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wings of the earth,” having fled for refuge to the Christ of God through the preaching of his apostles, saying that those gathered are from those long since driven from home and separated from the spiritual Israel and Judah. 2.3.121 But the character of such souls shows the true Israel of God, just as, conversely, a base and wicked disposition causes the Israel according to the flesh to be called rulers of Sodom and people of Gomorrah. 2.3.122 Therefore, the “remnant according to the election of grace” and that which is called in the prophecy “the leftover remnant of the people” proclaimed the sign of the Lord to all the nations, and having drawn such souls of the nations out of destruction to the knowledge of the Lord, it gathered one people to God, the one “from the four wings of the earth” still now being formed by the power of Christ. 2.3.123 And these very ones, the disciples and apostles of our Savior who were saved from among the lost of the Jewish nation, being from various tribes, deemed worthy of one calling and one grace and one Holy Spirit, will cast off all jealousy, which the tribes of the Hebrew nation formerly had toward them, as the prophecy says. 2.3.124 For “being perfected in the same mind and in the same judgment,” they went through not only the mainland but also the islands of the nations, “taking as spoil” from all places all the souls of men and making them captive to the obedience of Christ, in accordance with the oracle that said: “and they shall fly in the ships of foreigners, spoiling the sea together and those from the rising of the sun.” 2.3.125 And you will consider the rest of the prophecy in a similar way to these things, examining each word for yourself, and rejecting everything inconsistent and lowly in it, but understanding the meaning of the spirit, as the Spirit of God himself may suggest for you to perceive. For time does not permit us, who are hastening to complete the proposed subject, to linger longer on these passages. 2.3.126 42. “And I will command evils for the whole world, and for the ungodly their sins; and I will destroy the insolence of the lawless, and I will humble the insolence of the proud. And the ones left behind will be more precious than unrefined gold, and a man will be more precious than the stone from Souphir.” 2.3.127 and next it adds: “and the ones left behind shall be as a fleeing gazelle and as a wandering sheep.” 2.3.128 And through these things the word most clearly represents the rarity of those who will be saved at the time of the destruction of the ungodly, so that there is no room to suppose that absolutely all those of the circumcision indiscriminately and the entire nation of the Jews will obtain the promises of God. 2.3.129 43. “And it shall be in that day that the glory of Jacob shall fail, and the fatness of his glory shall be shaken. And it shall be as when one gathers a standing harvest, and reaps the seed of the ears of grain; and it shall be as when one gathers ears of grain in a steep valley, and stubble is left in it; or as two or three berries of an olive tree are left on the topmost bough, or four or five on its branches. Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel. In that day a man shall trust in him who made him, and his eyes shall look to the Holy One of Israel, and they shall not trust in their altars nor in the works of their hands, which their fingers have made.” 2.3.130 And through these things it is clearly prophesied that the glory of Israel, and all their “fat things” will be brought down, but a few, again, and countable in number, like a few “berries” of an olive on a plant, are said to be left behind; and these would be those from among them who have believed in our Lord. Accordingly, after the things said about them, it is prophesied concerning the whole race of men that will turn away from the error regarding idols, and will come to know the God of Israel. 2.3.131 44. “Hear, you islands that are left behind and are in pain, hear what I have heard from the Lord Sabaoth; the God of Israel has announced it to us.” 2.3.132 See in what way also

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πτερύγων τῆς γῆς», ἐπὶ τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τοῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ κηρύγματος καταπεφευγότας, τοὺς συναχθέντας εἶναι λέγων τῶν πάλαι ἀπῳκισμένων καὶ ἀφωρισμένων ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ διάνοιαν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδα. 2.3.121 τρόπος δὲ τοιῶνδε ψυχῶν τὸν ἀληθινὸν Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ θεοῦ δείκνυσιν, ὡς ἀνάπαλιν φαύλη καὶ μοχθηρὰ διάθεσις τὸν κατὰ σάρκα Ἰσραὴλ ἄρχοντας Σοδόμων καὶ λαὸν Γομόρρας χρηματίζειν ποιεῖ. 2.3.122 τὸ τοίνυν «λεῖμμα κατ' ἐκλογὴν χάριτος» καὶ τὸ λεγόμενον ἐν τῇ προφητείᾳ «καταλειφθὲν ὑπόλοιπον τοῦ λαοῦ» τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ κυρίου πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀνεκήρυξεν, καὶ τὰς τοιάσδε ψυχὰς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐξ ἀπωλείας ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου γνῶσιν ἐφελκυσάμενον ἕνα λαὸν συνῆξε τῷ θεῷ, τὸν «ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων πτερύγων τῆς γῆς» εἰσέτι νῦν τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δυνάμει συγκροτούμενον. 2.3.123 οὗτοι δὲ αὐτοὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀπολωλότων τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους διασωθέντες μαθηταὶ καὶ ἀπόστολοι τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ἐκ διαφόρων φυλῶν τυγχάνοντες, μιᾶς κλήσεως καὶ μιᾶς χάριτος καὶ ἑνὸς πνεύματος ἁγίου κατηξιωμένοι, πάντα ζῆλον, ὃν πάλαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶχον αἱ τοῦ Ἑβραίων ἔθνους φυλαί, ἀπορρίψουσιν, ὡς ἡ προφητεία φησίν. 2.3.124 «κατηρτισμένοι» γοῦν «τῷ αὐτῷ νοῒ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ γνώμῃ», οὐ μόνον τὴν ἤπειρον ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς νήσους διῆλθον τῶν ἐθνῶν, πάσας πανταχόθεν τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ψυχὰς «προνομεύοντες» καὶ αἰχμαλωτεύοντες εἰς τὴν ὑποταγὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀκολούθως τῷ χρησμῷ φήσαντι· «καὶ πετασθήσονται ἐν πλοίοις ἀλλοφύλων, θάλασσαν ἅμα προνομεύοντες καὶ τοὺς ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν». 2.3.125 Καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δὲ τῆς προφητείας τούτοις ἀναλόγως ἐπιθεωρήσεις, ἑκάστην λέξιν παρὰ σαυτῷ βασανίσας, καὶ πᾶν μὲν τὸ ἀσύστατον καὶ ταπεινὸν αὐτῆς διακρουσάμενος, τὴν δὲ διάνοιαν τοῦ πνεύματος, ὡς ἂν αὐτό σοι τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ θεωρεῖν ὑποβάλλῃ, νοήσας. ἡμῖν γὰρ ὁ καιρὸς οὐκ ἐπιτρέπει τοῖς τόποις ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐνδιατρίβειν, τὴν προκειμένην ὑπόθεσιν ἐξανύσαι κατεπειγομένοις. 2.3.126 μβʹ. «Καὶ ἐντελοῦμαι τῇ οἰκουμένῃ ὅλῃ κακά, καὶ τοῖς ἀσεβέσι τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν· καὶ ἀπολῶ ὕβριν ἀνόμων, καὶ ὕβριν ὑπερηφάνων ταπεινώσω. καὶ ἔσονται οἱ ἐγκαταλελειμμένοι ἔντιμοι μᾶλλον ἢ τὸ χρυσίον τὸ ἄπυρον, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἔντιμος ἔσται μᾶλλον ἢ ὁ λίθος ὁ ἐκ Σουφείρ». 2.3.127 καὶ ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγει· «καὶ ἔσονται οἱ καταλελειμμένοι ὡς δορκάδιον φεῦγον καὶ ὡς πρόβατον πλανώμενον». 2.3.128 Καὶ διὰ τούτων τὸ σπάνιον τῶν σωθησομένων ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἀπωλείας σαφέστατα ὁ λόγος παρίστησιν, ὥστε μὴ χώραν ἔχειν ὑπονοεῖν ἀδιακρίτως πάντας ἁπαξαπλῶς τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς καὶ πᾶν τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ τεύξεσθαι ἐπαγγελιῶν. 2.3.129 μγʹ. «Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔκλειψις δόξης Ἰακώβ, καὶ τὰ πίονα τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ σεισθήσονται. καὶ ἔσται ὃν τρόπον ἐάν τις συναγάγῃ ἀμητὸν ἑστηκότα, καὶ σπέρμα σταχύων ἀμήσῃ· καὶ ἔσται ὃν τρόπον ἐάν τις συναγάγῃ στάχυας ἐν φάραγγι στερεᾷ, καὶ καταλειφθῇ ἐν αὐτῇ καλάμη· ἢ ὡς ῥῶγες ἐλαίας δύο ἢ τρεῖς ἐπ' ἄκρου μετεώρου ἢ τέσσαρες ἢ πέντε ἐπὶ τῶν κλάδων αὐτῶν καταλειφθῇ. τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ πεποιθὼς ἔσται ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτόν, οἱ δὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐμβλέψονται, καὶ οὐ μὴ πεποιθότες ὦσιν ἐπὶ τοῖς βωμοῖς οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν, ἃ ἐποίησαν οἱ δάκτυλοι αὐτῶν». 2.3.130 Καὶ διὰ τούτων ἐναργῶς θεσπίζεται ἡ δόξα τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ πάντα «τὰ πίονα» αὐτῶν καθαιρεθήσεσθαι, ὀλίγοι δὲ αὖθις καὶ ἀριθμῷ ληπτοὶ ὡς ἂν ἐλαίας ἐν φυτῷ «ῥῶγες» βραχεῖς καταλειφθήσεσθαι λέγονται· οὗτοι δὲ ἂν εἶεν οἱ ἐξ αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν πεπιστευκότες. ἀκολούθως δὲ μετὰ τὰ περὶ ἐκείνων εἰρημένα περὶ παντὸς ἀνθρώπων γένους ἀποστραφησομένου τὴν κατὰ τὰ εἴδωλα πλάνην, ἐπιγνωσομένου δὲ τὸν θεὸν Ἰσραήλ, προφητεύεται. 2.3.131 μδʹ. «Ἀκούσατε νῆσοι ἐγκαταλελειμμένοι καὶ ὀδυνώμενοι ἀκούσατε ἃ ἤκουσα παρὰ κυρίου Σαβαώθ, ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἀνήγγειλεν ἡμῖν.» 2.3.132 Ὅρα τίνα τρόπον καὶ