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how they would also be led away as captives to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar and again would gloriously return, and again would suffer evils under Antiochus and the surrounding nations, and how they would overcome these by divine power, and then the expected one from the seed of Abraham would come for the salvation of the whole world according to the promises from above. This is the work of the prophets. 5.163 So some of them wrote their own books for themselves, such as David who composed the book of psalms, and Daniel in the captivity, having been commanded to write what was revealed to him through visions, or certain others. But the rest did not write for themselves, but there were scribes in the temple, who wrote down the word of each prophet, as in a journal. And whenever a prophet was sent by God to proclaim either concerning Jerusalem that it was about to be taken captive, or concerning Samaria, or concerning other places, or concerning the return, or concerning Antiochus, or concerning the surrounding nations, or concerning the Lord Christ himself, on the day he prophesied, they wrote in the account of that prophet what he proclaimed concerning one matter; and again after a time, if he proclaimed concerning another matter, they wrote it again, adding it to his account, making what he proclaimed the beginning of a chapter, and thus they composed his entire book. 5.164 Therefore it is possible to find in their books a chapter fitting for the captivity of Babylon, or for the return, and immediately another concerning Christ, and then again one speaking about the captivity and the return, and simply put, if one does not read observantly, he will find most things confused. Not only that, but also the books of Kings were written in this manner in the temple, part by part, in the time of Saul, the things up to Saul, in the time of David, the things up to David, likewise also the things of each king were written in his own time. Likewise they also wrote in the archives of the kings, which we call Chronicles. But Moses wrote the Pentateuch, a history of things that had happened, were happening, and were to come. Joshua again, his own book; Judges again in the temple, that is, in the tabernacle; likewise also Ruth. Solomon again wrote his own works, both the Proverbs and the Songs and Ecclesiastes; for having received the gift of wisdom from God, and admonishing every man to conduct himself wisely in this life, he had not received the gift of prophecy. 5.165 Therefore, as many as we found who were deemed worthy of prophecy to speak concerning the Lord Christ, we have arranged. And we also write about the other four prophets, what they were deemed worthy to foretell concerning the economy of the Lord Christ, to which the whole scope of the divine Scripture looks. We bring forward, therefore, first the most eloquent Isaiah, who was deemed worthy both in type and in word to see and foretell concerning the mystery of Christ. ISAIAH 5.166 This great Isaiah, the son of Amoz, who foresaw in a type the things concerning the mystery of Christ, when he saw "the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and Seraphim stood round about him, six wings to one and six wings to the other," covering themselves, "and one cried to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Sabaoth, the whole earth is full of his glory." After these things one of the Seraphim was sent and took with tongs a coal from the altar and touched his lips, saying: "This will take away your iniquities," having been clearly taught through the vision that was shown and the hymn and the type to announce beforehand the mystery of Christ. 5.167 And again he also says in word thus: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is dumb." When the Ethiopian eunuch read this passage, he begged Philip that it be interpreted to him, who quickly interpreted it to him as having been spoken by the prophet concerning the Lord Christ. Then again he says: "A man in affliction and knowing how to bear infirmity." And again: "Because he did no iniquity, nor was deceit found in his mouth; and the Lord wishes to cleanse him from the affliction

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ὅπως καὶ αἰχμάλωτοι εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ὑπὸ Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἀπαχθήσονται καὶ πάλιν ἐνδόξως ἐπανήξουσι, καὶ πάλιν πείσονται κακὰ ὑπὸ Ἀντιόχου καὶ τῶν πέριξ ἐθνῶν, καὶ ὅπως καὶ τούτων δυνάμει θείᾳ περιγενήσονται, καὶ τότε ὁ προσδοκώμενος ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἥξει ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ παντὸς τοῦ κόσμου κατὰ τὰς ἄνωθεν ἐπαγγελίας. Τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον τῶν προφητῶν. 5.163 Τινὲς μὲν οὖν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἑαυτοῖς συνέγραψαν τὰς ἰδίας βίβλους, οἷον ὁ ∆αυῒδ συνθεὶς τὴν βίβλον τῶν ψαλμῶν, καὶ ∆ανιὴλ ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ κελευσθεὶς γράψαι ἅπερ αὐτῷ δι' ὁράσεων ἀπεκαλύφθη, ἢ καὶ ἄλλοι τινές. Οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ οὐχ ἑαυτοῖς συνέγραφον, ἀλλὰ γραμματεῖς ἦσαν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, οἳ ἔγραφον ἑκάστου προφήτου, ὡς ἐπὶ ἡμερολογίου, λόγον. Καὶ ἡνίκα ἀπεστέλλετο ὑπὸ Θεοῦ προφήτης κηρῦξαι ἢ περὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὅτι μέλλει αἰχμαλωτίζεσθαι, ἢ περὶ Σαμαρείας, ἢ περὶ ἑτέρων τόπων, ἢ περὶ τῆς ἐπανόδου, ἢ περὶ Ἀντιόχου, ἢ περὶ τῶν πέριξ ἐθνῶν, ἢ περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ, καθ' ἣν ἡμέραν προεφήτευεν, ἔγραφον ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνου ὃ ἐκήρυττε περὶ ἑνὸς πράγματος· καὶ πάλιν μετὰ καιρόν, εἰ ἐκήρυξε περὶ ἑτέρου πράγματος, πάλιν ἔγραφον ὑποτάσσοντες εἰς τὸν αὐτοῦ λόγον, ὡς ἀρχὴν κεφαλαίου ποιούμενοι ὃ ἐκήρυττε, καὶ οὕτως πᾶσαν τὴν βίβλον αὐτοῦ συνετίθεσαν. 5.164 Ὅθεν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν ἐν ταῖς αὐτῶν βίβλοις κεφάλαιον ἁρμόζον εἰς τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Βαβυλῶνος, ἢ εἰς τὴν ἐπάνοδον, καὶ εὐθέως περὶ Χριστοῦ ἕτερον, καὶ αὖθις πάλιν περὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας καὶ τῆς ἐπανόδου λέγοντα, καὶ ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν, ἐὰν μὴ παρατετηρημένως τις ἀναγνῷ, συγκεχυμένα τὰ πλεῖστα εὑρήσει. Οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ αἱ Βασιλεῖαι τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἐγράφησαν κατὰ μέρος, ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ Σαοὺλ τὰ ἕως τοῦ Σαούλ, ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ τὰ ἕως τοῦ ∆αυΐδ, ὁμοίως καὶ τὰ ἑκάστου βασιλέως κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον καιρὸν ἐγράφοντο. Ὁμοίως ἔγραφον καὶ ἐν τοῖς σκρινίοις τῶν βασιλέων, ἃς καλοῦμεν Παραλειπομένας. Τὴν δὲ Πεντάτευχον Μωϋσῆς ἔγραψεν, ἱστορίαν προγεγονότων καὶ γινομένων καὶ ἐσομένων. Ἰησοῦς πάλιν τὴν ἰδίαν βίβλον· τοὺς Κριτὰς πάλιν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, ἤγουν ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ· ὁμοίως καὶ τὴν Ῥούθ. Σολομῶν πάλιν τὰ ἴδια ἔγραψε, τάς τε Παροιμίας καὶ τὰ Ἄισματα καὶ τὸν Ἐκκλησιαστήν· σοφίας γὰρ χάριν εἰληφὼς παρὰ Θεοῦ, καὶ πάντα ἄνθρωπον νουθετῶν σοφῶς ἀναστρέφεσθαι ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ, προφητείας χάριν οὐκ εἰλήφει. 5.165 Ὅσους οὖν εὕρομεν προφητείας ἀξιωθέντας εἰπεῖν περὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ, ἐτάξαμεν. Ἔτι δὲ γράφομεν καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων τεσσάρων προφητῶν, ὅσα ἠξιώθησαν προειπεῖν περὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸν ∆εσπότην Χριστὸν οἰκονομίας, ἐν ᾗ ἀφορᾷ πᾶς ὁ σκοπὸς τῆς θείας Γραφῆς. Προφέρομεν τοίνυν πρῶτον τὸν μεγαλοφωνότατον Ἠσαΐαν, ὃς καὶ τύπῳ καὶ λόγῳ ἠξιώθη ἰδεῖν καὶ προειπεῖν περὶ τοῦ κατὰ Χριστὸν μυστηρίου. ΗΣΑΙΑΣ 5.166 Οὗτος ὁ μέγας Ἠσαΐας, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Ἀμώς, ὃς τύπῳ μὲν προεῖδε τὰ κατὰ τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτε εἶδε "τὸν Κύριον καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἐπηρμένου, καὶ Σεραφεὶμ εἱστήκεισαν κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ, ἓξ πτέρυγες τῷ ἑνὶ καὶ ἓξ πτέρυγες τῷ ἑνί", ἑαυτὰ κατακαλύπτοντα, "καὶ ἔκραζον ἕτερος πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον· Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος Κύριος Σαβαώθ, πλήρης πᾶσα ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ." Ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀπεστάλη ἓν τῶν Σεραφεὶμ καὶ ἔλαβε τῇ λαβίδι ἄνθρακα ἀπὸ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου καὶ ἥψατο τῶν χειλέων αὐτοῦ λέγων· "Τοῦτο ἀφελεῖ τὰς ἀνομίας σου", σαφῶς διὰ τῆς ὄψεως τῆς δειχθείσης καὶ τοῦ ὕμνου καὶ τοῦ τύπου διδαχθεὶς προμηνῦσαι τὸ κατὰ Χριστὸν μυστήριον. 5.167 Ἔτι δὲ πάλιν καὶ λόγῳ φησὶν οὕτως· "Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείραντος αὐτὸν ἄφωνος." Ταύτην τὴν χρῆσιν ὁ εὐνοῦχος Αἰθίοψ ἀναγνοὺς τὸν Φίλιππον παρεκάλει ἑρμηνευθῆναι αὐτῷ αὐτήν, ὃς τάχιστα περὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ αὐτῷ αὐτὴν ἑρμήνευσεν εἰρῆσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου. Εἶτα πάλιν λέγει· "Ἄνθρωπος ἐν πληγῇ ὢν καὶ εἰδὼς φέρειν μαλακίαν". Καὶ πάλιν· "Ὅτι ἀνομίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ· καὶ Κύριος βούλεται καθαρίσαι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς πληγῆς