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Israel. 4.130 Our Savior and Lord, having taken two rods, one of which he named Beauty, and the other Cord, first casting off the one called Beauty, revealed mysteries that have already been made clear. Now, casting off the one named Cord, he scattered the covenant between Israel and Judah. 4.131 But what the rod called Cord is, it is possible to learn again from the great ode. The words of the ode, which have also been set forth before, are thus: "When the Most High divided the nations, when he scattered the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God, and the Lord's portion became his people Jacob, the cord of his inheritance, Israel." But these things are said concerning the whole nation of the Hebrews, being one rod and one portion. And for a long time the whole nation remained undivided, being called one rod, according to what is proclaimed in the Psalms to the king and provider of all: "Remember your congregation, which you acquired from the beginning; you redeemed the rod of your inheritance." 4.132 This one kingdom was divided into two sovereignties, so that one was called Judah, and the other Ephraim, since those who remained in Jerusalem were ruled by the house of David, who held the succession from the tribe of Judah, while those who went down to Samaria had as their leader Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin, being from the tribe of Ephraim. 4.133 And for a long time the mischief of the schism persisted, with the king of Judah and the tyrant of Samaria being at odds and in conflict with each other, until God should have pity, and again make the twelve tribes one kingdom, with Judah alone ruling as also before the schism. 4.134 Concerning this restoration it is stated in Hosea the prophet, with the King of all saying: "The sons of Israel and the sons of Judah shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one government and shall come up from the land, for great is the day of Jezreel." 4.135 One must pay attention to the prophecy indicating that those being restored to one kingdom are coming up from the land, being clearly down in the land, because they were at odds with themselves, scattered outside the single rule. The covenant of the schism between Judah and Israel having been in effect for a time, its scattering and dissolution comes about by the grace of the Savior, so that, with the difference of the schisms out of the way, the rod called Cord might come under one king as before, the one holding the succession from Judah, so that there might be one flock and one shepherd, with the entire nation being ruled by the lawful king. 4.136 Concerning such a restoration of the two kingdoms into one lawful rule, it is also stated in the prophet Ezekiel; the prophetic voice is as follows: "And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, take a rod for yourself and write on it, 'For Judah and for the sons of Israel associated with him'; and you shall take a second rod for yourself and you shall write on it: 'For Joseph, the rod of Ephraim and all the sons of Israel who are joined to him.' And you shall join them one to another for yourself into one rod to bind them, and they shall be in your hand. 4.137 And it shall be when the sons of your people speak to you, saying: 'Will you not tell us what these things are to you?' And you shall say to them: 'Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the tribe of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will put them upon the tribe of Judah; and the rods on which you have written will be in your hand before them, and you shall say to them: 4.138 Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am taking the whole house of Israel from the midst of the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from all who are round about them and bring them into the land of Israel; and I will make them one nation in my land and on the mountains of Israel,
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Ἰσραήλ. 4.130 ∆ύο ῥάβδους εἰληφὼς ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν, ὧν τὴν μὲν καλλός, τὴν δὲ σχοίνισμα προσηγόρευσεν, πρότερον ἀπορρίψας τὴν κληθεῖσαν καλλός, μυστήρια ἐφανέρωσεν τὰ ἤδη σαφηνισθέντα. Νῦν τὴν ὀνομαζομένην σχοίνισμα ἀπορρίψας, διεσκέδασεν διαθήκην τὴν ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδα. 4.131 Τίς δέ ἐστιν ἡ κληθεῖσα σχοίνισμα ῥάβδος, ἐκ τῆς μεγάλης ᾠδῆς ἔστι πάλιν μαθεῖν. Ἔχει δὲ οὕτω τὰ τῆς ᾠδῆς ἃ καὶ πρότερον ἐκτέθειται· «Ὅτε διεμέριζεν ὕψιστος ἔθνη, ὡς διέσπειρεν υἱοὺς Ἀδάμ, ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐγενήθη μερὶς Κυρίου λαὸς αὐτοῦ Ἰακώβ, σχοίνισμα κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ Ἰσραήλ.» Λέγεται δὲ ταῦτα περὶ παντὸς τοῦ Ἑβραίων ἔθνους ὄντος ῥάβδου καὶ μερίδος μιᾶς. Καὶ διέμεινέν γε μέχρι πολλοῦ ἄσχιστον τὸ πᾶν ἔθνος μία ῥάβδος χρηματίζον, κατὰ τὸ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς ἀπαγγελλόμενον πρὸς τὸν πάντων βασιλέα καὶ προνοητήν· «Μνήσθητι τῆς συναγωγῆς σου, ἧς ἐκτήσω ἀπ' ἀρχῆς· ἐλυτρώσω ῥάβδον κληρονομίας σου.» 4.132 Ἡ μία βασιλεία αὕτη εἰς δύο ἀρχὰς διῃρέθη, ὡς τὴν μὲν Ἰούδαν καλεῖσθαι, τὴν δὲ Ἐφράιμ, τῷ τοὺς μὲν ἀπομείναντας ἐν τῇ Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἄρχεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ οἴκου ∆αυὶδ τὴν διαδοχὴν ἐχόντων ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλῆς, τῶν εἰς τὴν Σαμάρειαν καταβάντων ἡγούμενον ἐχόντων τὸν Ἰεροβοὰν ἐξαμαρτήσαντα τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ὑπάρχοντα ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Ἐφράιμ φυλῆς. 4.133 Καὶ ἐπὶ πολύ γε ἡ τοῦ σχίσματος κακοπραγία διέμεινεν, διαστασιαζόντων καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαφερομένων τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ Ἰούδα καὶ τοῦ τυράννου τῆς Σαμαρείας, ἕως οἰκτείρῃ Θεός, πάλιν μίαν βασιλείαν τὰς δώδεκα φυλὰς ἀναδείξῃ, μόνου τοῦ Ἰούδα κρατοῦντος ὡς καὶ πρὸ τοῦ σχίσματος. 4.134 Περὶ ταύτης τῆς ἀποκαταστάσεως ἐν Ὠσῆε τῷ προφήτῃ φέρεται, τοῦ παμβασιλέως λέγοντος· «Συναχθήσονται οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰούδα, καὶ θήσουσιν αὐτοῖς ἀρχὴν μίαν καὶ ἀναβήσονται ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι μεγάλη ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ Ἰεσδραέλ.» 4.135 Ἐπιστατέον τῇ προφητείᾳ δηλούσῃ ὡς ἀναβαίνουσιν ἐκ τῆς γῆς οἱ εἰς μίαν βασιλείαν ἀποκαθιστάμενοι, κάτω ἐν τῇ γῇ δηλονότι ὑπάρχοντες, ὅτι διεστασίαζον πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἔξω τῆς μοναδικῆς ἡγεμονίας σκορπισθέντες. Τῆς τοῦ σχίσματος διαθήκης ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ Ἰούδα καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ πρὸς καιρὸν ἐνεργησάσης, σκεδασμὸς καὶ λύσις αὐτῆς χάριτι τοῦ Σωτῆρος γίνεται, ἵν' ἐκποδὼν τῆς διαφορᾶς τῶν σχισμάτων γεγενημένης, ἡ καλουμένη σχοίνισμα ῥάβδος ὑπὸ βασιλέα ἕνα ὡς πρότερον γένηται, τὸν ἐκ τοῦ Ἰούδα τὴν διαδοχὴν ἔχοντα, ὥστε μίαν ποίμνην καὶ ἕνα ποιμένα ὑπᾶρξαι ὑπὸ τοῦ νομίμου βασιλέως παντὸς τοῦ ἔθνους κρατουμένου. 4.136 Περὶ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀποκαταστάσεως τῶν δύο βασιλειῶν εἰς νόμιμον μίαν ἀρχήν, καὶ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ Ἰεζεκιὴλ φέρεται· ἔχει δ' οὕτως ἡ προφητικὴ φωνή· «Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρός με λέγων· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, λαβὲ σεαυτῷ ῥάβδον καὶ γράψον ἐπ' αὐτὴν τὸν Ἰούδαν καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ τοὺς προσκειμένους ἐπ' αὐτόν· καὶ ῥάβδον δευτέραν λήμψῃ σεαυτῷ καὶ γράψεις αὐτήν· Τῷ Ἰωσήφ, ῥάβδον Ἐφράιμ καὶ πάντας τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴτοὺς προστεθέντας πρὸς αὐτόν. Καὶ συνάψεις αὐτὰς πρὸς ἀλλήλας σαυτῷ εἰς ῥάβδον μίαν τοῦ δῆσαι αὐτάς, καὶ ἔσονται ἐν τῇ χειρί σου. 4.137 Καὶ ἔσται ὅταν λέγωσιν πρὸς σὲ υἱοὶ τοῦ λαοῦ σου λέγοντες· Οὐκ ἀπαγγέλλεις ἡμῖν τί ἐστιν ταῦτά σοι; Καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος Κύριος· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ λήμψομαι τὴν φυλὴν Ἰωσὴφ τὴν διὰ χειρὸς Ἐφράιμ καὶ τὰς φυλὰς Ἰσραὴλ τὰς προσκειμένας πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ δώσω αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν φυλὴν Ἰούδα· καὶ ἔσονται αἱ ῥάβδοι ἐφ' αἷς σὺ ἔγραψας ἐπ' αὐταῖς ἐν τῇ χειρί σου ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐρεῖς αὐτοῖς· 4.138 Τάδε λέγει Κύριος Κύριος· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ λαμβάνω πάντα οἶκον Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ μέσου τῶν ἐθνῶν, οὗ εἰσήλθοσαν ἐκεῖ καὶ συνάξω αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν περικύκλῳ αὐτῶν καὶ εἰσάξω αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν γῆν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ δώσω αὐτοὺς εἰς ἔθνος ἓν ἐν τῇ γῇ μου καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν Ἰσραήλ,