100

a specific word pertaining to godliness is brought forth to tell the things that are going to happen to the aforementioned nations in each prophecy. And this indeed is a thing to marvel at, how for each nation it distinctively prophesies something specific, and in these very things, those that contribute to the pious account are again specifically introduced. For instance, the vision concerning Babylon stirred up a universal doctrine about the expected "righteous judgment of God" and how Babylon will come to ultimate desolation, with the rule of the Assyrians being overthrown by the Medes; yet it is not said that there will be an altar in Babylon, nor that those in it will become godly. But the "vision of Egypt" did not indicate its desolation, but that of the idolatry among them, and it says there will be a multitude of godliness and knowledge of God among the Egyptians themselves. Thus also for "Moab," having foretold some specific things, it adds the destruction of their altars, and it prophesies that a church of God will be established and a throne of Christ will be set up among them. Likewise also in the prophecies "concerning Damascus," very many things have been added about the conversion of those who formerly did not know God, and as many other things as we have discussed while investigating the relevant passages and in the present case. Therefore, the things said "concerning Tyre" have some specific points about the things that are going to come upon it, and they were fulfilled long ago in the times of the Assyrians, by whom it was besieged and suffered the things recorded in the prophecy. But the saying at the end of the subject, stating: "And her trade and her wages will be holy to the Lord; it will not be gathered for them, but for those who dwell before the Lord," presents the main point of the prophecy contributing to the theme of godliness. Therefore, the oracle concerning Tyre in the first parts signifies the siege that came upon the city, at which time the Assyrian came with the other nations and took both it and Sidon, as is also recorded in external histories. For we have found among those who have handed down Assyrian matters in writing that the king of the Babylonians, that very one who sacked Jerusalem, came and subdued not only Palestine, but also Arabia and Damascus and the whole Phoenician race. For God, having judged his people, I mean Israel, to experience a more bitter chastisement through the attack of the Assyrians, did not pass over the other nations unpunished, as many as had risen up against Israel at the time of their capture. And what were these? "The tents of the Edomites and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagarenes, Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, foreigners with the inhabitants of Tyre"? Do you see how he also mentioned the Tyrians, as they too attacked during the time of the siege of the people. Reasonably, therefore, the prophecy both signifies the things that will come upon Tyre and says that the time of Tyre's desolation will be as long as was the desolation of Jerusalem. For it says: "And Tyre will be left desolate for seventy years, as the time of a king and as the time of one man." Therefore, in that time, during which the city of the Tyrians endured so great a desolation, it was likely that they no longer even engaged in their usual trade, being seafarers and occupied with all business by sea. Wherefore it is said: Wail, ships of Carthage, because it is destroyed, and they no longer come. But why has the prophecy made mention of Carthage in these things? Because there was a certain ancient relationship of kinship between the Tyrians and the Carthaginians, since those inhabiting Africa once received the Tyrians, who also became the first founders of Carthage. Therefore, with Tyre destroyed, there were no longer those carrying wares from it to Carthage, nor those accustomed to sail from Carthage to Tyre. Wherefore it is said: Wail, ships of Carthage, because it is destroyed, and they no longer come from the land of the Kittim, or from the land of the Chettiim according to the other interpreters. And Cyprus is so called

100

λέγειν τὰ μέλλοντα συμβήσεσθαι τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἔθνεσι καθ' ἑκάστην προφητείαν ἰδιάζων φέρεται λόγος θεοσεβείᾳ προσήκων. ὃ δὴ καὶ θαυμάσαι ἐστίν, ὅπως ἐφ' ἑκάστου ἔθνους ἀφωρισμένως ἰδιάζοντά τινα θεσπίζεται καὶ ἐν τούτοις αὐτοῖς τὰ συντείνοντα εἰς τὸν θεοσεβῆ λόγον πάλιν ἰδίως ἐμφέρεται. αὐτίκα γοῦν ἡ μὲν περὶ Βαβυλῶνος ὅρασις δόγμα καθολικὸν ἀνεκίνει τὸ περὶ τῆς προσδοκωμένης «τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοκρισίας» καὶ ὡς εἰς ἔσχατον ἐρημίας ἡ Βαβυλὼν ἥξει καθαιρεθείσης ὑπὸ Μήδων τῆς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἀρχῆς· οὐ μὴν ὅτι ἔσται θυσιαστήριον ἐν Βαβυλῶνι οὐδ' ὅτι θεοσεβεῖς οἱ ἐν αὐτῇ γενήσονται εἴρηται. ἡ δ' «ὅρασις Αἰγύπτου» οὐκ αὐτῆς ἐρημίας, ἀλλὰ τῆς παρ' αὐτοῖς εἰδωλολατρίας ἐδήλου, πλῆθός τε θεοσεβείας ἔσεσθαί φησι καὶ γνώσεως θεοῦ παρ' αὐτοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις. οὕτω καὶ «τῇ Μωὰβ» ἰδιάζοντά τινα προειπὼν τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς βωμῶν ἀφανισμὸν ἐπάγει, ἐκκλησίας τε θεοῦ σύστασιν καὶ Χριστοῦ θρόνον ἱδρυθήσεσθαι παρ' αὐτοῖς θεσπίζει. ὡσαύτως καὶ ἐν τοῖς «περὶ ∆αμασκοῦ» πλεῖστα ὅσα ἐπενήνεκται περὶ ἐπιστροφῆς τῶν πάλαι τὸν θεὸν μὴ εἰδότων ὅσα τε ἄλλα διειλήφαμεν τὰ κατὰ τοὺς τόπους διερευνώμενοι καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος. τοιγαροῦν τὰ «περὶ Τύρου» λεγόμενα ἔχει μέν τινα ἰδιάζοντα περὶ τῶν ἐπελεύσεσθαι αὐτῇ μελλόντων, καὶ πάλαι πεπλήρωται κατὰ τοὺς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων χρόνους, ὑφ' ὧν πολιορκηθεῖσα πέπονθε τὰ ἐμφερόμενα τῇ προφητείᾳ. ὁ δ' ἐπὶ τέλει τῆς ὑποθέσεως λόγος φάσκων· «καὶ ἔσται ἡ ἐμπορία αὐτῆς καὶ ὁ μισθὸς ἅγιος τῷ κυρίῳ· οὐκ αὐτοῖς συναχθήσεται, ἀλλὰ τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν ἔναντι κυρίου» τὸ κεφάλαιον τῆς προφητείας συντεῖνον εἰς ὑπόθεσιν θεοσεβείας παρίστησι. τὸ ῥῆμα τοίνυν τὸ περὶ Τύρου ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις σημαίνει τὴν ἐπελθοῦσαν τῇ πόλει πολιορκίαν, καθ' ὃν χρόνον ἐπιστὰς ὁ Ἀσσύριος μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν καὶ αὐτὴν εἷλε καὶ τὴν Σιδῶνα, ὡς καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἔξωθεν ἐμφέρεται ἱστορίαις. εὕρομεν γοῦν παρὰ τοῖς τὰ Ἀσσύρια γραφῇ παραδεδωκόσιν ὡς ἐπελθὼν ὁ τῶν Βαβυλωνίων βασιλεὺς αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ὁ τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα πορθήσας οὐ μόνην τὴν Παλαιστίνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν Ἀραβίαν καὶ τὴν ∆αμασκὸν καὶ πᾶν τὸ Φοινίκων γένος ἐχειρώσατο. κρίνας γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τὸν χρηματίζοντα αὐτοῦ λαόν, λέγω δὲ τὸν Ἰσραήλ, πικροτέρας ἐπιστρεφείας πεῖραν λαβεῖν διὰ τῆς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐπιθέσεως, οὐδὲ τὰ λοιπὰ παρῆλθεν ἔθνη ἀνεκδίκητα ὅσα ἦν ἐπαναστάντα τῷ Ἰσραὴλ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἁλώσεως αὐτῶν χρόνον. τίνα δὲ ἦν ταῦτα «τὰ σκηνώματα τῶν Ἰδουμαίων καὶ οἱ Ἰσμαηλῖται, Μωὰβ καὶ οἱ Ἁγαρηνοί, Γεβὰλ καὶ Ἀμμὼν καὶ Ἀμαλήκ, ἀλλοφυλοι μετὰ τῶν κατοικούντων Τύρον»; ὁρᾷς πῶς καὶ Τυρίων ἐμνήσθη ὡς καὶ αὐτῶν ἐπιθεμένων κατὰ τὸν τῆς πολιορκίας τοῦ λαοῦ χρόνον. εἰκότως οὖν ἡ προφητεία καὶ τὰ τῇ Τύρῳ ἐπελευσόμενα σημαίνει καὶ τὸν χρόνον δὲ τῆς ἐρημώσεως Τύρου τοσοῦτον ἔσεσθαί φησιν, ὅσος γέγονε καὶ ὁ τῆς ἐρημίας τῆς Ἰερουσαλήμ. λέγει γοῦν· «καὶ καταλειφθήσεται Τύρος ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη ὡς χρόνος βασιλέως καὶ ὡς χρόνος ἀνθρώπου ἑνός». ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοίνυν ἐκείνῳ, καθ' ὃν τὴν τοσαύτην ὑπέμεινεν ἐρημίαν ἡ Τυρίων πόλις, εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτοὺς μηκέτι μηδὲ τῇ συνήθει κεχρῆσθαι ἐμπορίᾳ ναυτικοὺς ὄντας καὶ πάντα πραγματείαις ταῖς διὰ θαλάσσης σχολάζοντας. διὸ λέλεκται· Ὀλολύξατε, πλοῖα Καρχηδόνος, ὅτι ἀπώλετο, καὶ οὐκέτι ἔρχονται. διὰ τί δὲ Καρχηδόνος ἐν τούτοις μνήμην ἡ προφητεία πεποίηται, ἀλλ' ἐπειδήπερ ἦν τις Τυρίοις καὶ Καρχηδονίοις παλαιᾶς οἰκειότητος σχέσις, τῶν τὴν Ἀφρικὴν οἰκούντων ὑποδεξαμένους ποτὲ τοὺς Τυρίους οἱ καὶ πρῶτοι κτῖσται τῆς Καρχηδόνος γεγόνασιν. ἀφανισθείσης τοίνυν τῆς Τύρου οὐκέτ' ἦσαν οἱ τὰς ἐμπορίας ἐξ αὐτῆς κομίζοντες ἐπὶ Καρχηδόνα οὐδὲ οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Καρχηδόνος εἰωθότες διαπλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν Τύρον. διὸ εἴρηται· Ὀλολύξατε, πλοῖα Καρχηδόνος, ὅτι ἀπώλετο, καὶ οὐκέτι ἔρχονται ἐκ γῆς Κιτιέων, ἢ ἐκ γῆς Χεττιεὶμ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς. λέγεται δὲ ἡ Κύπρος οὕτω