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teaches to be also "the Jerusalem above, which is the mother of us all." But this mountain was not, then, manifest to the people of old, except that the divine Spirit prophesies that it would become manifest to all the nations in the last days, when Christ "has been manifested for the setting aside of sins." Therefore all the nations, "both Greek and barbarian," will hasten, turning away from polytheistic error and the physical mountains formerly considered to be dedicated to demons or gods, and hastening to the God who is proclaimed in the things that are being revealed, for which reason they say, addressing one another: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will announce to us his way, and we will walk in it. To these nations, therefore, the Word promises to make the mountain and the house of God in the heavens manifest and known to all who are discipled. This would be the evangelical law of Christ, which has come forth from above, from the "heavenly" Zion and also from this Zion on earth, in which the death of the Savior at the hands of men and his resurrection from the dead, and the mysteries and commandments of the new covenant, having taken their beginning, went forth into all the world. This very law and the new proclamation of the evangelical Word, preached to all the nations, instructed those who received it concerning the mountain of God and the house, and taught the nations, saying: Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob. And the same also judged between the nations, setting apart for himself the worthy and choosing the called from those who were not such. Thus, therefore, having judged between the nations, the evangelical Word rebuked a great people, either by refuting the former error in those who believed in him, or by rebuking those who did not believe in him, who are perishing through their own fault. Those, therefore, who have accepted him, being delivered from every warlike disposition, henceforth live in peace, having taken up an untroubled life, so as no longer to be warred against by the opposing powers, nor to be subject to the demons who formerly ruled over them. To them the Savior himself, procuring his "peace," said: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you." And these things were literally brought to fulfillment after his theophany and after the evangelical law was preached to the nations, a most profound peace having taken hold of the nations, which indeed the word signifying Christ gave, saying that they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks and no longer be taught the arts of war, which indeed were formerly necessary and were practiced from childhood in the fields and in the cities because of the fear of enemies from neighboring lands. 1.27 Consistently, the prophet, having gone through the calling of the nations and the peace poured out on all men, shows his affection for his own, exhorting his people, to accept the grace of Christ bestowed on all the nations. Therefore he says: And now, O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the Lord. And see how for the encouragement and exhortation of the people he also includes himself, exhorting them to partake of the light of the Lord, calling the law of the new covenant that came forth from Zion and the saving and evangelical word "the light of the Lord." He summons not Jacob, but his house to come to the light of the knowledge of the Lord, as they happen to be in darkness. Which he also presents, connecting it next and saying: For he has forsaken his people, the house of Jacob. Hasten, therefore, you of the forsaken house, and come with me, since I myself also am ready with you to walk in the light of the Lord. He calls the house of Jacob the people of the Jews, as not being Jacob nor worthy to be called by the name of their forefather, but only being a house, rather empty and at leisure. For
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εἶναι διδάσκει καὶ «τὴν ἄνω Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἥν τινα εἶναι μητέρα πάντων ἡμῶν». οὐκ ἦν δὲ ἄρα τοῖς παλαιοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐμφανὲς τὸ ὄρος τοῦτο, πλὴν θεσπίζει τὸ θεῖον πνεῦμα ἐμφανὲς αὐτὸ γενήσεσθαι πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις, ὅτε Χριστὸς «εἰς ἀθέτησιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν πεφανέρωται». σπεύσουσιν οὖν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη «Ἑλληνικά τε καὶ βάρβαρα» ἀποστρεφόμενα μὲν τὴν πολύθεον πλάνην καὶ τὰ πάλαι νομιζόμενα δαίμοσιν ἢ θεοῖς ἀνακεῖσθαι σωματικὰ ὄρη, σπεύδοντα δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν ἐν τοῖς δηλουμένοις καταγγελλόμενα θεόν, διὸ ἀλλήλοις προσφωνοῦντά φασι· ∆εῦτε ἀναβῶμεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ κυρίου καὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ Ἰακώβ, καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ ἡμῖν τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πορευσόμεθα ἐν αὐτῇ. τούτοις οὖν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὁ λόγος ὑπισχνεῖται τὸ ὄρος καὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐμφανῆ καὶ γνώριμα πᾶσιν τοῖς μαθητευομένοις ποιήσειν. Εἴη δ' ἂν οὗτος ὁ Χριστοῦ νόμος εὐαγγελικὸς ὁ ἄνωθεν ὁρμηθεὶς ἐκ Σιὼν τῆς «ἐπουρανίου» καὶ ἐκ ταύτης δὲ τῆς ἐπὶ γῆς Σιών, ἐν ᾗ ὁ ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων θάνατος τοῦ σωτῆρος καὶ ἡ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασις αὐτοῦ, τά τε τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης μυστήρια καὶ παραγγέλματα ἀρχὴν λαβόντα προῆλθον εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην. αὐτὸς δὴ οὗτος ὁ νόμος καὶ ὁ καινὸς τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ λόγου κηρυχθεὶς πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐπαίδευσεν τοὺς ὑποδεξαμένους αὐτὸν τὰ περὶ τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ οἴκου, ἐδίδαξέν τε τὰ ἔθνη λέγων· ∆εῦτε καὶ ἀναβῶμεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος κυρίου καὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ Ἰακώβ. ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ διέκρινεν ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀφορίσας ἑαυτῷ τοὺς ἀξίους καὶ ἐκλεξάμενος τοὺς κλητοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν μὴ τοιούτων. οὕτως οὖν ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ἐθνῶν διακρίνας ὁ εὐαγγελικὸς λόγος λαὸν πολὺν ἤλεγξεν ἤτοι τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκότας ἀπελέγξας τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς προτέραν πλάνην ἢ τοὺς μὴ εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκότας ἐλέγξας παρὰ τὴν αὐτῶν αἰτίαν ἀπολλυμένους. οἱ δὴ οὖν καταδεξάμενοι αὐτὸν πάσης πολεμικῆς προαιρέσεως ἀπαλλαγέντες, ἐν εἰρήνῃ λοιπὸν διάγουσιν βίον ἀτάραχον ἀναλαβόντες, ὡς μηκέθ' ὑπὸ τῶν ἀντικειμένων δυνάμεων πολεμεῖσθαι μηδ' ὑποχειρίους εἶναι τῶν πάλαι κατακρατούντων αὐτῶν δαιμόνων. οἷς καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ αὐτὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ προξενῶν «εἰρήνην» ἔφασκεν· «εἰρήνην ἀφίημι ὑμῖν, εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν». καὶ πρὸς λέξιν δὲ ταῦτα τέλους ἠξιοῦτο μετὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ θεοφάνειαν καὶ μετὰ τὸν κηρυχθέντα τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εὐαγγελικὸν νόμον διαλαβούσης εἰρήνης βαθυτάτης τὰ ἔθνη, ὃ δὴ καὶ σημαίνει τὸν Χριστὸν ἐδίδου ὁ λόγος φήσας συγκόψειν τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν εἰς ἄροτρα καὶ τὰς ζιβύνας αὐτῶν εἰς δρέπανα καὶ μηκέτι διδάσκεσθαι τὰ πολεμικά, ἃ δὴ καὶ πρότερον ἦσαν ἀναγκαῖα καὶ ἐκ παίδων κατ' ἀγροὺς καὶ κατὰ πόλεις ἠσκοῦντο διὰ τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν πλησιοχώρων πολεμίων φόβον. 1.27 Ἀκολούθως ὁ προφήτης διεξελθὼν τὴν κλῆσιν τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ τὴν χυθεῖσαν εἰς ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους εἰρήνην τὴν εἰς τοὺς οἰκείους ἐνδείκνυται φιλοστοργίαν παρακαλῶν τὸν αὐτοῦ λαόν, καταδέξασθαι τὴν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν δωρηθεῖσαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριν. διό φησι· Καὶ νῦν, ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰακώβ, δεῦτε καὶ πορευθῶμεν τῷ φωτὶ κυρίου. καὶ θέα ὅπως εἰς παρόρμησιν καὶ προτροπὴν τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ αὐτὸν καταλέγει, παρακαλῶν τοῦ φωτὸς κυρίου μεταλαγχάνειν, φῶς κυρίου ὀνομάζων τὸν ἐκ Σιὼν προελθόντα νόμον τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης καὶ τὸν σωτήριον καὶ εὐαγγελικὸν λόγον. προκαλεῖται δὲ οὐ τὸν Ἰακώβ, ἀλλὰ τὸν τούτου οἶκον ἥκειν ἐπὶ τὸ φῶς τῆς τοῦ κυρίου γνώσεως, ὡς ἂν ἐν σκότει τυγχάνοντας. ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸ παρίστη συνάπτων ἑξῆς καὶ λέγων· ἀνῆκεν γὰρ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Ἰακώβ. σπεύσατε οὖν ὑμεῖς οἱ τοῦ ἀνεθέντος οἴκου καὶ δεῦτε ἅμα ἐμοί, ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἅμα ὑμῖν ἕτοιμος τυγχάνω τοῦ πορεύεσθαι τῷ φωτὶ κυρίου. καλεῖ δὲ τὸν οἶκον Ἰακὼβ τὸν Ἰουδαίων λαὸν ὡς οὐκ ὄντα Ἰακὼβ οὐδ' ἄξιονχρηματίζειν τῷ τοῦ προπάτορος αὐτῶν ὀνόματι, αὐτὸ δὲ μόνον οἴκῳ ὄντι ὑποκένῳ καὶ σχολάζοντι. διὰ