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131

of the renowned, or about whom it was said, "A Child is born to us, a Son is also given to us"? That one, the Child, whom the Magi worshipped; that one, who went down into Egypt and returned again to the land of Israel. Since there are many conceptions of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, one of the things understood concerning him is also the Child, who will enroll those who come through repentance to the knowledge of God. 10.246 And it shall be in that day, the remnant of Israel will no longer be added, and the saved of Jacob will no longer trust in those who wronged them, but they will trust in God, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. And the remnant of Jacob shall be upon a mighty God. Clearly these things have reference to those who turn away from evil work and transfer their own hope to the living God. But we who sin are added to the enemies and we trust in those who wrong us. A certain evil army of demons goes about, subverting our souls through the enticements of pleasure. Being added to these, like foolish children to kidnappers, who often, having shown some childish toys, have deceived the children, and having made them far from their fathers' eyes, through a little pleasure have prepared a bitter slavery for them. Therefore, those too are added to the wrongdoers; and we, paying attention to the enticement of pleasure, distance ourselves from God and submit ourselves to the heavy tyranny of the inexorable demon; who, since he is condemned to the eternal fire, strives to have many condemned with him. Concerning those who repent, therefore, he says that the remnant and the saved will no longer be added, nor shall they hope in those who have wronged them, but they will trust in God the Holy One of Israel in truth. Blessed is the one who has withdrawn himself from every hope of the things in this world and has God as his only hope; For just as a man is cursed who has his hope in man, so blessed is he who is supported by the Lord. Do not, however, pass over the addition lightly; For they will be (he says) trusting in God, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. For hope in God does not admit of ambivalence, nor does the Lord deign to provide his full help to one who at one time has hoped in riches and human glory and worldly power, and at another time puts him forward as his hope; but one must truly rest upon the help from God. And the remnant of Jacob (he says) shall be upon a mighty God. Clearly these things have reference to what was named by the Apostle, "a remnant according to the election of grace," as the following shows. 10.247 And if the people of Israel become as the sand of the sea, their remnant will be saved. For finishing the word and cutting it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a shortened word in the whole world. Having transposed a few words, the Apostle used this saying in the Epistle to the Romans. But if anyone seeks the reason for which the Apostle omitted some things and changed others, let him know this, that, being a Hebrew, he was not a slave to the editions which we use; but having interpreted the saying as it appeared to him, thus he published it. For indeed the others also appear to have rather agreed with the apostolic account. However, the meaning of the saying is as follows: It was said above that a child will also enroll those who are saved from sin. Here let no one be surprised (he says) if so great a number of Israel will be reduced to a few. Do not pay attention to the multitude of those called God-fearing; since for many it is the name of Christ, but for a few the testimony of their works confirms the appellation. If the people of Israel become as the sand of the sea, their remnant will be saved. It has been said concerning the former people, that salvation is not in the multitude, but in the remnant, according to election

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εὐδοκίμων, ἢ περὶ οὗ ἐλέχθη, ὅτι Παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, Υἱὸς καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν; Ἐκεῖνο, τὸ Παιδίον, ὃ οἱ Μάγοι προσεκύνησαν· ἐκεῖνο, ὃ κατῆλθεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ ἐπανῆλθε πάλιν εἰς τὴν γῆν Ἰσραήλ. Πολλῶν οὖν ἐπινοιῶν οὐσῶν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ Σωτῆρος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἕν ἐστι τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν νοουμένων, καὶ τὸ Παιδίον, ὃ γράψει τοὺς προσερχομένους διὰ τῆς με τανοίας τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιγνώσει. 10.246 Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, οὐκέτι προστεθήσε ται τὸ καταλειφθὲν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ οἱ σωθέντες τοῦ Ἰακὼβ οὐκέτι μὴ πεποιθότες ὦσιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀδικήσαντας αὐτοὺς, ἀλλ' ἔσονται πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, τὸν Ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. Καὶ ἔσται τὸ καταλειφθὲν τοῦ Ἰακὼβ ἐπὶ Θεὸν ἰσχύοντα. Σαφῶς ταῦτα ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀφισταμένους τῆς πονηρᾶς ἐργασίας καὶ μετατιθέντας ἐπὶ Θεὸν ζῶντα τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἐλπίδα, τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχει. Προστιθέμεθα δὲ οἱ ἁμαρ τάνοντες τοῖς πολεμίοις καὶ πεποίθαμεν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀδι κοῦσιν ἡμᾶς. Πονηρός τις περιέρχεται δαιμόνων στρατὸς, διὰ τῶν τῆς ἡδονῆς δελεασμάτων τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν κατα στρεφόμενος. Τούτοις προστιθέντες, ὥσπερ παῖδες ἀνόητοι τοῖς ἀνδραποδισταῖς, οἳ πολλάκις παίγνιά τινα παιδικὰ προδείξαντες ἐξηπάτησαν τοὺς παῖδας, καὶ πόῤῥω ποιή σαντες τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τῶν πατρικῶν, διὰ τῆς ἐν ὀλίγῳ τέρ ψεως πικρὰν αὐτοῖς κατεσκεύασαν δουλείαν. Προστιθέντες οὖν κἀκεῖνοι τοῖς ἀδικοῦσι· καὶ ἡμεῖς, τῷ δελεάσματι τῆς ἡδονῆς προσέχοντες, μακρύνομεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ Θεοῦ καὶ τῇ βαρείᾳ τυραννίδι τοῦ ἀπαραιτήτου δαίμονος ἑαυτοὺς ὑποβάλλομεν· ὃς, ἐπειδὴ κατάκριτός ἐστι τῷ αἰωνίῳ πυρὶ, πολλοὺς φιλονεικεῖ ἔχειν τοὺς συγκαταδικαζομένους αὐτῷ. Περὶ οὖν τῶν μετανοούντων φησὶν, ὅτι οὐκέτι προστεθή σονται οἱ καταλειφθέντες καὶ οἱ σωθέντες, οὐδὲ μὴ ἐπελ πίσωσιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀδικήσαντας, ἀλλ' ἔσονται πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν τὸν Ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. Μακάριος, ὁ πάσης ἐλπίδος τῶν κατὰ τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον ἑαυτὸν ἀποστή σας καὶ μόνην ἔχων ἑαυτοῦ ἐλπίδα τὸν Θεόν· Ὡς γὰρ Ἐπικατάρατος ἄνθρωπος, ὃς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχει ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον, οὕτως εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐπιστηριζόμενος τῷ Κυρίῳ. Μὴ μέν τοι ἀργῶς παραδράμῃς τὴν προσθήκην· Ἔσονται γὰρ (φησὶ) πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, τὸν Ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπιδέχεται ἐπαμφοτερισμὸν ἡ εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπὶς, οὐδὲ καταδέχεται ὁ Κύριος ὁλόκληρον τὴν παρ' ἑαυτοῦ παρέχειν βοήθειαν τῷ ποτὲ μὲν ἐπὶ χρήμασιν ἠλπικότι καὶ δόξῃ ἀνθρωπίνῃ καὶ δυνάμει τῇ κατὰ κόσμον, ποτὲ δὲ αὐτὸν ὡς ἐλπίδα ἑαυτοῦ προβαλλομένῳ· ἀλλὰ δεῖ ἀληθινῶς ἐπανα παύεσθαι τῇ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βοηθείᾳ. Καὶ ἔσται (φησὶ) τὸ καταλειφθὲν τοῦ Ἰακὼβ ἐπὶ Θεὸν ἰσχύοντα. Σαφῶς ταῦτα ἐπὶ τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ὠνομασμένον Λεῖμμα κατ' ἐκλο γὴν χάριτος τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχει, ὡς δηλοῖ τὰ ἐφεξῆς. 10.247 Καὶ ἐὰν γένηται ὁ λαὸς Ἰσραὴλ ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης, τὸ κατάλειμμα αὐτῶν σωθήσεται. Λόγον γὰρ συντελῶν καὶ συντέμνων ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, ὅτι λόγον συντετμη μένον ποιήσει Κύριος, ἐν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ ὅλῃ. Ὀλίγας λέξεις μετατιθεὶς, τούτῳ τῷ ῥητῷ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους Ἐπιστολῇ ὁ Ἀπόστολος συνεχρήσατο. Ἐὰδέ τις ἐπιζητῇ τὴν αἰτίαν, δι' ἣν τὰ μὲν παρῆκε, τὰ δὲ ἐνήλλαξεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ἐκεῖνο γινωσκέτω, ὅτι, Ἑβραῖος ὤν, οὐκ ἐδούλευσε ταῖς ἐκδόσεσιν, αἷς ἡμεῖς συγκεχρή μεθα· ἀλλ' ἑρμηνεύσας τὸ ῥητὸν, ὡς αὐτῷ παρέστη, οὕτως ἐκδέδωκε. Καὶ γὰρ φαίνονται καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι μᾶλλον συνδραμόντες τῇ ἀποστολικῇ διηγήσει. Ἡ μέντοι διάνοια τοῦ ῥητοῦ τοιαύτη ἐστίν· Ἄνω εἴρηται, ὅτι καὶ παιδίον γράψει τοὺς διασωζομένους ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Ἐνταῦθα μηδεὶς θαυμαζέτω (φησὶν) εἰ εἰς ὀλίγους περιστήσεται ὁ τοσοῦτος ἀριθμὸς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Μὴ πρόσεχε τῷ πλήθει τῶν ὀνομαζομένων θεοσεβῶν· ἐπεὶ πολλοῖς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὀλίγοις δὲ ἡ τῶν ἔργων μαρτυρία βεβαιοῖ τὴν προσηγορίαν. Ἐὰν γένηται ὁ λαὸς Ἰσραὴλ ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης, τὸ κατάλειμμα αὐτῶν σωθήσεται. Εἴρηται μὲν περὶ τοῦ προτέρου λαοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τῷ πλήθει ἐστὶν ἡ σωτηρία, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ λείμματι, τῷ κατ' ἐκλογὴν