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from this a flower, but let him show how a physical rod is said to come forth from the root of Jesse, and what sort of flower will come up from it; but if these things force even the very hard-hearted to ascend to the spiritual meaning, see if the rest of the things concerning the coming of our Savior are not well represented to us as fulfilled according to the spiritual meaning; which things also happened in accordance with the prophecy after the Lord Sabaoth had thrown into confusion the formerly glorious ones of the former people; whom it also prophesies, having been exalted in their insolence against our Savior, will be crushed and humbled and will fall; and the word says that Lebanon will fall with them; for it is his custom to name Jerusalem and the worship formerly performed physically in it this way; as is clear from Ezekiel, where it is written in this manner: The great eagle, with great wings, long in its expanse, full of talons, which has the leading part, to enter into Lebanon, and it took the choicest parts 187 of the cedar. Therefore, in explaining the parable, the prophetic word itself clearly teaches that Lebanon is Jerusalem, saying: Son of man, say now to the rebellious house, Do you not know what these things were? Say, When the king of Babylon comes against Jerusalem, he will take its king and its rulers. It is clear then how this Lebanon also, with those who are high in their insolence, has fallen at the coming of our Savior who came from the root of Jesse; upon whom also rested the perfection of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, who also will come again at his second and glorious coming, not judging according to appearance; for God does not show partiality; but neither reproving according to hearsay; for he is one who tests hearts and minds, and penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit. And so, at his coming which already happened before, the earth was truly filled with the knowledge of the Lord, whereas before none knew him except only those of the circumcision; but then the prophecy will be brought to completion even more, when, after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in with the rest of the Gentiles, all Israel will also be saved, and Christ, having risen from the dead, was appointed by God to rule the Gentiles, according to the verse, and there shall be the root of Jesse, and he who rises to rule the Gentiles, in him the Gentiles will hope. See, then, how here Israel or Jacob or Judah is not named at all, but it is clearly prophesied that the Gentiles will hope in him who will rise from the root of Jesse, 188 the wording here agreeing with that in Moses, which 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 expectation, not of Israel, but of the Gentiles. And of whom else has the repose come to be in the highest honor with God, than of him who heard the Father saying to him, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. Ψ. Θʹ. And a throne will be established with mercy, and he will be seated with six of him with truth in the tent of David, judging and seeking judgment and hastening righteousness. These things also are prophesied concerning the second coming of Christ, when the Word of God, after the kingdom over all has been established for him with mercy and love for mankind, will be seated judging with truth in the tent of David; and I think that he thus names the church of the saints and firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and all the saints who have come to be under the portion of the Word of God. Ψ. Ιʹ. Behold, the Lord sits on a light cloud, and will come into Egypt, and the man-made idols of Egypt will be shaken before his face, and their heart will be defeated within them. To take the preceding words as referring to the unbegotten nature of the God of all, as if he were about to be carried on some cloud and to be physically present 189 in Egypt, I consider to be neither plausible nor holy; for which reason the prophecy must be understood as referring to the Word of God, and it clearly already at his first coming

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ἐκ ταύτης ἄνθος, ἀλλὰ δεικνύτω πῶς σωματικὴ ῥάβδος ἐξελεύσεσθαι ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ λέγεται, καὶ ποταπὸν ἄνθος ἀναβήσεσθαι ἐξ αὐτῆς· εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸν πάνυ σκληρὸν ταῦτα ἐπὶ διάνοιαν ἀνιέναι βιάζεται, ὅρα εἰ μὴ καλῶς ἡμῖν καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρουσίᾳ κατὰ διάνοιαν παρίσταται πεπληρωμένα· ἃ καὶ ἀκολούθως τῇ προφητείᾳ γέγονε μετὰ τὸ συνταράξαι Κύριον Σαβαὼθ τοὺς πάλαι ἐνδόξους τοῦ προτέρου λαοῦ· οὓς καὶ ὑψωθέντας τῇ κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ὕβρει συντριβήσεσθαι καὶ ταπεινωθήσεσθαι καὶ πεσεῖσθαι προφητεύει· σὺν αὐτοῖς δὲ καὶ τὸν Λίβανον πεσεῖσθαι ὁ λόγος φησίν· οὕτω δὲ ἔθος αὐτῷ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ τὴν πάλαι πρότερον ἐν αὐτῇ σωματικῶς ἀποτελουμένην λατρείαν ὀνομάζειν· ὡς δῆλόν ἐστιν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἱεζεκιὴλ, ἔνθα τοῦτον ἀναγέγραπται τὸν τρόπον· ὁ ἀετὸς ὁ μέγας ὁ μεγαλοπτέρυγος, ὁ μακρὸς τῇ ἐκτάσει, πλήρης ὀνύχων, ὃς ἔχει τὸ ἥγημα εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν Λίβανον, καὶ ἔλαβε τὰ ἐπίλεκτα 187 τῆς κέδρου. Ἐπιλύων γοὖν τὴν παραβολὴν αὐτὸς ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος σαφῶς τὸν Λίβανον τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ διδάσκει, λέγων· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, εἶπον δὴ πρὸς τὸν οἶκον τὸν παραπικραίνοντα, Οὐκ ἐπίστασθε τί ἦν ταῦτα; εἶπον, Ὅταν ἔλθῃ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ λήψεται τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῆς καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας αὐτῆς. Πρόδηλον οὖν ὅπως καὶ οὗτος ὁ Λίβανος μετὰ τῶν ὑψηλῶν τῇ ὕβρει περιπέπτωκεν ἐπὶ τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ ἐκ ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ γενομένου Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν· ἐφ' ὃν καὶ ἀνεπαύσατο ἡ τελειότης τῶν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος χαρισμάτων, ὃς καὶ εἰσαῦθις ἐλεύσεται κατὰ τὴν δευτέραν καὶ ἔνδοξον αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν, οὐ κατὰ τὴν δόξαν κρινοῦντος· πρόσωπον γὰρ ἀνθρώπου Θεὸς οὐ λαμβάνει· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ κατὰ τὴν λαλιὰν ἐλέγχων· ἐτάζων γάρ ἐστι καρδίας καὶ νεφροὺς, καὶ διϊκνούμενος ἄχρι μερισμοῦ ψυχῆς καὶ πνεύματος. Καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ γενομένῃ μὲν οὖν αὐτοῦ ἤδη πρότερον παρουσίᾳ ἐνεπλήσθη ὡς ἀληθῶς ἡ γῆ τοῦ γνῶναι τὸν Κύριον, μηδενὸς τὸ πρὶν ὅτι μὴ μόνων τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς γινωσκόντων αὐτόν· τότε δὲ καὶ μᾶλλον εἰς πέρας ἀχθήσεται ἡ προφητεία, ὅτε τοῦ πληρώματος τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσελθόντος σὺν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσιν καὶ ὁ πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται, ὁ Χριστὸς δὲ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστὰς ἄρχειν ἐθνῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ κατεστάθη, κατὰ τὸ, καὶ ἔσται ἡ ῥίζα τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ καὶ ὁ ἀνιστάμενος ἄρχειν ἐθνῶν, ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσιν. Ὅρα γ' οὖν ὡς οὐδ' ὅλως ἐνταῦθα Ἰσραὴλ ἢ Ἰακὼβ ἢ Ἰούδας ὀνομάζεται, σαφῶς δὲ τὰ ἔθνη ἐπὶ τὸν ἐκ ῥίζης ἀναστησόμενον Ἰεσσαὶ ἐλπιεῖν προφητεύεται, 188 συνᾳδούσης τῆς ἐνταῦθα λέξεως τῇ παρὰ Μωσεῖ φασκούσῃ, οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα οὐδὲ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ᾧ ἀπόκειται· καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία, οὐχὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν. Καὶ τίνος δὲ ἄλλου ἡ ἀνάπαυσις ἐν τῇ ἀνωτάτω παρὰ Θεῷ γεγένηται τιμῇ, ἢ τοῦ ἀκούσαντος λέγοντος αὐτῷ τοῦ Πατρὸς, Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου. Ψ. Θʹ. Καὶ διορθωθήσεται μετ' ἐλέους θρόνος, καὶ καθιεῖται μετ' ̣σιξ̣ αὐτοῦ μετὰ ἀληθείας ἐν σκηνῇ ∆αυὶδ, κρίνων καὶ ἐκζητῶν κρίμα καὶ σπεύδων δικαιοσύνην. Περὶ τῆς δευτέρας τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας καὶ ταῦτα προφητεύεται, ὁπηνίκα τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ Λόγος, διορθωθείσης αὐτῷ μετ' ἐλέους καὶ φιλανθρωπίας τῆς κατὰ πάντων βασιλείας, σὺν ἀληθείᾳ κρίνων καθεσθήσεται ἐν σκηνῇ ∆αυίδ· οὕτω δὲ τὴν τῶν ἁγίων καὶ πρωτοτόκων τῶν ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πάντας ἡγοῦμαι τοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν μερίδα τοῦ λόγου τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγενημένους ἁγίους χρηματίζειν. Ψ. Ιʹ. Ἰδοὺ Κύριος κάθηται ἐπὶ νεφέλης κούφης, καὶ ἥξει εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ σεισθήσεται τὰ χειροποίητα Αἰγύπτου ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν ἡττηθήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς. Περὶ τῆς ἀγενήτου τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ φύσεως ἐκλαμβάνειν τὰ προκείμενα, ὡς δὴ μέλλοντος αὐτοῦ νεφέλῃ τινὶ ὀχεῖσθαι, καὶ τῇ σωματικῇ παρ 189 επιδημεῖν Αἰγύπτῳ, οὔτε πιθανὸν οὔθ' ὅσιον ὑπάρχειν ἡγοῦμαι· δι' ὅπερ ἐπὶ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον ἐκδεκτέον τὴν προφητείαν, καὶ αὐτὴν ἐναργῶς ἤδη κατὰ τὴν προτέραν αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν