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to be contemplated according to the worthiness of its sublimity. And these things he did From now and for ever; the "from now" signifying a designated beginning of time, through which the moment of his coming among men was revealed; and the "for ever," his infinite kingdom. But see how the prophecies proceed in sequence. The first said he would be born of a virgin. And as the question was asked, "how will this be?" the second brought forth the Lord saying, "And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son." And when we have learned these things, the third discusses his child, teaching his ineffable theology. And the end of the prophecy concerning him says, the zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth will do these things. And the zeal is good and fitting for him to save those held by the dev- 2012 il. The people of Israel rightly provoked him to jealousy. Therefore Moses says in a song: "They have provoked me with what is no god, and I will provoke them with what is no nation." These things are according to the Seventy. But according to Symmachus, whom the others followed, the saying is expressed in this manner from above: The first hastened the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and the last made heavy the way by the sea beyond the Jordan. Signifying that the first who hastened was the apostolic choir, coming from the land of the aforementioned tribes. Concerning whom David says: "In the congregations bless God the Lord from the fountains of Israel; there is Benjamin the younger in ecstasy, the rulers of Zebulun, the rulers of Naphtali." For Benjamin signifies Paul who said he was of the tribe of Benjamin. And the rulers of the two tribes, the other apostles. For coming from their land, they were the first to receive Christ, whence they are called rulers. Therefore he now says: The first hastened the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. For when Jesus said, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men," immediately leaving their nets, they followed him. These men hastened. But the last, he says, made the way heavy. For those called last after the first call did not obey; whom he also laments, saying, "Woe to you, Chorazin, woe to you, Bethsaida, for if in Tyre and Sidon," and the rest. But even now the Jews are held by their unbelief. For, he says, the heart of this people was hardened, and what follows. And instead of, "border of the nations," which Symmachus rendered instead of "Galilee" in the Seventy, Aquila rendered "heaps of the nations," signifying the multitudes of the foreign nations, which were previously uncultivated and fruitless. And instead of, "upon you; the greatest part of the people;" of the Seventy, Symmachus says, You have multiplied the nation which you did not make great. For the nation previously cast off because of impiety, the saving Word, having now taken it up, filled it with spiritual blessing. According to, "Be fruitful and multiply." And instead of, Every garment gathered by deceit, and a cloak with a change they will repay. And they will wish, if they had been born, to be burnt by fire; Symmachus says, Every violent act was committed in turmoil, and a garment was mixed with blood, and it will be for burning and food for fire; signifying that every soul of man suffered violence before the advent from Satan, through whom the garments and advantages of the soul were defiled, who will be for burning because of the one born for us, whom he calls a youth. And instead of "dominion"; and the discipline, he says, will be upon his shoulder, signifying his passion, through which we have been disciplined. This is the end of the prophecy concerning Emmanuel. 2013 ηιγʹ. 9The Lord sent death upon Jacob, and it came upon Israel. And all the people of Ephraim will know, and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and with a lofty heart: The bricks have fallen9, etc. Having completed the subject concerning Emmanuel, he again follows the purpose set forth at the beginning, and he recounts the prosecution of sin, saying: He sent death upon Jacob, and it came upon Israel; but the others rendered it, "he sent a word." A declarative word of wrath, clearly, against the two kings who came together against Judah, of whom as

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κατ' ἀξίαν τοῦ ὕψους θεωρητή. Καὶ ταῦτα ἔπραξεν Ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· τοῦ μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν, σημαίνοντος ἀρχὴν χρόνου διωρισμένην, δι' ἧς ὁ καιρὸς ἐδηλοῦτο τῆς εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἐπιδημίας· τοῦ δὲ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, τὴν ἄπειρον αὐτοῦ βασιλείαν. Ὅρα δὲ πῶς ἀκολούθως αἱ προφητεῖαι προέρχονται. Ἐκ παρθένου ἔλεγεν αὐτὸν ἡ πρώτη τεχθήσεσθαι. Ὡς δὲ ζητουμένου τοῦ, πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο; τὸν Κύριον ἡ δευτέρα παρήγαγε λέγοντα, "Καὶ προσῆλθον πρὸς τὴν προφῆτιν, καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔλαβεν καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱόν." Ὡς δὲ ταῦτα μεμαθηκότων ἡμῶν, ἡ τρίτη περὶ τοῦ παιδὸς αὐτοῦ διεξέρχεται, τὴν ἀπόῤῥητον αὐτοῦ θεολογίαν παιδεύουσα. Τέλος δὲ τῆς περὶ αὐτοῦ προφητείας φησὶν, ὁ ζῆλος Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ ποιήσει ταῦτα. Ὁ δὲ ζῆλος ἀγαθὸς καὶ πρέπων αὐτῷ σῶσαι τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβό 2012 λου κεκρατημένους. Καλῶς παρεζήλωσαν αὐτὸν οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραήλ. ∆ιό φησιν ὁ Μωϋσῆς ἐν ᾠδῇ· "Αὐτοὶ παρεζήλωσάν με ἐπ' οὐ θεῷ, κἀγὼ παραζηλώσω αὐτοὺς ἐπ' οὐκ ἔθνει." Ταῦτα μὲν κατὰ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα. Κατὰ δὲ Σύμμαχον, ᾧ ἠκολούθησαν οἱ λοιποὶ, τοῦτον ἄνωθεν εἴρηται τὸν τρόπον ἡ ῥῆσις· Ὁ πρῶτος ἐτάχυνεν γῆν Ζαβουλὼν καὶ γῆν Νεφθαλεὶμ, καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος ἐβάρυνεν ὁδὸν τὴν κατὰ θάλασσαν πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου. ∆ηλῶν τὸν μὲν πρῶτον ταχύναντα, τὸν ἀποστολικὸν εἶναι χορὸν ἀπὸ τῆς χώρας τῶν φυλῶν τῶν εἰρημένων ὁρμώμενον. Περὶ ὧν φησιν ὁ ∆αβίδ· "Ἐν Ἐκκλησίαις εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Θεὸν Κύριον ἐκ πηγῶν Ἰσραήλ· ἐκεῖ Βενιαμεὶν νεώτερος ἐν ἐκστάσει, ἄρχοντες Ζαβουλὼν, ἄρχοντες Νεφθαλείμ." ∆ηλοῖ γὰρ ὁ Βενιαμεὶν τὸν Παῦλον φήσαντα φυλῆς Βενιαμείν. Τοὺς δὲ ἄρχοντας τῶν δύο φυλῶν τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀποστόλους. Ἐκ τῆς γὰρ τούτων χώρας ὁρμώμενοι πρῶτοι προσεδέξαντο τὸν Χριστὸν, ὅθεν ἄρχοντες εἴρηνται. ∆ιὸ καὶ νῦν φησιν· Ὁ πρῶτος ἐτάχυνεν γῆν Ζαβουλὼν καὶ γῆν Νεφθαλείμ. Εἰπόντος γὰρ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, "∆εῦτε, ἀκολουθεῖτέ μοι, καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων, παραχρῆμα ἀφέντες τὰ δίκτυα ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ." Οὗτοι μὲν ἐτάχυναν. Ὁ δὲ ἔσχατος, φησὶν, ἐβάρυνεν ὁδόν. Οἱ γὰρ μετὰ τὴν πρώτην κλῆσιν ἔσχατοι καλούμενοι οὐχ ὑπήκουσαν· οὓς καὶ ταλανίζων φησὶν, "Οὐαί σοι, Χοραζὶν, οὐαί σοι, Βηθσαϊδὰ, ὅτι εἰ ἐν Τύρῳ καὶ Σιδῶνι," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἀλλὰ καὶ νῦν Ἰουδαῖοι ταῖς ἀπιστίαις κατέχονται. Ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τούτοις. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ὅριον τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὅπερ ἐξέδωκε Σύμμαχος ἀντὶ τοῦ Γαλιλαία παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβδομήκοντα, θεινὲς τῶν ἐθνῶν, Ἀκύλας ἐξέδωκεν, τὰ πλήθη δηλῶν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐθνῶν, ἃ πρότερον ἦν ἀγεώργητά τε καὶ ἄκαρπα. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ἐφ' ὑμᾶς· τὸ πλεῖστον τοῦ λαοῦ· Οʹ Σύμμαχός φησιν, Ἐπλήθυνας τὸ ἔθνος ὃ οὐκ ἐμεγάλυνας. Τὸ γὰρ πρὶν ἀπεῤῥιμμένον διὰ τὴν ἀσέβειαν ἔθνος, τοῦτο νῦν ἀναλαβὼν ὁ σωτήριος Λόγος πνευματικῆς εὐλογίας ἐπλήρωσε. Κατὰ τὸ, "Αὐξάνεσθε καὶ πληθύνεσθε." Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Πᾶσαν στολὴν ἐπισυνηγμένην δόλῳ, καὶ ἱμάτιον μετὰ καταλλαγῆς ἀποτίσουσιν. Καὶ ἐθελήσουσιν, εἰ ἐγενήθησαν, εἶναι πυρίκαυστοι· Σύμμαχός φησιν, Πᾶσα βία ἐβιάσθη ἐν σεισμῷ, καὶ περιβόλαιον ἐφύρη ἐν αἵματι, καὶ ἔσται εἰς καῦσιν καὶ κατάβρωμα πυρός· δηλῶν πᾶσαν ἀνθρώπων ψυχὴν βίαν πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας παθεῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ, δι' ὃν ἐμιάνθη τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς περιβόλαια καὶ πλεονεκτήματα, ὃς εἰς καῦσιν ἔσται διὰ τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γεννηθέντα, ὃν νεανίαν καλεῖ. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ἀρχή· καὶ ἔσται, φησὶν, ἡ παιδεία ἐπὶ τοῦ ὤμου αὐτοῦ, δηλῶν αὐτοῦ τὸ πάθος, δι' οὗ πεπαιδεύμεθα. Τοῦτο τέλος τῆς περὶ τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ προφητείας. 2013 ηιγʹ. 9Θάνατον ἀπέστειλε Κύριος ἐπὶ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ ἦλθεν ἐπὶ Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ γνώσονται πᾶς ὁ λαὸς τοῦ Ἐφραῒμ, καὶ οἱ ἐγκαθήμενοι ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ ἐφ' ὕβρει καὶ ὑψηλῇ καρδίᾳ λέγοντες· Πλίνθοι πεπτώκασιν9, κ.τ.λ. Τὴν περὶ τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ πληρώσας ὑπόθεσιν, ἕπεται πάλιν τῷ ἐν ἀρχῇ προτεθέντι σκοπῷ, καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀφηγεῖται τὴν δίωσιν, λέγων· Θάνατον ἀπέστειλεν ἐπὶ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ, λόγον ἀπέστειλεν, ἐξέδωκαν. Λόγον ἀποφατικὸν ὀργῆς δηλονότι κατὰ τῶν δύο βασιλέων τῶν συνελθόντων ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰούδαν, ὧν ὡς