114

of error, and no longer to touch unclean things, in which they formerly wallowed, entangled in shameful and defiled matters? And since it is no small thing to separate themselves from their former ancestral way of life, and from the common society of men, for this reason the Lord Himself promises to journey with and to gather those who carry His vessels, clearly meaning the holy 219 doctrines, and the divine words. Again, besides these things, in the way that in the prophecies above Christ was called the child of God in different ways, so it has been said here as well; and it is prophesied that He will understand and be exalted and greatly glorified, referring to His human aspect, concerning which these things are said; and truly many were astonished and perplexed at Him, supposing Him to be a man like themselves in a similar way; and they were astonished indeed, having seen Him clothed with no superiority or worldly glory, when, laying aside the form of God, and having emptied Himself and taken up the form of a servant, He performed wonders worthy of astonishment and amazement, so that those who saw them were astounded and said, is this not the son of Joseph? Are not His mother and His brothers with us? And to this day very many are astonished and perplexed at Him, seeing His teaching that has spread and still now runs through the whole inhabited world, and observing the unwavering and unchangeable disposition of those who have believed in Him. And wondering at these things, they do not understand the divine power by which He both worked and has been able to work such great things even until now, and kings truly held back and shut their mouths at Him, whether those who gathered against His passion, concerning whom it was said, the kings of the earth stood by and the rulers were gathered together, or the rulers of the nations at various times, and they shut their mouths because, though they often attempted to hinder His word and 220 teaching, it no less prevailed and shone forth, being glorified and lifted on high, so that He made Himself manifest not only to those who had received the prophecies about Him from their fathers, but, most paradoxically, to those to whom nothing about Him had ever been announced, that is, to us the Gentiles; who, having heard nothing at all from our ancestors, nor having learned beforehand about His coming, understood Him when He came, and we accepted the prophecies about Him. And foreseeing these things, the prophet in spirit cries out with wonder, saying, Lord, who has believed our report? Which is not the same as "no one has believed our report"; for clearly many multitudes from the Gentiles, and some of those from the circumcision, have believed the report concerning Christ; and the arm of the Lord, he says, that is, the pre-existing Word of God, to whom has it been revealed? The word itself teaches at the beginning of the prophecy, saying, and the Lord will reveal His holy arm in the sight of all the nations. Next it is said to them, we announced before Him as a child, as a root in thirsty ground; He has no form nor glory, and we saw Him, and He had no form nor beauty, and so on, which things have also been fulfilled, when, emptying Himself of the form of God, He did not choose even a comely and graceful appearance as among men, nor did He go through human life with glory among men or clothed in any worldly superiority, but taking the form of a servant and a minister He humbled Himself and became as 221 a true man, being in affliction and knowing how to bear sickness, and the glorious and divine face of His divinity was turned away and hidden; for which reason He was also dishonored by those who had understood only His human aspect, by whom He was not reckoned not only as a son of God, but not even as any righteous man. But those who have perceived these things by the spirit say, as if narrating and teaching the cause of such an economy, this man bears the