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adding the meaning of the saying next and saying: and pay attention, O nations, all but clearly distinguishing, that the present things are not directed toward the Jews nor, as it might happen, toward some readily understood islands, but toward the nations and the churches of God situated among the nations. Whence, according to Symmachus, it is said in this way: Hear me, O islands, and hearken, O nations. What then he wishes to teach his churches, he adds: after a long time it will stand, says the Lord. And first it must be observed that these things are uttered from the person of the Lord, and the things added next to these, in which the Lord himself who began the saying teaches the things that are added as if about another, but also confesses that he himself was born and calls himself a servant and whatever other things he presents through the things added next. What then the present Lord teaches, addressing the islands and the nations, we must hear. Do not now, he says, when I go through these things, expect to see the results of the words; for there will be a long time between, in which the things prophesied will be established through works. But instead of: after a long time it will stand, the other interpreters have said, "from afar," connecting "from afar" with the preceding thought, for which reason Symmachus also interpreted "hearken, nations, from afar." Then he added: The Lord called me from the womb and from my mother's belly he remembered my name; For be instructed in this, O nations and you islands. And what is this but that the Lord, the master of all, even before I, the Lord, came forth among men, called me while still being formed in the womb, and he himself also bestowed a name on me? That indeed it is known to him alone; but in due time it will also become manifest to you yourselves, I mean indeed to all the nations. But the same God and Father also made my mouth, that of the Lord who says these things, like a sharp sword, being sharp for dividing and separating those worthy of God from those who are not such. which indeed the same one also testified in the Gospels, saying: "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword"; thus therefore he also says here: And he made my mouth like a sharp sword. and he adds: And under the shadow of his hand he hid me, hinting in this way at the hidden economy of his incarnate presence that escapes the notice of the many. And just as he called his own tongue a sharp sword, so also he says he himself has been made a choice arrow by the Father, so that whenever he might wish, he might wound those worthy of his goads; such was the soul that said: "for I am wounded by love." But nevertheless this arrow also God the Father hid, as in a quiver and a case for arrows, so that not all might see or understand it, except only the worthy. And fittingly, in addition to the designation of the arrow, he has used the name of the quiver. And as for the quiver and arrow-case, you would not be wrong to say it is the flesh which the Word of God assumed when he sojourned among men. And having fashioned me, the Lord who says these things, to be such, my God and Father said to me, You are my servant, O Israel, and in you I will be glorified. For since you came forth from a mother's womb and underwent a birth from the seed of Israel, not in another race nor among foreign nations did you accomplish the incarnation, but in Israel, becoming "of the seed of David according to the flesh" and "from the tribe of Judah," you would reasonably also be called Israel yourself, and a servant for having "taken the form of a servant," although being the "only-begotten Son"; but indeed, similarly to the preceding things, here also he hides the name of the Son, but calls him servant, reserving the title of the Son for his presence and for the grace revealed through him to all men. Then what has belonged to none of the servants ever, this, he says, will happen through you: for in you I will be glorified. These things, then, God the Father; but I, the Lord who says these things, having heard these words, answered and

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λόγου τὴν διάνοιαν ἐπιφέρων ἑξῆς καὶ λέγων· καὶ προσέχετε, ἔθνη, μονονουχὶ σαφῶς διαστελλόμενος, ὅτι μὴ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους τὰ παρόντα συντείνει μηδ' ὡς ἔτυχε πρός τινας προχείρως νοουμένας νήσους, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰ ἔθνη καὶ τὰς μεταξὺ τῶν ἐθνῶν μεσολαβουμένας τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας. ὅθεν κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον τοῦτον εἴρηται τὸν τρόπον· Ἀκούσατέ μου, νῆσοι, καὶ ἀκροάσασθε, ἔθνη. τί τοίνυν βούλεται διδάξαι τὰς ἐκκλησίας αὐτοῦ, ἐπιλέγει· διὰ χρόνου πολλοῦ στήσεται, λέγει κύριος. καὶ πρῶτον ἐπιτηρητέον, ὡς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ κυρίου ταῦτα προφέρεται καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς τούτοις ἐπιφερόμενα, ἐν οἷς αὐτὸς ὁ τοῦ λόγου κατάρξας κύριος ὡς περὶ ἑτέρου διδάσκει τὰ ἐπιλεγόμενα, ἀλλὰ καὶ γεγεννῆσθαι ἑαυτὸν ὁμολογεῖ καὶ δοῦλον ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζει καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα παρίστησι διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς ἐπιφερομένων. τί δὴ οὖν προσφωνῶν ταῖς νήσοις καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὁ παρὼν κύριος διδάσκει, ἐπακουστέον. μὴ νῦν φησιν ὅτε ταῦτα διεξέρχομαι προσδοκήσητε τῶν λόγων ὄψεσθαι τὰ ἀποτελέσματα· μακρὸς γὰρ ἔσται μεταξὺ χρόνος, ἐν ᾧ δι' ἔργων συστήσεται τὰ προφητευόμενα. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· διὰ χρόνου πολλοῦ στήσεται, οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ μακρόθεν εἰρήκασι, συνάψαντες τὸ μακρόθεν τῇ ἀνωτέρω διανοίᾳ, διόπερ ὁ Σύμμαχος καὶ ἀκροάσασθε, ἔθνη, μακρόθεν ἡρμήνευσεν. εἶτ' ἐπήγαγε· κύριος ἐκ γαστρὸς ἐκάλεσέ με καὶ ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου ἀνέμνησε τὸ ὄνομά μου· τοῦτο γὰρ παιδεύθητε, ὦ ἔθνη καὶ ὑμεῖς αἱ νῆσοι. ποῖον δὲ τοῦτο ἢ ὅτι κύριος ὁ πάντων δεσπότης καὶ πρὶν εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἐμὲ τὸν κύριον προελθεῖν ἔτι κυόμενον κατὰ γαστρὸς ἀνεκαλέσατο, αὐτὸς δέ μοι καὶ ὄνομα ἐδωρήσατο; ὅτι μὲν ὡς αὐτῷ μόνῳ γνώριμόν ἐστι· κατὰ καιρὸν δὲ καὶ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς, λέγω δὴ πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι, φανερὸν γενήσεται. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔθηκεν ὁ αὐτὸς θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τὸ ἐμὸν τοῦ ταῦτα λέγοντος κυρίου στόμα ὡς μάχαιραν ὀξεῖαν, τμητικὴν οὖσαν εἰς τὸ διαιρεῖν καὶ ἀφορίζειν τοὺς ἀξίους τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν μὴ τοιούτων. ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ὁ αὐτὸς ἐμαρτύρει λέγων· «Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον εἰρήνην βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν»· οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθά φησιν· καὶ ἔθηκε τὸ στόμα μου ὡς μάχαιραν ὀξεῖαν. καὶ ἐπιλέγει· καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν σκέπην τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ ἔκρυψέ με τὴν κρύφιον καὶ τὴν τοὺς πολλοὺς λανθάνουσαν οἰκονομίαν τῆς ἐνσάρκου παρουσίας αὐτοῦ ὧδέ πη αἰνιξάμενος. ὥσπερ δὲ μάχαιραν ὀξεῖαν τὴν γλῶσσαν ἑαυτοῦ ὠνόμασεν, οὕτω καὶ βέλος ἐκλεκτόν φησι τεθεῖσθαι ἑαυτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός, ἵν' ὅτε βούλοιτο τιτρώσκῃ τοὺς ἀξίους τῶν αὐτοῦ κέντρων· ὁποία ἦν ἡ λέγουσα ψυχή· «ὅτι τετρωμένη ἀγάπης ἐγώ». πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ βέλος ὡς ἐν φαρέτρᾳ καὶ θήκῃ βελῶν ἀπέκρυψεν ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατήρ, ἵνα μὴ πάντες αὐτὸ θεωρῶσι μηδὲ νοῶσιν εἰ μὴ μόνον οἱ ἄξιοι. καταλλήλως δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ βέλους ἐπηγορίᾳ τῷ τῆς φαρέτρας ὀνόματι κέχρηται. φαρέτραν δὲ καὶ βελοθήκην οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις εἰπὼν τὸ σαρκίον ὃ ἀνείληφεν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος ἐπιδημῶν ἀνθρώποις. Τοιοῦτον δὲ κατεσκεύασας ἐμὲ τὸν ταῦτα λέγοντα κύριον, ὁ ἐμὸς θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ εἶπέν μοι ∆οῦλός μου εἶ σύ, Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ἐν σοὶ δοξασθήσομαι. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ προῆλθες ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς καὶ γένεσιν ὑπέμεινας τὴν ἐκ σπέρματος Ἰσραήλ, οὐκ ἐν ἑτέρῳ τε γένει οὐδ' ἐν ἀλλοφύλοις ἔθνεσι τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν ἐποιήσω, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ «ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ κατὰ σάρκα» καὶ «ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα» γενόμενος, εἰκότως καὶ αὐτὸς Ἰσραὴλ χρηματιεῖς ἂν καὶ δοῦλος διὰ τὸ «μορφὴν δούλου» «ἀνειληφέναι» καίτοι «μονογενῆ» ὄντα «υἱόν»· ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὁμοίως τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ μὲν τοῦ υἱοῦ ὄνομα ἀποκρύπτει, δοῦλον δὲ ὀνομάζει τὴν τοῦ υἱοῦ προσηγορίαν τῇ αὐτοῦ παρουσίᾳ καὶ τῇ δι' αὐτοῦ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἀνακαλυφθείσῃ χάριτι ταμιευόμενος. εἶθ' ὅπερ οὐδενὶ τῶν πώποτε δούλων ὑπῆρξεν, τοῦτο διὰ σοῦ φησι γενήσεται· ἐν σοὶ γὰρ δοξασθήσομαι. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατήρ· ἐγὼ δὲ ὁ ταῦτα λέγων κύριος τούτων ἀκούσας τῶν λόγων ἀπεκρινάμην καὶ