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And the thoughts are in agreement? Isaiah says: He will judge among the nations; and Paul: He will judge according to my gospel. And he will rebuke many people; those who fight and transgress. And Christ, declaring this, said: I will not judge you, but the word which I have spoken, that will judge you. And they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into sickles. And nation will not take up a sword against nation, and they will not learn to make war anymore. The prophet was not satisfied with the former signs. For great is the abundance of the truth. For this reason he also sets forth another mark of the New Testament, shining throughout the whole world. And what is this? Peace and the abolition of wars. For when these things happen, he says, such good order will take hold of the world that the very weapons of war will be forged into agricultural tools; something one would not have seen happen in the times of the Jews, but the very opposite. For they did not cease for the entire time of their commonwealth from making war and being warred upon, with enemies attacking them both over long and short periods. For those who lived in neighboring lands, and rather even those in Palestine itself, often caused them grievous trouble and brought upon them the ultimate danger.

2.5

And the history of the Kingdoms clearly shows these things, being woven throughout with wars; and all the prophets show them, reporting these things that happened, and proclaiming them before they came to pass; and from the very day, so to speak, that they were delivered from the tyranny of the Egyptians, they lived their entire time in wars. But it is not so now, but there is great peace throughout the world. And if some wars do happen, they are not the same as before. For then cities clashed with cities and countries with countries and peoples with peoples, and one nation was cut into many parts. And anyone who has read the book of Joshua and of the Judges will know how many wars Palestine received in a short time then. And not only was this the difficult thing, but that the law commanded all to take up arms, and no one was exempt from this service. And this law was in force not only among the Jews, but also everywhere in the world; where indeed even orators and philosophers, having nothing more than a short tunic, when war called, both handled a shield and stood in the battle line. At any rate, Socrates the son of Sophroniscus, who shone especially among the Athenians for his tranquility and philosophy, stood in the battle line both once and twice. And the chief of their orators, Demosthenes, often went forth from the rostrum to war. And if no law exempted orators and philosophers from making war, scarcely would any other of the people have enjoyed this exemption. But one would see none of these things happening now. For since the sun of righteousness has shone, all cities and peoples and nations are so far from living in such dangers that they do not even know how to handle any of the instruments of war, but sitting within cities and walls, they learn of the affairs of wars from afar, and every populace lives in freedom and exemption from this most bitter service. And if any wars do happen now, it is somewhere far away and toward the furthest reaches of the Roman empire, not city by city and country by country, as before. For then, as I said before, even in one nation countless uprisings continually occurred, and multifaceted wars; but now as much land as the sun looks upon, from the Tigris to the British isles, all of it, and with it Libya and Egypt and the nation of the Palestinians, or rather all that lies under the Roman empire. you know that these cities enjoy all security, learning of wars by hearsay only. For Christ was able to destroy even the remnants, but he left them as a cause for some moderation for those who are indolent and become more arrogant because of the peace, that is, the incursions of the barbarians. And the prophet also hinted at this very thing for those able to perceive it accurately, which I mentioned before

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συμφωνοῦντα δὲ τὰ νοήματα; Ἡσαΐας φησί· Κρινεῖ ἀνάμεσον ἐθνῶν· Παῦλος δέ· Κρινεῖ κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν μου. Καὶ ἐλέγξει λαὸν πολύν· τοὺς μαχομένους καὶ παραβαίνοντας. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν· Οὐκ ἐγὼ κρινῶ ὑμᾶς, ἀλλ' ὁ λόγος, ὃν ἐλάλησα, ἐκεῖνος κρινεῖ ὑμᾶς. Καὶ συγκόψουσι τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν εἰς ἄροτρα καὶ τὰς ζιβύνας αὐτῶν εἰς δρέπανα. Καὶ οὐ λήψεται ἔθνος ἐπ' ἔθνος μάχαιραν καὶ οὐ μὴ μάθωσιν ἔτι πολεμεῖν. Οὐκ ἠρκέσθη σημείοις τοῖς προτέροις ὁ προφήτης. Πολλὴ γὰρ τῆς ἀληθείας ἡ περιουσία. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἕτερον τίθησι γνώρισμα τῆς Καινῆς ∆ιαθήκης κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην λάμπον ἅπασαν. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν; Εἰρήνη καὶ πολέμων ἀναίρεσις. Ὅταν γὰρ ταῦτα γένηται, φησί, τοσαύτη λήψεται εὐνομία τὴν οἰκουμένην, ὡς καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ ὅπλα τὰ πολεμικὰ εἰς γεωργικὰ χαλκεύεσθαι ὄργανα· ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν καιρῶν τῶν Ἰουδαίων οὐκ ἄν τις ἴδοι γεγενημένον, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν. Οὐ γὰρ διέλειπον ἅπαντα τῆς πολιτείας αὐτῶν τὸν καιρὸν πολεμοῦντες καὶ πολεμούμενοι, καὶ διὰ μακροῦ καὶ δι' ὀλίγου τῶν πολεμίων αὐτοὺς ἐπιόντων. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ ἐκ γειτόνων οἰκοῦντες, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ Παλαιστίνῃ χαλεπὰ πράγματα παρέσχον αὐτοῖς πολλάκις καὶ [περὶ] τὸν ἔσχατον ἐπεκρέμασαν κίνδυνον.

2.5 Καὶ ταῦτα δηλοῖ μὲν ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἱστορία σαφῶς, ὅλη δι' ὅλης ἐκ πολέμων ὑφαινομένη· δηλοῦσι δὲ οἱ προφῆται πάντες, τὰ γενόμενα ἀπαγγέλλοντες ταῦτα, καὶ πρὶν ἢ γενέσθαι προαναφωνοῦντες· καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς, ὡς εἰπεῖν, τῆς ἡμέρας, ἧς ἀπηλλάγησαν τῆς Αἰγυπτίων τυραννίδος, ἐν πολέμοις τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἐβίωσαν. Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ νῦν οὕτως, ἀλλὰ πολλὴ κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην εἰρήνη. Εἰ δέ τινες γίνονται πόλεμοι, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁμοίως ὡς πρότερον. Τότε μὲν γὰρ καὶ πόλεις πόλεσι καὶ χῶραι χώραις καὶ δῆμοι συνερρήγνυντο δήμοις καὶ ἔθνος ἓν εἰς πολλὰ διετέμνετο μέρη. Καὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τὸ βιβλίον τις ἀναγνοὺς καὶ τῶν Κριτῶν εἴσεται πόσους ἡ Παλαιστίνη ἐν βραχεῖ πολέμους τότε ἐδέξατο καιρῷ. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἦν τὸ χαλεπόν, ἀλλ' ὅτι πάντας ὅπλα αἱρεῖσθαι ὁ νόμος ἐκέλευσε, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀτελὴς ταύτης τῆς λειτουργίας ἦν. Καὶ οὐ παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις μόνον οὗτος ὁ νόμος ἐκράτει, ἀλλὰ καὶ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης· ὅπου γε καὶ ῥήτορες καὶ φιλόσοφοι ἐξωμίδος πλέον οὐδὲν ἔχοντες, πολέμου καλοῦντος, καὶ ἀσπίδα μετεχειρίζοντο καὶ ἐπὶ παρατάξεως ἵσταντο. Ὁ γοῦν παρ' Ἀθηναίοις μάλιστα λάμψας ἀπραγμοσύνης ἕνεκεν καὶ φιλοσοφίας Σωκράτης ὁ Σωφρονίσκου καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς ἐπὶ παρατάξεως ἔστη. Καὶ τῶν ῥητόρων τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς τὸ κεφάλαιον ∆ημοσθένης ἀπὸ τοῦ βήματος ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον ἐξῄει πολλάκις. Εἰ δὲ ῥήτορας καὶ φιλοσόφους οὐδεὶς ἐξῄρητο νόμος τοῦ πολεμεῖν, σχολῇ γἂν ἕτερός τις τοῦ δήμου ταύτης ἀπήλαυσε τῆς ἀτελείας. Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ τούτων οὐδὲν νῦν γινόμενον ἴδοι τις ἄν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἔλαμψεν ἥλιος, καὶ πόλεις καὶ δῆμοι καὶ ἔθνη πάντα τοσοῦτον ἀπέχουσι τοῦ ζῇν ἐν κινδύνοις τοιούτοις, ὅτι οὐδὲ μεταχειρίζεσθαί τι τῶν πολεμικῶν ἴσασιν, ἀλλ' εἴσω πόλεων καὶ τειχῶν καθήμενοι, πόρρω τὰ τῶν πολέμων μανθάνουσι πράγματα, καὶ δῆμος ἅπας ἐν ἐλευθερίᾳ ζῇ καὶ ἀτελείᾳ τῆς πικροτάτης ταύτης λειτουργίας. Εἰ δέ που καὶ νῦν γίγνονται πόλεμοι, πόρρω που καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἔσχατα τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς, οὐ κατὰ πόλιν καὶ χώρας, ὡς ἔμπροσθεν. Τότε μὲν γάρ, ὡς ἔφθην εἰπών, καὶ ἐν ἑνὶ ἔθνει μυρίαι συνεχῶς ἐπαναστάσεις ἐγίγνοντο, καὶ πολυπρόσωποι πόλεμοι· νυνὶ δὲ ὅσην ἥλιος ἐφορᾷ γῆν ἀπὸ τοῦ Τίγρητος ἐπὶ τὰς Βρεττανικὰς νήσους, αὐτὴ πᾶσα, καὶ μετὰ ταύτης Λιβύη καὶ Αἴγυπτος καὶ Παλαιστινῶν ἔθνος, μᾶλλον δὲ ἅπαν τὸ ὑπὸ τὴν Ῥωμαίων· ἀρχὴν κείμενον. ἴστε δὲ ὡς αὗται αἱ πόλεις ἀδείας ἀπολαύουσι πάσης, ἀκοῇ τοὺς πολέμους μανθάνουσαι μόνον. Ἠδύνατο μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὰ λείψανα καθελεῖν ὁ Χριστός, ἀλλ' ἀφῆκε σωφρονισμοῦ τινος ὑπόθεσιν τοῖς ῥᾳθυμοῦσι καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς εἰρήνης χαυνοτέροις γινομένοις, τῶν βαρβάρων εἶναι τὰς ἐπιδρομάς. Καὶ ὁ προφήτης δὲ τοῖς δυναμένοις ἀκριβῶς συνιδεῖν αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο ᾐνίξατο, ὅπερ ἔφθην