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the number of the men was about five thousand.” And again the scripture relates that those with James said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.” To the other nations the apostles and the first evangelists of the word preached first to the Jews, and there were thousands in each nation of Jews preaching the Christ of God, through all of whom the gospel was spread to all the nations “while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit,” whom God also made zealous and glorious among all who received the word proclaimed by them. And this, it says, “the remnant chosen by grace” will raise a sign among the nations and before all will gather the lost of Israel and the dispersed of Judah, those at the four corners of the earth; for having received the command “to go” “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This they did, first preaching the gospel along with “healing the sick and cleansing lepers, casting out demons,” and doing these things “freely” according to what was commanded, and preaching “first” to those of the circumcision, they gathered those of them who believed into the church of Christ, who were formerly perishing, as the Savior taught, saying: “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” And they did these things in the four corners of the earth, traversing east and west and north and south; so “first” to them they imparted “the word of the gospel,” then they preached “to the other nations.” Therefore it is said: and he will gather the lost of Israel and the dispersed of Judah. But who will gather the lost of Israel if not the apostolic choir or he who is preached by them, “from the root of Jesse,” and the God Logos dwelling in him? They then gathered into one church, no longer divided or separated from one another as before. On the one hand, the tribe of Ephraim and the peoples under it were ruled in Samaria; on the other, those of the tribe of Judah lived under the one in Jerusalem, wherefore he says the jealousy between them will be removed, so that Ephraim no longer is jealous of Judah, nor Judah of Ephraim—which was happening during the times of the prophecy, as the word indicated in the preceding passages. Next to these he says: And they will fly in the ships of foreigners; they will plunder the sea together; for it was certainly necessary for them, as they traveled through the nations, to also make the journey by sea, so just as if flying, they completed the sea-course with speed, so as to preach the gospel to many nations in a short time. And at one time they traveled on foot, at another by sea, not using Jewish helmsmen, but those who had received the word of Christ. And in the same way they also plundered the sea, the word thus signifying the islands, which, passing by, they subjected those in them to the saving teaching. And you may know the result of the word from one example: Paul the apostle, being one of those prophesied, made his journey to the city of the Romans by sea, and having been brought to “the island called Melita,” he showed an extraordinary wonder to the natives, and by healing those who were sick in body, he so amazed the onlookers, that he plundered many and took them captive under the saving teaching. Therefore it is said: And they will fly in the ships of foreigners; they will plunder the sea together and those from the rising of the sun; therefore, he says, the disciples of Christ will plunder also those from the rising of the sun. For some of them are recorded to have gone through the country of the Persians and Indians. Since, during the times of the prophet, the Idumeans and Ammonites seemed

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ἀριθμὸς τῶν ἀνδρῶν ὡσεὶ χιλιάδες πέντε». καὶ αὖθις ἱστορεῖ ἡ γραφὴ τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἰάκωβον εἰρηκέναι τῷ Παύλῳ· «θεωρεῖς, ἀδελφέ, πόσαι μυριάδες εἰσὶν ἐν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις τῶν πεπιστευκότων, καὶ πάντες ζηλωταὶ τοῦ νόμου ὑπάρχουσιν». λοιποῖς δὲ ἔθνεσιν οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι εὐαγγελισταὶ τοῦ λόγου πρώτοις Ἰουδαίοις ἐκήρυττον, μύριοί τε ἦσαν καθ' ἕκαστον ἔθνος Ἰουδαῖοι τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ κηρύττοντες, δι' ὧν ἁπάντων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον πᾶσι διεδίδοτο τοῖς ἔθνεσι «συνεπιμαρτυροῦντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ σημείοις τε καὶ τέρασι καὶ ποικίλαις δυνάμεσι καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου μερισμοῖς», οὓς καὶ ζηλωτοὺς ὁ θεὸς ἐποίει καὶ παρὰ πᾶσιν ἐνδόξους τοῖς τὸν καταγγελόμενον ὑπ' αὐτῶν λόγον παραδεχομένοις. Καὶ τοῦτό γε φησὶ «τὸ λεῖμμα κατ' ἐκλογὴν χάριτος» ἀρεῖ σημεῖον ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι καὶ πρὸ πάντων συνάξει τοὺς ἀπολομένους Ἰσραὴλ καὶ τοὺς διεσπαρμένους Ἰούδα, τοὺς ἐν ταῖς τέσσαρσι πτέρυξι τῆς γῆς· παραγγελίαν γὰρ εἰληφότες «πορεύεσθαι» «πρὸς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ». τοῦτ' ἔπραττον κηρύττοντες πρῶτον τὸ εὐαγγέλιον μετὰ τοῦ τοὺς «ἀσθενοῦντας ἰᾶσθαι καὶ λεπροὺς καθαρίζειν, δαίμονας ἐκβάλλειν», «δωρεάν» τε ταῦτα ποιεῖν κατὰ τὰ παρηγγελμένα, «πρώτοις» δὲ κηρύττοντες τοῖς ἐκ περιτομῆς συνήγαγον τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν πιστεύοντας εἰς τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίαν πάλαι ὄντας ἀπολλυμένους, καθὰ ἐδίδασκεν ὁ σωτὴρ λέγων· «πορεύεσθε πρὸς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ». ταῦτα δὲ ἔπραττον ἐν ταῖς τέτταρσι πτέρυξι τῆς γῆς, διατρέχοντες ἀνατολὴν καὶ δύσιν καὶ ἄρκτον καὶ μεσημβρίαν· «πρώτοις» μὲν οὖν ἐκείνοις μετεδίδοσαν «τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ λόγου», ἔπειτα «τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσιν» ἐκήρυττον. διὸ λέλεκται· καὶ συνάξει τοὺς ἀπολωλότας Ἰσραὴλ καὶ τοὺς διεσπαρμένους Ἰούδα. τίς δὲ συνάξει τοὺς ἀπολωλότας Ἰσραὴλ ἢ ὁ ἀποστολικὸς χορὸς ἢ καὶ ὁ δι' αὐτῶν κηρυττόμενος «ἐκ ῥίζης Ἰεσσαί», ὅ τε ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικῶν θεὸς λόγος; συνήγαγον τότε ὑπὸ μίαν ἐκκλησίαν οὐκέτι διεστῶτες οὐδὲ ἀφωρισμένοι ἀλλήλων ὡς τὸ πρότερον. Ἰδίως μὲν ἡ φυλὴ τοῦ Ἐφραὶμ καὶ οἱ ὑπὸ ταύτην λαοὶ ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ βασιλευόμενοι, ἰδίως δὲ οἱ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα ὑπάρχοντι τῷ ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ βιοῦντες, διὸ καὶ ἀφαιρεθήσεσθαι τὸν ζῆλον τὸν μεταξὺ αὐτῶν φησιν ὡς μηκέτι Ἐφραὶμ τὸν Ἰούδαν ζηλῶσαι μήτε Ἰούδα τὸν Ἐφραίμὅπερ ἐγίγνετο κατὰ τοὺς τῆς προφητείας χρόνους, ὡς ὁ λόγος ἐδήλου διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν. Ἑξῆς τούτοις φησί· καὶ πετασθήσονται ἐν πλοίοις ἀλλοφύλων· θάλασσαν ἅμα προνομεύσουσι· πάντως γὰρ ἐχρῆν αὐτοὺς περινοστοῦντας τὰ ἔθνη καὶ τῇ διὰ θαλάττης χρήσασθαι πορείᾳ, ὥσπερ οὖν ἱπτάμενοι ᾗ τάχος καὶ τὸν διὰ θαλάττης δρόμον ἤνυον, ὥστε ἐν βραχεῖ χρόνῳ πλείστοις ἔθνεσι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον κηρύξαι. καὶ τοτὲ μὲν διέτρεχον πεζῇ, τοτὲ δὲ διὰ θαλάττης, οὐχὶ Ἰουδαίοις χρώμενοι κυβερνήταις, ἀλλ' αὐτοῖς τοῖς τὸν Χριστοῦ λόγον παραδεδεγμένοις. κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ καὶ τὴν θάλατταν προενόμευον, οὕτω σημαίνοντος τοῦ λόγου τὰς νήσους, ἃς ἐν παρόδῳ διερχόμενοι τοὺς ἐν αὐταῖς τῇ σωτηρίῳ καθυπέταττον διδασκαλίᾳ. τοῦ δὲ λόγου γνῴης ἂν τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα ἐξ ἑνὸς παραδείγματος· Παῦλος ὁ ἀπόστολος, εἷς ὢν τῶν θεσπιζομένων, εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀνιὼν διὰ θαλάσσης τὴν πορείαν ἐποιεῖτο, καταχθεὶς δὲ «ἐν Μελίτῃ οὕτω καλουμένῃ νήσῳ» θαῦμα τοῖς ἐπιχωρίοις παράδοξον ἐπεδείξατο, νοσοῦντάς τε τὰ σώματα ἰασάμενος τοὺς θεωμένους ἐξέπληξεν οὕτως, ὡς πολλοὺς προνομεῦσαι καὶ ἑλεῖν ὑπὸ τὴν σωτήριον διδασκαλίαν. διὸ εἴρηται· καὶ πετασθήσονται ἐν πλοίοις ἀλλοφύλων· θάλασσαν ἅμα προνομεύσουσι καὶ τοὺς ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν· προνομεύσουσιν οὖν φησιν οἱ Χριστοῦ μαθηταὶ καὶ τοὺς ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν. ἱστοροῦνται γοῦν τινες αὐτῶν μέχρι καὶ τῆς Περσῶν καὶ Ἰνδῶν διεληλυθέναι χώρας. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐδόκουν κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους τοῦ προφήτου Ἰδουμαῖοι καὶ Ἀμμανῖται