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this shall be peace". 7.2.21 But to what "shall this be peace" other than to the earth, in which the flocks of the Lord "shall be magnified"? And what end this met with after the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ is manifest to everyone. 7.2.22 For since before this there was much polyarchy and all the nations were ruled by tyrants or by democracies, so that people had no intercourse with one another, and in particular, so to speak, the Egyptians being ruled by their own ruler, and the Arabs likewise and the Idumeans and Phoenicians and Syrians and the other nations, and since nations rose against nations and cities against cities, and countless sieges and captivities were being carried out in every place and country, when the Savior and Lord was present, at the same time as his advent among men and when Augustus, first of the Romans, had gained control of the nations, the extensive polyarchy was dissolved, and peace pervaded the whole earth in accordance with the prophecy at hand, which states explicitly concerning the disciples of Christ: "because now they shall be magnified to the end of the earth, and this shall be peace." 7.2.23 With which agrees the saying in the Psalms concerning Christ: "In his days righteousness shall spring up, and abundance of peace," which is why, it seems to me, he was named "prince of peace" in the prophecy cited before this one. But observe, in what way the prophet at hand said that the Lord's goings forth were from of old, but that he would not shepherd the people before the one prophesied was born in Bethlehem. 7.2.24 And how these things were fulfilled in our Savior and Lord, the evangelist testified through his words which I have set forth above. And Christ is said to be shown forth as a shepherd and "ruler" of Israel, as the holy scripture is accustomed to name as the true Israel, in the intellectual sense, everyone who is discerning and lives pleasingly to God, just as, conversely, it calls those of the circumcision, whenever they sin, Canaanites and "seed of Canaan and not of Judah," and rulers of Sodom and people of Gomorrah, in reference to their ways. 7.2.25 Otherwise, in a literal sense, our entire Savior's sojourn was among the Jewish nation, and he was the leader of many of Israel, namely all those of the circumcision who knew him and have believed in him. 7.2.26 And so the prophecy that has been set forth has had such an outcome; but what follows must be read from another beginning, as follows: "When the Assyrian shall come into your land and when he shall tread in your country, then there shall be raised up against him seven shepherds, and eight bites of men," and what follows this, which also has what sort of meaning, it is not for the present occasion to relate. 7.2.27 But one might say that after the Assyrians' incursion into Judea, during which they took the Jewish nation, as many uprisings occurred against them as are signified by the seven shepherds and by the eight bites; and that these things can be known by those who have recorded the history of the Assyrians, at the end of which the one prophesied from Bethlehem came to be, that is, after the seven shepherds and the eight bites, which happened to the Assyrians in later times of their invasion into Judea. But since these things require much investigation, now is not the time to be occupied with them. 7.2.28 5. From Psalm 131. "Remember, O Lord, David and all his meekness; how he swore to the Lord, he vowed to the God of Jacob, if I shall enter into the tabernacle of my house, if I shall go up to the bed of my couch, if I shall give sleep to my eyes and slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah, we found it in the fields of the wood; we will go into his tabernacles, we will worship at the place where his feet have stood," 7.2.29 then he says next: "For the sake of David your servant, do not turn away the face of your anointed. The Lord swore truth to David, and he will not set it aside

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αὕτη εἰρήνη». 7.2.21 τίνι δὲ «ἔσται αὕτη εἰρήνη» ἀλλ' ἢ τῇ γῇ, ἐν ᾗ «μεγαλυνθήσονται» τὰ ποίμνια τοῦ κυρίου; καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ὁποίου τέλους ἔτυχεν μετὰ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν, παντί τῳ πρόδηλον. 7.2.22 πολλῆς γὰρ οὔσης πρὸ τούτου πολυαρχίας καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων τυραννουμένων ἢ δημοκρατουμένων, ὡς μηδεμίαν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐπιμιξίαν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἔχειν, ἰδίως δέ, φέρε εἰπεῖν, Αἰγυπτίων ὑπὸ οἰκείῳ ἄρχοντι βασιλευομένων, καὶ Ἀράβων ὡσαύτως καὶ Ἰδουμαίων Φοινίκων τε καὶ Σύρων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν, ἐπανισταμένων τε ἐθνῶν ἔθνεσιν καὶ πόλεων πόλεσιν, πολιορκιῶν τε μυρίων καὶ αἰχμαλωσιῶν κατὰ πάντα τόπον τε καὶ χώραν ἐπιτελουμένων, ἐπειδὴ παρῆν ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος, ὁμοῦ τῇ εἰς ἀνθρώπους αὐτοῦ παρόδῳ πρώτου τε Ῥωμαίων Αὐγούστου τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπικρατήσαντος λέλυτο μὲν ἡ πλείστη πολυαρχία, εἰρήνη δὲ διελάμβανε τὴν σύμπασαν γῆν τῇ μετὰ χεῖρας ἀκολούθως προρρήσει, διαρρήδην φησάσῃ περὶ τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαθητῶν· «διότι νῦν μεγαλυνθήσονται ἕως ἄκρου τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἔσται αὕτη εἰρήνη». 7.2.23 ᾧ συνᾴδει τὸ ἐν ψαλμοῖς φάσκον περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λόγιον· «ἀνατελεῖ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ δικαιοσύνη καὶ πλῆθος εἰρήνης», δι' ὅ μοι δοκεῖ «ἄρχων εἰρήνης» ἐν τῇ πρὸ ταύτης παρατεθείσῃ προφητείᾳ ὠνομάσθαι. ἐπίστησόν γε μήν, τίνα τρόπον ὁ μετὰ χεῖρας προφήτης καὶ ἐξελεύσεσθαι μὲν ἐξ οὐρανῶν τὸν κύριον ἀρχόμενος ἔφησεν, οὐ πρότερον δὲ ποιμανεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἢ γεννηθῆναι τὸν θεσπιζόμενον ἐν τῇ Βηθλεέμ. 7.2.24 ὅπως δὲ ταῦτα ἐπὶ τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν ἐπεραιοῦτο, ἐμαρτύρησεν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς δι' ὧν προεξεθέμην αὐτοῦ φωνῶν. ποιμὴν δὲ καὶ «ἡγούμενος» ὁ Χριστὸς ἀναδειχθήσεσθαι τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ εἴρηται, συνήθως τῆς ἱερᾶς γραφῆς τὸν ἀληθῆ Ἰσραὴλ κατὰ διάνοιαν πάντα τὸν διορατικὸν καὶ ἀρεστῶς θεῷ βιοῦντα ἐπονομαζούσης, ὡς ἔμπαλιν τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς, ὁπόθ' ἁμαρτάνοιεν. Χαναναίους καὶ «σπέρμα Χαναὰν καὶ οὐκ Ἰούδα» ἄρχοντάς τε Σοδόμων καὶ λαὸν Γομόρρας ἐμφερῶς αὐτῶν τοῖς τρόποις ἀποκαλούσης. 7.2.25 ἄλλως δὲ πρὸς λέξιν ἡ πᾶσα τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν διατριβὴ παρὰ τῷ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνει γέγονεν, καὶ πολλῶν γε τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἡγήσατο, ὅσοι δὴ ἔγνωσαν αὐτὸν καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστεύκασιν τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς. 7.2.26 Καὶ τὸ μὲν τῆς ἐκτεθείσης προρρήσεως τοιαύτην εἴληφεν τὴν ἔκβασιν· τὰ δὲ ἑξῆς ἀφ' ἑτέρας ἀναγνωστέον ἀρχῆς, οὕτως ἔχοντα· «Ἀσσύριος ὅταν ἐπέλθῃ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὑμῶν καὶ ὅταν ἐπιβῇ ἐπὶ τὴν χώραν ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπεγερθήσονται ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἑπτὰ ποιμένες, καὶ ὀκτὼ δήγματα ἀνθρώπων», καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἀκόλουθα, ἃ καὶ ὁποίας ἔχεται διανοίας, οὐ τοῦ παρόντος τυγχάνει διηγήσασθαι καιροῦ. 7.2.27 εἴποι δ' ἄν τις μετὰ τὴν Ἀσσυρίων εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ἐπιδημίαν, καθ' ἣν εἷλον τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος, τοσαύτας ἐπαναστάσεις κατ' αὐτῶν γεγονέναι, ὅσαι δηλοῦνται διὰ τῶν ἑπτὰ ποιμένων καὶ διὰ τῶν ὀκτὼ δηγμάτων ταῦτα δὲ δύνασθαι εἰδέναι τοὺς τὰ Ἀσσυρίων ἱστορηκότας, ὧν ἐπὶ τέλει τὸν ἐκ τῆς Βηθλεὲμ προφητευόμενον γεγονέναι, μετὰ τοὺς ἑπτὰ δηλαδὴ ποιμένας καὶ τὰ ὀκτὼ δήγματα, τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις συμβάντα ἐν ὑστέροις χρόνοις τῆς εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν αὐτῶν ἐφόδου. ταῦτα δὲ πλείστης ἐρεύνης δεόμενα οὐ νῦν πολυπραγμονεῖν καιρός. 7.2.28 εʹ. Ἀπὸ Ψαλμοῦ ρλαʹ. «Μνήσθητι, κύριε, τοῦ ∆αβὶδ καὶ πάσης τῆς πραΰτητος αὐτοῦ· ὡς ὤμοσεν τῷ κυρίῳ, ηὔξατο τῷ θεῷ Ἰακώβ, εἰ εἰσελεύσομαι εἰς σκήνωμα οἴκου μου, εἰ ἀναβήσομαι ἐπὶ κλίνης στρωμνῆς μου, εἰ δώσω ὕπνον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου καὶ τοῖς βλεφάροις μου νυσταγμόν, ἕως οὗ εὕρω τόπον τῷ κυρίῳ, σκήνωμα τῷ θεῷ Ἰακώβ. ἰδοὺ ἠκούσαμεν αὐτὴν ἐν Ἐφραθά, εὕρομεν αὐτὴν ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις τοῦ δρυμοῦ· εἰσελευσόμεθα εἰς τὰ σκηνώματα αὐτοῦ, προσκυνήσωμεν εἰς τὸν τόπον οὗ ἔστησαν οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ», 7.2.29 εἶθ' ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγει· «ἕνεκεν ∆αβὶδ τοῦ δούλου σου, μὴ ἀποστρέφῃς τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ χριστοῦ σου. ὤμοσεν κύριος τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἀλήθειαν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀθετήσῃ