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in Bethlehem, a great angel appeared: "To you is born this day a savior," he said, "who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David." Concerning the Christ who was born, those who proclaimed his advent beforehand were commanded, according to the one in Isaiah: "Say to the daughter of Zion: Behold, your savior comes"; and he is no other than the Jesus who declared concerning himself: "The Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost"; and again: "A just one and a savior there is not besides me." 3.140 For how is he not a savior who was raised up by the Father as a horn of salvation in the house of David, according to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, who was filled with the Holy Spirit and said: "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who has visited and accomplished redemption; he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David." 3.141 In addition to the coming king being just and a savior, he is also meek, mounted upon a beast of burden and a colt; for he himself says concerning himself in the Gospel: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me that I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls; for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Each of those bearing the easy yoke happens to be a beast of burden, on which the meek king is mounted; and since he is not only the savior of those yoked to his easy yoke, but also of those just now called, he is also mounted on a young colt, one still untamed and unbridled, so that he might tame it too, like an excellent tamer of colts. 3.142 In addition to this understanding, both the called peoples are signified by the word: both the one from the circumcision, yoked to the yoke of the law according to the letter and the shadow, which is called a heavy yoke, and the one immediately called from all idolatry and the worst superstition. But that those yoked to the law according to the letter bore a heavy yoke, the apostles say concerning it in their Book of the Acts that "neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear" the heavy yoke of the law. 3.143 Similarly, Paul, speaking in Christ, writes to the Galatians, who wished to be circumcised physically after the gospel: "Stand fast therefore, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." For it was no longer fitting for the disciples of the gospel to be subject to the burden and the heavy yoke, having been persuaded by him who said: "My yoke is easy." 3.144 Likewise, the meek king is also mounted on the aforementioned young colt, "that he might create the two in himself into one new man." For thus one people and one Church will be formed out of both callings. 3.145 In an equivalent sense, it is written in the Gospels concerning the colt loosed from the opposite village, so that it might come to Jesus, to be tamed when the Savior mounted it; for it is said that no man had yet sat on it at that time, signifying by the word that those from the nations had not yet then been converted by any teaching word; for they were without God in the world, having no true hope; but although they were an unbridled colt before the faith, yet when Christ who rose from Judah shone upon them, a hope was available to them, according to what was said concerning him: "And he shall be the expectation of the nations," and again: "In him shall the nations hope." 3.146 Since the two callings were greatly benefited from the mounting upon them of the just and saving and meek king, the chariots of Ephraim are destroyed, and the horse from Jerusalem, and with them the bow of the most cruel and savage enemies, from which were released "the flaming darts of the evil one," wounding unto the lust of licentiousness, so that those driven by passion were inflamed with shameful passion. 3.147 The chariots of Ephraim are the assemblies of the heretics and their irrational formulation of doctrine. It has often been demonstrated that the heresies are represented by the name of Ephraim, on account of the one who led the

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ἐν τῇ Βηθλεέμ, ἐπιστὰς ἄγγελος μέγας· «Ἐτέχθη ὑμῖν σήμερον σωτήρ, ἔφη, ὅς ἐστιν Χριστὸς Κύριος, ἐν πόλει ∆αυίδ.» Περὶ τοῦ τεχθέντος Χριστοῦ προσετάττοντο οἱ προαναφωνοῦντες αὐτοῦ τὴν δεῦρο κάθοδον, κατὰ τὸν ἐν Ἠσαΐᾳ· «Εἴπατε τῇ θυγατρὶ Σιών· Ἰδού σοι σωτὴρ παραγίνεται»· οὐχ ἕτερος δ' οὗτος ὑπάρχει τοῦ ἀπαγγείλαντος περὶ ἑαυτοῦ Ἰησοῦ· «Ἦλθεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός»· καὶ ἔτι· «∆ίκαιος καὶ σῴζων οὐκ ἔστιν πάρεξ ἐμοῦ.» 3.140 Πῶς γὰρ οὐ σῴζων ὁ ἐγερθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς κέρας σωτηρίας ἐν οἴκῳ ∆αυίδ, κατὰ τὸν πληρωθέντα ἁγίου Πνεύματος Ζαχαρίαν, πατέρα τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ Ἰωάννου, λέγοντα· «Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ, ὃς ἐπεσκέψατο καὶ ἐποίησεν λύτρωσιν· ἤγειρεν κέρας σωτηρίας ἡμῖν ἐν οἴκῳ ∆αυίδ.» 3.141 Πρὸς τῷ δίκαιον καὶ σῴζοντα ὑπάρχειν τὸν ἐρχόμενον βασιλέα, ἔστι καὶ πρᾷος ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὑποζυγίου καὶ πώλου· αὐτὸς γοῦν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ φησίν· «Ἄρατε τὸ ζυγόν μου ἐφ' ὑμᾶς καὶ μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὅτι πραΰς εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν· ὁ γὰρ ζυγός μου χρηστὸς καὶ τὸ φορτίον μου ἐλαφρόν ἐστιν.» Ἕκαστος τῶν φερόντων τὸν χρηστὸν ζυγὸν ὑποζύγιον τυγχάνει, ᾧ ἐπιβέβηκεν ὁ πρᾷος βασιλεύς· καὶ ἐπεὶ μὴ μόνων σωτὴρ ὑπάρχει τῶν ὑποζευχθέντων τῷ χρηστῷ αὐτοῦ ζυγῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἄρτι κληθέντων, καὶ πώλῳ νέῳ ἐπιβέβηκεν, ἔτι ἀδαμάστῳ καὶ ἀχαλιναγωγήτῳ ὄντι, ἵνα καὶ αὐτὸν ἐξημερώσῃ οἷα ἄριστος πωλοδάμνης. 3.142 Πρὸς τῇ νοήσει ταύτῃ, σημαίνονται διὰ τῆς λέξεως ἀμφότεροι οἱ κληθέντες λαοί, ὅ τε ἐκ περιτομῆς, υ῾̣πεζευγμένος τῷ ζυγῷ τοῦ κατὰ τὸ γράμμα καὶ τὴν σκιὰν νόμου, καλουμένῳ βαρεῖ ζυγῷ, καὶ ὁ εὐθέως κληθεὶς ἀπὸ πάσης εἰδωλολατρείας καὶ χειρίστης δεισιδαιμονίας. Ὅτι δὲ οἱ κατὰ τὸ γράμμα ὑπεζευγμε´̣νοι τῷ νόμῳ βαρὺν ἔφερον ζυγόν, οἱ ἀπόστολοι περὶ αὐτοῦ φασιν ἐν τῇ Βίβλῳ τῶν Πράξεων ἑαυτῶν ὅτι «οὔτε ἡμεῖς οὔτε οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἴσχυσαν βαστάξαι» τὸν βαρὺν τοῦ νόμου ζυγόν. 3.143 Συνᾳδόντως καὶ ὁ ἐν Χριστῷ λαλῶν Παῦλος ἐπιστέλλει Γαλάταις, περιτέμνεσθαι αἰσθητῶς μετὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον θέλουσιν· «Στήκετε οὖν καὶ μὴ πάλιν ζυγῷ δουλείας ἐνέχεσθε.» Οὐ γὰρ ἔτι ἀκόλουθον ὑπῆρχεν ὑποκεῖσθαι τῷ ἄχθει καὶ τῷ βαρεῖ ζυγῷ τοὺς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου μαθητάς, πεισθέντας τῷ εἰρηκότι· «Ὁ ζυγός μου χρηστός.» 3.144 Ὡσαύτως καὶ πώλῳ τῷ λεχθέντι νέῳ ἐπιβέβηκεν ὁ πραῢς βασιλεύς, «ἵνα τ̣οὺς δύο κτίσῃ ἐν αὐτῷ εἰς ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον». Οὕτω γὰρ εἷς λαὸς καὶ Ἐκκλησία μία καταρτισθήσεται ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν κλήσεων. 3.145 Ἰσοδυναμούντως ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις γράφεται περὶ τοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς κατέναντι κώμης λυθέντος πώλου, ἵνα πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἔλθῃ, ἐξημερωθησομένου ἐπιβάντος αὐτῷ τοῦ Σωτῆρος· εἴρηται γὰρ ὅτι οὔπω τότε ἐκάθισεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἀνθρώπων τις, δηλουμένου διὰ τῆς λέξεως ὅτι οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν οὐδέπω τότε ὑπό τινα λόγον διδασκαλικὸν μεθίσταντο· ἄθεοι γὰρ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ὑπῆρχον, οὐδεμίαν ἀληθινὴν̣ ἐλπίδα ἔχοντες· ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ πρὸ τῆς πίστεως ἀχαλιναγώγητος πῶλος ἦσαν, ἀλλ' οὖν γε ἐπιλάμψαντος τοῦ ἐκ τοῦ Ἰούδα ἀνατείλαντος Χριστοῦ, προσδοκία αὐτοῖς ὑπῆρκται, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον περὶ αὐτοῦ· «Καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται προσδοκία ἐθνῶν», καὶ ἔτι· «Ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσιν.» 3.146 Μεγάλως ὠφεληθεισῶν τῶν δύο κλήσεω̣ν ἐκ τῆς ἐπιβάσεως τῆς ἐπ' αὐτὰς τοῦ δικαίου καὶ σῴζοντος καὶ πρᾴου βασιλέως, ἐξολεθρεύεται τὰ τοῦ Ἐφράιμ ἅρματα καὶ ἐκ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἵππος καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς τὸ τῶν ὠμοτάτων καὶ ἀγρίων πολεμίων τόξον, ἀφ' οὗ ἀπελύετο «τὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ πεπυρωμένα βέλη», τιτρώσκοντα εἰς τὸν τῆς ἀκολασίας ἔρωτα, ὡς πυρωθῆναι οἰστρηλατουμένους τοὺς πυρουμένους τῇ ἐμπαθεῖ αἰσχροπαθείᾳ. 3.147 Ἅρματα τοῦ Ἐφράιμ ὑπάρχει τὰ τῶν ἑτεροδόξων ἀθροίσματα καὶ ἡ ἄλογος αὐτῶν δογματοποιΐα. Πολλάκις ἀποδέδεικται ὡς αἱ αἱρέσεις παρίστανται ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Ἐφρα´̣ιμ προσηγορίας, διὰ τὸν ἡγησάμενον τῶν