De prophetarum vita et obitu (Dorothei recensio)

Concerning Hosea. He is preserved. This Hosea is the first of the twelve prophets, deemed worthy to speak concerning the Lord Christ as follows: "When they are distressed, they will rise early and come to me, saying, 'Come, let us return to the Lord our God, for he himself has seized and will heal us, having struck us; he will bandage us, he will heal us; after two days, on the third day, we shall rise before him, and we shall know.'" From this passage the apostle Paul says to the Corinthians: "For I delivered to you at the first what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures; it cannot be found elsewhere." The prophet also says, applying it to the Lord Christ: "My flesh is from them." Again he says: "Ephraim has surrounded me with falsehood, and the house of Israel and Judah with impiety." Now God has known them, and a holy people shall be called of God from the tribe because of the Lord Christ who is manifested from it in the flesh, having named Judah a holy people of God. Again the same prophet says: "I will rescue them from the hand of Hades; where is your justice, Death? where is your sting, Hades?" The apostle Paul used this passage concerning the resurrection. This Hosea was from Belemoth of the tribe of Issachar and was buried in his own land in peace.

Concerning Amos. Strengthening. This Amos is the second, and he too was deemed worthy to speak concerning the coming of the Lord Christ as follows: "For behold, I am strengthening thunder and creating wind and announcing to men his Christ." He further says: "On that day I will raise up the fallen tent of David and rebuild its fallen parts and rebuild it, as in the days of old, so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the nations upon whom my name has been invoked, says the Lord who does these things." This citation is remembered by James the apostle in the Acts of the Apostles. Amos was from Tekoa, and Amaziah frequently beat him with a drumstick. Finally, his son killed him, striking his temple with a club, and while still breathing he came to his own land, and after two days he died, and was buried there. Concerning Micah. General. This Micah is the third, who was also deemed worthy to foretell concerning the coming of the Lord Christ, and he says: "And you, Bethlehem, house of Ephrathah, you are very small to be among the delights of Judah; from you will come forth for me to be a ruler in Israel, and his goings forth are from the beginning of the days of old." This citation the high priests and scribes of the Jews, when Herod demanded of them where the Christ is born, said, "In Bethlehem." Whence he then sent the Magi to Bethlehem. The prophet himself further says:

he will crown and have mercy on us, he will submerge our sins and cast all our injustices into the depths of the sea, he will give truth to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, inasmuch as he swore to our fathers in the days before. Micah was from Morasthi, of the tribe of Ephraim. Having done many things for Ahab, he was killed by Jehoram, his son, by being thrown from a precipice, because he reproached him for the impieties of his fathers; and he was buried in his own land alone, near the polyandrion of Enakim.

Concerning Joel. Self-willed strength. This Joel the prophet was also deemed worthy to foretell concerning the mystery of the Lord Christ; for he speaks thus: And after these things, I will pour out from my spirit upon every flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your elders will be dreamt with dreams, and your young men will see visions, and upon my male servants and upon my female servants in those days I will pour out from my spirit, and I will give portents in the heaven above and on the earth: blood and fire and a vapor of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, the moon into blood before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes. And it will be: everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. This testimony is recalled by the blessed Peter in the Acts of the Apostles as being fulfilled, when the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles took place on the day of Pentecost. Joel was from the land of the tribe of Reuben, from the field of Bethomoron, and he died in peace and was buried there.

Concerning Obdias. Serving the Lord. This Obdias is the fifth to speak, and he too was deemed worthy to speak concerning the mystery of the Lord Christ, thus: For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. It is said, according to the surface meaning, concerning the Scythians, that is, Gog and Magog; but more properly it applies to the Lord Christ; for he adds a little later: And in Mount Zion shall be salvation. Obdias was from the land of Sychem, from the field of Bethacharam. He was a disciple of Elias, and having endured much for his sake, he is preserved. He was the third pentekontarchos, whom Elias spared, and he went down to Ochozias, and after that, having abandoned the service of the king, he prophesied and died, buried with his fathers.

Concerning Jonah. Supplication of the Lord, the same Baptist. This Jonah is the sixth, who not by words, but by deed and type foretold the resurrection of Christ. For the Lord says: just as Jonah remained in the belly of the whale three days and three nights; for just as the whale vomited Jonah undamaged, so also the tomb vomited forth the Lord into a better life. Jonah was from the land of Kariathmaous near Azotus, a city of Greeks by the sea, and having been cast out from the whale, and having gone to Nineveh, upon returning he did not remain in his own land, but taking his mother he settled in Sur, a country of foreign nations. For he said: thus I will remove my disgrace, because I lied in prophesying against the city of Nineveh the great, which at that time Elijah, while rebuking and the house of Chaab, and having called a famine upon the land, fled. And having come, he found the widow with her son and stayed with them; for he was not able to remain with the uncircumcised; and he blessed her. When Jonah died, God again raised him from the dead through Elijah; for he wished to show him that he cannot flee from God. And having risen, Jonah after the famine came to the land of Judah, and when his mother died along the way, he buried her near the Libanus oak. He died in the land of Saar, and was buried in the cave of Kenezeou, who was a judge of one tribe in the days of the anarchy. And he gave a sign over Jerusalem and the whole land: when they see a stone crying out piteously, the end is near, and when they see in Jerusalem all the nations, then the city will be destroyed.

Concerning Nahum. Supplication. This Nahum, the seventh, was also deemed worthy to foretell concerning the resurrection of the Lord Christ, and he says: Celebrate your feasts, Judah; render your vows to the Lord, for they shall no longer be able to pass into decay. It is finished, it is removed; he who blew in your face has ascended, he who delivers you from affliction. Nahum was from Elkesei, beyond Bethabara, of the tribe of Simeon. After Jonah, he gave a sign to Nineveh, that it would be destroyed by sweet waters and subterranean fire; which indeed came to pass. For the lake surrounding it inundated it in an earthquake and destroyed it; and fire coming from the desert burned its higher part. He died in peace and was buried in his own land.

Concerning Habakkuk. Summary. This Habakkuk, the eighth, was also deemed worthy to speak concerning the resurrection of Christ thus: See, you despisers, and look, and marvel, and be confounded, because I am doing a work in your days which you will not believe if someone relates it. Paul fittingly took this passage concerning the resurrection of the Lord Christ in Antioch of Pisidia. Habakkuk was from the tribe of Simeon, from the village of Bethituchar. He saw before the captivity concerning the capture of Jerusalem, and he mourned. When Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem, he fled to Ostrakine and was a sojourner in the land of Ishmael. When the Chaldeans and the remnant who were in Jerusalem returned and went down to Egypt, he was sojourning in his own land. And he served the harvesters of his field. When he took the meal, he prophesied to his own people, saying: I am going to a far land and will quickly return; but if I am delayed, bring the meal to the harvesters. And having been in Babylon, and given the lunch to Daniel, he appeared to the harvesters while they were eating and said nothing of what had happened. He understood that the people would return quickly from Babylon. And two years before the return he dies, and was buried in his own field alone in Judea. And concerning the destruction of the temple he foretold that it would be by a western nation. Then, he says, the veil of the Debir and the capitals of the two pillars will be removed, and no one will know where they will be.

These things will be carried into the desert by an angel, to the place where the tent of witness was first set up, and in them the Lord will be known at the end, and he will give light to those persecuted by the serpent in darkness, as in the beginning.

Concerning Zephaniah. The watchman. This Zephaniah is the ninth, and he too was deemed worthy to prophesy concerning the Lord Christ. For he speaks thus: The Lord will appear against them, and he will destroy all the gods of the nations of the earth, and they will worship him, each from his own place, all the islands of the nations. Again he says: I will turn back the tongue of the peoples to their generations, so that all may call upon the name of the Lord to serve him under one yoke. From the ends of the rivers of Ethiopia they will bring offerings to me. And again he says: Rejoice greatly, daughter of Jerusalem, be glad and delight with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem; the Lord has removed your injustices, he has redeemed you from the hand of your enemies; the Lord will reign in your midst; you will no longer see evils. All these things are especially fitting for the Lord Christ. Zephaniah was from the tribe of Simeon, from the village of Sabarthatha. He prophesied concerning the city and concerning the end of Israel and the shame of the impious; and having died, he was buried in his own field.

Concerning Haggai. The feast. This Haggai is the tenth, and he too was deemed worthy to prophesy concerning the Lord Christ, speaking as if in the person of Zorobabel the things that pertain to the Lord Christ. And I will set you as a seal, because I have chosen you, says the Lord Almighty, just as John the Evangelist also says. For the Father, God, sealed him. Haggai came as a young man from Babylon to Jerusalem and openly prophesied concerning the return of the people. And he saw in part the building of the temple; and having died, he was buried near the tomb of the priests with honor, as they were.

Concerning Zechariah. Memory of God. This Zechariah is the eleventh, and he too was deemed worthy to prophesy concerning the coming of Christ, speaking thus: Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion, proclaim, daughter of Jerusalem; behold your king comes, righteous and saving, himself meek and mounted upon a beast of burden and a young colt. Hyperbolically he spoke this utterance concerning Zorobabel; but the fulfillment properly occurred in the case of the Lord Christ. He also says: And I will say to him: what are these wounds between your hands? And he will say: those with which I was struck in my beloved house. And a little later: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. The Lord recalls this utterance at the time of his passion, because he was about to be betrayed, having applied it to himself. Zechariah came from the Chaldeans already advanced in age, and there he prophesied many things to the people, and gave signs as proof. He said to Josedech: And you will serve as priest in Jerusalem. He also blessed Salathiel concerning his son and imposed the name Zorobabel. And under Cyrus he gave a sign for victory. And he foretold concerning his own liturgy which he would perform over Jerusalem, and he blessed him greatly. The things of the prophecy he saw in Jerusalem; he set forth concerning the end of nations and of the temple and the idleness of prophets and priests and concerning a double judgment. And he died in extreme old age, and was buried near Haggai [near Eleutheropolis, forty stadia away, in the field of Noeman, in the time of Bishop Ephidus.

Having made it known that he is Zechariah, son of Barachiah, whom Isaiah mentions, and the name of the field where he lies is Bethzaria, at a distance of one hundred and fifty stades from Jerusalem.

Concerning Malachi. Angel. This Malachi, the twelfth and himself deemed worthy to prophesy concerning the economy of the master Christ. He also speaks thus: "Because from east to west my name has been glorified among the nations. And in every place incense is offered to my name and a pure sacrifice; for my name is great among the nations, says the Lord Almighty." And again he says: "Behold, I will send my angel, and he will look upon a way before your face." This passage the Lord applied to himself and to John the Baptist. The same prophet further says: "And the sun of righteousness will rise for you who fear my name, and healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves released from bonds, and you will trample the lawless, for they will be ash beneath your feet on the day which I make, says the Lord Almighty. And behold, I send you Elijah the Tishbite, before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes," just as the Lord said to the Jews: "And if you wish to accept concerning John, he is Elijah who is to come." This Malachi was born after the return in Sophia, and while still very young he led a good life. And since all the people honored him as holy and gentle, they called him Malachi, which is interpreted "angel." For he was also comely in appearance, and whatever he himself said in prophecy, an angel of the Lord, appearing on that same day, confirmed, as happened in the days of the anarchy, as is written in Sferteileim, that is, in the book of Judges.

And while still young, he was added to his fathers in his field. [These are the twelve prophets, who are counted as one book, from which we will proceed to the four great ones, each of whom has his own book, and indeed also to the remaining renowned prophets whose writings are not preserved, having first considered these things beforehand.] Next, we will proceed to the four great ones, having completed with God the twelve. All the prophets prophesied and reminded the Jews concerning the promises of God, which he made to the fathers, that he promised to bless all the nations in the seed of Abraham through the economy concerning the master Christ, and how God formerly delivered them from the slavery of the Egyptians with a high arm; and gave them the land of promise, and how they would be led captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, and again return gloriously, and again suffer evils under Antiochus and the surrounding nations, and how they would overcome these also by divine power; and then the one expected from the seed of Abraham would come for the salvation of the whole world according to the promises from above. This is the work of the prophets. Some of them wrote their own books themselves, such as David composing the book of the Psalms and Daniel in captivity being commanded to write what was revealed to him through visions; or also certain others. But the rest did not write for themselves, but there were scribes in the temple who wrote down the account of each prophet as in a diary.

And when he was sent by God as a prophet to proclaim either concerning Jerusalem, that it was about to be taken captive, or concerning Samaria, or concerning other places, or concerning the return, or concerning Antiochus, or concerning the surrounding nations, or concerning the Lord Christ himself, on the day he prophesied, they wrote in the book of that prophet what he proclaimed concerning one matter. And again after a time, if he proclaimed concerning another matter, they again wrote, subjoining it to his book, making what they proclaimed the beginning of a chapter, and thus they compiled his entire book. Hence it is possible to find in their books a chapter fitting the captivity of Babylon or the return, and immediately another concerning Christ, and again one speaking of the captivity and the return [or another of a different subject, and again another concerning something else, and yet another concerning the former subject]. And to speak simply, if you do not read attentively, you will find everything confused. Not only these prophetic books, but also the books of Kings were written in this manner in the temple, separately: in the time of Saul, the events up to Saul; and in the time of David, the events up to David. Similarly, the events of each king were written according to their own time. Likewise, they wrote also in the archives of the kings, which we call the books of Chronicles. Moses wrote the Pentateuch as a history of things past, present, and future. Joshua again wrote his own book; the Judges again in the temple, that is, in the tabernacle; likewise also Ruth.

Solomon wrote his own works, the Proverbs, the Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes, having received the gift of wisdom from God, and he admonishes every person to conduct themselves wisely in this life; for he did not receive the gift of prophecy. Therefore, we have listed as many prophets as we found who were deemed worthy to speak concerning the Lord Christ. Let us now also write about the other four prophets, as many things as they were deemed worthy to say concerning the economy of the Lord Christ, to which the entire purpose of the divine scripture looks. Let us then first bring forward the most great-voiced Isaiah, who was deemed worthy both in type and in word to see and to foretell concerning the mystery of Christ.

Concerning Isaiah. This is the great Isaiah, the son of Amos, who in a type saw the things concerning the mystery of Christ, when he saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne; and seraphim stood around him, each with six wings and each with six wings covering themselves, and they cried to one another: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord Sabaoth; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Upon these things, one of the seraphim was sent and took with tongs a coal from the altar, and touched his lips, saying: “This will remove your sins,” having been clearly taught through the vision shown, the hymn, and the type to foretell the mystery concerning Christ. And again, he also says in word thus: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb voiceless before its shearer.” This passage the Ethiopian eunuch, having read it, asked Philip to interpret it for him, who very quickly interpreted it as having been spoken by the prophet concerning the Lord Christ. Again he says: “A man being in a plague and knowing how to bear weakness.” And again: “That he committed no lawlessness, nor was deceit found in his mouth, and the Lord wishes to cleanse him from the plague and show him light.” And again: “Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will place into the foundations of Zion a precious stone, chosen, a cornerstone, honorable in her foundations. And he who believes in it shall not be put to shame.” And again: “It shall be on that day the root of Jesse, and the one rising to rule over nations; upon him nations will hope.” And again: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, for which reason he anointed me.

Having read this, the Lord said in the synagogue on the Sabbath: "Truly I say to you, today this scripture has been fulfilled in your ears." Isaiah was from Jerusalem; he died under Manasseh, sawn in two, and was placed under the oak of Rogel, near the crossing of the waters which King Hezekiah destroyed by blocking them up. And God made the sign of Siloam on account of the prophet, because before his death, being faint-hearted, he prayed to drink water, and it was immediately sent to him from it; for this reason it was called Siloam, which is interpreted "sent." And in the time of Hezekiah, before he made the pools and cisterns, at the prayer of Isaiah a little water came forth, because the people were in a siege of foreigners, and so that the city might not be destroyed, as it had no water. For the enemies asked from where they drank; and having entrenched the city, they besieged Siloam. So when the Jews prayed together with Isaiah, the water came forth; therefore to this day it suddenly comes forth, so that this great mystery might be shown. And since this happened through Isaiah, for the sake of remembrance the Jewish people buried him near Siloam itself, carefully and honorably, so that through his holy prayers even after his death they might likewise have the enjoyment of the water, because an oracle was given to him concerning this, to do thus. And his tomb is adjacent to the tomb of the kings, behind the tomb of the Jews on the side toward the south. For Solomon made the tombs of David, having marked them out to the east of Zion, which has an entrance from Abaon, twenty stades distant from the city.

He made this passage crooked, complex, and unsuspected; and the entrance remains unknown to this day to most of the priests and to the whole people. There King Solomon kept the gold from Ethiopia and the spices. And because Hezekiah revealed the mystery of David and Solomon to the nations and defiled the bones of his forefathers, for this reason God cursed his seed to be in servitude to his enemies, and God made him fruitless and barren from that day.

Concerning Jeremiah. This Jeremiah, having been deemed worthy himself to foretell concerning the mystery of Christ, speaks thus: "And I took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one who was valued, whom they valued from among the sons of Israel, and I gave them for the field of the potter, as the Lord commanded me." And this saying is also recalled by the evangelist Matthew, as having been fulfilled at the time of the Passion. Again the same prophet says: "Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and I will make with the house of Israel and the house of Judah a new covenant, not like the covenant I made with their fathers, on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not abide by my covenant, and I neglected them, says the Lord, giving my laws to their understanding, and I inscribe them upon their heart, and I will be to them a god, and they will be to me a people. And they shall not each teach his brother and each his neighbor, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because all will know me, from their youngest to their oldest, for I will be merciful to their injustices and I will no longer remember their sins." And this saying is recalled by the apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Jeremiah was from Anathoth, and at Taphnae in Egypt he dies, stoned by the people. He lies in the place of the dwelling of Pharaoh, because the Egyptians honored him, having been benefited through him. For he prayed for them. For the beasts of the waters troubled him, which the Egyptians call Ephoth, and the Greeks crocodiles.

And all who are faithful to God, even to this day, pray in that place, and taking the dust of that place, they heal the bites of men, and many of them drive away the very beasts that are in the water. But we heard from the children of Antigonus and Ptolemy, old men, that Alexander of Macedon, having come to the tomb of the prophet and having recognized the mysteries concerning him, transferred his relics to Alexandria, placing them around with honor, and the race of asps was prevented from that land, and likewise from the river, and thus he cast in the snakes called argolai, which are ophiomachi, which he brought from Argos of the Peloponnese, whence they are also called argolai, that is, the right-hand men of Argos, and they have a very sweet and wholly auspicious speech. This Jeremiah gave a sign to the priests of Egypt, that their idols must be shaken and fall down because of a savior child born of a virgin, and lying in a manger. Wherefore even now they deify a virgin in childbirth and place an infant in a manger and worship it. And to King Ptolemy, when he inquired the cause, they said that it is a tradition handed down by a holy prophet to our fathers. This prophet Jeremiah, before the capture of the temple, seized the ark of the law and what was in it, and had them deposited in a rock, and said to those present: the Lord has departed from Sinai into heaven, and again a lawgiver will come from Zion in power, and let this be a sign to you of his coming, when wood all the nations will worship.

He said that no one will bring out this ark except Aaron, and no one will open the tablets within it—no longer any priest or prophet—except Moses, the chosen one of God. And on the day of the resurrection, the ark will be the first to rise, and it will come forth from the rock, and it will be placed on Mount Sinai. And all the saints will be gathered together to it there, awaiting the Lord, fleeing the enemy who wishes to destroy them. In that rock he sealed the name of God with his finger, and the impression became like an engraving of iron, and a luminous cloud covered the name, and no one knows the place nor can anyone read it until today and until the consummation. The rock is in the desert, where the ark first was, between the two mountains in which Moses and Aaron lie. And at night a cloud like fire appears around the place, according to the ancient pattern, because the glory of God will not cease from his law. For this reason God gave grace to Jeremiah, so that he himself might accomplish the end of his mystery, that he might become a partner of Moses and Aaron, and they are together until today, since Jeremiah is also of priestly lineage.

Concerning Ezekiel. This Ezekiel, while prophesying in Babylon, was also deemed worthy to foretell concerning the economy according to Christ, and he says: “And I will deliver them from all their iniquities, and I will cleanse them, and they will be my people, and I will be their God, and my servant David will be ruler among them and one shepherd will be over all, because they will walk in my ordinances.” And again he says: “And he said to me: ‘This water that flows into the sea toward the east, and it descended upon Arabia and came to the sea at the water of the crossing, and it will heal the waters; and every soul of the animals that boil up and upon everything upon which it comes, there the river will live.’” This Ezekiel is from the priestly line of Sarira, and he died in the land of the Chaldeans during the captivity, having prophesied many things to those in Judea. The leader of the people of Israel there killed him, being reproached by him for the worship of idols. And the people buried him in the field of Maour, in the tomb of Seth and Arphaxad, the ancestors of Abraham. And the tomb is a double cave, because Abraham in Hebron made the tomb of Sarah after its likeness. It is called “double” because it is twisted and hidden from the surface, and there is an upper chamber on the ground hanging in the rock. This prophet gave a sign to the people, that they should watch the river Chobar: when it runs dry, the sickle of desolation will come to the end of the earth, and when it floods, the return to Jerusalem. For indeed the holy man dwelt there, and many gathered to him.

And once, when a multitude was gathered with him, the Chaldeans feared that the Hebrews might revolt and attack them for destruction. And the prophet caused the water to divide, so that they might escape to the other side. But those who dared to pursue the enemies were drowned. This prophet, through prayer, spontaneously provided them with an abundant supply of fish, and when many were perishing, he entreated God that life might come to them. This one, when the people were being destroyed, performed signs and stopped the enemies, terrifying them from heaven, at the time when Israel said, "We have been undone; our hope is lost." And by means of portents involving the bones of the dead, he convinced them that there is hope for Israel both here and in the future. This one, while judging for Israel, showed what was happening in Jerusalem and in the temple. He was snatched away from there and came to Jerusalem, and he reported what had happened in the temple at that very hour, to convict those who were disobedient to God. This one, like Moses, saw the form of the temple, and the wall, and the surrounding wall, and the gate through which the Lord will enter and exit. And the gate will be closed, and all the nations will hope in him. This one judged in Babylon the tribe of Dan and of Gad, because they were impious toward the Lord, persecuting those who kept the law, and he performed a great portent for them: that serpents were devouring their infants and all their livestock because of their impiety. And he said that because of them, the people would not return to their land, but would be in Media until the end of their error, and that from among them was the one who killed him [all the days of his life].

Concerning Daniel. This Daniel, prophesying in Babylon and having been deemed worthy to foretell concerning the Lord Christ, speaks thus: "And you will know and understand, from the departure of the word that is answered to you and from the building of Jerusalem until Christ the leader, seven weeks and sixty-two weeks," and so forth. And again: "And a stone was cut without hands, and it struck the image, and the stone became a great mountain, and it filled the earth." And again: "And behold, with the clouds of heaven, like a son of man coming, and he reached the Ancient of Days, and to him were given honor and authority," and the rest that was spoken. This Daniel was from the tribe of Judah, of those prominent in royal service, but while still a child he was taken in the captivity from Judea to the land of the Chaldeans. He was born in Upper Bethoron. And he was a temperate man, so that the Jews thought him to be a eunuch. He grieved much for the people and for the city of Jerusalem, and he practiced asceticism in fasts from all desirable food, eating seeds of the earth. And he was a dry and spare man in appearance, beautiful in the grace of the Most High. He prayed much for Nebuchadnezzar, at the urging of his son Belshazzar, because he had become a beast and a brute, so that he might not perish. For his front parts were like an ox with the head, and his feet with the hind parts were a lion. And it was revealed to the holy man concerning this mystery, that he had become a brute because of his irrational love of pleasure and stubbornness, and that as an ox he would become a beast of burden for Beliar, and as a lion because of the rapacious, tyrannical, and bestial nature of his character.

These things the rulers have in their youth, but in the end they become beasts, seizing, destroying, striking, killing, tyrannizing, acting impiously, and receiving their recompense from the just-judging God. And the holy man knew through God that he ate grass like an ox, and that he had no desire for food of human nature. For this reason, this same Nebuchadnezzar, after the digestion of the food, when he had come into a human heart, wept and besought the Lord all day and night, praying forty times. But a demon came upon him, and it escaped his notice that he had become a man. His tongue was taken away from speaking, and understanding immediately he wept, and his eyes were like dead flesh in his weeping; for many, going out from the city, beheld him. But Daniel alone did not wish to see him, because for the whole time of his transformation he was in prayer concerning him. For he said that he would become a man again, and then I will see him, and they disbelieved him. So Daniel, praying to the Most High for seven years, asked that it come to pass, which he called seasons, [praying to the Most High he made it come to pass] seven months. And the mystery of the seven seasons was fulfilled upon him, because, having been restored in seven months as he was before, for six years and five months he submitted to the Lord and confessed his impiety and all his lawlessness, and after the remission of his lawlessnesses he gave back to him his kingdom, and he ate neither bread nor meat nor drank wine, confessing to the Lord, because Daniel commanded him to propitiate the Lord with soaked legumes and greens.

Therefore he called him Baltasar, as his own son. He wished to make him co-heir with his children. But the holy one said, "May it be merciful for me to renounce the inheritance of my fathers and to attach myself to the inheritance of the uncircumcised." And to the other kings of the Persians he performed many wonders which were not recorded. This one died and was buried in the royal cave alone, with honor. And he himself gave a sign in the mountains above Babylon: that when the smoke from the north is kindled, then the end of Babylon will come; [but when pure water flows forth toward the east, then God, appearing on earth as a man, will take upon himself all the lawlessness of the world, being crucified by the priests of the law. And immediately the grace of the Spirit will be poured out on earth among all nations.] When it is consumed by fire, then will be the end of the earth. If water flows in the south, the people will return to their land. If blood flows, there will be slaughter of Beliar throughout the whole earth. And the holy one of God fell asleep in peace.

On Elijah. This is Elijah, the first of men to show men how to traverse the heavens, the first of men to show that he who has received the earth as his dwelling place runs through the whole heaven, he who is mortal and yet contends with the immortals, he who walks on the ground and yet, like a spirit, dwells in heaven with angels; he who through the sheepskin gave double gifts to his disciple Elisha; the long-lived and ageless man, the general preserved for the Antichrist, he who opposes and refutes his deceit and his pride, he who turns all men from his error to God at the consummation; this is he who is deemed worthy to be the forerunner of the second and glorious coming of the Lord Christ, he who in measure serves, contending with the angels. He was from the land of the Arabs, of the tribe of Aaron, dwelling in Galaad, because Thesbis was a home for the priests. When he was about to be born, his father Sobacha saw that white-shining angels greeted him and that they swaddled him in fire and gave him a flame of fire to eat. And coming, he announced it in Jerusalem, and the oracle said to him: Do not be afraid; for his dwelling will be light and his word a judgment, and he will judge Israel with sword and fire.

On Elisha. This Elisha was from Abelmaoul of the land of Rubim. And a portent occurred concerning him, that when he was born, in the algaels the golden heifer cried out sharply, so that it was heard in Jerusalem, and the priest said through the oracles that a prophet had been born in Jerusalem who would cast down their carved images and their molten images. And having died, he was buried in Samaria.

On Zacharias. Zacharias, son of Jodae the priest. He was from Jerusalem, and Joash, king of Judah, killed him while he was clinging to the altar, and the house of David poured out his blood in the midst upon the Elam. And the priests took him and buried him with his father.

On Nathan. This Nathan the prophet was from Gabaon, in the time of David, and he it was who taught him the law of the Lord. And he saw that David would transgress with Bersabee, and as he hastened to go and announce it to him, Beliar hindered him. But as he was going along the road, he found a dead man lying naked and slain; and he tarried there on account of him. He died and was buried in his own land in Gabaon.

On Achias. This Achias was in Silom, where the old tent from the city of Heli was, and he died and was buried near the oak of Silom; and he himself is also called Adonias.

On Joath. This Joath was from the land of Samaria, and a lion struck him, and he died, and he was buried in Bethel near the false prophet who had led him astray.

On Azariah. This Azariah was from the land of Synatha; he turned back the captivity of Judah from Jerusalem, and when he died he was buried in his own field. Jephthah, David, and Samuel, each of them, was buried in his own city when he died. End of the prophets, that is, of their birth, their life, and their death. On Hosea. Preserved. This Hosea is the first of the twelve prophets, deemed worthy to speak concerning the Lord Christ thus: “When they oppress, they will rise early to me saying, ‘Come, let us return to the Lord our God, for he has seized and will heal us, having struck us; he will bandage us, will make us healthy after two days; on the third day we shall rise before him, and we shall know.’” From this passage the apostle Paul says to the Corinthians: “For I delivered to you at first, what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose on the third day according to the scriptures; it is not possible to find it elsewhere.” The prophet also says, adapting it to the Lord Christ: “My flesh from them.” Again he says: “Ephraim surrounded me with falsehood, and the house of Israel and Judah with impiety. Now God has known them, and a holy people will be called of God from the tribe because of the Lord Christ who is shown forth from it in the flesh, having named Judah a holy people of God.” Yet again the same prophet: “From the hand of Hades I will rescue them; where is your justice, Death? where your sting, Hades?” The apostle Paul used this passage concerning the resurrection. This Hosea was from Belemoth of the tribe of Issachar and was buried in his own land in peace.

On Amos. Steriosis. This second Amos was also deemed worthy to speak concerning the coming of the Lord Christ, thus: “For behold, I am strengthening the thunder and creating the wind and announcing to men his Christ.” He further says: “On that day I will raise up the fallen tent of David and rebuild its fallen parts and rebuild it, as in the days of eternity, so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the nations upon whom my name has been invoked, says the Lord who does these things.” This citation is remembered by James the apostle in the Acts of the Apostles. Amos was from Tekoa, and Amaziah often beat him with a drumstick. Finally, his son killed him, striking his temple with a club, and while still breathing he came to his own land, and after two days he died, and was buried there. On Micah. Strategos. This Micah is the third who was deemed worthy also to foretell concerning the coming of the Lord Christ, and he says: “And you, Bethlehem, house of Ephrathah, you are very small to be among the comforts of Judah; from you one will come forth to be a ruler in Israel, and his origins are from the beginning of the days of eternity.” Taking this citation, the high priests and scribes of the Jews, when Herod demanded of them where the Christ is born, said, “In Bethlehem.” Whence he then sent the magi to Bethlehem. The prophet himself further says:

He will crown and have mercy on us, he will submerge our sins and cast all our injustices into the depths of the sea, he will give truth to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, inasmuch as he swore to our fathers in the days before. Micah was from Morasthi, of the tribe of Ephraim. Having done many things for Ahab, he was killed by Joram, his son, in a precipice, because he reproached him for the impieties of his fathers; and he was buried in his own land alone, near the common burial ground of Enakim. On Joel. Self-willed strength. This Joel the prophet was also deemed worthy to foretell concerning the mystery of the Lord Christ; for he speaks thus: And after these things, I will pour out from my spirit upon every flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your elders will be dreamt with dreams, and your young men will see visions, and upon my male servants and upon my female servants in those days I will pour out from my spirit, and I will give portents in the heaven above and on the earth: blood and fire and a vapor of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, the moon into blood before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes. And it will be: everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. This citation is remembered by the blessed Peter in the Acts of the Apostles as being fulfilled, when the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost occurred. Joel was from the land of Reuben, from the field of Bethomoron, and he died in peace and was buried there. On Obadiah. Serving the Lord.

This is the fifth of Obadiah, and he too was deemed worthy to speak concerning the mystery of Christ in this way: because the day of the Lord is near for all the nations. It is said in a superficial sense of the Scythians, that is, of Gog and Magog; but more properly it applies to the Lord Christ; for he adds a little later: on Mount Zion there will be salvation. Obadiah was from the land of Shechem, from the field of Bethacharam. He was a disciple of Elijah, and having endured much for his sake, he is preserved. He was the third pentekontarchos, whom Elijah spared, and he went down to Ahaziah, and after that, having abandoned the service of the king, he prophesied and died, buried with his fathers. Concerning Jonah. Prayer of the Lord, the same Baptist. This Jonah is the sixth, who not by words but by deed and type foretold the resurrection of Christ. For the Lord says: just as Jonah remained in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights; for just as the whale vomited Jonah forth undamaged, so also the tomb vomited the Lord forth into a better life. Jonah was from the land of Gath-hepher near Azotus, a Greek city by the sea, and having been cast out from the whale, and having gone to Nineveh, on his return he did not remain in his own land, but taking his mother he settled in Sur, a land of foreign nations. For he said: thus I will remove my shame, because I lied in prophesying against the great city of Nineveh, which at that time Elijah, rebuking and the house of Chaab, and calling a famine upon the land, fled. And having come, he found the widow with her son and stayed with them; for he was unable to remain with the uncircumcised.

And he blessed her. When Jonah died, God again raised him from the dead through Elijah; for he wished to show him that he cannot flee from God. And after rising, Jonah came during the famine to the land of Judah, and when his mother died on the road, he buried her near the oak of Libanus. He died in the land of Saar, and was buried in the cave of Kenezeus, who was a judge of one tribe in the days of the anarchy. And he gave a sign concerning Jerusalem and the whole land: when they see a stone crying out piteously, the end is near, and when they see in Jerusalem all the nations, then the city will be destroyed. Concerning Nahum. Consolation. This Nahum, the seventh, was deemed worthy also to foretell concerning the resurrection of the Lord Christ, and he says: Celebrate your feasts, Judah, pay your vows to the Lord, for they will no longer be able to pass into old age. It is finished, it is removed; he who blows in your face has ascended, he who delivers you from affliction. Nahum was from Elkesi, beyond Bethabara, of the tribe of Simeon. After Jonah, he gave a sign to Nineveh, that it would be destroyed by sweet waters and subterranean fire; which indeed happened. For the lake surrounding it flooded it in an earthquake and destroyed it; and fire from the desert came and burned its higher part. He died in peace and was buried in his own land. Concerning Habakkuk. Summary. This Habakkuk, the eighth, also deemed worthy to speak concerning the resurrection of Christ, thus:

See, you despisers, and look, and marvel, and be confounded, because I am doing a work in your days which you would not believe if someone should narrate it. This passage Paul fittingly took concerning the resurrection of the Lord Christ in Antioch of Pisidia. Habakkuk was from the tribe of Simeon, from the village of Bethituchar. He saw before the captivity concerning the capture of Jerusalem, and he mourned. When Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem, he fled to Ostracine and was a sojourner in the land of Ishmael. But when the Chaldeans and the remnant who were in Jerusalem returned and went down to Egypt, he was sojourning in his own land. And he served the harvesters of his field. When he took the food, he prophesied to his own people, saying: I am going to a distant land and will quickly return; but if I am delayed, bring the food to the harvesters. And having been in Babylon and given the meal to Daniel, he appeared to the harvesters while they were eating and said nothing of what had happened. He understood that the people would return from Babylon quickly. And he died two years before the return and was buried in his own field alone in Judea. And concerning the end of the temple, he foretold that it would be brought about by a western nation. Then, he says, the covering of the Debir and the capitals of the two pillars will be removed, and no one will know where they are. These will be carried away into the desert by an angel, to the place where the tent of the tabernacle was originally set up, and by them the Lord will be made known at the end, and he will enlighten those persecuted by the serpent in darkness, as in the beginning. Concerning Zephaniah. Observing.

This Zephaniah, the ninth, was also deemed worthy to prophesy concerning the Lord Christ, for he speaks thus: The Lord will appear against them, and will utterly destroy all the gods of the nations of the earth, and each one will worship him from his own place, all the islands of the nations. Again he says: That I will turn the tongue of the peoples to their own generation, so that all may call upon the name of the Lord to serve him under one yoke. From the ends of the rivers of Ethiopia they will bring offerings to me. And again he says: Rejoice greatly, daughter of Jerusalem, be glad and delight with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem; the Lord has removed your injustices, he has redeemed you from the hand of your enemies; the Lord will reign in your midst; you will see evils no more, all of which things are more properly fitting for the Lord Christ. Zephaniah was from the tribe of Simeon, from the village of Sabarathatha. He prophesied concerning the city and concerning the end of Israel and the shame of the impious; and having died, he was buried in his own field. For Haggai. Feast. This Haggai, the tenth, was also deemed worthy to foretell concerning the Lord Christ, speaking to Zerubbabel in person the things fitting for the Lord Christ. And I will set you as a seal, because I have chosen you, says the Lord Almighty, just as John the Evangelist also says. For the Father, God, sealed him. Haggai came young from Babylon to Jerusalem and openly prophesied concerning the return of the people. And he saw in part the building of the temple; and having died, he was buried near the tomb of the priests, honorably, as they were. For Zechariah. Memory of God.

This Zechariah, the eleventh, was also deemed worthy to prophesy concerning the coming of Christ, speaking thus: Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; proclaim, daughter of Jerusalem; behold, your king comes, righteous and saving, himself gentle and mounted upon a beast of burden and a young colt. Hyperbolically he spoke this utterance concerning Zerubbabel; but the fulfillment properly occurred in the case of the Lord Christ. He further says: And I will say to him: What are these wounds between your hands? And he will say: Those with which I was struck in the house of my beloved. And a little later: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. The Lord recalls this utterance at the time of his passion, when he was about to be betrayed, having applied it to himself. Zechariah came from Chaldea already advanced in age, and there he prophesied many things to the people and gave signs as proof. He said to Jehozadak: And you will serve as priest in Jerusalem. He also blessed Shealtiel with a son and gave him the name Zerubbabel. And under Cyrus he gave a sign for victory. And he foretold concerning his own liturgy which he would perform in Jerusalem, and he blessed him greatly. The matters of his prophecy he saw in Jerusalem; he set forth concerning the end of the nations and the temple and the idleness of prophets and priests, and concerning a double judgment. And he died at a great old age, and was buried near Haggai [near Eleutheropolis, forty stadia away, in the field of Noeman, in the time of Bishop Ephidus].

It was revealed that he is Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom Isaiah mentions, and the name of the field where he lies is Bethzaria, at a distance of 150 stades from Jerusalem. Concerning Malachi. Angel. This Malachi, the twelfth, was also deemed worthy to prophesy concerning the economy of the Lord Christ. He also speaks thus: For from east to west my name has been glorified among the nations. And in every place incense is offered to my name and a pure sacrifice; for my name is great among the nations, says the Lord Almighty. And again he says: Behold, I will send my angel, and he will look upon a way before your face. The Lord applied this passage to himself and to John the Baptist. The same prophet further says: And for you who fear my name, a sun of righteousness will rise, and healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves freed from bonds, and you will trample the lawless, for they will be ashes under your feet on the day that I make, says the Lord Almighty. And behold, I send you Elijah the Tishbite, before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes, just as the Lord said to the Jews: And if you wish to accept concerning John, he is the Elijah who is to come. This Malachi, after the return, was born in Sopha, and while still very young he led a good life. And since all the people honored him as holy and gentle, they called him Malachi, which is interpreted as angel.

For he was also comely in appearance, and whatever he himself said in prophecy, on that very day an angel of the Lord appeared and confirmed, as happened in the days of anarchy, as is written in Sfertelim, that is, in the book of Judges. And while still young, he was added to his fathers in his own field. [These are the twelve prophets, who are counted as one book, from which we will proceed to the four great ones, each of whom has his own book, and indeed also to the remaining renowned prophets whose writings are not extant, having first surveyed these things.] Now we will proceed to the four great ones, having completed with God the twelve. All the prophets prophesied and reminded the Jews of the promises of God, which he made to the fathers, that he promised to bless all nations in the seed of Abraham through the economy concerning the Lord Christ, and how God formerly delivered them from the slavery of the Egyptians with a high arm, and gave them the land of promise, and how they would be taken captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, and again return gloriously, and again suffer evils under Antiochus and the surrounding nations, and how they would overcome these as well by divine power; and then the one expected from the seed of Abraham would come for the salvation of the whole world according to the promises from above. This is the work of the prophets. Some of them wrote their own books themselves, such as David composing the book of Psalms, and Daniel in captivity being commanded to write what was revealed to him through visions.

or also some others. But the rest did not write for themselves, but were scribes in the temple, who recorded the word of each prophet as in a daily journal. And whenever a prophet was sent by God to proclaim either about Jerusalem, that it was about to be taken captive, or about Samaria, or about other places, or about the return, or about Antiochus, or about the surrounding nations, or about the Lord Christ himself, on the day he prophesied, they wrote in the book of that prophet what he proclaimed concerning one matter. And again after a time, if he proclaimed concerning another matter, they again wrote, subjoining it to his book, making a beginning of a chapter of what they proclaimed, and thus they compiled his entire book. Hence it is possible to find in their books a chapter fitting the captivity of Babylon or the return, and immediately another about Christ, and again one speaking about the captivity and the return [or another of a subject, and again another about something else, and yet another about the former subject]. And to speak simply, if you do not read with careful attention, you will find everything confused. Not only these prophetic books, but also the books of Kings were written in this manner in the temple, separately in the time of Saul up to Saul, and in the time of David up to David. Similarly, the records of each king were written according to their own time. Likewise, they also wrote in the archives of the kings, which we call the books of Chronicles. Moses wrote the Pentateuch as a history of past, present, and future events. Joshua again wrote his own book.

the judges again in the temple, that is, in the tabernacle, and likewise Ruth. Solomon again wrote his own works, the Proverbs, the Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes, having received wisdom from God, and admonishing every person to conduct themselves wisely in this life; for he did not receive the gift of prophecy. Therefore, we have set down as many prophets as we found who were deemed worthy to speak concerning the Lord Christ. And we also write concerning the other four prophets, as much as they were deemed worthy to say concerning the economy of the Lord Christ, to which the whole purpose of the divine scripture looks. So then, we first present the great-voiced Isaiah, who was deemed worthy both by type and by word to see and foretell concerning the mystery of Christ. Concerning Isaiah. This great Isaiah, the son of Amoz, who by type saw the things concerning the mystery of Christ, when he saw the Lord sitting on a high and elevated throne; and seraphim stood around him, six wings to one and six wings to another, covering themselves, and they cried out one to another: Holy, holy, holy, Lord Sabaoth, the whole earth is full of his glory. Upon these things, one of the seraphim was sent and took with tongs a coal from the altar, and touched his lips, saying: This will remove your sins, clearly taught by the vision shown, the hymn, and the type to foretell the mystery concerning Christ. And again, by word he speaks thus: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer, speechless.

This passage the Ethiopian eunuch read, and he entreated Philip to interpret it for him, who very quickly interpreted it as having been spoken by the prophet concerning the Lord Christ. Again he says: "A man being in a plague and knowing how to bear weakness." And again: "That he committed no lawlessness, nor was deceit found in his mouth, and the Lord wishes to cleanse him from the plague and show him light." And again: "Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will place into the foundations of Zion a precious, choice, honored cornerstone into her foundations. And he who believes in it shall not be put to shame." And again: "There will be on that day the root of Jesse, and he who arises to rule over nations; upon him nations will hope." And again: "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, for which reason he anointed me." This the Lord read in the synagogue on the Sabbath and said: "Truly I say to you, today this scripture has been fulfilled in your ears." Isaiah was from Jerusalem; he dies under Manasseh, sawn in two, and was placed under the oak of Rogel, near the crossing of the waters which King Hezekiah destroyed by blocking them. And God made the sign of Siloam because of the prophet, for before his death, being faint-hearted, he prayed to drink water, and immediately it was sent to him from it; therefore it was called Siloam, which is interpreted "sent." And in the time of Hezekiah, before he made the cisterns and pools, at the prayer of Isaiah a little water came forth, because the people were in a siege of foreigners, and so that the city might not be destroyed, as it had no water. For the enemies were asking where they drank.

And having fortified the city, they besieged Siloam. So when the Jews prayed together with Isaiah, the water would come forth; for this reason, even to this day, it suddenly emerges, so that this great mystery might be shown. And because this happened through Isaiah, for the sake of remembrance, the Jewish people buried him near Siloam itself, carefully and honorably, so that through his holy prayers even after his death they might likewise have the enjoyment of the water, since an oracle was given to him concerning this, to act thus. His tomb is adjacent to the tomb of the kings, behind the tomb of the Jews on the southern side. For Solomon made the tombs of David, having laid them out east of Zion, which has an entrance from Abaon, twenty stades from the city. And he made this entrance winding, complex, and unsuspected; and the entrance is unknown even to this day to most of the priests and to all the people. There King Solomon kept the gold from Ethiopia and the spices. And because Hezekiah revealed the mystery of David and Solomon to the nations and defiled the bones of his ancestors, for this reason God cursed his seed to be in servitude to his enemies, and God made him fruitless and barren from that day. Concerning Jeremiah. This Jeremiah, being also deemed worthy to prophesy concerning the mystery of Christ, speaks thus: "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one who was valued, whom they valued from among the sons of Israel, and they gave them for the field of the potter, as the Lord commanded me.

This oracle is also mentioned by the evangelist Matthew as having been fulfilled at the time of the Passion. Again the same prophet says: "Behold, days are coming," says the Lord, "and I will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant, not like the covenant I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not abide by my covenant, and I neglected them," says the Lord, "giving my laws to their understanding, and I inscribe them upon their heart, and I will be a god to them, and they will be a people to me. And each one shall not fail to teach his brother and each one his neighbor, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all will know me, from their youngest to their oldest, for I will be merciful to their injustices and I will no longer remember their sins." And this oracle is also mentioned by the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Jeremiah was from Anathoth, and he dies in Taphnas in Egypt, stoned by the people. He lies in the place of the dwelling of Pharaoh, because the Egyptians honored him, having been benefited through him. For he prayed for them. For the beasts of the waters troubled him, which the Egyptians call Ephoth and the Greeks crocodiles. And all who are faithful to God, even to this day, pray in that place, and taking the dust of that place, they heal the bites of men, and many of them drive away those beasts in the water.

We heard from the servants of Antigonus and Ptolemy, elderly men, that Alexander of Macedon, having come to the prophet's tomb and learned the mysteries concerning him, transferred his relics to Alexandria, having adorned them gloriously in a circle, and the race of asps was prevented from that land, and likewise from the river, and thus he introduced the snakes called argolaoi, which are snake-fighters, which he brought from Argos in the Peloponnese, whence they are also called argolaoi, that is, "right-hand men of Argos," and they have a very sweet and wholly auspicious chirping. This Jeremiah gave a sign to the priests of Egypt, that their idols must be shaken and fall because of a savior child born of a virgin, lying in a manger. For this reason, even now they deify a virgin in childbirth and, placing an infant in a manger, they worship it. And when King Ptolemy inquired about the cause, they said that it is a mystery handed down from our fathers, delivered by a holy prophet to our ancestors. This prophet Jeremiah, before the capture of the temple, seized the ark of the law and what was in it, and had them deposited in a rock, and said to those present: "The Lord has departed from Sinai to heaven, and again a lawgiver will come from Zion in power, and let this be a sign to you of his coming: when wood all the nations will worship." And he said that no one will remove this ark except Aaron, and no one will open the tablets in it, not any priest or prophet, except Moses, the chosen one of God.

And on the day of the resurrection, first the ark will rise up and will come out from the rock, and will be placed on Mount Sinai. And all the saints will be gathered to it there, awaiting the Lord, fleeing the enemy who wishes to destroy them. In that rock he sealed the name of God with his finger, and the impression became like an engraving of iron, and a luminous cloud covered the name, and no one knows the place nor can anyone read it until today and until the consummation. The rock is in the desert, where the ark first was between the two mountains, in which Moses and Aaron lie. And at night a cloud like fire appears around the place according to the ancient pattern, because the glory of God will not cease from his law. For this reason God gave grace to Jeremiah, that he himself might accomplish the end of his mystery, so that he might become a fellow participant with Moses and Aaron, and they are together until today, since Jeremiah is also of priestly seed. Concerning Ezekiel. This Ezekiel, prophesying in Babylon, was also deemed worthy to foretell concerning the economy according to Christ, and he says: And I will deliver them from all their lawlessnesses, and I will purify them, and they will be to me a people, and I will be to them a god, and my servant David will be ruler among them and one shepherd will be over all, because they will walk in my ordinances. And again he says, And he said to me: This water which flows into the sea toward the east, and it went down into Arabia and came to the sea at the water of the passage and will heal the waters.

and every soul of the animals that swarm and upon everything which it may come upon, there the river will live. This Ezekiel is from the priestly line of Sarira, and he died in the land of the Chaldeans during the captivity, having prophesied many things to those in Judea. The leader of the people of Israel there killed him, being rebuked by him for the worship of idols. And the people buried him in the field of Maour in the tomb of Seth and Arphaxad, the ancestors of Abraham. And the tomb is a double cave, because Abraham in Hebron made his tomb similar to it. It is called double because it is twisted and hidden from the surface, and it is an upper chamber on the ground suspended in rock. This prophet gave a sign to the people, to pay attention to the river Chobar: when it runs dry, the sickle of desolation will come to the end of the earth, and when it floods, the return to Jerusalem. For the holy man lived there, and many gathered to him. And once, when a multitude was with him, the Chaldeans feared that the Hebrews would cause a disturbance and attack them for destruction. And the prophet caused the water to part, so that they might escape to the other side. But those who dared to pursue the enemies were drowned. This prophet through prayer spontaneously provided them with abundant food of fish, and when many were perishing, he besought from God that life come to them. This one, when the people were being destroyed, performed signs and stopped the enemies, striking them with terror from heaven, when Israel said, "We have failed, our hope is lost.

And by the portents of the bones of the dead, he persuaded them that there is hope for Israel both here and in the future. This man, while judging for Israel, showed what was happening in Jerusalem and in the temple. He was snatched away from there and came to Jerusalem, and he told what had happened in the temple at that very hour to convict those who were disobedient to God. This man, like Moses, saw the form of the temple, the wall, the surrounding wall, and the gate through which the Lord will enter and exit. And the gate will be closed, and all the nations will hope in him. This man judged in Babylon the tribe of Dan and that of Gad, because they were impious toward the Lord, persecuting those who kept the law, and he performed a great portent for them: that serpents were devouring their infants and all their cattle because of their impiety. And he said that because of them the people would not return to their land, but would be in Media until the end of their error, and that one of them was the one who killed him [all the days of his life]. Concerning Daniel. This Daniel, prophesying in Babylon and having been deemed worthy to foretell concerning the Lord Christ, speaks thus: "And you will know and understand from the utterance of the word that is answered to you and from the building of Jerusalem until the coming of Christ, seven weeks and sixty-two weeks," and so forth. And again: "And a stone was cut without hands, and it struck the image, and the stone became a great mountain, and it filled the earth." And again:

And behold, with the clouds of heaven, like a son of man coming, and he reached as far as the old age of days, and to him were given the honor and the authority and the rest of what was said. This Daniel was from the tribe of Judah, from those prominent in the royal service, but while still a child he was led in the captivity from Judea to the land of the Chaldeans. He was born in Upper Bethoron; and he was a temperate man, so that the Jews thought him to be a eunuch. He greatly mourned for the people and for the city of Jerusalem, and he practiced asceticism in fasts from all desirable food, eating seeds of the earth. And he was a dry and spare man in appearance, beautiful in the grace of the Most High. He prayed much for Nebuchadnezzar, at the urging of his son Belshazzar, because he had become a beast and a brute, so that he might not perish. For his front parts were like an ox with the head, and his feet with the hind parts were a lion. And it was revealed to the holy man concerning this mystery, that he had become a brute because of his irrational love of pleasure and his stiff-neckedness, and that as an ox he would become a beast of burden for Beliar, and a lion because of the rapacious, tyrannical, and bestial nature of his character. These things the powerful have in youth, but in the end they become beasts, seizing, destroying, striking, killing, tyrannizing, committing impiety, and receiving their recompense from the just-judging God. And the holy man knew through God that he ate grass like an ox, and that he had no desire for food of human nature.

For this reason the same Nebuchadnezzar, after the digestion of food in a human heart, wept and besought the Lord all day and night, praying forty times. A demon came upon him, and he was unaware that he had become a man. His tongue was taken away so that he could not speak, and understanding immediately he wept, and his eyes were like dead flesh in his weeping; for many going out from the city used to watch him. Daniel alone did not wish to see him, because for the whole time of his transformation he was in prayer concerning him. For he said, "He will become a man again, and then I will see him," and they disbelieved him. So Daniel, praying to the Most High for the seven years, asked that they become the times he had spoken of, [praying to the Most High he made them become] seven months. And the mystery of the seven times was accomplished upon him, because having been restored in seven months, as he was before, for six years and five months he submitted to the Lord and confessed his impiety and all his lawlessness, and after remission of his lawlessnesses he gave back to him his kingdom, and he ate neither bread nor meat nor drank wine, confessing to the Lord, because Daniel commanded him to propitiate the Lord with soaked legumes and greens. For this reason he called him Baltasar, as his son. He wished to make him co-heir of his children. But the holy one said, "It is merciful to let me go to the inheritance of my fathers and to attach me to the inheritance of the uncircumcised." And to the other kings of the Persians he performed many wonders which were not written.

He died and was buried in the royal cave alone with honor. And he himself gave a sign in the mountains above Babylon: when the north wind is filled with smoke, then the end of Babylon will come; [but when pure water flows forth from the east, then God, appearing on earth as a man, will take upon himself all the lawlessness of the world when he is crucified by the priests of the Law. And immediately the grace of the Spirit will be poured out upon the earth to all the nations.] When it is consumed by fire, then will be the end of the earth. If water flows in the south, the people will return to their land. If blood flows, there will be a slaughter of Beliar throughout the whole earth. And the holy man of God fell asleep in peace. Concerning Elijah. This is Elijah, the first of men to show men how to traverse the sky, the first of men to show that he who has the earth as his dwelling place also runs through the whole heaven, being mortal yet contending with the immortals, walking on the ground yet dwelling in heaven with angels as a spirit; he who through the sheepskin gave double gifts to his disciple Elisha; the long-lived and ageless man, the general kept for the Antichrist, who opposes and refutes his deceit and arrogance, who turns all men from his error to God at the consummation; he who is deemed worthy to be the forerunner of the second and glorious coming of the Lord Christ, contending with the angels in the measure of his service. He was from the land of the Arabs, of the tribe of Aaron, dwelling in Galaad, for Thesbis was a dwelling for the priests.

When he was about to be born, his father Sobacha saw that white-robed angels were greeting him and that they swaddled him in fire and gave him a flame of fire to eat. And coming, he announced it in Jerusalem, and the oracle said to him: Do not be afraid; for his dwelling will be light and his word a decree, and he will judge Israel with sword and fire. Concerning Elisha. This Elisha was from Abelmaoul of the land of Rubim. And a portent occurred concerning him, that when he was born, the golden heifer bellowed sharply among the calves, so as to be heard in Jerusalem, and the priest said through the oracles: A prophet has been born in Jerusalem, who will destroy their carved images and their molten images. And having died, he was buried in Samaria. Concerning Zechariah. Zechariah son of Jodae the priest. He was from Jerusalem, and Joash king of Judah killed him near the altar, and the house of David poured out his blood in the middle upon the Elam. And the priests, taking him, buried him with his father. Concerning Nathan. This Nathan the prophet was from Gabaon under David, and he was the one who taught him the law of the Lord, and he saw that David would transgress with Bathsheba, and as he hastened to go and announce it to him, Beliar hindered him. But coming along the road, he found a dead man lying naked, slain; and he remained there because of him. He died and was buried in his own land in Gabaon. Concerning Ahijah. This Ahijah was in Shiloh, where the old tent was from the city of Eli, and he died and was buried near the oak of Shiloh; and he himself is also called Adonias. Concerning Joath.

This Joath was from the land of Samaria, and a lion struck him, and he died, and he was buried in Bethel near the false prophet who led him astray. Concerning Azariah. This Azariah was from the land of Synatha; he turned back the captivity of Judah from Jerusalem, and having died he was buried in his own field. Jephtha, David, and Samuel, each of them, died and was buried in his own city. End of the prophets, that is, of their birth, their life, and their death.