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He no longer mentions a virginal conception nor the manner of the paradoxical conception according to God. Since we have already learned these things about the child, he goes through them, teaching us the ineffable mysteries of the theology concerning him, but all these things are said about an ordinary child. I do not know how those of the circumcision who are unwilling to accept our savior might prove this, to whom the works bear witness and the outcome of events seals the words. The zeal of the Lord Sabaoth will do these things; what zeal, except that which he zealously desired as good and fitting for him to save all those who were oppressed by the devil and dragged down into godlessness? 1.55 When the argument about Emmanuel had come to an end, the account returns to the prophecy about Israel, for whose sake he had also made mention of Emmanuel; for since the people who were ruled in Samaria, who are called Israel, with the king of the Syrians as their ally, were advancing to besiege Jerusalem, and Ahaz was in agony over the attack "of the two kings," the prophet is commanded to proclaim the things that have been written, among which were also the things about Emmanuel, concerning whom, after having extended his account at length, he again takes up the prophecy about Israel, I mean the people who were ruled in Samaria, through which he says these things. The Lord, therefore, sent death or a word declaring wrath not against Israel, but against Jacob, his more imperfect people; for he had not sent it primarily against Israel, but against this Jacob as being inferior and more carnal. But the death or word declaring wrath sent against Jacob, having seized those among them who were considered better but were worthy of wrath and death, I mean those called Israel, came upon them. You would know the difference between Jacob and Israel from the first patriarch, who according to his birth in the flesh was called Jacob, but having given himself over to progress according to God and been deemed worthy of conversation with God, was named Israel by the one who spoke to him and said: "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name, because you have been strong with God." Rightly, therefore, in these passages he names the more irrational and carnal of the Jewish nation Jacob, but he calls those considered more rational among them Israel. Therefore the account also accuses these who are considered to be better, as they too have become worthy of death, which is why it has been said: The Lord sent death upon Jacob, and it came upon Israel. And who Israel was, he next presents, saying: And all the people of Ephraim and those who dwell in Samaria shall know, who say in insolence and with a haughty heart, "Bricks have fallen, but come, let us hew stones and cut down sycamores and cedars and build ourselves a tower." For these very ones who inhabited Samaria, being called Israel and named the people of Ephraim because they were ruled by those from the tribe of Ephraim, mocking and scorning Jerusalem, said that it was built with bricks, and that it had its roofs from sycamores, or sycamore-fig trees according to the other interpreters. Then, as if they themselves were building a better city, they promised to build with hewn stones and cedars, and instead of the temple in Jerusalem to erect a tower for themselves in Samaria. Since, therefore, they have dared to be so insolent, the account next threatens them, saying: And God will dash down those who rise up against Mount Zion against him, and he will scatter his enemies; for since they were so insolent against Mount Zion and against the God honored in it, he threatens that he will humble and dash them down from the great height of their arrogance. For it happened that those who rise up against Mount Zion act impiously against God himself, whom he says he will humble and dash down, and not only them but he will also scatter all his enemies, signifying

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οὐκέτι μνημονεύει κυήσεως παρθενικῆς οὐδὲ τοῦ τρόπου τῆς κατὰ θεὸν παραδόξου συλλήψεως. ἅτε δὴ προμεμαθηκότων ἡμῶν ταῦτα περὶ τοῦ παιδὸς αὐτοῦ διεξέρχεται παιδεύων ἡμᾶς τὰ ἀπόρρητα τῆς περὶ αὐτοῦ θεολογίας, ταῦτα δὲ πάντα περὶ τοῦ τυχόντος παιδίου λέγεται. οὐκ οἶδα πῶς συστήσαιεν οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς μὴ βουλόμενοι παραδέξασθαι τὸν ἡμέτερον σωτῆρα, ᾧ τὰ ἔργα μαρτυρεῖ καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ ἔκβασις τοὺς λόγους ἐπισφραγίζεται. ὁ ζῆλος κυρίου σαβαὼθ ποιήσει ταῦτα· ποῖος ζῆλος ἢ ὃν ἐζήλωσεν ἀγαθὸν καὶ αὐτῷ πρέποντα εἰς τὸ σῶσαι πάντας τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου καταδυναστευθέντας καὶ εἰς ἀθεότητα κατασυρέντας; 1.55 Τῆς τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ ὑποθέσεως πέρας λαβούσης ἀνατρέχει ὁ λόγος ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ προφητείαν, οὗ χάριν καὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ πεποίητο μνήμην· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ βασιλευόμενος λαὸς ὁ καλούμενος Ἰσραὴλ συμμαχοῦντος αὐτῷ τοῦ τῶν Σύρων βασιλέως ἐπῄει πολιορκήσων τὴν Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἠγωνία τε τὴν ἔφοδον «τῶν δύο βασιλέων» ὁ Ἄχαζ, κελεύεται ὁ προφήτης θεσπίζειν τὰ ἀναγεγραμμένα, ἐν οἷς ἦν καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ, περὶ οὗ μακρὸν κατατείνας λόγον αὖθις ἐπαναλαμβάνει τὴν περὶ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, λέγω δὲ τοῦ ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ βασιλευομένου λαοῦ προφητείαν, δι' ἧς ταῦτά φησιν· ὁ μὲν οὖν κύριος οὐκ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ ἀτελέστερον ὄντα αὐτοῦ λαὸν ἀπέστειλε θάνατον ἢ λόγον ἀποφατικὸν ὀργῆς· οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ προηγουμένως, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ τοῦτον ἀπεστάλκει ὡς ὑποβεβηκότα καὶ σωματικώτερον. ὁ δὲ ἀποσταλεὶς ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ θάνατος ἢ λόγος ἀποφατικὸς ὀργῆς τοὺς νομιζομένους ἐν αὐτοῖς κρείττους ὀργῆς ἀξίους καὶ θανάτου καταλαβών, λέγω δὲ τοὺς καλουμένους Ἰσραήλ, ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἦλθε. τὴν δὲ διαφορὰν τοῦ Ἰακὼβ καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ γνῴης ἂν ἀπὸ τοῦ πρώτου πατριάρχου, ὃς κατὰ μὲν τὴν ἔνσαρκον γένεσιν Ἰακὼβ ἐκαλεῖτο, τῇ δὲ κατὰ θεὸν προκοπῇ ἐπιδοὺς καὶ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ καταξιωθεὶς ὁμιλίας Ἰσραὴλ ἐπωνομάσθη ὑπὸ τοῦ χρηματίσαντος αὐτῷ καὶ εἰρηκότος· «οὐκέτι τὸ ὄνομά σου Ἰακὼβ κληθήσεται, ἀλλὰ Ἰσραὴλ ἔσται τὸ ὄνομά σου, ὅτι ἐνίσχυσας μετὰ θεοῦ». εἰκότως οὖν τοὺς μὲν ἀλογωτέρους καὶ σωματικωτέρους τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους Ἰακὼβ ἐν τούτοις ὀνομάζει, τοὺς δὲ νομιζομένους ἐν αὐτοῖς λογικωτέρους Ἰσραὴλ ἀποκαλεῖ. κατηγορεῖ τοίνυν καὶ τούτων τῶν νομιζομένων εἶναι κρειττόνων ὁ λόγος ὡς καὶ αὐτῶν θανάτου γενομένων ἀξίων, διόπερ εἴρηται· θάνατον ἀπέστειλεν κύριος ἐπὶ Ἰακώβ, καὶ ἦλθεν ἐπὶ Ἰσραήλ. Τίς δὲ ἦν ὁ Ἰσραήλ, ἑξῆς παρίστησι λέγων· καὶ γνώσονται πᾶς ὁ λαὸς τοῦ Ἐφραὶμ καὶ οἱ καθήμενοι ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ ἐφ' ὕβρει καὶ ὑψηλῇ καρδίᾳ λέγοντες Πλίνθοι πεπτώκασιν, ἀλλὰ δεῦτε λαξεύσωμεν λίθους καὶ κόψωμεν συκαμίνους καὶ κέδρους καὶ οἰκοδομήσωμεν ἑαυτοῖς πύργον· αὐτοὶ γὰρ οὗτοι οἱ τὴν Σαμάρειαν ἐνοικοῦντες Ἰσραὴλ χρηματίζοντες καὶ λαὸς τοῦ Ἐφραὶμ ὀνομαζόμενοι διὰ τὸ βασιλεύεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκ φυλῆς Ἐφραίμ, χλευάζοντες καὶ ἐξευτελίζοντες τὴν Ἰερουσαλήμ, πλίνθοις αὐτὴν ἔφασκον ᾠκοδομῆσθαι, καὶ τὰς στέγας ἔχειν ἀπὸ συκαμίνων, ἢ συκομώρων κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς. εἶθ' ὡς αὐτοὶ βελτίονα πόλιν κατασκευάζοντες ἐπηγγέλλοντο διὰ λίθων ξεστῶν καὶ κέδρων οἰκοδομήσειν, καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ ἐν τῇ Ἰερουσαλὴμ πύργον ἑαυτοῖς ἀναστήσειν ἐν τῇ Σαμαρείᾳ. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τοιαῦτα τετολμήκασιν ἀπαυθαδίσασθαι, ἀπειλεῖ αὐτοῖς ἑξῆς φάσκων ὁ λόγος· καὶ ῥάξει ὁ θεὸς τοὺς ἐπανισταμένους ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος Σιὼν ἐπ' αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ διασκεδάσει· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοιαῦτα κατεθρασύνοντο κατὰ τοῦ ὄρους Σιὼν καὶ κατὰ τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ τιμωμένου θεοῦ, ὡς ἀπὸ μεγάλου ὕψους τῆς ὑπερηφανίας αὐτῶν ταπεινώσειν καὶ καταρράξειν αὐτοὺς ἀπειλεῖ. τοὺς γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος Σιὼν ἐπανισταμένους ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸν θεὸν ἀσεβεῖν συνέβαινεν, οὓς ταπεινώσειν καὶ ῥάξειν φησίν, οὐ μόνους ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ διασκεδάσειν, σημαίνων