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These things were said previously concerning Israel, and the sons of Israel heard 'that they did wrong in their ways and forgot their holy God,' and next the Holy Spirit also transfers the word to us who are from the gentiles and says: 'Return, returning sons, and I will heal your fractures'; for we are the ones who have been filled with fractures. Each one might say, even if he has now been cleansed and healed from the fractures: 'For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another; but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, through the washing of regeneration he poured out his mercy upon us.' And yet, having once mentioned that apostolic passage, I will try to present it more clearly. For he did not say: For we were once foolish, disobedient; but Paul, the apostle, who was from Israel, who 'as to the righteousness which is in the law, was blameless,' says: 'For we ourselves were also once'—we who are from Israel—'disobedient, foolish,' but not only were those from the gentiles foolish, nor were only those from the gentiles disobedient, nor were only they sinners, but we also who had been taught the law happened to be such people before the coming of Christ. Therefore, after the things said to Israel, it is said to us who are from the gentiles: 'Return, returning sons, and I will heal your fractures.' But someone will say: These things were said to Israel, but you are applying them to those from the gentiles. We wish to show that not much later, but immediately, whenever he wishes to speak to Israel concerning repentance, he adds the name of Israel. At any rate, it says next: 'If Israel returns, says the Lord, to me, he shall return, and if he removes his abominations from his mouth, and is in awe of my presence, and swears: As the Lord lives, with truth and in judgment and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed in him'; The first things, therefore, were said to those from the gentiles, then <it is said concerning Israel> since 'when the fullness of the gentiles has come in, then all Israel will be saved,' according to the words of the apostle in the epistle to the Romans. Pay attention to the way in which God urges us who are returning to return completely, promising that if we 'returning' return to him, he will heal our 'fractures' through Jesus Christ; but we, answering—we who are not delaying nor being slow about salvation like that Israel—say: 'Here we are; we will be yours.' God said: 'Return, returning sons, and I will heal your fractures,' but those from the gentiles: 'We will be servants'—not being so before—'to you,' but belonging to demons, but being subject to opposing powers; for 'when the Most High divided the nations,' we did not become your 'portion' nor with the people of Jacob your 'allotted inheritance,' but we became the portions of others; nevertheless, we who once became the portions of others, when you said to us, 'Return, returning sons, and I will heal your fractures,' we answer: <'Here are> we'; for we were waiting for this alone, the call. We are not like them, who were called and made excuses; so we, being called, do not make excuses. For we have in the parables of the gospel that when certain ones were previously called, 'one said: I have married a wife, consider me excused, and another: I have bought five yoke of oxen, I am going to try them out, consider me excused.' Therefore, we from the gentiles are not so, being called and making excuses; why? About what field should we be occupied? About what wise woman? But with what else should we be busy? Therefore God has said to us: 'Return, returning sons, and I will heal your fractures'; and seeing our own fractures and the promise concerning healing, we immediately answer and say: 'Behold, we will be yours, for you are the Lord our God.' Having heard, therefore, and having said, 'we will be yours,' let us remember that we have promised

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προηγουμένως ταῦτα εἴρηται τὰ περὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἤκουσαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ «ὅτι ἠδίκησαν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπελάθοντο θεοῦ ἁγίου αὐτῶν», ἑξῆς καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον μετατίθησι τὸν λόγον ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν καί φησιν· «Ἐπιστράφητε, υἱοί, ἐπιστρέφοντες, καὶ ἰάσομαι τὰ συντρίμματα ὑμῶν»· ἡμεῖς γάρ ἐσμεν οἱ πεπληρωμένοι συντριμμάτων. Ἕκα στος εἴποι ἄν, εἰ καὶ νῦν κεκαθάρισται καὶ ἴαται ἀπὸ τῶν συντριμμάτων· «Ἦμεν γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀπειθεῖς, ἀνόητοι, πλανώμενοι, δουλεύοντες ἐπιθυμίαις καὶ ἡδοναῖς πολλαῖς καὶ ποικίλαις, ἐν κακίᾳ καὶ φθόνῳ διάγοντες, στυγητοί, μισοῦντες ἀλλήλους· ὅτε δὲ ἡ χρηστότης καὶ ἡ φιλανθρωπία ἐπεφάνη τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θεοῦ, διὰ λου τροῦ παλιγγενεσίας ἐπέχεε τὸν ἔλεον αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς.» Καίτοιγε κἀκεῖνο τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἅπαξ μνησθεὶς σαφέσ τερον πειράσομαι παραστῆσαι. Οὐ γὰρ εἴρηκεν· Ἦμεν γάρ ποτε ἀνόητοι, ἀπειθεῖς· ἀλλὰ Παῦλος, ὁ ἀπόστολος, ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, ὁ «κατὰ τὴν ἐν νόμῳ δικαιοσύνην γενόμενος ἄμεμπτος» λέγει· «Ἦμεν γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς ποτε» οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ «ἀπειθεῖς, ἀνόητοι», ἀλλ' οὐ μόνον οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀνόητοι ἦσαν οὐδὲ μόνοι οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀπειθεῖς οὐδὲ μόνοι ἐκεῖνοι ἁμαρτωλοί, καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ τὸν νόμον δεδιδαγμένοι τοιοῦτοι ἐτυγχάνομεν πρὸ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Λέγεται οὖν μετὰ τὰ εἰρημένα τῷ Ἰσραὴλ πρὸς ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν· «Ἐπιστράφητε, υἱοί, ἐπιστρέ 5.2 φοντες, καὶ ἰάσομαι τὰ συντρίμματα ὑμῶν.» Ἀλλ' ἐρεῖ τις· ταῦτα εἴρηται πρὸς τὸν Ἰσραήλ, σὺ δὲ αὐτὰ ἕλκεις ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν. Θέλομεν παραστῆσαι ὅτι οὐ μετὰ πολλά, ἀλλ' εὐθύς, ὅπου βούλεται πρὸς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ λέγειν τὰ περὶ ἐπιστροφῆς, προστίθησι τὸ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὄνομα. Ἑξῆς γοῦν λέγεται· «Ἐὰν ἐπιστραφῇ Ἰσραήλ, λέγεικύριος, πρός με, καὶ ἐπιστραφήσεται, καὶ ἐὰν περιέλῃ τὰ βδελύγματα αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου μου εὐλαβηθῇ, καὶ ὀμόσῃ· ζῇ κύριος, μετὰ ἀλη θείας καὶ ἐν κρίσει καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ εὐλογήσουσιν ἐν αὐτῷ ἔθνη»· τὰ πρῶτα τοίνυν εἴρηται πρὸς τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν, εἶτ' <ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ λέγεται> ἐπεὶ «ἐὰν τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ, τότε πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθή σεται», κατὰ τὰ εἰρημένα παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἐπιστολῇ. Πρόσχες τίνα τρόπον ὁ μὲν θεὸς προτρέπει ἡμᾶς ἐπι στρέφοντας τελείως ἐπιστρέφειν, ἐπαγγελλόμενος ὅτι ἐὰν «ἐπιστρέφοντες» ἐπιστρέψωμεν πρὸς αὐτόν, ἰάσεται ἡμῶν διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ «τὰ συντρίμματα»· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀποκρινόμενοι, οἱ μὴ μέλλοντες μηδὲ βραδύνοντες περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας ὡς ἐκεῖνος ὁ Ἰσραήλ, φαμέν· «Οἵδε ἡμεῖς ἐσόμεθά σοι.» Ὁ μὲν θεὸς εἶπεν· «Ἐπιστράφητε, υἱοί, ἐπιστρέφοντες, καὶ ἰάσομαι τὰ συντρίμματα ὑμῶν», οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν· «∆οῦλοι ἐσόμεθα ἡμεῖς», οὐ πρότερον ὄντες, «σοί», ἀλλὰ δαιμόνων ὄντες, ἀλλὰ δυνάμεων ἀντι κειμένων τυγχάνοντες· «ὅτε» γὰρ «διεμέριζεν ὁ ὕψιστος ἔθνη», ἐγενήθημεν ἡμεῖς οὐ «μερίς» σου οὐδὲ μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ Ἰακὼβ «σχοίνισμα κληρονομίας» σου, ἀλλὰ γεγόναμεν ἄλλων μερίδες· ὅμως δὲ ἡμεῖς οἱ γενόμενοι ἄλλων ποτὲ μερίδες, σοῦ εἰπόντος ἡμῖν «Ἐπιστράφητε, υἱοί, ἐπιστρέφοντες, καὶ ἰάσομαι τὰ συντρίμματα ὑμῶν» ἀπο κρινόμεθα· <«Οἵδε> ἡμεῖς»· τοῦτο γὰρ περιεμένομεν, τὴν κλῆσιν, μόνον. Οὐχ ὡς ἐκεῖνοι ἐκλήθησαν καὶ παρῃτή σαντο, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς καλούμενοι παραιτούμεθα. Ἔχομεν γὰρ ἐν ταῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου παραβολαῖς, ὅτι τινῶν κεκλη μένων προηγουμένως «ὁ μέν τις ἔλεγε· γυναῖκα ἔγημα, ἔχε με παρῃτημένον, ὁ δέ τις· ζεύγη βοῶν ἠγόρασα πέντε, πορεύομαι δοκιμάσαι αὐτά, ἔχε με παρῃτημένον». Οὐχ οὕτως οὖν ἡμεῖς, οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν, ἐκλήθημεν καὶ παραι τούμεθα· διὰ τί; περὶ ποῖον ἀγρὸν ἵνα καταγενώμεθα; περὶ ποίαν γυναῖκα σοφήν; ἀλλὰ περὶ τί ἄλλο ἀσχοληθῶ μεν; Εἴρηκεν οὖν ὁ θεὸς ἡμῖν· «Ἐπιστράφητε, υἱοί, ἐπιστρέ φοντες, καὶ ἰάσομαι τὰ συντρίμματα ὑμῶν»· καὶ βλέ ποντες ἑαυτῶν τὰ συντρίμματα καὶ περὶ τῆς ἰάσεως ἐπαγ γελίαν, εὐθέως ἡμεῖς ἀποκρινόμεθα καὶ λέγομεν· «Ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς ἐσόμεθά σοι, ὅτι σὺ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν.» Ἐπα κούσαντες οὖν καὶ εἰπόντες· «ἐσόμεθά σοι», μνημονεύω μεν, ὅτι ὑπεσχόμεθα