The Assyrian Overthrown
Book II, in five tomes. Tome 1.
“Behold, the Master, the Lord of Hosts, will throw the glorious into confusion with strength; the lofty will be crushed in their insolence and brought low; the lofty will fall by the sword, and Lebanon will fall with its lofty ones” (Isaiah 10:33–34).
In the book just completed, our discussion concerned the Assyrians and the one who ruled the realms of the Persians, who marched against Judea and Jerusalem but unexpectedly suffered what came from divine wrath. For Israel was saved beyond all expectation: not by stretching a bow, not by snatching up a shield, not by leading out horsemen or skillfully setting forces against his phalanxes, not by overpowering the enemy’s hand by the law of war, but by the power and grace of God. For “the angel of the Lord went out,” it says, “and killed in one night one hundred and eighty-five thousand from the camp of the Assyrians” (Isaiah 37:36).
When this had plainly happened, those who had expected to perish danced for joy and offered songs of thanksgiving to the God who had saved them, saying: “Weeping will lodge for the evening, and gladness comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). And besides this: “You have turned my mourning into joy for me; you have torn off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness” (Psalm 30:11).
But the bold and arrogant one, who shouted that great and empty boast, “I will seize the whole world in my hand like a nest, and like eggs left behind I will take it up, and there is no one who will escape me or speak against me” (compare Isaiah 10:14), was shown to have thought great things of himself in vain. For he barely escaped, and leaving Judea he withdrew home a fugitive. That is why the God of all said: “Do not be afraid of the Assyrians, my people who dwell in Zion” (Isaiah 10:24). The manner of his flight was also described, as he all but shook cities and villages as he passed. And again: “Fear will seize Ramah, the city of Saul” (compare Isaiah 10:29).
In interpreting such passages, we made our account rather historical, yet not outside the truth. For it is in every way necessary to fit the language of interpretation to the character and force of what lies before us. But since it is the custom of the divinely inspired Scripture sometimes to make the mysteries plain through things that were done swiftly and as history, and to shape images of hidden meanings, we say that the inventor of sin held tyranny over us, and upon the …
Greek
ΒΙΒΛΙΟΝ Βʹ, ΤΟΜΟΙ Εʹ. ΤΟΜΟΣ Αʹ.}1 9Ἰδοὺ δὴ ὁ ∆εσπότης Κύριος Σαβαὼθ, συνταράξει τοὺς ἐνδόξους μετὰ ἰσχύος, καὶ οἱ ὑψηλοὶ τῇ ὕβρει συντριβήσονται, καὶ ταπεινωθήσονται, καὶ πεσοῦνται οἱ ὑψηλοὶ μαχαίρᾳ, ὁ δὲ Λίβανος σὺν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς πεσεῖται.9 Ἐν μὲν τῷ 110 τετελεσμένῳ βιβλίῳ περὶ τῶν τε τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ὁ λόγος ἦν, καὶ τοῦ τὰ Περσῶν διοικοῦν- τος κράτη, καταστρατεύοντος μὲν τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων, παθόντος δὲ ἀδοκήτως τὰ ἐκ θείας ὀργῆς. Σέσωσται γὰρ παραδόξως ὁ Ἰσραὴλ, οὐ τόξον ἐντείνας, οὐ θυρεὸν ἁρπάσας, οὐχ ἱππότην, οὐ τέχνῃ ‹70.305› ταῖς ἐκείνου φάλαγξιν ἀντεξάγων, οὐ πολέμου νόμῳ τῆς τῶν ἐναντίων κατακρατήσας χειρὸς, ἀλλ' ἐν δυ- νάμει Θεοῦ καὶ χάριτι. Ἐξῆλθε γὰρ ἄγγελος Κυρίου, φησὶ, καὶ ἀνεῖλεν ἐν μιᾷ νυκτὶ ἐκ τῆς παρεμβολῆς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα πέντε χιλιάδας. Οὖ δὴ γεγονότος ἐναργοῦς, οἱ μὲν ἀπολεῖσθαι προσ- δοκῶντες ἐχόρευον, ἀνεκόμιζόν τε τῷ διασώσαντι Θεῷ τὰς χαριστηρίους ᾠδὰς λέγοντες τό· "6Ἑσπέρας αὐλισθήσεται κλαυθμὸς, καὶ εἰς τὸ πρωῒ ἀγαλλίασις."6 Καὶ πρός γε δὴ τούτοις· "6Ἔστρεψας τὸν κοπετόν μου εἰς χαρὰν ἐμοὶ, διέῤῥηξας τὸν σάκκον μου, καὶ περιέζωσάς με εὐφροσύνην."6 Ὁ δὲ θρασὺς, καὶ ὑπέροπτος, καὶ τὸ μέγα καὶ ἐξίτηλον ἐκεῖνο βοῶν, Τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην καταλήψομαι τῇ χειρὶ, ὡς νοσ- σιὰν, καὶ ὡς καταλελειμμένα ὠὰ ἀρῶ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν, ὃς διαφεύξεταί με, ἢ ἀντείπῃ μοι, μάτην ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ μέγα φρονήσας ἠλέγχετο. ∆ιέδρα γὰρ μόλις, καὶ φυ- γὰς οἴκοι μεθίστατο τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ἀφείς. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ ἔφασκεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός· Μὴ φοβοῦ, ὁ λαός μου, οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν Σιὼν, ἀπὸ Ἀσσυρίων. Κατεγρά- φετο δὲ καὶ ὁ τῆς φυγῆς τρόπος, μονονουχὶ πόλεις τε καὶ κώμας κατασείοντος αὐτοῦ τῇ παρόδῳ. Καὶ πά- λιν· Φόβος λήψεται Ῥαμὰ πόλιν Σαούλ. ∆ιερμηνεύον- τες δὲ τὰ τοιάδε, πεποιήμεθα τὴν ἀφήγησιν ἱστορι- κωτέραν μὲν, πλὴν οὐκ ἔξω τῆς ἀληθείας. Πᾶσα γάρ πως ἀνάγκη, τῇ τῶν προκειμένων ποιότητι καὶ δυνάμει κατάλληλον τὸν τῆς ἑρμηνείας ἐφαρμόζε- σθαι λόγον. Ἐπειδὴ δέ ἐστιν ἔθος τῇ θεοπνεύστῳ Γραφῇ, διὰ τῶν ἐν τάχει, καὶ ἱστορικῶς δρωμέ- νων καταδηλοῦν ἔσθ' ὅτε τὰ μυστήρια, καὶ κεκρυμ- μένων ἐννοιῶν ἀναπλάττειν εἰκόνας, φαμὲν ὅτι τετυ- ράννηκε μὲν καθ' ἡμῶν ὁ τῆς ἁμαρτίας εὑρετὴς, καὶ τοῖς τοῦ Σ