53

to have Rezin, and the son of Remaliah as king over you, for this reason, behold, the Lord brings up upon you the water of the river, the strong and the abundant, the king of the Assyrians, and his glory9, etc. And these things are of the same subject; which the Lord added, speaking not to the people, but to the prophet, that the people disobeyed, having been commanded not to fear the kings, but to be of good courage at the invocation of Emmanuel. Those who did not do this loved to serve the kings, not receiving the water of Siloam; which signifies Emmanuel himself; who is a spring of living water leaping up to eternal life. Whom they received neither during the war of the kings, nor at the time of his incarnation. But quietly and according to the history the water of Siloam is given out. And it shows concerning Christ, that even before he came, he secretly walked with the people, wishing to water and watch over their souls, and not yet having been preached to all the nations; and he made his own coming without a sound. And it agrees with the name of Siloam, which is interpreted as "sent." Paul, at any rate, calls him the apostle and high priest of our confession. And the Savior symbolically sent the man blind from birth to Siloam. But he received his sight, having received the water of Siloam. But the people now being accused by the Lord, not believing in Siloam, who is Emmanuel, becomes bereft of him. And instead of the two kings whom they loved, they are given over to serve the Assyrians, and to the one who spiritually rules over them, because they did not want the water of Siloam, or rather they rejected it, according to Symmachus, according to that which says, "The stone which the builders rejected, this has become the head of the corner." In return for which things he says he will bring upon them the abundant and strong water, the Assyrian, contrasting this with the quiet water. And his glory, he called the rulers and peoples under him. And it is a custom of Holy Scripture to compare the multitude to water. For it says through the voice of the prophets: "And Nineveh, like a pool of waters, are her waters." "But there will not remain," it says, "among them a man lifting his head"; that is, one able to rule. But the multitude will cover the whole land. Which happened in the time of Jeremiah, when Nebuchadnezzar campaigned. 19. 9God with us. Know, O nations, and be vanquished; listen, to the end of the earth. You who are strong, be vanquished. For if you are strong again, you will be vanquished again. And whatever counsel you may take, the Lord will scatter it9, etc. These things are also connected with those concerning Emmanuel; 1981 which "God with us" also signifies, being said now for a second time by the prophet. Having convicted the others who did not believe, freeing himself from their accusation, from himself and those like him with very great pleasure, he cried out, "God with us," turning to the nations. Therefore, he exhorts them to know these things, Emmanuel; whom the people of the circumcision did not know, nor did they understand. "But you," he says, "have been vanquished with a good defeat, having been taken captive into the obedience of Christ, through whom you will be free from the bondage of the law of sin." "Listen, therefore, to the end of the earth, to those who announce the Gospel to you." "For their sound has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world." And, those among you who are strong in word and mighty, be conquered by the preaching of piety; for even if unwilling you will be vanquished, being convicted for your vain counsels against God, and by the words spoken from a threat. And one might say to put away bodily strength, and to take up the weakness of the flesh, so that the power of God might be perfected in weakness. But if the mind of the flesh rises up against you again, subject it again to the spirit, and your counsel and word will be idle, because he threatens: He will set aside the wisdom of the wise and the understanding of the prudent. For the angel of great counsel abolishes human counsel, and God the Word sets aside the human word. And it is useful to say these things to those who persecute the Church. But some, the first things to the nations and

53

ἔχειν τὸν Ῥαασσὼν, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν Ῥωμελίου βασιλέα ἐφ' ὑμῶν, διὰ τοῦτο, ἰδοὺ Κύριος ἀνάγει ἐφ' ὑμᾶς τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ ποταμοῦ, τὸ ἰσχυρὸν, καὶ τὸ πολὺ, τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων, καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ9, κ.τ.λ. Καὶ ταῦτα τῆς αὐτῆς ὑποθέσεως· ἅπερ οὐ τῷ λαῷ, τῷ δὲ προφήτῃ λέγων προσέθηκε Κύριος, ὅτι παρήκουσεν ὁ λαὸς προσταχθεὶς μὴ φοβεῖσθαι τοὺς βασιλέας, τῇ δὲ τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ ἐπικλήσει θαῤῥεῖν. Ὁ μὴ ποιήσαντες δουλεύειν ἠγάπων τοῖς βασιλεῦσι, τὸ ὕδωρ μὴ δεχόμενοι τοῦ Σιλωάμ· ὅπερ αὐτὸν δηλοῖ τὸν Ἐμμανουήλ· ὅς ἐστι πηγὴ ὕδατος ζῶντος ἀλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Ὃν οὔτε κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον τῶν βασιλέων, οὔτε κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς αὐτοῦ σαρκώσεως ὑπεδέξαντο. Ἡσυχῇ δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκδίδοται τοῦ Σιλωὰμ. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ περὶ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι καὶ πρὶν ἐπιδημῆσαι, λανθανόντως συνεπορεύετο τῷ λαῷ, τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν ἀρδεύειν ἐπισκοπεῖν τε βουλόμενος, καὶ μηδέπω κηρυχθεὶς εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη· ἀψοφητὶ δὲ καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρουσίαν πεποίηται. Συμβαίνει δὲ καὶ τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τοῦ Σιλωὰμ ὃς ἀπεσταλμένος ἑρμηνεύεται. Ἀπόστολον γοῦν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀρχιερέα τῆς ὁμολογίας ἡμῶν ὁ Παῦλος καλεῖ. Καὶ τὸν ἐκ γεννητῆς δὲ τυφλὸν συμβολικῶς ὁ Σωτὴρ εἰς τὸν Σιλωὰμ ἐξαπέστειλεν. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἀνέβλεψε τὸ ὕδωρ δεξάμενος τοῦ Σιλωάμ. Ὁ δὲ νῦν κατηγορούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου λαὸς, μὴ πιστεύσας τῷ Σιλωὰμ, ὅς ἐστιν Ἐμμανουὴλ, ἔρημος αὐτοῦ γίνεται. Καὶ ἀντὶ τῶν δύο βασιλέων, οἷς ἠγάπων, δουλεύειν τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις ἐκδίδονται, καὶ τῷ νοητῶς τούτων ἐπάρχοντι, ὅτι τὸ ὕδωρ οὐκ ἠβουλήθησαν τοῦ Σιλωὰμ ἤγουν ἀπεδοκίμασαν, κατὰ Σύμμαχον, κατὰ τὸ, "Λίθος ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες, οὗτος ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γονίας." Ἀνθ' ὧν αὐτοῖς ἐπάξειν φησὶ τὸ πολύ τε ὕδωρ καὶ ἰσχυρὸν τὸν Ἀσσύριον, τῷ ὕδατι τῷ ἡσύχῳ τοῦτον ἀντιτιθείς. ∆όξαν δὲ αὐτοῦ, τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἄρχοντας ἐκάλεσεν καὶ λαούς. Ὕδατι δὲ παρεικάζειν τὸ πλῆθος φίλον τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ. Φησὶ γοῦν διὰ φωνῆς προφητῶν· "Καὶ Νινευὴ, ὡς κολυμβήθρα ὑδάτων, τὰ ὕδατα αὐτῆς." Οὐ μενεῖ δὲ, φησὶ, παρ' αὐτοῖς ἀνὴρ αἴρων κεφαλήν· τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἄρξαι δυνάμενος. Τὸ δὲ πλῆθος καλύψει πᾶσαν τὴν χώραν. Ὅπερ ἐπὶ Ἱερεμίου γέγονεν, στρατεύσαντος τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσωρ. θιʹ. 9Μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός. Γνῶτε, ἔθνη, καὶ ἡττᾶσθε, ἐπακούσατε ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. Ἰσχυκότες, ἡττᾶσθε. Ἐὰν γὰρ πάλιν ἰσχύσατε, πάλιν ἡττηθήσεσθε. Καὶ ἣν ἂν βουλὴν βουλεύσησθε, διασκεδάσει Κύριοσ9, κ.τ.λ. Τοῖς περὶ τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ καὶ ταῦτα συνήρτηται· 1981 ὃ καὶ δηλοῖ μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεὸς, δεύτερον νῦν ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου λεγόμενον. Ὧ μὴ πιστεύσαντας τοὺς ἄλλους ἐλέγξας τῆς ἐκείνων ἑαυτὸν κατηγορίας ἐλευθερῶν, ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν ὁμοίων σὺν ἡδονῇ πλείστῃ, μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεὸς ἀνακέκραγεν στραφεὶς πρὸς τὰ ἔθνη. Ταῦτα δ' οὖν γνῶναι παρακελεύεται τὸν Ἐμμανουήλ· ὃν ὁ ἐκ περιτομῆς λαὸς οὐκ ἔγνω, οὔτε συνῆκεν. Ὑμεῖς δὲ, φησὶ, τὴν καλὴν ἧτταν ἡττήθητε αἰχμαλωτισθέντες εἰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ τῆς δουλείας ἐλεύθεροι τοῦ νόμου τῆς ἀμαρτίας γενήσεσθε. Ἐπακούσασθε τοίνυν ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς τῶν καταγγελλόντων ὑμῖν τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον. "Εἰς πᾶσαν γὰρ τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν, καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν." Καὶ, οἱ ἐν ὑμῖν δὲ ἰσχυροὶ τῷ λόγῳ καὶ δυνατοὶ, νικᾶσθε τοῦ τῆς εὐσεβείας κηρύγματος· καὶ μὴ θέλοντες γὰρ ἡττηθήσεσθε ἐπὶ ταῖς ματαίαις κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλαῖς ὑμῶν ἐλεγχόμενοι, καὶ λόγοις τοῖς ἐξ ἀπειλῆς λεγομένοις. Λέγοι δ' ἂν ἀποθέσθαι καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν τὴν σωματικὴν, καὶ σαρκὸς ἀναλαμβάνειν ἀσθένειαν, ὡς ἂν ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειωθῇ. Ἐὰν δέ σοι πάλιν ἐπαναστῇ τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς, πάλιν ὑπόταξον τοῦτο τῷ πνεύματι, καὶ ἡ βουλὴ δὲ ὑμῶν καὶ ὁ λόγος ἀργήσει, διότι ἀπειλεῖ· Τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν συνετῶν ἀθετήσει. Βουλὴν γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνην καταργεῖ ὁ τῆς μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος, καὶ λόγον ἀνθρώπινον ἀθετεῖ ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος. Χρήσιμον δὲ ταῦτα λέγειν τοῖς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν διώκουσι. Τινὲς δὲ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα πρὸς ἔθνη καὶ