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Of Christ as concerning the shepherd David who will be raised, and concerning the new covenant. Concerning Christ as concerning the shepherd David who will be raised, and concerning the new covenant. Ps. From Daniel. Concerning Christ as concerning a stone; and his eternal kingdom. Concerning Christ as concerning the son of God. Concerning the coming of Christ as concerning the son of man; and concerning his eternal kingdom. Concerning the seventy weeks, and how they are fulfilled at the times of Christ, after which the things concerning the complete destruction of the Jewish people are prophesied. 97 PREFACE. After the selections from the psalms, let us gather the selections from the remaining verses and the subsequent prophecies in this third treatise of the Prophetic Selections Concerning Christ, which is the eighth of the General Elementary Introduction, having first noted that it is not possible for the words of the prophets to be verified, unless faith in our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ is included with them, nor for our faith in Christ to be more reasonably strengthened, if the proofs concerning him from the ancient prophets are not believed. Whence one might rightly find fault with both the Jews who have not accepted Christ, and the heretics who reject the prophecies, for turning to things that are inconsistent; for the one group, accepting the prophecies as from God, prove them false by leaving them unfulfilled, because they are not able to accept the outcomes of the prophecies that were fulfilled in Christ; while the other group, confessing Christ, maintain an inconsistent and unproven faith in him, by not making use of the wonderful prophets of God who testified beforehand concerning him; but we, on the other hand, confirming the prophecies through the coming of Christ, and this coming through the prophecies, present the clear and firm truth with irrefutable proofs. These things as in a preface; but let us proceed to the subject at hand. 98 Ps. From the proverbs. I. The entire book of Proverbs seems to be spoken in the person of Wisdom, at times setting forth the moral life, at times personifying the words of others; and sometimes propounding riddles, and at other times teaching certain things about herself, and instructing about her own divine dignity. From these we will select those passages through which we learn that Wisdom is indeed a divine and in every way virtuous being by nature, being the same as the second cause of all things after the first God, both the Word God who was in the beginning with God, and the providence of God which administers and orders all things, reaching even to the affairs on earth, who was also created before all substance and hypostasis, being the beginning of the ways of the whole creation. And the sayings from Wisdom herself have been spoken in this manner: I wisdom have made counsel my dwelling, and I have called upon knowledge and understanding. The fear of the Lord hates evil, both pride and arrogance and the ways of the wicked, and I have hated the perverted ways of evil men. Counsel and security are mine; I am understanding, and strength is mine. Through me kings reign, and rulers decree justice. Through me great men are magnified. I love those who love me, and those who seek me will find grace. Riches and glory belong to me, and the possession of many things and righteousness. It is better to bear fruit from me than from much gold and precious stone; and my offspring are better than choice silver. I walk in the ways of righteousness, and move in the midst of the paths 99 of justice; that I may allot substance to those who love me, and fill their treasures with good things; if I declare to you the things that happen daily, I will remember to recount the things from of old. The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways for his works, before the age he established me, in the beginning before he made the earth, and before he made the depths, before the springs of the waters came forth; before the mountains were settled, and before all hills, he begets me. The Lord

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Χριστοῦ ὡς περὶ ∆αυὶδ ἀναστησομένου ποιμένος, καὶ περὶ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης. Περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὡς περὶ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ ἀναστησομένου ποιμένος, καὶ περὶ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης. Ψ. Ἀπὸ τοῦ ∆ανιήλ. Περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὡς περὶ λίθου· καὶ τῆς αἰωνίου βασιλείας αὐτοῦ. Περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὡς περὶ υἱοῦ θεοῦ. Περὶ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας ὡς περὶ υἱοῦ ἀνθρώπου· καὶ περὶ τῆς αἰωνίου βασιλείας αὐτοῦ. Περὶ τῶν ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδων, καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ τοὺς χρόνους τοῦ Χριστοῦ συμπληροῦνται μεθ' οὓς προφητεύεται τὰ περὶ τοῦ παντελοῦς ὀλέθρου τοῦ Ἰουδαίων λαοῦ. 97 ΠΡΟΟΙΜΙΟΝ. Μετὰ δὴ τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν ψαλμῶν ἐκλογὰς τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν λοιπῶν στιχηρῶν καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς προφητειῶν ἐν τρίτῳ τούτῳ συγγράμματι τῶν περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ Προφητικῶν Ἐκλογῶν, ὀγδόῳ ὄντι τῆς Καθόλου Στοιχειώδους Εἰσαγωγῆς, ἀναλεξώμεθα, προεπισημηνάμενοι ὅτι μήτε τὰ τῶν προφητῶν ἐπαληθεύειν δυνατὸν, ἢν μὴ οὐχὶ τῆς εἰς τὸν Σωτῆρα καὶ Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν πίστεως αὐτοῖς συμπαραλαμβανομένης, μήτε τὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν πίστεως λογικώτερον κρατύνεσθαι, μὴ τῶν ἀνέκαθεν προφητῶν τὰς περὶ αὐτοῦ πιστουμένων ἀποδείξεις. Ὅθεν εἰκότως ἄν τις Ἰουδαίοις τε μὴ τὸν Χριστὸν παραδεξαμένοις, καὶ τοῖς τὰς προφητείας ἀθετοῦσι αἱρεσιώταις καταμέμψοιτο εἰς ἀσύστατα περιτρεπομένοις· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὡς Θεοῦ τὰς προφητείας ἀποδεχόμενοι, ταύτας ψευδεῖς ἀπελέγχουσιν ἀτελεῖς αὐτὰς καταλείποντες, ὅτι μὴ τὰς εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν ἀποπληρωθείσας τῶν προφητειῶν ἐκβάσεις οἷοί τε εἰσι παραδέξασθαι· οἱ δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν ὁμολογοῦντες ἀσύστατον καὶ ἀναπόδεικτον τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν πίστιν περιέπουσι, μὴ τοῖς θαυμασίοις τοῦ Θεοῦ προφήταις τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ προμαρτυρομένοις συγχρώμενοι· ἡμεῖς γέ τοι· τὰς μέντοι προφητείας διὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρούσιας, ταύτην δὲ διὰ τῶν προφητειῶν πιστούμενοι, τὸ φανὸν καὶ στερρὸν τῆς ἀληθείας ἀνεξελέγκτοις ἀποδείξεσι παριστῶμεν. Ταῦτα μὲν ὡς ἐν προοιμίῳ· ἴωμεν δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον. 98 Ψ. Ἀπὸ τῶν παροιμιῶν. Αʹ. Πᾶσα μὲν ἡ βίβλος τῶν Παροιμιῶν ἐκ προσώπου λέγεσθαι τῆς Σοφίας ἔοικε, πῆ μὲν τὸν ἠθικὸν ὑποτιθεμένης βίον, πῆ δὲ προσωποποιούσης ἑτέρων λόγους· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν αἰνίγματα προβαλλομένης, ποτὲ δ' αὖ περὶ αὑτῆς τινὰ διδασκούσης, καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ ἑαυτῆς ἐνθέου ἀξιώματος παιδευούσης. Τούτων δ' ἀναλεξόμεθα δι' ὧν μανθάνομεν ὅτι δὴ ζῷον θεῖον καὶ πάντη τὴν φύσιν ἐνάρετον ἡ Σοφία τυγχάνει, ἡ αὐτὴ οὖσα τῷ μετὰ τὸν πρῶτον Θεὸν δευτέρῳ τῶν ὅλων αἰτίῳ, τῷ τε ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν Θεῷ Λόγῳ, καὶ τῇ διοικούσῃ καὶ οἰκονομούσῃ τὰ σύμπαντα καὶ μέχρι τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς πραγμάτων φθανούσῃ προνοίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἣ καὶ πρὸ πάσης οὐσίας τε καὶ ὑποστάσεως ἔκτισται, ἀρχὴ ὁδῶν οὖσα τῆς ὅλης δημιουργίας. Τὰ δὲ ῥητὰ ὡς ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς Σοφίας τοῦτον λέλεκται τὸν τρόπον· Ἐγὼ ἡ σοφία κατεσκήνωσα βουλὴν καὶ γνῶσιν, καὶ ἔννοιαν ἐγὼ ἐπεκαλεσάμην. Φόβος Κυρίου μισεῖ κακίαν, ὕβριν τε καὶ ὑπερηφανίαν καὶ ὁδοὺς πονηρῶν, ἐμίσησα δὲ ἐγὼ διεστραμμένας ὁδοὺς κακῶν. Ἐμὴ βουλὴ καὶ ἀσφάλεια· ἐγὼ σύνεσις, ἐμὴ δὲ ἰσχύς. ∆ι' ἐμοῦ βασιλεῖς βασιλεύουσι, καὶ οἱ δυνάσται γράφουσι δικαιοσύνην. ∆ι' ἐμοῦ μεγιστᾶνες μεγαλύνονται. Ἐγὼ τοὺς ἐμὲ φιλοῦντας ἀγαπῶ, οἱ δὲ ἐμὲ ζητοῦντες εὑρήσουσι χάριν. Πλοῦτος καὶ δόξα ἐμοὶ ὑπάρχει, καὶ κτῆσις πολλῶν καὶ δικαιοσύνη. Βέλτιον ἐμὲ καρπίζεσθαι ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον πολύν· τὰ δὲ ἐμὰ γεννήματα κρείσσω ἀργυρίου ἐκλεκτοῦ. Ἐν ὁδοῖς δικαιοσύνης περιπατῶ, καὶ ἀναμέσον τρίβων 99 δικαιώματος ἀναστρέφομαι· ἵνα μερίσω τοῖς ἐμὲ ἀγαπῶσιν ὕπαρξιν, καὶ τοὺς θησαυροὺς αὐτῶν ἐμπλήσω ἀγαθῶν· ἐὰν ἀναγγείλω ὑμῖν τὰ καθ' ἡμέραν γινόμενα, μνημονεύσω τὰ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἀριθμῆσαι. Κύριος ἔκτισέ με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ, πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέ με, ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τὰς ἀβύσσους ποιῆσαι, πρὸ τοῦ ἐλθεῖν τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων· πρὸ τοῦ ὄρη ἑδρασθῆναι, πρὸ δὲ πάντων βουνῶν, γεννᾷ με. Κύριος