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of the Moabites would one day suffer a shattering and a fall at the birth of the one prophesied, and when they were shattered, the "sons of Seth" and "Edom" and "Esau" and the other nations, which I think are signified by these, formerly enslaved to demonic error, would change from their superstition and become the household of the one prophesied. "For," it says, "Edom shall be an inheritance, and Esau his enemy shall be an inheritance." 9.1.8 For those who were formerly enemies of God and of Israel, it says, will become the inheritance of the one prophesied. For he it was to whom it was said by his God and Father: "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the nations for thine inheritance." And when these passed over into the lot of the saints, it prophesies that the opposite things would happen to Israel. 9.1.9 At any rate, it says: "And Israel acted with strength." But what did it do with strength except the greatest impiety of all? Therefore, "he will be stirred up" and will rise up from them. 9.1.10 Who is this but the prophesied Word of God, who also destroyed "the one being saved out of the city"? And I think it alludes to Jerusalem, from which every one who was being saved perished, or indeed the whole polity of their nation. But what end these things met with, at the same time as the shining of our Savior among men, when the formerly idolatrous nations passed over into their lot, and when the nation of the Jews and their mother-city suffered such things as never before, I think there is no need of long speeches. 9.1.11 But let the matters of the agreement between the prophetic prediction and the gospel fulfillment have an end in this way. But what was the reason for the shining of the star that appeared is worth considering. "For signs," says Moses, and "for seasons," all the stars "in the firmament" were placed by God. But it was a strange and unusual one, not one of the many and familiar ones, but some new and recent star appeared to the world, and it showed the sign of a strange "luminary" that had shone upon the whole cosmos, who was the Christ of God, a great and new star, whose image the star that then appeared to the magi symbolically bore. 9.1.12 For since throughout the whole of the sacred and divinely-inspired scripture the primary purpose of the thought wishes to teach more mystical and divine things, while also preserving the literal meaning in part of the things historically done, it is fitting that the prophecy at hand was also fulfilled literally in the prophecy of the star foretold at the birth of our Savior. 9.1.13 Indeed, the shinings of strange stars also occur in the case of other honored and famous men, such as those called by some comets, or beams, or bearded stars, or certain others similar to these which customarily appear at great events. 9.1.14 But what could ever be better or greater for the whole world than the intellectual light which was provided for all men through the saving epiphany, bringing the apprehension of piety and true knowledge of God to rational souls? For this reason, the star that appeared showed the great sign, alluding to all that a great and new luminary, the Christ of God, had shone upon the whole world. 9.1.15 At the same time the prophecy proclaims both a man and a star through what it says: "A star shall rise out of Jacob, and a man shall rise up out of Israel," naming the heavenly luminary as the God Word, and the same one as a man. And differently in other places it calls him "dayspring" and "light" and "sun of righteousness," as we demonstrated in the first parts. 9.1.16 Then, his more divine aspect, as that which enlightens "every man coming into the world," it designated with the name of dayspring, saying: "A star shall rise out of Jacob," but it proclaims that the man, because of the passion that befell him, as one who had fallen, "will rise up," similarly to what Isaiah also says concerning him: "And there shall be the root of Jesse and he that rises up to rule the nations; in him shall the nations hope." And it is clear, in what way the light of our Savior, rising from Jacob, that is, from the people of the circumcision, to all the nations, but not to the

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Μωαβιτῶν ἐπὶ τῇ γενέσει τοῦ προφητευομένου θραῦσίν ποτε καὶ πτῶσιν παθεῖν, ὧν θραυσθέντων τοὺς «υἱοὺς Σὴθ» καὶ «Ἐδὼμ» καὶ «Ἠσαῦ» καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἔθνη, ἃ διὰ τούτων σημαίνεσθαι ἡγοῦμαι, τὰ πάλαι καταδεδουλωμένα τῇ δαιμονικῇ πλάνῃ, μεταβαλόντα τῆς δεισιδαιμονίας οἰκεῖα τοῦ θεσπιζομένου γενήσεσθαι. «καὶ ἔσται» γάρ φησιν, «Ἐδὼμ κληρονομία, καὶ ἔσται κληρονομία Ἠσαῦ ὁ ἐχθρὸς αὐτοῦ». 9.1.8 οἱ γὰρ πάλαι ἐχθροὶ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, φησί, γενήσονται κληρονομία τοῦ προφητευομένου. αὐτὸς γὰρ ἦν ᾧ εἴρητο πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ· «αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου». ὧν εἰς τὸν κλῆρον τῶν ἁγίων μεταστάντων, τἀναντία τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἔσεσθαι θεσπίζει. 9.1.9 φησὶν γοῦν· «καὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐποίησεν ἐν ἰσχύϊ». τί δὲ ἐποίησεν ἐν ἰσχύϊ ἢ τὴν πάντων μεγίστην ἀσέβειαν; διὸ «ἐξεγερθήσεται» ἀπ' αὐτῶν καὶ ἐξαναστήσεται. 9.1.10 τίς οὗτος ἢ ὁ προφητευόμενος τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος, ὃς καὶ ἀπώλεσεν «σωζόμενον ἐκ πόλεως»; οἶμαι δὲ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ αἰνίττεσθαι, ἐξ ἧς ὤλετο πᾶς σωζόμενος, ἢ καὶ τὸ πᾶν τοῦ ἔθνους αὐτῶν πολίτευμα. ταῦτα δὲ ὁποίου τέλους ἔτυχεν, ὁμοῦ τῇ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἐκλάμψει τῶν μὲν πρὶν εἰδωλολατρῶν ἐθνῶν εἰς τὸν αὐτῶν μεταστάντων κλῆρον, τοῦ δὲ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους καὶ τῆς μητροπόλεως αὐτῶν πεπονθότων ὁποῖα οὐδεπώποτε, οὐ μακρῶν δεῖν οἶμαι λόγων. 9.1.11 Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν τῆς συμφωνίας τῆς τε προφητικῆς προρρήσεως καὶ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς συμπεράνσεως ὧδέ πως ἐχέτω τέλους. τί δ' ἦν τὸ αἴτιον τῆς ἐπιλάμψεως τοῦ φανέντος ἀστέρος, συνιδεῖν ἄξιον. «εἰς σημεῖά» φησιν ὁ Μωσῆς καὶ «εἰς καιροὺς» τεθεῖσθαι τοὺς πάντας «ἐν τῷ στερεώματι» ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀστέρας. ξένος δὲ ἦν καὶ οὐ συνήθης οὐδὲ τῶν πολλῶν καὶ γνωρίμων εἷς, ἀλλά τις καινὸς καὶ νέος ἀστὴρ ἐπιφανεὶς τῷ βίῳ σημεῖον ξένου «φωστῆρος» ἐδήλου καταλάμψαντος τῷ παντὶ κόσμῳ, ὃς ἦν ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, μέγας καὶ νέος ἀστήρ, οὗ τὴν εἰκόνα συμβολικῶς ὁ φανεὶς τότε τοῖς μάγοις ἐπεφέρετο. 9.1.12 ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καθ' ὅλης τῆς ἱερᾶς καὶ θεοπνεύστου γρα φῆς ὁ προηγούμενος τῆς διανοίας σκοπὸς μυστικώτερα καὶ θεῖα βούλεται παιδεύειν, μετὰ τοῦ καὶ τὴν πρόχειρον διάνοιαν σῴζεσθαι ἐν μέρει τῶν ἱστορικῶς πεπραγμένων, εἰκότως καὶ ἡ μετὰ χεῖρας πρόρρησις ἐπληροῦτο πρὸς λέξιν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ προαναφωνηθέντος ἀστέρος ἐπὶ τῇ γενέσει τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν προφητείᾳ. 9.1.13 γίνονται μὲν οὖν καὶ ἐφ' ἑτέρων ἐπιδόξων καὶ ἐπιφανῶν ἀνδρῶν ξενιζόντων ἀστέρων ἐκλάμψεις, οἷον τῶν καλουμένων παρά τισιν κομητῶν, ἢ δοκίδων, ἢ πωγωνιῶν, ἤ τινων ἑτέρων τούτοις παραπλησίων ἐπὶ μεγάλοις πράγμασιν ἐξ ἔθους ἀναφαινομένων. 9.1.14 ἀλλὰ τί γὰρ κρεῖττον ἢ μεῖζον τῷ παντὶ κόσμῳ γένοιτ' ἄν ποτε οἷον τὸ διὰ τῆς σωτηρίου ἐπιφανείας πᾶσιν ὑπάρξαν ἀνθρώποις νοερὸν φῶς, εὐσεβείας καὶ θεογνωσίας ἀληθοῦς κατάληψιν λογικαῖς ψυχαῖς κομιζόμενον; οὗ δὴ χάριν τὸ μέγα σημεῖον ὁ προφανεὶς ἐδήλου ἀστήρ, μέγαν καὶ νέον φωστῆρα ἐπιλάμψαντα τῷ παντὶ κόσμῳ τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ πᾶσιν αἰνιττόμενος. 9.1.15 Κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ ἡ προφητεία ἄνθρωπον ὁμοῦ καὶ ἀστέρα θεσπίζει δι' ὧν φησιν· «ἀνατελεῖ ἄστρον ἐξ Ἰακώβ, καὶ ἀναστήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ Ἰσραήλ», τὸν μὲν οὐράνιον φωστῆρα τὸν θεὸν λόγον εἶναι, τὸν αὐτὸν δὲ ἄνθρωπον ὀνομάζουσα. διαφόρως δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις «ἀνατολὴν» ὁμοῦ καὶ «φῶς» καὶ «ἥλιον δικαιοσύνης» ἀποκαλεῖ, ὡς ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις ἀπεδείξαμεν. 9.1.16 εἶτα τὸ μὲν θειότερον αὐτοῦ, ἅτε φωτίζον «πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον», τῷ τῆς ἀνατολῆς ἐπεφήμισεν προσρήματι, φήσας· «ἀνατελεῖ ἄστρον ἐξ Ἰακώβ», τὸν δὲ ἄνθρωπον διὰ τὸ συμβὰν περὶ αὐτὸν πάθος ὡς ἂν πεπτωκότα «ἀναστήσεσθαι» θεσπίζει, ὁμοίως οἷς καὶ Ἡσαΐας περὶ αὐτοῦ φησιν· «καὶ ἔσται ἡ ῥίζα τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ καὶ ὁ ἀνιστάμενος ἄρχειν ἐθνῶν, ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσιν». καὶ σαφές γε, τίνα τρόπον τὸ φῶς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐκ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ ἀνατεῖλαν τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐκ περιτομῆς λαοῦ, πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ τῷ