41

to say this one is God, or even to think that he has walked upon the tracks of the sea; and what is so marvelous, or worthy of the unbegotten nature, as to say, as something great, that the gates of death have been opened to him? And would it be fitting for the God of all to recount about himself as something great and paradoxical that the gatekeepers of the people cowered when they saw him? But I do not think these things are said about him, yet they can be applied piously and without force to the Word of God, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, who became man, and endured death, and rose from the dead with divine power and the authority given to him by the Father. From Job. 9. Again the Lord in his oracle to Job, speaking about the dragon, says, Are you not afraid, that he has been prepared for me? he says that the dragon is none other than the devil. See therefore if it is worthy to suppose that the God of all says this; but it would better fit our Lord and Savior, for whom alone was prepared the devil, who was conquered by no other, but prevailed over nearly all, whom only he himself, the Word of God, stronger than all, subdued according to this, "the one who is to subdue the great sea-monster"; and having subdued him, he exhorts his own disciples to be of good courage, saying, "Be of good courage, I have overcome the world." These things and those from the verses after the psalms 111; it remains to collect those from the prophetic writings, and first those from the twelve. Ps. From Hosea. 10. "Because I am like a panther to Ephraim, and like a lion to the house of Judah." Since also in another place of the same prophet the Lord says of himself, "and I will be like a panther," it is necessary to see the accounts about the animal; and indeed from the first of Didymus's *Physica* these things are to be set forth: The panther is an animal not only beautiful in its body, like a starry sky, but since it is by nature sweet-smelling, it surpasses even the spices of India in its fragrance; as long as it is not hungry, it remains in its lair, wishing to be a sort of housekeeper; but whenever it desires to partake of food, it comes forth and only walks; but the other beasts, captured by its fragrance about its body, follow, being charmed; and it, with eyes askance, looks around for a suitable beast for itself to be seized and leaping upon it, has it. Such then are the things concerning the nature of the animal; but how these things might be transferred to the power of the divine word and the fragrance breathing from it would be long to narrate now. The saying is to be set forth against those of the circumcision who, by some slander and reviling, say that our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ was born of a panther; which they, having perhaps received it according to some tradition signifying something more mystical, do not apply to the mind, because they do not pay attention to the aforecited word of the prophecy, in which the Lord himself names himself a panther. 112 Ps. From the same. 11. "And destruction shall rise up among your people, and all your walled temples shall be gone; as the ruler Solomon from the house of Jeroboam, in days of war they dashed the mother upon the children, so will the house of Israel do to you because of your evils. Because Israel is a child, and I loved him, and out of Egypt I called his children. As I called them, so they went away from my presence." Instead of, "and out of Egypt I called his children," following the Hebrew, Aquila has rendered, "Out of Egypt I called my son." We have necessarily noted the saying, since Matthew sets forth the prophecy word for word, saying that it has been fulfilled very accurately in our Savior; being warned by an oracle, Joseph took Mary and her son; and returned from Egypt into the land of Israel. See, therefore, if not also according to Aquila who said, "In the morning the king of Israel was silenced, because Israel is a child and I loved him; and from Egypt I called my son"; for the rejection of the kingdom of Israel is clearly shown, which until the epiphany of our Savior

41

Θεὸν τοῦτον φάσκειν, ἢ κἂν ἐννοεῖν ἐν ἴχνεσι θαλάσσης περιπεπατηκέναι· τί δὲ καὶ θαυμαστὸν, ἢ ἄξιον τῆς ἀγενήτου φύσεως, ὥσπερ μέγα τί φάσκειν ἠνεῶχθαι αὐτῷ τὰς τοῦ θανάτου πύλας; ἄρα δὲ πρέποι ἂν τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ ὡς μέγα τί καὶ παράδοξον περὶ ἑαυτοῦ διεξέρχεσθαι τὸ τοὺς πυλωροὺς τοῦ λαοῦ ἰδόντας αὐτὸν ἐπτηκέναι; Ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶμαι ταῦτα περὶ αὐτοῦ λέγεσθαι, δύναταί γε μὴν ἐφαρμόζειν εὐσεβῶς καὶ ἀβιάστως ἐπὶ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον, τὸν Σωτῆρα καὶ Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, τὸν ἐνανθρωπήσαντα, καὶ θάνατον ὑπομείναντα, ἀναστάντα τε ἐκ νεκρῶν μετὰ θείας δυνάμεως καὶ τῆς δοθείσης αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐξουσίας. Τοῦ Ἰώβ. Θʹ. Πάλιν ὁ Κύριος ἐν τῷ πρὸς τὸν Ἰὼβ χρηματισμῷ περὶ τοῦ δράκοντος διαλεγόμενός φησιν, Οὐ δέδοικας, ὅτι ἡτοίμασταί μοι; φησὶν ὅτι ὁ δράκων οὐκ ἄλλος ὢν τοῦ διαβόλου. Ὅρα οὖν εἰ ἄξιον ὑπολαμβάνειν τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν τοῦτο φάσκειν· ἁρμόζοι δ' ἂν μᾶλλον τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ Σωτῆρι ἡμῶν, ᾧ μόνῳ ἡτοίμασται ὁ ὑπὸ μηδενὸς ἑτέρου νικηθεὶς, σχεδὸν δὲ τῶν πάντων ὑπερισχύσας διάβολος, ὅντινα μόνος αὐτὸς ὁ πάντων ἰσχυρότερος τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος ἐχειρώσατο κατὰ τὸ, ὁ μέλλων τὸ μέγα κῆτος χειρώσασθαι· ὃ καὶ χειρωσάμενος θαρσεῖν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς παρακελεύεται λέγων, θαρσεῖτε, ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον. Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν μετὰ τοὺς ψαλμοὺς στιχη 111 ρῶν· λείπει τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν προφητικῶν γραφῶν ἀναλέξασθαι, καὶ πρῶτά γε τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν δώδεκα. Ψ. Ἀπὸ τοῦ Ὠσηέ. Ιʹ. ∆ιότι ἐγώ εἰμι ὡς πάνθηρ τῷ Ἐφραὶμ, καὶ ὡς λέων τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰούδα. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ τόπῳ τοῦ αὐτοῦ προφήτου ὁ Κύριος περὶ ἑαυτοῦ φησιν τὸ, καὶ ἔσομαι ὡς πάνθηρ, ἀναγκαῖον ἰδεῖν τὰ ἱστορούμενα ἃ περὶ τοῦ ζῴου· καὶ δὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ πρώτου τῶν ∆ιδύμου Φυσικῶν ταῦτα παραθετέον· Πάνθηρ τὸ ζῷον οὐ μόνον ἐστὶ κατὰ τὸ σῶμα εὔμορφον, καθάπερ ἀστερωπὸς, ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ πέφυκεν εὔπνους ὑπερβάλλει καὶ τῶν παρ' Ἰνδοῖς ἀρωμάτων ἐν εὐωδίᾳ· οὗτος ἕως οὗ οὐ πεπείνηκεν ἐν τῇ καταδύσει μένει, θέλων οἰκουρός τις εἶναι· ἐπ' ἂν δὲ τροφῆς ἐπιθυμήσῃ μεταλαβεῖν, προελθὼν βαδίζει μόνον· τὰ δ' ἄλλα θηρία ἁλισκόμενα ὑπὸ τῆς εὐωδίας αὐτοῦ τῆς περὶ τὸ σῶμα ἀκολουθεῖ κηλούμενα· ὁ δὲ πλάγιος τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τὸ ἐπιτήδειον αὐτῷ θηρίον αἱρεθῆναι περιβλέπει καὶ ἐπιπηδήσας ἔχει. Τὰ μὲν δὴ περὶ τῆς φύσεως τοῦ ζῴου τοιαῦτα· ὅπως δ' ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ θείου λόγου δύναμιν καὶ τὴν ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀποπνέουσαν εὐωδίαν ταῦτα μεταφέροιτο, μακρὸν ἂν εἴη νῦν διηγεῖσθαι. Παραθετέον τὸ ῥητὸν πρὸς τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς κατά τινα δὴ διαβολὴν καὶ λοιδορίαν φάσκοντας ἐκ πάνθηρος γεγενῆσθαι τὸν Σωτῆρα καὶ Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν· ὃ καὶ τάχα κατά τινα παράδοσιν μυστικώτερόν τι δηλοῦσαν παρειληφότες οὐκ ἐπιβάλλουσι τῇ διανοίᾳ, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐφιστάναι τῇ προκειμένῃ τῆς προφητείας λέξει, ἐν ᾗ αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος πάνθηρα ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζει. 112 Ψ. Ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ. ΙΑʹ. Καὶ ἐξαναστήσεται ἀπώλεια ἐν τῷ λαῷ σου, καὶ πάντα τὰ περιτετειχισμένα ναοῦ σου οἰχήσεται· ὡς ὁ ἄρχων Σαλαμὼν ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Ἱεροβοὰμ, ἐν ἡμέραις πολέμου μητέρα ἐπὶ τέκνοις ἠδάφισαν, οὕτως ποιήσουσιν ὑμῖν οἶκος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ προσώπου κακιῶν ὑμῶν. ∆ιότι νήπιος Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐγὼ ἠγάπησα αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετεκάλεσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ. Καθὼς μετεκάλεσα αὐτοὺς, οὕτως ἀπῴχοντο ἐκ προσώπου μου. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, καὶ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετεκάλεσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ, δουλεύσας τῷ Ἑβραϊκῷ, Ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετεκάλεσα τὸν υἱόν μου, ἐξέδωκεν ὁ Ἀκύλας. Ἀναγκαίως δὲ τὸ ῥητὸν ἐσημειωσάμεθα, ἐπειδήπερ ὁ Ματθαῖος κατὰ λέξιν ἐκτίθεται τὴν προφητείαν σφόδρα ἀπηκριβωμένως πεπληρῶσθαι φήσας αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν· χρηματισθεὶς ὁ Ἰωσὴφ παρέλαβε τὴν Μαριὰμ καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς· καὶ ὑπέστρεψεν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου εἰς γῆν Ἰσραήλ. Ὅρα γοὖν εἰ μὴ καὶ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν φήσαντα, ἐν ὄρθρῳ κατεσιωπήθη βασιλεὺς Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι παῖς Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἠγάπησα αὐτόν· καὶ ἀπὸ Αἰγύπτου ἐκάλεσα τὸν υἱόν μου· σαφῶς γὰρ δηλοῦται ἡ ἀποβολὴ τῆς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ βασιλείας, ἥτις μέχρι τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιφανείας