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by unbelief no god was found and from their idols there was no one to proclaim; for they were proven to be nothing and for this reason to be able to do nothing. Therefore, if I should ask them, From where are they?, none of them will give an answer; for their makers are clearly craftsmen, since all “the idols of the nations are the work of human hands.” In vain, therefore, have you all been deceived; wherefore I want you to know, that I myself will give to my own church the rule over all things and I will bestow the authority of my kingdom on my Zion alone and I will comfort my Jerusalem, setting it on a path so that all who travel in it may travel to the thrice-blessed end that leads to the God over all and his heavenly kingdom. 2.22 Very consequently, to the refutation concerning the idols he contrasted the prophecy concerning Christ and the calling of the nations that follows it; but before the consideration of the passages, it is worth observing that neither the name of Jacob nor that of Israel appears in the present prophecy. For this reason neither the other interpreters nor the Hebrew reading mentioned them, but Symmachus rendered it in this way: Behold my servant, I will uphold him; my chosen one, in whom my soul has delighted, and Aquila: Behold my servant, I will take hold of him. Therefore, in the preceding passages the apostolic choir was named Jacob and Israel, in which it is said: “But you, Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, whom I have loved.”But in the present text, since the superior person has been introduced so that he might not be thought to be the same as those previously mentioned, he was named neither Jacob nor Israel nor the seed of Abraham, but it is clearly spoken concerning the Christ of God, as the Evangelist testified: I have put my spirit upon him, and he will bring forth justice to the nations. And after everything, in his name the nations will hope, things which it was not fitting to be said of the apostolic choir; reasonably, therefore, in the present prophecy the name of Jacob and that of Israel have been passed over in silence; someone else, therefore, is the one called here the servant of God and his chosen one. For this reason it is added: my soul has accepted him; for this one alone was the chosen one of God, and him the so-called soul of God accepted, since the divine scripture is accustomed to use the name of soul for God, just as it is also accustomed to speak more anthropomorphically of the feet and hands and fingers and eyes of God. I have put my spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations. And you would find these things to be in harmony with what was divinely proclaimed in the preceding passages concerning the one who would come forth “from the root of Jesse.” But chosen no longer in the same way as the apostles, since to him alone was it said: “whom my soul has chosen,” but also “the spirit of God rested upon him alone”; “for in him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” But the spirit given to the one who came forth “from the root of Jesse” was he himself, the only-begotten Word of God, which indeed the Apostle also revealed, saying: “Now the Lord is the Spirit.” Therefore, as the only one who contained the paternal spirit, he works all the following things, proclaiming to the nations the things concerning the universal judgment, so that all might be prepared for the future judgment of God. For this reason it has been said: he will bring forth justice to the nations. Then, since he went through human life quietly and gently, so as not even to permit those healed by him to make him known to all. For this reason it has been said: he will not cry out, nor will he lift up his voice, nor will his voice be heard outside, nor will he break a bruised reed; for so noiselessly and quietly will he pass through life among men, as not even to grieve the ordinary person who is lowliest and weakest of all, likened to a reed on account of his weakness. nor will he quench a smoldering wick, or according to Symmachus:

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ἀπιστίᾳ οὐδεὶς εὕρηται θεὸς καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων αὐτῶν οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἀναγγέλλων· ἠλέγχθησαν γοῦν τὸ μηθὲν ὄντες καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μηθὲν δυνάμενοι. διὸ καὶ ἐὰν ἐπερωτήσω αὐτούς Πόθεν εἶεν, οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν ἀπόκρισιν δώσει· δῆλοι γάρ εἰσιν οἱ ποιηταὶ αὐτῶν ἄνδρες χειροτέχναι, ἐπειδὴ πάντα «τὰ εἴδωλα τῶν ἐθνῶν ἔργα χειρῶν» τυγχάνει «ἀνθρώπων». μάτην ἄρα πεπλανῆσθε πάντες ὑμεῖς· διόπερ εἰδέναι ὑμᾶς βούλομαι, ὡς αὐτὸς ἐγὼ τῇ ἐμαυτοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ τὴν κατὰ πάντων ἀρχὴν δώσω καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῆς ἐμῆς βασιλείας μόνῃ τῇ ἐμῇ Σιὼν δωρήσομαι καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ παρακαλέσω τάξων αὐτὴν εἰς ὁδὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πάντας τοὺς ὁδεύοντας ἐν αὐτῇ ἐπὶ τὸ τρισμακάριον ὁδεύειν τέλος τὸ ἄγον πρὸς τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸν καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπουράνιον. 2.22 Σφόδρα ἀκολούθως τῷ περὶ τῶν εἰδώλων ἐλέγχῳ ἀντιπαρέθηκε τὴν περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προφητείαν καὶ τὴν ταύτῃ παρεπομένην τῶν ἐθνῶν κλῆσιν· ἀλλὰ γὰρ πρὸ τῆς εἰς τοὺς τόπους θεωρίας ἐπιτηρῆσαι ἄξιον, ὡς οὔτε τὸ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ ὄνομα οὔτε τὸ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐν τῇ προκειμένῃ ἐμφέρεται προφητείᾳ. διὸ οὐδὲ οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ οὐδὲ ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ ἀνάγνωσις ἐμνημόνευσεν αὐτῶν, ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχος τοῦτον ἐξέδωκε τὸν τρόπον· ἰδοὺ ὁ δοῦλός μου, ἀνθέξομαι αὐτοῦ· ὁ ἐκλεκτός μου, ὃν εὐδόκησεν ἡ ψυχή μου, ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας· ἰδοὺ ὁ δοῦλός μου ἀντιλήψομαι ἐν αὐτῷ. διὰ μὲν οὖν τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ὁ ἀποστολικὸς χορὸς ὠνομάζετο Ἰακὼβ καὶ Ἰσραήλ, ἐν οἷς εἴρηται· «Σὺ δέ, Ἰακώβ, ὁ παῖς μου, Ἰσραήλ, ὃν ἐξελεξάμην, σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ, ὃν ἠγάπησα».ἐν δὲ τοῖς μετὰ χεῖρας, ἐπειδὴ τὸ κρεῖττον εἰσῆκται πρόσωπον ὡς ἂν μὴ ὁ αὐτὸς εἶναι νομισθείη τοῖς προδηλωθεῖσιν οὐκ ὠνομάσθη οὔτε Ἰακὼβ οὔτε Ἰσραὴλ οὔτε σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ, σαφῶς δὲ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ λέλεκται, καθὼς ἐμαρτύρησεν ὁ Εὐαγγελιστὴς τό· ἔδωκα τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπ' αὐτόν, καὶ κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐξοίσει. καὶ μετὰ πάντα ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσιν, ἃ οὐχ ἥρμοζε τῷ ἀποστολικῷ λέγεσθαι χορῷ· εἰκότως ἄρα ἐν τῇ προκειμένῃ προφητείᾳ τὸ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ ὄνομα καὶ τὸ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ σεσιώπηται· ἕτερος οὖν τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἐνταῦθα λεγόμενος παῖς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐκλεκτὸς αὐτοῦ. διὸ πρόσκειται τό· προσεδέξατο αὐτὸν ἡ ψυχή μου· μόνος γὰρ ἦν οὗτος ὁ ἐκλεκτὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ τοῦτον προσεδέξατο ἡ λεγομένη ψυχὴ τοῦ θεοῦ, συνήθως τῆς θείας γραφῆς τῷ τῆς ψυχῆς ὀνόματι καταχρωμένης ἐπὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐπεὶ καὶ πόδας καὶ χεῖρας καὶ δακτύλους καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς θεοῦ εἴωθεν ἀνθρωπινώτερον προφέρεσθαι. ἔδωκα τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπ' αὐτόν, κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐξοίσει. εὕροις δ' ἂν ταῦτα συνῳδὰ τοῖς διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν περὶ τοῦ «ἐκ ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ» προελευσομένου τεθεσπισμένοις. ἐκλεκτὸς δὲ οὐκέθ' ὁμοίως τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, ἐπειδὴ μόνῳ αὐτῷ λέλεκται τό· «ὃν ᾑρέτισεν ἡ ψυχή μου», ἀλλὰ καὶ «τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ μόνον αὐτὸν ἐπανεπαύσατο»· «ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ κατῴκησε πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος σωματικῶς». τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα τὸ δοθὲν ἐπὶ τὸν «ἐκ ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ» προελθόντα αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος, ὃ δὴ καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἐδήλου φάσκων· «ὁ δὲ κύριος τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστι». διόπερ ὡς μόνος χωρήσας τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ πατρικὸν τὰ ἑξῆς πάντα ἐργάζεται ἐξαγγέλλων τὰ περὶ τῆς καθολικῆς κρίσεως τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εἰς τὸ παρασκευάζεσθαι τοὺς πάντας εἰς τὴν μέλλουσαν τοῦ θεοῦ κρίσιν. διὸ λέλεκται· κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐξοίσει. Εἶτ' ἐπειδήπερ ἡσύχως καὶ πράως τὸν ἀνθρώπινον διώδευσε βίον ὡς μηδὲ τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ θεραπευομένοις ἐπιτρέπειν αὐτὸν φανερὸν ποιεῖν τοῖς πᾶσι. τούτου χάριν εἴρηται· οὐ κεκράξεται οὐδὲ ἀνήσει, οὐδὲ ἀκουσθήσεται ἔξω ἡ φωνὴ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ κάλαμον συντρίψει τεθλασμένον· οὕτω γὰρ ἀψοφητὶ καὶ ἡσύχως διελεύσεται τὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποις βίον, ὡς μηδὲ τὸν τυχόντα ἄνθρωπον λυπῆσαι τὸν πάντων ταπεινώτερον καὶ ἀσθενέστερον, καλάμῳ διὰ τὸ ἀσθενὲς ἀπεικασμένον. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ λίνον καπνιζόμενον σβέσει, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον·