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of us; to this heavenly house of God, and to Zion, itself the heavenly mountain of the Lord, rousing one another and hastening by teaching and exhortation we say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will announce to us His way, and we shall walk in it. And when these things were accomplished, and by the grace of God made manifest to all of us, some other prophecy also has reached its end, through which the saving Word itself more clearly bears witness to the passage at hand from the prophecy of Isaiah, saying, I was made manifest to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me; I said, Behold, I am here, to a nation that did not call upon my name. But if someone were not to take the passages in this way, what mountain or what house of God could he otherwise show, concerning which the prophecy, since they were not then physically manifest, signifies the things set forth before. But these things can also be otherwise fitted to the second coming of Christ, as the things prophesied before will be perfectly fulfilled then rather than now. It must be known 174 that the same things are found almost word for word also in the prophecy of Micah. Ps. Of the same. 2. Behold, the master of Sabaoth will take away from Judea, and from Jerusalem the strong man and the strong woman, the strength of bread and the strength of water, giant and strong man, and man of war, and judge, and prophet and diviner, and elder, and captain of fifty, and wonderful counselor, and wise architect, and intelligent hearer. And I will set young men as their rulers, and mockers shall have dominion over them, and what follows; to which God adds: I will not be a ruler of this people, because Jerusalem is forsaken, and Judea has fallen, and their tongues are with lawlessness, disobeying the things of the Lord. Because now their glory has been humbled, and the shame of their face has risen up against them; and they have proclaimed and shown their sin as that of Sodom; woe to their soul, because they have devised an evil plan, saying against themselves, Let us bind the just one, because he is useless to us; therefore they shall eat the fruits of their works. And the so-called Wisdom of Solomon has things very similar to what is said here concerning the just one, thus: Let us lie in wait for the just one, because he is useless to us, and is opposed to our words. And in those texts it is clearly shown from the context that these things were said about Christ; and therefore the things here are prophesied concerning those who plotted 175 against him and devised an evil plan more against themselves than against him; for which reason the word also suitably brings the woe upon themselves, through the phrase, woe to their soul; but it also sets before them the punishment awaiting them, saying, therefore they shall eat the fruits of their works; for such things as they have sown against Christ, such things they will also reap in the judgment of God. And already in this life, see if after the plot against Christ the preceding word of the prophecy was not fulfilled for them, which states, behold, the master Lord of Sabaoth will take away from Judea and from Jerusalem the strong man and the strong woman. For truly the divine and heavenly grace that once dwelt among them has been taken away from them, and it is no longer possible to find among them either a prophet or a diviner; and where is their man of war or their judge, the wonderful counselor, or the intelligent hearer? And if they seem to partake of spiritual bread by encountering the holy words of God, yet see if the power and strength that lies within the divine scriptures has not been taken away from them; and clearly on top of these things Jerusalem is also forsaken, and all the rest has been fulfilled for them on account of that one sin against Christ; for woe, says the word, to their soul; and it adds the reason for the woe, saying, because they have devised an evil plan against themselves, saying: Let us bind the just one,

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ἡμῶν· ἐπὶ τοῦτον τὸν ἐπουράνιον οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ Σιὼν, καὶ αὐτὸ ἐπουράνιον ὄρος Κυρίου, διεγείροντες ἀλλήλους καὶ κατασπεύδοντες διὰ τῆς διδασκαλείας καὶ προτροπῆς φαμὲν, δεῦτε καὶ ἀναβῶμεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου, καὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰακώβ· καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ ἡμῖν τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πορευσόμεθα ἐν αὐτῇ. Τούτων δ' ἀποτελεσθέντων, καὶ Θεοῦ χάριτι πᾶσιν ἡμῖν ἐμφανῶν γενομένων, καὶ ἄλλη τίς προφητεία πέρας εἴληφεν, δι' ἧς αὐτὸς ὁ σωτήριος λόγος σαφέστερον ἐπιμαρτυρεῖ τῇ μετὰ χεῖρας περικοπῇ τῆς τοῦ Ἡσαΐου προφητείας, λέγων, ἐμφανὴς ἐγενήθην τοῖς ἔμε μὴ ἐπερωτῶσιν· εὑρέθην τοῖς ἔμε μὴ ζητοῦσιν· εἶπα, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ εἰμὶ ἔθνει, οἳ οὐκ ἐπεκάλεσαν τὸ ὄνομά μου. Εἰ δὲ μὴ οὕτως ἐκλάβοι τίς τὰ κατὰ τοὺς τόπους, ποῖον ἂν ὄρος ἢ ποῖον Θεοῦ οἶκον ἄλλως ἔχοι ἂν ἐπιδεῖξαι, περὶ ὧν ἡ προφητεία, ὡς μὴ τότε ὄντων σωματικῶς ἐμφανῶν, τὰ προεκτεθέντα σημαίνει. ∆ύναται δὲ ταῦτα καὶ ἄλλως εἰς τὴν δευτέραν τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν ἁρμόττεσθαι, ὡς τότε μᾶλλον ἢ νῦν πληρωθησομένων τελείως τῶν προπεφητευμένων. Ἰστέον 174 δὲ ὡς τὰ αὐτὰ κατὰ λέξιν σχεδὸν ἐμφέρεται καὶ ἐν τῇ τοῦ Μιχαίου προφητείᾳ. Ψ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Βʹ. Ἰδοὺ δὴ, ὁ δεσπότης τῆς Σαβαὼθ ἀφελεῖ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, καὶ ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἰσχύοντα καὶ ἰσχύουσαν, ἰσχὺν ἄρτου καὶ ἰσχὺν ὕδατος, γίγαντα καὶ ἰσχύοντα, καὶ ἄνθρωπον πολεμιστὴν, καὶ δικαστὴν, καὶ προφήτην καὶ στοχαστὴν, καὶ πρεσβύτερον, καὶ πεντηκόνταρχον, καὶ θαυμαστὸν σύμβουλον, καὶ σοφὸν ἀρχιτέκτονα, καὶ συνετὸν ἀκροατήν. Καὶ ἐπιστήσω νεανίσκους ἄρχοντας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐμπαίκται κυριεύσουσιν αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· οἷς ἐπιλέγει Θεός· Οὐκ ἔσομαι ἀρχηγὸς τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, ὅτι ἀνεῖται Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἡ Ἰουδαία συμπέπτωκεν, καὶ αἱ γλῶσσαι αὐτῶν μετὰ ἀνομίας, τὰ πρὸς Κύριον ἀπειθοῦντες. ∆ι' ὅτι νῦν ἐταπεινώθη ἡ δόξα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡ αἰσχύνη τοῦ προσώπου αὐτῶν ἀντέστη αὐτοῖς· τὴν δὲ ἁμαρτίαν αὐτῶν ὡς Σοδόμων ἀνήγγειλαν καὶ ἐνεφάνισαν· οὐαὶ τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν, δι' ὅτι βεβούλευνται βουλὴν πονηρὰν, καθ' ἑαυτῶν εἰπόντες, ∆ήσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον, ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστίν· τοίνυν τὰ γενήματα τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν φάγονται. Καὶ ἡ λεγομένη Σολομῶντος Σοφία τὰ παραπλήσια τοῖς ἐνθάδε περὶ τοῦ δικαίου λελεγμένοις οὕτως ἔχει· Ἐνεδρεύσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον, ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστὶν, καὶ ἐναντιοῦται τοῖς λόγοις ἡμῶν. Ταῦτα δὲ ἐν ἐκείνοις σαφῶς ἐκ τῆς συμφράσεως ἐμφαίνεται περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰρημένα· καὶ τὰ ἐνθάδε τοιγαροῦν περὶ τῶν ἐπιβουλευσάντων 175 αὐτῷ καὶ καθ' ἑαυτῶν μᾶλλον, ἤ περ κατ' αὐτοῦ πονηρὰν βουλὴν βουλευσαμένων προφητεύεται· δι' ὃ καὶ καταλλήλως τὸν ταλανισμὸν ἑαυτοῖς ὁ λόγος ἐπάγει, διὰ τοῦ, οὐαὶ τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν κόλασιν τὴν περιμένουσαν αὐτοὺς προτίθησι λέγων, τοίνυν τὰ γεννήματα τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν φάγονται· ὁποῖα γὰρ ἔσπειραν κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοιαῦτα καὶ θεριοῦσιν ἐν τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ κριτηρίῳ. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἐνταῦθα βίον ὅρα εἰ μὴ μετὰ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιβουλὴν ἐπληρώθη εἰς αὐτοὺς ὁ προκείμενος τῆς προφητείας λόγος, ὁ φάσκων, ἰδοὺ δὴ ὁ δεσπότης Κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἀφελεῖ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμἰσχύοντα καὶ ἰσχύουσαν. Ἀληθῶς γὰρ ἀφῄρηται ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἡ πάλαι πρότερον ἐμπολιτευομένη ἐν αὐτοῖς θεία καὶ οὐράνιος χάρις, καὶ οὐκέτ' ἐστὶν εὑρεῖν ἐν αὐτοῖς οὔτε προφήτην, οὔτε στοχαστήν· ποῦ δὲ καὶ ὁ πολεμιστὴς αὐτῶν ἢ ὁ δικαστὴς, ὁ θαυμαστὸς σύμβουλος, ἢ ὁ συνετὸς ἀκροατής; Εἰ δὲ καὶ δοκοῦσιν ἄρτου τοῦ πνευματικοῦ μετέχειν ἐν τῷ τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἐντυγχάνειν τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγοις, ἀλλ' ὅρα εἰ μὴ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ ἰσχὺς ἡ ἐν τοῖς θείοις γράμμασιν ἐναποκειμένη ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀφῄρηται· σαφῶς δ' ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ ἡ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀνεῖται, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δὲ πάντα εἰς αὐτοὺς πεπλήρωται διὰ μίαν ἐκείνην τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἁμαρτίαν· οὐαὶ γὰρ, φησὶν ὁ λόγος, τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν· καὶ τοῦ ταλανισμοῦ τὴν αἰτίαν προστίθησιν λέγων, διότι βεβούλευνται βουλὴν πονηρὰν καθ' ἑαυτῶν, εἰπόντες· δήσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον,