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of Remaliah. The kingdom of Ephraim, therefore, is a certain dominion of heterodox people, because the one who split Israel from Judah was from such a tribe. The head of Ephraim, therefore, is Somoron, that is, Samaria. And Samaria is a country of certain enemies, of those who corrupted the sound doctrine, because the Samaritans turned away from Judaism. Just as Damascus was the head of Syria, and Rezin the head of Damascus, so Samaria is the head of Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah the head of Samaria. Certain intensifications and excesses of evils are conveyed to us through the word, so that it is not possible for the agreement of such people to prevail, nor to have any strength against those they attempt to plot against. And if you do not believe, neither shall you understand. However, one must believe the Scriptures, as they contain divine meaning, and thus come to the understanding of what is written in them. For one must transcend the types to comprehend the truth of what has been shown to us. For first one must believe the Scriptures with simple faith, that they are divinely inspired and beneficial; then one must subtly and searchingly investigate the meaning lying within them. 7.199 And the Lord added to speak to Ahaz, saying: Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord into the depth, or into the height. In the preceding, Ahaz is taught through Isaiah what he must do: to keep quiet and not be afraid of the two smoking firebrands. But now, as one who has obediently received the teaching through the Prophet, he himself is deemed worthy of divine oracles; For the Lord added to speak to him, to Ahaz. And perhaps we are taught that one who has been instructed through someone who serves the divine will, will be able, upon making progress, to receive the Lord’s oracles himself. There are, however, some who, not having been first taught by men for God, have been able from the beginning, as they were pure, to receive the manifestations of the Spirit. Such were Abraham and Moses and Elijah and Jeremiah, and any others like them. And the Lord added to speak. The addition connects the word with what precedes it. And it was fitting, after the prophecy concerning the failing of Ephraim, that is, the apostate Israel, that it should then be prophesied in what manner Emmanuel would come through the undefiled Virgin. What then does the word command Ahaz? Ask (it says) for yourself a sign from the Lord, your God, into the depth, or into the height. A sign, therefore, is a manifest thing, having in itself the declaration of something hidden and unseen, just as the sign of Jonah represents the descent into Hades and again the ascent from the dead to those who are able to grasp the mystical meaning of what happens. But the sign must always be present, and be considered in the present; while the thing signified by it is often divided among the three times; for there are signs of present things for present things, like smoke coming out of a house for a fire burning inside. And there are present things for future things, like the visible gathering of clouds for the rain that will be upon the earth. Further, there are also present things for past things, like the remains of coals for the fire that has been burned on them. The Scripture, however, calls signs things that are paradoxical and representative of some mystical word. But what could be more paradoxical, or a more divine thing to hear or see, than the birth of our God through a Virgin? For this reason, Ask from the Lord, your God (as no other is able to give) the sign into the depth, or into the height. Therefore, in the position of the world, the earth is what has by nature obtained the lower region; but the highest of all visible things is heaven. Since, therefore, the Word became flesh, the prophecy, through "into the depth," signifies the earth, and the Flesh taken from it; but through "into the height," the super-celestial Word, the one above all rule and authority, the one being in the beginning with the Father, and being God the Word. Or perhaps "depth" signifies the lowest parts of Hades, and "height" the super-celestial region,

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τοῦ Ῥομελίου. Ἔστιν οὖν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Ἐφραῒμ ἑτεροδόξων τις ἐπικρά τεια, διὰ τὸ ἐκ τοιαύτης φυλῆς εἶναι τὸν ἀποσχίσαντα τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰούδα. Κεφαλὴ οὖν τοῦ Ἐφραῒμ ἡ Σομόρων, τουτέστιν ἡ Σαμάρεια. Καὶ ἡ Σαμάρεια δὲ ἐχθρῶν τινών ἐστι χώρα, τῶν παραχαραξάντων τὸν ὑγιαίνοντα λό γον, διὰ τὸ ἀποκλῖναι τοὺς Σαμαρείτας ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰουδαϊσμοῦ. Ὥσπερ δὲ τῆς Συρίας ἦν κεφαλὴ ∆αμασκὸς, ∆αμασκοῦ δὲ κεφαλὴ ὁ Ῥασίν, οὕτω Σαμάρεια μὲν κεφαλὴ τοῦ Ἐφραῒμ, Σαμαρείας δὲ κεφαλὴ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Ῥομελίου. Κακῶν τινες ἐπιτάσεις καὶ ὑπερβολαὶ διὰ τοῦ λόγου ἡμῖν παραδίδονται, ὥστε μὴ εἶναι δυνατὸν τὴν παρὰ τῶν τοιούτων συμφωνίαν ἐπικρατῆσαι, μηδὲ ἰσχύν τινα ἔχειν κατὰ τῶν οἷς ἐπιβου λεύειν ἐπιχειροῦσι. Καὶ ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύητε, οὐδὲ μὴ συνῆτε. Πιστεῦσαι μέντοι δεῖ τοῖς Γράμμασιν, ὡς περιέχουσι θεῖον νοῦν, καὶ οὕτως ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ἐγγεγραμμένων σύνεσιν. ∆εῖ γὰρ ὑπερβάν τας τοὺς τύπους, οὕτω καταλαβεῖν τὴν τῶν ἐνδειχθέντων ἡμῖν ἀλήθειαν. Πρότερον γὰρ δεῖ ἁπλῇ πιστεύειν πίστει ταῖς Γραφαῖς, ὅτι θεόπνευστοι καὶ ὠφέλιμοι· ἔπειτα λεπτῶς καὶ ἐξεταστικῶς τὸν ἐναποκείμενον αὐταῖς νοῦν διερευνᾶσθαι. 7.199 Καὶ προσέθετο Κύριος λαλῆσαι τῷ Ἀχὰζ, λέγων· Αἴτησαι σεαυτῷ σημεῖον παρὰ Κυρίου εἰς βάθος, ἢ εἰς ὕψος. Ἐν μὲν τοῖς κατόπιν διὰ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου διδάσκεται, ἃ χρὴ ποιεῖν ὁ Ἀχὰζ, φυλάσσεσθαι τοῦ ἡσυχάζειν καὶ μὴ δειλιᾷν ἀπὸ τῶν δύο δαλῶν τῶν καπνιζομένων. Νυνὶ δὲ, ὡς τὴν διὰ τοῦ Προφήτου διδασκαλίαν εὐπειθῶς ὑποδεξάμενος, αὐ τὸς ἀξιοῦται τῶν θείων χρηματισμῶν· Προσέθετο γὰρ Κύριος αὐτῷ λαλῆσαι τῷ Ἀχάζ. Καὶ τάχα διδασκόμεθα, ὅτι ὁ διά τινος ὑπηρετουμένου τῷ θείῳ βουλήματι μαθητευθεὶς, ὕστε ρον προκόπτων δυνήσεται καὶ αὐτὸς ὑποδέξασθαι τοὺς τοῦ Κυρίου χρηματισμούς. Εἰσὶ μέντοι τινὲς, οἱ μὴ δι' ἀνθρώ πων πρότερον μαθητευθέντες Θεῷ, ἀρχῆθεν δεδύνηνται, ὡς καθαροὶ, χωρῆσαι τὰς ἐμφάσεις τοῦ Πνεύματος. Ὁποῖος ἦν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Μωϋσῆς καὶ Ἠλίας καὶ Ἱερεμίας, καὶεἴ τινες ἐκείνοις παραπλήσιοι. Καὶ προσέθετο Κύριος λαλῆσαι. Ἡ προσθήκη τοῖς προά γουσι συνάπτει τὸν λόγον. Καὶ ἀκόλουθόν γε ἦν μετὰ τὴν προ φητείαν, τὴν περὶ τοῦ ἐκλείψειν τὸν Ἐφραῒμ, τουτέστι τὸν ἀποστατήσαντα Ἰσραὴλ, τότε προφητεύεσθαι, τίνα τρόπον ἐπιδημήσει διὰ τῆς ἀμιάντου Παρθένου ὁ Ἐμμανουήλ. Τί οὖν ἐστιν ὃ προστάσσει τῷ Ἀχὰζ ὁ λόγος; Αἴτησαι (φησὶ) σεαυτῷ σημεῖον παρὰ Κυρίου, τοῦ Θεοῦ σου, εἰς βάθος, ἢ εἰς ὕψος. Ἔστι μὲν οὖν σημεῖον πρᾶγμα φανερὸν, κεκρυμμένου τινὸς καὶ ἀφανοῦς ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν δήλωσιν ἔχον, ὡς τὸ σημεῖον Ἰωνᾶ τὴν εἰς ᾅδου κάθοδον, καὶ πάλιν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἄνοδον, παρίστησι τοῖς δυναμένοις ἐκλαμβάνειν τὸν μυστικὸν λόγον τῶν γινομένων. ∆εῖ δὲ ἀεὶ τὸ μὲν σημεῖον παρεῖναι, καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἐνεστὸς θεωρεῖσθαι· τὸ δὲ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ σημαινόμενον πρᾶγμα τοῖς τρισὶ πολλάκις συγκαταμερίζεσθαι χρόνοις· ἔστι γὰρ καὶ παρόντα παρόντων σημεῖα, ὡς ὁ ἐξιὼν ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας κα πνὸς τοῦ ἔνδον καιομένου πυρός. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ παρόντα μελλόντων, ὡς ἡ ὁρωμένη τῶν νεφῶν συνδρομὴ, τοῦ ἐσο μένου ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὑετοῦ. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ παρόντα παρεληλυ θότων, ὡς τὰ τῆς ἀνθρακιᾶς λείψανα τοῦ κεκαῦσθαι ἐπ' αὐτῆς τὴν πυρκαϊάν. Ἡ μέντοι Γραφὴ τὰ παράδοξα καὶ παραστατικά τινος μυστικοῦ λόγου σημεῖα καλεῖ. Τί δὲ ἂν παραδοξότερον, ἢ θειότερον ἄκουσμα, ἢ θέαμα τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν διὰ Παρθένου γεννήσεως; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Αἴτησαι παρὰ Κυρίου, τοῦ Θεοῦ σου (ὡς οὐδενὸς ἑτέρου δυναμένου δοῦναι) τὸ εἰς βάθος, ἢ εἰς ὕψος σημεῖον. Ἔστι τοίνυν ἐν τῇ τοῦ κόσμου θέσει, τὸ μὲν φύσει λαχὸν τὴν κάτω χώραν ἡ γῆ· τὸ δὲ ἀνωτάτω πάντων τῶν ὁρωμένων, ὁ οὐρανός. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, ἡ προφητεία, διὰ μὲν τοῦ εἰς βάθος, τὴν γῆν σημαίνει, καὶ τὴν ἀπ' αὐτῆς λαμβανομέ νην Σάρκα· διὰ δὲ τοῦ εἰς ὕψος, τὸν ὑπερουράνιον λόγον, τὸν ὑπεράνω πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας, τὸν ἐν ἀρχῇ ὄντα πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ Θεὸν ὄντα Λόγον. Ἢ τάχα βάθος σημαί νει τὰ κατώτατα τοῦ ᾅδου, ὕψος δὲ τὴν ὑπερουράνιον χώραν,