246
a token and a sign, his being called meek and gentle, and his coming being prophesied as riding on a beast of burden; for this would be a proof of a common and human life, but the things of the second and divine coming are most brilliantly declared through his arrival on the clouds of heaven and the eternal kingdom of all nations. 9.17.7 And it was good to set both before those of the circumcision and to demand from them an account of how they would preserve the prophecies, while expecting one advent of Christ; for since they themselves confess that they see Christ in each of the prophecies set forth, it is time for them to speak and to answer us when we ask, how it is possible at one and the same time and in one advent for the same one to be borne on the clouds of heaven and to ride on a beast of burden and a young colt; for these are widely separated from each other. 9.17.8 Therefore, by collecting myriad such and other prophecies about Christ, and by setting them side by side and comparing their different significations, you will most clearly grasp that some contain declarations of his first coming, fulfilled at his first appearance, and others refer to his second and glorious advent. 9.17.9 For the divine power of our Savior secretly destroyed "chariots" and "horse" and every "bow of war" at his first coming from the more carnal "Jerusalem" and the people called "Ephraim"; wherefore from that time until now their kingdom has not been established, nor their military preparation and power which was once strong in wars. 9.17.10 And in this he well named the whole people of the Jews 'Ephraim,' and not 'Israel' or 'Judah,' so that he might not slander the more venerable names. 9.17.11 And you would find in the other prophecies as well the whole nation named Ephraim with much slander and accusation, just as now; at any rate, after the return from Babylon, since the people were no longer divided as before, who was likely to be signified by 'Ephraim' but the very inhabitants of Jerusalem? whose military and armed power, which had lasted until Roman times, the coming of our Savior with divine and secret power overthrew, in accordance with the prophecy. 9.17.12 And these things the word proclaims as good news to the church from the Gentiles, exhorting it not simply to rejoice but to rejoice greatly, on account of the coming of the word of God to it. Which he also calls daughter of the heavenly Zion or of the former synagogue, because all of us from the Gentiles who have believed in the Christ of God are offspring and children of Christ and of his apostles, having come forth as from the mother of the synagogue of the Jews. 9.17.13 And what follows was also fulfilled at the coming of our Savior. 9.17.14 For "peace from the nations" has come since the time of his arrival, such as never was before; for cities no longer make war on cities as before, nor do nations clash with nations, nor is human life unsettled as in the past, nor do Athenians march against Lacedaemonians, nor Syrians against Phoenicians, nor Arabians against Palestinians, nor Egyptians against their neighbors. 9.17.15 But from that time all things are united with God, and truly "an abundance of peace from the nations" has existed from that time until now, in accordance with the prophecy. And Jesus alone and the word of the evangelical teaching preached through him ruled "from sea to sea," of the east and of the setting sun, and "from rivers to the ends of the earth," in accordance with what was foretold in the prophet. 9.17.16 Which Aquila also interpreted somehow thus, saying: "And he will speak peace among the nations, and his authority will be from sea to sea, and from rivers to the ends of the earth." And compare these things with those in the psalm, the one inscribed "For Solomon," spoken concerning the son of the king, that is, the one who would come from the seed of Solomon, concerning whom the psalm says: "and he will rule from sea to sea, and from
246
δεῖγμα καὶ σημεῖον, τὸ πρᾶον λέγεσθαι καὶ ἡσύχιον, ἥξειν τε ὀχούμενον ὑποζυγίῳ προφητεύεσθαι τοῦτο γὰρ κοινοῦ καὶ ἀνθρωπίνου βίου γένοιτ' ἂν τεκμήριον, τὰ δὲ τῆς δευτέρας καὶ ἐνθέου λαμπρότατα δηλοῦται διὰ τῆς ἐπὶ νεφελῶν οὐρανοῦ παρακομιδῆς καὶ τῆς αἰωνίου πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν βασιλείας. 9.17.7 καὶ ἦν γε καλὸν ἀμφοτέρας παραθεῖναι τοῖς ἐκ περιτομῆς λόγον τε αὐτοὺς ἀπαιτῆσαι, πῶς ἂν σώσαιεν τὰς προφητείας, μίαν ἄφιξιν Χριστοῦ προσδοκῶντες· ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἑκατέραν τῶν παρατεθεισῶν προφητειῶν καὶ αὐτοὶ τὸν Χριστὸν ὁρᾶν ὁμολογοῦσιν, ὥρα λέγειν καὶ πυνθανομένοις ἡμῖν ἀποκρίνασθαι, πῶς οἷόν τε ὑφ' ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν καὶ ὑπὸ μίαν ἄφιξιν ἐπὶ νεφελῶν οὐρανοῦ φέρεσθαι τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπὶ ὑποζυγίου καὶ πώλου νέου ὀχεῖσθαι· ἐπὶ πολὺ γὰρ ταῦτα διέστηκεν ἀλλήλων. 9.17.8 μυρίας δ' οὖν τοιαύτας καὶ ἄλλας περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προφητείας συναγαγών, παραθείς τε καὶ συγκρούσας τὰ διαφόρως σημαινόμενα, ἐναργέστατα καταλήψῃ τινὰς μὲν τῆς πρώτης αὐτοῦ παρουσίας δηλώματα περιεχούσας, πεπληρωμένας κατὰ τὴν πρώτην ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ, τινὰς δὲ εἰς τὴν δευτέραν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔνδοξον ἄφιξιν ἀναφερομένας. 9.17.9 Ἐξωλόθρευσεν γὰρ λεληθότως «ἅρματα» καὶ «ἵππον» καὶ πᾶν «τόξον πολεμικὸν» ἡ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἔνθεος δύναμις κατὰ τὴν πρώτην αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν ἐκ τῆς σωματικωτέρας «Ἱερουσαλὴμ» καὶ τοῦ καλουμένου «Ἐφραῒμ» λαοῦ· διὸ ἐξ ἐκείνου καὶ εἰς δεῦρο οὐκέτι συνέστη αὐτῶν τὸ βασίλειον, οὐδὲ ἡ πάλαι ἐν πολέμοις ἰσχύσασα παρασκευή τε αὐτῶν καὶ ὁπλιτικὴ δύναμις. 9.17.10 καλῶς δὲ ἐν τούτοις τὸν πάντα τῶν Ἰουδαίων λαὸν Ἐφραῒμ ὠνόμασεν, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ Ἰσραὴλοὐδὲ Ἰούδαν, ἵνα μὴ τὰς σεμνοτέρας διαβάλλοι προσηγορίας. 9.17.11 εὕροις δ' ἂν καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἄλλαις προφητείαις τὸ πᾶν ἔθνος Ἐφραῒμ μετὰ πολλῆς διαβολῆς καὶ κατηγορίας ὠνομασμένον, ὥσπερ καὶ νῦν· μετὰ γοῦν τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον, μηκέθ' ὁμοίως ὡς τὸ πρὶν διῃρημένου τοῦ λαοῦ, τίνας ἦν εἰκὸς δηλοῦσθαι διὰ τοῦ Ἐφραῒμ ἢ αὐτοὺς τοὺς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκοῦντας; ὧν τὴν πολεμικὴν καὶ ὁπλιτικὴν δύναμιν μέχρι τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν χρόνων διαρκέσασαν ἡ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρουσία ἐνθέῳ καὶ ἀπορρήτῳ δυνάμει καθεῖλεν ὁμοίως τῇ προφητείᾳ. 9.17.12 ταῦτα δὲ τὴν ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίαν εὐαγγελίζεται ὁ λόγος, οὐχ ἁπλῶς χαίρειν ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα χαίρειν αὐτῇ παρακελευόμενος, διὰ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου εἰς αὐτὴν παρουσίαν. ἣν καὶ θυγατέρα τῆς ἐπουρανίου Σιὼν ἢ καὶ τῆς προτέρας συναγωγῆς ἀποκαλεῖ, διὰ τὸ πάντας ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ πεπιστευκότας γεννήματα εἶναι καὶ τέκνα Χριστοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ, οἷα ἐκ μητρὸς τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγῆς προελθόντας. 9.17.13 Καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς δὲ ἐπληροῦτο ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρουσίᾳ. 9.17.14 «εἰρήνη» γοῦν «ἐξ ἐθνῶν» γέγονεν ἀπὸ τῶν χρόνων τῆς ἀφίξεως αὐτοῦ οἵα οὐδεπώποτε· οὐκέτι γοῦν πόλεις πόλεσιν ὡς τὸ πρὶν πολεμοῦσιν, οὐδὲ ἔθνη ἔθνεσιν συρράσσουσιν, οὐδ' ὡς τὸ παλαιὸν ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίος ἀκαταστατεῖ, οὐδ' Ἀθηναῖοι μὲν Λακεδαιμονίοις ἐπιστρατεύονται, Σύροι δὲ Φοίνιξιν, Ἀράβιοι δὲ Παλαιστίνοις, καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι τοῖς πλησιοχώροις. 9.17.15 ἥνωται δὲ ἐξ ἐκείνου σὺν θεῷ τὰ πάντα, καὶ ἀληθῶς «πλῆθος εἰρήνης ἐξ ἐθνῶν» ἐξ ἐκείνου καὶ εἰς δεῦρο γέγονεν ἀκολούθως τῇ προφητείᾳ. μόνος δὲ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ὁ δι' αὐτοῦ κηρυχθεὶς τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς διδασκαλίας λόγος ἦρξεν τῶν «ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἕως θαλάσσης», τῆς ἑῴας καὶ τῆς κατὰ δυόμενον ἥλιον, καὶ «ἀπὸ ποταμῶν εἰς τὰς διεκβολὰς τῆς γῆς», ἀκολούθως τοῖς ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ προλελεγμένοις. 9.17.16 ἅπερ καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας ὧδέ πως ἡρμήνευσεν εἰπών· «καὶ λαλήσει εἰρήνην ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἕως θαλάσσης, καὶ ἀπὸ ποταμῶν ἕως περάτων τῆς γῆς». ταῦτα δὲ τοῖς ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ σύγκρινον, τῷ ἐπιγεγραμμένῳ «εἰς Σολομῶνα», περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως δηλαδὴ τοῦ ἐκ σπέρματος Σολομῶνος προελευσομένου λεγομένοις, περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ ψαλμός· «καὶ κατακυριεύσει ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἕως θαλάσσης, καὶ ἀπὸ