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I proclaimed to men, so that not only Jews, but also all the nations on earth might receive salvation from me. Therefore he adds: I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, nor in a dark place of the earth; for since “all the earth and those in it,” all men, “are mine,” for this reason, he says, I did not allow my words to be hidden nor to be concealed as if in darkness, but bringing them into the light I spread them to all, “so that the saving gospel might be preached to all nations.” Therefore “their sound went out into all the earth,” that of my apostles, “and their words to the ends of the world.” And these things very consistently agree with: “Be renewed towards me, you islands. Israel is saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; they will not be ashamed nor confounded forever and ever.” Through which the word, having mentioned the churches of God and the apostles of our Savior, consistently added: I have not spoken in secret, nor in a dark place of the earth, and according to Symmachus it is said: I did not speak in secret nor in a dark place of the earth. But these things would manifestly fit only with the evangelical proclamation; for if someone should wish to examine the oracles of Moses, he would find them to have been spoken in secret, in the Hebrew tongue, and with distinct characters not known among all. But also if one should consider that the law of Moses was given “in a desert and impassable and waterless land,” he would find it to have been spoken in a dark place of the earth. But not so with the gospel of Christ; for “their sound went out into all the earth,” that of his apostles, “and their words to the ends of the world.” And it has been handed down in every tongue and every voice, and with the characters of each nation, to be heard by all the nations. Wherefore if anything else, this too has been proclaimed wonderfully and opportunely, I mean: I have not spoken in secret, nor in a dark place of the earth. After these things he adds: I did not say to the seed of Jacob, “Seek in vain,” but according to Symmachus: I did not say to the seed of Jacob, “Seek me in vain,” or according to Aquila and Theodotion: I did not say to the seed of Jacob, “Seek me emptily.” For he says that I first called them through the evangelical proclamation and to them first I promised the kingdom of heaven, as if promising them rewards for their faith in me, so that they might not think they worshiped God in vain. Therefore I also promised eternal life and good things, “which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and have not entered into the heart of man.” But since I am a God speaking righteousness and announcing truth, according to the principle of righteousness after them I called all men to myself. Henceforth I now proclaim to all, saying: Assemble and come, take counsel together, you who are saved from the nations. But instead of “take counsel together”, Symmachus has: draw near to me, you who have escaped from the nations. Do you see how he summons those from the nations who wish to be saved? But since they were not going to obey the proclamation nor receive the grace of the call, but were to remain in their own godless error, he consistently appends the mention concerning these things, saying: they did not know, those who carry the wood of their graven image and pray to gods, who do not save them. But if they should have anything to say on behalf of their own gods, let them approach me and draw near to me; for having drawn near, “they will know the true God,” of whose divinity it is a great sign to have prophesied these things through my prophets and from the beginning to have announced these things into your ears. Therefore he says: Who made these things heard from the beginning? Then it was announced to you. Instead of which Symmachus says: from the first I then said them. For if you think there is some god, tell me what other god, knowing these things, foretold them? And who fore-announced the things that would be? But no other knew, no one foretold, since there was no other god, but I alone prophesied these things. Therefore I say: I am the Lord God, and not

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ἀνθρώποις ἀνεκήρυξα, ὅπως μὴ μόνοι Ἰουδαῖοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς ἔθνη τῆς παρ' ἐμοῦ τύχοιεν σωτηρίας. διὸ ἐπιλέγει· Ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι. οὐκ ἐν κρυφῇ λελάληκα οὐδὲ ἐν τόπῳ γῆς σκοτεινῷ· ἐπεὶ γὰρ «πᾶσα ἡ γῆ καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτῇ» πάντες ἄνθρωποι «ἐμοί εἰσι», διὰ τοῦτό φησι τοὺς ἐμαυτοῦ λόγους οὐκ εἴασα κρύπτεσθαι οὐδ' ὥσπερ ἐν σκότῳ λανθάνειν, εἰς φανερὸν δ' ἀγαγὼν πᾶσιν ἥπλωσα «ὡς πᾶσιν ἔθνεσι κηρυχθῆναι τὸ σωτήριον εὐαγγέλιον». διὸ «εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ὁ φθόγγος ἐξῆλθε» τῶν ἐμῶν ἀποστόλων «καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν». σφόδρα δὲ ἀκολούθως συμβάλλεται ταῦτα τῷ· «ἐγκαινίζεσθε πρός με, νῆσοι. Ἰσραὴλ σῴζεται ὑπὸ κυρίου σωτηρίαν αἰώνιον· οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσονται οὐδὲ μὴ ἐντραπῶσιν ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος». δι' ὧν ὁ λόγος τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν μνημονεύσας ἀκολούθως ἐπήγαγε τό· οὐκ ἐν κρυφῇ λελάληκα οὐδὲ ἐν τόπῳ γῆς σκοτεινῷ, καὶ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον δὲ εἴρηται· οὐ κρυφῇ ἐλάλησα οὐδὲ ἐν τόπῳ γῆς σκοτεινῷ. ἄντικρυς δὲ ταῦτα μόνῳ τῷ εὐαγγελικῷ ἁρμόζοιεν ἂν κηρύγματι· τὰ γὰρ Μωσέως λόγια εἴ τις ἐξετάζειν ἐθέλοι, εὕροι ἂν αὐτὰ κρυφῇ λελαλημένα, γλώσσῃ δὲ Ἑβραΐδι, χαρακτῆρσι δὲ ἰδιάζουσι καὶ μὴ γνωριζομένοις παρὰ πᾶσιν. ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ τις ἐννοήσειε τὸ «ἐν γῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ ἀβάτῳ καὶ ἀνύδρῳ» ὁ Μωσέως ἐξεδόθη νόμος, εὕροι ἂν αὐτὸν ἐν τόπῳ γῆς σκοτεινῷ λελαλημένον. οὐ μὴν ὁμοίως καὶ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ· «εἰς πᾶσαν» γοῦν «τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος» τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ «καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν». παντοίᾳ δὲ γλώττῃ καὶ πάσῃ φωνῇ, χαρακτῆρσί τε τοῖς καθ' ἕκαστον ἔθνος παραδέδοται εἰς ἐξάκουστον πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι. διὸ εἴπερ τι ἄλλο καὶ τοῦτο θαυμαστῶς καὶ εὐκαίρως ἀναπεφώνηται, λέγω δέ· οὐκ ἐν κρυφῇ λελάληκα οὐδὲ ἐν τόπῳ γῆς σκοτεινῷ. τούτοις ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγει· οὐκ εἶπον τῷ σπέρματι Ἰακώβ Μάταιον ζητήσατε, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· οὐκ εἶπον τῷ σπέρματι Ἰακώβ Ματαίως ζητήσατέ με, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν καὶ τὸν Θεοδοτίωνα· οὐκ εἶπον τῷ σπέρματι Ἰακώβ Κενῶς ζητήσατέ με. πρώτους μὲν γάρ φησιν ἐκείνους ἀνεκαλεσάμην διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ κηρύγματος καὶ πρώτοις αὐτοῖς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπηγγειλάμην ὥσπερ μισθοὺς τῆς εἰς ἐμὲ πίστεως αὐτοῖς ὑπισχνούμενος πρὸς τὸ μὴ νομίσαι αὐτοὺς ματαίως θεοσεβεῖν. διὸ καὶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἐπηγγειλάμην καὶ ἀγαθά, «ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη». ἐπεὶ δὲ θεός εἰμι λαλῶν δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀναγγέλλων ἀλήθειαν, κατὰ τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης λόγον μετ' ἐκείνους πάντας ἀνθρώπους πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν ἀνεκαλεσάμην. Ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη τοῖς πᾶσι κηρύττω λέγων· συνάχθητε καὶ ἥκετε, βουλεύσασθε ἅμα, οἱ σῳζόμενοι ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· βουλεύσασθε ἅμα, ὁ Σύμμαχος· προσεγγίσατέ μοι οἱ διαπεφευγότες τῶν ἐθνῶν. ὁρᾷς ὅπως τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν βουλομένους σῴζεσθαι προσκαλεῖται. ἐπειδὴ δὲ μὴ ὑπακούειν ἔμελλον τῷ κηρύγματι μηδὲ ὑποδέχεσθαι τῆς κλήσεως τὴν χάριν, ἐναπομένειν δὲ τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἀθέῳ πλάνῃ, ἀκολούθως καὶ τὴν περὶ τούτων ἐπισυνάπτει μνήμην λέγων· οὐκ ἔγνωσαν οἱ αἴροντες τὸ ξύλον γλύμμα αὐτῶν καὶ προσευχόμενοι πρὸς θεούς, οἳ οὐ σῴζουσιν αὐτούς. εἰ δ' ἔχοιέν τι ὑπὲρ τῶν οἰκείων θεῶν λέγειν, προσίτωσάν μοι καὶ ἐγγισάτωσάν μοι· «γνώσονται» γὰρ ἐγγὺς γενόμενοι «τὸν ἀληθινὸν θεόν», οὗ μέγα δεῖγμα τῆς θεότητος τοῦ προφητεῦσαι ταῦτα διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν προφητῶν καὶ τὸ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἀπαγγεῖλαι ταῦτα εἰς τὰς ἀκοὰς ὑμῶν. διό φησι· τίς ἀκουστὰ ἐποίησε ταῦτα ἀπ' ἀρχῆς; τότε ἀνηγγέλη ὑμῖν. ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχός φησιν· ἐκ πρώτης τότε εἶπον αὐτά. εἰ γάρ τινα οἴεσθε εἶναι θεόν, εἴπατε τίς ἕτερος θεὸς ταῦτα γνοὺς προεῖπε; τίς δὲ προαπήγγειλε τὰ γενησόμενα; ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς ἕτερος ἔγνω οὐδεὶς προεῖπεν, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ ἦν ἄλλος θεός, μόνος δὲ ἐγὼ ταῦτα ἐθέσπισα. διό φημι· Ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός, καὶ οὐκ