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came before. But a very deep peace flooded the Church with a great stream, watering her sons with spiritual streams. For through the saving proclamation, they have gained peace with the Father through Him, when certain nurses shall carry her infants, certain teachers of the Church, or angels, according to, "Do not despise one of these little ones. For their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." The perfect, therefore, nurse those who are brought in on their shoulders and knees, like a mother. But I, as the Father of all, will comfort the comforters of the inferior. Therefore the Apostle says: "Blessed be God, the Father of mercies, and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." When these things happen thus, you will see, he says, the heavenly Jerusalem, or 2708 even God Himself, the desired, and joy-filled end. And the Savior also blesses the pure in heart, for they shall see God. And your bones, he says, shall flourish like grass. For the dead shall be raised, and those in the tombs shall rise, having been enriched by the dew from Christ, that is, the life-giving spirit. Concerning which the Psalmist says: "You will send forth your spirit and they shall be created, and you will renew the face of the earth; as the things that have bloomed in the fields fall, and rise again in the spring. So also it will be known to all, that no human power has done these things, but the hand of God, the Only-begotten, through whom also is the resurrection of the dead; Which also will be made known to those who fear Him. For having received the fear of God that comes from wisdom (for the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord) they will understand, that not without the hand of God has such great grace worked among men. But for those not of this kind he will threaten the things that follow. Some have interpreted it thus from, the voice of the Lord. For all things from all places cry out the just judgment of God, with enemies being overthrown, and Hezekiah returning from the temple, not proclaiming the majesty of God, and those opposed to God being punished. But they will escape the judgment by repenting, just as a woman who has borne a male child. For she forgets the birth pangs, having the comfort of the child born, according to, But when she has given birth, she rejoices with joy, because a man has been born into the world on the earth. Therefore, he says, one must anticipate the time of the birth pangs with repentance. And as a child, bring forth your own salvation. And concerning Jerusalem they say these things happened in a short time to the whole nation, and she receiving back her own inhabitants. For it is God who gives barrenness, and fertility. And having had your soul feasted beforehand on the good things to come, rejoice in the city, he says, O Jerusalem, not mourning the destruction, but reckoning the glory after these things. And as from breasts, nourish your children, because the Lord will visit them, giving the greatest peace, and all things flowing into her like a river. For He will grant them the glory of the nations, so that they carry her sons and daughters on their shoulders to Jerusalem, with God, like a mother, providing His own care, comforting them for the preceding misfortune, and in a way making them live again, according to the bones in Ezekiel. And understand their burdens as the honor from the nations, according to the command of the Lord, and of Darius who sent them with an escort in feasting and peace, the sacred vessels having been given back to them, and the city having been rebuilt with the temple. Which also appears after the coming of the Savior. 2709 For we all pursue the true Jerusalem carrying the true Jews on our shoulders and knees, when we have in our hands the blessed prophets, hoping in the God of Abraham; and further, we carry about in our hands the books of the apostles with the Savior; and concerning the Jerusalem here the saying is true, to which kings and nations hasten because of the

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ἦλθε προηγουμένως. Εἰρήνη δὲ βαθυτάτη πολλῷ τῷ ῥεύματι τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἐπέκλυσεν, πνευματικοῖς νάμασι τοὺς ταύτης ἐπάρδων υἱούς. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦ σωτηρίου κηρύγματος, τὴν εἰρήνην τὴν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, δι' αὐτοῦ κεκερδάγκασιν, ὅτε τιθηνοί τινες τοὺς αὐτῆς νηπίους ὑποβαστάξουσι, διδάσκαλοί τινες Ἐκκλησίας, ἢ ἄγγελοι, κατὰ τὸ, "Μὴ καταφρονήσητε ἑνὸς τῶν μικρῶν τούτων. Οἱ γὰρ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν διὰ παντὸς βλέπουσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Πατέρος μου τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς." Οἱ μὲν οὖν τέλειοι, τοὺς εἰσαγομένους ἐπ' ὤμων καὶ γονάτων, δίκην τιθηνοῦνται μητέρος. Ἐγὼ δὲ, ὡς πάντων Πατὴρ, παρακαλέσω τοὺς τῶν ὑποδεεστέρων παρακλήτορας. ∆ιό φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· "Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Πατὴρ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν, καὶ Θεὸς πάσης παρακλήσεως, ὁ παρακαλῶν ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ θλίψει ἡμῶν, πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι ἡμᾶς παρακαλεῖν τοὺς ἐν πάσῃ θλίψει, διὰ τῆς παρακλήσεως, ἧς παρακαλούμεθα αὐτοὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ." Ὧν οὕτω γινομένων, ὄψεσθε, φησὶ, τὴν ἐπουράνιον Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἢ 2708 καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Θεὸν, τὸ ἐφετὸν, καὶ χαρᾶς ἀνάμεστον τέλος. Καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ δὲ μακαρίζει τοὺς καθαροὺς τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὄψονται. Καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ ὑμῶν, φησὶ, πόας δίκην ἀνθήσει. Ἐγερθήσονται γὰρ οἱ νεκροὶ, καὶ ἀναστήσονται οἱ ἐν τοῖς μνημείοις, τὴν παρὰ Χριστοῦ πλουτήσαντες δρόσον, τὸ πνεῦμα δηλαδὴ τὸ ζωοποιόν. Περὶ ὧν ὁ Ψάλλων φησίν· "Ἐξαποστελεῖς τὸ πνεῦμά σου καὶ κτισθήσονται, καὶ ἀνακαινιεῖς τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς· ὡς τὰ ἐν ἀγροῖς ἀνθήσαντα πίπτει, καὶ πάλιν ἀνίσχει τοῦ ἔαρος. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ γνωσθήσεται πᾶσιν, ὡς οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνη ταῦτα πεποίηκε δύναμις, Θεοῦ δὲ χεὶρ, ὁ Μονογενὴς, δι' οὗ καὶ ἡ τῶν νεκρῶν ἀνάστασις· Ἣ καὶ γνωσθήσεται τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν. Φόβον γὰρ ἀνειληφότες Θεοῦ τὸν ἐκ σοφίας (Ἀρχὴ γὰρ σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου) νοήσουσιν, ὡς οὐκ ἄνευ χειρὸς Θεοῦ, τοσαύτη χάρις εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἐνήργησεν. Τοῖς δὲ μὴ τοιούτοις ἀπειλήσει τὰ ἐπαγόμενα. Τινὲς δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ, φωνὴ Κυρίου, οὕτως ἐξηγήσαντο. Πάντα γὰρ πανταχόθεν βοᾷ τὴν δικαίαν κρίσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, πολεμίων μὲν καταστρεφομένων, Ἐζεκίου δὲ ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ ἐπανιόντος, μὴ κηρύττοντος τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν μεγαλειότητα, καὶ τῶν ἀντικειμένων Θεῷ τιμωρουμένων. Ἐκφεύξονται δὲ τὴν δίκην μετανοήσαντες καθὰ καὶ γυνὴ τεκοῦσα ἄρσεν. Ἐπιλανθάνεται γὰρ τῶν ὠδίνων, παραμύθιον ἔχουσα τὸ τεχθὲν, κατὰ τὸ, Ὅτ' ἂν δὲ γεννήσῃ, χαρᾷ χαίρει, ὅτι ἐγεννήθη ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἰς τὸν κόσμον. Προληπτέον οὖν, φησὶ, τῇ μετανοίᾳ τὸν καιρὸν τῶν ὠδίνων. Καὶ ὥσπερ παῖδα, τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν ἀποκυήσατε. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ταῦτα γεγενῆσθαί φασιν ἐν βραχεῖ χρόνῳ ἅπαν τὸ ἔθνος, καὶ τοὺς ἰδίους ἀπολαμβανούσης οἰκήτορας. Θεὸς γὰρ ὁ στείρωσιν διδοὺς, καὶ γονήν. Προεστιαθεὶς δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς μέλλουσιν ἀγαθοῖς, τῇ πόλει εὐφράνθητι, φησὶν, Ἱερουσαλὴμ μὴ πενθοῦσα τὴν καταστροφὴν, τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ δόξαν λογιζομένη. Καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ μαστῶν τρέφε τοὺς παῖδάς σου, διότι ἐπισκέψεται Κύριος αὐτοὺς, πλείστην εἰρήνην διδοὺς, καὶ πάντων ποταμηδὸν εἰς αὐτὴν συῤῥεόντων. Τῶν γὰρ ἐθνῶν αὐτοῖς χαριεῖται τὴν δόξαν, ὡς τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτῆς, καὶ θυγατέρας ἐπ' ὤμων φέρειν εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, Θεοῦ, δίκην μητέρος, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κηδεμονίαν παρέχοντος, ἐπὶ τῇ προλαβούσῃ παρακαλοῦντος αὐτοὺς συμφορᾷ, καὶ τρόπον τινὰ πάλιν ἀναβιῶναι ποιήσαντος, κατὰ τὰ παρὰ τῷ Ἰεζεκιὴλ ὀστᾶ. Βαστάγματα δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν νόει τιμὴν, κατὰ πρόταξιν Κυρίου, καὶ ∆αρείου μετὰ δορυφορίας παραπέμψαντος αὐτοὺς ἐν εὐωχίᾳ τε καὶ εἰρήνῃ, τῶν ἱερῶν αὐτοῖς σκευῶν ἀποδεδομένων, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ ναοῦ ἀνοικισθείσης τῆς πόλεως. Ὃ καὶ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος φαίνεται παρουσίαν. 2709 Τὴν ἀληθῆ γὰρ πάντες μεταδιώκομεν Ἱερουσαλὴμ φέροντες τοὺς ἀληθεῖς Ἰουδαίους ἐπ' ὤμων, καὶ γονάτων, ὅτε μετὰ χεῖρας ἔχομεν τοὺς μακαρίους προφήτας, ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐλπίζοντες Ἀβραάμ· ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων μετὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος τὰ βιβλία ταῖς χερσὶ περιφέρομεν· καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐνταῦθα δὲ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀληθὴς ὁ λόγος, εἰς ἣν σπεύδουσι βασιλεῖς καὶ ἔθνη διὰ τὸν