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by the example of Shiloh, those in Jerusalem should not be arrogant, who had received the tabernacle and the ark; for they would suffer the same things as the first, if they did not become worthy of God; which indeed also came to pass in later times. And He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved. And He built his sanctuary like unicorns; in the earth He founded it for ever. He exchanged tribe for tribe, the tribe of Benjamin for the tribe of Joseph; and He chose place for place, preferring Jerusalem to Shiloh; but He also loved mountain for mountain, that is, Zion instead of the mountain in Shiloh. Then it says: And He built his sanctuary like unicorns; but according to Aquila, And He built his sanctuary like the high places; but according to Symmachus, And He built his sanctuary as the high places. Therefore, like the high places and as the heights He built His sanctuary. But the word leads us up to a deep and ineffable meaning, teaching that the sanctuary on earth established in Jerusalem and on Mount Zion had a likeness to the things in the high places, and was built as the heights, having been made according to the image and likeness of the high things in heaven; which indeed the Apostle also represents, saying: But the Jerusalem above is free; and, You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. Therefore, according to Aquila, it is said, And He built his sanctuary like the high places; but according to Symmachus, And He built his sanctuary as the high places; but according to the Seventy, He built his sanctuary like unicorns; we understanding 23.940 unicorns to be those who are inscribed with one horn in heaven, whom the Apostle indicated, saying: And to myriads of angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven. But also in the earth, it says, He founded it for ever. But according to Symmachus, As the earth, which He founded for ever. For the sanctuary in the sensible and earthly Jerusalem He thus built on the earth. For just as the earth is taken in the middle of waters according to Scripture; so also Jerusalem was established in the middle of foreign nations. Therefore it has been said in prophecies: This is Jerusalem, I have set her in the midst of the nations. Then upon these things: He chose, it says, David His servant, about whom it is said: I have found David My servant, a man after My own heart; whom He chose, not only to be the first to reign from the tribe of Judah, but also to be judged worthy for the Christ of God to come forth from his seed. And He chose him, preferring him when his brothers were many. And He took him from the flocks of sheep, and from behind the ewes. For He who raises the poor from the earth and lifts the needy from the dunghill, also chose David, who was humble and rejected, so as not even to be counted among his brothers, nor to be considered a man, being pre-trained in shepherding, and being taught through the care for the nursing livestock the solicitude for those in need of care. From there, taking him from the shepherding of irrational sheep, God brought him forth and appointed him to shepherd Jacob His servant and Israel His inheritance. For as one who had given proof in the shepherding of irrational livestock, He set him over the more rational flock. And how he shepherded the livestock he himself showed when he said to Saul: Your servant was shepherding for his father in the flock; and when the lion or the bear came, and took a sheep from the herd, I went out after him, and struck him, and snatched it from his mouth. And he rose up against me, and I seized his throat, and struck and killed him, and your servant struck both the lion and the bear. And this uncircumcised foreigner will be as one of them, who has reproached the battle array

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παραδείγματος τῆς Σηλὼμ μὴ μέγα φρονεῖν τοὺς ἐν τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τὴν σκηνὴν καὶ τὴν κιβωτὸν ὑποδεξαμένους· πείσεσθαι γὰρ τὰ ὅμοια τοῖς πρώτοις, εἰ μὴ ἄξιοι γίνοιντο τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἀπέβη ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα χρόνοις. Καὶ ἐξελέξατο τὴν φυλὴν Ἰούδα, τὸ ὄρος Σιὼν ὃ ἠγάπησε. Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ὡς μονοκερώτων τὸ ἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ γῇ, ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Φυλὴν μὲν φυλῆς ἀντικατηλλάξατο, τὴν φυλὴν Βενιαμὶν ἀντὶ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰωσήφ· καὶ τόπον δὲ ἀντὶ τόπου εἵλατο, τῆς Σηλὼμ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ προκρίνας· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὄρος ἀντὶ ὄρους ἠγάπησε, τὸ Σιὼν δηλαδὴ ἀντὶ τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ ἐν Σηλώμ. Εἶτά φησι· Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ὡς μονοκερώτων τὸ ἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ὁμοίως ὑψηλοῖς ἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ὡς τὰ ὑψηλὰ τὸ ἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ. Ὁμοίως οὖν ὑψηλοῖς καὶ ὡς τὰ ὕψη ᾠκοδόμησε τὸ ἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ. Ἀναπέμπει δ' ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος εἰς βαθὺ καὶ ἀπόῤῥητον νοῦν, διδάσκων, ὡς τὸ ἐπὶ γῆς ἁγίασμα τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ τῷ ὄρει Σιὼν καταστὰν ὁμοίωσιν εἶχε τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς, καὶ ᾠκοδόμητο ὡς τὰ ὕψη κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν γενόμενον τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑψηλῶν· ἃ δὴ καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος παρίστη λέγων· Ἡ δὲ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμἐλευθέρα ἐστίν· καὶ, Προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ. ∆ιὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν εἴρηται, Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ὁμοίως ὑψηλοῖς ἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ὡς τὰ ὑψηλὰ τὸ ἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ· κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα, Ὡς μονοκερώτων ᾠκοδόμησε τὸ ἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ· νοούντων ἡμῶν 23.940 μονοκέρωτας εἶναι τοὺς τὸ ἓν κέρας ἐπιγραφομένους κατ' οὐρανὸν, οὓς ἐδήλου λέγων ὁ Ἀπόστολος· Καὶ μυριάσιν ἀγγέλων πανηγύρει, καὶ Ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ, φησὶν, ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Ὡς τὴν γῆν, ἣν ἐθεμελίωσεν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Τὸ γὰρ ἁγίασμα τὸ ἐν τῇ αἰσθητῇ καὶ ἐπιγείῳ Ἱερουσαλὴμ οὕτως ᾠκοδόμησεν εἰς τὴν γῆν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ γῆ μέση ἀπείληπται ὑδάτων κατὰ τὴν Γραφήν· οὕτω καὶ ἡ Ἱερουσαλὴμ μέση τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐθνῶν συνειστήκει. ∆ιὸ λέλεκται ἐν προφητείαις· Αὕτη ἡ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐθνῶν τέθεικα αὐτήν. Εἶτ' ἐπὶ τούτοις· Ἐξελέξατο, φησὶ, ∆αυῒδ τὸν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· Εὗρον ∆αυῒδ τὸν δοῦλόν μου, ἄνδρα κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου· ὃν ἐξελέξατο, οὐχ ὥστε πρῶτον ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα βασιλεῦσαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὥστε ἄξιον κριθῆναι τοῦ προελθεῖν ἐκ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐξελέξατο δὲ αὐτὸν τῶν ἀδελφῶν πλειόνων ὄντων προκρίνας. Ἀνέλαβέ τε αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν ποιμνίων τῶν προβάτων, καὶ ἐξόπισθεν τῶν λοχευομένων. Ὁ γὰρ ἐγείρων ἀπὸ γῆς πτωχὸν καὶ ἀπὸ κοπρίας ἀνιστῶν πένητα, καὶ τὸν ∆αυῒδ ταπεινὸν ὄντα καὶ ἀπεῤῥιμμένον, ὡς μηδὲ συγκαταριθμεῖσθαι τοῖς αὐτοῦ ἀδελφοῖς, μηδὲ εἰς ἄνδρα λογίζεσθαι, ἐξελέξατο προπαιδαγωγούμενον ἐν τῇ ποιμαντικῇ, καὶ διὰ τῆς τῶν λοχευομένων θρεμμάτων προνοίας τὸ ἐπιμελὲς τῶν δεομένων κηδεμονίας ἐκδιδασκόμενον. Ἔνθεν αὐτὸν ἀναλαβὼν ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀλόγων προβάτων ποιμαντικῆς, προήγαγεν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ κατέστησε ποιμαίνειν Ἰακὼβ τὸν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ καὶ Ἰσραὴλ τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτοῦ. Ὡς γὰρ δοκιμὴν δεδωκότα ἐν τῇ τῶν ἀλόγων θρεμμάτων ποιμαντικῇ, ἐπὶ τὴν λογικωτέραν καθίστη ποίμνην. Ὅπως δ' ἐποίμαινε τὰ θρέμματα παρίστη λέγων αὐτὸς πρὸς τὸν Σαούλ· Ποιμαίνων ἦν ὁ δοῦλός σου τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ ποιμνίῳ· καὶ ὅταν ἤρχετο ὁ λέων ἢ ἄρκος, καὶ ἐλάμβανε πρόβατον ἐκ τῆς ἀγέλης, καὶ ἐξεπορευόμην ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπάταξα αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐξέσπασα ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐπανίστατο ἐπ' ἐμὲ, καὶ ἐκράτησα τοῦ φάρυγγος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπάταξα καὶ ἐθανάτωσα αὐτὸν, καὶ τὸν λέοντα καὶ τὴν ἄρκον ἔτυπτεν ὁ δοῦλός σου. Καὶ ἔσται ὁ ἀλλόφυλος ὁ ἀπερίτμητος ὡς εἷς τούτων, ὃς ὠνείδισε παρατάξει