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Judah Of our senses, the most effective, which has the comprehension of sensible things, is sight. For it is not possible to know fearful things through hearing as it is through sight; nor does any other faculty perceive desirable things as sight does. Therefore the contemplation of true things (because of its clarity and indubitability) has been called vision. Whence also the Prophet was called the seer, and the one who sees beforehand. For in Amos we have learned that Amaziah said: O seer, go, flee away into the land of Judah, and prophesy there. But Samuel is said to be one who sees beforehand in the books of Kings. For (it says) the Prophet was called the one who sees beforehand. For inasmuch as they were overseers of the future, they were named those who see beforehand; and inasmuch as they were contemplators of the divine will, they were called seers. 1.9 It is our work, therefore, to take care of the mind, that it may become discerning, being perfected through suitable exercises; but it is the gift of God, that the Spirit should shine upon us for the understanding of His mysteries. Having put vision first, he added the proclamation of words, to show that he did not receive it by hearing, but announces the meaning of the word impressed upon his mind. For we indeed need a voice to signify our thoughts; but God, touching the very ruling part of the worthy, impresses on them the knowledge of His own will. What is the addition of his father's name? To show that the gift of prophecy was his by patrimony. Which he saw concerning Judea. What does the repetition mean? That through the first, it means the commonality of the vision; but through the second, it now signifies the particular, what kind and of what sort and how the vision is different. Therefore, words that are visible, that is, contemplated by the mind, which the Prophet has seen, according to what is said in Exodus, that "All the people saw the voice." And other Prophets also began similarly. The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord GOD to Edom. I have heard a report from the Lord, and he sent a mission to the nations. And concerning Nahum: The burden of Nineveh; the book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. And concerning Habakkuk: The burden which Habakkuk the prophet saw. And Malachi spoke of a burden without a vision, saying thus: The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel, by the hand of His Angel. And they seem to signify through the term "burden" that they do not have the power of prophecy from themselves, but having received it; so that "burden" can be equivalent to "gift" from God. These, then, say that their books are of a vision; but the other Prophets say they have heard words from God. For the word (it says) of the Lord, which came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah and Jotham and Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah; and in the days of Jeroboam, son of Joash, king of Israel. The beginning of the word of the Lord to Hosea. And in Amos: The words of Amos, which were in Accarim of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. The order is inverted here, compared to Isaiah; there a vision is placed first, and words were added: "Hear, O heaven." Here, however, with words set forth, a vision followed. For "The words of Amos," not "The vision of Amos"; not "which he heard," but "Which he saw." And in Micah: And the word of the Lord came to Micah the Morasthite, in the days of Jotham and Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, concerning what he saw about Samaria and Jerusalem. And: The word of the Lord, which came to Joel, the son of Pethuel. And: The word of the Lord came to Jonah. And: The word of the Lord, which came to Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah. But the notation of the times and the reception of the word is stated in a peculiar way by Haggai; For in the second year (he says) of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the Prophet. And it seems to me that what is said here, "By the hand," is equivalent to what is found in the others

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Ἰούδα Τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν αἰσθητηρίων τὸ ἐνεργεστάτην, τὴν κατάληψιν ἔχον τῶν αἰσθητῶν, ὅρασίς ἐστιν. Οὔτε γὰρ τὰ φοβερὰ δι' ἀκοῆς δύνατόν ἐστι γνωρίσαι, ὡς δι' ὁράσεως· οὔτε τῶν ἐπιθυμητῶν ἄλλη τις οὕτως ἀντιλαμβάνεται δύναμις, ὡς ἡ ὅρασις. ∆ιόπερ ἡ τῶν ἀληθῶν θεωρία (διὰ τὸ ἐναργὲς καὶ ἀναμφίβολον) ὅρασις προσηγόρευται. Ὅθεν καὶ ὁ ὁρῶν ἐκαλεῖτο ὁ Προφήτης, καὶ ὁ ἔμπροσθεν ὁρῶν. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῷ Ἀμὼς μεμαθήκαμεν, ὅτι εἶπεν Ἀμασίας· Ὁ ὁρῶν, βάδιζε καὶ ἐκχώρησον εἰς γῆν Ἰούδα, κἀκεῖ προφητεύσεις. Ἔμπροσθεν δὲ ὁρῶν ὁ Σαμουὴλ εἴρηται ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις. Ἐκαλεῖτο γὰρ (φησὶν) ὁ Προφήτης ὁ ἔμπροσθεν βλέπων. Καθ' ὃ μὲν γὰρ ἐπιβλεπτι κοὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἦσαν, ἔμπροσθεν ὁρῶντες ἐχρημάτιζον· καθ' ὃ δὲ θεωρητικοὶ τοῦ θείου βουλήματος ἦσαν, ὁρῶντες προσηγορεύοντο. 1.9 Ἡμέτερον μὲν οὖν ἔργον ἐπιμέλειαν ποιεῖσθαι τοῦ νοῦ, ἵνα γένηται διορατικὸς διὰ τῶν καταλλήλων γυμνασιῶν τελειούμενος· Θεοῦ δὲ δωρεὰ, ἐλλάμψαι ἡμῖν τὸ Πνεῦμα πρὸς τὴν τῶν μυστηρίων αὐτοῦ κατανόησιν. Ὅρασιν δὲ προτάξας, λόγων ἀπαγγελίαν ἐπήγαγεν, ἵνα δείξῃ ὅτι οὐ δι' ἀκοῆς ἐδέξατο, ἀλλὰ τῷ νῷ ἐντυπωθεῖσαν τοῦ λόγου τὴν διάνοιαν ἐξαγγέλλει. Καὶ γὰρ ἡμῖν φωνῆς μὲν χρεία πρὸς τὸ σημᾶναι ἡμῶν τὰ νοήματα· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς, αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἡγε μονικοῦ τῶν ἀξίων ἁπτόμενος, τὴν τοῦ ἰδίου βουλήματος γνῶσιν αὐτοῖς ἐντυποῖ. Τίς ἡ τοῦ πατρὸς προσθήκη; Ἵνα δείξῃ ὅτι πατρι κὸν αὐτῷ τῆς προφητείας τὸ χάρισμα. Ἣν εἶδε κατὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας. Τί βούλεται ἡ ἐπανάληψις; Ὅτι μὲν διὰ τοῦ πρώτου, τὸ κοινὸν τῆς ὁράσεως· διὰ δὲ τοῦ δευτέ ρου, τὸ ἰδικὸν ἤδη σημαίνει, τίς καὶ ποταπὴ καὶ τίνι δια φέρουσά ἐστιν ἡ ὅρασις. Λόγοι οὖν ὁρατοὶ, τουτέστι νῷ θεωρητοὶ, οὓς ἑώρακεν ὁ Προφήτης, κατὰ τὸ ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ εἰρημένον, ὅτι Πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἑώρα τὴν φωνήν. Προοιμιά σαντο δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι Προφῆται παραπλησίως. Ὅρασις Ἀβδίου· τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῇ Ἰδουμαίᾳ. Ἀκοὴν ἤκου σα παρὰ Κυρίου, καὶ περιοχὴν εἰς τὰ ἔθνη ἐξαπέστειλε. Καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Ναούμ· Λῆμμα Νινευή· βιβλίον ὁράσεως Ναοὺμ, τοῦ Ἐλκεσαίου. Καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀμβακούμ· Τὸλῆμμα, ὃ εἶδεν Ἀμβακοὺμ ὁ Προφήτης. Καὶ ὁ Μαλαχίας λῆμμα εἶπεν ἄνευ τῆς ὁράσεως, οὕτω λέγων· Λῆμμα λόγου Κυρίου ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, ἐν χειρὶ Ἀγγέλου αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐοίκασιδιὰ τοῦ λήμματος ἐμφαίνειν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἔχουσι τῆς προφητείας τὴν δύναμιν, ἀλλὰ λαβόντες· ὥστε τὸ λῆμμα ἴσον δύνασθαι τῷ δόμα παρὰ Θεοῦ. Οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ὁράσεως εἶναι τὰ βιβλία φασίν· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ Προφῆται λόγους ἀκηκοέναι παρὰ Θεοῦ φασιν. Ὁ λόγος γὰρ (φησὶ) Κυρίου, ὃς ἐγενήθη πρὸς Ὠσηὲ, τὸν τοῦ Βεηρὶ, ἐν ἡμέ ραις Ὀζίου καὶ Ἰωάθαμ καὶ Ἀχὰζ καὶ Ἐζεκίου, βασιλέωἸούδα· καὶ ἐν ἡμέραις Ἱεροβοὰμ, υἱοῦ Ἰωᾶς, βασιλέωςἸσραήλ. Ἀρχὴ λόγου Κυρίου πρὸς Ὠσηέ. Ἐν δὲ τῷ Ἀμώ Λόγοι Ἀμὼς, οἳ ἐγένοντο ἐν Ἀκκαρεὶμ ἐκ Θεκουὲ, οὓςεἶδε περὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐν ἡμέραις Ὀζίου, βασιλέως Ἰούδα,καὶ ἐν ἡμέραις Ἱεροβοὰμ βασιλέως Ἰσραὴλ, πρὸ δύο ἐτῶν τοῦ σεισμοῦ. Ἀντέστραπται ἡ τάξις ἐνταῦθα, ὡς πρὸς τὸν Ἡσαΐαν· ἐκεῖ μὲν ὅρασις προτέτακται, καὶ λόγοι ἐπήχθη σαν· Ἄκουε, οὐρανέ. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ, λόγων προκειμένων, ὅρασις ἐπηκολούθησε. Λόγοι γὰρ Ἀμὼς, οὐχὶ ὅρασις Ἀμώς· οὐχὶ οὓς ἤκουσεν, ἀλλὰ Οὓς εἶδεν. Ἐν δὲ τῷ Μιχαίᾳ· Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς Μιχαίαν τὸν Μωρασθεὶ, ἐν ἡμέραις Ἰωάθαμ καὶ Ἀχὰζ καὶ Ἐζεκίου, βασιλέων Ἰούδαὑπὲρ ὧν εἶδε περὶ Σαμαρείας καὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ. Καί· Λόγος Κυρίου, ὃς ἐγενήθη πρὸς Ἰωὴλ, τὸν τοῦ Βαθουήλ. Καί· Ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς Ἰωνᾶν. Καί· Λόγος Κυρίου, ὃς ἐγενήθη πρὸς Σοφονίαν, τὸν τοῦ Χουσὶ υἱὸν, τοῦ Γοδολίου, τοῦ Ἀμορίου τοῦ Ἐζεκίου, ἐν ἡμέραις Ἰωσίου, τοῦ υἱοῦἈμὼς, βασιλέως Ἰούδα. Ἰδιότροπος δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν χρόνων ἐπισημείωσις καὶ ἡ τοῦ λόγου ὑποδοχὴ παρὰ τῷ Ἀγγαίῳ εἴρηται· Ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ γὰρ (φησὶν) ἔτει ἐπὶ ∆αρείου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τῷ ἕκτῳ, μιᾷ τοῦ μηνὸς, ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου ἐν χειρὶ Ἀγγαί ου τοῦ Προφήτου. ∆οκεῖ δέ μοι τὸ ἐνταῦθα εἰρημένον Ἐν χειρὶ, ἴσον δύνασθαι τῷ παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις