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and of the barbarian camp, and having enjoyed the unexpected victory, they increased again in multitude and in length of life, with no war disturbing them. But when he says that *it will lengthen*, he alludes to either the multitude of people or the length of years. And so that you may learn that he says these things about the two tribes, he added that *Upon it is the Epidekaton*, calling *Epidekaton* that which is above the ten, the remainder of the ten, which were the two tribes. Paul also uses this word, saying; *Above five hundred brothers*, that is, more than five hundred. *And again it will be for plunder like a terebinth*. That is, the two tribes. *And as an acorn, when it falls from its cup*. For just as that fruit is unpleasant when it has fallen from its cup, so also these will be ridiculous and shameful, all having fallen from the city and been stripped of that glory. *A holy seed is its stump*. The evils will not be incurable, he says, nor endless, but its seed will be holy, and a Stump, that is, firm, fixed, immovable, awaiting the change of affairs. For they will fall from their prosperity, but they themselves will not suffer utter destruction, but will remain and will stand, until they receive again their former state and return to their former holiness.

7. CHAPTER VII

7.1 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah.

What I have often said, I will also say now, that in ancient times prophecies were not given for this reason, that the Jews might simply learn the future, but that, having learned it, they might profit from it and by the fear of the threat become more temperate and by the promise of good things more eager for the practice of virtue, learning from both sides both the power of God and His care for them. For it was for this reason that the things that were said were foretold, and so that they might not think that events simply and randomly occur, according to some sequence of nature or course of affairs, but might know that both these things happen from above and by the decree of God; which was of the greatest benefit to them for the knowledge of God. But since, as I had occasion to say before, the prophecy did not have its proof at that very time, but the words were spoken then, while the events were to come to pass after long periods of time, with some of the listeners often even passing away and not being able to judge the sequence of what was said, see what God does and arranges. He joins a nearer prophecy to longer-term prophecies, providing the one that happened in their own generation as the greatest proof of those that would be long after. But in the case of the Gospels He also arranges this kind of benefit in another way, joining miracles to prophecies and establishing the one by the other. For example: a leper once came to Him and was cleansed, and after him again the centurion's servant was delivered from that harsh illness, and these were great signs; but nevertheless He did not stop at the signs, but also added a prophecy. For since the centurion had demonstrated that marvelous and great faith, through which he delivered the servant from the illness, Christ added, saying: Many will come from the east and the west and will recline with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out. He said these things, proclaiming beforehand both the calling of the Gentiles and the rejection of the Jews; which has now come to pass in reality and is shown to all more clearly than the sun; but at that time it was for a while unclear and not easily accepted by the unbelieving. For this very reason He provided beforehand the sign that came to pass then, pre-establishing great faith in what was to happen afterwards; just as therefore also the prophecy itself, now appearing in its effects, to the sign

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καὶ τοῦ βαρβαρικοῦ στρατοπέδου, καὶ τῆς παραδόξου νίκης ἀπολαύσαντες, εἰς πλῆθος πάλιν ἐπέδοσαν καὶ εἰς βίου μῆκος, οὐδενὸς πολέμου θορυβοῦντος αὐτούς. Ὅταν δὲ εἴπῃ ὅτι Μακρυνεῖ ἢ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἢ τὸ μῆκος τῶν ἐτῶν αἰνίττεται. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι περὶ τῶν δύο φυλῶν ταῦτά φησιν, ἐπήγαγεν ὅτι Ἐπ' αὐτῆς ἐστι τὸ Ἐπιδέκατον, Ἐπιδέκατον λέγων τὸ ἐπάνω τῶν δέκα, τὸ περισσὸν τῶν δέκα, ὅπερ ἦσαν αἱ δύο φυλαί. Ταύτῃ καὶ Παῦλος τῇ λέξει κέχρηται λέγων· Ἐπάνω πεντακοσίοις ἀδελφοῖς, τουτέστι, πλείοσι πεντακοσίων. Καὶ πάλιν ἔσται εἰς προνομὴν ὡς τερέβινθος. Τουτέστι, αἱ δύο φυλαί. Καὶ ὡς βάλανος, ὅταν ἐκπέσῃ τῆς θήκης αὐτῆς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀτερπὴς ἐκεῖνος ὁ καρπὸς ἐκπεσὼν τῆς θήκης, οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι καταγέλαστοι καὶ ἐπονείδιστοι ἔσονται τῆς πόλεως ἐκπεσόντες καὶ τῆς δόξης ἐκείνης γυμνωθέντες ἅπαντες. Σπέρμα ἅγιον τὸ στήλωμα αὐτῆς. Οὐ μὴν ἀνίατα τὰ κακὰ ἔσται, φησίν, οὐδὲ ἀτελεύτητα, ἀλλὰ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῆς ἅγιον ἔσται, καὶ Στήλωμα, τουτέστι, βέβαιον, πεπηγός, ἀκίνητον, ἀναμένον τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων μεταβολήν. Τῆς μὲν γὰρ εὐπραγίας ἐκπεσοῦνται, αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐ πανωλεθρίαν ὑποστήσονται, ἀλλὰ μενοῦσι καὶ στήσονται, ἕως ἂν ἀπολάβωσι τὴν προτέραν πολιτείαν πάλιν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν προτέραν ἐπανέλθωσιν ἁγιστίαν.

7.τ ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ζʹ

7.1 Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἄχαζ τοῦ Ἰωαθὰν τοῦ Ὀζίου βασιλέως Ἰούδα.

Ὅπερ πολλάκις εἶπον, τοῦτο καὶνῦν ἐρῶ, ὅτι τὸ παλαιὸν αἱ προφητεῖαι οὐ διὰ τοῦτο ἐγίνοντο, ἵνα ἁπλῶς οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τὰ μέλλοντα μάθωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα μαθόντες, ἐντεῦθεν κερδάνωσι καὶ τῷ φόβῳ τῆς ἀπειλῆς γένωνται σωφρονέστεροι καὶ τῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὑποσχέσει προθυμότεροι περὶ τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐργασίαν, ἑκατέρωθεν μανθάνοντες τοῦ Θεοῦ τήν τε δύναμιν καὶ τὴν περὶ αὐτοὺς κηδεμονίαν. Καὶ γὰρ ταύτης ἕνεκεν τῆς αἰτίας προελέγετο τὰ λεγόμενα, καὶ ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσιν ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε τὰ συμβαίνοντα ἐπιέναι, κατά τινα ἀκολουθίαν φύσεως ἢ πραγμάτων φοράν, ἀλλὰ εἰδῶσιν, ὅτι ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ψήφου ταῦτα ἑκάτερα γίγνεται· ὅπερ αὐτοὺς τὰ μέγιστα εἰς θεογνωσίαν ὠφέλει. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδή, καθάπερ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἔφθην εἰπών, ἡ προφητεία οὐκ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ καιρῷ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν εἶχεν, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ῥήματα τότε ἐλέγετο, τὰ δὲ πράγματα μακροῖς ὕστερον ἔμελλον ἐκβήσεσθαι χρόνοις, ἐνίων τῶν ἀκουόντων πολλάκις καὶ προαπερχομένων καὶ οὐ δυναμένων δικάσαι τῇ τῶν λεγομένων ἀκολουθίᾳ, ὅρα τί ποιεῖ καὶ πραγματεύεται ὁ Θεός. Προφητείαν προφητείαις συνάπτει μακροτέραις ἐγγυτέραν, τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς γενεᾶς αὐτῶν γενομένην τῶν μακρὸν ὕστερον ἐσομένων μεγίστην ἀπόδειξιν παρεχόμενος. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν εὐαγγελίων καὶ ἑτέρως μεθοδεύει τουτὶ τῆς ὠφελείας τὸ εἶδος, θαύματα προφητείαις συνάπτων καὶ θάτερον θατέρῳ κατασκευάζων. Οἷον τι λέγω· προσῆλθεν αὐτῷ ὁ λεπρός ποτε καὶ ἐκαθάρθη καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνον πάλιν ὁ τοῦ ἑκατοντάρχου παῖς ἀπηλλάγη τῆς χαλεπῆς ἀρρωστίας ἐκείνης καὶ σημεῖα ταῦτα μεγάλα ἦν· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἔστη μέχρι τῶν σημείων, ἀλλὰ καὶ προφητείαν προστέθεικεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος τὴν θαυμαστὴν ἐκείνην καὶ μεγάλην ἐπεδείξατο πίστιν, δι' ἧς τὸν παῖδα ἀπήλλαξε τῆς ἀρρωστίας, ἐπήγαγεν ὁ Χριστὸς λέγων· Πολλοὶ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ δυσμῶν ἥξουσι καὶ ἀνακλιθήσονται μετὰ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ, οἱ δὲ υἱοὶτῆς βασιλείας ἐκβληθήσονται ἔξω. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγε, καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν κλῆσιν καὶ τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀποβολὴν προαναφωνῶν· ὃ δὴ νῦν ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων ἐξέβη καὶ τοῦ ἡλίου φανερώτερον ἅπασι δείκνυται· ἀλλὰ τότε τέως ἄδηλον ἦν καὶ τοῖς ἀπίστοις οὐκ εὐπαράδεκτον. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο σημεῖον προέλαβε τὸ τότε ἐκβάν, τῷ μετὰ ταῦτα συμβησομένῳ πολλὴν προαποτιθέμενος τὴν πίστιν· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ προφητεία, ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων φαινομένη νῦν, τῷ σημείῳ