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he is introduced, being sent from the Father and carrying out the dispensations among men and again ascending to the Father. After these things the prophecy says to those from the gentiles who approach the word of salvation: for in gladness you will go out and in joy you will be taught; for you will go out from the error handed down by your fathers, and you will receive teaching according to the saving gospel, which indeed will also be for you a source of divine joy. But Symmachus [says]: in gladness you will go out and in peace you will be guided. Then he says: the mountains and the hills will be pastured before you in exultation, and all the trees of the field will clap with their hands, by which I think divine powers are signified, rejoicing with those on earth who repent, which indeed the Savior also taught, saying "there will be joy" "in heaven over one sinner who repents." And the trees of the field clapping with their branches would perhaps be the fruitful souls rejoicing with the lawless souls who are turning back to God. At any rate, they were giving signs of joy by clapping with their branches, but also, instead of the thorn-bush, he says, a cypress will come up, and instead of the fleabane, a myrtle will come up. And allegorically, also through these things he was hinting at the fruitfulness of souls from worse things to better things; which formerly, when they were in godlessness, bore nothing productive nor nourishing; but as in a desert and a dry and uncultivated land they grew a thorn-bush of useless matter and the most foul-smelling fleabane and a completely useless herb. But now, when they partook of divine grace. a most fragrant myrtle and the highest and again a fragrant cypress they bore as fruit. And according to Symmachus: instead of the thorn-bush, he says, a savin-juniper will come up, and instead of the nettle a myrtle will come up, as if it were said more clearly: instead of vice, righteousness will come up, and instead of licentiousness, self-control, and instead of rashness, courage, and instead of foolishness, prudence, and in a word, instead of wickedness, virtue. In addition to these things he promises another wonderful thing to the gentiles who have turned back to God: for the Lord will be, he says, to them for a name and for an eternal sign, and it will not fail. And who would not be astonished seeing the result of the saying throughout the whole world, those being called Christians from Christ the God? and this will be for them an eternal sign of the salvation that is with God, to be inscribed with the name of the Lord, which will remain with them forever and will never fail; "for the gifts of God are irrevocable." 2.45 Since the people of the Jews, doing nothing good nor keeping judgment nor doing righteousness, as if doing some great favor to God kept only the day of the sabbath, he reasonably says to them: Listen, you people, since, neglecting the necessary things, you think you must keep the day of the sabbath and that this is the good deed of godliness, it is fitting for you not to be ignorant that it is necessary, first of all, to keep judgment and to do righteousness; for the one who does these things would be worthy of the blessing from God. And along with these things it is also necessary not to profane the sabbaths; which will be if you keep your own hands clean from every improper deed. But if, not doing these things, you spend the day of the sabbath in leisure and idleness, know that you are doing nothing. Then he also summons the proselytes among them, who are foreigners and strangers to the race but joined to the people through having come to God. and he urges them to hold to the principle of godliness, teaching the children of the Jews not to be proud on account of their race nor to take pride in their forefathers. Therefore it is said according to Symmachus: let not the son of the stranger, who has joined himself to the Lord, say, saying, The Lord will utterly separate me from his people. And since the Jews also considered having many children to be a blessing of God, supposing fruitfulness in children to be both a reward and a fruit of godliness, checking their also this

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εἰσάγεται ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀποστελλόμενος καὶ τὰς ἐν ἀνθρώποις οἰκονομίας ἐκτελῶν καὶ πάλιν ἀνιὼν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα. Μετὰ ταῦτα ἡ προφητεία πρὸς τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν τῷ σωτηρίῳ λόγῳ προσιόντας φησίν· ἐν γὰρ εὐφροσύνῃ ἐξελεύσεσθε καὶ ἐν χαρᾷ διδαχθήσεσθε· ἐξελεύσεσθε μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς πατροπαραδότου πλάνης, τεύξεσθε δὲ διδασκαλίας τῆς κατὰ τὸ σωτήριον εὐαγγέλιον, ὃ δὴ καὶ χαρᾶς ἐνθέου ποιητικὸν ὑμῖν ἔσται. ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ ἐξελεύσεσθε καὶ ἐν εἰρήνῃ ὁδηγηθήσεσθε. εἶτά φησι· τὰ ὄρη καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ νεμηθήσονται ἔμπροσθεν ὑμῶν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει, καὶ πάντα τὰ ξύλα τοῦ ἀγροῦ κροτήσει χειρί, δι' ὧν οἶμαι δυνάμεις θείας συγχαιρούσας τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς μετανοοῦσι δηλοῦσθαι, ὃ δὴ καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ἐδίδαξεν εἰπὼν «χαρὰν ἔσεσθαι» «ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι». ξύλα δὲ ἀγροῦ ἐπικροτοῦντα κλάδοις τάχα που αἱ καρποφόροι εἶεν ἂν ψυχαὶ συγχαίρουσαι ταῖς τῶν ἀνόμων ψυχαῖς ἐπιστρεφούσαις πρὸς τὸν θεόν. σημεῖα γοῦν παρεῖχον χαρᾶς διὰ τοῦ κροτεῖν τοῖς κλάδοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς στοιβῆς φησιν ἀναβήσεται κυπάρισσος, ἀντὶ δὲ τῆς κονύζης ἀναβήσεται μυρσίνη. ἀλληγορικῶς δὲ καὶ διὰ τούτων ᾐνίττετο τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν χειρόνων ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττω τῶν ψυχῶν καρποφορίαν· αἳ πάλαι μέν, ὅτ' ἦσαν ἐν ἀθεότητι, οὐδὲν γόνιμον οὐδὲ τρόφιμον ἔφερον· ὡς ἐν ἐρήμῳ δὲ καὶ χέρσῳ καὶ ἀγεωργήτῳ χώρᾳ στοιβὴν ὕλης ἀχρήστου καὶ κόνυζαν τὴν δυσωδεστάτην καὶ ἄχρηστον παντελῶς βοτάνην ἔφυον. νῦν δ' ὅτε τῆς θείας μετέσχον χάριτος. μυρσίνην εὐωδεστάτην καὶ τὴν ὑψηλοτάτην καὶ πάλιν εὐώδη κυπάρισσον ἐκαρποφόρουν. κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· ἀντὶ στοιβῆς φησιν ἀναβήσεται βράθυ, ἀντὶ δὲ τῆς κνίδης ἀναβήσεται μυρσίνη, ὡσεὶ σαφέστερον ἐλέγετο· ἀντὶ κακίας ἀναβήσεσθαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀντὶ ἀκολασίας σωφροσύνην καὶ ἀντὶ θράσους ἀνδρείαν καὶ ἀντὶ ἀφροσύνης φρόνησιν καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς ἀντὶ πονηρίας ἀρετήν. πρὸς τούτοις ἕτερόν τι θαυμάσιον ἐπαγγέλλεται τοῖς ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν ἐπιστρέψασιν ἔθνεσιν· ἔσται γάρ φησι κύριος αὐτοῖς εἰς ὄνομα καὶ εἰς σημεῖον αἰώνιον καὶ οὐκ ἐκλείψει. καὶ τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐκπλαγείη τοῦ λόγου τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα ὁρῶν καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ Χριστιανοὺς προσαγορευομένους; καὶ τοῦτο αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθαι σημεῖον αἰώνιον τῆς παρὰ τῷ θεῷ σωτηρίας τὸ ἐπιγράφεσθαι τὸ τοῦ κυρίου ὄνομα, ὅπερ αὐτοῖς εἰς αἰῶνα παραμενεῖ καὶ οὐκ ἐκλείψει πώποτε· «ἀμεταμέλητα γὰρ τὰ χαρίσματα τοῦ θεοῦ τυγχάνει». 2.45 Ἐπειδὴ ὁ Ἰουδαίων λαὸς μηδὲν ἀγαθὸν πράσσων μηδὲ φυλάσσων κρίσιν μηδὲ ποιῶν δικαιοσύνην ὥσπερ τι μέγα χαριζόμενος τῷ θεῷ τὴν τοῦ σαββάτου μόνην περιεῖπεν ἡμέραν, εἰκότως ὡς πρὸς αὐτοὺς φάσκει· Ἀκούσατε, ὦ οὗτοι, ἐπειδὴ τὰ ἀναγκαῖα παραλείποντες τὴν τοῦ σαββάτου ἡμέραν οἴεσθε δεῖν φυλάττειν καὶ τοῦτ' εἶναι τὸ κατόρθωμα τῆς θεοσεβείας, προσήκει μὴ ἀγνοεῖν ὑμᾶς, ὅτι δεῖ πρῶτον ἁπάντων φυλάσσειν κρίσιν καὶ ποιεῖν δικαιοσύνην· ὁ γὰρ ταῦτα ποιῶν τοῦ παρὰ θεοῦ μακαρισμοῦ γένοιτ' ἂν ἄξιος. σὺν τούτοις δὲ καὶ τὰ σάββατα μὴ βεβηλοῦν ἀναγκαῖον· ὅπερ ἔσται εἰ τὰς ἑαυτῶν χεῖρας καθαρὰς πάσης ἀτόπου πράξεως διατηρήσετε. εἰ δὲ ταῦτα μὴ πράττοντες ἐπὶ σχολῆς καὶ ἀργίας διάγοιτε τὴν τοῦ σαββάτου ἡμέραν, ἴστε τὸ μηθὲν ποιοῦντες. Εἶτα καὶ τοὺς παρ' αὐτοῖς προσηλύτους ἀλλοφύλους μὲν καὶ ἀλλοτρίους τοῦ γένους ὄντας συναφθέντας δὲ τῷ λαῷ διὰ τοῦ τῷ θεῷ προσεληλυθέναι προσκαλεῖται. καὶ προτρέπει τοῦ τῆς θεοσεβείας ἔχεσθαι λόγου διδάσκων μὴ μέγα φρονεῖν Ἰουδαίων παῖδας ἐπὶ τῷ γένει μηδ' ἐπὶ τοῖς προπάτορσι σεμνύνεσθαι. διὸ εἴρηται κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· μὴ λεγέτω ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀλλοτρίου προσκολληθεὶς πρὸς κύριον λέγων Χωρισμῷ χωρίσει με κύριος ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ τὴν πολυπαιδίαν εὐλογίαν θεοῦ ἡγοῦντο εἶναι Ἰουδαῖοι, μισθόν τε καὶ καρπὸν θεοσεβείας τὴν πολυτεκνίαν ὑπολαμβάνοντες, ἀναστέλλων αὐτῶν καὶ ταύτην τὴν