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he says that he will bring on a power that is also a healing one, other than his wrath, and he will purify by fire in order to cleanse and to separate the wicked from the virtuous. Wherefore, according to Symmachus it is said: and I will smelt your dross to purity; but according to Theodotion: and I will smelt your grape-skins to purity; for just as those who purify bronze or iron by fire cast off the dross, and those who press the grape clusters of the vine in the wine-presses throw away the grape-skins and the refuse of the trodden clusters, in the same way, he says, I too will smelt your grape-skins to purity. And according to Aquila it is similarly said: and I will smelt your pressed olives to purity. But what the dross was and what the grape-skins were among them, he clarifies more plainly by adding: and I will take away all the lawless from you and all the proud. And when, by bringing my hand upon you, I shall have separated your dross and your grape-skins, then, he says, over those who are left from the aforementioned, "like gold tested by fire," I will appoint judges and counselors such as were those who came in ancient times, on account of whom the city was then faithful and full of judgment and righteousness. And he promises that there will be found in them "a remnant according to the election of grace," by which here again he signifies the disciples of our Savior for the new city to be established after these things, which he also names the city of righteousness and the faithful metropolis, Zion, thus addressing the system of the God-loving polity. This, which formerly was established among the Jews, had fallen away, but now throughout the whole world it has been raised up through the church of Christ, "founded upon the rock." And of this fair city the presiding judges and counselors have their beginning from the apostles and disciples of our Savior, and from their succession even until now, born as if from a good seed, they shine forth, established as leaders of the church of God. 1.22 That these things are prophesied concerning the few who are left of the Jewish people, the prophecy shows next, saying: For with judgment its captivity will be saved, and with mercy; or according to the other translators: and with righteousness. For if its captivity is said to be saved with judgment, it is clear that only those judged worthy of salvation will obtain the promise. In vain, then, do the children of the Jews imagine that there will be a return of the diaspora of their whole nation, since the word clearly does not promise that all will return, but those who will be judged worthy. And by the return of the captivity, one must understand the turning of souls from error to the true knowledge of God, which the Savior also presented, when in the synagogue he took the book of Isaiah, and read the passage spoken from his person: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach good news to the poor." "Rolling up the book," he said: "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your ears," teaching that he himself was the redeemer of human souls. 1.23 And who were they that forsook the Lord, the word taught through the preceding words, saying: "Woe, sinful nation, a people full of sins, a wicked seed, lawless sons; you have forsaken the Lord and have provoked the Holy One of Israel." To these, then, the word threatens destruction and complete desolation and ruin, when also, coming to their senses, they will be ashamed of the things in which their fathers formerly acted impiously, worshiping idols. And being ashamed they will cease from the same error as those men, wherefore it is said: for their idols, which they themselves wanted, and for the gardens, which they desired. But the shame for their disgraceful acts, arising in them from an awareness of their shameless and impudent choice, was about to bring about a change in them. and it is possible to receive of the oracle in deed

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ὑπάρχουσαν καὶ ἰατικὴν ἑτέραν οὖσαν παρὰ τὸν θυμὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπάξειν φησὶ καὶ πυρώσειν ἐπὶ τῷ καθάραι καὶ διακρίναι τοὺς φαύλους ἀπὸ τῶν ἀστείων. διὸ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον εἴρηται· καὶ πυρώσω εἰς καθαρὸν τὴν σκωρίαν σου, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Θεοδοτίωνα· καὶ πυρώσω εἰς καθαρὸν τὸ γιγαρτῶδές σου· ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ καθαίροντες διὰ πυρὸς χαλκὸν ἢ σίδηρον, τὴν σκωρίαν ἀποβάλλουσιν, καὶ οἱ τοὺς βότρυας τῆς ἀμπέλου πιέζοντες ἐν ταῖς ληνοῖς τὸ γιγαρτῶδες καὶ τὰ περιττὰ τῶν ἐκπατηθέντων βοτρύων ἀπορρίπτουσιν, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον κἀγώ φησι πυρώσω εἰς καθαρὸν τὸ γιγαρτῶδές σου. καὶ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν ὁμοίως εἴρηται· καὶ πυρώσω εἰς καθαρὸν στέμφυλά σου. τίς δὲ ἦν ἡ σκωρία καὶ τί τὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς γιγαρτῶδες, διασαφεῖ λευκώτερον ἐπιφέρων· καὶ ἀφελῶ πάντας ἀνόμους ἀπὸ σοῦ καὶ πάντας ὑπερηφάνους. ἐπειδὰν δὲ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ χεῖρα ἐπάγων ἀφορίσω τὴν σκωρίαν σου καὶ τὸ γιγαρτῶδές σου τὸ τηνικαῦτά φησιν τοὺς περιλειφθέντας ἀπὸ τῶν προλεχθέντων «ὥσπερ χρυσὸν πυρὶ δεδοκιμασμένους», ἐπιστήσω κριτὰς καὶ συμβούλους τοιούτους ἐσομένους ὁποῖοι ἦσαν οἱ κατὰ τοὺς παλαιοὺς γενόμενοι χρόνους, δι' οὓς καὶ ἡ πόλις ὑπῆρχε τότε πιστὴ καὶ πλήρης κρίσεως καὶ δικαιοσύνης. ἐπαγγέλλεται δὲ γενήσεσθαι τὸ εὑρεθησόμενον ἐν αὐταῖς «λεῖμμα κατ' ἐκλογὴν χάριτος», δι' ὧν κἀνταῦθα πάλιν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τοὺς μαθητὰς σημαίνει τῇ μετὰ ταῦτα συστησομένῃ καινῇ πόλει, ἥν τινα καὶ ὄνομα πόλιν δικαιοσύνης ὀνομάζει καὶ μητρόπολιν πιστὴν Σιών, οὕτω προσειπὼν τὸ σύστημα τοῦ θεοφιλοῦς πολιτεύματος. ὃ πάλαι μὲν συνεστὸς παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις διεπεπτώκει, νυνὶ δὲ καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης διὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίας ἐγήγερται «τεθεμελιωμένον ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν». ταύτης δὲ τῆς καλῆς πόλεως οἱ προεστῶτες κριταὶ καὶ σύμβουλοι ἀρχὴν μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ μαθητῶν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν εἰλήφασιν, ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἐκείνων διαδοχῆς εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν ὥσπερ ἐκ σπέρματος ἀγαθῶν φύντες διαλάμπουσι πρόεδροι τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας καθεστῶτες. 1.22 Ὅτι δὲ περὶ ὀλίγων τοῦ Ἰουδαίων λαοῦ περιλειφθέντων ταῦτα θεσπίζεται, ἑξῆς ἡ προφητεία παρίστησι λέγουσα· μετὰ γὰρ κρίματος σωθήσεται ἡ αἰχμαλωσία αὐτῆς καὶ μετὰ ἐλεημοσύνης, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς· καὶ μετὰ δικαιοσύνης· εἰ γὰρ μετὰ κρίματος σωθήσεσθαι λέγεται ἡ αἰχμαλωσία αὐτῆς, δηλονότι οἱ σωτηρίας ἄξιοι κριθέντες μόνοι τεύξονται τῆς ἐπαγγελίας. μάτην ἄρα φαντάζονται Ἰουδαίων παῖδες ἐπιστροφὴν τῆς διασπορᾶς τοῦ παντὸς ἔσεσθαι αὐτῶν ἔθνους, σαφῶς τοῦ λόγου οὐχὶ πάντας ἐπαγγελλομένου ἐπιστρέψειν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἀξίους κριθησομένους. αἰχμαλωσίας δὲ ἐπιστροφὴν χρὴ νοεῖν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς πλάνης ἐπὶ τὴν ἀληθῆ τοῦ θεοῦ γνῶσιν μεταβολὴν τῶν ψυχῶν, ἣν καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ παρίστη, ὁπηνίκα ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ λαβὼν τὴν βίβλον τοῦ Ἠσαΐου, τήν τε περικοπὴν ἀναγνοὺς τὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ προσώπου φήσασαν· «πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμέ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέ με, εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέ με». «πτύξας τὴν βίβλον» εἶπεν· «σήμερον ἡ γραφὴ αὕτη πεπλήρωται ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν ὑμῶν», διδάσκων ὡς αὐτὸς εἴη ὁ λυτρωτὴς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ψυχῶν. 1.23 Τίνες δὲ ἦσαν οἱ ἐγκαταλιπόντες τὸν κύριον, ἐδίδαξεν ὁ λόγος διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν εἰπών· «οὐαὶ ἔθνος ἁμαρτωλόν, λαὸς πλήρης ἁμαρτιῶν, σπέρμα πονηρόν, υἱοὶ ἄνομοι· ἐγκατελείπατε τὸν κύριον καὶ παρωργίσατε τὸν ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰσραήλ». τούτοις οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ λόγος συντέλειαν ἀπειλεῖ καὶ παντελῆ ἐρημίαν καὶ συντριβήν, ὅτε καὶ εἰς συναίσθησιν ἐλθόντες αἰσχυνθήσονται, ἐφ' οἷς οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν πάλαι πρότερον ἠσέβουν εἰδωλολατροῦντες. αἰσχυνθέντες δὲ παύσονται τῆς ὁμοίας ἐκείνοις πλάνης, διὸ ἐπιλέγεται· ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων αὐτῶν, ἃ αὐτοὶ ἠβούλοντο, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς κήποις, ἃ ἐπεθύμησαν. ἡ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς αἰσχροῖς αἰσχύνη ἐκ συναισθήσεως αὐτοῖς ἐγγενομένη τῆς ἀναισχύντου καὶ ἀναιδοῦς προαιρέσεως μεταβολὴν αὐτοῖς ἤμελλεν ἐμποιήσειν. καί ἐστιν ἔργῳ παραλαβεῖν τοῦ θεσπίσματος