130

seeking handles against them so that they might destroy them. It is a custom of Scripture often to use the future tense instead of the past, as in: "they will cross the river on foot" found in the sixty-fifth Psalm, instead of: "they crossed"; and so here also, with respect to: "the lawless man failed," it was consistent to say also "all those who reprove in the gates, setting a stumbling block, failed" in a common sense, but according to scriptural custom, he used the future tense. 1.97 Still the prophetic word is addressed to the same people, and since you have become such, it says, for this reason the Lord of all says these things to you, and by you I mean the so-called house of Jacob, whom, being unworthy of that beloved of God and blessed one, God himself set apart and alienated because they did not make themselves worthy of Abraham by their works. For "the children of Abraham" are known by their "works," as the Savior taught, saying: "If you were the children of Abraham, you would do the works of Abraham." And according to Symmachus: thus says the Lord to the house of Jacob, who redeemed Abraham, but not redeeming these to whom he was addressing; wherefore he says these things to them. It has been said concerning you, that you will not understand "the words of this book," and it has also been said concerning the formerly "blind" and unbelieving nations, that they will understand the words of the sacred and divinely-inspired scriptures and with the eyes of the soul will behold the meaning of the divine oracles, and that those formerly without hope will receive knowledge of God and will partake of the joy that is with him, but now when these things are prophesied you have no perception of what is being said. Wherefore you are not ashamed now, nor do you take heed of the things threatened against you, nor does your face change at present when you hear these things. But there will be a time in which you will be ashamed and you will be confounded, and you will change your countenance from this impudent and shameless state. And what would this time be, if not that of the fulfillment of my words, in which your children will see foreigners and strangers to your race glorifying and hallowing my name? For then your own children will be put to shame and be confounded, seeing the paradox of the change of the nations, and how certain men of other races will hallow the Holy One of Jacob and the God of Israel, and how those who had wandered for a long age will receive the fear of the God over all, and how those very ones formerly examined in error will understand, and how those who murmur and speak against providence will learn to obey and to be persuaded by my commands. And the tongues that stammer and are able to speak nothing "clear" or true, having come to their natural state, will speak most clearly, having learned to speak words of peace, as being delivered from all war and having made a truce for peace with God. But instead of: "Jacob will not now be ashamed, nor will his face now change" and what follows, Symmachus has translated thus: "Jacob will not now be ashamed, nor will his face now be confounded, but when he sees his children, the work of my hands in his midst, hallowing my name, and they will hallow the Holy One of Jacob and will strengthen the God of Israel, and those who have erred in spirit will know understanding and the murmurers will learn instruction." Here is described the end of the prophecy concerning "the crown of pride," which began after the things threatened against "the dragon and the crooked serpent." And what is brought in addition to the former things must be read from another beginning. 1.98 The discourse, having concluded the things threatened against "the crown of pride" and all the subsequent things brought in, moves on to another subject, prophesying, as the children of the Hebrews say, the things done in the times of Jeremiah the prophet, in which, when the Babylonians had taken Jerusalem and had led the people away captive, those who were left behind in the

130

λαβὰς κατ' αὐτῶν θηρώμενοι ὅπως αὐτοὺς ἀπολέσωσιν. ἔθος τῇ γραφῇ πολλάκις τῷ μέλλοντι χρόνῳ ἀντὶ παρεληλυθότος κεχρῆσθαι ὡς τό· «ἐν ποταμῷ διελεύσονται ποδὶ» ἐν τῷ ἑξηκοστῷ πέμπτῳ Ψαλμῷ κείμενον ἀντὶ τοῦ· «διέβησαν»· καὶ ἐνταῦθα οὖν πρὸς τό· ἐξέλιπεν ἄνομος, ἀκόλουθον ἦν εἰπεῖν καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐλέγχοντας ἐν πύλαις πρόσκομμα τιθέντας ἐξέλιπον κατὰ κοινοῦ, ἀλλὰ τῇ συνηθείᾳ τῇ γραφικῇ τῷ μέλλοντι χρόνῳ ἐχρήσατο. 1.97 Ἔτι πρὸς τοὺς αὐτοὺς ὁ λόγος ὁ προφητικὸς ἀποτείνεται, καὶ ἐπειδὴ τοιοῦτοι γεγόνατέ φησι, διὰ τοῦτο τάδε πρὸς ὑμᾶς λέγει ὁ τῶν ὅλων κύριος, ὑμᾶς δὲ λέγω τὸν καλούμενον οἶκον Ἰακώβ, ὃν οὐκ ἄξιον ὄντα τοῦ θεοφιλοῦς ἐκείνου καὶ μακαρίου ἀφώρισε καὶ ἀπηλλοτρίωσεν αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς διὰ τὸ μὴ τοῖς ἔργοις ἀξίους τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ καταστῆσαι ἑαυτούς. «τὰ» γὰρ «τέκνα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ» διὰ τῶν «ἔργων» γνωρίζεται, ὡς ἐδίδαξεν ὁ σωτὴρ εἰπών· «εἰ τέκνα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἦτε, τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἐποιεῖτε». κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· τάδε λέγει κύριος πρὸς τὸν οἶκον Ἰακώβ, ὁ λυτρωσάμενος τὸν Ἀβραάμ, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ τούτους λυτρωσάμενος, πρὸς οὓς ἀπετείνετο· διὸ πρὸς τούτους τάδε φησίν. εἴρηται μὲν περὶ ὑμῶν, ὡς οὐ συνήσετε «τοὺς λόγους τῆς βίβλου ταύτης», εἴρηται δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν πάλαι «τυφλῶν» καὶ ἀπίστων ἐθνῶν, ὡς ἐκεῖνοι καὶ τοὺς λόγους τῶν ἱερῶν καὶ θεοπνεύστων γραφῶν συνήσουσι καὶ ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμοῖς τῶν θείων λογίων τὸν νοῦν θεωρήσουσι καὶ ὡς γνῶσιν ἀναλήψονται θεοῦ καὶ τῆς παρ' αὐτῷ μεθέξουσιν εὐφροσύνης οἱ πάλαι ἀνελπίδες, ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν ὅτε ταῦτα προφητεύεται οὐδεμίαν αἴσθησιν ἔχετε τῶν λεγομένων. διὸ οὐδὲ αἰσχύνεσθε νῦν οὐδὲ προσποιεῖσθε τὰ καθ' ὑμῶν ἀπειλούμενα, οὐδὲ τὸ πρόσωπον ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ταῦτα ἀκουόντων διατρέπεται. ἔσται δὲ καιρός, ἐν ᾧ αἰσχυνθήσεσθε καὶ διατραπήσεσθε, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον ὑμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀναιδοῦς ταύτης καὶ ἀναισχύντου ἐνστάσεως μεταβαλεῖτε. Τίς δ' ἂν εἴη οὗτος ὁ καιρός, ἢ ὁ τῆς ἐκβάσεως τῶν ἐμῶν λόγων, καθ' ὃν τὰ τέκνα τὰ ὑμέτερα τοὺς ἀλλογενεῖς καὶ ἀλλοτρίους τοῦ ὑμετέρου γένους ὄψεται δοξάζοντας καὶ ἁγιάζοντας τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα; τότε γὰρ αὐτὰ τὰ ὑμέτερα τέκνα καταισχυνθήσεται καὶ ἐντραπήσεται ὁρῶντα τὸ παράδοξον τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν μεταβολῆς, καὶ ὡς ἀλλόφυλοί τινες ἄνδρες τὸν ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰακὼβ καὶ τὸν θεὸν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἁγιάσουσι, καὶ ὡς φόβον ἀναλήψονται τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ οἱ τῷ μακρῷ αἰῶνι πλανηθέντες, καὶ ὡς συνήσουσιν αὐτοὶ ἐκεῖνοι οἱ πάλαι ἐν πλάνῃ ἐξετασθέντες, καὶ ὡς οἱ καταγογγύζοντες καὶ κατηγοροῦντες τῆς προνοίας μαθήσονται ὑπακούειν καὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς παραγγέλμασι πείθεσθαι. αἵ τε γλῶσσαι αἱ ψελλίζουσαι καὶ μηδὲν «τρανὸν» μηδὲ ἀληθὲς λαλεῖν δυνάμεναι εἰς τὸ κατὰ φύσιν ἐλθοῦσαι τρανώτατα λαλήσουσι μαθοῦσαι λαλεῖν εἰρήνης λόγους, ὡς ἂν παντὸς ἀπηλλαγμέναι πολέμου καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν εἰρήνην σπεισάμεναι. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· οὐ νῦν αἰσχυνθήσεται Ἰακώβ, οὐδὲ νῦν τὸ πρόσωπον μεταβαλεῖ καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς, ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἡρμήνευσεν· οὐ νῦν αἰσχυνθήσεται Ἰακώβ, οὐδὲ νῦν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ διατραπήσεται, ἀλλ' ὅταν ἴδῃ τὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ ἔργα χειρῶν μου ἐν μέσῳ αὐτοῦ ἁγιάζοντας τὸ ὄνομά μου καὶ ἁγιάσουσι τὸν ἅγιον Ἰακὼβ καὶ τὸν θεὸν Ἰσραὴλ κραταιώσουσι καὶ γνώσονται οἱ πεπλανημένοι τῷ πνεύματι σύνεσιν καὶ γογγυσταὶ μαθήσονται παιδείαν. ἐνταῦθα τὸ τέλος περιγράφεται τῆς προφητείας τῆς κατὰ «τοῦ στεφάνου τῆς ὕβρεως» ἀρξαμένης μετὰ τὰ κατὰ «τοῦ δράκοντος καὶ τοῦ ὄφεως τοῦ σκολιοῦ» ἠπειλημένα. τὰ δὲ ἐπιφερόμενα τοῖς προτέροις ἀπὸ ἑτέρας ἀρχῆς ἀναγνωστέον. 1.98 Συντελέσας ὁ λόγος τὰ ἠπειλημένα κατὰ «τοῦ στεφάνου τῆς ὕβρεως» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς ἐπενηνεγμένα πάντα, ἐφ' ἑτέραν ὑπόθεσιν μεταβαίνει θεσπίζων, ὥς φασιν Ἑβραίων παῖδες τὰ κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους Ἰερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου πεπραγμένα, καθ' οὓς ἑλόντων Βαβυλωνίων τὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ τὸν λαὸν αἰχμάλωτον ἀπαγαγόντων οἱ περιλειφθέντες ἐν τῇ