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you have chosen.” 2.3.143 The Word, making a distinction in these matters also, says that a small “seed from Jacob” will obtain the things that were promised, and that the elect are those who will dwell in the forest, so naming the calling of the gentiles; in which the elect of the Lord and the seed of Jacob would be the apostles and disciples of our Savior. But all the rest besides these have been subjected to the threats declared, with the Word all but stating most plainly that the promises of God would not reach the entire nation of the Jews at random, but only the designated seed and those called the elect of God, since “many are called, but few are chosen.” 2.3.144 And next the Word prophesies that a new name will now be given to these, saying to the ungodly: “for your name shall be left for a curse to my elect, but the Lord will slay you. But for those who serve me a new name shall be called.” What then would be the new name, which was not known among the ancients, if not the blessed name of Christians, from the appellation of our Savior Jesus Christ, throughout the whole world? 2.3.145 50. From Micah. “And it shall be that from the drop of this people Jacob shall surely be gathered with all; I will surely receive the remnant of Israel; I will bring about their return to the same place.” 2.3.146 In agreement with what was set forth before from Isaiah, Micah also says that God will receive not simply all but only those named the remnant. And just as in Isaiah the remnant from them was called a seed, so now he calls those from them who will be saved a drop. 2.3.147 And through these is also signified the choir of the apostles, as being a certain drop and seed of the Jewish nation, from which drop all those throughout the whole world who have come to know the Christ of God and have received his teaching were deemed worthy of the prophesied gathering, having found deliverance from their enemies. 2.3.148 51. “And you, Bethlehem, house of Ephrathah, are little among the thousands of Judah. Out of you shall come forth to me one who is to be ruler in Israel, and his goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity. Therefore he will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; she will bear, and the remnant of their brothers will return.” 2.3.149 and after a little he adds: “and the remnant of Jacob shall be in the nations in the midst of many peoples, like dew falling from the Lord and like lambs on the grass, so that no one may be gathered nor stand among the sons of men. And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the nations in the midst of many peoples like a lion among the beasts of the forest and like a cub among flocks of sheep, in which way when he passes through and separates and seizes, there is no one to rescue. Your hand will be lifted up against those who afflict you, and all your enemies will be utterly destroyed.” 2.3.150 Nothing could be clearer than these things, which proclaim at the same time both the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem, and his existence before the ages, and the virgin birth, and the calling of his apostles and disciples, and the preaching concerning Christ announced by them throughout the whole world. 2.3.151 For of the signified ruler, whose goings forth the Word declares to be from the days of eternity, who would come forth from Bethlehem, and with the holy virgin who bore him giving birth, it says that not all from the circumcision but only the remnant would be saved, who would also become the remnant of Jacob, and be given like dew upon all the nations. “For,” it says, “the remnant of Jacob shall be in the nations like dew falling from the Lord and like lambs on the grass,” 2.3.152 for which Aquila has translated “and as drops upon the grass,” and Theodotion “and as a snowfall on the fodder.” And again, instead of “so that no one may be gathered nor stand among the sons of men, nor a son of man stumble,” Theodotion says: “who does not wait for a man, and does not hope in a son of man,” and

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ἐξελέξασθε.» 2.3.143 ∆ιελὼν καὶ ἐν τούτοις ὁ λόγος βραχὺ μέν τί φησιν «σπέρμα ἐξ Ἰακὼβ» τεύξεσθαι τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων, ἐκλεκτούς τε εἶναι τοὺς κατοικήσοντας ἐν τῷ δρυμῷ, οὕτως ὀνομάζων τὴν κλῆσιν τῶν ἐθνῶν· ἐν ᾗ οἱ ἐκλεκτοὶ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τὸ Ἰακὼβ σπέρμα εἶεν δ' ἂν οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ μαθηταὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν. οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ πάντες παρὰ τούτους ταῖς δηλουμέναις ἀπειλαῖς ὑποβέβληνται, μονονουχὶ τοῦ λόγου γυμνότατα παριστῶντος μὴ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἐπὶ πᾶν τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος φθάσειν τὰς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπαγγελίας, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μόνον τὸ ὠνομασμένον σπέρμα καὶ τοὺς ἐπικαλουμένους ἐκλεκτοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐπεὶ «πολλοὶ κλητοί, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοί». 2.3.144 τούτοις δὲ καὶ νῦν ὄνομα καινὸν ἐπιτεθήσεσθαι ἑξῆς ὁ λόγος θεσπίζει, φάσκων πρὸς τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς· «καταλειφθήσεται γὰρ τὸ ὄνομα ὑμῶν εἰς πλησμονὴν τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς μου, ὑμᾶς δ' ἀνελεῖ κύριος. τοῖς δὲ δουλεύσουσί μοι κληθήσεται ὄνομα καινόν». τὸ δὴ οὖν ὄνομα καινόν, ὃ μὴ παρὰ τοῖς παλαιοῖς ἔγνωστο, ποῖον ἂν εἴη ἢ τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προσωνυμίας καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης εὐλογημένον Χριστιανῶν ὄνομα; 2.3.145 νʹ. Ἀπὸ τοῦ Μιχαίου. «Καὶ ἔσται ἐκ τῆς σταγόνος τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου συναγόμενος συναχθήσεται Ἰακὼβ σὺν πᾶσιν, ἐκδεχόμενος ἐκδέξομαι τοὺς καταλοίπους τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ θήσομαι τὴν ἀποστροφὴν αὐτῶν.» 2.3.146 Συμφώνως τοῖς προεκτεθεῖσιν ἐκ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου καὶ ὁ Μιχαίας ἐκδέξασθαι τὸν θεὸν οὐχ ἁπλῶς πάντας ἀλλὰ μόνους τοὺς καταλοίπους ὀνομάζει. ὥσπερ δὲ παρὰ τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ σπέρμα ὠνομάζετο τὸ ἐξ αὐτῶν λεῖμμα, οὕτως καὶ νῦν σταγόνα ὀνομάζει τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν σωθησομένους. 2.3.147 δηλοῦται δὲ καὶ διὰ τούτων ὁ τῶν ἀποστόλων χορός, ὡς σταγών τις καὶ σπέρμα τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους γεγενημένος, ἐξ ἧς σταγόνος πάντες οἱ καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης τὸν Χριστὸν ἐπεγνωκότες τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν διδασκαλίαν αὐτοῦ παραδεδεγμένοι τῆς θεσπιζομένης ἐπισυναγωγῆς κατηξιώθησαν, τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πολεμίων λύτρωσιν εὑράμενοι. 2.3.148 ναʹ. «Καὶ σὺ Βηθλεὲμ οἶκος τοῦ Ἐφραθά, ὀλιγοστὸς εἶ ἐν χιλιάσιν Ἰούδα. ἐκ σοῦ μοι ἐξελεύσεται ἡγούμενος τοῦ εἶναι εἰς ἄρχοντα τῷ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ἔξοδοι αὐτοῦ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἐξ ἡμερῶν αἰῶνος. διὰ τοῦτο δώσει αὐτοὺς ἕως καιροῦ τικτούσης· τέξεται, καὶ οἱ ἐπίλοιποι τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιστρέψουσιν». 2.3.149 καὶ μετὰ βραχέα ἐπιλέγει· «καὶ ἔσται τὸ ὑπόλειμμα τοῦ Ἰακὼβ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐν μέσῳ λαῶν πολλῶν, ὡς δρόσος παρὰ κυρίου πίπτουσα καὶ ὡς ἄρνες ἐπ' ἄγρωστιν, ὅπως μὴ συναχθῇ μηδεὶς μηδὲ ὑποστῇ ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων. καὶ ἔσται τὸ ὑπόλειμμα Ἰακὼβ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐν μέσῳ λαῶν πολλῶν ὡς λέων ἐν τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῦ δρυμοῦ καὶ ὡς σκύμνος ἐν ποιμνίοις προβάτων, ὃν τρόπον ὅτ' ἂν διέλθῃ καὶ διαστείλας ἁρπάσῃ, καὶ μὴ ᾖ ὁ ἐξαιρούμενος. ὑψωθήσεται ἡ χείρ σου ἐπὶ τοὺς θλίβοντάς σε, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί σου ἐξολοθρευθήσονται». 2.3.150 Τούτων οὐδ' ἄν τι γένοιτο λευκότερον, κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ τὴν γένεσιν τὴν ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἀναφωνούντων, καὶ τὴν πρὸ αἰῶνος οὐσίωσιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸν τῆς παρθένου τοκετόν, καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ τὴν κλῆσιν, καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα τὸ καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δι' αὐτῶν κατηγγελμένον. 2.3.151 τοῦ γὰρ δηλουμένου ἄρχοντος, οὗ τὰς ἐξόδους ὁ λόγος ἐξ ἡμερῶν αἰῶνος εἶναι δηλοῖ, ἐκ τῆς Βηθλεὲμ προελευσομένου καὶ τῆς τοῦτον ἀποτικτούσης ἁγίας παρθένου τεξομένης, οὐ πάντας φησὶν τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς ἀλλὰ μόνους τοὺς ἐπιλοίπους ἀνασωθήσεσθαι, οὓς καὶ λεῖμμα γενήσεσθαι τοῦ Ἰακώβ, καὶ δίκην δρόσου ἐπὶ πάντα δοθήσεσθαι τὰ ἔθνη. «ἔσται» γάρ, φησίν, «τὸ ὑπόλειμμα τοῦ Ἰακὼβ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὡς δρόσος παρὰ κυρίου πίπτουσα καὶ ὡς ἄρνες ἐπ' ἄγρωστιν», 2.3.152 ἀνθ' οὗ «καὶ ὡς ψεκάδες ἐπὶ πόαν» ὁ Ἀκύλας, ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων «καὶ ὡσεὶ νιφετὸς ἐπὶ χόρτον» ἐκδεδώκασιν. καὶ πάλιν ἀντὶ τοῦ «ὅπως μὴ συναχθῇ μηδεὶς μηδὲ ὑποστῇ ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων, μηδὲ προσκόψῃ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου» φησὶν ὁ Θεοδοτίων· «ὃς οὐ μενεῖ ἄνθρωπον, καὶ οὐκ ἐλπίζει ἐπὶ υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου», καὶ ὁ