138

they will be surrounded as by a rampart and will be defeated, and the one who flees will be caught, thus says the Lord, Symmachus translated it thus: his rock, clearly that of the Assyrian, will pass away in fear and his rulers will be defeated, says the Lord. And by "rock" he means the Assyrians, the formerly solid and firm and strong part of his kingdom, which the Word says will pass away, alluding to the destruction of the Assyrian dynasty. Then it says: Blessed is he who has seed in Zion and kinsmen in Jerusalem. And through this he urges those who rushed to Egypt not to depart from the place where the temple of God was; but he also calls blessed those who will have seed in Zion and kinsmen in Jerusalem, because it is about to be renewed and to receive again its own glory, or even a better one than it had before. For this reason it was said in other places: “and the latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former.” But one must know that none of the interpreters has said “blessed.” Instead of: who has seed in Zion and kinsmen in Jerusalem, Symmachus says: the Lord has fire in Zion and a furnace in Jerusalem, and Aquila and Theodotion have said: he has a light in Zion and a furnace for him in Jerusalem, the Word teaching that the God and Lord of all, who threatened the aforesaid things against the Assyrian, has fire in Zion and a furnace in Jerusalem, so that whenever he wishes, with this fire and furnace he may burn up and roast those who need burning. Therefore it is not fitting to despise the city of God. These things might also reasonably be said about the church, since it is “the glorious city of God,” about which it is said: “Glorious things have been spoken of you, O city of God,” and: “The streams of the river make glad the city of God.” For in it too there is a fire and a furnace for burning up and consuming the “wood, hay, and straw” in each soul. But if it is said: he has a light in Zion and a furnace for him in Jerusalem, we shall choose that through the light are meant those of the gathered who are worthy of the light, and through the need of burning and cleansing, the phrase: a furnace in Jerusalem. 2.2 The Septuagint version connects these things to the thought located above; for having said before: Thus says the Lord, Blessed is he who has seed in Zion and kinsmen in Jerusalem, it consequently added: for behold, a righteous king shall reign, and rulers shall rule with judgment; for since these things are about to happen in Jerusalem, it reasonably calls blessed those who are about to enjoy them in it, but according to the other interpreters, since they connected “says the Lord” with the preceding thought, they presented the current text from another distinct beginning. Therefore according to Symmachus it is said: behold, a king will reign for righteousness, and according to Aquila: behold, a king will reign for a righteous one, and similarly according to Theodotion. It is likely, then, that the children of the Jews will refer these things to Zerubbabel, who came from the tribe of Judah and from the succession of David, and who led the return from Babylon of those who returned from captivity in the times of Cyrus the king of the Persians. And they would say that the rulers will rule with judgment are those who were with Zerubbabel, namely Joshua, the son of Jozadak, the high priest, and as many others as were known in their time. But what is brought forth next, I do not think they can save, I mean: and a glorious river will appear in Zion, flowing in a thirsty land and the things connected to these, which one could not show to have reached their fulfillment in the times of Zerubbabel. Therefore, as if the prophecy concerning those who had gone down to Egypt in the times of Jeremiah had been fulfilled, the Word, taking up another subject from another beginning, prophesies about the appearance of the Christ of God; for he alone appeared among men as a righteous king. And his apostles also with judgment

138

περιληφθήσονται ὡς χάρακι καὶ ἡττηθήσονται, ὁ δὲ φεύγων ἁλώσεται, τάδε λέγει κύριος, ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἐξέδωκε· πέτρα αὐτοῦ, δῆλον δ' ὅτι τοῦ Ἀσσυρίου, φοβερὰ παρελεύσεται καὶ ἡττηθήσονται οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτοῦ φησι κύριος. πέτραν δὲ λέγει τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους, τὸ πάλαι στερρὸν καὶ βέβαιον καὶ ἰσχυρὸν τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ, ὅπερ παρελεύσεται ὁ λόγος φησὶ τὴν καθαίρεσιν αἰνιττόμενος τῆς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων δυναστείας. εἶτά φησι· Μακάριος ὃς ἔχει ἐν Σιὼν σπέρμα καὶ οἰκείους ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ. καὶ διὰ τούτου δὲ προτρέπει τοὺς εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον ὁρμήσαντας μὴ ἀναχωρεῖν τοῦ τόπου, ἔνθα ἦν ὁ νεὼς τοῦ θεοῦ· ἀλλὰ καὶ μακαρίζει τοὺς ἕξοντας ἐν Σιὼν σπέρμα καὶ ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ οἰκείους διὰ τὸ μέλλειν αὐτὴν ἀνανεοῦσθαι καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν αὖθις ἀναλαμβάνειν δόξαν ἢ καὶ κρείττονα ἧς εἶχε πρότερον. διὸ ἐλέγετο ἐν ἑτέροις· «καὶ ἔσται ἡ δόξα τοῦ οἴκου τούτου ἡ ἐσχάτη ὑπὲρ τὴν πρώτην». εἰδέναι δὲ χρή, ὅτι τὸ μὲν μακάριος οὐδεὶς τῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν εἴρηκεν. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· ὃς ἔχει ἐν Σιὼν σπέρμα καὶ οἰκείους ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ, ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχός φησιν· κύριος ἔχει πῦρ ἐν Σιὼν καὶ κλίβανον ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ, ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας καὶ Θεοδοτίων φῶς αὐτῷ ἐν Σιὼν καὶ κλίβανος αὐτῷ ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ εἰρήκασι, διδάσκοντος τοῦ λόγου ὅτι ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς καὶ κύριος ὁ κατὰ τοῦ Ἀσσυρίου ἀπειλήσας τὰ λελεγμένα ἔχει πῦρ ἐν Σιὼν καὶ κλίβανον ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἵν' ὅτε βούλεται τῷ πυρὶ τούτῳ καὶ τῷ κλιβάνῳ κατακαύσῃ καὶ κατοπτήσῃ τοὺς καύσεως δεομένους. διὸ οὐ προσήκει καταφρονεῖν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ πόλεως. ταῦτα δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας εἰκότως ἂν ῥηθείη, ἐπειδήπερ «ἡ πόλις τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ δεδοξασμένη» αὐτή ἐστι, περὶ ἧς εἴρηται· «δεδοξασμένα ἐλαλήθη περὶ σοῦ, ἡ πόλις τοῦ θεοῦ», καί· «τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὰ ὁρμήματα εὐφραίνουσι τὴν πόλιν τοῦ θεοῦ». ἔστι γὰρ καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ πῦρ καὶ κλίβανος εἰς τὸ καταφλέγειν καὶ ἀναλίσκειν τὰ ἐν ἑκάστῃ ψυχῇ «ξύλα καὶ χόρτον καὶ καλάμην». ἐὰν δὲ λέγηται· φῶς αὐτῷ ἐν Σιὼν καὶ κλίβανος αὐτῷ ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ, διὰ μὲν τοῦ φωτὸς ἀξίους τῶν συναγομένων τὸ φῶς εἰρῆσθαι ἐκλεξόμεθα, διὰ δὲ τῆς καύσεως καὶ καθάρσεως χρείαν ἔχοντας τό· κλίβανος ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ. 2.2 Ἡ μὲν τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα ἔκδοσις συνάπτει ταῦτα τῇ ἀνωτέρω κειμένῃ διανοίᾳ· προειποῦσα γάρ· Τάδε λέγει κύριος Μακάριος ὃς ἔχει ἐν Σιὼν σπέρμα καὶ οἰκείους ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἀκολούθως ἐπήγαγε τό· ἰδοὺ γὰρ βασιλεὺς δίκαιος βασιλεύσει, καὶ ἄρχοντες μετὰ κρίσεως ἄρξουσιν· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ταῦτα μέλλει γίγνεσθαι ἐν τῇ Ἰερουσαλήμ, εἰκότως μακαρίζει τοὺς μέλλοντας τούτων ἐν αὐτῇ ἀπολαύειν, κατὰ δὲ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς ἐπειδὴ τὸ φησὶ κύριος τῇ ἀνωτέρῳ διανοίᾳ συνῆψαν τὰ προκείμενα ἐξ ἑτέρας ἀρχῆς ἰδιαζούσης προσηνέγκαντο. διὸ κατὰ μὲν τὸν Σύμμαχον εἴρηται· ἰδοὺ εἰς δικαιοσύνην βασιλεύσει βασιλεύς, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· ἰδοὺ εἰς δίκαιον βασιλεύσει βασιλεύς, καὶ κατὰ τὸν Θεοδοτίωνα ὁμοίως. εἰκὸς μὲν οὖν ταῦτα Ἰουδαίων παῖδας ἀνοίσειν ἐπὶ τὸν Ζοροβάβελ, ἐκ φυλῆς μὲν Ἰούδα γενόμενον καὶ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ∆αυὶδ διαδοχῆς, ἡγησάμενον δὲ τῆς ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπανόδου τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐπιστρεψάντων κατὰ τοὺς Κύρου τοῦ Περσῶν βασιλέως χρόνους. καὶ ἄρχοντας δὲ μετὰ κρίσεως ἄρξειν εἴποιεν ἂν τοὺς ἅμα τῷ Ζοροβάβελ εἶναι Ἰησοῦν, δηλαδὴ τὸν τοῦ Ἰωσεδὲκ τὸν ἱερέα τὸν μέγαν καὶ ὅσοι ἄλλοι κατὰ τούτους ἐγνωρίζοντο. τὰ δ' ἑξῆς ἐπιφερόμενα οὐχ ἡγοῦμαι δύνασθαι αὐτοὺς ἀποσώσειν, λέγω δὲ τό· καὶ φανήσεται ἐν Σιὼν ὡς ποταμὸς φερόμενος ἔνδοξος ἐν γῇ διψώσῃ καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἐπισυνημμένα, ἃ οὐκ ἄν τις ἔχοι τέλους τυχόντα τοὺς χρόνους ἀποδεῖξαι τοῦ Ζοροβάβελ. διόπερ ὡσανεὶ πληρωθείσης τῆς προφητείας τῆς περὶ τῶν εἰς Αἴγυπτον κατεληλυθότων ἐπὶ τῶν Ἰερεμίου χρόνων ἑτέρας ὑποθέσεως ἁπτόμενος ὁ λόγος ἐξ ἑτέρας ἀρχῆς θεσπίζει τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐπιφανείας τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ· μόνος γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐν ἀνθρώποις δίκαιος ἀνεφάνη βασιλεύς. καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι δὲ αὐτοῦ μετὰ κρίσεως