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it is likely that the so-called power of Damascus is the evangelical life, and those from the circumcision who have received the Christ of God are the so-called spoils of Samaria; and having taken these souls as spoils and plunder from the intelligible enemies, against the intelligible king of the Assyrians, that is, the devil, He both armed them and prepared them to fight against him. And it is possible for one who wishes to discern these things precisely from the commentaries on these passages by the holy man; but if those from the circumcision demand these things more literally, they must be cross-examined as to whether they can demonstrate literally in what way Isaiah approached the prophetess for the sake of physical union in the presence of the aforementioned witnesses; and who such a prophetess is, and how she immediately conceived in the womb, and straightway gave birth, and what child this is that was born, whom the Lord commands Isaiah to call by the name, make haste to the spoils, fall quickly upon the prey; and what meaning such a great 182 name has, or how it is possible according to the plain meaning to conceive of any child whatsoever literally taking the so-called power of Damascus and the so-called spoils of Samaria in the presence of the king of the Assyrians, and to do these things before it knows to call father or mother; and in addition to these things, if they should contradict what has been previously demonstrated by us, let them show how the Christ expected by them, when he comes, will literally take the power of Damascus according to the prophecy, and what spoils of Samaria, or in the presence of what Assyrians, since none of these things is still active in the present times. Ψ. ʹ. Behold, I and the children, whom God has given me; and there shall be signs and wonders in the house of Israel from the Lord God of sabaoth, who dwells on mount Zion. And the passage, ‘Behold, I and the children, whom God has given me,’ is well interpreted in the Epistle to the Hebrews as from the person of the Savior concerning both the apostles and those after them who have believed in him; for there is added here, ‘and they shall be for signs and wonders in the house of Israel;’ and it is clear how at the time of the Savior's coming there were signs and wonders in the house of Israel, such as had never before been accomplished. Ψ. Ζʹ. And they will wish that they had been consumed by fire. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us, whose government was upon his 183 shoulder, and his name is called, Angel of 183 Great Counsel; for I will bring peace upon the rulers, and health to him. Great is his government, and of his peace there is no end; upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to establish it, and to uphold it in judgment and in righteousness, from now and for evermore; the zeal of the Lord of sabaoth will do this. I think, then, that the child spoken of here is none other than the one prophesied above to be born of the virgin, whom also a little before the prophetess was said to have borne; but while above his name was Emmanuel, afterwards it was, make haste to the spoils, fall quickly upon the prey. Here, however, this same one according to the {2}2interpretation of the Seventy, is called Angel of Great {2}2Counsel; but according to Aquila and the Hebrew itself his {2}2name is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty {2}2God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace; and according to {2}2Symmachus, the name of the child will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Father of the Age, Prince of Peace. Therefore, we must demand of those from the circumcision what child they might have to present to whom they could apply such great things; for according to us, these are conceptions of the divine power of Christ, in whom those who did not believe will wish that they had been consumed by fire rather than see their own rejection and the salvation of the gentiles, which the zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth is said to accomplish; to which you will add what was spoken by Moses in this way: they have moved me to jealousy with their idols, and I will move them to jealousy with those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation 184 I will anger them. But indeed not of the present time, nor yet of the

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εὐαγγελικὸν βίον εἰκὸς εἶναι τὴν λεγομένην δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ, τὰς δ' ἐκ περιτομῆς τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ παραδεξαμένας, τὰ προσαγορευόμενα σκῦλα Σαμαρείας· ταύτας δὲ τὰς ψυχὰς σκῦλα καὶ προνομὴν παρὰ τῶν νοητῶν εἰληφὸς ὼς πολεμίων, ἐξ ἐναντίας τοῦ νοητοῦ βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων, τοῦτ' ἔστι τοῦ διαβόλου, καθώπλισέ τε καὶ πολεμεῖν αὐτῷ παρεσκεύασεν. Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ πάρεστιν ἐπ' ἀκριβὲς τῷ βουλομένῳ ἐκ τῶν εἰς τοὺς τόπους ὑπομνηματισθέντων τῷ ἱερῷ ἀνδρὶ διαγνῶναι· εἰ δ' εἰ (sic) ἀπαιτοῖεν ταῦτα σωματικώτερον οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς, ἀντεξεταστέον αὐτοὺς εἰ δύνανται σωματικῶς αὐτοὶ παραστῆσαι τίνα τρόπον ὁ Ἡσαΐας ἐπὶ τῶν προειρημένων μαρτύρων τῇ προφήτιδι μίξεως σωματικῆς ἕνεκεν προσελήλυθεν· τίς δὲ καὶ ἡ τοιαύτη προφῆτις, καὶ πῶς παραχρῆμα ἐν γαστρὶ ἔλαβεν, καὶ παραυτίκα τέτοκεν, καὶ ποῖον τοῦτο τὸ τεχθὲν παιδίον ὃ προστάσσει τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ ὁ Κύριος ὀνόματι καλέσαι τῷ, ταχέως σκύλευσον, ὀξέως προνόμευσον· τίνα δὲ καὶ λόγον ἔχει τὸ τηλί 182 κονδε ὄνομα, ἢ πῶς δυνατόν ἐστι κατὰ τὴν πρόχειρον διάνοιαν παιδίον ὁποῖον δὴ οὖν ἐπινοεῖν σωματικῶς ἀπολήψεσθαι τὴν ὀνομαζομένην δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ, καὶ τὰ λεγόμενα σκῦλα Σαμαρείας ἐναντίων ον βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων, καὶ ταῦτα πράττειν πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι αὐτὸ καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα· καὶ πρὸς τούτοις εἰ ἀντιλέγοιεν τοῖς ἡμῖν προαποδεδομένοις, δεικνύτωσαν αὐτοὶ πῶς ὁ προσδοκώμενος ὑπ' αὐτῶν Χριστὸς παραγενόμενος λήψεται σωματικῶς τὴν κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ, καὶ ποῖα σκῦλα Σαμαρείας, ἢ ποίων Ἀσσυρίων ἐναντίον, μηδενὸς ἔτι τούτων ἐνεργοῦντος κατὰ τοὺς ἐνεστῶτας χρόνους. Ψ. ʹ. Ἰδοὺ, ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία, ἅ μοι δέδωκεν ὁ Θεός· καὶ ἔσται σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραὴλ παρὰ Κυρίου Θεοῦ σαβαὼθ, ὃς κατοικεῖ ἐν τῷ ὄρει Σιών. Καὶ τὸ, Ἰδοὺ, ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία, ἅ μοι ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Σωτῆρος περί τε τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκότων καλῶς ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους ἐξείληπται· ἐπιφέρεται γοὖν ἐνταῦθα τὸ, καὶ ἔσται σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ἐν οἴκῳ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ σαφὲς ὅπως κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος παρουσίας σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα εἰ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραὴλ, οἷα οὐδεπώποτε ἀπετελέσθη. Ψ. Ζʹ. Καὶ θελήσουσιν, εἰ ἐγένοντο πυρίκαυστοι. Ὅτι παιδίον ἐγενήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς ἐδόθη ἡμῖν, οὗ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐγενήθη ἐπὶ τοῦ 183 ὤμου αὐτοῦ, καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, Μεγάλης 183 βουλῆς ἄγγελος· ἄξω γὰρ εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας, καὶ ὑγεία αὐτῷ. Μεγάλη ἡ ἀρχὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ὅριον· ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον ∆αυὶδ, καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ κατορθῶσαι αὐτὴν, καὶ ἀντιλαβέσθαι ἐν κρίματι καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ὁ ζῆλος Κυρίου σαβαὼθ ποιήσει ταῦτα. Οἶμαι δὴ τὸ λεγόμενον ἐνθάδε παιδίον οὐκ ἄλλο εἶναι τοῦ ἐκ τῆς παρθένου τεχθήσεσθαι ἀνωτέρω προπεφητευμένου, ὃ καὶ μικρῷ πρότερον ἡ προφῆτις ἀποτεκεῖν ἐλέγετο· ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ἀνωτέρω ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ ἦν, τὸ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα, ταχέως σκύλευσον, ὀξέως προνόμευσον. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς οὗτος κατὰ μὲν τὴν {2}2τῶν οʹ ἑρμηνείαν, μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος χρημα{2}2τίζει· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν τὸ {2}2ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐστιν θαυμαστὸς σύμβουλος, ἰσχυρὸς {2}2δυνατὸς πατὴρ, ἔτι ἄρχων εἰρήνης· καὶ κατὰ τὸν {2}2Σύμμαχον δὲ, κληθήσεται τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ παιδίου παραδοξασμὸς βουλευτικὸς ἰσχυρὸς δυνατὸς, πατὴρ αἰῶνος, ἄρχων εἰρήνης. Ἀπαιτητέον τοίνυν τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς ποῖον ἂν ἔχοι εν παιδίον ᾧ τὰ τηλικαῦτα ἐφαρμόσαιεν παριστάναι· καθ' ἡμᾶς γὰρ ἐπίνοιαι εἰσὶν αὗται τῆς θείας τοῦ Χριστοῦ δυνάμεως, εἰς ὃν οἱ μὴ πιστεύσαντες θελήσουσιν εἰ ἐγενήθησαν πυρίκαυστοι μᾶλλον ἢ ὅτι τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀποβολὴν ἰδεῖν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν σωτηρίαν, ἣν ὁ ζῆλος Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ ποιήσειν εἴρηται· ᾧ παραθήσεις τὸ παρὰ Μωσεῖ οὕτω πῶς λελεγμένον· αὐτοὶ παρεζήλωσάν με ἐν τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτῶν, κἀγὼ παραζηλώσω αὐτοὺς ἐπ' οὐκ ἔθνει· ἐπ' ἔθνει 184 ἀσυνέτῳ παροργιῶ αὐτούς. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐ τοῦ παρόντος καιροῦ, οὐδὲ μὴν τοῦ καθ'