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and no longer a kingdom in Damascus, would fit the Roman times. For after the coming of the Savior, the local kings everywhere were deposed. For the first parts of the prophecy present a partial fall, but not a complete destruction, as is clear from, 'and it will not be fortified.' And again, 'there will not be a kingdom in Damascus.' As if it were going to exist, but not fortified, nor ruling, as it was before. You might also say it another way. They say that the present things indicate for them humiliation and a private life, just as it is said that a rich man falls, changing into poverty, and one in honor comes to dishonor; such as also, 'the house of Israel has fallen, it will no longer rise again.' So also now, 'into a fall' might be understood as indicating the deposition of the kingdom. For of old it ruled over the Syrians, before the successors of Alexander the Macedonian became the founders of the now splendid cities in Syria: Antioch, Laodicea, Apamea; it indicates, therefore, that its inhabitants will be private citizens, dwelling like a herd of flocks because of their gregariousness. Therefore, 'will be taken away from cities' must be understood of royal cities, which is now seen under the Romans, to whom it submits, with no enemy any longer pursuing, because of the strength of the rulers. Having come to this state, how will it be able to help the nation of the Jews, as it did before? and it says neither will there be a king 2124 dom of the Syrians in Damascus, nor elsewhere in Syria (for this, they say, 'and the remnant of the Syrians' indicates), but, it says, a sinful people endures with God, destined to suffer similar things. He calls the glory of Jerusalem, and its fatness, the kingdom, the priesthood. The sanctuary, the worship according to the law, the prophetic grace, and the freedom of the people. When Israel was deprived of these things and Damascus of its kingdom. Therefore he says, 'in that day,' indicating the time of the Savior's coming. But see how he said there would not be a complete destruction of Jacob, but only of their glory. When he says, as in a harvest the ears of corn are gathered, but bare stubble is left in the field, so also it will be with the Jewish people, the ears of corn that were formerly among them having been cut off, and only the stubble being left among them. And if anyone of note is found among them, it will be like an ear of corn that grew not in a plain, but in a valley and a parched and barren ravine. I think the ear of corn signifies the choir of the disciples, concerning whom he said: 'Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed.' And he has indicated the choicest of these by another example, saying as two or three berries might be left at the top of the highest bough, or four or five on its branches. For in the indicated times, he says, the scarcity of those who are saved will be so great, that all may be compared to a single ear of corn. Of which the highest will be perhaps two or three. For by saying 'at the top of the highest bough,' he alludes to their preeminence, whom the Savior sometimes called in pairs, and sometimes by threes, as the more elect of the elect: Peter, James, and John, to whom alone on the mountain he showed the transfiguration; and the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, he again raised in their presence. And the remaining four or five, he says, that is, nine. But if two, and three, and four, and five were added together, they will make the number 14, adding to the twelve Paul, who was also a called apostle, and James, who being the brother of the Lord is recorded to have been established by the Lord Himself as the first bishop of Jerusalem; who indeed are all at the top of the olive tree, that is, of the Jewish succession, which Paul also called a holy root, and firstfruits, and a good olive tree. And after the apostles, he very consistently indicated the conversion of the polytheistic Gentiles, saying they will no longer pay attention to the groves, nor to the altars there, but they will only know the Holy One of Israel, they who before were alienated from the knowledge of God, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, calling the appointed time a day, in which he says the cities of Israel will be forsaken.

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καὶ οὐκέτι βασιλεία ἐν ∆αμασκῷ, τοῖς Ῥωμαϊκοῖς ἁρμόσειε χρόνοις. Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίαν οἱ κατὰ μέρος πανταχοῦ καθῄρηντο βασιλεῖς. Μερικὴν γὰρ πτῶσιν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀφανισμὸν παντελῆ τὰ πρῶτα παρίστη τῆς προφητείας, ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὀχυρά. Καὶ πάλιν, οὐκ ἔσται βασιλεία ἐν ∆αμασκῷ. Ὡς μελλούσης μὲν ἔσεσθαι, πλὴν οὐκ ὀχυρᾶς, οὐδὲ βασιλευούσης, οἷα καὶ πρότερον. Εἴποις δ' ἂν καὶ ἄλλως. Φασὶ ταπείνωσιν αὐτοῖς τὰ παρόντα καὶ βίον δηλοῦν ἰδιωτικὸν, ὥς που λέγεται καὶ πλούσιος ἐκπίπτειν εἰς πενίαν μεταβαλὼν, ὅ τε ἐν ἀξιώματι πρὸς ἀτιμίαν ἐλθών· ὁποῖον καὶ τὸ, οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ πέπτωκεν, οὐκ ἔτι μὴ προσθήσει τοῦ ἀναστῆναι. Οὕτω καὶ νῦν, τὸ εἰς πτῶσιν, τὴν καθαίρεσιν δηλοῦν τῆς βασιλείας νοοῖτο. Πάλαι γὰρ ἐκράτει τῶν Σύρων, πρὶν οἱ τοῦ Μακεδόνος Ἀλεξάνδρου διάδοχοι τῶν νῦν ἐν Συρίᾳ λαμπρῶν οἰκισταὶ γεγόνασι πόλεων, Ἀντιοχείας, Λαοδικείας, Ἀπαμίας· ἰδιώτας τοίνυν ἔσεσθαι δηλοῖ τοὺς ταύτης οἰκήτορας, δίκην ἀγέλης ποιμνίων διὰ τὸ τούτων ἀγέλαιον οἰκήσοντας. Τὸ οὖν ἀρθήσεται ἀπὸ πόλεων, βασιλικῶν νοητέον, ὃ νῦν ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίων ἑώραται, οἷς ὑποκύπτει, μηδενὸς ἔτι πολεμίου διώκοντος, διὰ τὴν τῶν κρατούντων ἰσχύν. Εἰς τοῦτο δὲ καταστᾶσα, τῷ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἔθνει πῶς ἐπικουρῆσαι δυνήσεται, καθάπερ καὶ πρότερον; οὔτε δέ φησιν ἐν ∆αμασκῷ τῶν Σύρων ἔσται βασί 2124 λειον, οὔτε τῆς Συρίας ἑτέρωθι (τοῦτο γάρ φασι καὶ τὸ κατάλοιπον τῶν Σύρων δηλοῦν), ἀλλὰ καρτερεῖ, φησὶ, μετὰ Θεοῦ λαὸν ἡμαρτηκότα πεισομένη τὰ παραπλήσια. Καλεῖ δὲ δόξαν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ταύτης πίονα, τὴν βασιλείαν, τὴν ἱερωσύνην. Τὸ ἁγίασμα, τὴν κατὰ νόμον λατρείαν, τὴν προφητικὴν χάριν, καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν. Ὅτε δὲ τούτων Ἰσραὴλ ἀπεστέρητο καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἡ ∆αμασκός. ∆ιό φησιν, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, τὸν καιρὸν τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίας δηλῶν. Ὅρα δὲ ὅπως οὐ παντελῆ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ ἀναίρεσιν ἔφησεν ἔσεσθαι, τῆς δόξης δὲ μόνης αὐτῶν. Ὅτε φησὶν, ὡς ἐν ἀμητῷ συνάγονται μὲν οἱ ἀστάχυες, καταλείπεται δὲ ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ καλάμη ψιλὴ, οὕτως ἔσεσθαι καὶ τὸν Ἰουδαίων λαὸν, ἀποτμηθέντων μὲν τῶν πάλαι παρ' αὐτοῖς ἀσταχύων, μόνης δὲ τῆς καλάμης ἐν αὐτοῖς περιλειφθείσης. Κἂν εὑρεθῇ δέ τις ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀξιόλογος, ἔστα κατὰ στάχυν οὐκ ἐν πεδίῳ φυέντα, ἀλλ' ἐν κοιλάδι καὶ φάραγγι καταξήρῳ καὶ στερεᾷ. Τοῦ στάχυος οἶμαι τὸν τῶν μαθητῶν δηλοῦντος χορὸν, περὶ ὧν ἔλεγεν· Εἰ μὴ Κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα." Τοὺς δὲ τούτων ἐκκρίτους δι' ἑτέρου δεδήλωκε παραδείγματος, ὡς ῥῶγες εἰπὼν δύο, ἢ τρεῖς ἐπ' ἄκρου μετεώρου, ἢ τέσσαρες, ἢ πέντε ἐπὶ τῶν κλάδων αὐτοῦ καταλειφθῇ. Ἐν γὰρ τοῖς δηλουμένοις χρόνοις, τοσαύτη, φησὶν, ἔσται τῶν σωζομένων ἡ σπάνη, ὡς ἑνὶ πάντας παραβάλλεσθαι στάχυϊ. Ὧν τοὺς ἀκροτάτους ἔσεσθαί που δύο ἢ τρεῖς. Ἐπ' ἄκρου γὰρ εἰπὼν μετεώρου, τὸ τούτων προῦχον αἰνίττεται, οὓς προσεκαλεῖτο ποτὲ μὲν κατὰ συζυγίαν, ποτὲ δὲ κατὰ τρεῖς ὁ Σωτὴρ, ἐκλεκτῶν ὥσπερ ἐκλεκτοτέρους Πέτρον, Ἰάκωβον, Ἰωάννην, οἷς ἐν ὄρει μόνοις τὴν μεταμόρφωσιν ἔδειξεν· τήν τε θυγατέρα τοῦ ἀρχισυναγώγου, πάλιν ἐπὶ τούτων ἀνέστησεν. Τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς τέσσαρας ἢ πέντε φησὶ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἐννέα. Εἰ δὲ συντεθεῖεν δύο, καὶ τρεῖς καὶ τέσσαρας, καὶ πέντε, τὸν Τῶν, ιδʹ, ποιήσουσιν ἀριθμὸν, προστιθεμένου τοῖς δώδεκα Παύλου, κλητοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ ἀποστόλου τυγχάνοντος, καὶ Ἰακώβου, ὃς ἀδελφὸς ὢν τοῦ Κυρίου πρῶτος Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καταστῆναι τοῦ Κυρίου διαμνημονεύεται· οἳ δὴ πάντες ἐπ' ἄκρου τῆς ἐλαίας δηλαδὴ τῆς Ἰουδαίων διαδοχῆς, ἣν καὶ Παῦλος ῥίζαν ἁγίαν, καὶ ἀπαρχὴν καὶ καλλιέλαιον εἴρηκε. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν ἀποστόλων, ἀκολούθως σφόδρα καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν πολυθέων ἐδήλωσε τὴν ἐπιστροφὴν, οὐκ ἔτι λέγων τοῖς ἄλσεσι προσέξουσιν, οὐδὲ τοῖς ἐνταῦθα βωμοῖς, μόνον δὲ τὸν ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπιγνώσονται, οἱ πρὶν ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ξένοι τῶν διαθηκῶν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, τὸν ἀποδοθέντα χρόνον ἡμέραν καλῶν, καθ' ὃν ἐγκαταλελειμμέναι φησὶν αἱ πόλεις ἔσονται τοῦ Ἰσραήλ.