Jerome

[Daniel 7:4] "The first beast was like a lioness and possessed the wings of an eagle. I beheld until her wings were torn away, and she was raised upright from the ground and stood on her feet like a human being, and she was given a human heart." The kingdom of the Babylonians was not called a lion but a lioness, on account of its brutality and cruelty, or else because of its luxurious, lust-serving manner of life. For writers upon the natural history of beasts assert that lionesses are fiercer than lions, especially if they are nursing their cubs, and constantly are passionate in their desire for sexual relations. And as for the fact that she possessed eagle's wings, this indicates the pride of the all-powerful kingdom, the ruler of which declares in Isaiah: "Above the stars of heaven will I place my throne, and I shall be like unto the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14). Therefore he is told: "Though thou be borne on high like an eagle, thence will I drag thee down" (Obadiah 1:4). Moreover, just as the lion occupies kingly rank among beasts, so also the eagle among the birds. But it should also be said that the eagle enjoys a long span of life, and that the kingdom of Assyrians had held sway for many generations. And as for the fact that the wings of the lioness or eagle were torn away, this signifies the other kingdoms over which it had ruled and soared about in the world. "And she was raised up," he says, "from the ground"; which means, of course, that the Chaldean empire was overthrown. And as for what follows, "And she stood upon her feet like a human being, and she was given a human heart," if we understand this as applying to Nebuchadnezzar, it is very evident that after he lost his kingdom and his power had been taken away from him, and after he was once more restored to his original state, he not only learned to be a man instead of a lioness but he also received back the heart which he had lost. But if on the other hand this is to be understood as applying in a general way to the kingdom of the Chaldeans, then it signifies that after Belshazzar was slain, and the Medes and Persians succeeded to imperial power, then the men of Babylon realized that theirs was a frail and lowly nature after all. Note the order followed here: the lioness is equivalent to the golden head of the image [in chap. 2].

(Verse 4 onwards) If thieves entered your house, or robbers at night, how would you remain silent? Wouldn't they have stolen enough for themselves? If grape harvesters entered your vineyard, wouldn't they at least leave some grapes for you? How deeply they searched, how thoroughly they investigated his hidden places! Septuagint: If thieves entered your house, or robbers at night, where would you hide? Wouldn't they have stolen enough for themselves? And if grape harvesters came to you, would they not leave some grapes? How Esau has been searched, and his hidden things have been discovered? Similarly Jeremiah, though with the order changed: If grape harvesters had come upon you, would they not leave some grapes? If thieves came at night, they would surely take what is enough for themselves. But I have uncovered Esau, I have revealed his hidden things, and they cannot hide (Jer. XLIX, 9, 10). What he is saying is this: If thieves and robbers who are accustomed to digging up houses during the night and stealing what is in the houses had entered your house, and, hidden in darkness, had searched through the corners of your house, surely they would have taken what they thought could suffice for themselves, and would have left something in your house, either from satiety or from ignorance. If grape gatherers had entered your vineyard, and if they wanted to either destroy it hostilely or harvest it because they were hired by you, even if their grape harvest had been diligent, still they would have left behind grapes hidden among the vines and leaves, among the stems. But all the enemies, who came to you at the command of the Lord (meaning the Babylonians and the army of Nebuchadnezzar), have searched all your secrets, and have explored the caves, and the openings of the caves, where you dwell. And truly, to say something about the nature of the place, the entire southern region of the Edomites, from Eleutheropolis to Petra, and Aila (which is the possession of Esau), has little dwellings in the caves. And because of the excessive heat of the sun, since it is a southern province, it makes use of underground dwellings. 'I have discovered,' he says, 'Esau, that is, what was pressed down on the ground I have brought out into the open, and everything that you were keeping closed up has been revealed, and while I was seeking your substance along with your enemies, no secrets could be hidden.' Otherwise, I think that thieves and robbers, who enter at night, because they are children of the night and of darkness, are heretics, preaching doctrines contrary to the truth, who steal enough for themselves and hasten to snatch away from the flocks of the Church daily. Those who enter the vineyard of our Lord (Psalm 79), which he transferred from Egypt of this age, and from whose offspring he promises to drink wine in the kingdom of the Father, desire everything to be shared, so that hardly any grapes are left on it. But on the contrary, the Lord acts: for all their secrets and hidden mysteries, and the craftiness of the patriarchs Esau (these are indeed the ones who first discovered heresies), he brings forth into the open through his saints and Churchmen and learned teachers, and his first victory is to reveal what was hidden and secret. And when it is said with admiration, 'How did Esau search out and discover his hidden secrets?' Look at Marcion and Valentinus, and all heretics, how in the teachings of demons, having seared consciences, they applaud themselves, and by composing deceptive speeches, they lead astray simple souls as if initiating them into divine mysteries. But when they bring forth in their discourse the thirty aeons, and the square and octad and twelfth and dualistic god, and the monstrous Abraxas, then the wisdom of Esau will be shown to be foolishness, and his secrets will be revealed.

(Verse 7) All the men of your covenant have sent you to the borders, they have mocked you, the men of your peace have prevailed against you, those who eat with you have set a trap under you: there is no wisdom in him. 70: They have sent you to the borders: all the men of your covenant have resisted you, the men of your peace have prevailed against you: they have set a trap under you: there is no wisdom in him. As we explained earlier, when Esau searched and discovered his hidden things, they are distinguished to the borders: so the meaning is that your hidden and secret things have been revealed to the borders. But it seems better to us that he be joined with those who came later. Therefore, when Nebuchadnezzar came (of whom it is said in Jeremiah against Edom: Behold, like a lion he will ascend from the pride of the Jordan to the strong beauty, because I will make him run suddenly to it (Jer. 49:19): And then: Behold, like an eagle he will ascend and fly, and will spread his wings over Bozrah, and the heart of the mighty men of Edom will be like the heart of a woman in labor on that day (ibid. 49:22)), all those who were previously allied with Edom and had been in the garrison of the most proud city, left him and joined the enemies against him, and set traps for him: and they prevailed against him, and then it was made known that there was no wisdom in Edom: while he hoped in those who were shown to be his adversaries. Otherwise: When the hidden things of Esau, and as it were magnificent sacraments, by which previously the people had been ensnared, have been brought forth into the midst, so that the ecclesiastical man is able to say: For we are not ignorant of his cunning (2 Cor. 2), they will leave the borders of Edom, and abandon him, and migrating as far as the borders of the Church, they will bring forth the most wicked doctrines. Then they will mock and resist their former teacher, saying that what they had learned is false: they will prevail against him, and the learned ones in the faith of the Church will refute the false doctrine. Those who once ate with heretics will pose questions about the Scriptures, They will lay snares for the Idumean and the worldly, and they will be carnal in all things before the fleshly teacher (for we read about heresies that are counted among the works of the flesh in Galatians 5), and then it will be shown that there is no understanding in Edom.

(Verse 8, 9.) Shall I not in that day, saith the Lord, destroy the wise out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau? And thy mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter. Septuagint: In that day, saith the Lord, I will destroy the wise out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau. And thy mighty men, O Theman, shall be afraid, that every one from the mount of Esau may be cut off by destruction. When thy despoilers have seized thy borders, and all the men of thy league have mocked thee and have acquired strength against thee: then shall wisdom perish out of Edom and his subtlety shall be made foolishness. Moreover, the Lord will also take away prudence from Mount Esau, that is, from the mountains of Seir, either because the city of Idumea is situated on the mountain, or because all that region which borders on the south is desert, situated high on the mountains. Hence it is also said: Your warriors will be afraid, O Theman, which we interpret as the south. However, as I said above, Esau is called by three names: and likewise, the region of his kingdom, which borders on the south, is called by three names, Darom, Theman, Nageb, which all, according to Ezekiel, signify the south, the west, and the south. But when the strong men of his kingdom who dwelt in the South shall truly fear, then a man from the mountain of Esau, who both used to fight for the city and to wisely give counsel, shall perish. Otherwise: After those who were previously deceived have been converted to the Church, then, with the Lord Himself fighting, the wise men of Edom, who had a taste for worldly and earthly things, shall perish, and wisdom shall be taken away from the mountain of Esau, which was exalted against the knowledge of God. And those who previously fought for Esau and the dialectical art of Edom, and were in the garrisons of Teman, which means completion, will cease to fight for their former masters. Whether those who had promised themselves the light of knowledge and thought they were at noon, will fear and be afraid, with a scholarly man mastering their sophistries: to such an extent that no one will remain who is able to fight, either with the counsel of the king or with warrior men, against the pride and false teaching of the heretics.

(Verse 10, 11.) Because of the killing and (the Vulgate adds 'because of') the wickedness against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall perish forever. On the day when you stood against him, when strangers captured his army and foreigners entered his gates, and they cast lots for Jerusalem: you were also like one of them. LXX: Because of the killing and wickedness against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be taken away forever. From the day that you stood against him, when foreigners captured his strength and strangers entered his gates, they cast lots over Jerusalem, and you were also like one of them. Therefore, a man from the mountain of Esau will perish, and wisdom will be destroyed from Edom, and understanding from the mountain of Esau, because you have killed your brother and acted unjustly against Jacob, when the Chaldeans and Babylonians laid waste to Jerusalem, besieged the city, entered its gates, and cast lots for its treasures. You were their ally and counted among the enemies. Otherwise: you, bloody, earthly, ruthless Edom, will suffer all the things that have been written above, because you have killed your brother Jacob, speaking false and deadly doctrine and speaking impiety against the Lord. We read in Solomon: There are those who speak and kill with the sword (Prov. 25:18). And in another place: The venom of asps is under their lips (Ps. 140:4). And, Their tongue is a sharp sword (Ps. 56:5). Therefore, shame will cover you, and you will say: Shame has covered my face (Ps. 69:8), and you will perish, not for a short time, but forever. For you struck your brother with an eternal wound. But this will also be the cause of torment: for when foreigners were devastating the army of Jacob and entering through its gates into the formerly peaceful Jerusalem, and casting lots to divide its spoils among themselves, you were one of the enemies. We read, we see, and we daily experience that when persecution arises against the Church, the persecutors of Jews and heretics become much worse towards Christians than towards pagans. We can bring foreign ingredients through the gates of Jerusalem, that is, speak evil thoughts, and through the gates of Jerusalem, that is, the soul at rest and seeing God, interpret the five senses through which the enemies enter and divide Jerusalem. If we see a woman to lust after her (Matt. 5), death has entered through our windows (Jer. 9): if we receive lies and the judgement of blood through our ears, the enemy has entered through another gate. Also, the sense of smell, taste, and touch, if it has been captivated by various odors, sweet food, or delicate embraces, enter through other gateways, and divide the spoils of miserable Jerusalem. Therefore, at that time when someone falls from the Church due to the onslaught of persecution and deadly pleasures, we see heretics rejoicing, Jews being glad, and them being counted among the persecutors and included in the number of the Gentiles.

(Verse 12.) And do not despise the day of your brother in the day of his journey. And do not rejoice over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction, and do not boast in the day of distress; nor enter the gate of my people in the day of their ruin. LXX: And do not despise the day of your brother in the day of strangers. And do not rejoice over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; and do not speak proudly in the day of distress; nor enter the gates of the nations in the day of their labors. The same sentiment as above: When the man from Mount Esau is destroyed, on account of his killing and wickedness towards his brother Jacob, and eternal confusion covers him, he will by no means do what he did before against his brother; for he will not despise or scorn, seeing his brother go into captivity; nor will he rejoice over the sons of Judah. Indeed, two tribes, except for the Levitical, which reigned in Jerusalem and were called Judah, were captured by the Chaldeans. And you will not boast greatly, and thinking yourself to be one of the victors, you will laugh at the distress of your brother. Nor on the day of the devastation and ruin of the people, will you walk through the gate of Jerusalem with glory. And for this reason, you will not do these things, because you will suffer similar. Otherwise, when you see your brother taken captive by different persecutions, and being led away bound from the faith of the Church, not pursuing his own city, but all foreign things, you will not rejoice at all, because you will suffer similar. For you rejoiced when Jacob was captured and when the sons of Judah, whom we understand to be the disciples of Christ, were brought low on the day of their destruction. It is signified, however, that the soul is placed in the midst of vices and virtues, and can be turned in either direction in the space of a moment. 'You shall not magnify your mouth on the day of distress,' he says. This we should understand in two senses: the bodily distress in persecutions and sins, and the spiritual distress when the soul, captured by its enemies and vices, is led into Babylon. Nor shall you enter the gate of my people on the day of their ruin: for when either denial or pleasure oppresses us, and an unfortunate conscience does not preserve the former rigor, then we easily slip into contrary doctrines, flattering our error and not caring for the wound, but touching it. It is a solace of misery, although lost, to have something to hope for.

(Verse 13, 14.) And you shall not despise them in their adversities on the day of their destruction, and you shall not send forth your army against them on the day of their destruction. And you shall not stand at the exits to kill those who flee, and you shall not capture the survivors on the day of their distress. LXX: And you shall not despise even their assembly on the day of their ruin, and you shall not put your strength against them on the day of their ruin. And you shall not stand at their retreats to kill those who have been saved from them, and you shall not capture their fugitives on the day of their trouble. When you yourself have been captured and destroyed by the Babylonian, among the other things that you have done, do not do the following: Do not despise or scorn your brother Jacob on the day of his devastation; do not join the army of the Babylonians or fail to send against the army of Judah when it has been defeated by the enemy and turns its back. And when they start fleeing along their familiar paths, detours, and roads leading to the wilderness, do not stand at the crossroads or wait for them at the intersections to kill those who have been set free and to release the others who have been captured; and either you yourself will be captured or you will keep watch over the captives of the enemy. We have said these things according to history: for we must briefly grasp the clearer things, and proceed to those which are obscure. Who despises the ecclesiastics of heretics? Who does not rejoice in their misfortunes, if at any time they are handed over to persecution due to the sins of the people, and many, either weak in faith or sown on stony ground, fall into denial? You may see them rejoicing, finding pleasure, considering our downfall as their own victory: to such an extent that they join with the nations, and a more furious persecution arises, either from the Jews or from those who pretend to be our brothers and are considered by the same name. And when someone, whether by flight or by repentance, has escaped, they stand in the byways and propose sophisms and testimonies, as if they were presenting them from the Scriptures: so that, worn out and exhausted, they offer stitched pillows and place them under every elbow. And thus it happens that those who perhaps have overcome persecution either by strength or by fear, deceived by false teachings, are held again in the prison of errors, and this tribulation becomes much worse than that which was from the Gentiles; for it is easier to free someone captured by pagans than one entrapped by the tricks of heretics.

(Verse 15, 16.) For the day of the Lord is near upon all nations: as thou hast done, so shall it be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been. LXX: For the day of the Lord is near upon all nations: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, all the nations shall drink wine continually: they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been. But you, O Idumea, will cease to do these things because the vengeance of the Lord will come upon you. For if, according to Jeremiah, they who were not deserving of judgment drank from the cup, you, though innocent, will not be left innocent, but you will drink. Furthermore, what he says, 'The day of the Lord is near against all nations,' let us read the same in Jeremiah, and we will see the cup of the Lord being passed to all nations. Where it is said in the same: The golden cup Babylon in the hand of the Lord making all nations drunk. Indeed, the Assyrians and Babylonians held all the nations as far as the Propontis, the Scythian Sea, and the Ionian or Aegean Sea. Let us read Herodotus, and Greek and barbarian histories, and we shall see how this which is said, 'The day of the Lord is near upon all nations,' was fulfilled among the Babylonians and Assyrians. But what follows, 'As you have done, it shall be done to you; your recompense shall return upon your own head,' has the same meaning as we read in the Psalm: 'Remember, O Lord, the sons of Edom in the day of Jerusalem, when they said, 'Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!' (Psalm 137:7 et seqq.)' Therefore, the prophet curses Babylon by saying: 'Daughter of Babylon, miserable one! Blessed is he who will repay you according to your deeds, which you have done to us. Blessed is he who seizes and dashes your little ones against a rock. Just as you have drunk with the Babylonians on my holy mountain, Zion, and rejoiced, so all the nations that the Babylonians had as allies will turn against you and drink, and they will rejoice.' Not only will they drink your blood, but they will suck you in so much that the Edomites will be as if they were not: or at least the same nations, when they will have sucked you in, will be sucked in by the Medes, and this revenge will proceed in a circle, so that you, Israel, the Babylonian, will consume Babylon, the Medes, and the Persians. Let us follow the order of interpretation. The day of the Lord is near, O heretic, over all nations: the time of judgment is near when all nations will be judged. Just as you have done against the church, your pain will turn against you, and your wickedness will descend upon your head. For how you have rejoiced in their death, and celebrated a feast, and on my holy mountain, that is, the Church, you have drunk not from my cup, but from the devil's: of whom it is said in Habakkuk, 'Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk' (Habakkuk 2:15): so too, all the nations, or opposing powers subjected to punishment, or every opposing virtue, will drink and consume your blood, and in the end, when torment comes upon all, they themselves will be as if they do not exist. For he who perishes, is counted as not being, and he who said to Moses: I am who am sent me to you (Exod. III, 14), according to the rule of the Scriptures, is said not to be. Hence, we also read in Esther: Do not give, O Lord, your kingdom to those who are not (Esth. XIV, 11). We can interpret this passage differently: Because you have rejoiced in the ruin of my servants, the same persecution will come against you also, and you will suffer for whatever you have done. And just as you rejoiced against my people with the rest of the nations, so all nations will rejoice against you, and they will devour and drink, and crush with a similar persecution.

In mount Zion, there will be salvation, and it will be holy and possess the house of Jacob, those who possess it. And the house of Jacob will be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau straw. They will set them on fire and consume them, and there will be no survivors in the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken. The Septuagint version: In mount Zion there will be salvation, and it will be holy, and possess the house of Jacob, those who possess it. And the house of Jacob will be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, but the house of Esau will be stubble; they will set them on fire and consume them. There will be no survivor for the house of Esau, for the LORD has spoken. The land of Edom will be a devastation; every ally will plunder it and there will be no survivors from it, for the LORD has spoken. The survivors of the house of Jacob will possess the land of Mount Zion. There will be deliverance and holiness, and the house of Jacob will possess their inheritance. The LORD Himself will return to the temple, which He had previously forsaken because of their sins, or it will be completely holy, that is, the Holy of Holies. And the house of Jacob shall possess Zorobabel, and Esdras, and Nehemiah, those who have inherited. And the house of Jacob, that is, Judah, shall be fire, and the house of Joseph, that is, the ten tribes, shall be flame. For from Joseph was born Ephraim, from which tribe the kingdom of Samaria arose; but the house of Esau, that is, the Edomites, who were so fierce and cruel against their brother, shall be turned into stubble. And just as fire and flame quickly devour stubble, so the two kingdoms under the rod of one alliance, according to the book of Ezekiel (Ezek. XVII), shall lay waste to Edom and consume it, and there shall be no remnant of the people who can announce the overthrow of their adversaries to neighboring nations. This is indeed what the LXX translated as πυροφόρον, which we render as Frumentarium, according to the language of ancient discourse; for they called those who are now called Agentes in rebus or Veredarios, the Ancient Frumentarios. But it is better to follow the Hebrew itself, that is, Sarid (), which means either remaining, according to Aquila, or escaping, according to Symmachus, or according to Theodotion and the fifth edition, residue. But all these things will be done because the Lord has spoken, and what He has commanded, He has done. Otherwise: With the works of the flesh destroyed, and the earthly rule laid waste, there will be salvation in the Church for those who have not come forth from their mother. And in her will dwell the holy one, of whom it is said in Isaiah: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts (Isaiah 6:3), for both the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are from one. And the house of the supplanter Jacob will possess those who had possessed themselves as heirs, making Christians out of the persecutors, and receiving even the Edomites into the faith of the Church. But the house of Esau will be turned into stubble. And just as fire cannot sustain the proximity of straw, so the argument of Jacob, which is inflamed by the word of the Lord, cannot be sustained: for the words of the Lord are tested by fire (Ps. 17:31), and the flame of Joseph, who is interpreted as 'increase' (Gen. 37), because he was sold to his brothers and fed the people in Egypt, will not be able to sustain the house of Esau: but at the first encounter, their sophisms will be turned to nothing. And they will be devoured for their own salvation, according to what is said in the blessing of Isaac to Esau: 'But I have made him your lord, and have subjected all his brothers to him as his servants: and with grain also will you serve your brother' (Gen. 27:37). And there shall be no remnant of the house of Esau, when all things shall bow to Christ, of those in heaven and on earth, and under the earth (Philippians 2), and all things shall be subjected to him, so that God may be all in all. But because Esau had built upon the foundation of Christ with hay, wood, and straw (1 Corinthians 3): therefore the house of Jacob and Joseph shall be turned into fire and flame, imitating their Lord who says: I am a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24), so that the pure wheat may be gathered into the barns after the chaff of sinners is consumed. All the things we have said, and all the things we are about to say, the Jews promise for themselves in the future, when they will accept the Antichrist instead of Christ, fulfilling the prophecy of the Lord Savior: 'I came in the name of my Father, and you did not receive me: if another comes in his own name, you will receive him' (John 5:43). And whatever we have interpreted against Edom, they dream against the Roman kingdom: what we say is either already fulfilled according to history under Zorobabel, or certainly according to prophecy, and mystical understandings happen daily in the Church, and are fulfilled in the kingdom of the soul against the flesh, in each individual. But we say that the frumentarium, according to the allegory, ceases among heretics when there is no one among them who boasts of having the grain of wheat, which is dead in the earth, and the bread from heaven. There are those who think that it is not πυρφόρον, that is, frumentarium, but πυρφόρον, that is, one who can carry a little fire, as translated by the Seventy. Therefore, agreeing with the various interpretations, we will say according to the allegory that not only the frumentarium will cease among heretics, but also the one who pretends to have the light of Christ. For even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11).

Edom is subjugated and will be devoured by the hostile nations with whom it formerly was in league against Jacob. The remnant, however, will be on Mount Zion, where there will be salvation and holiness. The interpretation here is, either it is that the Lord himself will return to the temple which he left because of sin, or there will be absolute holiness, that is, the Holy of Holies will once again be established. And the house of Jacob will occupy it under the rule of Zerubbabel and Ezra and Nehemiah, who occupied it as Jacob’s descendants. And the house of Jacob (that is, Judah) will be a fire, the house of Joseph (that is, the ten tribes of Samaria) a flame. But the house of Esau, that is, the Edomites, who nevertheless raged and cruelly stood against their brother, will be turned into stubble. And as fire and flames devour stubble, so the two kingdoms in union with one another will destroy Edom and devour it. And there will be nothing left of the people of Edom that might be able to announce the destruction of the adversary to the neighboring nations. For this is why the Septuagint translates pyrophoros, which we interpret as “stubble,” as nearest to the ancient way of speaking.

The spiritual interpretation is as follows: Through destruction of the works of the flesh and the desolation of earthly kingdoms, there will be salvation in the church for those who do not go out from their mother church. And the saints who die inside her—concerning whom it is said in Isaiah, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabbaoth,” because it refers to those whom he sanctifies as well as those who are sanctified—all are from one and the same church. And the house of Jacob the supplanter will occupy that which they possess by heredity from those who persecuted the Christians. And Edom itself will be received by faith into the church.… The house of Esau will not survive, for when the wise men [who came from Edom] come to see Jesus, they will be turned into nothing, that is, they will be absorbed into his salvation near the same place where, in blessing, Isaac said to Esau, “I have given him your master, all your sons I have given to him as servants.” And there will be no remnant of the house of Esau left when all the heavens and earth bow to Christ and hell and the universe is subjected to him so that God may be all in all.

(Verse 19) And those who are in the South shall inherit the possessions of Esau, and those in the plains shall inherit the possessions of the Philistines. They shall possess the region of Ephraim and the region of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. LXX: And those in the Negeb shall possess the mountain of Esau, and those in the Shephelah shall possess the foreigners, and they shall possess the mountain of Ephraim and the plain of Samaria, and Benjamin and Gilead. And Judah, who dwelt in the South and possessed the entire region according to the division made by Joshua the son of Nun, which extends toward the Scorpion, that is, toward all the Acrabatene, those who were previously confined to narrow boundaries shall possess the mountain of Esau, that is, the mountains of Seir and the mountains that Edom previously possessed. But those who dwell in Sephela, that is, in the plains, namely Lidda and Emmaus, the city of Diospolis, and Nicopolis, shall possess the Palestinians, five cities of the Palestinians: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath, or all that region which is called Sharon in the Acts of the Apostles. Others, however, think that this Sephela, that is, the region around Eleutheropolis, is promised: that they should extend as far as Rhinocolura and the sea, that is, not only hold Eleutheropolis from the tribe of Judah, but also reach the coast, and subject the Philistines to their rule, whom they had not previously subdued. The border of the sons of Judah will also extend to Ephraim, where Neapolis is now, and to the region of Samaria, where Sebaste is founded. But Benjamin, whose borders immediately extend northward from Jerusalem, will possess all of Arabia, which was formerly called Gilead and is now called Gerasa. According to the Septuagint, those who will be in the south will possess Mount Ephraim, the plains of Samaria, Benjamin, and Gilead. Whether this has been fulfilled, God alone knows; it could have been completed in part up until the coming of Christ over a period of five hundred years. As I am absolutely certain, it is being fulfilled daily and confirmed in the kingdom of the Church. For those who dwell in the south, that is, in Negeb, and live in the light, and those who hold the plains and the lowlands, that is, his disciples, to whom he says: Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart (Matt. X, 24), they shall possess the mountain of Esau and the Philistines: whom we can understand in the person of the pagans on account of the pride of their teachings and secular eloquence. So that on the mountain there are teachers, in the Philistines, and foreign disciples, who are led by the authority of the teachers. And not only the mountain of Esau and the strangers, but also the region of Ephraim and Samaria will possess. We often read about Ephraim and Samaria in Hosea, and we have interpreted them in the heresies that divide the Church under the name of Christianity. For it is there that abundance is hoped for, and there they promise to safeguard the faith. Furthermore, Benjamin, the son of the right hand and virtue, will possess Gilead, which is interpreted as the migration of testimony, signifying the carnal Israel: for from them the testimony of the Lord has migrated to us. But Benjamin and Gilead, those who were in the south, will possess it, according to the Septuagint.

(Verse 20, 21.) And the migration of his army, the sons of Israel: all the Canaanites as far as Zarephath (or Saraptam). And the migration of Jerusalem, which is in the Bosporus, will possess the cities of the South. And the saviors will ascend Mount Zion, to judge the mountain of Esau: and the kingdom will be the Lord's. LXX: And this is the beginning of the migration for the children of Israel: the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the migration of Jerusalem as far as the Euphrates, will possess the cities of the Negeb. And those who were saved shall ascend from Mount Zion, to punish the mountain of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. In this place, our translation differs greatly from the Vulgate Edition, so we must follow the Hebrew truth in the exposition of the story. Those who returned from Babylon according to the volume of Ezra and Nehemiah shall be rightly called the migration. The whole army of the children of Israel shall possess the Edomites, the Philistines, the mountain of Ephraim, and Samaria to the south, west, and north. Benjamin also, because it is adjacent to solitude, will specifically obtain Gilead. However, all the things that are in the land of the Canaanites, will be ruled as far as Zaraphath of the Sidonians, where the widow once fed Elijah (4 Kings 7). Moreover, those who were transferred from the very city of Jerusalem to Sapharad, which we translate as the Bosporus, will possess the cities of the South, which are in the tribe of Judah: for they have returned to their city, they will obtain those things that are near to the city. And when these things have been accomplished, just as in the book of Judges, the Lord sent saviors who would save the people from captivity: so they will ascend and come to Mount Zion, to judge and discern, like a subject and obedient mountain to themselves, the mountain of Esau, that is, the Edomites. And once all are subjugated, there will be a kingdom for the Lord. Where we have placed Bosphorus, in Hebrew it has Sapharad (), which I do not know why the Septuagint wanted ((or could)) to translate as Ephratha, since Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion all agree with the Hebrew truth. But we have learned from the Hebrew, who instructed us in the holy Scriptures, that the Bosphorus is called thus: and, like a Jew, he says: this is the region to which Hadrian transferred the captives. Therefore, when our Christ comes, that captivity will also return to Judea. However, we can understand any place of the kingdom of Babylon, although I think it refers to something else. For it is the custom of the prophets, when they speak against Babylon, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Philistines, and other nations, to use many words of their language and to preserve the idioms of the provinces. Therefore, since the Assyrian language's term, which is called Gebul in Hebrew, is said to be Sapharad, I guess that this has the following meaning: The migration of Jerusalem, which is divided in all its boundaries and regions, will receive its own cities of the south, that is, its own tribe. But as for what we have interpreted, and the saviors will ascend, and the Septuagint translated, it is written in Hebrew as Mosim (): those who have been saved, not as Aquila, and Septuagint, and Theodotion passively saved, or being saved; but according to Symmachus, they are to be understood as actively saving. Indeed, those who are saved, that is, rescued, are called Phelistines in Hebrew. For according to the story, as we have been able to interpret, we have steered our little ship among rocky cliffs: let us unfurl the sails of spiritual understanding, so that with the Lord blowing and revealing its mysteries, we may joyfully reach the harbor. At the time when Benjamin possessed Gilead, the migration of the army of the sons of Israel, or certainly the beginning of the migration of the former carnal Israel, will occur, so that it may reach the land of the Canaanites, and the prophetic discourse that was at risk of famine in Judea, having dried the skin of Israel, may pass to the dew of the nations: and there it may feed and be fed, while it is received by believers and also feeds believers themselves. Sareptha, or composed of two, and interpreted as the narrowness of bread: or it is one word, and transferred to fire. Canaan, however, is turned into a commotion, that is, motion: or certainly it is called a merchant and a lowly one. Therefore, when the sons of Israel shall have forsaken the letter of the West and shall have come to the enlivening spirit, they shall move all things that are of the Law. He shall trade for many pearls one most precious pearl, and having set aside the pride of the Jews, he shall follow Christian humility, and shall come even there, where previously there was trouble of bread, and a widow woman was barely sustaining her orphan son deserted by his creator, and where all his sins and vices shall accumulate. But the captivity or transmigration of Jerusalem, where once there was a vision of peace, and which is now dispersed throughout the whole world, will possess the cities of the south, that is, the Churches of true and perfect light, and the repentant bride will say: Where do you pasture, where do you lie down at noon? (Cant. II, 6). And when Joseph is received into his ancient brotherhood, he will be intoxicated with the blood of the shepherd and prince. And if we read it according to the Septuagint as Ephratha, there is no doubt that it refers to the faith of Christ. For Ephratha is interpreted as καρποφορία, that is, fertility, and it is called Bethlehem, in which the heavenly bread was born. With these things being done, the saviors, or those who have been saved from the remnants of the Jewish people, will ascend to Mount Zion to judge and avenge the mountain of Esau. Just as the Lord calls his apostles the light of the world and says, 'You are the light of the world' (Matt. 5:14), and the very rock granted to Peter that he might be the rock, so too the good shepherd bestowed names upon his shepherds, and whatever is said of him, he assigned to his servants to be said. Thus, the Savior himself willed his apostles to be the saviors of the world, who ascended the watchtower of the mountain of the Church and, by casting down Jewish arrogance and all the mountains that stood against the knowledge of God, prepared the kingdom for the Lord.


Following these two little exercises, I have relied on the authority of the ancient authors, and especially the Hebrew explanation, and have dictated with haste in my own language, and have opened my mouth: but I do not know if Christ fulfilled it. Therefore, a wise reader should seek the consistency of the meaning more than the elegance of the language. For we do not dictate with that smoothness and arrangement of words with which we write. It is one thing, my dear Pammachus, to often change one's style and to write down what is worthy of memory; it is another thing to dictate, with prepared notes of the scribes, whatever comes to mind in a state of embarrassment. In this, both the prophet and the young men have played, and the old men have presumed. Whoever has spoken truer and better things, follow his opinion.

"Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our dear fellow worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." However, it pleased me to dictate to you in a somewhat different and disordered order the Epistles of Paul; for although you frequently asked me, Paula and Eustochium, to do so, and I earnestly refused to comply, at least as far as arranging them in the order of verses which seemed to you the best in sense and arrangement, you nevertheless compelled me to do so. Therefore I will attempt to start at the beginning of the matter, and am compelled to deal now with a question which another Apostle asked in his opening, "Why, or at what time, or by whom, the name of Saul was changed to Paul," although, as they say, not even a "mu" dared to be added to it before this day. Nor indeed is it to be thought, as is read by the simpler Latinists, that "Saulum" was said before, and not "Saul": because he was also from the tribe of Benjamin, in which this name was more common. For even that Saul, the king of Judaea, who persecuted David, was from the tribe of Benjamin. But that Saulus is said by us, it is not strange that Hebrew names are declined according to the likeness of Greek and Roman cases, so that just as for Joseph, Josephus: for Jacob, Jacobus; so for Saul also, Saulus is said in our language and speech. Therefore it is asked why, or by whose order, either the ancient name was lost or a new one was adopted. It was by God's command that Abram was called Abraham (Gen. 17, etc.); and similarly, it was by God's command that the name of Sarai was changed to Sarah. And to take an example from the New Testament, Simon received the name "Peter" (Mark 3); and by the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ the sons of Zebedee were called Boanerges, that is, "sons of thunder" (ibid.). But why Saul was called Paul, no scripture mentions. Therefore, boldly I will do it, but perhaps confirming my suspicions about the Acts of the Apostles. We read in them, that the Holy Spirit said at Antioch: "Separate for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then, after fasting and praying, and laying their hands upon them, they sent them away (Acts 13:3). And when they had come down to Seleucia, they sailed to Cyprus and reached Salamis, and they had John to assist them in their ministry. They traveled and preached throughout the whole island until they reached Paphos, where they met a certain magician named Bar-jesus (or Elymas), who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. And when Barnabas and Saul (who is also called Paul) had come to them, he desired to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul, when he saw what had happened, believed, marveling at the teaching of the Lord. And when Paul and those with him had sailed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia. "Pay close attention to the fact that Paul receives his name here for the first time. For just as Scipio, after Africa was subdued, assumed the name Africanus for himself; and Metellus, after the island of Crete was conquered, brought back the insignia of Creticus to his family; and now the Roman emperors are named from conquered peoples, Adiabenici, Parthici, Sarmatici, so also Saul, sent to preach to the gentiles, brought back trophies of his victory from the spoils of the Church to the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, and raised the banner so that he should be called Paul from Saul. But if the interpretation of the name is sought, "Paul" in Hebrew means "wonderful". Truly wonderful, that after "Saul," which means "desirable," he who had been requested by the devil to persecute the Church, would become a vessel of election as a persecutor. It was perhaps more than necessary to dispute this, but necessary. However, the phrase "a prisoner of Jesus Christ" was not used with this cognomen in any Epistle, although in the body of the Epistles, namely to the Ephesians, and the Philippians and Colossians, he testifies that he is in chains for the sake of his confession. But it seems to me that it is more of an arrogance to say that one is a prisoner of Jesus Christ than an Apostle. The apostles were proud to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 5:41), but a more authoritative chains was necessary. He who was to ask for Onesimus ought to pray in such a way that he could obtain what he asked. Fortunate indeed is he who does not boast in wisdom, riches, eloquence, or secular power, but in the sufferings of Christ. Concluding in this manner his discourse to the Galatians: "Henceforth, let no man give me trouble: for I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus in my body" (Galatians 6). Not every one that is bound is bound for Christ; but whosoever is overcome for Christ's name and confession, he is truly said to be bound of Jesus Christ, and only he is a martyr, who sheds his blood for Christ's name. Therefore, while imprisoned in Rome, he writes to Philemon, at which time I seem to myself to have been written to the Philippians, Colossians, and Ephesians. This is due to the fact that, firstly, he writes with only Timothy, which he also does in this epistle. Then because of his chains, manifestly declared to be for Christ, throughout the whole of the Praetorium. But the Praetorium itself he indicates at the end of the Epistle, saying, “All the saints salute you, especially they that are of Caesar’s household.” Sent by Caesar to prison, in becoming better known to his [Caesar’s] family, he found their house the Church. Then he proceeds: “Some indeed preach Christ out of contention, not sincerely, supposing that they raise up affliction for my bonds” [Philippians 1:17] . Moreover, at the beginning of his Epistle to the Colossians, he speaks to the same effect: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother.” And in the sequel: “Whose head I am Paul, a minister: who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up those things that are wanting of the afflictions of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the Church” [Colossians 1:2, 23, 24]. And in the end: "The salutation of me Paul with my own hand. Be mindful of my chains" (Col. 4:18). This is so that we know that these Epistles were also written from prison and while in chains. However, what is specifically for the Colossians is that the same Onesimus, who is now commended to Philemon, was also the bearer of the same message. Finally, he says: "All my affairs Tychicus, my beloved brother, and faithful minister, and fellow-servant in the Lord, will make known to you, whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts, together with Onesimus, most dear and faithful brother, who is one of you" (Ibid., 7, 8). But if Philemon, to whom this letter is written, is the master of Onesimus, in fact, he has begun to be a brother in the Lord, and it is reported to the Colossians that Onesimus is one of them: the very reason and order leads us to deduce that Philemon is also from Colossae, and at that time Onesimus carried a letter to every church, common and commendable, which he had taken to the Lord. There is also another indication, which Archippus is named in this same letter: to whom he writes along with Philemon: "Say," he says, "to Archippus, consider the ministry that you received from the Lord, that you may fulfill it." What is the ministry that Archippus received from the Lord? We read to Philemon: "And to Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the church that is in your house." From which I think he was either the bishop of the Colossian Church, who was admonished to diligently and carefully preside, as a preacher of the Gospel. But if it is not so, what suffices for me at present is that both Philemon and Archippus and Onesimus himself, who brought the letter, were Colossians and that at the same time four (as we have said before) letters were written. But to the Ephesians, for this reason also, that he declares himself here to be bound for Christ and the same things that he had ordered to the Colossians, he orders in this epistle that wives be subject to their husbands, and husbands love their wives, that children obey their parents, that fathers not provoke their sons to anger, that servants obey their carnal masters, that masters, leaving threats aside, offer to their servants what is just: and at the end of his epistle he concludes with this purpose: "What I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make known to you: whom I have sent to you for this very thing, that you may know what is about me, and that he may comfort your hearts." But Tychicus is the same one who is sent to the Colossians with Onesimus, and at that time he had Onesimus as a companion when he was carrying letters to Philemon.

"And Timothy, a brother." In other letters, Sosthenes and Silvanus are sometimes mentioned, along with Timothy as a brother (the "Al. tacet" brother). Only in four [letters] is Timothy mentioned because they were dictated either at the same time, or in the presence of Timothy and the others. I think this was done for two reasons: so that the letter would have greater authority, since it was not written by one person alone; and because there was no rivalry among the apostles. If anything had been suggested to Paul's spirit while he was dictating, he added it to the letters without any sadness. This is in accordance with what he himself commanded the Corinthians, that if something was revealed to another prophet while another was prophesying, the first should keep silent. (1 Cor. 14). Thus he himself also fulfilled his own precept by his work, and because of the few things which he had added to another's letter, as his own suggestion, so too he composed an epistle to another. "To Philemon," he says, "beloved." In Greek ἠγαπημένω is not used, which means "beloved," but rather ἀγαπητῶ, which means "dear." Truly, there is a difference between "beloved" and "dear," in that the former can be called so even if he does not merit the affection, but dear only is he who is loved deservedly. Finally, we are commanded to love even our enemies, who may be beloved but not dear. In fact, we love those, not because they deserve to be loved, but because we are commanded not to hate them. That which is noted in the title of the forty-fourth psalm, "for the beloved," has a better reading in Greek, "for the dear one," which passage is most clearly understood of Christ. For although the Jews may think that Solomon is called "beloved of God," because God has imposed upon him the name on account of his wisdom; nevertheless, who else can be called "beloved of God," unless the One whom the Father speaks about in the Gospel: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear him"; and finally, in Isaiah it is written like this: "I will sing a song to my beloved concerning the beloved of my vineyard. The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight" and thinking that this is to be received from the Jewish people according to circumcision, they stumble upon the rock of offense and the stone of scandal, not recognizing that the vineyard which was transplanted from Egypt is the house of Israel, and that Christ is called either beloved or dearly beloved here, while he himself deserves to be loved by the saints and the saints love him, offering him more charity than they demand any other rewards of charity. Therefore, Paul and Timothy write to Philemon, beloved and coworker, who was for this reason called beloved because he is engaged in the same work of Christ. Also to Apphia, the sister, not having anything false or imaginary in herself, and to Archippus, a fellow soldier whom I believe, along with Paul and Timothy, stood as a victorious opponent for Christ's name against adversaries and for this reason is now called a fellow soldier because he triumphed in the same battle and war. It is also written to the church that is in his house. But this [is] uncertain, whether [it refers to] the church which is in the house of Archippus, or [that] which is in the house of Philemon. But to me it seems that the person, to whom this letter is also addressed, should be referred not to Archippus, but to Philemon. For although Paul and Timothy jointly write to Philemon, Apphia, Archippus, and [the] church, yet in the following [part] it is [only] approved that only Paul write to Philemon, and speak of one with another. "I give thanks to my God always", "[and] making mention of thee." And you will find this way of writing in some of his letters: that although many [people] are introduced and mentioned in the preface, [only] one person, arguing, is [mentioned] throughout the whole body of the Epistle. That which the Apostle says when writing to the Galatians: that in Christ's faith there is no difference between a Gentile or a Jew, a man or a woman, a slave or a free man (Gal. 3:28): even in this place it is clear. For between two men and apostles, between Paul's co-worker and his comrade, the name of Apphia is inserted: in such a way that supported by such a company on both sides, it does not seem to indicate the order of sex but of merit. But the expression, "Grace be to you, and peace from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ," is still written to many by two, and in almost all the Epistles, its beginning is the same, so that grace and peace may be invoked upon them from God the Father and Christ the Lord. From which it is shown that there is one nature of the Son and the Father, since the Son can do what the Father can, and it is said that the Father can do what the Son can. Grace, however, is by which we are saved without any merit or work. Peace, by which we are reconciled to God through Christ, as it says: "We beseech for Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20).