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the meaning contained therein and to apply the prophecy to the deeds accomplished during each reign; for the time of the aforesaid kings amounts to a full fifty years, during which the things mentioned throughout the whole book were spoken. 1.5 The divine spirit, having filled the soul of the prophet with its own power, proclaimed the things set forth as through the instrument of the prophetic mouth, preparing hearers for the words spoken by the Lord, which is why he says: that the Lord has spoken. Then next he also reveals the word itself which the Lord spoke, saying in the person of the Lord: I have begotten and exalted sons; The Lord, therefore, spoke the word, and the prophetic spirit, having hearkened to the voice of the Lord, delivered the word to the hearing of men as through the instrument of the prophet, which it heard the Lord speaking, and it summoned to the learning the containing parts, this heaven which has received the divine powers, and the earth, the dwelling place of mortals. He exhorts heaven to hear and earth to give ear, either as though they were animate; for some say that a soul governs both the heavenly body and likewise the element of earth, or through them calling upon the unseen powers, or since the things then being prophesied were going to come to pass after long periods of time, mortal nature being short-lived, he makes his speech to the things that endure, or because the Jews are unworthy, he calls upon heaven and earth. And he assigns hearing to heaven, which is to understand, as it is superior, but to earth to give ear, which is to hear through the ears, which is more corporeal. 1.6 He says, 'I have begotten sons' because of the intellectual soul being made 'in His image,' but also because the first ones had obtained a special honor. 1.7 He alludes, by saying 'the ox knows its owner,' that the nations, which previously 1.7 differed in no way from irrational cattle, will understand, but Israel will not understand; for 'did not understand' is used for 'will not understand.' And an ox and a donkey by natural instinct recognize those who feed them, but these, having been deemed worthy of so much providence by God, as not only to be made rational, but also to be deemed worthy to be called the people of God, and to be honored with the address of sons, did not, even as irrational beasts, know the Lord who begot and raised, and honored and exalted them. But I think that through these words it is prophetically alluded that they will not receive Christ of God, he being the Lord who came to them alone of all the nations at the incarnation, nor will they acknowledge him, nor will they perceive, nor will they even understand. 1.8 The prophetic spirit, therefore, first testified that the son had spoken in his own person, but through the things that follow, it is no longer the Lord, but the spirit itself that finds fault with those accused here by the Lord, saying: Woe, sinful nation. For these reasons, then, the Holy Spirit reproves the nation of the Jews and calls them wretched, as being worse than all the nations and as having benefited not at all, neither from their adoption as sons nor from the honor of which they were deemed worthy by God; having been exalted and having obtained very many special things from him, but not even from the fact that they were often struck, being beaten and punished for their impieties because of God's excessive love; 'For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.' 1.9 It must be observed how the Holy Spirit calls the people who are named Israel, who are proud both because they trace their 'lineage from Abraham' and because they are 'of the seed' of God-loving men 'according to the flesh,' a sinful nation and a people full of sins and an evil seed and lawless sons, teaching that those who are puffed up with pride on account of their lineage and 'forefathers' are conceited in vain. 1.10 Here he calls the son Lord, and it would be fitting for the son of God, being the Word, to say concerning human nature and the rational souls in humans: I have begotten and exalted sons. And he adds:

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ἐμφερομένων διάνοιαν καὶ ταῖς πράξεσι ταῖς καθ' ἑκάστην βασιλείαν πεπραγμέναις τὴν προφητείαν ἐφαρμόζειν· ἐφ' ὅλοις γὰρ ἔτεσιν πεντήκοντα ὁ τῶν προκειμένων βασιλέων ἀπαρτίζεται χρόνος, καθ' ὃν εἴρηται τὰ δι' ὅλης τῆς βίβλου φερόμενα. 1.5 Πληρῶσαν τὸ θεῖον πνεῦμα τὴν τοῦ προφήτου ψυχὴν τῆς οἰκείας δυνάμεως ὡς δι' ὀργάνου τοῦ προφητικοῦ στόματος ἐξεφώνησεν τὰ προκείμενα προπαρασκευάζον ἀκροατὰς τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου λεγομένων λόγων, διό φησιν· ὅτι κύριος ἐλάλησεν. εἶθ' ἑξῆς καὶ τὸν λόγον αὐτὸν ἐμφαίνει, ὃν ἐλάλησε κύριος φῆσαν ἐκ προσώπου κυρίου τό· υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα καὶ ὕψωσα· ὁ μὲν οὖν κύριος ἐλάλησε τὸν λόγον, ἐπακοῦσαν δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ προφητικὸν τῆς τοῦ κυρίου φωνῆς ὡς δι' ὀργάνου τοῦ προφήτου ταῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀκοαῖς παρεδίδου τὸν λόγον, ὃν τοῦ κυρίου λέγοντος ἠκροάσατο, συνεκάλει δὲ πρὸς τὴν μάθησιν τὰ συνεκτικὰ μέρη, οὐρανὸν τοῦτον τὸν τὰς θείας δυνάμεις ἀπειληφότα καὶ γῆν τὸ τῶν θνητῶν οἰκητήριον. οὐρανῷ μὲν ἀκούειν, γῇ δὲ ἐνωτίζεσθαι παρακελεύεται ἢ ὡς ἐμψύχοις οὖσιν· διοικεῖν γὰρ καὶ τὸ οὐράνιον σῶμα ψυχὴν καὶ τὸ τῆς γῆς στοιχεῖον ὡσαύτως φασίν τινες, ἢ δι' αὐτῶν τὰς ἀφανεῖς δυνάμεις ἀνακαλούμενος ἢ ἔπειτα θεσπιζόμενα μακροῖς χρόνοις ἔμελλον ἀποβήσεσθαι τῆς θνητῆς φύσεως οὔσης ὀλιγοχρονίου πρὸς τὰ διαμένοντα ποιεῖται τὸν λόγον, ἢ ὡς μὴ ἀξίους ὄντας Ἰουδαίους τὸν οὐρανὸν προσκαλεῖται καὶ τὴν γῆν. καὶ τὸ μὲν ἀκούειν τῷ οὐρανῷ προσνέμει, ὅπερ ἐστὶν τὸ συνιέναι ὡς κρεῖττον, τῇ δὲ γῇ ἐνωτίζεσθαι, ὅπερ ἐστὶν τὸ δι' ὤτων ἀκούειν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ σωματικώτερον. 1.6 Υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα λέγει διὰ τὴν νοερὰν ψυχὴν τὸ «κατ' εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ» γενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὸ γέρους ἐξαιρέτου τετυχηκέναι τοὺς πρώτους. 1.7 Αἰνίττεται διὰ τοῦ λέγειν ἔγνω βοῦς τὸν κτησάμενον, ὅτι τὰ μὲν πρὶν 1.7 κτηνῶν ἀλόγων κατ' οὐδὲν διαφέροντα ἔθνη συνήσουσιν, Ἰσραὴλ δὲ οὐ συνήσει· τὸ γὰρ οὐ συνῆκεν ἀντ' οὐ συνήσει. καὶ βοῦς μὲν καὶ ὄνος φυσικῇ φαντασίᾳ τοὺς τρέφοντας ἐπιγινώσκουσιν, οἱ δὲ τοσαύτης ἀξιωθέντες παρὰ τῷ θεῷ προνοίας, ὡς μὴ μόνον λογικοὺς καταστῆναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ λαὸν θεοῦ χρηματίσαι καταξιωθῆναι, υἱῶν τε προσηγορίᾳ τιμηθῆναι, οὐδ' ὁμοίως τοῖς ἀλόγοις θρέμμασιν τὸν γεννήσαντα καὶ ἀναθρέψαντα, τιμήσαντά τε καὶ ὑψώσαντα αὐτοὺς κύριον ἔγνωσαν. οἶμαι δὲ διὰ τούτων προφητικῶς αἰνίττεσθαι πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτὸν ὄντα τὸν κύριον μόνοις αὐτοῖς ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπιδημήσαντα κατὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν οὐ παραδέξονται οὐδὲ ἐπιγνώσονται αὐτὸν οὐδὲ νοήσουσιν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ συνήσουσιν. 1.8 Τὰ μὲν οὖν πρῶτα τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοπροσώπως εἰρηκέναι τὸ προφητικὸν ἐμαρτύρησε πνεῦμα, διὰ δὲ τῶν ἑξῆς ἐπιφερομένων οὐκέθ' ὁ κύριος, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐπιμέμφεται ὡς ἐνταῦθα ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου κατηγορηθεῖσιν φάσκον· οὐαὶ ἔθνος ἁμαρτωλόν. διὰ ταῦτα γοῦν ἀπελέγχει τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος καὶ ταλανίζει αὐτοὺς τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ὡς πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν χείρους καὶ ὡς τὸ μηδὲν ὠφεληθέντας μήτε ἐκ τῆς υἱοθεσίας μήτε ἐξ ἧς παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τιμῆς ἠξιώθησαν· ὑψωθέντες καὶ πλείστων ὅσων ἐξαιρέτων παρ' αὐτοῦ τετυχηκότες, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐξ ὧν πολλάκις ἐπλήγησαν δι' ὑπερβολὴν ἀγάπης θεοῦ τυπτόμενοι καὶ κολαζόμενοι τῶν ἀσεβημάτων αὐτῶν ἕνεκα· «ὃν γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ κύριος παιδεύει, μαστιγοῖ δὲ πάντα υἱὸν ὃν παραδέχεται». 1.9 Τηρητέον ὡς τὸν λαὸν τὸν χρηματίζοντα Ἰσραὴλ καὶ διὰ τὸ «ἐξ Ἀβραὰμ τὸ γένος» κατάγειν καὶ διὰ τὸ «ἐκ σπέρματος» θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν «κατὰ σάρκα γεγονέναι» μέγα φρονοῦντας τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἁμαρτωλὸν ἔθνος καὶ λαὸν πλήρη ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ σπέρμα πονηρὸν καὶ υἱοὺς ἀνόμους ἀποκαλεῖ, διδάσκων μάτην τυφοῦσθαι τοὺς ἐπὶ γένει καὶ «προπάτορσι» σεμνυνομένους. 1.10 Κύριον τὸν υἱὸν λέγει ἐνταῦθα, καὶ πρέποι δ' ἂν τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγῳ ὄντι περὶ ἀνθρώπου φύσεως καὶ τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις λογικῶν ψυχῶν φάσκειν τό· υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα καὶ ὕψωσα. καὶ ἐπιλέγει·