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the son of Remaliah. And learn this also, O Ahaz, that in a very short time the kingdom of Samaria will be overthrown, with the people ruled in it becoming captive along with their kings, and being resettled among the Assyrians because of their exceedingly lawless deeds. But if you also desire to know the time, know that within sixty-five years the king of the Assyrians will come and take them all and, leading them away as captives, will resettle them in his own land. God commanded the prophet to say these things both to Ahaz himself and to the people under him, urging them to turn back to him, to believe and not to disbelieve the things that were spoken. Wherefore he adds for all, saying: And if you will not believe, surely you shall not be established. The word of God, therefore, was not long in being fulfilled; for when the foretold time was completed, both Damascus and Samaria, and their rulers, were captured by the king of the Assyrians. In this way, then, the prophecy was confirmed by the outcome of events, but the children of the Hebrews say that the sixty-five years are precisely fulfilled, if one begins to count the years from the twenty-fifth year of the reign of Uzziah. For at the same time as Isaiah, the prophet Amos also prophesies; and Amos is the first to declare the future captivity of Israel, saying: “But Israel shall be led away captive from his land.” And the same man also prophesies against Samaria in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, “two years before the earthquake.” And they say that this earthquake was the one that happened under Uzziah, when, having entered the sanctuary to offer incense, “he was struck with leprosy,” and the fat of the altar was poured out when the earthquake occurred. Therefore, since Amos prophesied against Samaria and against Jerusalem “two years before the earthquake,” they say it is fitting to begin to reckon the sixty-five years from that time. The remaining years of Uzziah are twenty-seven, since it is recorded that he reigned “fifty-two years” in all, and this was in the twenty-fifth. First Amos prophesied concerning the captivity of Israel, then “Jotham sixteen years” and “Ahaz” likewise “sixteen years.” if the six years of Hezekiah’s reign are added, the sum total comes to sixty-five years; for in the sixth year of Hezekiah Israel suffered the final captivity. In accordance with the prophecies, he promises to give him a sign, by which he was to be saved; but he, being hard-hearted and steeped in demonic deceit, refuses and rejects the sign of God, thereby showing his own faithless and insubordinate nature. It should be known that up to this point extends Origen’s eighth book of his commentaries on the prophet. 1.44 Instead of: into the depth or into the height, Symmachus says, ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God, make it deep unto Hades or into the height above, but Aquila: inquire for yourself a sign from the Lord your God, make it deep unto Hades or raise it up above, and Theodotion: ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God, make it deep unto Hades or exalt it above. And we shall understand the sign into the depth or into the height from the writing of Moses; for of the signs that were done in Egypt through Moses, about which it is said: “He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt,” some were from the earth, such as “the frogs and the locusts and the gnats and the dog-fly,” and others were from heaven, such as “the hail and the fire and the three-day darkness.” And someone might say that the sign that occurred in the time of Hezekiah also came from heaven, “when the sun turned back and the shadow ran backward ten steps.” And from the depth was also the sign that happened in the time of Saul, when Samuel after his death foretells things. Likewise from the depth was the “sign of Jonah” coming forth “from the belly of the whale” and to the Ninevites

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τὸν τοῦ Ῥομελίου υἱόν. μάνθανε δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὦ Ἄχαζ, ὡς ὅσον οὔπω ἡ τῆς Σαμαρείας βασιλεία καταλυθήσεται, τοῦ ἐν αὐτοῖς βασιλευομένου λαοῦ αὐτοῖς βασιλεῦσιν αἰχμαλώτου γενησομένου, καὶ εἰς Ἀσσυρίους ἀποικισθησομένου διὰ τὰς ὑπερβαλλούσας αὐτῶν ἀθεμίτους πράξεις. εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸν χρόνον γνῶναι ποθεῖς, γίνωσκε, ὡς εἴσω ἑξήκοντα καὶ πέντε ἐτῶν ἐπιστὰς ὁ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων βασιλεὺς πάντας αὐτοὺς λήψεται ἀπάξας τε αἰχμαλώτους εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ μετοικιεῖ χώραν. ταῦτα τῷ προφήτῃ λέγειν ὁ θεὸς προσέταττεν αὐτῷ τε τῷ Ἄχαζ καὶ τῷ ὑπ' αὐτὸν λαῷ· παρορμῶν αὐτοὺς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐπιστρέφειν, πιστεύειν τε καὶ μὴ διαπιστεῖν τοῖς εἰρημένοις. διὸ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐπιφέρει λέγων· καὶ ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύσητε, οὐδ' οὐ μὴ συνῆτε. ὁ μὲν οὖν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν τέλους ἐτύγχανεν· συμπληρουμένου γὰρ τοῦ προλεχθέντος χρόνου, καὶ ἡ ∆αμασκὸς καὶ ἡ Σαμάρεια, οἵ τε τούτων ἡγεμόνες ἥλωσαν ὑπὸ τοῦ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων βασιλέως. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὧδέ πη τὴν προφητείαν ἐπιστοῦτο διὰ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκβάσεως, τά γε μὴν ἑξήκοντα καὶ πέντε ἔτη φασὶν Ἑβραίων παῖδες ἐπ' ἀκριβὲς συμπληροῦσθαι, εἴ τις ἀριθμεῖν ἄρξαιτο τοὺς χρόνους ἀπὸ τοῦ πέμπτου καὶ εἰκοστοῦ ἔτους τῆς τοῦ Ὀζίου βασιλείας. προφητεύει μὲν γὰρ κατὰ ταὐτὸν ὁμοῦ τῷ Ἠσαίᾳ καὶ Ἀμὼς ὁ προφήτης· θεσπίζει δὲ πρῶτος ὁ Ἀμὼς τὴν μέλλουσανσυμβήσεσθαι αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ λέγων· «ὁ δὲ Ἰσραὴλ αἰχμάλωτος ἀχθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ». καὶ κατὰ τῆς Σαμαρείας δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς προφητεύει ἐν ἡμέραις Ὀζίου βασιλέως Ἰούδα «πρὸ δύο ἐτῶν τοῦ σεισμοῦ». φασὶν δὲ τὸν σεισμὸν τοῦτον εἶναι τὸν γενόμενον ἐπὶ Ὀζίου, ὅτε εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸ ἁγίασμα ἐπὶ τῷ θῦσαι «ἐλεπρώθη», καὶ ἐξεχύθη ἡ πιότης τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου σεισμοῦ γενομένου. «πρὸ δύο» τοίνυν «ἐτῶν τοῦ σεισμοῦ» προφητεύσαντος τοῦ Ἀμὼς κατὰ τῆς Σαμαρείας καὶ κατὰ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ προσήκει φασὶν ἐξ ἐκείνου δεῖν ἄρχεσθαι τὰ ἑξήκοντα καὶ πέντε ἔτη συνάγειν. γίνεται δὲ τὰ λοιπὰ τοῦ Ὀζίου ἔτη εἴκοσι ἑπτά, ἐπειδὴ τὰ πάντα «δύο καὶ πεντήκοντα ἔτη βασιλεῦσαι» μνημονεύεται τῶν δὲ κατὰ τὸ πέμπτον καὶ εἰκοστόν. πρῶτος Ἀμὼς τὰ περὶ τῆς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ αἰχμαλωσίας ἐθέσπισεν, ἔπειτα «Ἰωαθὰμ ἔτη δέκα ἓξ» καὶ «Ἄχαζ» ὁμοίως «ἔτη δέκα ἕξ». εἰ τὰ τῆς Ἑζεκίου βασιλείας ἔτη ἓξ ὁμοῦ τὰ πάντα συνάγεται εἰς ἔτη ἑξήκοντα καὶ πέντε· ἕκτῳ γοῦν ἔτει Ἑζεκίου ὁ Ἰσραὴλ τὴν ὑστάτην ὑπέμεινεν αἰχμαλωσίαν. ταῖς προφητείαις ἀκολούθως σημεῖον δὲ αὐτῷ δώσειν ἐπαγγέλλεται, δι' οὗ σωθήσεσθαι ἔμελλεν· ὁ δὲ σκληροκάρδιος ὢν καὶ τῇ δαιμονικῇ πλάνῃ βεβαπτισμένος ἀναίνεται καὶ παραιτεῖται τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ σημεῖον, κἂν τούτῳ τὸ ἄπιστον καὶ ἀνυπότακτον ἑαυτοῦ δεικνύς. ἰστέον ὡς μέχρι τούτων Ὠριγένει προῆλθεν ὁ ὄγδοος τῶν εἰς τὸν προφήτην ἐξηγητικῶν τόμος. 1.44 Ἀντὶ τοῦ· εἰς βάθος ἢ εἰς ὕψος, ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχος αἴτησαί φησι σεαυτῷ σημεῖον παρὰ κυρίου θεοῦ σου, βάθυνον εἰς ᾅδην ἢ εἰς ὕψος ἄνω, ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας· ἐπερώτησον σεαυτῷ σημεῖον παρὰ κυρίου θεοῦ σου, βάθυνον εἰς ᾅδην ἢ μετεώρισον εἰς ἄνω, ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων· αἴτησαι σεαυτῷ σημεῖον παρὰ κυρίου θεοῦ σου, βάθυνον εἰς ᾅδην ἢ ὕψωσον ἄνω. νοήσομεν δέ γε τὸ εἰς βάθος ἢ εἰς ὕψος σημεῖον ἐκ τῆς παρὰ Μωϋσεῖ γραφῆς· τῶν γὰρ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ διὰ Μωϋσέως γενομένων σημείων, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· «ἐξαπέστειλεν σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ἐν μέσῳ σου, Αἴγυπτε», τὰ μὲν ἀπὸ γῆς ἐτύγχανεν ὡς «οἱ βάτραχοι καὶ αἱ ἀκρίδες καὶ οἱ σκνῖφες καὶ ἡ κυνόμυια», τὰ δὲ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ὡς «ἡ χάλαζα καὶ τὸ πῦρ τό τε τριήμερον σκότος». εἴποι δ' ἄν τις καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ Ἑζεκίου γενόμενον σημεῖον ἐξ οὐρανοῦ γεγονέναι, «ὅτε ἀναποδίσαντος τοῦ ἡλίου ἔδραμεν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἡ σκιὰ τοὺς δέκα ἀναβαθμούς». ἐκ βάθους δὲ ἦν σημεῖον καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ Σαοὺλ γενόμενον, ὅτε Σαμουὴλ μετὰ θάνατον αὐτοῦ προμηνύει. ὁμοίως ἐκ βάθους ἦν «σημεῖον Ἰωνᾶς» «ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας τοῦ κήτους» προϊὼν καὶ Νινευίταις