396
his enemies, and I will rout those who hate him. And my truth and my mercy shall be with him; and finally after all these things, in my name his horn shall be exalted. This is his horn that is to come forth from him, and the temple from his seed that is to be built for me; which horn of his shall be exalted in my name; for it will be deemed worthy of my name and my appellation. For it will also give oracles with my oracles, and through my appellations it will be exalted among all. Wherefore it was also said before, And in your favor our horn shall be exalted. But while the chorus of the prophets formerly cried out to God, saying, And in your favor our horn shall be exalted; now God himself, making the promises concerning David, adds as a seal to all things, In my name his horn shall be exalted, signifying the Christ who was to come forth from him, named a horn not only of the prophets, but also of David himself; concerning whom he adds next: And I will set his hand in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall call upon me: You are my Father, my God and the helper of my salvation; and I will make him my firstborn, high above the kings of the earth. Forever I will keep my mercy for him, and my covenant shall be faithful to him, If anyone should pay close attention to the meaning of what is said, he would find these things prophesied not concerning David, but concerning the horn that was to come forth from him. For having said, And in my name his horn shall be exalted, the word connects what follows concerning the horn, and says: I will set his hand in the sea, clearly that of the horn, and what follows; and it is fitting from this point for all things to be referred to the Christ who would be born from the seed of David. If, then, someone should not take it in this way, but should refer the preceding things to David, his argument would be inconsistent. For how God set David's hand in the sea and his right hand in the rivers, let him who wishes interpret. βου 23.1101 For David did not rule the coastal land. Or how could it be said of David, He shall call upon me: You are my Father; and I will make him my firstborn? For in place of whom—rather than Abraham, or Isaac, or Israel, or Moses himself, or Elijah, or the other righteous men and prophets—would David be considered the firstborn of God? And how will God speak truly concerning him, saying, I will make him high above the kings of the earth? When, then, was David exalted among the Persians, say, or the Scythians, or the Indians, or the Ethiopians, or the Moors, or the Spanish, or the Britons, or among the other kings of the nations? But if you should take these things as referring to the one born from his seed, you would find what is said most certainly and properly applies to him. The Gospel also testifies to the fulfillment of the prophecy, in which, according to Luke, Zacharias, the father of John, by prophetic power also called him a horn. So the evangelist says: And Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: Blessed be the God of Israel, for he has visited and has made redemption for his people. And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David his servant. As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old. And Christ is properly called the Horn of God. Wherefore he is also called a unicorn according to the Scripture that says: And beloved as a son of unicorns; since through him every opposing and hostile power of God was turned back, being gored and destroyed. For truly, alone of the successors of David who have been, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, coming forth from his seed, by the horn of the divinity within him, overturned and cast down all demonic and idolatrous error. Wherefore he is fittingly called both a horn and a unicorn in the sacred words. Of him, and not
396
τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοὺς μισοῦντας αὐτὸν τροπώσομαι. Καὶ ἡ ἀλήθειά μου καὶ τὸ ἔλεός μου μετ' αὐτοῦ· καὶ τέλος μετὰ ταῦτα πάντα, ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου ὑψωθήσεται τὸ κέρας αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο δὲ τὸ κέρας αὐτοῦ τὸ μέλλον ἐξ αὐτοῦ προελεύσεσθαι, καὶ ὁ νεὼς ὁ ἐκ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ μέλλων μοι κατασκευάζεσθαι· ὅπερ κέρας αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου ὑψωθήσεται· καταξιωθήσεται γὰρ τοῦ ἐμοῦ ὀνόματος καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς προσηγορίας. Χρηματίσει γοῦν καὶ αὐτὸ τοῖς ἐμοῖς χρηματισμοῖς, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν προσηγοριῶν παρὰ τοῖς πᾶσιν ὑψωθήσεται. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐλέγετο, Καὶ ἐν τῇ εὐδοκίᾳ σου ὑψωθήσεται τὸ κέρας ἡμῶν. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν τῶν προφητῶν χορὸς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀνεφώνει πρότερον λέγων, Καὶ ἐν τῇ εὐδοκίᾳ σου ὑψωθήσεται τὸ κέρας ἡμῶν· αὐτὸς δὲ νῦν ὁ Θεὸς τὰς ἐπαγγελίας περὶ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ποιούμενος, ἐπισφράγισμα πάντων προστίθησι καὶ τὸ, Ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου ὑψωθήσεται τὸ κέρας αὐτοῦ, τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ προελευσόμενον Χριστὸν δηλώσας, κέρας οὐ μόνον καὶ προφητῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ὠνομασμένον· περὶ οὗ ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγει· Καὶ θήσομαι ἐν θαλάσσῃ χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν ποταμοῖς δεξιὰν αὐτοῦ. Αὐτὸς ἐπικαλέσεταί με· Πατήρ μου εἶ σὺ, Θεός μου καὶ ἀντιλήπτωρ τῆς σωτηρίας μου· κἀγὼ πρωτότοκον θήσομαι αὐτὸν, ὑψηλὸν παρὰ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι τῆς γῆς. Εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα φυλάξω αὐτῷ τὸ ἔλεός μου, καὶ ἡ ∆ιαθήκη μου πιστὴ αὐτῷ, Εἴ τις ἀκριβῶς ἐπιστήσειε τῇ τῶν λεγομένων διανοίᾳ, εὕροι ἂν ταῦτα οὐ περὶ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, ἀλλὰ περὶ τοῦ προελευσομένου ἐξ αὐτοῦ κέρως προφητευόμενα. Εἰπὼν γὰρ ὁ λόγος, Καὶ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου ὑψωθήσεται τὸ κέρας αὐτοῦ, ἐπισυνάπτει περὶ τοῦ κέρως, καὶ λέγει· Θήσομαι ἐν θαλάσσῃ χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, δῆλον δ' ὅτι τοῦ κέρως, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ ἁρμόζει γε ἐντεῦθεν πάντα ἐπὶ τὸν Χριστὸν τὸν ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυῒδ γενησόμενον ἀναφέρεσθαι. Εἰ γοῦν τις μὴ τοῦτον ἐκλάβοι τὸν τρόπον, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἀνάγοι τὰ προκείμενα, ἀσύστατος εἴη ἂν αὐτῷ ὁ λόγος. Πῶς γὰρ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἐν θαλάσσῃ ἔταξεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν χεῖρα καὶ ἐν ποταμοῖς τὴν δεξιὰν, ὁ βου 23.1101 λόμενος ἑρμηνευέτω. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκράτησεν ὁ ∆αυῒδ τῆς παράλου χώρας. Ἢ πῶς περὶ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ λέγοιτ' ἂν τὸ, Αὐτὸς ἐπικαλέσεταί με· Πατήρ μου εἶ σύ· κἀγὼ πρωτότοκον θήσομαι αὐτόν; Ἀντὶ τίνος γὰρ μᾶλλον τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, ἢ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ, ἢ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ,ἢ αὐτοῦ Μωσέως, ἢ τοῦ Ἠλία, ἢ τῶν ἄλλων δικαίων τε καὶ προφητῶν, πρωτότοκος τοῦ Θεοῦ νομισθείη ἂν ὁ ∆αυΐδ; Πῶς δὲ ἀληθεύσει περὶ αὐτοῦ φάσκων ὁ Θεὸς, Θήσομαι αὐτὸν ὑψηλὸν παρὰ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι τῆς γῆς; Πότ' οὖν ὁ ∆αυῒδ παρὰ Πέρσαις φέρε, ἢ Σκύθαις, ἢ Ἰνδοῖς, ἢ Αἰθίοψιν, ἢ Μαύροις, ἢ Σπάνοις, ἢ Βρετανοῖς, ἢ παρὰ τοῖς λοιποῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν βασιλεῦσιν ὑψώθη; Εἰ δὲ ἐκλάβοις ταῦτα ἐπὶ τὸν ἐκ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ γεγονότα, βεβαιότατα καὶ κυριώτατα εὕροις ἂν ἐφαρμόζοντα αὐτῷ τὰ λεγόμενα. Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τῇ τῆς προφητείας ἐκβάσει καὶ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἐν ᾧ κατὰ τὸν Λουκᾶν Ζαχαρίας ὁ τοῦ Ἰωάννου πατὴρ προφητικῇ δυνάμει καὶ αὐτὸς κέρας αὐτὸν ὠνόμασε. Λέγει δ' οὖν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής· Καὶ Ζαχαρίας ἐπλήσθη Πνεύματος ἁγίου, καὶ προεφήτευσε λέγων· Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι ἐπεσκέψατο καὶ ἐποίησε λύτρωσιν τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἤγειρε κέρας σωτηρίας ἡμῖν ἐν οἴκῳ ∆αυῒδ τοῦ παιδὸς αὐτοῦ. Καθὼς ἐλάλησε διὰ στόματος τῶν ἁγίων ἀπ' αἰῶνος προφητῶν αὐτοῦ. Κέρας δὲ κυρίως ὠνόμασται ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ. ∆ιὸ καὶ μονόκερως εἴρηται κατὰ τὴν φάσκουσαν Γραφήν· Καὶ ἠγαπημένος ὡς υἱὸς μονοκερώτων· ἐπείπερ δι' αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ ἀντικειμένη καὶ ἐχθρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμις ἐνετράπη κερατισθεῖσα καὶ κεραϊσθεῖσα. Μόνος γοῦν ὡς ἀληθῶς τῶν γενομένων τοῦ ∆αυῒδ διαδόχων Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν, ἐκ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ προελθὼν τῷ κέρατι τῆς ἐν αὐτῷ θεότητος, πᾶσαν τὴν δαιμονικὴν καὶ εἰδωλικὴν ἀνατρέψας καθεῖλε πλάνην. ∆ιὸ καὶ κέρας εἰκότως καὶ μονόκερως ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς ὠνόμασται λόγοις. Αὐτοῦ δὲ, καὶ οὐδὲ