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having become such people, they have suffered such things, but you who have recognized your own maker and former, listen, having kept the work and creation in you unharmed, so as to hear fittingly "Jacob" and "Israel." For I am the one who made you in respect to the soul made in my image, and formed your body taken from the earth, who also, having given my blood for you, redeemed you, making you my own possession. Having been deemed worthy of these things, walk the road you were commanded, preaching the gospel. And if any should resist, be of good courage, do not fear. "For behold, 2384 I am with you all the days, until the consummation of the age." Therefore, imitating me, who made my blood your ransom, become a ransom yourself also for those called through you, the most impious and those living to the ends of the earth. Of whom the Egyptians are an example of the one group, and the Ethiopians and those who inhabit Syene of the other. But the others have published Saba instead of Syene; for so were you glorified through my love, so that through you all might be called. Saba is a nation of Ethiopians whose queen came to Solomon. Therefore, I have acquired all these for you, or in your stead. And I will destroy those who will make war against you because of the proclamation, both peoples and rulers. Therefore, be of good courage. For your children, whom you sowed according to God, whom you begot throughout the whole inhabited world, I will gather into my heavenly city, taking them up high through the air, as if lightened by flying winds, that is, by the angelic powers. For I declare that those born through you are my children, having obtained the new birth in the Church, who also will all be called by my name, being addressed as Christians. For Christ is the one who prophesied these things through the prophet. But instead of, "for in my glory I have hastened him," the others have published, "for my glory I have created him." So that the people called through you might glorify me. For I formed him who was unformed in his ways, and I enlightened him who was blinded by the darkness of ignorance. Such are the nations which he says he has gathered to his own Church, from whom also rulers were appointed over the people of God. Then the prophet, filled with wonder at what he prophesied, "Who then," he says, "will be the one destined to see with his eyes the outcomes of these matters, and to be a witness of their fulfillment?" Let them be justified by bearing witness, since I too will become their witness, and the servant whom I have chosen. Concerning whom he said: "Behold my servant whom I have chosen." And the Savior says: "Whoever confesses me before men, I too will confess him before my Father who is in heaven." To whom he said again: "And you will be my witnesses in Galilee, and in Judea, and in Jerusalem, and to the end of the earth." These things, he says, I will do, and I will send my witnesses, and my servant whom I have chosen, to all men, so that you may know, and believe, and understand that I am without beginning and the only God. For both Christ and the apostles proclaimed the knowledge of God, and faith and understanding concerning him. And God the Father is one, his own power, which is the Son, not being other than him. Therefore, as the Father and God is a saving witness, so too is the servant whom he chose. 2385 Wherefore in other places the present prophet says: "And the Lord will send them a savior, who will save them. Judging, he will save them." And instead of "I have reproached," the others say "I have made heard." For I made these things heard beforehand, being the only God among you, and no stranger was with me when I prophesied these things through my prophets, as you yourselves have become witnesses. And I am a witness, and my servant. For he was with me when I prophesied, having existence before the flesh. But what I have determined from the beginning, no one will be able to shake. These things have been said indeed to the person of Jacob and Israel, but they refer to the apostolic choir, and to all the faithful from the Jews to whom the word has reached. But some say that God, being good, calls through mercy those whom he had cast out while disciplining them, consigning their former deeds to oblivion, and proposing the beginning of another time, according to, "Today if you hear my voice," and what follows. As

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τοιοῦτοι γεγονότες, τοιαῦτα πεπόνθασιν, ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς οἱ τὸν ἑαυτῶν ποιητὴν καὶ πλάστην ἐπιγνόντες, ἀκούσατε, ποίημά τε καὶ πλάσμα τὸ ἐν ὑμῖν τετηρηκότες ἀλώβητον, ὡς οἰκείως ἀκούειν Ἰακώβ τε καὶ Ἰσραήλ. Ἐγὼ γὰρὁ ποιήσας μέν σε κατὰ ψυχὴν τὴν κατ' εἰκόνα πεποιημένην, πλάσας δέ σου καὶ τὸ ἐκ γῆς σῶμα ληφθὲν, ὃς καὶ αἷμα παρασχὼν ὑπὲρ σοῦ τὸ ἐμὸν, ἐλυτρωσάμην σε κτῆμα ἴδιον ποιησάμενος. Ὧν ἠξιωμένος βάδιζε ἣν ἐκελεύθης ὁδὸν εὐαγγελιζόμενος. Κἂν ἀνθιστῶσί τινες, θάῤῥει μὴ δεδιώς. "Ἰδοὺ γὰρ 2384 ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, ἔως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος." Μιμούμενος τοίνυν ἐμὲ, τὸν ἄλλαγμά σου τὸ αἷμα τὸ ἐμὸν ποιησάμενον, ἄλλαγμα γένου καὶ αὐτὸς τῶν διὰ σοῦ καλουμένων ἀσεβεστάτων τε καὶ μέχρι τῶν ἐσχάτων οἰκούντων τῆς γῆς. Ὧν τῶν μὲν Αἰγύπτιοι, τῶν δὲ Αἰθίοπές τε καὶ οἱ τὴν Συήνην οἰκοῦντες παράδειγμα. Σαβὰ δὲ ἀντὶ Συήνης ἐξέδωκαν οἱ λοιποί· οὕτω γὰρ ἐδοξάσθης δι' ἀγάπην ἐμὴν ὡς διὰ σοῦ πάντας κληθῆναι. Σαβὰ δὲ ἔθνος Αἰθιόπων οὗ ἡ βασίλισσα πρὸς Σολομῶνα παρεγένετο. Τούτους οὖν ὑπὲρ σοῦ, ἢ ἀντὶ σοῦ, πάντας ἐκτησάμην. Ἀπολέσω δὲ τοὺς πολεμήσοντάς σε διὰ τὸ κήρυγμα, λαούς τε καὶ ἄρχοντας. Θάῤῥει τοιγαροῦν. Καὶ τὰ σὰ γὰρ τέκνα, ἃ κατὰ Θεὸν σπείρας, καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐγέννησας, εἰς πόλιν μου συνάξω τὴν ἐπουράνιον, μετεώρους δι' ἀέρος ἀναλαβὼν, ὡς πτηνοῖς ὑποκουφιζομένους ἀνέμοις, ταῖς ἀγγελικαῖς δηλονότι δυνάμεσι. Τοὺς δι' ὑμῶν γὰρ τεχθέντας ἐμοὺς εἶναι παῖδας ὁρίζομαι, τῆς ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ τυχόντας ἀναγεννήσεως, οἳ καὶ τῷ ἐμῷ κληθήσονται πάντες ὀνόματι Χριστιανοὶ προσαγορευόμενοι. Χριστὸς γὰρ ὁ ταῦτα διὰ τοῦ προφήτου θεσπίσας. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ἐν γὰρ τῇ δόξῃ μου κατέσπευσα αὐτόν· εἰς τὴν δόξαν μου ἔκτισα αὐτὸν, ἐξέδωκαν οἱ λοιποί. Ὡς ἂν οἱ δι' ὑμῶν κληθεὶς δοξάζῃ με λαός. Ἔπλασα γὰρ αὐτὸν ἄπλαστον ὄντα τοῖς τρόποις, ἐφώτισά τε σκότῳ τῆς ἀγνοίας τυφλώττοντα. Τοιαῦτα δὲ τὰ ἔθνη, ἃ πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν Ἐκκλησίαν συνῆχθαί φησιν, ἐξ ὧν καὶ ἄρχοντες ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν κατέστησαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἶτα ὁ προφήτης θαύματος ἐφ' οἷς ἐθέσπισε πληρωθεὶς, Τίς ἄρα ἔσται, φησὶν, ὁ μέλλων ποτὲ τούτων τῶν πραγμάτων ὀφθαλμοῖς τὰς ἐκβάσεις ὁρᾷν, καὶ τῶν ἀποτελεσμάτων ἔσεσθαι μάρτυς; ∆ικαιωθήτωσαν μαρτυρήσαντες, ἐπειδὴ κἀγὼ μάρτυς αὐτῶν γενήσομαι, καὶ ὁ παῖς ὃν ἐξελεξάμην. Περὶ οὗπερ ἔλεγεν· "Ἰδοὺ ὁ παῖς μου ὃν ᾑρέτισα." Καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ δέ φησιν· "Ὃς ἂν ὁμολογήσειεν ἐμοὶ ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁμολογήσω κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Πατέρος μου, τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς." Πρὸς οὓς ἔφασκε πάλιν· "Ὑμεῖς δὲ ἔσεσθέ μοι μάρτυρες ἔν τε τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ, καὶ τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ, καὶ τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς." Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶ, ποιήσω, καὶ τοὺς μάρτυράς μου, καὶ τὸν παῖδά μου, ὃν ἐξελεξάμην, ἀποστελῶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις, ἵνα γνῶτε, καὶ πιστεύσητε, καὶ συνῆτε, ὅτι ἐγὼ ἄναρχός τε καὶ μόνος Θεός. Καὶ Χριστὸς γὰρ, καὶ ἀπόστολοι τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν ἐκήρυξαν, πίστιν τε καὶ τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ σύνεσιν. Εἷς δὲ Θεὸς ὁ Πατὴρ, οὐχ ἑτέρας οὔσης αὐτοῦ τῆς ἰδίας δυνάμεως ὅς ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός. Τοιγαροῦν ὡς μάρτυς ὁ Πατὴρ καὶ Θεὸς σώζων, οὕτω καὶ ὁ παῖς, ὃν ἐξελέξατο. 2385 ∆ιόπερ ἐν ἑτέροις ὁ παρὼν προφήτης φησί· "Καὶ ἀποστελεῖ Κύριος αὐτοῖς σωτῆρα, ὃς σώσει αὐτούς. Κρίνων σώσει αὐτούς." Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ ὠνείδισα, ἠκούτισά φασιν οἱ λοιποί. Ἀκουστὰ γὰρ ταῦτα κατέστησα προλαβὼν μόνος ὢν ἐν ὑμῖν Θεὸς, καὶ οὐδεὶς παρῆν μοι ξένος ταῦτα θεσπίζοντι διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν προφητῶν, ὡς ὑμεῖς αὐτοὶ γεγόνατε μάρτυρες. Μάρτυς δὲ κἀγὼ, καὶ ὁ παῖς ὁ ἐμός. Συνῆν γάρ μοι θεσπίζοντι, πρὸ τῆς σαρκὸς ἔχων τὴν ὕπαρξιν. Ἀλλ' ἅπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὥρισα, ταῦτα δυνήσεται παρασαλεύειν οὐδείς. Ταῦτα λέλεκται μὲν εἰς πρόσωπον Ἰακώβ τε καὶ Ἰσραὴλ, εἰς δὲ τὸν ἀποστολικὸν χορὸν ἀναφέρεται, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐξ Ἰουδαίων πιστοὺς τοῦ λόγου διήκοντος. Τινὲς δέ φασιν, ὡς ἀγαθὸς ὢν ὁ Θεὸς, οὓς παιδεύων ἀπέβαλε, τούτους προσκαλεῖται δι' ἔλεον, λήθῃ παραπέμπων τὰ πρότερα, καὶ προτιθεὶς ἀρχὴν ἑτέρου καιροῦ, κατὰ τὸ, "Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς μου ἀκούσητε," καὶ τὰ ἐφ' ἑξῆς. Ὡς