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having been sickened by error; and having fallen into a second evil, they did not find the way to a city for their dwelling; and a third evil also befell them, since they were hungering and thirsting, so that their soul failed within them. But the philanthropic God and good Savior first guided them to a straight way; then He showed them how they must walk the way that leads to the city of their dwelling. And what would be the straight way but the saving evangelical word, which alone leads us to the heavenly city, in which, when we arrive, we shall find our dwelling? Let them confess to the Lord his mercies 23.1324 and his wonders to the sons of men; proclaiming to all the sons of men, so that all, having learned of the grace that has been given to us and the mercies of God, may hasten to their own salvation. For He has satisfied the empty soul, and filled the hungry soul with good things, those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, bound in poverty and iron. Because they embittered the oracles of the Lord, and provoked the counsel of the Most High. You would not be wrong to call idolatry and deeds done in godlessness the shadow of death. For these are the things that separate us from the true life. In these we were formerly, because we embittered God, and provoked the counsel of the Most High. For it was necessary from the greatness and beauty of created things to behold the Creator of all, and to perceive His eternal power and divinity from the creation of the world; but we, like blind men passing our lives in darkness and the shadow of death, with the rational powers of the soul fettered and crippled, exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds and four-footed beasts and reptiles. And their heart was humbled with labors; they grew weak and there was no one to help. For this great achievement was reserved for the Word of God alone, concerning whom it is said next: He sent His Word, and healed them, and delivered them from their corruptions. And they cried to the Lord in their affliction, and He saved them from their distresses. And He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bonds apart. For how were we not in distress, enslaved to evil demons and unclean spirits? But the philanthropic and merciful God, having hearkened to the prayers of His holy prophets and God-loving men who cried out to Him on our behalf, not only brought us out of these things, but also broke their bonds. This signifies the immediate remission of sins, with which the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ has deemed us worthy. Let them confess to the Lord His mercies, and His wonders to the sons of men; for He broke gates of brass, and shattered bars of iron. He helped them out of the way of their iniquity; for because of their iniquities they were humbled. And now the same is said of His second benefactions. But I think that by these things the fall of human souls even to death is signified; for which it was necessary for the Redeemer and Savior of all to descend even to death. Where Christ, the Son of God, having become the only one ever to do so, shattered the gates bound with iron from ages past, and those which had been opened by no mortal, and for this reason had become gates of brass, and broke their unbreakable bars. Their soul abhorred all food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Because of the ill condition of those turning away from all rational and 23.1325 soul-saving nourishment, it was fitting that the only-begotten Son of God was sent and reached as far as the gates of death, having become incarnate and been made man, extending a hand of salvation even to those who had fallen this far, and to those who cried out to Him. And they cried to the Lord in their affliction, and from their distresses

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νενοσηκότες τὸ τῆς πλάνης· καὶ δευτέρῳ κακῷ περιπεσόντες ὁδὸν πόλεως κατοικητηρίου αὐτῶν οὐχ εὗρον· καὶ τρίτον δὲ αὐτοὺς περιέσχε κακὸν, ἐπείπερ ἦσαν πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες, ὡς τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῶν ἐκλείπειν ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ὁ δὲ φιλάνθρωπος Θεὸς καὶ ἀγαθὸς Σωτὴρ πρῶτον μὲν ὡδήγησεν αὐτοὺς εἰς ὁδὸν εὐθεῖαν· ἔπειτα ἔδειξεν αὐτοῖς πῶς χρὴ βαδίζειν τὴν φέρουσαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν τοῦ κατοικητηρίου. Καὶ τίς ἂν εἴη ἡ εὐθεῖα ὁδὸς ἢ ὁ σωτήριος λόγος ὁ εὐαγγελικὸς, ὁ μόνος ἡμᾶς ἄγων εἰς τὴν ἐπουράνιον πόλιν· ἐν ᾗ γενόμενοι τὸ κατοικητήριον ἡμῶν εὑρήσομεν; Ἐξομολογησάσθωσαν τῷ Κυρίῳ τὰ ἐλέη 23.1324 αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων· κηρύσσοντες εἰς πάντας τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως οἱ πάντες, τὴν χάριν τὴν εἰς ἡμᾶς γεγενημένην καὶ τὰ ἐλέη τοῦ Θεοῦ μαθόντες, σπεύσωμεν ἐπὶ τὴν αὑτῶν σωτηρίαν. Ὅτι ἐχόρτασε ψυχὴν κενὴν, καὶ ψυχὴν πεινῶσαν ἐνέπλησεν ἀγαθῶν, καθημένους ἐν σκότει καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου, πεπεδημένους ἐν πτωχείᾳ καὶ σιδήρῳ. Ὅτι παρεπίκραναν τὰ λόγια τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ Ὑψίστου παρώξυναν. Σκιὰν θανάτου οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις λέγων τὴν εἰδωλολατρείαν καὶ τὰς ἐν ἀθεότητι πράξεις. Αὗται γάρ εἰσιν αἱ χωρίζουσαι ἡμᾶς τῆς ἀληθινῆς ζωῆς. Ἐν ταύταις δὲ ἦμεν πρότερον, διὰ τὸ παραπικραίνειν τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ Ὑψίστου παροξύνειν. ∆έον γὰρ ἐκ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων τὸν γενεσιουργὸν τῶν ὅλων θεωρεῖν, καὶ τὴν ἀΐδιον αὐτοῦ δύναμιν καὶ θειότητα ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου νοεῖν· ἡμεῖς δὲ οἷα τυφλοὶ ἐν σκότῳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου διάγοντες, καὶ τὰς λογικὰς τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις πεπεδημένοι καὶ πεπηρωμένοι, ἐνηλλάττομεν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ ἀφθάρτου Θεοῦ ἐν ὁμοιώματι εἰκόνος φθαρτοῦ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ πετεινῶν καὶ τετραπόδων καὶ ἑρπετῶν. Καὶ ἐταπεινώθη ἐν κόποις ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν· ἠσθένησαν καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ βοηθῶν. Ἐτηρεῖτο γὰρ τὸ μέγα τοῦτο κατόρθωμα μόνῳ τῷ Λόγῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, περὶ οὗ ἑξῆς εἴρηται· Ἀπέστειλε τὸν Λόγον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἰάσατο αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐλυτρώσατο αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῶν διαφθορῶν αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἐκέκραξαν πρὸς Κύριον ἐν τῷ θλίβεσθαι αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀναγκῶν αὐτῶν ἔσωσεν αὐτούς. Καὶ ἐξήγαγεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ σκότους καὶ σκιᾶς θανάτου, καὶ τοὺς δεσμοὺς αὐτῶν διέῤῥηξε. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἦμεν ἐν ἀνάγκαις, πονηροῖς δαίμοσι καὶ πνεύμασιν ἀκαθάρτοις δεδουλωμένοι; Ἀλλ' ὁ φιλάνθρωπος καὶ ἐλεήμων Θεὸς, ταῖς τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ προφητῶν τε καὶ θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν εὐχαῖς ἐπακούσας βοώντων ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν, οὐ μόνον ἐξήγαγεν ἡμᾶς ἐκ τούτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτων τὰ δεσμὰ διέῤῥηξεν. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ τοῦτο τὴν ἀθρόαν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἄφεσιν, ἧς κατηξίωσεν ἡμᾶς ἡ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ χάρις. Ἐξομολογησάσθωσαν τῷ Κυρίῳ τὰ ἐλέη αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ὅτι συνέτριψε πύλας χαλκᾶς, καὶ μοχλοὺς σιδηροῦς συνέθλασεν. Ἀντελάβετο αὐτῶν ἐξ ὁδοῦ ἀνομίας αὐτῶν· διὰ γὰρ τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῶν ἐταπεινώθησαν. Καὶ νῦν τὸ αὐτὸ λέγεται ἐπὶ ταῖς δευτέραις εὐεργεσίαις αὐτοῦ. Ἡγοῦμαι δὲ διὰ τούτων τὴν μέχρι θανάτου κατάπτωσιν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ψυχῶν δηλοῦσθαι· δι' ἃς καὶ μέχρι θανάτου ἐδέησε τῷ λυτρωτῇ πάντων καὶ Σωτῆρι κατελθεῖν. Ἔνθα γενόμενος μόνος τῶν πώποτε ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὰς ἐξ αἰῶνος σιδηροδέτους πύλας, καὶ τὰς μηδενὶ θνητῷ ἀνοιχθείσας, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο χαλκᾶς γενομένας, συνέτριψε, καὶ τοὺς τούτων ἀῤῥήκτους μοχλοὺς συνέκλασεν. Πᾶν βρῶμα ἐβδελύξατο ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἤγγισαν ἕως τῶν πυλῶν τοῦ θανάτου. ∆ιὰ κακοεξίαν τῶν ἀποστρεφομένων πᾶσαν λογικὴν καὶ 23.1325 ψυχῶν σωτήριον τροφὴν, εἰκότως ἀποσταλεὶς ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς μέχρι τῶν τοῦ θανάτου πυλῶν ἔφθασε, σαρκωθεὶς καὶ ἐνανθρωπήσας, χεῖρα σωτηρίας ὀρέξας καὶ τοῖς μέχρι τούτου καταπεπτωκόσι, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀναβοήσασι. Καὶ ἐκέκραξαν πρὸς Κύριον ἐν τῷ θλίβεσθαι αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀναγκῶν