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the Word with His intelligible and spiritual darts drove out the enemy and His adversary, the devil, and all the invisible and wicked powers around him by a superior and invincible power, and even now He rules over many nations, whose "grossness" and "the mind of the flesh" He makes thin, preparing them for the narrow way of eternal life. 9.3.8 But also "lying down," this very man who came forth from Israel, who has dominion over many nations, "He rested," it says, "as a lion," thus showing the economy He had undertaken, according to which He rested like some royal and courageous beast, with no one being able to change His rule and kingdom; and all who "bless" Christ, honoring in word and life the virtue of the teacher, have shared in the blessing from God, increasing daily and multiplying, according to "increase and multiply, and fill the earth," the divine voice being fulfilled more truly and in a manner more fitting to God in their case, just as, conversely, those who from the first plot against Him even now curse Him in their own councils have drawn down upon themselves the curse from God from that time until now. 9.3.9 Wherefore they do not cease to see before their eyes the final desolation and destruction not only of their kingdom but also of their once most venerable sanctuary. It is worthwhile to compare with the present passage the prophecy of Jacob concerning Judah, which we have already shown applies most clearly to our Savior, and to see the agreement in both. 9.3.10 For as it is said here, "A man shall come forth from his seed"—clearly, that of Jacob—so there too, "From a shoot, my son, you have gone up," was said by Jacob himself to the one prophesied. 9.3.11 And as in the present passage it is said, "and he shall rule over many nations," likewise also in those passages, "and he shall be the expectation of nations." And again, here it says, "He shall devour the nations of his enemies, and with his darts he shall shoot down the enemy," just so also in those passages it was said, "Your hands shall be on the back of your enemies." 9.3.12 And "Judah is a lion's whelp," and "having crouched down, you have slept as a lion and as a whelp; who will rouse him?" spoken in those passages seems to me in no way to differ from the present text, which says: "Lying down, he rested as a lion and as a whelp, who will raise him up?" These things we have reasonably brought together for the same purpose, so that, as "by the mouth of two witnesses" of the agreement in the prophecies, the proof concerning our Savior might receive a firmer confirmation. 9.3.13 All the things, therefore, that have been observed regarding the prediction of Jacob would also fit that of Balaam on account of the similarity of the things said. If, then, those things were established through much proof as having been fulfilled in our Savior, it would be consistent to agree to the present things as well. 9.4.1 From Hosea. "And destruction shall rise up among your people, and all your fortified places will be gone. As the ruler Salaman from the house of Jeroboam, in the days of war they dashed a mother to the ground upon her children, so will I do to you, house of Israel, because of your iniquities. In the morning the king of Israel was cast off, because Israel is a child, and I loved him, and out of Egypt I called his children." 9.4.2 Following the Hebrew, Aquila has rendered, "Out of Egypt I called my son." I have necessarily noted this saying, since Matthew also has set down the prophecy, when he showed that Jesus was carried into Egypt and returned from there to the land of Israel. But if anyone should find fault with our Savior's withdrawal into Egypt, let him know that it happened for a reason. 9.4.3 For it was not fitting either to restrain Herod from his self-willed wickedness, nor, on the other hand, for the Savior, being still an infant, to begin His miracles and to display His divine power before the time, which would have been done if He had miraculously punished Herod who was plotting against Him, in no way

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λόγος τοῖς νοητοῖς καὶ λογικοῖς αὐτοῦ βέλεσιν τὸν ἐχθρὸν καὶ ἀντικείμενον αὐτῷ διάβολον πάσας τε τὰς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ἀοράτους καὶ πονηρὰς δυνάμεις διὰ κρείττονος καὶ ἀκαταμάχου δυνάμεως ἤλαυνεν, εἰσέτι τε νῦν κυριεύει ἐθνῶν πολλῶν, ὧν «τὰ πάχη» καὶ «τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς» λεπτύνων ἐπὶ τὴν στενὴν ὁδὸν τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς ἐπιτηδείους κατασκευάζει. 9.3.8 Ἀλλὰ καὶ «κατακλιθεὶς» αὐτὸς οὗτος ὁ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ προελθὼν ἄνθρωπος, ὁ κατακυριεύσας ἐθνῶν πολλῶν, «ἀνεπαύσατο», φησίν, «ὡς λέων», οὕτω δηλῶν ἣν ἀνεδέξατο οἰκονομίαν, καθ' ἣν ὥσπερ τις βασιλικὸς καὶ θαρραλέος θὴρ ἀνεπαύσατο, μηδενὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν μεταστήσασθαι δυναμένου· πάντες τε οἱ τὸν Χριστὸν «εὐλογοῦντες», λόγῳ τε καὶ βίῳ σεμνύνοντες τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ διδασκάλου, τῆς ἐκ θεοῦ μετειλήφασιν εὐλογίας, αὔξοντες ὁσημέραι καὶ πληθύνοντες, κατὰ τὸ «αὐξάνεσθε καὶ πληθύνεσθε, καὶ πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν», ἀληθέστερον ἐπ' αὐτῶν καὶ θεοπρεπέστερον τῆς θείας ἐκτελουμένης φωνῆς, ὡς ἔμπαλιν οἱ ἀπὸ πρώτης τῆς κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐπιβουλῆς εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς αὐτῶν συνεδρίοις ἀρώμενοι τὴν ἐκ θεοῦ κατάραν ἐξ ἐκείνου καὶ εἰσέτι δεῦρο καθ' ἑαυτῶν ἐπεσπάσαντο. 9.3.9 διὸ καὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην οὐ μόνον τῆς βασιλείας ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ πάλαι σεμνοτάτου αὐτῶν ἁγιάσματος ἐρημίαν τε καὶ φθορὰν οὐ παύονται πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ὁρῶντες. Ἄξιον δὲ παραθεῖναι τοῖς μετὰ χεῖρας τὴν πρὸς τὸν Ἰούδαν τοῦ Ἰακὼβ προφητείαν, ἣν καὶ αὐτὴν ἐναργέστατα εἰς τὸν ἡμέτερον σωτῆρα ἐφαρμόζειν προπαρεστήσαμεν, συνιδεῖν τε τὴν ἐν ἑκατέροις συμφωνίαν. 9.3.10 ὡς γὰρ ἐνταῦθα εἴρηται «ἐξελεύσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ» δῆλον δ' ὅτι τοῦ Ἰακώβ, οὕτως κἀκεῖ «ἐκ βλαστοῦ, υἱέ μου, ἀνέβης» εἴρητο ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ πρὸς τὸν προφητευόμενον. 9.3.11 καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος λέγεται τὸ «καὶ κυριεύσει ἐθνῶν πολλῶν», ὁμοίως καὶ ἐν ἐκείνοις τὸ «καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται προσδοκία ἐθνῶν». καὶ πάλιν ἐνταῦθα μὲν «ἔδεται», φησίν, «ἔθνη ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ταῖς βολίσιν αὐτοῦ κατατοξεύσει ἐχθρόν», ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἐν ἐκείνοις «αἱ χεῖρές σου ἐπὶ νώτου τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου» ἐλέγετο. 9.3.12 καὶ τὸ «σκύμνος λέοντος, Ἰούδα» καὶ τὸ «ἀναπεσὼν ἐκοιμήθης ὡς λέων καὶ ὡς σκύμνος· τίς ἐγερεῖ αὐτόν;» ἐν ἐκείνοις εἰρημένον οὐδέν μοι δοκεῖ διαφέρειν τῆς μετὰ χεῖρας λέξεως φασκούσης· «κατακλιθεὶς ἀνεπαύσατο ὡς λέων καὶ ὡς σκύμνος, τίς ἀναστήσει αὐτόν;» Ταῦτα δὲ εἰκότως εἰς ταυτὸν συνηγάγομεν, ἵν' ὥσπερ «ἐπὶ στόματος δύο μαρτύρων» τῆς ἐν ταῖς προφητείαις συμφωνίας ἡ περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀπόδειξις βεβαιοτέραν λάβοι τὴν κύρωσιν. 9.3.13 πάντα δ' οὖν τὰ εἰς τὴν τοῦ Ἰακὼβ πρόρρησιν τεθεωρημένα ἁρμόσειεν ἂν καὶ εἰς τὴν τοῦ Βαλαὰμ τῆς ὁμοιότητος τῶν λεγομένων ἕνεκα. εἰ δὴ οὖν ἐκεῖνα διὰ πολλῆς ἀποδείξεως ἐπὶ τὸν ἡμέτερον σωτῆρα πεπληρωμένα συνέστη, ἀκόλουθον ἂν εἴη καὶ τὰ παρόντα ὁμολογεῖν. 9.4.1 Ἀπὸ τοῦ Ὠσηέ. «Καὶ ἐξαναστήσεται ἀπώλεια ἐν τῷ λαῷ σου, καὶ πάντα τὰ περιτετειχισμένα σου οἰχήσεται. ὡς ἄρχων Σαλαμὰν ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου Ἱεροβοάμ, ἐν ἡμέραις πολέμου μητέρα ἐπὶ τέκνοις ἠδάφισαν, οὕτω ποιήσω ὑμῖν, οἶκος Ἰσραήλ, ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν ἀδικιῶν ὑμῶν. ὄρθρου ἀπερρίφη βασιλεὺς Ἰσραήλ, διότι νήπιος Ἰσ ραήλ, καὶ ἐγὼ ἠγάπησα αὐτόν, καὶ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετεκάλεσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ.» 9.4.2 δουλεύσας τῷ Ἑβραϊκῷ, «ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐκάλεσα τὸν υἱόν μου» ἐξέδωκεν ὁ Ἀκύλας. Ἀναγκαίως δὲ τὸ ῥητὸν ἐπεσημειωσάμην, ἐπείπερ καὶ ὁ Ματθαῖος τέθειται τὴν προφητείαν, ὁπηνίκα εἰς Αἴγυπτον διακομισθῆναι τὸν Ἰησοῦν κἀκεῖθεν ἐπανελθεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐδήλου. εἰ δὲ ἐπιμέμφοιτό τις τῇ εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἀναχωρήσει τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ἴστω κατὰ λόγον αὐτὴν γεγονέναι. 9.4.3 οὔτε γὰρ ἐπισχεῖν τὸν Ἡρώδην τῆς αὐτοπροαιρέτου κακίας προσῆκον ἦν οὔτ' αὖ βρέφος ἔτ' ὄντα τὸν σωτῆρα τῶν θαυμάτων ἀπάρξασθαι καὶ πρὸ καιροῦ τὴν θείαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι δύναμιν, ὅπερ ἂν ἐπράχθη, εἰ παραδόξως ἐπιβουλεύοντα αὐτῷ τὸν Ἡρώδην μετῆλθεν, μηδαμῶς