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Zion, lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good news to Jerusalem; lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, behold your God, the Lord, the Lord comes with strength; and his arm with dominion; behold his reward is with him; and his work before him; as a shepherd he will shepherd his flock, and with his arm he will gather the lambs, and he will comfort those with young. And these things we think are said concerning the coming of the Word of God, and perhaps even more concerning the second coming, in which it is prophesied he will come as a just judge, having the reward to be given to each according to the worth of their deeds; but the time does not now require to relate the rest; wherefore we shall turn to another passage. 198 Ps. 19. Who raised up righteousness from the east, called it to follow his steps, and it will go forth? he will give it up before the nations, and will cause kings to be amazed; and will give their swords to the earth, and their bows {2}2as driven stubble; and he will pursue them; the path of his feet will pass through in peace; it will not arrive; who has wrought and done these things? He called it, who calls it from the generations of the beginning; I God am the first, and for the things to come, I am; the nations saw and were afraid; the ends of the earth were astonished; they drew near, they came together, each one judging to help his neighbor and his brother; and he will say, a carpenter has prevailed; and a smith striking with a hammer, forging at the same time; at one time he will say it is a good joining, they strengthened them with nails, they will set them up and they will not be moved. Who could righteousness raised from the east be, described in substance, having its own hypostasis, but the Christ of God, concerning whom the apostle says, Who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption? And this one, from the paternal bosom, all intelligible light being the east, the economy of the incarnation raised up, or the Father himself, who gave him up before the nations; so that their former invisible kings, being wicked powers, might be amazed at the paradox of the economy, seeing so great a son of God having neither form nor beauty; and so that after such amazement their 199 swords might be given to the earth, and their bows as driven stubble, so that they no longer possess weapons of war and fiery darts, by which they formerly waged war against the souls subject to them. After these things he says, and he will pursue them; so that thus at the end of all things, when they have been driven out, the path of his feet may pass through in peace. But who, he says, has wrought and done these things? And we understand that it was the goodness and love for mankind of the God of all things who calls it, that is, righteousness, being none other than his wisdom, which the nations, who were formerly without fear of God, beheld and feared God; which also, having been called from the ends and from the extremities of the inhabited world, drew near to God; they who were once far off having become near to the kingdom of the heavens; wherefore they were also astonished at the paradox of salvation, teaching one another, and brother helping brother, they confess their former error concerning idols, saying these very things; so it was a carpenter and a smith, who through a hammer and nails and human contrivance erected and strengthened those formerly considered by us as gods; but they were nothing but lifeless wooden images, admitting of no motion from themselves, and our fathers acquired false idols and there was no benefit in them. And that these things were thus fulfilled at the coming of our Savior, the testimony through works presents more than words. 200 Ps. 20. Jacob my servant, I will help him; Israel my chosen one, my soul has accepted him; I have given my spirit upon him; he will bring forth judgment to the nations; he will not cry out, nor will he let up, nor will his voice be heard outside; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoking flax he will not quench; but he will bring forth judgment unto truth; he will shine forth and will not be broken until he has set judgment on the earth; and upon

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Σιὼν, ὕψωσον τῇ ἰσχύϊ τὴν φωνήν σου ὁ εὐαγγελιζόμενος Ἱερουσαλήμ· ὑψώσατε, μὴ φοβεῖσθε· εἶπον ταῖς πόλεσιν Ἰούδα, ἰδοὺ ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν, Κύριος Κύριος μετὰ ἰσχύος ἔρχεται· καὶ ὁ βραχίων αὐτοῦ μετὰ κυρίας· ἰδοὺ ὁ μισθὸς αὐτοῦ μετ' αὐτοῦ· καὶ τὸ ἔργον ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ· ὡς ποιμὴν ποιμανεῖ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῷ βραχίονι αὐτοῦ συνάξει ἄρνας, καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσας παρακαλέσει. Καὶ ταῦτα νομίζομεν περὶ τῆς τοῦ Λόγου τοῦ Θεοῦ παρουσίας λέγεσθαι, καὶ τάχα γε μᾶλλον περὶ τῆς δευτέρας, καθ' ἣν οἷα δὴ δίκαιος κριτὴς ἥξειν προφητεύεται τὸν μισθὸν ἔχων τῶν κατ' ἀξίαν ἑκάστῳ πεπραγμένων ἀπονεμητικόν· τὰ μέντοι γε λοιπὰ οὐκ ἔτι νῦν καιρὸς ἀπαιτεῖ διηγεῖσθαι· ὅθεν ἐφ' ἑτέραν τραπησόμεθα περικοπήν. 198 Ψ. ΙΘʹ. Τίς ἐξήγειρεν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς δικαιοσύνην, ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὴν κατὰ πόδας αὐτοῦ, καὶ πορεύσεται; δώσει ἐναντίον ἐθνῶν, καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐκστήσει· καὶ δώσει εἰς γῆν τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν, καὶ ὡσεὶ φρύγανα ἐξωσμένα τὰ τόξα {2}2αὐτῶν· καὶ διώξεται αὐτούς· διελεύσεται ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ· οὐχ ἥξει· τίς ἐνήργησεν καὶ ἐποίησεν ταῦτα; ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὴν ὁ καλῶν αὐτὴν ἀπὸ γενεῶν ἀρχῆς· ἐγὼ Θεὸς πρῶτος, καὶ εἰς τὰ ἐπερχόμενα ἐγώ εἰμι· εἴδοσαν ἔθνη καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν· τὰ ἄκρα τῆς γῆς ἐξεπλάγησαν· ἤγγισαν, ἦλθον ἅμα κρίνων ἕκαστος τῷ πλησίον καὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ βοηθῆσαι· καὶ ἐρεῖ, Ἴσχυσεν ἀνὴρ τέκτων· καὶ ἀνὴρ χαλκεὺς τύπτων σφύραν ἅμα ἐλαύνων· ποτὲ μὲν ἐρεῖ σύμβλημα καλόν ἐστιν, ἰσχύρωσαν αὐτὰ ἐν ἥλοις, θήσουσιν αὐτὰ καὶ οὐ κινηθήσεται. ∆ικαιοσύνη ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἐξεγειρομένη τίς ἂν εἴη κατὰ περιγραφὴν οὐσίας, ἰδίαν ὑπόστασιν ἔχουσα, ἢ ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, περὶ οὗ φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος, Ὃς ἐγενήθη ἡμῖν σοφία ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, δικαιοσύνη τε καὶ ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις; Τοῦτον δὲ ἐκ τῶν πατρικῶν κόλπων, παντὸς νοητοῦ φωτὸς ἀνατολῶν ὑπαρχόντων, ἡ κατὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν ἐξήγειρεν οἰκονομία, ἢ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Πατὴρ, ὁ δοὺς αὐτὸν ἐναντίον τῶν ἐθνῶν· ἵν' οἱ μὲν πρότεροι βασιλεῖς αὐτῶν ἀόρατοι, δυνάμεις οὖσαι πονηραὶ, ἐξιστῶσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ παραδόξου τῆς οἰκονομίας, ὁρῶσαι τὸν τηλικοῦτον υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ μὴ ἔχοντα εἶδος μὴ δὲ κάλλος· καὶ ἵνα μετὰ τοιάνδε ἔκστασιν δοθῶσιν εἰς γῆν αἱ 199 ῥομφαῖαι αὐτῶν, καὶ ὡς φρύγανα ἐξωσμένα τὰ τόξα αὐτῶν, πρὸς τὸ μὴ κατέχειν αὐτοὺς ὅπλα πολεμικὰ καὶ πεπυρωμένα βέλη, δι' ὧν πρότερον κατεπολέμουν τὰς ὑποχειρίους αὐτοῖς ψυχάς. Μετὰ ταῦτα φησὶν, καὶ διώξεται αὐτούς· ἵν' οὕτως κατὰ τὸ πάντων τέλος ἐκδιωχθέντων αὐτῶν, διέλθῃ ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ. Τίς δὲ ἐνήργησε, φησὶν, καὶ ἐποίησε ταῦτα; Προσυπακούομεν δὲ ὅτι ἡ χρηστότης καὶ φιλανθρωπία τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ τοῦ καλοῦντος αὐτὴν, δῆλον δ' ὅτι τὴν δικαιοσύνην, οὐκ ἄλλην οὖσαν τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ, ἣν καὶ θεασάμενα ἐφοβήθη τὸν Θεὸν τὸν ἐν ἀφοβίᾳ Θεοῦ πρότερον τυγχάνοντα ἔθνη· ἃ καὶ ἐξ ἄκρων καὶ ἀπὸ περάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης κληθέντα ἤγγισεν τῷ Θεῷ· οἱ ποτὲ ὄντες μακρὰν ἐγγὺς γενόμενοι τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν· διὸ καὶ ἐξεπλάγησαν ἐπὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ τῆς σωτηρίας, διδάσκοντές τε ἀλλήλους, καὶ ἀδελφὸς ἀδελφῷ βοηθῶν, τὴν προτέραν ἐξομολογοῦνται περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα πλάνην, αὐτὰ δὴ ταῦτα λέγοντες· τέκτων ἄρα ἦν καὶ χαλκεὺς, ὁ διὰ σφύρας καὶ ἥλων καὶ μηχανῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀνεγείρας καὶ ἐνισχύσας τοὺς πρότερον νομιζομένους ἡμῖν θεούς· οἱ δὲ οὐδὲν ἄρα ἦσαν ἢ ἄψυχα ξόανα, οὐδεμίαν ἐξ ἑαυτῶν κίνησιν ἐπιδεχόμενα, καὶ ὡς ψευδῆ ἐκτήσαντο οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν εἴδωλα καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἐν αὐτοῖς ὠφέλημα. Ὅτι δὲ ταῦθ' οὕτως ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀπετελέσθη παρουσίᾳ μᾶλλον τῶν λόγων ἡ δι' ἔργων παρίστησιν μαρτυρία. 200 Ψ. Κʹ. Ἰακὼβ ὁ παῖς μου ἀντιλήψομαι αὐτοῦ· Ἰσραὴλ ὁ ἐκλεκτός μου προσεδέξατο αὐτὸν ἡ ψυχή μου· ἔδωκα τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπ' αὐτόν· κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐξοίσει· οὐ κεκράξεται, οὐδὲ ἀνήσει, οὐδὲ ἀκουσθήσεται ἔξω ἡ φωνὴ αὐτοῦ· κάλαμον τεθλασμένον οὐ συντρίψει, καὶ λίνον καπνιζόμενον οὐ σβέσει· ἀλλ' εἰς ἀλήθειαν ἐξοίσει κρίσιν· ἀναλάμψει καὶ οὐ θραυσθήσεται ἕως ἂν θῇ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κρίσιν· καὶ ἐπὶ