The birth of Christ in Bethlehem: his reign and spiritual conquests.
Ierusalem shal be besieged and taken (2. Christ shal be borne in Bethlehem) 3. the Iewes shal not be wholly reiected, vntil the Gentiles beginne to embrace the true faith. 4. Which shal be spred in the whole world, 8. pure from idolatrie, 14. and the incredulous punished.
1Now shalt thou be laid waste, O daughter of the robber: they have laid siege against us, with a rod shall they strike the cheek of the judge of Israel.Adesso tu sarai desolata, o figliuola di ladrone: eglino ci hanno assediati, hanno percosso con verga la guancia del giudice di Israele.NOW shalt thou be spoiled daughter of the spoiler: they haue layd siege vpon vs, with a rod shal they strike the cheeke of the iudge of Israel.Nunc vastaberis, filia latronis. / Obsidionem posuerunt super nos: / in virga percutient maxillam judicis Israël. 2And thou Bethlehem Ephrata, art a little one among the thousands of Juda, out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel: and his going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity.Ma tu, Bethleem Ephrata, tu se'piccolina rispetto ai capi popoli di Giuda: da te verrammi colui, che dee essere dominatore in Israele, e la generazione di lui è da principio, dai giorni dell'eternità.AND THOV BETHLEHEM, Ephrata, art a litle one in the thousands of Iuda: out of thee shal come forth vnto me he that shal be the dominatour in Israel: and his coming forth from the begynning, from the dayes of eternitie.Et tu, Bethlehem Ephrata, / parvulus es in millibus Juda; / ex te mihi egredietur qui sit dominator in Israël, / et egressus ejus ab initio, / a diebus æternitatis. 3Therefore will he give them up even till the time wherein she that travaileth shall bring forth: and the remnant of his brethren shall be converted to the children of Israel.Per questo il Signore li lascerà fino a quel tempo, in cui colei, che dee partorire, partorirà: e gli avanzi de' fratelli di lui si riuniranno co' figliuoli di Israele.Therfore shal he geue them euen til the time, wherin she that traueleth shal bring forth: and the remnant of his bretheren shal be conuerted to the children of Israel.Propter hoc dabit eos usque ad tempus in quo parturiens pariet, / et reliquiæ fratrum ejus convertentur ad filios Israël. 4And he shall stand, and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the height of the name of the Lord, his God: and they shall be converted, for now shall he be magnified even to the ends of the earth.Ed egli starà, e pascerà il gregge colla fortezza del Signore: nel nome altissimo del Signore Dio suo; e (a lui) si rivolgeranno, ed egli adesso sarà glorificato sino agli ultimi confini del mondo.And he shal stand, and feede in the strength of our Lord, in the height of the name of our Lord his God: and they shal be conuerted, because now shal he be magnified euen to the endes of the earth.Et stabit, et pascet in fortitudine Domini, / in sublimitate nominis Domini Dei sui: / et convertentur, / quia nunc magnificabitur usque ad terminos terræ.
5And this man shall be our peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall set his foot in our houses: and we shall raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.E questi sarà (nostra) pace: quando l'Assiro sarà venuto nella nostra terra, ed avrà calpestate le nostre case, noi manderem contro di lui sette pastori, e otto principi.And this man shal be peace: when the Assyrian shal come into our land, and when he shal tread in our houses: and we wil rayse vpon him seuen pastours, and eight principal men.Et erit iste pax: / cum venerit Assyrius in terram nostram, / et quando calcaverit domibus nostris, / et suscitabimus super eum septem pastores / et octo primates homines; 6And they shall feed the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nemrod with the spears thereof: and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian when he shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our borders.E governeranno la terra di Assur colla spada, e la terra di Nemrod colle loro lance; ed ei ci libererà dall'Assiro, quando questi sarà venuto sulle nostre terre, ed avrà devastati i nostri confini.And they shal feede the land of Assur in the sword, and the land of Nemrod in the speares therof: and he shal deliuer from Assur, when he shal come into our Land, and when he shal tread in our coasts.et pascent terram Assur in gladio, / et terram Nemrod in lanceis ejus, / et liberabit ab Assur cum venerit in terram nostram, / et cum calcaverit in finibus nostris. 7And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples, as a dew from the Lord, and as drops upon the grass, which waiteth not for man, nor tarrieth for the children of men.E gli avanzi di Giacobbe saranno nella moltitudine de' popoli, come rugiada mandata dal Signore, e come la piova sull'erba, la quale non attende opra dell'uomo, e nulla aspetta da' figliuoli degli uomini.And the remnant of Iacob shal be in the middes of manie peoples as dew from our Lord, and as droppes vpon the grasse, which expecteth not man, and tarieth not for the children of men.Et erunt reliquiæ Jacob in medio populorum multorum / quasi ros a Domino, / et quasi stillæ super herbam, / quæ non exspectat virum, / et non præstolatur filios hominum. 8And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, in the midst of many peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the forests, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, when he shall go through, and tread down, and take there is none to deliver.E gli avanzi di Giacobbe saranno tralle nazioni in mezzo a molti popoli, come lione tralle bestie selvagge, e come un lioncello tra i greggi delle pecore, il quale invade, calpesta, fa preda, senza che alcuno gliela ritolga.And the remnant of Iacob shal be in the Gentiles in the middes of manie peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the forests, and as a lions whelpe among the flockes of cattel: who when he hath passed, and troden downe, and taken, there is none to deliuer.Et erunt reliquiæ Jacob in gentibus, / in medio populorum multorum, / quasi leo in jumentis silvarum, / et quasi catulus leonis in gregibus pecorum, / qui cum transierit, et conculcaverit, et ceperit, / non est qui eruat.
9Thy hand shall be lifted up over thy enemies, and all thy enemies shall be cut off.La tua mano sarà esaltata sopra i tuoi avversarj, e tutti i nemici tuoi periranno.Thy hand shal be exalted ouer thine enemies, and al thine enemies shal perish.Exaltabitur manus tua super hostes tuos, / et omnes inimici tui interibunt. 10And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that I will take away thy horses out of the midst of thee, and will destroy thy chariots.In quel giorno, dice il Signore, io torrò di mezzo a te i tuoi cavalli, e sperderò i tuoi cocchi:And it shal be in that day, sayth our Lord: I wil take away thy horses out of the middes of thee, and wil destroy thy chariots.Et erit in die illa, dicit Dominus: / auferam equos tuos de medio tui, / et disperdam quadrigas tuas. 11And I will destroy the cities of thy land, and will throw down all thy strong holds, and I will take away sorceries out of thy hand, and there shall be no divinations in thee.E rovinerò le città del tuo paese, e atterrerò tutte le tue fortezze, e torrò dalle tue mani i maleficii, e tu non avrai più indovini.And I wil destroy the cities of thy land, and wil destroy al thy munitions, and I wil take away sorceries out of thy hand, & there shal be no diuinations in thee.Et perdam civitates terræ tuæ, / et destruam omnes munitiones tuas: / et auferam maleficia de manu tua, / et divinationes non erunt in te: 12And I will destroy thy graven things, and thy statues, out of the midst of thee: and thou shalt no more adore the works of thy hands.E manderò in perdizione i simolacri, e le statue, che sono presso di te, e non adorerai più le opere delle tue mani.And I wil make thy sculptils to perish, and thy statuees out of the middes of thee: and thou shalt no more adore the workes of thy handes.et perire faciam sculptilia tua et statuas tuas de medio tui, / et non adorabis ultra opera manuum tuarum: 13And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: and will crush thy cities.E sterperò di mezzo a te i tuoi boschetti: e ridurrò in polvere le tue città.And I wil plucke vp thy groues out of the middes of thee: and wil destroy thy cities.et evellam lucos tuos de medio tui, / et conteram civitates tuas. 14And I will execute vengeance in wrath, and in indignation, among all the nations that have not given ear.E con furore, e indignazione farò vendetta di tutte le genti, che non hanno ascoltato.And I wil doe vengeance in furie and in indignation among al the nations, that haue not heard.Et faciam, in furore et in indignatione, ultionem / in omnibus gentibus quæ non audierunt.
5:1
Challoner
Robber. Some understand this of Babylon, which robbed and pillaged the temple of God; others understand it of Jerusalem, by reason of the many rapines and oppressions committed there. (Challoner)
5:2
Ephrata. This was the ancient name (Haydock) of Bethlehem, (Genesis 35:16.) though some think that it was so called after Caleb's wife, 1 Paralipomenon 2:19.
Art, or "art thou?" etc., which makes it agree with Matthew 2:4.
Little. Hebrew tsahir, (Haydock) is often rendered "considerable." (Chaldean)
Calmet
Thousands: capital cities, Zacharias 9:7. Bethlehem seemed too mean to send forth a ruler over the rest. The ancient Jews clearly understood this of the Messias. The moderns explain it of Zorobabel: but the expressions are too grand for him. (Calmet)
Kennicott
St. Jerome accuses the Jews of having designedly omitted some cities, (Josue 15:60.) because Bethlehem Ephrata is one. It is nowhere else thus described. (Kennicott)
Haydock
The priests substituted land of Juda instead of Ephrata, Matthew 2:(Haydock)
St. Jerome
The evangelist recites their words, to shew their negligence in quoting Scripture. "Yet some assert, that in almost all quotations from the Old Testament the order or words are changed, and sometimes the sense,....as the apostles did not write out of a book, but trusted to memory, which is sometimes fallacious." (St. Jerome)
Haydock
This principle would he very dangerous, (Simon. Crit. 1:17.) and we should attribute the variation to other causes, as the sacred penman could not mistake. (Haydock)
Worthington
Bethlehem, though a little town, was rendered more illustrious than many others by the birth of Christ. (Worthington)
Challoner
Forth. That is, he who as man shall be born in thee, as God was born of his Father from all eternity. (Challoner)
Calmet
But the former sense is preferable. (Calmet)
Worthington
Eternity. These expressions singly imply a long time; (Exodus 21:6., and Psalm 23:7.) but when doubled, saeculum saeculi, etc., they must be understood of an absolute eternity, which Christ enjoyed with the Father and the Holy Ghost; though, in his human nature, he was born in time. (Worthington)
5:3
5:4
Earth, Christ shall be glorified, governing his Church. The Jews shall be respected as a people singularly favoured.
5:5
Calmet
Peace. This regards Christ and not Zorobabel. (Calmet)
Challoner
Assyrian. That is, the persecutors of the Church; who are here called Assyrians by the prophet, because the Assyrians were at that time the chief enemies and persecutors of the people of God. (Challoner)
Calmet
The Persians held the empire which had belonged to Babylon and to Assyria, and was founded by Nemrod, Genesis 10:8. (Calmet)
Challoner
Seven, etc. The pastors of God's Church, and the defenders of the faith. The number seven, in Scripture; is taken to signify many; and when eight is joined with it, we are to understand that the number will be very great. (Challoner)
Calmet
See Ecclesiastes 11:2., and Ruth 4:16. (Calmet)
Worthington
Christ always preserves a great number, not withstanding the attacks of persecutors enabling bishops to feed them with a power which the people must revere, Hebrews xiii. (Worthington)
Haydock
Eight. Eschylus places Artaphanes between Smerdis and Hystaspes, the former of whom was one of the seven magi, and the latter one of the seven conspirators, (Calmet) or rather chief princes, who attacked the usurper. (Haydock)
Calmet
They always retained great privileges, so that they seemed all to govern. (V. Max. 9:2.; Herodotus 3:65.) See 1 Esdras 4:7., and Esther 1:14., where we find that the kings did nothing of importance without their seven counsellors. (Calmet)
St. Jerome
Principal. Septuagint, "bites (Symmachus, Christ's) of men," or people of the old as well as of the new law. (St. Jerome)
5:6
They. Hystaspes first laid a tax of money on the Persians, who hence styled him a merchant. (Herodotus 3:89.)
Calmet
He was severe, and often at war. (Calmet)
Challoner
Feed. They shall make spiritual conquests in the lands of their persecutors, with the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, Ephesians 6:17. (Challoner)
With, etc. Septuagint, "in the ditch." Theodotion, etc., "gates," where sentence was given.
5:7
Challoner
Jacob; viz., the apostles, and the first preachers of the Jewish nation, whose doctrine, like dew, shall make the plants of the converted Gentiles grow up, without waiting for any man to cultivate them by human learning. (Challoner)
Calmet
Under Hystaspes, the husband of Esther, the Jews enjoyed rest, and Providence protected them. (Calmet)
5:8
Challoner
Lion. This denotes the fortitude of these first preachers, and their success in their spiritual enterprises. (Challoner)
Calmet
The Jews, by leave of Assuerus, defended themselves; and the Machabees became terrible, Esther ix., and 1 Machabees 3:4. The power of the latter was established, while the efforts of Eupator and of other Syrian persecutors for sixty years, down to Zebina, proved fruitless or destructive to themselves. (Calmet)
5:10
Challoner
Horses. Some understand this, and all that follows to the end of the chapter, as addressed to the enemies of the Church. But it may as well be understood of the converts to the Church, who should no longer put their trust in any of these things. (Challoner)
God will protect his people, so that horses and fortifications will be unnecessary.
5:11
Sorceries. The Jews after their return abstained more from such things; but not like the Church of Christ, in which idols and dealings with the devil have never been tolerated.
5:14
Ear, to the admonitions of the prophets. Hence Egypt, etc., were justly punished.
5:1
Daughter of the robber.... Some understand this of Babylon; which robbed and pillaged the temple of God: others understand it of Jerusalem; by reason of the many rapines and oppressions committed there.
5:2
His going forth, etc.... That is, he who as man shall be born in thee, as God was born of his Father from all eternity.
5:5
The Assyrian.... That is, the persecutors of the church: who are here called Assyrians by the prophet: because the Assyrians were at that time the chief enemies and persecutors of the people of God.—Ibid. Seven shepherds, etc.... Viz., the pastors of God’s church, and the defenders of the faith. The number seven in scripture is taken to signify many: and when eight is joined with it, we are to understand that the number will be very great.
5:6
They shall feed, etc.... They shall make spiritual conquests in the lands of their persecutors, with the word of the spirit, which is the word of God. Eph. 6.17.
5:7
The remnant of Jacob.... Viz., the apostles, and the first preachers of the Jewish nation; whose doctrine, like dew, shall make the plants of the converted Gentiles grow up, without waiting for any man to cultivate them by human learning.
5:8
As a lion, etc.... This denotes the fortitude of these first preachers; and their success in their spiritual enterprises.
5:10
I will take away thy horses, etc.... Some understand this, and all that follows to the end of the chapter, as addressed to the enemies of the church. But it may as well be understood of the converts to the church: who should no longer put their trust in any of these things.
5:1
Ierusalem is called daughter of the spoiler, that is, addicted to spoyling & oppressing the poore as ch. •. and therfore shal be spoyled; yet shal be restored, & conserued, til Bethlehem bring forth the Dominatour, Christ our Lord.
5:2
2. From the beginning, from the dayes of eternitie] To signifie that Christ taking Christ man and God. mans nature, vvas neuertheles eternal God vvith the Father and Holie Ghost, the prophet addeth that he vvas from the beginning, and from the dayes of eternitie. vvhich maner of speach, by •te•a••ng the same termes, as also seculum seculi, secu•a saeculo•um. & the like, signifie absolute eternitie Though the same wordes put single. in some places do only importe long time, or during such a state. as Exo. 21. v. 6. Psal. 23. v. 7. &. 9.
Concordance Mat. 2. Ioan. •.
Bethlehem a smal citie, of least account amongst manie yet by Christ borne there, it became not a litle one, but more excellent then manie others. Mat. •. v. 6.
5:5
5. Seuen pastors, eight principal men] Christ raiseth vp, and alvvayes conserueth manie, or a great number (signified by the tvvo mystical numbers, seuen The Church hath alvvayes true pastors. and eight) to defend the faithful people of the Church, against Assur, & Nemrod, that is, against al persecutors and aduersaries. These defenders are the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, especially Bishops, vvho are here called Pastors, to admonish them, that their office is to seede the people vvith spiritual foode, doctrine and Sacraments: and are called also princes, or principal men, to admonish the people to obey, and folovv their ordinance. As S. Paul also admonisheth: Obey your Prelates, and be subiect to them. For they vvatch as being to render account for your soules. Heb. 13.
5:1
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 53.8
… Micah the Morasthite a joint heir with Christ announces the spoiling of the daughter of the robber and lays siege against her, because she has smitten the jawbone of the judge of Israel.
5:2
St Justin Martyr † AD 165 The First Apology 34
And hear what part of earth He was to be born in, as another prophet, Micah, foretold. He spoke thus: “And thou, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come forth a Governor, who shall feed My people.”
St Justin Martyr † AD 165 Dialogue with Trypho 78
… ‘And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art by no means least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall go forth the leader who shall feed my people.’
Tertullian † AD 220 An Answer to the Jews 13
… albeit by the times of Daniel’s prediction we have proved that the Christ is come already who was the theme of announcement. Now it behoved Him to be born in Bethlehem of Judah. For thus it is written in the prophet: “And thou, Bethlehem, are not the least in the leaders of Judah: for out of thee shall issue a Leader who shall feed my People Israel.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis iv.1.5
… Even the place of His birth was predicted in the prophecies of Micah, who said, “And thou, Bethlehem, land of Judah, art by no means small among the leaders of Judah: for out of thee shall come forth a Leader, who shall rule My people Israel.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis iv.1-2.5
… The place also of His birth has been foretold in (the prophecies of) Micah: “For thou, Bethlehem,” he says, “land of Judah, art by no means the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of thee shall come forth a Ruler, who shall rule My people Israel.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus i.51
… “And thou Bethlehem, house of Ephrata, art not the least among the thousands of Judah: for out of thee shall He come forth unto Me who is to be Ruler in Israel; and His goings forth have been of old, from everlasting.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 2.13
In Micah: “And thou, Bethlehem, house of Ephrata, art not little, that thou shouldst be appointed among the thousands of Judah. Out of thee shall He come forth to me, that He may be a prince in Israel, and His goings forth from the beginning from the days of old.”
Eusebius of Caesarea † AD 339 The Church History of Eusebius 1.8.1
… for they earnestly desired to worship the infant as God, —for he imagined that his kingdom might be endangered; and he enquired therefore of the doctors of the law, who belonged to the Jewish nation, where they expected Christ to be born. When he learned that the prophecy of Micah
St Ephrem the Syrian † AD 373 Ephraim Syrus: Nineteen Hymns on the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh 1
… For the Virgin this day brought forth Immanuel in Bethlehem. The voice that of old Isaiah spake, to-day became reality. He was born there who in writing should tell the Gentiles’ number! The Psalm that David once sang, by its fulfilment came to-day! The word that Micah once spake,
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 11.20
… who began not His being when He was born in Bethlehem, but Before All Ages . For hear the Prophet Micah saying, And thou, Bethlehem, house of Ephrata, art little to be among the thousands of Judah. Out of thee shall come forth unto Me a Ruler, who shall feed My people Israel: and His goings forth are from the beginning, from days of eternity
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 12.20
20. But now hear the place of the promise, as Micah says, And thou, Bethlehem, house of Ephrathah, art thou little to be among the thousands of Judah? For out of thee shall come forth unto Me a ruler, to be governor in Israel: and His goings forth are front the beginning, from the days of eternity
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 3
… yea Thou hast the goodliest heritage.” Nor will I allow that the most populous cities or the broadest flocks have any advantage over us, the little ones of the smallest of all the tribes of Israel, of the least of the thousands of Judah, of the little Bethlehem among cities,
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 6
… His rank, because there was also another Herod, he who slew John: but that was a tetrarch, this a king. And the place likewise, and the time, he puts down, to bring to our remembrance ancient prophecies; whereof one was uttered by Micah, saying, “And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art by no means the least among the princes of Judah;”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 7
Some of them, however, being past shame, say that these things were spoken of Zerubbabel. But how can they be right? For surely “his goings forth” were not “from of old, from everlasting.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 20
… but this is not such an one; for his judgment, Christ saith, is impartial, he speaks nothing from favor, or from ill-feeling. Yet the Jews, when they were asked where Christ should be born, replied, “In Bethlehem” ( Matt. ii. 5 ), and produced the evidence, saying, “And thou, Bethlehem, art by no means the least among the princes of Judah.” (
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 57.8
… come out of thee for me to be a prince in Israel.” You will be more surprised still at the difference in words and order between Matthew and the Septuagint if you look at the Hebrew which runs thus:—“But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel.”
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 108.10
… whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Therefore wilt thou give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 18.30
… and the remnant of His brethren shall be converted to the sons of Israel. And He shall stand, and see, and feed His flock in the strength of the Lord, and in the dignity of the name of the Lord His God: for now shall He be magnified even to the utmost of the earth.”
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Dialogues. The “Eranistes” or “Polymorphus” of the Blessed Theodoretus, Bishop of Cyrus 1
Orth. —So again the divine apostle, reminding us of the blessing of Judah, and pointing out how it received its fulfilment exclaims “For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah.” So too the Prophet
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyprus 152
… Thus through Micah God says “Thou Bethlehem in the land of Judah art not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of thee shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel, whose goings forth have been as of old from everlasting.”
Pope St Leo I the Great † AD 461 Sermons 34
… And when the Divine oracle was proclaimed through the chief priests’ answers and the Spirit’s voice declared, which says: “And thou, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, art not least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come a leader to rule My people Israel
5:3
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 12.26
… But let us remember Paul’s saying, Know ye not that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost which is in you ? And again the Prophet hath spoken before in the person of Jesus, My flesh is from them : and in another place it is written, Therefore will He give them up, until the time that she bringeth forth
5:5
St Hippolytus † AD 235 Treatise on Christ and Antichrist 57
… therefore, lo, the Lord bringeth up upon you the water of the river, strong and full, even the king of Assyria.” By the king he means metaphorically Antichrist, as also another prophet saith: “And this man shall be the peace from me, when the Assyrian shall come up into your land, and when he shall tread in your mountains.”
5:9
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 7.21
… and rise up to help me. Bring out the sword and shut up the way against them that persecute me: say to my soul, I am thy salvation.” And when by subduing and destroying all our passions we have vanquished these, we shall then be permitted to hear those words of blessing: “Thy hand shall be exalted over thine enemies, and all thine enemies shall perish.”
5:1
1. Now thou shalt be laid waste, O daughter of the robber. — It is an elegant Hebrew paronomasia, hitgodedi bat gedud, that is to say, Now thou shalt be laid waste, daughter of the devastator; now thou shalt be plundered, daughter of the plunderer, or, as others: Now thou shalt be cut down, daughter of cutting; or, as the Zurich Bible: Now thou shalt be surrounded by troops, daughter of troops. Note first, hitgodedi is of the conjugation hitpael, which is partly active, partly passive, and commonly signifies a reflexive action, by which the agent acts upon itself, so that the same is agent and patient, that is to say, Thou shalt lay waste and cut down thyself, or thou shalt be laid waste and cut down by thyself, that is by thy fault, by thy demerit; for example, on account of thy crimes thou shalt perish. Wherefore hitgodedi can be rendered not only passively, as we have already seen, but also actively. Hence the Syriac renders: Now thou shalt go forth with a troop, daughter of strong troops; the Arabic: Now thou shalt go forth with armies; Pagninus: Now thou shalt make war, daughter of a warrior; others: Now thou shalt gather thyself by troops, daughter of a troop; others: Now thou shalt lead forth armies, daughter of an army; others: Now thou shalt be cut down, daughter of cutting; Arias: Gather thy assembly, daughter of assembly; others: Prepare Mars and Martial camps, daughter of Mars. Moreover "daughter of the robber" is the same as robber, devoted to robbery, just as son of man is the same as man, son of sheep is the same as sheep, daughter of a goat is the same as a she-goat. Note second, gedud signifies an assembly, a gathering, a crowd, a troop, an army; hence in the books of Kings, troops of Syrians going forth and plundering the land of Israel, are called gedudim; Our translator renders and calls them brigands, that is, plunderers, robbers, whom the Belgians call vrijbuiters. The same here renders "daughter of the robber," as also Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion and the fifth Edition rendered it. Hence also Leah called her fifth son Gad, as it were gedud, that is a troop of sons, that is to say, I have now borne so many sons that I can draw up a line of battle from them, Genesis XXX, 8. Thus the Chaldean and Aquila there. Gedud therefore is a troop of light-armed soldiers, or a sally and irruption of soldiers of light armor for plundering and robbery; likewise an army which lays waste everything, such as were those of the Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans: concerning which St. Augustine truly said, book I On the City of God, chapter IV: "Justice removed, what are kingdoms but great robberies? because robberies themselves, what are they but small kingdoms?" And a pirate captured by Alexander the Great, being asked why he practiced piracy, answered: "I do the same thing as thou: I am small, thou art great; thou art a plunderer of the world; but because I do this in a small ship, I am called a robber; because thou dost it with a great fleet, thou art called an emperor," as St. Augustine relates in the same place. Third, for the judge of Israel, as the Hebrew and Latin have, the Septuagint renders, the tribes of Israel; the Chaldean, the judges of Israel; taking by enallage the singular for the plural. You will ask, who is this daughter of the robber? There are four opinions: the first is that it is Babylon; the second, that it is Damascus; the third, that it is Jerusalem; the fourth, that it is Nineveh and Assyria. For first, it can be understood of Babylon, either actively, that is to say, Gather troops of robbers, that is of thy soldiers and plunderers, O Babylon, that thou mayest besiege us Hierosolymites, and smite the cheek of the judge, that is of the king of Israel, namely Zedekiah, and deprive him of his kingdom and eyes and blind him; or passively, that is to say, Soon thou shalt be laid waste by Cyrus, O Babylon, because thou wast daughter of the robber, that is a robber and devoted to robbery, and as such thou didst besiege and lay waste us, and didst smite the cheek of our king Zedekiah, nay even put out his eyes. This opinion is favored by the fact that in the preceding chapter, verse 10, he mentions Babylon and its plundering. For consoling the Jews about to be led captive by the Babylonians: "Grieve, he says, and labor, O daughter of Sion, as one in travail; because now thou shalt go forth, etc., and thou shalt come even to Babylon, there thou shalt be delivered," namely by Cyrus. This is what he says here: "Now thou shalt be laid waste, O daughter of the robber," that is of Babylon, namely by Cyrus; these words therefore seem to be the antistrophe of those in chapter IV, 10. Second, "daughter" gedud, that is "of the robber," can be understood as Damascus and Syria: for from there frequent gedudim, that is brigands, made sorties into the land of Israel, and laid it waste by plundering, as is evident from the books of Kings. For the word gedud, that is of the robber, seems to refer to those gedudim, enumerated in the books of Kings. It is added that to the Syrians and Damascenes, on account of these depredations, Isaiah threatens destruction in chapter VII, 7, and soon after subjoins a joyful oracle concerning Emmanuel, the king about to be born to the Jews, saying verse 14: "Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel." Now Micah alludes to Isaiah in his customary manner, and here seems to deliver the same oracle which Isaiah does in chapter VII. For to the devastation of the daughter of the robber he subjoins a joyful oracle concerning Christ the king, about to be born in Bethlehem, just as Isaiah does. The sense therefore is, as if to say: You shall be laid waste, O daughter of the robber, O Damascus, robber and plunderer of Israel; because you have besieged the Jews, and have often struck their princes on the cheek, that is, ignominiously: but you shall be laid waste by Salmanasar the Assyrian, whom Emmanuel our avenger, before he is born as a man, will send against you, as Isaiah predicts in the place already cited. This sense seems fitting: for Micah is often the antistrophe of Isaiah. But it is objected that up to this point Micah has made no mention of Damascus; I confess, however, that allusion is made here to it and to Isaiah, as I shall say more fully presently. Third, "daughter of the robber" can be understood as Jerusalem, as if to say: You, O Jerusalem, who were once dear to me, as the daughter of Zion; but now you have become the daughter of the robber, because you oppress and plunder the poor; you, I say, on account of these robberies of yours shall be laid waste by the Chaldeans, who will besiege you, and will strike Zedekiah and your other judges and princes on the cheek, that is, will treat and vex them ignominiously, as I said in chapter IV, verse 10, and chapter III, the last verse. And this oppression of yours will last until Christ. For after the Chaldeans, the Greeks, and especially Antiochus Epiphanes, after Antiochus, Pompey and the Romans will destroy you, until Christ your king, the Messiah and liberator, is born in Bethlehem, who will redeem you, and will shake off from your neck every yoke both of men and of demons. Thus Remigius, Haymo, Albert and Clarius. Fourth and genuinely, "daughter of the robber," in Hebrew gedud, that is a troop and army, is here called Assyria, namely the assembly of the Assyrians, and the camp of Sennacherib, who like a robber laid waste Judea, and besieged Jerusalem and treated ignominiously the judge, that is the prince of Israel, namely King Hezekiah, as if he had struck him on the cheek. For Rabshakeh, sent by Sennacherib, not only reviled Hezekiah, but also blasphemed his God, as is evident from Isaiah XXXVI. Wherefore he hears here from God the avenger: "You shall be laid waste," and God soon inflicted this devastation upon him, sending an angel who struck down 185,000 soldiers in his camps. For the striking of the cheek became a proverb, and signifies nothing other than grave ignominy and great reproach. Perhaps also in truth Sennacherib struck the envoys of Hezekiah, or the princes of Israel captured by him, shamefully on the cheek, even if Scripture does not say it: because he made them his slaves, upon whom marks are usually branded on the face, both as a cause of ignominy and so that they may be separated from the free lest they flee. Thus did the emperor Caius to noble Romans, whom he condemned to the mines or to the beasts; who were therefore called inscribed, lettered, marked; Suetonius is witness in the Life of Caius, chapter XXVII. This exposition is proved, first: for this verse is connected and pertains to the preceding chapter, as is evident from the word "now," and this is taught by Albert, Lyra, Pagninus and others; indeed Pagninus places this verse as the last of the fourth chapter, and begins the fifth chapter from the following verse: "And you, Bethlehem Ephrata," etc. But in the preceding chapter from verse 11 to the end of the chapter, he dealt with Sennacherib and the camps of the Assyrians, plundering Judea, and besieging Jerusalem, and concerning his slaughter and spoliation by Hezekiah and the Jews, who were about to offer his spoils and booty to God in thanksgiving. Therefore, since these words are immediately connected and subjoined to those, it follows that here the devastation and defeat of the same Sennacherib is being discussed. Secondly, because Micah alludes partly to Isaiah chapter VII, as I said in the second exposition; but what Isaiah said of the Syrians, this Micah says of the Assyrians; for both were neighbors and kindred; both were plunderers of Israel: partly to Isaiah X, 5: "Woe to Assur, the rod of my fury!" because namely it is the daughter of a robber, through whom I will exercise my fury in Israel, and will chastise him; but so that when the chastisement is completed, I will cast the rod into fire, and will deliver the Assyrians to a like devastation as they brought upon Israel; and to Isaiah chapter XXXIII, 1, where concerning the same Sennacherib and his camps to be slain by an angel, with a similar scheme and paronomasia, indeed with almost the same words which Micah uses here, Isaiah says: "Woe to thee that spoilest! shalt not thou thyself also be spoiled?" that is to say, Woe to thee, Sennacherib, because as thou hast spoiled Judea, so shalt thou also be a spoil to Hezekiah and the Jews: "And thou that despisest," not only Hezekiah, but also God: "shalt not thou thyself also be despised," not only by the Jews, but also by thy sons, who will slay thee? "When thou shalt have made an end of spoiling, thou shalt be spoiled: when thou art weary with despising, thou shalt be despised." Thirdly, because Jerusalem, even when she hears sad and threatening things from God, is wont to be called Jerusalem or Sion, not daughter of a robber; but thus is Assyria called, as is evident from the words of Isaiah already cited. Fourthly, because concerning the Assyrians Micah soon adds, verse 5: "And this shall be peace: when the Assyrian shall come into our land." And verse 6: "And they shall feed the land of Assur with the sword, and the land of Nemrod with his spears; and he shall deliver us from Assur, when he shall come into our land." Which words plainly allude to the coming and defeat of Sennacherib, and are the antistrophe and exegesis of what he says here: "Now thou shalt be laid waste, O daughter of a robber." Allegorically, the daughter of a robber is Jerusalem, which killed the Prophets, and Christ himself, and indeed struck him with blows on the cheek: wherefore she shall be besieged and laid waste by Titus and the Romans, who therefore shall render her retaliation, and shall strike her judges and princes on the cheek, and shall treat them ignominiously as slaves and bondsmen, shall fine them, sell them, kill them. Whence also Christ calls Jerusalem and the temple a den of thieves: "My house, he says, shall be called the house of prayer: but you have made it a den of thieves," Matthew XXI, 13. Thus St. Jerome, Remigius, Rupert, Hugh, Lyran, Clarius, Vatablus and others; indeed they themselves hold this to be the literal sense of this passage. Hear St. Jerome: "I have indeed promised thee, O daughter of Sion, that a time shall come when I shall make thy horn iron; and thy hoofs brass, and thou shalt offer, having crushed the multitude of demons, whatsoever they before possessed to the Lord of all the earth; but because this shall be in the future, when the fullness of the Gentiles shall have entered in, and all Israel shall be saved, now meanwhile according to thy deserts I will lay waste, or, as it is in the Hebrew, cut down. For thou art not called, according to the Apostle, circumcision, but concision; nor do I call thee my daughter, but the daughter of a robber, who in Hebrew is called gedud, that is of the devil always girded for plundering. For thou hast made my house a den of thieves, thou hast resisted against me, and thy sons have laid siege against me, and against my Son and my Spirit. Is it not a contumely of the Trinity, when by thy doing, in rod and reed, the Romans struck the head of the Judge of Israel, saying: Prophesy to us, O Christ, who is he that struck thee? or when one of thy ministers struck him on the cheek, saying: Dost thou so answer the high priest?" This exposition is favored by the Septuagint when they translate: Now thou shalt be shut up with a shutting up, she hath laid anguish upon us; with a rod they shall strike upon the cheek the tribes of Israel, that is to say, Titus shall most closely besiege Jerusalem, and shall shut her up and straiten her, shall take her, and shall strike her on the cheek, as she herself struck Christ. Thus St. Jerome. Symbolically, Arias understands by the daughter of a robber paganism, namely Rome and other cities of the Gentiles, which persecuted Christ and the Apostles under Nero, Decius, Diocletian, etc.; but by Constantine the daughter of a robber, that is this paganism robbing Christians and afflicting them with martyrdoms, shall be laid waste and overthrown, and pagan Rome itself shall perish, and there shall be a new Christian Rome, indeed Rome once the head of paganism shall become the head of Christianity. Thus also the Hebrews and Vatablus, by the daughter of a robber understand Rome, whose first inhabitants were robbers, who made it an asylum of evildoers. Whence Juvenal, satire VIII: That thou mayest trace back far and revolve far the name, thou deducest thy race from an infamous asylum, whoever was the first of thy ancestors, either he was a shepherd, or that which I am unwilling to say. Therefore God will permit Israel to be afflicted by the Assyrians, that is, by any tyrants whatsoever, until she shall bring forth Christ in Bethlehem, who will crush the Assyrians, and bring back the remnant from captivity, and convert them to himself; so that in Christ he may show forth his mercy, equally as his power. Micheas plays upon a paronomasia in the words bat gedud, that is, daughter of a robber, which smote the judge of Israel בלחי ballechi, that is, in the jaw, and he opposes to it בית לחם bet lechem, that is, Bethlehem, which is the house and daughter of bread; as if to say, Nineveh through her Assyrians, plundering and robbing, smote Ezechias and the Jews; and allegorically Jerusalem smote Christ and the Christians in the jaw; but Bethlehem shall not be a plunderer, nor a robber, but rather shall give forth beneficent and abundant bread, and Christ himself, who shall rule Israel not as a plunderer and tyrant, but as a mild and generous king, who shall free his faithful ones from the daughter of the robber, and shall give them the bread of life both present and eternal.
5:2
2. And thou, Bethlehem Ephrata. — This is a famous prophecy concerning Christ. For Micheas alone predicted that Christ would be born in Bethlehem, and from this the scribes and magi sought Him in Bethlehem, recognized Him and adored Him, Matt. II, 6. But how does the Prophet pass from the daughter of a robber, as it were abruptly, to Bethlehem? How does this verse cohere and connect with the preceding one? Vatable connects it thus: he opposes, he says, Jerusalem to Bethlehem, as if to say: Thou, Jerusalem, because thou art the daughter of a robber, famous and renowned for thy robberies, shalt be punished and laid waste: but in Bethlehem, an obscure village, Christ is about to be born. Therefore Bethlehem is more excellent than thou, O Jerusalem, a royal and proud city. But I say that Micheas imitates Isaias: for just as Isaias, cap. VII, predicts that the Jews will be delivered from the hand of the robbers of Syria and Assyria through Emmanuel; so likewise Micheas here says, as if to say: The host of Sennacherib will be laid waste, namely the camps of the Assyrians; but not by thy strength, O Jerusalem, O Ezechias, but by the strength of Christ about to be born in Bethlehem, thus Theodoret: because Sennacherib is about to lay waste all Judea, and consequently Bethlehem itself, and only Jerusalem will remain, which he will besiege: hence on account of Christ about to be born in Bethlehem, and his foreseen merits, God will send an angel who will strike him, because he violated and despoiled Judea, and namely Bethlehem, which is to be the homeland of Christ. In a similar manner Isaias flies from Cyrus to Christ, cap. XLV, 8, saying: "Let the heavens drop down dew from above, and let the clouds rain the just." Again under the Assyrians, Scripture is wont to take any tyrants antonomastically, as I said on Isaias cap. VII, 17, as if to say: Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans and other tyrants will oppress thee, O Jerusalem, until Christ is born in Bethlehem, who will free thee from all of them. Finally, mystically the Assyrians signify demons, as if to say: That from the spiritual Assyrians, that is from demons, sins, death and hell, Christ will free us, He will be born in Bethlehem. This is what Micheas adds in verse 3: "Therefore will He give them up till the time wherein she that travaileth shall bring forth: and the remnant of thy brethren shall be converted," etc., as if to say. Note: Bethlehem was called by this name, partly from the fertility of the place, as I said on Gen. XXXV, 19, for Bethlehem in Hebrew is the same as house of bread, that is a place fertile in wheat, from which bread is made, as well as wine. For, as Adrichomius writes in his Description of the Holy Land: "Bethlehem is situated on a moderately high mountain, in a narrow and oblong position. The land beneath it excels greatly in the abundance of all things, especially wine, so that what is brought from other places of Palestine cannot be compared to it. Moreover the journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem is such that its pleasantness, trees, gardens, and fragrant herbs so delight those passing through, that if to so splendid a face of nature some heavenly and worthy Christian meditation should be added, one would seem to himself no longer to be on earth, but in paradise, beholding with present eyes the nativity and cradle of Christ." But partly Bethlehem is called from its prince, who was called Bethlehem, and gave his name to the city either founded and established by him, or illustrated by him, or confirmed the name given to it. For Bethlehem was the son of Salma, son of Caleb, son of Hur, son of Juda, as appears I Paral. II, 51 and 54, and cap. IV, 4. Thus Lyran, Dionysius, Hugh and Abulensis, there, who on those words I Paral. II, 51: Salma father of Bethlehem: "This one," he says, "was the prince of the city of Bethlehem in Juda, which was formerly called Ephrata," Gen. XXXV, 19. And Hugh: "From whom," he says, "Bethlehem in the tribe of Juda was named, from which Christ was born." Thus also from Castro here. Hence also I Esdras II, 21, the sons of Bethlehem, as it were patriarchs, are reckoned in a great number, namely one hundred twenty-three; and II Esdras VII, 26: "The sons of Bethlehem," it says, "and Nethupha one hundred eighty-eight." Wherefore in the time of Moses this city was not yet called Bethlehem, because neither Moses nor Bethlehem had yet entered into it or into the holy land. What therefore is named Bethlehem in Gen. XXXV, 19, appears to have been done not by Moses, who is the author of Genesis, but by the men of the Synagogue, who arranged and published the writings of Moses. after the times of Moses and Bethlehem. On which matter I have said more in the Preface to Genesis. Furthermore Bethlehem was distant from Jerusalem six miles, or six thousand paces, that is two French leagues, to the south. From Nazareth, however, where Christ was conceived and incarnate at the announcement of the archangel Gabriel, and from which the Blessed Virgin came to Bethlehem to give birth to Christ, it was distant thirty French leagues, namely a journey of three days. Thus the geographers. The Venerable Bede writes, in his book On Holy Places, chapter VIII; Borchard, Adrichomius and others that in the eastern corner of Bethlehem there is a rock adjacent to the wall itself, removed from the crowd and eyes of men, in which there is a certain natural semi-cave, which they used as it were as a stable for cattle, whose outer part is said to have been the place of the nativity of Christ, the inner part is called the Lord's manger. Whence St. Jerome, Origen and others say that Christ was born in a cave and cavern; namely, so that the most hidden mystery might be brought forth in a hidden place, and so that he might teach us to despise the halls and pomps of the world. But St. Helena decorated this cave with a most magnificent basilica built over it, concerning which more presently. From what has been said it appears that this cave was not situated in the city of Bethlehem itself, but outside in the suburban field, near the walls of the city, and this is expressly taught by Eusebius in book VII of the Demonstration of the Gospel, chapter V, and from him by Baronius. Whence it follows that Christ was born not in the city, but in the country as it were a rustic child, so that rustics might congratulate themselves with him as it were their fellow citizen, and therefore say with him: The fields please us, the citadels which Pallas founded. Let her herself dwell in them. Add that Christ was born in the country, by this very fact that he was born in Bethlehem: for this, in respect to Jerusalem and other cities of Judea, was as it were a rural village and hamlet, as I shall presently show. Finally, that from this rock a spring of water miraculously gushed forth on that very night in which Christ was born, and that it lasted until his own times, Beda writes in the place cited, and from him Baronius. Ephrata. — Bethlehem was formerly called Ephrata, partly from the fertility of the land already mentioned, from the root פרו para, that is, it bore fruit, just as from the same root Joseph called his son Ephraim, saying: "God hath made me to grow in the land of my poverty," Genesis XLI, 52; partly from Ephrata the wife of Caleb, from whom the firstborn Bethlehem was born; for Caleb from other wives had other firstborns. Thus the Abulensian in I Paralipomenon chapter II, and chapter IV. And it is clear from I Paralipomenon II, 19, where it is said: "And when Azuba (the former wife of Caleb) was dead, Caleb took to wife Ephrata, who bore him Hur." Again verse 50: "These were the sons of Caleb, the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrata, Sobal the father of Cariathiarim, Salma the father of Bethlehem." Ephrata therefore was the great-grandmother of Bethlehem: for she bore Hur, who was the great-grandfather of Bethlehem. For Hur begot Caleb, Caleb begot Salma, Salma begot Bethlehem. Rabanus, whom Hugo cites in I Paralipomenon chapter II and chapter IV, thinks that Ephrata was Mary, the sister of Moses, who after she was struck with leprosy Numbers XII, was called Ephrata, that is, she saw wrath, that is, she knew the anger of God by experience. She, he says, bore Hur, who with Aaron sustained the hands of Moses praying for victory, while Joshua fought against Amalec, Exodus 17. On the other hand St. Jerome, from Josephus, thinks that Caleb received Hur from Ephrata; but that Hur was the husband of Mary, the sister of Moses, and consequently that Ephrata was the mother-in-law of Mary. But others deny both, thinking that Mary remained a virgin. Thus St. Ambrose, the Nyssenus and Apponius, whom I cited at Exodus XV, 20. Bethlehem therefore is surnamed Ephrata, as if to say Bethlehem built on fertile soil, in which Ephrata, the wife of Caleb, dwelt, or certainly her descendants. It was also called Bethlehem of Judah to distinguish it from another Bethlehem which was in the tribe of Zebulon, Joshua XIX, 10. Third, it was called Bethlehem of Caleb, who was the husband of Ephrata. For in I Paralipomenon II, 24, in the Hebrew it is found: And after the death of Hesron in Caleb Ephrata. Fourth, it was called the city of David, because David was born in it. From Ephrata were called the Ephrathites. Thus David, I Kings XVII, 12, is called "the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah," and Machalon and Chelion the sons of Noemi are called "Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah," Ruth 1, 2. Whence it appears that the whole fertile region was called Ephrata, in which the city built was called Bethlehem Ephrata, or of Judah. Mystically, otherwise St. Jerome: Ephrata, he says, which is interpreted as fury, signifies the madness of Herod, who raging there with hatred against Christ, on account of him slew all the infants. Soon, however, St. Jerome also interprets Ephrata as fertile, so that it may correspond to Bethlehem, that is, the house of bread. St. Ambrose follows the former interpretation in his commentary on Micah, book II, at the end. For addressing the sinner: "Let no one, he says, despair of remedy: behold for you where the house of one seeing fury was, there is the house of bread: where cruelty was, there is piety: where the punishment of the innocent, there is the redemption of all, as it is written: And thou, Bethlehem the house of Ephrata, art not the least among the princes of Juda; for out of thee shall come forth the captain in Israel. Bethlehem is the house of bread, Ephrata the house of one seeing fury. In Bethlehem Christ was born of Mary: and the same Bethlehem is Ephrata. In the house therefore of fury was Christ born, and therefore it is now no longer the house of fury, but the house of bread: because it received bread, he who came down from heaven. And the house of one seeing fury, Ephrata, because there Herod, while seeking Christ, determined that the infants should be slain. But now let no one fear, because that rest which David sought was heard in Ephrata, was found in the fields of the forest. Then still the forest was the gathering of nations; but after it believed in Christ, it became fruitful: because it received the fruit of the blessed womb." He then adds another analogy: "Rachel therefore died in childbirth, because even then, as it were the wife of the patriarch, she saw the fury of Herod, who spared not even the tenderest age. And at the same time in Ephrata she bore Benjamin superior in appearance, posterior in mystery, namely Paul, who before he was born caused not small sorrows to his mother, whose sons he persecuted. And there she died and was buried, so that we, dead and buried with Christ, might rise again in the Church. Hence by another interpretation Ephrata is signified either as made fertile, or as filled with fruits. And it is in the least, because few are they who enter into the house of bread by the narrow way. And it is not in the least, that is among those making progress, which did not know Christ. Nor is it the least, which is the house of blessing and the receptacle of divine grace: and in it the least, to whom he who contributes anything seems to contribute to Christ. And whoever desires the Church desires Christ. For in any of these least Christ is either harmed or honored, according as he himself says: For what you did to one of these least, you did to me." Thou art little. — In Hebrew צעיר tsair, that is, thou art small, a youth; the Septuagint, thou art the least. You will say: St. Matthew, chapter II, 6, translates otherwise, namely, "thou art not the least." First, Osiander the Lutheran transfers tsair as little; whence he translates: Hark thou Bethlehem Ephrata, thou art little to be among the thousands of Juda. Which is the same in meaning as what St. Matthew has: "Thou art not the least among the princes of Juda." But he errs; for tsair is a noun, not an adverb, and signifies small, not little. Second, Clarius, Mariana and Jansenius in Matthew II, read by interrogation: Art thou little among the thousands of Juda? as if to say, Not at all; and thus read the Gothic Bible of St. Isidore. But the Roman Bible and other Latin ones lack this mark of interrogation. I say therefore that here in Micah an adversative particle but is tacitly understood from the connection of the discourse, just as the same is understood Psalm CXVIII, 141 and 157, and elsewhere, as if to say, O Bethlehem, thou art indeed little, if thou consider walls, if houses, if citizens, if extent, if fame; but nevertheless thou art not at all little, if thou regard princes either given by thee, or to be given: for thou hast given David, thou shalt give Christ. This the Hebrew signifies, which word for word thus reads: And thou Bethlehem Ephrata, thou art little to be among the thousands of Juda; yet from thee shall come forth to me one to be ruler in Israel, as if to say, Thou art little as to place; for thou art smaller than to be reckoned and equalled with other great cities of Juda; but as to the ruler to be given from thee, thou art not small, but great. Whence the Zurich Bible and Vatable translate: Thou art indeed little among the thousands of Juda; but from thee shall come forth to me one who shall be ruler in Israel. Thus St. Jerome, Theodoret, Remigius, Albert, Lyra, Arias and others everywhere. And St. Gregory of Nazianzus, oration 19: "Nothing, he says, prevented Bethlehem from being at the same time both a small city and the metropolis of the whole earth: as being the mother and nurse of Christ." Whence the Arabic version of Antioch translates: And thou Bethlehem, city (village) small, shalt not be among the thousands of Juda; for out of thee shall come forth a ruler over Israel; and the Arabic version of Alexandria: And thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, shalt not be humble among the thousands of Juda; for out of thee shall come forth a head over Israel, and his days from the days of eternity; and the Syriac: Thou indeed Bethlehem Ephrata, art small that thou mayest be (or that thou art) among the thousands of Juda; out of thee shall come forth a ruler who shall be (or shall be) over Israel, and his going forth from the beginning from the days of the world: now shall he deliver them until the time when she that travaileth shall bring forth. And Prudentius in the Hymn of the Epiphany: O sole of great cities Greater Bethlehem, to whom it fell To bring forth from heaven The Leader of salvation Incarnate. Whom the star, which surpasses The sun's wheel in beauty and light, Announces to have come to the earth, God with earthly flesh. Furthermore, that some say before St. Jerome that St. Matthew was deceived in memory, so that for "thou art very small" he wrote "thou art not very small," it is impious to say: for St. Matthew did not write these things of himself, but by the dictation and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is more probable that the Septuagint, whom the Evangelists are accustomed to follow, translated "thou art not very small," and that St. Matthew followed them. For thus from the Septuagint read Theodoret, Origen, book I Against Celsus; Cyprian, II. Testimonies, chapter XII; Eusebius, book VI Demonstration, chapter XV; Ambrose, book V, epistle 1; Augustine, book XVIII On the City of God, chapter XXX; although the Royal Bible, the Complutensian, the Vatican, and St. Jerome in the Septuagint read "thou art small." Bethlehem, city, is called here small in the masculine, not small in the feminine. You will ask why: First, Jansenius in Matthew II, answers that a village is understood, as if to say: And thou, Bethlehem, who art a small village: for village in Hebrew is called masculine פלך pelech, or שוק schuc, or חוץ chuts. Others understand it as people; for from the people of Bethlehem Christ was born. Thus Israel and Juda are taken throughout the Prophets in the masculine, because עם am, that is, people, is understood. Third, Ribera thinks the reason is that the Hebrews by metaphor call cities men; whence it is called daughter of Sion, daughter of Babylon, etc. Yet cities are usually compared to women, not men; because they are beautiful, adorned and pompous like matrons, or splendid daughters clothed. Why then is Bethlehem here compared to a man, or youth, and called tsair, that is, small? I answer, because it regards the man Bethlehem, who was the founder of the city of Bethlehem, or its prince, as I have already shown. Thus he speaks metonymically of the city, in the name and person of its prince; because he compares it with thousands, and with the princes of Juda. Hence, because Judas was a man, and the tribe of Juda was celebrated for manly strength and dominion, therefore Bethlehem, which was of the tribe of Juda, he introduces as it were a strong youth, who might be compared and contend with other men of his tribe, namely with the princes of Juda, as if to say: O Bethlehem prince of the city of Bethlehem, thou art not at all the least among the princes of Juda: because from thy city of Bethlehem, and from thy descendants, Christ shall be born. It is a metonymy: for the prince is taken for the city, which he inhabits and rules. Similar is that of Virgil: "Now Ucalegon next door burns," that is, the house of Ucalegon. This exposition is confirmed first, from the Septuagint, καὶ σὺ οἶκος τοῦ Βηθλεὲμ τοῦ Εὐφρατᾶ, that is, and thou house of Bethlehem son of Ephrata. Where the article τοῦ masculine indicates the man Bethlehem, who gave his name to the city of Bethlehem. Thus Nineveh from Ninus its founder is often called Ninus. Second, from a similar passage in Joshua, chapter XIV, verse 15, where concerning Hebron, which was formerly called Cariat Arbe, that is, the city of Arbe the giant, it is said: Adam the greatest was there among the Enacim; for which the Septuagint translates, the metropolis of the cities of the Enacim itself; where Cariat Arbe, a city, is called Adam, that is, the greatest man, that is, the metropolis of the cities, which the Enacim, or giants, occupied, as the Septuagint translates. For because the giants were great and warlike men, hence likewise their city and metropolis is called by the name Adam, and of a man, not a woman. Thus here Bethlehem, because it was manly, and brought forth the greatest men, namely Bethlehem, Jesse, David, and especially Christ; hence it is compared to a man, not a woman. This is indeed what follows: "Out of thee shall come forth to me one that shall be a ruler in Israel," a man surely, not a woman, whom therefore it befits to be born from thee as from a man. Sanchez adds that Bethlehem is given a masculine epithet, because in etymology and termination it is masculine, although in meaning it is feminine. For it is compounded of bet and lechem, that is, house of bread, which are masculine names in Hebrew. Thus Toledo, Louvain, Liège, Ghent, in termination are neuter; Paris, Bourges, masculine. Thus Ovid uses Lesbos, and Virgil Abydos in the masculine. Ovid, XI Metamorphoses: And the Mytileneans attempt the shores of Lesbos. Virgil, I Georgic: "The sea and the oyster-bearing straits of Abydos are attempted." Symbolically, Micah represented both the smallness and greatness of Bethlehem: for he himself was in fact a great Prophet, but small in name. For the Hebrew Micha, that is Micah, is a shortened and abbreviated form of Michaiah, or Michaiahu. Whence Pagninus in his Hebrew Names considers that the prophet Micah, who threatened death to King Ahab, was called Micha by him in contempt (for thus it is in the Hebrew, III Kings, XXII, 8) instead of Michaiahu: for this was his proper and full name. In a similar manner the Jews, for Yeshua, or Yehoshua, shortened to the disparagement and contempt of our Christ, write in Hebrew Yesu. Thus in Gen. XXIII, 16, Ephron, after he sold the sepulchre, is called Ephran, with the letter vau removed. And in Jer. cap. XXII, 24, the impious king Jeconiah is diminished and called Coniah in the Hebrew: just as the Flemish call base men who are named John, shortened and in contempt, Hennen; and Sebastians, Bastiaen; Antonies, Tonen. Thus also the Italians, Spanish, French and other peoples. Hence Micha in Hebrew is the same as "who art thou?" that is the same as Matthias, who was the last and posthumous, and therefore the least of the Apostles. For Matthias is the same as מי אתה mi atta, that is "who art thou?" The same is signified by מיך Micha. For atta, that is thou, when it is affixed, as it is here, is changed to cha. Micah therefore among the Prophets was what Matthias was among the Apostles. I know that there are also other etymologies and meanings of these names: but those do not pertain to the present matter. In the thousands of Juda. — From the Hebrew and Chaldean a twofold sense can be had. The first, thou art small, that is thou art less than thou shouldest be numbered among the thousands of Juda. The second, thou art so small that thou shouldest not be reckoned among the illustrious cities of Juda which are few, but among the thousands of villages and hamlets which are in Juda. Thus Arias. But the first sense agrees better with the Hebrew, especially because by antithesis he opposes Bethlehem to the thousands of Juda. Thus St. Jerome, Haymo, Remigius, Rupertus, Hugo, Lyran, Dionysius, Clarius and others. Note: For thousands in Hebrew it is אלפים alaphim, which first signifies thousands; second, princes; whence St. Matthew cap. II has: "In the princes of Juda;"; third, chiliarchies. According to the first meaning the sense will be: O Bethlehem, thou art scarcely a small village, and too small to lift up thy head or be reckoned among the great and renowned cities of Juda, which abound in many thousands of citizens; but although thou art smallest in multitude, yet thou art greatest in dignity: because thou shalt bring forth Christ. Thus St. Jerome and the others already cited. According to the second meaning, the sense will be, as if to say: O Bethlehem, thou art small, nay the smallest, if thou considerest thy territory, among the princes, namely cities, or even men of Juda: for thou art smallest both in place and in the produce of former princes; because thou hast given few princes to Juda: but thou art by no means the smallest among the princes of Juda, if thou considerest the ruler who shall come forth from thee, namely the Messiah. According to the third meaning, the sense will be: O Bethlehem, if thou numberest thy citizens, thou art small among the chiliarchies of Juda; nay, thou dost not deserve a tribune or chiliarch, who should preside over a thousand citizens, because thou scarcely numberest a thousand citizens: but nevertheless thou art by no means small, if thou regardest Christ who shall be born from thee. For he shall be not only a chiliarch, but the Lord of all the Israelites, nay of all men and angels. Note: The people of Israel was distributed by Moses into chiliads, as appears in Exodus XVIII, 25; just as now camps are distributed into chiliads, so that each chiliad contains a thousand soldiers, over whom a chiliarch or tribune presides. The cities therefore of Israel were distributed by chiliads, that is by assemblies and tribes, each of which contained a thousand citizens. Hence Gideon, Judges VI, 15, says to the angel in Hebrew אלפי alphi, that is my chiliad is the smallest of all the chiliads which are in Manasseh. A chiliad, that is a tribe of a thousand, to which my family shall be reckoned. Whence our translator clearly renders: "Behold my family is the least in Manasseh." Out of thee shall come forth unto me. — Note: Some refer the "unto me" to Micah, because he himself said in the preceding verse: "They have set over us," etc. Whence it appears that he speaks in his own person and that of his people, as if to say: Unto me Micah and my nation, and thus to the whole world shall Christ be born. Thus Castro. But in this case he would more properly have said "unto us," as Isaiah said in chapter IX, 6: "A little child is born to us." Wherefore it is better that Remigius, Haymo, Albert, Vatablus and others refer the "unto me" to God and to the Eternal Father. For the Prophet speaks in his person: these words are therefore to be understood, which Prophets are accustomed to prefix to their oracles in the usual manner, or, if they do not prefix them, they understand them: "Thus saith the Lord," as if to say: Thus saith the Lord: Out of thee, O Bethlehem, shall come forth Christ unto me, that is, for my service, praise and glory; namely that my name may be celebrated in Israel, indeed in the whole world, and that all nations may be subject to me and reconciled. Again, unto me, that is, for me, and in my stead may be ruler and governor in Israel; namely that for me he may establish and govern my Church of the faithful. Thus the Apostle says in Romans I, 3: "Who was made to him of the seed of David according to the flesh." You will say: in verse 4, Micah speaks of God in the third person; therefore here he does not speak of him in the first person, saying unto me. I answer: In the Prophets there are frequent enallages and changes of persons; for they speak in the manner of dialogue; but in dialogues various persons are introduced one after another. Most excellently does Nazianzen, in Oration 38 on the Nativity of Christ, begin thus: "Christ is born: glorify him. Christ comes from heaven: go forth to meet him. Christ is on earth; be lifted up: sing to the Lord, all the earth. And that I may bring these two together, let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth exult on account of him who is heavenly, and afterwards earthly. Christ in the flesh: exult with trembling and joy: with trembling, on account of sin; with joy, on account of hope. Christ from a Virgin: women, honor virginity, that you may be mothers of Christ. Who does not adore him who is from the beginning? Who does not praise and celebrate him who is last?" And further down: "Let John cry out: Prepare the way of the Lord: I too will cry out the power and might of this day: he who is without flesh is incarnate: the Word becomes dense: the invisible is seen: the untouchable is touched: he who is free from time takes his beginning: the Son of God becomes the son of man. Jesus Christ yesterday, and today, the same and forever. Let the Jews be offended, let the Greeks mock, let heretics be affected with itching of the tongue. Then they will believe, when they see him ascending into heaven: and if not even then, certainly when they see him descending from heaven, and sitting as judge." And after reviewing the darkness of the world, its vices and miseries, he adds: "Since these required greater help, they also received it. But this was the Son of God himself, he who is older than the ages, he who is invisible, he who is incomprehensible, he who is incorporeal, that beginning from the beginning, that light from light, he the fountain of life and immortality, that expression of the archetype, that immovable seal, that image similar in all things, he the term and reason of the Father: he, I say, conforms himself to his image, and bears flesh for flesh, and joins himself with an intellectual soul for my soul, that he may purify like by like. And he assumes all things human except sin, conceived indeed from the Virgin with soul and body purified by the Spirit (for both procreation ought to be honored, and virginity to be preferred): advancing moreover as God with humanity, one from two things contrary to each other, namely flesh and spirit, of which he deified the one, and the other was deified. O new mixture! O admirable temperament! He who is, becomes: he who was not created, is created: he who cannot be contained in any place, through the intervention of an intellectual soul, is contained between divinity and the density of flesh. He who enriches others with wealth, is afflicted with poverty: for he takes upon himself the poverty of my flesh, that I may obtain the riches of his divinity. He who is full, is emptied: for his glory is emptied for a brief time, that I may be made a partaker of his fullness. What are these riches of goodness? What mystery surrounds me? I received the divine image, and did not keep it: he becomes a partaker of my flesh, that he may bring salvation to the image, and immortality to the flesh; he enters into partnership with us, and indeed far more admirable than the former. For then he imparted to us what was superior: but now he himself becomes a partaker of what is inferior. This is more divine than that former: this is far more sublime in the eyes of prudent and wise men." And then he shows that this condescension of the Word was not unworthy, but worthy, both that he might lift up men who had fallen to the depths, and that like a physician with immense mercy he might descend to heal the sick, and that he might show us the best path to sublimity through humility. For because of the soul inclined toward the earth, he says, he humbles himself, so that he might raise up with himself that which bends downward on account of sin: "unless perhaps someone should accuse a physician on this account, that he bends toward the disease and endures the stench, so that he might grant health to the sick; and also one who, moved by affection of humanity and compassion, lowers himself into a pit, so that he might save the fallen beast according to the prescription of the law." The same in the Sentences: "The Word of the Father," he says, "is our man, so that by such a mixture God might mingle himself with men. He is one God on both sides, having become man to this extent, that he might make me, who am mortal, into God." Who shall be the ruler in Israel. — First, the Jews according to Lyra understand by this ruler Hezekiah; but wrongly. For Hezekiah was born a king in the royal city, namely in Jerusalem, not in Bethlehem. Add to this: Hezekiah was already born when Micah predicted this ruler would be born. For under Hezekiah he had the oracle, as I said at the beginning of the chapter and in chapter III, 8. Second, Theodore of Mopsuestia the heretic, with his disciples and followers, of whom he had many, understood by this ruler Zerubbabel; but equally wrongly. For Zerubbabel was born in Babylon, not in Bethlehem; and from this he was called in Hebrew Zerubbabel, as it were זרע בבל, seed of Babylon, that is, son of Babylon; for Jeconiah begat Shealtiel in Babylon, Shealtiel begat Zerubbabel, Matthew I, 12, who after 70 years of captivity brought the Jews from Babylon into Judea, with Cyrus permitting it. Add to this: Zerubbabel was not a ruler, that is, a king, in Israel; much less was his going forth from the days of eternity. Wherefore the Council of Constantinople, the general council in the fifth order, act. II, condemns this explanation along with others of the same kind, as Jewish and erroneous, and the Council of Rome under Vigilius, as I said in the Preface. I say therefore that it is certain from faith that this ruler is Christ. Thus all the orthodox Greeks, Latins and Hebrews according to Galatinus, book IV, chapter XIII; whence also the Chaldean translator expressly rendered it: From thee before me shall Christ go forth. Thus also when Christ was born of old, the scribes, asked by the Magi and Herod where Christ would be born, answered: "In Bethlehem of Judea. For so it is written by the Prophet (Micah in this place): And thou, Bethlehem, land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come forth a ruler, that shall rule my people Israel," Matthew II, 6. And again: "Doth not the Scripture say: That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem the town where David was?" John VII, 42. Whence it is clear that the common sense of the Synagogue was then, and is now of the Church, that this passage is to be understood of Christ: for no other Prophet predicted that the place of Christ's nativity would be Bethlehem, except Micah here. Add that St. Matthew and Luke the evangelists, when they report this answer of the scribes concerning Christ about to be born in Bethlehem, approve it, nay, they report it for this reason, that they might teach that this sign of the Messiah was fulfilled in Christ, which among the Jews by the common confession of all gave the Messiah to the whole world, namely God made man born! in which Christ coming forth into the world, first beheld light, heaven and this soil: surely Bethlehem surpasses all royal cities, all metropolises, all the emporia of the world in nobility, as much as in holiness. Note: This illustrious oracle, by which the Magi came to know the place of Christ's nativity and Christ himself, was published by Micah under King Hezekiah, after Samaria had been laid waste, before Jerusalem was besieged by Sennacherib, as is evident from the words of verse 10 and chapter III, 10. It was therefore published in the 9th or 10th year of Hezekiah: for the destruction of Samaria occurred in the 6th year of Hezekiah, the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib in the 14th year of Hezekiah: but in the intervening time this oracle was published. Whence it follows that Micah published it about twenty-two years after that prophecy of Isaiah concerning the same birth of Christ, chapter VII, 14: "Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son: and his name shall be called Emmanuel." For Isaiah published this in the 4th year of Ahaz, as I have shown there: but Ahaz reigned for 16 years. His son Hezekiah succeeded him, in whose approximately 10th year Micah prophesied these things. Wherefore, since Isaiah published this oracle of his concerning Christ in the year of the world 3207, but before Christ in the year 742, it follows that Micah published his oracle concerning Christ about to be born in Bethlehem in the year of the world approximately 3229, but before Christ in the year 720. In which time the Sibyl Erythræa flourished, whose verses concerning the nativity, judgment and resurrection of Christ St. Augustine recounts in book XVIII of the City of God, chapter XXIII. Note secondly: From Bethlehem came forth many princes and illustrious men. The first was Ibzan the judge, that is, a prince of Israel, who had thirty sons and as many daughters, Judges XII, 8. The second, Elimelech the husband of Naomi; to whose son Ruth was married, and when he died she married Booz; by whom she bore Obed the father of Jesse, from whom David was born, as is evident from the book of Ruth. The third, David the king, from whom the whole family of the kings of Israel and Judah descended, down to the last king Zedekiah. Bethlehem was therefore the nursery of the entire royal and Davidic line, and the common homeland: since it was fitting that she, who was about to bring forth the King of heaven, should first prove herself with so many heroes, and have them herald her, so that finally even by human judgment this homeland might be deemed worthy, which by the ultimate work of virtue brought forth, something beyond heroes and all men, namely the Son of God himself, for the world to adore. Moreover, Samuel in Bethlehem anointed David, the least of his brothers, as king, I Kings XVI. Hence Bethlehem is called the "city of David." Hence also Rehoboam, the grandson of David through Solomon, restored Bethlehem, and built it with new houses and walls, II Paralipomenon XI, 6. You will ask, why did Christ wish to be born in Bethlehem rather than in Rome, or Jerusalem, or some other place? I answer first, that by being born in Bethlehem he might demonstrate that Christ is the son of David the Bethlehemite, to whom he had been promised by God, and therefore that he himself is the true Messiah. St. Luke indicates this reason, chapter II, saying: "Because he was of the house and family of David." Secondly, that by being born in a humble place, he might more show forth his power, by which he advanced himself to the kingdom, according to that passage I Corinthians I: "God chose the weak things of the world, that he might confound the strong, and the ignoble things of the world, etc." Thirdly, because Bethlehem was on the way to Jerusalem: but it was fitting that Christ be born on the way and in pilgrimage, because, as St. Gregory says, "through the humanity which he assumed, he was born, as it were, in a foreign land." Fourthly, that by this poor and humble nativity of his he might merit for us a sublime nativity through grace and glory, and a lofty place in heaven; and "by his poverty might prepare for us many mansions in the house of his Father," as the Venerable Bede says in Luke chapter II. Tropologically, first, because, just as Christ chose and taught humility and poverty, and refuted pride and arrogance; so He chose a humble and poor country, namely Bethlehem, and a similar manner of birth. Whence St. Leo, sermon 1 On the Epiphany: "He who, says he, had taken the form of a servant, chose Bethlehem for His nativity, Jerusalem for His passion." Christ therefore being born, from the manger as from a throne, not by voice, but by deed preaches and cries out: O ye sons of men, why do you love vanity, and seek after lying? Learn from me to despise palaces, riches, delights, pride, the pomps of the world: for vanity of vanities, and all things are vanity. Learn from me that I am poor, and humble of heart: learn to fix your heart in heaven, to seek the riches and honors of heaven. Augustus sat on the lofty summit of the Roman empire and throne, Christ lay in a humble stable: yet Christ in the stable was more exalted than Augustus on the summit of empire. Whence St. Bernard, sermon 3 On the Nativity: Either, says he, Christ is deceived, or the world errs (for they teach things diverse and repugnant), but it is impossible for divine Wisdom to be deceived: therefore the world errs, all followers of the world err, according to that of the Psalm: "I said, these always err in heart." And St. Augustine, sermon 18 On the Season, which is On the Nativity: "All, says he, the school of this nativity, is a workshop of humility." Second, Bethlehem in Hebrew signifies house of bread: it represents therefore Christ, who is the bread of the world, and manna descending from heaven. Thus St. Jerome. Hear St. Gregory, homily 8 in the Gospel: "Well is Christ born in Bethlehem. For He Himself is He who says: I am the living bread, which came down from heaven. Likewise the place in which the Lord is born was formerly called the house of bread: because it was to come to pass that He would appear through the matter of flesh, who would refresh the minds of the elect with internal satiety." Bethlehem therefore was Ephrata, that is, fruitful, and the granary of the whole earth: because from it the whole world received bread, not for seven years, as the Egyptians from Joseph, Genesis XLI, 36 and 55, but of eternal life, which is Christ. Seven noble cities of Greece contend for Homer's native soil, and each strives to claim him as its citizen: how glorious therefore is Bethlehem which by the consent and confession of all, gave to the whole world the Messiah, namely God made man! in which Christ coming forth into the world, first beheld the light, the heaven and this soil: surely Bethlehem surpasses all royal palaces, all metropolises, all the emporiums of the world in nobility, as much as in holiness. For Christ celebrated it by His nativity far more than Aristotle his Stagira, Cato his Tusculum, Cicero his Arpinum. Wherefore the Fathers celebrate Bethlehem with wonderful praises and eulogies. This place drew to itself from the West St. Jerome, St. Paula, St. Eustochium, and innumerable crowds of noble matrons and men, who preferred Bethlehem to Rome, and there chose to live and die at the manger of Christ; for which reason St. Paula there built three monasteries for women, over which she herself presided; and one for men, over which St. Jerome presided. Hear St. Jerome concerning St. Paula, in her Life: "And entering into Bethlehem, and going into the cave of the Savior, after she saw the sacred lodging of the Virgin and the stable, in which she recognized the ox his master, and the ass the manger of his Lord, that it might be fulfilled which is written in the same Prophet: Blessed is he that soweth upon the waters, where the ox and the ass tread; she swore in my hearing that she saw with the eyes of faith the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, crying in the manger, the Lord adored by the Magi, the star shining from above, the virgin mother, the diligent nurse, the shepherds coming by night, that they might see the Word that was made, and then already she dedicated the beginning of the Evangelist John: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was made flesh; the infants slain, Herod raging, Joseph and Mary fleeing into Egypt, and mingling joy with tears she spoke: Hail, Bethlehem, house of bread, in which was born that bread which came down from heaven: hail, Ephrata, most fertile region, and fruitful, whose fertility is God." She then cites this oracle of Micah: "Concerning thee Micah once prophesied: And thou Bethlehem, house of Ephrata, art not the least among the thousands of Juda. Out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel, and His going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity. Therefore will He give them up till the time of her that travaileth. She shall bring forth, and the remnant of His brethren shall be converted to the children of Israel. For in thee was born the prince, who before the morning star was begotten, whose nativity from the Father surpasseth every age. And so long in thee did the origin of the Davidic line remain, until a virgin should bring forth." And further down: "Well did David swear, well did he make vows, saying: If I shall enter into the tabernacle of my house, if I shall go up into the bed of my couch, if I shall give sleep to my eyes, and slumber to my eyelids, and rest to my temples, until I find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. And immediately he set forth what he desired, and with prophetic eyes, him whom we now believe has come, he saw coming: Behold we heard of him in Ephrata, we found him in the fields of the wood: for indeed the Hebrew word (for in Hebrew it is vau cholem, that is, his masculine), as I have learned from your teaching, does not signify Mary the mother of the Lord, that is abrav, but himself, that is abres. Whence he speaks confidently: We will go into his tabernacle, we will adore in the place where his feet stood. And I, wretched and sinful, am judged worthy to kiss the manger in which the Lord, a little child, cried: to pray in the cave in which the virgin in childbed brought forth the Lord as an infant? This is my rest, because it is the country of my Lord: here will I dwell, because the Saviour hath chosen it. I have prepared a lamp for my Christ, my soul shall live to him, and my seed shall serve him. Not far from there he descended to the tower of Eder, that is of the flock, near which Jacob fed his flocks, and the shepherds watching in the night deserved to hear: Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace to men of good will; and while they kept the sheep, they found the Lamb of God, with fleece pure and most clean, which in the dryness of all the earth was sprinkled with heavenly dew: and whose blood took away the sins of the world, and drove the destroyer of Egypt from the shore to the doorposts." The same St. Jerome, in the name of St. Paula and Eustochium, inviting St. Marcella to Bethlehem in epistle 17: "By what discourse, says he, by what voice can we set forth the cave to you of the Saviour? And that manger, in which the little infant cried, is to be honored rather by silence than by the lowest speech. Where are the broad porticoes? where the gilded ceilings? where the house clothed in the sufferings of the wretched and the labor of the damned? where basilicas built like a palace from the wealth of the destitute, so that a precious inhabitant might walk through the vile body of a man, and as if anything could be more ornate to the world, they would prefer to look upon their own roofs rather than heaven? Behold in this small hole of the earth the maker of the heavens was born: here wrapped in swaddling clothes, here seen by shepherds, here shown by a star, here adored by the Magi. And I think this place is holier than the Tarpeian rock, which, often struck by lightning from heaven, showed that it displeased the Lord. And then, with Christ accompanying, when through Shiloh, and Bethel, and other places, in which the churches as it were certain standards of the victories of the Lord are erected, we shall have returned to our cave; we will sing continually, we will weep frequently, we will pray without ceasing, and wounded by the arrow of the Saviour, we will say together: I have found him whom my soul sought, I will hold him, and will not let him go. See the same, epistle 18 to the same Marcella. Moreover in Bethlehem St. Paula died and was buried, having lived there holily and religiously for twenty years, to whom St. Jerome placed this epitaph: Scipio whom she bore, Paula's parents brought forth; Greek offspring, the renowned progeny of Agamemnon; In this tomb lies she, whom the ancients called Paula, Mother of Eustochium, first of the Roman senate: She followed the poverty of Christ, and the fields of Bethlehem. Hear St. Cyprian, tract. On the Nativity of Christ: "They come to Bethlehem; whom Gabriel foretold, Emmanuel is found: a small city, a poor house, scanty furnishings; no house of ambition, save a reclining place in a stable: mother in hay, son in a manger. Such a lodging did the maker of the world choose, such delights did the childbed of the holy Virgin have. Swaddling clothes instead of purple, instead of fine linen in royal ornament, small garments are gathered: the mother is the midwife, and shows devoted service to her beloved offspring; she touches, embraces, joins kisses, offers her breast, the whole business full of joy: no deceit, no affront to nature in childbed. Handmaidens, the substance of the household does not allow, the service of slaves, scanty expense, and a poor table exclude." Moreover in Bethlehem appeared and stood the star appearing to the Magi, by whose indication they recognized Christ there, and adoring him there, to the same Gold, frankincense, myrrh, to king, and man and God They bring gifts, as Juvencus sings. Wherefore Prudentius in Carm. On the Epiphany thus celebrates the same: O sole greater among great cities Bethlehem, to whom it fell To bring forth from heaven the Leader of salvation Incarnate. Whom the star, which surpasses the wheel of the sun In beauty and light, Announces has come to the earth, God with earthly flesh, etc. Bethlehem therefore is "the rising of the world, and the metropolis of the earth," as Nazianzen says in oration 19, and the house of bread, in which Christ the bread from heaven arises. Whence St. Chrysostom, sighing for it in chapter II of Luke, rightly says: "O if it were permitted to me, he says, to see that manger, in which Christ lay!" St. Jerome writes to Paulinus that the Emperor Adrian profaned Bethlehem, erecting there a statue of Adonis; "so that in the cave, where once the little Christ cried out, the lover of Venus would be mourned." Adonis stood there for 180 years until the Emperor Constantine, when St. Helena his mother, having destroyed the Adonis statue, built a magnificent church over that very cave, and over that very manger in which the Lamb of God reclined, erected an altar, in which He who once first shone forth to the world there for the salvation of men is perpetually offered to God. And Constantine himself also adorned that same cave with royal ornaments of gold and silver, and with various tapestries; so that this basilica was a wonder of the world, nor was there anything like it in the whole earth. For it is exceedingly lofty and most spacious, whose entire upper vault consists of four orders of marble columns, admirable in magnitude and multitude. For each order had fifty columns, of singular workmanship, value and expense; over these columns the nave of the church rises with vermiculated work, which displayed all the histories of the Old Testament, from the beginning of the world to Christ, distinguished by wonderful workmanship and variety of colors. The walls are encrusted with tables of most precious alabaster; their wealth and beauty were such that the Sultan of Egypt attempted sacrilegiously to remove them and to adorn his palace in Cairo with them, but being deterred from the crime by a huge serpent miraculously coming forth from the wall and biting those very tables, he desisted; for which reason even the Turks and Saracens reverently frequent this temple. The entire pavement is of marble. But to the place of the most sweet nativity of Christ, one descends from the temple into a chapel by ten steps, a place more venerable than heaven itself, and to be venerated by all the faithful with eternal memory. This place is covered by a white marble table, on which the Sacred rite is also performed. Moreover, that part of the stone in which Christ is said to have been born, and that part of the manger in which He was laid, are not covered with marble, but lie bare for the adoration and kissing of pilgrims. The stone on which Mary reclined, and on which she knelt and sat, has the likeness of a star. And this entire chapel is adorned with sumptuous work of marble and gold. Nor is the place of circumcision far from the temple. To the east, as far as a stone's throw, the monuments of St. Paula and Eustochium are seen. These and many more things Saligniacus, Borchardus, Bredembachius and from them Adrichomius relate in the Description of the Holy Land. The same things were affirmed to me in Rome by grave men who recently visited Bethlehem and the holy places. Merit therefore St. Bernard, sermon 1 in the Vigil of the Nativity: "O Bethlehem small, he says, but now magnified by the Lord. He magnified you, who was made small in you from great. What city, if it heard, would not envy that precious stable, and the glory of that manger? For throughout all the earth your name is now celebrated, and all generations call you blessed; everywhere glorious things are spoken of you, city of God, everywhere it is sung: Because a man is born in her, and the Highest Himself hath founded her. St. Gregory Nazianzen, oration 38: "Reverence the description, he says, by which you yourself are described in the heavens: and the nativity, by which you are loosed from the bonds of nativity: and honor that small Bethlehem, which brought you back to paradise: and adore the manger, honor the manger, because when you were without reason, you were nourished by the Word. Know, as an ox, your master (Isaiah admonishes you), and as an ass the manger of your Lord; whether you be clean and a Jew, or unclean and of the heathen part." The same, when Arians objected to him a base country and family, answers, oration 25: "That one and the same heaven is common to all, that one and the same earth has the nature of a parent and a sepulcher, from which we are taken, or to which we return, no one now surpassing another in any respect. Having obtained God as the patron of my rusticity, I shall be placed with Bethlehem, I shall be despised with the manger." And below: "For all great and exalted men one country is the heavenly Jerusalem, in which we hide our conversation. But these earthly countries, and these distinctions of families, are the brief and perishable life of ours, and the stage of a play. For whatever land anyone has occupied either through tyranny or through calamity, that is called a country, of which we are all equally guests and strangers, however much we play with the appellation of names." Tropologically, let us set this Bethlehem before our eyes and imagine ourselves to be in it, and there with the eyes of the mind let us behold Christ being born, while in the temple on the night of the Lord's Nativity we recall this mystery; indeed, while daily in the sacrifice of the Mass the same is represented to us. Truly and wisely indeed did our Thomas Theodidactus write, book IV of the Imitation of Christ, chapter II: "So great, new and pleasant ought it to appear to you when you celebrate, or hear Mass, as if on that very day Christ, first descending into the womb of the Virgin, had become man: or hanging on the cross, had suffered and died for the salvation of men." Therefore the temple represents Bethlehem, the altar the manger, the victim Christ being born, the corporal the cloths and swaddling bands, the Mother of God the priest, Joseph and the shepherds the Christian bystanders. Thus did St. Francis, with wonderful devotion in his typical Bethlehem and manger, make sweet discourse with the little one of Bethlehem. Hear St. Bonaventure in his Life, chapter X: "Now it happened in the third year before his death, that he arranged to celebrate the memory of the nativity of the child Jesus, to stir up devotion among the castle of Greccio, with whatever greater solemnity he could. Lest truly this could be ascribed to levity, having sought and obtained permission from the Supreme Pontiff, he had a manger prepared, hay brought, an ox and an ass led to the place. The Friars are called, the people come; the forest resounds with voices, and that venerable night is made splendid and solemn with abundant and bright lights and sonorous and harmonious praises. The man of God stood before the manger filled with piety, sprinkled with tears, and suffused with joy. The solemnities of Masses are celebrated over the manger, the Levite of Christ Francis chanting the sacred Gospel. He then preaches to the people standing around concerning the nativity of the poor king, whom when he wished to name, he called the boy of Bethlehem from the tenderness of his love. But a certain virtuous and truthful knight, who on account of love of Christ having left worldly warfare, was joined to the man of God in great familiarity, the Lord John of Greccio, asserted that he saw a certain very beautiful boy sleeping in that manger, whom the Blessed Father Francis, embracing with both arms, seemed to rouse from sleep." St. Bonaventure adds that this hay of the manger was reserved by the people, healed many diseases of beasts and drove away plagues. Finally, St. Bernard, sermon I on the Vigil of the Nativity, teaches us to become Bethlehem, if we devoutly receive Christ: "Do you also wish to become Bethlehem? How beautiful you are, house of charity! How fair, house of bread! Small, he says, are the loaves in our hands. Yet if we give them to the blessing of the Lord, when they have been distributed and broken, they will make bundles of the fragments collected. If therefore you wish the Lord to bless, cease not from beneficence, do not contract your hands, do not turn away your face. For God loves a cheerful giver, and give, and it shall be given to you; make and for yourselves houses of bread." He sent the Holy Spirit. All these expeditions were from the days of eternity, because they were decreed from eternity. Secondly, Arias and a Castro here, whom St. Jerome and R. Haccados favor, cited by Galatinus, book IV, chapter XIII, understand by these egresses two nativities of Christ, namely the temporal from the Virgin in Bethlehem, and the eternal from God the Father in heaven. Whence R. Haccados by "from the beginning," that is from eternity, thinks the eternal generation of Christ is noted; but by "from the days of the age," the temporal, namely that from the beginning of the world in the loins of Adam he was created, and as it were born. On the other hand, others better understand by "from the beginning" the temporal appearance of Christ, not only as he appeared in the flesh, but also as he was seen by the fathers, to whom he was promised; and by the Prophets, through whose mouths he himself, as the Word of God, spoke: but by "from the days of eternity," they understand his eternal generation from the Father. Thirdly, others understand these things of the sole eternal emanation and nativity of Christ from the Father. This exposition is certain and common to the Fathers and Doctors, and therefore is to be embraced. It is proved first, because the Prophet spoke a little before concerning the temporal nativity of Christ: "Out of thee (O Bethlehem) shall he come forth unto me, that is to be the ruler in Israel." Therefore when he adds: "And his going forth is from the beginning from the days of eternity," he speaks of the eternal, as if to say, Christ shall go forth and be born in Bethlehem; but, lest you think him to be only a man, and then first going forth, when man shall appear in Bethlehem, I add and say that he has already gone forth from eternity from the Father, when he was begotten by him God, coequal and consubstantial with the Father. For why would the Prophet here repeat the temporal egress, when he had expressed it so clearly before? Secondly, "from the days of eternity" plainly signifies here that the eternal generation of Christ is being discussed, not the temporal. You will say: In Hebrew it is "from the days of olam," that is, of the age. I answer: Olam or age, hidden, from the root "alam," that is, he hides, in Hebrew signifies eternity, which is hidden from all and impenetrable, when it is written with vau, as it is written here, as the Rabbis teach, unless some particle is added restricting it, which forces it to be explained and interpreted as a very long time. But here nothing of that sort is added; rather "from the beginning" is added, which joined with "days of olam," signifies plain and full eternity, as I shall soon show. Whence the Chaldean translates: "Whose name was called from eternity, from the days of the age"; the Zurich version, or Leo the Hebrew: "His going forth from the age, from the days of eternity." Thus also the Rabbis with Galatinus in the place cited. Finally, all the orthodox confess that true eternity is being discussed here; although some understand the eternity of predestination, not of generation, but wrongly. For to go forth is not to be predestined, but to emanate, to be begotten, to be born, as when a little before he said: "Out of thee shall he come forth unto me," that is, shall be born, "who shall be ruler in Israel." "HIS GOING FORTH FROM THE BEGINNING FROM THE DAYS OF ETERNITY." — "Going forth" is of the plural number; for in Hebrew it is "motsaoth," that is, goings forth. Whence the Septuagint translates "Exodia"; Vatable, "his emanations." Again, for "from the beginning from the days of eternity," the Hebrew and Septuagint have "from the beginning from the days of the age." Hence there is a threefold explanation of interpreters here, according to a threefold going forth of Christ. For the first going forth of Christ is temporal; the second is eternal; the third is partly temporal, partly eternal. First therefore the more recent Rabbis, who deny the eternity and divinity of Christ, explain these goings forth thus, as if to say: Christ will not only go forth when he is born in Bethlehem, but already from David, from Abraham, indeed from Adam he has gone forth, and as it were been born, both because he descends from them, and in their loins and generative power he lay hidden and was contained; in which way the Apostle, Hebrews VII, 9, says that Levi, before he was born, was tithed in the loins of Abraham; and also because he sent them forth as it were as his leaders, who would instruct and maintain his people Israel in the worship of God, and would protect and defend them against the enemies of the faith. To this is added the exposition of St. Cyril, who thinks that "goings forth" is said in the plural because Christ as man went forth twice: First, when he came into the world through incarnation; secondly, when after death he went forth from the world, and ascended into heaven. He himself signifies both in John XVI, 28: "I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again I leave the world, and go to the Father"; both are "from the days of eternity," because both were decreed and predestined from eternity by God. To this pertains the exposition of others, who by "goings forth" understand the various expeditions and excursions of Christ as man, which he undertook against the devil for the salvation of men. The first was, when he put on our humanity. The second, when he drew and converted the Magi and the shepherds to himself. The third, when traversing Judea and Galilee, he saved many in body and soul. The fourth, when he ascended to the cross for the redemption of men. The fifth, when rising again he returned to life, and destroyed death. The sixth, when ascending into heaven he opened it to us, and from there we may receive it either through faith, or through the Eucharist. "Bethlehem indeed," he says, "means the house of bread, Judah means confession. You therefore, if you fill your soul with the food of the divine word, and faithfully, even if not worthily, yet with whatever devotion you can, receive that bread which came down from heaven, and gives life to the world, namely the body of Jesus the Lord, so that the new flesh of resurrection may restore and sustain your old wineskin of the body, so that the new wine which is within, solidified by this glue, may be able to contain it: if finally you live by faith, and need not groan at all, because you have forgotten to eat your bread; you have become Bethlehem, worthy indeed of the Lord's reception, if only confession has not been lacking. Let Judea therefore be your sanctification: put on confession and beauty, which robe Christ most values in his ministers." dominator in Israel." You will say: Apocalypse XIII, 8, The Lamb, that is Christ, is said to be slain from the foundation of the world, not actually, but by God's foreknowledge and predestination; therefore similarly here the going forth can be explained not actually, but in God's predestination. I answer, I deny the consequence; for the words of Scripture are to be taken properly, not improperly, unless necessity or contradiction compels it, as nothing compels it here: but in the Apocalypse it does compel. For the Lamb, which did not actually exist, nor was in being from the foundation of the world, could not then be actually slain (for what does not exist cannot be slain); therefore this slaying must be understood not as actual, but as mental, namely as foreknown and predestined by God. But here there is nothing of the sort; therefore a real going forth and nativity, not a mental and predestined one, is to be understood. Thirdly, that Christ born in Bethlehem is God, and therefore eternal, is evident from chapter IV, 1: "The mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of mountains," namely Sion, that is the Church of Christ. For Lord in Hebrew is Jehova, which signifies none other than the true God, and is His proper name. And verse 2: "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord (in Hebrew Jehova): for out of Sion shall go forth the law, and the word (the Gospel) of the Lord (in Hebrew Jehova, namely of Christ,) from Jerusalem." And verse 7: "And the Lord (in Hebrew Jehova, namely Christ) shall reign over them, from this time now and for ever." The same is evident from Isaiah IX, 6, where the little child to be born to us, namely Christ, is called "God, Mighty, Father of the world to come" (in Hebrew Father of eternity); and chapter VII, 14, is called "Emmanuel," that is God with us. Fourthly, thus interpret the Fathers and the orthodox everywhere, Theodoret, Haymo, Remigius, Rupertus, Albert, Hugh, Lyran, Dionysius, Clarius, Vatablus, Ribera here, Cyril homily 4 Against Nestorius, St. Chrysostom in the book That Christ is God, Origen book I Against Celsus, Eusebius book II Demonstration chapter 11, St. Athanasius, and others everywhere against the Arians. You will say: If here it is a matter only of the eternal emanation and generation of Christ, why therefore does the Prophet call it a going forth, or exit in the plural? Ribera answers first, that the cause is that the Hebrews are accustomed to call the greatest and most excellent things in the plural, so as to signify the magnitude and excellence of the thing, which, although it be one, nevertheless is equivalent to many. Thus they call God Elohim, in the plural; thus adonim, that is lords, signifies the Lord; thus an elephant is called behemoth, that is beasts, because by its bulk and strength it equals many beasts, indeed surpasses them. Because therefore the eternal nativity of Christ is greatest and divine, and eminently contains all created nativities, hence by the Hebrews it is called a going forth, that is nativities, in the plural. Secondly, Vatablus gives another cause; "He uses the plural," he says, "because Christ always proceeds from the Father by continuous emanation and procession, yesterday, today and of old, that is to say Christ will be true man, and true God, and coeternal with the Father;" because therefore Christ is continuously begotten from eternity by the Father, hence His generation is called generations: for at every instant He is begotten, and coexists with all the generations of creatures; just as we call the emanation of a fountain its gushings forth, because it continuously gushes forth water. Hence the eternity, and consequently the true Divinity of Christ, is evident. The Arians denied both, whose axiom was, as St. Athanasius testifies in many places: "There was once a time or duration when Christ was not." Francis David, the leader of the new Arians, answers in the Disputation of Alba, in the acts of the third day: "The word," he says, "added to days, explains the mind of the Prophet. For days then began, when the world was created. And those first days are called eternal, on account of continuous succession: just as Scripture often speaks, and therefore since the promise concerning Christ to be born was then also made, it is said that His going forth was from the days of eternity." But it is objected that, although in eternity in Scripture sometimes signifies a long continuous time, not infinite; nevertheless eternity, and the Hebrew עולם olam, joined with מקדם mickedem, always signifies an immense duration. Secondly, "His going forth" is not a promise concerning Him to be born, but His nativity, as when it is said here: "Out of thee shall He come forth to me (that is shall be born) a ruler:" for it is one thing for a man to go forth, another for a word or saying to go forth: the former signifies to be born, the latter to prophesy and promise. Nor is it an objection that it is called the days of eternity; for days here is put for duration, as when Daniel chapter VII, 9, God the Father is called "the Ancient of days," that is eternal. You will say: How then does he say: "His going forth from the beginning?" For eternity has no beginning. I answer: Scripture calls beginning that which was before times, and this was eternity. Whence, explaining further, it adds: "from the days of eternity." For it speaks accommodately to the understanding of men, who, when they wish to say that something was from eternity, say that it was before all things, from the beginning. Thus in Proverbs VIII, 22, uncreated Wisdom says: "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways, before he made anything from the beginning." And in Ecclesiasticus cap. XXIV, 14, eternal Divine Wisdom says: "From the beginning, and before the ages I was created," that is, from eternity. Thus also in Isaiah XLIII, 13, God says: "From the beginning I myself," as if to say, From eternity I am, who am. Moreover, this sentence of Micah: "And his going forth from the days of eternity," St. John explains so clearly by a three-membered sentence in cap. 1, 1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word," as if to say, From eternity, and, so to speak, from the beginning of eternity. The Word went forth and was begotten from the mind of the Father; and therefore was with him, and in his mind, and consequently was himself God: because whatever is in the mind of God and in God, is God. Hence also Christ, when asked by the Jews who he was, answered: "The beginning, who also speak unto you," John VIII, 25; in Greek kat' archen, as if to say, I am before Abraham from the beginning, that is, from eternity; God of God, who also speak this very thing unto you. And the same in Apocalypse XXI, 6, says: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." Most excellently Nazianzenus: "God both was always, and is, and will be; or, to speak more correctly, always is. For 'Was' and 'Will be' are segments of our time and of flowing nature. But he always is, and in this way names himself, when he gave the oracle to Moses on the mountain. For he comprehends in himself all that is, having neither beginning nor end, like a certain immense and boundless sea of essence, surpassing all knowledge both of time and of nature: shadowed forth by mind alone, and indeed very scantily and obscurely, not from those things which are in him, but which are about him: one thing collected from another in a certain form unto one simulacrum of truth: escaping before it is grasped, and snatching itself away in flight before it is perceived by the intellect: illuminating only the principal part of us, and that purged from the stain of vices, as much as the swiftness of lightning, which does not remain, allows the sight of the eyes. But this, in my opinion, happens for this reason, that, insofar as it can be comprehended, he draws us to himself (for what cannot be perceived at all, no one hopes for, nor attempts to attain), and insofar as it cannot be grasped, he excites wonder at himself, and from that very wonder more vehemently desires it, purges appetite, and purging makes divine, and renders them such that he already has with them, as it were, familiarity with intimates (I fear this may seem to have been said too boldly by me), God united and known to gods, and perhaps as much as he now knows those who are known to him." FROM THE DAYS OF ETERNITY,—that is, from all eternity. It is a catachresis: for eternity, properly speaking, since it is a duration constant, indivisible, all at once, and therefore lacking succession intrinsically, beginning and end; for this reason it is not divided by days, months and years, which coexist with it successively: hence by all those who measure all their things by the differences of their time, days, months and years are given to eternity. Thus it is said in Psalm LXXVI, 6: "I thought upon the days of old: and I had in mind the eternal years." Thus in the divine Office, at the time of Easter, we sing of martyrs: "Perpetual light shall shine upon thy saints, O Lord, and the eternity of times." Which is taken from the fourth book of Esdras, cap. II, 35, where it is thus said: "Be ready for the rewards of the kingdom, for perpetual light shall shine upon you through the eternity of time. Flee the shadow of the age," etc. For just as the immensity of God gathers the whole magnitude of God, which without limit spreads forth immensely in every direction above the heavens, into a point; so that it has no less in a point of place than in infinite space: so eternity gathers the duration, and as it were the age of God, which is coextended with infinite time is said, gathers in a moment: so that he possesses the whole in an instant, or in a point. For as immensity is related to a point of place, so eternity is related to a point of time. Micah therefore says that Christ, who is to be born in time in Bethlehem, is eternal, and therefore God, as if to say: For this reason Christ will be born in our time, that he may communicate to us his eternity: for this reason he will become man, that he may communicate to us his divinity, and make us gods. For he says: "I have said, You are gods, and all of you the sons of the Most High," Psalm LXXXI, 6. Whence St. Gregory, homily 8 in the Gospel: "What is it," he says, "that the world is described at the birth of the Lord, except that it is openly shown that he who was to enroll his elect in eternity appeared in the flesh? Which on the contrary is said of the reprobate through the Prophet: Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and let them not be written with the just." For this reason therefore Christ was born in time, that we might live in eternity; for this reason he went forth from the days of eternity to the days of time, that we might return from time to the days of eternity. Note: Duration is threefold, time, aevum, eternity; time has its end, as well as its beginning: aevum has a beginning, but lacks an end; eternity has neither end nor beginning. Again, just as aevum is the intrinsic measure of the life of angels, and time of the life of men: so eternity is the intrinsic measure of the life and existence of the divine, and consequently of the generation of the Word, and the spiration of the Holy Spirit, as St. Thomas teaches in I part. Question X, article 4, and there P. Salas. The origin and as it were the reason of eternity is the immutability of God. Whence St. Augustine in the book On the Nature of Good against the Manichees, chapter XXXIX: "That," he says, "is true eternity, which is true immortality; this is that supreme immutability, which God alone possesses." And soon after: "Whose immortality alone is true eternity." The same, in book IV of the Trinity, chapter XVIII: "In so far," he says, "as we are mutable, in so far do we stand apart from eternity." And below: "But true immortality, true incorruptibility; true immutability, this is eternity." And St. Dionysius, On the Divine Names, chapter IX: "The same indeed," he says, "supersubstantially eternal, is unchangeable, remaining in itself always according to the same, and holding itself in the same manner." And the Psalmist, Psalm CI: "But thou art the selfsame, and thy years shall not fail." Furthermore, St. Anselm thus defines eternity in the Monologion, chapter XXIV: "True eternity is the interminable life, existing all at once." And Richard of St. Victor, book II of the Trinity, chapter IV: "What else is eternity, than duration without beginning and end, and lacking all mutability?" Others: "Eternity is immeasurable duration." Boethius most excellently, book III of the Consolation, last prose: "Eternity is the whole and perfect possession of interminable life all at once." Hence eternity embraces all times and temporal things, and is their source and origin. Hear St. Dionysius, book On the Divine Names, chapter X: "God, the Ancient of Days, is proclaimed, because in himself he is all aeon and age, and time; and before days, and before aeon, and time." The same, chapter V: "He," he says, "is the aeon of aeons, existing before all aeon." And a little before: "He is the principle and measure of aeons and times." From what has been said it follows that eternity is the proper duration of God, namely of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; but angels and men participate in it through their aeviternity, which has a beginning, but not an end. For through it they live eternally, enjoy God, and will be blessed: although the common people by catachresis call this aeviternity also eternity, namely created and participated: because the Blessed will be blessed as long as God will be blessed; nay, as long as God will be God, as long as his eternity will endure. O eternity, how great thou art! how immense! how precious! how blessed! and yet how rarely dost thou dwell in the minds of men! how few esteem thee and thy weight! none penetrate thee, few ponder thee! St. Gregory wisely, book VI, epistle 190: "If we seek good things," he says, "let us love those which we shall have without end. But if we fear evil things, let us fear those which the reprobate will endure without end." And Cicero, Tusculan Disputations IV: "What," he says, "seems great to him in human affairs, to whom all eternity and the magnitude of the whole world is known?" And St. Antony handed down this axiom to his disciples: "This," he says, "let be the first commandment common to all, that no one grow weary in the vigor of his undertaking; but as if always beginning, he ought to increase what he has begun, especially since the spaces of human life, compared to eternity, are very brief. The promise of eternal life is purchased at a vile price. For it is written: The days of our life are seventy years: when therefore we have labored in the work of God for eighty or a hundred years, we shall not reign in the future for an equal time; but for years, the kingdoms of all ages will be given to us: we shall not inherit the earth, but heaven." Thus St. Athanasius in the Life of St. Antony.
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3. THEREFORE HE WILL GIVE THEM UP UNTIL THE TIME WHEN SHE THAT TRAVAILETH SHALL BRING FORTH. — The word "will give" can be taken in two ways, indeed in contrary ways: First, "will give," namely to the enemy, to the sword, or to similar tribulation, that is to say, He will expose them to enemies and allow them to be afflicted by calamities; second, "will give," that is, will preserve them in life, so that they may dwell in their land. Now various interpreters explain these things variously. The point of difficulty consists in this, what is meant by "the time when she that travaileth shall bring forth." First, some think it is the time of liberation from Babylonian captivity, and of freedom under Cyrus, that is to say, Because the robbers of which verse 1 speaks, that is, the tyrants and plunderers, the Assyrians and Chaldeans, will afflict Israel on account of its sins and lead it into captivity; hence God will give, that is, will permit them to prevail against Israel until Cyrus, when, he loosening the captivity, the Synagogue travailing shall bring forth, that is, with joy and haste will produce and gather together a great multitude of her sons and citizens, with jubilation returning from Babylon to Judea. But here no mention has been made of Babylon, but only of Christ: for Christ and all things preceding and following pertain to him. Second, others distinguish the time of travailing from the time of bringing forth; the time of bringing forth of the Synagogue, they think is that in which she brought forth Christ: the time of travailing, in which she was afflicted and oppressed by Titus and the Romans, that is to say, For this reason, because namely the daughter of the robber, that is, Jerusalem, was about to strike and kill Christ, says Rupertus, for this reason God will give the Synagogue and the Jews to remain, until the time when she shall bring forth Christ the Saviour, and soon through Titus he will afflict her, so that she may be tormented as one travailing; and in this travail of sorrows she shall be worn out and expire. Whence the Chaldean translator renders it: Therefore the Jews will be delivered to the Romans, when she that travaileth shall bring forth. The same Chaldean thus explains that passage of Isaiah LXVI, 7: "Before she travailed, she brought forth: before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child," that is to say, Before anguish comes upon her, she shall be saved; and before the pains of travail come, the king Messiah shall be revealed, that is to say, Before Titus comes afflicting the Jews, Christ the Saviour shall come and be born. Thus also the ancient Hebrews according to Galatinus, book IV, chapter XI. Indeed St. Jerome also explains it thus: Judaism shall stand, until the Church bring forth children to Christ; until namely the gentility, which before had been barren, believing in Christ, converts many to him, who in place of the Jews, as a people and sons of God, shall succeed. Third, others understand the time of the Church being born, when she herself brought forth many sons to God and Christ, according to the oracle of Isaiah chapter LIV, 1, that is to say, For this reason, because namely from Israel and the Jews Christ is about to be born in Bethlehem, for this reason God will give, that is, will allow them to live in Judea, and will defer the vengeance of his death, that is, the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, for a while; until namely the Church of Christ being born brings forth many sons from the Jews to Christ; that is, until she herself grows and is strengthened, so that she may be able to preserve and spread herself through all nations: which done, he will overthrow Judea and the Jews through Titus. Thus Lyra, Vatable and Dionysius. Fourth and genuinely: "The time when she that travaileth," or, as it is in Hebrew, she that bringeth forth shall bring forth, is the time when the Mother of God brought forth Christ in Bethlehem: for she is called the one bringing forth and mother by antonomasia; because her bringing forth was most noble, and therefore most desired by heaven and earth, and this is signified by that doubling, she that travaileth; or, as Our author renders it, she that travaileth shall bring forth: for the one travailing does not signify pain, but vehement desire, joy and acceleration of bringing forth, as I said on that passage of Isaiah LXVI, 7: "Before she travailed, she brought forth." For Micah alludes to Isaiah in his customary manner. The sense therefore is, that is to say, For this reason, because namely in Bethlehem Christ shall be born, whom God decreed and established as Saviour Hugo. "For Elias (which is interpreted God the Lord) shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, and the last people shall be joined to the ancient, so that they may truly be called sons of Abraham, when they shall have believed in him, whom Abraham saw and rejoiced," says St. Jerome.
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4. And he shall stand, — namely the ruler of Israel, that is Christ born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mother of God, of whom verses 2 and 3 speak. He alludes to shepherds who, while they feed the flock, stand leaning upon their crook or pastoral staff, both so that they may have all the sheep before their eyes and see that none wanders or separates itself from the flock; and so that they may look about on all sides lest a wolf or some other beast should come rushing into the flock, as if to say: In like manner Christ, as it were the shepherd of the faithful, will always be present to them, will look about them, will feed and protect them from every assault of demons and enemies. Thus St. Jerome, Remigius, Hugo and Vatablus. This is what Christ promised: "Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world," Matt. cap. xxviii, 20. Note: The word shall stand signifies the care and providence of Christ the shepherd and king toward the Church; secondly, watchfulness in feeding it; thirdly, constancy. Whence Vatablus rightly thus expounds it: shall stand and shall feed, that is shall feed the faithful perpetually, shall reign perpetually in the Church. For he shall not depart from it, as he departed from the Jews to the Gentiles; but shall continually stand with and remain with the faithful. Anagogically, as if to say: Christ after his resurrection shall ascend into heaven, and there shall "stand" at the right hand of the Father, as it were a conqueror and ruler, so that he may govern, protect and defend the Church. Wherefore St. Stephen in the struggle of martyrdom contending with the Jews said: "Behold, he said, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God," Acts vii, 55. Thus Rupertus; whence it follows: And he shall feed in the strength of the Lord, — as if to say: Christ the shepherd shall govern the faithful as his sheep, in strength not human but divine; both uncreated, which as the Son of God he received from God the Father, one and the same with him; and created, which as man he receives communicated by God: by which it shall come to pass that no wolf or beast shall be able to prevail against him, or to tear apart or scatter his flock; but rather he shall certainly lead them to eternal life, according to that which he himself says: "My sheep hear my voice, etc., and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, what he has given me, is greater than all things, and no one is able to snatch them out of the hand of my Father. I and the Father are one," John x, 27. In the sublimity of the name of the Lord his God, — that is, sublimely, powerfully and magnificently shall Christ feed his faithful, as befits the majesty of the divine name, which he himself in feeding will everywhere set forth, so that he may prove himself to be God and sent by God the Father: he shall feed, I say, sublimely and gloriously, as if in that matter the glory of his name and divine honor were at stake; so that all seeing the illustrious governance of Christ, by which he eminently feeds his sheep, may praise and celebrate— Note: The name of God, by which Christ feeds his own, signifies various things. For, first, the name of God is the honor, fame and glory of God, as I have already said. Secondly, the name of God signifies the power and aid of God. Thus Christ praying for these same, John xvii, 11, says: "Father, keep them in thy name," that is in thy virtue and power. Thirdly, the name signifies the profession and invocation of the name, as if to say: Christ shall feed his faithful sublimely, because he will profess himself to do this in the name of his Father, which he will profess, preach and invoke. Fourthly, the name of God is God himself by metonymy; thus we are said to sanctify, praise, celebrate the name of God, that is God himself. Thus Christ commanded the Apostles to baptize the faithful "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," that is in the faith, profession and invocation of one godhead and the most holy Trinity, as if to say: "In the name," that is in— And the remnant of his brethren shall be converted to the children of Israel. — "His," namely of the ruler of Israel, about to be born in Bethlehem, that is of Christ, as if to say: The remnant, that is a few of the Jews, who are the brethren of Christ according to the flesh, shall be converted to the children of Israel, that is to the Patriarchs and Prophets: so that namely they may embrace and emulate the faith, piety and holiness of the Patriarchs and Prophets in Christ, according to that Psalm xliv, 17: "For thy fathers thy children are born to thee." Or the children of Israel are the Apostles, as if to say: When the Church bringing forth shall bring forth Christ and the Apostles, then the brethren of Christ, namely the Jews remaining from captivity, shall be converted to the children of Israel, that is to the Apostles, and shall be aggregated to their and the faithful's assembly. Anagogically, as if to say: At the end of the world, when the fullness of the Gentiles shall have entered into the Church, then the remnant of the Jews shall be converted through Elias and Enoch, and then all Israel shall be saved. Thus St. Jerome, Haymo, Remigius and Symbolically, the sense is, as if to say: Because God decreed that Christ would be born in Bethlehem, to be the savior of the world; therefore He will give, that is, He will allow Israel to be afflicted under the law, so that it may know from the law both sin and the weakness of the law for taking away sin and healing concupiscence; so that Israel, knowing this, may eagerly desire Christ with great longing, and His grace, which subdues concupiscence and abolishes sin. For this reason God delayed Christ for four thousand years, until the virgin's childbirth, so that meanwhile the world might know the sins and wounds of its soul, as well as the weakness of nature and the law, and might urgently seek the physician, namely Christ, as the Apostle teaches in Romans iii, 20 and following. Thus St. Jerome, Theodoret, Remigius, Hugh and others. Allegorically Arias: Christ will allow Israel, that is His Church, namely the Apostles and disciples, to be afflicted by the Jews for a time, until it itself, as if coming forth from childbirth at Pentecost, is strengthened by the coming of the Holy Spirit, so that increased in number and strength, it may spread itself through all nations. Fourth and genuinely: "The time when bringing forth," or, as it is in Hebrew, bringing forth shall bring forth, is the time when the Mother of God bore Christ in Bethlehem. The sense therefore is, as if to say: Because Christ is about to be born from Israel and the Jews in Bethlehem, and therefore God predetermined and established Him as savior and ruler of Israel, for this reason He will give them, that is, He will permit Israel and the Jews to be afflicted by the Assyrians, Chaldeans and Greeks, until the Mother of God brings forth Christ. For He will be the redeemer and savior of Israel and of all nations. Thus St. Jerome, Haymo, Remigius, Hugh here, and Eusebius in book vii of the Demonstration, chapter 11. To this pertains the exposition of others which is as follows: The affliction of the Synagogue will endure successively, and the Babylonian, Greek and Roman captivity, until it itself brings forth Christ: for He will free it from all servitude. Note: Scripture is accustomed to speak of Israel as a people, now in the singular, because the people collectively is one and singular: now in the plural, because in the people there are many men and heads. Thus Micah does here. Again, he speaks of Israel now in the masculine, as of a people; now in the feminine, as of the Church and Synagogue. Whence he says: "Bringing forth shall bring forth" as a mother. brent the magnificent name of God, as if to say: Christ will govern the Church as a shepherd, with that power and glory which befits Him who is called by the name of the eternal Father, the Legate of the eternal Father, indeed the Son. This is what John says in chapter 1, 14: "We saw His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten from the Father," that is, such as befitted the only-begotten Son of God. And Isaiah chapter lx, 15: "I will make thee a glory of ages," where for glory in Hebrew is the same word geon, which the interpreter translates as sublimity in this place. Furthermore, thus sublimely does Christ feed His own, giving them both the sublime doctrine of the Gospel, and powerful grace, such as the martyrs had above others to overcome fires, swords, beasts, and all torments; both certain and continuous protection, and stupendous and unheard-of miracles, such as Christ and the Apostles performed. And they shall be converted, — as if to say: Christ, feeding through Himself and the Apostles, that is, teaching and instructing men, will convert them to Himself and to God. The interpreter reads, as also the Chaldean does, iascubu, that is, they shall be converted; others with different pointing read with the Septuagint and Symmachus iescubu, that is, they shall sit, remain, dwell in peace and tranquility, as if sitting at home in peace, so as to allude to chapter iv, 4: "A man shall sit under his vine, and under his fig tree," as if to say: Under Christ the shepherd and king, the faithful converted to Him will live in the highest peace. Thus St. Jerome, Lyran, Pagninus, Vatablus and others. Because now He shall be magnified — Christ the sublime shepherd. Now signifies the present time not of Micah, but of Christ: for he speaks continuously of Christ, as if to say: I seem to myself with the eyes of the spirit, like Abraham, to see that glorious day, when Christ born from the Virgin will feed the faithful magnificently. Whence marveling and exulting I exclaim "now," namely with Christ present, feeding and reigning: Christ and the name of God shall be magnified, "unto the ends of the earth." Now because it does not signify a cause, but an effect and consequence, as if to say: Whence it will follow that the name of God and Christ is magnified throughout the whole world. Or certainly it is enclitic, and is added merely for the sake of ornament through pleonasm. For thus the Hebrews are accustomed to add, and to prefix to an illustrious sentence ki, that is, because. Second, more simply now can be referred to the time of Micah, as if to say: Christ while He will be born man, will feed His faithful in the strength of the Lord: because behold now, before He is born man, He scatters the first and foregoing rays of His power (as the sun emits them before it rises, in the dawn) and begins to be magnified, unto the ends of the earth. For soon He will crush the Assyrian Sennacherib in Judea through an angel, as follows. And for this reason it was said that Christ went forth from the days of eternity: because Christ is eternal, hence in every age He shows Himself through miracles and heroic works, which He has performed for the protection and benefit of Israel His people.
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5. And this shall be peace. — You will ask who this one is? Some understand Hezekiah, who by praying with his people obtained peace for Judah from God, with enemies slain by an angel, namely the Assyrians. Thus Theodoret. Others take Cyrus, who gave freedom and peace to the Jews. Thus Lyra. Others Judas Maccabeus with his brothers, who by their victories gave peace to their country. The Chaldean paraphrase favors this Judas. But since there has been no mention of any of these, but only of Christ the ruler of Israel, to be born in Bethlehem, and the discourse is continuous about him: I say that this one is Christ, yet with an allusion to Hezekiah, Cyrus, and Judas. The sense therefore is, as if to say, Christ will be peace not formally, but causally, that is, he will give peace to his Church and to his faithful: peace, I say, threefold and complete, namely peace with God, peace with conscience, peace with neighbors: and he will give a prelude, beginning, and type of this peace, by giving in the time of Micah Hezekiah, and shortly after Cyrus and Judas Maccabeus, who will bring to Israel victory against the Assyrians, and from this peace. You will say: Only Hezekiah fought against Sennacherib and the Assyrians, not Cyrus, not Judas; but Cyrus fought against Babylon and the Chaldeans, Judas against Antiochus and the Greeks. I answer first, that the Chaldeans are comprehended under the Assyrians: for the monarchy was transferred from the Assyrians to the Chaldeans; whence then the Chaldeans ruled both Nineveh and Assyria as much as Babylon and Chaldea. And thus Cyrus is said to have conquered the Assyrians, because he conquered the Chaldeans. Hence also Assur is called here "the land of Nimrod," because Nimrod the first king and tyrant of the world ruled over Assyria; yet he placed the beginning and seat of his empire in Babylon: whence Nimrod was the author of building the tower of Babel, as I said at Genesis x, 8, 9 and 10. Micah names the Assyrians rather than the Chaldeans because in his time Sennacherib and the Assyrians ruled, insulting Hezekiah and the Jews: whence he properly and primarily When the Assyrian shall come. — He alludes in his customary manner to Isaiah chapter xxxvi; for by the Assyrian he properly understands Sennacherib, threatening Jerusalem in the time of Hezekiah, whom Christ slew by an angel, and thus gave peace to the city and to King Hezekiah. Consequently, however, under the Assyrian he understands Nebuchadnezzar, Antiochus, Pompey, Nero, Decius, and other enemies and persecutors of Israel and the Church, as I have already said. For Christ has conquered all these, and conquers them daily, fighting for his faithful. We shall raise up against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. — In Hebrew, of man, and thus in the Latin texts it should be read, Ribera thinks. Whence also the Syriac translates, eight princes of men; the Arabic, eight principal men or prefects of men. But the Latin Bible, the Royal, the Vatican and all others read, men: for the principal men of man, that is, of men, are principal men; the Chaldean, seven kings, and eight princes of men; Symmachus, seven shepherds, and eight christs of men; christs, that is, kings and princes: for these are christs, that is, anointed by the pouring out of oil (for this is what the Hebrew nosech signifies) anointed in their creation and inauguration. And the Septuagint: There shall rise up against him shepherds, and eight bites of men. They read nesiche with shin: for nasach with shin signifies to bite. But others everywhere read nesiche with samech, and then it signifies princes. The sense, however, comes to the same thing. For by bites the Septuagint understand princes and leaders, who bite and subdue the Assyrian, as lions by biting subdue any beasts to themselves. Note: The shepherds are the same as the principal men, namely princes, as if to say, Against the Assyrian we shall raise up seven, indeed eight, that is, many, indeed very many princes, who will resist him and overcome him. For the number seven in Scripture is a symbol of multitude: and if the number eight be added, it signifies a great and vast multitude; as when it is said in Ecclesiastes xi, 2: "Give a portion to seven, and also to eight." The sense is, as if to say, Distribute the portions of your bread and wealth liberally to the poor, and give alms to seven, that is, to many, and also to eight, that is, to very many needy, as if to say, Give to as many and as much as you are able. He alludes to the kings of the Assyrians and Persians, who had in their possession seven princes, as it were supreme counselors and administrators in the governance of the kingdom, who in the manner of seven archangel princes, through whom God rules the Church and the world, concerning whom Job xii, 15, and Apocalypse i, 4, they are seen to have been instituted, as I said on Apocalypse i, 4. Thus in Jeremiah xxxix, 3, seven, indeed eight princes of Nebuchadnezzar are named, who were prefects of his court and camps, and besieged and conquered Jerusalem, namely Nergal, Sharezer, Semegarnabu, Sarsachim, Rabsaris, Nergal, Sharezer, and Rebmag. Thus concerning Ahasuerus, the husband of Esther, it is said in chapter i, 14: "And the first and nearest (to Ahasuerus the king were) Carshena, and Shethar, and Admatha, and Tarshish, and Meres, and Marsena, and Memucan, seven princes of the Persians and Medes, who saw the king's face, and were accustomed to sit first after him." From these seven was Darius Hystaspis, who, the magi having been slain, the line of Cyrus failing in Cambyses, was chosen king of the Persians by the neighing of a horse. The sense is, first, as if to say: Now behold Christ shall be magnified, the ruler of Israel. For when Sennacherib the Assyrian shall come to besiege and capture Jerusalem, we Israelites gathered together with Hezekiah our king, by the invocation of Christ, by his aid and command shall raise up St. Michael with his six companion Archangels, who are princes of the heavenly court, and guardians of the Synagogue of the faithful, so that through an eighth angel sent by him they may strike down the camps of Sennacherib. For these are the seven shepherds and eight princes of men, as the Hebrew has it. Again we shall raise up Eliakim, Shebna, Joah, and many other princes of Hezekiah's court, who shall generously resist Sennacherib and his legate Rabshakeh, and having their camps struck down by his angel, shall plunder and despoil them. Secondly, as if to say: When the Assyrian shall come, that is Nebuchadnezzar, says Lyra, ruling both Assyrians and Babylonians, and shall have captured Jerusalem and brought the Jews into Babylon, we Israelites shall raise up Prophets and other holy men, such as shall be Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Zerubbabel, Jesus son of Josedec, etc., who by invoking Christ shall prostrate the Assyrian, that is Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar. For Christ raised up Cyrus, who through his seven princes and kings slew Belshazzar, captured Babylon, and liberated the Jews from there. These seven princes and kings of Cyrus (to whom Micah here alludes) Xenophon names in book v of the Cyropaedia. Their names are these: Embas king of Armenia, Antiochus of Hyrcania, Damatas of the Cadusii, Thambrodas of the Sacae, Tigranes, and Gadatas and Gobrias, who two slew Belshazzar. Thirdly, as if to say: When the Assyrian shall come, that is Antiochus Epiphanes the tyrant, laying waste Judea, by our prayers through Christ we shall raise up, that is, Christ invoked by us shall raise up his forerunners and leading commanders, who shall rout Antiochus and liberate the Jews; namely the seven Maccabees and more, such as Mattathias, Judas, Jonathan, Simon, John, Hyrcanus, Alexander, etc. Finally, Christ being born, when the Assyrian shall come, that is the tyrant Nero, Hadrian, Aurelian, Decius, etc. Likewise Arius, Nestorius, Pelagius, Eutyches, and other heresiarchs destroying the Church, Christ shall raise up seven and eight, that is many princes both ecclesiastical and secular, who shall resist them and overcome and prostrate them. Such were SS. Peter and Paul contending with Simon Magus and Nero, and overcoming them. St. John and St. Clement with Domitian, St. Ignatius and St. Dionysius with Trajan, St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian with Gallus and Volusian. Such again were Constantine, who drove the supreme persecutors of the Church Diocletian and Maximian to the rope, and granted peace and dominion to the Church; Theodosius, Arcadius, Honorius, Marcian, and the following Christian emperors, who through themselves by their arms, through Bishops however by anathema and ecclesiastical censures struck down Nestorius, Eutyches, Pelagius, and similar heretics in the Council of Nicaea, Ephesus, Chalcedon, Constantinople, etc. Thus almost St. Jerome, Remigius, Rupert, Hugh and others. He says, "we shall raise up," because the Israelites, that is the faithful, choose and create for themselves princes both ecclesiastical, namely Bishops through the Clergy; and secular, namely kings and emperors, through themselves. Christ born, through his apostles and successors, shall overcome with spiritual arms the kings and princes of the Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, etc., and shall convert and subdue them, so that they themselves now converted shall also feed, that is rule, protect, and propagate the Church, as Constantine and his successors did. Note: For "shall feed," etc., the land of Nemrod with his spears, the Septuagint translates, in his pit; which St. Jerome explaining mystically: "Nemrod," he says, "is interpreted temptation descending: for of a giant and a hunter, and one who exalted himself against the Lord, the land is not in mountains, but in pits. The land of Nemrod has therefore been reduced to his pits: for he who digs a pit shall fall into it." And soon after: "But what Symmachus says: And they shall feed the land of Assur with the sword, and the region of Nemrod within his gates; this is to be understood, that in his house the strong man shall be bound, and the adversary shall be wounded. And according to Aquila and the fifth Edition, with sickles and spears of seven shepherds, and eight anointed men shall be pierced." Morally, learn here that Christ is our peace. Whence his type was Solomon the king, as much by name as in fact peaceful. Alluding to this passage of Micheas, Paul calls Christ the peace of Jews and Gentiles, saying: "For he himself is our peace, who hath made both one, and breaking down the middle wall of the partition, the enmities in his flesh, etc., that he might make the two in himself into one new man, making peace, and might reconcile both to God in one body by the cross, slaying the enmities in himself," Ephes. cap. ii, 14. See the things said there. Dost thou therefore wish for peace with God, with thy soul, with thy neighbours? Go to Christ, who is our peace: ask peace from peace; fix Christ in thy mind, and thou hast fixed peace. For he himself is the prince of peace, as much as the father of the world to come, as Isaias calls him cap. ix, 6. Again, dost thou wish for a sign, by which thou mayest know for certain whether Christ dwells in thy soul? observe whether thou hast peace in thy conscience. If thou hast it, assuredly the author and king of peace is present and reigns there. If thou hast it not, assuredly Christ is absent: for as the sun without light, fire without heat, a king without a kingdom: so Christ cannot be without peace; for in peace his place is made, Psalm. lxxv, 3. This is what the Apostle inculcates: "Let the peace of Christ exult in your hearts," Colos. iii, 15. See what I have noted there and Isaias ii, 4. This looks to this. Secondly, because Nemrod, the first tyrant of the world, was king of the Assyrians; and from this the Assyrians were the first monarchs and celebrated tyrants; hence through the following centuries this name remained, so that any powerful tyrants were called Assyrians, whether they were Greeks or Persians or Romans, as I have shown Isaias cap. vii, 17. Thus Judas Machabeus conquered the Assyrians, because he conquered Antiochus and the Greek tyrants. Hence thirdly, Assyrians signify any enemies of the Church, such as infidels, Saracens, heretics; likewise demons: for Christ overthrows all these tyrants, and thus brings peace to the Church, but begun in the Church present: for since it is militant, it cannot be without wars and struggles: but he will give it perfect in heaven, where after wars and victories the Church will be in full peace, joy and happiness ever triumphing. Thus concerning Christ do St. Jerome, Haymo, Rupertus, Albertus, Hugo, Arias, Clarius, Ribera and others interpret this passage throughout. Mystically, St. Jerome by the seven shepherds and primates understands the saints of the Old Testament, by the eight saints of the New Testament. But Rupertus enumerates them individually thus: Seven, he says, were shepherds of the faithful, Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and David: but eight were primates, that is, eight judges, that is princes and saviors of Israel, namely Josue, Caleb, Othoniel, Aoth, Barach, Gedeon, Jephte and Samson. But these lived long before Micheas; Micheas however promises these shepherds and primates for the future. For he says: "We shall raise up," etc. Mystically also St. Ambrose, in Genesis to Horentianus, narration 2, explains thus: "Seven shepherds," he says, "are the precepts of the law, by which the flock, still as it were irrational, was led and governed by the rod of Moses through the desert. Eight bites of men, the commandments of the Gospel, and the words of the Lord's mouth. For with the heart one believes unto justice, with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Good bites, by which we have tasted the gift of eternal life, devouring the remission of sins in the body of Christ. In the Old Testament the bite was bitter, of death, wherefore it was said: Death prevailing devoured. In the New Testament the bite is sweet, of life, which swallowed up death. Wherefore the Apostle says: Death is swallowed up in his victory. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?"
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6. And they shall feed the land of Assur with the sword, and the land of Nemrod with his spears. — The land of Assur is Ninive and Assyria, so called from Assur its first inhabitant, son of Sem. The land of Nemrod is Babylon: for there Nemrod the tyrant began to reign, as I said above. The sense is, as if to say, Cyrus shall feed, that is, shall rule, and shall overcome with his swords and spears Assyria and Babylon. Again, when the Assyrian Sennacherib came into our land, they shall overcome him, Isaias, Ezechias, etc., by an angel. Moreover Christ born, through his apostles and successors, shall overcome with spiritual arms the kings and princes of the Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, etc., and shall convert and subdue them, so that they themselves now converted shall also feed, that is, shall rule, protect, and propagate the Church, as Constantine and his successors did.
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7. And the remnants of Jacob, — that is to say, the Apostles and similar believers in Christ, although few and as it were the remnants of the Jews, shall be as rain and as the most desired dew, which by their divine doctrine and holiness of life shall make the earth fruitful, that is, earthly men: the earth, I say, which does not await a man, that is, the hand and works of man, namely one irrigating, but of God and heavenly grace, that is to say, God by his heavenly light and grace flowing into the minds of hearers at the preaching of the Apostles, and gently and sweetly sprinkling them, shall make them fruitful in virtues and good works. Thus St. Jerome: "For indeed, he says, the hearts of peoples burned with the fiery darts of the devil. And all nations committing adultery from God had hearts like an oven kindled with fire. Whence dew falling from the Lord became health to the sick," as it became to the three boys in the furnace of Babylon, Daniel iii. As drops upon grass. — So also Aquila, Theodotion and the Chaldean, who has: As drops of late rain upon grass. Wherefore it is a wonder that the Septuagint translates: As lambs upon grass, especially since mention of dew, not of sheep, preceded; yet it is an apt similitude: For the Apostles by their innocence, brightness, modesty and purity flowed into the minds of men, as lambs flow into grass. Whence Christ: "Behold, he says, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves," Matt. x, 16.
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8. As a lion among beasts, — as a lion among beasts, that is to say, the Apostles as most mighty lions shall subject to the Gospel any infidels whatsoever, so that no one can resist them: but those obstinate in their infidelity, they shall strike down with threats and miraculous plagues, as Paul blinded Elymas the magician, and Peter casting Simon flying to the ground, broke his legs. By dew is signified the gentleness, by lion the strength and efficacy of the Apostles, the Gospel and the grace of Christ. For this is the best government, in which gentleness is mixed with strength and efficacy. For thus God's providence uses it in the government of the world, which "reacheth from end to end mightily, and ordereth all things sweetly," Wisdom viii, 1. Thus St. Jerome, Theodoret, Haymo, Rupert, Lyra, Vatable and others. He also alludes to and as it were touches upon Judas and the Maccabees, who as lions subdued the enemies of Israel. For of Judas it is said in I Maccabees iii, 4: "He became like a lion in his deeds, and like a lion's whelp roaring in the chase." And of the Maccabees, book ii, chapter xi: "Rushing upon the enemies with the force of lions, they laid them low;" for "the lion is the strongest of beasts, and he feareth not the encounter of any," Prov. xxx, 30. Hear Silius Italicus, book xii, comparing Paul the consul to a lion: When Paul sees the battle grow fierce against him, Like a beast which, surrounded by darts, of its own accord Rushes upon the iron, and through wounds gathers the enemy, Bears arms into the midst of the throng. Thus did St. Paul rush upon the infidels, the Apostles and apostolic men, as St. Xavier, Gaspar Barzaeus, Joseph Anchieta, and other Christian lions of this age.
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9. Thy hand shall be exalted, — namely, O Christ, O ruler of Israel. For it looks back to verses 2 and 4, where he said: "And he shall feed in the strength of the Lord, etc., because now he shall be magnified even to the ends of the earth." Thus St. Jerome, Remigius, Rupert, Hugh and Vatable. Secondly, thine, namely, O Jacob, O Israel. Thus Theodoret, Rupert, Lyra and Arias, that is to say, Thy hand, O Israel, in the time of Christ shall be exalted over thy enemies, namely the gentiles and infidels. For the Apostles born from thee, and thy sons, shall slay them, so that they perish not in body, but in mind and life; namely as to infidelity and the former life, which they lived in ignorance of God and in crimes. They shall therefore slay in them impiety, lust, drunkenness, etc., and shall cause piety, chastity, sobriety, etc. to live in them. Thus St. Jerome. Which victory is far greater and more noble than if they had slaughtered all. For what is more wonderful, what more noble than to slay enemies and make them friends; to slay infidels and make them faithful; the impious, pious; the incestuous, chaste; the drunken, sober? etc. This sense is clearer. For immediately concerning Jacob it preceded: "And the remnants of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles," etc. And concerning the same it follows: "I will take away thy horses from the midst of thee." Yet this sense coincides with the former. For the exaltation of Christ is the exaltation of Israel, that is, the Church, and vice versa.
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I will take away thy horses from the midst of thee. — He continues to speak of Jacob, that is, of the Apostles and the faithful scattered among the nations, converting them to Christ; that is, of the Church of Christ, which began from the Jews and grew from the gentiles. Whence he speaks here especially of the gentiles, who were to be converted from idolatry and paganism to Christ and the Church; for the Jews in the time of Christ, indeed not even after their return from Babylon, did not publicly worship idols. The sense is, as if to say, O Jacob, that is, O Church, which were born from Jacob, but were especially propagated through the gentiles, I will take from thee all supports, all weapons, all strongholds and fortifications, by which thou didst formerly oppose Christ and the faith of Christ, or didst resist Him; and namely I will take away sorceries, divinations, oracles, idols, and their temples and cities. For these things the unfaithful opposed to the faith and the Church, and with them as with battering rams they assailed the Church. Hence secondly, I will take from thee these weapons, because I will give thee full peace, confidence and security in Christ, upon which relying thou shalt rest secure in Him and His protection, and shalt not trust in thy former weapons and other human aids; inasmuch as thou hast experienced them to be unwarlike and weak, thou shalt despise them. This is what He said in chapter iv, 5: "They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into sickles. And every man shall sit under his fig tree." Thirdly, I will take from thee thy weapons, because I will cause that thou shalt not extend thy borders by weapons, but by heavenly doctrine, gentleness, holiness, patience, death and martyrdom. Thus Arias, Vatablus and Lyran. Mystically St. Jerome: "O Israel, saith he, I will slay thy horses from the midst of thee, that is, the wanton impulses of thy heart raging like horses, and bursting forth with broken bonds; and thy chariots, in which thou didst please thyself in vices, and joining sin to sin, as if triumphing thou wert borne in a four-horse chariot."
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11. And I will take away thy sorceries. — The Hebrew and Chaldean: I will cut off sorcerers from thy hand; the Chaldean, from the midst of thee, and there shall be no soothsayers for thee; for when sorcerers and soothsayers are cut off, sorceries and soothsaying are cut off: as when heretical ministers and books are cut off, heresy is cut off. In Hebrew sorcerers are called מכשפים mecussephim, diviners, מעוננים meonenim. Whence the Zurich Bible translates it, astrologers. Meonenim literally are observers, that is, observers of times, or of dreams, or of stars, or of birds, or soothsayers, who dazzle the eyes and deceive, as was said in Leviticus chapter xix, 26; for these were frequent among the Jews. Whence Juvenal, satire vi: "Whatever dreams thou wishest the Jews will sell." And there shall be no divinations in thee. — For Christ took away the oracles of the gods, that is, of demons, not only among Christians, but also imposed silence upon them among the gentiles themselves; whence Plutarch published a book On the Silence of Oracles. And Juvenal, who was contemporary with the Apostles, satire vi, asserts that astrologers and Chaldeans were consulted by the gentiles, because demons had become silent: "But the Chaldeans shall have greater trust: whatever the astrologer shall say, let them believe it as coming from the fountain of Ammon: because the oracles at Delphi have ceased, and darkness condemns mankind concerning the future."
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13. And I will destroy the groves, — in which the gentiles erected their idols and temples, and there celebrated their sacrilegious sacrifices, festivals and banquets. A grove is a wood dense with trees; it is called a grove, not because there are lights there for religious purposes, as some wish, but by antiphrasis, because it scarcely shines; just as war is said, as if it were scarcely war and good. For a grove was not subject to cutting, for reasons of religion, that is, of superstition; for indeed it was not permitted to cut down its trees; rather, planted by hand, it was religious, and was consecrated either to some god, or to the ashes of some man. A grove therefore was sacred. Whence Virgil, Aeneid I: A grove was in the city's midst, most pleasant in shade. Where Servius: Wherever, says Virgil, he places a grove, a consecration also follows, as: Then by chance in the grove of the parent, Pilumnus, Turnus sat in the sacred valley. For the souls of heroes were said to inhabit groves. Whence Virgil, Aeneid vi: No certain home have we; we dwell in dark groves. Hence God commanded groves, as superstitious and idolatrous, to be cut down, Deuteronomy cap. xii, vers. 3, and Exodus cap. xxxiv, 31. And I will destroy thy cities. — The Hebrew ערים arim signifies both cities and enemies. Whence the Chaldean, Arias, Pagninus and Vatablus translate: I will destroy thy enemies; the Septuagint however, our Vulgate, the Zurich Bible and others translate, "I will destroy," or scatter "thy cities," namely those given to idolatry, in which are idols and groves, as preceded; and which are consecrated to idols, as Dan and Bethel were consecrated to golden calves, Delphi to Apollo, Heliopolis to the Sun. These cities therefore are different from those of which he said vers. 11: "And I will destroy the cities of thy land;"; there indeed by cities he understands fortifications and strongholds, which the gentiles held, as if to say, I will take from thee fortifications, arms, and all human defenses, in which thou art accustomed to trust, so that thou mayest learn to trust in and lean upon God alone. Here however he understands cities consecrated to gods or idols. Moreover God destroyed cities, when through the Apostles he brought it about that they ceased to be gentile, and began to be Christian, so that they now lived for Christ, which before had lived for Venus, Jupiter and Bacchus, as I said vers. 9. Beautifully St. Jerome: "I will destroy," he says, "the cities of thy land. For thou didst not build a city, which the rushing of the river of God gladdens, Psalm xxxv, and which is situated on mountains, and the heavenly Jerusalem; but which Cain had built, Genesis iv. Whence also they are called cities of the earth, built by earthly works."
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14. And I will execute vengeance in fury and in wrath upon all the nations that have not heard. — The Chaldean, that have not received the doctrine of the law, as if to say, Those who would not hear, that is, believe and obey the Gospel, I will avenge and punish. Thus he avenged the Jews, contemners and murderers of Christ, and destroyed them utterly through Titus and Vespasian. He did the same afterwards to various nations, which rejected and killed the preachers of the Gospel; but he will do the same to all on the day of judgment: "In a flame of fire, giving vengeance to them who know not God, and who obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ," as the Apostle says, II Thessalonians i, 8. Moreover the Jews refer all these things from vers. 5 hitherto to their Messiah, whom they themselves await at the end of the world; after the seven whom they imagine and whom they wish to be shepherds, and eight princes of men shall have overcome the Assyrian; then indeed when Christ comes, the Jews will be in blessing, strength and glory, so that like lions they will lay low and subdue all nations. But "let carnal Israel answer," says St. Jerome, "what idols of Israel will then be taken away, which now it does not worship? which groves will be cut down, which it does not have? which cities will be overthrown, which were once over- thrown? which soothsayers will be removed, which, since it does not have, nor glories in having, yet for so long a time the daughter of Sion has been abandoned, and sits without an altar, and without priests; and while others eat her fruits, they themselves with parched throats promise themselves things which they know not."
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
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Secundo loco instaurationem annuntians populo, cuius urbs et caput est Ierusalem (cf. 3, 12), vaticinium prius de gentibus complet et. quae populi electi conditio futura sit declarat v. 6 « [n die illa, dicit Dominus, congregabo claudicantem et eam quam eicceram colligam et quam affliazeram »; — cf. 2, 12 ; populum imagine gregis infirmi et dispersi exhibet; « duae voces convenire possunt ovibus, quae infirmae sunt, scabiosae ac debiles, quae cum claudicare coeperunt neque gregem potuerunt subsequi, relinquuntur a pastore » (Sanct.). Conditio misera dedenotatur potestatis, opum, auctoritatis interitus et exsilit calamitas, qua Deus contumaces e sua ditione ac regione eiicit. Sed ex illa miseria revocabuntur ; Dominus tamquam pastor bonus oves infirmas ac dispersas colliget (cf. Is. 40, 9). At non omnes sequentur pastoris vocem : reliquiaesalvabuntur, verum ex illis populus enascetur robustus ac multus, Domini regno imperturbato et perpetuo gubernandus : v. "1 « et ponam claudicantem in reliquias et eam quae laboraverat in gentem robustam, et regnabit Dominus super eos 1n monte Sion. ex hoc nunc et usque in aeternum » ; — cf. 2, 12. Os. 1, 10. Is. 10, 21. 22. Am. 3, 12; reliquiae illae sunt &ocer/, electio, quae certo Domini consilio ad salutem messianicam erunt adducendae, maiore parte illam repudiante (cf. Hier. Theoph. Sanct.) ; sed illa elect?o licet numero non adeo insignis, gens est robusta, quippe quae nullo unquam casu, nullo periculo, impetu nullo erit e statu et gradu deiicienda ; nova enim theocratia perennis est. Hebr. niNonin gregem dicit longe lateque dispersum, procul absentem ; est enim forma verbalis certe explicanda ex adverbio loci ac temporis Non illuc, ultra v. g. T Gen. 19, 9; 35, 21. Am. 5, 21. Eam significationem expresserunt LXX «zv àxwsga£- vn», Syrus remotos, Chald. dispersos. S. Hier. vero verbum mon ob oculos habuisse Dominationem in Sion (cf. Ps. 2, 6; 109, 2) perpetuo duraturam ex promissione olim Davidi facta declarat propheta v. 8 « et tu, turris gregis nebulosa filiae Sion, usque ad te veniet et veniet potestas prima, regnum filiae lerusalem » ; — hebr. et tu turris gregis, collis filiae Sion... ia tertio vates instaurationem Sionis indicat (cf. 3, 12) ; in colle montis Sion arx erat collocata regia turri insignita ! et ea regio montis Sion etiam peculiari ratione civitas David vocabatur ? et sita erat in parte meridionali montis Sion vel montis templi. Hic itaque collis regnum repraesentat Davidicum ; arx illa turris gregis vocatur, quia rex theocraticus pastor populi Israel est ? et Israel grex Domini, ipseque rex David eX vita pastoritia quasi regni praesagio assumptus erat ad dignitatem regiam (cf. 2 Reg. 5, 2; '1, 8. 1 Par. 11, 2. Ps. 771, '10). Potestas prima est regnum filiae lerusalem (Ailb.), quasi dicat : « iterum regnum Davidis videbit Ierusalem ; videbit enim Christum, verum regem, cuius regnum spirituale et aeternum praefiguratum est in temporali regno Davidis » (Rib. Lap. Mar. Men. Tir.) vel potestas illa prisca, de qua promissio cst facta Davidi (2 Reg. 1, 9; 23, 3) ! revertetur, iterum veniet ratione stabili ad collem montis Sion. Modus loquendi cum tali asseveratione ad te veniet, veniet ? regnum Davidicum dicit antiquo splendore deiectum, quasi ablatum a Sion et interrruptum (cf. v. 9. Ier. 32, 30. Ez. 19, 14; 21, 96), ita tamen, ut ius maneat apud stirpem David nec unquam certa instaurationis spes desit; sceptrum enim ex Gen. 49, 10 tantum non recedet, i. e. manet, etsi quandoque in abscondito lateat (cf. Ez. 1", 22). Quamvis enim singuli reges theocratici abiici possint (cf. 2 Reg. 77, 14), tamen promissio gratiosa non aufertur a domo David, sed stabit in acternum. [n hebr. legitur bz collis, tumulus, clivus, et ita speciali ratione clivus vocabatur : in monte Sion muro cinctus et munitus cf. 2 Par. 27, 35 33, 1&4. Neh. 3, 26 ; 11,21 quibus in locis LXX 'Os3x vel 'Q232, S. Hier. Ophel verterunt. Nostro autem loco veleres versiones omnes polius p: legisse videntur (fenebrae, culigo) * ; habent enim : turris abscondita (Syrus), nebulosa (Hier.), ajypuo5r; (LXX), oxotoàz; (Aq.3, 12079220; (Syym.). In qua interpretatione. conditio areis regiae deiectae exprimitur ; « moerorem autem et quidquid est adversum et animos contrahit, tenebrarum ct nebulae significamus vocabulo » (Sanct.). Rem ita declarat Chald. : « et tu Messias Israelis qui absconditus es propter peccata coetus Sion, tibi venturum est. regnum et veniet dominatio pristina regno coetus Ierusalem ». (Quae verba aperte referunt fabulam iudaicam, Messiam die quo templum destructum sit, natum quidem esse in Bethlehem, verum propter peccata populi fuisse tempestate summotum et absconditum ; cf. Reinke, Mess. Weissag. III p. 353.
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v. 5 « et erit iste paz ; cum venerit Assyrius in terram nostram et quando. calcaverit àn domibus nostris, et suscitabimus super eum septem pastores et octo primates homines » ; — quia ipse Dominator est pax ?, pace ac tranquillitate subditi eius donantur. Pacem in novà theocratia vates iam 4, 3. 4 descripsit ; et hoc loco post tot bellicos tumultus et perturbationes (&, 9. 10. 44 ; 5, 1) pacis mentio eo gratior redit. Est autem Dominator princeps pacis (Is. 9, 6), pacis auctor, largitor, effector, sub cuius imperio totus orbis laeta pace et felicitate illustrabitur (cf. Ps. 11) ; est pax piv, non sine allusione ad Schelomoh, Salomon, qui est pacificus et cuius regni pax, ubertas, felicitas umbram et imaginem exhibuit regni messianici (cf. 4, 4). Neque enim David, quia multum sanguinem fudit, templum Deo erigere potuit, sed ad id Salomon electus est, rex pacificus; ita novum Dei templum et regnum ab eo instituitur, qui est pax. Ei vero etiam propterea appellatio haec quam maxime convenit, quia ipse pacem restituit inter Deum et hominem et inter homines ipsos et tamquam talis Pacificator iam Gen. 49, 10 (hebr.) annuntiatur. Unde plane consequens est, ut Messias recenter natus pacis cantico ab angelis consalutetur, ut hanc eligat salutationem messianicam eamque suis Apostolis adhibendam tradat. Par igitur et in vaticiniis messianicis et in vita et doctrina Christi et in epistolis Apostolorum mira concordia annuntiatur. Qualis autem pax in regno messianico exspectanda sit, statim determinatur : pax illa scil. quae pugna, vigilantia, victoria de hostibus re- 1. At Syrus quoque et. Chald. exprimunt convertentur i. c. lectionem. *3vj* pro *2* ; portata possidetur. Id innuitur, dum dicitur : cum venerit Assyrius ; Assur tempore Michaeae hostis praepotens populo Dei imminebat, iam partem populi abduxerat et aliquas provincias terrae Domini occupaverat (cf. 4 Reg. 15, 29; 17, 4 - 6?) atque magis magisque ipsi urbi periculum et terrorem creabat. Quare Assur praecipuo quodam iure tamquam /ostis regni Dei in scenam propheticam inducitur, in se scil. reliquos omnes concludens ac repraesentans. Cum venerit... et suscitabimus ; ilud et apodosin vestit (uti germanicum so), tim scil. non aderit ducum penuria, sed quamplurimos duces et copias insignes ei opponemus. Numerus enim septenarius multitudinem dicit, quae adiuncto numero octonario tamquam omnino magna designatur ; ita similem habes locutionem apud Amos: « super tribus sceleribus et super quattuor » et 1 Reg. 2, 5 hebraea et graeca habent : « donec sterilis peperit septem », id quod interpres latinus rite explanavit : « donec sterilis peperit plurimos » (cf. Ier. 15, 9) ; similiter Eccl. 11, 2: «da partem septem, nec non et octo » i. e. panum et opum tuarum partes eroga liberaliter in pauperes (cf. Rib. Sanct. Lap. Est. Mar. Men.). Primates i. e. principes hominum hebr., qui instituti sunt a Dominatore tamquam principes super subditos regni sui; quare innuitur adfore in regno messianico ordinem hierarchicum, adfore duces, principes a Messia delectos et consecratos et institutos, qui eius nomine res gerant. Refert S. Hier. : « ubi nos posuimus primates homines et in hebraico. seriptum est nesiche adam, Sym. interpretatus est christos hominum ; Theod. et quinta. editio principes hominum ; Aq. qraves vel constitulos homines, id est xa'iazagivoo; » ; cf. cod. syr. hexapl. p. 198. 536. *i23 alibi vertitur du. Ios. 13, 21 5. princeps Ez. 30, 32. Ps. 82, 12. Cum *4D3 sit libamen, aliqui. vocem. explieant : is qui libamine effuso conseeratus sib (ef... First L) ; unde haud. immerito Sym. christos transtulit, quam notionem ScÁegg voci beue vindicat. Isti autem principes non solum regnum ac ditionem theocraticam efficaciter defendent et tueburütur, verum etiam terras regionesque liostium ipsis hostium armis expugnabunt ac subiicient :
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v. 6 « et pascen! terram. Assur in. gladio et terram Nemrod. in lanceis eius » ; — suis armis hostes vincentur et haec arma hostibus erepta militibus Christi inservient. | Vemrod cf. Gen. 10, 8-12; ita rebellio illa antiquissima, cuius initium et centrum fuit. Babel, ultimatim a Messia prosternetur ; eius rebellionis symbolum in nomine Vemrod cernitur, quod proprie rebellemus (1*2 1s. 36, 5. 2 Reg. 18, 20 etc.) interpretaberis ; ipse Nemrod « coepit esse potens in terra», viet oppressione utitur, neque in posterum terra Assur et Babel a talis parentis exemplo unquam recessit. Pastores autem Dominatoris pascent terram gladio i. e. cam subiicient et quidquid est rebellionis tollent. Is autem, qui per principes ex hominibus assumptos cladem hostibus infert et fideli gregi pacem ac securitatem procurat, est ipse Messias ; unde : « et liberabit ab Assur, cum venerit i terram nostram et cum calcaverit in finibus nostris » ; — erunt igitur etiam regno messianico certamina subeunda et pax illa promissa acquiritur multa patientia (cf. Ioel 3, 9) ; verum portae inferi non praevalebunt. Adnotat S. Hier. :« in eo ubi ego et Aquila transtulimus in lanceis eius, Symmachus vertit £vxó; zvóv a9c5; ld est intra portas eius ; Theodotio ín porlis eorum ; quinta edilio £v zapai(gusw a):6v, quod nos possumus dicere in sicis eorum, in hebraeo autem positum est baphetee » (n nne3). Plerique vertunt in porlis eius i. e. in oppidis et arcibus eius, terram simul cum omnibus urbibus.. occupabunt, uti Assur calcavit in terram nostram et in domibus nostris. Sed parallelismo versio S. Hier. commendatur ; formam hebr. eadem scil. significatione accepit, qua rinns Ps. 55, 22 iacula. Vertit. Chald. : in fortitudine turrium ; Syrus : in ira eius. LXX praebent £y 75 tXgo0 xoi. Praeterea cf. cod. syr. hexapl. ad h. 1l. Est igitur Dominator pax et protectio efficacissima populi sui. Sed et ipse populus sub tali duce beatitudinis huius ac fortitudinis particeps benedictionem acceptam longe lateque diffundit in omnes qui eam recipere gestiunt, adversarios vero invicte prosternit. Ita populus messianicus similitudinem Messiae induit; id quod de pace v. "1 delaratur : v. "i « et erunt reliquiae lacob in medio populorum multorum quasi vos a Domino et quasi stillae super herbam, quae non exspectat virum et non praestolatur filios hominum » ; — cf. v. 3 ; hae primitiae Israel, quas Messias reducet ac convertet ad Deum suum, erunt in medio populorum quasi ros coelitus immissus ; « loquitur autem iuxta id quod in terra pluvia non est, fructus terrae rore conservantur, ne nimio calore arescant et pereant » (Rib. sim. Sanct.). Afferent fertilitatem, vigorem et quae languescunt ad novam vitam erigent, i. e. sermone et doctrina divina animas hominum veluti rore perfundent et gratiis coelestibus impinguabunt (cf. Cyr.) ; « tantam ac talem rerum omnium copiam pollicetur, ut et alios hac bonorum affluentia quasi rore conspergere et beneficiis afficere possint » (TheopA.). Vide Os. 14, 6. Similitudinem roris et pluviae ad fecunditatem referendam esse, non, ut alii volunt, ad multitudinem, neque ad repentinam regni messianici originem, iam inde patet, quia hac imagine id adumbratur, quod de Messia supra dictum est : et erit iste paz, sicuti altera leonis comparatione ea ad populum accommodantur, quae in antecedentibus de victoria Messiae dicta sunt. Quare bene explicat Lap.: « divina doctrina et vitae sanctitate fecundabunt terram... Deus sua coelesti luce et gratia ad praedicationem Apostolorum illabens mentibus auditorum easque placide ac suaviter irrorans faciet eas fecundas virtutibus et bonis operibus ». Ad gratiam coelitus conferendam refertur illud a Domino. Atque spiritualem hanc plantationem, herbam, non crescere hominum industria et adiutorio, verum solo favore divino, designatur membro illo: quae non ezrspectat virum . . . i. e. non ab homine sperat ea quae ad vigorem et vitam conferunt, neque homo ea largiri potest (cf. Alb.). Textus hebr. ita verti potest : qui scil. ros non exspectat hominem 1. e. ros datur a Domino, quando et quantum vult ; hominum industria, desiderio, conatibus attrahi non potest: ita gratia Dei gratuito datur, cui et quando Deus voluerit ; homo eam promereri nequit suis viribus. Spiritus enim spirat, ubi vult neque est volentis, neque currentis, sed miserentis Dei. Atque uti in singulorum hominum vita, ita in populorum quoque conversione gratuitum Dei beneficium, qui efficaciter vocat, quando ipsi placuerit, agnoscendum est. Ita ros gratiae operationem bene adumbrat. Idem exprimceretur in textu latino, si scriberetur: quae (scil. stilla) non exspectant virum et non praestolantur filios hominum. Uti nova theocratia abundat benedictione, ita. etiam fortitudine et terrore praestat in adversarios ; agit suaviter et fortiter ;
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v. 8 « et eruat reliquiae lacob in gentibus, in medio populorum multorum, quasi lvo in iumentis silvarum et quasi catulus leonis in gregibus pecorum, qui cum transierit et conculcaverit et ceperit, non est qui eruat » ; — hebr. accuratius non ceperit, scd qui si pertransit (gregem), conculcat et discerpit et non est qui eruat ; imaginem terroris et. fortitudinis invictac tam accurate et quasi epice oculis subiicit vates, ut ad omnium solatium mediis in aerumnis constet, nullum hostem in theocratiam praevaliturum. Leo enim ex luda vincet (cf. Gen. 49, 9. Num. 23, 24. Os. 5, 14) et huius potentiae particeps est populus Dei ; quae enim de Messia valent, qui est caput, haec de eius quoque corpore, quae est Ecclesia, iuremerito praedicari, ipsa hac leonis similitudine declaratur, quippe quae alias de Messia, hic de eius Ecclesia proponitur.
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v. 9 « Exaltabitur manus tua super hostes tuos et omnes inimici tui interibunt » ; — magna sit et exeelsa nianus tua, uti olim erat super Aegyptios in exitu Israel de Aegypto; cf. Nuin. 33, 3. Ex. 14, S. Is. 96, 11 ; atque intereant omnes, qui divinis consiliis se opponunt! exscindantur hebr.; quibus verbis vates sane comprehendit inimicos Dei extra Israel et intra Israel (cf. 2, 3; 3, 9 etc.) Huic suspirio vatis Deus respondet declarans, quae ablaturus sit et aboliturus ex Israel in die illo, quo scil. manum suam exaltabit et novam theocratiam instituet. Aliis verbis : indicat Deus regnum messianicum praeparandum esse abolitione omnis apparatus bellici (v. 10. 11) et superstitiosi (v. 42. 13. 14). Vates igitur pro sui temporis conditione hac simul doctrina utitur, qua ostendat, quae a se removere debeant, ut populus Deo acceptus praeparetur. Uti enim iam ex antecedentibus (4, 9; 5, 1) constat, populo in aerumnis et abiecto statu versant salus affulgebit. Quare Deus sermonem facit de epocha, qua incipit manum suam exaltare et omnia quae theocratiae obstant exscindere :
A vaticinio consolatione plena (v. 8) revertitur ad calamitates, quas subire debebunt, ut qua fide illas considerari oporteat declaret. Conditionem enim afflictam esse quasi viam, qua ad, faustiora populi sortes sint adducendae. Simul calamitatem instantem accuratius delineat : v. 9 « Nunc quare moerore contraheris? numquid rez non est tibi? aut consiliarius tuus perit, quia comprehendit te dolor sicut. parturientem » ? — hebr. et nunc quare vociferaris vociferatione (cf. Rib. Lap. 1. Neque praetereundum est, eidem adhiberi vocabula ; 3 Reg. 23, 3 Pavid promissiones sibi factas. collicit in dominatore, qu:m Deus dabit, 5*2: Mich. avc dominationem venire dicit, et 5, 2 dominatorein Qe. Calm.) idque !, ut ait Lap., nervosius. Audit in mentis visione propheta ingentem doloris eiulatüm, miseriae summae indicem, quo filia Sion prostratam rempublicam et regnum collapsum et regem pereuntem deplorat; cernit vates Sionem subito dolore acerbissimo, qui est parturientis, correptam, unde civitatis ruinam et regis, qui simul est regni totius veluti fülerum et rerum nutantium spes certa (inde consiliarius), interitum accidisse oratoria illa interrogatione concludit. Iustum esse dolorem concedit; ut eum ferat, hortatur; at quod iam similitudo parturientis innuit, eum esse partus dolorem indicat, ex quo demum praeclarus fructus enasci debeat ; quare pergit v. 10 « dole et satage, filia Sion, quasi parturiens ; quia nunc egredieris de civitate et habitabis in regione et venies usque ad. Babylonem. Ibi liberaberis, ibi redimet te Dominus de manu inimicorum tuorum » ; — hebr. parturi et enitere 1. e. parturientis dolores subi ac sustine ; instabunt dolores acutissimi, quos iam exsilii enumeratione quasi per partes recenset : urbs sancta relinquenda, in agro sub dio habitandum, in regionem longinquam usque ad Babel veniendum erit. Ergo urbs ab hostibus expugnabitur; incolae in captivitatem abducentur et per transmigrationem et in aliena terra diu domibus carebunt, in agro sub pellibus vel tabernaculis aut miseris in casulis habitabunt et usque in Babel abducentur. Fieri Babylonis mentionem veri nominis prophetia est, cum Michaeae tempore Assyriis praedominantibus potius exspectares captivitatem assyriacam et commorationem niniviticam. Ita ipsius regionis determinatione vaticinia praecedentia (2, 10) accuratius cireumscribuntur. Simul conditio populi et civitatis dissoluta (cf. v. 6. ") magis declaratur : rege ablato, miseriis ingruentibus, et demum ipsa libertate et patriae regionis inhabitatione iis erepta. At partus dolores simul aliquid spei afferunt; neque iis tale solamen deest : liberationem, quam Dominus effecturus sit, ostendit. Eam sub Cyro cernimus operi mandatam'r; inde enim parva restaurationis initia, quibus proxima fiebat praeparatio ad messianicam. Igitur mediis in miseriis ali- | quid consolationis immiscere non omittit propheta. Satage ita explicat Rib. : « est anxium esse, distorqueri difficultate alicuius rei conficiendae, festinare cum cura et sollicitudine ». 1. Ita recentiores quoque; cf. Schegj, Hitz. Keil, Reinke, quamvis yn, hiph. FARE etiam saepius do exsultatione et iubilo usurpetur. S. Hier. formam derivavit a yy et y malum, Multi v. 9 aliter accipientes nihil nisi consolatoria ibi interpretantur (cf. Rib. : Sanct. Men.) videl. de ingruentibus malis prorsus non esse, cur doleat Sion ; liceret dolori vacare, si forte non adesset rex ; verum cum rex messianicus et optimus rerum consiliarius praesto sit, omnem moceroris causam penitus abesse et exsulare debere. — Aliter Theod. : unde in aerumnas incidisti ? habebas regem et consiliarios ; disce ergo tua culpa tibi accidisse. Similiter S. Hier. : « vitio tuo nec regis nec consiliarii mereris auxilium » ; neque multum abest S. Cyr. — Sed v. 10 demonstrat explicationem supra propositam optime in contextum convenire. Insuper fer formula n7 v. 9. 11. 5, 4 periodus calamitatis et oppres- Altera causa angustiarum, quibus Sion obsidetur, ira est inimicorum profecta ex odio, quod gerunt in urbem sanctam et a Deo ad sedem regni theocratici evectam :
Consideravit vates a v. 2-8 praeclaram felicitatem et gloriam invictan: quam Dominator suis allaturus est. Huic igitur magno desiderio obyian: fertur ; quare ardenti animi studio talem gloriae divinae manifestationein exoptat et vaticinia accepta suis precibus comitatur; ita v. 9 in textu hebr. per modum optativi: eraltetur manus (ua. super inimicos tuos ; eodem sensu intellige vulg.
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v. 10 « et erit in die illa, dicit Dominus, auferam equos tuos de medio tut et disperdam quadrigas tuas, v. A4 et perdam civitates terrae tuae et destruam omnes muniliones (uas » ; — arcte ad v. 9 referri debet in. die illa ; ut scil. desiderium prophetae impleatur, ut gloria Dei in nova theocratia reluceat, pompa terrestris, superbia et fiducia funditus erit exstirpanda ; periodus humilitatis est quasi germen et origo instaurationis ; cf. Zach. 9, 10 ; quare locus iste insigniter docet, quam immerito Iudaei regnum messianicum bellica gloria et mundano fastu celebre sibi polliciti sint ; e contra haec omnia interitui et abolitioni esse devovenda diserte et explicite annuntiatur. Illa explicite commemorantur, quae ad impetum in hostes faciendum et ad defendendam regionem quam maxime valent, ut ex unaspecie scil. omne armorum genusintelligaturet omnis potentia humana, cui fiducia humana possit inniti. | Alia praeparatio, qua inauguranda est nova theocratia, eaque pro Michaeae tempore peropportuna, in eo consistit, ut ritus quivis et cultus superstitiosus atque idololatricus tollatur; «et auferam maleficia de manu tua. et divinationes non erunt in te ;
5:11
v. 11 « et nunc congregatae sunt super te gentes multae, quae dicunt : lapidetur et aspiciat in. Sion oculus noster »'! — hebr. profanetur i. e. sacra sua dignitate spolietur et polluatur ; gentium igitur conatus hostiles in id tendunt, ut sancta civitas profana reddatur et foeda, et ut ipsi hac profanatione summopere delectentur ; hebr. enim aspicerc in ... gaudium denotat et delectationem. Apposite rem exhibet fup. : « quo dicto vehemens innuitur odium et invidia, quae non leviter exsaturari possit, nisi multarum aspectu miseriarum ; quo cum potiti fuerint, maligno risu solvuntur et crudeli plausu tripudiant, dilatantes os suum ...». Igitur hostes non excidium qualecumque moliuntur, sed profanationem desiderant et hac volunt cum voluptate frui. Talis ergo urbis conditio supponitur, qua abominationem illam iam proxime ei esse inferendam iure possit exspectari. — Lapidetur ! i. e. tamquam adultera puniatur (cf. Hier. Alb. Rib. Sanct. Lap.). Verum aliud est Dei consilium ; idque tale quod rationibus humanis ex rerum humanarum cursu depromptis non possit cognosci, quod proinde hominum exspectationem longe superat: potentissimi quique hostes ab infirma Sione erunt prosternendi, sed ex ipsa prostratione salus devictorum et prosperitas efflorescet ; ita Dei consilium singulare apparet, quod propheta exponit : v. 12 « tpsi autem non cognoverunt cogitationes Domini et non intellexerunt consilium eius, quia congregavit eos quasi foenum areae » ; — hebr. quasi manipulos in arcam, ut S. Hier. in com. rite explicat et vertunt tib. Lap. Mar. i. e. hostes congregati sunt, ut odio suo satisfacetent ; Deus vero illos consociari permisit, quo facilius et efficacius ad interitum et punitionem colligantur. Sunt enim quasi mes- sis irae Domini (cf. Os. 6, 11), quasi segetes et manipuli conterendi, triturandi, conculeandi. Unde in eadem imagine pergit propheta:
5:12
v. 19 et perire faciam sculptilia, tua et statuas de medio tui et non adorabis ultra opera manuum tuarum » , — tales ritus exstitisse, vide Is. 2, 6-9. 48. 20; 57, 5-8. & Reg. 16, 3. 4; 18, 4. 2 Par. 28, 2. 35 31,1; divinationes hebr. cazzo, quam vocem multi de augurio ex nubibus capto, alii de incantatione et fascino, alii de vi excitandi tempestates explicant !. Seulptilia idola sunt ex ligno vel aere, ferro confecta ; statuae Thay'a etiam cippi lapidei vocabantur et obelisci (cf. Gen. 28, 18. 22; 31, 13. Ier. 43, 13), qui consecratione quadam cultui idolorum adhibebantur. Demum utrumque, idololatriam et apparatum bellicum, complexus iterata assertione deletum iri vaticinatur
5:13
v. 13 « surge et tritura, filia Sion ! quia cornu tuum ponam ferreum et ungulas luas ponam aereas : et comminues populos multos et interficies Domino rapinas eorum et fortitudinem eorum Domino universae terrae » ; — qui adversa urgetur fortuna, qui in sordibus est luctu, sedere dicitur ; cum igitur surgere iubetur, id audit, ut pulverem excutiat, moerorem deponat et se ad optimam spem attollat (Sanct.). Sion, quae affligi et in terram prosterni videbatur, admonetur, ut assurgat, vires sumat, hostes conterat; « in tritura vis significatur maior, cui se alii ita submittunt, ut mutire non audeant, sed perferant omne sive ignominiae sive acerbitatis genus » (Sanct.). In cornu cernitur fortitudo ; quare huius quoque virtutis symboli mentio fit, quamvis ad trituram non referatur. Satis bene rem perpendit Theoph.:« quoniam manipulos dixit, eandem verborum immutationem servans apte nunc adiicit : surge tu, quae mortua videris, fac eos proteras atque comminuas. Meo namque auxilio freta vires habebis inexpugnabiles, uti taurus, ferreis cornibus praeditus, ad irruentium inimicorum impetum propulsandum, et aeneis ungulis munitus ad eosdem proterendos atque conculcandos ». De veterum more iumentorum ungulis terendi cf. Deut. 95, 4. Os. 10, 11. Sed populorum clades fit, ut spolia Domino consecrentur ; énterficies ! Domino i. e. consecrabis Domino, uti S. Hier. in com. interpretatur, quem alii rite sequuntur (cf. Alb. Sanct. Mar.). Ita Is. 23, 18 negotiationes Tyri Domino esse sanctificandas dicitur ; sim. Is. 60, 6. Agg. 2, 8 (hebr. et LXX): fortitudo i. e. opes, divitiae (cf. Rib. Lap. Men. Mar.). Ea scil. conditio describitur efficienda, qua omnia Deo sint sacra (cf. Zach. 14, 21), isque est finis, cur potestas illa inimicorum subiiciatur et conteratur, ut scil. regnum Dei omnia pervadat et in suo quasi sinu complectatur. Iaec est igitur indoles victoriae sioniticae, ut omnia ad Dei servitium transeant, ad quod a Dei populo consecranda sunt. Tüb. Lap. Tir. Gord. Reinke) vel denique gentes Gog et Magog exhiberi, quae apud Ezechielem (38) et in Apocalypsi tamquam ultimus regni Dei hostis deseribantur (cf. Ephr. Keil). In tanta opinionum varietate illis assentiendum esse censeo, qui haec de tempore messianico generatim dici perhibent (cf. Hier. Rup. Alb. Sa, Mar. Scheqgg). Proponitur enim non una quaedem periodus, sed norma generalis, cur Sion ab aliis impugnetur et quomodo civitas a Deo electa victoriam demum gloriosam de omnibus reportet ad Dei gloriam. Id utique suo modo etiam faetum est tempore post exsilium in certaminibus Machabaeorum. Verum propheticae voces non unius periodi eventus, sed legem statuunt fundamentalem, quae in omni theocratiae epocha valitura est : fore impugnationes ; humanitus res esse desparatas et iam fere conclamatas ; sed portas inferorum non praevalituras ; hostes contumaces iri contritum ; victoriam ipsis devictis, dummodo velint, fore salutarem ; ex omnibus gloriam Dei eiusque eultum iri auctum, ad quem illustrandum ipsi hostium conatus, opes, quam maxinie conferre debeant. Tertia vice (cf. 4, 9. 11) calamitatem et miseriam summam describit vates, qua Sion erit prosternenda : 5, 4 « nunc vastaberis, filia latronis ; obsidionem posuerunt super nos, in virga percutient mazillam iudicis Israel » ; — hebr. ad verbum : nunc turmatim congregare, filia turmae i. e. adhortatur Sionem, urbem militum copiis instructam et ad expeditiones militares prodire solitam, ut exercitum colligat, ut. suas vires exserat, ut quoad fieri possit, se defendat. Hacc exhortatio oratorie adhibetur ad periculi imminentis magnitudinem ostendendam ; periculum describitur obsidione, urbis coarctatione, et indignissima — tractatione siummaque contumelia, quae summo magistratui et reipublicae administratori infligatur. Quae cum accidant, res israeliticas plane esse desperatas et abiectas patet. Cernitur enim urbs non solum oppugnatione afflicta, verum etiam expugnatione facta hostium potestati et arbitrio sublecta, a quibus proceres ludibrio habeantur. Iuste quidem ita iudices iniusti puniuntur (3, 1. 9. 41) ; nam dignitate theocratica violata et lege Dei proculcata aequum est, ut hostes triumphent. « Ignominiae signum non dubium est ictus in faciem ; id si per virgam intelligitur fieri, omnino miserum ac servile erit » (Cyr.). Ad interpretationem latinam haec notat. S. Hier : «nunc interim pro meritis tuis vastare, sive, ut in hebraeo habetur, concidere !'... nec te. appello filiam meam, sed latronis 1. Habet "13731 hanc significationem, quae de incisionibus in cute factis dicitur, uti in filiam... fecisti enim domum meam speluncam latronum, repugnasti adversum me ». Sermonem esse de lerusalem, ex analogia cum 4, 9. 11 iam constat. Quare plerique interpretes id etiam agnoscunt. S. Cyr. aliique, qui in textu suo legerunt 9uyarrp "Ezz«ip de Samaria interpretantur. Theod. additamentum illud non habet. Alii, ut Lap. Men. Tir. Gord. sermonem fieri volunt ad Assyriam propter cladem Sennacherib. Aliis cladem et expugnationem a Chaldaeis illatam exhiberi placet, ita ut iudicem in maxilla percussum Sedeciam intelligant (cf. Ephr. Rib. Sanct.). Alii qui triplicem hanc annuntiationem v. 9. 11 et 5, 4 historiece applicandam esse censent exsilio babylonico (cf. Reinke) certaminibus tempore Machabaeorum praesertim contra Svros et Antiochum Epiphanem factis, hoc loco Romanorum invasionem per Pompeium factam urbisque sanctae profanationem intelligunt populique subiugationem sub Romanorum imperio et demum urbis destructionem populique dispersionem. Quidquid sit de tam distincta triplicis epochae calamitatum praedictione, hoe modo indubitato ex textu elucet, tempore valde calamitoso, cum respublica israelitica sub alienorum dominio iaceat cum ignominia prostrata, exoriturum esse Dominatorem in [srael cf. 5, 3. At in tantis miserjis salus exorietur Sioni et quidem non proxime ab ipsa urbe, vel arce regia in urbe constituta, sed inde, unde David quoque rex olim egressus salutem et liberationem ab oppressione Philisthinorum urbi et populo attulit. Id salutis exordium auctoremque a Bethlehem exeuntem mente cernens propheta, ipsum viculum alloquitur, rem miram designans, quod capite regni conculcato oppidulum remedium sit praestaturum v. 2 «ettu, Bethlehem Ephrata, parvulus es in millibus Iuda! ez te mihi egredietur qui sit dominator in Israel, et egressus eius ab initio, a. diebus aeternitatis » ; — hebr. verte : et tu.. parva ut sis inter chiliades Iuda i. e. minor quam ut censearis inter chiliarchias vel praefecturas Iuda; q. d. tribunum vel chiliarcham, qui mille familiis praesit, non mereris, eo quod mille familiis non constas (cf. Lap. Sa, Mar.); vel generatim cAilias "DN coetum dicit familiarum ad unam stirpem pertinentium, ex quibus pluribus una coalescit tribus et quibus principes! chiliadum praeficiuntur (cf. Ex. 18, 21. Num. 1, 16. Iud. 6, 15. 1 Reg. 10, 19; 23, 23). Sollemnitatis causa additur nomen antiquitate venerandum Ephrata (cf. Gen. 33, 16. 19; 48, 1), uti addiderunt maiores natu, cum bene precarentur Ruth (Ruth 4, 11), ex qua oriundus erat David. Vicus ille parvulus gloria et nobilitate omnes urbes vincet, uti canit Prudentius in hymno Epiphan. : Ut enim prior David, ita etiam ex te mihi egredietur, ut sit. dominator 1n Israel ; ex te i. e. ex viculo, qui totius quasi nationis et regni conditionem humilem in se exprimit et familiam David in solio olim splendentem, sed iam ad pristinam obscuritatem reversam exhibet, ut ea quoque in re typus cernatur David. Per Dominatorem hunc dominatio prisca redibit ad filiam Sion, iam nunquam auferenda ; quare 4, 8 et 3, 2 eodem initio e£ tu efferuntur et quae ibi dicta est dominatio (cf. hebr.), iam Dominatori accepta refertur, in quo Dominator ille apparet, de quo David in ultimis verbis omnia vaticinia sibi facta complexus cecinit (2 Reg. 23, 3). Atque simul ultima redditur ratio, cur Sion non sit peritura, verum victoriam de hostibus reportatura (4, 10. 13), quia scil. Dominator az '£5c41» surrecturus est. Prodibit, egredietur x3*, vocabulum hoe de ortu, nativitate saepe adhibetur, uti v. g. in promissione reges ex te egredientur!, quamvis, uti per se patet, generali notione prodeundi etiam usurpetur. Iam quo sensu hic erit accipiendum? Cum notum sit ex vaticiniis Davidi datis magnum illum Dominatorem oriturum esse ex stirpe David, nunc accuratius determinatur, ex quo stirpis Davidicae domicilio sit proditurus ; sed simul eum ibi in lucem esse edendum, certe satis commode fluit ; idque eo magis si perpenderis, v. 3 ita esse conformatum, ut versui primo et alteri maxime respondeat et paucis utriusque argumentum referat; dabit eos.. calamitatem v. 4 descriptam repetit, usque ad. tempus, in. quo parturiens pariet,finem et terminum calamitatis indicat, uti v. 2; quare non immerito parturiens pariet huius versus 2 maior censeri potest et magis accurata determinatio. Accedit, quod David rex natus sit in Bethlehem ; si ergo alter David (cf. Os. 3, 5) dicatur egredi ex codem loco, idque vocabulo ad nativitatem designandani apto, vix non debebis de origine et nativitate interpretari. Insuper statini origo coclestis subditur, ergo membrum antecedens de origine terrestri erit capiendum. Inde ergo efficitur scribas ad quaestionem, ubi Christus nasceretur, optime respondisse, quo responso simul intelligimus, locum hunc interpretatione apud Iudaeos per manus tradita ?ita fuisse explicatum. Mihi egredietur i. e. Deo auctore, ad laudem, obsequium, gloriam Domini, tamquam Dominator a Deo missus, qui nomine et auctoritate Dei regnum et dominium capessit (cf. Lap.). Qualis sit Dominator, origine demum coelesti et aeterna declaratur. Is enim, qui in tempore ex Bethlehem prodibit, non ibi vitae initium sortitür, verum egressiones eius ab olim, a diebus aeternitatis sunt (LXX a: £2.22), i. e. tales ab aeterno sortitur origines, quae sint egressiones. Modusloquendi mysterio demum SS. Trinitatis patefacto clare patet ; adhibetur pluralis numerus, quia Filius semper procedit a Patre iugi generatione et processione, olim, heri, hodie ; est continua quaedam emanatio et nativitas, omni aeternitati et omnibus durationibus coexsistens ; simulque uberrimi huius vitae fonteset origo excellentissima ! indicantur (cf. Rib. Sanct. Lap.). Atque etiam in V. T. tempore Michaeae egressiones saltem aliqua ratione intelligi poterant. Nam Messiam esse divina natura praeditum, non poterat penitus ignorari, cum iam Ps. 2, 'i dicatur : « filius meus es tu » et Is. 9, 6 Messias vocetur « pater aeternitatis, Deus fortis » ; addi quoque potest Ps. 44, 1; 109, 3. Sed si filius Dei et Deus agnoscebatur, origines eius tamquam nativitas a Patre considerari debebant. Origines eius sunt ab initio... separatim utraque expressio apud Michaeam 71, 14. 20 et alibi occurrit de prisca historia ; coniunctim similis locutio de antiqua historia legitur Is. 51, 9: « consurge, sicut in diebus antiquis (239 olim, initium), in generationibus saeculorum (a5) » , sed etiam de vera aeternitate cf. Prov. 8, 23. Idem nostro loco obtinet ; repetitione notio aeternitatis pari modo effertur, ac si dicitur in saeculum saeculi etc. (cf. Rib.). S. Hier. primo explicat de aeterna generatione ; mox tamen aliam explicationem subiungit : « egressus eius non eo tantum fuerat tempore, quo visus in carne est, sed ab initio aeternitatis sive ab initio saeculi ; quia semper ipse locutus est per prophetas et sermo Dei factus est in manu eorum, ideo dabit Iudaeos, eosque regnare permittet usque ad tempus parientis ». Sed haec expositio considerari potest tamquam fluens ex priore : quia ab aeterno exsistit, ideo etiam olim antequam in carne appareret, continuo se manifestavit. — Clarius triplicem explauationem proponit et legentibus eligendam relinquit S. Cyr. : « egressus itaquc appellat aut temporis expertem Dgi Filii ex Patre in propria subsistentia generationem, aut exhibitionem eius in tempore futuram, quando caro factus est ; aut etiam ex diebus saeculi praedcfinitus et constitutus est Salvator et Redemptor » ; sim. Theoph. Ceterum testimonia Patrum, qui de aeterna generatione rite exponunt, vide apud Rib. et Sanct. Uterque etiam commemorat interpretationem, quae recentioribus quibusdam placet et a S. Hier. Cyr. aliisque iam est indicata : 1. Hisce recentiorum quoque interpretationes concordant ; vertunt Rückert seine Hervorgenge; de Wette, Hitz. sein. Ursprung ; Ewald. sciue Ursprüuge; Keil seine Ausgienye ; . Haevernick seine Ausgangszeiten ; Fürst C. ortus, origo. Numero vero plurali nomea collec- tivum et abstractum exprimitur ; cf. Ewald, Lehrbuch der hebr. Spr. 8 179. egressiones dici operationes, quas Deus a rerum prima constitutione ediderit et praesertim manifestationes per angelum Domini (cf. Keil, Trochon). Sed nequit ostendi, 1NY*2 vel NY12 habere hanc significationem, neque verum est, in Scrip- tura Deum egredi idem plane dicere ac Deum operari. Alii ex recentioribus locum explicant de generis antiquitate et nobilitate vel de titulis antiquissimis, immo immemorabilibus, quos habeat ad dominationem capiendam (cef. lIuhn,- Schegg) ; at prius nil dicit eximii, cum familia David vel stirps Iuda non sit ceteris antiquior ; alterum vero aeque a vocis significatione abest. Chald. aeternitatem refert ad nomen Messiae : cuius nomen dictum est ab initio, a diebus saeculi. Theod. M. Zorobabelem hic designari vult sed simul Christum denotari ; similiter Darh. qui corporaliter i. e. sensu historico et literali Zorobabelem ducem, spiritualiter vero Christum significari affirmat. Explicationem hanc Theod. et Theoph. impugnant iam ex eo, quod Zorobabel non in Bethlehem, sed ut ipsum nomen declarat, in Babel natus sit'. — Ceterum longiorem disquisitionem de historia interpretationis huius loci vide apud lieinke, Mess. Weissag. Ill p. 349-3064. Apud Matth. 2, 6 textus ita legitur : « et tu Bethlehem terra Iuda, nequaqam minima es in principibus [uda » ; de quo loco cum Mich. conciliando multa scripserunt (cf. apud Füib. Sanct.). Sed cum apud S. Matth. pergatur: er te enim exiet.. liquido patet sensus : Betlilehem revera magnam et nobilem fore, quia ex illa rex aeternus sit proditurus. Quod ergo apud Mich. tamquam corollarium et consequens ex textu sequitur, hoc apud Matth. àperte enuntiatum audimus. Vel Miehaeas aperte ponit Bethlehem vicum parvum, si civium numerum consideres, tamen Dominatorem esse editurum, et ita tacite innuit gloriam eius ac famam futuram ; Matthaeus vero hanc conceptis verbis affert. Similiter Rib. nodum solvit addens : « probabilissima est haec solutio et satisfacere cordato lectori debet ». . — In principibus Iuda cf. supra ; in Israel exhibetur apud Matth. circunilocutione : qui regat populum meum Israel, qua verba fere referuntur ex 2 Reg. 5, 2 oliin ad David dicta. Uti ex 5, 1 elucet, calamitas et oppressio hostilis perdurabit usque ad Dominatoris adventum. Ab eo autem gloria, pax, beata concordia afferetur. Id v. 3 quoque proponitur ; v. 3 « propter hoc dabit eos usque ad teinpus, in quo parturiens pariet, et reliquiae fratrum eius convertentur «d. filios Israel » ; — i. e. quia Messias ex vico ignobili, proin ex stirpe Davidica non in splendore constituta, sed obscura, collapsa, ad humilem conditionem redacta, prodire debet, dabit eos hostibus proculeandos, permittet eos opprimi (cf. Cyr. Theoph. Barh. Alb. Men.), doncc Dominator ille nascatur ; pariens est eximia illa Virgo Is. "i, 14:«ecce virgo concipiens et pariens » iam ex vaticinio Isaiae nota. Partus, vel egressus Dominatoris omnis beatitatis felicissimum est auspicium. Ita apud Isaiam quoque l. c. partus ut liberationis symbolum datur ; quare cum nostro loco de simili partu, qui sit oppressionis finis ac terminus, sermo inferatur et pariens iam nota et sane eximia commemoretur, postquam de egressu Dominatoris ex Bethlehem mentio est iniecta, sententia minime dubia est, et partim ex 5, 2 partim ex Is. l. c. de matre Messiae intelligi debet. Tamquam beatae instaurationis initium describitur altero membro benedictio quam Dominator allaturus est. Ut Dominator super Israel reliquias Israel reducet ; hebr. ef reliquiae fratrum eius revertentur cum! filiis Israel ; Iudaei fratres eius vocantur, quare temporalis Messiae ex Bethlehem origo denuo innuitur. Venit Messias, ut populum suum colligat : « non sum missus nisi ad oves quae perierant domus Israel » ; Iudaeis primo Evangelium erat annuntiandum et primi coetus Christianorum ex Iudaeis coalescebant et quia Iudaei Messiam respuebant — reliquiae enim convertentur — « ecce convertimur ad gentes » Act. 13, 46. Reditum istum concordem describit Ier. 3, 18. Ez. 31, 19. eum ; insuper eum suppleri debere, iam sequitur ex v. 9 er te egredietur, cum vocabulum ad nativitatis originem aptum adhibeatur. lam vero in tali contextu ex v. 2 et altero membro versus 3 (fratrum eius) non potest intelligi, nisi ipse Dominator. Praeterea h. 1l. populus non consideratur per modum alicuius abstractionis, ut filia Sion etc. quia dicitur : tradet eos ; neque sensus esse potest : tradet eos, donec Sion pariat ; hoc enim esset vel : donec Sion laboribus et doloribus perfuncta fuerit, vel : donec Sion fructum praeclarum ediderit vel : donec Sion eum pepererit. Sed primum tautologice ac ridicule dicitur : opprimentur, donec cessat oppressio ; alterum arbitrarie asseritur et contra analogiam, quia non ipsa Sion ex se fructum praeclarum producit, verum a Deo instauratio efficitur ; tertium denique significatione duplici accipi potest : vel Sion pariet Messiam ; id quod gratuito asseritur, cum Sion nullibi hac dignitate ornetur ; vel pariet populum novum sanctum, uti [s. 66, 8 ; at populus novus sanctus hoc loco gratis fingitur et contextu reluctante obtruditur, immo propter reliquias fratris eius prorsus excluditur. Insuper hisce in versibus de Sion non fit mentio ; frustra igitur arcessitur. Proinde restat explicatio de matre Messiae unice et verbis apta et contextui consentanea et ab Isaiae vaticinio iam praeparata et suggesta, quam explicationem etiam aliqui ex rationalistis, uti Eiwald, Hi- (zig, amplectuntur. Demum notandum est, dabit eos ab aliis explicari : eos conservabit, non permittet interire et penitus exstingui (cf. Hier. Theod. Rib. Sanct. Sa, Mar. Tir.) ; sed locutio sensu supra allato accipi debet ; cf. lud. 11, 9. 4 Reg. 8, 46; 14, 10 (text. hebr.). 2 Chron. 30, 7 etc. nam dare — prodere in mauus et potestatem hostium, usu frequentissimo est ; multa exempla congessit Ges. Thes. p. 920. Atque nostro loco is sensus sufficienter iam versu 4 determinatur et parallelismo qui adest sensus inter nostrum versum et duos antecedeutes ; calamitatem enim duraturam utrimque clare asseritur, donec Messias advenerit; vel: versus 3 paucis complectitur antecedentia, unde ex iis quoque illustretur oportet. Tamquam primum Dominatoris opus assignatum est, ut ex reliquiis populi sui coetum Deo sanctum colligat v. 3; a reliquiis istis conversis nova theocratia messianica exordium capit. Iam quid in ea effecturus sit, clarius describitur : v. 4 « Et stabit et pasccet in fortitudine Domini, in sublimitate nominis Domini Dei sui ; et convertentur, quia nunc magnificabitur usque ad. terminos terrae » ; — stabit i. e. praesto est et. vigil, ut opem ferat (cf. Cyr. Rib.) ; gregem Domini ipse pascet, diriget, optimis pascuis providebit, officio fungens divina fortitudine et potentia, ita ut nemo possit ei ullam rapere ovem (Ftib.) ; ornabit munus pastoritium illa maiestate et virtutis magnitudine, quam Deum ostendere par est ; ita scil. eos gubernabit ac si in eo gloria nominis Dei et honor maiestatis divinae ageretur, cum indignum sit sublimitate divina eos non optime pascere et protegere (Rib.). Paucis propheta veri ac divini pastoris partes delineat, infinite excedentes illas, quas pastores populi rap:- nis, oppressionibus, crudelitate, ruinis tunc exercebant (cf. 2, 1. 2. 8.9; 3, 14-12). Sub tali cura divina secure ac tuto habitabunt ; ita enim, ut ipse Hier. fatetur, melius cum Sym. textus hebr. ! verti debet, idque ipso progressu orationis exigitur. Nam conversio iam supra v. 3 est descripta, et cum Dominator protegat et pascat, effectus huius auxilii et officii exspectatur i. e. secura atque imperturbata habitatio. Haec populo in vetere Testamento raro contigit, est vero propria novi foederis, qui« ume magnificabitur, quia nunc Deus potentiam, maiestatem, gloriam, benignitatem peculiari ratione ostendere vult. In Ecclesiae igitur stabilitate, invicta constantia, duratione imperturbata Dei magnificentia per orbem terrarum relucet. Cur et qua ratione quieta habitatione fruantur, in sequentibus magis declaratur : v. 13 « et evellam lucos tuos de medio tui et conteram civitates tuas » , — hebr. 3 Ux ; videntur arborum trunci fuisse, erecti in honorem Ascherae (cf. Deut. 16, 21 hebr.). Cultum Ascherae (vel Astartes?) impudicitiis plenum pro toto genere affert ; in altero membro aliqui textu mutato ! legi volunt conteram inimicos tuos (cf. Mar. Men. Trochon), sicuti Chald. vertit. At lectio communis optimum praebet compendium versuum antecedentium ; quare omnino retinenda est. Aschera, quae feliz, felicitatem afferens, proinde dea Fortuna explicatur, aliquibus in locis V. T. indubie tamquam dea et socia Baal designatur. Ita sane cum sermo infertur de aliquo simulacro Ascherae, de supellectile pro Áschera, de tabernaculis vel domunculis pro Aschera, de prophetis Ascherae (cf. hebr. 1 Reg. 15, 13; 18, 19. 2 Reg. 91, 7; 23, 4. 7. 2 Chron. 15, 16). Verum plerisque in locis Aschera vel nomen plurale Ascherim et Ascheroth adhibetur pro idolis, simulacris, statuis ; fiebant ista ex ligno, vel eorum loco arbores aut arborum trunci usurpabantur; saepe enim in hebr. legimus Ascherim debere exscindi, succidi, comburi, exterminari ; non debere fieri, collocari, etiam aedificari ;debere efferri vel removeri ; vel ea stare, consistere (cf. Ex. 34, 13. Deut. 7, 5; 12, 3. Iud. 6, 25. 98. 4 Reg. 14, 13. 93; 16, 33. 9 Reg. 13, 6; A1, 10. 16 ; 18, 4. Is. 47, 8; 21, 9. Ier. 17, 2. 2 Chron. 14, 3; 17,6; 19, 3; 94, 4 etc.). Etiam plantare dicitur Deut. 16, 21 non plantabis tibi Ascheram omne lignum iuxta altare Domini Dei tui (hebr.), ex qua locutione orta videtur versio apud LXX et in vulg. obvia, Ascherim esse lucum, id quod a re non adeo discrepat, quia prope eiusmodi sacraria saepe etiam lucus aderat voluptatis fovendae causa. Simul cum Baal cultus Áscherae exercebatur et Ascherae symbolum prope altare Baal collocabatur. Cultus impuritatem et spurcitias satis ea produnt quae 4 Reg. 14, 23 ; 15, 12-14, 2 Reg. 23, 7] (hebr.) indicantur ; quare S. Hier. verborum sensum rite expressit loquens de sacris Priapi et de simulacro turpissimo 3 Reg. 15, 13. Alia est quaestio, utrum Áschera idem fuerit idolum cum Astarte (Aschtoreth) necne. Multi id censent aliis negantibus aliisque rem certo definiri non posse asserentibus. Astarten eandem fuisse quae apud Assvrios [star appellabatur, satis probabile videtur. De tota re vide Vigourour, La Bible et les découvertes mod. 3 ed. III p. 263 ; Schenkel, Bibellex. I p. 257 ; Herzog, Realencyklop. für prot. Theol. 9 ed. I p. 723 ; Kaulen, Kirchenlexicon I p. 1520. Multa quoque affert Movers, Die Phoenizier I p. 559 et seq. P. Scholz, Goetzendienst p. 947 seq. Uti Deus in populo Israel ea destruit et exstirpat, quae sanctitati divinae opponuntur, ita in reliquis quoque populis :
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v. 14 «et faciam in modo xAz6owcpov d. e. ominationem ex sono, voce, vel etvtaax ct ópyiDogaxozziv augurium ex avium volatu etc. captum exprimunt; cf. Ges, Thes. p. 1053. 1. Vel "y in notione inimicus accipiunt, quam vox aramaica habet Dan. 4, 16. Locus qui pro ea ro affertur 1 Sam. 28, 16 valde dubius cst; lego. secundum LXX et S. Hier. 3775 furore et in indignatione ultionem in omnibus gentibus, quae non audierunt » ; — i. e. quae non obedierunt, quae vocem Domini invitantis contempserunt. Ultionem indicat summam in furore .. nulla clementia mitigatam. Epocha enim messianica tempus iudicii quoque est in populos exercendi, quia salus oblata cedet illis vel in resurrectionem vel in ruinam maiorem (cf. Is. 66, 19-18. Ioel 3, 9. Soph. 3, 8. Agg. 2, 23). Versus hos interpretes vario modo superioribus iungunt et explicant. Alii enim de Assyriis eos dici existimant, eorumque cladem annuntiari (uti iam S. Ephr. et Theod. M.), alii eos referunt generatim ad eversionem Ninives et Babylonis et inimicorum populi Dei. Sensus utique sat facilis et obvius colligitur. Sed unde tam repertina apostrophe ad gentes hoc loco declaretur, illi non explicant neque facile dixeris, neque intelligitur, quomodo si allocutio fitad gentes, iterum subito v. 14 enallage personae fiat et de gentibus inferatur sermo talis, quasi antea earum mentio non habita esset. Eadem difficultate premitur explanatio, vatem loqui ad gentilitatem conversam (Sa, Lap.) vel ad Ecclesiam primitivam, cui omnia arma quibus antea oppugnasset fidem, Deus sit ablaturus (Men. Tir.), vel ad membra convertenda (Rib.). Nam quaero, ubinam est in textu aliquod indicium vel vestigium, orationem non ad lsraelem, verum ad alios quosdam dirigi ? unde tam repentina vel gentium conversarum vel convertendarum, vel Ecclesiae primitivae allocutio ? Neque explanatio a Keil proposita approbari potest: describi scil. internam regni messianici sanctitatem et perfectionem, quae demum superatis omnibus hostibus sit exoritura. Át oppido falsum ! neque enim Israel magiae et diis addictus hostes superabit, neque interna sanctitas et perfectio regni messianici est adeo manca et imperfecta, ut abolitione magiae et idololatriae contineatur. Num propheta ad novae theocratiae sanctitatem exhibendam nihil aliud proferre censendus est nisi auferendum esse cultum superstitiosum ! Quis post tam magnifica promissa (5, 4 etc.) adeo parum exspectat ? Aliter S. Cyr., qui hos versus praedictioni de clade urbis hierosolymitanae eiusque excidio aduectit : « tunc ergo, inquit, peribit equitatus tuus et simul cum eo peribit curruum superbia.... Israelem a detestanda idololatria, ab aris, a delubris, a sacrificiis et ab adoratione operum manuum suarum liberat ». Similiter Theod. quoque verba refert ad ludaeorum inter gentes dispersorum conditionem ; « praedicit itaque eis fore ut ab urbibus suis expellantur et in gentibus dispersi ab idolorum errore liberentur » ; censet enim Iudaeos cum gentium conversarum pietatem vidissent, invitos etiam ipsos a cultu idolorum recessisse. At sermo fit ad eosdem ad quos antea, sed eum in modum, ut declaretur quid auferendum sit, ut regnum exoriatur et stabiliatur messianicum. ÀnG. — Scena forensi instructa Deus disceptationem cum populo orditur eum commemoratis beneficiis, quae olim in Aegypto et in itinere per desertum ei contulerat, ingratitudinis accusans (6,4 - 9). Nomine populi propheta se imparem fatetur, qui dignam exhibeat gratiarum actionem ; respondet Deus ostendens se placari exercitio caritatis et iustitiae (6, 6 - 8. Verum cum populus a tali virtutum norma longissime absit, quippe qui fraudi et avaritiae summopere sit implicatus, grave denuntiatur ab hoste victore supplicium (6, 9 - 16). | Porro tale excidium merentur, quia pravitas morum longe lateque scrpens omnes ordines infecit ; quare vastatio veniet, qua humanae societatis vincula dissolventur ruina universali (71, 4 - 6). In tali extrema necessitate spes in unum Deum est erigenda, spes scil. instaurationis, qua vere poenitentes et Dei auxilio confidentes nunquam destituuntur, (1, 7 - 10). Iam ea spes in eo consistit, ut urbe restituta et separatione gentium sublata omnes ad Sionem accedant, dum regio hostium conculcationi tradatur. Tum grex Domini, populus electus, omni securitate ct abundantia pascitur, mira Dei protectione cinctus, ita ut adversarii haec Dei magnalia, similia aegyptiacis signis, cernentes maximo stupore et terrore afficiantur (1, 41 - 17). Sermonem vates precatione concludit, qua indolem spiritualem regni messianici peccatorum deletione atque gratiae veritatisque largitione constitutam luculenter effert (1, 18 - 90). In tertia hac parte peculiariter notanda sunt haec : a) accusatio scelerum augetur beneficiis Dei recensitis ; b) animorum ad regnum messianicum praeparatio, quae poenitentia, virtutum exercitio, spe firma consistat, clarius atque distinctius proponitur (6, 8; 7, " - 10); c) quibus in rebus indoles spiritualis novae theocratiae consistat, apertius declaratur (1, 18 - 20). Quo magis stupor Iudaeorum excutiatur, ad disceptationem forensem et iudicialem invitantur, quae iubente Domino instituitur a propheta et qua coram testibus populus in ius vocatur, ut ingrati animi, infidelitatis, impietatis se reum fateri cogatur et pudefiat (cf. Cyr. Calm.). Praefatione utitur vates ad populum, qua illos reddat attentos ad litem audiendam, quam Deus populo intendit, utpote ad causam, non a se effictam, sed a Deo imperatam,
5:1
also speak of "she who is to give birth" to the "ruler in Israel" who will be born in the humble village of Bethlehem (Mic. 5, 1-2; Vulg. 5, 2-3). The very difficult text of Jer. 31, 22, in the translation of St. Jerome: "Creavit Dominus novum super terram: femina circumdabit virum", would refer to the virginal …
The characteristics of the M. will be: a) he is of the stock of David: Is. 11, 1; Jer. 23, 5; 33, 15; Ez. 17, 22 (cf. Lk. 1, 32); b) he will be born in Bethlehem: Mic. 5, 1 = Mt. 2, 6; c) of a Virgin: Is. 7, 14 b = Mt. 1, 23; cf. Mic. 5, 2 (the pearl of the messianic prophecies; the sign offered to Ahaz is the son of Is. 7, 3, 16 [Sē'ār jātiūb], like …
5:2
… In Ruth 1, 1-2; 4, 11, as in Mic. 5, 2, the identification of Ephrata with B. is absolutely certain, because it is required by the context and by the parallelism of the phrases; but it is to be noted that not even in these …
… century B.C.) was part of the territory of E. with Kiriath-jearim and Beth-gader and was colonized by the Ephrathite clan, whence it was named E. In Gen. 35:16 and Ruth 4:11 it is called simply E.; in Gen. 35:19 and 48:7: "E. which is Bethlehem." In Mic. 5:2 (cf. Mt. 2:6) the birthplace of the Messiah is called Bethlehem of E.
The characteristics of the M. will be: a) he is of the stock of David: Is. 11, 1; Jer. 23, 5; 33, 15; Ez. 17, 22 (cf. Lk. 1, 32); b) he will be born in Bethlehem: Mic. 5, 1 = Mt. 2, 6; c) of a Virgin: Is. 7, 14 b = Mt. 1, 23; cf. Mic. 5, 2 (the pearl of the messianic prophecies; the sign offered to Ahaz is the son of Is. 7, 3, 16 [Sē'ār jātiūb], like the other son in Is. 8, 4; "before he reaches the age of discretion, …
… Jews was, answered: in Bethlehem (in the [tribe] of Judah, because thus it is written by the prophet: "and you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are not the least among the princes of Judah, for from you shall come forth one who is to rule my people Israel" (Mic. 5:2; Mt. 2:2 ff.). …
5:3
… same subject the different prophecies in which the one chosen to accomplish the great work of Yahweh is called: "David my servant" (Ex. 37:25), "Yahweh our righteousness" (Jer. 23:6; 33:16), "servant of Yahweh" (Is. 52:13), "Shepherd" (Ex. 33:23; cf. Mic. 5:3), "shoot, branch" (Is. 4:2; 11:1; Jer. 23:5) (M.-J. …
5:5
… 2). Characteristics of the kingdom of the M.: the remission of sins and holiness: Is. 56, 6; 57, 13; Jer. 31, 23-34; Ez. 36, 25-28; etc. (cf. Lk. 1, 77 ff.); peace, the perfect order in the relations of each one with God and with neighbor: Is. 9, 6 f.; Mic. 5, 5; Ez. 34, 25 f.; etc.; the abundance of spiritual goods, expressed symbolically with the most vivid images of an extraordinary fertility: Is. 7, 21 f.; 9, 3, 6; 32, 1-5.15-18; Ez. 47, …
Nimrod (Hebr. Nimrādh, Septuagint Neṣnā)
… stock, of whom it is said that he was a great hunter and founded an empire (Gen. 10:8-12) in Babel and other cities of the land of Shinar (= Sumer), from which he went to Asshur, to found Nineveh and other Assyrian centers (whence Assyria is called in Mic. 5:5 and the land of N.).
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the lion over the beasts of the forest (ibid. 5:7 ff.; cf. Gen. 49:9). Messianic characteristics: sovereign peace and an immaculate worship (Mic. 5:10-14).
5:12
… a symbol of it. The Law therefore prohibited them (Lev. 26, 1; Deut. 16, 22). They are nevertheless found in the bānāth or sanctuaries in honor of Yahweh (I Kings 14, 23; II Kings 17, 10; 18, 4; 23, 14; II Chron. 14, 2; 31, 1; Hos. 3, 4; 10, 1 f.; Mic. 5, 12); and also in honor of Baal (II Kings 3, 2; 10, 26 f.). In Is. 6, 13 the m. is a tree trunk, deprived of its branches. …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.