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of the appointed mountain and of the revealed house, we from the nations, having come to the God of all through faith in 173 Christ the son of God, though formerly ignorant of such great things, but now having understood them through divine grace, have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem; and since we were taught by the Word of God who came forth or even descended from the heavenly Jerusalem, that the Jerusalem above is free, which is our mother; toward this heavenly house of God, and toward Zion, itself the heavenly mountain of the Lord, rousing one another and hastening on through teaching and exhortation we say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will announce to us his way, and we will walk in it. When these things were accomplished, and made manifest to us all by the grace of God, another prophecy also reached its fulfillment, through which the saving Word himself more clearly bears witness to the present passage of the prophecy of Isaiah, saying, I was made manifest to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me; I said, Behold, I am here to a nation that did not call upon my name. But if someone did not take the matters concerning these places in this way, what mountain or what house of God could he otherwise point out, about which the prophecy, as not being physically manifest at that time, signifies the things set forth above. But these things can also be otherwise fitted to the second coming of Christ, as the things prophesied will then be more completely fulfilled than now. It must be known 174 that almost the same things word for word are contained also in the prophecy of Micah. Ps. Of the same. II. Behold, the Lord of Sabaoth will take away from Judea and from Jerusalem the strong man and the strong woman, the strength of bread and the strength of water, giant and mighty man, and man of war, and judge, and prophet and diviner, and elder, and captain of fifty, and wonderful counselor, and wise architect, and intelligent hearer. And I will set young men as their rulers, and mockers will rule over them, and the rest; to which God adds: I will not be the leader of this people, because Jerusalem is abandoned, and Judea has fallen, and their tongues with iniquity, disobeying the things of the Lord. Because their glory has now been humbled, and the shame of their face has risen up against them; and their sin they have proclaimed and made manifest as Sodom’s; woe to their soul, because they have devised an evil counsel against themselves, saying, Let us bind the just one, because he is useless to us; therefore they shall eat the fruits of their works. And the so-called Wisdom of Solomon has things very similar to what is said here about the just one, thus: Let us lie in wait for the just one, because he is useless to us, and opposes our words. But these things in those texts are clearly shown from the context to be said concerning Christ; and therefore the things here are prophesied concerning those who plotted 175 against him and devised an evil counsel against themselves rather than against him; for which reason the word also suitably brings the lamentation upon themselves, through the phrase, woe to their soul; but it also sets forth the punishment awaiting them, saying, therefore they shall eat the fruits of their works; for what sort of things they sowed against Christ, such things they will also reap in the judgment of God. And indeed even in this life, see if after the plot against Christ the preceding word of the prophecy was not fulfilled for them, the one saying, behold, the Lord, the Lord of Sabaoth, will take away from Judea and from Jerusalem the strong man and the strong woman. For truly the divine and heavenly grace that formerly dwelt among them has been taken away from them, and it is no longer possible to find among them either a prophet or a diviner; and where is their man of war or their judge, their wonderful counselor, or their intelligent hearer? But if also they seem of bread

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ἀποδεδομένου ὄρους καὶ τοῦ δεδηλωμένου οἴκου, ἡμεῖς οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν διὰ τῆς εἰς 173 Χριστὸν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ πίστεως προσεληλυθότες τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ, πάλαι μὲν ἀγνοοῦντες τὰ τηλικαῦτα, νυνὶ δὲ διὰ τὴν θείαν χάριν ἐπιγνόντες αὐτὰ, προσεληλύθαμεν Σιὼν ὄρει καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ· καὶ ἅτε παιδευθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐξεληλυθότος ἢ καὶ καταβεβηκότος ἐκ τῆς ἐπουρανίου Ἱερουσαλὴμ Λόγου Θεοῦ, ὡς ὅτι ἡ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν, ἥτις ἐστὶν μήτηρ ἡμῶν· ἐπὶ τοῦτον τὸν ἐπουράνιον οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ Σιὼν, καὶ αὐτὸ ἐπουράνιον ὄρος Κυρίου, διεγείροντες ἀλλήλους καὶ κατασπεύδοντες διὰ τῆς διδασκαλείας καὶ προτροπῆς φαμὲν, δεῦτε καὶ ἀναβῶμεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου, καὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰακώβ· καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ ἡμῖν τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πορευσόμεθα ἐν αὐτῇ. Τούτων δ' ἀποτελεσθέντων, καὶ Θεοῦ χάριτι πᾶσιν ἡμῖν ἐμφανῶν γενομένων, καὶ ἄλλη τίς προφητεία πέρας εἴληφεν, δι' ἧς αὐτὸς ὁ σωτήριος λόγος σαφέστερον ἐπιμαρτυρεῖ τῇ μετὰ χεῖρας περικοπῇ τῆς τοῦ Ἡσαΐου προφητείας, λέγων, ἐμφανὴς ἐγενήθην τοῖς ἔμε μὴ ἐπερωτῶσιν· εὑρέθην τοῖς ἔμε μὴ ζητοῦσιν· εἶπα, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ εἰμὶ ἔθνει, οἳ οὐκ ἐπεκάλεσαν τὸ ὄνομά μου. Εἰ δὲ μὴ οὕτως ἐκλάβοι τίς τὰ κατὰ τοὺς τόπους, ποῖον ἂν ὄρος ἢ ποῖον Θεοῦ οἶκον ἄλλως ἔχοι ἂν ἐπιδεῖξαι, περὶ ὧν ἡ προφητεία, ὡς μὴ τότε ὄντων σωματικῶς ἐμφανῶν, τὰ προεκτεθέντα σημαίνει. ∆ύναται δὲ ταῦτα καὶ ἄλλως εἰς τὴν δευτέραν τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν ἁρμόττεσθαι, ὡς τότε μᾶλλον ἢ νῦν πληρωθησομένων τελείως τῶν προπεφητευμένων. Ἰστέον 174 δὲ ὡς τὰ αὐτὰ κατὰ λέξιν σχεδὸν ἐμφέρεται καὶ ἐν τῇ τοῦ Μιχαίου προφητείᾳ. Ψ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Βʹ. Ἰδοὺ δὴ, ὁ δεσπότης τῆς Σαβαὼθ ἀφελεῖ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, καὶ ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἰσχύοντα καὶ ἰσχύουσαν, ἰσχὺν ἄρτου καὶ ἰσχὺν ὕδατος, γίγαντα καὶ ἰσχύοντα, καὶ ἄνθρωπον πολεμιστὴν, καὶ δικαστὴν, καὶ προφήτην καὶ στοχαστὴν, καὶ πρεσβύτερον, καὶ πεντηκόνταρχον, καὶ θαυμαστὸν σύμβουλον, καὶ σοφὸν ἀρχιτέκτονα, καὶ συνετὸν ἀκροατήν. Καὶ ἐπιστήσω νεανίσκους ἄρχοντας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐμπαίκται κυριεύσουσιν αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· οἷς ἐπιλέγει Θεός· Οὐκ ἔσομαι ἀρχηγὸς τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, ὅτι ἀνεῖται Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἡ Ἰουδαία συμπέπτωκεν, καὶ αἱ γλῶσσαι αὐτῶν μετὰ ἀνομίας, τὰ πρὸς Κύριον ἀπειθοῦντες. ∆ι' ὅτι νῦν ἐταπεινώθη ἡ δόξα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡ αἰσχύνη τοῦ προσώπου αὐτῶν ἀντέστη αὐτοῖς· τὴν δὲ ἁμαρτίαν αὐτῶν ὡς Σοδόμων ἀνήγγειλαν καὶ ἐνεφάνισαν· οὐαὶ τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν, δι' ὅτι βεβούλευνται βουλὴν πονηρὰν, καθ' ἑαυτῶν εἰπόντες, ∆ήσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον, ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστίν· τοίνυν τὰ γενήματα τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν φάγονται. Καὶ ἡ λεγομένη Σολομῶντος Σοφία τὰ παραπλήσια τοῖς ἐνθάδε περὶ τοῦ δικαίου λελεγμένοις οὕτως ἔχει· Ἐνεδρεύσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον, ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστὶν, καὶ ἐναντιοῦται τοῖς λόγοις ἡμῶν. Ταῦτα δὲ ἐν ἐκείνοις σαφῶς ἐκ τῆς συμφράσεως ἐμφαίνεται περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰρημένα· καὶ τὰ ἐνθάδε τοιγαροῦν περὶ τῶν ἐπιβουλευσάντων 175 αὐτῷ καὶ καθ' ἑαυτῶν μᾶλλον, ἤ περ κατ' αὐτοῦ πονηρὰν βουλὴν βουλευσαμένων προφητεύεται· δι' ὃ καὶ καταλλήλως τὸν ταλανισμὸν ἑαυτοῖς ὁ λόγος ἐπάγει, διὰ τοῦ, οὐαὶ τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν κόλασιν τὴν περιμένουσαν αὐτοὺς προτίθησι λέγων, τοίνυν τὰ γεννήματα τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν φάγονται· ὁποῖα γὰρ ἔσπειραν κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοιαῦτα καὶ θεριοῦσιν ἐν τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ κριτηρίῳ. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἐνταῦθα βίον ὅρα εἰ μὴ μετὰ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιβουλὴν ἐπληρώθη εἰς αὐτοὺς ὁ προκείμενος τῆς προφητείας λόγος, ὁ φάσκων, ἰδοὺ δὴ ὁ δεσπότης Κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἀφελεῖ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμἰσχύοντα καὶ ἰσχύουσαν. Ἀληθῶς γὰρ ἀφῄρηται ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἡ πάλαι πρότερον ἐμπολιτευομένη ἐν αὐτοῖς θεία καὶ οὐράνιος χάρις, καὶ οὐκέτ' ἐστὶν εὑρεῖν ἐν αὐτοῖς οὔτε προφήτην, οὔτε στοχαστήν· ποῦ δὲ καὶ ὁ πολεμιστὴς αὐτῶν ἢ ὁ δικαστὴς, ὁ θαυμαστὸς σύμβουλος, ἢ ὁ συνετὸς ἀκροατής; Εἰ δὲ καὶ δοκοῦσιν ἄρτου