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Christ was prefigured, as He Himself says: "If you believed Moses, you would believe me." And the words of the prophets also proclaimed beforehand the future mystery of Christ, unto which the dispensation of the law of Moses was destined to arrive. However, as if to those who have not heard, I will say, that God will not hunger. For to me, who am not in need, you brought the worship according to the law, in accordance with: "Shall I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?" For how could I, being eternal and incorruptible, be in need of these things? Or shall I suffer a human passion? But you reason, he says, that if the new things are better than the old, what need was there at all of the first legislation? And why were not the things of now preached then? For you are ignorant of the dispensation of God's wisdom, which Paul, having learned, says that the Law came in so that the trespass might increase. And again: For the Scripture has confined all under sin, that He might have mercy on all. The law, therefore, is a proof of human weakness, not justifying, but condemning, those whom Christ justified by grace. For He Himself, besides not being hungry, gives spiritual strength to those who hunger for righteousness, and He brings the insensitive to a painful awareness, for which sins they have committed they will pay the penalty. For godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret; that is, giving the sorrow from the capture to those who said: His blood be on us and on our children. Those also deprived of spiritual food are weak, even though they were formerly strong, when the nations out of weakness had fallen at the feet of the devil, and were being nourished by the commandments according to the law; but when grace came to the nations, they themselves passed into a famine, which they drew upon themselves, not a famine of bread, nor 2353 a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord; by which no longer being fed they became weak, He saying: "I am the bread that came down from heaven," and what follows. Having eaten of this, the nations no longer hunger. For Solomon also says: The Lord will not let the righteous soul suffer hunger, but He will overthrow the life of the wicked. For it endured God, having changed its weakness from error into spiritual strength, and having become superior to carnal pleasures, with Christ prevailing, so as to say while singing: "The Lord is my strength and my song." ηκʹ. 9But you, Israel, my servant Jacob, and whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, whom I loved, whom I took hold of from the ends of the earth, and from its high places I called you, and I said to you: You are my servant9, etc. Above, God was finding fault with Jacob and with Israel, for saying, My way is hidden from God; but now in praise He calls Israel a servant and Jacob chosen, with the word clearly presenting two parts of the people of the circumcision, the one having fallen away, because of unbelief; the other saved through faith, of the apostles and those with them who were deemed worthy of election, according to the divine Apostle who says: "So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace." And the Gospel also says: "These twelve Jesus chose." For though many were called, also from the former people, few were the chosen. To these the word makes the aforementioned promises, after the previously declared calling of the nations in the passage: Who raised up from the east righteousness, which He said He would give in the presence of the nations? And again: The nations saw and were afraid, but the rest gave out: But you, Israel, my servant. And He first named him servant, then chosen. As at first, indeed, being disciplined under the law by the fear of slavery, then through progress being chosen through the calling, but another order besides these, called the seed of Abraham, signifying the multitude of the Jews, to whom the Savior said: "I know that you are Abraham's seed," being different from the children of Abraham, about whom He said: "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham." Abraham, therefore, was beloved of God. But He does not say that the seed was loved in the same way. Nevertheless, He called these also through the elect, saying, Go, to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And since they were scattered over all the earth, He added: Whom I took hold of from the end of the earth, and from its high places, or from its corners according to Symmachus, I called you.

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προετυποῦτο Χριστὸς, ὡς αὐτός φησιν· "Εἰ ἐπιστεύετε Μωσεῖ, ἐπιστεύετε ἂν ἐμοί." Καὶ προφητῶν δὲ λόγοι τὸ μέλλον Χριστοῦ μυστήριον προκατήγγειλαν, εἰς ὃ καταντᾷν ἤμελλεν ἡ τοῦ νόμου Μωσέως οἰκονομία. Πλὴν, ὡς μὴ ἀκηκοότων ἐρῶ, ὡς Ὁ Θεὸς οὐ πεινάσει. Μὴ δεομένῳ γάρ μοι τὰς κατὰ νόμον προσῆγες λατρείας συμφώνως τῷ· "Μὴ φάγωμαι κρέα ταύρων, ἢ αἷμα τράγων πίωμαι;" Πῶς γὰρ ἐνδεὴς ἐγὼ τούτων, αἰώνιος ὑπάρχων καὶ ἄφθαρτος; ἢ πάθος ἀνθρώπινον πείσομαι; Ἀλλὰ λογίζῃ, φησὶν, ὡς Εἰ κρείττω τὰ νέα τῶν πάλαι, τί ὅλως ἔδει τῆς πρώτης νομοθεσίας; μὴ τότε δὲ κηρυχθῆναι τὰ νῦν; ἀγνοεῖς γὰρ Θεοῦ σοφίας οἰκονομίαν, ἣν μαθὼν ὁ Παῦλός φησιν, ὅτι Νόμος παρεισῆλθεν ἵνα πλεονάσῃ τὸ παράπτωμα. Καὶ πάλιν· Συνέκλεισε γὰρ ἡ Γραφὴ τοὺς πάντας ὑφ' ἁμαρτίαν, ἵνα τοὺς πάντας ἐλεήσῃ. Ἔλεγχος ἄρα τῆς ἀνθρώπων ἀσθενείας ὁ νόμος, οὐ δικαιῶν, ἀλλὰ κατακρίνων, οὓς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐδικαίωσε χάριτι. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ καὶ πρὸς τῷ μὴ πεινᾷν, τοῖς πεινῶσι τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἰσχὺν διδοὺς τὴν πνευματικὴν, ὁ καὶ τοὺς ἀναισθήτους εἰς συναίσθησιν ἄγων ὀδυνηρὰν, ἐφ' οἷς ἁμαρτηκότες τίσουσι δίκας. Ἡ γὰρ κατὰ Θεὸν λύπη μετάνοιαν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἀμεταμέλητον κατεργάζεται· ἤγουν λύπην διδοὺς τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἁλώσεως τοῖς εἰποῦσι· Τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν. Οἱ καὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς ἐστερημένοι τροφῆς ἀσθενοῦσι, καί τοι πρότερον ἐῤῥωμένοι τυγχάνοντες, ὅτε τὰ ἔθνη τοῖς διαβολικοῖς ἐξ ἀσθενείας ὑποπεπτώκει ποσὶν, καὶ ταῖς ἐντολαῖς ταῖς κατὰ νόμον τρεφόμενοι, τῆς δὲ χάριτος ἐλθούσης τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, αὐτοὶ μετέστησαν εἰς λιμὸν, ὃν ἐπεσπάσαντο ἑαυτοῖς, οὐ λιμὸν ἄρτου, οὐδὲ 2353 δίψαν ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ λιμὸν τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λόγον Κυρίου· ᾧ μηκέτι τραφέντες ἠσθένησαν, λέγοντι· "Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβὰς," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Οὗ φαγόντα τὰ ἔθνη οὐκέτι πεινᾷ. Φησὶ γὰρ καὶ Σολομῶν· Οὐ λιμοκτονήσει Κύριος ψυχὴν δικαίαν, ζωὴν δὲ ἀσεβῶν ἀνατρέψει. Ὑπέμεινε γὰρ αὐτὰ τὸν Θεὸν τὴν ἐκ πλάνης ἀσθένειαν εἰς ἰσχὺν πνευματικὴν ἀλλαξάμενα, κρείττω τε γεγονότα τῶν σαρκικῶν ἡδονῶν, Χριστοῦ κατισχύοντος, ὡς ἐρεῖν ψάλλοντα· "Ἰσχύς μου καὶ ὕμνησίς μου ὁ Κύριος." ηκʹ. 9Σὺ δὲ, Ἰσραὴλ, παῖς μου Ἰακὼβ, καὶ ὃν ἐξελεξάμην σπέρμα Ἀβραὰμ, ὃν ἠγάπησα, οὗ ἀντελαβόμην ἀπ' ἄκρων τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐκ τῶν σκοπιῶν αὐτῆς ἐκάλεσά σε, καὶ εἶπά σοι· Παῖς μου εἶ9, κ.τ.λ. Ἀνωτέρω μὲν τῷ Ἰακὼβ ὁ Θεὸς ἐμέμφετο καὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, λέγουσιν, Ἀπεκρύβη ἡ ὁδός μου ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ· νῦν δὲ ἐν ἐπαίνῳ παῖδα καλεῖ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ ἐκλελεγμένον, σαφῶς τοῦ λόγου δύο τμήματα τοῦ ἐκ περιτομῆς παριστῶντος λαοῦ, τὸ μὲν ἐκπεσὸν, διὰ τὴν ἀπιστίαν· τὸ δὲ σωθὲν διὰ πίστεως ἀποστόλων τε καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτοῖς ἐκλογῆς ἠξιωμένων, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον λέγοντα· "Οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ λεῖμμα κατ' ἐκλογὴν χάριτος γέγονε." Καὶ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον δέ φησι· "Τούτους τοὺς δώδεκα ἐξελέξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς." Πολλῶν δὲ ὄντων κλητῶν καὶ ἐκ τοῦ προτέρου λαοῦ, ὀλίγοι ἦσαν οἱ ἐκλεκτοί. Πρὸς οὓς ὁ λόγος τὰς προκειμένας ἐπαγγελίας ποιεῖται, μετὰ τὴν προδηλωθεῖσαν τῶν ἐθνῶν κλῆσιν ἐν τῷ· Τίς ἐξῆρεν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν δικαιοσύνην, ἣν ἔφη δώσειν ἐναντίον ἐθνῶν; Καὶ πάλιν· Ἴδοσαν ἔθνη καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν, οἱ λοιποὶ δὲ ἐξέδωκαν· Σὺ δὲ, Ἰσραὴλ, δοῦλέ μου. ∆οῦλον δὲ ποῶτον ὠνόμασεν, εἶτα ἐκλεκτόν. Ὡς ἐν ἀρχαῖς μὲν, φόβῳ δουλείας ὑπὸ τὸν νόμον παιδαγωγηθέντα, εἶτα διὰ προκοπῆς ἐκλεγέντα διὰ τῆς κλήσεως, τάγμα δὲ παρὰ τούτους ἕτερον, τὸ σπέρμα λεγόμενον Ἀβραὰμ, τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Ἰουδαίων δηλοῦν, πρὸς οὓς ἔλεγεν ὁ Σωτήρ· "Οἶδα ὅτι σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ ἐστε," ἑτέρους ὅντας παρὰ τὰ τέκνα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, περὶ ὧν ἕλεγεν· "Εἰ τέκνα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἦτε, τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἐποιεῖτε." Ἀβραὰμ μὲν οὖν ἀγαπητὸς ἦν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐχ ὁμοίως δὲ τὸ σπέρμα ἠγαπῆσθαί φησι. Πλὴν καὶ τούτους ἐκάλει διὰ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν, Πορεύεσθε, λέξας, πρὸς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ διεσπαρμένοι ἦσαν εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, ἐπήνεγκεν· Οὗ ἀντελαβόμην ἀπ' ἄκρου τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐκ τῶν σκοπιῶν αὐτῆς, ἢ τῶν ἀγκώνων κατὰ Σύμμαχον, ἐκάλεσά σε.