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powers, and to cast down with his divine power the very ruler of all and tyrant of this age. 9.8.1 From Isaiah. “Drink this first, do it quickly, O land of Zebulun, O land of Naphtali, and the rest who dwell by the sea coast, and beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, O people walking in darkness, see a great light; and for those dwelling in the land and shadow of death, a light will shine upon you. The multitude of the people whom you have brought down in your gladness, and they will rejoice before you as those who rejoice at the harvest, and as those who divide the spoils. For the yoke that lay upon them shall be taken away, and the rod upon their neck; for the Lord has scattered the rod of the oppressors, as in the day of Midian. For they shall repay every garment gathered by deceit, and every cloak with a change, and they will wish they had been burned with fire. For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, whose government was upon his shoulder, and his name is called Angel of great counsel, Prince of peace, Ruler, Mighty God, Father of the age to come.” 9.8.2 Besides all the others, these things also were fulfilled regarding our savior and lord Jesus, the Christ of God, when, according to the wonderful evangelist, “hearing that John had been delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people sitting in darkness saw a great light, and to those dwelling in the land and shadow of death, a light has dawned.’ From that time,” therefore, “Jesus began to preach and to say,” that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 9.8.3 And passing along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And he says to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ 9.8.4 And they immediately left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. And they immediately left the boat and their father and followed him. 9.8.5 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to him all who were ill, afflicted with various diseases and torments, those who were demon-possessed and epileptics and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee.” 9.8.6 I have set forth all these things for the sake of the prophecy, which promised that a great light would be in Galilee, and in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, neither of which is Galilee of the Gentiles. Why then did he spend most of his time in Galilee of the Gentiles unless he was laying the foundations for the calling of all the Gentiles? Therefore, it was from there that he called his disciples, who set out from there. 9.8.7 For this reason, a little later in the gospel you will find Matthew being called from Galilee, and in another, again, Levi. And Philip too, according to John, was “from Bethsaida,” “from the city of Andrew and Peter”; and this also was in Galilee. But also in the same evangelist, “a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee,” where the Lord, having miraculously transformed the water into wine, there made “the beginning of his signs,” when “he also manifested his glory, and the disciples believed.” 9.8.8 But consider if not this very first [act] of our savior
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δυνάμεις καὶ αὐτὸν δὴ τὸν πάντων ἄρχοντα καὶ τύραννον τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τῇ ἐνθέῳ αὐτοῦ δυνάμει καθαιρεῖν. 9.8.1 Ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου. «Τοῦτο πρῶτον πίε, ταχὺ ποίει, χώρα Ζαβουλών, ἡ γῆ Νεφθαλείμ, καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ τὴν παραλίαν κατοικοῦντες, καὶ πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, Γαλιλαία τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὁ λαὸς ὁ πορευόμενος ἐν σκότει, ἴδετε φῶς μέγα· καὶ τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου, φῶς λάμψει ἐφ' ὑμᾶς. τὸ πλεῖστον τοῦ λαοῦ ὃ κατήγαγες ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ σου, καὶ εὐφρανθήσονται ἐνώπιόν σου ὡς οἱ εὐφραινόμενοι ἐν ἀμητῷ, καὶ ὃν τρόπον οἱ διαιρούμενοι σκῦλα. διότι ἀφαιρεθήσεται ὁ ζυγὸς ὁ ἐπ' αὐτῶν κείμενος καὶ ἡ ῥάβδος ἡ ἐπὶ τοῦ τραχήλου αὐτῶν· τὴν γὰρ ῥάβδον τῶν ἀπαιτούντων διεσκέδασεν κύριος, ὡς τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἐπὶ Μαδιάμ. ὅτι πᾶσαν στολὴν ἐπισυνηγμένην δόλῳ, καὶ ἱμάτιον μετὰ καταλλαγῆς ἀποτίσουσιν, καὶ θελήσουσιν εἰ ἐγενήθησαν πυρίκαυστοι. ὅτι παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν, οὗ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐγενήθη ἐπὶ τοῦ ὤμου αὐτοῦ, καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος, ἄρχων εἰρήνης, ἐξουσιαστής, θεὸς ἰσχυρός, πατὴρ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος.» 9.8.2 Πρὸς ἅπασι τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐπληροῦτο καὶ ταῦτα ἐπὶ τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, ὅτε κατὰ τὸν θαυμαστὸν εὐαγγελιστὴν «ἀκούσας ὅτι Ἰωάννης παρεδόθη, ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν. καὶ καταλιπὼν τὴν Ναζαρέθ, ἐλθὼν κατῴκησεν εἰς Καπερναοὺμ τὴν παραθαλασσίαν, ἐν ὁρίοις Ζαβουλὼν καὶ Νεφθαλείμ, ὅπως πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος, γῆ Ζαβουλὼν καὶ γῆ Νεφθαλείμ, ὁδὸν θαλάσσης πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, Γαλιλαία τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὁ λαὸς ὁ καθήμενος ἐν σκότει φῶς εἶδεν μέγα, καὶ τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου, φῶς ἀνέτειλεν αὐτοῖς. ἀπὸ τότε» γοῦν «ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς κηρύσσειν καὶ λέγειν», ὅτι «ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. 9.8.3 παράγων δὲ παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἶδεν δύο ἀδελφούς, Σίμωνα τὸν καλούμενον Πέτρον καὶ Ἀνδρέαν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ βάλλοντας ἀμφίβληστρον εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν· ἦσαν γὰρ ἁλιεῖς, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου, καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων. 9.8.4 οἱ δὲ εὐθέως ἀφέντες τὰ δίκτυα ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ. καὶ προβὰς ἐκεῖθεν εἶδεν ἄλλους δύο ἀδελφούς, Ἰάκωβον τὸν τοῦ Ζεβεδαίου καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ μετὰ Ζεβεδαίου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν καταρτίζοντας τὰ δίκτυα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτούς· οἱ δὲ εὐθέως ἀφέντες τὸ πλοῖον καὶ τὸν πατέρα αὐτῶν ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ. 9.8.5 καὶ περιῆγεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅλην τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, διδάσκων ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν καὶ κηρύσσων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς βασιλείας καὶ θεραπεύων πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν ἐν τῷ λαῷ. καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἡ ἀκοὴ αὐτοῦ εἰς ὅλην τὴν Συρίαν· καὶ προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ πάντας τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας, κοικίλαις νόσοις καὶ βασάνοις συνεχομένους, δαιμονιζομένους καὶ σεληνιαζομένους καὶ παραλυτικούς, καὶ ἐθεράπευσεν αὐτούς· καὶ ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ ὄχλοι πολλοὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας.» 9.8.6 Ὅλα δὲ ταῦτα ἐκτέθειμαι τῆς προφητείας ἕνεκεν, τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ μέγα φῶς ἔσεσθαι ἐπαγγελλομένης τῇ τε χώρᾳ Ζαβουλὼν καὶ Νεφθαλείμ, οὐδετέρᾳ τυγχανούσῃ τῆς Γαλιλαίας τῶν ἐθνῶν. διὰ τί δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς Γαλιλαίας τῶν ἐθνῶν τὰς πλείστα ἐποιήσατο διατριβὰς ἢ τῆς ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν κλήσεως προοίμια καταβαλλόμενος; ἐντεῦθεν γοῦν ὁρμωμένους τοὺς αὐτοῦ μαθητὰς ἀνακέκλητο. 9.8.7 διὸ μετὰ βραχέα τοῦ εὐαγγελίου εὑρήσεις ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας τὸν Ματθαῖον κεκλημένον, καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ δὲ πάλιν τὸν Λευίν. καὶ ὁ Φίλιππος δὲ κατὰ τὸν Ἰωάννην «ἀπὸ Βηθσαϊδᾶ» ὡρμᾶτο «ἐκ τῆς πόλεως Ἀνδρέου καὶ Πέτρου»· καὶ αὕτη δὲ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἦν. ἀλλὰ καὶ παρ' αὐτῷ τῷ εὐαγγελιστῇ «γάμος ἐγένετο ἐν Κανᾷ τῆς Γαλιλαίας», ἔνθα παραδόξως ὁ κύριος τὸν ἐξ ὕδατος οἶνον μετασκευάσας «ἀρχὴν» αὐτόθι «τῶν σημείων» ἐποιήσατο, ὅτε «καὶ ἐφανέρωσεν τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπίστευσαν οἱ μαθηταί». 9.8.8 θέα δὲ εἰ μὴ αὐτὸ τοῦτο πρῶτον τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν