149

revealing both the pre-existence and the coming into being of the ruler who would come forth from Bethlehem. If then anyone can refer the oracle to another, let him prove who this is; but if it is not possible to find another than our Savior Jesus Christ, who alone after the prophecy is proclaimed as having come forth from there, what then hinders us from confessing the truth of the prophecy, which verifies its prediction in him alone? For he alone, being more famous than any who ever were from the aforementioned place of Bethlehem after the times of the prophecy, having assumed the human form, has come forth, and at the same time with his coming the things foretold were fulfilled. 6.13.23 For immediately and not long after, for the nation of the Jews each of the gloomy prophecies came to pass, while for the gentiles, in turn, the things corresponding to the decrees; and this very savior and our lord, setting out from Bethlehem, was shown to be "leader" of the Israel according to the mind, thus being designated of every discerning and God-fearing people. And observe how "his goings forth" of his divine pre-existence are said to be "from the beginning" and "from the days of eternity," which would not befit a human nature. 6.13.24 Following these things the prophetic word, proceeding a little, and now again indicates the limitation and the abolition of the old legal worship, speaking in the person of the people: "Wherewith shall I take hold of the Lord, shall I lay hold of my God most high? Shall I take hold of him with whole burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Shall I give the firstborn of my womb for the sin of my soul?" 6.13.25 But in the person of God making this response to them: "Has it not been told to you, O man, what is good? And what does the Lord require of you but to do judgment and to love mercy and to be ready to walk behind the Lord your God?" 6.13.26 You have therefore here also in the prophesied descent of the Lord from heaven to men, at once and at the same time very many things signified: the rejection of the Jews, the reproofs of their impieties, the destruction of their royal metropolis, and the rejection of the worship according to Moses formerly performed among them; and on the other hand concerning the gentiles, good promises, knowledge of God, a new manner of piety, and a new law, and a word that would come forth from the land of the Jews and would be spread to all the gentiles, what end and what outcome of the words these things have shown after the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ, I leave for you to consider. 6.14.1 From Habakkuk. "And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision clearly on a tablet, that he who reads it may run, because the vision is yet for a time, and it will dawn at evening and not in vain; if he should delay, wait for him, because the coming one will come and will not delay. If he draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him; but the just shall live by my faith." 6.14.2 And here he explicitly declares that the one prophesied will surely come. And who was this but the one indicated above according to the text, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, God is the Lord and has appeared to us?" And this one, being like a light, he says will rise in the evening, that is, at the consummation of the ages. With which Zechariah also agrees, saying: "Behold a man, the dayspring is his name, and from beneath him he will arise," 6.14.3 and indicating the time the same one adds: "toward evening there shall be light" ... "if he should delay, wait for him," for which Aquila has rendered: "But if he tarries, expect him, for the one coming will come and will not be slow." And of this the Epistle to the Hebrews also makes mention through which it says: "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which has great recompense of reward. For you have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry; now the just shall live by my faith, and if he draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." 6.14.4 And see how through these things the prophetic text, which lies obscurely, because it was spoken with hyperbaton, to the

149

δηλῶν προΰπαρξίν τε καὶ οὐσίωσιν τοῦ ἐκ Βηθλεὲμ προελευσομένου ἄρχοντος. εἰ μὲν οὖν ἔχοι τις ἐφ' ἕτερον ἀναφέρειν τὸν χρησμόν, τίς οὗτος, ἀποδεικνύτω· εἰ δ' οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν ἕτερον τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὃς μόνος μετὰ τὴν προφητείαν ἐνθένδε ὡρμημένος βοᾶται, τί λοιπὸν ἐμποδὼν μὴ οὐχὶ συνομολογεῖν ἀλήθειαν τῇ προφητείᾳ, ἐπὶ μόνῳ αὐτῷ ἐπαληθευούσῃ τὴν πρόρρησιν; μόνος γοῦν οὗτος ἐπιφανὴς τῶν πώποτε γεγονὼς ἐκ τοῦ προειρημένου χωρίου τῆς Βηθλεὲμ μετὰ τοὺς τῆς προφητείας χρόνους, τὸ ἀνθρώπειον ὑποδὺς σχῆμα, προελήλυθεν, ἅμα τε τῇ αὐτοῦ παρουσίᾳ ἐπληροῦτο τὰ προηγορευμένα. 6.13.23 αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν τῷ μὲν Ἰουδαίων ἔθνει ἕκαστα τῶν προφητευομένων σκυθρωπῶν ἀπήντα, τοῖς δὲ ἔθνεσιν πάλιν τὰ ἀκόλουθα τοῖς θεσπίσμασιν, αὐτός τε οὗτος ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος ἡμῶν ἐκ Βηθλεὲμ ὁρμηθεὶς «ἡγούμενος» ἀνεδείχθη τοῦ κατὰ διάνοιαν Ἰσραήλ· οὕτω παντὸς τοῦ διορατικοῦ καὶ θεοσεβοῦς λαοῦ χρηματίζοντος. καὶ θέα γε ὅπως «τὰς ἐξόδους αὐτοῦ» τῆς ἐνθέου προϋπάρξεως «ἀπ' ἀρχῆς» καὶ «ἐξ ἡμερῶν αἰῶνος» ἔχειν λέγεται, ὅπερ οὐκ ἂν ἁρμόσειεν ἀνθρώπου φύσει. 6.13.24 τούτοις ἑξῆς ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος, ὑποβὰς μικρόν, καὶ νῦν πάλιν τῆς πάλαι νομικῆς θρησκείας τὴν περιγραφὴν καὶ τὴν καθαίρεσιν ὑποσημαίνει, ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ λαοῦ λέγων· «ἐν τίνι καταλάβω τὸν κύριον, ἐπιλήψομαι θεοῦ μου ὑψίστου; εἰ καταλήψομαι αὐτὸν ἐν ὁλοκαυτώμασιν ἐν μόσχοις ἐνιαυσίοις; εἰ δῶ πρωτότοκα κοιλίας μου ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτίας ψυχῆς μου;» 6.13.25 ἐκ δὲ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ τοιάνδε αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀπόκρισιν ποιούμενος· «εἰ ἀνηγγέλη σοι, ἄνθρωπε, τί καλόν; καὶ τί κύριος ἐκζητεῖ παρὰ σοῦ ἀλλ' ἢ τοῦ ποιεῖν κρίμα καὶ ἀγαπᾶν ἔλεος καὶ ἕτοιμον εἶναι πορεύεσθαι ὀπίσω κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου;» 6.13.26 Ἔχεις τοιγαροῦν κἀνταῦθα ἐπὶ τῇ προφητευομένῃ τοῦ κυρίου ἐξ οὐρανῶν εἰς ἀνθρώπους καθόδῳ ὁμοῦ καὶ κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ πλεῖστα ὅσα σημαινόμενα, Ἰουδαίων ἀποβολήν, ἐλέγχους τῶν ἀσεβειῶν αὐτῶν, καθαίρεσιν τῆς βασιλικῆς αὐτῶν μητροπόλεως, τῆς τε πάλαι πρότερον παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐπιτελουμένης κατὰ Μωσέα λατρείας παραίτησιν· ἔμπαλιν δὲ περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀγαθὰς ἐπαγγελίας, ἐπίγνωσιν θεοῦ, καινὸν τρόπον εὐσεβείας, νόμον τε νέον, καὶ λόγον ἐκ μὲν τῆς Ἰουδαίων χώρας προελευσόμενον εἰς πάντα δὲ τὰ ἔθνη διαδοθησόμενον, ἅπερ ὁποῖον τέλος καὶ ὁποίαν ἔκβασιν τῶν λόγων μετὰ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν ἐπιδέδεικται, σοὶ καταλείπω σκοπεῖν. 6.14.1 Ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀμβακούμ. «Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη κύριος πρός με καὶ εἶπεν, γράψον ὅρασιν σαφῶς ἐν πυξίῳ, ὅπως διώκῃ ὁ ἀναγινώσκων αὐτά, διότι ἔτι ὅρασις εἰς καιρόν, καὶ ἀνατελεῖ ἑσπέρας καὶ οὐκ εἰς κενόν· ἐὰν ὑστερήσῃ, ὑπόμεινον αὐτόν, ὅτι ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἥξει καὶ οὐ μὴ χρονίσῃ. ἐὰν ὑποστείληται, οὐκ εὐδοκεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν αὐτῷ· ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεώς μου ζήσεται.» 6.14.2 Καὶ ἐνταῦθα διαρρήδην ἐρχόμενον ἥξειν τὸν προφητευόμενον θεσπίζει. τίς δ' ἦν οὗτος ἢ ὁ ἀνωτέρω δηλωθεὶς κατὰ τὸ «εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου, θεὸς κύριος καὶ ἐπέφανεν ἡμῖν;» τοῦτον δὲ οἷα φῶς τυγχάνοντα τῆς ἑσπέρας ἀνατελεῖν φησιν, ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ δηλαδὴ τῶν αἰώνων. ᾧ συνᾴδει καὶ ὁ Ζαχαρίας λέγων· «ἰδοὺ ἀνήρ, ἀνατολὴ ὄνομα αὐτῷ, καὶ ὑποκάτωθεν αὐτοῦ ἀνατελεῖ», 6.14.3 καὶ τὸν χρόνον ὑποσημαίνων ὁ αὐτὸς ἐπιλέγει· «τὸ πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἔσται φῶς» ... «ἐὰν ὑστερήσῃ, ὑπόμεινον αὐτόν», ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Ἀκύλας πεποίηκεν· «ἐὰν δὲ μελλήσῃ, προσδέχου αὐτόν, ὅτι ἐρχόμενος ἥξει καὶ οὐ βραδυνεῖ». τούτου δὲ μέμνηται καὶ ἡ πρὸς Ἑβραίους ἐπιστολὴ δι' ὧν φησιν· «μὴ ἀποβάλητε οὖν τὴν παρρησίαν ὑμῶν, ἥτις ἔχει μεγάλην μισθαποδοσίαν. ὑπομονῆς γὰρ ἔχετε χρείαν, ἵνα τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ ποιήσαντες κομίσησθε τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν. ἔτι γὰρ μικρὸν ὅσον ὅσον, ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἥξει καὶ οὐ χρονιεῖ· ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεώς μου ζήσεται, καὶ ἐὰν ὑποστείληται, οὐκ εὐδοκεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν αὐτῷ». 6.14.4 καὶ ὅρα γε ὅπως διὰ τούτων ἀσαφῶς κείμενον τὸ προφητικόν, διὰ τὸ καθ' ὑπερβατὸν εἰρῆσθαι, ἐπὶ τὸ