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Judah, and a ruler from his loins, until he comes for whom it is reserved, and he is the expectation of the nations." Or do you not accept this prophecy as spoken concerning Christ the Savior? {ERAN.} The Jews misinterpret such prophecies; but I am a Christian, believing the divine words, and I accept without hesitation the prophecies concerning our Savior. {ORTH.} Since, therefore, you confess to believe in the prophecies, and you say that the things foretold were divinely ordained concerning our Savior, understand from this the aim of the apostolic sayings. For by showing that the promises made to the patriarchs have been fulfilled, he uttered that wondrous voice: "For surely he does not take hold of angels," as if to say, the promise is true, the Master has put an end to the promises, the spring of blessing has been opened to the nations, God the Word has taken hold of the seed of Abraham, through this he works out the salvation promised from above, through this he confirms the expectation of the nations. {ERAN.} The prophetic words have been most excellently harmonized with the apostolic. {ORTH.} So again the divine apostle, reminding us of the blessing of Judah, and showing that this too has received its fulfillment, cries out: "For it is evident that our Lord has sprung from Judah." And both the prophet Micah and the evangelist Matthew have done this same thing. For the one spoke the prophecy, and the other arranged the testimony with the history. And the paradoxical thing is that he said the most manifest enemies of the truth told Herod clearly that the Christ is born in Bethlehem. "For it is written, he says, 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come to me a ruler, who will shepherd my people Israel.'" But let us also add what the Jews maliciously omitted, offering an incomplete testimony. For after the prophet said, "For out of you will come to me a ruler," he added, "And his goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity." 72 {ERAN.} You have done excellently, in setting forth the whole testimony of the prophet. For it shows that the one born in Bethlehem is God. {ORTH.} Not only God, but also man. Man, as having sprung from Judah according to the flesh and having been born in Bethlehem; and God, as existing before the ages. For, "Out of you will come to me a ruler," indicates the birth according to the flesh, which happened at the end of days; but, "his goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity," clearly proclaims his pre-eternal existence. Thus also the divine apostle in his epistle to the Romans, lamenting the change for the worse of the ancient good repute of the Jews and having mentioned the divine promise and law-giving, added these things as well: "Whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever, amen." And at the same time he showed him to be creator, master, and ruler of all as God, and to have sprung from the Jews as man. {ERAN.} Behold, you have interpreted these things; what would you say regarding the prophecy of Jeremiah? For that one proclaims him to be only God. {ORTH.} Which prophecy do you mean? {ERAN.} "This is our God, no other shall be accounted of in comparison with him. He found out all the way of knowledge, and gave it to Jacob his servant and to Israel his beloved. After this he was seen on earth and conversed with men." In these words the prophet foretold neither about flesh, nor about humanity, nor about man, but about God alone. Where then is the need for syllogisms? {ORTH.} Do we say that the divine nature is invisible, or do we not obey the apostle when he says, "To the incorruptible, invisible, only God?" {ERAN.} Unquestionably the divine nature is invisible. {ORTH.} How then was it possible for the invisible nature to be seen without a body? Or do you not remember those apostolic sayings, which

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Ἰούδα, καὶ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ᾧ ἀπόκειται, καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία ἐθνῶν." Ἢ οὐ δέχῃ τήνδε τὴν πρόρρησιν ὡς περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος εἰρημένην Χριστοῦ; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἰουδαῖοι τὰς τοιαύτας παρερμηνεύουσι προφητείας· ἐγὼ δὲ Χριστιανός εἰμι τοῖς θείοις πιστεύων λόγοις, καὶ τὰς περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν προφητείας ἀνενδοιάστως δεχόμενος. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν πιστεύειν ταῖς προφητείαις ὁμολογεῖς, καὶ τὰ προρρηθέντα περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τεθεσπίσθαι λέγεις, νόησον ἐντεῦθεν τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ῥητῶν τὸν σκοπόν. Τὰς γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς πατριάρχας γεγενημένας ἐπαγγελίας πεπερασμένας ἐπιδεικνύς, τὴν θαυμασίαν ἐκείνην ἀφῆκε φωνήν· "Οὐ γὰρ δήπου ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμ βάνεται," μονονουχὶ λέγων, ἀψευδὴς ἡ ὑπόσχεσις, ἐπέθηκε ταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις ὁ δεσπότης τὸ πέρας, ἀνεῴγει τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἡ τῆς εὐλο γίας πηγή, τοῦ Ἀβραμιαίου σπέρματος ὁ θεὸς λόγος ἐπείληπται, διὰ τούτου τὴν ἄνωθεν ἐπηγγελμένην πραγματεύεται σωτηρίαν, διὰ τούτου τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐμπεδοῖ προσδοκίαν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἄριστα τοῖς ἀποστολικοῖς τὰ προφητικὰ συνηρμόσθη. {ΟΡΘ.} Οὕτω πάλιν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος τῆς τοῦ Ἰούδα ἡμᾶς ἀνα μιμνήσκων εὐλογίας, καὶ δεικνὺς καὶ ταύτην δεξαμένην τὸ πέρας βοᾷ· "Πρόδηλον γάρ, ὅτι ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀνατέταλκεν ὁ κύριος." Ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφήτης Μιχαίας καὶ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς Ματθαῖος πεποίη κεν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ εἶπε τὴν πρόρρησιν, ὁ δὲ τῇ ἱστορίᾳ τὴν μαρτυρίαν συνέταξε. Καὶ τὸ παράδοξον, ὅτι τοὺς προδηλοτάτους τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθροὺς ἔφη τῷ Ἡρώδῃ σαφῶς εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἐν τῇ Βηθλεὲμ ὁ Χριστὸς γεννᾶται. "Γέγραπται γάρ, φησί, καὶ σὺ Βηθλεέμ, γῆ Ἰούδα, οὐδα μῶς ἐλαχίστη εἶ ἐν τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν Ἰούδα· ἐκ σοῦ γάρ μοι ἐξελεύσεται ἡγούμενος, ὅστις ποιμανεῖ τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ἰσραήλ." Ἐπαγάγωμεν δὲ ἡμεῖς καὶ ὅπερ Ἰουδαῖοι κακοήθως παρέλιπον, ἀτελῆ προσενεγ κόντες τὴν μαρτυρίαν. Εἰρηκὼς γὰρ ὁ προφήτης, "Ἐκ σοῦ γὰρ ἐξελεύσεταί μοι ἡγούμενος," ἐπήγαγε, "Καὶ αἱ ἔξοδοι αὐτοῦ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἀφ' ἡμερῶν αἰῶνος." 72 {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἄριστα πεποίηκας, πᾶσαν τεθεικὼς τοῦ προφήτου τὴν μαρ τυρίαν. ∆είκνυσι γὰρ τὸν ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τεχθέντα θεόν. {ΟΡΘ.} Οὐ θεὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄνθρωπον. Ἄνθρωπον μὲν ὡς ἐξ Ἰούδα κατὰ σάρκα βλαστήσαντα καὶ ἐν Βηθλεὲμ γεννηθέντα· θεὸν δὲ ὡς πρὸ αἰώνων ὑπάρχοντα. Τὸ γάρ, "Ἐκ σοῦ μοι ἐξελεύσεται ἡγού μενος," τὴν κατὰ σάρκα γέννησιν τὴν ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν γεγενημένην δηλοῖ· τὸ δέ, "Αἱ ἔξοδοι αὐτοῦ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἀφ' ἡμερῶν αἰῶνος," τὴν προαιώνιον ὕπαρξιν κηρύττει σαφῶς. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἐπιστολῇ τῆς παλαιᾶς Ἰουδαίων εὐκληρίας ὀλοφυρόμενος τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον μεταβολὴν καὶ τῆς θείας ἐπαγγελίας καὶ νομοθεσίας μνημονεύσας, καὶ ταῦτα προστέθεικεν· "Ων οἱ πατέρες, καὶ ἐξ ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν." Καὶ κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἔδειξεν αὐτὸν καὶ τῶν ἁπάντων δημιουργὸν καὶ δεσπότην καὶ πρύ τανιν ὡς θεόν, καὶ ἐξ Ἰουδαίων βεβλαστηκότα ὡς ἄνθρωπον. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἰδοὺ ταῦτα ἡρμήνευσας· πρὸς τὴν Ἰερεμίου προφητείαν τί ἂν εἴποις; Ἐκείνη γὰρ αὐτὸν θεὸν μόνον κηρύττει. {ΟΡΘ.} Ποίαν λέγεις προφητείαν; {ΕΡΑΝ.} "Οὗτος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, οὐ λογισθήσεται ἕτερος πρὸς αὐτόν. Ἐξεῦρε πᾶσαν ὁδὸν ἐπιστήμης, καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν Ἰακὼβ τῷ παιδὶ αὑτοῦ καὶ Ἰσραὴλ τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη." Ἐν τούτοις ὁ προφήτης οὔτε περὶ σάρκος οὔτε περὶ ἀνθρωπότητος οὔτε περὶ ἀνθρώπου, ἀλλὰ περὶ μόνου θεοῦ προηγόρευσεν. Ποῦ τοίνυν χρεία συλλογισμῶν; {ΟΡΘ.} Τὴν θείαν φύσιν ἀόρατον εἶναί φαμεν, ἢ οὐ πειθόμεθα τῷ ἀποστόλῳ λέγοντι, "Ἀφθάρτῳ ἀοράτῳ μόνῳ θεῷ;" {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἀναμφιλέκτως ἡ θεία φύσις ἀόρατος. {ΟΡΘ.} Πῶς τοίνυν οἷόν τε ἦν ὀφθῆναι δίχα σώματος τὴν ἀόρατον φύσιν; Ἢ οὐ μέμνησαι τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ἐκείνων ῥητῶν, ἃ