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“Scatter the nations that desire wars.” For 23.717 when these are scattered, the grace of the Gospel will have a place. It was about to begin its work even from the foremost of the excessive idolaters. And the Egyptians were the most superstitious of all men and all nations. Therefore it adds next: “Ambassadors shall come out of Egypt.” But according to Aquila, “They will bring speedily from Egypt;” and according to Symmachus, “Let those from Egypt come forth, making themselves manifest.” And the whole race of idolaters is indicated through those who will come from Egypt and cross over to the knowledge of God; but through what is said next: “Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hand to God,” the ends of the inhabited world of men. For the saying signifies that they will come from all the nations from the rising of the sun to its setting, according to the oracle which says in other places: “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.” But according to Aquila: “The Ethiopian,” it says, “will hasten his hand to God;” and according to Symmachus: “Let Ethiopia hasten, giving a hand to God.” And it is possible to say that this has been fulfilled historically in the case of the Ethiopian, whom the Acts of the Apostles mentions. For he nearly came before the other nations, being deemed worthy before all of the knowledge of the Savior. But how ambassadors also came from Egypt according to the history, the Acts of the Apostles again shows, in which it is said that on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit filled the house where the apostles were, and sat upon all who were present; among whom were Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene. All these, therefore, were as ambassadors of the nations, having been deemed worthy of the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit. But after those from Egypt, and after Ethiopia which came first, next the remaining kingdoms of the earth are called, that is, also the nations under them. Therefore it is added: “Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God, sing praises to the Lord.” Which indeed could not otherwise be accomplished than through the teaching of our Savior alone. There is therefore no nation, no country, no race of men, no kingdom throughout the whole inhabited world, where peoples, having been established for God, do not fulfill the command. And again here it commands to sing to God, but to sing praises to the Lord, not of the tetragrammaton, but to the name indicated by more common elements. And that we may know more clearly who this Lord was, it adds, saying next: “To him that rideth upon the heaven of heavens toward the east;” very consistently; for since it was said in the preceding words: “Prepare the way for him that rideth upon the west, the Lord is his name;” consistently in the present passage it says he no longer rides upon the west, but upon the heaven toward 23.720 the east. For it was necessary for us, having first learned of his descent, to be taught also of his return. The descent, therefore, happened through his covering the lights of his divinity in the west; but the ascent to the heaven of heavens toward the east, through his glorious restoration to the heavens. You will understand what has been said from the example of the sun. For just as the sun, having set in the west, makes its unseen journey, then having arrived at the eastern horizon, is straightway carried to the heaven, illuminating all things and making a bright day, in the same way also the Lord who is indicated here, having made his assigned setting at the time of his passion and death, and having journeyed through the region, after these things is said to have ascended to the heaven of heavens toward the east. But according to Aquila, “To the one

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«∆ιασκόρπισον ἔθνη τὰ τοὺς πολέμους θέλοντα.» ∆ια 23.717 σκορπιζομένων γὰρ τούτων, ἡ χάρις ἡ εὐαγγελικὴ χώραν ἕξει. Ἤμελλε τοῦ ἐνεργεῖν καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν πρώτων ἄρχεσθαι τῶν καθ' ὑπερβολὴν εἰδωλολατρῶν. Αἰγύπτιοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ πάντων ἀνθρώπων καὶ πάντων ἐθνῶν δεισιδαιμονέστατοι. ∆ιὸ ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγει· «Ἥξουσι πρέσβεις ἐξ Αἰγύπτου.» Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, «Οἴσουσιν ἐσπευσμένως ἐξ Αἰγύπτου·» κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «Ἐλθέτωσαν ἐκφάναντες οἱ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου.» Καὶ τὸ μὲν πάντων εἰδωλολατρῶν γένος διὰ τῶν ἐλευσομένων ἐξ Αἰγύπτου καὶ διαβησομένων ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν δεδήλωται· διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἑξῆς ἐπιλεγομένου· «Αἰθιοπία προφθάσει χεῖρα αὐτῆς τῷ Θεῷ,» τὰ ἄκρα τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἰκουμένης. Σημαίνει γὰρ ὁ λόγος, ὡς ἄρα ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν ἀπ' ἀνατολῆς ἡλίου μέχρι δυσμῶν ἥξουσιν, κατὰ τὸ φάσκον ἐν ἑτέροις λόγιον· «Μνησθήσονται καὶ ἐπιστραφήσονται πρὸς Κύριον πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν.» Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· «Αἰθίοψ, φησὶ, δρομώσει χεῖρα αὐτοῦ τῷ Θεῷ·» κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· «Αἰθιοπία σπευσάτω διδοῦσα χεῖρα τῷ Θεῷ.» Ἔστι δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν τοῦτο πεπληρῶσθαι φάναι ἐπὶ τοῦ Αἰθίοπος, οὗ μέμνηνται τῶν ἀποστόλων αἱ Πράξεις. Σχεδὸν γὰρ προέφθασεν οὗτος τὰ λοιπὰ ἔθνη, καταξιωθεὶς πρὸ πάντων τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Σωτῆρος. Ὅπως δὲ καὶ πρέσβεις ἦλθον ἐξ Αἰγύπτου κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν, πάλιν αἱ Πράξεις τῶν ἀποστόλων δηλοῦσιν, ἐν αἷς εἴρηται, ὡς ἄρα κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐπλήρωσε τὸν οἶκον ἔνθα ἦσαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι, ἐκάθισέ τε ἐπὶ τοὺς παρόντας ἅπαντας· ἐν οἷς ἦσαν Πάρθοι καὶ Μῆδοι καὶ Ἐλαμῖται καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν, Ἰουδαίαν τε καὶ Καππαδοκίαν, Πόντον καὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν, Φρυγίαν τε καὶ Παμφυλίαν, Αἴγυπτον καὶ τὰ μέρη τῆς Λιβύης τῆς κατὰ Κυρήνην. Οὗτοι δὴ οὖν πάντες ὡσπερεὶ πρέσβεις ἐτύγχανον τῶν ἐθνῶν, τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἀπαρχῆς κατηξιωμένοι. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ μετὰ τοὺς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ μετὰ τὴν προφθάσασαν Αἰθιοπίαν, ἑξῆς αἱ λοιπαὶ βασιλεῖαι τῆς γῆς καλοῦνται, δηλαδὴ καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ ταύταις ἔθνη. ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγεται· «Αἱ βασιλεῖαι τῆς γῆς, ᾄσατε τῷ Θεῷ, ψάλατε τῷ Κυρίῳ.» Ἃ καὶ οὐδ' ἄλλως ἢ διὰ μόνης τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν διδασκαλίας τέλους ἐτύγχανεν. Οὐκ ἔστιν οὖν ἔθνος, οὐ χώρα, οὐ γένος ἀνθρώπων, οὐ βασιλεία καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης, ἔνθα οὐχὶ λαοὶ τῷ Θεῷ συστάντες τὸ κέλευσμα ἀποπληροῦσιν. Πάλιν δὲ κἀνταῦθα ᾄδειν μὲν προστάττει τῷ Θεῷ, ψάλλειν δὲ τῷ Κυρίῳ οὐχ ἵνα τοῦ τετραγράμμου, τῷ δὲ κοινοτέροις στοιχείοις δηλουμένῳ ὀνόματι. Καὶ ἵνα σαφέστερον γνῶμεν τίς ποτε ἦν οὗτος ὁ Κύριος, ἐπισυνάπτει λέγων ἑξῆς· «Τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατὰ ἀνατολάς·» σφόδρα ἀκολούθως· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ διὰ τῶν ἀνωτέρω εἴρητο· «Ὁδοποιήσατε τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ δυσμῶν, Κύριος ὄνομα αὐτῷ·» ἀκολούθως διὰ τῶν μετὰ χεῖρας οὐκέτι ἐπιβεβηκέναι αὐτὸν ἐπὶ δυσμῶν φησιν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν κατ' 23.720 ἀνατολάς. Ἔδει γὰρ ἡμᾶς, τὴν κάθοδον αὐτοῦ προμεμαθηκότας, καὶ τὴν ἐπάνοδον διδαχθῆναι. Ἡ μὲν οὖν κάθοδος διὰ τοῦ καλύπτειν αὐτοῦ τὰ φῶτα τῆς θεότητος ἐπὶ δυσμῶν ἐγίνετο· ἡ δὲ ἄνοδος ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατ' ἀνατολὰς διὰ τὴν ἔνδοξον αὐτοῦ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀποκατάστασιν. Νοήσεις δὲ τὸ λελεγμένον ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν ἥλιον παραδείγματος. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ἥλιος, κατὰ δυσμὰς γενόμενος, τὴν ἀφανῆ πορείαν ποιεῖται, εἶτ' ἐπὶ τὸν ἀνατολικὸν ὁρίζοντα καταντήσας, εὐθὺ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ φέρεται τὰ σύμπαντα φωτίζων καὶ λαμπρὰν ἡμέραν ἐργαζόμενος, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ δηλούμενος ἐνταῦθα Κύριος, τὴν ἀποδοθεῖσαν κατάδυσιν ποιησάμενος κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ πάθους καὶ τοῦ θανάτου, τὴν χώραν διαπορευθεὶς, μετὰ ταῦτα λέγεται ἀναβεβηκέναι ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατ' ἀνατολάς. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, «Τῷ