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The present discourse, prophesying at the beginning of the prophecy the miracle that happened in Cana of Galilee concerning the change of the wine, presents it, saying: “This first drink, do it quickly, land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, Galilee of the nations.” 9.8.9 But if the miracle was a symbol of a more mystical mixture, having been changed from the more corporeal to the intellectual and spiritual gladness of the faithful mixture of the new covenant, see lest this too was hinted at, consistent with what was said concerning Galilee, prophesying that at the advent of Christ, those inhabiting Zebulun and Naphtali, and not those in Judea and Jerusalem, would be the very first of all to partake of the drink of the evangelical proclamation. 9.8.10 And he says the cause of their gladness was the shining of the great light, for before the advent they sat in darkness, living “in the region and shadow of death”; but when the saving light had risen upon them, “they will rejoice” in this way, as “those who rejoice in the harvest, and in the way those who divide the spoils.” 9.8.11 And these things were fulfilled in deed, when our Savior and Lord, having called the apostles from Galilee, showed to them the wonders of his works and his teaching. 9.8.12 And the prophecy ordains that they will rejoice before him like those who rejoice “in the harvest.” What harvest but that of which he himself spoke while teaching: “Lift up your eyes and see the fields, that they are already white for harvest.” And by these things he signified the gathering of the nations. And concerning the same it is said that “they will rejoice in the way those who divide the spoils.” 9.8.13 For having divided among themselves the lands of the nations and all that is under the sun, the disciples and evangelists of our Savior despoiled countless rulers of this age who formerly held power over the nations. But he also states another reason for their rejoicing, that the corporeal yoke of the law, which had long before been laid upon them, which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear, was taken from them. 9.8.14 And not only was the yoke taken away from them, but also the rod of the exactors, which was formerly placed “upon their neck.” And he indicates the exactors, saying in another place: “My people, your taskmasters glean you, and the exactors rule over you.” 9.8.15 But these from Zebulun and Naphtali, having seen the great light, will rejoice for the aforesaid reasons, but those who formerly exacted from them will be exacted from to the very last penny, and having paid for “every” “garment” and every “cloak,” they will become “burned with fire” at the time of exaction. 9.8.16 And he says that all these things will happen, because “a child is born to us, a son is given to us,” the “angel of great counsel.” But to whom “to us” if not to those who have believed in him, and clearly to all Galilee of the nations, upon whom the great light has risen? And what was this but the child who was born and the “son” given by God, named “angel of great counsel,” and “prince of peace,” and “ruler,” and “mighty God,” and “father of the age to come”? And we have already shown before, in its proper time, that these things refer only to our Savior and Lord. 9.9.1 From Psalm 67. “Your goings were seen, O God, the goings of my God, the king who is in the holy place; princes went before, next to singers, in the midst of maidens playing timbrels. In the churches bless God the Lord from the fountains of Israel. There is Benjamin the younger in ecstasy, the princes of Judah their leaders, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.” 9.9.2 And here I consider the aforementioned princes of Naphtali to be none other than the apostles. For from there our Savior and Lord chose them, according to the account of Matthew. but the procession to men and the incarnate advent of God

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θαῦμα ἐν Κανᾷ τῆς Γαλιλαίας γενόμενον ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ οἴνου μεταβολῆς θεσπίζων ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς προφητείας παρίστησιν ὁ παρὼν λόγος, φάσκων· «τοῦτο πρῶτον πίε, ταχὺ ποίει, χώρα Ζαβουλὼν καὶ γῆ Νεφθαλείμ, Γαλιλαία τῶν ἐθνῶν». 9.8.9 εἰ δὲ σύμβολον ἦν τὸ παράδοξον μυστικωτέρου κράματος, μεταβληθέντος ἐκ τῆς σωματικωτέρας ἐπὶ τὴν νοερὰν καὶ πνευματικὴν εὐφροσύνην τοῦ πιστικοῦ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης κράματος, ὅρα μήποτε καὶ τοῦτο τοῖς περὶ τῆς Γαλιλαίας δηλουμένοις ἀκολούθως ᾐνίττετο, θεσπίζων ὡς ἄρα μελλήσουσιν ἐπὶ τῇ Χριστοῦ παρουσίᾳ πρώτιστοι πάντων οἱ τὴν Ζαβουλὼν καὶ Νεφθαλεὶμ οἰκοῦντες, ἀλλ' οὐχ οἱ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ, τοῦ πόματος τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ κηρύγματος μεταλήψεσθαι. 9.8.10 Αἰτίαν δὲ τούτοις τῆς εὐφροσύνης φησὶ γενέσθαι τὴν τοῦ μεγάλου φωτὸς ἔκλαμψιν, οἳ πρὸ τῆς παρουσίας ἐν σκότει καθεζόμενοι «ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου» διῆγον· ἀνατεταλκότος δὲ αὐτοῖς τοῦ σωτηρίου φωτός, τοῦτον «εὐφρανθήσονται» τὸν τρόπον, ὡς «οἱ εὐφραινόμενοι ἐν ἀμητῷ, καὶ ὃν τρόπον οἱ διαιρούμενοι σκῦλα». 9.8.11 καὶ ταῦτα δὲ ἔργῳ ἐπληροῦτο, ὅτε τοὺς ἀποστόλους ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος ἡμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας προσκαλεσάμενος, τὰ παράδοξα τῶν ἔργων καὶ τὴν διδασκαλίαν αὐτοῖς ἐπεδείκνυτο. 9.8.12 εὐφρανθήσεσθαι δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ ἡ προφητεία θεσπίζει δίκην τῶν εὐφραινομένων «ἐν ἀμητῷ». ποίῳ δὲ τούτῳ ἢ περὶ οὗ διδάσκων αὐτὸς ἔλεγεν· «ἐπάρατε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν, καὶ ἴδετε τὰς χώρας, ὅτι λευκαί εἰσι πρὸς θερισμὸν ἤδη». ἐδήλου δὲ διὰ τούτων τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπισυναγωγήν. περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν δὲ εἴρηται ὅτι «εὐφρανθήσονται ὃν τρόπον οἱ διαιρούμενοι σκῦλα». 9.8.13 διελόμενοι γοῦν εἰς ἀλλήλους τὰς χώρας τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ τὴν ὑφ' ἥλιον πᾶσαν οἱ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν μαθηταί τε καὶ εὐαγγελισταὶ μυρίους ὅσους ἐσκύλευσαν ἄρχοντας τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τοὺς πρότερον τῶν ἐθνῶν κρατοῦντας. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλο αἴτιον τοῦ εὐφρανθήσεσθαι αὐτούς φησιν, τὸ ἦρθαι ἀπ' αὐτῶν τὸν σωματικὸν τοῦ νόμου ζυγὸν τὸν πάλαι πρότερον ἐπικείμενον αὐτοῖς, ὃν οὔτε αὐτοὶ οὔτε οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν ἠδυνήθησαν βαστάσαι. 9.8.14 οὐ μόνον δὲ ὁ ζυγὸς ἀφῄρηται αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ῥάβδος τῶν ἀπαιτούντων, ἡ πρότερον «ἐπὶ τοῦ τραχήλου αὐτῶν» ἐπικειμένη. δηλοῖ δὲ τοὺς ἀπαιτοῦντας, ἐν ἑτέρῳ λέγων· «λαός μου, οἱ πράκτορες ὑμῶν καλαμῶνται ὑμᾶς, καὶ οἱ ἀπαιτοῦντες κυριεύουσιν ὑμῶν». 9.8.15 ἀλλ' οὗτοι μὲν οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Ζαβουλὼν καὶ Νεφθαλεὶμ τὸ μέγα φῶς τεθεαμένοι εὐφρανθήσονται διὰ τὰ προειρημένα, οἱ δὲ πάλαι ἀπαιτοῦντες αὐτοὺς ἐκπραχθήσονται μέχρι κοδράντου ἐσχάτου, «πᾶσάν» τε «στολὴν» καὶ πᾶν «ἱμάτιον» ἀποτίσαντες «πυρίκαυστοι» γενήσονται ἐν τῷ τῆς ἐκπράξεως καιρῷ. 9.8.16 καὶ ταῦτά γε πάντα φησὶν πείσεσθαι, διότι «παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς ἐδόθη ἡμῖν», ὁ τῆς «μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος». τίσιν δὲ «ἡμῖν» ἢ τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκόσι, καὶ πάσῃ δηλαδὴ τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ τῶν ἐθνῶν, οἷς τὸ μέγα φῶς ἀνατέταλκεν; τί δὲ ἦν τοῦτο ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ γεγεννημένον παιδίον καὶ ὁ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ δοθεὶς «υἱός», «μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος», καὶ «ἄρχων εἰρήνης», καὶ «ἐξουσιαστής», καὶ «θεὸς ἰσχυρός», καὶ «πατὴρ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος» ὠνομασμένος; ταῦτα δὲ ἤδη φθάσαντες ἐπὶ μόνον ἀναφέρεσθαι τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν κατὰ τὸν οἰκεῖον καιρὸν προαπεδείξαμεν. 9.9.1 Ἀπὸ Ψαλμοῦ ξζʹ. «Ἐθεωρήθησαν αἱ πορεῖαί σου, ὁ θεός, αἱ πορεῖαι τοῦ θεοῦ μου τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ· προέφθασαν ἄρχοντες ἐχόμενοι ψαλλόντων, ἐν μέσῳ νεανίδων τυμπανιστριῶν. ἐν ἐκκλησίαις εὐλογεῖτε τὸν θεὸν κύριον ἐκ πηγῶν Ἰσραήλ. ἐκεῖ Βενιαμὶν νεώτερος ἐν ἐκστάσει, ἄρχοντες Ἰούδα ἡγεμόνες αὐτῶν, ἄρχοντες Ζαβουλών, ἄρχοντες Νεφθαλείμ.» 9.9.2 Κἀνταῦθα τοὺς δηλουμένους ἄρχοντας Νεφθαλεὶμ οὐκ ἄλλους ἡγοῦμαι τῶν ἀποστόλων τυγχάνειν. ἐνθένδε γὰρ αὐτοὺς ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος ἡμῶν ἀναλέλεκται κατὰ τὴν Ματθαίου παράθεσιν. τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους δὲ πορείαν καὶ τὴν ἔνσαρκον ἐπιδημίαν τοῦ θεοῦ