210

the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, through which we stand against the plotting demons. And elsewhere the prophet says: "In that day God will bring the holy, the great sword, upon the dragon, the crooked serpent, and will slay the dragon." And the word will also be fitting for the saints. Indeed, by the word of his mouth Peter slew Ananias and Sapphira. And the prayer of Hezekiah turned back Rabshakeh. And by a word Paul also made Elymas blind. After these things he says, Under the shadow of his hand he has hidden me, alluding to the economy of the presence in the flesh, which is hidden from many. And he has been set as a chosen arrow by the Father, that it might wound those worthy of its goads (according to the soul that says, "I am wounded by love"), which itself also, as in a quiver, is hidden in the flesh which he has assumed, being seen only by the worthy. Some have said that the phrase, Under the shadow of his hand he has hidden me, means that the Son is inseparable from the Father, and having become man, has a nature that is unassailable and unconquerable, which was preserved for him even according to the economy, as David says: "The enemy will not prevail against him, and the son of iniquity will not add to afflict him," and what follows. But many at times were the arrows of God. But a chosen arrow and above all is Christ, in the foreknowledge of the Father, as if hidden in a quiver, who having wounded the evil powers on earth, destroyed them. And he said to me, he says, you are my servant, Israel; according to the body, which is from servants, a servant, and according to the race, which is from Israel, Israel is 2465 Christ. And as the power of God, through the things he works, glorifies him whose power it is, having become in the form of a servant, although being by nature the Son, to whom every knee will bow, of things in heaven and on earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. But some, thinking that Israel was said in reference to the people, say: He shows that for goodness alone the Lord was pleased to be called of Israel, and to be glorified in him, both through the wonders in Egypt and the events that followed. And these same people also say that the phrase, I have labored in vain, was spoken by the prophet, as one who suffered many things in preaching, but benefited none of those who heard. But God, he says, gives me a reward according to the worth of my labors. And this is said, they say, also concerning everyone who gains perception, that he has spent his time in vain in the fantasies of life. But it might be more appropriately taken in reference to the Savior, who, having heard what was said, answered, And how, O Father, will you be glorified in me, who once labored much for the salvation of men, but accomplished nothing more, since many others, and those of the circumcision, remained in unbelief? concerning whom he said: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," who, in addition to disobeying, also crucified him, as it is said also by the Psalmist: "What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to corruption?" But those people, indeed, these things. But my judgment is with the Lord. For I, having done what was my part before my God, fulfilled the Father's will. And for this reason judgment has been brought forth by him. For they were cast out from their fellowship with him. But the nations have become the inheritance of God. And the Lord showed this judgment also through the parable, speaking about the farmers who killed the heir, whom he also destroyed, and gave the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the fruits in their seasons. And these were the preachers of the Gospels, upon whom the clouds sent down rains, which were commanded not to rain upon the Jewish vineyard, from which Christ did not gather thorns, but grapes, as we say, that The Lord will give goodness, and our land will give its fruits. And in another way Paul indicates his labor and judgment, saying: "Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, having become obedient to the Father, unto death, even death on a cross. Wherefore also

210

τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος μάχαιραν, ὅ ἐστι ῥῆμα Θεοῦ, δι' οὗ τοῖς ἐπιβούλοις ἀντανιστάμεθα δαίμοσι. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ δέ φησιν ὁ προφήτης· "Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐπάξει ὁ Θεὸς τὴν μάχαιραν τὴν ἁγίαν, τὴν μεγάλην, ἐπὶ τὸν δράκοντα ὄφιν σκολιὸν, καὶ ἀναιρεῖ τὸν δράκοντα." Ἁρμόσει δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις ὁ λόγος. Τῷ γ' οὖν λόγῳ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ Πέτρος ἀνεῖλεν Ἀνανίαν τε καὶ Σάπφειραν. Καὶ εὐχὴ δὲ Ἐζεκίου τὸν Ῥαψάκην ἐτρέψατο. Τυφλὸν δὲ λόγῳ καὶ Παῦλος τὸν Ἐλύμαν ἐποίησεν. Ἐπὶ τούτοις φησὶν, Ὑπὸ τὴνσκέπην τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ ἔκρυψέ με, τὴν πολλοὺς λανθάνουσαν τῆς ἐν σαρκὶ παρουσίας οἰκονομίαν ὑπαινιξάμενος. Τέθειται δὲ καὶ βέλος ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατέρος ἐκλεκτὸν, ἵνα τιτρώσκῃ τοὺς ἀξίους τῶν ἑαυτοῦ κέντρων (κατὰ τὴν λέγουσαν ψυχὴν, "Τετρωμένη ἀγάπης ἐγὼ"), ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ, ὡς ἐν φαρέτρᾳ λανθάνει τῇ σαρκὶ, ἣν ἀνείληφεν, τοῖς ἀξίοις μόνοις ὁρώμενον. Τινὲς δὲ τὸ, Ὑπὸ τὴν σκέπην τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ ἔκρυψέν με, δηλοῦν ἔφασαν ἀχώριστον εἶναι τοῦ Πατέρος τὸ Υἱὸν, καὶ τὸ γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, ἄληπτόν τε καὶ ἀκαταγώνιστον ἔχειν τὴν φύσιν, ὅπερ αὐτῷ καὶ κατὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἐσώζετο, λέγοντος τοῦ ∆αβίδ· "Οὐκ ὠφελήσει ἐχθρὸς ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ υἱὸς ἀνομίας οὐ προσθήσει τοῦ κακῶσαι αὐτὸν," καὶ τὰ ἐφεξῆς. Πλεῖστα δὲ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ κατὰ καιροὺς ἐγένετο βέλη. Ἐκλεκτὸν δὲ βέλος καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντα Χριστὸς, ἐν προγνώσει τοῦ Πατέρος, ὡς ἐν φαρέτρᾳ κρυπτόμενος, ἐπὶ γῆς τὰς πονηρὰς δυνάμεις κατατρώσας ἠφάνισεν. Εἶπεν δέ μοι, φησὶ, δοῦλός μου εἶ σὺ, Ἰσραήλ· κατὰ τὸ σῶμα, τὸ ἐκ δούλων, δοῦλος, καὶ κατὰ τὸ γένος, τὸ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, Ἰσραὴλ ὁ 2465 Χριστός. Ὡς δὲ Θεοῦ δύναμις δι' ὧν ἐργάζεταιδοξάζει τὸν οὗ ἐστι δύναμις, ἐν μορφῇ δούλου γενόμενος, καίτοι κατὰ φύσιν ὑπάρχων Υἱὸς, ᾧ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων, καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσεται, ὅτι Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ Πατέρος. Τινὲς δὲ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν, Ἰσραὴλ εἰρῆσθαι νομίσαντες φασί· ∆είκνυσιν ὅτι δι' ἀγαθότητα μόνην ηὐδόκησε ∆εσπότης καλεῖσθαι τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ δοξασθῆναι, διά τε τῶν κατ' Αἴγυπτον τεράτων, καὶ τῶν ἐφεξῆς γεγονότων. Οἱ δὲ αὐτοὶ καὶ τὸ, Κενῶς ἐκοπίασα, ἐκ τοῦ προφήτου λελέχθαι φασὶν, ὡς πολλὰ μὲν ἐν τῷ κηρύττειν παθόντος, μὴ ὠφελήσαντος δὲ τῶν ἀκουσάντων μηδένα. Ἀλλ' ὁ Θεός μοι, φησὶ, τὴν κατ' ἀξίαν τῶν πόνων ἀποδίδωσιν ἀμοιβήν. Λέγεται δὲ τοῦτο, φασὶ, καὶ περὶ ἑκάστου λαμβάνοντος αἴσθησιν, ὡς μάτην τὸν καιρὸν ἐν ταῖς τοῦ βίου φαντασίαις ἀνάλωσεν. Οἰκειότερον δ' ἂν ἐπὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος λαμβάνοιτο, ὃς ἀκούσας τῶν εἰρημένων ἀπεκρίνατο, Καὶ πῶς, ὦ Πάτερ, ἐν ἐμοὶ δοξασθήσῃ, ὁ ποτὲ πολλὰ καμὼν ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίας, οὐδὲν ἤνυσα πλέον, ἐναπομεινάντων τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ πολλῶν τε ἄλλων, καὶ τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς; περὶ ὧν ἔλεγεν· "Οὐκ ἀπεστάλην εἰ μὴ εἰς τὰ ἀπολωλότα πρόβατα οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ," οἵγε πρὸς τῷ ἀπειθεῖν, καὶ ἐσταύρωσαν, ὡς εἰρῆσθαι καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ψαλμῳδῷ· "Τίς ὠφέλεια ἐν τῷ αἵματί μου, ἐν τῷ καταβαίνειν με εἰς διαφθοράν;" Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ταῦτα. Ἡ δὲ κρίσις μου παρὰ τῷ Κυρίῳ. Ἐγὼ γὰρ τὰ παρ' ἐμαυτοῦ πράξας ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ μου, τὸ πατρικὸν ἐτελείωσα βούλημα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ κρίσις ἐξενήνεκται παρ' αὐτοῦ. Ἐξεβλήθησαν γὰρ τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν οἰκειότητος. Τὰ δὲ ἔθνη γέγονε κλ̣ῆρο̣ς Θεοῦ. Τὴν κρίσιν δὲ ταύτην καὶ διὰ τῆς παραβολῆς ὁ Κύριος ἔδειξε, περὶ τῶν γεωργῶν λέγων τῶν τὸν κληρονόμον ἀπεκτονότων, οὓς καὶ ἀπολέσας, ἑτέροις τὸν ἀμπελῶνα γεωργοῖς ἐξέδωκεν, οἵτινες ἀποδώσουσιν αὐτῷ τοὺς καρποὺς ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς αὐτῶν. Οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν τῶν Εὐαγγελίων οἱ κήρυκες, ἐφ' ὧν αἱ νεφέλαι καθῆκαν ὑετοὺς αἱ κελευσθεῖσαι μὴ βρέχειν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰουδαϊκὸν ἀμπελῶνα, ἐφ' ὧν οὐκ ἀκάνθας, ἀλλὰ σταφυλὰς ἐτρύγησεν ὁ Χριστὸς, λεγόντων ἡμῶν, ὅτι Ὁ Κύριος δώσει χρηστότητα, καὶ ἡ γῆ ἡμῶν δώσει τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ τὸν πόνον ὁ Παῦλος αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν κρίσιν δηλοῖ λέγων· "Ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο, τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν μορφὴν δούλου λαβὼν, ὑπήκοος γεγονὼς τῷ Πατέρι, μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ. ∆ιὸ καὶ