136
calamities. And the Lord himself exhorted them to do this; for he says, "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation has come near," and again, "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let the one on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house." Therefore, having foreknown these things, they departed and were delivered from the calamities of the siege, with the Savior himself leading them and guiding them to the gentiles and gathering the church from the gentiles. Therefore, having learned these things, let us also flee from unbelief, and let us remain in faith and keep the divine commandments and travel the unerring path, having the Lord Jesus as the guide of our way, with whom to the Father be glory with the all-holy Spirit, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 17 VOLUME 17 13Behold, my servant shall understand, and shall be exalted and glorified, and shall be raised up exceedingly. He now foretells the Lord's passion more accurately. But in order he showed all human things: wisdom, wonder-working, the reverence from all. For the saying, "My servant shall understand," is like that evangelical saying, "And Jesus increased in stature and wisdom," and, "He shall be exalted and glorified, and shall be raised up exceedingly," signifies the astonishment of the beholders at the miracles; for at one time they wished to make him a king, according to the gospel story, and at another they cried out, "Hosanna to the Son of David, hosanna in the highest." But after the miracles, the passion. For this reason, the prophet also arranged the prophecy thus and says: 14As many shall be astonished at you, so shall your appearance be without honor from men, and your glory from the sons of men. He was nailed to a cross, they placed thorns on his head, striking him with a reed they said, "Prophesy to us, Christ, who is it that struck you?" Then after that dishonor, he foretells the astonishment of the world: 15So shall many nations wonder at him. For not all believed, but those who did believe |167 b| were exceedingly fond of the mystery of piety. And kings shall shut their mouths. Those who formerly persecuted and dared to blaspheme, clearly seeing his power, will hold their tongue from reviling. Then more clearly: For they to whom it was not announced concerning him shall see, and they who have not heard shall understand. For those who did not receive the prophetic predictions but served idols will see through the preachers of truth the power of him who is preached, and will know his power. Having thus prophesied these things about the gentiles, he also foretells the unbelief of the Jews: 531Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? The gentiles, he says, having heard nothing beforehand about him from us the prophets, eagerly received the preaching, but these, though they had heard from us many times and had experience of his power, remained unbelieving and contradicting. 2We announced before him, that is, this people who now contradicts. And what did you announce? As a child, as a root in thirsty ground. But according to Aquila: "as a root from impassable ground." We foretold, he says, the birth from a virgin; for he called her impassable and thirsty, as having in no way received the trace of a man or marital rain. And this we also announced, that he has no form nor glory, that is, at the time of the passion; for great was the dishonor and the insolence. And we saw him, and he had no form nor beauty, but his appearance was 3dishonored, his appearance failing beyond the sons of men. The working of the all-holy Spirit is very great; for it thus showed beforehand to the holy prophets the things that happened after many generations, so that they do not say, "we heard," but "we saw." Then he teaches the kinds of dishonor and ignominy: A man in stripes. He showed the nature that received the passion; for the body was nailed to the cross, but the divinity appropriated the passion. And knowing how to bear weakness. And this is said according to the human; for to endure and to be philosophic is not of the divine
136
συμφοράς. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ αὐτοῖς ὁ κύριος τοῦτο δρᾶσαι παρεκελεύσ ατο · «Ὅταν» γάρ φησιν «ἴδητε κυκλουμένην ὑπὸ στρατοπέδων τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ, γινώσκετε ὅτι ἤγγικεν ἡ ἐρήμωσις αὐτῆς», καὶ πάλιν· «Τότε οἱ ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ φευγέτωσαν εἰς τὰ ὄρη, ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος μὴ καταβάτω ἆραί τι ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῦ. Ταῦτα τοίνυν προεγνωκότες ἀνεχώρησαν καὶ τῶν τῆς πολιορκίας ἀπηλλάγησαν συμφορῶν, αὐτοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡγουμένου καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἔθνη ποδηγοῦντος καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίαν συνάγοντος. Ταῦτα τοίνυν καὶ ἡμεῖς μεμαθηκότες φύγ ωμεν τὴν ἀπιστίαν, τῇ δὲ πίστει προσμείνωμεν καὶ τὰς θείας φυλάξωμεν ἐντολὰς καὶ τὴν ἀπλανῆ πορείαν ὁδεύσωμεν ἡγεμόνα τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸν κύριον ἔχοντες Ἰησοῦν, μεθ' οὗ τῷ πατρὶ ἡ δόξα σὺν τῷ παναγίῳ πνεύματ ι νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 17 ΤΟΜΟΣ ΙΖʹ 13Ἰδοὺ ςυνήσει ὁ παῖς μου καὶ ὑψωθήσεται καὶ δοξασθήσεται καὶ μετεωρισθήσεται σφόδρα. Τὸ δεσποτικὸν λοιπὸν ἀκριβέστερον προλέγει πάθος. Κατὰ τάξιν δὲ ἅπαντα ἔδειξε τὰ ἀνθρώπινα· τὴν σοφίαν, τὴν θαυματουργίαν, τὸ παρὰ πάντων σέβας. Τὸ γάρ· Συνήσει ὁ παῖς μου, ἔοικε τῷ εὐαγγελικῷ ἐκείνῳ ῥητῷ· «Ἰησοῦς δὲ προέκοπτεν ἡλικίᾳ καὶ σοφίᾳ», τὸ δέ· Ὑψωθήσεται καὶ δοξασθήσεται καὶ μετεωρισθήσεται σφόδρα, σημαίνει τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς θαύμασιν ἔκ στασιν τῶν θεωμένων· ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν καὶ βασιλέα ἠβουλήθη<σαν> ποιῆσαι κατὰ τὴν εὐαγγελ ικὴν ἱ στορίαν, ποτὲ δὲ ἐβόων· «Ὡσαννὰ τῷ υἱῷ ∆αυίδ, ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις.» Ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὰ θαύματα τὸ πάθος. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφήτης οὕτω καὶ τὴν πρόρρησιν ἔταξε καί φησιν· 14Ὃν τρόπον ἐκστήσονται πολλοὶ ἐπὶ σέ, οὕτως ἀδοξήσει ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων τὸ εἶδός σου καὶ ἡ δόξα σου ἀπὸ υἱῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Σταυρῷ προσηλώθη, ἀκάνθας αὐτοῦ τῇ κεφαλῇ περιέθεσαν, καλάμῳ τύπτοντες ἔλεγον· «Προφήτευσον ἡμῖν Χριστέ, τίς ἐστιν ὁ παίσας σε.» Εἶτα μετὰ τὴν ἀτιμίαν ἐκείνην τῆς οἰκουμένης προλέγει τὴν ἔκστασιν · 15Οὕτω θαυμάσονται ἔθνη πολλὰ ἐπ' αὐτῷ. Οὐ γὰρ πάντες ἐπίστευσαν, οἱ δὲ πεπιστευκότες |167 b| ὑπε ρηγάσθησαν τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον. Καὶ συνέξουσι βασιλεῖς τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν. Οἱ πάλαι διώκοντες καὶ βλασφη μεῖν τολμῶντες ἐναργῶς θεωροῦντες αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν ἀποστήσουσι τῆς λοιδορίας τὴν γλῶτταν. Εἶτα σαφέστερον· Ὅτι οἷς οὐκ ἀνηγγέλη περὶ αὐτοῦ ὄψονται, καὶ οἳ οὐκ ἀκηκόασι συνήσουσιν. Οἱ γὰρ τὰς προφητικὰς οὐ δεξάμενοι προρρήσεις ἀλλὰ τοῖς εἰδώλοις δουλεύοντες ὄψονται διὰ τῶν κηρύκων τῆς ἀληθείας τοῦ κηρυττομένου τὸ κράτος καὶ γνώσονται αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν. Οὕτω ταῦτα περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν προθεσπίσας καὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίων ἀπιστίαν προλέγει· 531Κύριε τίς ἐπίστευσε τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν; Καὶ ὁ βραχίων κυρίου τίνι ἀπεκαλύφθη; Τὰ ἔθνη φησὶ μηδὲν περὶ αὐτοῦ παρ' ἡμῶν τῶν προφητῶν προακούσαντα ἐδέξατο προθύμως τὸ κήρυγμα, οὗτοι δὲ καὶ ἀκηκοότες παρ' ἡμῶν πολλάκις καὶ πεῖραν αὐτοῦ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐσχηκότες ἐπέμειναν ἀπιστοῦντες καὶ ἀντιλέγοντες. 2Ἀνηγγείλαμεν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, τουτέστι τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου τοῦ νῦν ἀντιλέγοντος. Τί δαὶ ἀνηγγείλατε; Ὡς παιδίον, ὡς ῥίζα ἐν γῇ διψώσῃ. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· «ὡς ῥίζα ἀπὸ γῆς ἀβάτου.» Προείπαμέν φησι τὴν ἐκ παρθένου γέννησιν· αὐτὴν γὰρ ἄβατον καὶ διψῶσαν προσηγόρευσεν ὡς ἴχνος ἀνδρὸς καὶ γαμικὸν ὑετὸν οὐδαμῶς δεξαμένην. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἀνηγγείλαμεν ὡς οὐκ ἔστιν εἶδος αὐτῷ οὐδὲ δόξα, τουτέστι παρὰ τὸν τοῦ πάθους καιρόν· πολλὴ γὰρ ἦν ἡ ἀτιμία καὶ ἡ ὕβρις. Καὶ εἴδομεν αὐτόν, καὶ οὐκ εἶχεν εἶδος οὐδὲ κάλλος, ἀλλὰ τὸ εἶδος αὐτοῦ 3ἄτιμον, ἐκλεῖπον τὸ εἶδος αὐτοῦ παρὰ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Μεγίστη τοῦ παναγίου πνεύματος ἡ ἐνέργεια· τὰ γὰρ μετὰ πολλὰς γενόμενα γενεὰς οὕτω τοῖς ἁγίοις προφήταις προέδειξεν ὡς μὴ λέγειν ἐκείνους· ἠκούσαμεν, ἀλλ'· εἴδομεν. Εἶτα διδάσκει τῆς ἀτιμίας καὶ ἀδοξίας τὰ εἴδη· Ἄνθρωπος ἐν πληγῇ ὤν. Ἔδειξε τὴν φύσιν τὴν δεξαμένην τὸ πάθος· τὸ σῶμα γὰρ τῷ σταυρῷ προσηλώθη, ἡ δὲ θεότης ᾠκειοῦτο τὸ πάθος. Καὶ εἰδὼς φέρειν μαλακίαν. Καὶ τοῦτο κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον εἴρηται· τὸ γὰρ καρτερεῖν καὶ φιλοσοφεῖν οὐ θείας