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Here he does not call all of the circumcision to the hearing of the secret things, but only those whom he names as having been left behind and grieving, such as were those who according to the apostle groaned and lamented the wickedness of men's life. 2.3.133. 45. "The high ones of the earth mourned, and the earth acted lawlessly on account of those who dwell in it. For this reason the inhabitants on the earth will be poor, and few men will be left." And in these things, having convicted those of the circumcised people who transgressed the law and the covenant of God, and having threatened them with the things that have been written, he prophesies that few men from them will be left. And these would be what is named by the apostle "a remnant according to the election of grace." 2.3.134. 46. "Cities will be left desolate, and the abandoned houses will perish. All these things will be in the earth in the midst of the nations; in the way that one might glean an olive, so they will glean them; and when the vintage has ceased. These will cry out with a voice, but those who are left on the earth will rejoice together with the glory of the Lord." And here only those who are left are said to rejoice, as all the rest will be given over to the things prophesied. 2.3.135. 47. "The crown of pride shall be trampled, the hirelings of Ephraim. And the flower fallen from the hope of glory will be on the top of the high mountain; as a forerunner fig, the one who sees it, before he takes it into his hand, will want to swallow it. On that day the Lord will be the crown of hope, the one woven of glory for the remnant of his people; for they will be left in a spirit of judgment." 2.3.136 And here "to the remnant of the people," not to their whole nation, but only to those signified by the remnant, he prophesies that the Lord will be a crown of hope and glory, calling the others besides the remnant of the people a crown of pride and hirelings of Ephraim. 2.3.137. 48. "And those left in Judea will be, they will grow a root below. And they will make seed above because from Jerusalem will be those who are saved from Mount Zion; the zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth will do these things." 2.3.138 He prophesies that those left from the Jewish nation "according to the election of grace" will grow "a root below" and make "seed above," most clearly representing the election of the apostles and disciples of our Savior. For these, being left from the circumcision, cast down the roots of their teaching into the earth below, so that their teaching might be fixed and rooted throughout the whole inhabited world, and they commanded the seed and the fruit to be borne above to the heavenly promises. 2.3.139 But these same ones "left" from the Jewish nation, with the rest perishing, are said to be the only ones saved. And the zeal of the Lord did all these things. For in order to provoke the ungodly of the circumcision to jealousy, the zeal of the Lord, having chosen these, provoked those to jealousy, according to what is said by Moses: "they have provoked me to jealousy with what is not God, and I will provoke them to jealousy with what is not a nation, with a foolish nation I will provoke them to anger." 2.3.140. 49. "Thus says the Lord: in the way a grape-pip shall be found in the cluster, and they will say, do not destroy it, because the blessing of the Lord is in it; so will I do for the sake of him who serves me, for his sake I will not destroy all. And I will bring out the seed from Jacob and from Judah, and it will inherit my holy mountain, 2.3.141 and my chosen and my servants will inherit, and they will dwell there. And there will be in the forest a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor for the rest of herds for my people, who sought me. But you who have forsaken me and forgotten my holy mountain, and who prepare a table for fortune, and fill a mixed drink for the demon, I will give you over to the sword, 2.3.142 you all will fall in slaughter; because I called you and you did not listen, and you did evil before me, and what I did not wish
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ἐνταῦθα οὐ πάντας τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ἀπορρήτων ἀκρόασιν παρακαλεῖ, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνους οὓς ὀνομάζει καταλελειμμένους καὶ ὀδυνωμένους, οἷοι ἦσαν οἱ κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον στενάζοντες καὶ ἀποκλαόμενοι τὴν κακίαν τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίου. 2.3.133 μεʹ. «Ἐπένθησαν οἱ ὑψηλοὶ τῆς γῆς, ἡ δὲ γῆ ἠνόμησε διὰ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας αὐτήν. διὰ τοῦτο πτωχοὶ ἔσονται οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ καταλειφθήσονται ἄνθρωποι ὀλίγοι.» Καὶ ἐν τούτοις τοὺς παραβεβηκότας τὸν νόμον καὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ διαθήκην τοῦ ἐκ περιτομῆς λαοῦ ἀπελέγξας, ἀπειλήσας τε αὐτοῖς τὰ ἀναγεγραμμένα, καταλειφθήσεσθαι ἀνθρώπους ἐξ αὐτῶν ὀλίγους προφητεύει. εἶεν δ' ἂν οὗτοι τὸ ὠνομασμένον παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ «λεῖμμα κατ' ἐκλογὴν χάριτος». 2.3.134 μϛʹ. «Καταλειφθήσονται πόλεις ἔρημοι, καὶ οἱ οἶκοι οἱ ἐγκαταλελειμμένοι ἀπολοῦνται. ταῦτα πάντα ἔσται ἐν τῇ γῇ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐθνῶν· ὃν τρόπον ἐὰν καλαμήσηται ἐλαίαν, οὕτως καλαμήσονται αὐτούς· καὶ ἐὰν παύσηται ὁ τρυγητός. οὗτοι φωνῇ φωνήσουσιν, οἱ δὲ καταλειφθέντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εὐφρανθήσονται ἅμα τῇ δόξῃ κυρίου.» Καὶ ἐνταῦθα οἱ καταλειφθέντες μόνοι εὐφρανθήσεσθαι λέγονται, τῶν λοιπῶν ἁπάντων τοῖς θεσπιζομένοις παραδοθησομένων. 2.3.135 μζʹ. «Καταπατηθήσεται ὁ στέφανος τῆς ὕβρεως, οἱ μισθωτοὶ Ἐφραΐμ. καὶ ἔσται τὸ ἄνθος τὸ ἐκπεσὸν τῆς ἐλπίδος τῆς δόξης ἐπ' ἄκρου τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ ὑψηλοῦ· ὡς πρόδρομος σύκου, ὁ ἰδὼν αὐτό, πρὶν ἢ εἰς τὴν χεῖρα λαβεῖν αὐτό, θελήσει αὐτὸν καταπιεῖν. τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ κύριος ἔσται ὁ στέφανος τῆς ἐλπίδος, ὁ πλακεὶς τῆς δόξης τῷ καταλειφθέντι τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ· καταλειφθήσονται γὰρ ἐν πνεύματι κρίσεως.» 2.3.136 Καὶ ἐνταῦθα «τῷ καταλειφθέντι τοῦ λαοῦ», οὐχὶ δὲ παντὶ τῷ ἔθνει αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ μόνοις τοῖς διὰ τοῦ καταλείμματος σημαινομένοις, τὸν κύριον στέφανον ἔσεσθαι ἐλπίδος καὶ δόξης προφητεύει, τοὺς ἄλλους παρὰ τὸ κατάλειμμα τοῦ λαοῦ στέφανον ὕβρεως καὶ μισθωτοὺς τοῦ Ἐφραῒμ ὀνομάζων. 2.3.137 μηʹ. «Καὶ ἔσονται οἱ ἐγκαταλελειμμένοι ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ, φυήσουσι ῥίζαν κάτω. καὶ ποιήσουσι σπέρμα ἄνω ὅτι ἐξ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔσονται οἱ σωζόμενοι ἐξ ὄρους Σιών· ὁ ζῆλος κυρίου Σαβαὼθ ποιήσει ταῦτα.» 2.3.138 Τοὺς «κατ' ἐκλογὴν χάριτος» καταλειφθέντας ἐκ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους φυήσειν «ῥίζαν κάτω» καὶ ποιήσειν «σπέρμα ἄνω» προφητεύει, σαφέστατα τὴν τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ μαθητῶν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐκλογὴν παριστάς. οὗτοι γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς καταλειφθέντες κάτω μὲν εἰς γῆν τὰς ῥίζας τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτῶν κατέβαλον, ὡς ἐμπαγῆναι καὶ ῥιζῶσαι καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης τὴν διδαχὴν αὐτῶν, ἄνω δὲ τὸ σπέρμα καὶ τὸν καρπὸν φέρεσθαι εἰς τὰς ἐπουρανίους ἐπαγγελίας παρεκελεύσαντο. 2.3.139 οἱ δ' αὐτοὶ οὗτοι ἐκ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους «καταλελειμμένοι», τῶν λοιπῶν ἀπολλυμένων, μόνοι σωζόμενοι λέγονται. ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ὁ ζῆλος κυρίου ἐποίησεν. εἰς γὰρ τὸ παραζηλῶσαι τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς ἐκλεξάμενος ὁ ζῆλος κυρίου τούτους, παρεζήλωσεν ἐκείνους, κατὰ τὸ παρὰ Μωσεῖ λεγόμενον· «αὐτοὶ παρεζήλωσάν με ἐπ' οὐ θεῷ, κἀγὼ παραζηλώσω αὐτοὺς ἐπ' οὐκ ἔθνει, ἐπ' ἔθνει ἀσυνέτῳ παροργιῶ αὐτούς». 2.3.140 μθʹ. «Οὕτως λέγει κύριος· ὃν τρόπον εὑρεθήσεται ὁ ῥὼξ ἐν τῷ βότρυϊ, καὶ ἐροῦσιν, μὴ λυμήνῃ αὐτόν, ὅτι εὐλογία κυρίου ἐστὶν ἐν αὐτῷ· οὕτως ποιήσω ἕνεκεν τοῦ δουλεύοντός μοι, τούτου ἕνεκεν οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω πάντας. καὶ ἐξάξω τὸ ἐξ Ἰακὼβ σπέρμα καὶ τὸ ἐξ Ἰούδα, καὶ κληρονομήσει τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιόν μου, 2.3.141 καὶ κληρονομήσουσιν οἱ ἐκλεκτοί μου καὶ οἱ δοῦλοί μου, καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἐκεῖ. καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῷ δρυμῷ ἔπαυλις ποιμνίων, καὶ φάραγξ Ἀχὼρ εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν βου κολίων τῷ λαῷ μου, οἳ ἐζήτησάν με. ὑμεῖς δὲ οἱ ἐγκαταλιπόντες με καὶ ἐπιλανθανόμενοι τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιόν μου, καὶ ἑτοιμάζοντες τῇ τύχῃ τράπεζαν, καὶ πληροῦντες τῷ δαίμονι κέρασμα, ἐγὼ παραδώσω ὑμᾶς εἰς μάχαιραν, 2.3.142 πάντες ἐν σφαγῇ πεσεῖσθε· ὅτι ἐκάλεσα ὑμᾶς καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσατε, καὶ ἐποιήσατε τὸ πονηρὸν ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ, καὶ ἃ οὐκ ἐβουλόμην