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and surpassing the others, like hills or mountains. But these will be extinguished, that is, those once terrible and fiery, and not willingly will they grow cold; for death will consume them, all but spending souls as well as body. For that souls are not destroyed along with bodies, this is clear to everyone; but through these things he indicates the strength of the soul. Instead of 'and he will eat the material like grass,' Symmachus has said 'and he will consume his stored up things and his guarded things in one day' and 'the glory of his forest and of his Carmel will be consumed from soul to flesh, and he will be as one fleeing who has melted away, and the rest of the trees of his forest will be by number, and a child will write them down.' By saying 'forest' he means the multitudes with him, and by 'his Carmel' his wealth and luxury; all of which he says will be consumed by the punishing power of the aforementioned fire. And when these things happen to him, he will take to flight and escape, and all those with him will do the same. And if some few should be left behind, they will be so few that even a chance child could grasp their number and commit it to writing, the rest of the multitude having perished. These things have been said both literally and in meaning; literally, referring to Nebuchadnezzar who burned the temple and the city, but in meaning, referring to the opposing power of the nation of the Assyrians, who led formerly when the affairs of the kingdom flourished and peaked for them; and when it suffered the things spoken in the prophecy, the dynasty of the Assyrians was immediately deposed. And the Medes and Persians succeeded to the rule. 1.60 In that time, he says, in which all the things foretold against the indicated ruler of the Assyrians should come to pass through deeds, those who were left of the captive people of the Jews, having been freed from the enemy land and having returned to their own, will no longer pay attention to those to whom they formerly paid attention, the wicked demons who wronged their souls and became the cause of all their evils, but will henceforth pay attention only to God, who became their redeemer and savior. And these things were fulfilled literally in the time of Cyrus, king of the Persians, who released all the Jews in captivity; at which time those with Zerubbabel and Jesus the son of Jozadak, the high priest, and those together with Ezra and Nehemiah, having returned from Babylon, raised up the temple and restored the city itself. ... others indicated through the passage at hand; for 'the remnant of Israel' and 'those saved of Jacob.' For these... he says, no longer trust in those who wronged them, which is what they did in the times of Ahaz the king; for it is written in the Books of Kings: "and Ahaz sent messengers to the king of the Assyrians, saying, 'I am your servant; come up and save me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel who are rising up against me.' And Ahaz took the silver and the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the house of the king and sent gifts to the king of the Assyrians. And the king of the Assyrians listened to him, and he came to Damascus and took it and deported its people and turned back Rezin". But no longer, he says, will they be such when they have returned, but they will be trusting in God, the Holy One of Israel, in truth, and the remnant of Jacob will be hoping in a mighty God. Observe here how the Hebrew text, instead of 'in a mighty God,' has 'El Gibbor,' which was set among the names of the "child born to us," about whom it was said, "and his name is called Messenger of Great Counsel"; for there too the Hebrew had among his names 'El Gibbor,' and again also in the passages at hand he makes mention of the remnant people. And he adds: And though the people of Israel be as the sand of the sea,

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καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὑπερέχοντας, καθάπερ βουνοὺς ἢ ὄρη. ἀλλ' οὗτοι μὲν ἀποσβεσθήσονται, τοῦτ' ἔστιν οἱ πάλαι δεινοὶ καὶ θερμοί, καὶ οὐχ ἑκόντες ἀποψυχθήσονται· καταφάγεται γὰρ αὐτοὺς ὁ θάνατος, μονονουχὶ καὶ ψυχὰς δαπανῶν καὶ σῶμα. ὅτι μὲν γὰρ οὐ συνανῄρηνται τοῖς σώμασιν αἱ ψυχαί, παντὶ τοῦτο σαφές· ὑπεμφαίνει δὲ διὰ τούτων τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ εὐσθενές. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· καὶ φάγεται ὡσεὶ χόρτον τὴν ὕλην, ὁ Σύμμαχος καὶ καταφάγεται τὰ ἀποκείμενα αὐτοῦ εἴρηκεν καὶ τὰ πεφυλαγμένα αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ καὶ ἡ δόξα τοῦ δρυμοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ Καρμήλου αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ ψυχῆς ἕως σαρκὸς ἀναλωθήσεται, καὶ ἔσται ὡς τετηγμένος φεύγων, τὰ δὲ ἐπίλοιπα τῶν ξύλων τοῦ δρυμοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀριθμῷ ἔσονται, καὶ παιδίον γράψει αὐτά. δρυμὸν δὲ λέγων τὰ πλήθη τὰ σὺν αὐτῷ δηλοῖ, Κάρμηλον δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸν πλοῦτον καὶ τὴν τρυφήν· ἅπερ πάντα ἀναλωθήσεσθαί φησιν ὑπὸ τῆς κολαστικῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ προλεχθέντος πυρός. ἐπειδὰν δὲ ταῦτα αὐτῷ συμβῇ, δρασμῷ χρησάμενος φεύξεται, οἵ τε σὺν αὐτῷ πάντες τοῦτο πράξουσιν. εἰ δέ που βραχεῖς τινες καταλειφθεῖεν, τοσοῦτοι ἔσονται ὡς δύνασθαι καὶ τὸ τυχὸν παιδίον τὸν ἀριθμὸν αὐτῶν παραλαβεῖν καὶ γραφῇ παραδοῦναι τοῦ λοιποῦ πλήθους ἀπολωλότος. ταῦτα μὲν καὶ πρὸς λέξιν εἴρηται καὶ πρὸς διάνοιαν· πρὸς μὲν λέξιν ἀνενηνεγμένα ἐπὶ τὸν Ναβουχοδονόσορ τὸν ἐμπρήσαντα τὸν ναὸν καὶ τὴν πόλιν, πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀντικειμένην δύναμιν τὴν τοῦ Ἀσσυρίων ἔθνους, ἡγουμένου τὸ πρὶν ὅτ' αὐτοῖς ἤνθει καὶ ἤκμαζε τὰ τῆς βασιλείας, ἧς τὰ λελεγμένα ἐν τῇ προφητείᾳ παθούσης, καθῃρέθη μὲν αὐτίκα ἡ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων δυναστεία. Μῆδοι δὲ καὶ Πέρσαι διεδέξαντο τὴν ἀρχήν. 1.60 Ἐν ἐκείνῳ φησὶ τῷ καιρῷ καθ' ὃν πάντα τὰ προλεχθέντα κατὰ τοῦ δηλωθέντος ἄρχοντος τῶν Ἀσσυρίων δι' ἔργων χωρήσειεν, οἱ περιλειφθέντες τοῦ αἰχμαλωτισθέντος λαοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, τῆς πολεμίας χώρας ἐλεύθεροι γενόμενοι καὶ εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπανελθόντες οὐκέτι προσέξουσιν, οἷς πάλαι προσεῖχον δαίμοσι πονηροῖς τοῖς τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν ἠδικηκόσι καὶ πάντων αὐτοῖς κακῶν αἰτίοις γενομένοις, ἀλλὰ τῷ θεῷ λοιπὸν προσέξουσι μόνῳ ἅτε λυτρωτῇ καὶ σωτῆρι αὐτῶν γενομένῳ. ἐπληροῦτο δὲ καὶ ταῦτα πρὸς λέξιν κατὰ Κῦρον τὸν Περσῶν βασιλέα, ὃς πάντας ἀνῆκε τοὺς ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ Ἰουδαίους· καθ' ὃν καιρὸν οἱ περὶ τὸν Ζοροβάβελ καὶ Ἰησοῦν τὸν τοῦ Ἰωσεδὲκ τὸν ἱερέα τὸν μέγαν, οἵ τε ἅμα τῷ Ἔσδρᾳ καὶ Νεεμίᾳ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος ἐπανελθόντες, τὸν νεὼν ἤγειραν καὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτὴν ἀνεκτήσαντο. ... ἄλλοι διὰ τῆς μετὰ χεῖρας λέξεως δηλούμενοι· τὸ γὰρ καταλειφθὲν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ οἱ σωθέντες τοῦ Ἰακώβ. οὗτοι γὰρ ... φησὶ μηκέτι πεποιθέναι ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀδικήσαντας αὐτούς, ὅπερ ἔπραττον κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους Ἄχαζ τοῦ βασιλέως· γέγραπται γὰρ ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις· «καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Ἄχαζ ἀγγέλους πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων λέγων ∆οῦλός σου ἐγώ, ἀνάβηθι καὶ σῶσόν με ἐκ χειρὸς βασιλέως Συρίας καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς βασιλέως Ἰσραὴλ τῶν ἐπανισταμένων ἐπ' ἐμέ. καὶ ἔλαβεν Ἄχαζ τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ τὸ χρυσίον τὸ εὑρεθὲν ἐν θησαυροῖς οἴκου τοῦ κυρίου καὶ οἴκου τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἀπέστειλε τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἀσσυρίων δῶρα. καὶ ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων, καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς ∆αμασκὸν καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτὴν καὶ ἀπῴκισεν αὐτὴν καὶ τὸν Ῥαασσὼν ἀπέστρεψεν». ἀλλ' οὐκέτι φησὶν ἔσονται τοιοῦτοι ἐπανήξαντες, ἔσονται δὲ πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν τὸν ἅγιον Ἰσραὴλ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, καὶ ἔσται τὸ καταλειφθὲν τοῦ Ἰακὼβ ἐλπίζον ἐπὶ θεὸν ἰσχύοντα. τήρει δ' ἐνταῦθα ὡς ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ λέξις ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἐπὶ θεὸν ἰσχύοντα, ἢλ γιββὼρ περιέχει, ὅπερ ἔκειτο ἐπὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων τοῦ «γεννηθέντος ἡμῖν παιδίου», περὶ οὗ ἐλέγετο· «καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος»· κἀκεῖ γὰρ εἶχε τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν ἐν τοῖς ὀνόμασιν αὐτοῦ ἢλ γιββώρ, πάλιν δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς μετὰ χεῖρας τοῦ καταλειφθέντος λαοῦ μνημονεύει. Καὶ ἐπιφέρει· καὶ ἐὰν γένηται ὁ λαὸς Ἰσραὴλ ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης,