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of such demons, since among the Greeks these are remembered to have been certain sweet-voiced and deceptive ones. All these things, he says, are coming quickly and will not delay; for all time, even that considered by men to be very long, is reckoned very short before God the judge; for indeed "a thousand years in his sight," it is said, "are as yesterday's day," "and as a watch in the night." But also, not after a long time, the things decreed by the prophecy reached their end, with Babylon suffering the things foretold during the rule of the Medes. 1.68 Accordingly, after the things said against Babylon, he indicates the return of the Jewish people that happened under Cyrus, from the enemy land to Jerusalem, teaching that having returned they will rest upon their own land, and that the sojourner will be added to them. But instead of: "the sojourner will be added to them," the other interpreters have translated it as "the proselyte"; for he says they will fare so well in their own land that even foreigners would lay claim to their piety, and become their proselytes and be added to the house of Jacob, though not being from them, but because of having become proselytes, being made kin to them so as to differ in nothing from the native-born and foreigners. And in their returning from Babylonia to the land of Judea, he says that nations will take them and will bring them into their own place. And these things also came to their fulfillment according to the history, which the writing of Ezra contains, teaching that king Cyrus through an edict gave authority to those of the Jews who wished to return to their own land and to build the temple in Jerusalem. to which the scripture adds: "And the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin arose, and all those round about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold and with goods and with cattle and with gifts." Now of these, the leaders were Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak, with the prophets Haggai and Zechariah being with them. And after Cyrus, Xerxes, king of the Persians, sends away Ezra, "the scribe of the law," with letters which commanded all the rulers of the nations between the land of the Persians and Judea to cooperate with Ezra. This becomes a second ascent of those who came up with Ezra, and after these things again, when Nehemiah went up, the king of the Persians adds letters "to the satraps beyond the river," and "the king himself also sent with him commanders of a force," along with "guides" and guards. Therefore, the prophecy indicates these things beforehand in saying: and nations shall take them and bring them into their own place. But the saying: and those who took them captive will be captives, and those who had dominion over them will be ruled, was fulfilled when the Persians and Medes, having taken the entire dominion of the Assyrians and the Babylonians themselves into their power, subjected them to their own might. And now from this point, the prophetic spirit provides instruction for those who are going to encounter the prophetic writing in the times after these things, how one must glorify and bless God for the benefactions he has bestowed upon them, and how one must lament the king of Babylon. Therefore he says: and you will say in that day, How has the exactor ceased. But it must be known that up to these things Origen proceeded with the sixteenth book of the commentaries on the prophet. Therefore you will say in that day, he says, How has the exactor ceased and the taskmaster ceased. Instead of which, Symmachus interpreted "how ... tribute was bound" and added: the Lord has broken the staff of the impious, the staff of the rulers, and again, instead of: "all the earth has rested, trusting," Symmachus says, "all the earth has rested and is stable." And he adds: become cheerful, rejoice; and indeed all the pine trees rejoiced at you, the cedar of Lebanon. And the pine and cedar of Lebanon again allegorically certain tyrants and

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τοιούτων δαιμόνων, ἐπεὶ παρ' Ἕλλησιν ἡδύφωνοί τινες αὗται καὶ ἀπατηλοὶ γεγενῆσθαι μνημονεύονται. ταῦτα δὴ πάντα ταχύ φησιν ἔρχεται καὶ οὐ χρονιεῖ· πᾶς γὰρ καὶ ὁ νομιζόμενος παρὰ ἀνθρώποις μακρότατος εἶναι χρόνος βραχύτατος παρὰ θεῷ κριτῇ λελόγισται· «χίλια» γοῦν «ἔτη ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ ἐχθὲς» εἴρηται, «καὶ ὡς φυλακὴ ἐν νυκτί». ἀλλὰ καὶ οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν χρόνον τὰ ὑπὸ τῆς προφητείας θεσπισθέντα τέλους ἔτυχεν, τὰ προρρηθέντα παθούσης τῆς Βαβυλῶνος ἐπὶ τῆς Μήδων ἀρχῆς. 1.68 Ἀκολούθως μετὰ τὰ προλεχθέντα κατὰ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος τὴν ἐπὶ Κύρου γενομένην ἐπιστροφὴν τοῦ Ἰουδαίων λαοῦ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς πολεμίας ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ σημαίνει διδάσκων, ὡς ἐπανελθόντες ἀναπαύσονται ἐπὶ τῆς ἑαυτῶν χώρας, καὶ ὡς ὁ γιώρας προστεθήσεται αὐτοῖς. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· ὁ γιώρας προστεθήσεται αὐτοῖς, οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ ὁ προσήλυτος ἡρμήνευσαν· οὕτως γὰρ εὖ πράξειν αὐτούς φησιν ἐπὶ τῆς ἑαυτῶν γῆς ὡς καὶ ἀλλοφύλους ἀντιποιηθῆναι τῆς αὐτῶν θεοσεβείας, προσηλύτους τε αὐτῶν γενέσθαι καὶ προστεθῆναι τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰακὼβ οὐκ ὄντας μὲν ἐξ αὐτῶν, διὰ δὲ τὸ προσηλυτεῦσαι οἰκειουμένους αὐτοῖς ὡς μηδὲν διαφέρειν τῶν ἐγγενῶν καὶ ἀλλοφύλων. Ἐν δὲ τῷ ἐπανιέναι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς Βαβυλωνίας ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν γῆν λήψεσθαι αὐτούς φησιν ἔθνη καὶ εἰσάξειν εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῶν. καὶ ταῦτα δὲ τέλους ἐτύγχανεν κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν, ἣν περιέχει ἡ τοῦ Ἔσδρα γραφὴ διδάσκουσα, ὡς βασιλεὺς Κῦρος διὰ προγράμματος τοῖς ἐθέλουσι τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐξουσίαν ἔδωκεν ἐπανιέναι εἰς τὴν γῆν ἑαυτῶν καὶ τὸν ναὸν ἐγείρειν τὸν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις. οἷς ἐπιλέγει ἡ γραφή· «καὶ ἀνέστησαν ἄρχοντες τῶν πατριῶν Ἰούδα καὶ Βενιαμὶν καὶ πάντες οἱ κυκλόθεν αὐτῶν ἴσχυσαν ἐν χερσὶν αὐτῶν ἐν σκεύεσιν ἀργύρου, ἐν χρυσίῳ καὶ ἀποσκευῇ καὶ ἐν κτήνεσι καὶ ἐν ξενίοις». τούτων μὲν οὖν ἡγεῖτο Ζοροβάβελ ὁ τοῦ Σαλαθιὴλ καὶ Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ἰωσεδὲκ συνόντων αὐτοῖς προφητῶν Ἁγγαίου καὶ Ζαχαρίου. μετὰ δὲ Κῦρον Ξέρξης Περσῶν βασιλεὺς Ἔσδραν ἀποπέμπει «τὸν γραμματέα τοῦ νόμου» σὺν ἐπιστολαῖς, αἳ προσέταττον ἅπασι τοῖς ἄρχουσι τῶν ἐθνῶν τοῖς μεταξὺ τῆς Περσῶν καὶ τῆς Ἰουδαίας χώρας συμπράξαι τῷ Ἔσδρᾳ. δευτέρα γίνεται ἄνοδος αὕτη τῶν ἅμα τῷ Ἔσδρᾳ συνελθόντων, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάλιν Νεεμίου ἀνιόντος γράμματα ἐπιτίθησιν ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεὺς «πρὸς τοὺς ἐπάρχους τοὺς πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ» καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ «ὁ βασιλεὺς συναπέστειλεν αὐτῷ ἀρχηγοὺς δυνάμεως», «ὁδηγοὺς» ἅμα καὶ φύλακας. ταῦτα τοίνυν προλαβοῦσα σημαίνει ἡ προφητεία ἐν τῷ λέγειν· καὶ λήψονται αὐτοὺς ἔθνη καὶ εἰσάξουσιν εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῶν. τὸ δέ· καὶ ἔσονται αἰχμάλωτοι οἱ αἰχμαλωτεύσαντες αὐτούς, καὶ κυριευθήσονται οἱ κυριεύσαντες αὐτῶν ἐπληροῦτο, ὅτε Πέρσαι καὶ Μῆδοι πᾶσαν Ἀσσυρίων ἀρχὴν καὶ αὐτοὺς Βαβυλωνίους ὑποχειρίους λαβόντες τῇ ἑαυτῶν ὑπέταξαν δυνάμει. Ἤδη δὲ ἐντεῦθεν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ προφητικὸν διδασκαλίαν παρέχει τοῖς τῇ γραφῇ τῇ προφητικῇ ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα χρόνοις μέλλουσιν ἐντυγχάνειν, ὅπως χρὴ δοξάζειν καὶ εὐλογεῖν τὸν θεόν, ἐφ' αἷς δεδώρηται αὐτοῖς εὐεργεσίαις, καὶ ὅπως χρὴ ἀποθρηνεῖν τὸν βασιλέα τῆς Βαβυλῶνος. διό φησι· καὶ ἐρεῖς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ Πῶς ἀναπέπαυται ὁ ἀπαιτῶν. ἰστέον δ' ὡς μέχρι τούτων Ὠριγένει προῆλθεν ὁ ἑξκαιδέκατος τῶν εἰς τὸν προφήτην ἐξηγητικῶν τόμος. ἐρεῖς τοίνυν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ φησὶ Πῶς ἀναπέπαυται ὁ ἀπαιτῶν καὶ ἀναπέπαυται ὁ ἐπισπουδαστής. ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχος πῶς ... κατεδέθη φορολογία διηρμήνευσε καὶ ἐπήγαγε· συνέτριψεν ὁ κύριος τὴν βακτηρίαν τῶν ἀσεβῶν, τὴν βακτηρίαν τῶν ἐξουσιαζόντων, καὶ πάλιν ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἀνεπαύσατο πεποιθὼς πᾶσα ἡ γῆ, ὁ Σύμμαχος ἀνεπαύσατό φησι καὶ ηὐστάθησε πᾶσα ἡ γῆ. καὶ ἐπιλέγει· ἱλαροὶ γένεσθε, ἀγαλλιᾶσθε· καίγε πᾶσαι πίτυες ἐπέχαιρόν σοι, κέδρος τοῦ Λιβάνου. πίτυς δὲ καὶ κέδρος Λιβάνου πάλιν ἀλληγορικῶς τυράννους τινὰς καὶ