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“For I came, and there was no man; I called, and there was no one who hearkened,” through the things at hand he says to the same people; “Because of you my name is blasphemed among the nations.” 6.24.3 Then, as if having another people besides them, he adds; “Therefore my people shall know my name,” and he teaches that not another but the same Lord who spoke in the prophets will one day come into the world, saying; “I am he that speaks; I am present.” But the phrase, “As a season upon the mountains, as the feet of one proclaiming a report of peace, as one proclaiming good things, for I will make your salvation heard, saying, Zion, your God shall reign,” the other interpreters have rendered more clearly, 6.24.4 Aquila, for one, saying; “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of one bringing good news, causing peace to be heard, bringing good news of good, causing salvation to be heard, saying to Zion, your God has reigned,” and Symmachus saying; “How comely upon the mountains are the feet of one bringing good news, making peace heard, bringing good news of good things, making salvation heard, saying to Zion, your God has reigned”; and instead of “The voice of those who guard you has been lifted up, and with their voice they shall rejoice together; for eye to eye they shall see,” Symmachus, for one, has interpreted it thus; “The voice of your watchmen has lifted up its voice; together they will praise, for they shall see face to face.” 6.24.5 In these passages, the sacred apostles of our Savior could be called “watchmen,” who, having seen “face to face” him who was prophesied, lifted up their voice, preaching to the whole world. And Zion and Jerusalem, evangelized in these places, the apostle knows to be heavenly through the words where he says; “But the Jerusalem above is free, who is our mother,” 6.24.6 and “You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels in festal gathering.” Zion could also be called the church established throughout the whole world through Christ, just as Jerusalem could be called the entire commonwealth of the pious, which, formerly established only among the ancient Jews, has been turned to desolation on account of their impieties, then again, in turn, it has obtained a renewal for the better through the appearance of our Savior. 6.24.7 Therefore the prophecy says; “Let the desolate places of Jerusalem break forth together into joy, for the Lord has had mercy on her and has delivered Jerusalem.” And you would not be mistaken in calling the soul of every holy and God-loving person, insofar as it is lifted up from this life, having its “commonwealth in heaven,” contemplating super-mundane things, Zion for it is interpreted “a lookout place,” and Jerusalem, insofar as it is established in stability and a calm of passions for the name, when translated, means “vision of peace.” 6.24.8 Following these things, the calling of the nations to the piety of God is most clearly shown through the words “And the Lord God will reveal his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation from our God.” Consider the arm of God to be none other than the Word and the Wisdom and the Lord himself, who is the Christ of God. 6.24.9 It is easy, at least, to demonstrate this from many passages. And you have in Exodus that Israel was delivered from slavery under the Egyptians by the “arm” of God. This present prophecy signifies that this very arm of God, who appeared as savior of the people of old, will be revealed to all the nations, as one who was previously hidden. But “the salvation,” which it says “all the ends of the earth” will see, and which it indicated above, saying, “for I will make your salvation heard,” know that in the Hebrew language it is called by the name of Jesus. 6.25.1 From the same. “Behold, the Lord will come as a fire, and his chariots as a tempest,” and what follows; “The Lord said, And I know their works and their reasoning; I am coming to gather all the nations and tongues, and they will come and see my glory. And I will leave a sign upon them, and I will send forth from them
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διότι ἦλθον, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἄνθρωπος· ἐκάλεσα, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ὑπακούων», διὰ τῶν ἐν χερσὶ πρὸς τοὺς αὐτούς φησιν· «δι' ὑμᾶς τὸ ὄνομά μου βλασφημεῖται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν». 6.24.3 εἶθ', ὡς ἔχων ἕτερον παρ' αὐτοὺς λαόν, ἐπιφέρει· «διὰ τοῦτο γνώσεται ὁ λαός μου τὸ ὄνομά μου», διδάσκει τε ὅτι μὴ ἕτερος ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις λαλήσας κύριος ἐπιδημήσει ποτὲ τῷ βίῳ, λέγων· «ἐγώ εἰμι αὐτὸς ὁ λαλῶν· πάρειμι». τὸ δὲ «ὡς ὥρα ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων, ὡς πόδες εὐαγγελιζομένου ἀκοὴν εἰρήνης, ὡς εὐαγγελιζόμενος ἀγαθά, ὅτι ἀκουστὴν ποιήσω τὴν σωτηρίαν σου, λέγων, Σιών, βασιλεύσει σου ὁ θεός», σαφέστερον οἱ λοιποὶ ἐκδεδώκασιν ἑρμηνευταί, 6.24.4 ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας εἰπών· «τί ὡραιώθησαν ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη πόδες εὐαγγελιζομένου, ἀκουτίζοντος εἰρήνην, εὐαγγελιζομένου ἀγαθόν, ἀκουτίζοντος σωτηρίαν, λέγοντος τῇ Σιών, ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ θεός σου», καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος φήσας· «τί εὐπρεπεῖς ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων πόδες εὐαγγελιζομένου, ἀκουστὴν ποιοῦντος εἰρήνην, εὐαγγελιζομένου ἀγαθά, ἀκουστὴν ποιοῦντος σωτηρίαν, λέγοντος τῇ Σιών, ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ θεός σου»· ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ «φωνὴ τῶν φυλασσόντων σε ὑψώθη, καὶ τῇ φωνῇ ἅμα εὐφρανθήσονται· ὅτι ὀφθαλμοὶ πρὸς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὄψονται», ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἡρμήνευσεν· «φωνὴ τῶν σκοπῶν σου ἐπῆραν φωνήν, ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ αἰνέσουσιν· ὀφθαλμοφανῶς γὰρ ὄψονται». 6.24.5 λέγοιντο δ' ἂν ἐν τούτοις «σκοποὶ» οἱ ἱεροὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀπόστολοι, οἳ καὶ «ὀφθαλμοφανῶς» ἰδόντες τὸν προφητευόμενον ὕψωσαν αὐτῶν τὴν φωνὴν εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην κηρύξαντες. Σιὼν δὲ καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὴν ἐν τοῖς τόποις εὐαγγελιζομένην οἶδεν ἐπουρανίους ὁ ἀπόστολος δι' ὧν φησιν· «ἡ δὲ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστίν, ἥτις ἐστὶν μήτηρ ἡμῶν», 6.24.6 καὶ «προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει καὶ πόλει θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ, καὶ μυριάσιν ἀγγέλων, πανηγύρει». λέγοιτο δ' ἂν Σιὼν καὶ ἡ εἰς πάντα τὸν ἐπὶ γῆς τόπον διὰ Χριστοῦ συστᾶσα ἐκκλησία, ὡς καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ πᾶν τὸ θεοσεβὲς πολίτευμα, ὃ καὶ παρὰ μόνοις Ἰουδαίοις τοῖς πάλαι τὸ πρὶν συνεστώς, εἰς ἐρημίαν διὰ τὰς δυσσεβείας αὐτῶν περιτέτραπται, εἶτ' αὖ πάλιν τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον ἀνανεώσεως ἔτυχεν διὰ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιφανείας. 6.24.7 διό φησιν ἡ προφητεία· «ῥηξάτω εὐφροσύνην ἅμα τὰ ἔρημα Ἱερουσαλήμ, ὅτι ἠλέησεν κύριος αὐτὴν καὶ ἐρρύσατο Ἱερουσαλήμ». οὐκ ἂν δὲ ἁμάρτοις τὴν παντὸς ἁγίου καὶ θεοφιλοῦς ψυχήν, καθὸ μὲν ἐπῆρται τῷ βίῳ, «τὸ πολίτευμα» ἔχουσα «ἐν οὐρανοῖς», σκοποῦσα τὰ ὑπερκόσμια, Σιὼν ὀνομάζων ἑρμηνεύεται γὰρ «σκοπευτήριον», καθὸ δὲ ἐν εὐσταθείᾳ καὶ γαλήνῃ παθῶν καθέστηκεν, Ἱερουσαλὴμ αὐτὴν ἀποκαλῶν «ὅρασιν» γὰρ «εἰρήνης» μεταληφθὲν τοὔνομα σημαίνει. 6.24.8 τούτοις ἀκολούθως ἡ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν τοῦ θεοῦ κλῆσις ἐναργέστατα δηλοῦται διὰ τοῦ «καὶ ἀποκαλύψει κύριος ὁ θεὸς τὸν βραχίονα τὸν ἅγιον αὐτοῦ ἐνώπιον πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν, καὶ ὄψονται πάντα τὰ ἄκρα τῆς γῆς τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν». βραχίονα δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ μὴ ἄλλον εἶναι τοῦ λόγου καὶ τῆς σοφίας καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ κυρίου, ὅς ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, νόμιζε. 6.24.9 τοῦτο γοῦν ἐκ πολλῶν παραστῆσαι ῥᾴδιον. ἔχεις δὲ καὶ ἐν Ἐξόδῳ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ «βραχίονι» θεοῦ ῥυσθέντα τῆς ὑπ' Αἰγυπτίοις δουλείας. αὐτὸν δὴ ἐκεῖνον τὸν βραχίονα τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸν ἀναφανέντα σωτῆρα τοῦ πάλαι λαοῦ, πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀποκαλυφθήσεσθαι, ὡς ἂν τὸ πρὶν ἐπικεκρυμμένον, ἡ παροῦσα σημαίνει προφητεία. «τὴν» δὲ «σωτηρίαν», ἥν φησιν ὄψεσθαι «πάντα τὰ ἄκρα τῆς γῆς», καὶ ἣν ἀνώτερον ἐδήλου λέγων «ὅτι ἀκουστὴν ποιήσω τὴν σωτηρίαν σου», ἴσθι τῇ Ἑβραίων φωνῇ τῷ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ὀνόματι προσαγορεύεσθαι. 6.25.1 Ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ. «Ἰδοὺ κύριος ὡς πῦρ ἥξει καὶ ὡς καταιγὶς τὰ ἅρματα αὐτοῦ», καὶ ἑξῆς· «εἶπεν κύριος, κἀγὼ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν καὶ τὸν λογισμὸν αὐτῶν· ἔρχομαι συναγαγεῖν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη καὶ τὰς γλώσσας, καὶ ἥξουσι καὶ ὄψονται τὴν δόξαν μου. καὶ καταλείψω ἐπ' αὐτῶν σημεῖον, καὶ ἐξαποστελῶ ἐξ αὐτῶν