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He bestowed springs, he fittingly adds: 28. "There is Benjamin, the younger, in ecstasy." But Aquila has, There is Benjamin the short, ruling over them; and according to Theodotion, their instructor. The younger Benjamin is the blessed Paul, who sprang from the tribe of Benjamin; younger, as being called and addressed after all the others; and besides, the history of the Acts calls him a young man. He rules the Church, and teaches divine things, and guides to salvation those who are willing. He was also in an ecstasy when he learned that the one persecuted by him, and thought to be dead, was in heaven. And since not only the blessed Paul, but also the rest of the chorus of apostles, instructs believers in divine things, the prophetic word fittingly mentioned them too. "The rulers of Judah, their leaders, the rulers of Zebulun, the rulers of Naphtali." For the rest of the apostles traced their lineage from these tribes. And those called the brothers of the Lord certainly had the tribe of Judah as their origin. But Peter, and Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, happened to be from the village of Bethsaida. And Matthew and James are recorded to have lived in Capernaum. Simon the Zealot was called a Canaanite. All these are places in Galilee. And Zebulun and Naphtali had that portion. And of this there are two witnesses: the one a prophet, the other an evangelist; the one foretelling, the other bringing forth the testimony. And they say thus: "Land of Zebulun, and land of Naphtali, and the rest who dwell by the sea, and beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light." 29, 30. "Command, O God, your strength; strengthen, O God, this which you have wrought in us. From your temple at Jerusalem." But Symmachus has it thus: Give command, O God, concerning your might; strengthen, O God, this which you have done for us, because of your temple which is above Jeru 80.1396 salem. Confirm, he says, O Lord, the grace which you have bestowed, because of your temple, which you have taken from among us; which you have set above all rule, and authority, and power, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. For he calls Jerusalem the city above, about which the blessed Paul says: "But the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all." They ask, therefore, on account of their kinship with the temple, that the given grace be confirmed; and on account of the first-fruits, that the whole lump might enjoy the granted gift. From this he also foretells the change of kings. "To you kings shall bring gifts." For having ceased from persecuting, they will offer the fitting reverence as to God; and just as they receive tribute from their subjects, so they themselves, like servants and subjects, will bring gifts to you. And of this our eyes are witnesses, seeing the truth of the prophecy. 31. "Rebuke the wild beasts of the reed." Some of the copies have 'of the forest.' But whether forest or reed, fruitlessness is signified by these. These the foolish beasts have as their dwelling, which the Prophet taught [us] to drive out by divine invocation. "The assembly of the bulls among the heifers of the peoples, so that those who have been tested by silver might be shut out." He calls the multitude of the Jews bulls, because of their usual audacity; and he named the believers from the Gentiles heifers of the peoples, because of the newness of their calling. The prophetic word, therefore, foretells the revolts of the Jews that happened against the pious at the beginning of the preaching. This, he says, they do, wishing to shut them out, and to deprive them of the good inheritance that has been given; who, having been tested like silver, were found approved. Concerning them the blessed Paul also said this: "They are zealous for you, but not well; but they wish to shut you out." And since there were also among the Gentiles those who contradicted and worked all sorts of slaughters of the saints, he fittingly says about them too: "Scatter the nations that desire wars." Having thus prophesied about those who contradict, he transfers his discourse to those who have believed. 80.1397

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πηγὰς ἐδωρήσατο, εἰκότως ἐπάγει· κηʹ. "Ἐκεῖ Βενιαμὶν νεώτερος ἐν ἐκστάσει." Ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας, Ἐκεῖ Βενιαμὶν βραχὺς, ἐπικρατῶν αὐτῶν· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Θεοδοτίωνα, παιδευτὴς αὐτῶν. Βενιαμὶν δὲ νεώτερος, ὁ μακάριος Παῦ λος, ὁ ἐκ τῆς Βενιαμίτιδος βλαστήσας φυλῆς· νεώ τερος, ὡς μετὰ πάντας κληθεὶς καὶ προσαγο ρευόμενος· ἄλλως τε καὶ νεανίαν αὐτὸν ἡ τῶν Πράξεων ἱστορία καλεῖ. Οὗτος ἐπικρατεῖ τῆς Ἐκ- κλησίας, καὶ παιδεύει τὰ θεῖα, καὶ ποδηγεῖ πρὸς σωτηρίαν τοὺς βουλομένους. Ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ ἐν ἐκ στάσει μαθὼν ἐν οὐρανοῖς εἶναι τὸν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ διωκόμενον, καὶ νεκρὸν νομιζόμενον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐ μόνον ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ λοιπὸς τῶν ἀποστόλων χορὸς, τὰ θεῖα τοὺς πιστεύοντας ἐκπαι δεύει, εἰκότως καὶ τούτων ὁ προφητικὸς ἐμνημό νευσε λόγος. "Ἄρχοντες Ἰούδα ἡγεμόνες αὐτῶν, ἄρχοντες Ζαβουλὼν, ἄρχοντες Νεφθαλείμ." Ἐκ γὰρ τούτων τῶν φυλῶν τὸ γένος οἱ λοιποὶ κατ ῆγον ἀπόστολοι. Καὶ οἱ μὲν καλούμενοι ἀδελφοὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, τὴν Ἰούδα φυλὴν πάντως εἶχον πηγήν. Πέτρος δὲ, καὶ Ἀνδρέας, καὶ Ἰάκωβος, καὶ Ἰωάννης, καὶ Φίλιππος, ἀπὸ Βεθσαϊδᾶ τῆς κώμης ἐτύγ χανον ὄντες. Ματθαῖος δὲ καὶ Ἰάκωβος ἐν τῇ Καπερναὺμ διάγειν ἱστόρηνται. Σίμων ὁ ζηλωτὴς Χανανίτης ὠνόμασται. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα χωρία τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐστί. Ζαβουλὼν δὲ καὶ Νεφθαλεὶμ ἐκεῖνον εἶχον τὸν κλῆρον. Καὶ τούτου μάρτυρες δύο· ὁ μὲν προφήτης, ὁ δὲ εὐαγγελιστής· ὁ μὲν προλέγων, ὁ δὲ τὴν μαρτυρίαν προφέρων. Φασὶ δὲ οὕτως· "Γῆ Ζαβουλὼν, καὶ γῆ Νεφθαλεὶμ, καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ τὴν παραλίαν κατοικοῦντες, καὶ πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, Γαλιλαία τῶν ἐθνῶν· ὁ λαὸς ὁ καθήμενος ἐν σκότει εἶδε φῶς μέγα." κθʹ, λʹ. "Ἔντειλαι, ὁ Θεὸς, τῇ δυνάμει σου· δυνάμωσον, ὁ Θεὸς, τοῦτο ὃ κατειργάσω ἐν ἡμῖν. Ἀπὸ τοῦ ναοῦ σου ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως· Πρόσταξον, ὁ Θεὸς, περὶ ἰσχύ ος σου· ἐνίσχυσον, ὁ Θεὸς, τοῦτο ὃ ἐποίησας ἡμῖν, διὰ τὸν ναόν σου τὸν ἐπάνω τῆς Ἱερου 80.1396 σαλήμ. Βεβαίωσον, φησὶν, ἣν ἐδωρήσω, ∆έσποτα, χάριν, διὰ τὸν ναόν σου, ὃν ἐξ ἡμῶν ἀνείληφας· ὃν ἐκάθισας ἐπάνω πάσης ἀρχῆς, καὶ ἐξουσίας, καὶ δυνάμεως, καὶ παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένου, οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλ λοντι. Ἱερουσαλὴμ γὰρ τὴν ἄνω πόλιν καλεῖ, περὶ ἧς ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος λέγει· "Ἡ δὲ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστίν· ἥτις ἐστὶ μήτηρ πάν των ἡμῶν." Αἰτοῦσι τοίνυν διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν ναὸν συγγένειαν, τὴν δεδομένην βεβαιωθῆναι χάριν· καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀπαρχὴν, τῆς παρασχεθείσης δωρεᾶς ἀπολαῦσαι τὸ φύραμα. Ἐντεῦθεν προλέγει καὶ τὴν τῶν βασιλέων μεταβολήν. "Σοὶ οἴσουσι βασιλεῖς δῶρα." Τοῦ γὰρ διώκειν παυσάμενοι, τὸ πρέπον ὡς Θεῷ προσοίσουσι σέβας· καὶ ὥσπερ αὐτοὶ δα σμὸν παρὰ τῶν ὑπηκόων λαμβάνουσιν, οὕτως αὐ τοὶ, καθάπερ δοῦλοι καὶ ὑπήκοοι, δῶρά σοι προσ κομιοῦσι. Καὶ τούτου μάρτυρες οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ θεω ροῦντες τὴν τῆς προφητείας ἀλήθειαν. λαʹ. "Ἐπιτίμησον τοῖς θηρίοις τοῦ καλάμου." Ἔνια δὲ τῶν ἀντιγράφων δρυμοῦ ἔχει. Εἴτε δὲ δρυμὸς, εἴτε κάλαμος, ἡ ἀκαρπία διὰ τούτων ση μαίνεται. Ταῦτα δὲ οἰκητήριον ἔχει τὰ ἀνόητα θηρία, ἃ καὶ διὰ τῆς θείας ἐπικλήσεως ὁ Προφή της [ἡμᾶς] ἐξελαύνειν ἐδίδαξεν. "Ἡ συναγωγὴ τῶν ταύρων ἐν ταῖς δαμάλεσι τῶν λαῶν, τοῦ ἐγκλεισθῆναι τοὺς δεδοκιμασμένους τῷ ἀργυρίῳ." Ταύρους καλεῖ τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων πληθὺν, διὰ τὴν συνήθη θρασύτητα· δαμάλεις δὲ λαῶν τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκότας ὠνόμασε, διὰ τὸ νέον τῆς κλήσεως. Προλέγει τοίνυν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος, τὰς ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ κηρύγματος κατὰ τῶν εὐσεβῶν γεγενη μένας τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐπαναστάσεις. Τοῦτο δὲ, φησὶ, δρῶσιν, ἐκκλεῖσαι αὐτοὺς βουλόμενοι, καὶ τῆς δε δομένης εὐκληρίας στερῆσαι· οἵ τινες δίκην ἀργυ ρίου πυρωθέντες, ἀπεφάνθησαν δόκιμοι. Τοῦτο περὶ αὐτῶν καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Παῦλος· "Ζηλοῦ σιν ὑμᾶς οὐ καλῶς· ἀλλ' ἐκκλεῖσαι ὑμᾶς θέλου σιν." Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἦσαν οἱ ἀντιλέγοντες, καὶ παντοδαπὰς ἁγίων σφαγὰς ἐργαζόμενοι, εἰκότως καὶ περὶ τούτων φησί· "∆ια σκόρπισον ἔθνη τὰ τοὺς πολέμους θέλοντα." Οὕτω περὶ τῶν ἀντιλεγόντων θεσπίσας, μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον εἰς τοὺς πιστεύσαντας. 80.1397