119

Jacob and the flower out of Israel, having run throughout the inhabited world and having filled it with their pious teaching, might overthrow through his power the error of the polytheistic nations that had prevailed from of old, so that all the stones of the idolatrous altars are laid down, cut into fine dust, and that the trees and the groves in the temples are made to disappear, and to establish such a desolation of them that they are compared to a forest. So then, those who have been indicated accomplish these things, but the formerly inhabited flock, the people of Israel, will be let loose like an abandoned flock; since they were not willing to receive "the good shepherd," "the one who laid down his life for the sheep," therefore the land of their soul will be for a long time for pasture, so that what was said is fulfilled in them: "The boar from the wood has ravaged it, and the solitary wild beast has fed on it." and there, he says, they will rest, that is, "those who feed down and ravage it." and it will be turned into such a desolation that there will be nothing green in it. For this reason it has been said: and there will be nothing green in it; 1.91 He calls upon women, as no men were found among them worthy of salvation. For this reason he exhorts the women to come and hasten to bear witness from the sight of the paradoxical and wonderful works, so that when they came they might enlighten "the people sitting in darkness" and their abandoned city. For this reason, according to Aquila, it is said: women coming enlighten it, and according to Symmachus: women coming and revealing it. But which "it"? The city mentioned above, about which it was said: For a fortified city, the only beautiful one, is left and abandoned as a desert. And these things were fulfilled literally and historically at the resurrection of our Savior. In which, according to Matthew: "And many women were there, watching from a distance, who had followed him from Galilee, ministering to him; among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee," and according to Luke: "And some women who had followed, who had come with him from Galilee," and so forth. Since, therefore, the people having no understanding did not obey the preaching of the apostles, although the gentiles received the word, for this reason the divine spirit calls the women to the testimony of the preached word, since it saw them being blind. For this reason he says he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will show them no favor. And it shall be in that day, he says, that is, in the indicated time, the Lord will thresh from the channel of the river. But instead of "will thresh," all the other interpreters have said "will strike," indicating that the Lord will strike those faithless ones and the people without understanding. Then he designates a place, saying: from the stream of the river to the brook of Egypt according to Symmachus, with which the others also are equivalent. But I think that through these things is signified the war that came upon the Jews in the nation of the Palestinians after their audacity against Christ. The word seems to be mentioning the very borders of Palestine, saying from the river, perhaps the Jordan, to Rhinocolura; for this is a city situated on the borders between Egypt and Palestine. For this reason, according to the other interpreters, it is said, "to the brook of Egypt," the word hinting, as I said, at the war that would be against the Jews in the nation of the Palestinians. But he next commands the preachers of the word, saying: But you, gather the sons of Israel one by one; for even if the people as a whole do not wish to approach the saving proclamation; for it is a people that has no understanding, but even gather a few of them, one by one, the sons of Israel. For it is a desirable thing to [gather] even one by one, or also a second, and some few in number from

119

Ἰακὼβ καὶ τὸ ἄνθος τὸ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ περιδραμόντες τὴν οἰκουμένην καὶ πληρώσαντες αὐτὴν τῆς αὐτῶν θεοσεβοῦς διδασκαλίας τὴν ἐξ αἰῶνος κρατήσασαν τῶν ἐθνῶν πολυθέων πλάνην διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως ἀνατρέψωσιν ὡς θεῖναι μὲν τοὺς λίθους πάντας τῶν εἰδωλικῶν βωμῶν κατακεκομμένους ὡς κονίαν λεπτήν, ἀφανισθῆναι δὲ ποιῆσαι τὰ δένδρα καὶ τὰ ἄλση τὰ ἐν τοῖς ναοῖς, ἐρήμωσίν τε αὐτῶν καταστῆσαι τοσαύτην ὡς δρυμῷ παραβληθῆναι αὐτά. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν κατορθοῦσιν οἱ δηλωθέντες, τὸ δὲ πάλαι κατοικούμενον ποίμνιον, ὁ λαὸς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, ἀνειμένον ἔσται ὡς ποίμνιον καταλελειμμένον· ἐπεὶ μὴ ἐβουλήθησαν «τὸν καλὸν ποιμένα» παραδέξασθαι, «τὸν θέντα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων», διόπερ ἡ χώρα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτῶν ἔσται πολὺν χρόνον εἰς βόσκημα, ὡς πληροῦσθαι εἰς αὐτοὺς τό· «ἐλυμήνατο αὐτὴν ὗς ἐκ δρυμοῦ, καὶ μονιὸς ἄγριος κατενεμήσατο αὐτήν». κἀκεῖ φησιν ἀναπαύσονται, δηλονότι «οἱ καταβόσκοντες καὶ λυμηνάμενοι αὐτήν». εἰς τοσαύτην δὲ περιτραπήσεται ἐρημίαν, ὡς μηδὲν χλωρὸν ἐν αὐτῇ ὑπάρξαι. διὸ λέλεκται· καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ἐν αὐτῇ χλωρόν· 1.91 Γυναῖκας ἀνακαλεῖται ὡς ἀνδρῶν μὴ εὑρισκομένων ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀξίων σωτηρίας. διὸ ταῖς γυναιξὶ παρακελεύεται ἥκειν καὶ σπεύδειν εἰς μαρτυρίαν ἀπὸ θέας τῶν παραδόξων καὶ θαυμαστῶν ἔργων, ὡς ἂν ἐλθοῦσαι φωτίσαιεν «τὸν ἐν σκότῳ καθήμενον λαὸν» καὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀφειμένην. διὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν εἴρηται· γυναῖκες ἐρχόμεναι φωτίζουσιν αὐτήν, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· γυναῖκες ἐρχόμεναι καὶ δηλοῦσαι αὐτήν. τίνα δὲ αὐτὴν ἢ τὴν ἀνωτέρω λεχθεῖσαν πόλιν, περὶ ἧς εἴρητο· πόλις γὰρ ὠχυρωμένη μόνη καλὴ ἀφεῖται καὶ ἐγκαταλέλειπται ὡς ἔρημος. ταῦτα δὲ ἐπληροῦτο πρὸς λέξιν καὶ πρὸς ἱστορίαν κατὰ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀνάστασιν. ἐν ᾧ κατὰ μὲν τὸν Ματθαῖον· «ἦσαν ἐκεῖ γυναῖκες πολλαὶ ἀπὸ μακρόθεν θεωροῦσαι, αἵτινες ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας διακονοῦσαι αὐτῷ· ἐν αἷς ἦν Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή, καὶ Μαρία ἡ Ἰακώβου καὶ Ἰώση μήτηρ, καὶ ἡ μήτηρ τῶνυἱῶν Ζεβεδαίου», κατὰ δὲ τὸν Λουκᾶν· «κατακολουθήσασαι δὲ γυναῖκές τινες, αἵτινες ἦσαν συνεληλυθυῖαι ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας αὐτῷ» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ὁ λαὸς ὁ μὴ ἔχων σύνεσιν καὶ κηρύγματι τῶν ἀποστόλων οὐκ ἐπείθετο, καίτοι τῶν ἐθνῶν παραδεχομένων τὸν λόγον, τούτου χάριν τὰς γυναῖκας τὸ θεῖον πνεῦμα καλεῖ ἐπὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν τοῦ κηρυττομένου λόγου, ἐπειδὴ δὲ τυφλώττοντας αὐτοὺς ἑώρα. διὰ τοῦτό φησιν οὐ μὴ οἰκτειρήσει ὁ ποιήσας αὐτούς, οὐδὲ ὁ πλάσας αὐτοὺς οὐ μὴ ἐλεήσει. Ἔσται δὲ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ φησί, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῷ δηλουμένῳ, συμφράξει κύριος ἀπὸ τῆς διώρυχος τοῦ ποταμοῦ. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ συμφράξει οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ πάντες πατάξει εἰρήκασι, δηλοῦντες πατάξειν τὸν κύριον τοὺς ἀπίστους ἐκείνους καὶ τὸν λαὸν τὸν ἀσύνετον. εἶτα τόπον ἀφορίζει λέγων· ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥείθρου τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἕως τοῦ χειμάρρου Αἰγύπτου κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, ᾧ ἰσοδυναμοῦσι καὶ οἱ λοιποί. οἶμαι δὲ διὰ τούτων σημαίνεσθαι τὸν ἐπελθόντα τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις πόλεμον κατὰ τὸ Παλαιστίνων ἔθνος μετὰ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τόλμαν. αὐτῶν τῶν γοῦν μεθορίων τῆς Παλαιστίνης ἔοικεν ὁ λόγος μνημονεύων ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ λέγων, τάχα που τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, ἕως Ῥινοκορούρων· πόλις δέ ἐστιν αὕτη ἀμφὶ τοὺς ὅρους τοὺς μεταξὺ τῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ τῆς Παλαιστίνης κειμένη. διὸ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς ἕως τοῦ χειμάρρου Αἰγύπτου εἴρηται, αἰνιττομένου ὡς ἔφην τοῦ λόγου τὸν γενησόμενον κατὰ Ἰουδαίων πόλεμον ἐν τῷ Παλαιστίνων ἔθνει. τοῖς δὲ τοῦ λόγου κήρυξιν ἑξῆς προστάττει λέγων· ὑμεῖς δὲ συναγάγετε κατὰ ἕνα ἕνα τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραήλ· εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ ἀθρόως ὁ λαὸς βούλεται προσιέναι τῷ σωτῆρι κηρύγματι· λαὸς γάρ ἐστιν οὐκ ἔχων σύνεσιν, ἀλλὰ κἂν βραχεῖς τινας ἐξ αὐτῶν κατὰ ἕνα συναγάγετε τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραήλ. ἀγαπητὸν γὰρ τὸ κἂν ἕνα ἕνα ἢ καὶ δεύτερον καί τινας εὐαριθμήτους ἐξ