they came and traversed all of Tuscany, and seizing boys and women, and whatever else they could carry off, they led them away into Hungary. For this reason, the Romans, provoked by this, killed the aforementioned marquis. As for the Hungarians, they continued for a long time thereafter to treat the Romans badly with raids every year. The aforementioned Pope John, having been seized by soldiers and cast into prison, was eventually killed there. Another John was put in his place, but since he obtained the principate in a wicked manner, he was soon cast out; for this reason he is not recorded in the catalog of the pontiffs.
OF THE MOST BLESSED BASIL, METROPOLITAN OF NEW PATRAS
PROLOGUE TO THE INTERPRETATION OF THE HOLY XII PROPHETS
1. The divine grace which, from above, shedding light B through the Holy Spirit upon those inspired by God, the most blessed prophets, manifested things beforehand; indeed, this same truly divine grace of God in the Holy Spirit, shining upon us humble men, has laid bare divine mysteries, and it seems that we should not cease to explain them with a clear interpretation. For as much as lies within our simple speech—or rather, to speak more truly, as much as has been given to us by the operation of Christ our God and good Savior—receiving these things with gratitude, we have interpreted and set them forth for the more abundant knowledge and understanding of those who shall read what is among us. For being obscure and hidden, like the thoughts of those who see poorly, and at the same time to many both difficult to grasp and immovable, as if by divine power—as the saying is true—they were thus inspired C from above, the transcendent and need-less One.
A Indeed, we have set forth these things in a clearer light. For the most divine and God-bearing Fathers before us, though they possessed the understanding of these things, did not interpret everything—either because, by reason of the vast multitude of thoughts, they passed over many things, or because some divine grace, having set them aside for the end of this world, kept them in reserve, since the things concerning us now are soon to have an end and are tending toward the age which is coming. For we have not taken up this profitable labor and sweat in vain, casting our mind merely into the air.
2. But since we see the wretched Hebrews, after so many chastisements, turned away from the good, and still enduring, and indeed mocking, and blustering with loose tongues, and if they happen upon some of the simpler sort, deceiving them, and contending fiercely, and contradicting, as if Christ had not yet arrived according to them, and waiting for and expecting in vain that the Antichrist shall be for them—the one who appears impious and a deceiver; and since they are also uttering many other more savage things in mockery against our blameless faith of the Christians, and are gaping in vain hope like fools, we desire, with the grace of God, to stop the blasphemous mouths of the impious ones among them and of the heretics along with those who are like them, using the same arguments, and to show and persuade them that Christ has already come, that having become incarnate He suffered, died, and rose again, and was taken up to the Father into the heavens with His body, and that the same One will come again as God-man B together with His incorruptible flesh, and that He is the eternal God. Wishing to show these things for the destruction of the impious and the renewal of the pious, as they are unanimously manifested in the prophets, we have gone through them, taking captive every thought of the holy Scripture to the obedience of Christ, according to Paul the great Apostle, for the benefit of those who listen.
3. And turn your mind piously toward me, all you who desire to become partakers of the blessed life, so that you may see how God knows how to speak His own words in a weak, humble, and small instrument; let no one be a contradictor, O lovers of Christ: the work is not our own, for it is the grace of God, so that He might show that God has chosen the despised and the humble things, C so that He might put to shame the strong. For who am I, a small and poor and sinful man, that I should take these things into my mind and declare them to those who are better than I? Whence you shall know again that it is not from me, but a gift of God. Do not, therefore, because of what is lacking or not entirely comprehensible, let anyone mock this good knowledge; for it is God's alone that the whole should be grasped without stumbling. Therefore I entreat, let the goal of the friends of God be to observe, so as not to pass over any of the good things like adversaries, but to treat these matters prudently and wisely with diligence; not by hastening, nor by emulating, from which no salutary benefit arises, but with the love of God and in the Spirit, receive these things with modesty, and explore them, that you may... D
gain some further profit and that those who are taught may be well benefited. Assuredly, we have taken great and special care, A for as much as is self-interpretable in the God-inspired prophets, and as much as consists of words spoken for the sake of an easily grasped occasion of some matters—these we have allowed to remain as a foundation, as is proper. But as for those things which are of difficult understanding and are dark and poorly explained to many, and also the mysteries which tend toward the divine Incarnation of Christ—in order to illuminate the understanding of these more obscure things, we have applied ourselves solely to explaining them in many and various ways, gathering the force of many opinions. And for the confirmation of what is spoken—on account of the many who are envious and who contradict out of jealousy—we have brought forward testimonies assumed from many sources, collecting interpretations that are established and piously grounded, and we have set them forth by drawing out concordant testimonies from the ancient Moses, from the son of Nave (Joshua), from Job, David, and Solomon, and from apostolic and evangelical oracles. B 4. Having therefore this array, and, to speak more truly, this defense, let us not fear, beloved, to thunder into the ears of the impious, let us condemn their every folly, and let us hasten to address them by way of admonition, and to bring them to Christ. For in this way, valiant soldiers who reduce countless nations to servitude, using warlike instruments and swords, both capture them and, taking spoil, are adorned with rewards, and, keeping those who are subject to them, lead them to the king and are honored with praises; C but those who oppose them, or who fight cruelly and persistently, they quickly destroy. We too shall now do the same; we shall demonstrate a spiritual war against the adversaries. We have arms forged of divine brass, sixteen holy instruments of war, besides a thousand shields, bucklers, swords, lances, arrows, and darts; and against them we shall use many other things. Above all, having the triple-gleaming and unitary light as our ally, we shall plunder them. Those of them whom we see submitting with gentleness, let us spare; let us not kill them in excess, O most valiant divine army. Let us instead capture them alive-minded and bring them under the feet of Christ, the King of all, that we may be glorified by Him, and we ourselves be saved in Him. But those whom we see D resisting and not obeying well, let us destroy; let us strike them, as the Midianites were struck, with the divine sword of the Spirit. Let us strive, therefore, as much as is in us, beloved, to capture a prey that is piously pleasing and acceptable to God: the souls of those who are saved. But if this is despised by others as fruitless, and it is not possible to capture any of those who do not wish to be saved in God, let us at least preserve ourselves, fencing ourselves with the divine faith, and let us live piously and usefully, that we may attain eternal blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord. The explanation is as follows. The entire text together with the interpretation: 1. And the Lord said to Osee: Take unto thee a wife, etc.