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my chosen one, I will call you by my name and I will receive you." 8.22 And a little later: "I have raised him up in righteousness, and all his ways are straight; he will build my city and will bring back the captivity of my people, not with a ransom, nor with gifts, said the Lord of Sabaoth." And admiring the foreknowledge and the prophecy, and finding his own name also explicitly proclaimed beforehand by the prophet, he commanded the people to go up to Jerusalem, having granted a release from captivity, and also having given funds for the building of the city and the temple; and not only did he do this himself, but also those after him, until the city and the temple were completed. 8.23 And the decree of Cyrus is also set down in writing in Chronicles and in Ezra, commanding all the people to go up, saying thus: "In the first year of Cyrus king of the Persians, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians, and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom in writing, saying, "3Thus says Cyrus king of the Persians: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord, the God of heaven, has given me, and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem in Judea. Who is there among you of all his people? May his God be with him, and let him go up"3." See, O admirable one, how he confesses to have read the book of Isaiah, and to have believed what was written, and with all diligence and expense to have fulfilled what was written in the Scripture. 8.24 How is it not manifest that from all these things a great benefit of piety came to all the nations? And how could those who had such great faith in the writing of Isaiah disbelieve when it also speaks about the shape of heaven: "Who has established the heaven like a vault," especially since the wonders that happened concerning Sennacherib and the turning back of the sun were recent at that time? Therefore, all their notable men, being persuaded concerning these famous signs and from the prophecy of Isaiah, agreed with the king's decision, releasing the people with all honor. 8.25 Therefore, while the Babylonians were the first of all to conjecture and suspect that heaven is a sphere, they were again the first to be taught through Isaiah the prophet that it is not a sphere, but a vault; from which things we also, having received all the shapes, have described them in the Christian Topography, naming also in the preface the teacher who transmitted them, I mean the great Patricius, who came here from the land of the Chaldeans. And this again concerning these things. 8.26 And when the ambassadors of the Babylonian came to Hezekiah, having again succumbed to human weakness and being lifted up in his mind, he received them with all joy for his own glory; and he brought them, even against the will of God, into the royal palace, showing them his treasures and all his wealth. Then again Isaiah was sent to him to correct his mind, and says to him ironically: "What do these men say? And from where have they come to you? And Hezekiah said: From a far country they have come to me from Babylon; Isaiah said again: What have they seen in your house?" But he, knowing that he asked knowing, tells the truth and says to him: "All the things in my house they have seen, and there is nothing in my house that they have not seen, but also the things in my treasuries." 8.27 Then he speaks to him as in a manner of threat, rebuking the arrogance of his mind, the things that were to happen after him, and says: "Hear the word of the Lord of Sabaoth: Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and they shall take all the things in your house, and whatever your fathers have gathered until this day shall go to Babylon, and they shall leave nothing behind. And God said that also some of your children, whom you have begotten, they shall take and make them eunuchs in the house of the king of the Babylonians," as if to say: Why again are you puffed up in your thoughts for your own glory, and not for the glory of God, having received the ambassadors of the

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ἐκλεκτοῦμου ἐγὼ καλέσω σε τῷ ὀνόματί μου καὶ προσδέξομαί σε." 8.22 Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· "Ἐγὼ ἤγειρα αὐτὸν μετὰ δικαιοσύνης, καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ εὐθεῖαι· οὗτος οἰκοδομήσει τὴν πόλιν μου καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἐπιστρέψει, οὐ μετὰ λύτρων, οὔτε μετὰ δώρων, εἶπε Κύριος Σαβαώθ." Καὶ θαυμάσας τὴν πρόγνωσιν καὶ τὴν πρόρρησιν, καὶ εὑρὼν καὶ τὸ ἴδιον ὄνομα διαρρήδην ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου προκηρυχθὲν ἐκέλευσε τὸν λαὸν ἀνελθεῖν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις, ἄφεσιν ποιησάμενος τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας, δοὺς καὶ δαπανήματα εἰς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς πόλεως καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ· οὐ μόνος δὲ αὐτὸς τοῦτο πεποίηκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτόν, ἕως οὗ ἐτελειώθη ἡ πόλις καὶ ὁ ναός. 8.23 Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἡ πρόσταξις Κύρου ἐγγράφως ἐν ταῖς Παραλειπομέναις καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἔσδρᾳ τεταγμένη, παρακελεύουσα πάντα τὸν λαὸν ἀνελθεῖν, λέγουσα οὕτως· "Ἔτους πρώτου Κύρου βασιλέως Περσῶν, μετὰ τὸ πληρωθῆναι ῥῆμα Κυρίου διὰ στόματος Ἱερεμίου, ἐξήγειρε Κύριος τὸ πνεῦμα Κύρου βασιλέως Περσῶν, καὶ παρήγγειλε κηρῦξαι ἐν πάσῃ τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐν γραπτῷ λέγων "3Τάδε λέγει Κῦρος βασιλεὺς Περσῶν· Πάσας τὰς βασιλείας τῆς γῆς ἔδωκέ μοι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐνετείλατό μοι οἰκοδομῆσαι αὐτῷ οἶκον ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ. Τίς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐκ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ; Ἔσται ὁ Θεὸς μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀναβήτω"3." Ὅρα, θαυμάσιε, πῶς ἑαυτῷ ὁμολογεῖ ἀνεγνωκέναι τὴν βίβλον Ἠσαΐου, καὶ πεπιστευκέναι τοῖς γεγραμμένοις, καὶ μετὰ πάσης σπουδῆς καὶ δαπάνης πληρῶσαι τὰ γεγραμμένα ἐν τῇ Γραφῇ. 8.24 Πῶς οὐκ εὔδηλον τυγχάνει ὅτι ἐκ τούτων ἁπάντων ὠφέλεια πολλὴ θεοσεβείας γέγονε πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι; Πῶς δὲ καὶ οἱ τοσαύτην πίστιν ἐσχηκότες εἰς τὴν γραφὴν τοῦ Ἠσαΐου ἀπιστήσειαν καὶ περὶ τοῦ σχήματος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ λέγοντι ἐν αὐτῇ· "Ὁ στήσας τὸν οὐρανὸν ὡσεὶ καμάραν", μάλιστα καὶ νεαρῶν ὄντων κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ τῶν γενομένων θαυμάτων τῶν κατὰ τὸν Σεναχηρεὶμ καὶ τοῦ ἀναποδισμοῦ τοῦ ἡλίου; Ὅθεν καὶ πάντες οἱ ἔνδοξοι αὐτῶν πεπεισμένοι περὶ τούτων τῶν διαβοήτων σημείων καὶ ἐκ τῆς προρρήσεως τοῦ Ἠσαΐου συνέθεντο τῇ γνώμῃ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπολύσαντες τὸν λαὸν μετὰ πάσης τιμῆς. 8.25 Πρῶτον οὖν πάντων στοχασαμένων καὶ ὑποπτευσάντων τῶν Βαβυλωνίων σφαῖραν εἶναι τὸν οὐρανόν, πρῶτοι πάλιν ἐδιδάχθησαν διὰ Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου ὡς οὐ σφαῖρα τυγχάνει, ἀλλὰ καμάρα· ἐξ ὧν καὶ ἡμεῖς παραλαβόντες τὰ σχήματα πάντα κατεγράψαμεν ἐν τῇ Χριστιανικῇ Τοπογραφίᾳ, ὀνομάσαντες καὶ τὸν διδάσκαλον ἐν τῷ προοιμίῳ τὸν καὶ παραδόντα, λέγω δὴ τὸν μέγαν Πατρίκιον τὸν ἐκ γῆς Χαλδαίων ἐνταῦθα παραγενόμενον. Καὶ ταῦτα πάλιν περὶ τούτων. 8.26 Ἐλθόντων δὲ τῶν πρέσβεων τοῦ Βαβυλωνίου πρὸς τὸν Ἐζεκίαν, πάλιν ἀνθρώπινον ὑπομείνας καὶ ἐπαρθεὶς τὴν διάνοιαν τούτους μετὰ πάσης χαρᾶς ὑπεδέξατο εἰς οἰκεῖον κλέος· εἰσήγαγε δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ παρὰ γνώμην τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς τὰ βασίλεια, δείξας αὐτοῖς τοὺς θησαυροὺς καὶ πάντα τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ. Τότε πάλιν ἀπεστάλη Ἠσαΐας πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπανορθῶν τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτοῦ, καί φησι πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰρωνευόμενος· "Τί λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι οὗτοι; Καὶ πόθεν ἥκασι πρὸς σέ; Καὶ εἶπεν Ἐζεκίας· Ἐκ γῆς πόρρωθεν ἥκασι πρὸς μὲ ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος· εἶπε πάλιν Ἠσαΐας· Τί εἴδοσαν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου;" Ὁ δέ, ἐγνωκὼς ὅτι εἰδὼς ἐρωτᾷ, τὴν ἀλήθειαν λέγει καί φησι πρὸς αὐτόν· "Πάντα τὰ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου εἴδοσαν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου ὃ οὐκ εἴδοσαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς θησαυροῖς μου." 8.27 Τότε λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν ὡς ἐν τάξει ἀπειλῆς, κολαφίζων αὐτοῦ τὴν ἔπαρσιν τῆς διανοίας, τὰ μέλλοντα μετ' αὐτὸν γίνεσθαι καί φησιν· "Ἄκουσον τὸν λόγον Κυρίου Σαβαώθ· Ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ λήψονται πάντα τὰ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου, καὶ ὅσα συνήγαγον οἱ πατέρες σου ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἥξει, καὶ οὐδὲν οὐ μὴ ἐγκαταλίπωσιν. Εἶπε δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν τέκνων σου, ὧν ἐγέννησας, λήψονται καὶ ποιήσουσι σπάδοντας ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Βαβυλωνίων", ἵνα εἴπῃ· Τί πάλιν ἐπαίρῃ τοῖς λογισμοῖς εἰς οἰκεῖον κλέος, καὶ οὐκ εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ, δεξάμενος τοὺς πρεσβευτὰς τοῦ