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in every place incense is offered to his name, and a pure offering.” “But the Lord will slay you; but to my servants a new name shall be called, which shall be blessed over all the earth.” And what is newer than the name of the Christians? And David, “They shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, whom the Lord has made.” And that David’s saying, “God settles the solitary in a house,” signifies that the people under the law did not mix with the Gentiles. Isaiah, “The whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as much water covers the sea.” David, “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before him, for the kingdom is the Lord’s, and he is the ruler of the nations.” And it is also good to ask the Jews, who now holds sway, whether it is the Mosaic law, which is now transgressed, and not observed, because there is neither temple, nor the place, nor a prophet foretelling any of the things to come, nor the ark, in which were the tablets, and the Decalogue, in which they had to fulfill the three feasts, and not elsewhere. And, “That the kingdom of God shall be taken from the Jews, and given to a nation bringing forth its fruits.” This would be the nation of Christians, showing the fitting fruits of a life according to God. David, “Confession and magnificence are his work, and his righteousness endures forever and ever.” And the blameless one confesses to the Father, not his own sins, but those of the believers in him; for David having said, “The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,” and the rest, Isaiah says more clearly, “Thus says the Lord to my Christ, to Cyrus.” But they say these things were spoken of Cyrus the Persian. But that is ridiculous; for where do the 46.229 rest fit Cyrus, “I have held your right hand; nations will hearken before him, and I will break the strength of kings; I will open gates before him, and cities shall not be shut; I will go before you, and I will level mountains; I will break in pieces gates of bronze, and I will shatter bars of iron, and I will give you dark treasures?”

How then will these things fit Cyrus, who a little later was shamefully killed by the Massagetae and flayed into a wineskin? And a little after the same prophet interprets them, saying from the person of God, “I am the Lord God who called you in righteousness; I have taken hold of your hand, and I will strengthen you, and I will give you for a covenant of the race, for a light to the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, and to bring out the bound from their chains, and those sitting in darkness from the prison house.” And again the same Isaiah, “And he said to me, This is a great thing for you, to be called my child, and to establish the tribes of Jacob, and to turn the dispersion of Israel; and I have set you for a covenant of the race, for a light to the nations, that you may be for salvation to the end of the earth.”

XVII. That Elijah will come before the second coming of the Lord.

Malachi the prophet says, “Behold, I send to you Elijah the

Tishbite, before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes, who shall restore the hearts of fathers to sons, and the heart of a man to his neighbor, lest I come and smite the earth utterly.”

XVIII. That we will be called Christians.

Isaiah says, “Nations shall see your glory, and all kings your

righteousness, and he will call you by the new name, which the Lord will name.” And again, “But to my servants a new name shall be called, which shall be blessed upon the earth.” Hosea, “And in the last days his name will be manifest in all the earth, and to the

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παντὶ τόπῳ θυμίαμα προσφέρε ται τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ, καὶ θυσία καθαρά.» «Ὑμᾶς δὲ ἀνελεῖ Κύριος· τοῖς δὲ δουλεύουσί μοι κληθήσε ται ὄνομα καινὸν, ὃ εὐλογηθήσεται ἐπὶ πάσης τῆς γῆς.» Τί δὲ καινότερον τοῦ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ὀνόμα τος; Καὶ ὁ ∆αβὶδ, «Ἀναγγελοῦσι τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ λαῷ τῷ τεχθησομένῳ, ὃν ἐποίησεν ὁ Κύριος» Καὶ ὅτι μὲν τὸ εἰπεῖν τὸν ∆αβὶδ τὸ, «Ὁ Θεὸς κατοικίζει μονοτρόπους ἐν οἴκῳ,» σημαίνει τὸ πρὸς τὰ Ἔθνη τὸ τῶν ὑπὸ νόμον ἄμικτον. Ἡσαΐας, «Πληρωθήσεται πᾶσα ἡ γῆ τοῦ γνῶναι τὸν Κύριον, ὡς ὕδωρ πολὺ κατακαλῦψαι θάλασσαν.» ∆αβὶδ, «Μνη σθήσονται καὶ ἐπιστραφήσονται πρὸς Κύριον πάντα. τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὅτι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ βασιλεία, καὶ αὐτὸς δεσπόζει τῶν ἐθνῶν.» Καλὸν δὲ καὶ τὸ πυθέσθαι τῶν Ἰουδαίων, τίς ὁ κρατῶν ἐστι νῦν ἄρα, πότερον ὁ Μωσαϊκὸς νόμος, οὗ παράβασίς ἐστι νῦν, καὶ οὐ τήρησις, διὰ τὸ μηδὲ τὸν ναὸν, ἢ τὸν τόπον εἶναι, ἢ προφήτην προμηνύοντά τι τῶν μελλόντων, ἢ τὴν κιβωτὸν, ἐν ᾗ αἱ πλάκες, καὶ ἡ ∆εκάλογος, ἐν οἷς ἔδει τὰς τρεῖς ἑορτὰς πληροῦν, καὶ οὐκ ἀλλαχοῦ. Καὶ, «Ὅτι ἀρθήσεται ἀπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ δοθήσεται ἔθνει ποιοῦντι τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῆς.» Τοῦτο δ' ἂν εἴη τὸ Χριστιανῶν ἔθνος, τοὺς προσήκοντας καρποὺς τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν πολιτείας ἐπιδεικνύμενον. ∆αβὶδ, «Ἐξομολόγησις καὶ μεγαλοπρέπεια τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος.» Ἐξομολογεῖται δὲ τῷ Πατρὶ, οὐ τὰς ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτίας ὁ ἄμωμος, ἀλλὰ τὰς τῶν ἐπ' αὐτῷ πιστευόντων· ὅτι τοῦ ∆αβὶδ εἰπόντος, «Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου· Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου,» καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ, Ἡσαΐας σαφέστερον λέγει, «Λέγει ὁ Κύριος τῷ Χριστῷ μου Κύρῳ.» Λέγουσι δὲ εἰς Κύρον τὸν Πέρσην εἰρῆσθαι ταῦτα. Γελοῖον δέ· ποῦ γὰρ ἁρμόζει Κύρῳ τὰ 46.229 λοιπὰ, «Ἐκράτησα τῆς δεξιᾶς σου· ἐπακούσουσιν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ ἔθνη, καὶ ἰσχὺν βασιλέων διαῤῥήξω· ἀνοίξω ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ πύλας, καὶ πόλεις οὐ συγκλεισθήσονται· ἔμπροσθέν σου πορεύσομαι, καὶ ὄρη ὁμαλιῶ· θύρας χαλκᾶς συντρίψω, καὶ μοχλοὺς σιδηροῦς συνθλάσω, καὶ δώσω σοι θησαυροὺς σκοτεινούς;»

Πῶς οὖν ἁρμόσει ταῦτα Κύρῳ, τῷ μικρὸν ὕστερον εἰς Μασαγέτας αἰσχρῶς ἀναιρεθέντι καὶ εἰς ἀσκὸν ἐκδαρέντι; καὶ μετὰ μικρὸν ἑρμηνεύει αὐτὰ ὁ αὐτὸς προφήτης, λέγων ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ, «Ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ καλέσας σε ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ· ἐκράτησα τῆς χειρός σου, καὶ ἰσχύσω σε, καὶ δώσω σε εἰς διαθήκην γένους, εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν, ἀνοῖξαι ὀφθαλμοὺς τυφλῶν, καὶ ἐξαγαγεῖν ἐκ δεσμῶν πεπεδημένους, καὶ ἐξ οἴκου φυλακῆς καθημένους ἐν σκότει.» Καὶ πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς Ἡσαΐας, «Καὶ εἶπέ μοι, Μέγα σοι τοῦτο, κληθῆναι παῖδά μου, καὶ στῆσαι τὰς φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ τὴν διασπορὰν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ στρέψαι· καὶ τέθεικά σε εἰς διαθήκην γένους, εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν, τοῦ εἶναί σε εἰς σωτηρίαν ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς.»

ΙΖʹ. Ὅτι πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου δευτέρας παρουσίας ἐλεύσεται Ἠλίας.

Μαλαχίας ὁ προφήτης λέγει, «Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω ὑμῖν Ἠλίαν τὸν

Θεσβίτην, πρὶν ἐλθεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν Κυρίου τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐπιφανῆ, ὃς ἀποκαταστήσει καρδίας πατρῶν πρὸς υἱοὺς, καὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ, μὴ ἐλθὼν πατάξω τὴν γῆν ἄρδην.»

ΙΗʹ. Ὅτι κληθησόμεθα Χριστιανοί.

Ἡσαΐας λέγει, «Ὄψονται ἔθνη τὴν δόξαν σου, καὶ πάντες οἱ βασιλεῖς τὴν

δικαιοσύνην σου, καὶ καλέσει σε τὸ ὄνομα τὸ καινὸν, ὃ ὁ Κύριος ὀνομάσει αὐτό.» Καὶ πάλιν, «Τοῖς δὲ δουλεύουσί μοι κληθήσεται ὄνομα καινὸν, ὃ εὐλογηθήσεται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.» Ὠσηὲ, «Καὶ ἔσται ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐπιφανὲς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ, καὶ τῷ