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Let him boast in Christianity. For works become a cause of fire for all those who build not with gold nor silver, nor precious stones, but only with straw, as the word says concerning the Jews; whose metropolis and the sensible fire ravaged, when they acted insolently towards Christ. But some said that through the preceding things, the state after the captivity is signified, 1868 of those having recovered their ancient glory, and good judges, and of those being ashamed for the things for which they had long ago abandoned God; and in the captivity, they say this, that they were ashamed with the shame of being deprived of all things, and their hope in idols being made vain, on account of which they became weak, and kindled the fire of God's wrath against themselves. And who indeed will be able to hinder a decision of God? CHAP. II. 9The word that came to Isaiah the son of Amoz, concerning Judea and concerning Jerusalem9. Indeed, the first was inscribed a vision against Judea; but the one now, concerning Judea; and according to Symmachus, for Israel. If indeed it brought good things concerning this, it would have brought about a change of the spoken threat. But since it again brought somber things concerning this ...his people the house of Jacob, and the rest. And again, Behold indeed the Lord of Sabaoth will take away from Judea, and so forth; accordingly it has been rendered also ... to the vision against Judea as being a repetition of that one of strength ... He now inscribed it against Judea, since with the Gentiles, about whom the word is now, he also calls the Jews to the knowledge of the truth, saying, And now, O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the Lord. But perhaps he also calls these previously. For through the preceding vision he sufficiently exhorted them, and having rejected them except for a few, he proceeds to the Gentiles. With whom he no less calls those ones also. Therefore Paul also says: "It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing you put it from you, lo, we turn to the Gentiles." This has now also happened in the words of the prophet. But it is not strange to say now that the inscription is for Judea again, because from here the evangelical grace began, according to which Christ performed the preaching and the healings. For that they had been threatened does not nullify the grace of God which first came to them. Therefore Zechariah also announced this good news: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion," and these same things. But to one seeing with the mind it might seem that it is now spoken concerning another Judea, and Jerusalem, and for Judea, according to Symmachus. For he introduces a new law besides that of Moses, and another Word, and another new mountain, which was formerly unseen, but has now become manifest, and a house of God known to the Gentiles, 1869 not to the Jews. Therefore, accordingly, both Judea and Jerusalem must be understood as having been promised to the Gentiles. Concerning which he says, "In Judea is God known." This would be the soul which has received the knowledge of God, which the first people did not have. For he said, "But Israel did not know me, and the people did not understand me." For which reason they were called a people of Gomorrah and rulers of Sodom. Accordingly, therefore, with the calling of the Gentiles being prophesied, it was necessary to place first the Word of God, in agreement with John who made the beginning of the Gospel from this, "In the beginning was the Word." For the prophet now proclaims this same one as good news. And vision and Word are the same. For neither is perceptible by the senses. For what one hears, one sees with the mind. And what one sees in turn, one bears the words within oneself. And again, the grace of the Spirit is one, providing power from God to the saints for the discerning of unknown things through revelation and illumination of the heart; but according to the difference of the matters, concerning which the knowledge is, it would reasonably be called a vision, or a word. Above, then, the present things were seen, the wickedness of the people, the separation from God, the ungratefulness toward the benefactor; here the future is foretold. For this reason a Word concerning the Gentiles is now foretold. For God is not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. And according to the divine Apostle, "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly." To the

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καυχάσθω Χριστιανισμῷ. Αἱ γὰρ ἐργασίαι πᾶσι πυρὸς αἴτιαι γίνονται τοῖς μὴ χρυσὸν μηδὲ ἄργυρον, μηδὲ λίθους τιμίους, μόνην δὲ καλάμην οἰκοδομοῦσιν, ὡς περὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὁ λόγος· ὧν τὴν μητρόπολιν καὶ τὸ αἰσθητὸν ἐπενείματο πῦρ παροινησάντων εἰς τὸν Χριστόν. Τινὲς δὲ, διὰ τῶν προκειμένων, τὴν μετὰ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἔφησαν 1868 δηλοῦσθαι κατάστασιν, τὴν ἀρχαίαν δόξαν ἀπειληφότων, καὶ κριτὰς ἀγαθοὺς, καὶ αἰσχυνομένων ἐφ' οἷς πάλαι κατέλιπον τὸν Θεόν· καὶ ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ δὲ ταύτην φασὶ, τὴν αἰσχύνην ᾐσχύνθησαν πάντων στερηθέντες, καὶ ματαιωθείσης αὐτοῖς τῆς ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐλπίδος, δι' ἣν γεγόνασιν ἀσθενεῖς, καὶ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ πῦρ ἀνῆψαν ἐφ' ἑαυτούς. Ἀπόφασιν δὲ Θεοῦ τίς δὴ κωλῦσαι δυνήσεται; ΚΕΦΑΛ. Βʹ. αδʹ. 9Λόγος ὁ γενόμενος πρὸς Ἡσαίαν υἱὸν Ἀμὼς περὶ τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ περὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ9. Ἡ μὴν πρώτη, κατὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ὅρασις ἐπεγέγραπτο· ἡ δὲ νῦν, περὶ τῆς Ἰουδαίας· κατὰ δὲ Σύμμαχον, ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Εἰ μὲν περὶ ταύτης ἐπέφερεν ἀγαθὰ, τῆς εἰρημένης ἀπειλῆς ἡνεικα ειν μεταβολήν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ σκυθρωπὰ περὶ ταύτης πάλιν ἐπήνεγκεν ...νηκε τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Καὶ πάλιν, Ἰδοὺ δὴ Κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἀφελεῖ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· ἀκολούθως ἀποδέδοται καὶ ... κατὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ὁράσει καθάπερ ἐκείνης ἐπανάληψιν ὄντα ῥώνης ... Τὰ νῦν κατὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐπέγραψεν, ἐπειδὴ μετὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν, περὶ ὧν νῦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας γνῶσιν καλεῖ λέγων, Καὶ νῦν, ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰακὼβ, δεῦτε καὶ πορευθῶμεν ἐν τῷ φωτὶ τοῦ Κυρίου. Τάχα δὲ καὶ προηγουμένως τούτους καλεῖ. Καὶ διὰ τῆς προλαβούσης γὰρ ὁράσεως ἱκανῶς αὐτοὺς προετρέψατο, καὶ πλὴν ὀλίγων ἀποδοκιμάσας αὐτοὺς, πρὸς τὰ ἔθνη χωρεῖ. Μεθ' ὧν κἀκείνους οὐδὲν ἧττον καλεῖ. Τοιγαροῦν καὶ Παῦλός φησιν· "Ὑμῖν ἦν ἀναγκαῖον πρῶτον λαλῆσαι τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγον· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀπωθεῖσθε αὐτὸν, ἰδοὺ στρεφόμεθα εἰς τὰ ἔθνη." Τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ἐν τοῖς τοῦ προφήτου λόγοις γεγένηται. Οὐκ ἀποτρόπου δὲ πάλιν ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἰουδαίας εἶναι νῦν εἰπεῖν τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν, διὰ τὸ τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἄρξασθαι χάριν, καθ' ἣν τὸ κήρυγμα, καὶ τὰς θεραπείας ὁ Χριστὸς ἐπεποίητο. Τὸ γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἠπειληκέναι, τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν οὐκ ἀθετεῖ πρῶτον εἰς αὐτοὺς γενομένην. Τοιγαροῦν καὶ Ζαχαρίας ταύτην εὐηγγελίζετο· "Χαῖρε σφόδρα, θύγατερ Σιὼν," καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ ταῦτα. Τῷ δὲ πρὸς νοῦν ὁρῶντι περὶ ἑτέρας δόξειεν λέγεσθαι νῦν Ἰουδαίας· καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ὑπὲρ Ἰουδαίας, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον. Εἰσάγει γὰρ νόμον παρὰ τὸν Μωσέως καινὸν, καὶ Λόγον ἕτερον, καὶ ὄρος ἄλλο καινὸν, τὸ πάλαι μὲν ἀφανὲς, νῦν δὲ γεγονὸς ἐμφανὲς, οἶκόν τε Θεοῦ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐγνωσμένων, 1869 οὐκ Ἰουδαίοις. Ἀκολούθως οὖν καὶ Ἰουδαίαν καὶἹερουσαλὴμ ἐκληπτέον ἐπηγγελμένας τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. Περὶ ἧς φησι, "Γνωστὸς ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ ὁ Θεός." Εἴη δ' ἂν ἡ τὴν Θεοῦ γνῶσιν ἀνειληφυῖα ψυχὴ, ἣν οὐκ ἔσχεν ὁ πρῶτος λαός. Ἔφη γὰρ, "Ἰσραὴλ δέ με οὐκ ἔγνω, καὶ ὁ λαός με οὐ συνῆκεν." ∆ιὸ λαὸς Γομόῤῥας καὶ Σοδόμων ἄρχοντες ἐχρημάτισαν. Ἀκολούθως τοίνυν κλήσεως ἐθνῶν θεσπιζομένης, τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον προτάττειν ἐχρῆν συμφώνως Ἰωάννῃ τὴν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἀρχὴν ἀπὸ τούτου ποιήσαντι," Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος." Αὐτὸν γὰρ καὶ νῦν ὁ προφήτης εὐαγγελίζεται. Ταὐτὸν δὲ ὅρασίς τε καὶ Λόγος. Οὐδέτερον γὰρ αἰσθητόν. Ἃ γάρ τις ἀκούει, βλέπει τῷ νῷ. Καὶ ὧν αὖθις ὁρᾷ, φέρει τοὺς λόγους ἐν ἑαυτῷ. Καὶ πάλιν, μία μὲν ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις δύναμιν ἐκ Θεοῦ τοῖς ἁγίοις παρέχουσα πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀγνοουμένων διάγνωσιν δι' ἀποκαλύψεώς τε καὶ φωτισμοῦ τῆς καρδίας· κατὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων διαφορὰν, περὶ ἃ ἡ γνῶσις, ὅρασις, ἢ λόγος εἰκότως ἂν λέγοιτο. Ἀνωτέρω μὲν οὖν τὰ παρόντα ἐβλέπετο, ἡ κακία τοῦ λαοῦ, ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ χωρισμὸς, τὸ περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην ἀχάριστον· ἐνταῦθα τὸ μέλλον προαγορεύεται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Λόγος περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν τονῦν προαγορεύεται. Οὐ γὰρ Ἰουδαίων μόνον ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐθνῶν. Καὶ κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον, "Οὐχ ὁ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ Ἰουδαῖός ἔστιν, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ." Τῷ