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now beholding the harbor of peace, into which we, hastening to enter, again through prayer beseech the Lord; now having abated from all fear and turmoil and seasickness, and in the best condition breathing in the breezes from the dry land and having obtained safety and being strengthened in spirit by the calm harbor, we have already rejoiced, having endured, if the truth must be told, many evils on top of these things and no ordinary insults, and having, so to speak, traveled by land and sailed the sea, the rough places of the land and the difficult regions of the desert and the dangers of the aforementioned seas, and seeing the city together, let us hasten to it, the holy Jerusalem, and the virgin and bride of Christ, a safe foundation and rock, our revered mother, and Christ’s bride, saying ourselves at the most opportune time, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will declare to us his way,” and what follows. 2. Come then, children of Christ and sons of the holy church of God, who are going through this compilation of eighty heresies or part of them, and with me have swum through such a mass of the aforementioned wicked teachings, and have journeyed through so great a desert, fearsome and appointed in thirst, let us call upon the Lord of all, having long been in desire of this and at each place of these heresies, as in the place of Marah and in the thirst of the fearsome, impassable desert, always encountering their crooked words, let us also cry out, “As the deer longs for the fountains of waters, so my soul longs for you, O God,” and again, “When shall I come and appear before the face of God?” For this reason, let us also call upon her more quickly, not as he called the bride, being her bridegroom and Lord and master and king and God and champion, but as his servants let us call, saying ourselves in harmony with him, “Come from Lebanon, bride, for you are all beautiful, and there is no blemish in you”; the paradise of the great artisan, the city of the holy king, the bride of the spotless Christ, the pure virgin, betrothed in faith to one man only, the transparent one and she who is “looking forth as the morning, beautiful as the moon, choice as the sun, an awe as of armies in array,” she who is called blessed by the “queens” and extolled by the “concubines,” she who is praised by the daughters, and “coming up from the wilderness,” “whitened and leaning upon her beloved,” she who breathes myrrh, “she who comes up from the wilderness, like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, from the powders of the perfumer” of him who has given his own fragrance, whom she, foreseeing, said, “Your name is ointment poured forth; therefore the maidens have loved you,” she who is “standing at the right hand of the king, arrayed in a fringed garment, adorned with gold,” she who has nothing dark, though once “blackened,” but now is “beautiful” and “whitened,” so that being in you we may find relief from the hateful matters of the heresies we have passed through, and may be still from the billows of their tempest, and may find refreshment in you, our holy mother church, and in your holy teaching and in the holy and only faith of God in truth. But I shall begin to recount the wondrous things concerning this holy city of God. For glorious things have been spoken of her, as the prophet says, “Glorious things have been spoken of you, O city of God,” unattainable for all men, foreign to unbelievers, but possessed in part by faithful and true men, but in the promise of perfection to be granted by their own master in the kingdom of heaven, where this holy virgin and heiress, together with her own bridegroom, has had her lot and inheritance in heaven. 3. And first, that God who is over all is God for us who are from the

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τῆς εἰρήνης λιμένα νυνὶ θεώμενοι, εἰς ὃν κατᾶραι σπεύδοντες δι' εὐχῆς πάλιν τὸν κύριον ἀξιοῦμεν· ἤδη μὲν παντὸς φόβου καὶ θορύβου καὶ ναυτιάσεως ὑπολω3.497 φῶντες, ἐν ἕξει δὲ καλλίστῃ τὰς ἀπὸ τῆς στερεᾶς αὔρας ἐμπνεόμενοι καὶ ἀσφαλείας τυχόντες καὶ τοῦ τε εὐδίου λιμένος ἐνισχυόμενοι τῷ πνεύματι ἤδη γεγήθαμεν, πολλὰ μέν, εἰ δεῖ τἀληθῆ λέγειν, μοχθηρὰ ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ ὕβρεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας ὑποστάντες καὶ γῆν καὶ θάλατταν ὡς εἰπεῖν πεζεύσαντές τε καὶ ποντοπορήσαντες, τῆς μὲν γῆς τὰ τράχη καὶ τῆς ἐρήμου τὰς δυσχωρίας καὶ τῶν προειρημένων πελάγων τοὺς κινδύνους, ὁμοῦ τε πόλιν ὁρῶντες, ἐπ' αὐτὴν σπεύσωμεν, τὴν ἁγίαν Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ τὴν παρθένον Χριστοῦ καὶ νύμφην, ἀσφαλῆ τε βάσιν καὶ πέτραν, σεμνήν τε μητέρα ἡμῶν, Χριστοῦ δὲ νύμφην, εὐκαιρότατα καὶ αὐτοὶ λέγοντες «δεῦτε ἀναβῶμεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ κυρίου καὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ Ἰακώβ, καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ ἡμῖν τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. 2. Ἄγε τοίνυν, οἱ Χριστοῦ παῖδες υἱοί τε τῆς ἁγίας θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας, οἱ τόδε τὸ σύνταγμα τῶν ὀγδοήκοντα αἱρέσεων ἢ μέρος αὐτῶν διερχόμενοι καὶ σὺν ἐμοὶ τὸν τοιοῦτον ὄγκον τῶν προειρημένων μοχθηρῶν διδασκαλιῶν διανηξάμενοι, διαπεζεύσαντές τε τὴν τοσαύτην ἔρημον, φοβεράν τε καὶ ἐν δίψει κατατεταγμένην, ἐπικαλεσώμεθα τὸν τῶν ὅλων κύριον, πάλαι μὲν ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ τούτου ὄντες καὶ καθ' ἕκαστον τόπον τῶν αἱρέσεων τούτων, ὥσπερ ἐν Μερρᾷ τόπῳ καὶ ἐν δίψει τῆς φοβερᾶς ἀβάτου ἐρήμου, ἀεὶ συναντῶντες τοῖς σκολιοῖς αὐτῶν λόγοις, ἐπιφωνήσωμεν καὶ αὐτοί «ὃν τρόπον ἐπιποθεῖ ἡ ἔλαφος ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων, οὕτως ἐπιποθεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς σέ, ὁ θεός», καὶ πάλιν «πότε ἔλθω καὶ ὀφθήσομαι τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ θεοῦ;» διὰ τοῦτο τάχιον καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐπικαλεσώμεθα, οὐχ ὡς ἐκεῖνος ἐκάλει τὴν νύμφην, νυμφίος αὐτῆς τυγχάνων καὶ κύριος καὶ δεσπότης καὶ βασιλεὺς καὶ θεὸς καὶ ὑπέρμαχος, ἀλλ' ὡς δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς ἐπικαλεσώμεθα, συνῳδὰ τῷ αὐτῷ καὶ αὐτοὶ λέγοντες «δεῦρο ἀπὸ Λιβάνου νύμφη, ὅτι ὅλη καλὴ εἶ καὶ μῶμος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν σοί»· ὁ παράδεισος τοῦ μεγάλου τεχνίτου, ἡ πόλις τοῦ ἁγίου βασιλέως, ἡ νύμφη τοῦ ἀσπίλου Χριστοῦ, ἡ παρθένος ἡ ἁγνή, μόνῳ ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ ἐν πίστει 3.498 μεμνηστευμένη, ἡ διαφανὴς καὶ «ἐκκύπτουσα ὡσεὶ ὄρθρος, καλὴ ὡς σελήνη, ὡς ἥλιος ἐκλεκτή, θάμβος ὡς τεταγμέναι», ἡ μακαριζομένη ὑπὸ τῶν «βασιλίδων» καὶ ἐξυμνουμένη ὑπὸ τῶν «παλλακίδων», ἡ ὑπὸ τῶν θυγατέρων ἐπαινουμένη, καὶ «ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρήμου ἀνερχομένη», «λελευκανθισμένη καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἀδελφιδοῦν αὐτῆς ἐπιστηριζομένη», ἡ μῦρον πνέουσα, «ἡ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρήμου ἀνερχομένη, ὡς στελέχη καπνοῦ τεθυμιαμένη, σμύρναν καὶ λίβανον ἀπὸ κονιορτῶν μυρεψοῦ» τοῦ δεδωκότος ἑαυτοῦ τὴν εὐοδμίαν, ὃν προορῶσα ἔλεγε «μύρον ἐκκενωθὲν ὄνομά σοι· διὰ τοῦτο νεάνιδες ἠγάπησάν σε», ἡ «ἑστηκυῖα ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐνδεδυμένη κροσσωτά, διαχρύσοις πεποικιλμένη», ἡ μηδὲν σκοτεινὸν ἔχουσα, ποτὲ δὲ «μεμελανωμένη», νυνὶ δὲ «καλὴ» καὶ «λελευκανθισμένη», ἵνα ἐν σοὶ γενόμενοι λωφήσωμεν τῶν προδιελθόντων ἡμᾶς στυγερῶν τῶν αἱρέσεων πραγμάτων καὶ ἡσυχάσωμεν ἀπὸ τῶν σάλων τῆς τῶν αὐτῶν τρικυμίας καὶ ἀναψύξωμεν ἐν σοί, ἁγία μήτηρ ἡμῶν ἐκκλησία, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ ἐν σοὶ διδασκαλίᾳ καὶ ἁγίᾳ καὶ μόνῃ πίστει θεοῦ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ. Ἀλλὰ ἄρξομαι περὶ ταύτης τῆς ἁγίας πόλεως θεοῦ τὰ θαυμαστὰ διηγεῖσθαι. τὰ γὰρ δεδοξασμένα ἐλαλήθη περὶ αὐτῆς, ὥς φησιν ὁ προφήτης «δεδοξασμένα ἐλαλήθη περὶ σοῦ, ἡ πόλις τοῦ θεοῦ», ἀνθρώποις μὲν πᾶσιν ἀνέφικτα, ἀπίστοις δὲ ἀλλότρια, πιστοῖς δὲ ἀνθρώποις καὶ ἀληθινοῖς ἐν μέρει κτητά, ἐν ὑποσχέσει δὲ τελειώσεως ὡς παρὰ τοῦ αὐτῶν δεσπότου παρασχεθησόμενα ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν, ὅπου αὐτὴ ἡ ἁγία παρθένος καὶ κληρονόμος σὺν τῷ ἰδίῳ νυμφίῳ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἔσχε τὸν κλῆρον καὶ τὴν κληρονομίαν. 3. Καὶ πρῶτον μέν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων ἡμῖν θεὸς ὑπάρχει τοῖς ἐκ τῆς