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to know the mysteries of the kingdom, but to them it is not given,” “for this reason I speak to them in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not hear, lest they should turn, and I should heal them. 9.16.4 Then was fulfilled in them the prophecy of Isaiah which says: 'Go and say to this people, "Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand,"' and what follows. But observe in what manner John adds, saying: “These things Isaiah said, when he saw his glory and spoke of him,” as if the prophet had seen Christ and the glory of Christ in the vision in which he said: “I saw the Lord Sabaoth sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up,” and what follows. 9.16.5 Who would not be astonished at the prophecy, seeing so clearly even now the unbelief of those of the circumcision toward Christ? For of old, though seeing him incarnate and working wonders among them, they did not behold him with the eyes of the soul and the sight of the mind, nor was there among them any vision of intelligent reflection to understand who indeed was the power that worked such and so great wonders among them. 9.16.6 But also, though deemed worthy to receive with their very ears the “words of eternal life” and to listen to the voice of divine wisdom, they did not hear with the ears of the mind, so that they brought the prophecy to a clear fulfillment. 9.16.7 And to this day, though they see the divine power of Christ so clearly manifested, by which he turned every race of men from their ancestral superstition and brought them under his own piety, they in no way apply their mind or consider that what was accomplished for them alone, neither by Moses nor by the prophets after Moses—that is, not to practice idolatry nor to attend to polytheistic error—this very thing the divine virtue of our Savior established for all the nations. 9.16.8 And when they encounter the prophetic testimonies concerning him, with their hearing 9.16.8 they hear but do not understand, the prophecy at hand being fulfilled in deed against them even now. 9.17.1 From Zechariah. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; proclaim, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your king comes to you, just and saving, he is meek and riding on a beast of burden and a young colt. And he will destroy the chariots from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be destroyed, and a multitude of peace from the nations; and he will rule from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth.” 9.17.2 Since Zechariah, one of the last of the prophets, uttered these oracles after the return from Babylon, no king is recorded among the Jews after the time of the prophecy such as the prophecy presents, except only our Savior and Lord Jesus, the Christ of God, in whom this prediction also reached its fulfillment, when he said to his own disciples in these very words: “Go into the village opposite, you will find a donkey and a colt tied; untie it and bring it. 9.17.3 And if anyone says to you, 'What are you doing?' say to him, 'The Lord has need of them.'” And going away, they did as he commanded them. Such then is the manner of the prediction and its conclusion. 9.17.4 What then did his riding on a donkey mean, if not his humble and inglorious presence, in which he made his first arrival? For there is also a second, glorious one, about which Daniel, more openly revealing the vision, has said: “I watched until thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated,” “a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him,” “and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of man coming, 9.17.5 and he came to the Ancient of Days,” “and to him was given dominion and honor and the kingdom, and all peoples, tribes, and tongues serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed,” 9.17.6 the first arrival, the more human and humble one, has, among other things, this great

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γνῶναι τὰ μυστήρια τῆς βασιλείας, ἐκείνοις δὲ οὐ δέδοται», «διὰ τοῦτο ἐν παραβολαῖς αὐτοῖς λαλῶ, ἵνα βλέποντες μὴ βλέπωσιν καὶ ἀκούοντες μὴ ἀκούωσιν, μή ποτε ἐπιστρέψωσιν, καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς. 9.16.4 τότε ἐπληρώθη ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ἡ προφητεία Ἡσαΐου ἡ λέγουσα· πορεύθητι, καὶ εἶπον τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ, ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε», καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἑξῆς. ἐπιτήρει δὲ τίνα τρόπον ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐπάγει, λέγων· «ταῦτα εἶπεν Ἡσαΐας, ὅτε εἶδεν τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐλάλησεν περὶ αὐτοῦ», ὡς τὸν Χριστὸν ἑωρακότος καὶ τὴν Χριστοῦ δόξαν τοῦ προφήτου κατὰ τὴν ὀπτασίαν, ἐν ᾗ ἔφησεν· «εἶδον τὸν κύριον Σαβαὼθ καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἐπηρμένου», καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. 9.16.5 Τίς δ' οὐκ ἂν ἐκπλαγείη τὴν πρόρρησιν, ἐναργῶς οὕτως εἰσέτι νῦν ὁρῶν τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν ἀπιστίαν; καὶ πάλαι μὲν γὰρ ἐνανθρωποῦντα καὶ παραδοξοποιοῦντα ἐν αὐτοῖς ὁρῶντες αὐτόν, ὀφθαλμοῖς ψυχῆς καὶ διανοίας ὄμμασιν οὐκ ἐθεῶντο, οὐδέ τις ἦν ἐν αὐτοῖς νοερᾶς ἐνθυμήσεως ὅρασις εἰς τὸ συνιέναι τίς ποτ' ἄρα ἦν ἡ τὰ τοσαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα θαυματουργοῦσα ἐν αὐτοῖς δύναμις. 9.16.6 ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐταῖς ἀκοαῖς «ῥήματα ζωῆς αἰωνίου» δέξασθαι κατηξιω μένοι καὶ φωνῆς ἐνθέου σοφίας ἀκροώμενοι, ὠσὶν διανοίας οὐκ ἤκουον, ὡς ἐναργὲς τέλος ἐπαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς τῇ προφητείᾳ. 9.16.7 καὶ εἰς δεῦρο δὲ τὴν ἔνθεον τοῦ Χριστοῦ δύναμιν, δι' ἧς πᾶν γένος ἀνθρώπων ἀποστήσας τῆς πατρίου δεισιδαιμονίας ὑπηγάγετο τῇ κατ' αὐτὸν θεοσεβείᾳ, ἐναργῶς οὕτως ἐμφαινομένην ὁρῶντες, οὐδαμῶς ἐφιστῶσιν τῇ διανοίᾳ οὐδ' ἐπιβάλλουσιν, ὅπως τὸ μήτε Μωσεῖ μήτε τοῖς μετὰ Μωσέα προφήταις ἐπὶ μόνων αὐτῶν κατορθωθέν, τοῦτο δὴ τὸ μὴ εἰδωλολατρεῖν μηδὲ τῇ πολυθέῳ προσέχειν πλάνῃ, τοῦτ' ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἡ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἔνθεος ἀρετὴ συνεστήσατο. 9.16.8 δὲ καὶ ταῖς προφητικαῖς ἐντυγχάνοντες περὶ αὐτοῦ μαρτυρίαις, ἀκοῇ 9.16.8 μὲν ἀκούουσιν ἀλλ' οὐ συνιᾶσιν, ἔργῳ πληρουμένης εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν κατ' αὐτῶν τῆς ἐν χερσὶ προφητείας. 9.17.1 Ἀπὸ τοῦ Ζαχαρίου. «Χαῖρε σφόδρα, θύγατερ Σιών· κήρυσσε, θύγατερ Ἱερουσαλήμ· ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί σοι δίκαιος καὶ σώζων, αὐτὸς πραῢς καὶ ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὑποζύγιον καὶ πῶλον νέον. καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσει ἅρματα ἐξ Ἐφραῒμ καὶ ἵππον ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ ἐξολοθρευθήσεται τόξον πολεμικόν, καὶ πλῆθος εἰρήνης ἐξ ἐθνῶν· καὶ κατάρξει ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἕως θαλάσσης καὶ ἀπὸ ποταμῶν διεκβολὰς γῆς.» 9.17.2 Ταῦτα μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον τοῦ Ζαχαρίου εἰς τὰ ὕστατα τῶν προφητῶν θεσπίσαντος, οὐδεὶς μετὰ τοὺς τῆς προφητείας χρόνους βασιλεὺς παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις γεγονὼς ἱστορεῖται, οἷον ἡ προφητεία παρίστησιν, εἰ μὴ μόνος ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, καθ' ὃν καὶ αὕτη τέλους ἐτύγχανεν ἡ πρόρρησις, ὅτε τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς πρὸς λέξιν εἶπεν· «πορευθέντες εἰς τὴν ἀπέναντι κώμην εὑρήσετε ὄνον καὶ πῶλον δεδεμένον· λύσαντες αὐτὸν ἀγάγετε. 9.17.3 καὶ ἐάν τις ὑμῖν εἴπῃ, τί ποιεῖτε; εἴπατε αὐτῷ, ὁ κύριος αὐτῶν χρείαν ἔχει». καὶ ἀπελθόντες ἐκεῖνοι ἐποίησαν καθ' ἃ προσέταξεν αὐτοῖς. τὰ μὲν οὖν τῆς προρρήσεως καὶ τὰ τοῦ συμπεράσματος τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον. 9.17.4 Τί δὲ ἄρα ἐβούλετο σημαίνειν ἡ ἐπὶ ὄνῳ ὄχησις αὐτοῦ ἀλλ' ἢ τὴν ταπεινὴν καὶ ἄδοξον αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν, καθ' ἣν ἐποιήσατο τὴν πρώτην ἄφιξιν; οὔσης γὰρ καὶ δευτέρας ἐνδόξου περὶ ἧς καὶ ∆ανιὴλ γυμνότερον ἐκκαλύπτων τὴν θεωρίαν εἴρηκεν· «ἐθεώρουν ἕως ὅτου θρόνοι ἐτέθησαν, καὶ παλαιὸς ἡμερῶν ἐκάθητο», «χίλιαι χιλιάδες ἐλειτούργουν αὐτῷ, καὶ μυρίαι μυριάδες παρειστήκεισαν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ», «καὶ ἰδοὺ μετὰ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὡς υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενος, 9.17.5 καὶ ἕως τοῦ παλαιοῦ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἔφθασεν», «καὶ αὐτῷ ἐδόθη ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ βασιλεία, καὶ πάντες οἱ λαοί, φυλαί, γλῶσσαι αὐτῷ δουλεύουσιν· ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτοῦ ἐξουσία αἰώνιος ἥτις οὐ παρελεύσεται, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ οὐ διαφθαρήσεται», 9.17.6 τὰ μὲν τῆς πρώτης ἀφίξεως τῆς ἐνανθρωπικωτέρας καὶ ταπεινῆς μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τοῦτο ἔχει μέγα