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abundantly bestowed on all; and they will worship him, not in the earthly Jerusalem in Palestine, but each “from his own place, and all those in the isles of the nations”; when also the saying shall be fulfilled that “all” men will call upon, not their ancestral gods nor their idols and demons, but “the name of the Lord and serve him under one yoke, and from the ends of the rivers of Ethiopia they will bring to him” the rational and bloodless “sacrifices” through the new covenant of Christ, not in the earthly Jerusalem, nor at the altar there, but offered in the aforementioned regions of Ethiopia. 2.3.39 And if it is a great thing to be and be called the people of God, and this is indeed one of the greatest divine promises, that which is spoken by him concerning those worthy of him, “I will be their God, and they shall be my people,” and Israel was formerly, with reason, proud of being the only people of God, yet the Lord on his coming promised to grant this good thing to the nations also, saying: “Behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst, and many nations shall flee for refuge to the Lord, and shall be to him a people.” 2.3.40 Concerning whom it will also be fitting to say: “And I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art the Lord my God.” And if it is he and none other, the Christ who was prophesied to spring “from the root of Jesse,” and this is acknowledged even by the Hebrews themselves, so that no one at all disputes this, see how he also is proclaimed to rise up to rule not Israel but the nations, and that the nations will hope in him, but it is not said that Israel will, since “he was the expectation of the nations.” 2.3.41 Wherefore he is said to “bring forth judgment to the nations,” and to become “a light of the nations,” and again, “in his name shall the nations hope,” and to be given for salvation not to the Jews only but to all men to the end of the earth. 2.3.42 Wherefore it was said to him by the Father who sent him: “I have given thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations, to establish the earth, and to inherit the desolate heritages.” “A testimony to the nations,” he says, so that all the nations that had never learned anything about Christ, having come to know the dispensation concerning him, and what power was in him, should call upon him, and the peoples who did not know him before should flee to him for refuge. 2.3.43 And why should I prolong the argument, when it is possible from the prophetic words themselves, both those I have cited and those I shall mention at leisure, which are found in the divine scriptures, for whoever wishes to collect the prophetic utterances, to silence at once those of the circumcision who assert that the promises of God have been given to them alone, and that we from the nations are superfluous and strangers to the divine promises. For the opposite has been shown, as it was prophesied that all the nations would enjoy the presence of Christ, but the multitudes of the Jews would fall from the promise to their forefathers because of their unbelief in Christ, with few of them believing in our Savior and Lord and for this reason obtaining through him the promised spiritual redemption; concerning whom the wondrous apostle also teaches somewhere, saying: 2.3.44 “Isaiah also cries concerning Israel: Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. And as Isaiah said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom, and been made like unto Gomorrah.” 2.3.45 To which after other things he adds, saying: “Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. 2.3.46 Or do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he makes intercession to God, saying concerning Israel, Lord, they have killed your prophets, your altars

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πᾶσιν ἀφθόνως κεχαρισμένῳ· καὶ προσκυνήσειν γε αὐτῷ, οὐκ ἐπὶ τῆς κάτω Ἱερουσαλὴμ τῆς κατὰ τὴν Παλαιστίνην, ἀλλ' ἕκαστον «ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐν ταῖς νήσοις τῶν ἐθνῶν»· ὅτε καὶ πληρωθήσεται τὸ φάσκον λόγιον «ἐπικαλεῖσθαι πάντας» ἀνθρώπους οὐκ ἔτι τοὺς πατρῴους θεοὺς οὐδὲ τὰ εἴδωλα καὶ τοὺς δαίμονας, ἀλλὰ «τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου καὶ δουλεύειν αὐτῷ ὑπὸ ζυγὸν ἕνα, ἐκ περάτων τε ποταμῶν Αἰθιοπίας προσοίσουσιν» αὐτῷ τὰς λογικὰς καὶ ἀναίμους «θυσίας» διὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ καινῆς διαθήκης, οὐκ ἐπὶ τῆς κάτω Ἱερουσαλήμ, οὐδ' ἐν τῷ πρὸς ταύτῃ θυσιαστηρίῳ, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς δηλουμένοις πέρασι τῆς Αἰθιοπίας ἀνενεχθησομένας. 2.3.39 εἰ δὲ καὶ μέγα τί ἐστιν λαὸν εἶναί τε καὶ χρηματίζειν θεοῦ καὶ ἕν γε τοῦτο τῶν μεγίστων θείων ἐπαγγελιῶν τυγχάνει τὸ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ λέγεσθαι περὶ τῶν ἀξίων αὐτοῦ «ἔσομαι αὐτῶν θεός, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔσονται λαός μου», ἐσεμνύνετό τε πρὶν εἰκότως ὁ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ τῷ ὡς μόνος λαὸς ὢν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐπιδημήσας ὁ κύριος τοῖς ἔθνεσι χαριεῖσθαι ὑπισχνεῖται λέγων· «ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἔρχομαι καὶ κατασκηνώσω ἐν μέσῳ σου, καὶ καταφεύξονται ἔθνη πολλὰ ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον, καὶ ἔσονται αὐτῷ εἰς λαόν». 2.3.40 περὶ ὧν καὶ ἁρμόσει λέγεσθαι· «καὶ ἐρῶ τῷ οὐ λαῷ μου, λαός μου εἶ σύ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐρεῖ, κύριος ὁ θεός μου εἶ σύ». εἰ δὲ αὐτός ἐστιν καὶ οὐδ' ἄλλος ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ «ἐκ ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ» βλαστήσειν προφητευόμενος, καὶ τοῦτό γε καὶ αὐτοῖς Ἑβραίοις ἀνωμολόγηται, ὡς μηδένα μηδαμῶς περὶ τούτου γε ἀμφισβητεῖν, ὅρα ὅπως καὶ οὗτος ἀναστήσεσθαι ἐπὶ τὸ ἄρχειν οὐ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀναπεφώνηται, τά τε ἔθνη ἐλπίσειν ἐπ' αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὅ γε Ἰσραὴλ λέλεκται, ἐπειδήπερ «αὐτὸς ἦν ἡ προσδοκία τῶν ἐθνῶν». 2.3.41 διὸ καὶ «κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐξοίσειν» λέγεται καὶ «εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν» γενήσεσθαι, καὶ πάλιν «ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσι», καὶ εἰς σωτηρίαν δοθήσεσθαι οὐ μόνοις Ἰουδαίοις ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις τοῖς ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. 2.3.42 διὸ καὶ εἴρηται αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ καταπέμψαντος αὐτὸν πατρός· «ἔδωκά σε εἰς διαθήκην γένους, εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν, τοῦ καταστῆσαι τὴν γῆν, καὶ κληρονομῆσαι κληρονομίας ἐρήμους». «μαρτύριον δὲ τοῖς ἔθνεσί» φησιν, ὥστε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὰ μηδεπώποτέ τι περὶ Χριστοῦ μεμαθηκότα, γνόντα τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ οἰκονομίαν, καὶ τίς ἦν ἐν αὐτῷ δύναμις, ἐπικαλέσασθαι αὐτόν, καὶ τοὺς μὴ πάλαι πρότερον εἰδότας αὐτὸν λαοὺς ἐπ' αὐτὸν καταφεύξασθαι. 2.3.43 Καὶ τί με δεῖ μηκύνειν τὸν λόγον, παρὸν ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν προφητικῶν λέξεων, ὧν τε παρατέθειμαι καὶ ὧν ἐπὶ σχολῆς μνημονεύσω, ἐν ταῖς θείαις φερομένων γραφαῖς, ὅτῳ φίλον ἀναλέξασθαι τὰς προφητικὰς φωνάς, αὐτόθεν κατασιγάζειν τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς φάσκοντας μόνοις αὐτοῖς τὰς ἐπαγγελίας τοῦ θεοῦ δεδωρῆσθαι, ἡμᾶς δὲ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν περιττοὺς εἶναι καὶ τῶν θείων ὑποσχέσεων ἀλλοτρίους. δέδεικται γὰρ ἔμπαλιν, ὡς τεθέσπιστο τὰ μὲν ἔθνη πάντα τῆς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας ἀπολαύσειν, τὰ δ' Ἰουδαίων πλήθη ἀποπεσεῖσθαι τῆς πρὸς τοὺς αὐτῶν προγόνους ἐπαγγελίας διὰ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν αὐτῶν ἀπιστίαν, σπανίων ἐξ αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν πιστευσόντων καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τῆς ἐπηγγελμένης πνευματικῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως δι' αὐτοῦ τευξομένων· περὶ ὧν καὶ ὁ θαυμάσιος ἀπόστολος διδάσκει που λέγων· 2.3.44 «Ἡσαΐας δὲ κραυγάζει ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· ἐὰν ᾖ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης, τὸ ὑπόλειμμα σωθήσεται· λόγον γὰρ συντελῶν καὶ συντέμνων, ὅτι λόγον συντετμημένον ποιήσει κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. καὶ καθὼς προεῖπεν Ἡσαΐας· εἰ μὴ κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα, ὡς Σόδομα ἂν ἐγενήθημεν καὶ ὡς Γόμορρα ἂν ὡμοιώθημεν». 2.3.45 οἷς μεθ' ἕτερα ἐπιφέρει λέγων· «μὴ ἀπώσατο ὁ θεὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ; μὴ γένοιτο· καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ Ἰσραηλίτης εἰμὶ ἐκ σπέρματος Ἀβραάμ, φυλῆς Βενιαμίν. οὐκ ἀπώσατο ὁ θεὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, ὃν προέγνω. 2.3.46 ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ἐν Ἠλίᾳ τί λέγει ἡ γραφή, ὡς ἐντυγχάνει τῷ θεῷ, λέγων περὶ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, κύριε, τοὺς προφήτας σου ἀπέκτειναν, τὰ θυσιαστήριά σου