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turned to bitterness. And it became a dry land, when the enemy army came upon them with countless darts and arrows, bringing desolation. But mountains being plowed, the souls that have believed in Christ, formerly 1973 desolate and uncultivated, and full of thorns before the coming of Christ; but when he came for the fall and rising of many, and called the things that are not so that he might bring to nothing the things that are; for this reason, those of the circumcision, having lost their verdure and fruitfulness, were changed into a dry land; but the body from the gentiles, the plowed mountain, is plowed, delivered from all fear of the enemies. For a mountain is the soul exalted by the Lord's teaching; and when he came, Israel was broken off, but the gentiles were planted, so that by their transgression salvation might be administered to all, and without fear both sheep and oxen, feeding on these mountains, provide abundant benefit from themselves. Sheep are those of better character; oxen are those most diligent in the work of necessary things. CHAPTER 8. 1-4. 9And the Lord said to me, Take for yourself a new, large scroll, and write on it with a man's stylus, to quickly make a spoil of the plunder. For it is at hand. And make for me faithful men as witnesses, Uriah and Zechariah the son of Berechiah9, etc. Having spoken of the difficult things that were about to befall them, he took up again the discourse concerning Emmanuel. For since the sign was paradoxical, a child born of a virgin, no longer to Ahaz, nor to the house of David, but to the prophet himself he shows the manner of the mystery. For teaching him what he would need to write in the new scroll, he speaks in his own person, and I went in to the prophetess. That is, write these things. But since it was not for all ears to hear, he orders the prophet to take a scroll, or a book, or a parchment, or a volume, according to the others. The new and large scroll would be a type of the new and great covenant, as the first has grown old. For it was weak, and could make no one perfect; But he says, "For yourself," distinguishing the believers from those said to be disobedient. For to them are given the things in the new scroll containing the mystery of Christ. And the scroll is also called great. For it does not have the lowliness of the legal history. For which reason Paul also gladly suffers loss, because of the surpassing knowledge of Christ. For as he says, the new has been legislated upon better sacrifices. And he says, "with a man's stylus," because the words of the Gospel have been written in human language, and accessible to the many. For there is another writing, not human, according to which, by the power of the Spirit, those in the book of life are enrolled. And perhaps the things concerning the divinity of the Only-Begotten are not of a human stylus 1976, as are the things concerning his incarnation, about which is the present discourse. For that is another pen, as the divine David also says: "My tongue is the pen of a swift writer." "For no one knows the Son except the Father, nor the Father except the Son, and he to whom God wills to reveal him." For with a human stylus John says: The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and whatever follows these things said concerning the flesh. He writes, therefore, about quickly making a spoil of the plunder. For the time is drawing near, in which the two kings must suffer these things from the king of the Assyrians, by the power of Emmanuel whom he commanded the Jews to sing in battle. And at his very coming, the teaching of the Gospel became swift and quicker than any lightning, plundering the ruler of this age throughout the whole world, and drawing away to the obedience of Christ those who had been taken captive. But let the witnesses of the things written be, he says in the Gospel, Uriah and Zechariah. For at that time Uriah was a priest, as is clear from the history, and Zechariah a prophet. For it happened in the time of Hezekiah, as it is written in Chronicles. But he calls these to witness symbolically. For the priest signifies the law, which he taught; and the prophets are signified by Zechariah.

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στραφεῖσα πρὸς πικρίαν. Καὶ γέγονεν εἰς χέρσον, ὅτε μετὰ μυρίων αὐτοῖς βελῶν καὶ τοξευμάτων ὁ πολέμιος ἐπῆλθε στρατὸς ἐρημίαν ἐπάγων. Ὄρη δὲ ἀροτριώμενα, αἱ εἰς Χριστὸν πεπιστευκυῖαι ψυχαὶ, πρότερον μὲν 1973 ἔρημοι καὶ ἀγεώργητοι, καὶ ἠκανθωμέναι πρὸ τῆς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἦλθεν εἰς πτῶσιν καὶ ἀνάστασιν πολλῶν, καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὰ μὴ ὄντα ἵνα τὰ ὄντα καταργήσῃ· διὰ τοῦτο, οἱ μὲν ἐκ περιτομῆς ἀπολέσαντες τὸ εὐθαλὲς καὶ τὸ ἔγκαρπον, εἰς χέρσον μετέβαλον· τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν σύστημα, τὸ ἀροτριώμενον ὄρος, ἀροτριᾶται ἀπαλλαγὲν πάσης δειλίας τῶν πολεμίων. Ὅρος γὰρ ἡ ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου διδασκαλίας ὑψωθεῖσα ψυχή· οὗ ἐλθόντος, ἐξεκλάσθη μὲν Ἰσραὴλ, κατεφυτεύθη δὲ τὰ ἔθνη, ὡς ἂν τῷ ἐκείνων παραπτώματι ἡ σωτηρία πᾶσιν οἰκονομηθῇ, καὶ ἀδεῶς τοῖς ὄρεσι τούτοις καὶ πρόβατα καὶ βόες ἐννεμόμενα, ἄφθονον τὴν παρ' ἑαυτῶν ὠφέλειαν παρέχονται. Πρόβατα μὲν οἱ τὰ ἤθη χρηστότεροι· βόες δὲ οἱ πρὸς τὴν ἐργασίαν τῶν ἀναγκαίων φιλοπονώτατοι. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ηʹ. αδʹ. 9Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρός με· Λάβε σεαυτῷ τόμον καινὸν μέγαν, καὶ γράψον εἰς αὐτὸν γραφίδι ἀνθρώπου, τοῦ ὀξέως προνομὴν ποιῆσαι σκύλων. Πάρεστι γάρ. Καὶ μάρτυράς μοι ποίησον πιστοὺς ἀνθρώπους, τὸν Οὐρίαν καὶ τὸν Ζαχαρίαν υἱὸν Βαραχίου9, κ.τ.λ. Εἰπὼν τὰ μέλλοντα καταλαβεῖν αὐτοὺς δυσχερῆ, τὸν περὶ τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ ἐπανείληφε λόγον. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ τὸ σημεῖον ὑπῆρχε παράδοξον, παιδίον ἐκ παρθένου γενόμενον, οὐκέτι μὲν τῷ Ἄχαζ, οὐδὲ τῷ οἴκῳ ∆αβὶδ, αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ προφήτῃ παραδείκνυσι τοῦ μυστηρίου τὸν τρόπον. ∆ιδάσκων γὰρ αὐτὸν ἅπερ ἐν τῷ καινῷ γράφειν τόμῳ δεήσειεν, ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ ἰδίου φησὶ, καὶ προσῆλθον πρὸς τὴν προφῆτιν. Τοῦτ' ἔστι ταῦτα γράψον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ ἐκφορὰ ταῖς πάντων ἦν ἀκοαῖς, προστάττει τῷ προφήτῃ λαβεῖν τόμον, ἢ τεῦχος, ἢ διφθέρωμα, ἢ κεφαλίδα, κατὰ τοὺς λοιπούς. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ καινοῦ καὶ μεγάλου τόμος τύπος ἂν εἴη τῆς καινῆς καὶ μεγάλης διαθήκης, ὡς τῆς πρώτης πεπαλαιωμένης. Ἀσθενὴς γὰρ ἦν, καὶ τελειοῦν εἶχεν οὐδένα· Σεαυτῷ δέ φησιν, ἀντιδιαστέλλων τοὺς πιστεύοντας πρὸς τοὺς ἀπειθεῖν εἰρημένους. Ἐκείνοις γὰρ τὰ ἐν τῷ καινῷ δίδοται τόμῳ τὸ Χριστοῦ μυστήριον περιέχοντα. Λέγεται δὲ καὶ μέγας ὁ τόμος. Οὐ δὲ γὰρ ἔχει τῆς νομικῆς ἱστορίας τὸ ταπεινόν. ∆ι' ὃ καὶ ζημιοῦται Παῦλος ἡδέως, διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καθὰ γάρ φησιν ἐπὶ κρείττοσι θυσίαις ἡ νέα νενομοθέτηται. Γραφίδι δέ φησιν ἀνθρώπου, διὰ τὸ λέξει ἀνθρωπίνῃ, καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς βατῇ γεγράφθαι τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τὰ ῥήματα. Εἶναι γὰρ ἑτέραν γραφὴν, οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνην, καθ' ἣν δυνάμει τοῦ Πνεύματος οἱ ἐν βίβλῳ ζωῆς ἀπογράφονται. Τάχα δὲ τὰ περὶ τῆς θεότητος τοῦ Μονογενοῦς οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνης ἐστὶ γραφί 1976 δος, ὡς τὰ περὶ τῆς τούτου σαρκώσεως, περὶ ἧς νῦν πρόκειται λόγος. Ἕτερος γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὁ κάλαμος, ὡς καὶ ∆αβὶδ ὁ θεῖός φησιν· "Ἡ γλώσσα μου κάλαμος γραμματέως ὀξυγράφου." "Οἶδεν γὰρ οὐδεὶς τὸν Υἱὸν, εἰ μὴ ὁ Πατὴρ, οὐδὲ τὸν Πατέρα πλὴν τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ ᾧ ἐὰν βούληται ὁ Θεὸς ἀποκαλύψαι." Γραφίδι γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φησὶν Ἰωάννης· Ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν· ὅσα τὰ τούτοις ἀκόλουθα περὶ τῶν κατὰ σάρκα λεγόμενα. Γράφει τοίνυν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀξέως προνομὴν ποιῆσαι σκύλων. Ἐγγίζειν γὰρ τὸν καιρὸν, καθ' ὃν δεῖ ταῦτα τοὺς δύο βασιλέας παθεῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Ἀσσυρίων, δυνάμει τοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ Ὃν ἐπᾴδειν ἐν τῇ μάχῃ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις προσέταξεν. Καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῆς δὲ τῆς παρουσίας ταχεῖα γέγονε καὶ ἀστραπῆς πάσης ὀξυτέρα τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἡ διδασκαλία, διὰ πάσης τῆς οἰκουμένης σκυλεύουσα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τὸν ἄρχοντα, καὶ πρὸς ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοὺς αἰχμαλωτισθέντας ἀφέλκουσα. Μάρτυρες δὲ τῶν γραφομένων ἔστωσαν, φησὶν ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ, Οὐρίας καὶ Ζαχαρίας. Ἦσαν γὰρ τότε Οὐρίας μὲν ἱερεὺς, ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τῆς ἱστορίας, Ζαχαρίας δὲ προφήτης. Ἐπ' Ἐζεκίου γὰρ γέγονεν, ὡς ἐν ταῖς Παραλειπομέναις γέγραπται. Συμβολικῶς δὲ τούτους εἰς μαρτύριον καλεῖ. ∆ηλοῖ γὰρ ὁ μὲν ἱερεὺς τὸν νόμον, ὅνπερ ἐδίδασκεν· οἱ δὲ προφῆται διὰ Ζαχαρίου σημαίνονται.