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to bring forth the proofs. {ORTH.} Hear, then, at the very beginning of the psalm, the prophet hymning God. For foreseeing with prophetic eyes the coming transgression of the people and the captivity that would result from it, he reminded his own Master of the unfailing promises. And he spoke thus: "Your mercies, O Lord, I will sing forever; from generation to generation I will announce your truth with my mouth. For you have said, 'Mercy shall be built up forever; your truth shall be established in the heavens.'" And through all these things the prophet teaches both the promise made by God out of love for humanity and the unfailing nature of the promise. Then he says both what he promised and to whom, showing God himself speaking. "For he says, I have made a covenant with my chosen ones." And he called the patriarchs the chosen ones. Then he adds: "I have sworn to David my servant." And he says also concerning what he swore: "I will establish your seed forever, and build up your throne to all generations." Tell me, then, who do you suppose is called the seed of David? 82 {ERAN.} The promise was made concerning Solomon. {ORTH.} Therefore, he also made the covenants with the patriarchs concerning Solomon. For before the things said about David, he recalled the promises made to them. For he says, "I have made a covenant with my chosen ones." And he promised the patriarchs to bless all the nations in their seed. Show, then, the nations blessed through Solomon. {ERAN.} Then has God fulfilled this promise not through Solomon, but through our Savior? {ORTH.} And therefore, the Lord Christ has put the fulfillment to the promises made to David. {ERAN.} I think that God made these promises either about Solomon or about Zerubbabel. {ORTH.} A short while ago you were using the arguments of Marcion and Valentinus and Manes; but now you have switched to the diametrically opposite faction, and you are advocating for the shamelessness of the Jews. And this is characteristic of those who turn aside from the straight path; for they wander here and there, traveling an untrodden way. {ERAN.} The apostle drives those who use insults out of the kingdom. {ORTH.} If they insult in vain. Since the divine apostle himself also at times uses this form, and he calls the Galatians foolish, and concerning others he says: "Men of corrupt mind, rejected concerning the faith;" and again concerning others: "Whose god is their belly and whose glory is in their shame," and so on. {ERAN.} What occasion for insult, then, have I given you? {ORTH.} To readily advocate for the most manifest enemies of the truth, does this not seem to you to be a most reasonable pretext for indignation on the part of the pious? {ERAN.} And with whom have I sided who are arrayed against the truth? {ORTH.} Now with the Jews. {ERAN.} How and in what way? {ORTH.} The Jews apply such 83 prophecies to Solomon and Zerubbabel, in order that they may show the Christian doctrine to be inconsistent. But the very words are sufficient to refute their transgression. For he says, "I will establish your seed forever." And not only did Solomon and Zerubbabel, to whom they apply such prophecies, having lived their allotted time, reach the end of life, but also the entire race of David has been extinguished. For who today knows of anyone descended from the root of David? {ERAN.} Are the so-called patriarchs of the Jews, then, not from the Davidic lineage? {ORTH.} Not at all. {ERAN.} But from where do they originate? {ORTH.} From Herod the foreigner, who was an Ascalonite on his father's side, and an Idumean on his mother's side. Moreover, they themselves were completely abolished, and a long time has passed since their leadership also reached its end

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φέρειν τὰς ἀποδείξεις. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἄκουσον τοίνυν εὐθὺς ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ τοῦ προφήτου τὸν θεὸν ἀνυμνοῦντος. Προφητικοῖς γὰρ προϊδὼν ὀφθαλμοῖς τὴν ἐσομένην τοῦ λαοῦ παρανομίαν καὶ τὴν διὰ ταύτην γενησομένην αἰχμαλωσίαν, τῶν ἀψευδῶν ὑποσχέσεων τὸν οἰκεῖον ἀνέμνησε δεσπότην. Ἔφη δὲ οὕτως· "Τὰ ἐλέη σου, κύριε, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ᾄσομαι, εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν ἀπαγγελῶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου ἐν τῷ στόματί μου, ὅτι εἶπας, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἔλεος οἰκοδομηθήσεται· ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἑτοιμασθήσεται ἡ ἀλήθειά σου." ∆ιὰ δὲ τούτων πάντων ὁ προφήτης διδάσκει καὶ τὴν διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγενη μένην ἐπαγγελίαν καὶ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὸ ἀψευδές. Εἶτα λέγει τίνα τε καὶ τίσιν ὑπέσχετο, αὐτὸν φθεγγόμενον ἐπιδεικνὺς τὸν θεόν. "∆ιεθέ μην, γάρ φησι, διαθήκην τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς μου." Ἐκλεκτοὺς δὲ τοὺς πατριάρχας ἐκάλεσεν. Ἔπειτα ἐπιφέρει· "Ὤμοσα ∆αβὶδ τῷ δούλῳ μου." Λέγει δὲ καὶ περὶ τίνος ὤμοσεν· "Ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος ἑτοιμάσω τὸ σπέρμα σου, καὶ οἰκοδομήσω εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν τὸν θρόνον σου." Εἰπὲ τοίνυν τίνα σπέρμα τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ὑπολαμβάνεις κεκλῆσθαι; 82 {ΕΡΑΝ.} Περὶ τοῦ Σολομῶντος ἡ ἐπαγγελία γεγένηται. {ΟΡΘ.} Οὐκοῦν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς πατριάρχας περὶ τοῦ Σολομῶντος ἐποιήσατο τὰς συνθήκας. Πρὸ γὰρ τῶν περὶ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ εἰρημένων, τῶν ὑποσχέσεων τῶν πρὸς ἐκείνους ἀνέμνησε. "∆ιεθέμην, γάρ φησι, διαθήκην τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς μου." Ὑπέσχετο δὲ τοῖς πατριάρχαις ἐν τῷ σπέρματι αὐτῶν εὐλογήσειν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. ∆εῖξον τοίνυν εὐλογη μένα διὰ Σολομῶντος τὰ ἔθνη. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ταύτην τοίνυν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν, οὐ διὰ τοῦ Σολομῶντος, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν πεπλήρωκεν ὁ θεός; {ΟΡΘ.} Καὶ τοίνυν ταῖς πρὸς τὸν ∆αβὶδ γεγενημέναις ἐπαγγελίαις ὁ δεσπότης Χριστὸς τὸ πέρας ἐπέθηκεν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἐγὼ ταύτας ἡγοῦμαι τὰς ὑποσχέσεις ἢ περὶ τοῦ Σολο μῶντος ἢ περὶ τοῦ Ζοροβάβελ τὸν θεὸν πεποιῆσθαι. {ΟΡΘ.} Πρὸ βραχέος τοῖς Μαρκίωνος καὶ Βαλεντίνου καὶ Μάνητος ἐκέχρησο λόγοις· νῦν δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἐναντίαν ἐκ διαμέτρου συμμορίαν μεταβέβηκας, καὶ τῇ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀναιδείᾳ συνηγορεῖς. Ἴδιον δὲ τοῦτο τῶν τῆς εὐθείας ἐκτρεπομένων ὁδοῦ· τῇδε γὰρ κἀκεῖσε περι πλανῶνται ἀτριβῆ πορείαν ὁδεύοντες. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Τοὺς λοιδορίᾳ χρωμένους ὁ ἀπόστολος ἐξελαύνει τῆς βασιλείας. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἐὰν μάτην λοιδορῶσιν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος εἰς καιρόν ἐστιν ὅτε κέχρηται τῷδε τῷ εἴδει, καὶ Γαλάτας μὲν ἀνοή τους ὀνομάζει, περὶ δὲ ἄλλων φησίν· "Ἄνθρωποι κατεφθαρμένοι τὸν νοῦν, ἀδόκιμοι περὶ τὴν πίστιν·" καὶ αὖ πάλιν περὶ ἑτέρων· "Ὧν ὁ θεὸς ἡ κοιλία καὶ ἡ δόξα ἐν τῇ αἰσχύνῃ αὐτῶν," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἐγὼ τοίνυν ποίαν σοι παρέσχον ἀφορμὴν λοιδορίας; {ΟΡΘ.} Τὸ τοῖς προδηλοτάτοις τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθροῖς εὐθύμως συνηγορεῖν, ἦ οὐ δοκεῖ σοι πρόφασις εὐλογωτάτη τοῖς εὐσεβέσιν εἶναι πρὸς ἀγανάκτησιν αὕτη; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Καὶ τίσιν ἐγὼ συνηγωνισάμην παραταττομένοις πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν; {ΟΡΘ.} Νῦν Ἰουδαίοις. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Πῶς καὶ τίνα τρόπον; {ΟΡΘ.} Ἰουδαῖοι τῷ Σολομῶντι καὶ τῷ Ζοροβάβελ τὰς τοιαύτας 83 προσαρμόττουσι προφητείας, ἵνα τὸ χριστιανικὸν ἀσύστατον ἀπο δείξωσι δόγμα. Ἀπόχρη δὲ καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ ῥήματα διελέγξαι αὐτῶν τὴν παρανομίαν. "Ἕως, γάρ φησι, τοῦ αἰῶνος ἑτοιμάσω τὸ σπέρμα σου." Οὐ μόνον δὲ Σολομὼν καὶ Ζοροβάβελ, οἷς τὰς τοιαύτας προσαρ μόττουσι προφητείας, τὸν ὡρισμένον βιώσαντες χρόνον τοῦ βίου τὸ τέρμα κατέλαβον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἅπαν ἀπέσβη τοῦ ∆αβὶδ τὸ γένος. Τίς γὰρ ἐπίσταται σήμερον ἐκ τῆς ∆αυϊτικῆς τινα καταγόμενον ῥίζης; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Οἱ καλούμενοι οὖν τῶν Ἰουδαίων πατριάρχαι οὐκ ἐκ τῆς ∆αυϊτικῆς ὑπάρχουσι συγγενείας; {ΟΡΘ.} Οὐδαμῶς. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἀλλὰ πόθεν ὁρμῶνται; {ΟΡΘ.} Ἐξ Ἡρώδου τοῦ ἀλλοφύλου, ὃς πατρόθεν μὲν Ἀσκαλωνίτηςἐτύγχανεν ὤν, μητρόθεν δὲ Ἰδουμαῖος. Ἄλλως τε καὶ αὐτοὶ παντελῶς κατελύθησαν, καὶ χρόνος συχνὸς διελήλυθεν, ἐξ οὗ καὶ ἡ τούτων ἡγεμονία τὸ πέρας