46

having of the fire, they only blacken those who touch them. And they cause the eyes of those who see them to weep. Therefore Solomon says: "As an unripe grape is harmful to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, so is lawlessness to those who practice it;" indicating by the unripe grape, the sinful act; and by the smoke, the harm from falsely named knowledge, which confuses the clearsightedness of our soul. Then he says, After the chastening plagues I release you from sad things, as a physician heals wounds after cauterization or incision. 117. 9And the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying: Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God, in the depth or in the height. And Ahaz said: I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord. And he said: Hear then, O house of David9, etc. So that he might be persuaded concerning the salvation granted to him, God wishes to also confirm the grace with a sign, since he was also attached to idols, and it is ever a habit for such people to meddle with the outcomes of future events through oracles and sorceries, at which times they are most especially in danger. Wishing to turn him away from these things, God commands him to ask the sign from Himself. Above, then, Ahaz was taught to be still and not be cowardly; but now, having become obedient to the teaching of the prophet, he is immediately deemed worthy of the divine voice; for obedience to those who minister to God leads to being able to hear God Himself. But those like Abraham, and Moses, and Elijah, and Jeremiah from the beginning, being pure, can receive the manifestations of the Spirit even without a mediator. And by what he says, "he spoke again," he connects the word to what precedes. And it was indeed consistent after the prophecy concerning the failure of Ephraim, that is, apostate Israel, to prophesy concerning Emmanuel. Or, also, since Ahaz had refused the request for the sign, and did not deign to honor or to know the truly existing God, he shows that the Lord will not be completely ignored by Israel, but in due season they will acknowledge Him. Therefore, no longer deeming Ahaz worthy of speech as an unbeliever, even if he disobeyed under the pretense of piety, he spoke to the house of David, from which Christ was to arise according to the flesh, and to whom He first came; for that he does not refuse to ask the sign for the sake of piety, nor in pursuit of what is advantageous, is clear 1960 from the fact that the Lord would not have commanded him to do something, if it were disadvantageous, which he, thinking it so, avoided. But others fit the purpose concerning Christ to the preceding text in this way: From his own person, they say, the prophet says, Hear then, O house of David. God, as a lover of mankind, wished to grant you a saving sign, through which you will conquer the two kings. But when you disobeyed, not even then did he overlook your perishing. For he grants the sign to you even if you do not want it, it being marvelous, and such as nature does not know. For God will be born of a Virgin, without marital union. Therefore, call upon Him when fighting the kings, trusting in the power of the name. For it signifies that God is with us, and to make cease the gods of Damascus, and calling upon those that are not. But say Emmanuel continuously during the engagement; for which reason, it has "you shall call," but not "they shall call," as was erroneously written in the Gospels. For neither the Hebrew, nor has anyone published it thus. For the naming of Emmanuel is not about the future. Nor has he said that all will call him thus. For otherwise the angel who appeared to the mother would have called him thus, and not Jesus, named for salvation. Therefore not "they shall call," but "you now call him thus," as invoking this one as God with you, who will appear later in the last times, but is able now to rescue you by His own salvation, spoken instead of an incantation of demons; for it is impossible for your seed to fail, even if you are so disposed out of fear, until a Virgin conceives. Having said these things about the purpose of the prophecy concerning the Savior, let us now go over the details from the beginning, first setting out the interpretations of others. For instead of "into the depth,"

46

ἔχοντες τοῦ πυρὸς, μελαίνουσι μόνον τοὺς ἁπτομένους αὐτῶν. ∆ακρύειν δὲ παρασκευάζουσι τῶν ὁρώντων τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς. ∆ιό φησι Σολομῶν· "Ὥσπερ ὄμφαξ ὀδοῦσι βλαβερὸν, καὶ καπνὸς ὄμμασιν, οὕτως παρανομία τοῖς χρωμένοις αὐτῇ·" δηλῶν τῷ μὲν ὄμφακι, τὴν ἀμαρτητικὴν πρᾶξιν· τῷ δὲ καπνῷ, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως βλάβην, τὸ διορατικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν συγχέουσαν. Εἶτά φησι, ὡς Μετὰ τὰς ἐπιστρεπτικὰς πληγὰς ὑμᾶς ἀπαλλάττω τῶν σκυθρωπῶν, ὡς ἰατρὸς μετὰ καῦσιν ἢ τομὴν θεραπεύων τὰ τραύματα. ιιζʹ. 9Καὶ προσέθετο Κύριος λαλῆσαι τῷ Ἄχαζ λέγων· Αἴτησαι σεαυτῷ σημεῖον παρὰ Κυρίου Θεοῦ σου εἰς βάθος, ἢ εἰς ὕψος. Καὶ εἶπεν Ἄχαζ· Οὐ μὴ αἰτήσω, οὐδὲ μὴ πειράσω Κύριον. Καὶ εἶπεν· Ἀκούσατε δὴ, ὁ οἶκος ∆αβὶδ9, κ.τ.λ. Ἵνα περὶ τῆς δεδωρημένης αὐτῷ σωτηρίας πεισθῇ, βούλεται Θεὸς καὶ σημείῳ βεβαιῶσαι τὴν χάριν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῖς εἰδώλοις προσέκειτο, καὶ φίλον ἀεὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις πολυπραγμονεῖν τὰς τῶν μελλόντων ἐκβάσεις διὰ χρησμῶν τε καὶ μαγγανείας, ὅτε καὶ μάλιστα κινδυνεύουσιν. Ὧν αὐτῶν ὁ Θεὸς ἀποτρέψαι βουλόμενος, παρ' ἑαυτοῦ κελεύει τὸ σημεῖον αἰτεῖν. Ἀνωτέρω μὲν οὖν Ἄχαζ ἡσυχάζειν καὶ μὴ δειλιᾷν ἐδιδάσκετο· νῦν δὲ ὡς εὐπειθὴς πρὸς τὴν τοῦ προφήτου διδασκαλίαν γενόμενος, ἀμέσως τῆς θείας ἀξιοῦται φωνῆς· φέρει γὰρ τὸ πείθεσθαι τοῖς διακονοῦσι Θεῷ, πρὸς τὸ καὶ αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν δύνασθαι τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οἱ δὲ κατὰ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ Μωϋσῆν, καὶ Ἡλίαν, καὶ Ἱερεμίαν ἀρχῆθεν, ὡς καθαροὶ, καὶ ἄνευ μέσου χωρῆσαι δύνανται τὰς ἐμφάσεις τοῦ Πνεύματος. ∆ι' ὧν δὲ λέγει προσέθετο, τοῖς προάγουσιν ἐπισυνάπτει τὸν λόγον. Καὶ ἀκόλουθόν γε ἦν μετὰ τὴν προφητείαν, τὴν περὶ τοῦ ἐκλείψειν τὸν Ἐφραῒμ, τουτέστι τὸν ἀποστάντα Ἰσραὴλ, περὶ τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ προφητεύεσθαι. Ἢ, καὶ οὕτως ἀπειρηκότος τοῦ Ἄχαζ τοῦ σημείου τὴν αἴτησιν, οὐκ ἀνεχομένου τε τιμᾷν, ἢ εἰδέναι τὸν ὄντως ὄντα Θεὸν, παρίστησιν ὡς οὐκ εἰς ἅπαν ἀγνοηθήσεται Κύριος παρὰ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, κατὰ καιροὺς δὲ αὐτὸν ἐπιγνώσονται. ∆ιὸ, μηκέτι λόγου τὸν Ἄχαζ ὡς ἄπιστον ἀξιῶν, εἰ καὶ προσχήματι δῆθεν εὐλαβείας ἠπείθησε, τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ διελέγετο, ἐξ οὗπερ ἤμελλεν ἀνατέλλειν κατὰ σάρκα Χριστὸς, καὶ πρὸς οὓς προηγουμένως ἀφίκετο· ὅτι γὰρ οὐκ εὐλαβείας εἵνεκεν παραιτεῖται τὸ σημεῖον αἰτεῖν, οὐδὲ τὸ συμφέρον θηρώμενος, δῆλον 1960 ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ἂν αὐτῷ προστάξαι τὸν Κύριον, εἴπερ ὑπῆρχεν ἀσύμφορον, ὅπερ ἐκεῖνος νομίσας ἀπέφυγεν. Ἄλλοι δὲ τὸν περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σκοπὸν οὕτω τοῖς προκειμένοις ἁρμόττουσι· Ἐκ προσώπου, φασὶν, ἰδίου φησὶν ὁ προφήτης, Ἀκούσατε δὴ, οἶκος ∆αβίδ. ὁ μὲν Θεὸς οἷα φιλάνθρωπος σημεῖον ὑμῖν ἠβουλήθη σωτήριον παρασχεῖν, δι' οὗ τοὺς δύο βασιλέας νικήσετε. Ὑμῶν δὲ ἀπειθησάντων, οὐδ' οὕτω παρεῖδεν ἀπολλυμένους. Τὸ γὰρ σημεῖον ὑμῖν καὶ μὴ βουλομένοις χαρίζεται παράδοξον ὃν, καὶ οἷον οὐκ οἶδεν ἡ φύσις. Θεὸς γὰρ ἐκ Παρθένου τεχθήσεται, γαμικῆς συνόδου χωρίς. Τοῦτον οὖν ἀνακαλεῖσθε τοῖς βασιλεῦσι μαχόμενοι, τῇ τῆς προσηγορίας πεποιθότες δυνάμει. Μεθ' ἡμῶν γὰρ εἶναι δηλοῖ τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ παῦσαι τοὺς θεοὺς ∆αμασκοῦ, καὶ τοὺς οὐκ ὄντας ἀνακαλούμενος. Λέγε δὲ παρὰ τὴν συμβολὴν συνεχῶς τὸν Ἐμμανουήλ· δι' ὃ, καλέσεις, ἕχει, ἀλλ' οὐ, καλέσουσιν, ὡς ἐσφαλμένως ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ἐγράφη. Οὔτε γὰρ τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν, οὔτε τις οὕτως ἐξέδωκεν. Οὐ γὰρ περὶ μέλλοντος ἡ κλῆσις ἡ τοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ. Οὐδὲ ὡς πάντες αὐτὸν οὕτω καλέσουσιν, εἴρηκεν. Ἡ γὰρ ἂν αὐτὸν καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος οὕτως ἐκάλεσεν ὁ φανεὶς τῇ μητέρι, ἀλλ' οὐκ Ἰησοῦν τῆς σωτηρίας ἐπώνυμον. Οὐ καλέσουσιν οὖν, ἀλλὰ σὺ νῦν αὐτὸν οὕτω κάλει, ὡς συνόντα σοι Θεὸν τοῦτον ἀνακαλούμενος, τὸν ὕστερον μὲν ἐν ἐσχάτοις καιροῖς φανησόμενον, νῦν δέ σε ῥύσασθαι οἰκείᾳ σωτηρίᾳ δυνάμενον, ἀντ' ἐπῳδῆς δαιμόνων λεγόμενος· ἐκλιπεῖν γὰρ ἀδύνατον ὑμῶν τὸ σπέρμα, εἰ καὶ διὰ φόβον οὕτω διάκεισθε, ἕως κυήσῃ Παρθένος. Τοσαῦτα περὶ τοῦ σκοποῦ τῆς περὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος προφητείας εἰπόντες, ἄνωθεν τοῖς κατὰ μέρος λοιπὸν ὑπεξέλθωμεν, τὰς τῶν ἄλλων ἑρμηνείας πρῶτον ἐκθέμενοι. Ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ εἰς βάθος,