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Luke: "as they delivered them to us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word." For here he calls "word" not the divine Word, but the teaching of the divine word; for the divine Word has not gone out from Zion, but in Zion he taught the truth. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into sickles; and nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. We do not find that these things happened after the return from Babylon; for there were successive wars throughout the whole world, with the kingdom divided into many parts and with those ruling nation by nation rising up against one another. But with the epiphany of our God and Savior, the Roman empire flourished, and this, having overthrown many kingdoms, assumed power over all, and under it the subject nations no longer use instruments of war against each other, but all enjoy the benefits of agriculture. But formerly there was such great discord that Israel was divided in two and was consuming itself, and in one corner of the world, or rather in one province—I mean Palestine— Philistines and Moabites and Ammonites and Idumeans and Amalekites were campaigning against each other. But all |100 a| these things the incarnation of our Savior extinguished. For at the very time of the salvific birth from the virgin, Augustus sent out, it says, "to enroll all the world." From this the change of wars to peace took its beginning, and the proclamation ran unhindered, as the wars among nations were extinguished, and with all the nations subject to one authority, the heralds of the truth traveled without fear, conveying the saving doctrines. Thus, having been commanded to prophesy these things, the prophet exhorts the people called Jacob to receive the light of truth, and he speaks thus: 5And now, O house of Jacob, come, and let us walk in the light of the Lord; 6for he has forsaken his people, the house of Israel. He calls the "house of Jacob" those from Jacob. Of these, those who were willing to believe were received, but those who disbelieved were rejected. Therefore the prophetic word urges them no longer to attend to the lamplight of the law, but to illuminate their souls with the true light; for those who contradict will no longer enjoy the former care. Then he shows how, living not lawfully but very unlawfully, they feigned zeal for the law and did not receive the new covenant, and he teaches the things they dared to do: Because their land was filled, as from the beginning, with divinations like that of the Philistines, and many foreign children were born to them. The law clearly forbade both: to mix with foreigners and to make marriages with them, and to use divinations; but they transgressed both. 7Their land was filled with silver and gold, and there was no number of their treasures; and their land was filled with horses, and there was no number of their chariots. And the divine law forbade trusting in horses and in the power of wealth; for it says, "you shall not make for yourself chariots nor multiply horses." And he forbade these things, so that they might not trust in their own power but await the divine turning of the scale. Thus also the blessed David cries out: "He will not take pleasure in the strength of the horse, nor is he pleased in the legs of a man," and again: "For they did not inherit the land by their own sword, and their own arm did not save them, but your right hand and your arm and the light of your countenance, because you were pleased in them," and again: "For I will not trust in my bow, and my sword will not save me." 8And the land was filled with the abominations of the works of their hands, and they worshiped what their fingers had made. He sufficiently ridiculed their folly, accusing them of impiety; for what they fashioned with their hands and their fingers, these they named gods and offered them divine worship. Then again he laments the change of their worthiness: 9And he bowed down

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Λουκᾶς· «ὡς παρέδοσαν ἡμῖν οἱ ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὐτόπται καὶ ὑπηρέται τοῦ λόγου γενόμενοι». Λόγον γὰρ ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὸν θεὸν λόγον καλεῖ ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ θείου λόγου διδασκαλίαν· οὐ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς λόγος ἐκ Σιὼν ἐξελήλυθεν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ Σιὼν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐξεπαίδευσεν. Καὶ συγκόψουσι τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν εἰς ἄροτρα καὶ τὰς ζιβύνας αὐτῶν εἰς δρέπανα, καὶ οὐ λήψεται ἔθνος ἐπ' ἔθνος μάχαιραν, καὶ οὐ μὴ μάθωσιν ἔτι πολεμεῖν. Οὐδὲ ταῦτα μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον γεγενημένα εὑρίσκομεν· πόλεμοι γὰρ ἐπάλληλοι ἦσαν κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην, εἰς πολλὰ τῆς βασιλείας μεμερισμένης καὶ τῶν κατ' ἔθνος βασιλευόντων ἐπανισταμένων ἀλλήλοις. Τῇ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιφανείᾳ συνήκμασεν ἡ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχή, αὕτη δὲ τὰς πολλὰς καταλύσασα βασιλείας τὸ κατὰ πάντων ἀνεδήσατο κράτος, ὑπ' ἐκείνην δὲ τὰ ἔθνη τελοῦντα οὐκέτι τοῖς πολεμικοῖς ὀργάνοις κέχρηνται κατ' ἀλλήλων, τῶν δὲ ἀπὸ γεωργίας ἅπαντες ἀπολαύουσιν ἀγαθῶν. Τοσαύτη δὲ πάλαι διάστασις ἦν, ὅτι καὶ ὁ Ἰσραὴλ διχῇ διῃρημένος ἦν καὶ ἑαυτὸν κατανήλισκεν καὶ ἐν μιᾷ γωνίᾳ τῆς οἰκουμένης, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐν ἐπαρχίᾳ μιᾷ-τῇ Παλαιστίνῃ φημί- Ἀλλόφυλοι καὶ Μωαβῖται καὶ Ἀμμανῖται καὶ Ἰδουμαῖοι καὶ Ἀμαληκῖται κατ'ἀλλήλων ἐστράτευον. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα |100 a| πάντα ἡ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἔσβεσεν ἐνανθρώπησις. Κατ' αὐτὴν γὰρ τὴν ςωτήριον τῆς παρθένου γέννησιν ἔπεμψέ φησιν Αὔγουστος «ἀπογράψασθαι πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην». Ἐντεῦθεν ἀρχὴν ἔλαβεν ἡ εἰς εἰρήνην τῶν πολέμων μεταβολή, καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα ἔτρεχεν ἀκωλύτως τῶν κατ' ἔθνος ἐσβεσμένων πολέμων, καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων ὑπὸ μίαν ἐξουσίαν τελούντων ἀδεῶς οἱ κήρυκες τῆς ἀληθείας διέβαινον τὰ σωτήρια διαπορθμεύοντες δόγματα. Οὕτω ταῦτα προθεσπίσαι κελευσθεὶς ὁ προφήτης τῷ λαῷ παραινεῖ τῷ καλουμένῳ Ἰακὼβ τὸ φῶς τῆς ἀληθείας εἰσδέξασθαι, λέγει δὲ οὕτω· 5Καὶ νῦν, σὺ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰακώβ, δεῦτε καὶ πορευθῶμεν τῷ φωτὶ κυρίου· 6ἀνῆκε γὰρ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Οἶκον Ἰακὼβ τοὺς ἐξ Ἰακὼβ ὀνομάζει. Τούτων δὲ οἱ μὲν πιστεῦσαι θελήσαντες προσελήφθησαν, οἱ δὲ ἀπιστήσαντες ἀπερρίφησαν. Προτρέ πει τοίνυν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος μηκέτι προσεδρεύειν τῷ λυχνιαίῳ φωτὶ τοῦ νόμου, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἀληθινῷ τὰς ψυχὰς καταυγάζειν· οὐκέτι γὰρ τῆς προτέρας ἐπιμελείας οἱ ἀντιλέγοντες ἀπολαύσονται. Εἶτα δείκνυσιν, ὡς οὐκ ἐννόμως ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν παρανόμως πολιτευόμενοι τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ νόμου δῆθεν σπουδὴν ἐπεδεί κνυντο καὶ τὴν καινὴν οὐκ ἐδέχοντο διαθήκην, καὶ διδάσκει τὰ ὑπ' αὐτῶν τολμώμενα· Ὅτι ἐνεπλήσθη ὡς τὸ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἡ χώρα αὐτῶν κληδονισμῶν ὡς ἡ τῶν Ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ τέκνα πολλὰ ἀλλόφυλα ἐγενήθη αὐτοῖς. Ἀμφότερα ὁ νόμος ἐναργῶς ἀπηγόρευσε, καὶ τὸ ἀλλοφύλοις ἐπιμίγνυσθαι καὶ τὰς πρὸς ἐκείνους ἐπιγαμίας ποιεῖσθαι καὶ τὸ κληδόσι κεχρῆσθαι· ἀμφότερα δὲ οὗτοι παρέβησαν. 7Ἐνεπλήσθη ἡ χώρα αὐτῶν ἀργυρίου καὶ χρυσίου, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἀριθμὸς τῶν θησαυρῶν αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐνεπλήσθη ἡ γῆ αὐτῶν ἵππων, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἀριθμὸς τῶν ἁρμάτων αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἵπποις θαρρεῖν καὶ τῇ τοῦ πλούτου δυνάμει ὁ θεῖος ἀπηγόρευσε νόμος· «οὐ ποιήσεις» γάρ φησι «σεαυτῷ ἅρματα οὐδὲ πληθυνεῖς ἵππους.» Ταῦτα δὲ ἀπηγόρευσεν, ἵνα μὴ τῇ οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει θαρρῶσιν ἀλλὰ τὴν θείαν ῥοπὴν ἀναμέ νωσιν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆αυὶδ βοᾷ· «Οὐκ ἐν τῇ δυναστείᾳ τοῦ ἵππου θελήσει οὐδὲ ἐν ταῖς κνήμαις τοῦ ἀνδρὸς εὐδοκεῖ», καὶ πάλιν· «Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῇ ῥομφαίᾳ αὐτῶν ἐκληρονόμησαν γῆν, καὶ ὁ βραχίων αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔσωσεν αὐτούς, ἀλλ' ἡ δεξιά σου καὶ ὁ βραχίων σου καὶ ὁ φωτισμὸς τοῦ προσώπου σου, ὅτι εὐδόκησας ἐν αὐτοῖς», καὶ αὖθις· «Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ τόξῳ μου ἐλπιῶ, καὶ ἡ ῥομφαία μου οὐ σώσει με.» 8Καὶ ἐνεπλήσθη ἡ γῆ βδελυγμάτων τῶν ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ προσεκύνησαν οἷς ἐποίησαν οἱ δάκτυλοι αὐτῶν. Ἀποχρώντως αὐτῶν τὴν ἄνοιαν ἐκωμῴδησε τῆς ἀσεβείας κατηγορῶν· ἃ γὰρ ταῖς χερσὶ καὶ τοῖς δακτύλοις εἰργά ζοντο, ταῦτα θεοὺς ἐπωνόμαζον καὶ τὸ θεῖον αὐτοῖς προσέ φερον σέβας. Εἶτα πάλιν αὐτῶν ὀλοφύρεται τὴν τῆς ἀξίας μεταβολήν· 9Καὶ ἔκυψεν