307

its pillars. These things are said in harmony with what has been said before this. For the land that was besieged and given over to fire, concerning which it was said: -As in a thicket of woods, they cut down its doors together with axes; with a hatchet and a stonemason's tool they broke it down. they set your sanctuary on fire, they profaned the tabernacle of your name to the ground; -having suffered these things, it was melted, and all who dwell in it have suffered such things on account of their impiety. But while these were perishing, I, he says, strengthened its pillars. And whom would you say these are, if not the holy apostles and all the disciples and evangelists of our Savior? For having come forth from that very land, they have become pillars and a foundation of the Church. This is why Paul also called the chief apostles pillars, saying: James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars. 23.872 I said to the transgressors, "Do not transgress," and to the sinners, "Do not lift up the horn." The pillars of the holy and catholic Church I, says God, strengthened; because I chose them out of the land that was rendered, melted along with those who dwell in it; but to the rest I testified, commanding and exhorting them not to transgress. But according to Symmachus: I said, he says, to the seditious, "Do not be seditious"; and to the transgressors, "Do not raise a horn." Do not lift up your horn on high, speaking iniquity with a stiff neck. These things can be said to the other order, that of the circumcision, who rebelled against the Savior and rose up against him; on whose account their land melted, and all who dwell in it. Yet also to the nations throughout the whole world he testified through the preaching of the apostles not to transgress, and to sinners not to lift up the horn of sin, nor to be lifted up and be insolent, nor to speak injustice against God; which they formerly did, adhering to polytheistic error, and not knowing the God of all. For neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert mountains, for God is judge. And these things, he says, I testified through my apostles to all people, to be mindful of the judgment of God, and to cease from all transgression, being persuaded that the judge of all is not far away; but he fills all things and is everywhere present. Therefore it is fitting to live circumspectly, as living in his sight. For he is not far away, so that one might think he dwells somewhere far off, either in the east, or in the western parts, or somewhere in deserts and mountains. For being present in the midst of all, he is the judge of all. And the work of his judgment is to give to each according to his worth, and to humble this one, and to exalt that one; to humble the proud and those who lift up their horn on high; and to exalt the humble, according to that: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore he says: For neither from the east and the rising of the sun, nor from the west, nor from the desert mountains; for which Symmachus interpreted it in this way: For not from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert of mountains; but God is judge: he humbles this one, and exalts that one. And this too, he says, it is necessary for all people to know, That a cup is in the hand of the Lord, of unmixed wine, full of mixture. And he turned it from this to that; but its dregs were not emptied out, all the sinners of the earth shall drink. But according to Symmachus: For a cup is in the hand of the Lord, and unmixed wine filling it has been poured out, so that one may draw from it. But its dregs the wicked of the earth, drinking, shall wring out. And these things, he says, I taught all people, so that they might not be ignorant that the cup awaits everyone, which the judge of all 23.873 mixes for each one. You will understand this from the things said in the prophecies concerning the cup; for it is written in Jeremiah thus: The Lord said

307

στύλους αὐτῆς. Ταῦτα δὲ τοῖς ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου λελεγμένοις εἴρηται συμφώνως. Ἡ γὰρ πολιορκηθεῖσα γῆ καὶ πυρὶ παραδοθεῖσα, περὶ ἧς ἐλέγετο· -Ὡς ἐν δρυμῷ ξύλων ἀξίναις ἔκοψαν τὰς θύρας αὐτῆς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ, ἐν πέλυκι καὶ λαξευτηρίῳ κατέῤῥαξαν αὐτήν. ἐνεπύρισαν ἐν πυρὶ τὸ ἁγιαστήριόν σου, εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐβεβήλωσαν τὸ σκήνωμα τοῦ ὀνόματός σου· -ταῦτα παθοῦσα ἐτάκη, καὶ πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες αὐτὴν διὰ τὰς ἀσεβείας αὐτῶν τοιαῦτα πεπόνθασι. Πλὴν τούτων ἀπολλυμένων, ἐγὼ, φησὶν, ἐστερέωσα τοὺς στύλους αὐτῆς. Τίνας δ' ἂν εἴποις τούτους ἢ τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀποστόλους καὶ πάντας τοὺς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν μαθητάς τε καὶ εὐαγγελιστάς; Ἐξ αὐτῆς γὰρ ἐκείνης προελθόντες τῆς γῆς, στῦλοι καὶ ἑδραίωμα γεγόνασι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλος τοὺς κορυφαίους τῶν ἀποστόλων στύλους ὠνόμαζε λέγων· Ἰάκωβος καὶ Κηφᾶς καὶ Ἰωάννης, οἱ δοκοῦντες στῦλοι εἶναι. 23.872 Εἶπα τοῖς παρανομοῦσι, Μὴ παρανομεῖτε, καὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι, Μὴ ὑψοῦτε κέρας. Τοὺς μὲν στύλους τῆς ἁγίας καὶ καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐγὼ, φησὶν ὁ Θεὸς, ἐστερέωσα· ὅτι ἐκλεξάμενος αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς ἀποδοθείσης γῆς τακείσης μετὰ τῶν οἰκούντων αὐτήν· τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς διεμαρτυράμην διαστειλάμενος καὶ παραινέσας μὴ παρανομεῖν. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Εἶπα, φησὶ, τοῖς στασιάζουσι, Μὴ στασιάζετε· καὶ τοῖς παρανόμοις, Μὴ ἐπαίρετε κέρας. Μὴ ἐπαίρετε εἰς ὕψος τὸ κέρας ὑμῶν λαλοῦντες τραχήλῳ ἀνομίαν. ∆ύναται δὲ ταῦτα πρὸς τὸ ἕτερον τάγμα τὸ ἐκ περιτομῆς λέγεσθαι, τῶν καταστασιασάντων τοῦ Σωτῆρος καὶ κατεπαρθέντων αὐτοῦ· δι' οὓς ἐτάκη αὐτῶν ἡ γῆ καὶ πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες αὐτήν. Πλὴν καὶ τοῖς καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης ἔθνεσι διὰ τοῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων κηρύγματος ἐμαρτύρατο μὴ παρανομεῖν, καὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι μὴ ὑψοῦν τὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κέρας, μηδὲ ἐπαίρεσθαι καὶ καταθρασύνεσθαι, μηδὲ λαλεῖν ἀδικίαν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὅπερ πρότερον ἔπραττον πολυθέῳ προσέχοντες πλάνῃ, καὶ τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν μὴ εἰδότες. Ὅτι οὔτε ἀπὸ ἐξόδων, οὔτε ἀπὸ δυσμῶν, οὔτε ἀπὸ ἐρήμων ὀρέων, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς κριτής ἐστι. Καὶ ταῦτα, φησὶ, διεμαρτυράμην διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν ἀποστόλων ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις, μνημονεύειν τῆς κρίσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ παύσασθαι πάσης παρανομίας, πεπεισμένους ὅτι οὐ πόῤῥω που ἀφέστηκεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων κριτής· πάντα δὲ πληροῖ καὶ πανταχοῦ πάρεστι. ∆ιὸ προσήκει ὡς ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ ζῶντας ἐπιστρεφῶς πολιτεύεσθαι. Οὐ γὰρ μακρὰν ἀφέστηκεν, ὡς νομίσαι πόῤῥω που ἀπῳκίσθαι αὐτὸν, ἢ πρὸς αὐταῖς ἀνατολαῖς, ἢ κατὰ τὰ δυσμιαῖα μέρη, ἤ που ἐν ἐρημίαις καὶ ὄρεσι. Μέσος γὰρ ἐπιπαρὼν τοῖς πᾶσι, κριτὴς τῶν ὅλων ἐστί. Ἔργον τε αὐτοῦ τῆς κρίσεως τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀπονέμειν ἑκάστῳ, καὶ τοῦτον μὲν ταπεινοῦν, τοῦτον δὲ ὑψοῦν· ταπεινοῦν μὲν τοὺς ὑπερηφάνους καὶ τοὺς ἐπαίροντας εἰς ὕψος τὸ κέρας αὐτῶν· ὑψοῦν δὲ τοὺς ταπεινοὺς, κατὰ τό· Ὁ Θεὸς ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται, ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσι χάριν. ∆ιό φησιν· Ὅτι οὔτε ἀπὸ ἐξόδων καὶ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου, οὔτε ἀπὸ δυσμῶν, οὔτε ἀπὸ ἐρήμων ὀρέων· ἀνθ' ὧν ὁ Σύμμαχος τοῦτον ἡρμήνευσε τὸν τρόπον· Οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ δύσεως, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ ἐρήμου ὀρέων· ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς κριτὴς τοῦτον μὲν ταπεινοῖ, τοῦτον δὲ ὑψοῖ. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ, φησὶν, ἀναγκαῖον εἰδέναι πάντας ἀνθρώπους, Ὅτι ποτήριον ἐν χειρὶ Κυρίου οἴνου ἀκράτου, πλῆρες κεράσματος. Καὶ ἔκλινεν ἐκ τούτου εἰς τοῦτο· πλὴν ὁ τρυγίας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐξεκενώθη, πίονται πάντες οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ τῆς γῆς. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Ποτήριον γὰρ ἐν χειρὶ Κυρίου, καὶ οἶνος ἄκρατος πληρῶν ἐκχυθεὶς, ὥστε ἕλκειν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Πλὴν τὰς τρυγίας αὐτοῦ ἐκστραγγίσουσι πίνοντες οἱ φαῦλοι τῆς γῆς. Καὶ ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἐδίδαξα πάντας ἀνθρώπους, ὡς ἂν μὴ ἀγνοεῖν, ὅτι περιμένει τοὺς πάντας τὸ ποτήριον, ὅπερ ἑκάστῳ 23.873 κίρνησιν ὁ τῶν ὅλων κριτής. Νοήσεις δὲ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν ταῖς προφητείαις λελεγμένων περὶ ποτηρίου· γέγραπται γοῦν ἐν Ἱερεμίᾳ οὕτως· Εἶπε Κύριος