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it is said: Thus says the Lord: If I have not established my covenant of day and night, and the ordinances of heaven and earth, then I will also reject the seed of Jacob and David my servant, so as not to take a ruler from his seed. And who would be the branch raised up for David by the Lord? The divine Word, about whom it is also said in other places, behold the man, whose name is Branch; who is also prophesied to reign and to have understanding and to execute judgment and righteousness upon the earth. And this one also makes a light to dawn for the souls sitting in darkness, according to his heavenly kingdom; but when, according to the apostle, the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then all true Israel with the spiritual Judah will be saved, 139 whom the Lord will also call by name, whom he will judge to be worthy in Josedek, which is interpreted, the righteous of God. But in that day, after God has freed the aforementioned from the captivity under the devil, so that they no longer serve that one, but only the Lord their God, God promises to raise up for them David the king, being none other than our Savior, who came from the seed of David, whom the scriptures in various ways have also called by this name. The David in the prophecy, therefore, who is understood as our Savior, is called a man; but the righteous branch, the divinity working in him, is named in other places the sun of righteousness; since also the true light which enlightens every man coming into the world happens to be none other than him. Therefore he says that a man from God will not be cut off from leading and presiding over his church, which is the spiritual house of Israel; nor indeed does the word prophesy that the priests of God according to the mind will cease, offering up the spiritual incense, and the fragrant, bloodless, and pure sacrifice through good works and words. For if we did not understand these things thus, it would be time to prove the prophecies false, since neither the throne of David in a bodily sense, nor the typical priestly ministry has continued until now; since the kings from the seed of David have ceased from the very times of Jeremiah, and the Levitical and priestly ministry not long after the coming of our Savior; from which time 140 and until now it is not even permitted for them to set foot in Jerusalem. And if those of the circumcision should say that through the one they call the patriarch the seed of David has not failed, yet they must be refuted as they are unable to show him sitting on the throne of David, and reigning on his throne, and ruling over Israel; for these are the things the prophecy says will never cease, which are clearly shown to have ceased from the times of the captivity, from which time not one who has reigned over Israel from the seed of David can be shown; and what could they say about the priesthood which has been clearly abolished at the present time, which the prophecy foretells will never be cut off? Of the same. 37. Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in my covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord, for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws into their mind, and I will write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people; and they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord’; for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord; for I will be merciful to their 141 iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. Clearly in the coming days the Lord prophesies that he will make a new covenant; new because it has nothing

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εἴρηται· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Εἰ μὴ διαθήκην μου ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς, ἀκριβάσματα οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς οὐκ ἔταξα, καί γε τὸ σπέρμα Ἰακὼβ καὶ ∆αυὶδ τὸν δοῦλόν μου ἀποδοκιμῶ, τοῦ μὴ λαβεῖν ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ ἄρχοντα. Καὶ τίς ἂν εἴη ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου ἀναστησομένη τῷ ∆αυὶδ ἀνατολή; Ὁ θεῖος Λόγος, περὶ οὗ καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις εἴρηται, ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ, ἀνατολὴ ὄνομα αὐτῷ· ὃς καὶ βασιλεύσειν προφητεύεται καὶ συνήσειν καὶ ποιήσειν κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Οὗτος δὲ καὶ ταῖς ἐν σκότει καθημέναις ψυχαῖς ἐξανατελεῖ φῶς κατὰ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπουράνιον· ἐπ' ἂν δὲ κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσελθῇ, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀληθινὸς Ἰσραὴλ μετὰ τοῦ πνευματικοῦ Ἰούδα σωθήσεται, 139 οὓς καὶ καλέσει αὐτοὺς ὁ Κύριος ὀνομαστὶ, οὓς ἀξίους αὐτοὺς κρινεῖ ἐν τῷ Ἰωσεδεκὶν, ὅπερ ἑρμηνεύεται οἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ δίκαιοι. Ἐν ἐκείνῃ δὲ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ μετὰ τὸ ἐλευθερῶσαι τὸν Θεὸν τοὺς προειρημένους ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπὸ τὸν διάβολον αἰχμαλωσίας, ὡς μηκέτι μὲν ἐκείνῳ, μόνῳ δὲ Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ αὐτῶν λατρεύειν, ἀναστήσειν αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεὸς ὑπισχνεῖται βασιλέα τὸν ∆αυὶδ, οὐκ ἄλλον ὄντα τοῦ ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ γενομένου Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ὃν διαφόρως αἱ γραφαὶ καὶ τούτῳ προσεῖπαν τῷ ὀνόματι. Ὁ μὲν οὖν ἐν τῇ προφητείᾳ ∆αυὶδ ὁ κατὰ τὸν Σωτῆρα ἡμῶν νοούμενος ἄνθρωπος λέγεται· ἡ δὲ ἀνατολὴ ἡ δικαία, ἡ κατ' αὐτὸν ἐνεργοῦσα θεότης, ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης ἐν ἄλλοις ὀνομαζομένη· ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον οὐκ ἄλλη τίς αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει. Τῷ Θεῷ τοίνυν φησὶν οὐκ ἐξολοθρευθήσεσθαι ἄνδρα ἡγούμενον καὶ προεστῶτα τῆς ἐκκλησίας αὐτοῦ, ἥτις ἐστὶν ὁ πνευματικὸς οἶκος Ἰσραήλ· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοὺς κατὰ διάνοιαν ἱερεῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ διαλείψειν ὁ λόγος προφητεύει, τὸ πνευματικὸν ἀναφέροντας θυμίαμα, καὶ τὴν δι' ἔργων ἀγαθῶν καὶ λόγων εὐώδη καὶ ἀναίμακτον καὶ καθαρὰν θυσίαν. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ταῦθ' οὕτως ἐκλάβοιμεν, ὥρα ψευδεῖς ἀπελέγχειν τὰς προφητείας, τῷ μήτε τὸν θρόνον ∆αυὶδ σωματικῶς, μήτε τὴν ἱερατικὴν λειτουργείαν τὴν τυπικὴν εἰσέτι νῦν συνεστάναι· τῶν μὲν ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ βασιλέων ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν Ἱερεμίου χρόνων διαλελοιπότων, τῆς δὲ Λευιτικῆς καὶ ἱερατικῆς λειτουργίας μετ' οὐ πολὺ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρουσίας· ἐξ ἧς 140 καὶ εἰς δεῦρο οὐδὲ ἐπιβαίνειν αὐτοῖς τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔξεστιν. Καὶ εἰ φάσκοιέν γε οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς δι' ὃν φασὶ πατριάρχην μὴ ἐκλελοιπέναι τὸ σπέρμα ∆αυὶδ, ἀλλ' ἐλεγκτέον τε γε αὐτοὺς μὴ δυναμένους ἀποδεῖξαι καθήμενον αὐτὸν ἐπὶ θρόνου ∆αυὶδ, καὶ βασιλεύοντα ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἄρχοντα τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· ταῦτα γὰρ ἡ προφητεία φησὶ μηδεπώποτε διαλείψειν, ἃ καὶ σαφῶς παρίσταται ἀπὸ τῶν τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας χρόνων διαλελοιπότα, ἐξ οὗ μὴ δὲ εἷς βασιλεύσας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ ἀποδείκνυται· τί δ' ἂν φήσαιεν καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐναργῶς κατὰ τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν καθῃρημένης ἱερατείας, ἣν μηδεπώποτε ἐξολοθρευθήσεσθαι ἡ προφητεία προαγορεύει; Ψ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. ΛΖʹ. Ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, φησὶ Κύριος, καὶ διαθήσομαι τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰούδα διαθήκην καινήν· οὐ κατὰ τὴν διαθήκην ἣν διεθέμην τοῖς πατράσιν αὐτῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπιλαβομένου μου τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν ἐξαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου· ὅτι αὐτοὶ οὐκ ἐνέμειναν ἐν τῇ διαθήκῃ μου, καὶ ἐγὼ ἠμέλησα αὐτῶν, φησὶ Κύριος, ὅτι αὕτη ἡ διαθήκη, ἣν διαθήσομαι τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραήλ· μετὰ τὰς ἡμέρας ἐκείνας, φησὶ Κύριος, διδοὺς νόμους μου εἰς τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίας αὐτῶν γράψω αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς εἰς Θεὸν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔσονταί μοι εἰς λαόν· καὶ οὐ μὴ διδάξωσιν ἕκαστος τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἕκαστος τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ λέγων, Γνῶθι τὸν Κύριον· ὅτι πάντες εἰδήσουσί με ἀπὸ μικροῦ αὐτῶν ἕως μεγάλου αὐτῶν, φησὶ Κύριος· ὅτι ἵλεος ἔσομαι ταῖς 141 ἀδικίαις αὐτῶν, καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν οὐ μὴ μνησθῶ ἔτι. Σαφῶς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιούσαις ἡμέραις καινὴν διαθήκην ὁ κύριος διαθήσεσθαι προθεσπίζει· καινὴν δὲ τῷ μηδὲν ἔχειν