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of their own destruction." For we were led away unwillingly, so to speak. Therefore, Christ also despoiled the strong one unwillingly. Which things He has done, bringing them on, redeeming without silver those who had not fallen into bodily captivity, but into spiritual, and who were in need of the precious blood. Then He shows Himself to have always been the 2508 Savior and Redeemer of Israel. And when He went down willingly to Egypt, when Jacob dwelt there because of famine; and when by violence on account of sins he was taken by the Assyrians, from the sensible redemption, declaring in another word the things done freely at His coming. Wherefore He adds: And now what will be here? or according to the others, and now what is here for me? for, He says, I find nothing here among them, according to what was said: "Because I came, and there was no man. I called, and there was no one who answered." But if it refers to the captivity by the Romans, the 'here' might be said to be in the lands of the Gentiles, to which they were scattered; that is, in such a state of affairs, obviously, they suffer these things, having crucified their own redeemer. Then, when the teachers among the Jews wondered how Israel, called the lot and holy of God, acted so wretchedly, and as they lamented that all hope was taken from them, He blames them for the capture of their subjects. For they did not permit them to believe in the Savior who had come to them. But the gentiles, not knowing the cause of the capture, accused their God of weakness, as not having been able to save them, according to the word of Rabshakeh. For he came upon you, not because of my weakness. Therefore his power has fallen, but you had sinned. That He addresses these things to the rulers, the edition of the others has shown. For Symmachus says: Those who rule over him, he says, lament. And Aquila, ruling. And Theodotion, rulers. Wherefore He also said above: The Lord Himself will come to judgment with the elders of the people, and with their rulers. For they stirred up the crowds to use voices against the Savior. Wherefore, according to the others, it is not added to, My name is blasphemed, the phrase "among the Gentiles." Therefore Symmachus says: Through all, the whole day my name is blasphemed. For the rulers always blasphemed the Lord, and incited others. But you are such. But the people from the Gentiles, instead of you, will glorify me, having known the experienced power of my name, which you, not knowing, blaspheme. And these things will be in that day, in which I, who say these things through the prophets, will visit men. This Paul also says: "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son." ζιεʹ. 9As a season upon the mountains, as feet of those who preach the hearing of peace, as one who preaches good things. For He will make your salvation heard, saying: Zion, your God shall reign. For the voice of your watchmen has been lifted up, and with their voice 2509 they will rejoice together, for eye to eye they shall see when the Lord has mercy on Zion9, etc. Having spoken of the visit of the Word of God to men, he accordingly connects the things concerning the evangelical preaching. But Symmachus has rendered it thus: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who preaches, who makes peace to be heard, who preaches good things, who makes salvation to be heard, which Paul indeed, translating in his epistle to the Romans, says: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good things, who preach peace." But instead of salvation, the Hebrew word contains Jesus. And if they had not interpreted the word, nothing would have prevented them from saying "making Jesus heard." Instead of which Aquila and Theodotion said "making salvation heard." And instead of, as a season; one said, how they were made beautiful. And Theodotion, beautiful. The discourse marvels at the course throughout all the earth of the preachers of the Gospel, whose feet are beautiful, because of their purity, as though the Savior had washed them. The "upon the mountains" indicates the loftiness of their preaching. And they preached peace with God to those far off and to those near,

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ἑαυτῶν ἀπωλείας." Ἄκοντες γὰρ, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἀπηγόμεθα. ∆ιὸ, καὶ ἄκοντα τὸν ἰσχυρὸν ἐσκύλευσεν ὁ Χριστός. Ἃ δέδρακεν ἐπιφέρων ἄνευ ἀργυρίου λυτρούμενος τοὺς μὴ σωματικῇ περιπεσόντας αἰχμαλωσίᾳ, ἀλλὰ ψυχικῇ, καὶ τοῦ τιμίου δεομένους αἵματος. Εἶτα δείκνυσιν ἑαυτὸν ἀεὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ γεγονότα 2508 Σωτῆρα καὶ Λυτρωτήν. Καὶ ὅτε κατῆλθεν ἑκὼν εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον, τοῦ Ἰακὼβ ἐκεῖ διὰ λιμὸν κατοικήσαντος· καὶ ὅτε βίᾳ διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὑπ' Ἀσσυρίων ἑάλω, ἀπὸ τῆς αἰσθητῆς λυτρώσεως, τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ δηλῶν ἄλλῳ λόγῳ δωρεὰν πεπραγμένων. ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγει· Καὶ νῦν τί ὧδε ἔσται; ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς, καὶ νῦν τί ἐστί μοι ὧδε; οὐδὲν γὰρ, φησὶν, ὧδε παρ' αὐτοῖς εὑρίσκω, κατὰ τὸ ῥηθέν· "∆ιότι ἦλθον, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἄνθρωπος. Ἐκάλεσα, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ὑπακούων." Εἰ δὲ τὴν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων αἰχμαλωσίαν δηλοῖ, λέγοιτο ἂν τὸ ὧδε, ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν χώραις, εἰς ἃς διεσπάρησαν· ἤγουν, ἐν τοιᾷδε καταστάσει πραγμάτων δηλονότι, ταῦτα πάσχουσι τὸν ἑαυτῶν σταυρώσαντες λυτρωτήν. Εἶτα θαυμαζόντων τῶν παρ' Ἰουδαίοις καθηγητῶν, πῶς ὁ Θεοῦ κλῆρος λεγόμενος καὶ ἅγιος Ἰσραὴλ ἔπραξεν οὕτως οἰκτρῶς, καὶ ὡς πάσης αὐτοῖς ἀνῃρημένης ἐλπίδος ὀλολυζόντων, αὐτοὺς αἰτιᾶται τῆς τῶν ὑπηκόων ἁλώσεως. Οὐ γὰρ συνεχώρουν αὐτοῖς τῷ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀφιγμένῳ πιστεῦσαι Σωτῆρι. Ἀλλ' οἱ ἐθνικοὶ τὴν τῆς ἁλώσεως ἀγνοοῦντες αἰτίαν, ἀσθενείας τὸν τούτων ᾐτιῶντο Θεὸν, ὡς σῶσαι, κατὰ τὸν Ῥαψάκου λόγον, αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἰσχύσαντα. Κἀκεῖνος γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐπῆλθεν, οὐ δι' ἐμὴν ἀσθένειαν. Τοιγαροῦν ἡ τούτου πέπτωκε δύναμις, ἀλλ' ὑμῶν ἡμαρτηκότων. Ὅτι δὲ ταῦτα τοῖς ἄρχουσι προσφωνεῖ, ἡ τῶν ἄλλων παρέστησεν ἔκδοσις. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Σύμμαχος· Οἱ ἐξουσιάζοντες αὐτοῦ, φησὶν, ὀλολύζουσιν. Καὶ Ἀκύλας, ἐξουσιάζοντες. Ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων ἄρχοντες. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἄνω ἔλεγεν· αὐτὸς Κύριος εἰς κρίσιν ἥξει μετὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων αὐτοῦ. Αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἀνέσεισαν τὰ πλήθη ταῖς κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος κεχρῆσθαι φωναῖς. ∆ιὸ, κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς, οὐ πρόσκειται τῷ, τὸ ὄνομα μου βλασφημεῖται, τὸ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι. Τοιγαροῦν ὁ Σύμμαχός φησι· ∆ιὰ παντὸς, ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν τὸ ὄνομά μου βλασφημεῖται. Ἀεὶ γὰρ οἱ ἄρχοντες ἐβλασφήμουν τὸν Κύριον, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὑπέβαλλον. Ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς μὲν τοιοῦτοι. Ὁ ἐξ ἐθνῶν δὲ λαὸς, ἀνθ' ὑμῶν με δοξάσει, τοῦ ἐμοῦ ὀνόματος πειρατὴν δύναμιν ἐγνωκὼς, ἣν οὐκ εἰδότες αὐτὸ βλασφημεῖτε. Καὶ ταῦτα ἔσται τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, καθ' ἣν ἀνθρώποις ὁ ταῦτα διὰ τῶν προφητῶν λέγων ἐπιδημήσω, Τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος λέγει· "Πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως πάλαι ὁ Θεὸς λαλήσας τοῖς πατράσιν ἐν προφήταις, ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν τούτων ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν Υἱῷ." ζιεʹ. 9Ὡς ὥρα ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων, ὡς πόδες εὐαγγελιζομένων ἀκοὴν εἰρήνης, ὡς εὐαγγελιζόμενος ἀγαθά. Ὅτι ἀκουστὴν ποιήσει τὴν σωτηρίαν σου λέγων· Σιὼν, βασιλεύσει σου ὁ Θεός. Ὅτι φωνὴ τῶν φυλασσόντων σε ὑψώθη, καὶ τῇ φωνῇ 2509 ἅμα εὐφρανθήσονται, ὅτι ὀφθαλμοὶ πρὸς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὄψονται, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐλεήσῃ Κύριος τὴν Σιὼν9, κ.τ.λ. Τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἐπιδημίαν εἰπὼν, ἀκολούθως τὰ περὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ συνάπτει κηρύγματος. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἐξέδωκε· Τί εὐπρεπεῖς ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων πόδες εὐαγγελιζομένου ἀκοὴν ποιοῦντος εἰρήνην, εὐαγγελιζομένου ἀγαθὰ ἀκουστὴν ποιοῦντος σωτηρίαν, ἃ δὴ μεταφράσας ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· "Ὡς ὡραῖοι οἱ πόδες τῶν εὐαγγελιζομένων ἀγαθὰ, εὐαγγελιζομένων εἰρήνην." Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ σωτηρίαν, ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ λέξις Ἰησοῦν περιέχει. Καὶ εἰ μὴ τὴν λέξιν ἑρμήνευσαν, οὐδὲν ἂν ἐκώλυσεν αὐτοὺς εἰπεῖν ἀκουτίζοντος Ἰησοῦν. Ἀνθ' οὗ εἶπεν Ἀκύλας καὶ Θεοδοτίων ἀκουτίζοντος σωτηρίαν. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ὡς ὥρα· ὁ μὲν εἶπεν, τί ὡραιώθησαν. Ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων, εὐπρεπεῖς. Τὸν δρόμον δὲ τὸν πανταχοῦ γῆς τῶν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου κηρύκων ὁ λόγος θαυμάζει, ὧν οἱ πόδες ὡραῖοι, διὰ τὸ καθαρὸν, ὡς ἂν τοῦ Σωτῆρος αὐτοὺς ἀνπονίψαντος. Τὸ ὑψηλὸν δὲ αὐτῶν τοῦ κηρύγματος τὸ ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων δηλοῖ. Τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν δὲ τοῖς μακρὰν καὶ τοῖς ἐγγὺς εἰρήνην εὐηγγελίζοντο,