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according to which, as a just judge, he is prophesied to come, having the reward to be distributed to each according to the worth of their deeds; but it is not now the time to recount the rest; therefore we will turn to another section. 198 Ps. 19. Who raised up righteousness from the east, called it to follow his feet, and it will go? he will give it before nations, and will cause kings to be amazed; and he will give their swords to the earth, and their bows as driven stubble {2}2; and he will pursue them; the path of his feet will pass through in peace; he will not come; who has wrought and done these things? He has called it who calls it from the beginning of generations; I am God, the first, and for the things to come, I am; the nations saw and were afraid; the ends of the earth were astonished; they drew near and came together, each one judging to help his neighbor and his brother; and he will say, A carpenter prevailed; and a coppersmith striking with a hammer while forging; at one time he will say, It is a good joining, they strengthened them with nails, they will set them up and they will not be moved. Who could righteousness raised from the east be, described in substance, having its own hypostasis, but the Christ of God, concerning whom the apostle says, Who was made for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption? And this one, from the paternal bosom, where the risings of all intelligible light are, the economy of the incarnation raised up, or the Father himself, who gave him before the nations; so that their former invisible kings, being wicked powers, might be amazed at the paradox of the economy, seeing so great a son of God having no form nor beauty; and so that after such amazement their 199 swords might be given to the earth, and their bows as driven stubble, so that they might not possess weapons of war and fiery darts, by which they formerly warred against the souls subject to them. After these things he says, and he will pursue them; so that thus, at the end of all things, when they have been driven out, the path of his feet might pass through in peace. But who, he says, has wrought and done these things? And we understand that it was the goodness and philanthropy of the God of all who calls it, clearly meaning righteousness, which is none other than His wisdom, which the nations, having seen, feared God, nations which formerly were without fear of God; which, having been called from the ends and from the extremities of the inhabited world, drew near to God; those who were once far off having become near to the kingdom of heaven; for which reason they were astonished at the paradox of salvation, teaching one another, and a brother helping a brother, they confess their former error concerning idols, saying these very things: it was then a carpenter and a coppersmith who, by means of a hammer and nails and human contrivance, erected and strengthened those formerly considered gods by us; but they were nothing then but lifeless wooden images, not admitting any motion from themselves, and our fathers acquired false idols and there was no benefit in them. And that these things were thus fulfilled at the coming of our Savior, the testimony through works presents more than words. 200 Ps. 20. Jacob my servant, I will help him; Israel my chosen one, my soul has accepted him; I have given my spirit upon him; he will bring forth judgment to the nations; he will not cry out, nor will he lift up his voice, nor will his voice be heard outside; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoking flax he will not quench; but he will bring forth judgment in truth; he will shine forth and will not be broken until he has established judgment on the earth; and in his name the nations will hope. Thus says the Lord God who made heaven and established it, who made the earth firm and the things in it, and who gives breath to the people upon it, and spirit to those who walk on it; I the Lord God have called you in righteousness, and I will take hold of your hand and strengthen you; and I have given you as a covenant of a people, as a light to the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out from bonds those who are bound, and from the prison house those who sit in darkness. That not concerning the

73

καθ' ἣν οἷα δὴ δίκαιος κριτὴς ἥξειν προφητεύεται τὸν μισθὸν ἔχων τῶν κατ' ἀξίαν ἑκάστῳ πεπραγμένων ἀπονεμητικόν· τὰ μέντοι γε λοιπὰ οὐκ ἔτι νῦν καιρὸς ἀπαιτεῖ διηγεῖσθαι· ὅθεν ἐφ' ἑτέραν τραπησόμεθα περικοπήν. 198 Ψ. ΙΘʹ. Τίς ἐξήγειρεν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς δικαιοσύνην, ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὴν κατὰ πόδας αὐτοῦ, καὶ πορεύσεται; δώσει ἐναντίον ἐθνῶν, καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐκστήσει· καὶ δώσει εἰς γῆν τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν, καὶ ὡσεὶ φρύγανα ἐξωσμένα τὰ τόξα {2}2αὐτῶν· καὶ διώξεται αὐτούς· διελεύσεται ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ· οὐχ ἥξει· τίς ἐνήργησεν καὶ ἐποίησεν ταῦτα; ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὴν ὁ καλῶν αὐτὴν ἀπὸ γενεῶν ἀρχῆς· ἐγὼ Θεὸς πρῶτος, καὶ εἰς τὰ ἐπερχόμενα ἐγώ εἰμι· εἴδοσαν ἔθνη καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν· τὰ ἄκρα τῆς γῆς ἐξεπλάγησαν· ἤγγισαν, ἦλθον ἅμα κρίνων ἕκαστος τῷ πλησίον καὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ βοηθῆσαι· καὶ ἐρεῖ, Ἴσχυσεν ἀνὴρ τέκτων· καὶ ἀνὴρ χαλκεὺς τύπτων σφύραν ἅμα ἐλαύνων· ποτὲ μὲν ἐρεῖ σύμβλημα καλόν ἐστιν, ἰσχύρωσαν αὐτὰ ἐν ἥλοις, θήσουσιν αὐτὰ καὶ οὐ κινηθήσεται. ∆ικαιοσύνη ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἐξεγειρομένη τίς ἂν εἴη κατὰ περιγραφὴν οὐσίας, ἰδίαν ὑπόστασιν ἔχουσα, ἢ ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, περὶ οὗ φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος, Ὃς ἐγενήθη ἡμῖν σοφία ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, δικαιοσύνη τε καὶ ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις; Τοῦτον δὲ ἐκ τῶν πατρικῶν κόλπων, παντὸς νοητοῦ φωτὸς ἀνατολῶν ὑπαρχόντων, ἡ κατὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν ἐξήγειρεν οἰκονομία, ἢ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Πατὴρ, ὁ δοὺς αὐτὸν ἐναντίον τῶν ἐθνῶν· ἵν' οἱ μὲν πρότεροι βασιλεῖς αὐτῶν ἀόρατοι, δυνάμεις οὖσαι πονηραὶ, ἐξιστῶσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ παραδόξου τῆς οἰκονομίας, ὁρῶσαι τὸν τηλικοῦτον υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ μὴ ἔχοντα εἶδος μὴ δὲ κάλλος· καὶ ἵνα μετὰ τοιάνδε ἔκστασιν δοθῶσιν εἰς γῆν αἱ 199 ῥομφαῖαι αὐτῶν, καὶ ὡς φρύγανα ἐξωσμένα τὰ τόξα αὐτῶν, πρὸς τὸ μὴ κατέχειν αὐτοὺς ὅπλα πολεμικὰ καὶ πεπυρωμένα βέλη, δι' ὧν πρότερον κατεπολέμουν τὰς ὑποχειρίους αὐτοῖς ψυχάς. Μετὰ ταῦτα φησὶν, καὶ διώξεται αὐτούς· ἵν' οὕτως κατὰ τὸ πάντων τέλος ἐκδιωχθέντων αὐτῶν, διέλθῃ ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ. Τίς δὲ ἐνήργησε, φησὶν, καὶ ἐποίησε ταῦτα; Προσυπακούομεν δὲ ὅτι ἡ χρηστότης καὶ φιλανθρωπία τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ τοῦ καλοῦντος αὐτὴν, δῆλον δ' ὅτι τὴν δικαιοσύνην, οὐκ ἄλλην οὖσαν τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ, ἣν καὶ θεασάμενα ἐφοβήθη τὸν Θεὸν τὸν ἐν ἀφοβίᾳ Θεοῦ πρότερον τυγχάνοντα ἔθνη· ἃ καὶ ἐξ ἄκρων καὶ ἀπὸ περάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης κληθέντα ἤγγισεν τῷ Θεῷ· οἱ ποτὲ ὄντες μακρὰν ἐγγὺς γενόμενοι τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν· διὸ καὶ ἐξεπλάγησαν ἐπὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ τῆς σωτηρίας, διδάσκοντές τε ἀλλήλους, καὶ ἀδελφὸς ἀδελφῷ βοηθῶν, τὴν προτέραν ἐξομολογοῦνται περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα πλάνην, αὐτὰ δὴ ταῦτα λέγοντες· τέκτων ἄρα ἦν καὶ χαλκεὺς, ὁ διὰ σφύρας καὶ ἥλων καὶ μηχανῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀνεγείρας καὶ ἐνισχύσας τοὺς πρότερον νομιζομένους ἡμῖν θεούς· οἱ δὲ οὐδὲν ἄρα ἦσαν ἢ ἄψυχα ξόανα, οὐδεμίαν ἐξ ἑαυτῶν κίνησιν ἐπιδεχόμενα, καὶ ὡς ψευδῆ ἐκτήσαντο οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν εἴδωλα καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἐν αὐτοῖς ὠφέλημα. Ὅτι δὲ ταῦθ' οὕτως ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀπετελέσθη παρουσίᾳ μᾶλλον τῶν λόγων ἡ δι' ἔργων παρίστησιν μαρτυρία. 200 Ψ. Κʹ. Ἰακὼβ ὁ παῖς μου ἀντιλήψομαι αὐτοῦ· Ἰσραὴλ ὁ ἐκλεκτός μου προσεδέξατο αὐτὸν ἡ ψυχή μου· ἔδωκα τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπ' αὐτόν· κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐξοίσει· οὐ κεκράξεται, οὐδὲ ἀνήσει, οὐδὲ ἀκουσθήσεται ἔξω ἡ φωνὴ αὐτοῦ· κάλαμον τεθλασμένον οὐ συντρίψει, καὶ λίνον καπνιζόμενον οὐ σβέσει· ἀλλ' εἰς ἀλήθειαν ἐξοίσει κρίσιν· ἀναλάμψει καὶ οὐ θραυσθήσεται ἕως ἂν θῇ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κρίσιν· καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσιν. Οὕτως λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιήσας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ πήξας αὐτὸν, ὁ στερεώσας τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ διδοὺς πνοὴν τῷ λαῷ τῷ ἐπ' αὐτῆς, καὶ πνεῦμα τοῖς πατοῦσιν αὐτήν· ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἐκάλεσά σε ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ κρατήσω τῆς χειρός σου καὶ ἐνισχύσω σε· καὶ ἔδωκά σε εἰς διαθήκην γένους εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν, ἀνοῖξαι ὀφθαλμοὺς τυφλῶν, ἐξαγαγεῖν ἐκ δεσμῶν δεδεμένους, καὶ ἐξ οἴκου φυλακῆς καθημένους ἐν σκότει. Ὅτι μὴ περὶ τοῦ τῶν