178
he will bring forth, through the evangelical ordinances. But the word, until, does not denote a limit of time, after which he will be broken, but that he will prevail so much as to set judgment in all the earth. According to that: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." And that: "Behold, I am with you, until the end of the age." So also now it denotes the unbreakable and unshakable nature of his ordinances. For it is written: "Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is truth." Indeed, the nations have hoped in his name, having learned that he is God, even though he appeared in the flesh. And according to David: "In his name they will rejoice all the day long." For we are called Christians, and in him we have all our hope. But the Hebrew, and the others, instead of nations, say, islands. And instead of, in his name, in his law. And we say the churches are islands, surrounded by the unbelievers as by the sea. But the law of the one prophesied 2365 is another besides the Mosaic law, except for the new covenant, concerning which Jeremiah says: "And I will make a new covenant with them, not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers." And the present prophet also said: "For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." But since in the preceding saying he suddenly added, saying, Jacob my servant, without specifying the person; now he has added, Thus says the Lord God, showing that from him were spoken the things ordained concerning Christ. But since the one speaking is invisible, he presents his substance and power from the greatness of the created things, according to the voice of Paul. And he says the heaven has been fixed. For it was formed from water, according to the writing of Moses, not from fire, according to the gentile wise men; and the earth has been made firm, because being in the middle it is motionless, and instead of, and the things in it; Symmachus has said, and the things that go upon it. But what things does he say, who gives breath to the people upon it? For he breathed a living soul into all men through the first-formed man, but he has not imparted the spirit to all, but to those who tread upon the earth, being superior to an earthly mind. But you might also say that every kind of living creature is meant, both rational and irrational. But since there had been many false prophets in Israel, it happened then that even the true prophets were disbelieved, just as Christ himself was disbelieved, although he worked miracles. For they said that he cast out demons by Beelzebul, and they said: "If this man were from God, he would not break the Sabbath." Therefore the Savior said to them: "The thief does not come, except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I came that they may have life." And again: "I have come in my Father's name." Whence the prophecy makes the Father bear witness to him, that he came as one who was called, and not of his own accord, like those who speak from their own heart, but in righteousness, having received the call according to his worth. And he promises to cooperate with the one who is Lord of hosts, because of the measures of his humanity, showing him to be both God, and light from light, he says he has been given as a light to the nations, like some gift, for a New Covenant, having divinely abolished the shadow of the former one. And, since he himself was the Covenant, being mediator between God and men, he did not issue a writing, nor a book, in the same way as Moses; but in him the eyes of the souls of those long blind are opened to the knowledge of God, from ignorance concerning both idols and demons, to whom they gave the divine worship which is mine. And he himself also preached to the spirits in hades, imprisoned in a house of custody, releasing all from the bonds of necessity. And at the same time, 2368 the aforementioned blind, bound by the chains of their own sins, and fettered in the darkness of evil, he deemed worthy through grace of the remission of sins, freeing them from the prison of the devil, not the Jews specifically, not Israel, not Jacob, but every race of men. Therefore he said, of the nations. Then having said that he is the Lord God; My glory, he says, I will not give to another. He did not say, to no one, they say, but to another, showing that a concession was made to one alone, concerning whom he said:
178
ἐξοίσει, διὰ τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν θεσπισμάτων. Τὸ δὲ, ἕως, [οὐ] καιροῦ προθεσμίαν δηλοῖ, μεθ' ἣν θραυσθήσεται, ἀλλ' ὅτι κρατήσει τοσοῦτον· ὥστε καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ θεῖναι τὴν κρίσιν. Κατὰ τό· "Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θήσω τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου." Καὶ τό· "Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι, ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος." Οὕτω καὶ νῦν τῶν αὐτοῦ θεσπισμάτων τὸ ἀῤῥαγὲς δηλοῖ καὶ ἀσάλευτον. Γέγραπται γάρ· "Ἡ δικαιοσύνη σου, δικαιοσύνη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ ὁ νόμος σου ἀλήθεια." Ἤλπισέν γε μὴν τὰ ἔθνη ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ, Θεὸν εἶναι μαθόντα, εἰ καὶ πέφηνεν ἐν σαρκί. Καὶ κατὰ τὸν ∆αβίδ· "Ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἀγαλλιάσονται ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν." Κεκλήμεθα γὰρ Χριστιανοὶ, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ πᾶσαν ἔχομεν τὴν ἐλπίδα. Τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν δὲ, καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἔθνη, νῆσοι, φασίν. Καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὀνόματι, νόμῳ. Νήσους δὲ τὰς ἐκκλησίας λέγομεν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀπίστων, ὡς ὑπὸ θαλάττης κεκυκλωμένας. Νόμος δὲ τοῦ προφητευομέ 2365 νου τις παρὰ τὸν Μωσαϊκὸν ἕτερος, πλὴν τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης, περὶ ἧς Ἱερεμίας φησί· "Καὶ διαθήσομαι αὐτοῖς διαθήκην καινὴν, οὐ κατὰ τὴν διαθήκην ἣν διεθέμην τοῖς πατράσιν αὐτῶν." Ἔφη δὲ καὶ ὁ παρὼν προφήτης· "Ἐκ γὰρ Σιὼν ἐξελεύσεται νόμος καὶ λόγος Κυρίου ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ." Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῇ προκειμένῃ ῥήσει ἀθρόως ἐπέβαλεν εἰπὼν, Ἰακὼβ ὁ παῖς μου, μὴ διορίσας τὸ πρόσωπον· νῦν ἐπήγαγεν, Οὕτως λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, ἐξ αὐτοῦ δηλῶν εἰρῆσθαι τὰ τεθεσπισμένα περὶ Χριστοῦ. Τοῦ δὲ λέγοντος ἀοράτου τυγχάνοντος, τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν δύναμιν ἐκ μεγέθους παρίστησι κτισμάτων, κατὰ τὴν Παύλου φωνήν. Τὸν οὐρανὸν δὲ πεπῆχθαί φησιν. Ἐξ ὕδατος γὰρ συνέστη, κατὰ τὴν Μωσέως γραφὴν, οὐκ ἐκ πυρὸς, κατὰ τοὺς ἔξω σοφούς· Τὴν δὲ γῆν ἐστερεῶσθαι, διὰ τὸ μέσην οὖσαν ἀκίνητον εἶναι, ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ· καὶ τὰ πορευόμενα ἐπ' αὐτῆς ὁ Σύμμαχος εἴρηκεν. Τίνα δὲ ταῦτα λέγει ὁ διδοὺς πνοὴν τῷ λαῷ τῷ ἐπ' αὐτῆς; Πᾶσι γὰρ ἀνθρώποις διὰ τοῦ πρωτοπλάστου εἰς ψυχὴν ἐνεφύσησε ζῶσαν, τοῦ δὲ πνεύματος οὐ πᾶσι μετέδωκεν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς πατοῦσι τὴν γῆν, κρείττοσιν οὖσι τοῦ γεώδους φρονήματος. Εἴποις δ' ἂν καὶ πᾶν γένος δηλοῦσθαι ζώων λογικόν τε καὶ ἄλογον. Πολλῶν δὲ ψευδοπροφητῶν γεγονότων ἐν Ἰσραὴλ, συνέβαινε λοιπὸν καὶ τοὺς ἀληθεῖς ἀπιστεῖσθαι προφήτας, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸν ἀπιστηθῆναι καίτοι θαυματουργοῦντα Χριστόν. Ἐκβάλλειν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἔφασκον ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλ τὰ δαιμόνια, ἔλεγόν τε· "Εἰ ἦν οὗτος παρὰ Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἔλυε τὸ Σάββατον." ∆ιόπερ ἔφασκεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Σωτήρ· "Ὁ κλέπτης οὐκ ἔρχεται, εἰ μὴ ἵνα κλέψῃ, καὶ θύσῃ, καὶ ἀπολέσῃ. Ἐγὼ ἦλθον ἵνα ζωὴν ἔχωσιν." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἐγὼ ἦλθον ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Πατέρος μου." Ὅθεν αὐτῷ ἡ προφητεία μαρτυροῦντα τὸν Πατέρα ποιεῖ, ὡς κληθεὶς ἦλθεν, ἀλλ' οὐκ αὐτόμολος, κατὰ τοὺς ἀπὸ καρδίας λαλοῦντας, ἀλλ' ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, κατ' ἀξίαν τὴν κλῆσιν λαβών. Καὶ τῶν δυνάμεων ὄντι Κυρίῳ συνεργεῖν ἐπαγγέλλεται, διὰ τὰ μέτρα τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος, ὃν καὶ Θεὸν δεικνὺς, καὶ φῶς ἐκ φωτὸς, εἰς φῶς αὐτὸν ἐθνῶν ὥσπερ τι δῶρον δεδόσθαι φησὶν, εἰς ∆ιαθήκην Καινὴν τῆς προτέρας τὴν σκιὰν θεοπρεπῶς καταργήσαντα. Καὶ, ἐπείπερ αὐτὸς ἦν ἡ ∆ιαθήκη, μεσίτης ὢν Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, οὐδὲ γραφὴν, οὐδὲ βιβλίον, ὁμοίως ἐξέδωκε Μωσεῖ· ἐν αὐτῷ δὲ καὶ τῶν πάλαι τυφλῶν τὰς ψυχὰς οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ διανοίγονται πρὸς γνῶσιν Θεοῦ, ἐξ ἀγνοίας τῆς περὶ εἴδωλά τε καὶ δαίμονας, οἷς τὸ θεῖον σέβας ἅπερ ἐμόν. Ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς καὶ τοῖς ἐν ᾅδου, καθειργμένοις ἐν οἴκῳ φυλακῆς ἐκήρυξε πνεύμασιν, ἐκ δεσμῶν ἀνάγκης πάντας ἀνείς. Ὁμοῦ δὲ, 2368 καὶ τοὺς προῤῥηθέντας τυφλοὺς, ταῖς τῶν ἰδίων ἐσφιγμένους ἁμαρτημάτων σειραῖς, σκότῳ τε κακίας πεπεδημένους, ἠξίωσε διὰ τῆς χάριτος ἁμαρτημάτων ἀφέσεως, τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου τούτους ἐλευθερώσας εἱρκτῆς, οὐκ Ἰουδαίους ἰδικῶς, οὐ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, οὐ τὸν Ἰακὼβ, πᾶν δὲ γένος ἀνθρώπων. ∆ιόπερ εἶπεν, ἐθνῶν. Εἶτα Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑπάρχειν εἰπών· Τὴν δόξαν μου, φησὶν, ἑτέρῳ οὐ δώσω. Οὐκ εἶπεν, οὐδενὶ, φασὶν, ἀλλ' ἑτέρῳ, ἐμφαίνων ἐνὶ μόνῳ γεγονέναι συγχώρησιν, περὶ οὗπερ ἔφασκεν·