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by faith, after whom second are those from the tribes of Israel. 3.80 All those mentioned, being wild before the divine calling, were in the borders of the land of the Damascenes, whom Jesus, while still a child, plundered, taking “the spoil of Samaria and the power of Damascus before the king of the Assyrians.” 3.81 See if this victory of the infant not yet having the age “to call father or mother” is hinted at by the calling of the magi from the east, who came from the east to Jerusalem to worship the king born there, guided by a star that appeared to them, as the Gospel according to Matthew proclaims. 3.82Zach. IX, 2-4: Tyre and Sidon, because they were very proud. And Tyre built strongholds for herself and treasured up silver as dust and gathered gold as the mud of the streets. For this reason the Lord will inherit her and will strike her power into the sea, and she will be consumed by fire. 3.83 Through the names set forth the calling of all the nations is signified. For the Tyrians and Sidonians are complete idolaters. For what is said in one of the Psalms, “The daughters of Tyre will worship him with gifts,” signifies the calling and conversion of the nations “having no hope, and without God in the world.” In the same sense must be understood what is in another ode, having it thus: “Glorious things have been spoken of you, O city of God, and behold, foreigners, and Tyre and the people of the Ethiopians, these were born there.” For they are then born in the glorious city of God when the foreigners, and the Tyrians, and the people of the Ethiopians turn from the impiety and superstition they held, so that they might be called a portion and inheritance of God, having put away the error of foreigners and the idolatry of the Tyrians and Ethiopians. 3.84 One must try to include with the preceding things also what is in the Gospel, which has it thus: “Woe to you, Chorazin, woe to you, Bethsaida; for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” For when the wondrous mighty works of Jesus were performed, the citizens of Chorazin and Bethsaida, being Jews, did not repent, though the Tyrians and Sidonians would have repented if they had been done among them; however, even if they did not then see the extraordinary mighty works of Jesus, yet at some later time, having beheld them, believing in the one who performed them they have come to repentance. 3.85 Therefore, their future calling is also declared by the preceding prophecy, which has it thus: “Tyre and Sidon because they were very proud,” boasting as if “to build strongholds” which seemed to be impregnable; these happen to be sophistic and eristic arguments, on which, being greatly proud, she supposed herself to be hard to capture and unconquerable. Concerning such garrisons earnestly maintained by the heterodox, as being about to be cast down by those who wage war under God, the Apostle writes: “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” For the apostolic word does not speak of perceptible strongholds being demolished along with arguments, that is, with eristic words. 3.86 And to Nineveh, which is interpreted as “beautified,” being greatly proud of the enclosures and invincible garrisons she had constructed, the destroyer of such things says threateningly: “You also will be drunk and will be overlooked, and you will seek for yourself a standing place from enemies. Your strongholds are fig trees with early fruit, and if they are shaken they will fall into the mouth of the one who eats.” 3.87 For how would she not be overlooked by the provider for all things, having been made drunk by the wine of profligacy, the drinking of which the Apostle, speaking in Christ, also forbids, writing: “Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation”? How would not such be the one harvested from the vine of Sodom and the branch of the Gomorrahites, which the wrath of dragons

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πίστει, μεθ' οὓς δεύτεροι τυγχάνουσιν οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν φυλῶν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. 3.80 Πάντες οἱ μνημονευθέντες, πρὸ τῆς θείας κλήσεως ἄγριοι τυγχάνοντες, ἐν τοῖς ὁρίοις τῆς ∆αμασκηνῶν γῆς ἐτύγχανον, οὕσπερ ἔτι παιδίον ὢν Ἰησοῦς ἐπρονόμευσεν, λαβὼν «τὰ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας καὶ τὴν δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ ἀπέναντι βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων». 3.81 Ὅρα εἰ ταύτην τὴν νίκην τοῦ νηπίου τοῦ μήπω ἔχοντος ἡλικίαν «καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα» αἰνίττεται ἡ κλῆσις τῶν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς μάγων ἐλθόντων ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἐπὶ τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα προσκυνῆσαι τῷ τεχθέντι ἐκεῖ βασιλεῖ, ποδηγούμενοι ὑπὸ ἀστέρος φανέντος αὐτοῖς, ὡς διαγορεύει τὸ κατὰ Μαθθαῖον Εὐαγγέλιον. 3.82Zach. IX, 2-4: Τύρος καὶ Σιδών, διότι ἐφρόνησαν σφόδρα. Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν Τύρος ὀχυρώματα ἑαυτῇ καὶ ἐθησαύρισεν ἀργύριον ὡς χοῦν καὶ συνήγαγεν χρυσίον ὡς πηλὸν ὁδῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Κύριος κληρονομήσει αὐτὴν καὶ πατάξει εἰς θάλασσαν τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῆς, καὶ αὕτη ἐν πυρὶ καταναλωθήσεται. 3.83 ∆ιὰ τῶν ἐκκειμένων ὀνομάτων ἡ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν κλῆσις σημαίνεται. Πάνυ γὰρ εἰδωλολάτραι τυγχάνουσιν Τύριοι καὶ Σιδώνιοι. Τὸ γὰρ λεγόμενον ἐν ἑνὶ τῶν Ψαλμῶν· «Προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτῷ θυγατέρες Τύρου ἐν δώροις», τὴν κλῆσιν αἰνίττεται τῶν «ἐλπίδα μὴ ἐχόντων, καὶ ἀθέων ἐν κόσμῳ» ἐθνῶν τὴν ἐπιστροφήν. Κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν νόησιν ἐκλημπτέον καὶ τὸ ἐν ἑτέρᾳ ᾠδῇ ἔχον οὕτω· «∆εδοξασμένα ἐλαλήθη περὶ σοῦ, ἡ πόλις τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀλλόφυλοι, καὶ Τύρος καὶ λαὸς Αἰθιόπων, οὗτοι ἐγενήθησαν ἐκεῖ.» Τότε γὰρ τότε γίνονται ἐν τῇ δεδοξασμένῃ Θεοῦ πόλει, ὅταν ἐπιστραφῶσιν ἀφ' ἧς εἶχον ἀσεβείας καὶ δεισιδαιμονίας οἵ τε ἀλλόφυλοι, Τύριοί τε καὶ λαὸς Αἰθιόπων, ἵνα μερὶς καὶ κλῆρος Θεοῦ χρηματίσωσι, ἀποπαθόντες τὴν ἀλλοφύλων πλάνην καὶ τὴν Τυρίων καὶ Αἰθιόπων εἰδωλολατρείαν. 3.84 Πειρατέον εἰς τὰ προκείμενα καὶ τὰ ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ συμπαραλαβεῖν οὕτως ἔχοντα· «Οὐαί σοι, Χοραζίν, οὐαί σοι, Βηθσαϊδά· ὅτι εἰ ἐν Τύρῳ καὶ Σιδῶνι ἐγένοντο αἱ δυνάμεις, πάλαι ἂν ἐν σάκκῳ καὶ σποδῷ μετενόησαν.» Τῶν γὰρ τεραστίων Ἰησοῦ δυνάμεων ἐπιτελεσθεισῶν, οὐ μετενόησαν οἱ τῆς Χοραζὶν καὶ Βηθσαϊδὰ πολῖται ὄντες Ἰουδαῖοι, μετεγνωκότων ἂν Τυρίων καὶ Σιδωνίων εἰ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐγεγόνεσαν· πλὴν εἰ καὶ τότε μὴ εἶδον τὰς παραδόξους Ἰησοῦ δυνάμεις, ἀλλ' ὕστερόν ποτε θεασάμενοι αὐτάς, πιστεύσαντες τῷ ἐπιτελέσαντι ἐληλύθασιν εἰς μετάνοιαν. 3.85 Τὴν ἐσομένην γοῦν αὐτῶν κλῆσιν δηλοῖ καὶ ἡ προκειμένη προφητεία οὕτως ἔχουσα· «Τύρος καὶ Σιδὼν διότι ἐφρόνησαν σφόδρα», ἀλαζονευομένη ὡς «οἰκοδομῆσαι ὀχυρώματα» ἃ ἔδοξεν εἶναι ἀκαθαίρετα· σοφιστικοὶ δὲ καὶ ἐριστικοὶ λόγοι τυγχάνουσι ταῦτα, ἐφ' οἷς μέγα φρονοῦσα δυσάλωτος καὶ ἀήττητος ὑπελάμβανεν ὑπάρχειν. Περὶ τῶν τοιούτων φρουρίων σπουδαζομένων τοῖς ἑτεροδόξοις, ὡς καθαιρεθησομένων ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπὸ Θεῷ στρατευομένων, γράφει ὁ Ἀπόστολος· «Τὰ ὅπλα τῆς στρατείας ἡμῶν οὐ σαρκικὰ ἀλλὰ δυνατὰ τῷ Θεῷ, πρὸς καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρωμάτων, λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες, καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Οὐ γὰρ περὶ αἰσθητῶν ὀχυρωμάτων συγκαθαιρουμένων λογισμοῖς, τοῦτ' ἔστιν λόγοις ἐριστικοῖς, φησὶν ἡ ἀποστολικὴ λέξις. 3.86 Καὶ πρὸς τὴν Νινευή, μεταλαμβανομένην εἰς τὸ «ὡραϊσμένη», μέγα φρονοῦσαν ἐφ' οἷς κατεσκεύασεν ἕρκεσιν καὶ φρουρίοις ἀκαταμαχήτοις, ὁ καθαιρέτης τῶν τοιούτων ἀπειλῶν φησιν· «Καὶ σὺ μεθυσθήσει καὶ ἔσει παρεωραμένη, καὶ ζητήσεις σεαυτῇ στάσιν ἐξ ἐχθρῶν. Τὰ ὀχυρώματά σου συκαῖ σκοποὺς ἔχουσαι, καὶ ἐὰν σαλευθῶσιν πεσοῦνται εἰς στόμα ἔσθοντος.» 3.87 Πῶς γὰρ οὐ παροραθείη ὑπὸ τοῦ προνοητοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἡ μεθυσθεῖσα ἀπὸ τοῦ τῆς ἀσωτίας οἴνου, ὃν ἀπαγορεύει καὶ τὴν πόσιν αὐτοῦ ὁ ἐν Χριστῷ λαλῶν Ἀπόστολος γράφων· «Μὴ μεθύσκεσθε οἴνῳ ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν ἀσωτία»; Πῶς γὰρ οὐ τοιοῦτος ὁ τρυγώμενος ἀπὸ τῆς σοδομηνῆς ἀμπέλου καὶ τῆς τῶν Γομόρρων κληματίδος, ὃν θυμὸν δρακόντων