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But the gospel is established, being testified to by the law and the prophets. Wherefore at the time of the transfiguration on the mountain, Moses and Elijah were talking together about Christ, and of the exodus which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem, which signifies the end of the economy, the cross, the death, the resurrection, the ascension. And Uriah is interpreted as "light of God," and Zechariah as "remembrance of God." And son of Barachias, of the blessing of God. What witness is more credible than one enlightened by God, and having remembrance of God? So with these present, he writes: I went to the prophetess, and she conceived, and bore a son. For the Lord says, that I Myself will go to the prophetess. And he calls the Mother of Christ thus because she partook of the Holy Spirit, according to: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." For the prophet is taught that the birth of Christ will not be of the blood of flesh, or of the will of man. "For Christ is the firstfruits," and of those being born again in him; concerning whom these things have been said. And the Virgin, having received the Spirit that came upon her, prophesied saying: "For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;" and what follows this. But he says, I went, using the present tense instead of the future, according to scriptural custom. And he says, name the one born, "Spoil quickly, plunder speedily." Because even before the birth according to the flesh, and before claiming carnal parents, he now overthrows the two kings. And this he will do 1977 through the king of the Assyrians, using, he says, my power, he will destroy their kingdoms. And otherwise, he quickly spoiled the strong one, who was guarding, as his own possession, those sold under sin and bound by death. And he plundered speedily, delivering the faithful to his own powers for safekeeping; "Whose angels see, as he says, the face of my Father who is in heaven." And his speedy plundering is shown by, "Having ascended on high, he led captivity captive. He received gifts in heaven;" which he did, "Having entered the house of the strong man, and having seized his goods," as he himself says in a parable. And the prophet says elsewhere: "He has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives." And by saying "is present," he at the same time shows that the punishment of the kings will not be far off. And at the same time he says that the things of the Savior's advent are near. And he whom he had called Emmanuel, he now called "Spoil quickly, plunder speedily." For it is a custom in Scripture to name God from his different activities; as also Jesus, from the salvation given to us by God. And the power of Damascus, those from the nations who believe. And the spoil of Samaria, would be the unbelievers from the circumcision. For Damascus is the metropolis of Syria, and Samaria of Israel. How did the one born immediately spoil these? Because he was about to do the same thing not long after; or also, because the magi came and worshipped him as God, and brought gifts, having been plundered for piety while he was still an infant fighting for them, and for the others, against the spiritual king of the Assyrians. But the phrase, "and I went to the prophetess," some say is spoken not from the person of the Lord, but of the prophet; who also say that "I went," is instead of "I drew near in spirit and foreknowledge of future things to the prophetess." For I understood, and as it were I approached with prophetic foreknowledge, and I saw the conception from afar, having gazed intently beforehand with the gift of prophecy; who are also at a loss as to how the prophet, having been commanded to take a scroll, does something else, going in to the prophetess. But it is clear, they say, that the silence towards him indicated consent and action. For how could the prophet have disobeyed God? but that having been clearly described, the matter of the prophetess is delivered from its own beginning. 58. 9And the Lord added to speak to me yet again: Because this people does not want the water 1980 of Siloam that goes quietly, but wants

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Συνίσταται δὲ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὑπὸ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν μαρτυρούμενον. Ὅθεν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἐν τῷ ὄρει μεταμορφώσεως, Μωϋσῆς καὶ Ἠλίας συνελάλουν περὶ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τῆς ἐξόδου, ἧς ἤμελλε πληροῦν ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἥτις δηλοῖ τῆς οἰκονομίας τὸ πέρας, τὸν σταυρὸν, τὸν θάνατον, τὴν ἀνάστασιν, τὴν ἀνάληψιν. Ἑρμηνεύεται δὲ ὁ μὲν Οὐρίας φωτισμὸς Θεοῦ, ὁ δὲ Ζαχαρίας μνήμη Θεοῦ. Υἱὸς δὲ Βαραχίου τῆς εὐλογίας τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τίς δὲ μάρτυς ἀξιοπιστότερος τοῦ πεφωτισμένου ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, καὶ μνήμην ἔχοντος τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ὧν δὴ παρόντων γράφει· Προσῆλθον πρὸς τὴν προφῆτιν, καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔλαβεν, καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱόν. Φησὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος, ὡς Αὐτὸς ἐγὼ προσελεύσομαι τῇ προφήτιδι. Καλεῖ δὲ οὕτω τὴν Μητέρα Χριστοῦ διὰ τὸ Πνεύματος ἁγίου μετασχεῖν, κατὰ τό· "Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ δύναμις Ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι." Παιδεύεται γὰρ ὁ προφήτης, ὡς οὐκ ἐξ αἴματος σαρκὸς, ἢ θελήματος ἀνδρὸς ἡ Χριστοῦ γενήσεται γέννησις. "Ἀπαρχὴ γὰρ Χριστὸς," καὶ τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ἀναγεννωμένων· περὶ ὧν εἴρηται ταῦτα. ∆εξαμένη δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἐπελθὸν ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἡ Παρθένος προεφήτευσε λέγουσα· "Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν μακαριοῦσίν με πᾶσαι αἱ γενεαί·" καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τούτοις. Προσῆλθον δὲ, φησὶ, συνηθείᾳ γραφικῇ ἀντὶ μέλλοντος τῷ ἐνεστῶτι χρησάμενος. Τὸν δὲ τεχθέντα, φησὶν, ὀνόμαζε ταχέως σκύλευσον, ὀξέως προνόμευσον. Ἐπειδὴ καὶ πρὸ τῆς κατὰ σάρκα γεννήσεως, καὶ πρὶν ἐπιγράψασθαι γονέας σαρκικοὺς, τοὺς δύο καθαιρεῖ νῦν βασιλέας. Καὶ τοῦτο πράξει 1977 διὰ τοῦ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων βασιλέως, ὡς ἐμῇ χρώμενος, φησὶ, δυνάμει, τὰς βασιλείας αὐτῶν καταστρέψεται. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ, ταχέως ἐσκύλευσε, τὸν ἰσχυρὸν, τὸν φυλάσσοντα, καθάπερ ἴδιον κτῆμα, τοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν πεπραμένους καὶ δεδεμένους θανάτῳ. Προενόμευσε δὲ, ταῖς ἰδίαις δυνάμεσι παραδοὺς εἰς φυλακὴν τοὺς πιστούς· "Ὧν οἱ ἄγγελοι βλέπουσιν, ὡς λέγει, τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς." Τὴν δὲ ὀξεῖαν αὐτοῦ προνομὴν δηλοῖ τὸ, "Ἀναβὰς εἰς ὕψος ᾐχμαλώτευσεν αἰχμαλωσίαν. Ἔλαβεν δόματα ἐν οὐρανοῖς·" ὃ πεποίηκε, "Εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ, καὶ διαρπάσας αὐτοῦ τὰ σκεύη," καθά φησιν αὐτὸς ἐν παραβολῇ. Καὶ ὁ προφήτης δέ φησιν ἀλλαχοῦ· "Εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέν με, κηρύξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν." Τὸ δὲ πάρεστιν εἰπὼν, ἅμα μὲν δηλοῖ τὴν τῶν βασιλέων τιμωρίαν οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἐσομένην. Ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὰ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίας ἐγγίζειν φησίν. Ὃν δὲ κέκληκεν Ἐμμανουὴλ, νῦν ἐκάλεσε Ταχέως σκύλευσον, Ὀξέως προνόμευσον. Ἔθος γὰρ τῇ Γραφῇ τὸν Θεὸν ἐκ τῶν διαφόρων ὀνομάζειν ἐνεργειῶν· ὡς καὶ Ἰησοῦν, παρὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ δεδομένην ἡμῖν σωτηρίαν. ∆ύναμις δὲ ∆αμασκοῦ, οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν πιστεύοντες. Σκύλα δὲ Σαμαρείας, οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς εἶεν ἄπιστοι. ∆αμασκὸς μὲν γὰρ Συρίας μητρόπολις, Σαμαρεία δὲ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Πῶς ὁ γεννηθεὶς εὐθὺς τούτους ἐσκύλευσε; ∆ιὰ τὸ μέλλειν οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ταὐτὸ ποιεῖν· ἢ καὶ, ὅτι μάγοι προσελθόντες αὐτῷ προσεκύνησαν, ὡς Θεῷ, καὶ δῶρα προσήνεγκαν σκυλευθέντες πρὸς θεοσέβειαν ἔτι βρέφους ὑπάρχοντος πολεμήσαντος ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ἀπέναντι τοῦ νοητοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Ἀσσυρίων. Τὸ δὲ, καὶ προσῆλθον πρὸς τὴν προφῆτιν, οὐκ ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Κυρίου, τοῦ δὲ προφητικοῦ φασιν εἰρῆσθαί τινες· οἳ καὶ τὸ, προσῆλθον, φασὶν ἀντὶ τοῦ ἤγγισα τῷ πνεύματι καὶ τῇ προγνώσει τῶν ἐσομένων τῇ προφήτιδι. Κατέλαβον γὰρ, καὶ οἷον ἐπλησίασα τῇ προγνώσει τῇ προφητικῇ, καὶ εἶδον τὴν σύλληψιν πόῤῥωθεν προενατενίσας τῷ χαρίσματι τῆς προφητείας· οἳ καὶ ἀποροῦσι πῶς κελευθεὶς ὁ προφήτης τόμον λαβεῖν, ἄλλο ποιεῖ, πρὸς τὴν προφῆτιν εἰσιών. Ἀλλὰ δῆλον, φασὶν, ὡς ἡ σιωπὴ ἡ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον συγκατάθεσιν καὶ πρᾶξιν ἐδήλωσεν. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν ὁ προφήτης παρήκουσε τοῦ Θεοῦ; ἀλλ' ἐκείνου δηλονότι περιγεγραμμένου, τὸ τῆς προφήτιδος ἐξ ἰδίας ἀρχῆς παραδίδοται. εηʹ. 9Καὶ προσέθετο Κύριος λαλῆσαί μοι ἔτι· ∆ιὰ τοῦ μὴ βούλεσθαι τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον τὸ ὕδωρ 1980 τοῦ Σιλωὰμ τὸ πορευόμενον ἡσυχῇ, ἀλλὰ βούλεσθαι