108

of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians. It will seem that the Prophet, having been commanded one thing, has done another; for what does *Take for yourself a new, large scroll* have in common with what follows, that *And I went to the Prophetess, and she conceived in the womb*? One might say, then, that what follows is not a consequence of what precedes, but is delivered from its own beginning, with the former being set aside. For even if it is not added that he took the new and large scroll, it is implicitly understood that he did what was commanded. But from another beginning is understood *And I went to the Prophetess, and she conceived in the womb*. For if the Prophet had contradicted the command, the contradiction would have been written, as in the case of Ezekiel, when he refused to eat the bread baked on human dung, For there he refuses, saying: *By no means, Lord, God of heaven, if my soul has not been defiled with impurity, nor has any profane meat entered my mouth*. Because of this, it was permitted to him to make the loaves on cow dung. Here, however, since there is no refusal, the silence clearly shows assent; even if it is not testified that he did what was commanded. Just as Hosea: *Go,* he says, *take for yourself a wife of prostitution and children of prostitution;* then the Word, testifying to him as having done what was commanded, adds: *And he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim*. Elsewhere we will find commands indeed spoken, but the deed, while not testified to have happened, is understood by us, on account of the obedience of those commanded, as in the case of Ezekiel: *And you shall lie on your left side;* and again: *You shall lie on your right side*. For it is not added that he lay on his right side, or his left, but it has been passed over in silence; but the obedience of the Prophet is understood by us. Thus, then, it is also possible here to make a defense concerning the matter that puzzled us, that it was not that, having been commanded one thing, he did another; but having completed that, he discourses to us from another beginning about the things concerning the Prophetess. 8.208 Perhaps, then, the new and large scroll is a type of the New and great Covenant, written with the pen of a man, because the words of the Gospel were written in human language and able to be heard by the many. In which is written *to quickly make a distribution of spoils*, because the teaching of the Gospel has become swift and quicker than any lightning, reaching to the ends of the inhabited world, and despoiling the ruler of this age, and transferring the captives to the obedience of Christ. And a distribution of spoils is the apportionment of the spoils, which God distributed to the Angels who are guardians of the human race, for protection and salvation. For this reason it is written, *to quickly make a distribution of spoils*. For the Gospel is present; it proclaims as good news to us the one long expected from heaven, as being present. And let Uriah and Zechariah be witnesses (he says) of the things written in the Gospel. Uriah is a priest, symbolically characterizing the law delivered through Moses; and Zechariah, a Prophet. And the Gospel is established, being testified to by the law and the Prophets. And Uriah is interpreted, *illumination of God*; and Zechariah, *memory of God*; and son of Barachias, *of the blessing of God*. Who then were fitting to be faithful men as witnesses? If anyone is illuminated by God, and has a continuous memory of God. 8.209 What then is *And I went to the Prophetess*? That is: I drew near, in the spirit and with foreknowledge of things to come, to the Prophetess. For I comprehended and, as it were, approached with prophetic understanding, and I saw her conception from afar, having gazed intently beforehand with the gift of prophecy, that she bore a son, concerning whom the Lord said that *You shall call his name, "Spoil quickly, plunder swiftly."* He quickly despoiled the strong one, who was guarding his own

108

∆αμασκοῦ καὶ τὰ σκῦλα Σαμα ρείας ἔναντι βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων. ∆όξει ἕτερον προσταχθεὶς ὁ Προφήτης, ἕτερον πεποιηκέναι· τί γὰρ κοινὸν ἔχει τὸ Λάβε σεαυτῷ τόμον καινοῦ μεγάλου, πρὸς τὸ ἐπιφερόμενον, ὅτι Καὶ προσῆλθον πρὸς τὴν Προφῆτιν, καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔλαβεν; Εἴποι ἂν οὖν τις, ὅτι οὐχὶ ἀπόδοσίς ἐστι τοῦ προάγοντος τὸ ἐπιφερόμενον, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ ἰδίας ἀρχῆς παρα δίδοται, ἐκείνου περιγεγραμμένου. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ πρόσκειται, ὅτι ἔλαβε τόμον τοῦ καινοῦ καὶ μεγάλου, ἀλλὰ προσυπα κούεται, ὅτι ἐποίησε τὸ προστεταγμένον. Ἀπὸ ἑτέρας δὲ ἀρχῆς νοεῖται τὸ Καὶ προσῆλθον πρὸς τὴν Προφῆτιν, καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔλαβεν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀντέλεγε τῷ προστάγματι ὁ Προφήτης, ἐγράφη ἂν ἡ ἀντιλογία, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιὴλ, παραιτου μένου τὸ ἐπὶ βολβίτων ἀνθρωπίνων ὀπτηθέντα ἐσθίειν τὸν ἄρτον, Ἐκεῖ γὰρ ἀρνεῖται, λέγων· Μηδαμῶς, Κύριε, Θεὲ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, εἰ ἡ ψυχή μου οὐ μεμίανται ἐν ἀκαθαρσίᾳ, οὐδὲ εἰσελήλυθεν εἰς τὸ στόμα μου πᾶν κρέας βέβηλον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο συνεχωρήθη αὐτῷ ἐν βολβίτοις βοῶν ποιῆσαι τοὺς ἄρτους. Ἐνταῦθα μέντοι ἐπειδὴ ἀπαγόρευσις οὐκ ἔστιν, ἡ σιωπὴ δηλονότι τὴν συγκατάθεσιν δείκνυσιν· εἰ δὲ οὐ μεμαρτύρη ται ποιήσας τὸ προστεταγμένον. Ὥσπερ ὁ Ὠσηέ· Βάδιζε γὰρ (φησὶ) λάβε σεαυτῷ γυναῖκα πορνείας καὶ τέκνα πορ νείας· εἶτα μαρτυρῶν αὐτῷ ὁ λόγος, ὡς πεποιηκότι τὸ προσ τεταγμένον, ἐπιφέρει· Καὶ ἐπορεύθη καὶ ἔλαβε τὴν Γομὲρ, θυγατέρα ∆εβηλαίμ. Ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ εὑρήσομεν προστάγματα μὲν ἐκφωνηθέντα, τὸ δὲ ἔργον μὴ μαρτυρούμενον μὲν γε γενῆσθαι, νοούμενον δὲ παρ' ἡμῶν, διὰ τὸ εὐπειθὲς τῶν ἐπιτεταγμένων, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιήλ· Καὶ σὺ κοιμηθήσῃ ἐπὶ τὸ πλευρόν σου τὸ ἀριστερόν· καὶ πάλιν· Κοιμηθήσῃ ἐπὶ τὸ πλευρόν σου τὸ δεξιόν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπενήνεκται ὅτι ἐκοι μήθη ἐπὶ τὸ δεξιὸν πλευρὸν, ἢ τὸ ἀριστερὸν, ἀλλὰ παρασε σιώπηται· νοεῖται δὲ παρ' ἡμῶν ἡ ὑπακοὴ τοῦ Προφήτου. Οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα δυνατὸν ἀπολογήσασθαι περὶ τοῦ ἐπαπορηθέντος ἡμῖν, ὅτι οὐχὶ ἕτερον προσταχθεὶς, ἄλλο ἐποίησεν· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο τελέσας, ἀπὸ ἑτέρας ἀρχῆς τὰ περὶ τῆς Προφήτιδος ἡμῖν διαλέγεται. 8.208 Μήποτε δὲ τύπος ἐστὶν ὁ τοῦ Καινοῦ καὶ μεγάλου τόμος τῆς Καινῆς καὶ μεγάλης ∆ιαθήκης, γραφίδι ἀνθρώ που γεγραμμένης, διὰ τὸ λέξει ἀνθρωπίνῃ καὶ ἀκούεσθαι δυναμένῃ παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν, γεγράφθαι τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τὰ ῥήματα. Ἐν ᾧ γέγραπται τὸ ὀξέως προνομὴν ποιῆ σαι σκύλων, διότι ταχεῖα γέγονε καὶ ἀστραπῆς ὀξυτέρα πάσης, ἡ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου διδασκαλία, ἐπὶ τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης διικνουμένη, καὶ σκυλεύουσα τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀντιμε θιστῶσα τοὺς αἰχμαλωτισθέντας. Προνομὴ δέ ἐστιν ἡ τῶν σκύλων διανομή, ὅπερ τοῖς ἐπιμεληταῖς τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώ πων γένους Ἀγγέλοις διέδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς, εἰς φυλακὴν καὶ σωτηρίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γέγραπται, ὀξέως προνομὴν ποιῆσαι σκύλων. Πάρεστι γὰρ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον· τὸν πάλαι προσδοκώ μενον ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, τοῦτον παρόντα ἡμῖν εὐαγγελίζεται. Μάρτυρες δὲ τῶν γραφομένων ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ ἔστωσαν (φησὶν) Οὐρίας καὶ Ζαχαρίας. Ἔστι δὲ ὁ μὲν Οὐρίας ἱερεὺς, συμβολικῶς χαρακτηρίζων τὸν διὰ Μωϋσέως παραδεδομέ νον νόμον· ὁ δὲ Ζαχαρίας, Προφήτης. Μαρτυρούμενον δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν Προφητῶν συνίσταται τὸ Εὐαγγέ λιον. Ἑρμηνεύεται δὲ ὁ μὲν Οὐρίας, φωτισμὸς Θεοῦ· ὁ δὲ Ζαχαρίας, μνήμη Θεοῦ· υἱὸς δὲ Βαραχίου, τῆς εὐλογίας τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τίνας οὖν ἔπρεπεν εἶναι πιστοὺς ἀνθρώπους μάρτυρας; Εἴ τίς ἐστι πεφωτισμένος ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, καὶ μνή μην ἔχων διηνεκῆ Θεοῦ. 8.209 Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ Καὶ προσῆλθον πρὸς τὴν Προφῆτιν; τουτέστιν· ἤγγισα, τῷ πνεύματι καὶ τῇ προγνώσει τῶν ἐσομένων, τῇ Προφήτιδι. Κατέλαβον γὰρ καὶ οἱονεὶ ἐπλη σίασα τῇ κατανοήσει τῇ προφητικῇ, καὶ εἶδον αὐτῆς τὴν σύλληψιν πόῤῥωθεν, προενατενίσας τῷ χαρίσματι τῆς προ φητείας, ὅτι ἔτεκεν υἱὸν, περὶ οὗ εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος, ὅτι Καλέ σεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ταχέως σκύλευσον, Ὀξέως προνό μευσον. Ταχέως ἐσκύλευσε τὸν ἰσχυρὸν, τὸν φυλάσσοντα ἑαυτοῦ τὰ