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the vineyard of Timnah, and behold, a lion's whelp came to meet him; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he tore it as a kid of the goats;" and again: "'The Philistines shouted,' it says, 'and ran to meet him'—that is, Samson; 'and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and the cords, 39.657 that were on his arms, became like flax that has smelt fire.'" But when at last with his hair he also laid aside his strength, and reaped for his own destruction the fruit of his folly, excessively loving a foreign woman, which was not right, Delilah, "'He awoke,' it says, 'from his sleep, and said: I will go out, and shake myself, and do as always. And he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.'" For Moses, having experience of this power of the Lord, said: "How shall one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless the Lord had delivered them up, and God had sold them?" And concerning the one who appeared to Isaiah, the King, the Lord of Sabaoth, sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, in a house filled with glory, and being honored by the seraphim with the thrice-holy voice, the prophet knew him as the Father, but John as the Son; but Paul in the Acts, because of the identity of the Godhead, declared him to be the all-wise Spirit, as follows: "'Well did the Holy Spirit speak to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet, saying: Go to this people, and say to it: Hearing you will hear, and you will not understand,' and so on." But the heretics, proceeding according to their original intention, and leading their own aim and argument toward chaos, leap away also to this oracle, and as is their custom, they contradict unreasonably, and they attempt to bind and join impiety to impiety, I mean their second and third sayings to their former ones, putting forth arguments, that nothing wonderful and proper to the Godhead is found concerning the Holy Spirit from Paul's saying: "'Well did the Holy Spirit speak to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet, saying: Go to this people, and say to it' thus and thus; because often, he says, the same things are recorded as having been spoken, sometimes from the person of God, sometimes from the person of the prophet, or of an angel; as when, he says, John speaks concerning this passage: 'These things Isaiah said, when he saw his glory;' and as the Savior in Matthew said: 'Well did Isaiah prophesy, saying: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;' and as Paul said in another chapter: 'As David speaks the beatitude: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;' but he did not say, he says: As God says through David. And elsewhere: 'And God came to Balaam by night, and said to him: If these men are present to call you, arise, follow 39.660 them; but the word that I shall speak to you, that you shall do;' and after other things: 'The angel of God said,' he says, 'to Balaam: Go with these men; but the word that I shall say to you, this you shall take care to do;' and he did not say to him, he says: What God said to you; but, 'What I shall say to you.'" In such evils are their affairs; and let them not be proud as if they were prevailing. But we, fearing lest we might seem to some to use, like them, the irony of some sophist, truly from almost the first syllable right up to the very end, let us take the greatest care for the truth, refuting them. Know then, you who are acquainted both with the word of prophecy and with the divine writings that have been mentioned, that Isaiah, having been commanded by him who sits on the eternal throne, prophesied what he had instructed him to say word for word; for he who prophesies of God is not his own prophet. So that through Isaiah, or rather from Isaiah—for it is the same thing to say—the mighty voice of the one who appeared to him, whom Paul declared to be the Holy Spirit, was reported, when he saw his glory;

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ἀμπελῶνα Θαμναθὰ, καὶ ἰδοὺ σκύμνος λέοντος εἰς ἀπάντησιν αὐτοῦ· καὶ κατεύθυνεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν Πνεῦμα Κυρίου, καὶ διέσπασεν αὐτὸν ὡς ἔριφον αἰγῶν·" καὶ πάλιν· "Ἠλάλαξαν," φησὶν, "οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι, καὶ ἔδραμον εἰς ἀπάντησιν αὐτοῦ" τοῦτ' ἔστιν Σαμψών· "καὶ κατεύθυνεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν Πνεῦμα Κυρίου, καὶ ἐγένοντο τὰ καλώδια, 39.657 τὰ ἐν τοῖς βραχίοσιν αὐτοῦ, ὡσεὶ στύππιον, ἡνίκα ἂν ὀσφρανθῇ πυρός." Ὅτε δὲ λοιπὸν σὺν τῇ κόμῃ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ ἀπέθετο, καὶ ἀπώνατο εἰς ὄλεθρον ἑαυτοῦ τῆς ἀβουλίας, ἀλλόφυλον, οὐ δέον, γυναῖκα ὑπερφιλῶν τὴν ∆αλιδὰ, "Ἐξηγέρθη," φησὶν, "ἐκ τοῦ ὕπνου αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπεν· Ἐξελεύσομαι, καὶ ἀποτινάξομαι, καὶ ποιήσω καθὼς ἀεί. Καὶ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἔγνω, ὅτι Κύριος ἀπέστη ἀπ' αὐτοῦ." Τῆς γὰρ δυναστείας τοῦ Κυρίου τούτου πεῖραν ἔχων καὶ Μωϋσῆς, εἶπεν· "Πῶς διώξεται εἷς χιλίους, καὶ δύο μετακινήσουσιν μυριάδας, εἰ μὴ Κύριος παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἀπέδοτο αὐτούς;" Καὶ τὸν ὀφθέντα δὲ τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ βασιλέα Κύριον Σαβαὼθ καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἐπῃρμένου, ἐν οἴκῳ δόξης πεπληρωμένῳ, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν σεραφὶμ τῇ τρισαγίῳ φωνῇ καταγεραιρόμενον, ὁ μὲν προφήτης τὸν Πατέρα οἶδεν, ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης τὸν Υἱόν· ὁ δὲ Παῦλος ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν, διὰ τὴν ταυτότητα τῆς θεότητος, τὸ πάνσοφον Πνεῦμα εἶναι ἐδήλωσεν τοιῶσδε· "Καλῶς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐλάλησεν πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου, λέγον· Πορεύθητι πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον, καὶ εἰπὲ αὐτῷ· Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Αἱρετικοὶ δὲ, κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς προαίρεσιν διοδεύοντες, καὶ τὸν οἰκεῖον σκοπὸν καὶ λόγον ἄγοντες κατὰ τοῦ χάους, ἀποπηδῶσι καὶ πρὸς τὸ λόγιον τοῦτο, καὶ συνήθως ἀντιφάσκουσιν οὐκ εὐλόγως, καὶ πειρῶνται δυσσεβείᾳ δυσσέβειαν συνδεῖν καὶ συνάπτειν, φημὶ τοῖς προτέροις αὐτῶν ῥήμασιν τὰ δεύτερα καὶ τρίτα, λόγους προϊέμενοι, ὅτι οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν καὶ θεότητος ἴδιον περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος εὑρίσκεται ἐκ τοῦ Παῦλον φάναι· "Καλῶς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐλάλησεν πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου, λέγον· Πορεύθητι πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον, καὶ εἰπὲ αὐτῷ" τάδε καὶ τάδε· διὰ τὸ πολλάκις, φησὶν, τὰ αὐτὰ, ποτὲ μὲν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ, ποτὲ δὲ ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ προφήτου, ἢ ἀγγέλου εἰρημένα φέρεσθαι· ὡς ἡνίκα, φησὶν, περὶ τοῦ χωρίου τούτου λέγει Ἰωάννης· "Ταῦτα εἶπεν Ἡσαΐας, ὅτε ἴδεν τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ·" καὶ ὡς ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν Ματθαίῳ ἔφη· "Καλῶς προεφήτευσεν Ἠσαΐας, λέγων· Ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσίν με τιμᾷ, τῇ δὲ καρδίᾳ πόῤῥω ἀπέχει ἀπ' ἐμοῦ·" καὶ ὡς ὁ Παῦλος ἐν ἄλλῳ κεφαλαίῳ ἔφη· "Καθὼς ∆αυῒδ λέγει τὸν μακαρισμόν· Μακάριοι, ὧν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι, καὶ ὧν ἐπεκαλύφθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι·" οὐκ εἶπεν δὲ, φησίν· Καθὼς ὁ Θεὸς διὰ ∆αυῒδ λέγει. Καὶ ἑτέρωθι· "Καὶ ἦλθεν ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς Βαλαὰμ νυκτὸς, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Εἰ καλέσαι σε πάρεισιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι οὗτοι, ἀναστὰς ἀκολούθη 39.660 σον αὐτοῖς· ἀλλὰ τὸ ῥῆμα, ὃ ἂν λαλήσω πρός σε, τοῦτο ποιήσεις·" καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· "Εἶπεν," φησὶν, "ὁ ἄγγελος τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς Βαλαάμ· Συμπορεύθητι μετὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τούτων· πλὴν τὸ ῥῆμα, ὃ ἐὰν εἴπω πρὸς σὲ, τοῦτο φυλάξῃ ποιῆσαι·" καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, φησίν· Ὃ εἶπέν σοι ὁ Θεός· ἀλλ', "Ὃ ἐὰν εἴπω σοι." Ἐν τοιούτοις κακοῖς τὰ κατ' ἐκείνους· καὶ μὴ ὡς κρατοῦντες σεμνυνέσθωσαν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ δείσαντες, μή τισιν δόξωμεν χρῆσθαι, ὡς ἐκεῖνοι, σοφιστοῦ τινος ὡς ἀληθῶς εἰρωνείᾳ, εὐθὺς ὡς ἐκ πρώτης σχεδὸν συλλαβῆς, οὕτω μέχρι καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ τέλους, πλείστην τινὰ τῆς ἀληθείας πρόνοιαν ποιήσωμεν, διελέγχοντες αὐτούς. Ἴστε δὴ οὖν, οἱ συγγενόμενοι τῷ τε τῆς προφητείας λόγῳ, καὶ τοῖς μνημονευθεῖσιν θείοις γραφίοις, ὡς ὁ Ἡσαΐας κελευσθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ αἰωνίου θρόνου, προεφήτευσεν, ἅπερ αὐτῷ ἐκεῖνος κατὰ λέξιν εἰπεῖν ἐνετείλατο· ὁ γὰρ προφητεύων Θεοῦ, οὐχὶ ἑαυτοῦ προφήτης ἐστίν. Ὥστε διὰ Ἡσαΐου, ἤτοι παρὰ Ἡσαΐουταυτὸν γάρ ἐστιν εἰπεῖν, ἡ τοῦ ὀφθέντος αὐτῷ κραταιὰ φωνὴ, ὃν ὁ Παῦλος τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα εἶναι κατήγγειλεν, ἀπηγγέλθη, ὅτε ἴδεν τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ·