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Is it not a great sign of His divinity to foretell these things through the prophets, which the demons, who profess to foretell by deceit, are not able to do, having foreseen neither the coming of Christ nor their own destruction? But I have foretold, for I am just and a Savior. For with a just word I call all the nations to salvation. For this is what "from the end of the earth" signifies. And He calls Himself just in another way, in contrast to the demons who have wronged our nature, who did not even abstain from human sacrifices. And how is He not just, who helps those so greatly wronged? who, also, foretelling generally, preserves the unerring outcome of the things foretold? For having foretold to Abraham both the bondage and the freedom of the race, and neither Abraham reminding Him (for at that time he did not exist, nor any of his descendants who acted righteously), He brought it to pass. And again He calls Himself just, frightening those who have sinned. For the punishment of the Just One is, as it were, inescapable. And He also calls Himself Savior, so that, learning that He does all things for their salvation, they might, repenting, confess the penalty they owe from His just judgments; and having obtained loving-kindness, the goodness of Him who forgives. "For a righteous man is his own accuser in his first speech." And He sets forth the righteousness concerning the nations with an oath, "That by two," says the divine Apostle, "immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation." And my words, He says, shall not be turned back. But what words? those by which He said, Turn to me, and you shall be saved, you from the end of the earth. And upon what He brought the oath, He makes clear, saying: That to me every knee shall bow, not only that of the Jews. For if Israel, after so many sins, needed grace, much more was what was said, being great for all, disbelieved. Therefore, as speaking to men, He added an oath, that they will worship Him, and they will make Him their oath, which has been partially fulfilled by the calling of the nations. But it will be completely fulfilled at the consummation of the Age, when every human phantom and falsehood will be abolished. And every tongue will say that righteousness, and glory will come to him. But for "glory," Symmachus has said "strength." For all the virtues in hea 2437 vens will have him as their end. And all the strength of men who have contended for piety will come to him, who provides the rewards of virtue and labor. But those who set themselves apart will be ashamed. Therefore it has been said: All who worship graven images shall be ashamed. And to the Jews it was said: "If you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins." But when will they be ashamed? When every knee shall bow, after these things it is said, all the seed of the sons of Israel will be justified, and will be glorified in God. But the seed of the sons of Israel. For the sons of Israel were the first preachers of the Gospels, whose seed and succession he said would be justified and glorified, having been deemed worthy of adoption, concerning whom it was foretold, "Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed." And that the disciples are the seed of the teachers, Paul also makes clear, saying: "For in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel." CHAP. 40. 45. 9Bel has fallen, Dagon is broken, their carved images have become food for beasts and cattle. You take them up bound, as a burden to one who is weary, and faint, and hungry. They are not strong at the same time, they will not be able to be saved from war; but they themselves have been led away captive9, etc. Having spoken about the conversion of the nations, and the election of the seed of the sons of Israel, turning to the Jews he signifies the complete destruction of idolatry. And Bel the Greeks also call Kronos, to whom, indeed, most people offered their dearest things as sacrifice. But Dagon, an idol of foreigners honored in Ascalon and Gaza, But the prophet has remained with the wording of the history. For when the ark was captured and brought in to him, he was immediately broken, having fallen. And leading the discourse from the particular to the general of idolatry, Their carved images, he says, became for beasts and cattle. and such things throughout all of Egypt are the

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Οὐ μέγα δεῖγμα τῆς θεότητος τὸ προαγγεῖλαι, ταῦτα διὰ τῶν προφητῶν, ὅπερ οὐκ ἔχουσι ποιεῖν οἱ φενακισμῷ προλέγειν ἐπαγγελλόμενοι δαίμονες, μήτε τὴν Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν προγνόντες, μήτε τὴν ἰδίαν κατάλυσιν; Ἐγὼ δὲ προεῖπον, ἐπὶ δίκαιός εἰμι καὶ Σωτήρ. ∆ικαίω γὰρ λόγῳ πρὸς σωτηρίαν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη καλῶ. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ ἀπ' ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. Καὶ δίκαιον ἑαυτὸν ἄλλως καλεῖ, πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τῶν ἠδικηκότων τὴν ἡμετέραν φύσιν δαιμόνων, οἳ μηδὲ θυμάτων ἀνθρωπίνων ἀπέσχοντο. Καὶ πῶς οὐ δίκαιος ὁ τοῖς τοσοῦτον ἠδικημένοις ἐπικουρῶν; ὃς καὶ καθόλου προλέγων, ἀδιάπτωτον τηρεῖ τῶν προῤῥηθέντων τὴν ἔκβασιν; Προειπὼν γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ τὴν δουλείαν τε καὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τοῦ γένους, καὶ μήτε Ἀβραὰμ ὑπομνήσαντος (τότε γὰρ οὐδὲ ἦν μήτε τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ δικαιοπραγούντων), πρὸς ἔργον ἐξήνεγκε. Καὶ πάλιν δίκαιόν φησιν ἑαυτὸν, τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας φοβῶν. ∆ικαίου γὰρ ὡς ἀπαραίτητος κόλασις. Καλεῖ δὲ καὶ Σωτῆρα, ὡς ἂν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ μαθόντες πάντα ποιεῖν αὑτῶν, ὁμολογοῖεν μὲν μετανοοῦντες ἣν ἐκ τῶν δικαίων ὀφείλουσι δίκην· φιλανθρωπίας δὲ τυχόντες, τὴν τοῦ συγχωροῦντος χρηστότητα. "∆ίκαιος γὰρ ἑαυτοῦ κατήγορος ἐν πρωτολογίᾳ." Τὴν περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν δὲ δικαιοσύνην μεθ' ὅρκου προΐσχεται, "Ἵνα διὰ δύο, φησὶν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, πραγμάτων ἀμεταθέτων, ἐν οἷς ἀδύνατον ψεύσασθαι Θεὸν, ἰσχυρὰν παράκλησιν ἔχωμεν." Καὶ οἱ λόγοι δέ μου, φησὶν οὐκ ἀποστραφήσονται. Ποῖοι δὲ λόγοι; δι' ὧν ἔλεγεν, Ἐπιστράφητε ἐπ' ἐμὲ, καὶ σωθήσεσθε οἱ ἀπ' ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. Ἐπὶ τίσιν δὲ τὸν ὅρκον ἐπήγαγεν, δηλοῖ λέγων· Ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ, οὐ τὸ Ἰουδαίων μόνον. Εἰ γὰρ Ἰσραὴλ μετὰ τοσαύτας ἁμαρτίας, χάριτος ἐδεήθη· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ πάντων μέγα ὂν τὸ λεγόμενον ἠπιστεῖτο. ∆ι' ὅπερ ὡς ἀνθρώποις διαλεγόμενος, ὅρκον ἐπήγαγεν, ὡς προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτῷ, καὶ αὐτὸν ὅρκον ποιήσονται, ὅπερ ἐκ μέρους πεπλήρωται κληθέντων τῶν ἐθνῶν. Πληρωθήσεται δὲ τελείως ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ Αἰῶνος, ὅτε πᾶν ἀνθρώπιον φάντασμα καὶ ψεῦδος καταργηθήσεται. Πᾶσα δὲ γλῶσσα ἐρεῖ, ὅτι δικαιοσύνη, καὶ δόξα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἥξει. Τὸ δὲ δόξα, ἰσχὺς ὁ Σύμμαχος εἴρηκεν. Πᾶσαι γὰρ αἱ ἐν οὐρα 2437 νοῖς ἁρεταὶ τέλος αὐτὸν ἕξουσι. Καὶ Πᾶσα ἰσχὺς ἀνθρώπων τῶν ὑπὲρ θεοσεβείας ἀγωνισαμένων πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλεύσεται, ἀρετῆς καὶ καμάτου γέρα παρέχοντα. Οἱ δὲ διορίζοντες ἑαυτοὺς, αἰσχυνθήσονται. ∆ιὸ λέλεκται· Αἰσχυνθήσονται πάντες οἱ προσκυνοῦντες τοῖς γλυπτοῖς. Καὶ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἐλέγετο· "Ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύσητε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν ἀποθανεῖσθε." Πότε δὲ αἰσχυνθήσονται; Ὅταν πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ, μετὰ ταῦτα λέγεται, δικαιωθήσονται, καὶ ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ἐνδοξασθήσονται πᾶν τὸ σπέρμα τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ. Τὸ δὲ σπέρμα τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ. Υἱοὶ γὰρ Ἰσραὴλ, οἳ πρῶτοι τῶν Εὐαγγελίων ἐτύγχανον κήρυκες, ὧν τὸ σπέρμα καὶ τὴν διαδοχὴν ἔφη δικαιωθήσεσθαι καὶ δοξασθήσεσθαι, τῆς υἱοθεσίας ἠξιωμένους, περὶ ὧν, τὸ "Εἰ μὴ Κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα," προείρηται. Ὅτι δὲ σπέρμα τῶν διδασκάλων οἱ μαθηταὶ, δηλοῖ καὶ Παῦλος λέγων· "Ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ διὰ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς ἐγέννησα." ΚΕΦΑΛ. Μʹ. αεʹ. 9Ἔπεσε Βὴλ, συνετρίβη ∆αγὼν, ἐγένετο τὰ γλυπτὰ αὐτῶν εἰς θηρία, καὶ τὰ κτήνη. Αἴρετε αὐτὰ καταδεδεμένα, ὡς φορτίον κοπιῶντι, καὶ ἐκλελυμένῳ, καὶ πεινῶντι. Οὐκ ἰσχύοντι ἅμα, οἳ οὐ δυνήσονται σωθῆναι ἀπὸ πολέμου· αὐτοὶ δὲ αἰχμάλωτοι ἤχθησαν9, κ.τ.λ. Εἰπὼν περὶ τῆς ἐπιστροφῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν, καὶ τῆς ἐκλογῆς τοῦ σπέρματος τῶν ὑῶν Ἰσραὴλ, πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἀποστραφεὶς τὴν παντελῆ σημαίνει τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας καθαίρεσιν. Βὴλ δὲ καὶ Ἕλληνες καλοῦσι τὸν Κρόνον, ᾧ δὴ προσῆγον οἱ πλεῖστοι θυσίαν τὰ φίλτατα. Ὁ δὲ δαγὼν, ἀλλοφύλων ξόανον ἐν Ἀσκαλῶνι καὶ Γάζῃ τιμώμενον, Τῇ δὲ λέξει τῆς ἱστορίας ὁ προφήτης ἐνέμεινεν. Ὡς γὰρ ἡ κιβωτὸς ἁλοῦσα πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰσενήνεκται, συνετρίβη παραχρῆμα πεσών. Ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ μερικοῦ πρὸς τὸ καθόλου τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας τὸν λόγον ἀναγαγὼν, Ἐγένετο γλυπτὰ, φησὶν, αὐτῶν εἰς θηρία καὶ κτήνη. τοιαῦτα δὲ καθ' ὅλης τῆς Αἰγύπτου τὰ