Preface to the exposition of the holy prophets
A Having spoken concerning future things, being inspired—and indeed concerning things already passed; for it is not just foreknowing or predicting the future that makes a prophet, but it is he who has received the knowledge of things from God who is called a prophet. [These] are revealed in secret by the Spirit; [they look] with pure eyes from such a distance [and] teach the future. Or even in [various] ways the prophets [speak], as "The Lord God will raise up to you a prophet," and such like; or through [symbols], and the appearance of the bronze serpent, the saving sacrifice and crucifixion; [or] as when Jeremiah made iron yokes [and] a message. And the priests were called prophets even among the Egyptians, and truly so; those of old [were called such] because of the instrument. For prophecy is generally polysemous; [there is] the spiritual, the demonic, and the intermediate, [and so on] in other ways, as through dreams, B or by certain dispensations, as to the previously mentioned Caiaphas.
The demonic [power of prophecy] is present only to the ministers of demons, and it pretends to know the future through the inspection of corpses, through wheat and barley flour, through entrails and the flight of birds, and other signs. That which belongs to the saints is worked through virtue; that which belongs to demons, through sorcery. The former is given for the correction of souls; the latter seems to prophesy concerning war, wealth, diseases, and all such bodily evils, or even those destructive to the soul. And as many dire things as those [demons] foretell, they speak truly by accident, and [these things] come to pass, and not because it is in our power; but as for those things which holy men foretell, [the question of] whether they come to pass or not is entirely in our power. For this reason these dire things are foretold, so that the hearers may be corrected. Wherefore God also foretells dire things, and at the same time suggests the solution for them; and this is our correction. Therefore, when we are improved, the threatened things do not [come to pass]; but if we are not improved, they are altogether brought upon us. And the former [demons] require instruments, and matter, and places, and... C D and for...
. . . to men [who use] these things, God is [everything], and virtue. But the demons, having been brought in, at length vaticinate for the sake of money: whereas to the saints all these things belong to God, and to virtue.
There is a certain kind of foreknowledge that is innate by nature, such as exists in many brute animals, as in ants, and urchins, and kingfishers, which by nature perceive beforehand rain, and winds, and storms. There is also another kind of foreknowledge that is acquired by art, a kind of foreknowledge in which physicians and pilots excel. There are also other kinds which guess at the future by the power of intelligence, such as those whom we are accustomed to use as counselors. As was Balaam, who gave counsel to Balak that he should introduce harlots, guessing B that through them Israel would offend God. There is also a common and popular kind of foreknowledge, such as when every man foresees, for example, that the summer or spring season will come after three months. All these other things are, in a loose sense, called foreknowledgments and prophecies; but prophecy and vaticination in the strict sense is that which is imparted by God, either to those worthy by reason of their virtue, or to the unworthy by reason of His hidden counsel.
Not all divine prophecy is written, for thousands have prophesied without writing. Those, however, who are admitted to have handed down their oracles to the people in writing after David and Solomon are sixteen in number, C of whom twelve are deemed worthy of one volume, not because they lived at the same time (for one prophesied at one time and another at another), but because their oracles did not consist of a sufficiently large number of verses, nor were their writings of such bulk that they could fill individual books. Therefore, all having been collected together, they formed one volume; but the four others, being by far the most eloquent of all and having written much, were marked out into four books. Yet in all of them there is observed D obscurity, both because their accounts are about future events (for every prediction carries an obscure meaning), and also because they were translated from the Hebrew tongue into Greek; for many of that language’s idioms were not transported into this one, whence obscurity also arises. And if one is more obscure than another—as Isaiah, or Ezekiel, [or] Jeremiah—one should not wonder; for many ways does obscurity arise: either because of the nature of the things being announced, as is the case in Moses with the description of the tabernacle, and in Ezekiel with the construction of the temple; or because of the listeners themselves, who are not worthy to hear the oracles more clearly, just as the Lord spoke by parables to the crowds. Often, too, obscurity arises from the one who speaks, as one person uses a different method of speech in announcing future things. So, in this instance as well, the Spirit prompted to each of the prophets what they should speak, but they themselves thereafter announced the things of the Spirit as each was able to do so, while using their own judgment to speak of all things; for we must not indeed [follow] the [heresy] of the godless Montanus, [who says] that the prophets, being possessed by God, did not know what they were saying. For where [is there any] godly person who would [assert such a thing]?
A His mouth; and where is that [saying], "Surely the Lord will do nothing, unless He reveals [it]"? It is truly senseless for anyone to say that they did not first understand [...] and that he was stripped of his pre-existing knowledge, and [what] is profitable to those who pay attention, they would agree that [...]. Some [have debated] the times [that were] granted by Daniel [...].
B Consequently, those who are more contentious among us, [the] Jews [...] and one of this [rank], fellow-minded and yoke-fellow. And the good [...] and the Lord’s Mother, and Simeon, and Anna, and [the] daughter. And, in short, [those] in every Church [...] C as Paul testifies through many things. [To the] Hebrews [...] and prophet after those [who were] by [the] [...] and in dignity more notable [...] indeed, but [...] and after the Lord's ascension D I suppose some [might] contradict, not [...].
He indeed, for other more secret reasons, the Paraclete who distributes these [gifts] would know. But so far as concerns us, due to the already established certainty of the faith: for just as the builders of arches support them while they are newly fixed by inserting certain props, but when they have hardened sufficiently, they remove them; so too in the Churches, when the faith is newly established, it is necessary...
to have the gift of prophecy to strengthen and sustain that faith. For if anyone, he says, be an unbeliever, let him enter the Church, and being convinced by the prophets, let him fall down and worship God, and confess that God is truly in you. B But now that the Word has been strengthened, there is no longer a need for the support. And there are more crowns now, because even when we see nothing of that sort, like the men of old, we nevertheless do not depart from the steadfastness of faith. C Perhaps someone might also consider this: that the times of old had need of prophets, both to guide the people in other matters, and to herald beforehand the coming of Christ; but of course, the things concerning the end of the age, and the son of lawlessness, and the dissolution following that, have been foretold by the Lord and by the apostles, as well as everything that contributes to a virtuous and heavenly life. Since, therefore, there is nothing missing, and it is not so necessary that prophecy should be spoken, the gift has naturally been withdrawn. Perhaps, too, it would have puffed up the weaker ones with pride, and through what was a good thing, death would have been wrought. So much for these matters.
Exposition on the Prophet Hosea
Since Hosea is set at the head of the twelve prophets, as he far precedes the others in point of time—though he lived in the same period as Amos and Joel (for they also prophesied under the same kings), yet since he began prophesying before them—we must begin by dealing with him, having invoked the goodness of the Spirit, D that He might deign, according to His kindness, to make clear to us, as far as is possible, the things He breathed into him. The name Hosea, then, is interpreted as "Savior"; and he is entrusted with the prophecy for the correction of the whole people. For when Jeroboam, who was of the tribe of Ephraim, cut off the ten tribes from the remaining two—those of Judah and Benjamin—and established his own kingdom in Samaria, and persuaded the people under him, the ten tribes which were called Israel and Ephraim, to worship idols, the Lord was angered. And because they were in need of punishment and discipline, and were worthy of being delivered into the power of their enemies, He sent the prophet to announce to them what they would suffer if they did not turn back to Him. For God threatens them with punishments, not so that He might inflict them, but so that by fear He might terrify those who hear, and thus, having been corrected, they might escape the punishments. And to the two tribes, which held the kingdom in Jerusalem (and were generally called Judah, because the tribe of Judah was the more powerful—though at times they were also called Benjamin), the prophet is sent, both foretelling to them the future benefit they would receive from God, and announcing the evils that would follow thereafter; and by both means he led them towards correction. But neither were the ten tribes persuaded (for which reason they were handed over to total destruction; first by Azael the Syrian, who fought against them; then by Phua the Assyrian, who imposed a tribute upon them; and after him...