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and they fought with the Syrians, so that their routes to one another were unmixable and impassable. Such, then, were the things of old, but after the arrival of the Lord into Egypt, the present word proclaims to them a most profound peace, and communion and intercourse, saying: there will be a highway for the Egyptians to the Assyrians, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt, and the Egyptians will go to the Assyrians, and the Egyptians will serve the Assyrians. And Israel will be a third among the Egyptians and among the Assyrians, blessed. Together, then, it brings together the former enemies and adversaries, I mean the Syrians and Egyptians and Israel, and says they will obtain one blessing from God; so that Israel no longer thinks highly of itself nor is exalted over the others, as being the only one blessed and as being the only people of God. Nevertheless, even in this state, the prophecy teaches that the Egyptians will serve the Assyrians, I mean the Syrians. Who then, seeing with his eyes Roman armies of Syrian men established over the heads of the Egyptians, and the Egyptians serving them, would not be astonished at the outcome of the prophecy? And who would not marvel, seeing Egyptians crossing over into the land of the Syrians without fear, and Syrians entering upon the Egyptians without hindrance, and subjecting them by the power of ruling authority? But the most paradoxical thing of all was this: that at the same time, both among the Syrians and among the Egyptians and in the land of Israel, there would be peoples for God, and these blessed, so that Israel would no longer differ from the Egyptian, nor the Syrian in any way be considered better before God than Israel or the Egyptian, nor again would the Egyptian be considered inferior before God to Israel or the Syrian. He says that those who were formerly enemies and adversaries of one another would share in so great a communion of good things at the coming of the Lord. Therefore, the people of the Lord established in Egypt itself, and likewise the one in the land of the Syrians, is clearly seen through the great number of the churches, while the people from the Israelite race flourished during the times of the evangelical proclamation, during which the disciples of our Savior and the apostles and all the evangelists, and those from the circumcision who had acknowledged the Christ of God, worshipped God in the same way as the Egyptians and the Syrians, wherefore they were all deemed worthy of one and the same blessing from God together. Therefore it has been said: Blessed be my people in Egypt and in Assyria, and my inheritance Israel, but according to the other interpreters it is said: Blessed be my people Egypt and Asshur, so that no one might think that the Jews in Egypt are indicated, but the Egyptians themselves and the Syrians themselves. And if it is said: Israel shall be a third among the Egyptians and among the Assyrians, blessed in the land which the Lord Sabaoth has blessed, let us not think the land to be other than the church of God. And Israel can be understood as also the whole choir of holy and God-loving men who have come forth from the life of the Jewish nation. Therefore it is said: and my inheritance Israel; «For when the Most High divided the nations, the Lord's portion became his people Jacob, the line of his inheritance, Israel». But then it was Israel alone, whereas now the Egyptians are also called his people and a blessed people, and the Assyrians likewise. And the phrase: in the land which the Lord Sabaoth has blessed, might have a reference also to the heavenly one, about which the Savior says: «blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth», where also is «the heavenly Jerusalem and Mount Zion, the heavenly place of God». 1.78 The things set forth will seem to be contrary to what has just been said, through which the word was showing that there would be a peaceful intercourse of Egyptians and Assyrians, but now it says the king of the Assyrians will take captive the young men and the elders of the Egyptians, naked and barefoot. But a solution might be found for the

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τε τοῖς Σύροις διεμάχοντο ὡς ἄμικτα εἶναι αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀδιάβατα τὰ τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους πορείας. τοιαῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐτύγχανον τὰ παλαιά, μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἄφιξιν τοῦ κυρίου τὴν εἰς Αἴγυπτον εἰρήνην βαθυτάτην, κοινωνίαν τε καὶ ἐπιμιξίαν ὁ παρὼν λόγος αὐτοῖς εὐαγγελίζεται λέγων· ἔσται ὁδὸς Αἰγυπτίοις πρὸς Ἀσσυρίους, καὶ ἐλεύσονται Ἀσσύριοι εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι πορεύσονται πρὸς Ἀσσυρίους, καὶ δουλεύσουσιν Αἰγύπτιοι τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις. καὶ ἔσται Ἰσραὴλ τρίτος ἐν τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ ἐν τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις εὐλογημένος. ὁμοῦ δὴ οὖν συνάγει τοὺς πάλαι ἐχθροὺς καὶ πολεμίους, λέγω δὲ Σύρους καὶ Αἰγυπτίους καὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ, μιᾶς τε εὐλογίας τῆς παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τεύξεσθαι αὐτούς φησιν· ὡς μηκέτι μέγα φρονεῖν τὸν Ἰσραὴλ μηδὲ κατεπαίρεσθαι τῶν ἄλλων, ὡς μόνον ὄντα εὐλογημένον καὶ ὡς μόνον ὑπάρχοντα λαὸν τοῦ θεοῦ. πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτως ἔχοντας δουλεύσειν τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις, λέγω δὴ τοῖς Σύροις, τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ἡ προφητεία διδάσκει. τίς οὖν ὀφθαλμοῖς θεωρῶν στρατόπεδα Ῥωμαϊκὰ Σύρων ἀνδρῶν κατὰ κεφαλῆς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐγκαθήμενα, Αἰγυπτίους τε τούτοις δουλεύοντας, οὐκ ἂν ἐκπλαγείη τὴν τῆς προφητείας ἔκβασιν; τίς δ' οὐ θαυμάσεται ὁρῶν Αἰγυπτίους ἀδεῶς ἐπὶ τὴν Σύρων διαβαίνοντας χώραν, Σύρους τε ἀκωλύτως ἐπιβαίνοντας τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις, δυνάμει τε ἀρχοντικῆς ἐξουσίας καταδουλουμένους αὐτούς; τὸ δὲ πάντων παραδοξότατον τοῦτ' ἦν ἄρα τὸ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον καὶ παρὰ Σύροις καὶ παρὰ Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ λαοὺς ἔσεσθαι τῷ θεῷ καὶ τούτους εὐλογημένους, ὡς μηδὲν διαφέρειν μηκέτι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ Αἰγυπτίου μηδὲ τοῦ Σύρου μηδὲν διαλλάττειν παρὰ θεῷ κρείττω τὸν Σύρον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ μηδὲ τοῦ Αἰγυπτίου μηδ' αὖ πάλιν τὸν Αἰγύπτιον ἐλαττοῦσθαι παρὰ τῷ θεῷ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἢ τοῦ Σύρου. τοσαύτης μεθέξειν ἀγαθῶν κοινωνίας τοὺς πάλαι ἀλλήλων ἐχθροὺς καὶ πολεμίους ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ κυρίου παρουσίᾳ φησίν. ὁ μὲν οὖν λαὸς τοῦ κυρίου ὁ ἐπ' αὐτῆς Αἰγύπτου συνεστώς, ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς Σύρων χώρας ἄντικρυς ὁρᾶται διὰ τῆς τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν πολυπληθείας, ὁ δὲ ἐκ τοῦ Ἰσραηλιτικοῦ γένους λαὸς κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ κηρύγματος ἤκμαζε, καθ' οὓς οἱ μαθηταὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ πάντες οἱ εὐαγγελισταί, οἵ τε ἐκ περιτομῆς τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπεγνωκότες ὁμοίως τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ τοῖς Σύροις ἐθεοσέβουν, διὸ μιᾶς καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς εὐλογίας παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ κοινῇ πάντες ἠξιοῦντο. διὸ λέλεκται· Εὐλογημένος ὁ λαός μου ὁ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ ὁ ἐν Ἀσσυρίοις καὶ ἡ κληρονομία μου Ἰσραήλ, κατὰ δὲ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς εἴρηται· Εὐλογημένος ὁ λαός μου Αἴγυπτος καὶ Ἀσσούρ, ὡς ἂν μή τις τοὺς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ Ἰουδαίους δηλοῦσθαι νομίσειεν, ἀλλ' αὐτοὺς Αἰγυπτίους καὶ αὐτοὺς Σύρους. ἐὰν δὲ λέγηται· Ἰσραὴλ τρίτος ἐν τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ ἐν τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις ἔσεσθαι εὐλογημένος ἐν τῇ γῇ, ἣν εὐλόγησεν κύριος σαβαώθ, μὴ ἑτέραν εἶναι νομίζωμεν τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ θεοῦ. Ἰσραὴλ δὲ νοεῖσθαι δύναται καὶ πᾶς ὁ χορὸς τῶν ἁγίων καὶ θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους προεξεληλυθότων τοῦ βίου. διὸ λέλεκται· καὶ ἡ κληρονομία μου Ἰσραήλ· «ὅτε γὰρ διεμέριζεν ὁ ὕψιστος ἔθνη, ἐγενήθη μερὶς κυρίου λαὸς αὐτοῦ Ἰακώβ, σχοίνισμα κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ Ἰσραήλ». ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν μόνος Ἰσραήλ, νῦν δὲ καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι λαὸς αὐτοῦ εἴρηνται καὶ λαὸς εὐλογημένος καὶ Ἀσσύριοι ὁμοίως. τὸ δέ· ἐν τῇ γῇ, ἣν εὐλόγησε κύριος σαβαώθ, ἔχοι ἂν τὴν ἀναφορὰν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐπουράνιον, περὶ ἧς φησιν ὁ σωτήρ· «μακάριοι οἱ πραεῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσουσι τὴν γῆν», ἔνθα καὶ «ἡ ἐπουράνιός ἐστιν Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ τὸ Σιὼν ὄρος τὸ ἐπουράνιον τοῦ θεοῦ». 1.78 ∆όξει τὰ προκείμενα ἐναντία εἶναι τοῖς ἀρτίως εἰρημένοις, δι' ὧν ἔσεσθαι Αἰγυπτίων καὶ Ἀσσυρίων ἐπιμιξίαν εἰρηνικὴν ὁ λόγος ἐδήλου, νῦν δὲ τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων αἰχμαλώτους λήψεσθαί φησι τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τοὺς νεανίσκους καὶ τοὺς πρεσβύτας, γυμνοὺς καὶ ἀνυποδέτους. εὑρεθείη δ' ἂν λύσις τῆς