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of us; just as Zion also knows the Church, when it says: For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, but you have come to the city of Zion and to the Church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven. It is possible, therefore, anagogically to say also concerning this, Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion; for He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within you. For indeed He has walled it more securely than Jerusalem, not with bars and doors, but having fenced it with the cross, and with the decree of His own power, by which He raised its wall everywhere, saying, that The gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 4. In the beginning, at least, all kings, and peoples and cities, and the phalanxes of demons, and the tyranny of the devil himself, and countless things attacked the Church; and yet all those things were dissolved and perished; but this, growing, was raised to such a height, that it surpassed even the heavens themselves. He blessed your children within you. Just as from the beginning He said, Increase, and multiply, and fill the earth, and the word spread through all the earth; so after these things, Go and make disciples of all nations; and that This Gospel will be preached in the whole world; and the command seized the very ends of the inhabited world in a short moment of time. Therefore He also said: The grain of wheat, if it does not fall into the earth and die, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. And again, When I am lifted up, I will draw all people to myself. In the beginning, therefore, from one became many, with the multitude increasing by the law of nature; for this reason the matter also proceeded more slowly; but in the time of the apostles, the multitude increased not by the law of nature, but by grace; wherefore immediately in one day three thousand, then five thousand, then ten thousand, then the whole inhabited world, being born through this good regeneration, both increased and multiplied, and they showed through their works the blessing which they had received; For they were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, but of the grace of God. He who makes your borders peace. This one might say most properly concerning the Church; and what is indeed more wondrous, is that though she was warred against, she enjoyed peace, and while all were plotting against her, she delighted in security. Therefore He also said: My peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. And filling you with the fat of the wheat. It is possible for this also to be taken 55.484 differently concerning the Church, for spiritual food, because He has given us the bread of life. He who sends forth His word to the earth; His word will run swiftly. What word, tell me? The one through the apostles, which has run through everything more lightly than a wing. Therefore David also, hinting at this elsewhere, says: The Lord will give a word to those who preach the good news with great power. But if any of the foolish should doubt, let him take proof from the things that happen according to the elements, and let him learn how the snow comes on suddenly, and in a single moment of time covers the whole earth, not coming upon its face periodically, but wrapping it up suddenly. Since, therefore, he was a prophet, and it is likely that he says these things anagogically, proclaiming beforehand and hinting at things to come, he fittingly dwells on the discourse concerning the elements. What he says is something like this: All the earth is about to be catechized by the word of God, and with great speed, and in a short time. Then, so that no one may doubt, if the Jews, one nation, having enjoyed such great care for so long a time, did not become approved, how it is possible for those inhabiting the whole world to be reformed in a short time, for the confirmation of the word he takes examples from the elements, the snow, the mist, the crystal, which especially happen in a single moment of time. Do not, therefore, disbelieve, if even their minds are about to be changed

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ἡμῶν· ὥσπερ καὶ Σιὼν οἶδε τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ὅταν λέγῃ· Οὐ γὰρ προσεληλύθατε ὄρει ψηλαφωμένῳ καὶ κεκαυμένῳ πυρὶ καὶ γνόφῳ καὶ σκότῳ καὶ θυέλλῃ, ἀλλὰ προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν πόλει καὶ Ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς. ∆υνατὸν οὖν κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν καὶ περὶ ταύτης λέγεσθαι τὸ, Ἐπαίνει, Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τὸν Κύριον, αἴνει τὸν Θεόν σου, Σιών· ὅτι ἐνίσχυσε τοὺς μοχλοὺς τῶν πυλῶν σου, εὐλόγησε τοὺς υἱούς σου ἐν σοί. Καὶ γὰρ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀσφαλέστερον αὐτὴν ἐτείχισεν, οὐ μοχλοῖς καὶ θύραις, ἀλλὰ τῷ σταυρῷ περιφράξας, καὶ τῇ ἀποφάσει τῆς οἰκείας δυνάμεως, δι' ἧς ἀνέστησεν αὐτῆς πανταχοῦ τὸν περίβολον, εἰπὼν, ὅτι Πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς. δʹ. Ἐν γοῦν προοιμίοις βασιλεῖς ἅπαντες, καὶ δῆμοι καὶ πόλεις, καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων αἱ φάλαγγες, καὶ αὐτὴ τοῦ διαβόλου ἡ τυραννὶς, καὶ μυρία πράγματα ἐπέθεντο τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ· καὶ ὅμως πάντα μὲν ἐκεῖνα διελύθη καὶ ἀπώλετο· αὕτη δὲ αὐξομένη πρὸς ὕψος ἤρθη τοσοῦτον, ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὺς ὑπερέβη τοὺς οὐρανούς. Εὐλόγησε τοὺς υἱούς σου ἐν σοί. Ὥσπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἶπεν, Αὐξάνεσθε, καὶ πληθύνεσθε, καὶ πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν, καὶ διὰ τῆς γῆς ἁπάσης ὁ λόγος διέδραμεν· οὕτω μετὰ ταῦτα, Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη· καὶ ὅτι Κηρυχθήσεται τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τοῦτο ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ· καὶ αὐτὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ πέρατα ἐν βραχείᾳ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ κατέλαβε τὸ ἐπίταγμα. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου, ἐὰν πεσὼν εἰς τὴν γῆν μὴ ἀποθάνῃ, αὐτὸς μόνος μένει· ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ, πολὺν καρπὸν φέρει. Καὶ πάλιν, Ὅταν ὑψωθῶ, πάντας ἑλκύσω πρὸς ἐμαυτόν. Παρὰ μὲν οὖν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐξ ἑνὸς ἐγένοντο πολλοὶ, νόμῳ φύσεως τοῦ πλήθους αὐξομένου· διὸ καὶ σχολαιότερον τὸ πρᾶγμα προῄει· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων οὐ νόμῳ φύσεως, ἀλλὰ χάριτι τὸ πλῆθος ἐπεδίδου· διόπερ εὐθέως ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ τρισχίλιοι, εἶτα πεντακισχίλιοι, εἶτα μύριοι, εἶτα πᾶσα ἡ οἰκουμένη διὰ τῆς καλῆς ταύτης ἀναγεννήσεως τεχθέντες, ηὐξήθησάν τε καὶ ἐπληθύνθησαν, καὶ τὴν εὐλογίαν διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἣν ἔλαβον ἐπεδείξαντο· Οὐ γὰρ ἐξ αἱμάτων, οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος σαρκὸς, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος ἐγεννήθησαν. Ὁ τιθεὶς τὰ ὅριά σου εἰρήνην. Τοῦτο μάλιστα περὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἄν τις εἴποι κυρίως· καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστότερον, ὅτι πολεμουμένη εἰρήνης ἀπέλαυε, καὶ πάντων ἐπιβουλευόντων τῇ ἀδείᾳ ἐνετρύφα. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν ἀφίημι ὑμῖν, εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν. Καὶ στέαρ πυροῦ ἐμπιπλῶν σε. ∆υνατὸν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοῦτο 55.484 λαμβάνεσθαι ἑτέρως εἰς πνευματικὴν τροφὴν, ὅτι ἄρτον ἡμῖν δέδωκε τὸν τῆς ζωῆς. Ὁ ἀποστέλλων τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ τῇ γῇ· ἕως τάχους δραμεῖται ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ. Ποῖος λόγος, εἰπέ μοι. Ὁ διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὁ πτεροῦ κουφότερον πάντα περιδραμών. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ τοῦτο ἀλλαχοῦ αἰνιττόμενος λέγει· Κύριος δώσει ῥῆμα τοῖς εὐαγγελιζομένοις δυνάμει πολλῇ. Εἰ δέ τις ἀμφιβάλλοι τῶν ἀνοήτων, ἀπὸ τῶν κατὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα γινομένων λαμβανέτω τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, καὶ μανθανέτω πῶς ἡ χιὼν ἀθρόον ἔπεισι, καὶ ἐν μιᾷ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ πᾶσαν καλύπτει τὴν γῆν, οὐκ ἐκ περιόδου ἐπιοῦσα τῷ προσώπῳ ταύτης, ἀλλ' ἀθρόον αὐτὴν περιστέλλουσα. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν προφήτης ἦν, καὶ εἰκὸς αὐτὸν τὰ μέλλοντα προαναφωνοῦντα καὶ αἰνιττόμενον κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν ταῦτα λέγειν, ἀκολούθως τῷ περὶ τῶν στοιχείων ἐνδιατρίβει λόγῳ. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Μέλλει πᾶσα ἡ γῆ τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ κατηχεῖσθαι, καὶ μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ τάχους, καὶ ἐν βραχεῖ καιρῷ. Εἶτα ἵνα μή τις ἀμφιβάλλῃ, εἰ Ἰουδαῖοι ἔθνος ἓν τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ τοσαύτης ἀπολαῦσαν ἐπιμελείας οὐ γέγονε δόκιμον, πῶς τοὺς τὴν οἰκουμένην οἰκοῦντας ἐν βραχεῖ καιρῷ δυνατὸν μεταῤῥυθμισθῆναι, εἰς βεβαίωσιν τοῦ λόγου τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν στοιχείων παραδείγματα παραλαμβάνει, τὴν χιόνα, τὴν ὁμίχλην, τὸν κρύσταλλον, ἅπερ μάλιστα ἐν μιᾷ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ γίνεται. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀπιστήσῃς, εἰ καὶ τὰ τῆς γνώμης αὐτῶν μέλλοι μεταβάλλεσθαι