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after a little; “And behold, a man of God came from Judah by the word of the Lord to Bethel, and Jeroboam was standing upon his altar to burn incense. And he cried against the altar by the word of the Lord and said: O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: Behold, a son is born to the house of David, Josiah is his name, and he will sacrifice upon you the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and he will burn the bones of men upon you. And he gave a sign on that day, saying: This is the sign that the Lord has spoken, saying: Behold, the altar will be torn apart, and the fat that is on it will be poured out.” and after a little it is shown that the altar was also torn apart and the fat was poured out from the altar 6.11.22 according to the sign that the man gave by the word of the Lord. And in Isaiah, who lived long before the captivity in Babylon, after which captivity Cyrus the king of the Persians later came, who assisted in the building of the temple which took place in the time of Ezra, these things are prophesied by name concerning Cyrus; “Thus says the Lord God to my anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, that nations should hearken before him, and I will break the strength of kings, I will open doors before him, and cities shall not be shut. I will go before you and level mountains, I will break in pieces doors of bronze and crush bars of iron; and I will give you dark, hidden, unseen treasures I will open to you, that you may know that I am the Lord God, who calls you by your name, the God of Israel. For the sake of my servant Jacob and Israel my6.11.23 chosen one I will call you by my name and will receive you.” For it has also been clearly shown from these things that on account of the people whom Cyrus benefited, God granted him, though he did not know the religion of the Hebrews, to rule over many nations. And it is possible to learn these things also from the Greeks who have written 6.11.24 about the prophesied Cyrus. Moreover, also in Daniel, when the Babylonians were then ruling, the future kingdoms after him are shown to Nebuchadnezzar. And they are shown through the image, with the rule of the Babylonians being called of gold, that of the Persians of silver, that of the Macedonians of bronze, 6.11.25 and that of the Romans of iron. And again in the same prophet, the things concerning Darius and Alexander and the four successors of Alexander the king of the Macedonians and Ptolemy the ruler of Egypt, who was called Lagos, are prophesied thus; “And behold, a he-goat came from the southwest over the face of the whole earth. And the he-goat had a horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had the horns, which I had seen standing before the Ubal, and he ran at him with the force of his strength. And I saw him reach the ram, and he was enraged at him and struck the ram and broke both of his horns, and the ram had no strength to stand before him, and he cast him to the ground and trampled him, and there was no one to rescue the ram from his hand. And the he-goat was greatly magnified. And when he had grown strong, his great horn was broken, and four other horns came up under it toward the four winds of heaven, and out of one of them came forth one strong horn, and it grew exceedingly 6.11.26 great toward the south and the west.” But what need is there to speak of the prophecies about Christ, such as the place of his birth, Bethlehem, and the place of his upbringing, Nazareth, and his withdrawal to Egypt and the wonders which he performed, and in what way he was betrayed by Judas, who was called to the apostolate? For all 6.11.27 these things are signs of the foreknowledge of God. But also the Savior himself: “When,” he says, “you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that its desolation has drawn near.” For he foretold what later came to pass, the end of the destruction of Jerusalem. 6.11.28 Since it has been demonstrated by us, then, concerning God being a foreknower not inopportunely, so that we may relate how the stars become signs, it must be understood that the stars have been so ordered to move, with those called wanderers moving contrary to the

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μετ' ὀλίγα· «Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐξ Ἰούδα παρεγένετο ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου ἐν Βαιθήλ, καὶ Ἱεροβοὰμ εἱστήκει ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον αὐτοῦ ἐπιθῦσαι· καὶ ἐπεκάλεσεν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου καὶ εἶπε· Θυσιαστήριον, θυσιαστήριον, τάδε λέγει κύριος· Ἰδοὺ υἱὸς τίκτεται τῷ οἴκῳ ∆αβίδ, Ἰωσίας ὄνομα αὐτῷ, καὶ θύσει ἐπὶ σὲ τοὺς ἱερεῖς τῶν ὑψηλῶν τῶν ἐπιθυόντων ἐπὶ σὲ καὶ ὀστᾶ ἀνθρώπων καύσει ἐπὶ σέ. καὶ ἔδωκεν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τέρας, λέγων· Τοῦτο τὸ τέρας ὃ ἐλάλησε κύριος λέγων· Ἰδοὺ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ῥήγνυται καὶ ἐκχυθήσεται ἡ πιότης ἡ ἐπ' αὐτῷ.» καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα δηλοῦται ὅτι καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἐρράγη καὶ ἐξεχύθη ἡ πιότης ἀπὸ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου 6.11.22 κατὰ τὸ τέρας ὃ ἔδωκεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου. καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ, γενομένῳ πρὸ πολλοῦ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῆς εἰς Βαβυλῶνα, μεθ' ἣν αἰχμαλωσίαν ὕστερόν ποτε γίνεται Κῦρος ὁ Περσῶν βασιλεὺς συνεργήσας τῇ οἰκοδομῇ τοῦ ναοῦ, γενομένῃ κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους Ἔσδρα, ταῦτα περὶ Κύρου ὀνομαστὶ προφητεύεται· «Οὕτω λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς τῷ χριστῷ μου Κύρῳ, οὗ ἐκράτησα τῆς δεξιᾶς αὐτοῦ, ἐπακοῦσαι ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ ἔθνη, καὶ ἰσχὺν βασιλέων διαρρήξω, ἀνοίξω ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ θύρας καὶ πόλεις οὐ συγκλεισθήσονται. ἐγὼ ἔμπροσθέν σου πορεύσομαι καὶ ὄρη ὁμαλιῶ, θύρας χαλκᾶς συντρίψω καὶ μοχλοὺς σιδηροῦς συνθλάσω· καὶ δώσω σοι θησαυροὺς σκοτεινούς, ἀποκρύφους, ἀοράτους ἀνοίξω σοι, ἵνα γνῷς ὅτι ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός, ὁ καλῶν τὸ ὄνομά σου, θεὸς Ἰσραήλ. ἕνεκεν τοῦ παιδός μου Ἰακὼβ καὶ Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ6.11.23 ἐκλεκτοῦ μου ἐγὼ καλέσω σε τῷ ὀνόματί μου καὶ προσδέξομαί σε.» σαφῶς γὰρ καὶ ἐκ τούτων δεδήλωται ὅτι διὰ τὸν λαὸν ὃν εὐηργέτησεν ὁ Κῦρος, ὁ θεὸς μὴ γινώσκοντι αὐτῷ τὴν καθ' Ἑβραίους θεοσέβειαν ἐδωρήσατο ἐθνῶν πλειόνων ἄρξαι. καὶ ἔστι ταῦτα μαθεῖν καὶ ἀπὸ Ἑλλήνων τῶν ἀναγραψάν6.11.24 των τὰ περὶ τὸν προφητευθέντα Κῦρον. ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ ∆ανιήλ, Βαβυλωνίων βασιλευόντων τότε, τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ δείκνυνται αἱ ἐσόμεναι βασι λεῖαι μετ' αὐτόν. δείκνυνται δὲ διὰ τῆς εἰκόνος, χρυσίου μὲν τῆς Βαβυλωνίων ἀρχῆς ὀνομαζομένης, ἀργυρίου δὲ τῆς Περσῶν, χαλκοῦ δὲ τῆς Μακεδόνων, 6.11.25 σιδήρου δὲ τῆς Ῥωμαίων. καὶ πάλιν ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ προφήτῃ τὰ περὶ ∆αρεῖον καὶ Ἀλέξανδρον καὶ τοὺς τέσσαρας διαδόχους Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Μακεδόνων βασιλέως καὶ Πτολεμαῖον τὸν τῆς Αἰγύπτου ἄρξαντα, τὸν ἐπικαλούμενον Λαγών, οὕτως προφητεύεται· «Καὶ ἰδοὺ τράγος αἰγῶν ἤρχετο ἀπὸ λιβὸς ἐπὶ πρόσωπον πάσης τῆς γῆς. καὶ τῷ τράγῳ κέρας ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν. καὶ ἦλθεν ἕως τοῦ κριοῦ τοῦ τὰ κέρατα ἔχοντος, οὗ εἶδον ἑστῶτος ἐνώπιον τοῦ Οὐβάλ, καὶ ἔδραμε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐνώπιον τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ. καὶ εἶδον αὐτὸν φθάνοντα ἕως τοῦ κριοῦ καὶ ἐξηγριώθη πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ ἔπαισε τὸν κριὸν καὶ συνέτριψεν ἀμφότερα τὰ κέρατα αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἰσχὺς τῷ κριῷ στῆναι ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔρριψεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ συνεπάτησεν αὐτὸν καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἐξαιρούμενος τὸν κριὸν ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτοῦ. καὶ ὁ τράγος τῶν αἰγῶν ἐμεγαλύνθη ἕως σφόδρα. καὶ ἐν τῷ ἰσχῦσαι αὐτὸν συνετρίβη τὸ κέρας αὐτοῦ τὸ μέγα, καὶ ἀνέβη ἕτερα κέρατα ὑποκάτω αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὺς τέσσαρας ἀνέμους τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἐξῆλθε κέρας ἓν ἰσχυρὸν καὶ ἐμεγαλύνθη περισ6.11.26 σῶς πρὸς τὸν νότον καὶ τὴν δύσιν.» τί δὲ δεῖ λέγειν τὰς περὶ Χριστοῦ προφητείας, οἷον τόπον γενέσεως αὐτοῦ Βηθλεὲμ καὶ τόπον ἀνατροφῆς αὐτοῦ Ναζαρᾶ καὶ τὴν εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἀναχώρησιν καὶ τεράστια ἃ ἐποίησε, καὶ τίνα τρόπον ὑπὸ Ἰούδα τοῦ εἰς ἀποστολὴν κεκλημένου προεδόθη; πάντα γὰρ 6.11.27 ταῦτα σημεῖά ἐστι τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ προγνώσεως. ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ σωτήρ· «Ὅταν», φησίν, «ἴδητε κυκλουμένην ὑπὸ στρατοπέδων τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ, τότε γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἤγγικεν ἡ ἐρήμωσις αὐτῆς.» προεῖπε γὰρ τὸ ὕστερον συμβεβηκὸς τὸ τέλος τῆς κατασκαφῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ. 6.11.28 Ἀποδεδειγμένου τοίνυν ἡμῖν περὶ τοῦ προγνώστην εἶναι τὸν θεὸν οὐκ ἀκαίρως, ἵνα διηγησώμεθα πῶς οἱ ἀστέρες γίνονται εἰς σημεῖα, νοητέον τοὺς ἀστέρας οὕτως τετάχθαι κινεῖσθαι, ἐναντιοφορούντων τῶν καλουμένων πλανωμένων τοῖς