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to be able to be fitting? Wherefore divine justice, the overseer of all things, cutting them down like wild and most harmful matter, at one time assailed them with floods and at another with conflagrations, and at another delivered them over to mutual wars, manslaughters, and successive sieges, being driven to war against one another by the very demons whom they considered to be gods, so that the life of men at that time was impassable to their neighbors, unmixed and without fellowship. But finding a few, who in such a state of affairs were countable in number, 8.Prooem.10 of whom the oracles among the Hebrews make mention, to be beloved of God, with these she conversed through oracles and more divine epiphanies, welcoming the men and treating them with the introductory and life-benefiting laws from Moses. 8.Prooem.11 But when, from the legislation decreed for these men and from the subsequent prophetic teachings, which were poured out like a fragrance to all men, the minds of the many were at last becoming civilized, and for many nations governments and legislations were being established, and the name of virtue and philosophy was being proclaimed among many, as the old savagery had ceased and the wild and harsh way of life was changing to a milder one, then at last, at the fitting time, the perfect and heavenly teacher of perfect and heavenly doctrines and teachings, the introducer of the true knowledge of God, the Word of God, revealed himself at the time described for his incarnation, to all "nations, both Greeks and barbarians," evangelizing to every race of men the love of the Father for mankind, and urging all to one salvation in God, and promising to all truth itself and the light of true piety, the kingdom of heaven, and the promise of eternal life. 8.Prooem.12 Let these things, then, be said concerning the times, for what reason the Christ of God has shone forth to all men now and not long ago. But come, let us return and examine in detail the signs of the times of his arrival, first taking note of the evangelical accounts concerning his birth. 8.Prooem.13 Matthew, then, records the time of his incarnate manifestation thus, saying: "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king," and a little later he says: "But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judaea in place of his father Herod." 8.Prooem.14 But Luke sets forth the time of his teaching and "appearing," saying: "In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas." To these, then, it is well to place alongside the prophecy of Jacob in Moses, which is as follows: 8.1.1 From Genesis. "And Jacob called his sons and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days. Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob; listen to Israel, your father." 8.1.2 Then, following these things, after blaming some things in the first three sons, as having become unworthy of the prophecy about to be spoken on account of certain of their transgressions, to the fourth, as one who had shown a life better than his other brothers, he utters these oracles: "Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hands shall be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's sons shall bow down to you. Judah is a lion's whelp; from a shoot, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lion's whelp; who shall rouse him up? A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his loins, until the things stored up for him come,

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δύνασθαι ἁρμόττειν; διὸ δὴ ἐκείνους ἡ θεία καὶ πάντων ἔφορος δίκη, ὡς ἀγρίαν καὶ βλαβερωτάτην ὕλην περικόπτουσα, τοτὲ μὲν κατακλυσμοῖς τοτὲ δὲ πυρπολήσεσι μετῄει, τοτὲ δὲ αὐτοὺς τοῖς κατ' ἀλλήλων πολέμοις ἀνδροκτασίαις τε καὶ πολιορκίαις ἐπαλλήλοις παρεδίδου, πρὸς αὐτῶν τῶν δαιμόνων τῶν δὴ θεῶν αὐτοῖς νενομισμένων ἐπὶ τὸν κατ' ἀλλήλων πόλεμον ἐξοιστρουμένους, ὥστε ἄβατον εἶναι τοῖς πλησιοχώροις ἀνεπίμικτόν τε καὶ ἀκοινώνητον τὸν τότε τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίον· βραχεῖς δέ τινας ὡς ἐν τοιαύτῃ καταστάσει καὶ ἀριθμῷ ληπτούς, 8.Prooem.10 ὧν τὰ παρ' Ἑβραίοις μνημονεύει λόγια, θεοφιλεῖς εὑροῦσα, τούτοις διὰ χρη σμῶν καὶ θειοτέρας ἐπιφανείας ὡμίλει, δεξιουμένη τοὺς ἄνδρας καὶ θεραπεύουσα νόμοις τοῖς παρὰ Μωσέως εἰσαγωγικοῖς καὶ βιωφελέσιν. 8.Prooem.11 ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ ἐκ τῆς τούτοις διαταγείσης νομοθεσίας ἔκ τε τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα προφητικῶν μαθημάτων, εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους εὐωδίας δίκην προχεομένων, ἤδη λοιπὸν ἡμέρωτο τῶν πολλῶν τὰ φρονήματα, τοῖς τε πολλοῖς ἔθνεσιν πολιτεῖαι καὶ νομοθεσίαι συνίσταντο, ἀρετῆς τε καὶ φιλοσοφίας ὄνομα παρὰ πολλοῖς ἐβοᾶτο, ὡς ἂν πεπαυμένης τῆς παλαιᾶς θηριωδίας μετατιθεμένης δὲ τῆς ἀγρίας καὶ ἀπηνοῦς διαίτης ἐπὶ τὸ πραότερον, αὐτὸς ἤδη λοιπὸν κατὰ καιρὸν τὸν προσήκοντα ὁ τῶν τελείων τε καὶ οὐρανίων δογμάτων τε καὶ μαθημάτων τέλειος καὶ οὐράνιος διδάσκαλος, ὁ τῆς ἀληθοῦς θεογνωσίας εἰσαγωγεύς, ὁ θεὸς λόγος ἐπέφανεν ἑαυτὸν κατὰ τὸν ὑπογραφέντα τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως αὐτοῦ χρόνον, μίαν τοῖς πᾶσιν «ἔθνεσιν, Ἕλλησίν τε καὶ βαρβάροις», τῷ τε παντὶ ἔθνει τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς φιλανθρωπίαν εὐαγγελιζόμενος, ἐπὶ μίαν τε τοὺς πάντας παρορμῶν ἐν θεῷ σωτηρίαν, ἀλήθειάν τε αὐτὴν καὶ φῶς ἀληθοῦς εὐσεβείας βασιλείαν τε οὐρανῶν καὶ αἰωνίου ζωῆς ἐπαγγελίαν τοῖς πᾶσι προμνώμενος. 8.Prooem.12 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν περὶ τῶν χρόνων εἰρήσθω, δι' ἣν αἰτίαν νῦν ἀλλ' οὐ πάλαι πρότερον ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς πάντας ἐξέλαμψεν ἀνθρώπους. φέρε δὲ ἐπανελθόντες τῶν χρόνων τῆς ἀφίξεως αὐτοῦ τὰ σημεῖα κατὰ μέρος ἐπισκεψώμεθα, τὰς εὐαγγελικὰς περὶ τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ φωνὰς ἐν πρώτοις ἐπισημειωσάμενοι. 8.Prooem.13 ὁ μὲν οὖν Ματθαῖος τὸν χρόνον τῆς ἐνσάρκου αὐτοῦ ἐπιφανείας ὧδέ πως ἱστορεῖ λέγων· «τοῦ δὲ Ἰησοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐν ἡμέραις Ἡρώδου τοῦ βασιλέως», καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα φησίν· «ἀκούσας δὲ ὅτι Ἀρχέλαος βασιλεύει τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἀντὶ Ἡρώδου τοῦ πατρὸςαὐτοῦ». 8.Prooem.14 ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς τὸν τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ καὶ «ἀναδείξεως» χρόνον παρίστησι λέγων· «ἐν ἔτει πεντεκαιδεκάτῳ τῆς ἡγεμονίας Τιβερίου Καίσαρος, ἐπιτροπεύοντος Ποντίου Πιλάτου τῆς Ἰουδαίας, τετραρχοῦντος δὲ τῆς Γαλιλαίας Ἡρώδου, Φιλίππου δὲ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ τετραρχοῦντος τῆς Ἰτουραίας καὶ Τραχωνίτιδος χώρας, καὶ Λυσανίου τῆς Ἀβιληνῆς τετραρχοῦντος, ἐπὶ ἀρχιερέως Ἄννα καὶ Καιάφα». τούτοις δὴ οὖν καλῶς ἔχει παραθέσθαι τὴν παρὰ Μωσεῖ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ προφητείαν τοῦτον ἔχουσαν τὸν τρόπον· 8.1.1 Ἀπὸ τῆς Γενέσεως. «Ἐκάλεσεν δὲ Ἰακὼβ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦκαὶ εἶπεν, συνάχθητε ἵνα ἀπαγγείλω ὑμῖν τί ἀπαντήσεται ὑμῖν ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν. ἀθροίσθητε καὶ ἀκούσατε, υἱοὶ Ἰακώβ, ἀκούσατε Ἰσραήλ, τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν.» 8.1.2 εἶτα τούτοις ἑξῆς ἐπιμεμψάμενός τινα, τρισὶν τοῖς προτέροις υἱοῖς, ὡς διά τινα αὐτῶν πλημμελήματα γενομένοις ἀναξίοις τῆς μελλούσης ἐπιλέγεσθαι προρρήσεως, τῷ τετάρτῳ ὡς τὸν βίον κρείττονα τῶν λοιπῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐπιδεδειγμένῳ τάδε θεσπίζει· «Ἰούδα, σὲ αἰνέσαισαν οἱ ἀδελφοί σου· αἱ χεῖρές σου ἐπὶ νώτου τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου. προσκυνήσουσί σε οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ πατρός σου. σκύμνος λέοντος, Ἰούδα· ἐκ βλαστοῦ, υἱέ μου, ἀνέβης· ἀναπεσὼν ἐκοιμήθης ὡς λέων καὶ ὡς σκύμνος· τίς ἐγερεῖ αὐτόν; οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα οὐδὲ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀποκείμενα αὐτῷ,