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the objection, which I mentioned, and he says: But I say, Did they not hear? For what if, he says, the preachers were sent, and preached what they were commanded, but these people did not hear? Then with all hyperbole, the resolution of the objection: Yea verily, their sound went out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. What are you saying, he says? they did not hear? The world and the ends of the earth heard; and you, among whom the preachers spent so much time, and from where they were, did not hear? And how could that be reasonable? For if the ends of the world heard, much more you. Then again another objection: But I say, Did not Israel know? For what if they heard, but did not understand the things that were said, nor comprehended that these were the ones who were sent? are they not worthy of pardon on account of this ignorance? By no means. For Isaiah also described them, saying: How beautiful are the feet of them that preach peace; and before him, again, the lawgiver himself; wherefore he added: First Moses says: I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no nation, by a foolish nation I will anger you. So that from this also they ought to have recognized the preachers, not only from the fact that these men disbelieved, not from the fact that those men preached peace, not from the fact that they proclaimed those good things, not from the fact that the word was sown everywhere in the world, but also from the fact that they saw those inferior to them, those from the nations, being in greater honor. For what these had never heard, nor their forefathers, these things those people suddenly held as philosophy; which was a mark of intense honor, provoking them, and leading them to jealousy, and to the remembrance of the prophecy of Moses which says: I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no nation. For not only was the greatness of the honor sufficient to cast them into jealousy, but also that the nation enjoying these things was so contemptible, as not even to be considered worthy of being a nation. For I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no nation, he says, by a foolish nation I will anger you. For what was more foolish than the Greeks? What more contemptible? See how through all things God gave them from above clear signs and tokens of these times, so as to open up their hardness of heart. For what happened was not in a small corner, but on land and sea, and everywhere in the world; and they saw those who were formerly despised by them enjoying countless good things. They ought, therefore, to have understood that this is that nation, about which Moses says: I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no nation, by a foolish nation I will anger you. Did Moses then say this alone? By no means, but also Isaiah after him. Wherefore Paul also said: First Moses; showing that a second will also come saying the same things, and more clearly and more plainly. Just as he said above: Isaiah cries out; so also here: But Isaiah is very bold, and says. What he says is something like this: He forced himself and strove to say nothing obscurely, but also to place the matters naked before your eyes, rather choosing to be in danger from 60.575 speaking plainly, than, having regard for his own safety, to leave you even a shadow of ignorance; and yet it was not the role of prophecy to speak so clearly. But nevertheless, so as to stop your mouths out of abundance, he foretells all things very clearly and expressly. All things, what things? Both your casting away, and their bringing in, saying thus: I was found by them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. Who then are those who do not seek? Who are those who do not ask? It is clear that it is not the Jews, but those from the nations, who had never known him. Just as Moses, then, described them, saying: No nation, and A foolish nation; so also here he indicates them from the same hypothesis, that of intense ignorance; which was the greatest accusation against the Jews, that those who did not seek, found, and those who sought, lost. But to Israel he says: All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. Do you see how that difficult question, which is sought by many, is found from of old and lying in the prophetic words, and clearly

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ἀντίθεσιν, ἢν εἶπον, καί φησιν· Ἀλλὰ λέγω, Μὴ οὐκ ἤκουσαν; Τί γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰ ἀπεστάλησαν οἱ κηρύσσοντες, καὶ ἐκήρυξαν ἅπερ ἐκελεύσθησαν, οὗτοι δὲ οὐκ ἤκουσαν; Εἶτα μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς πάσης ἡ λύσις τῆς ἀντιθέσεως· Μενοῦνγε εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν, καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν. Τί λέγεις, φησίν; οὐκ ἤκουσαν; Ἡ οἰκουμένη καὶ τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς ἤκουσαν· καὶ ὑμεῖς, παρ' οἷς τοσοῦτον οἱ κήρυκες διέτριψαν χρόνον, καὶ ὅθεν ἦσαν, οὐκ ἠκούσατε; καὶ πῶς ἂν ἔχοι λόγον; Εἰ γὰρ τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης ἤκουσε, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑμεῖς. Εἶτα πάλιν ἑτέρα ἀντίθεσις· Ἀλλὰ λέγω, Μὴ Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ ἔγνω; Τί γὰρ, εἰ ἤκουσαν μὲν, οὐκ ἐνόησαν δὲ τὰ εἰρημένα, οὐδὲ συνῆκαν, ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι οὗτοι ἦσαν οἱ ἀποσταλέντες; οὐκ ἄξιοι συγγνώμης τῆς ἀγνοίας ταύτης ἕνεκεν; Οὐδαμῶς. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἡσαΐας ἐχαρακτήρισεν αὐτοὺς, εἰπών· Ὡς ὡραῖοι οἱ πόδες τῶν εὐαγγελιζομένων εἰρήνην· καὶ πρὸ τούτου πάλιν ὁ νομοθέτης αὐτός· διὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε· Πρῶτος Μωϋσῆς λέγει· Ἐγὼ παραζηλώσω ὑμᾶς ἐπ' οὐκ ἔθνει, ἐπὶ ἔθνει ἀσυνέτῳ παροργιῶ ὑμᾶς. Ὥστε καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἐχρῆν γνωρίσαι τοὺς κήρυκας, οὐκ ἀφ' ὧν ἠπίστησαν οὗτοι μόνον, οὐκ ἀφ' ὧν εἰρήνην ἐκήρυττον ἐκεῖνοι, οὐκ ἀφ' ὧν τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐκεῖνα εὐηγγελίζοντο, οὐκ ἀφ' ὧν πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ὁ λόγος ἐσπείρετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀφ' ὧν τοὺς καταδεεστέρους αὐτῶν τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν εἶδον ἐν πλείονι ὄντας τιμῇ. Ἃ γὰρ μηδέποτε ἤκουσαν οὗτοι, μηδὲ τούτων οἱ πρόγονοι, ταῦτα ἐξαίφνης ἐφιλοσόφουν ἐκεῖνοι· ὅπερ ἐπιτεταμένης ἦν τιμῆς, παρακνιζούσης αὐτοὺς, καὶ εἰς ζῆλον ἀγούσης, καὶ εἰς μνήμην τῆς προφητείας Μωϋσέως τῆς λεγούσης· Παραζηλώσω ὑμᾶς ἐπ' οὐκ ἔθνει. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον τὸ μέγεθος τῆς τιμῆς ἱκανὸν ἦν αὐτοὺς εἰς ζῆλον ἐμβαλεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ οὕτως εὐτελὲς εἶναι τὸ ἔθνος τὸ τούτων ἀπολαῦσαν, ὡς μηδὲ ἔθνος ἄξιον εἶναι λογίζεσθαι. Ἐγὼ γὰρ παραζηλώσω ὑμᾶς ἐπ' οὐκ ἔθνει, φησὶν, ἐπὶ ἔθνει ἀσυνέτῳ παροργιῶ ὑμᾶς. Τί γὰρ Ἑλλήνων ἀσυνετώτερον ἦν; τί δὲ εὐτελέστερον; Ὅρα πῶς διὰ πάντων γνωρίσματα καὶ σημεῖα σαφῆ τῶν καιρῶν τούτων ἄνωθεν ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτοῖς, ὥστε διανοῖξαι αὐτῶν τὴν πώρωσιν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν γωνίᾳ μικρᾷ τὸ γενόμενον ἦν, ἀλλ' ἐν γῇ καὶ θαλάττῃ, καὶ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης· καὶ ἑώρων μυρίων ἀπολαύοντας ἀγαθῶν τοὺς πρότερον παρ' αὐτῶν καταφρονουμένους. Ἔδει τοίνυν ἐννοῆσαι, ὅτι τοῦτο ἐκεῖνό ἐστι τὸ ἔθνος, περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ Μωϋσῆς· Παραζηλώσω ὑμᾶς ἐπ' οὐκ ἔθνει, ἐπὶ ἔθνει ἀσυνέτῳ παροργιῶ ὑμᾶς. Ἆρα οὖν Μωϋσῆς μόνος τοῦτο εἶπεν; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Ἡσαΐας μετ' ἐκεῖνον. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγε· Πρῶτον Μωϋσῆς· δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ δεύτερος ἥξει τὰ αὐτὰ λέγων καὶ τρανότερον καὶ σαφέστερον. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἀνωτέρω εἶπε· Κράζει Ἡσαΐας· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα· Ἡσαΐας δὲ ἀποτολμᾷ καὶ λέγει. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἐβιάσατο καὶ ἐφιλονείκησε μηδὲν συνεσκιασμένον εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυμνὰ πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὑμῶν θεῖναι τὰ πράγματα, μᾶλλον δὲ ἑλόμενος κινδυνεύειν ἐκ τοῦ 60.575 φανερῶς εἰπεῖν, ἢ τὴν οἰκείαν ὑφορώμενος σωτηρίαν, σκιὰν γοῦν ὑμῖν καταλιπεῖν ἀγνωμοσύνης· καίτοι γε προφητείας οὐκ ἦν τοῦτο οὕτως εἰπεῖν σαφῶς. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὥστε ἐκ περιουσίας ὑμῶν ἐμφράξαι τὰ στόματα, σαφῶς πάνυ καὶ διαῤῥήδην πάντα προλέγει. Πάντα, ποῖα; Καὶ τὴν ὑμῶν ἔκπτωσιν, καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων εἰσαγωγὴν, οὕτω λέγων· Εὑρέθην τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ζητοῦσιν· ἐμφανὴς ἐγενόμην τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ἐπερωτῶσι. Τίνες οὖν οἱ μὴ ζητοῦντες; τίνες οἱ μὴ ἐπερωτῶντες; Εὔδηλον ὅτι οὐκ Ἰουδαῖοι, ἀλλ' οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν, οἱ μηδέποτε αὐτὸν ἐπιγνόντες. Ὥσπερ οὖν Μωϋσῆς ἐχαρακτήρισεν αὐτοὺς εἰπών· Οὐκ ἔθνει, καὶ Ἔθνει ἀσυνέτῳ· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς ὑποθέσεως αὐτοὺς δηλοῖ, τῆς ἀγνοίας τῆς ἐπιτεταμένης· ὃ μεγίστη κατηγορία Ἰουδαίων ἦν, ὅτι οἱ μὴ ζητοῦντες εὗρον, καὶ οἱ ζητοῦντες ἀπώλεσαν. Πρὸς δὲ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ λέγει· Ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐξεπέτασα τὰς χεῖράς μου πρὸς λαὸν ἀπειθοῦντα καὶ ἀντιλέγοντα. Εἶδες πῶς τὸ ἄπορον ἐκεῖνο καὶ παρὰ πολλῶν ζητούμενον εὑρίσκεται ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφητικοῖς ῥήμασι κείμενον, καὶ σαφῶς