186

whom he brought into the discourse, saying that he has his own prophets as witnesses of foreknowing the future. But who would bear witness for the demons, that they had foretold anything through him concerning the coming of Christ, and their own destruction? For they have no one as a witness of having spoken truth, so that men might follow them on hearing them. That is, agreeing and being persuaded, as with those who knew the future, and were rightly honored. 2389 But let those things be for them; but you, O prophets, be my witnesses; and I too with my son, he says, will bear witness to myself. For the Savior said: "If I bear witness of myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I am from and where I am going." And again: "I bear witness of myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness of me. And these things, he says, I have spoken to you, that you may know, and believe, and understand that I am." For through knowledge is faith. And through faith, understanding. "For if you do not believe, you will not understand," he says. But I am eternal and Savior. And I foretold that I save, and through Christ I brought it to effect. But I reproached, he says, those of Israel, because being lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, they transgressed my law. And I disciplined them through the assault of enemies, when they also sought salvation from me. This I reproached them with through the voice of Jeremiah, saying: "In the time of their troubles they will say, 'Arise and save us.'" And, "Where are your gods, which you made for yourself? Will they arise and save you in the time of your affliction?" I alone, therefore, save, so that no one can snatch the one being saved from my hands; I will do it, and who will turn it back? For I myself gave the nations, and who will change this so that it is not so? Therefore the Savior said concerning his own sheep: "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. And no one shall snatch them out of my hand. The Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand." For this is a voice in harmony with the preceding one. But some say that the phrase, "I made Egypt your exchange," was said as a reminder of the freedom from Egypt. For having punished whole nations, I exchanged them for you. Therefore he adds: Since you became honorable in my sight, you were glorified. For you have not conquered the nations by your own power, but by my strength and alliance, and who always supplied what was needed, so that the surrounding nations marveled, being astonished. And now I will do similar things. For even if you were disheartened as the ten tribes were captured, you must consider that if I should become favorable to you, you would all be gathered from everywhere, and there is nothing to prevent the recall. For in the beginning I acquired you for my glory's sake, and I deemed you, who were blind to me, worthy of freedom. For you were not moved from your own accord to be made mine. Why then after so much experience, are you blind, as neither having seen, nor yet having heard? And he reminds them that all the nations with the Assyrians marched against Jerusalem, trusting in their own gods, from whom they received no help, nor did they foreknow the future calamities for themselves. For eighty-five thousand of them have fallen. 2392 Let someone therefore come, having heard from those gods these things which you have seen, concerning which you should have become witnesses, with me also voting for it. But if you shrink from this, he says, my only-begotten Son will be present for the fulfillment of our shortcomings, he who also before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good confession. And yet by bearing witness you would be helped in the greatest degree toward the understanding of things to come, and the vision of my divinity, being given sight to see that I both save when I wish, and foretell what I am about to do, which none of the so-called gods does. But some say that "my servant shall be a witness," is Christ, fulfilling by deed what I foretold on behalf of Israel, and against their enemies. ιδκηʹ. 9Thus says the Lord God, who redeems you, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I will send to Babylon, and I will raise up all as fugitives, and the Chaldeans shall be bound in ships. I am the Lord God, your Holy One, who appointed Israel your king. Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea,

186

οὓς εἰς τὸν λόγον παρήγαγε, μάρτυρας λέγων ἔχειν τοῦ προειδέναι τὰ μέλλοντα τοὺς ἰδίους προφήτας. Τοῖς δὲ δαίμοσι τίς μαρτυρήσειεν, ὡς δι' αὐτοῦ τι προειρηκόσι περὶ τῆς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας, καὶ τῆς αὐτῶν καθαιρέσεως; Οὐδένα γὰρ, ὡς ἀληθῆ προειπόντες, ἔχουσι μάρτυρα, ὡς ἂν αὐτοῖς ἀκολουθοῖεν ἀκούοντες αὐτῶν. Τοῦτ' ἔστι, συναινοῦντές τε καὶ πειθόμενοι, ὡς ἐγνωκόσι τὰ μέλλοντα, καὶ τιμωμένοις δικαίως. 2389 Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐκεῖνοι· ὑμεῖς δὲ, ὦ προφῆται, γένεσθέ μοι μάρτυρες· μαρτυρήσω δὲ σὺν υἱῷ κἀγὼ, φησὶν, ἐμαυτῷ. Ἔλεγεν γὰρ ὁ Σωτήρ· "Ἐὰν ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, ἡ μαρτυρία μου ἀληθής ἐστιν, ὅτι οἶδα πόθεν εἰμὶ, καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγω." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, καὶ μαρτυρεῖ περὶ ἐμοῦ ὁ πέμψας με Πατήρ. Ταυτὶ δὲ, φησὶ, λελάληκα ὑμῖν, ἵνα γνῶτε, καὶ πιστεύσητε, καὶ συνῆτε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι." ∆ιὰ γὰρ γνώσεως ἡ πίστις. ∆ιὰ δὲ τῆς πίστεως, ἡ σύνεσις. "Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ πιστεύσητε, οὐδ' οὐ μὴ συνῆτε," φησίν. Ὢν δὲ ἀΐδιός εἰμι καὶ Σωτήρ. Καὶ προεῖπον ὅτι σώζω, καὶ διὰ Χριστοῦ πρὸς ἔργον ἤγαγον Ὠνείδισα δὲ, φησὶ, τοῖς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ὄντες, ἢ φιλόθεοι, τὸν ἐμὸν παρέβαινον νόμον. Ἐγὼ δὲ διὰ πολεμίων ἐφόδου τούτους ἐπαίδευον, ὅτε καὶ τὴν παρ' ἐμοῦ σωτηρίαν ἐζήτουν. Ὅπερ αὐτοῖς ὠνείδισα διὰ τῆς Ἱερεμίου φωνῆς λέγων· "Ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῶν κακῶν αὐτῶν ἐροῦσιν, Ἀνάστα, καὶ σῶσον ἡμᾶς." Καὶ, "Ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ θεοί σου, οὓς ἐποίησας σεαυτῷ; εἰ ἀναστήσονται καὶ σώσουσί σε ἐν καιρῷ τῆς κακώσεώς σου;" Σώζω τοίνυν μόνος ἐγὼ, ὡς δύνασθαι μηδένα τῶν ἐμῶν ἐξαρπάσαι χειρῶν τὸν σωζόμενον· ποιήσω, καὶ τίς ἀποστρέψει; αὐτὸς ἔδωκα γὰρ τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ τίς τοῦτο μεταβαλεῖ πρὸς τὸ μὴ οὕτως ἔχειν; διὸ περὶ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ προβάτων ἔλεγεν ὁ Σωτήρ· "Κἀγὼ δίδωμι αὐτοῖς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀπόλωνται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Καὶ οὐ μὴ ἁρπάσῃ τις αὐτὰ ἐκ τῆς χειρός μου. Ὁ Πατὴρ, ὃς δέδωκέ μοι, πάντων μείζων ἐστὶ, καὶ οὐδεὶς δύναται ἁρπάζειν ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ Πατέρος μου." Φωνὴ γὰρ αὐτὴ τῇ προκειμένῃ συνᾴδουσα. Τινὲς δὲ τὸ, ἐποίησα ἄλλαγμά σου Αἴγυπτον, εἰς ὑπόμνησιν εἰρῆσθαι τῆς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου φασὶν ἐλευθερίας. Ὅλα γὰρ ἔθνη τιμωρησάμενος ὑμῶν ἀντικατηλλαξάμην. Τοιγαροῦν ἐπάγει· Ἀφ' οὗ ἔντιμος ἐγένου ἐνώπιον ἐμοῦ, ἐδοξάσθης. Οὐ γὰρ οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει τὰ ἔθνη νενίκηκας, ἐμῇ δὲ ῥώμῃ τε καὶ συμμαχίᾳ, καὶ τὰ πρὸς χρείαν ἀεὶ χορηγήσαντος, ὡς τὰ πέριξ ἔθνη θαυμάζειν καταπληττόμενα. Καὶ νῦν δὲ δράσω τὰ παραπλήσια. Κἂν γὰρ ὡς ἁλουσῶν τῶν ιʹ φυλῶν ὑπεκλύεσθε, χρὴ σκοπεῖν ὡς εἰ γενοίμην ὑμῖν εὐμενὴς, πανταχόθεν πάντες συνάγεσθε, καὶ τὸ τὴν ἀνάκλησιν κωλύσον οὐδέν. Καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν γὰρ ἐμῆς ἕνεκα δόξης περιεποιησάμην ὑμᾶς, καὶ τὰ πρὸς ἐμὲ τυφλώττοντας ἐλευθερίας ἠξίωσα. Οὐ γὰρ οἴκοθεν κινηθεὶς ᾠκειώθης ἐμοί. Τί οὖν μετὰ τοσαύτην πεῖραν, ὡς μήτε ἰδόντες, μήτε μὴν ἀκηκοότες τυφλώττετε; Ὑπομιμνήσκει δὲ αὐτοὺς, ὡς καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη σὺν Ἀσσυρίοις ἐπεστράτευσαν Ἱερουσαλὴμ θαῤῥοῦντα τοῖς ἰδίοις θεοῖς, παρ' ὧν οὐ βοήθειαν ἔσχον, οὐ τὰς μελλούσας προέγνωσαν ἑαυτοῖς συμφοράς. Ὀγδοήκοντα πέντε γὰρ χιλιάδες τούτων πεπτώκασιν. 2392 Ἡκέτω οὖν τις ταῦτα παρ' ἐκείνων ἀκηκοὼς τῶν θεῶν ἅπερ ἴδετε, περὶ ὧν ὑμᾶς ἐχρῆν γενέσθαι καὶ μάρτυρας ἐπιψηφιζομένου κἀμοῦ. Εἰ δὲ πρὸς τοῦτο, φησὶν, ἀναδύεσθε, ὁ μονογενῆς μου παρέσται Υἱὸς τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐλλειμμάτων εἰς ἀναπλήρωσιν, ὁ καὶ ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου τὴν καλὴν μαρτυρήσας μαρτυρίαν. Καίτοι μαρτυροῦντες ὠφελεῖσθε τὰ μέγιστα πρὸς κατανόησιν τῶν μελλόντων, καὶ θεωρίαν τῆς ἐμῆς θεότητος, ὀμματούμενοι ὡς καὶ σώζω θέλων, καὶ δρᾶσαι μέλλων προλέγω, τοῦτο μηδενὸς ποιοῦντος τῶν λεγομένων θεῶν. Τινὲς δὲ τὸ μάρτυς ἔσται ὁ παῖς μου, Χριστός φασιν ἔργῳ πληρῶν ἃ προεῖπον ὑπὲρ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν. ιδκηʹ. 9Οὕτως λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ λυτρούμενος ὑμᾶς, ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· Ἕνεκεν ὑμῶν ὑποστελῶ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα, καὶ ἐπεγερῶ φεύγοντας πάντας, καὶ Χαλδαῖοι ἐν πλοίοις δεθήσονται. Ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ ἅγιος ὑμῶν, ὁ καταδείξας Ἰσραὴλ βασιλέα ὑμῶν. Οὕτως λέγει Κύριος, ὁ διδοὺς ἐν θαλάσσῃ ὁδὸν,