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he said after other things also this, she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people; and he adds in the prophecy saying, that he has also made my mouth as a sharp sword; and again, he has made me as a chosen arrow; for the word of God is living, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, as the divine apostle taught. And most blessedly could it be said to him alone, who became obedient to the Father even unto death, the words, You are my servant Israel, and in you I will be glorified; and the words, and I said, I have toiled in vain, and the rest, might be said by the Savior on account of the rarity of those who live according to his gospel. And since he came not except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, it is well said that he came first, to establish the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the dispersion of Israel; but subsequently, because not all of them accepted him, it is added as if to him, Behold, I have set you for a light to the nations, that you should be for salvation to the end of the earth. And after these things 212 the Lord God and Father, who delivered him from all those who gathered against him, commands us to sanctify him, saying, Sanctify him who despises his life; for this one truly despised his own life, emptying himself, and becoming a curse for us; and having taken up our sins, having despised the shame even to death, and death on a cross. After this he speaks of him who is abhorred by the nations, by the servants of the rulers; and it is indeed clear how those enslaved to the rulers of this age, not only at the time of his passion abhorred him, saying, and he is grievous to us even to behold, but even now they abhor him, attempting to overthrow his teaching. Therefore the Lord commands to sanctify this one, signifying his glorious coming. And that the word, prophesying about the calling of the nations, adds the following prophecy, the one from, I have given you for a covenant of the nations, and the rest, which, being more spiritual, to examine further, and being rendered by thought alone, is not the subject of the present treatise. PSALM 25. Thus says the Lord: What is this bill of your mother's divorcement, with which I have sent her away? or to which creditor have I sold you? Behold, you were sold for your sins, and for your iniquities I sent your mother away; because I came, and there was no man who obeyed; does my hand not have the strength to deliver? 213 or does it not have the strength to rescue? Behold, with my rebuke I will desolate the sea, and I will make rivers a desert, and their fish will be dried up from there being no water, and will die in thirst. I will clothe the heaven with darkness, and will make its covering as sackcloth. The Lord, the Lord gives me a tongue of instruction, to know when it is right to speak a word; he has set for me early in the morning; he has added to me an ear to hear, and the instruction of the Lord opens my ears; and I do not disobey nor do I speak against it; I gave my back to scourges, and my cheeks to blows, and my face I did not turn away from the shame of spitting; and the Lord, the Lord became my helper; because of this I was not ashamed, but I set my face as another solid rock; and I knew that I would not be ashamed; because the one who justifies me is near to me; who is it that judges me? let him draw near; behold, the Lord, the Lord helps me, who will harm me? behold, all of you will grow old like a garment, and a moth will devour you; Who among you fears the Lord? let him obey the voice of his servant; you who walk in darkness, and there is no light for them, trust in the name of the Lord, and lean upon God; behold, all you kindle a fire, and strengthen a flame; walk by the light of your fire, and by the flame which you have kindled; because of me these things have happened to you, you will lie down in sorrow. Clearly the divinity of the Word is also proven through the preceding texts, that

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εἶπεν μεθ' ἕτερα καὶ τὸ, τέξεται δὲ υἱὸν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν· αὐτὸς γὰρ σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ· ἐπιφέρει δ' ἐν τῇ προφητείᾳ λέγων, ὅτι καὶ ἔθηκε τὸ στόμα μου ὡς μάχαιραν ὀξεῖαν· καὶ πάλιν, ἔθηκέν με ὡς βέλος ἐκλεκτόν· ὁ γὰρ λογὸς Θεοῦ τυγχάνει ἐνεργὴς, ἔστιν καὶ τομώτερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον, διικνούμενος ἄχρι μερισμοῦ ψυχῆς καὶ πνεύματος, ὡς ὁ θεσπέσιος ἐδίδαξεν ἀπόστολος. Εὐλογώτατα δ' ἂν αὐτῷ μόνῳ λεχθείη ὑπηκόῳ γενομένῳ τῷ Πατρὶ μέχρι καὶ θανάτου τὸ, δοῦλός μου εἶ σὺ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐν σοὶ ἐνδοξασθήσομαι· τὸ δὲ, καὶ ἐγὼ εἶπα κενῶς ἐκοπίασα, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, λέγοιτ' ἂν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος διὰ τὸ σπάνιον τῶν κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον αὐτοῦ βιούντων. Καὶ ἐπειδήπερ οὐκ ἦλθεν εἰ μὴ εἰς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ, καλῶς προηγουμένως μὲν λέγεται ἐπιδεδημηκέναι, τοῦ στῆσαι τὰς φυλὰς Ἰακὼβ, καὶ τὴν διασπορὰν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπιστρέψαι· ἑπομένως δὲ, διὰ τὸ μὴ παραδέξασθαι αὐτὸν τοὺς ἐξ ἐκείνων πάντας, ἐπιφέρεται ὡς πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἰδοὺ τέθεικά σε εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν, τοῦ εἶναί σε εἰς σωτηρίαν ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. Προστάττει δὲ ἡμῖν μετὰ ταῦτα 212 Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ, ὁ ῥυσάμενος αὐτὸν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐπισυναχθέντων κατ' αὐτοῦ, ἁγιάζειν αὐτὸν, λέγων, ἁγιάσατε τὸν φαυλίζοντα τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ· οὗτος γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐφαύλισε τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτοῦ, κενώσας ἑαυτὸν, καὶ γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα· καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας τὰς ἡμετέρας ἀναλαβὼν, αἰσχύνης γε μέχρι θανάτου καὶ θανάτου σταυροῦ καταφρονήσας. Μετὰ ταῦτα φησὶ τὸν βδελυσσόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν δούλων τῶν ἀρχόντων· καὶ δὴ σαφὲς ὅπως οἱ τοῖς ἄρχουσι τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου δεδουλωμένοι, οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ πάθους αὐτοῦ ἐβδελύξαντο αὐτὸν εἰπόντες, καὶ βαρὺς ἡμῖν ἐστι καὶ βλεπόμενος, ἀλλ' ἔτι καὶ νῦν βδελύσσονται, ἀνατρέπειν αὐτοῦ τὴν διδασκαλίαν πειρώμενοι. Τοῦτον οὖν ὁ Κύριος ἁγιάζειν προστάττει, τὴν ἔνδοξον αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν προσημαίνων. Ὅτι δὲ περὶ τῆς ἐξ ἐθνῶν κλήσεως προθεσπίζων ὁ λόγος τὴν ἑξῆς ἐπιφέρει προφητείαν, τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ, ἔδωκά σε εἰς διαθήκην ἐθνῶν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, ἅπερ ἐπιπλεῖον βασανίζειν πνευματικώτερα ὄντα, καὶ κατὰ μόνην διάνοιαν ἀποδιδόμενα, οὐ τῆς παρούσης πραγματείας τυγχάνει. Ψ. ΚΕʹ. Οὕτως λέγει Κύριος· Ποῖον τοῦτο τὸ βιβλίον τοῦ ἀποστασίου τῆς μητρὸς ὑμῶν, ᾧ ἐξαπέστειλα αὐτήν; ἢ τίνι ὑπόχρεῳ πέπρακα ὑμᾶς; Ἰδοὺ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν ἐπράθητε, καὶ ταῖς ἀνομίαις ὑμῶν ἐξαπέστειλα τὴν μητέρα ὑμῶν· δι' ὅτι ἦλθον, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὑπακούων· μὴ οὐκ ἰσχύει ἡ χείρ μου τοῦ ῥύσασθαι; 213 ἢ οὐκ ἰσχύει τοῦ ἐξελέσθαι; Ἰδοὺ τῷ ἐλεγμῷ μου ἐξερημώσω τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ θήσω ποταμοὺς ἐρήμους, καὶ ξηρανθήσονται οἱ ἰχθύες αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ εἶναι ὕδωρ, καὶ ἀποθανοῦνται ἐν δίψει. Ἐνδύσω τὸν οὐρανὸν σκότος, καὶ ὡς σάκκον θήσω τὸ περιβόλαιον αὐτοῦ· Κύριος Κύριος δίδωσί μοι γλῶσσαν παιδείας, τοῦ γνῶναι ἡνίκα δεῖ εἰπεῖν λόγον· ἔθηκέν μοι πρωῒ πρωΐ· προσέθηκέν μοι ὠτίον ἀκούειν, καὶ ἡ παιδεία Κυρίου ἀνοίγει μου τὰ ὦτα· ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἀπειθῶ οὐδὲ ἀντιλέγω· τὸν νῶτόν μου ἔδωκα εἰς μάστιγας, τὰς δὲ σιαγόνας μου εἰς ῥαπίσματα, τὸ δὲ πρόσωπόν μου οὐκ ἀπέστρεψα ἀπὸ αἰσχύνης ἐμπτυσμάτων· καὶ Κύριος Κύριος βοηθός μου ἐγενήθη· διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐνετράπην, ἀλλ' ἔθηκα τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ὡς ἑτερὰν στερεὰν πέτραν· καὶ ἔγνων ὅτι οὐ μὴ αἰσχυνθῶ· ὅτι ἐγγίζει μοι ὁ δικαιώσας με· τίς ὁ κρινόμενός μοι; ἐγγισάτω· ἰδοὺ Κύριος Κύριος βοηθεῖ μοι, τίς κακώσει με; ἰδοὺ πάντες ὑμεῖς ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσεσθε, καὶ σὴς καταφάγεται ὑμᾶς· τίς ἐν ὑμῖν ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον; ὑπακουσάτω τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ παιδὸς αὐτοῦ· οἱ πορευόμενοι ἐν σκότει, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς φῶς, πεποίθατε ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου, καὶ ἀντιστηρίσασθε ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ· ἰδοὺ πάντες ὑμεῖς πῦρ καίετε, καὶ κατισχύετε φλόγα· πορεύεσθε τῷ φωτὶ τοῦ πυρὸς ὑμῶν, καὶ τῇ φλογὶ, ᾗ ἐξεκαύσατε· δι' ἐμὲ ἐγένετο ταῦτα ὑμῖν, ἐν λύπῃ κοιμηθήσεσθε. Σαφῶς ἡ τοῦ Λόγου θεότης καὶ διὰ τῶν προκειμένων ἀποδείκνυται, ὅτι τε