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they imitate a flesh-eating lion choosing to partake of chaff. 8And an infant child will lay his hand on the hole of asps, and a weaned child on the lair of the offspring of asps. Such was the blessed Paul when reasoning with the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers and speaking publicly on the Areopagus and daringly approaching the asps, and attempting to cast his simple word, like some hand, into their hearing as into the den of wild beasts; for their heart was a den of demons. 9And they shall not do evil, nor shall they be able to destroy anyone on my holy mountain. To this is like the Lord's evangelical voice: "On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." Therefore he calls the high and strong and immovable aspect of his divine teaching a holy mountain and promises invincibility to those who stand upon it. Then he shows the power of the proclamation: For the whole earth was filled with the knowledge of the Lord as much water will cover the seas. And truly the miracle is most great and most paradoxical, and it is like a few drops carried over the sea, both changing the bitterness in it and making its quality sweet; for thus the evangelical word put an end to the impiety of the world, and filled all land and sea with the knowledge of God. 10And it shall be in that day, the root of Jesse and he who rises up to rule the nations, in him the nations will hope. And he recalled the divine promises and the predictions of Jacob the patriarch. For God said to Abraham: "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." And he gave this promise also to Isaac and to Jacob |117 b|. And the patriarch Jacob gave to Judah the blessing which he had received and says: "A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his loins, until he comes for whom it is reserved, and he is the expectation of the nations." This wonderful prophet also confirms this prophecy and shows him tracing his lineage according to the flesh from Jesse and David, but ruling no longer the Jews but the nations, and those believing in him not Jews but the nations. And it is worthy to lament the stupefaction of the Jews, who apply this prophecy to Zerubbabel, who ruled not even all the Jews but a certain few, and of the nations not at all. But we, leaving them, let us proceed with the interpretation. And his rest shall be honor. For since he spoke of his sprouting and the achievements of the economy and showed his rule, he also points to the passion that occurred in the middle, after which he prevailed over the world. For this very reason he calls his death "rest" and "honor." For being unknown by the nations before the incarnation, after the incarnation and the passion he receives from all, as maker and God, divine worship. 11And it shall be in that day, the Lord will proceed to show his hand to be zealous for and to seek the remaining remnant of the people which was left by the Assyrians, and from Egypt, and from Babylon, and from Ethiopia, and from the Elamites, and from the rising of the sun, and from Arabia, and from the islands of the sea. The history of the Acts has taught us, that as they traveled throughout the world the divine apostles preached first to the Jews. Indeed to those who contradicted, the blessed Paul said: "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you; but since you judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we are clean; from now on we will go to the Gentiles." Nevertheless many myriads have believed, and three thousand and five thousand at the same time were caught alive by them, and the most divine James pointed out to the inspired Paul many myriads of Jews who had believed. Concerning these, the grace of the all-holy Spirit also foretold through Isaiah the prophet that he will both seek them and deem them worthy of salvation. And this he has also made clear through the following words: 12Therefore indeed he will raise up a standard for the nations and

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μιμοῦνται λέοντα σαρκοβόρον ἀχύρων μεταλαγχάνειν αἱρούμενον. 8Καὶ παιδίον νήπιον ἐπὶ τρώγλην ἀσπίδων καὶ ἀπογεγα λακτισμένον ἐπὶ κοίτην ἐκγόνων ἀσπίδων τὴν χεῖρα ἐπιβαλεῖ. Τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος τοῖς Ἐπικουρείοις καὶ Στωικοῖς διαλεγόμενος φιλοσόφοις καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀρείου πάγου δημηγορῶν καὶ κατατολμῶν τῶν ἀσπίδων καὶ οἷόν τινα χεῖρα τὸν ἁπλοῦν αὐτοῦ λόγον ὡς εἰς κατάδυσιν θηρίων τὴν τούτων ἀκοὴν ἐμβάλλειν ἐπιχειρῶν· καὶ γὰρ δαιμόνων ἦν κατάδυσις ἡ ἐκείνων καρδία. 9Καὶ οὐ μὴ κακοποιήσωσιν οὐδ' οὐ μὴ δύνωνται ἀπολέσαι οὐδένα ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιόν μου. Τούτῳ ἔοικεν ἡ εὐαγγελικὴ τοῦ κυρίου φωνή· «Ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς.» Ὄρος τοίνυν ἅγιον τὸ ὑψηλὸν καὶ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ ἀκίνητον τῆς θείας αὐτοῦ διδασ καλίας καλεῖ καὶ τοῖς ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἑστῶσι τὸ ἀκαταγώνιστον ἐπαγγέλλεται. Εἶτα δείκνυσι τὴν τοῦ κηρύγματος δύναμιν· Ὅτι ἐνεπλήσθη ἡ σύμπασα γῆ τοῦ γνῶναι τὸν κύριον ὡς ὕδωρ πολὺ κατακαλύψει θαλάσσας. Μέγιστον δὲ ἀληθῶς καὶ παραδοξότατον τὸ θαῦμα καὶ ἔοικε ψεκάσιν ὀλίγαις ἐπιφερομέναις θαλάττῃ καὶ τὴν ἐν ταύτῃ μεταβαλλούσαις πικρίαν καὶ γλυκείαν ἐργαζομέναις τὴν ταύτης ποιότητα· οὕτως γὰρ ὁ εὐαγγελικὸς λόγος κατέπαυσε μὲν τὴν τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀσέβειαν, πᾶσαν δὲ γῆν καὶ θάλατταν θεογνω σίας ἐπλήρωσεν. 10Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἡ ῥίζα τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ καὶ ὁ ἀνιστάμενος ἄρχειν ἐθνῶν ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσιν. Καὶ τῶν θείων ἀνέμνησεν ὑποσχέσεων καὶ τῶν Ἰακὼβ τοῦ πατριάρχου προρρήσεων. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ θεὸς πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἔφη· «Ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου εὐλογηθήσονται πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς γῆς.» Ταύτην δὲ καὶ τῷ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ τῷ Ἰακὼβ δέδωκε |117 b| τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν. Ὁ δὲ πατριάρχης Ἰακὼβ τῷ Ἰούδᾳ ἣν ἔλαβεν ἔδωκεν εὐλογίαν καί φησιν· «Οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα καὶ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ᾧ ἀπόκειται, καὶ αὐτὸς προσ δοκία ἐθνῶν.» Ταύτην βεβαιοῖ τὴν προφητείαν καὶ ὁ θαυμάσιος οὗτος προφήτης καὶ δείκνυσιν αὐτὸν ἐξ Ἰεσσαὶ μὲν καὶ ∆αυὶδ τὸ κατὰ σάρκα γένος κατάγοντα, ἄρχοντα δὲ οὐκέτι Ἰουδαίων ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύοντας οὐκ Ἰουδαίους ἀλλὰ τὰ ἔθνη. Ἄξιον δὲ θρηνῆσαι τὴν Ἰουδαίων ἐμβροντησίαν, οἳ τῷ Ζοροβάβελ ταύτην προσαρ μόττουσι τὴν προφητείαν, ὃς οὐδὲ Ἰουδαίων ἦρξεν ἁπάντων ἀλλ' ὀλίγων τινῶν, ἐθνῶν δὲ οὐδὲ ὅλως. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς ἐκείνους καταλιπόντες τῆς ἑρμηνείας ἐχώμεθα. Καὶ ἔσται ἡ ἀνάπαυσις αὐτοῦ τιμή. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν αὐτοῦ τὴν βλάστην καὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας τὰ κατορθώματα καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ὑπέδειξεν, ὑποδείκνυσι καὶ τὸ ἐν μέσῳ γενόμενον πάθος μεθ' ὃ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐκράτησεν. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο ἀνάπαυσιν προσαγορεύει τὸν θάνατον καὶ τιμήν. Ἀγνοούμενος γὰρ πρὸ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως ὑπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν, μετὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν καὶ τὸ πάθος δέχεται παρὰ πάντων ὡς ποιητὴς καὶ θεὸς τὴν θείαν προσκύνησιν. 11Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ προσθήσει κύριος τοῦ δεῖξαι τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ τοῦ ζηλῶσαι καὶ ζητῆσαι τὸ κατα λειφθὲν ὑπόλοιπον τοῦ λαοῦ ὃ ἐγκατελείφθη ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων καὶ ἀπὸ Αἰγύπτου καὶ ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος καὶ ἀπὸ Αἰθιοπίας καὶ ἀπὸ Ἐλαμιτῶν καὶ ἀπὸ ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν καὶ ἐξ Ἀραβίας καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν νήσων τῆς θαλάσσης. Ἐδίδαξεν ἡμᾶς ἡ ἱστορία τῶν Πράξεων, ὡς τὴν οἰκουμένην περινοστοῦντες οἱ θεῖοι ἀπόστολοι πρώτοις Ἰουδαίοις ἐκήρυττον. Ἀμέλει τοῖς ἀντιλέγουσιν ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Παῦλος· «Ὑμῖν ἦν ἀναγκαῖον πρῶτον λαληθῆναι τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀναξίους ἑαυτοὺς κρίνετε τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς, καθαροὶ ἡμεῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν εἰς τὰ ἔθνη πορευ σόμεθα.» Πεπιστεύκασι δὲ ὅμως μυριάδες πολλαί, καὶ τρισχίλιοι καὶ πεντακισχίλιοι κατὰ ταὐτὸν ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐζωγρήθησαν, καὶ ὁ θειότατος δὲ Ἰάκωβος τῷ θεσπεσίῳ Παύλῳ πολλὰς Ἰουδαίων πεπιστευκότων ὑπέδειξε μυριάδας. Περὶ τούτων ἡ τοῦ παναγίου πνεύματος χάρις καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου προηγόρευσε τοῦ προφήτου ὅτι αὐτοὺς καὶ ζητήσει καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας ἀξιώσει. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐπαγομένων δεδήλωκεν· 12Τοι γαροῦν ἀρεῖ σημεῖον εἰς τὰ ἔθνη καὶ