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my people, what have I done to you? Or how have I grieved you? Or how have I troubled you? Answer me. Because I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and from the house of bondage I redeemed you, and I sent before you Moses and Aaron and Miriam? For just as then the people in the Prophet's time did not see Egypt, nor were they led by the aforementioned, and yet it is reproached as being ungrateful for these works, so also now the system of the people according to the Prophet is shown; but what was prophesied comes to pass for it in the generation of the Lord's appearance. And it is customary to use such a manner of speech, which some are accustomed to call "altering." For example, thinking of the same chorus, composed of so many men; then, one having departed and another having replaced him, the chorus is said to remain the same. And if a second should depart, and a third, and this should happen for a long time, and for each another should be introduced, with the chorus being gradually altered, the individuals have been exchanged one by one, yet the same name for the chorus is preserved. Thus a city is said to be the same, and an army the same, not because each individual persists, but because the same name for the system is preserved. Thus nothing prevents the people demonstratively observed in the time of Isaiah from being the same as in the time of the Lord, not by the persistence of the individuals, but by the common name of the nation. 6.191 And I said: How long, O Lord? And he said: Until cities be deserted for lack of inhabitants, and houses for lack of men, and the land shall be left desolate. And after these things God will remove men far away, and those who are left shall be multiplied upon the earth; And yet there is a tenth upon it; and again it shall be for plunder, as a terebinth, and as an acorn, when it falls from its husk. A holy seed, its stump. Since the things narrated by the Lord were grim, thinking the judgment inexorable, he asks at least to be taught how long a time it is, in which this condemnation will be imposed upon them. Clearly these things are henceforth referred to the times of the Roman dominion. For after not hearing the words of the Lord and not wishing to see with grateful eyes his superhuman wonders, the cities were deserted for lack of inhabitants, and the houses for lack of men, and the land was left desolate, the inhabitants having been put to death by famine and exile and captivity. And the following, that *After these things God will remove men far away*, seems to me to refer to the alienation of the Jews from God, for whom a hardening came in part, so that the fullness of the Gentiles might come in. But *And those who are left*, he says, *shall be multiplied*. Who then are these? Or those of whom the Apostle said that *A remnant has come to be according to the election of grace*, who also shall be multiplied upon the earth, since those who are discipled in the Gospel of Christ are henceforth in all the earth? For even if all Israel did not obtain what it seeks, yet the election obtained it, concerning whom he says to Elijah: *I have left to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal*. These then are they, concerning whom it was said: *And yet a tenth shall be upon it*. And the phrase, *And again it shall be for plunder, as a terebinth and as an acorn, when it falls from its husk*, seems to me to indicate the gradual change from Jewish customs to the way of life according to the Gospel. For again these will be gathered for plunder, as the fruit of the terebinth is gathered, and as the acorn, which is already ripe for collection. For then what has already ripened in time and been perfected is released from the bond to its husk. And perhaps also because of having fallen from the Jewish land and being in the diaspora, it is compared to an acorn falling from its husk. And the phrase, *A holy seed, its stump*, is added from Theodotion, not being present

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μου, τί ἐποίησά σοι; ἢ τί ἐλύπησά σε; ἢ τί παρηνόχλησά σοι; Ἀποκρίθητί μοι. ∆ιότι ἀνήγαγόν σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἐξ οἴκου δουλείας ἐλυτρωσάμην σε καὶ ἐξαπέστειλα ἔμπροσθέν σου τὸν Μωϋσῆν καὶ Ἀαρὼν καὶ Μαριάμ; Ὥσπερ γὰρ τότε οὐχὶ ὁ κατὰ τὸν Προφήτην λαὸς εἶδε τὴν Αἴγυπτον, ἢ ὡδηγήθη παρὰ τῶν προειρημένων, καὶ ὅμως αὐτὸς ὀνειδίζεται ὡς ἐπὶ ταῖς ἐργασίαις ταύταις ἀγνωμονῶν, οὕτω καὶ νῦν δείκνυται μὲν τὸ σύστημα τοῦ λαοῦ τὸ κατὰ τὸν Προφήτην· ἐκβαίνει δὲ αὐτῷ τὰ προφητευθέντα κατὰ τὴν γενεὰν τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπιφανείας. Πέφυκε δὲ καὶ ἡ συνήθεια κεχρῆσθαι τῷ τοιούτῳ λόγῳ, ὃν καὶ ἀλλοιούμενόν τινες προσαγορεύειν εἰώθασιν. Οἷον, τὸν αὐτὸν νοοῦντες χορὸν, τὸν ἐκ τοσῶνδε ἀνδρῶν συνε στῶτα· εἶτα ἑνὸς ὑπεξελθόντος καὶ ἑτέρου ἐκείνου τόπον ἀντιπληρώσαντος, ὁ αὐτὸς λέγεται μένειν χορός. Καὶ εἰ δεύτερος δὲ ὑπεξέλθῃ καὶ εἰ τρίτος, καὶ τοῦτο ἐπὶ πολὺ γένοιτο, καὶ ἑκάστῳ ἕτερος ἀντεισαχθείη τις, κατὰ μικρὸν ὑπαλλοιουμένου τοῦ χοροῦ, οἱ μὲν καθ' ἕνα διημείφθησαν, ἡ μέντοι προσηγορία τῷ χορῷ ἡ αὐτὴ διασώζεται. Οὕτω καὶ πόλις ἡ αὐτὴ εἶναι λέγεται καὶ στρατόπεδον τὸ αὐτό, οὐ τῷ τὸν καθ' ἕκαστον διαμένειν, ἀλλὰ τῷ τὴν προσηγορίαν τῷ συστήματι τὴν αὐτὴν διασώζεσθαι. Οὕτως οὐδὲν κωλύει καὶ νῦν τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου δεικτικῶς θεωρούμενον λαὸν τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐ τῇ διαμονῇ τῶν καθ' ἕκαστον, ἀλλὰ τῇ κοινῇ τοῦ ἔθνους ὀνομασίᾳ. 6.191 Καὶ εἶπα· Ἕως πότε, Κύριε; Καὶ εἶπεν· Ἕως ἂν ἐρημωθῶσι πόλεις παρὰ τὸ μὴ κατοικεῖσθαι, καὶ οἶκοι παρὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἀνθρώπους, καὶ ἡ γῆ καταλειφθήσεται ἔρημος. Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα μακρυνεῖ ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, καὶ οἱ καταλειφθέντες πληθυνθήσονται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· Καὶ ἔτι ἐπ' αὐτῆς ἐστι τὸ ἐπιδέκατον· καὶ πάλιν ἔσται εἰς προνο μὴν, ὡς τερέβινθος καὶ ὡς βάλανος, ὅταν ἐκπέσῃ ἐκ τῆς θήκης αὐτῆς. Σπέρμα Ἅγιον, τὸ στήλωμα αὐτῆς. Ἐπειδὴ σκυθρωπὰ τὰ διηγηθέντα ἦν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀπαραίτητον τὴν κρίσιν ἡγούμενος, τὸν γοῦν χρόνον πόσος ἐστὶν, ἐν ᾧ ἡ καταδίκη αὐτοῖς αὕτη ἐπιτεθήσεται, ἀξιοῖ δι δαχθῆναι. Σαφῶς ταῦτα ἐπὶ τοὺς χρόνους τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς δυναστείας λοιπὸν ἀναφέρεται. Μετὰ γὰρ τὸ μὴ ἀκοῦσαι τῶν ῥημάτων τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ μὴ θελῆσαι ἐνιδεῖν ὀφθαλμοῖς εὐγνώ μοσι τὰ ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον αὐτοῦ τεράστια, ἠρημώθησαν αἱ πόλεις, παρὰ τὸ μὴ κατοικεῖσθαι, καὶ οἶκοι παρὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἀνθρώπους, καὶ ἡ γῆ κατελείφθη ἔρημος, λιμῷ καὶ φυγαῖς καὶ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ τῶν οἰκητόρων θανατωθέντων. Τὸ δὲ ἐπαγόμενον, ὅτι Μετὰ ταῦτα μακρυνεῖ ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἀναφέρεσθαί μοι δοκεῖ ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀλλοτρίωσιν, οἷς ἀπὸ μέρους ἐγένετο πώρωσις, ἵνα τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ. Ἀλλὰ Καὶ οἱ κατα λειφθέντες (φησὶ) πληθυνθήσονται. Τίνες οὖν εἰσιν οὗτοι; Ἢ περὶ ὧν εἶπεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ὅτι Λεῖμμα κατ' ἐκλογὴν χάριτος γέγονεν, οἵτινες καὶ πληθυνθήσονται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τῷ εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν λοιπὸν εἶναι τοὺς μαθητευομένους τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ οὐκ ἐπέτυχεν ὃ ἐπι ζητεῖ ὁ πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλ' ἡ ἐκλογὴ ἐπέτυχε, περὶ ὧν φησι τῷ Ἠλίᾳ· Κατέλιπον ἐμαυτῷ ἑπτάκις χιλίους ἄνδρας, οἵ τινες οὐκ ἔκαμψαν γόνυ τῇ Βάαλ. Οὗτοι οὖν εἰσι, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· Καὶ ἔτι ἐπ' αὐτῆς ἔσται τὸ ἐπιδέκατον. Τὸ δὲ Καὶ πάλιν ἔσται εἰς προνομὴν, ὡς τερέβινθος καὶ ὡς βάλανος, ὅταν ἐκπέσῃ ἐκ τῆς θήκης αὐτῆς, δοκεῖ μοι δηλοῦν τὴν κατὰ μικρὸν ἀπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν ἐθῶν ἐπὶ τὴν κατὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον πολιτείαν μεταβολήν. Πάλιν γὰρ ἔσονται οὗτοι εἰς προνομὴν συνηγμένοι, ὡς συνάγεται ὁ καρπὸς τῆς τε ρεβίνθου, καὶ ὡς ἡ βάλανος, ἡ ὥριμος ἤδη πρὸς συλλογήν. Τότε γὰρ ἐκλύεται ἀπὸ τοῦ πρὸς τὴν θήκην δεσμοῦ ἡ πε φθεῖσα ἤδη τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ τελειωθεῖσα. Τάχα δὲ καὶ διὰ τὸ ἐκπεπτωκέναι τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς χώρας καὶ ἐν τῇ διασπορᾷ γεγενῆσθαι, βαλάνῳ παρεικάζεται ἐκπιπτούσῃ ἐκ τῆς θήκης αὐτῆς. Τὸ δὲ Σπέρμα ἅγιον τὸ στήλωμα αὐτῆς, ἐκ τῶν Θεοδο τίωνος πρόσκειται, μὴ κείμενον