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The mountains melted like wax from the face of the Lord, from the face of the Lord of all the earth. The heavens declared his righteousness, and all the peoples saw his glory. Let all who worship graven images be ashamed, who boast in their idols. In these things he shows the terrible things of the retributive power, through the fire and the flashing lightning at the second coming of Christ; but he also reveals the evangelical illumination, calling the words of the divine preaching lightnings, which shine forth throughout all the inhabited world. For surely we do not say, that he was making mention of the lightning that comes for rains, but he signifies the flashing up of the divine and intelligible light by the name of lightning; or calling the lightnings 23.1229 of Christ, those who minister the divine and evangelical preaching, that is, apostles and evangelists, who like light illuminated the inhabited world; to whom Christ himself also said: You are the light of the world. For the true Light is the Son himself, illuminating all rational creation. And since they have become partakers of the light from him, they themselves also, according to that which is said: Coals were kindled from him, are called the light of the world. These therefore, have become like lightnings, running everywhere under heaven, and they send the divine and intelligible light into the hearts of those being initiated. And the psalmist says fire, not entirely this perceptible one, nor indeed the visible flame, but a certain divine power, invincible and irresistible and inescapable, consuming like fire those who are hostile to him. And these were, even before the others, the sinful demons and the ruler of their herd; this one the Savior burned up together with the others. For it was not possible otherwise to deliver those on earth who had come under him, unless like some fire he sent upon him the wrath that consumes and annihilates him. Thus he delivered those who had come under him, he has saved those in captivity, he rescued those who were led astray, and called them to the light of truth. And perhaps David mentioned fire and lightning, that is, flame and light; since the effect of fire is twofold; for it has not only burning, but also giving light; and the light it bestows on the righteous, but the burning is appointed for the lawless. These also are the decrees of the second appearance; these also Daniel beheld; A river of fire, he says, flowed before him; and the Lord said, that his coming will be as the lightning that reaches from the east to the west. His fire will go before on account of his enemies; but for the sake of pious and God-loving men his lightnings, being sent forth from the same light, will illuminate the inhabited world instead of the sun. For if then the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, according to the saving teaching; from where else will the world be illuminated if not from him; Since the Lord himself is eternal light. Worship him, all his angels; Zion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Judea rejoiced on account of your judgments, O Lord. It must be known that Zion is the Church of Christ, and the daughters of Judea are the apostolic souls who came from the nation of the Jews; who indeed are also filled with gladness and rejoicing, learning about the judgments of the Lord, both the punishments laid up for the idolaters, and the promises kept for the gentiles. And they rejoice rightly, since they are dedicated to him, and hoping to be deemed worthy of his glorious coming. For you are the Lord Most High over all the earth, you are greatly exalted above all gods. You who love the Lord, hate evil; the Lord guards the souls of his saints, from the hand of sin 23.1232 ners he will deliver them. If having turned away, he says, the

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Τὰ ὄρη ὡσεὶ κηρὸς ἐτάκησαν ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου, ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου πάσης τῆς γῆς. Ἀνήγγειλαν οἱ οὐρανοὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἴδοσαν πάντες οἱ λαοὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ. Αἰσχυνθήτωσαν πάντες οἱ προσκυνοῦντες τοῖς γλυπτοῖς, οἱ ἐγκαυχώμενοι ἐν τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτῶν. Ἐν τούτοις τὰ φοβερὰ τῆς ἀνταποδοτικῆς δυνάμεως ὑποδείκνυσι, διὰ τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τῆς διαττούσης ἀστραπῆς ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ Χριστοῦ παρουσίᾳ· ἐκκαλύπτει δὲ καὶ τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν φωταγωγίαν, ἀστραπὰς λέγων τοὺς τοῦ θείου κηρύγματος λόγους, οἳ κατὰ πάσης τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐκλάμπουσιν. Οὐ γὰρ δήπου φαμὲν, ὅτι τῆς εἰς ὑετοὺς γεγενημένης ἀστραπῆς ἐποιεῖτο μνήμην, ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ θείου καὶ νοητοῦ φωτὸς ἀνάλαμψιν τῷ τῆς ἀστραπῆς κατασημαίνει ὀνόματι· ἢ ἀστραπὰς ὀνομά 23.1229 ζων Χριστοῦ, τοὺς τὸ θεῖον καὶ εὐαγγελικὸν ἱερουργοῦντας κήρυγμα, τουτέστιν ἀποστόλους καὶ εὐαγγελιστὰς, οἳ φωτὸς δίκην τὴν οἰκουμένην κατέλαμψαν· οἷς καὶ αὐτὸς ἔφη Χριστός· Ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου Φῶς μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἀληθινὸν αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱὸς καταφωτίζων ἅπασαν κτίσιν λογικήν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ γεγόνασι μέτοχοι τοῦ παρ' αὐτοῦ φωτὸς καὶ αὐτοὶ κατὰ τό· Ἄνθρακες ἀνήφθησαν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, χρηματίζουσι φῶς τοῦ κόσμου. Οὗτοι τοίνυν καθάπερ ἀστραπαὶ γεγόνασι τῇ ὑπ' οὐρανὸν διατρέχοντες πανταχοῦ, καὶ τὸ θεῖον καὶ νοητὸν ταῖς τῶν μυσταγωγουμένων καρδίαις εἰσπέμπονται φῶς. Καὶ πῦρ δέ φησιν ὁ ψάλλων, οὐ πάντως τοῦτο τὸ αἰσθητὸν, οὔτε μὴν τὴν ὁρωμένην φλόγα, ἀλλὰ θείαν τινὰ δύναμιν ἄμαχον καὶ δυσάντητον καὶ δυσδιάφυκτον, πυρὸς δίκην κατεσθίουσαν τοὺς ἐχθραίνοντας αὐτῷ. Οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν καὶ πρό γε τῶν ἄλλων οἱ ἀλιτήριοι δαίμονες καὶ ὁ τῆς ἀγέλης αὐτῶν ἐπιστάτης· τοῦτον κατέφλεξεν ὁ Σωτὴρ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὁμοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἑτέρως ἐξελέσθαι τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὑπ' αὐτῷ γενομένους, εἰ μὴ καθάπερ τι πῦρ ἐπαφῆκεν αὐτῷ τὴν δαπανῶσάν τε καὶ ἀφανίζουσαν αὐτὸν ὀργήν. Οὕτως ἐξείλετο τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γενομένους, σέσωκε τοὺς ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ, ἐῤῥύσατο τοὺς πεπλανημένους, καὶ εἰς τὸ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐκάλεσε φῶς. Τάχα δὲ πυρὸς καὶ ἀστραπῆς ἐμνημόνευσεν ὁ ∆αυῒδ, ἤγουν φλογὸς καὶ φωτός· ἐπειδὴ διπλῆ τοῦ πυρὸς ἡ ἐνέργεια· οὐ γὰρ μόνον τὸ καίειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ φωτίζειν ἔχει· καὶ τὸ μὲν φῶς τοῖς δικαίοις ἀποχαρίζεται, ἡ δὲ καῦσις τοῖς παρανόμοις ἀφώρισται. Ταῦτα καὶ τῆς δευτέρας ἐπιφανείας τὰ θεσπίσματα· ταῦτα καὶ ∆ανιὴλ ἐθεάσατο· Ποταμὸς, γάρ φησι, πυρὸς εἷλκεν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ· καὶ ὁ Κύριος εἶπεν, ὡς ἡ παρουσία αὐτοῦ ἔσται ὡς ἡ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν μέχρι δυσμῶν φθάνουσα ἀστραπή. Τὸ μὲν πῦρ αὐτοῦ προπορεύσεται ἕνεκα τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ· τῶν δὲ εὐσεβῶν καὶ θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν χάριν ἀστραπαὶ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φωτὸς ἐκπεμπόμεναι ἀντὶ ἡλίου καταλάμψουσι τὴν οἰκουμένην. Εἰ γὰρ τότε ὁ ἥλιος σκοτισθήσεται, καὶ ἡ σελήνη οὐ δώσει τὸ φέγγος αὐτῆς, καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες πεσοῦνται ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, κατὰ τὴν σωτήριον διδασκαλίαν· πόθεν ἄλλοθεν φωτισθήσεται ὁ κόσμος εἰ μὴ ἐξ αὐτοῦ· Ἐπειδήπερ ἐστὶν αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος φῶς αἰώνιον. Προσκυνήσατε αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ· ἤκουσε καὶ εὐφράνθη ἡ Σιὼν, καὶ ἠγαλλιάσαντο αἱ θυγατέρες τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἕνεκεν τῶν κριμάτων σου, Κύριε. Σιὼν μὲν τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν Χριστοῦ ὑπάρχειν ἰστέον, θυγατέρας δὲ τῆς Ἰουδαίας τὰς ἀποστολικὰς ψυχὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους διελθούσας· αἳ δὴ καὶ ἐμπίπλανται εὐφροσύνης καὶ ἀγαλλιάσεως, μανθάνουσαι περὶ τῶν κριμάτων τοῦ Κυρίου, τῶν τε τοῖς εἰδωλολάτραις ἀποκειμένων τιμωριῶν, καὶ τῶν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τετηρημένων ἐπαγγελιῶν. Εἰκότως δὲ χαίρουσιν ἅτε αὐτῷ ἀνακείμεναι, καὶ ἐλπίζουσαι τῆς ἐνδόξου αὐτοῦ παρουσίας καταξιωθήσεσθαι. Ὅτι σὺ εἶ Κύριος ὁ Ὕψιστος ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, σφόδρα ὑπερυψώθης ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς θεούς. Οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὸν Κύριον, μισεῖτε πονηρόν· φυλάσσει Κύριος τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ, ἐκ χειρὸς ἁμαρ 23.1232 τωλῶν ῥύσεται αὐτούς. Εἰ ἀποστραφέντες, φησι, τὸ