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possessions, those who were sold by sin and held fast in the bonds of death. He despoiled that one, and He distributed the spoils to His own powers, having delivered the faithful for keeping and guard to the holy Angels, about whom He Himself also says that Your Angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For this is the one who swiftly made spoil, about whom it is written: Having ascended on high, He led captivity captive, He received gifts among men. That Mary is a Prophetess, to whom Isaiah approached according to the approach that is through knowledge, no one will dispute, recalling her words, which she uttered prophetically. For what does she say? My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, for He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed. And indeed, having attended to all her words, you will not hesitate to call her a Prophetess. Because the Spirit of the Lord came upon her and the power of the Most High overshadowed her. Therefore, what he was commanded to write in this volume, having approached the Prophetess, he saw had come to pass. For there it is said: Write with a man's pen, 'to make a swift spoil of the prey'; but here, after saying that she conceived in the womb and bore a son, it is written, And the Lord said: 'Call his name, Spoil quickly, plunder swiftly.' So that the same thing is said with different words and concepts: in "Take for yourself a scroll," and in "I went to the Prophetess." And the induction has nothing unsuitable for the matter at hand. And this one, born of the Prophetess, also took the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria. The power of Damascus, those who believe from the Gentiles; and the spoils of Samaria, those who have believed from the circumcision. Because Damascus is the metropolis of Syria, and Samaria of Israel. Moreover, the commands and the mighty deeds of the one born of the Prophetess are given to him by the Lord instead of names, just as the name Jesus, for the salvation given to us by God, was applied to the Lord; for "you shall call," He says, "His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." 8.210 And the Lord added to speak to me yet again: Because this people does not desire the water of Shiloah that goes softly, but desires to have Rezin and the son of Remaliah as king over you, for this reason, behold, the Lord brings up upon you the water of the river, strong and great, the king of the Assyrians and his glory; and he will come up over every valley of yours and will walk over every wall of yours, and will take away from Judea a man who will be able to raise his head, or be able to accomplish anything. And his encampment will be such as to fill the breadth of your land. What reason does the God of all have, on account of the water in Shiloah, to threaten the people with such things? And how is it that the people do not want the water of Shiloah, which is not recorded as being disease-causing, nor providing any other harm to those who use it? Then what is the consequence, that the one not wanting the water of Shiloah wants Rezin and the son of Remaliah? For what fellowship has inanimate water with a king, who holds power and rules over his subjects? But one must hear of Shiloah tropologically, being interpreted according to the teaching of the Gospel, as "sent." For so it is interpreted in the Gospel according to John: Go, wash in Shiloah, which is "sent." Who then is the one sent, and flowing without a sound, other than the one about whom it is said: The Lord sent me and His Spirit? And again: He will not quarrel, nor cry out, nor will His voice be heard in the streets. Therefore, those not receiving the One Sent from heaven, despising his gentleness, but drawing to themselves the son of Remaliah, that is, a word containing false glory, but professing to be demonstrated according to the divine Scriptures; and Rezin, who is interpreted as "lofty," and the

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κτήματα, τοὺς ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας πεπραμένους καὶ κατεχομένους ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ θανάτου. Ἐσκύλευσε μὲν ἐκεῖνον, προενόμευσε δὲ ταῖς ἰδίαις δυνάμεσι, διαδοὺς τοὺς πιστοὺς πρὸς φυλακὴν καὶ φρουρὰν τοῖς ἁγίοις Ἀγγέ λοις, περὶ ὧν καὶ αὐτὸς λέγει, ὅτι Οἱ Ἄγγελοι ὑμῶν διὰ παν τὸς βλέπουσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Πατρός μου, τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐ ρανοῖς. Οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ὀξέως προνομεύσας, περὶ οὗ γέ γραπται· Ἀναβὰς εἰς ὕψος, ᾐχμαλώτευσεν αἰχμαλωσίαν, ἔλαβε δόματα ἐν ἀνθρώποις. Ὅτι δὲ Προφῆτις ἡ Μαρία, ᾗ προσῆλθε κατὰ τὸν προσεγ γισμὸν τὸν διὰ τῆς γνώσεως ὁ Ἡσαΐας, οὐδεὶς ἀντερεῖ, με μνημένος αὐτῆς τῶν ῥημάτων, ἃ προφητικῶς ἀπεφθέγξατο. Τί γάρ φησι; Μεγαλύνει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἠγαλ λίασε τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ, τῷ σωτῆρί μου, ὅτι ἐπέβλεψεν ἐπὶ τὴν ταπείνωσιν τῆς δούλης αὐτοῦ. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν μακαριοῦσί με πᾶσαι αἱ γενεαί. Καὶ ὅλοις γε, ἐπιστήσας τοῖς ῥήμασιν αὐτῆς, οὐ διστάσεις αὐτὴν εἰπεῖν καὶ Προφῆτιν. ∆ιότι Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπῆλθεν ἐπ' αὐτὴν καὶ δύ ναμις Ὑψίστου ἐπεσκίασεν. Ὅπερ οὖν προσετάχθη γράψαι ἐν τῷ τόμῳ τούτῳ, πλησιάσας τῇ Προφήτιδι, γενηθὲν ἐθεώρησεν. Ἐκεῖ γὰρ εἴρηται· Γράψον γραφίδι ἀνθρώπου, ὀξέως προνομὴν ποιῆσαι σκύλων· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, μετὰ τὸ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Ἐν γαστρὶ ἔλαβε καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱὸν, γέγραπται τὸ Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος· Κάλεσον τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, Ταχέως σκύλευσον, Ὀξέως προνόμευσον. Ὥστε διαφόροις λέξεσι καὶ ἐπινοίαις τὸ αὐτὸ λέγεται· ἐν τῷ Λάβε σεαυτῷ τόμον, καὶ ἐν τῷ Προσῆλθον πρὸς τὴν Προφῆτιν. Καὶ οὐδὲν ἀκατάλληλον ἔχει ἡ ἐπαγωγὴ πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον. Οὗτος δὲ καὶ ἔλαβε δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ, ὁ ἐκ τῆς Προφήτιδος γεγεννημένος, καὶ τὰ σκῦλα τῆς Σα μαρείας. ∆ύναμις ∆αμασκοῦ, οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν πιστεύοντες· σκῦλα δὲ Σαμαρείας, οἱ ἀπὸ περιτομῆς πεπιστευκότες. ∆ιότι ∆αμασκὸς μὲν μητρόπολις τῆς Συρίας, Σαμάρεια δὲ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Πλὴν τὰ προστάγματα καὶ τὰ ἀνδραγαθήματα τοῦ ἐκ τῆς Προφήτιδος γεννηθέντος, ἀντὶ ὀνομάτων αὐτῷ ἐπι τίθεται παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ὡς καὶ τὸ Ἰησοῦς ὄνομα παρὰ τὴν σωτηρίαν, τὴν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἡμῖν δεδομένην ἐφηρμόσθη τῷ Κυρίῳ· Καλέσεις γὰρ (φησὶ) τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν· αὐτὸς γὰρ σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν. 8.210 Καὶ προσέθετο Κύριος λαλῆσαί μοι ἔτι· ∆ιὰ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ Σιλωὰμ, τὸ πορευό μενον ἡσυχῇ, ἀλλὰ βούλεσθαι ἔχειν Ῥασὶν καὶ τὸν υἱὸν Ῥομελίου, βασιλέα ἐφ' ὑμῶν, διὰ τοῦτο ἀνάγει ἰδοὺ Κύριος ἐφ' ὑμᾶς τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ τὸ πολὺ, τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἀναβήσεται ἐπὶ πᾶσαν φάραγγα ὑμῶν καὶ περιπατήσει ἐπὶ πᾶν τεῖχος ὑμῶν καὶ ἀφελεῖ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἄνθρωπον, ὃς δυνήσεται κεφαλὴν ἆραι, ἢ δυνατὸν συντελέσασθαί τι. Καὶ ἔσται ἡ παρεμβολὴ αὐτοῦ, ὥστε πληρῶσαι τὸ πλάτος τῆς χώρας σου. Τίνα ἔχει λόγον, τὸν Θεὸν τῶν ὅλων, ἕνεκεν ὕδατος τοῦ ἐν τῷ Σιλωὰμ, τοιαῦτα ἀπειλεῖν τῷ λαῷ; Πῶς δὲ καὶ οὐ βούλεται ὁ λαὸς τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ Σιλωὰμ, οὔτε νοσο ποιὸν ἱστορούμενον, οὔτε ἄλλην τινὰ βλάβην τοῖς χρωμέ νοις παρεχόμενον; Εἶτα καὶ τίς ἡ ἀκολουθία, τὸν μὴ βου λόμενον τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ Σιλωὰμ, βούλεσθαι τὸν Ῥασὶν καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Ῥομελίου; Τίς γὰρ κοινωνία ὕδατι ἀψύχῳ, πρὸς βασιλέα, κρατοῦντα καὶ ἄρχοντα τῶν ὑπηκόων; Ἀλλὰ τροπικῶς ἀκουστέον τοῦ Σιλωὰμ, ἑρμηνευομένου κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου διδασκαλίαν, ἀπεσταλμένου. Οὕτω γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἰωάννην Εὐαγγελίῳ· Ὕπαγε, νίψαι ἐν τῷ Σιλωὰμ, ὅ ἐστιν ἀπεσταλμένος. Τίς οὖν ὁ ἀπεσ ταλμένος, καὶ ἀψοφητὶ ῥέων, ἢ περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· Κύριος ἀπ έστειλέ με καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ; Καὶ πάλιν· Οὐκ ἐρίσει, οὐδὲ κραυγάσει, οὐδὲ ἀκουστὴ γενήσεται ἡ φωνὴ αὐτοῦ ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις. Οἱ τοίνυν μὴ δεχόμενοι τὸν ἐξ οὐρανῶν Ἀπεσταλμένον, ὑπερορῶντες μὲν αὐτοῦ τῆς πραότητος, ἐπι σπώμενοι δὲ ἑαυτοῖς τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Ῥομελίου, τουτέστι λό γον ψευδοδοξίαν περιέχοντα, ἐπαγγελλόμενον δὲ κατὰ τὰς θείας ἀποδείκνυσθαι Γραφάς· καὶ τὸν Ῥασὶν, ὅστις ἑρμη νεύεται μετέωρος, καὶ τὸν