101

...by the God of all. 6. "God is in the midst of her, and she shall not be moved." This also the Lord promised in the holy Gospels: "Behold, I am with you all the days, until the end of the age." And, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them." -"God will help her right early." Swift, he says, and speedy help will the Lord of all provide to his own city. For "right early" signified what is swift and speedy. 7. "Nations were troubled, kingdoms were bowed down, the Most High gave his voice, the earth was shaken." When the divine help appeared, he says, the enemies turned their backs, and the kingdoms that formerly held opposing views bowed their necks and accepted the saving yoke. For by the truth, and by the testimony of the events, and by all kinds of miracles, God, using as it were a kind of voice, showed his own loftiness to men, and filled their souls with fear. 8. "The Lord God of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our helper." Therefore we have been shown to be stronger than our enemies, having as our ally the Lord of the heavenly hosts; who showed Jacob, when he was persecuted, to be better than his enemies, and freed him from the plotting of Esau and Laban. But the prophetic word did not make mention of Jacob without reason, but because he was the first to foretell the calling of the nations. "For," he says, "a ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his loins, until he comes for whom it is reserved, and he is the expec 80.1205 tation of nations." And here, foretelling the conversion of the nations, he reasonably said that the God of Jacob, who had foretold these things, had accomplished them. 9-11. "Come and see the works of God, what wonders he has set on the earth. He takes away wars to the ends of the earth, he will break the bow, and shatter the weapon, and burn the shields in fire. Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Seeing therefore, O men, this my strength, and beholding the sudden change of affairs, and the calm that has come after the greatest storm, and the cessation of war, and the gift of peace, learn from these events themselves that I am the God of all, and the creator of all things, no longer showing the height of my power to the Jews alone, but indeed to all nations. Having heard these words, the apostolic choir, singing a victory song against their adversaries, cries out: 12. "The Lord God of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our helper." Let them say therefore, those who have taken the psalm to refer to Gog, or those who have said that it applies to Ahaz, how "He takes away wars to the ends of the earth" fits those histories. For indeed in their time he did not stop all wars, but in the time of Gog and Magog, Palestine alone enjoyed peace. And in the time of Ahaz, not even all of Palestine, but the one tribe of Judah; for Pekah son of Remaliah received the attack of the Assyrians. But in the time of the Lord Christ the prophecy reached its fulfillment. For first, the toparchies and the partial kingdoms were abolished; because of which men did not enjoy even a brief peace, but every city was armed, fearing the suddenly occurring raids. But in the time of our Savior Christ, the Roman empire, having abolished the partial kingdoms, prepared the ears of all men for those who preach. For without fear, as in a single kingdom, they ran through, and brought the saving teaching to men. According to history, thus it happened: "He takes away enemies to the ends of the earth, and he will break the bow, and shatter the weapons, and burn the shields in fire." But if one should wish to understand it more figuratively, he will see the cessation of the war against the Church, and the peace provided to them from God, and will behold the truth of the prophecy.

101

σθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ. ʹ. "Ὁ Θεὸς ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐ σαλευθήσε ται." Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγε λίοις ὑπέσχετο· "Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος." Καὶ, "Ὅπου δύο ἢ τρεῖς εἰσι συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα, ἐκεῖ εἰμι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν." -"Βοηθήσει αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς τὸ πρωῒ πρωΐ." Ταχεῖαν, φησὶ, καὶ ὀξεῖαν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ πόλει παρέξει βοήθειαν τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος. Πρωῒ γὰρ πρωῒ τὸ ταχὺ καὶ ὀξὺ προσηγόρευσεν. ζʹ. "Ἐταράχθησαν ἔθνη, ἔκλιναν βασιλεῖαι, ἔδωκε φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ὁ Ὕψιστος, ἐσαλεύθη ἡ γῆ." Τῆς θείας, φησὶ, βοηθείας ἐπιφανείσης, νῶτα ἔδωκαν οἱ πολέμιοι, καὶ αἱ πάλαι τἀναντία φρονοῦσαι βασι λεῖαι, ὑπέκλινον τὸν αὐχένα, καὶ τὸν σωτήριον ζυ γὸν ὑπεδέξαντο. Τῇ γὰρ ἀληθείᾳ, καὶ τῇ τῶν πραγ μάτων μαρτυρίᾳ, καὶ ταῖς παντοδαπαῖς θαυμα τουργίαις, οἷόν τινι φωνῇ χρησάμενος ὁ Θεὸς, τὸ οἰκεῖον ὕψος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὑπέδειξε, καὶ δέους αὐ τῶν ἐνέπλησε τὰς ψυχάς. ηʹ. "Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων μεθ' ἡμῶν, ἀντιλήπτωρ ἡμῶν ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακώβ." Κρείττους τοίνυν τῶν πολεμούντων ἀπεφάνθημεν, ἐπίκουρον ἐσχηκό τες τὸν τῶν ἐπουρανίων δυνάμεων Κύριον· ὃς τὸν Ἰα κὼβ διωκόμενον ἀμείνω τῶν πολεμούντων ἀπέφηνε, καὶ τῆς Ἡσαῦ καὶ τοῦ Λάβαν ἐπιβουλῆς ἠλευθέρωσε. Τοῦ δὲ Ἰακὼβ τὴν μνήμην οὐχ ἁπλῶς ὁ προφητικὸς ἐποιήσατο λόγος, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πρῶτος ἐκεῖνος τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν προεθέσπισε κλῆσιν. "Οὐκ ἐκλείψει γὰρ, φη σὶν, ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα, καὶ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ᾧ ἀπόκειται, καὶ αὐτὸς προσ 80.1205 δοκία ἐθνῶν." Τῶν ἐθνῶν δὲ κἀνταῦθα τὴν μεταβο λὴν προθεσπίζων, εἰκότως τὸν τοῦ Ἰακὼβ τοῦ ταῦτα προειρηκότος Θεὸν ταῦτα ἔφη κατωρθωκέναι. θʹ-ιαʹ. "∆εῦτε καὶ ἴδετε τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἃ ἔθετο τέρατα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἀνταναιρῶν πολέμους μέχρι τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς, τόξον συντρίψει, καὶ συνθλάσει ὅπλον, καὶ θυρεοὺς κατακαύσει ἐν πυρί. Σχολάζετε καὶ γνῶτε, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεός· ὑψωθήσομαι ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ὑψωθήσομαι ἐν τῇ γῇ." Ταύτην μου τοίνυν ὁρῶντες, ὦ ἄνθρωποι, τὴν ἰσχὺν, καὶ θεώμενοι τὴν ἀθρόαν τῶν πραγμάτων μεταβο λὴν, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ ζάλης μεγίστης γεγενημένην γα λήνην, καὶ τοῦ πολέμου τὴν παῦλαν, καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης τὸ δῶρον, δι' αὐτῶν μάθετε τῶν πραγμάτων, ὡς ἐγὼ τῶν ὅλων εἰμὶ Θεὸς, καὶ τῶν ἁπάντων δημιουργὸς, οὐκέτι μόνοις Ἰουδαίοις, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ πᾶσιν ἔθνεσι, τὸ τῆς δυνάμεως ὕψος ἐπιδεικνύς. Τούτων ὁ ἀπο στολικὸς χορὸς ἐπακούσας τῶν λόγων παιανίζων κατὰ τῶν ἀντιπάλων βοᾶ ιβʹ. "Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων μεθ' ἡμῶν· ἀντιλήπτωρ ἡμῶν ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακώβ." Εἰπάτωσαν τοίνυν οἱ τὸν ψαλμὸν εἰς τὸν Γὼγ εἰληφότες, ἢ οἱ τῷ Ἄχαζ τοῦτον ἁρμόττειν εἰρηκότες, πῶς ἐκείναις ἁρμόττει ταῖς ἱστορίαις τὸ, "Ἀνταναιρῶν πολέμους μέχρι τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς." Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἐπ' ἐκεί νων πάντας ἔπαυσε τοὺς πολέμους, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ Γὼγ καὶ Μαγὼγ ἡ Παλαιστίνη μόνη εἰρήνης ἀπ ήλαυσεν. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Ἄχαζ οὐδὲ πᾶσα ἡ Παλαιστίνη, ἀλλ' Ἰούδα μία φυλή· Φακεὲ γὰρ ὁ τοῦ Ῥωμελίου τὴν τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐδέξατο προσβολήν. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ ἔσχε τὸ πέρας ἡ προφητεία. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ αἱ τοπαρχίαι καὶ αἱ μερικαὶ κατ ελύθησαν βασιλεῖαι· δι' ἃς οὐδὲ βραχείας εἰρήνης ἀπήλαυσαν ἄνθρωποι, ἀλλὰ πᾶσα πόλις ἔνοπλος ἦν, τὰς ἐξαπιναίως γινομένας ἐφόδους δειμαίνουσαι. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ ἡ Ῥωμαίων βασιλεία, τὰς μερικὰς καταλύσασα βασι λείας, τὰς τῶν ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων ἀκοὰς ηὐτρέ πισε τοῖς κηρύττουσιν. Ἀδεῶς γὰρ ὡς ἐν μιᾷ βασιλείᾳ διέδραμον, καὶ τὴν σωτήριον διδασκαλίαν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις προσήνεγκαν. Κατὰ μὲν τὴν ἱστορίαν οὕτω συμβέβηκε τὸ, "Ἀνταναιρῶν πολεμίους μέχρι τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς, καὶ τόξον συντρίψει, καὶ συνθλάσει ὅπλα, καὶ θυρεοὺς κατακαύσει ἐν πυρί." Τροπικώτερον δὲ εἴ τις ἐθέλοι νοῆσαι, ὄψε ται τοῦ κατὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας πολέμου τὴν παῦλαν, καὶ τὴν παρασχεθεῖσαν αὐτοῖς θεόθεν εἰρήνην, καὶ θεωρήσει τὴν τῆς προφητείας ἀλήθειαν.