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of birth pangs; I am the cause of all things. So that you would rightly obey me, and the one who provided being. Not first, have I sanctified you, but first, I know you, and then I have sanctified you. Here he showed foreknowledge. after the foreknowledge, then the decree. Since I knew you, I sanctified you. For this reason the Apostle says: Those whom he foreknew, he also predestined. He did not say first, he predestined; but, he foreknew, and then, he predestined. A prophet to the nations I have made you. For even if he did not leave Jerusalem, yet he prophesied many things 64.749 concerning the nations. He does not simply send him; for he knew that the difficulty of the time would make him more hesitant about the matter. He says, therefore, words, by which he was able to encourage him; Before your birth, then, I made you my own; For this is the meaning of, I know. And having been formed, I set you apart. Then, since it is possible to be set apart, both for priesthoods and for certain other services, showing the kind of setting apart, 'For this,' he says, 'I have set you apart, so that you might prophesy to the people.' For by nations he means the tribes. Therefore he makes excuses, as not being trustworthy to speak to so many, and especially to kings. But God encourages him. I am too young. See the lack of pride of the just, how they record their own faults in writing. Who would not blush to commit this to writing? But they were pure from glory and ambition; and whatever they said, and whatever they heard, this they have set down with all truth. And again: 'Behold, I do not know how to speak,' the prophet says; so that when you see him speaking eloquently, and directing his words to these, you may not think the words are of his own power. For he first confessed that 'I do not know how to speak.' The one who is. He recognized the one speaking to him. For which reason indeed he calls him by the former name. For when Moses once asked, and wished to learn the divine name, the Lord said: 'I am who I am.' And he also imitates the piety of Moses, saying his youth is not worthy for the prophecy. But the Lord exhorts him, not to put forward his youth as an excuse, but to do what was commanded, and he drives out his fear. Do not say, that 'I am too young.' For when God commands, the Lord of nature, both age, and lack of eloquence, and all afflictions withdraw. I command, and you put forward youth? Do not make pretexts, nor excuses, he says. Do not be afraid. I command, and you are afraid? See the ecclesiastical things prefigured. Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. And they did not say: Where are you sending us? Did you see the difference between the prophets, and the apostles? That I am with you, to deliver you. This does not therefore show that God is with us, his delivering us. For if this were so, he would not have added: 'to deliver you.' So even when he is not delivering, he is with us. Since he is also with the martyrs without delivering them; and he is with the righteous, allowing them to struggle, and he was with Job, when the devil warred against him. But not from 'I will be with you,' but from 'to deliver you,' you have an invincible weapon, and an unconquerable alliance. Do not be afraid. For who standing on the rock 64.752 fears a drop of water? who, having the king standing with him, is afraid and trembles? And he stretched out his hand. The prophet needed this sensible image, since Christ also did this; He breathed on them, although he did not need the inbreathing; but for the sake of full assurance the bodily images are made. Behold, I have appointed you this day. And yet above he said, 'Before you came forth from the womb I sanctified you.' How then here does he say, 'this day'? That in foreknowledge, this in actuality. To uproot. This is the best form of farming, to dig up the thorns. What he is about to prophesy, he stated concisely. To uproot, the going out of the city; to pull down, that is the destruction of the temple; and to destroy, the slaughter of the multitude; and to overthrow, the loss of their own; and to build up, the

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ὠδίνων· Ἐγὼ πάντων αἴτιος. Ὥστε δικαίως ἂν ὑπακούσῃς ἐμοὶ, καὶ τῷ εἶναι παρασχόντι. Οὐ πρῶτον, ἡγίακά σε, ἀλλὰ πρῶτον, ἐπίσταμαί σε, καὶ τότε ἡγίακά σε. Ἐνταῦθα πρόγνωσιν ἔδειξεν. μετὰ τὴν πρόγνωσιν, τότε τὸν ὅρον. Ἐπειδὴ ἔγνων σε, ἡγίακά σε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Ἀπόστολος λέγει· Οὓς προέγνω, καὶ προώρισεν. Οὐκ εἶπε πρῶτον, προώρισεν· ἀλλὰ, προέγνω, καὶ τότε, προώρισεν. Προφήτην εἰς ἔθνη τέθεικά σε. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ ἐξῆλθε τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἀλλὰ πολλὰ 64.749 περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν προεφήτευσεν. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς αὐτὸν πέμπει· ᾔδει γὰρ ὡς ἡ τοῦ καιροῦ δυσχέρεια ὀκνηρότερον αὐτὸν περὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ποιήσει. Λέγει τοίνυν ῥήματα, ἀφ' ὧν προτρέπεσθαι αὐτὸν ἠδύνατο· Πρὸ τοίνυν τῆς γενέσεως ᾠκειωσάμην σε· Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ, ἐπίσταμαι. Καὶ διαπλασθέντα ἀφώρισα. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ ἔστιν ἀφορισθῆναι, καὶ εἰς ἱερατείας, καὶ εἰς ἄλλας τινὰς ὑπηρεσίας, δεικνὺς τοῦ ἀφορισμοῦ τὸ εἶδος, Εἰς τοῦτό σε, φησὶν, ἀφώρισα, ὥστε προφητεῦσαι τῷ λαῷ. Ἔθνη γὰρ τὰς φυλὰς λέγει. ∆ιὸ ὁ μὲν παραιτεῖται, ὡς οὐκ ἀξιόπιστος ὢν πρὸς τοσούτους διαλέγεσθαι, καὶ μάλιστα πρὸς βασιλέας. Θεὸς δὲ θαῤῥύνει. Νεώτερος ἐγώ εἰμι. Ὅρα τὸ ἄτυφον τῶν δικαίων, πῶς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἐλαττώματα ἀνάγραπτα ἀνατιθέασι. Τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐρυθριάσειεν τοῦτο γραφῇ παραδοῦναι; Ἀλλὰ καθαροὶ δόξης ἦσαν, καὶ φιλοτιμίας· καὶ εἴ τι εἶπον, καὶ εἴ τι ἤκουσαν, τοῦτο μετὰ πάσης ἀληθείας τεθείκασι. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι λαλεῖν, ὁ προφήτης φησίν· ἵνα ὅταν ἴδῃς αὐτὸν ῥητορεύοντα, καὶ πρὸς τούτους ἀποτείνοντα λόγους, μὴ τῆς ἐκείνου δυνάμεως νομίσῃς εἶναι τὰ ῥήματα. Προλαβὼν γὰρ ὡμολόγησεν, ὅτι Οὔτε λαλεῖν ἐπίσταμαι. Ὁ ὤν. Ἐπέγνω τὸν προσδιαλεγόμενον. Οὗ δὴ χάριν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς προτέρας ὀνομάζει προσηγορίας. Ἐρομένου γάρ ποτε Μωϋσέως, καὶ τὸ θεῖον ὄνομα μαθεῖν ἐθελήσαντος, εἶπεν ὁ ∆εσπότης· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν. Μιμεῖται δὲ καὶ τὴν Μωϋσέως εὐλάβειαν, οὐκ ἀξιόχρεων εἰς τὴν προφητείαν εἶναι τὴν νεότητα λέγων. Ἀλλ' ὁ ∆εσπότης αὐτῷ παρεγγυᾷ, μὴ προβάλλεσθαι εἰς παραίτησιν τὴν νεότητα, ἀλλὰ δράσαι τὸ κελευσθὲν, ἐξελαύνει δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ δέος. Μὴ λέγε, ὅτι Νεώτερός εἰμι. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιτάττῃ, ὁ τῆς φύσεως ∆εσπότης, καὶ ἡλικία, καὶ ἀγλωττία, καὶ πάντα ὑπεξίσταται τὰ πάθη. Ἐγὼ κελεύω, καὶ νεότητα προβάλλῃ; Μὴ σκήπτου, μηδὲ προφασίζου, φησίν. Μὴ φοβηθῇς. Ἐγὼ ἐντέλλομαι, καὶ σὺ φοβῇ; Ὅρα τὰ ἐκκλησιαστικὰ προανατυπούμενα. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς ἀποστέλλω ὡς πρόβατα ἐν μέσῳ λύκων. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπον· Ποῦ πέμπεις; Εἶδες τὸ μέσον τῶν προφητῶν, καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων; Ὅτι μετὰ σοῦ ἐγώ εἰμι, τοῦ ἐξαιρεῖσθαί σε. Οὐκ ἄρα τοῦτο δείκνυσι τὸ, εἶναι μεθ' ἡμῶν τὸν Θεὸν, τὸ ἐξαιρεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς αὐτόν. Εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἦν, οὐκ ἂν προσέθηκεν· τοῦ ἐξαιρεῖσθαί σε. Ὥστε καὶ μὴ ἐξαιρούμενος, μεθ' ἡμῶν ἐστιν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ μετὰ τῶν μαρτύρων ἐστὶν οὐκ ἐξαιρούμενος αὐτούς· καὶ μετὰ δικαίων ἐστὶ, συγχωρῶν αὐτοὺς ἀθλεῖν, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἦν, ὅτε αὐτὸν ὁ διάβολος ἐπολέμει. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ, Ἔσομαι μετὰ σοῦ, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐξαιρεῖσθαί σε, ἔχεις ὅπλον ἄμαχον, καὶ ἀκαταγώνιστον συμμαχίαν. Μὴ φοβηθῇς. Τίς γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας 64.752 ἑστὼς, ῥανίδα δέδοικεν ὑδάτων; τίς τὸν βασιλέα ἔχων ἑστῶτα μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ, φοβεῖται καὶ τρέμει; Καὶ ἐξέτεινε τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ. Ταύτης τῆς αἰσθητῆς εἰκόνος ἐδέετο ὁ προφήτης, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦτο ἐποίει· Ἐνεφύσησεν αὐτοῖς, καίτοι οὐκ ἐδεῖτο τοῦ ἐμφυσήματος· ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ πληροφορίας αἱ σωματικαὶ γίνονται εἰκόνες. Ἰδοὺ καθέστηκά σε σήμερον. Καὶ μὴν ἄνω ἔλεγεν, Πρὶν ἤ σε ἐξελθεῖν ἐκ μήτρας ἡγίακά σε. Πῶς οὖν ἐνταῦθα, σήμερον, λέγει; Ἐκεῖνο τῇ προγνώσει, τοῦτο τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ. Ἐκριζοῦν. Τοῦτο γεωργίας εἶδος ἄριστον, ὀρύσσειν τὰς ἀκάνθας. Ἃ μέλει προφητεύειν, συντόμως ἔφη. Ἐκριζοῦν, τὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐξιέναι· κατασκάπτειν, τουτέστι τοῦ ναοῦ τὴν καταστροφήν· καὶ ἀπολύειν, τοῦ πλήθους τὴν σφαγήν· καὶ καταλύειν, τῶν οἰκείων τὴν ἀπώλειαν· καὶ ἀνοικοδομεῖν, τὴν