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a lion by nature, fed on straw like a grass-eating animal, would again be a man, beastly and harsh, rejoicing in the bare letter of the divine scripture, of which the hidden sense in secret would itself be the nourishing word of souls; but the letter that surrounds it is the straw. Furthermore, in addition to these, a nursing child, such as was mentioned a little before; it is said that he will lay his hand on the hole of asps and suffer no harm. And the holes and lairs of asps and their offspring would be the bodies of those troubled by demons, in which the creeping and venomous spirits, hiding, lie down, using the senses of the body like holes. But the child of Christ, a simple man and “a child in malice,” driving these out by the power of the Savior, lays his hand upon them, who are able to do no harm because of him who came forth “from the root of Jesse,” “who gave authority” to his children “to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy.” He promises that all these things will happen on his holy mountain, which was also indicated by what was said before, not foreign to the heavenly and evangelical word, upon which “the house of God” and “his church is built.” Therefore, lest anyone think that the holy mountain mentioned here is that which is supposed by the Jews to be in a corner of Palestine, he clarifies the meaning, adding in sequence: that the whole earth was filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as much water covers the seas, thus signifying the church of God established throughout the whole world and the pious knowledge preached in it, which floods all the saltiness of the evil of life, as with a great current, and cleanses away all the filth of the soul. And he says, “It shall be in that day,” clearly, that is, at the prophesied time, this same one “from the root of Jesse” who will rise up—after he rises, clearly, that is, after the resurrection from the dead, “a ruler and leader of the nations,” and in him the nations will hope. For he will not be king of the Jews, nor like David himself and his successors will he rule over some small corner, but he will rule over those in all the earth. And in him the nations will hope, that prophecy also being fulfilled through which it was said by Moses: “A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his loins, until he comes for whom it is reserved, and he will be the expectation of the nations.” Finally, he brings the whole discourse to a conclusion: “And his rest shall be honor,” or according to Aquila and Symmachus: “And his rest shall be glory,” very fittingly; for having taught the first beginning of his birth among men and having gone through all the intervening things, he also presents what sort of end it will have, saying: “And his rest shall be honor and glory.” In no way describing his death, but calling it rest and glory and honor; for this was the end of the economy of our Savior among men. Which indeed our Savior himself, indicating, said in his prayer to the Father: “Father, glorify me with the glory that I had with you before the world was.” 1.63 Indeed, the children of the Jews themselves confess that he who is to come “from the root of Jesse” is none other than the Christ, saying that their expected Anointed one is clearly indicated through the present prophecy. But now that a thousand years of Christ have passed from the time of the prophet Isaiah to our own, and accepting that the one prophesied has not yet come, but always postponing and extending their expectation indefinitely, they both slander the prophecy as not proclaiming the truth, and deprive themselves of the hope of the things prophesied. Then they try to interpret the meaning of the prophetic voices, “not understanding,” according to the Apostle, “either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.” Come, then, let us now touch upon the matters at hand, since the

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λέων τὴν φύσιν, ἀχύροις τρεφόμενος ποηφάγου ζῴου δίκην, ἄνθρωπος ἂν εἴη πάλιν θηριώδης καὶ ἀπηνής, ψιλῇ τῇ λέξει τῆς θείας χαίρων γραφῆς, ἧς ὁ μὲν λανθάνων ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ νοῦς αὐτὸς εἴη ὁ ψυχῶν τρόφιμος λόγος· ἡ δὲ τοῦτον περιβάλλουσα λέξις τὸ ἄχυρον. Ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις παιδίον νήπιον, ὁποῖον ἦν τὸ μικρῷ πρόσθεν εἰρημένον· ἐπὶ τρώγλην ἀσπίδων τὴν χεῖρα ἐπιβαλεῖν καὶ μηδὲ κακὸν πείθεσθαι λέλεκται. τρῶγλαι δὲ καὶ κοῖται ἀσπίδων καὶ τῶν τούτων γεννημάτων εἶεν ἂν σώματα τῶν ὑπὸ δαιμόνων ἐνοχλουμένων, οἷς ἐμφωλεύοντα τὰ ἑρπυστικὰ καὶ ἰοβόλα πνεύματα ἐγκοιτάζεται, τρώγλαις ὥσπερ τοῖς τοῦ σώματος αἰσθητηρίοις χρώμενα. ταῦτα δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ παιδίον, ἀνήρ τις ἁπλοῦς καὶ «τῇ κακίᾳ νηπιάζων», τῇ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἀπελαύνων δυνάμει, τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῖς ἐπιτίθησι μηδὲν κακοποιεῖν δυναμένοις διὰ τὸν «ἐκ ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ» προελθόντα, «ὃς ἐξουσίαν ἐδίδου» τοῖς αὐτοῦ παιδίοις «πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ». ταῦτα πάντα ἔσεσθαι ἐπαγγέλλεται ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ, τὸ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν δεδηλωμένον, οὐκ ἀλλότριον τοῦ ἐπουρανίου καὶ εὐαγγελικοῦ λόγου, ἐφ' ὃν «ὁ οἶκος τοῦ θεοῦ» καὶ «ἡ ἐκκλησία αὐτοῦ οἰκοδομεῖται». ἵνα γοῦν μή τις τὸ ἐνταῦθα λεγόμενον ὄρος ἅγιον νομίσῃ εἶναι τὸ ἐν μέρει γωνίας τῆς Παλαιστίνης Ἰουδαίοις ὑπειλημμένον, διασαφεῖ τὴν διάνοιαν ἑξῆς ἐπιφέρων· ὅτι ἐνεπλήσθη ἡ σύμπασα τοῦ γνῶναι τὸν κύριον ὡς ὕδωρ πολὺ κατακαλύψαι θαλάσσας, οὕτως σημαίνων τὴν καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης ἱδρυμένην ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν ἐν αὐτῇ κηρυττομένην εὐσεβῆ γνῶσιν, τὴν πᾶν τὸ ἁλμυρὸν τῆς κακίας τοῦ βίου, ὥσπερ πολλῷ τῷ ῥεύματι κατακλύζουσαν καὶ πᾶσαν ψυχῆς ῥυπαρίαν ἀποκαθαίρουσαν. Ἔσται δέ φησιν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, δῆλον δ' ὅτι κατὰ τὸν προφητευόμενον χρόνον, οὗτος αὐτὸς ὁ «ἐκ ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ» ἀναστησόμενος μετὰ τὸ ἀναστῆναι, δῆλον δ' ὅτι μετὰ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν, «ἄρχων καὶ ἡγούμενος τῶν ἐθνῶν», καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσιν· οὐ γὰρ Ἰουδαίων ἔσται βασιλεὺς οὐδ' ὥσπερ αὐτὸς ὁ ∆αυίδ, οἵ τε τούτου διάδοχοι, βραχείας τινὸς γωνίας κρατήσει, τῶν δ' ἁπανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς ἄρξει. καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσι πληρουμένης κἀκείνης τῆς προφητείας, δι' ἧς εἴρηται παρὰ Μωσεῖ· «οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα οὐδὲ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ᾧ ἀπόκειται, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται προσδοκία ἐθνῶν». τέλος δὲ ἐπάγει τοῦ παντὸς λόγου· καὶ ἔσται ἡ ἀνάπαυσις αὐτοῦ τιμή, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν καὶ τὸν Σύμμαχον· καὶ ἔσται ἡ ἀνάπαυσις αὐτοῦ δόξα, σφόδρα ἀκολούθως· τὴν γὰρ πρώτην ἀρχὴν τῆς εἰς ἀνθρώπους γενέσεως αὐτοῦ διδάξας καὶ τὰ μεταξὺ πάντα διελθὼν καὶ τὸ τέλος ὁποῖον ἕξει παρίστησι λέγων· καὶ ἔσται ἡ ἀνάπαυσις αὐτοῦ τιμὴ καὶ δόξα. οὐδαμῶς μὲν θάνατον ὑπογράφων αὐτοῦ, ἀνάπαυσιν δὲ ὀνομάζων καὶ δόξαν καὶ τιμήν· τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν τὸ τέλος τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν εἰς ἀνθρώπους οἰκονομίας. ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν δεικνὺς ἔλεγεν ἐν τῇ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα εὐχῇ· «πάτερ, δόξασόν με τῇ δόξῃ ᾗ εἶχον πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον εἶναι παρὰ σοί». 1.63 Τὸν μὲν «ἐκ ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ» προελευσόμενον οὐδ' ἕτερον τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ αὐτοὶ εἶναι ὁμολογοῦσιν Ἰουδαίων παῖδες, σαφῶς τὸν παρ' αὐτοῖς προσδοκώμενον ἠλειμμένον διὰ τῆς προκειμένης προφητείας δηλοῦσθαι φάσκοντες. ἤδη δὲ χιλίων ἐτῶν Χριστοῦ διελθόντος ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ προφήτου Ἠσαΐου καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς καιρῶν καὶ μὴ τὸν προφητευόμενόν πω ἐληλυθέναι, παραδεχόμενοι εἰς ἀεὶ δὲ ἀναβαλλόμενοι καὶ εἰς ἄπειρον ἐκτείνοντες τὴν προσδοκίαν καὶ τὴν προφητείαν ὡς οὐκ ἀληθῆ θεσπίζουσαν διαβάλλουσι καὶ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς τῆς τῶν προφητευομένων ἀποστεροῦσιν ἐλπίδος. ἔπειτα πειρῶνται διερμηνεύειν τὸν νοῦν τῶν προφητικῶν φωνῶν «μὴ νοοῦντες» κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον «μήτε ἃ λέγουσι μήτε περὶ τίνων διαβεβαιοῦνται» φέρ' οὖν ἤδη τῶν προκειμένων ἐφαψώμεθα, ἐπειδὴ τὸν