98
mounted on a beast of burden and a young colt. And he shall destroy the chariots from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be destroyed; and abundance and peace from the nations; and he shall rule from sea to sea 10.89 and from the rivers to the ends of the earth.” And after many things: “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord shall be one, and his name one, encircling all the earth and the desert.” What of these things, O men, is obscure or in need of clarification? And which of the things spoken does not have the crying testimony of the facts? 10.90 Hear, then, also through Malachi what the God of all says to Israel: “I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord; and I will not accept a sacrifice from your hands; for from the rising of the sun to its setting my name has been glorified among the nations; and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure sacrifice. For my name is great among the nations, says the Lord Almighty; but you profane 10.91 it.” Compare, O friends, the words with the facts and see both the contradiction of the Jews and the confession of the nations and the spiritual sacrifice offered everywhere on earth and sea to the God of all, and praise him who so clearly foretold these things. 10.92 And if you wish, read the oracles of Daniel and Ezekiel and Joel and Micah and Hosea and the other prophets. For they all foretell the salvation of the nations; and indeed, making his covenants with the patriarch Abraham, he promised to give the blessing to the nations through his seed: “For I will bless you,” he said, “and I will magnify your name, and you shall be blessed, and I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you, and in your seed all the nations of the 10.93 earth shall be blessed.” And not once, but many times he gave him this promise; and indeed after his death he bestowed the same blessing on Isaac, and after him again on Jacob. For since the Only-begotten, having taken human nature from their seed, became man, and having become man and having completed the economy, he sent out the apostles into all the world and commanded to make disciples of all nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and the nations, having believed, enjoyed salvation, it was fitting, therefore, that he bestowed this blessing on Abraham and on those from him, both making clear to them the things that would be and demonstrating the greatness of the prize, and leading on with the hope of salvation those who understand the divine oracles. 10.94 And Jacob the patriarch, blessing Judah, mentioned the blessing of the nations: “For,” he said, “a ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his loins, until he comes for whom it is laid up; and he is the expectation of the nations.” And Moses the great cries out: “Rejoice, O nations, with his people.” 10.95 And who could easily collect the prophecies of the divine David? For in the second psalm, having taken up the person of the Savior, he says: “The Lord said to me: You are my son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.” And in the eighth he says: “O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is your name in all the earth, for your magnificence is exalted above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and 10.96 sucklings you have perfected praise.” And we see these things being fulfilled every day. And in the ninth again he says to the God of all: “Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you. Appoint, O Lord, a lawgiver over them; let the nations know that they are men.” For since the race of men had fallen into extreme irrationality, he necessarily asks that a lawgiver be given to them, so that they might know their nature 10.97 and be delivered from their bestiality. And in the twenty-first: “All the ends of the shall remember and turn to the Lord
98
ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὑποζύγιον καὶ πῶλον νέον. Καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσει ἅρματα ἐξ Ἐφραῒμ καὶ ἵππον ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ· καὶ ἐξολοθρευθήσεται τόξον πολεμικόν· καὶ πλῆ θος καὶ εἰρήνη ἐξ ἐθνῶν· καὶ κατάρξει ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἕως θαλάσ 10.89 σης καὶ ἀπὸ ποταμῶν ἕως διεκβολῶν γῆς." Καὶ μετὰ πλεῖστα· "Καὶ ἔσται Κύριος εἰς βασιλέα ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν· ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσται Κύριος εἷς, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἕν, κυκλοῦν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν ἔρημον." Τί τούτων, ὦ ἄνδρες, ξυνεσκιασμένον ἢ σαφηνείας δεόμενον; ποῖον δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων οὐκ ἔχει βοῶσαν τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν 10.90 μαρτυρίαν; Ἀκούσατε δὴ καὶ διὰ Μαλαχίου τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων πρὸς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ λέγοντος· "Οὐκ ἔστι μοι θέλημα ἐν ὑμῖν, λέγει Κύριος· καὶ θυσίαν οὐ προσδέξομαι ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν· διότι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου καὶ ἕως δυσμῶν τὸ ὄνομά μου δεδόξα σται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι· καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ θυμίαμα προσφέρεται τῷ ὀνόματί μου καὶ θυσία καθαρά. ∆ιότι μέγα τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ· ὑμεῖς δὲ βεβηλοῦτε 10.91 αὐτό." Παράθετε, ὦ φιλότης, τοὺς λόγους τοῖς πράγμασι καὶ βλέπετε καὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίων ἀντιλογίαν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν ὁμολο γίαν καὶ τὴν πανταχῇ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης προσφερομένην θυσίαν τῷ Θεῷ τῶν ὅλων πνευματικήν, καὶ ὑμνήσατε τὸν οὕτως ἐναργῶς ταῦτα προαγορεύσαντα. 10.92 Εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε, καὶ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ καὶ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιὴλ καὶ τοῦ Ἰωὴλ καὶ Μιχαίου καὶ Ωσηὲ τῶν ἄλλων προφητῶν ἀνάγ νωτε τὰ θεσπίσματα. Ἅπαντες γάρ τοι τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν προαγο ρεύουσι σωτηρίαν· καὶ μέντοι καὶ πρὸς τὸν πατριάρχην Ἁβραὰμ τὰς ξυνθήκας ποιούμενος, διὰ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ δώσειν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὴν εὐλογίαν ὑπέσχετο· "Εὐλογήσω γάρ σε" ἔφη "καὶ μεγαλυνῶ τὸ ὄνομά σου, καὶ ἔσῃ εὐλογημένος, καὶ εὐλογήσω τοὺς εὐλογοῦντάς σε, καὶ τοὺς καταρωμένους σε καταράσομαι, καὶ ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς 10.93 γῆς." Καὶ ταύτην αὐτῷ οὐχ ἅπαξ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλάκις δέδωκε τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν· καὶ μέντοι καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν τὴν αὐτὴν παρέσχε καὶ τῷ Ἰσαὰκ εὐλογίαν, καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνον πάλιν τῷ Ἰακώβ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος ἐκείνων τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν φύσιν λαβὼν ὁ Μονογενὴς ἐνηνθρώπησεν, ἐνανθρωπήσας δὲ καὶ τὴν οἰκονομίαν τελέσας εἰς ἅπασαν τὴν οἰκουμένην τοὺς ἀπο στόλους ἐξέπεμψε καὶ προσέταξε μαθητεῦσαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, πιστεύσαντα δὲ τὰ ἔθνη τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπέλαυσεν, εἰκότως ἄρα καὶ τῷ Ἁβραὰμ καὶ τοῖς ἐξ ἐκείνου τήνδε παρέσχε τὴν εὐλογίαν, καὶ αὐτοῖς δῆλα ποιῶν τὰ ἐσόμενα καὶ τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ γέρως ἐπιδεικνὺς καὶ τοὺς τῶν θείων ἐπαΐοντας λογίων τῇ τῆς σωτη ρίας ἐλπίδι ψυχαγωγῶν. 10.94 Καὶ Ἰακὼβ δὲ ὁ πατριάρχης, εὐλογῶν τὸν Ἰούδαν, τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐμνημόνευσεν εὐλογίας· "Οὐκ ἐκλείψει" γὰρ ἔφη "ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα καὶ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ὃ ἀπόκειται· καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία ἐθνῶν." Καὶ ὁ Μωϋσῆς δὲ ὁ μέγας βοᾷ· "Εὐφράνθητε ἔθνη μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ." 10.95 Τὰς δὲ τοῦ θεσπεσίου ∆αυὶδ προφητείας τίς ἂν ῥᾳδίως ξυλλέ ξειεν; ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῷ δευτέρῳ ψαλμῷ τὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος πρόσω πον ἀνειληφὼς λέγει· "Κύριος εἶπε πρός με· υἱός μου εἶ σύ· ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε· αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς." Ἐν δὲ τῷ ὀγδόῳ φησίν· "Κύριε ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, ὡς θαυμαστὸν τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ, ὅτι ἐπήρθη ἡ μεγα λοπρέπειά σου ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ 10.96 θηλαζόντων κατηρτίσω αἶνον." Ὁρῶμεν δὲ ταῦτα καθ' ἑκά στην τελούμενα. Ἐν δὲ τῷ ἐνάτῳ πάλιν πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὅλων λέγει Θεόν· "Ἀνάστηθι Κύριε· μὴ κραταιούσθω ἄνθρωπος· κριθήτωσαν ἔθνη ἐνώπιόν σου· κατάστησον Κύριε νομοθέτην ἐπ' αὐτούς· γνώτωσαν ἔθνη, ὅτι ἄνθρωποί εἰσιν." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰς ἀλογίαν ἐσχάτην ἐξέπεσε τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ γένος, ἀναγκαίως αὐτοῖς δοθῆναι νομοθέτην αἰτεῖ, ὥστε καὶ τὴν φύσιν ἐπιγνῶναι 10.97 καὶ τῆς θηριωδίας ἀπαλλαγῆναι. Ἐν δὲ τῷ πρώτῳ καὶ εἰκοστῷ· "Μνησθήσονται καὶ ἐπιστραφήσονται πρὸς Κύριον πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆς