Книга десятая

I would like, as I said before, to explain prophecies against one country or one king in the same books and not separate the thoughts of the reader. But what to do with the vastness of [the contents], which, if not divided into parts, will exceed the limits of the volume, and with the fact that excessive accumulation is burdensome for both the author and the reader? Therefore, after speaking against Egypt and lamenting it and against the king of Egypt, about whose arm, not bound and not healed, we spoke at the end of the ninth book, we move on to the beginning of the tenth book - [to the prophecy] against the same Pharaoh, who is compared to the king of Assyria and about whom, after an extensive prophecy, lamentation rises, and then against all of Egypt. In interpreting this, you, virgin of Christ Eustochia, raise your hands with Moses so that our victory will be the fruit of your prayers. For this does not depend on the one who wishes and not on the one who strives, but on the merciful God (Rom. 9:16), who says to the prophet: widen your mouth and I will do it (Ps. 80:11), while the prophet answers: My mouth was opened, and the spirit was attracted (Ps. 119:131), which, wherever it wants, breathes (John 3:8). And where the Spirit of the Lord is, that freedom (1 Cor. 3:17), which freedom the Lord gave us and the possession of which the Jews vainly boasted of, saying: We are the seed of Abraham, and no one has worked (John 8:33), while they were subject to many vices and sins and did not know this saying: for if anyone is overcome, he will work ( 2 Peter 2:19). Eze.XXXI:1–18. And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on one [day] of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man! say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and his people: To whom have you become like in your greatness? Here is Assur, like a cedar (or cypress) in Lebanon with beautiful branches, and with shady foliage, and tall in stature, and between the thick foliage (or among the clouds) its top rose. The waters nourished him, the abyss elevated him, its rivers flowed around its roots and it directed its channels to all the trees of the country. Because of this, its height exceeded all the trees of the country (or field), and its branches multiplied and its branches rose from many waters. And when he spread his shadow, all kinds of birds of the air made nests on his branches, and under his leaves all kinds of forest animals gave birth, and under his shadow dwelt the congregation of all nations. And it boasted of its enormity and the expansion (or multitude) of its branches (or branches), because its roots were near the waters. The cedars (or cypresses) were not taller than it in the paradise of God, and the firs (or pines) were not equal to its height, and the plane trees (or firs) were not equal (or similar) to its foliage (or branches). Not a single tree of the paradise of God (or in the paradise of God) was like him and his beauty, because I made him beautiful and with numerous thick leaves, and all the trees of pleasure (or sweets) that were in paradise envied him (in the Vulgate added: God's). Therefore, this is what the Lord says: because he rose high and let his top become green and thick (or among the clouds) and his heart was lifted up because of his height; therefore I gave him into the hand of the most powerful (or prince) of the nations; he will do with him as is necessary (faciens faciet; or I will bring about his destruction); for his wickedness I cast him out. And foreigners and the most cruel of nations (or destroyers of nations) will cut it down, and they will throw it on the mountains, and its branches will fall in all the valleys, and its branches will be crushed on all the rocks (or fields) of the earth, and all the nations of the earth will go out from under its shadow and leave it. All kinds of birds of the air lived (or rested) on its ruins, and on its branches were all the animals of the country. Therefore, all the trees near the waters will not be exalted in their height, and they will not lift up their top among the branches and leaves (or in the clouds), and all those watered by the waters will not maintain their height; for they are all put to death, to the depths of the earth, among the sons of men, to them that go down into the pit. Thus says the Lord God: on the day when he descended into the pit, I determined (or brought) mourning (or the abyss mourned him): I covered him with the abyss, and stopped its rivers and held back many waters. Lebanon lamented (or was saddened) for him, and all the trees of the field were shaken (or were in despondency). With the sound of his fall I shocked (or were shocked) the nations when I brought him down to the pit along with those who went (or were going) into the pit. And all the trees of pleasure (or sweets), excellent and best in Lebanon, were comforted in the underworld, and all [who] drank from the waters. For they too, together with him, will go (or went) to the underworld to those killed (or slain) by the sword, and the muscle (or seed) of each of those who dwell under his shadow, among the nations (or their lives) perished. To whom have you become like, glorious and high among the trees of pleasure! Behold, you have been brought down along with the trees of pleasure into the land of the grave; you will lie among the uncircumcised, along with those killed by the sword. Such is Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord God. As usual, I combined both editions, however, [only] where they presented the most differences, so as not to increase the volume of the books through double presentation. But first of all, you need to know that everything that is said about the Assyrian king in the future tense is presented in the LXX as having happened, and the speech is addressed either to the Assyrian prince or to the tree, so that both in the masculine and feminine gender one can understand the same person, because the tree 66 refers to the Assyrian, and the Assyrian is called a tree. No mention is made of the king of Babylon in this place, so that it would not seem that the wrath of the rulers and rulers is being provoked against the captive people who were in Chaldea, but the king of Assyria is spoken of, who at that time had already been taken by the Chaldeans, and all the power of the Assyrians was under the rule of the Babylonians. Therefore, ten tribes, that is, Israel, are taken by the Assyrians, and two, that is, Judah and Benjamin, are conquered by the Chaldeans and destroy the city of Jerusalem. So, intending to speak against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and his people, the word of God used the following introduction against him: to whom have you become like in your greatness! Here is Assur, like a cedar in Lebanon, and so on. The meaning is this: do not be surprised if you are defeated and perish and lose your power and all the Egyptian forces are destroyed, when Assur, much stronger than you, was destroyed as a result of conquest by the same Chaldeans. And he describes the power of the king of Assyria under the image of a cedar tree according to the Hebrew [text], a cypress according to LXX, located on Mount Lebanon, which had beautiful branches and thick foliage and rose to the clouds and which therefore grew so large that it was filled not with waters, but with abysses, that is, the most abundant waters - for the abyss means a lot of noise of waters - so that all kinds of birds built nests on the branches he and all the beasts of the forest gave birth under his leaves. And so that we do not doubt what kind of birds of the air they were and what kind of beasts of the field, it is stated more clearly: and under his shadow dwelt an assembly of very many nations. Cedars, he says, and cypresses, spruces or pines and plane trees or cypresses were not equal to its branches. But in order not to talk about each tree separately, he says: and all the trees of paradise were not like him and his beauty. Therefore, some think that it is not about the king of Assyria, but about the opposite force, about which in the speech about Tire (Ezek. 28:13) it is said that she was born among the cherubim and was adorned with precious stones, but subsequently, through her own fault, fell to the earth; in Isaiah (Isaiah 14:12) she is called the fallen star and is depicted in the Gospel by the Lord: I saw Satan falling like lightning from heaven (Luke 10:18). But we, by the way, in order to follow history, will understand all this as being said hyperbolically, in the sense that the Assyrian has such power and so oppressed all peoples that he equaled himself with the power of angels. Everything is said under the image of a very tall cedar, or cypress, metaphorically for the Assyrian, and its destruction is called cutting down. In the next one: I handed him over to the hand of the strongest of the nations, calls on the king of Babylon to understand that his victory over the Assyrian depended not on [his] own strength, but on the power of God. For wickedness, he says, I expelled him in order to secretly warn the Babylonian that he should not be cruel and oppress the people of God given to him, so as not to experience the same from the Assyrian, who was cruel and wicked. And foreigners and the most cruel of nations, or, according to LXX, destroyers, will cut it down, which one who lived in Chaldea would never say, so as not to incite him against his people. It is also cast down on the mountains, and in all the valleys its branches fall and are broken on the rocks, and it is abandoned by all nations, that is, by the birds of the air and the beasts of the field, and will reach such destruction that all the trees, which were considered tall in comparison with the Assyrian tree, will no longer rise and rise upward and will not retain their height, but when it is cut down, they will still be cut down due to fear. What was said metaphorically is expressed more clearly. All, he says, were delivered (meaning: kings to death) into the depths of the earth (that is, into the underworld), among the sons of men (not between the trees), among those who went down into the pit. Without a doubt it points to the underworld. After cutting down the Assyrian tree or on the day when the Assyrian descended into the underworld and the Lord brought (or determined) mourning, it is again metaphorically said about him that he was covered with an abyss in accordance with what is written: he came to the depths of the sea, and a storm drowned me (Ps. 68:3), and all the rivers, that is, all the nations, had already ceased to give him water, and Lebanon became sad or darkened by him, that is, according to the tree, or according to that, that is, according to the Assyrian. And so that we do not think that we are talking about a tree, then it follows: with the sound of its fall I shook the nations. For what kind of fall of one tree can be such that all nations are shocked by the noise of its fall? When I brought it down (or brought it down), he says, to the pit: in the literal sense, a tree cannot be brought down to the pit along with others who went to the pit, that is, to the pit. And they were comforted in the depths of the earth, that is, in the heart of the earth, all the trees of pleasure or sweetness, which in Hebrew is called Eden (eden), which indicates the shady groves and excellent and best forests that were in Lebanon and were filled with waters. For even the very trees along with him, that is, with the Assyrian, will go down to the underworld to those killed or slain with the sword. Trees are not slain by swords, but are cut down and do not go down to the underworld. And the muscle, he says, or the seed (for among the Jews the word zara has both of these meanings) will rest under its shadow among the tribes - not trees, but nations. Finally, an appeal is made to the Assyrian himself or to the pharaoh. Who are you like, glorious and high among the trees of pleasure? No one, he says, was equal to you, but you surpassed all the kings in power, and yet, together with the other kings who accompanied you, you were brought down into the depths of the earth, that is, into the underworld, as the Scripture says: they will go down to the underworld of the earth, they will be given into the hands of weapons, parts of the fox will be (Ps. 63:10-11). Among the uncircumcised, he says, you will lie with those killed by the sword. It is given to know what kind of trees they were, what kind of cedar or cypress it was, struck by swords and lying with the uncircumcised. And to connect the latter with the preceding, after what has been said above: to whom have you become like in your greatness? Behold, Asshur, like a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and leaves, etc., is now added: such is Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord. As, he says, the Assyrian, the cedar and cypress were overthrown, having been cut down by the Babylonian; so Pharaoh and his people, that is, the tree itself and its branches, will be cut down by the Babylonian. This is still said in relation to the historical meaning; but many think that this refers to the future end of the world and that King Pharaoh, that is, the power to which Egypt was subject, is compared with the strongest king of Assyria, that is, with the Antichrist; because if he falls, then the other rulers of this darkness and the princes of the world will fall even more easily. Now we will talk about particulars, briefly touching on everything, so as not so much to expound and explain what is obscure, but to seem to have given material to those who wish to explain. First of all, we must consider why in the eleventh year, in the third month, on one day of the month the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel, saying: Son of man! tell Pharaoh of Egypt and his multitude. To the one who has to speak to Pharaoh, the word of the Lord is addressed in the eleventh year, for he has not yet reached the twelfth number, characteristic of complete and perfect virtue. Therefore, Jacob also has twelve sons (Gen. 35:22), like whom later the twelve names of the prophets are contained in one book. And there are twelve apostles (Luke 6:13), and since one of them, Judas, was a traitor, Matthias is elected in his place (Acts 1:26). And the twelve-year-old daughter of the ruler of the synagogue is resurrected by the Lord (Mark 5:42). Also, the bleeding woman receives healing in the twelfth year (ibid.). But since Pharaoh is exposed and then mourned, the third month and one day are connected with the number of eleven years. Therefore, further in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on one [day] of the month the word of the Lord turns to Ezekiel, saying: Son of man! lift up a lament for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and say to him. For whoever mourns is mourned so that he understands how many blessings he has lost. But since it was Pharaoh, and his hand was not yet bound and he had not received his former strength, then in the twelfth year and month there are still twenty-nine days left for the number of twelve years to be completed. So, on one day of the month the word of the Lord speaks to the prophet and he is commanded to speak to the king of Egypt and his multitude. At the same time, it is surprising that the four translators did not say to the people, but to the multitude. For many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). And the law says: “You will not be with the multitude in evil.” To the king of Egypt it is said: to whom have you become like in your greatness or in your height. For he, too, was exalted and is subject to this definition: everyone who exalts himself will humble himself (Luke 14:11); However, he was not like the height of one who was like a cedar or a cypress in Lebanon with beautiful branches and shady leaves, and was tall in stature and raised his head to the very clouds, to which according to David (Ps. 35:6) the truth has reached and who are commanded not to rain on Israel (Isa. 5:6). His beauty is also depicted, which, as a result of his corrupted will, turned into ugliness, so that it is said about him: the Lord plucks down the cedars of Lebanon (Ps. 28:5), and being tall himself and being on a very high mountain, the higher he was, the lower he fell. Wanting to depict its height, the Holy Scripture calls it a great cedar, which was nourished by waters - not the waters of Siloamli flowing from the yew (Isa. 8:6), but the waters of Racine and the waters of Egypt, about which it is written: what should you drink if you drink the water of Geon (Jer. 2:18) or Sior, which means muddy waters. Also, the abyss elevated him, over which at the beginning of the world darkness hovered (Gen. 1:2) and regarding which the demons asked that they not be sent into it (Luke 8:31). Around its roots there were rivers of the deep, about which it is said: what is the way of the Assyrians to you, so that you may drink the water of the river (Jer. 2:18)? And in another place: behold, the Lord is bringing up against you the waters of the river, mighty and abundant, the king of Assyria and all his glory (Isa. 8:7). The abyss also directed its channels to all the trees of the country in order to water not only the prince of this world, but also his allies. Therefore, he exalted himself and grew larger than all the tallest trees, and his branches multiplied, and he had power over the whole world, saying: all this was given to me (Matthew 4:9; Luke 4:6). And its branches rose up, filled with water. He extended or expanded his shadow to bring everyone under his power. All kinds of birds of heaven built their nests on its branches, for everyone who commits sin (John 8:34) is born of the devil and is counted among his branches. Those birds built nests on its branches that ate what was sown along the path of the Gospel (Matthew 13:4), or: since everyone has sinned and is in need of God’s mercy, about which it is said: “all have turned aside, but they have become innocent” (Ps. 13:3), then they built nests on its branches. It follows: and under its leaves gave birth to all sorts of animals of the forest, which had lost the meekness of Christ, and under its shadow dwelt a congregation of very many nations, so that there was no one who was not protected by its shadow, except the one who said: Behold, the prince of this world is coming, and in Me he will have nothing (John 14:30). For by one man sin came into the world, and by sin there was death, and so death came into all men, in whom all sinned (Rom. 5:12), and in Adam we all die (1 Cor. 15:22), and all sinned and fell short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). However, there is a difference in the habitation itself. Some live on its branches like birds, appropriating for themselves the knowledge of philosophy and heretical teachings; others are like wild animals, indomitable and cruel; others, like a multitude of very many peoples, which indicates those united through various vices and sins. But Assur boasted of its enormity and the breadth of its branches, for its root was watered by many waters, so that in the paradise of God there was not a single cedar or cypress taller, and the spruces and pines were not equal to its height, or the plane trees were not equal to its foliage. None of the trees in the paradise of plants were equal to him, because not a single tree in the paradise of God was like him and his beauty. For they did not exalt themselves through arrogance, but knew their humility and did not try to sacrilegiously appropriate for themselves the likeness of God. The following is then: and all the trees of sweetness that were in paradise envied him, we explain this way: they envied the tree of paradise for the many branches of it: for many are the names, but few are the chosen ones (Matt. 20:16), and: “broad and broad is the way that leads to death” (ibid., Matt. 7:13). For they desired to have as many [branches] for salvation as Assur had for destruction. Since Assur rose high and let out his top, green and thick, or raised his top to the clouds, and his heart was lifted up, so that he said: I will be like the Most High (Isa. 14:14); then he was given into the hand of the most powerful of the nations, by which we mean another nasty force, to which he is betrayed for punishment, for he is an enemy and an avenger, so by Assur we mean the Antichrist, and the most powerful of the nations to whom he was betrayed is Satan, in accordance with the saying of the Apostle: those who were delivered over to Satan, so that they would be punished not to blaspheme (1 Tim. 1:20): he will undoubtedly do (faciens faciet) with him that which will be commanded to him by the Lord. But this cypress was expelled from the paradise of God for its wickedness, and it will be cut down by foreigners and cruel or destroyers among the nations, so that what is written will be fulfilled: I will accept the wounds of the destroyer, the fool will be more treacherous (Proverbs 19:25), and also: the ax is already lying at the root of the tree (Matthew 3:10). They will cut him down on the mountains so that he will fall due to his arrogance. In all the valleys his branches will fall, so that all those who followed him will be brought down to hell, and so that they will go away from under his shadow and leave him, so that the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, who were formerly under him and protected by his shadow, will subsequently be participants in his punishment. And when the other trees of the forests or paradise see that the Assyrian cypress has fallen by the decree of God, they will not be arrogant, and will not imagine themselves to be anything and will not consider the waters that feed them to be their own wealth, for all the branches, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth that were under the power of Assyria will be brought down through death to the underworld of the earth. It is written about them: all who descend into the earth will fall before Him (Ps. 21:30). And in another place: they will go down into the pit of the earth (Ps. 62:10), and will not be with the angels, but with the sons of men, going down into the pit or into the eternal grave. When he descends into the underworld of the earth and becomes a prey for the foxes, by whom he will be torn to pieces; then there will be weeping either of all his allies, or of the holy powers, who will grieve that he has descended into the underworld. Therefore, the Lord says: I covered it with the abyss, with the waters of which it was previously fed, and stopped its rivers, that is, the abyss, and withheld many of the waters so that they would not water it, but would cover it more. Lebanon, on which it stood, mourned for it, and all the trees of the field were shaken, fearing that they too would be cut down in the same way. With the noise of his fall I shook the nations so that everyone would know about his death and his descent into the underworld along with his other allies. And all the trees of pleasure, that is, of paradise, received consolation when they saw that evil was rewarded to the evil and good to the good. These are the trees of Lebanon that were watered by the waters of the rivers of the Lord, among which was the watered tree that fell. Or all the trees that were once good and watered and were tall in Lebanon will receive consolation when they see that their prince is experiencing similar torments. For they themselves will descend into the underworld to those killed by the sword of God, and all the strength of the trees will be under its shadow, that is, in punishment, among all the nations that will be held back by the bars of hell. After this, the speech turns to Pharaoh himself, to whom at the beginning it was said: to whom have you become like in your greatness, and it is said to him: to whom have you become like, glorious and high among the trees of pleasure? Of course, the Assyrian who fell. And you were glorious and high among the trees of Eden, that is, sweetness and paradise, and now you are brought down, like the Assyrian, along with all the trees that were in sweetness, into the depths of the earth and into the underworld, and you will not lie quietly, but experiencing punishment both among the uncircumcised, that is, unclean, and along with those who fell by the sword of God. And so that we know who is the one to whom it was said: glorious and high among the trees of pleasure, it is more clearly stated: this is Pharaoh and all his multitude, or according to LXX: such is Pharaoh and all his multitude, so that just as the Assyrian above was cut down and fell, so the Egyptian will fall. Eze.XXXII:1–16. And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth (or tenth) month, on one day (there is no word for day in the Vulgate) of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man! lift up a lament for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and say to him: You have become like the lion of the nations and the dragon that is in the sea, and gored your rivers with your horn, and muddied the waters with your feet and trampled their (or your) rivers. Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I will spread My net over you in a multitude of many nations, and I will pull you out with My deep water (or I will pull you out with my fish). And I will throw (or drag) you out to the ground, throw you into the field (or the fields will be filled with you), and settle (or plant) on you all the birds of the air, and fill the beasts of all the earth with you, and scatter your meat over the mountains, and fill the hills (or valleys) with your pus (or your blood), and I will water the earth (or the earth will drink) with the stench of your blood (or your dung). ) on the mountains, and the valleys will be filled with you. And when you fade away, I will close the sky and darken its stars, I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light. All the lights of heaven will grieve (or be darkened) for you and will bring darkness upon your land, says the Lord God. And I will provoke the hearts of many nations when I bring your brokenhearted (or captives) among the nations into lands that (or into a land that) you do not know. And I will make the nations (or many nations) astonished because of you, and their kings, out of extreme fear, will be horrified because of you, when My sword begins to hover over them, and suddenly each one will tremble for his soul on the day of your fall (or expecting his fall from the day of your fall). For thus says the Lord God: The sword of the king of Babylon will come against you; with the swords of the mighty (or giants) I will destroy your multitude (or your strength); all of them are insurmountable nations (or destroyers of all nations), and will destroy (or destroy) the pride (or reproach) of Egypt, and its multitude will be scattered (or all its strength will be crushed). And I will destroy all his animals that were on very many waters (or from many waters), and the foot of man will no longer trouble them, and the hoof of animals will not trouble (or trample) them. Then I will make their waters very pure (or I will finally give rest to their waters), and their rivers will flow like oil (or flow like oil), says the Lord God, when I will make the land of Egypt desolate (or lost). The land of Egypt will be empty of everything that fills it (or with everything that fills it) when I defeat (or scatter) all those who live on it, and they will know that I am the Lord. This is a lamentation, and they will lament over him, over Egypt and her multitude (or over all her power), they will weep over him, says the Lord God. We combine both editions only where they differ. But where there is the same meaning, we follow the Jewish one. In many lists according to the LXX there is a twelfth year and a tenth month; according to other translators, the tenth year and twelfth month, so either Jerusalem has already been captured and Pharaoh’s joy is destroyed due to the disasters that threaten him, or he is facing captivity, and he grieves more about his own disasters than rejoices at the captivity of others. In the meantime, laying the historical foundations, we will briefly touch on how Jews understand this place. Pharaoh is compared with the lion of not one people, but of many peoples, and with the sea dragon, as possessing land and waters, who, as a result of drinking from the rivers, ascended into pride, called the horn, and with the multitude of his army, crossing the waters, he could muddy them. Therefore [God] says that He will spread His net over their multitude, and will pull them out with His snares or hooks, and will throw or spread out the one who was like a serpent writhing with many curves, so that he will be devoured by all the birds of the air. And although not only birds, but all the beasts of the earth will torment him, yet the remnant of his meat will fill the mountains and valleys and fields, so that everything will swarm with worms. He says this metaphorically in the sense that when the birds of the air and the beasts are satisfied with his meat, that is, his army and all the multitude, the rest will turn into worms and pus. Then, he says, the heavens will be covered with darkness; the sun, the moon and other luminaries will not give their light, but everything will be darkened for you, and nothing will be joyful for you, and with your death, all nations and all kings will be horrified from extreme fear, seeing that My sword is rushing everywhere and does not spare anyone, and at your fall they will be afraid of a similar fall. And so that you know what kind of sword this is, listen to something more clear: the sword of the king of Babylon will come against you; With the swords of the mighty or the giants I will destroy all your multitude. These giants are the insurmountable peoples who were in the army of the king of Babylon. They will destroy or destroy the pride of Egypt and all its multitude, and nothing will remain in Egypt, but along with people, cattle and dumb animals will also be destroyed. And such will be the desolation in Egypt that neither the foot of man nor the hoof of animals will muddy the waters of its rivers, but everything will be calm, and the waters of its rivers, very clean and bright, will flow like oil, because no one will cross them and disturb their flow. This will happen as a result of the desolation of Egypt, which will turn into a desert with all its multitude, when the Lord will defeat all its inhabitants, so that those who remain will know that He is the Lord. Therefore, Pharaoh is mourned, and the daughters of the surrounding nations will mourn him. But not only for him [they will cry], but also for his multitude, which was destroyed during the desolation of the Lord. What we have briefly said will be sufficient in a relatively simple literal sense. Let's move on to the spiritual meaning. I don’t think that very much work is required to find out who the Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is, when we said in detail above that this is exactly the power to which Egypt was given - either one country or the Egypt of the whole world, which was not created like a lion, but through its own fault became like the lion of nations. For a man who is ignorant of honor is likened to foolish cattle, and becomes like them (Ps. 48:13). Peter also says about this lion: our adversary is the devil, like a lion that walks roaring, looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). And in the ninth Psalm: he catches in secret, like a lion in his fence, he catches the hedgehog to snatch the beggar (Ps. 9:30). And in Jeremiah the Holy Spirit says: Smite them with the lion from the oak grove (Jer. 5:6). And that the dragon (instead of which Aquila translated leviathan, explaining the word dragon) is called, according to the previous explanation, the devil, I have proven this with many testimonies. He said that I am a river, and I have created it (Ezek. 29:3). So, this dragon with his rivers, as if with horns, pounced on very many nations, which we can understand regarding Marcion, Valentinus, Arius, Eunomius and other heresiarchs, who imitate the men of the Church who say to the Lord Savior: for You our enemies will gore our horns (Ps. 43:6), but they gore not for salvation, to raise from earth to heaven, but to cast into the abyss. Therefore, it follows further: and he muddied the waters with your feet, in accordance with this [saying] of the Savior: but he who troubles you will suffer judgment (Gal. 5:10). For he does not want to drink the waters of Siloamli, flowing this way (Isa. 8:6), but the muddy and dirty waters of Egypt, which before they were trampled under the feet of the dragon, were clean and flowed correctly, but when they became muddy, they lost their correct flow. For heretics do not use the testimony of the Scriptures in their mutual connection, but they confuse everything. And since he is an enemy and an avenger, the Egyptian dragon not only muddies other people’s waters with his feet, but also tramples his own rivers, so as not to spare those whom he has once subjugated to his power. Wanting to avoid this, the righteous man prays: let the foot of pride not come to me (Ps. 35:12). And in another place, the one who was trampled on asks that he not be trampled on: have mercy on me, Lord, he says, as man has trampled on me (Ps. 55:2). The enemy of man is the devil, about whom another psalm says: “Let no more man be magnified on earth” (Ps. 9:39). Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I will spread My net over you, over a multitude of many nations. The Lord's net of the Old and New Testaments, wisely woven, is thrown over the dragon, who dwells in many nations and always finds pleasure in troubles and many nations, in order to pull him out with His snares or His fish. This is the fish that is thrown into the sea of ​​this world and pulls up many fish, of which some are chosen and others are thrown out (Matthew 13:48). Or is this the oud about which it is written in Job: draw out the serpent with a bridle, and put a bridle about his nostrils (Job 40:20), instead of which Aquila translated: pull out the leviathan with a bridle and tie his tongue with ropes. The dragon or leviathan is pulled out of the sea of ​​fish or the deeps of the Lord in order to be thrown or stretched out on the earth and so that all his twists with which he covered his intrigues are opened and revealed to everyone and are thrown to the ground, and so that the one who lifts up his mouth to heaven and boasts that he is like the Most High lies down. Therefore, it follows further: and I will sow or plant on you all the birds of the air, and with you I will fill the beasts of the whole earth, according to what is written: You gave this food to the Ethiopian people (Ps. 73:14), which are called either birds or beasts of the earth (Matthew 13:4; Luke 8:5), - birds, which, as we said, steal what was sown along the road, and beasts earthly ones who became fierce as a result of vices, which can be attributed to heretics and pagans. The following then: and I will scatter your flesh over the mountains and fill your hills with your pus or fill the valleys with your blood has such a meaning that by the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth we should understand the deceived peoples and the cruelty of the pagans, the mountains should be attributed to the heresiarchs, which were Valentinus and Marcion, and the hills to their successors, saturated with the pus of the dragon, or the valleys filled with the blood of the dragon to all the lowest of believers. Or the mountains are those nasty forces that circulate in the air, and the valleys are those that reach the underworld and are given over to eternal punishment. Further words: and I will water the earth with the stench of your blood on the mountains, or the earth will drink with your excrement on the mountains and the valleys will be filled with you, mean that all pride and arrogant exaltation of heretics is filled not so much with life-giving and pure blood, as with stinking and purulent blood, in accordance with what is written: lay them down like the rot of the earth (Ps. 82:11-12), from which the Lord delivers the saint, raise up food from the earth and raise up the wretched from the rotting place, make him a ruler, a ruler of your people (Ps. 112:7-8). The valleys, located in the recesses and at the very bottom, mean, as we said above, either the underworld, or the low way of thinking of heretics, who do everything for the sake of pleasure and earthly riches. And what is added to this: and when you fade away, I will close the sky and darken its stars, I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light, I will make all the lights of heaven sad or darken for you, and I will bring darkness upon your land, says the Lord God, this is absolutely impossible to understand if we follow the literal meaning. For, since after the destruction of Pharaoh or the dragon, the sun, the moon and the stars did not give their light and the sky was covered with darkness, according to this poetic expression: The continuous night threatened all criminal nations 67; then it must be said that the sky or heavens will be covered with darkness after that Pharaoh who took the form of an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14) and about whom it is written elsewhere: the light of the wicked will be extinguished (Job 18:5). About them Paul also says: and to spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12). And the Lord will darken his stars, or the dragon or the sky. The Apostle Jude writes about this: the wandering stars, by whom the darkness of darkness is kept forever (Jude 1:13). Also, the sun will be covered by a cloud - the sun of unrighteousness, opposite to the sun of righteousness, by a cloud - either by the Lord Savior Himself, who descends into Egypt on a light cloud (Isa. 19:1), not burdened with any burden of sins, or by the prophets and apostles, about whom we read: we will command with a cloud that rain should not fall on it (Is. 5:6). And in the Psalms: Your truth reaches to the clouds (Ps. 36:6). When the sun of unrighteousness is eclipsed, the moon, by which we mean the church of heretics, and which was considered to receive light from the sun of unrighteousness, will not give its light and will not deceive the believers with false knowledge. Also, all the lights and all the pretended learning of the heretics will dry up when the dragon is extinguished, or they will be saddened when their head perishes, so that the Lord Himself will cover the land of the heretics with darkness, that is, ignorance of the truth, so that the blind will lead the blind into the pit and the inhabitants of the earth will be cast into utter darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. It further says: And I will irritate the hearts of many nations when I bring your brokenhearted or captives among the nations into a land that you do not know, so that those who were formerly Pharaoh’s slaves would be angry with him, seeing that his captives were taken to another land, the existence of which the dragon did not know. And we should not doubt that those lands that the dragon does not know are good, precisely because the captives of Pharaoh are replaced by other captives, about whom it is said in the Savior: you ascended on high, you took captivity captive, you received gifts from men (Ps. 67:19) or according to the apostle; giving to man (Eph. 4:8). And I will amaze, he says, about you, many nations, so that those who were previously amazed at the power of Pharaoh will subsequently be surprised that he fell from his height. Also, out of extreme fear, the kings of the nations will be terrified of him, the kingdoms of which the devil showed to the Lord and about whom the psalm says: the kings of the earth appeared and the princes gathered together (Ps. 2:2). This will be fulfilled when the sword of the Lord is carried over their faces - meaning: kings or nations. By the sword of the Lord we must understand the word of God, living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12); he flies and sparkles, and blinds the eyes of those who see and brings horror to the faces, so that, amazed at the fall of Pharaoh, they see that they too have fallen with him. This is precisely the sword of the Lord about which it is written: This is for the fall and rising of many (Luke 2:34), to exalt the humble and humble the proud. The sword of the king of Babylon will come against the dragon so that the Lord, with the swords of the mighty or the giants, will destroy all his multitude that followed the king of Egypt. All of them, he says, are irresistible or destroyers from among the nations, so that the fierce ones will be handed over for punishment to the fiercest ones, about whom it is written: the message of the angels to the fierce ones (Ps. 77:49). And the apostle says: they delivered them over to Satan, so that they would be punished not to blaspheme (1 Tim. 1:20), or to the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit might be saved (1 Cor. 5:5). But when through this kind of servants the pride of Egypt is destroyed and its multitude is destroyed, then all its animals will perish, which were along the very many waters, and the foot of man will no longer trouble them. For if blessed is he who sows in every water where the ox and ass trample (Isa. 32:20), then on the contrary, unhappy is he who is still able to keep at least the simple in his error, so that the foot of a man will not trample among them, so that the waters of Egypt do not seem to have even a sign of wisdom and understanding. Then none other than the Lord Himself will make very pure those waters that were muddy during the reign of the dragon, so that their rivers will flow like oil and will be a source of true light. This will come true when the Lord makes the land of Egypt desolate and destroys its multitude, and all its inhabitants are slain, so that from this outcome they may know that He is the Lord. As for the annexation: this is a lament, and the daughters of the nations will weep for Egypt and for its multitude they will weep, says the Lord, it is obvious that the souls of all the peoples who were previously oppressed, or those peoples who were not in Egypt, but in the land of the living, will weep for the death of the dragon and all his multitude, not in the hope of salvation, but because after such power, through his own fault and due to arrogance, he was subjected to eternal punishment. Eze.XXXII:17–32. And it came to pass in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth [day] of the month: the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man! cry a lamentable song over the multitude of Egypt and cast him and the daughters of the mighty nations into the depths of the earth along with those who go into the pit. Why are you better? Go down and sleep with the uncircumcised. They will fall among those slain by the sword; he is given to the sword; they carried away him and all his nations. In the midst of the underworld, the mightiest of the mighty will speak to him, who, together with his allies (or their own), went down and fell asleep along with the uncircumcised and killed by the sword. There is Assyria and all his multitude, all around him are his graves, all those slain and fallen by the sword, whose graves are placed on the edges of the ditch, and his multitude was around his grave, all slain and fallen by the sword, who once spread terror in the land of the living. There is Elam and all his multitude around his tomb: they are all slain and fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised into the depths of the earth, who brought terror to the land of the living and bore their shame along with those who went into the pit. Among the slain they set his bed among all his people, and his tomb was round about him. They are all uncircumcised, killed with the sword. For they brought terror (in the Vulgate added by themselves) in the land of the living, and bore their shame along with those who went into the pit: they were laid among the slain. There is Mosoch and Tubal and all his multitude; there are his graves around him. They are all uncircumcised, and slain, falling by the sword; they brought terror to the land of the living. And they shall not sleep with the mighty, and the fallen, and the uncircumcised, who went down into the pit with their weapons, and put their swords under their heads, and their iniquities remained on their bones: because they, as mighty, were a terror in the land of the living. Therefore you also will be crushed among the uncircumcised, and you will sleep with those killed by the sword. There is Idumea, and its kings and all its leaders, who were laid down with their army along with those killed by the sword and who fell asleep along with the uncircumcised and with those who departed (in the Vulgate with those who departed) in the pit. There all the princes of the north, and all the Sidonians (or fishers), who trembled, were brought down and were put to shame in their strength, because they, uncircumcised, fell asleep along with those killed by the sword and bore their shame along with those who went into the pit. When Pharaoh saw them, he was comforted because of all his multitude, which had been slain by the sword, Pharaoh and all his army, says the Lord God. For I (or he) spread my fear (or mine) in the land of the living, and he fell asleep among the uncircumcised, along with those killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord God. In this place, the edition of LXX interpreters presents many differences both regarding the order and regarding the translation; Moreover, something from Theodotion was added to it. Therefore, we considered it necessary to present it too, without refraining from prolongation and taking into account the zeal of the zealous reader. LXX: And it came to pass in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth [day] of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man! weep for the multitude of Egypt: and the nations will bring down the daughters of his dead into the depths of the earth to those who go down into the pit. (Further under the asterisks it is added: come down from the most beautiful water and sleep with the uncircumcised, then in order it follows: Among those slain with the sword they will fall with him, and all his strength will fall asleep, and the giants in the depths of the ditch will say to you: “Come down. Who are you better than? Come down and sleep with the uncircumcised among those slain with the sword.” There is Assur and all his congregation. (The following is then: there all the slain were laid, and his tomb was in the depths of the ditch, and his congregation was not in the Jewish one, but the Seventy were added. Then it says: Around his tomb were all slain, fallen by the sword (And again from the edition of Theodotion under the asterisks it was added: They placed his tombs along the edges of the ditch, and there was a congregation around his tomb. All of them were slain and fallen by the sword. After that LXX. put: They brought fear into the land of life. There is Elam and all his strength around his tomb, all slain and falling by the sword, and all the uncircumcised going into the depths of the earth, who by themselves brought terror to the land of life and received their torment along with those who went into the pit among the slain. There Mosoch and Tubal and all their strength were laid around his tomb, all who were slain by him, all who were uncircumcised and slain by the sword, who by themselves brought terror to the land of life and did not sleep with the giants who had fallen from the ages: they went down into the underworld with the weapons that they used for war, and put their swords under their heads, and their iniquities remained on their bones, for they brought terror to the giants. during his life. And you will be crushed among the uncircumcised, and you will sleep with those slain by the sword. There is Edom, and its kings, and all the princes of Asshur, who betrayed its strength to be destroyed by the sword: they fell asleep along with the defeated, with those who went into the ditch. There are all the princes of the north, all the commanders of Assyria, who went down struck with their horror and disgraced in their strength; They fell asleep, like the uncircumcised, along with those slain with the sword, and received their torment along with those who went into the pit. Pharaoh will see them and will be comforted by all their strength: Pharaoh and all his strength are slain with the sword, says the Lord God. For I have brought his fear into the land of life, and he will sleep among the uncircumcised, along with those slain by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord God. I am well aware that such a disagreement between the two editions will be unpleasant for the discerning reader, but what should I do with my accusers, who, if I omit anything from the translation of LXX interpreters, shout that I am a blasphemer and have no fear of the Lord, especially those who, although they deviate from the right faith and follow the errors of the Manichaeans, nevertheless confuse the souls of the inexperienced if they have the opportunity to point out any deviation from the ancient custom, wanting to be mistaken rather than learn anything true from a zealot. Meanwhile, when applied to historical understanding, the meaning is clear. For in the same twelfth year and in the same, as we believe, month, but not in one, as above, but on the fifteenth day of the month, lamentation rises not for Pharaoh, but for the power or multitude of Egypt, which, with all its daughters or strong nations, is cast out of its pride into the depths of the earth, that is, into the depths of the underworld, and it is said to the king of Egypt: how are you better, so that you are worthy of deliverance from death? For if Assur and Elam, that is, the Persians, and Mosoch, meaning the Cappadocians, and Tubal, by which some want to understand the Iberians, others - the Italians, also the Edomites, and the princes of the north and the Sidonians, together with their armies, with the help of which they brought terror to all nations, died and were killed with the sword and put their swords under their heads, which should be understood as what was said ἑφατικὠτερον (for greater descriptiveness): then can you really be the only one not to be subjected to the same thing? When you see in the underworld with you such a multitude of people sleeping and your coffin, surrounded by the monuments of princes who were once very powerful; then you will even be consoled, recognizing the torment as lighter due to the community of very many. For now it will be enough to briefly express this in its simple meaning. Now, with the same brevity as the difficulty of interpretation allows, let us touch on the essence of spiritual understanding. Above, the word of the Lord came to the prophet on one day of the month, here on the fifteenth. In the first, that is, on the Kalends, the beginning of the month occurs, in the fifteenth, when the full revolution of the moon takes place, and precisely in the first month, there is the first day of unleavened bread, and in the seventh [month] - the Feast of Tabernacles, when tents are set up (these are the main holidays among the Jews). The strength of Egypt is mourned so that it ceases to be strong in evil and receives weakening, and when it becomes weaker, then it will be stronger. Instead of the power of Egypt, in Hebrew there is a plurality. For wide and broad is the way that leads to death, and many walk along it (Matthew 7:13), just as, on the contrary, it is said to Israel: you will remain few in number among the nations (Deut. 4:27); for virtue is always rare and the path leading to life is difficult and narrow, and there are few who walk along it. As for the fact that Egypt and her dead daughters are mourned, seventy or strong nations are taken into the depths of the earth, into a ditch or into a very deep pit; then they mean the souls who are in Egypt of this age, who have lost the One who says: I am the life (Jn. 14:6), and having died in sins, they are carried away by their weight to the underworld, as the sinner says: for my iniquities have exceeded my head, for a heavy burden has weighed down upon me (Ps. 37:5). It is written about them in another place: they will go into the depths of the earth, they will be given into the hands of weapons, they will be parts of foxes (Ps. 62:10). For he who digs up the pit will fall into it (Sir. 27:29). Therefore we also read: a pit of graves, and fossils, and put into a pit, which he made in the south (Ps. 7:16). Next up: what are you better at? go down and sleep with the uncircumcised - the speech is addressed to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, or to Egypt itself, according to the addition in LXX from Theodotion: come down from the most beautiful water and sleep with the uncircumcised. This, in particular, applies to the one who, having been reborn in the baptism of Christ and heeding together with the Church [the words]: he who ascends is made white and confirmed in his brother (Song. 8:5), subsequently, defiled either by fornication or other vices, he is expelled from the Church, and it is said to him: come down from the most beautiful water and sleep with the uncircumcised, that is, with the unclean, in accordance with the thought that the Apostle expresses: we are the circumcision, who serve God in the Spirit, and boast in the Lord, but do not have hope in the flesh (Phil. 3:3). All of them will fall along with Pharaoh among those struck or killed by the sword that the Lord came to bring to earth. For, just as the sword of Christ separates the good from the evil, saying: He did not bring peace to earth, but a sword (Matthew 10:34); Thus, with the sword of heretics, all nations are cut down, and those struck are cast into the underworld. These are very strong giants, and rebels, and lift up their lips high, and the more they rise through arrogance, the more they are cast into the depths of the pit and to the edges of the underworld - all those who are killed by the sword. And so that either Pharaoh or the entire power of Egypt, cast into the underworld, would know whom they have as partners in punishment, the next speech says: There is Assur and all his multitude or congregation. For the prince of heretics is the devil, and his assembly is truly a gathering of which the Apocalypse (Rev. 2:9) says: they are the host of Satan. The following verses, marked in front by the obel [dubious place], I consider it necessary to omit and say about what is in the Hebrew: around him are their graves, that is, those deceived by him. All of them were struck or killed by the sword, and therefore fell, and their coffins were placed on the edges of the ditch. And that the underworld is called a pit (lacus) 68, this is clearly shown by the psalm in which the penitent says: I am like those who go down into the pit (Ps. 27:1). By it we should not at all understand, according to the property of the Latin language, what is called in Greek (lake), such as Lake Tiberias, and Lake Laria and Benach and many others, but what we usually call cisterns. Since such reservoirs cool the water and remove the warmth of the Spirit from it, they are dug by sinners and all heretics, and according to the testimony of Scripture, as far as I remember, none of the saints dug reservoirs, that is, cisterns, but all sinners, to whom belonged King Uzziah the leper, who fell through his pride and about whom it is written that he was a man devoted to earthly affairs, and he built many high towers in the corners and dug cisterns (2 Chronicles 26:10). On the contrary, to the righteous it is said: drink water from your vessels and from your wells of the source (Prov. 5:15) And again: let the source of your water be yours (ibid., Proverbs 5:18). Therefore, the Lord says: He forsaken me the springs of living water, and dug up broken treasures for himself, that is, cisterns that cannot contain water (Jer. 2:13). It follows: and there was a multitude of him around his tomb. All of them surround the Assyrian, and form a very large multitude; they were all struck and killed and fell by the sword. For they cannot stand with Moses and listen to [the words]: You stand in the church of the Lord (Ps. 133:1); but all are struck, and killed, and fall, who once brought terror to the land of the living—horror to those who were heads of the churches and [were afraid] lest they turn the land of the living into a people of the dead and deceive all the simple-minded. Therefore, Paul also said: I fear that lest, as the serpent deceives Eve with his wickedness, your minds will also be corrupted from the simplicity of Christ (2 Cor. 11:3). But this fear is tempered by hope in the Lord, since the man of the church says: The Lord is my enlightenment and my Savior, whom will I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life, from whom shall I fear (Ps. 26:1)? After this it is said: there is Elam (or Assur) and all his multitude around his tomb, of course, an Assyrian. Elam in our language means their ascension. For all those who, having neglected the humility of Christ, are exalted through the pride of the devil and imagine themselves to be important in false knowledge, should be called Elamites, who surround the tomb of the king of Assyria, and killed and struck with the sword. And although they lifted up their lips high, they nevertheless went down unclean and uncircumcised into the depths of the earth, so that the higher they lifted themselves up, the more they fell. Not once, but twice, they caused terror in the land of the living. For which member of the church is safe from the terror of the Elamites, and has he not destroyed some of their flock? And it is wonderful that the Church of Christ is called the land of the living, so that, on the contrary, the gatherings of heretics are recognized as the land of the dead. And they suffered, he says, their shame or torment along with those whom they dragged with them into the pit and into the depths of the underworld; Their bed is among the slain, that is, those whom they killed with their sword, and they are surrounded by similar peoples. These nations are the people of the king of Assyria, and although they boast that they are circumcised, yet they are not circumcised, and they were killed with the sword and for the third time brought terror and fear into the land of the living. Therefore, they suffered their torment and punishment among those whom they deceived with their deceits. There, that is, near the Assyrian, Mosoch and Tubal and all his multitude around his tomb: all the uncircumcised, and the slain, and those who fell by the sword, who brought terror to the land of the living. Instead of Mosoch and Tubal, Symmachus and Theodotion translated their bed to show that the bed of heretics or eternal graves serve as a [place] of punishment for the king of Assyria. Mosoch means madness, Tubal turning, - not to good from evil, but from good in evil, or everything that exposes all heretics to the danger of going mad and turning to evil with equal zeal. And it is not surprising if those who are mad and united for evil have multitudes, when they are allies of Egypt, which loves multitudes. All of them were killed with the sword, as if they had caused terror, not once or twice, but for the third time in the land of the living, about whom we spoke in more detail above. It follows further: neither shall they sleep with the mighty, or with the giants, and with the fallen, and with the uncircumcised, who went down into the pit with their weapons, and put their swords under their heads, and their iniquities were in their bones: for they, being mighty, were a terror in the land of the living. Those, he says, who stood at the head of the heretics, have reached such a high degree of evil and such torment that they do not deserve to endure torment on an equal basis with the strong and giants who fell in the beginning. They descended into the underworld, rebelling against God and His Church, and taking with them not works of repentance for their error, but weapons, about which it is written: sons of humanity, the teeth of their weapons and arrows (Ps. 57:5); and they put, he says, their swords under their heads, ceasing hostile plans and instead of a final victory, having the weapon of their opinions, so that their iniquities were on their bones, that is, they did not abandon the most daring fabrications and teachings of their error. For they, being strong, were a terror during their lifetime or in the land of the living. This is said for the fourth time in the sense that they frightened all the most powerful, and those who had knowledge of the Scripture and who were from the land of the living, with their vicissitudes, when they descended into the underworld with their weapons, and put their swords under their heads, and when their iniquities penetrated to their bones. After this it is written: Therefore you also will be crushed among the uncircumcised. This is said either to Pharaoh, or to the power, or to the multitude of Egypt, which will be crushed according to what is written: May God quickly crush Satan under your feet (Rom. 16:20). And you will sleep, he says, with those killed by the sword. There, together with the Assyrians and the Egyptian multitude, will be Idumea and its kings, all those who were enslaved to earthly affairs or took pleasure in [shedding] blood. For Idumea means both earthly and bloody. All those kings and all the princes, about whom the apostle often speaks (Phil. 3) and who were devoted to earthly affairs and daily shed the blood of those whom they deceived with their deceit, fell asleep along with the uncircumcised and unclean and together with those who went down into the pit, as we said above. They will also be accompanied by the princes of the north, from which disasters are kindled on the earth and from which either Jeremiah (Jer. 1:13) or this same prophet (Ezek. ch. 22) kindles a cauldron full of meat and bones. And not only the princes of the north, but all the military leaders of Assyria, instead of which in the Hebrew it is more correctly put all the Sidonians, according to our translation: hunters in accordance with what is written: our soul, like a bird, is delivered from the net of those who catch (Ps. 123:7), instead of which in the Hebrew it is the Sidonians. These Sidonians or hunters, who once relied on their strength, trembling, will be thrown into the pit and will lie unclean and suffer their shame or torment, experiencing eternal remorse, so that their fire will not be quenched (Isa. 66:24) and their worm will not die (Mark 9:44). When Pharaoh sees them all, he will be consoled, either still having his former anger and seeing that he has many accomplices in his punishment, or he was consoled because he saw that they too were put to shame through the punishments and horrors [inflicted] by them on all his multitude killed by the sword, that is, Pharaoh or all his allies, and especially the king of Assyria, and Mosoch, and Tubal, and the Edomites, and princes of the north and Sidonians. For they caused terror in the land of the living. This is said for the fifth time so that we beware and avoid all such peoples, who deceive us through all our senses, and know that they are terrible and not easy to get rid of them if we do not guard our hearts with all caution (Proverbs 4:21). Pharaoh himself fell asleep, he says, with his allies killed by the sword, of which there are many allies and who walk along a wide and spacious path, heading towards eternal punishment. Eze.XXXIII:1–9. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man! speak to the sons of your people, and you will say to them: if I bring a sword on the land, and the people of that land take one man from the last of theirs (or from their own one man) and set him as a guard over them, and when he sees the sword coming to the land, he will blow the trumpet and tell the people, and if anyone hears the sound of the trumpet, but is not careful, the sword will come and take it (or capture it); then his blood will be on his head. He heard the sound (or voice) of the trumpet, but did not warn himself: his blood would be on him; and if he is careful, he will save his soul. If the guard saw the sword coming and did not blow the trumpet, and the people were not warned, and the sword comes and takes the soul of one of them; even though he is taken for his iniquity, I will require his blood at the hand of the guard. And you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Therefore, when you hear the word from My mouth, you will proclaim it to them from Me. If I say to the wicked: “You wicked! you will surely die,” and you will not speak to warn the wicked from his way; then that wicked man will die for his iniquity, but I will require his blood at your hand. If you preached to the wicked to turn him from his ways, but he did not turn from his way; then he will die for his iniquity, but you have saved your soul. Again the word of the Lord speaks to the prophet, which had been silent for some time, because neither the prophet nor human frailty can constantly and continuously listen to the prophecy, and it says the same thing that is stated above. Son of man! I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel, and you will listen to the word from My mouth and threaten them from Me with this: if I say to the wicked man, “You will die the death,” and you did not tell him or speak to him, to inform him and so that he would turn from his ways and live; then that wicked man will die for his iniquity, and I will require his blood at your hand. But if you told the wicked, but he did not turn from his iniquity and from his way; then that wicked man will die for his iniquity, but you have saved (or will save) your soul. If you carefully delve into this, then although you will see similarities, you will not see the sameness, because there are many differences. And regarding all the Holy Scriptures, we must note that where some similarity of thought is discerned, not everything is expressed in the same way, but much is either omitted or added, and represents mutual differences in individual words. But before moving on to a deeper [understanding], we must briefly explain the idea. If a watchman is appointed among the nations to foretell the coming sword and the wrath of the Lord, and if he proclaims it, but the people do not want to listen; then the guard will be saved, and the one who is struck by the sword will himself be guilty of his own blood; but if he listens, he will save his soul. If the guard does not blow the trumpet, and the people, not knowing about the coming sword, do not warn themselves; then although the people die for their iniquity, yet I will require the blood of the dying at the hand of the guard. And so that the prophet Ezekiel knew that the general reasoning applies primarily to him, it is said: and you, son of man, are not of the land and not of the people of the earth, as I said above, but I have made you a guard for the house of Israel. Therefore, if I say to the wicked; "unholy! you will die,” and you will not tell him to beware and save himself from destruction; then although he will die for his iniquity, which he previously committed and which, if you had announced, he could have been saved, yet I will require his blood at your hand. If you proclaim and warn the wicked so that he turns from his evil ways, but he does not want to fulfill it; then although he will die for his iniquity, you will save your soul from destruction for negligence. From these words we learn that a person, even if he was lawless and wicked, can get rid of his wickedness if he listens to the words of the teacher and repents, and the teacher is also in danger if, due to fear of danger or despair in a sinner, he does not want to teach, because he becomes guilty of the blood of someone who could have been saved and freed from death if he had not died as a result of the silence of the teacher, and in each of them free will is preserved, since it depends on the will of the teacher whether to remain silent or to speak, and from the will of the listener - either listen, and fulfill and be saved, or neglect and perish as a result of one’s own negligence. And it is not immediately said that since the prophet predicts, what he predicted will come true. For he predicts not so that it will come true, but so that it will not come true, and if the Lord speaks, this does not mean that what He threatens must necessarily be fulfilled; but He threatens so that the one He threatens will turn to repentance, and so that what will happen if they neglect the words of the Lord does not happen. But we can explain this passage in three ways - in the sense that the land that has appointed a guardian for itself is either, according to the literal meaning, the land of Judea, or, in relation to the spiritual meaning, it is the Church, which often chooses as its guardian the last among the people, that is, the One whom the apostle, writing to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 4:4), chooses as a judge, or the soul of the believer, who puts the mind and understanding over the crowd and the multitude of one’s thoughts, so as not to fulfill all the impulses of one’s thoughts, but to judge and discern what should be followed and what should be avoided. By the guardian of the land of Judea we must mean either a king or a prophet, and by the guardian of the Church either a bishop or a presbyter, for he is elected by the people and, being knowledgeable in reading the Scriptures and foreseeing the future, must proclaim to the people and correct the sinner. Therefore, we should especially be afraid that we do not approach this duty unworthy, and having been elected by the people, do not indulge in negligence and laziness and, what is even worse, serving pleasures, belly and idleness, do not think that we have accepted honor and not service; for even the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve (Matt. 20:28), and washed the feet of the disciples (John 13:12), to show that all uncleanness and vices in the disciples should be washed and cleansed by the teachers; and so that we do not immediately answer: what is the use of teaching when the listener does not want to do what you taught? For everyone is judged according to his disposition (ex animo) and duties: you - if you do not speak, and he - if you do not listen. Solomon says about careless teachers: wisdom is hidden and treasure is not revealed, what good is there in both (Sir. 20:30)? Something similar is indicated in the Gospel (Mk. 9:42), that whoever offends one of the least of the Church, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and thrown into the depths, than if he, being placed on guard, caused harm to very many. Eze.XXXIII:10–20. And you, son of man, tell the house of Israel: you have spoken thus, saying: “Our iniquities and our sins are upon us, and we are consumed in them: how can we live?” Tell them: “As I live, says the Lord God, I do not want the death of the wicked, but that the wicked should turn from his way and live. Turn from your evil ways, and why should you die, O house of Israel?” And you, son of man, say to the sons of your people: The righteousness of the righteous will not save him in the day of his sin, and wickedness will not harm the wicked in the day of his turning from his wickedness, and the righteous cannot live in the day of his sin because of his righteousness. Even if I tell the righteous that he will live, and he, relying on his righteousness, commits iniquity; then all his righteous deeds will be consigned to oblivion and he will die for the iniquity that he has committed. If I say to the wicked: “You will surely die,” and he repents of his sin and does justice and righteousness, gives the pledge and returns what was stolen, walks according to the commandments of life and does nothing unrighteous; then he will live and not die. All the sins (his) he committed will not be imputed to him: he did justice and righteousness, he will live. And the children of your people said, “The way of the Lord is not right,” but their way is not right. For when the righteous man departed from his righteousness and began to commit iniquity; then he will die for it. And when the wicked man apostatized from his wickedness and began to practice justice and righteousness; then he will live for that. And you say: “The way of the Lord is wrong!” I will judge each one of you, O house of Israel, according to his ways. If we read inattentively, then it will seem to us identical with the previous prophecy, which says: I will eat by desire the death of the sinner, says the Lord, and not that he should turn from his path of evil and live (Ezek. 18:23)? And at the end of the same prophecy: turn and renounce all your wickedness, and unrighteousness will not be tormented upon you (ibid., Ezek. 18:30). For there the word addresses those who want to repent and atone for their sins with truth, in order to turn with faith and bring repentance with all their hearts. And here he speaks to those who, due to the multitude of sins or their wickedness, despair of salvation and say: our iniquities and our sins are upon us, and we melt away in them: how can we live? The meaning is this: if death was once destined for us and if no healing can heal our wounds; then what is the need for us to work and exhaust ourselves and not spend our present life in despair, so as to at least enjoy it when we have lost the future? God answers them that He does not want the wicked to die, but that he should turn and live. And He turns to the despairing wicked: turn from your evil ways. And so that we may know who these wicked are, the following words explain: Why should you die, O house of Israel? Life and death in this place, of course, is not the one in which we, along with animals, according to the law of nature, either live or are destroyed through death; but the one about whom it is written: I will please the Lord in the land of the living (Ps. 114:8). The soul that sins will die (Ezek. 18:20). And from the particular threat expressed in relation to the house of Israel, he moves on to a general explanation that the righteous will not be saved by the previous righteousness if he commits new crimes, and the sinner or the wicked will not be destroyed by his previous sins if he corrects his previous errors by deeds of righteousness, and that God judges in both cases not what was previously, but what is present. If I say, He says, to the righteous: you will live and I promise him rewards for righteousness, and he, relying on [this], will sin; then all his previous righteous deeds will be consigned to oblivion and he will die for present lawlessness; but My definition remains unchanged, for I cannot in one and the same person render to the sinner what I promised to the righteous. On the contrary, if I threaten and say to the sinner and the wicked: three more days, and Nineveh will be transformed [will be destroyed] (Jon. 3:4), and he will repent and correct his former error with good works, so that he will do justice and righteousness, give the pledge and return the stolen, will walk according to the commandments of life and not do anything unrighteous: then should he not live the life that is Christ, and not die, since the threat Shouldn't a sinner punish a righteous person? The word of God says something similar to Jeremiah, when he went down to the potter’s house and heard either promises or God’s rebuke to fulfill this, in order to either call people to salvation, or turn them away from sin (Jer. 18:11). Therefore, those who say: “The way of the Lord is wrong,” are convicted that their own opinion is wrong, since they have an evil eye and judge not about the new, but about the old. They are all given to know that a sinner should not despair of salvation if he brings repentance, and a righteous person hopes for his righteousness if, due to negligence, he has lost what he has earned through great labor. We omit the clear to dwell on the darker; and in what ways the present prophecy differs from the previous one and in what ways they are similar, this can show their mutual comparison. Then, what it means to do justice and justice, to give bail, to return what was stolen, to walk according to the commandments of life, and so on, we spoke about this above in this same prophet. Eze.XXXIII:21–22. And it happened in the twelfth year, in the tenth month (the Vulgate does not say a month), on the fifth [day] of the month of our migration (or captivity): one who fled (or escaped) from Jerusalem came to me, saying: the city is destroyed (or taken). But before the arrival of the one who fled in the evening, the hand of the Lord was on me, and opened my mouth before [he] arrived to me in the morning, and after opening my lips, I was no longer silent. In the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, in the fifth month, the city of Jerusalem was taken. This prophecy [was] in the twelfth year, in the tenth month, on the fifth [day] of the month of captivity or relocation, when Jeconiah (or he and Jeconiah) was captured. From this it can be seen that after one year, four months and twenty-five days after the capture of Jerusalem, one of the citizens of Jerusalem came to Babylon, who reported that the city had been taken and destroyed. But the day before the arrival of the one who reported this, in the evening, the hand of the Lord was on the prophet Ezekiel, which opened his lips, which were previously closed, and everything that he had to say, this confirmed as previously fulfilled, and he was no longer silent, seeing that his prophecy was fulfilled in practice and that the people who were in Babylon, or those who were taken captive in accordance with the prophetic prediction, did not doubt. For then the mouth of the prophet opens when what he foretold has been fulfilled in practice, and he who depicts not the future, but either the present or the former, speaks with all freedom. This is literally true. In relation to the mysterious meaning, if Ezekiel means the power of God, and Christ is God's power and wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24), this should be understood that whoever could escape the treachery of the Jews, such as the apostles and the saved remnant were, will proclaim before Christ that all the Jewish institutions have been overthrown, the observance of which hitherto some consider necessary, without heeding the words Apostle: You have fallen from grace, even though you will be justified by the law (Gal. 5:4). And I am surprised at the stubbornness of people that they want to defend in words what they do not dare to do in practice, unless under the skin of sheep, that is, Christians, the wolves of the Jews are not hiding: why is the voice of the defender of the synagogue heard in the churches of Christ? So, after the capture and destruction of Jerusalem, the mouth of the Lord was opened through the apostles and apostolic men, who could say: my mouth was opened to you, Corinthians (2 Cor. 6:11). The door opened to me was great and hasty (1 Cor. 16:9). And this: my mouth was opened, and the spirit was drawn (Ps. 119:131), since he can never remain silent and hear with Israel: Hear Israel, and be silent (Deut. 27:9), but throughout the world he will proclaim and spread the Gospel of Christ among the nations. According to this meaning, the twelfth year refers to the twelve tribes, and the tenth month - to the time of the Jewish propitiation, which in Greek is called ἱλασμο'ς, and the fifth day of the month - to carnal feelings, which all, after the capture of Jerusalem and after being replaced by the Gospel, as we have shown, were destroyed and passed away, and in the evening, that is, at the end of the world, the hand of the Lord was on the true Ezekiel, who through the prophets foretold the future destruction of the city, and in the morning it turned out to be accomplished. Eze.XXXIII:23–33. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man! those who dwell in these ruins in the land of Israel affirm, saying: “Abraham was alone and took possession of the land, and we are many; we have been given the land for our possession.” Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Will you, who eat blood and lift up your eyes to your abominations and shed blood, receive the land for an inheritance? You stood with your swords, did abominable things, and each of you desecrated his neighbor's wife, and will you receive the land as an inheritance? So tell them: This is what the Lord God says: I live! Those who live in the ruins will fall by the sword, and those in the field will be given over to the beasts to be devoured, and those in the fortifications and caves will die from the pestilence. And I will turn the land into a desert and a desert, and its proud power will cease and the mountains of Israel will be desolate, since no one will pass through them. And they will know that I am the Lord, when I turn their land into a desert and a desert because of all their abominations that they have done. And about you, son of man, the sons of your people talk at the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, each saying to his neighbor: Come, and let us hear what word comes from the Lord. And they come to you just as a people comes (or as a people usually gathers), and My people sit down before you, and they listen to Your words, but do not fulfill them, for they turn them into amusement (canticum) for their mouths, and their heart is carried away for their gain (or, as it stands in LXX: for they turn them into lies of their lips, and their heart goes after their abominations. It follows: And you for them, like a musical song that is sung pleasantly and sweetly, and they will listen to Your words, but will not fulfill them, and when what was predicted comes to pass - for it is already coming to pass - then they will know that there is a prophet among them. First of all, you should know that about eight verses, starting from the place that we translated: which you eat with blood and lift up your eyes to your abominations, to the place where it is written: Thus say to them: Thus says the Lord God, is not in the LXX, by which this, along with many other things, was omitted, or, although translated by them, gradually disappeared due to the fault of the copyists. Our Latins, or rather Christian haters and, to put it more clearly, the heirs of the Grunniian party 69, bark at us: why do we explain according to the Hebrew [text], as if food should be offered to those who do not want it, and not a meal is prepared for those who accept it with gratitude. But if they do not have confidence in us, then let them read other publications - Aquila, Symmachus and Theodotion; let them make a request to the Jews not from one locality, so as not to boast that they were bribed by us, but from different countries, and when they see that they all agree with my error or ignorance, they will understand that they are too smart and want to sleep rather than learn, and let them settle in seventy cells of the Alexandrian Pharos, so as not to lose the sails of the ships and not sigh over the loss of ropes. This is against the haters. Now we will begin to explain what we have stated. After the capture of Jerusalem and the destruction of the church, as we said, only the poor countries about which Jeremiah writes (Jeremiah 39:10) were left in Jerusalem to cultivate vineyards and fields, and live on the ruins of the burnt city. And although they should have repented about what resulted in the captivity, however, deluding themselves with empty hope, they said: our father Abraham was one, and yet he received this land as an inheritance, not in the sense that he possessed it, but in the fact that his seed received the promised land. Therefore, if from him alone came so many nations, then we, who are much more numerous, who remained in the land of Judea and live in desolate and destroyed cities, will undoubtedly multiply much more in order to possess in greater numbers what he alone owned. The Lord answers them that Abraham alone received the promised land for his faith. For Abraham believed in God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). And they, as unbelievers and criminals, cannot own it, even if there were more of them. At the same time, it also lists what they do to anger God, namely six types of sins. You eat blood and lift your eyes to abominations, that is, to your idols, and shed blood, that is, commit murder: can you, by doing this, retain the land as an inheritance? You are not content with these crimes either, but daily you stand with your swords, ready to kill, and imitating Esau, who stood and lived with his sword, you commit incredible abominations, that is, lewdness of lusts, and everyone defiles his neighbor’s wife, becoming more criminal through the fact that he has defiled the wife of his friend and neighbor. And by doing this, do you really think, he says, that you will retain the land as an inheritance? Therefore, answer them, O prophet, and pronounce in My words the following judgment about them. I swear by Myself that those who live in deserted places and on ruins will fall by the sword, and those who live in the fields and on the plain will be eaten by birds; those who are among the walls or in fortifications and caves cannot escape the wrath of God, but will die of hunger and pestilence. And I will turn, he says, the land of Judea into a desert, and its proud strength, the one that was formerly strength, will cease. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). The mountains and everything will be desolate and come into such desolation that no one will pass through them, and then those who remain in small numbers will not hope for their numbers, but from the great desolation they will know that I am the Lord, who turned the earth into a desert for all the abominations they committed. This can be said against those who, after the capture of Jerusalem and the devastation of the entire Jewish country, lived in small numbers in ruins and in deserted cities and villages. Now we will move on to the allegorical meaning, and, as is our custom, we will rather only touch upon rather than present in detail the extensive reasoning. Every heretic lives in desolate places and ruins, and considers himself the owner of the land of Israel and says: if Abraham alone by his faith achieved such a blessing that he multiplied like the sand of the sea and like the stars of heaven; then much sooner will we, who are the greater number, possess the land of Israel, that is, those who see God, and Judea of ​​the confession of the Lord. The Lord answers them: he received the land as his possession for faith, but you, for unbelief, or rather for blasphemy, cannot possess the land of Israel, that is, the Church. For, firstly, you eat with blood, shedding the blood of those whom you tempt. Secondly, you lift your eyes to your filthiness or abominations, which are invented by your mind, whereas you should have imitated the church man and said: I have lifted up my eyes to You, who dwells in heaven (Ps. 122:1). Thirdly, you shed blood, not giving life to those whom you have deceived, but destroying them. These three [crimes] are not enough for you, but you stand with your swords, that is, you persist in false opinions and are ready to murder and commit abominations, doing on beds what is shameful to talk about, and you have defiled your neighbor’s wife, that is, church life, hastening daily from the arms of Christ to kidnap those who have been deceived by you. And by doing this, do you really think that you will retain possession of the land of Israel? To such God says that whoever lives in the ruins of heretical gatherings will fall by the sword of the church, about which it is written: two swords are sharp in their hands (Ps. 149:6). And in the Gospel: the world did not come, but a sword (Matthew 10:34). And a slave who indulges in intemperance and idleness will be cut, that is, struck with the sword, and will suffer the same fate as the unbelievers (Luke 12:46). And whoever is in the field or on the plain will be given over to be devoured by the beasts, for deliverance from which the prophet prays: do not betray to the beasts the soul that confesses to You (Ps. 73:19). Who is in the fortifications and among the walls, about which it is written: in the strong cities the wise man has gone down, and has destroyed the stronghold of wickedness (Prov. 21:22), and dwells in the caves about which it is written: it is written: My Father’s house will be called a house of prayer; But you will make his cave a thief (Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46); he will die from the famine of the word of God and from the pestilence, and the whole land of heretics will turn into a desert, so that their pride will be crushed and the mountains will be desolate - those who ascribed to themselves high knowledge. They are called the mountains of Israel, because under the name of Christ they put stumbling blocks to all who are deceived, and no one will pass through them and will not be able to say what Moses said: I will see this great vision as I pass by (Ex. 3:3); for they are inhabitants of the perverted mountains, and not strangers and strangers, so that, having experienced this, they would then know that He is the Lord, who turned their land into a desert because of the abominations they committed. It follows: on the same day and at the same time, that is, in the twelfth year, in the tenth month, on the fifth [day] of the month, when the one who fled from Jerusalem arrived, and when the prophet spoke to those who were in the land of Judah and hoped for an eternal possession, [God] commands the prophet to speak to the people who were in Babylon and lived with them, and to expose the flattering deceit of those who they want to listen to the words of the prophet, but not for the salvation of the soul, but for the delight of their ears. They sat near the walls and in the doors of the houses, not wanting to delve into the thought of the prophet, but they mutually convinced themselves and said: come and let us hear what word comes from the Lord, and so they come, as if the people were gathering in the church of God, and My people sit down before you, calling themselves Mine, but not wanting to do what they heard. Such people seem to me like those who are delighted with theatrical singing and listen to either tragedians or comedians, and find pleasure in this, so that, having left you, they repeat and repeat what [they heard], and are seduced by pleasant sounds. And they will listen, he says, to your words, but they will not fulfill them. To this day there are many in the churches who say: Come, let us hear one or another who speaks with extraordinary eloquence, and they applaud, and shout, and clap their hands, and when they learn about the fulfillment of that which they did not pay attention to in fact (for it is necessary that what the prophet foretells in the words of God must be fulfilled), then they begin to confirm it and learn that everything they heard was the speech not of a man, but The Lord who spoke through the prophet and churchman. In Latin, the word arbor (tree) is feminine. 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