120

co-heirs and a co-body, for of this very one, whose government is upon his shoulder, that is, the kingdom and the power in the cross. For having been lifted up on the cross, he drew all men to Himself. For I will bring peace upon the rulers, peace and health to him. Great is his government, and of his peace there is no end. From this it is established, that the things being said are from the Person of the Father. Because he made peace through the blood of his cross, whether things on earth or things in heaven, it is said, For I will bring peace upon the rulers, and health to him. I think the mystery of the resurrection is shown through this. For since he was crucified out of weakness, but lives by the power of God; for this reason health is said to be brought to him, for the weakness of the flesh, which he took up for us. And of his peace there is no end. Peace (he says) I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. For this reason there is no end to his peace, because the gift is beyond this world; for if it were of the world, it would have been completed with the constitution of the world. But now he who has received his peace and has kept it for eternal time, will live with the good things that come from peace. The peace of Solomon was limited to a written number of years; but the peace from the Lord extends along with all eternity, being without limit and without end. For all things will be subjected to him, and all things will recognize his lordship; and when God becomes all in all, once those who cause disturbance by their apostasies have been quieted, they will hymn God in peaceful harmony. Upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to establish it. Because it was said, A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his thighs, until the things stored up for him come, nearly all with one voice proclaim that the Lord according to the flesh is from the seed of David. Therefore he will sit upon the throne of David and his kingdom, so as to establish it, and to uphold it in judgment and in righteousness. Your judgments (he says) are a great abyss; and Your righteousness is like the mountains of God. Therefore neither are the judgments comprehensible, nor is the righteousness contemplated according to the worth of its height. And the zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth will do these things. Having zeal for us, who are being destroyed by ignorance, he will receive, for the sake of acquiring for his own kingdom, the economy among men. Therefore the zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth, the God of hosts, to whom all power is subject, he will do these things. 9.228 The Lord sent a word to Jacob, and it came to Israel. And all the people of Ephraim and those dwelling in Samaria will know, saying in insolence and with a lofty heart: Bricks have fallen; but come, let us hew stones and cut down sycamores and cedars, and let us build a tower for ourselves. In the address of Jacob and of Israel, the word seems to suggest to us the notion of two matters: both the introduction of the more imperfect, and the perfection to the height of virtue. And the manner of the patriarch's change of name suggests this meaning to us; for at his birth, because he had taken hold of his brother's heel, he was called Jacob; but after the wrestling, the name is given to him as a prize, as one who has conquered: For your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name. A Word therefore was sent to Jacob, and it came to Israel. For through mercy the Word first condescends to the weaker ones; but the more discerning, perceiving the benefit from him, as it were snatch him away, anticipating the sluggishness of those to whom he was sent. Therefore the Lord sent a Word to Jacob. Do you know the Word, who was in the beginning, who was with God? This the Father sent to Jacob. But the true Israel, the more discerning souls, knew him. And all the people of Ephraim recognized, those formerly dwelling in Samaria, in insolence and with a lofty heart. This is Ephraim, from whom sprang the apostate Jeroboam, the ten tribes for himself

120

συγκληρονόμα καὶ σύσσωμα, αὐτοῦ γὰρ τούτου, οὗ ἡ ἀρχή ἐστιν ἐπὶ τοῦ ὤμου αὐτοῦ, τουτέστιν, ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ. Ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ γὰρ ὑψωθεὶς, πάντας εἴλκυσε πρὸς Ἑαυτόν. Ἄξω γὰρ εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας, εἰρήνην καὶ ὑγείαν αὐτῷ. Μεγάλη ἡ ἀρχὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ὅριον. Ἐκ τούτου παρίσταται, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ Πατρικοῦ Προσώ που ἐστὶ τὰ λεγόμενα. ∆ιὰ τὸ εἰρηνοποιῆσαι αὐτὸν διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ σταυροῦ αὐτοῦ, εἴτε τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἴτε τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, εἴρηται τὸ Ἄξω γὰρ εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας, καὶ ὑγείαν αὐτῷ. Οἶμαι τὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως δείκνυσθαι διὰ τούτου μυστήριον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐσταυρώθη ἐξ ἀσθενείας, ζῇ δὲ ἐκ δυνάμεως Θεοῦ· διὰ τοῦτο ὑγεία ἄγεσθαι αὐτῷ λέγεται, ἐπὶ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς, ἣν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀνείληφε. Καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ὅριον. Εἰρήνην (φησὶ) δίδωμι ὑμῖν· οὐ καθὼς ὁ κόσμος δίδωσιν, ἐγὼ δίδωμι ὑμῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ὅριον τῆς εἰρήνης αὐτοῦ, ἐπειδὴ ὑπερκόσ μιόν ἐστι τὸ δῶρον· εἰ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου ἦν, συναπηρτίσθη ἂν τῇ τοῦ κόσμου συστάσει. Νῦν δὲ ὁ δεξάμενος αὐτοῦ τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ φυλάξας εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον, τοῖς ἐκ τῆς εἰρήνης καλοῖς συμβιώσεται. Ἡ Σολομῶντος εἰρήνη γεγραμμένοις ἔτεσι περιωρίζετο· ἡ δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου εἰρήνῃ τῷ αἰῶνι παντὶ συμπαρεκτείνεται, ἀπεριόριστος οὖσα καὶ ἀτερμάτιστος. Πάντα γὰρ ὑποταγήσεται αὐτῷ, καὶ πάντα ἐπιγνώσεται τὴν αὐτοῦ δεσποτείαν· καὶ ἐπειδὰν γένηται ὁ Θεὸς τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι, καθησυχασθέντων τῶν θορυβούντων ταῖς ἀποστασίαις, ἐν εἰρηνικῇ συμφωνίᾳ τὸν Θεὸν ὑμνήσουσιν. Ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον ∆αβὶδ καὶ ἐπὶ βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ, κατορ θῶσαι αὐτήν. ∆ιὰ τὸ εἰρῆσθαι, ὅτι Οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα, καὶ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀποκείμενα αὐτῷ, πάντες σχεδὸν ὁμοφώνως ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αβὶδ εἶναι τὸ κατὰ σάρκα τὸν Κύριον, καταγγέλλουσιν. Ἐπὶ οὖν τὸν θρόνον ∆αβὶδ καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ καθήσεται, ὥστε κατορθῶσαι αὐτὴν, καὶ ἀντέχεσθαι αὐτῆς ἐν κρίματι καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ. Τὰ κρίματά σου (φησὶν) ἄβυσσος πολλή· καὶ Ἡ δικαιοσύνη σου ὡς ὄρη Θεοῦ. Οὔτε οὖν τὰ κρίματα καταληπτὰ, οὔτε ἡ δικαιοσύνη κατ' ἀξίαν τοῦ ὕψους θεωρητή. Καὶ ταῦτα ποιήσει ὁ ζῆλος Κυρίου Σαβαώθ. Ζηλώσας ἡμᾶς, τοὺς ἀπολλυμένους τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ, δέξεται, ὑπὲρ τοῦ περι ποιήσασθαι εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ βασιλείαν, τὴν ἐν ἀνθρώποις οἰκονομίαν. Ὁ οὖν ζῆλος Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ, τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν στρατιῶν, ᾧ πᾶσα δύναμις ὑποτέτακται, οὗτος ταῦτα ποιήσει. 9.228 Λόγον ἀπέστειλε Κύριος ἐπὶ Ἰακὼβ καὶ ἦλθεν ἐπὶ Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ γνώσονται πᾶς ὁ λαὸς τοῦ Ἐφραῒμ καὶ οἱ καθήμενοι ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ, ἐφ' ὕβρει καὶ ὑψηλῇ καρδίᾳ λέ γοντες· Πλίνθοι πεπτώκασιν· ἀλλὰ δεῦτε, λαξεύσωμεν λί θους καὶ κόψωμεν συκαμίνους καὶ κέδρους, καὶ οἰκοδομή σωμεν ἑαυτοῖς πύργον. Ἐν τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ δύο πραγμάτων ἔννοιαν ὑποβάλλειν ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος ἔοικε· τήν τε εἰσαγωγὴν τῶν ἀτελεστέρων, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ ἀκρό τατον τῆς ἀρετῆς τελείωσιν. Τοῦτον δὲ ἡμῖν ὑποβάλλει τὸν νοῦν ὁ τρόπος τῆς μετωνομασίας τοῦ πατριάρχου· ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῇ γενέσει, διὰ τὸ ἐπειλῆφθαι τῆς πτέρνης τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, Ἰακὼβ εἴρηται· μετὰ δὲ τὴν πάλην, ἀντὶ ἄθλου δίδοται αὐτῷ ἡ προσηγορία ὡς νενικηκότι· Οὐ γὰρ κληθήσεται ἔτι τὸ ὄνομά σου Ἰακὼβ, ἀλλὰ Ἰσραὴλ ἔσται τὸ ὄνομά σου. Ἀπεστάλη τοίνυν Λόγος πρὸς Ἰακὼβ, καὶ ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ. ∆ιὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐλεημοσύνην τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις πρώτοις συγκαταβαίνει ὁ Λόγος· οἱ δὲ διο ρατικώτεροι, αἰσθανόμενοι τῆς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ὠφελείας, οἱονεὶ διαρπάζουσιν αὐτὸν, τὴν πρὸς οὓς ἀπεστάλη, νωθρότητα προλαμβάνοντες. Λόγον οὖν ἀπέστειλε Κύριος ἐπὶ Ἰακώβ. Οἶδας τὸν Λόγον, τὸν ἐν ἀρχῇ ὄντα, τὸν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὄντα; Τοῦτον ἀπέστειλεν ὁ Πατὴρ ἐπὶ Ἰακώβ. Ἐγνώρισε δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ ἀληθινὸς Ἰσραὴλ, αἱ ψυχαὶ αἱ διορατικώτεραι. Καὶ ἐπέγνω πᾶς ὁ λαὸς Ἐφραῒμ, οἱ πρότερον καθήμενοι ἐν Σα μαρείᾳ, ἐφ' ὕβρει καὶ ὑψηλῇ καρδίᾳ. Οὗτός ἐστιν Ἐφραῒμ, ἐξ οὗ βλαστήσας ὁ ἀποστάτης Ἱεροβοὰμ, τὰς δέκα φυλὰς ἑαυτῷ