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trodden down by the nations.” Which also came to pass not long after the words of our savior, when the Romans captured the city, settled foreign men there, and established them in the place. 7.1.64 Again the same lord is said to shave with the razor of the king of the Assyrians, that is, with the chastising power of the ruler of this age, the head and the feet and the beard of none other than again the nation of the Jews, that is to remove their adornment and glory through the rule of those who universally prevail. 7.1.65 It signifies that these are the Romans; for I believe that by the name of the Assyrians is signified the kingdom prevailing over the nations at any given time, because the Assyrians are interpreted from the Hebrew tongue as "those who make straight," so that the Romans are those who now make straight. 7.1.66 since truly with the razor of the Romans, with their civil and military power, all the glory of the nation of the Jews, in which it formerly luxuriated, and all their manliness, signified by the beard and the hair of the feet, the God of all has taken away. 7.1.67 Nor indeed at any time ever before from the beginning of time than after the birth of our savior, Emmanuel himself, did God take away all their adornment through the rule of the Romans. Instead of "of the king of the Assyrians," Aquila has "in the kingdom of the Assyrians," and Theodotion has published "by the king of the Assyrians," and likewise Symmachus, making it clear that the word does not threaten to shave the head of the king of the Assyrians, but with his razor and by the king of the Assyrians himself he would bring about the prophesied things upon the nation of the Jews. 7.1.68 The outcome therefore bears witness to these words. At leisure one might find by observing very many other things spoken in the prophecies as if concerning the person of the Assyrians, which can in no way be applied to the Assyrians but to the universally prevailing kingdom of the nations at different times; 7.1.69 Indeed we have found even Persians called Assyrians among the Hebrews. For this reason we have now supposed that the word signifies the Roman rule; for we see it directing and being directed by God after the advent of our savior. 7.1.70 But let no one suppose that we say that everything found in the divine scriptures about the Assyrians is to be referred to the Romans—for that is foolish and shameless—but that there are certain prophetic utterances interwoven with the testimonies about Christ, which we say signify the Romans through the designation of the Assyrians, the prevailing kingdom of the nations at different times always being established from the interpretation of the name, as we shall demonstrate at the proper time. 7.1.71 And I myself, examining the reasoning of this same interpretation, think that the prophetic oracles did not mention the Romans by name for no other reason than that during the Roman empire the teaching of our savior Jesus Christ was going to shine forth to all people, and the prophetic writings were going to be published in the very city of the Romans and among all the nations under the Romans; 7.1.72 so that therefore no displeasure might arise for the rulers of the empire from an explicit record about them, the word concealed itself through riddles, both in very many other places, but also in the visions of Daniel, just as also in the prophecy at hand, in which it calls them "those who make straight," addressing them as Assyrians. 7.1.73 Therefore with their "razor" it proclaims that the entire adornment of the nation of the Jews will be destroyed after the birth of Emmanuel. 7.1.74 Furthermore, in the day indicated, clearly that of Emmanuel, that is, of the appearance of Christ, "a man," it says, "shall nourish a young heifer and two sheep; and it shall be from the abundance of milk produced, that everyone who is left in the land will eat butter and honey." 7.1.75 by which one might say it signifies either a famine and

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πατουμένη ὑπὸ ἐθνῶν». ὃ καὶ τέλους ἔτυχεν μετ' οὐ πολὺν χρόνον τῶν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν φωνῶν, Ῥωμαίων τὴν πόλιν ἑλόντων ἀλλοφύλους τε ἄνδρας αὐτόθι κατοικισάντων καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ τόπου καταστησάντων. 7.1.64 Πάλιν δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς κύριος ξυρήσειν λέγεται ἐν τῷ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων ξυρῷ, ἤτοι τῇ κολαστικῇ δυνάμει τοῦ ἄρχοντος τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ τοὺς πόδας καὶ τὸν πώγωνα οὐκ ἄλλου τινὸς ἢ αὖθις τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τὸν κόσμον αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν δόξαν περιελεῖν διὰ τῆς τῶν καθόλου ἐπικρατούντων ἀρχῆς. 7.1.65 Ῥωμαίους δὲ εἶναι τούτους αἰνίττεται· διὰ γὰρ τοῦ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ὀνόματος ἡγοῦμαι τὴν καθ' ἕκαστον χρόνον ἐπικρατοῦσαν τῶν ἐθνῶν βασιλείαν σημαίνεσθαι, διὰ τὸ «κατευθύνοντας» ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑβραίων φωνῆς ἑρμηνεύεσθαι τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους, ὥστε εἶναι Ῥωμαίους τοὺς νῦν κατευθύνοντας· 7.1.66 ἐπεὶ καὶ ἀληθῶς τῷ Ῥωμαίων ξυρῷ, τῇ πολιτικῇ καὶ πολεμικῇ δυνάμει, πᾶσαν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, ἐν ᾗ τὸ πρὶν ἐκόμα, καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀνδρείαν, διὰ τοῦ πώγωνος καὶ τῶν τριχῶν τῶν ποδῶν σημαινομένην, περιεῖλεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεός. 7.1.67 οὐδ' ἄλλοτε γοῦν πω πρότερον ἐξ αἰῶνος ἢ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, αὐτοῦ δὴ τοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ, γένεσιν περιεῖλεν αὐτῶν ὁ θεὸς πάντα τὸν κόσμον διὰ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ «βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων» ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας «ἐν βασιλείᾳ Ἀσσυρίων»,ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων «ἐν τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων» ἐκδέδωκεν, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Σύμμαχος, σαφὲς ποιοῦντες ὅτι μὴ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων τὴν κεφαλὴν ξυρήσειν ὁ λόγος ἀπειλεῖ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ ξυρῷ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ γε τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων τὰ προφητευόμενα διαθήσειν τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος. 7.1.68 τούτοις οὖν καὶ ἡ ἔκβασις ἐπιμαρτυρεῖ τῶν λόγων. ἐπὶ σχολῆς δέ τις καὶ πλεῖστα ἕτερα ὥσπερ εἰς Ἀσσυρίων πρόσωπον ἐν ταῖς προφητείαις εἰρημένα εὕροι ἂν ἐπιτηρήσας, οὐδαμῶς μὲν τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις ἐφαρμόσαι δυνάμενα τῇ δὲ ἐπικρατούσῃ καθόλου τῶν κατὰ χρόνους ἐθνῶν βασιλείᾳ· 7.1.69 ἤδη γοῦν καὶ Πέρσας εὕρομεν παρὰ Ἑβραίοις Ἀσσυρίους ὠνομασμένους. διὸ καὶ νῦν ὑπειλήφαμεν αἰνίττεσθαι τὸν λόγον τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχήν· κατευθύνουσαν γὰρ καὶ κατευθυνομένην ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρουσίαν ὁρῶμεν. 7.1.70 μηδεὶς δὲ ὑπολαμβανέτω πάντα ἡμᾶς λέγειν τὰ περὶ Ἀσσυρίων ἐν ταῖς θείαις φερόμενα γραφαῖς ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους ἀνάγεσθαι ἠλίθιον γὰρ καὶ ἀναιδὲς τοῦτο, ἀλλά τινας εἶναι προφητικὰς φωνὰς ταῖς περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαρτυρίαις συμπεριπεπλεγμένας, ἅς φαμεν περὶ Ῥωμαίων αἰνίττεσθαι διὰ τῆς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων προσηγορίας, ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ὀνόματος ἑρμηνείας ἀεὶ συνισταμένης τῆς κατὰ χρόνους ἐπικρατούσης τῶν ἐθνῶν βασιλείας, ὡς ἐπὶ καιροῦ τοῦ προσήκοντος παραστήσομεν. 7.1.71 καὶ ἔγωγε τὸν λογισμὸν τῆς αὐτῆς ἀποδόσεως πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν διερευνώμενος, οἶμαι δι' οὐδὲν ἕτερον μὴ ὀνομαστὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων μνημονεῦσαι τὰ προφητικὰ λόγια ἢ διὰ τὸ μέλλειν ἐπὶ τῆς Ῥωμαίων βασιλείας τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ διαλάμπειν εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους διδασκαλίαν, καὶ τὰς προφητικὰς γραφὰς ἐπ' αὐτῆς γε τῆς Ῥωμαίων πόλεως καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίους ἔθνεσιν δημοσιεύεσθαι· 7.1.72 ἵν' οὖν τοῖς τῆς ἀρχῆς 7.1.72 κρατοῦσιν δυσαρέστησις μηδεμία γένηται ἐκ τῆς προδήλου περὶ αὐτῶν ἀναγραφῆς, δι' αἰνιγμάτων ὁ λόγος ἐπεκρύψατο, ἔν τε ἑτέροις πλείοσιν, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ταῖς τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ θεωρίαις, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἐν τῇ μετὰ χεῖρας προφητείᾳ, ἐν ᾗ «κατευθύνοντας» αὐτοὺς ὀνομάζει, προσειπὼν Ἀσσυρίους. 7.1.73 τῷ τούτων τοιγαροῦν «ξυρῷ» τὸν σύμπαντα κόσμον τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ γένεσιν ἀφανισθήσεσθαι θεσπίζει. 7.1.74 Ἔτι δὲ ἐν τῇ δηλουμένῃ ἡμέρᾳ δῆλον δ' ὅτι τῇ τοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφανείας «θρέψει», φησίν, «ἄνθρωπος δάμαλιν βοῶν καὶ δύο πρόβατα· καὶ ἔσται ἀπὸ τοῦ πλεῖστον ποιεῖν γάλα, βούτυρον καὶ μέλι φάγεται πᾶς ὁ καταλειφθεὶς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς». 7.1.75 δι' ὧν φαίη ἄν τις ἤτοι λιμὸν αἰνίττεσθαι καὶ