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lest by gaining nothing from the encounter of argument we also harm ourselves, being poisoned like a snake by their venomous words. God shall break their teeth in their mouth; the Lord has shattered the molars of the lions. Let these things be sufficient for you. But as for what is necessarily owed by us, so that we may please the Lord, how shall we escape the snares of the devil? Clearly by becoming winged in the spirit, seeking the things that are above, setting our minds on the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; from where he will also come with his mighty angels in a flame of fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey his gospel, that is, to Jews and to any who are of like mind with the Jews both in the perversion of faith and in the crookedness of life. Ponder these things, good sir, be engrossed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all, Paul, the great herald of the truth, exhorts you; but you should avoid foolish questions and genealogies and quarrels and Jewish disputes. But so that we may respond in summary concerning what you have proposed, the whole text of the prophecy is about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, in which the people who were cast off have been saved again from the four wings or ends of the earth; and that the walls of the new Jerusalem have been inscribed on the hands signifies the passion of the cross, since, being pierced with nails in his holy hands, he unnails humanity from its impassioned state due to sin and beautifies it with the archetypal beauty of deification. Upon which, for a little while through the three-day and three-night resurrection, lift up your eyes round about, and see all your sons; behold, they are gathered together and have come to you; as I live, says the Lord. Following these are the things connected to the prophecy, both joyful and festive and full of gladness. And the grateful person will know and will utter what is fitting along with them, but the ungrateful Jew will be crooked of heart and will not listen soundly to either the old or the new testament; from which may we be delivered by the prayers of the saints, sanctified father, and may we be saved in the kingdom of heaven in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. 519 {1To Eudokimos the spatharios}1 We ourselves also perceive how great the suffering and the pain that has befallen your honor; but now, since we have also heard from you the many-groaning words, which indicate each of the grievous things that has happened, we have perceived it more and have suffered along with you as is fitting. But nevertheless, however you may manage affairs, which have met you by a just sentence of God, doing well even in this, so that the afflictions are borne as a test of wickedness rather than of virtue. We, therefore, will not cease to still offer argument toward what is clear and easily discernible. You have been deprived of sight, therefore; and it is painful (for how could it not be?) to have lost the lamp of the body, but again a cause for thanksgiving, because we do not see the vanities of the world, from which every mind is naturally carried away undesirably. Have you been kept from public processions and gatherings, both in the city and at court? But you have at least been delivered from the assembly of evildoers and the company of the lawless (you know what I mean). Have you been stripped of your possessions? And this is most grievous; but you have the ability to be carried lightly and to sail above the circumstances and transactions of life. Where, O admirable one, would you ever have found such a place as now, in which it is possible for you to have leisure for God and to know him as much as is possible? And where such a time for prayer, for groaning, for contrition, for the stretching out of hands, for all that it is set before you to enjoy from the inflicted abuse? Do you not see that events have turned out for your good, the wickedness of men having been turned into your salvation? One thing above all must be discerned, that in your former way of life it was hard to guess how to take hold of the saving ordinance, since there were many, as you know, who were acting against the pious goal; but now not only has the door of repentance been opened for you, but also the entrance to the heavenly kingdom, and every one of the right-minded in the company of the

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τῷ μηδὲν ὠφελεῖσθαι ἐν τῇ συμβολῇ τοῦ λόγου καὶ ἑαυτοὺς παραβλάψοιμεν, τοῖς ἰοβόλοις αὐτῶν ῥήμασι δίκην ὄφεως φαρμακευόμενοι. ὁ θεὸς συντρίψει τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν· τὰς μύλας τῶν λεόντων συνέθλασεν ὁ Κύριος. Ἱκανούσθω σοι ταῦτα. τὸ δὲ ὀφειλόμενον ἡμῖν ἐξ ἀναγκαίου, ὅπως εὐαρεστήσωμεν τῷ Κυρίῳ, πῶς διαφευξόμεθα τὰς παγὰς τοῦ διαβόλου· δῆλον ὅτι ὑπόπτεροι τῷ πνεύματι γιγνόμενοι, τὰ ἄνω ζητοῦντες, τὰ ἄνω φρονοῦντες, οὗ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν, ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ καθήμενος· ἀφ' οὗ καὶ ἥξει μετ' ἀγγέλων δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ ἐν πυρὶ φλογός, διδόντος ἐκδίκησιν τοῖς μὴ εἰδόσι θεὸν καὶ τοῖς μὴ ὑπακούουσι τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ αὐτοῦ, ἤγουν Ἰουδαίοις καὶ εἴ τισι σύμφροσι τῶν Ἰου-δαίων καὶ κατὰ πίστεως διαστροφὴν καὶ κατὰ βίου στρεβλότητα. Ταῦτα μελέτα, ὦ τᾶν, ἐν τούτοις ἴσθι, ἵνα σου ἡ προκοπὴ φανερὰ ᾖ ἐν πᾶσιν, παρακελεύεταί σοι Παῦλος, ὁ μέγας τῆς ἀληθείας κῆρυξ· τὰς δὲ μωρὰς ζητήσεις καὶ γενεαλογίας καὶ ἔρεις καὶ μάχας Ἰουδαϊκὰς παραιτήσαιο. ἵνα δὲ ἐν κεφαλαίῳ περὶ ὧν προέτεινας ἀποκριθῶμεν, ὅλον τὸ λῆμμα τῆς προφητείας περὶ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐστιν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὁ λαὸς ὁ ἀπωσμένος ἀνασέσωσται ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων πτερύγων εἴτουν περάτων τῆς γῆς· τό τε ἐπὶ τῶν χειρῶν ἐζωγραφῆσθαι τὰ τείχη τῆς νέας Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὸ σταυρικὸν πάθος δηλοῖ, ἐπείπερ, ἥλοις ἐμπεπαρμένος ταῖς ἁγίαις χερσίν, ἀφηλοῖ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ἐκ τῆς ἐμπαθοῦς καθ' ἁμαρτίαν ἕξεως καὶ ὡραιοῖ τῷ ἀρχετύπῳ κάλλει τῆς θεώσεως. ἐφ' οἷς μικρὸν διὰ τῆς τριημερονύκτου ἀναστάσεως, ἆρον κύκλῳ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου καὶ ἴδε πάντας τοὺς υἱούς σου· ἰδοὺ συνήχθησαν καὶ ἦλθον πρὸς σέ· ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει Κύριος. ἑπόμενα τούτοις τὰ συνημμένα τῇ προφητείᾳ χαρήσιμά τε καὶ ἑορτάσιμα καὶ πλήρη θυμηδίας. καὶ ὁ μὲν εὐγνώμων εἴσεται καὶ συνεπιφθέγξεται τὰ εἰκότα, ὁ δὲ ἀγνώμων Ἰουδαῖος στρεβλοκαρδιάσει καὶ οὔτε παλαιᾶς οὔτε νέας διαθήκης ἐπακούσεται ὑγιῶς· οὗ ῥυσθείημεν εὐχαῖς ἁγίων, ἡγιασμένε πάτερ, καὶ σωθείημεν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν. ἀμήν. 519 {1Εὐδοκίμῳ σπαθαρίῳ}1 Καὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἐπαισθανόμεθα ὅσον τὸ πάθος καὶ τὸ ἄλγος, τὸ συμπεσὸν τῇ τιμιότητί σου· νῦν δέ, ἐπειδὴ ἠκούσαμέν σου καὶ τῶν πολυστενάκτων φωνῶν, ὑποδηλουσῶν ἕκαστα τῶν συμβεβηκότων ἀνιαρῶν, πλέον ἐπαιστάνθημεν καὶ συνηλγήσαμεν κατὰ τὸ εἰκός. ἀλλ' ὅμως, ὅπως ἂν μεθοδεύοις τὰ πράγματα, κατὰ δικαίαν ἔκτισιν θεοῦ ἀπαντήσαντά σοι, εὖ πράττων κἀν τούτῳ, ὡς κακίας μᾶλλον καὶ οὐκ ἀρετῆς βάσανον τὰς ἐπιφορὰς ἐνεχθῆναι. Ἡμεῖς δ' οὖν οὐ παυσόμεθα καὶ ἔτι πρὸς τὸ εὔσημον καὶ εὐδιάγνωστον ἀνθυποφέρειν τὸν λόγον. ἐστέρησαι τοιγαροῦν ὄψεως· καὶ ἀλγεινὸν (πῶς γὰρ οὔ;) τὸν λύχνον τοῦ σώματος ἀπολελωκέναι, ἀλλὰ πάλιν εὐχαριστήριον, ὅτι ἀβλεπτοῦμεν τὰ τοῦ κόσμου μάταια, ἐξ οὗπερ ὑποφέρεσθαι πέφυκεν πᾶς νοῦς οὐκ εὐκταίως. εἴρχθης προόδων καὶ συνόδων ἀστικῶν τε καὶ ἀνακτορικῶν; ἀλλ' οὖν γε λελύτρωσαι ἐκκλησίας πονηρευομένων καὶ συναναστροφῆς παρανομούντων (οἶδας ὃ λέγω). ἐψιλώθης τὰ ὑπάρχοντα; καὶ τοῦτο δυσφορώτατον· ἀλλ' ἔχεις τὸ κούφως φέρεσθαι καὶ ὑπερπλέειν τῶν βιωτικῶν περιστάσεων καὶ συναλλαγμάτων. ποῦ ποτ' ἂν εὗρες, ὦ θαυμάσιε, τόπον τοιοῦτον οἷον νῦν, ἐν ᾧ ἔστι σε σχολάζειν θεῷ καὶ γνῶναι αὐτὸν καθ' ὅσον οἷόν τε; ποῦ δὲ καιρὸν τοιοῦτον προσευχῆς, στεναγμοῦ, κατανύξεως, ἐκπετάσεως χειρῶν, ὅσων πρόκειται ὑμῖν ἀπολαύειν ἐκ τῆς ἐπενεχθείσης ἐπηρείας; οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅτι εἰς καλόν σοι ἀπήντηκεν τὰ πράγματα, περιτραπείσης τῆς κακίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰς σωτηρίαν σου; ἓν ἐπὶ πάντων διαγνωστέον, ὅτι κατὰ τὴν προτέραν ἀναστροφὴν δυστέκμαρτον ἦν ἐπιλαβέσθαι τοῦ σωτηρίου συντάγματος, πολλῶν ὄντων, ὡς οἶσθα, τῶν ἀντιπραττόντων τῷ εὐσεβεῖ σκοπῷ· νῦν δὲ ἤνοικται ὑμῖν οὐχὶ μόνη τῆς μετανοίας ἡ θύρα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς οὐρανίου βασιλείας ἡ εἴσοδος, καὶ πᾶς τις τῶν εὖ φρονούντων ἐν τῷ μέρει τῶν