97

the Savior and Lord. 10.77 For just as paths from the villages and fields lead into the royal highway, so all the prophets pointed out this way to those willing to believe; and the Master himself cries out in the holy gospels: "I am the way and the life and the truth." He advises the Jews, therefore, to read the decrees of the prophets and to seek what 10.78 is decreed. But since they contradicted the prophecies, he brought forth the apostolic trumpet. But since they said again, "We will not listen," the divine men cry out to them, as Luke relates in the Acts: "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you; but since you judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we are clean; from now on we will go to the 10.79 Gentiles." Again, however, the prophet decrees the salvation of the Gentiles and cries out to the God of all: "O Lord, my strength and my help and my refuge in the day of evils, to you shall the Gentiles come from the end of the earth and shall say: How our fathers acquired false idols, and there was no benefit in them; shall a man make gods for himself, and these are not 10.80 gods?" What is clearer than these words? For as if the prophet were present and beholding the change of the inhabited world and hearing of the repentance of the Gentiles, and perceiving them mocking the weakness of the idols, so he wrote the oracle. 10.81 And the prophet Amos foretells not only the salvation of the Gentiles, but also the dispersion of the Jews, or rather, through his tongue, the God of all himself: "For behold," 10.82 he says, "I am giving the command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, as one sifts with a sieve." And a little later: "In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David that has fallen and rebuild its ruins, and I will raise up what has been demolished and rebuild it as in the days of old, that the remnant of men and all the Gentiles upon whom my name has been called may seek me, 10.83 says the Lord who does all these things." But if anyone wishes to learn what the tabernacle is, let him hear the divine John saying: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." 10.84 And Zephaniah also cries out: "The Lord will appear against them and will utterly destroy all the gods of the earth; and they will worship him, each from his own place, and all the islands of the Gentiles." For since he commanded the Jews to run together to the temple in Jerusalem, he necessarily added that, when the so-called gods have disappeared, each will worship the true God, not being compelled to run to that city, but offering their worship in their houses and cities and villages and 10.85 fields. And a little later he says again: "Then will I turn to the peoples a language for their generation, that all may call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him under one yoke; from the ends of the rivers of Ethiopia they will bring me sacrifices." For indeed he divided the one tongue of the apostles, being Galilean, into the tongues of all the Gentiles and brought to all the call to salvation. 10.86 And indeed through Zechariah he also prophesies harmonious things: "Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst, says the Lord; and many Gentiles shall flee to the Lord in that day and shall be to him for a people; and I will dwell in your midst; and you will know that the Lord 10.87 Almighty has sent me to you." And in these things the Only-begotten showed both his own person and that of the Father. And he said that he was sent, since he appeared not as God, but as man; and it is fitting for him, having come, to fulfill the righteousness on behalf of men and to show praiseworthy 10.88 obedience. And again: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; proclaim, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, your king is coming to you, righteous and saving, he is meek and

97

τὸν Σωτῆρα καὶ Κύ 10.77 ριον. Καθάπερ γὰρ εἰς τὴν βασίλειον λεωφόρον αἱ ἀπὸ τῶν κωμῶν καὶ τῶν ἀγρῶν εἰσβάλλουσιν ἀτραποί, οὕτως ἅπαντες οἱ προφῆται ταύτην τοῖς πιστεύειν ἐθέλουσιν ὑπεδείκνυον τὴν ὁδόν· καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ δεσπότης ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς εὐαγγελίοις βοᾷ· "Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια." Παραινεῖ τοίνυν Ἰου δαίοις τὰ τῶν προφητῶν ἀναγνῶναι θεσπίσματα καὶ ζητῆσαι τὸ 10.78 θεσπιζόμενον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀντεῖπον ταῖς προφητείαις, τὴν ἀπο στολικὴν προσενήνοχε σάλπιγγα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πάλιν εἶπον· "Οὐκ ἀκουσόμεθα", βοῶσι πρὸς αὐτοὺς οἱ θεῖοι ἄνδρες, ὡς ὁ Λουκᾶς ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν ἱστορεῖ· "Ὑμῖν ἦν ἀναγκαῖον πρῶτον λαλῆσαι τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀναξίους ἑαυτοὺς κρίνετε τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς, καθαροὶ ἡμεῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν εἰς τὰ 10.79 ἔθνη πορευσόμεθα." Πάλιν μέντοι ὁ προφήτης τῶν ἐθνῶν τὴν σωτηρίαν θεσπίζει καὶ πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὅλων βοᾷ Θεόν· "Κύριε ἰσχύς μου καὶ βοήθειά μου καὶ καταφυγή μου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κακῶν, πρὸς σὲ ἔθνη ἥξουσιν ἀπὸ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐροῦσιν· ὡς ψευδῆ ἐκτήσαντο οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν εἴδωλα, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἐν αὐτοῖς ὠφέλεια, εἰ ποιήσει ἑαυτῷ ἄνθρωπος θεούς, καὶ οὗτοι οὐκ εἰσὶ 10.80 θεοί." Τί τούτων ἐναργέστερον τῶν ῥημάτων; Ὡς γὰρ παρὼν ὁ προφήτης καὶ θεώμενος τὴν τῆς οἰκουμένης μεταβολὴν καὶ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν μεταμελείας ἀκούων, καὶ κωμῳδούντων ἐπαΐων τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ἀσθένειαν, οὕτω ξυνέγραψε τὸν χρησμόν. 10.81 Καὶ Ἀμὼς δὲ ὁ προφήτης οὐ μόνον τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν σωτηρίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίων προλέγει διασποράν, μᾶλλον δὲ διὰ τῆς ἐκείνου γλώττης αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός· "Ἰδοὺ" γάρ φησιν "ἐγὼ ἐντέλλομαι καὶ λικμήσω ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὸν οἶκον 10.82 Ἰσραήλ, ὃν τρόπον λικμᾶται ἐν τῷ λικμῷ." Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· "Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἀναστήσω τὴν σκηνὴν ∆αυὶδ τὴν πεπτωκυῖαν καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσω τὰ πεπτωκότα αὐτῆς καὶ τὰ κατεσκαμμένα αὐτῆς ἀναστήσω καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσω αὐτὴν καθὼς αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ αἰῶνος, ὅπως ἂν ἐκζητήσωσί με οἱ κατάλοιποι τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ἐφ' οὓς ἐπικέκληται τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐπ' αὐτούς, 10.83 λέγει Κύριος ὁ ποιῶν ταῦτα πάντα." Εἰ δέ τις βούλεται μαθεῖν, τίς ἡ σκηνή, ἀκουσάτω τοῦ θεσπεσίου Ἰωάννου λέγον τος· "Καὶ ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ Πατ ρός· πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας." 10.84 Βοᾷ δὲ καὶ Σοφονίας· "Ἐπιφανήσεται Κύριος ἐπ' αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσει πάντας τοὺς θεοὺς τῆς γῆς· καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτῷ ἕκαστος ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ νῆσοι τῶν ἐθνῶν." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ Ἰουδαίους εἰς τὸν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις νεὼν ξυντρέχειν ἐκέλευσεν, ἀναγκαίως προστέθεικεν, ὡς τῶν καλουμένων θεῶν ἀφανῶν γενομένων, τὸν ἀληθινὸν ἕκαστος προσκυνήσει Θεόν, οὐκ εἰς ἐκείνην τρέχειν τὴν πόλιν ἀναγκαζόμενος, ἀλλ' ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις καὶ πόλεσι καὶ κώμαις καὶ ἀγροῖς τὸ σέβας προσ 10.85 φέροντες. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα δὲ πάλιν φησίν· "Τότε μεταστρέψω ἐπὶ λαοὺς γλῶσσαν εἰς γενεὰν αὐτοῖς, τοῦ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι πάντας τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, τοῦ δουλεύειν αὐτῷ ὑπὸ ζυγὸν ἕνα· ἐκ περάτων ποταμῶν Αἰθιοπίας οἴσουσι θυσίας μοι." Τὴν γὰρ δὴ μίαν τῶν ἀποστόλων γλῶτταν, Γαλιλαίαν οὖσαν, εἰς τὰς ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν κατεμέρισε γλώττας καὶ προσενήνοχεν ἅπασι τὴν σωτήριον 10.86 κλῆσιν. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ διὰ Ζαχαρίου ξύμφωνα προθεσπίζει· "Τέρπου καὶ εὐφραίνου, θύγατερ Σιών· διότι ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἔρχομαι καὶ κατασκηνώσω ἐν μέσῳ σου, λέγει Κύριος· καὶ καταφεύξονται ἔθνη πολλὰ ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ καὶ ἔσονται αὐτῷ εἰς λαόν· καὶ κατασκηνώσω ἐν μέσῳ σου· καὶ γνώσῃ, ὅτι Κύριος 10.87 παντοκράτωρ ἀπέσταλκέ με πρὸς σέ." Ἐν δὲ τούτοις ὁ Μονο 10.87 γενὴς καὶ τὸ οἰκεῖον καὶ τὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐπέδειξε πρόσωπον. Ἀπεστάλθαι δὲ εἴρηκεν, ἐπειδήπερ οὐχ ὡς Θεός, ἀλλ' ὡς ἄνθ ρωπος ἐπεφάνη· πρέπει δὲ αὐτῷ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων δικαιο σύνην παραγενομένῳ πληρῶσαι καὶ δεῖξαι τὴν ἐπαινουμένην 10.88 ὑπακοήν. Καὶ πάλιν· "Χαῖρε σφόδρα, θύγατερ Σιών· κήρυσσε, θύγατερ Ἱερουσαλήμ· ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί σοι δίκαιος καὶ σώζων, αὐτὸς πραῢς καὶ