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of a body scattered into countless members, with some nations long ago separated in one way and others in another, both warring against each other and being warred upon, some being ruled by tyrants, others by democracies, and still others by oligarchies; with toparchs according to nation and tyrants 23.804 ruling; so that the lands of their neighbors were unmixable and inaccessible to those nearby; and truceless wars and irreconcilable enmities had existed from a long age until our Savior. But from that time, with all polyarchy removed, monarchy has prevailed over most nations; and there has truly been an abundance of peace, as all nations have acquired fellowship and intercourse; so that the testimony at hand is witnessed in deed to apply to our Savior alone. And he says this abundance of peace will remain “until the moon is taken away;” or according to Aquila, “until the moon;” or according to Symmachus, “until the old age of the moon.” When does the moon grow old? At the consummation of the age, at which time the prophecy will be fulfilled that says: “The sun and the moon will be darkened;” and again: “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor will the moon give light to you by night.” Therefore, just as above he indicated that the one prophesied would endure with the sun, so here too he declares that the abundance of peace to be brought about for men by him will last until the consummation. How, then, he will come down gently and without a sound upon the nation of the Jews, and how he will fill the whole inhabited world like drops dripping upon the earth, and how righteousness will rise in his days and an abundance of peace, has been shown through what has been said. Next, he teaches that his lordship will not be confined to a corner of the earth; but he will rule over all the nations. For which reason it is said: “And he will have dominion from sea to sea.” For if there are any ends of the earth, which seas and the ocean, boundless to men, indeed encircle everywhere, this will confess the one declared by the oracle as Lord of all within the seas everywhere. For which reason it is said: “And he will have dominion from sea to sea.” And you would know the outcome of the oracle by observing how everywhere on earth the Churches of God proclaim his Christ as Lord. But he also says, very necessarily, that he will have dominion from the river to the ends of the inhabited world. For it was necessary for us to learn from where he would begin his teaching; and it signifies that his beginning will indeed be from a river. Which river the Gospel presents, saying: “Then Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. But he tried to prevent him, saying: I have need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? But he answered and said to him: Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness.” When, after he was baptized, “the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice was heard from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” For from that time his lordship began to be known. And Isaiah the prophet also makes mention of this river in a wonderful way, evangelizing the desert in which John the Baptist preached. 23.805 For he cried out, saying: “Be glad, you thirsty desert; let the desert rejoice and blossom as a lily; and the deserts of the Jordan will blossom and rejoice.” For why does so great a prophet not mention another river, but the Jordan itself and the desert around it; and he evangelizes gladness and rejoicing to the desert of the Jordan, but not to Jerusalem, nor to the rest of Judea? Therefore we have also in Isaiah the indication of the river concerning which the present oracle says, “And from the river to the ends of the inhabited world” he will have dominion

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σώματος εἰς μυρία διεσπαρμένα μέλη, ἄλλων ἄλλως ἐθνῶν πάλαι πρότερον ἀφωρισμένων, πολεμούντων τε ἀλλήλοις καὶ πολεμουμένων καὶ τῶν μὲν τυραννουμένων, τῶν δὲ δημοκρατουμένων, ἑτέρων δὲ ὀλιγαρχουμένων· τοπάρχων κατ' ἔθνος καὶ τυράννων 23.804 κρατούντων· ὡς ἄμικτα εἶναι καὶ ἄβατα τοῖς πλησιοχώροις τὰ τῆς τῶν γειτόνων χώρας· πολέμους τε ἀσπόνδους καὶ ἔχθρας ἀκαταλλάκτους ἐκ μακροῦ αἰῶνος μέχρι τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν συνεστάναι. Ἐξ ἐκείνου δὲ πάσης πολυαρχίας ἐκποδὼν ἀρθείσης, μοναρχία τῶν πλείστων ἐθνῶν ἐπικεκράτηκε· γέγονέ τε ὡς ἀληθῶς πλῆθος εἰρήνης, κοινωνίαν καὶ ἐπιμιξίαν κτησαμένων ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν· ὡς ἔργῳ μαρτυρεῖσθαι τὴν ἐν χερσὶ μαρτυρίαν μόνῳ τῷ Σωτῆρι ἡμῶν ἐφαρμόττουσαν. Τοῦτο δὲ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς εἰρήνης παραμένειν φησὶν «ἕως οὗ ἀνταναιρεθῇ ἡ σελήνη·» ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, «ἕως οὗ ἡ σελήνη·» ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «ἕως παλαιώσεως τῆς σελήνης.» Πότε δὲ παλαιοῦται σελήνη; Κατὰ τὴν συντέλειαν τοῦ αἰῶνος, καθ' ἣν πληρωθήσεται ἡ φάσκουσα προφητεία· «Ὁ ἥλιος καὶ ἡ σελήνη συσκοτάσουσι·» καὶ πάλιν· «Οὐκ ἔσται σοι ὁ ἥλιος εἰς φῶς ἡμέρας, οὐδὲ ἡ σελήνη φωτιεῖ σοι τὴν νύκτα.» Οὐκοῦν ὥσπερ ἀνωτέρω συμπαραμένειν τῷ ἡλίῳ τὸν προφητευόμενον ἐδήλου, οὕτως καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ πλῆθος τῆς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ προξενηθησομένης ἀνθρώποις εἰρήνης μέχρι τῆς συντελείας διαρκέσειν θεσπίζει. Ὅπως μὲν οὖν καταβήσεται ἠρέμα καὶ ἀψοφητὶ ἐπὶ τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος, καὶ ὡς πληρώσει τὴν σύμπασαν οἰκουμένην δίκην σταγόνων σταζουσῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ὡς δικαιοσύνη ἀνατελεῖ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ καὶ πλῆθος εἰρήνης, δεδήλωται διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων. Ἑξῆς δὲ διδάσκει, ὅτι μὴ ἐν γωνίᾳ γῆς περιγραφήσεται αὐτοῦ ἡ δεσποτεία· κυριεύσει δὲ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων. ∆ι' ὃ λέλεκται· «Καὶ κατακυριεύσει ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἕως θαλάσσης.» Εἰ γάρ ἐστί τινα πέρατα γῆς, ἃ δὴ πανταχοῦ κυκλοῦσι, θάλασσαι Ὠκεανός τε ἀπέραντος ἀνθρώποις· τοῦτο πάντων εἴσω τῶν ἁπανταχοῦ θαλασσῶν Κύριον ὁμολογήσει τὸν θεσπιζόμενον. ∆ι' ὃ λέλεκται· «Καὶ κατακυριεύσει ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἕως θαλάσσης.» Γνῴης δ' ἂν τοῦ λόγου τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα συνιδὼν ὅπως ἁπανταχοῦ γῆς αἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίαι τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ Κύριον ἀναγορεύουσιν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ ποταμοῦ ἕως τῶν περάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης κατακυριεύσειν αὐτόν φησι σφόδρ' ἀναγκαίως. Ἐχρῆν γὰρ ἡμᾶς μαθεῖν ὁπόθεν ἄρξεται τῆς διδασκαλίας· σημαίνει δὲ, ὡς ἄρα ἔσται αὐτῷ ἡ καταρχὴ ἀπὸ ποταμοῦ. Ὅντινα ποταμὸν παρίστησι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον φάσκον· «Τότε παραγίνεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰορδάνην πρὸς Ἰωάννην, τοῦβαπτισθῆναι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ διεκώλυεν αὐτὸν λέγων· Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρὸς μέ. Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ἄφες ἄρτι· οὕτω γὰρ πρέπον ἐστὶ πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην.» Ὅτε μετὰ τὸ βαπτισθῆναι αὐτὸν «Ἠνοίγησαν οἱ οὐρανοὶ, καὶ εἶδε τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ καταβαῖνον ὡς περιστερὰν καὶ ἐρχόμενον εἰς αὐτόν. Φωνή τε ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἠκούσθη λέγουσα· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς, ἐν ᾧ ηὐδόκησα.» Ἐξ ἐκείνου γὰρ γνωρίζεσθαι αὐτοῦ ἤρξατο ἡ κυριότης. Παραδόξως δὲ τούτου μέμνηται τοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ Ἡσαΐας ὁ προφήτης εὐαγγελιζόμενος τὴν ἔρημον, ἐν ᾗ ἐκήρυτ 23.805 τεν Ἰωάννης ὁ Βαπτιστής. Ἐβόα δ' οὖν λέγων· «Εὐφράνθητι, ἔρημος διψῶσα, ἀγαλλιάσθω ἔρημος καὶ ἀνθείτω ὡς κρίνον· καὶ ἐξανθήσει καὶ ἀγαλλιάσεται τὰ ἔρημα τοῦ Ἰορδάνου.» Ἀντὶ τίνος γὰρ οὐχ ἑτέρου μέμνηται ποταμοῦ ὁ τοσοῦτος προφήτης, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου καὶ τῆς ἐρήμου ἀμφὶ τοῦτον· εὐφροσύνην τε καὶ ἀγαλλίασιν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, οὐδὲ τῇ λοιπῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ εὐαγγελίζεται; Οὐκοῦν ἔχομεν καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ τὴν δήλωσιν τοῦ ποταμοῦ περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ παρὼν λόγος, «Καὶ ἀπὸ ποταμοῦ ἕως τῶν περάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης» κατακυριεύσειν τὸν