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to the Canaanite," and again: "And Judah went with Simeon his brother," and what follows: "And the Lord was with Judah, and he inherited the mountain," and after this: "And the sons of Joseph went up, they too, into Bethel, and Judah with them." 8.1.14 And in the book of Judges of those who presided over the people at different times, even if the judges seemed to be from different tribes, nevertheless the tribe of Judah on the whole led the entire nation; and much more in the times of David and his successors, who were from the tribe of Judah and carried on the kingdom until the captivity in Babylon; after which, of those who returned from captivity to their own land, "Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel from the tribe of Judah" again is leader, who also raised up the temple. 8.1.15 Hence also the book of Chronicles, in giving the genealogy of the twelve tribes of Israel, made its beginning from that of Judah. It follows then accordingly that also in the times after these, one must confess that the same tribe led the rest, even if in part various men presided over the people, whose families it is no longer possible for us to ascertain, because no divine book is extant from that time until the times of the Savior. 8.1.16 However, the argument is sufficient to say that the tribe of Judah lasted for as long as the whole nation, enjoying freedom and autonomy, was governed under its own rulers and leaders. This was their situation from the beginning and until the times of Augustus, in which, when Jesus our savior appeared among men, the whole nation became subject to the Romans, and instead of the leaders they had by ancestral right and according to the laws, first Herod, a foreigner, leads them, and Augustus is king. 8.1.17 As long, therefore, as "a ruler from Judah" had not yet failed, nor "a leader from his loins," the times of the prophecies were recorded from the list of the rulers of the nation. Thus, then, Isaiah prophesies "in the reign of Uzziah and Jotham and Ahaz and Hezekiah, who reigned over Judea." 8.1.18 And likewise also Hosea. But Amos "in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel," and Zephaniah "in the days of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah." And likewise also Jeremiah. But when "a ruler from Judah and a leader from his loins" failed, when the prophesied expectation of the nations through Christ was about to dawn upon the world, there were no longer kings of Judah, nor leaders of Israel, 8.1.19 since these had failed in accordance with the prophecies at the appointed times, first Augustus and second Tiberius among others were proclaimed kings also of the Jewish nation, and under them the procurators and tetrarchs of Judea, and indeed also Herod, as I have already said before, who was not related to the Jews by race, who himself was also entrusted by the Romans with the rule over the Jews. 8.1.20 With these things having been observed by us, the time now calls to take up the consideration of the prophecy: "Judah, let your brothers praise you." Of the twelve sons in all that Jacob had, Judah was the fourth, as we have already said, himself one of the tribal founders of the Hebrew nation. 8.1.21 But that the things spoken to him by his father did not have that very man in view would be clear to those who pay attention to the words of the divine scripture, which first says of the words of Jacob to his sons: "And Jacob called his sons and said, Gather yourselves together and I will announce to you what will happen to you in the last days; assemble and hear, sons of Jacob, hear Israel, your father." 8.1.22 For he clearly promises to prophesy to them the things that will happen to them long ages afterward and, as he himself says, "in the last days." And in other respects too, the things said to Judah could not reasonably be applied to that first man. 8.1.23 For they did not praise that Judah, "the

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Χαναναίῳ», καὶ αὖθις· «καὶ ἐπορεύθη Ἰούδας μετὰ Συμεὼν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ», καὶ ἑξῆς· «καὶ ἦν κύριος μετὰ Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐκληρονόμησεν τὸ ὄρος», καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα· «καὶ ἀνέβησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰωσὴφ καί γε αὐτοὶ ἐν Βεθήλ, καὶ Ἰούδας μετ' αὐτῶν». 8.1.14 καὶ ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ δὲ τῶν κριτῶν τῶν διαφόρως κατὰ χρόνους προϊσταμένων τοῦ λαοῦ, εἰ καὶ ἐκ διαφόρων ἐδόκουν εἶναι φυλῶν οἱ κριταί, ὅμως δὲ καθόλου ἡ τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλὴ τοῦ παντὸς ἔθνους ἡγεῖτο· πολλῷ δὲ πλέον ἐπὶ τῶν χρόνων τοῦ ∆αβὶδ καὶ τῶν τούτου διαδόχων, ἐκ φυλῆς μὲν τοῦ Ἰούδα γεγονότων μέχρι δὲ τῆς εἰς Βαβυλῶνα αἰχμαλωσίας τὴν βασιλείαν διενεγκάντων· μεθ' ἣν τῶν ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκείαν γῆν ἐπανιόντων αὖθις ἡγεῖται «Ζοροβάβελ ὁ τοῦ Σαλαθιὴλ ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα», ὁ καὶ τὸν νεὼν ἐγείρας. 8.1.15 ἔνθεν καὶ ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων γραφὴ τὰς δώδεκα φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ γενεαλογοῦσα ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Ἰούδα τὴν καταρχὴν ἐποιήσατο. ἕπεται δὴ οὖν τούτοις ἀκολούθως καὶ ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα χρόνοις τὴν αὐτὴν φυλὴν τῶν λοιπῶν ὁμολογεῖν ἡγεῖσθαι, εἰ καὶ ἐν μέρει διάφοροι προειστήκεισαν τοῦ λαοῦ, ὧν οὐκέθ' ἡμῖν δυνατὸν ἐξακριβάζεσθαι τὰ γένη, τῷ μηδὲ φέρεσθαι θείαν βίβλον ἐξ ἐκείνου καὶ μέχρι τῶν τοῦ σωτῆρος χρόνων. 8.1.16 πλὴν εἰς τοσοῦτον διαρκέσαι λόγος αἱρεῖ φάναι τὴν τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλήν, εἰς ὅσον τὸ πᾶν ἔθνος ἐλευθερίᾳ καὶ αὐτονομίᾳ χρώμενον ὑπὸ οἰκείοις ἄρχουσιν καὶ ἡγουμένοις ἐπολιτεύετο. τοῦτο δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑπῆρξεν καὶ μέχρι τῶν Αὐγούστου χρόνων, καθ' ὃν Ἰησοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν φανέντος ἐν ἀνθρώποις τὸ πᾶν ἔθνος δοῦλον Ῥωμαίοις καθίσταται, καὶ ἀντὶ τῶν πατρόθεν αὐτοῖς καὶ κατὰ νόμους ἡγουμένων πρῶτος Ἡρώδης ἀλλόφυλος αὐτῶν ἡγεῖται καὶ βασιλεὺς Αὔγουστος. 8.1.17 ἕως μὲν οὖν οὐδέπω διαλελοίπει «ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα», οὐδὲ «ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ», τῶν προφητειῶν οἱ χρόνοι ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ ἔθνους παραθέσεως ἀνεγράφοντο. οὕτως οὖν Ἡσαΐας «ἐν βασιλείᾳ Ὀζίου καὶ Ἰωάθαν καὶ Ἄχαζ καὶ Ἐζεκίου, οἳ ἐβασίλευσαν τῆς Ἰουδαίας», πρφητεύει. 8.1.18 ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Ὠσηέ. ὁ δὲ Ἀμὼς «ἐν ἡμέραις Ὀζίου βασιλέως Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐν ἡμέραις Ἱεροβοὰμ υἱοῦ Ἰωὰς βασιλέως Ἰσραήλ»καὶ Σοφονίας «ἐν ἡμέραις Ἰωσίου υἱοῦ Ἀμὼς βασιλέως Ἰούδα». ὁμοίωςδὲ καὶ Ἱερεμίας. ἀλλ' ὅτε ἐκλέλοιπεν «ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα καὶ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ», τῆς διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προφητευομένης προσδοκίας τῶν ἐθνῶν ὅσον οὔπω μελλούσης ἐπιλάμπειν τῷ βίῳ, οὐκέτι μὲν βασιλεῖς ἐχρημάτισαν Ἰούδα, οὐδὲ ἡγούμενοι Ἰσραήλ, 8.1.19 τούτων δὲ ταῖς προφητείαις ἀκολούθως κατὰ τοὺς ὡρισμένους χρόνους διαλελοιπότων, πρῶτος μὲν Αὔγουστος δεύτερος δὲ Τιβέριος μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους ἀνηγορεύθησαν βασιλεῖς, οἵ τε κατὰ τούτους τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐπίτροποι καὶ τετράρχαι, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἡρώδης, ὡς ἔφην ἤδη καὶ πρότερον, οὐ προσήκων Ἰουδαίοις τὸ γένος, ὃς καὶ αὐτὸς παρὰ Ῥωμαίων τὴν ἀρχὴν τὴν κατὰ Ἰουδαίων ἐγχειρίζεται. 8.1.20 Τούτων ἡμῖν προτετηρημένων, καιρὸς ἤδη καλεῖ τῆς εἰς τὴν προφητείαν θεωρίας ἐφάψασθαι· «Ἰούδα, σὲ αἰνέσαισαν οἱ ἀδελφοί σου». δώδεκα τῶν ὅλων ὑπαρχόντων παίδων τῷ Ἰακὼβ τέταρτος Ἰούδας ἦν, ὡς καὶ φθάσαντες εἰρήκαμεν, εἷς καὶ αὐτὸς ἀρχίφυλος τοῦ Ἑβραίων ἔθνους. 8.1.21 ἀλλ' ὅτι γε οὐκ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον ἑώρα τὸν ἄνδρα τὰ ὡς πρὸς αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς εἰρημένα, σαφὲς ἂν γένοιτο τοῖς ἐπιστήσασιν ταῖς λέξεσι τῆς θείας γραφῆς πρῶτον τοῦ Ἰακὼβ πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς φωνὰς λεγούσης· «ἐκάλεσεν δὲ Ἰακὼβ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν, συνάχθητε καὶ ἀναγγελῶ ὑμῖν, τί ὑμῖν ἀπαντήσεται ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν· ἀθροίσθητε καὶ ἀκούσατε, υἱοὶ Ἰακώβ, ἀκούσατε Ἰσραήλ, τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν». 8.1.22 σαφῶς γὰρ ἐπαγγέλλεται προφητεύειν αὐτοῖς τὰ μέλλοντα αὐτοῖς ἀπαντήσεσθαι μακροῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις καί, ὡς αὐτός φησιν, «ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν». καὶ ἄλλως δὲ τὰ ὡς πρὸς τὸν Ἰούδαν εἰρημένα οὐκ ἂν εὐλόγως ἐφαρμόσαιεν τῷ πρώτῳ ἐκείνῳ ἀνδρί. 8.1.23 οὐ γὰρ ἐκεῖνον τὸν Ἰούδαν ᾔνεσαν «οἱ