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the ends of the earth, which themselves might also reasonably be called booty. In addition to these, before the child knows how to call father or mother, he will take, it says, the power of Damascus, and the spoils of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians; which things themselves I think are spoken according to thought alone, that is, concerning certain evil powers, which the divine power of our Savior destroyed at His birth, or also concerning the distinction of the souls of those who have believed in him; of whom those who changed from idolatry to the evangelical life are likely the so-called power of Damascus, and those from the circumcision who received the Christ of God are the so-called spoils of Samaria; and having taken these souls as spoils and booty from the intelligible enemies, in the face of the intelligible king of the Assyrians, that is, the devil, He both armed them and prepared them to fight against him. And it is possible for one who wishes to discern these things accurately from the commentaries on these passages by the holy man; but if (sic) those of the circumcision should demand these things more corporeally, they must be cross-examined whether they themselves can demonstrate corporeally in what way Isaiah approached the prophetess for the sake of carnal union in the presence of the aforementioned witnesses; and who is such a prophetess, and how did she immediately conceive in the womb, and give birth at once, and what is this child born, whom the Lord commands Isaiah to call by the name, Spoil quickly, plunder swiftly; and what sense does such a 182 great name have, or how is it possible, according to the literal sense, to conceive of any child whatsoever corporeally taking the so-called power of Damascus, and the so-called spoils of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians, and doing these things before he knows how to call father or mother; and in addition to this, if they should contradict what has been previously explained by us, let them show themselves how the Christ expected by them, when he comes, will take corporeally the power of Damascus according to the prophecy, and what spoils of Samaria, or before what Assyrians, when none of these are still active in the present times. Ps. 2. Behold, I and the children whom God has given me; and they will be for signs and wonders in the house of Israel from the Lord God of Sabaoth, who dwells on Mount Zion. And the saying, Behold, I and the children whom God has given me, is well interpreted in the Epistle to the Hebrews as from the person of the Savior concerning both the apostles and those after them who have believed in him; for it adds here, and there shall be signs and wonders in the house of Israel; and it is clear how at the time of the Savior's coming there were signs and wonders in the house of Israel, such as had never been accomplished. Ps. 7. And they will wish, if they had been burnt by fire. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us, whose government was upon his 183 shoulder, and his name is called, Angel of 183 Great Counsel; for I will bring peace upon the rulers, and health to him. Great is his government, and of his peace there is no end; upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with judgment and with righteousness, from this time forth and for evermore; the zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth will do this. I think indeed that the child spoken of here is none other than the one prophesied above to be born of the virgin, whom the prophetess was also said to have borne a little earlier; but above his name was Emmanuel, and after that, Spoil quickly, plunder swiftly. But here this same one, according to the {2}2interpretation of the Seventy, is called angel of great {2}2counsel; but according to Aquila and the Hebrew itself, his {2}2name is wonderful counselor, mighty {2}2strong father, yet prince of peace; and according to {2}2Symmachus also, the name of the child will be called wonderful counselor, mighty powerful, father of the age, prince of peace. Therefore, those of the circumcision must be asked what child they could have to whom they might apply such great things to present; according to

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τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, ἃ καὶ αὐτὰ εἰκότως ἂν καλοῖτο προνομήν. Πρὸς τούτοις πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα, λήψεται φησὶν δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ, καὶ τὰ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας ἔναντι βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων· ἅπερ καὶ αὐτὰ κατὰ μόνην διάνοιαν, ἤτοι περὶ δυνάμεων τινῶν πονηρῶν οἶμαι λέγεσθαι, ἃς ἅμα τῇ γενέσει καθεῖλεν ἡ θεία τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν δύναμις, ἢ καὶ περὶ ψυχῶν τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκότων διαφορᾶς· ὧν τὰς μὲν ἐξ εἰδωλολατρείας μεταβαλούσας ἐπὶ τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν βίον εἰκὸς εἶναι τὴν λεγομένην δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ, τὰς δ' ἐκ περιτομῆς τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ παραδεξαμένας, τὰ προσαγορευόμενα σκῦλα Σαμαρείας· ταύτας δὲ τὰς ψυχὰς σκῦλα καὶ προνομὴν παρὰ τῶν νοητῶν εἰληφὸς ὼς πολεμίων, ἐξ ἐναντίας τοῦ νοητοῦ βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων, τοῦτ' ἔστι τοῦ διαβόλου, καθώπλισέ τε καὶ πολεμεῖν αὐτῷ παρεσκεύασεν. Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ πάρεστιν ἐπ' ἀκριβὲς τῷ βουλομένῳ ἐκ τῶν εἰς τοὺς τόπους ὑπομνηματισθέντων τῷ ἱερῷ ἀνδρὶ διαγνῶναι· εἰ δ' εἰ (sic) ἀπαιτοῖεν ταῦτα σωματικώτερον οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς, ἀντεξεταστέον αὐτοὺς εἰ δύνανται σωματικῶς αὐτοὶ παραστῆσαι τίνα τρόπον ὁ Ἡσαΐας ἐπὶ τῶν προειρημένων μαρτύρων τῇ προφήτιδι μίξεως σωματικῆς ἕνεκεν προσελήλυθεν· τίς δὲ καὶ ἡ τοιαύτη προφῆτις, καὶ πῶς παραχρῆμα ἐν γαστρὶ ἔλαβεν, καὶ παραυτίκα τέτοκεν, καὶ ποῖον τοῦτο τὸ τεχθὲν παιδίον ὃ προστάσσει τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ ὁ Κύριος ὀνόματι καλέσαι τῷ, ταχέως σκύλευσον, ὀξέως προνόμευσον· τίνα δὲ καὶ λόγον ἔχει τὸ τηλί 182 κονδε ὄνομα, ἢ πῶς δυνατόν ἐστι κατὰ τὴν πρόχειρον διάνοιαν παιδίον ὁποῖον δὴ οὖν ἐπινοεῖν σωματικῶς ἀπολήψεσθαι τὴν ὀνομαζομένην δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ, καὶ τὰ λεγόμενα σκῦλα Σαμαρείας ἐναντίων ον βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων, καὶ ταῦτα πράττειν πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι αὐτὸ καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα· καὶ πρὸς τούτοις εἰ ἀντιλέγοιεν τοῖς ἡμῖν προαποδεδομένοις, δεικνύτωσαν αὐτοὶ πῶς ὁ προσδοκώμενος ὑπ' αὐτῶν Χριστὸς παραγενόμενος λήψεται σωματικῶς τὴν κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ, καὶ ποῖα σκῦλα Σαμαρείας, ἢ ποίων Ἀσσυρίων ἐναντίον, μηδενὸς ἔτι τούτων ἐνεργοῦντος κατὰ τοὺς ἐνεστῶτας χρόνους. Ψ. ʹ. Ἰδοὺ, ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία, ἅ μοι δέδωκεν ὁ Θεός· καὶ ἔσται σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραὴλ παρὰ Κυρίου Θεοῦ σαβαὼθ, ὃς κατοικεῖ ἐν τῷ ὄρει Σιών. Καὶ τὸ, Ἰδοὺ, ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία, ἅ μοι ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Σωτῆρος περί τε τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκότων καλῶς ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους ἐξείληπται· ἐπιφέρεται γοὖν ἐνταῦθα τὸ, καὶ ἔσται σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ἐν οἴκῳ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ σαφὲς ὅπως κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος παρουσίας σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα εἰ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραὴλ, οἷα οὐδεπώποτε ἀπετελέσθη. Ψ. Ζʹ. Καὶ θελήσουσιν, εἰ ἐγένοντο πυρίκαυστοι. Ὅτι παιδίον ἐγενήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς ἐδόθη ἡμῖν, οὗ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐγενήθη ἐπὶ τοῦ 183 ὤμου αὐτοῦ, καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, Μεγάλης 183 βουλῆς ἄγγελος· ἄξω γὰρ εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας, καὶ ὑγεία αὐτῷ. Μεγάλη ἡ ἀρχὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ὅριον· ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον ∆αυὶδ, καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ κατορθῶσαι αὐτὴν, καὶ ἀντιλαβέσθαι ἐν κρίματι καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ὁ ζῆλος Κυρίου σαβαὼθ ποιήσει ταῦτα. Οἶμαι δὴ τὸ λεγόμενον ἐνθάδε παιδίον οὐκ ἄλλο εἶναι τοῦ ἐκ τῆς παρθένου τεχθήσεσθαι ἀνωτέρω προπεφητευμένου, ὃ καὶ μικρῷ πρότερον ἡ προφῆτις ἀποτεκεῖν ἐλέγετο· ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ἀνωτέρω ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ ἦν, τὸ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα, ταχέως σκύλευσον, ὀξέως προνόμευσον. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς οὗτος κατὰ μὲν τὴν {2}2τῶν οʹ ἑρμηνείαν, μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος χρημα{2}2τίζει· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν τὸ {2}2ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐστιν θαυμαστὸς σύμβουλος, ἰσχυρὸς {2}2δυνατὸς πατὴρ, ἔτι ἄρχων εἰρήνης· καὶ κατὰ τὸν {2}2Σύμμαχον δὲ, κληθήσεται τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ παιδίου παραδοξασμὸς βουλευτικὸς ἰσχυρὸς δυνατὸς, πατὴρ αἰῶνος, ἄρχων εἰρήνης. Ἀπαιτητέον τοίνυν τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς ποῖον ἂν ἔχοι εν παιδίον ᾧ τὰ τηλικαῦτα ἐφαρμόσαιεν παριστάναι· καθ'