐ γὰρ ἀκρίτως, μετ' ἐξητασμένης δὲ κρίσεως τὴν σωτηρίαν παρέχει τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ πτωχοῖς καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν πενήτων, ὧν καὶ ἡ προφητεία μέμνηται λέγουσα· «Εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέ με· κηρῦξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν.» Πτωχοὺς δὲ ποίους φησὶν, ἢ τοὺς δυναμένους ὁμοίως Παύλῳ λέγειν· «Ἄχρι τῆς ἄρτι ὥρας καὶ πεινῶμεν καὶ διψῶμεν, καὶ γυμνητεύομεν, καὶ κολαφιζόμεθα, καὶ ἀστατοῦμεν·» τούς τε ὁμοίως Πέτρῳ φήσαντας· «Ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον οὐχ ὑπάρχει μοι.» Τοιούτους δὲ πτωχοὺς αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ παρεσκεύαζε παραινῶν μὴ κτῆσθαι χρυσίον μηδὲ ἀργύριον εἰς τὰς ζώνας, μὴ πήραν εἰς ὁδὸν, μηδὲ δύο χιτῶνας, μηδὲ ὑποδήματα, μηδὲ ῥάβδον. «Τοιοῦτοι δὲ ἦσαν καὶ οἱ πάλαι περιελθόντες ἐν μηλωταῖς, ἐν αἰγείοις δέρμασιν, ὑστερούμενοι, θλιβόμενοι, κακουχούμενοι, ἐν ἐρημίαις πλανώμενοι καὶ ὄρεσι, καὶ σπηλαίοις, καὶ ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς.» Ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν τούτων μόνον ἐμνημόνευσεν ὁ λόγος, ἀποκέκλειστο πᾶς ὁ μὴ τοιοῦτος· νῦν δὲ καὶ δεύτερον τάγμα καταριθμεῖται φάσκων· «Καὶ σώσει τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν πενήτων.» Υἱοὶ δὲ πενήτων ἦσαν οἱ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ μαθητῶν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν γνώριμοι, ὁποίους δηλῶν ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἔλεγεν· «Ἐὰν γὰρ πολλοὺς παιδαγωγοὺς ἔχητε ἐν Χριστῷ, ἀλλ' οὐ πολλοὺς πατέρας· ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς ἐγέννησα·» καὶ πάλιν· «Τέκνα μου, οὓς πάλιν ὠδίνω ἄχρις οὗ μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν.» Ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν πτωχοὺς ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν πενήτων σὺν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ὀρθῇ κρίσει σώζει· τὸν δὲ συκοφάντην προῃρημένον ἢ καὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν πολεμεῖν (μυρίοι δὲ συκοφάνται τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν αὐτοῦ διαβάλλουσι), καὶ τὸν βίον τῶν ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ αὐτοῦ διαπρεπόντων ἄλλοι συκοφαντοῦσιν· ὧν ἐπιστήσας τῇ τελευτῇ τοῦ βίου, ὄψει ὅπως εἴρηται τὸ, «Καὶ ταπεινώσει συκοφάντην.» Τίς γὰρ τῶν τυραν23.800 νευσάντων, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἐκκλησίαν βλασφημίαις καὶ συκοφαντίαις περιβαλλόντων, οὐ τεταπείνωται; Τίς τῶν σοφῶν τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, τὴν αὐτοῦ γλῶτταν ἀκονήσας κατὰ τῆς θεοπνεύστου Γραφῆς, οὐ τὰ ἐπίχειρα πέπονθε τῆς συκοφαντίας; Ἀλλὰ γὰρ πλείστων ὅσων ἐπισταμένων συκοφαντῶν κατὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας αὐτοῦ, πάντων τε κατὰ καιροὺς ταπεινουμένων, αὐτὸς συμπαραμένειν τῷ ἡλίῳ θεσπίζεται, ὁμοίως ἡλίῳ ταῖς αὐγαῖς τῆς αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίας τὸν σύμπαντα καταλάμπων κόσμον· καὶ πρὸ τῆς σελήνης δέ· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, «Καὶ εἰς πρόσωπον τῆς σελήνης·» ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «Καὶ ἔμπροσθεν τῆς σελήνης διαμενεῖ.» Οὐ γὰρ πρὸ τῆς σελήνης, τουτέστι πρὶν γενέσθαι τὴν σελήνην· ἀλλ' ἐνώπιον ὥσπερ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἡγούμενος τῆς σελήνης. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἥλιος μὲν ἡμέραν ἐργάζεται ὑπὲρ γῆς γενόμενος· σελήνη δὲ νυκτὸς διαλύει τὸ σκότος τῷ ἑαυτῆς φωτί· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ προφητευόμενος ὁμοίως μὲν σελήνῃ τὰς ἐν σκότῳ καὶ νυκτὶ τυγχανούσας ψυχὰς φωτίζει, ἡλίῳ δὲ παραπλησίως τὸν σύμπαντα καταλάμπει κόσμον, διαμένει τε καὶ συμπαραμένει ἄχρι τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος. Εἰς ὅσον γὰρ ἥλιος τὸν σύμπαντα φαιδρύνει κόσμον, εἰς τοσοῦτον καὶ αὐτὸς τῷ ἡλίῳ συμπαραμένων καὶ συνεκτεινόμενος τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων φωτίζει ψυχάς· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ σελήνῃ πλησιφαεῖ παραπλησίως εἰς γενεὰς γενεῶν λέγεται διαρκεῖν. «Καταβήσεται ὡς ὑετὸς ἐπὶ πόκον, καὶ ὡσεὶ σταγόνες στάζουσαι ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν.» Κατάβασιν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου νοήσεις, ἐπιστήσας τῇ καταβάσει καὶ τῇ συμπεριφορᾷ καθ' ἣν συμπεριενεχθεὶς τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων σμικρότητι, «ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν μορφὴν δούλου λαβὼν, καὶ σχήματι εὑρεθεὶς ὡς ἄνθρωπος.» ∆ι' ὃ λέλεκται· «Καταβήσεται.»