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1Volume 51 5.1 Zach. XIII, 8-9: And it shall be in that day, says the Lord, that two parts shall be destroyed and shall fail, but the third shall be left in it; and I will bring the third part through fire and I will refine them as silver is refined, and I will test them as gold is tested; he shall call upon my name, and I will hear him, and I will say: This is my people, and he shall say: The Lord is my God. 5.2 A time is described, signified by the name of the day in which the two parts of the captive people will be destroyed and will fail, while the third is proved worthy by passing through fire, being refined like purified silver and tested like gold. The third part of the captives, thus purified and tested, calling upon the name of God, will have God himself hearing and saving them; to which it will harmoniously follow that those who have been blessed are called the people of him who heard them, God henceforth being revealed as theirs in the manner that he is the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. For of all other men he is God as creator, but preeminently of the patriarchs who served and revered him. 5.3 These things having been more generally considered, it is consequent to see what are the two parts that are destroyed and abandoned, and what is the third part that is improved and brought to salvation. 5.4 We must begin with the division into three of the captive Hebrew people. 5.5 Many of those who were resettled from their own land and fatherland to that of their conquerors by the law of captivity, having fallen completely away from piety, served idols, so as to serve .... and to worship Bel and the dragon, and in addition to these, the mute image of Nebuchadnezzar the tyrant, while others did not do this, but practiced Judaism unlawfully and as they ought not, such as were the sinning elders mad with adultery and those who agreed with them against the most chaste Susanna. 5.6 In addition to those who practiced idolatry and those who Judaized unlawfully, there was another order, excellent and God-fearing, in the captivity, not superstitious, not transgressing the law, but holy and pleasing to God, from which many men were recorded as holy, of whom are the prophet Zechariah who is being expounded, and Daniel and those with Azarias, Ezekiel the prophet and Joshua the high priest son of Jozadak and many others, laying claim to moral virtue and the knowledge of the truth and of God. 5.7 The two impious parts, the Hellenic and the Judaic, which deserved punishment for what they did, are destroyed and fail, so that through painful discipline they may cast off the harms that have accrued. When this has been done, by the judgment of divine providence the third, which was distinguished from the two parts, is sanctified and improved by the giver of good things, God the Word, being led through the fire that purifies and makes them "fervent in spirit," concerning which he who saves all says: "I came to cast fire upon the earth, and would that it were already kindled," and again: "Everyone will be salted with fire." 5.8 Concerning this also the great John, "than whom no one greater has arisen among those born of women," teaches concerning himself: "I came baptizing with water for repentance," but concerning the Savior of all: "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire," evidently sanctifying and purifying some through the Holy Spirit, and others through fire, or the same people in both the Holy Spirit and fire. 5.9 Those who have come through fire, being the third part of the captives that is improved, to whom God assented when they called upon him, on their own behalf say to him who offered salvation: "You have tested us, O God, you have refined us as silver is refined; you brought us into the snare, you laid afflictions before us" -or "upon our back"; for so it is also found in many copies-, "you have set men over our heads, we went through fire and water, and you brought out

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1Τόμος Εʹ1 5.1 Zach. XIIΙ, 8-9: Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, λέγει Κύριος, τὰ δύο μέρη ἐξολεθρευθήσετ̣αι καὶ ἐκλείψει, τὸ δὲ τρίτον ὑπολειφθήσεται ἐν αὐτῇ· καὶ διάξω τὸ τρίτον διὰ πυρὸς καὶ πυρώσω αὐτούς, ὡς πυροῦται τὸ ἀργύριον, καὶ δοκιμῶ αὐτούς, ὡς δοκιμάζεται τὸ χρυσίον· αὐτὸς ἐπικαλέσεται τὸ ὄνομά μου, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐπακούσομαι αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐρῶ· Λαός μου οὗτός ἐστιν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐρεῖ· Κύριος ὁ Θεός μου. 5.2 Καιρὸς ὑπογράφεται ὀνόματι τῆς ἡμέρας δηλούμενος ἐν ᾧ τὰ δύο μέρη τοῦ αἰχμαλωτισθέντος λαοῦ ὀλεθρευθήσεται καὶ ἐκλείψει, τοῦ τρίτου ἀποδεικνυμένου δοκίμου διὰ πυρὸς διερχομένου, πυρουμένου τε κατὰ τὸ καθαιρόμενον ἀργύριον καὶ δοκιμαζομένου κατὰ τὸ χρυσίον. Τὸ οὕτω καθαιρόμενον καὶ δοκιμαζόμενον τρίτον τῶν αἰχμαλώτων, ἐπικαλούμενον τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἕξει αὐτὸν τὸν Θεὸν ἐπακούοντα καὶ σῴζοντα· ᾧ ἁρμονίως ἕψεται τοὺς μὲν εὐεργετηθέντας λαὸν χρηματίσαι τοῦ ἐπακούσαντος αὐτοῦ, Θεοῦ λοιπὸν αὐτῶν ἀναδεικνυμένου κατὰ τὸν τρόπον τοῦ Θεὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ. Πάντων μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων ὡς κτίστης Θεός ἐστιν, κατ' ἐξαίρετον δὲ τῶν πατριαρχῶν λατρευόντων καὶ σεβομένων αὐτόν. 5.3 Τούτων ὁλοσχερέστερον τεθεωρημένων, ἀκόλουθον ἰδεῖν τίνα τὰ δύο μέρη τὰ ὀλοθρευόμενα καὶ ἐγκαταλειπόμενα, καὶ τί τὸ τρίτον τὸ βελτιούμενον καὶ ἀγόμενον εἰς σωτηρίαν. 5.4 Ἀρκτέον τῆς διαιρέσεως τῆς εἰς τρία τοῦ αἰχμαλωτισθέντων τῶν Ἑβραίων λαοῦ. 5.5 Πολλοὶ τῶν μετοικισθέντων ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτῶν χώρας καὶ πατρίδος εἰς τὴν τῶν κρατησάντων νόμῳ αἰχμαλωσίας, πάντη τ̣ῆς θεοσεβείας ἐκπεσόντες εἰδώλοις ἐλάτρευσαν, ὡς δουλεῦσαι τῇ ····· καὶ τῷ Βὴλ καὶ τῷ δράκοντι προσκυνῆσαι, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις κω̣φῇ εἰκόνι Ναβουχοδονοσὸρ τοῦ τυράννου, ἑτέρων τοῦτο μὲν οὐ ποιούντων, παρανόμως δὲ τὸν ἰουδαϊσμὸν καὶ ὡς οὐ δεῖ μετερχομένων, οἷοι ἦσαν οἱ ἐπιμανέντες μοιχικῶς ἀλιτήριοι πρεσβύτεροι καὶ οἱ ὁμονοήσαντες αὐτοῖς κατὰ τῆς σωφρονεστάτης Σωσάννης. 5.6 Πρὸς τοῖς εἰδωλολατρήσασιν καὶ παρανόμως ἰουδαΐζ̣ουσιν, ἕτερον τάγμα ἄριστον καὶ θεοσεβὲς ἦν ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ, οὐ δεισιδαιμονῆσαν, οὐ τὸν νόμον παραβαῖνον, ἀλλ' ἅγιον καὶ Θεῷ εὐαρεστοῦν, ἐξ οὗ πολλοὶ ἄνδρες ἀνεγράφησαν ἅγιοι, ὧν ἐστιν ὁ σαφηνιζόμενος προφήτης Ζαχαρίας, ∆ανιήλ τε καὶ οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀζαρίαν, Ἰεζεκιὴλ ὁ προφήτης καὶ ὁ τοῦ Ἰωσεδὲκ ἱερεὺςμέγας Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἕτεροι πλείονες, ἠθικῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ τῆς γνώσεως τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ μεταποιούμενοι. 5.7 Τὰ ἀσεβῆ μέρη δύο, τὸ ἑλληνικὸν καὶ ἰουδαϊκόν, δι' ἃ ἔπραξαν ὄντα κολαστέα ἐξολοθρεύεται καὶ ἐκλείπει, ὅπως δι' ἐπιπόνου ἀγωγῆς ἀποβάλωσι τὰς προσγεναμένας βλάβας. Οὗ πραχθέντος, κρίσει τῆς θείας προνοίας τὸ διασταλὲν πρὸς τὰ δύο μέρη τρίτον ἁγιάζετ̣αι καὶ βελτιοῦται ὑπὸ τοῦ δοτῆρος τῶν ἀγαθῶν Θεοῦ Λόγου, διαγόμενον διὰ πυρὸς τοῦ καθαίροντος καὶ «ζέοντας τῷ πνεύματι» ποιοῦντος, περὶ οὗ αὐτὸς ὁ πάντας σῴζων λέγει· «Πῦρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ εἴθε ἤδη ἀνήφθη», καὶ πάλιν· «Πᾶς πυρὶ ἁλισθήσεται.» 5.8 Περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἰωάννης, «οὗ μείζων οὐδεὶς ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν ἠγέρθη», διδάσκει περὶ μὲν ἑαυτοῦ· «Ἐγὼ ἦλθον βαπτίζων ἐν ὕδατι εἰς μετάνοιαν», περὶ δὲ τοῦ Σωτῆρος τῶν ὅλων· «Ἐκεῖνος ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί», ἁγιάζων καὶ καθαίρων δηλονότι τοὺς μὲν διὰ Πνεύματος ἁγίου, τοὺς δὲ διὰ πυρός, ἢ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἔν τε τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι καὶ τῷ πυρί. 5.9 Οἱ διὰ πυρὸς ἐληλυθότες, ὄντες τὸ τρίτον τῶν αἰχμαλώτων τὸ βελτιούμενον, ᾧ ἐπένευσε Θεὸς ἐπικαλουμένῳ, ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ ἑαυτω῀̣ν πρὸς τὸν ὀρέξαντα σωτηρίαν φασίν· «Ἐδοκίμασας ἡμᾶς, ὁ Θεός, ἐπύρωσας ἡμᾶς, ὡς πυροῦται τὸ ἀργύρι̣ον· εἰσήγαγες ἡμᾶς εἰς τη`̣ν παγίδα, ἔθου θλίψεις ἐνώπιον ἡμῶν» -ἢ «εἰς νῶτον ἡμῶν»· φέρεται γὰρ καὶ οὕτως ἐν πλείστοις ἀντιγράφοις-, «ἐπεβίβασας ἀνθρώπους ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἡμῶν, διήλθαμεν διὰ πυρὸς καὶ ὕδατος, καὶ ἐξήγαγες