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prophesied. But it is possible to perceive with the eyes the proclamations that have come to pass through their fulfillment, seeing the Christ of God spoken of as Lord in his Churches to the ends of the earth. "Before him shall Ethiopians fall down, and his enemies shall lick the dust." Very consequently, after saying, "He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the inhabited world," he mentioned the Ethiopians, who inhabit the farthest parts of our world, both towards the east and towards the setting sun. Whence also among those outside our discourse, it seems to have been said naturally, "Ethiopians, who are divided in two, the most remote of men; some where Hyperion sets, others where he rises." And in another psalm it is said: "Ethiopia shall hasten to stretch out her hand to God;" and again in another prophet it is stated: "From the ends of the rivers of Ethiopia they will bring me offerings." And in the present text, consistent with these, it is divinely declared, "Before him shall Ethiopians fall down." Through all these things, the Word signifies that the ends of the earth will receive the knowledge of the one prophesied, and will worship him, falling down and bending the knee. For which reason it is said according to Aquila: "Before his face Ethiopians will bow down;" and according to Symmachus: "Before him Ethiopians will kneel." And through the Ethiopians who inhabit the ends of the earth, the nations within the inhabited world are also indicated. And it is very clear how everywhere on earth those who have believed in him, bending the knee and falling down to the earth itself, through him offer up worship to the God over all. But also his enemies, he says, will lick the dust, made like their father the serpent, which goes on its breast and its belly, and eats earth according to the penalty given to it from the beginning. Thus, then, you will see the enemies of the Church of Christ licking the dust and the pleasures of the body. For if the body, in which the soul lies, is called dust according to the Scripture which says: "God took dust from the earth, and formed man;" those who lick the dust and honor the sensual pleasures of the flesh are rightly accused, as being enemies of the saving Word. But these are such; but the other order of those who 23.808 acknowledge the kingdom of Christ will bring him gifts, it is prophesied; for which reason it is said next: "The kings of Tarshish and the isles shall bring presents: the kings of the Arabians and Saba shall offer gifts." And in these words the discourse, having divided the inhabited world into two parts, designates one as the region towards the setting sun, which it first presents by saying: "The kings of Tarshish and the isles shall bring presents;" by which it signifies the western sea and the islands in it. Thus, then, once Jonah the prophet arose to flee to Tarshish and went down to Joppa, and went up into a ship to flee to Tarshish, which they say is Tarsus. But in Ezekiel, where the name of Tarshish appears, the Seventy have interpreted it as Carthage. But the other region, towards the rising sun, is indicated by, "The kings of the Arabians and Saba." For the race of the Arabs is eastern, and beyond it are the Persian parts, and the land of the Sabaeans is said to be there. But instead of, "The kings of the Arabians and Saba," Aquila and Symmachus, and the Hebrew scripture in agreement with them, have said, "The kings of Sheba and Seba." So that the name pronounced is the same, but it differs in the variation of the letters; for the first Saba is written with what is called *sen* by the Hebrews, and the second with the letter *sade* according to the Hebrew scripture; whence their interpretations also vary. And the Savior also makes mention of this name, saying: "The queen of Sheba shall rise up in the day of judgment, and shall condemn this generation, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon;" clearly showing that
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προφητευόμενον. Ὀφθαλμοῖς δὲ παραλαβεῖν ἔστι δι' ἔργων κεχωρηκυίας τὰς προαναφωνήσεις, ὁρῶντας μέχρι τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις αὐτοῦ κυριολογούμενον τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ. «Ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ προπεσοῦνται Αἰθίοπες, καὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ χοῦν λείξουσι.» Σφόδρ' ἀκολούθως μετὰ τὸ εἰπεῖν, «Κατακυριεύσει ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἕως θαλάσσης, καὶ ἀπὸ ποταμοῦ ἕως περάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης,» Αἰθιόπων ἐμνημόνευσεν, οἳ τὰ ἔσχατα τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς οἰκουμένης οἰκοῦσι, τά τε πρὸς ἀνατολὰς καὶ τὰ πρὸς δύοντα ἥλιον. Ὅθεν καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἔξω τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς λόγου κατὰ φύσιν εἰρῆσθαι δοκεῖ τὸ, Αἰθίοπας, τοὶ διχθὰ δεδαίαται ἔσχατοι ἀνδρῶν· Οἱ μὲν δυσομένου ὑπερίονος, οἱ δ' ἀνιόντος. Καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ δὲ εἴρηται ψαλμῷ· «Αἰθιοπία προφθάσει χεῖρα αὐτῆς τῷ Θεῷ·» καὶ πάλιν ἐν ἑτέρῳ προφήτῃ λέλεκται· «Ἐκ περάτων ποταμῶν Αἰθιοπίας οἴσουσιν οὐσίας μοι.» Καὶ ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις δὲ ἀκολούθως τούτοις τὸ, «Ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ προπεσοῦνται Αἰθίοπες,» θεσπίζεται. ∆ι' ὧν ἁπάντων ὁ λόγος σημαίνει τὰ ἔσχατα τῆς γῆς τὴν τοῦ προφητευομένου γνῶσιν ἀναλήψεσθαι, καὶ προσκυνήσειν αὐτῷ, προσπίπτοντας καὶ γόνυ κλίνοντας. ∆ι' ὃ λέλεκται κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· «Εἰς πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ κάμψουσιν Αἰθίοπες·» κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· «Ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ ὀκλάσουσιν Αἰθίοπες.» ∆ιὰ δὲ τῶν Αἰθιόπων τῶν τὰ ἔσχατα τῆς γῆς οἰκούντων καὶ τὰ εἴσω τῆς οἰκουμένης ἔθνη δηλοῦνται Καὶ πρόδηλον ὅπως ἁπανταχοῦ γῆς οἱ εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκότες, γόνυ κλίνοντες καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν προπίπτοντες τὴν γῆν, δι' αὐτοῦ τὴν προσκύνησιν τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων ἀναπέμπουσι Θεῷ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ, φησὶ, χοῦν λείξουσιν, ἐξομοιωθέντες τῷ ἑαυτῶν πατρὶ τῷ ὄφει, ἐπὶ τῷ στήθει καὶ τῇ κοιλίᾳ πορευομένῳ, καὶ γῆν ἐσθίοντι κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς γενομένην αὐτῷ προστίμησιν. Οὕτω δ' οὖν ὄψει τοὺς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ πολεμίους τὸν χοῦν καὶ τὰς σωματικὰς ἡδονὰς περιλιχμωμένους. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα, ᾧπερ κεῖται ἡ ψυχὴ, χοῦς ἀνείρηται κατὰ τὴν φάσκουσαν Γραφήν· «Ἔλαβεν ὁ Θεὸς χοῦν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἔπλασε τὸν ἄνθρωπον·» οἱ τὸν χοῦν περιλιχμώμενοι καὶ τὰς τῆς σαρκὸς ἡδυπαθείας τιμῶντες διαβέβληνται εἰκότως, ὡς ἂν ἐχθροὶ τοῦ σωτηρίου τυγχάνοντες λόγου. Ἀλλ' οὗτοι μὲν τοιοῦτοι· τὸ δ' ἕτερον τάγμα τῶν 23.808 τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ γνωριζόντων δῶρα προσοίσουσιν αὐτῷ, προφητεύεται· δι' ὃ λέλεκται ἑξῆς· «Βασιλεῖς Θαρσεῖς καὶ νῆσοι δῶρα προσοίσουσι, βασιλεῖς Ἀράβων καὶ Σαβὰ δῶρα προσάξουσι.» Καὶ ἐν τούτοις δὲ ὁ λόγος, διελὼν εἰς δύο μέρη τὴν οἰκουμένην, τὸ μὲν ἀφορίζει ἐπὶ τὸ πρὸς δυσμαῖς ἡλίου κλίμα, ὃ δὴ πρῶτον παρίστησιν εἰπών· «Βασιλεῖς Θαρσεῖς καὶ νῆσοι δῶρα προσοίσουσι·» δι' ὧν τὴν πρὸς δυσμαῖς σημαίνει θάλασσαν καὶ τὰς ἐν ταύτῃ νήσους. Οὕτως οὖν ποτε καὶ Ἰωνᾶς ὁ προφήτης ἀνέστη φυγεῖν εἰς Θαρσεῖς καὶ κατέβη εἰς Ἰόππην, καὶ ἀνέβη εἰς πλοῖον τοῦ φυγεῖν εἰς Θαρσεῖς, ἥν φασιν εἶναι τὴν Θαρσόν. Ἐν δὲ τῷ Ἐζεκιὴλ τοῦ Θαρσεῖς ὀνόματος φερομένου, οἱ Ἑβδομήκοντα Καρχηδόνα ἡρμήνευσαν. Τὸ δὲ ἕτερον κλίμα τὸ πρὸς ἀνατολὰς ἡλίου δηλοῦται διὰ τοῦ, «Βασιλεῖς Ἀράβων καὶ Σαβά.» Τό τε γὰρ τῶν Ἀράβων γένος ἀνατολικὸν τυγχάνει, ἐπέκεινα δὲ αὐτοῦ τὰ Περσικὰ μέρη, καὶ ἡ τῶν Σαβαϊτῶν χώρα εἶναι λέγεται. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, «Βασιλεῖς Ἀράβων καὶ Σαβὰ,» ὁ Ἀκύλας καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος, ἥ τε Ἑβραϊκὴ γραφὴ συντόνως τούτοις, «Βασιλεῖς Σαβὰ καὶ Σαβὰ» εἰρήκασιν. Ὥστ' εἶναι ταὐτὸν μὲν ἐκφωνούμενον ὄνομα, διαλλάττειν δὲ τῇ τῶν στοιχείων διαφορᾷ· τὸ μὲν γὰρ πρῶτον Σαβὰ διὰ τοῦ καλουμένου παρ' Ἑβραίοις σὲν, τὸ δὲ δεύτερον διὰ τοῦ σάδη στοιχείου κατὰ τὴν Ἑβραϊκὴν ἐμφέρεται γραφήν· ἔνθεν καὶ τὰ τῆς ἑρμηνείας αὐτοῖς ἐναλλάττει. Καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ δὲ τούτου μέμνηται τοῦ ὀνόματος λέγων· «Βασίλισσα Σαβὰ ἀναστήσεται ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως, καὶ κατακρινεῖ τὴν γενεὰν ταύτην, ὅτι ἦλθεν ἐκ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς ἀκοῦσαι τὴν σοφίαν Σολομῶντος·» σαφῶς παριστὰς ὡς