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and he is the expectation of the nations.” 8.1.3 Consider then first, what he says are "the things laid up for him," and see if they were not the very things which God proclaimed and decreed to the forefathers around Abraham concerning the calling of the nations; for it is written that God said to Abraham: "and you shall be blessed, and I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you, and in you all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed," 8.1.4 and again: 8.1.4 "But Abraham," it says, "shall surely become a great and numerous nation, and in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." And the oracle utters similar things to Isaac in this way: "and I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." And further, such things were said also to Jacob: "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac, do not be afraid," and so on: "and in you all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed." 8.1.5 And at another time God said to him: "I am your God, increase and multiply; nations and assemblies of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your loins." 8.1.6 Jacob, having learned beforehand so many prophecies of God concerning the calling of the nations, when twelve sons in number had been born to him, at the end of his life called them all together and considered from the succession of which of them the prophecies of God would come to fulfillment; then, having brought against the first three sons born to him reproaches for what they had transgressed, he added, teaching that on account of what they had dared, the results of the prophecies would not be fulfilled through them. 8.1.7 But coming to the fourth, Judah. He prophesies that at the same time the oracle that said to him "kings will come from" his "loins" will receive its fulfillment through this one's succession; for it is manifest that from the tribe of Judah the royal race was established, and at the same time he sets forth in what times the prophecies of God and the promises to the nations will be established, and he teaches that from him will come forth the one who is to become the cause for all the nations and all the tribes of the earth of the blessing like Abraham's. 8.1.8 All these things, therefore, were "the things laid up" for Judah, that is, the things long ago prophesied concerning the nations, and the "kings will come from your loins." Wherefore, being preferred to the rest of his brothers, he was deemed worthy of a royal tribe, more distinguished than the others. 8.1.9 Immediately, in the arrangement of the whole people in the times of Moses, God commands this one to lead the other tribes. For it is written: "And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, Each man by his own order, by his own standard, by the houses of their fathers, the sons of Israel shall encamp opposite the Lord, round about the tent of witness, and those who encamp first toward the east shall be the order of the camp of the sons of Judah with their force." 8.1.10 And what follows concerning those mentioned "for the dedication" of the tent: "The Lord said to Moses, One ruler per day shall they bring their gifts. And he who offered his gift on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab, ruler of the tribe of Judah." 8.1.11 And in the book of Joshua the son of Nun, when the land of promise was distributed by lot also among the other tribes, the tribe of Judah, without lot and first of all, receives its own part of the land. 8.1.12 But also "after the death of Joshua, the sons of Israel inquired of the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanite, to lead the way to fight against him? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up, behold I have given the land into his hands." Clearly, therefore, God commands the tribe of Judah to lead all Israel through these things, whence it is next written: "And Judah went up; and the Lord delivered the Canaanite and the Perizzite into his hand," 8.1.13 and again: "and the sons of Judah fought in Jerusalem, and took it," "and the sons of Judah went down to fight in the

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καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία ἐθνῶν.» 8.1.3 Σκόπει δὴ πρῶτον, τίνα ἄρα φησὶν εἶναι «τὰ ἀποκείμενα αὐτῷ», καὶ ὅρα εἰ μὴ αὐτὰ ἦν, ἃ τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ προπάτορσι περὶ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν κλήσεως ὁ θεὸς ἀνείρηκε θεσπίσας· γέγραπται γοῦν ὡς ἄρα εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς τῷ Ἀβραάμ· «καὶ ἔσῃ εὐλογητός, καὶ εὐλογήσω τοὺς εὐλογοῦντάς σε, καὶ τοὺς καταρωμένους σε καταράσομαι, καὶ ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς», 8.1.4 καὶ αὖθις· 8.1.4 «Ἀβραὰμ δέ», φησίν, «γινόμενος ἔσται εἰς ἔθνος μέγα καὶ πολύ, καὶ ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν αὐτῷ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς γῆς». τὰ ὅμοια δὲ καὶ τῷ Ἰσαὰκ ὁ χρησμὸς τοῦτον ἐκφωνεῖ τὸν τρόπον· «καὶ πληθυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα σου ὡς τοὺς ἀστέρας τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς γῆς». ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῷ Ἰακὼβ τοιαῦτα δὴ εἴρηται· «ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ τοῦ πατρός σου καὶ ὁ θεὸς Ἰσαάκ, μὴ φοβοῦ», καὶ ἑξῆς· «καὶ ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς». 8.1.5 καὶ ἄλλοτε εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεός· «ἐγὼ ὁ θεός σου, αὐξάνου καὶ πληθύνου· ἔθνη καὶ συναγωγαὶ ἐθνῶν ἐξελεύσονται ἐκ σοῦ, καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐκ τῆς ὀσφύος σου ἐξελεύσονται». 8.1.6 τοσαύτας περὶ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν κλήσεως προρρήσεις τοῦ θεοῦ προμεμαθηκὼς ὁ Ἰακώβ, παίδων αὐτῷ τὸν ἀριθμὸν γεγεννημένων δεκαδύο, πρὸς τῇ τελευτῇ συγκαλέσας τοὺς πάντας, περιεσκόπει ἐξ ὁποίου ἄρα αὐτῶν τῆς διαδοχῆς τὰ τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ προρρήσεων ἐπὶ τέλος ἥξει· εἶτ' ἐπιθεὶς τρισὶ μὲν τοῖς πρώτοις αὐτῷ γενομένοις παισὶν ἐλέγχους ὧν ἐπλημμέλησαν, ἐπιφέρει διδάσκων, ὅτι τῶν τετολμημένων αὐτοῖς ἕνεκα οὐ δι' αὐτῶν ἐκπληρωθήσεται τὰ τῶν προρρήσεων ἀποτελέσματα. 8.1.7 ἐπὶ δὲ τὸν τέταρτον ἐλθών, τὸν Ἰούδαν. ὁμοῦ τὸν φήσαντα αὐτῷ χρησμὸν «βασιλεῖς ἐκ τῆς ὀσφύος» αὐτοῦ «ἐξελεύσονται» διὰ τῆς τούτου διαδοχῆς τέλος λήψεσθαι θεσπίζει πρόδηλον γὰρ ὡς ἐκ τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς τὸ βασιλικὸν συνέστη γένος, ὁμοῦ καὶ τὰς τοῦ θεοῦ προρρήσεις καὶ τὰς τῶν ἐθνῶν ὑποσχέσεις καθ' ὁποίους ἐνστήσονται χρόνους παρίστησιν, ἐξ αὐτοῦ τε προελεύσεσθαι διδάσκει τὸν μέλλοντα αἴτιον καταστήσεσθαι πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν καὶ πάσαις ταῖς φυλαῖς τῆς γῆς τῆς παραπλησίας τῷ Ἀβραὰμ εὐλογίας. 8.1.8 ταῦτα οὖν ἅπαντα ἦν «τὰ ἀποκείμενα» τῷ Ἰούδα, δηλαδὴ τὰ πάλαι προθεσπισθέντα περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, καὶ τὸ «βασιλεῖς ἐκ τῆς ὀσφύος σου ἐξελεύσονται». διὸ καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀδελφῶν προκριθεὶς βασιλικῆς φυλῆς καὶ διαπρεπεστέρας παρὰ τὰς λοιπὰς ἠξιώθη. 8.1.9 αὐτίκα ἐπὶ τῆς διατάξεως τοῦ παντὸς λαοῦ κατὰ τοὺς Μωσέως χρόνους ἡγεῖσθαι ταύτην ὁ θεὸς τῶν λοιπῶν φυλῶν προστάττει. γέγραπται γάρ· «καὶ ἐλάλησεν κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν καὶ Ἀαρών, λέγων, ἄνθρωπος ἐχόμενος κατὰ τάγματα αὐτοῦ, κατὰ σημαίας, κατ' οἴκους πατριῶν αὐτῶν, παρεμβαλέτωσαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἔναντι κυρίου, κύκλῳ τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καὶ οἱ παρεμβάλλοντες πρῶτοι κατὰ ἀνατολὰς τάγμα παρεμβολῆς υἱῶν Ἰούδα σὺν δυνάμει αὐτῶν». 8.1.10 καὶ ἑξῆς ἐπὶ τῶν «εἰς τὸν ἐγκαινισμὸν» τῆς σκηνῆς ἀναφερομένων· «εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν, ἄρχων εἷς καθ' ἡμέραν προσοίσουσιν τὰ δῶρα αὐτῶν. καὶ ἦν ὁ προσφέρων τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ πρώτῃ τὸ δῶρον αὐτοῦ Ναασσὼν υἱὸς Ἀμιναδάβ, ἄρχων τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα». 8.1.11 καὶ ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ δὲ τῇ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ τοῦ Ναυὴ τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας κλήρῳ καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν φυλῶν διανεμηθεισῶν, ἀκληρωτὶ καὶ πασῶν πρώτη ἡ τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλὴ τὸ οἰκεῖον μέρος τῆς γῆς ἀπολαμβάνει. 8.1.12 ἀλλὰ καὶ «μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν Ἰησοῦ ἐπηρώτων οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐν κυρίῳ λέγοντες, τίς ἀνα βήσεται ἡμῖν πρὸς τὸν Χαναναῖον, ἀφηγούμενος τοῦ πολεμῆσαι ἐν αὐτῷ; καὶ εἶπεν κύριος, Ἰούδας ἀναβήσεται, ἰδοὺ δέδωκα τὴν γῆν εἰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ». σαφῶς οὖν τοῦ παντὸς Ἰσραὴλ ἡγεῖσθαι τὴν τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλὴν ὁ θεὸς διὰ τούτων προστάττει, ὅθεν ἑξῆς γέγραπται· «καὶ ἀνέβη Ἰούδας· καὶ παρέδωκεν κύριος τὸν Χαναναῖον καὶ τὸν Φερεζαῖον ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ», 8.1.13 καὶ πάλιν· «καὶ ἐπολέμησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰούδα ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ κατελάβοντο αὐτήν», «καὶ κατέβησαν υἱοὶ Ἰούδα πολεμῆσαι ἐν τῷ