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he reports about two rods which he has taken for himself. 4.73 And nothing else is signified in the preceding text by the rods than scepters of rule, or rather of a kingdom, being symbols. 4.74 Since, therefore, the entire race of men is divided into the people from the circumcision and into the Church called from the nations, the God of Jews and nations, being at once their savior and king, took for himself the two scepters, so that from both he might fashion one kingdom. 4.75 But the prophecy will be understood from a Gospel saying; for just as one kingdom under one king was shown forth from believing nations and Jews, so also one flock under one shepherd, the true one who laid down his life for the sheep. And the Gospel voice, declared by the Savior, is thus: "And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice, so that there will be one flock and one shepherd," saying that there are other sheep not from the Jewish fold but those from the nations believing in the gospel. 4.76 And for the two flocks to be under one shepherd is the same as for the two scepters to come under the same king. And when will this be fulfilled except when the saying obtains its fulfillment: "Rejoice, O nations, with his people"? 4.77 It might also be said in another way: "And I have other sheep that are not of this fold," the fold of the sheep being called the world around the earth in which those bearing the body still spend their time, while souls, having been released from this, are for a time spending their time in the subterranean place, whom the good shepherd gathers, coming to them when "he died for all" "so that he might be Lord of both the living and the dead." If, then, one is Lord of the dead and the living with royal power and pastoral knowledge, the two flocks and kingdoms have been shown to be one. 4.78 And what will happen when this has been accomplished except that the rule of many will be gone, the true shepherd having removed the three badly ruling shepherds in one month, that is, at the same time and in one period. 4.79 And it must be considered who are the three flock-leaders being removed. 4.80 The priestly order of the Jews and those among them called unjust prophets and those who reigned from Jeroboam. For all these happened to be causes of harm to those they ruled. At least it is said in Hosea: "Priests have hidden the way of the Lord, they have murdered Shechem, they have committed iniquity in Israel," and again in the same prophet: "Israel will be afflicted like the distraught prophet." 4.81 It is possible to find also many things written concerning the lawless kingdom that split the people of God, of which there is also the one that goes thus: "Hear this, O priests, and house of the king, give ear, because the judgment is for you, for you have become a snare at Mizpah, and like a net spread upon Tabor." 4.82 Against those who have thus led wickedly, holy Jeremiah also cries out most accusingly from the person of the all-king God: "The priests did not say, 'Where is the Lord?'; and those who handle the law did not know me, and the prophets prophesied unjustly, and the shepherds acted impiously against me, and they went after what is unprofitable." 4.83 Consider if by "the shepherds acting impiously against him" he means the kings of Israel, who are distinct from the priests and prophets. 4.84 But it is not to be despaired of to say that the false teachers are the shepherds acting impiously against God. The three shepherds thus understood are removed in one month by "the truly great high priest, Jesus, who has passed through the heavens," being a true prophet, about whom a divine foretelling has been spoken: "The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet from your brothers." 4.85 In addition to being a high priest and a prophet, he is also a king, as the Father says concerning him: "I have raised him up as king, and all his ways are straight; he will build my city, and he will bring back the captivity of my people not with a ransom nor with gifts."

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ἀπαγγέλλει τὰ περὶ δύο ῥάβδων ὧν εἴληφεν ἑαυτῷ. 4.73 Οὐχ ἕτερον δ' ἔτι σημαίνεται ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις ἐκ τῶν ῥάβδων ἢ σκῆπτρα ἀρχῆς, μᾶλλον δὲ βασιλείας, σύμβολα ὄντα. 4.74 Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν πᾶν τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος διῄρηται εἰς τὸν ἐκ περιτομῆς λαὸν καὶ εἰς τὴν κληθεῖσαν ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίαν, ὁ ἰουδαίων καὶ ἐθνῶν Θεός, σωτὴρ ἅμα καὶ βασιλεὺς αὐτῶν ὑπάρχων, ἔλαβεν ἑαυτῷ τὰ δύο σκῆπτρα, ἵνα ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων μίαν βασιλείαν ἀπεργάσηται. 4.75 Νοηθήσεται δὲ ἐξ εὐαγγελικοῦ ῥητοῦ ἡ προφητεία· ὡς γὰρ μία βασιλεία ὑπὸ βασιλέα ἕνα ἐξ ἐθνῶν καὶ ἰουδαίων πιστευσάντων ἀνεδείχθη, οὕτω καὶ ποίμνη μία ὑπὸ ἕνα ποιμένα τὸν ἀληθινὸν τὸν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων τεθεικότα. Ἔχει δ' οὕτως ἡ εὐαγγελικὴ φωνὴ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀπαγγελλομένη· «Καὶ ἄλλα πρόβατα ἔχω ἃ οὐκ εἴσιν ἐκ τῆς αὐλῆς ταύτης· κἀκεῖνά με δεῖ συναγαγεῖν καὶ τῆς φωνῆς μου ἀκούσουσιν, ἵνα γένωνται μία ποίμνη καὶ ποιμὴν εἷς», ἕτερα λέγων εἶναι πρόβατα οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς ἰουδαϊκῆς αὐλῆς ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν πιστεύοντας τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ. 4.76 Ταὐτὸν δὲ τὸ τὰς δύο ἀγέλας ὑπὸ ἕνα ποιμένα γενέσθαι, τῷ τὰ δύο σκῆπτρα ὑπὸ τὸν αὐτὸν βασιλέα ἐλθεῖν. Πότε δὲ τοῦτο πληρωθήσεται ἢ ὅταν ἐκβάσεως τύχῃ τό· «Εὐφράνθητε, ἔθνη, μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ»; 4.77 Ῥηθείη καὶ ἑτέρως τό· «Καὶ ἄλλα πρόβατα ἔχω ἃ οὐκ εἴσιν ἐκ τῆς αὐλῆς ταύτης», αὐλῆς καλουμένης τῶν προβάτων τοῦ περὶ γῆν κόσμου ἐν ᾧ ἀκμὴν διατρίβουσιν οἱ τὸ σῶμα φοροῦντες, ἀπαλλαγεισῶν τούτου ψυχῶν ἐν τῷ καταχθονίῳ τόπῳ τέως διατριβουσῶν, ἅσπερ συνάγει ὁ ἀγαθὸς νομεὺς, γενάμενος πρὸς αὐτὰς ὃτε «τέθνηκεν ὑπὲρ πάντων» «ἵνα ζώντων καὶ νεκρῶν κυριεύσῃ». Εἰ δὲ εἷς κυριεύει νεκρῶν καὶ ζώντων βασιλικῷ κράτει καὶ ποιμαντικῇ ἐπιστήμῃ, αἱ δύο ποῖμναι καὶ βασιλεῖαι μία ἀνεδείχθησαν. 4.78 Τί δ' ὑπάρξεται τούτου κατορθωθέντος ἢ ἡ πολυαρχία οἰχήσεται, ἐξάραντος τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ νομέως τοὺς κακῶς ἄρχοντας τρεῖς ποιμένας ἐν ἑνὶ μηνί, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἅμα καὶ ἐν περιόδῳ μιᾷ. 4.79 Τίνες δ' οἱ ἐξαιρόμενοι τρεῖς ἀγελάρχαι θεωρητέον. 4.80 Τὸ ἱερατικὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων τάγμα καὶ οἱ λεγόμενοι παρ' αὐτοῖς ἄδικοι προφῆται καὶ οἱ βασιλεύσαντες ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰεροβοάν. Πάντες γὰρ οὗτοι βλάβης αἴτιοι ἐτύγχανον τῶν ἀρχομένων. Εἴρηται γοῦν ἐν Ὠσῆε· «Ἔκρυψαν ἱερεῖς ὁδὸν Κυρίου, ἐφόνευσαν Σίκιμα, ἀνομίαν ἐποίησαν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ», καὶ ἔτι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ προφήτῃ· «Κακωθήσεται Ἰσραὴλ ὥσπερ ὁ παρεξεστηκὼς προφήτης.» 4.81 Ἔστιν εὑρεῖν καὶ περὶ τῆς παρανόμου βασιλείας τῆς σχισάσης τὸν Θεοῦ λαὸν γεγραμμένα πολλά, ὧν ἐστιν καὶ τὸ οὕτως ἔχον· «Ἀκούσατε ταῦτα, οἱ ἱερεῖς, καὶ οἶκος τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐνωτίζεσθε, διότι πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐστιν τὸ κρίμα ὅτι παγὶς ἐγενήθητε τῇ σκοπιᾷ, καὶ ὡς δίκτυον ἐκτεταμένον ἐπὶ τὸ Ἰταβύριον.» 4.82 Κατὰ τῶν οὕτω φαύλως ἡγησαμένων καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Ἰερεμίας βοᾷ ἐλεγκτικώτατα ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ παμβασιλέως Θεοῦ· «Ἱερεῖς οὐκ εἶπαν· ποῦ ἐστιν Κύριος; καὶ οἱ ἀντεχόμενοι τοῦ νόμου οὐκ ἠπίσταντό με, καὶ οἱ προφῆται ἐπροφήτευον ἄδικα, καὶ οἱ ποιμένες ἠσέβουν εἰς ἐμέ, καὶ ὀπίσω ἀνωφελοῦς ἐπορεύοντο.» 4.83 Ἐπίστησον εἰ τοὺς ποιμένας ἀσεβοῦντας εἰς αὐτὸν λέγει τοὺς βασιλέας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἄλλους παρὰ τοὺς ἱερέας καὶ προφήτας τυγχάνοντας. 4.84 Οὐκ ἀπογνωστέον δὲ καὶ τοὺς ψευδοδιδασκάλους ποιμένας ἀσεβοῦντας εἰς Θεὸν φάναι. Οἱ οὕτω ἐκληφθέντες ποιμένες τρεῖς ἐξαίρονται ἐν μηνὶ ἑνὶ ὑπὸ «τοῦ ἀλη̣θῶς ἀρχιερέως μεγάλου Ἰησοῦ διεληλυθότος τοὺς οὐρανούς», ἀληθινοῦ ὄντος προφήτου, περὶ οὗ θεία προαναφώνησις εἴρηται· «Προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν Κύριος ὁ Θεός.» 4.85 Πρὸς τῷ ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ προφήτης ὑπάρχειν, καὶ βασιλεύς ἐστιν, ὡς τὸν Πατέρα περὶ αὐτοῦ φάναι· «Ἤγειρα αὐτὸν βασιλέα, καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ εὐθεῖαι· οὗτος οἰκοδομήσει τὴν πόλιν μου, καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἐπιστρέψει οὐ μετὰ λύτρων οὐδὲ μετὰ δώρων.»