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to the one set forth, beginning from "and the Lord said to me, take for yourself a scroll," which let us set forth and examine. 7.1.95 b. From the same. "And the Lord said to me, Take for yourself a new, great scroll, and write on it with a man's pen to quickly make a plunder of spoils; for it is at hand; and make for me faithful witnesses, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Barachiah. And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived in her womb and bore a son. And the Lord said to me, Call his name, Spoil quickly, Plunder swiftly; because before the child knows how to call father or mother, he will take the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians." 7.1.96 The present prophecy also adheres to the one set forth before. For the virgin there, who is said to give birth to the God with us, is here called a prophetess. And as it is asked from where, being unmarried, she will conceive, the word now teaches this, saying, "And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived in her womb and bore a son," 7.1.97 These things must be heard as from the Holy Spirit, by whom the prophet, being God-borne, prophesied. The Holy Spirit itself therefore confesses to have approached the prophetess, which also was clearly fulfilled at the birth of our savior Jesus Christ, when "the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house and lineage of David." To whom he also "said, 'Hail, favored one, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women'," 7.1.98 and again: "Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus." And when Mary said, "How will this be, since I do not know a man?" he answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God." 7.1.99 And in the prophecy before this one, at the same time as the birth of Emmanuel, "before the child knows good or evil," it was said that the land would be forsaken by the two kings who were besieging it, one of Samaria, and the other of Damascus. But in the present one, "before the child knows how to call father or mother, he will take the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria," whose kings he had previously prophesied would be destroyed at the birth of Emmanuel. 7.1.100 In a perceptible sense, therefore, in the days of Ahaz king of Judah, and at the time of the prophet Isaiah himself, two kings by an agreement were besieging those who were ruled by the successors of David, as has already been shown before; one, the king of the idolatrous nations in Damascus, the other, of the multitude of the Jews in the so-called city of Samaria in Palestine, which those in our time name Sebaste; concerning whom God said to Ahaz through the prophet: "Do not be afraid, nor let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands." 7.1.101 And having said that the destruction of the men would be very soon and not long after, he prophesies next that at the birth of the God who would be with us, the kingdom of both would be utterly extinguished and destroyed. 7.1.102 And we show from history that up to the times of the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ, the kingdom of the Jews and of the Damascenes had continued, but after his manifestation to all men, they ceased in accordance with the prophecy, as the Roman monarchy prevailed along with the preaching of our Savior. 7.1.103 And having prophesied these things literally, the word passed on to the meaning and the overall more spiritual interpretation in contemplation, having posited two hosts of invisible enemies and hostile demons. of wicked ones, who variously war against the whole race of men, one being that of those who always and forever work idolatries and false opinions in dogmas among men, the other that of those in morals

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προτεθειμένῃ, ἀρχομένη ἀπὸ τοῦ «καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρός με, λάβε σεαυτῷ τόμον», ἣν καὶ αὐτὴν ἐκθέμενοι φέρε διασκοπήσωμεν. 7.1.95 β. Ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ. «Καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρός με, λάβε σεαυτῷ τόμον καινοῦ μεγάλου, καὶ γράψον εἰς αὐτὸν γραφίδι ἀνθρώπου τοῦ ὀξέως προνομὴν ποιῆσαι σκύλων· πάρεστιν γάρ· καὶ μάρτυράς μοι ποίησον πιστοὺς ἀνθρώπους, τὸν Οὐρίαν τὸν ἱερέα καὶ Ζαχαρίαν υἱὸν Βαραχίου. καὶ προσῆλθον πρὸς τὴν προφῆτιν, καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔλαβεν καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱόν. καὶ εἶπεν κύριός μοι, κάλεσον τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ταχέως σκύλευσον, ὀξέως προνόμευσον· διότι πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα, λήψεται δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ καὶ τὰ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας ἔναντι βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων.» 7.1.96 Ἔχεται τῆς προτεταγμένης καὶ ἡ παροῦσα προφητεία. ἡ γὰρ ἐκεῖσε παρθένος, ἡ τὸν μεθ' ἡμῶν θεὸν τίκτειν λεγομένη, προφῆτις ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ὠνόμασται. ζητουμένου δέ, πόθεν ἄρα συλλήψεται ἀπειρόγαμος οὖσα, τοῦτο νῦν ὁ λόγος διδάσκει· «καὶ προσῆλθον», λέγων, «πρὸς τὴν προφῆτιν, καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔλαβεν καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱόν», 7.1.97 ἀκουστέον δὲ ταῦτα ὡς ἐξ ἁγίου πνεύματος, ὑφ' οὗ θεοφορούμενος ὁ προφήτης ἐθέσπιζεν. αὐτὸ δὴ οὖν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον προσεληλυθέναι ὁμολογεῖ τῇ προφήτιδι, ὃ καὶ σαφῶς πεπλήρωται ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ γενέσεως, ὅτε «ἀπεστάλη ἄγγελος Γαβριὴλ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς πόλιν τῆς Γαλιλαίας, ᾗ ὄνομα Ναζαρέθ, πρὸς παρθένον μεμνηστευμένην ἀνδρί, ᾧ ὄνομα Ἰωσήφ, ἐξ οἴκου καὶ πατριᾶς ∆αβίδ». ᾗ καὶ «εἶπεν· χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ κύριος μετὰ σοῦ, εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξίν», 7.1.98 καὶ πάλιν· «μὴ φοβοῦ· εὗρες γὰρ χάριν παρὰ τῷ θεῷ. καὶ ἰδοὺ συλλήψῃ ἐν γαστρὶ καὶ τέξῃ υἱόν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν», εἰπούσης τε τῆς Μαρίας· «πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω;» ἀπεκρίνατο, «πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σέ, καὶ δύναμις ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι· διὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἅγιον κληθήσεται υἱὸς θεοῦ». 7.1.99 καὶ ἐν μὲν τῇ πρὸ ταύτης προφητείᾳ ἅμα τῇ γενέσει τοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ, «πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακόν», ἐλέγετο ἐγκαταλειφθήσεσθαι τὴν γῆν ἀπὸ τῶν πολιορκούντων αὐτὴν δυεῖν βασιλέων, ἑνὸς μὲν τοῦ τῆς Σαμαρείας, θατέρου δὲ τοῦ τῆς ∆αμασκοῦ· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς παρούσης, «πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα, λήψεται δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ καὶ τὰ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας» ὧν καὶ πρόσθεν καταλυθήσεσθαι τοὺς βασιλέας ἐπὶ τῇ γενέσει τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ ἐθέσπιζεν. 7.1.100 αἰσθητῶς μὲν οὖν ἐν ἡμέραις Ἄχαζ βασιλέως Ἰούδα, καὶ κατ' αὐτὸν Ἡσαΐαντὸν προφήτην, δύο βασιλεῖς ἐκ συνθήκης τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῖς διαδόχοις ∆αβὶδ βασιλευομένους ἐπολιόρκουν, ὡς ἤδη πρότερον δεδήλωται· ὁ μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς ∆αμασκοῦ τῶν εἰδωλολατρῶν ἐθνῶν βασιλεύς, ὁ δὲ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐν τῇ καλουμένῃ Σαμαρείᾳ πόλει τῆς Παλαιστίνης, ἣν Σεβαστὴν οἱ καθ' ἡμᾶς ὀνομάζουσιν· περὶ ὧν ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου τῷ Ἄχαζ εἶπεν· «μὴ φοβοῦ, μηδὲ ἡ ψυχή σου ἀσθενείτω ἀπὸ τῶν δύο ξύλων τῶν δαλῶν τῶν καπνιζομένων τούτων». 7.1.101 καὶ τὴν ἀπώλειάν γε τῶν ἀνδρῶν αὐτίκα μάλα καὶ οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν ἔσεσθαι εἰπών, ἑξῆς προφητεύει ὡς ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ μεθ' ἡμῶν ἐσομένου θεοῦ γενέσει πάμπαν ἀμφοτέρων σβεσθήσεται καὶ καταλυθήσεται ἡ βασιλεία. 7.1.102 δείκνυμεν δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἱστορίας ὡς μέχρι τῶν χρόνων τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας διαμεμένηκεν ἥ τε τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ ∆αμασκηνῶν βασιλεία, μετὰ δὲ τὴν εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ ἀκολούθως τῇ προρρήσει διαλελοίπασιν, τῆς Ῥωμαίων μοναρχίας ἐπικρατησάσης σὺν τῷ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν κηρύγματι. 7.1.103 Καὶ ταῦτά γε πρὸς λέξιν θεσπίσας ὁ λόγος μετέβαινεν ἐπὶ τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ τὴν καθόλου πνευματικωτέραν ἐν θεωρίαις ἀπόδοσιν, ὑποστησάμενός τε δύο στίφη ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν καὶ πολεμίων δαιμόνων. πονηρῶν, τὸ πάντων ἀνθρώπων γένος διαφόρως πολε μούντων, ἓν μὲν τῶν τὰς ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἐνεργούντων ἀεὶ καὶ πάντοτε εἰδωλολατρίας καὶ τὰς ἐν δόγμασι ψευδοδοξίας, θάτερον δὲ τῶν ἐν ἤθεσι