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you; and to the stone, 'You begot me,'" inscribing the devil as their father. For he who commits sin, he says, is born of the devil. And to those who do evil, he says, "You are of your father the devil." And it is fitting for the Savior to say these things prophetically, as those of Israel did not receive him and punished him with a cross, he who visited them alone out of all the nations. Wherefore he says, Israel did not know me. And my people did not understand me. for they did not understand what sort of person he was, who had also been seen in various ways by their fathers in human form. Therefore he says, "Abraham your father desired to see my day, and he saw it, and was glad." And, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often I wanted to gather your children together, and you were not willing!" Therefore it is said of every man who has lost the dignity of the image and reason; and, "He who being in honor did not understand, has been compared to the senseless beasts and was made like them;" But the Jews, having enjoyed so much honor, not only becoming rational, but also being called the people of God, these indeed, he says, have appeared more irrational than irrational beasts, not knowing the master, as an ox does. For a natural instinct knows him. Nor, as a donkey, the manger of its Lord. 1832 For the donkey, even if it does not know its master, nevertheless hastens to the place of its manger out of habit. For it recognizes the manger on account of its gluttony, Wherefore, as if the animals were ill-suited to each other, in Deuteronomy he commands not to plow with a calf and a man; that is, you should not yoke the active and industrious part of the soul with the pleasure-loving and passive part. For God is not concerned about oxen. But elsewhere again it is yoked together. For blessed is he who sows beside all waters, where the ox and the donkey tread. That is, the one who by the teaching word rouses the industrious part of the soul, and heals its pleasure-loving part; for the appetitive part, burdened by the weight of sin, is like a burden-bearing donkey. Therefore, he says, they did not know me, the benefactor, the Creator of all. And as great a difference as there is between an ox and a donkey, so great is the difference Israel, who sees God, has in relation to the one who is simply called a people. 4. 9Woe, sinful nation, a people full of sins, an evil seed, lawless sons9, etc. 'Nation' and 'people' are often said yoked together, as in, "In a multitude of a nation is a king's glory, but in the affliction of a people is the ruin of a potentate." And, "Why did the nations rage, and the peoples?" But now, beginning from being a sinful nation, advancing towards wickedness, they become a people full of iniquities; and from being an evil seed, they also become lawless sons; for growth in virtue and vice is from lesser things. And consequently after the seed, a son, and analogously for the soul. For the seed of teaching is the implanting of lessons. And a son is everyone who has become similar to his teacher, whether in virtue or in vice. But one is called a son of the kingdom, the other of Gehenna. And he reproaches the Jews as being worse than the other nations. For neither adoption nor the height of glory made them better. Nor the various scourgings of him who scourges every son whom he receives. And since they boasted of physical noble birth, as being from Abraham, he calls them an evil seed and lawless sons, just as he also calls them rulers of Sodom and people of Gomorrah, showing that choice and life produce noble birth and the opposite. These had illustrious ancestors, the patriarchs; but from evil fathers who came after, they became evil, not by nature, but by imitating their choice. It is a great accusation, to call a whole nation sinful, as if almost no one in it acts rightly. But 'full of sins' indicated every form of wickedness. Such as, "being filled with all unrighteousness." And, "For the sins of the Amorites are not yet full." And the Savior also says, "Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers." An evil seed, 1833 which an enemy man sowed as a tare among the wheat, which, when fully grown, became a lawless son, instead of a Son of the Most High. Wherefore he mourns for him, saying something like:

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σύ· καὶ τῷ λίθῳ· Σύ με ἐγέννησας," τὸν διάβολον ἐπιγεγραμμένοι πατέρα. Ὁ γὰρ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, φησὶν, ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου γεγέννηται. Καὶ τοῖς πονηρευομένοις φησίν· "Ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστέ." Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ προφητικῶς τῷ Σωτῆρι λέγειν ἁρμόττει, μήτε προσδεξαμένων, καὶ σταυρῷ τετιμηκότων αὐτὸν τῶν ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, μόνοις αὐτοῖς ἐξ ἁπάντων ἐπιδημήσαντα τῶν ἐθνῶν. ∆ιόπερ φησίν· Ἰσραήλ με οὐκ ἔγνω. Καὶ ὁ λαός με οὐ συνῆκεν. οὐ γὰρ συνῆκαν, οἷος ἄρα αὐτὸς ἦν, ὁ καὶ τοῖς πατράσιν αὐτῶν ἐν ἀνθρωπείῳ σχήματι διαφόρως ἑωραμένος. Τοιγαροῦν φησιν· "Ἀβραὰμ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ἐπεθύμησεν ἰδεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ἐμὴν, καὶ ἴδεν, καὶ ἐχάρη." Καί· "Ἱερουσαλὴμ, Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ποσάκις ἠθέλησα ἐπισυναγαγεῖν τὰ τέκνα σου, καὶ οὐκ ἠθελήσατε!" Περὶ παντὸς μὲν οὖν ἀνθρώπου, τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ τὴν λογικὴν ἀπολωλεκότος ἀξίαν εἴρηται· καὶ, "Ὃς ἐν τιμῇ ὢν οὐ συνῆκεν, παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσιν τοῖς ἀνοήτοις καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς·" Ἰουδαῖοι δὲ, τοσαύτης τιμῆς ἀπολαύσαντες, μὴ μόνον λογικοὶ γενόμενοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ Θεοῦ χρηματίσαι λαὸς, οὗτοι δὴ, φησὶν, ἀλόγων κτηνῶν πεφήνασιν ἀλογώτεροι, μήτε κατὰ βοῦν, τὸν δεσπότην γινώσκοντες. Φυσικὴ γὰρ τοῦτον φαντασία γινώσκει. Μήτε κατὰ ὄνον, τὴν φάτνην τοῦ Κυρίου αὐτοῦ. 1832 Ὁ γὰρ ὄνος κἂν τὸν δεσπότην οὐκ οἶδεν, ἀλλ' οὖν εἰς τὸν τόπον τῆς φάτνης ἀπὸ συνηθείας ἐπείγεται. Τὴν φάτνην γὰρ γνωρίζει διὰ τὸ λαίμαργον, ∆ιόπερ, ὡς ἀνοικείως ἐχόντων πρὸς ἄλληλα τῶν ζώων, ἐν ∆ευτερονομίῳ μὴ ἀροτριᾷν ἐν μόσχῳ καὶ ἀνθρώπῳ παρακελεύεται· τουτέστι, τὸ ἐνεργὸν τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ φιλόπονον, τῷ φιληδόνῳ καὶ παθητικῷ μὴ συζεύξῃς. Οὐ γὰρ περὶ τῶν βοῶν μέλει τῷ Θεῷ. Ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ πάλιν συνέζευκται. Μακάριος γὰρ ὃς πειρῶν ἐπὶ πᾶν ὕδωρ, οὗ βοῦς καὶ ὄνος πατεῖ. Τουτέστιν, ὁ τῷ διδακτικῷ λόγῳ τό τε φιλόπονον τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπεγείρων, καὶ τὸ φιλήδονον αὐτῆς θεραπεύων· τὸ γὰρ ἐπιθυμητικὸν τῷ βάρει τῆς ἁμαρτίας πεφορτισμένον ἀχθοφοροῦντι ὄνῳ προσέοικεν. Ἐμὲ οὖν, φησὶν, οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν εὐεργέτην, τὸν πάντων ∆ημιουργόν. Ὅση δὲ βοῒ πρὸς ὄνον διαφορὰ, τοσαύτην Ἰσραὴλ, ὁ Θεὸν ὁρῶν, ἔχει πρὸς τὸν ἁπλῶς λαὸν χρηματίζοντα. δʹ. 9Οὐαὶ ἔθνος ἁμαρτωλὸν, λαὸς πλήρης ἁμαρτιῶν, σπέρμα πονηρὸν, υἱοὶ ἄνομοι9, κ.τ.ἑ. Ἔθνος καὶ λαὸς πολλαχοῦ συνεζευγμένως λέγεται ὡς τὸ," Ἐν πολλῷ ἔθνει δόξα βασιλέως, ἐν δὲ ἐκθλίψει λαοῦ συντριβὴ δυνατοῦ." Καὶ τὸ, "Ἵνα τί ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη καὶ λαοί;" Νυνὶ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔθνος εἶναι ἁμαρτωλὸν ἀρξάμενοι, ἐπιδιδόντες πρὸς κακίαν, γίνονται λαὸς πλήρης ἀνομιῶν· καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέρμα πονηρὸν εἶναι, καὶ τὸ γενέσθαι υἱοὶ ἄνομοι· ἡ γὰρ αὔξησις ἀπ' ἐλαττόνων ἐν ἀρετῇ καὶ κακίᾳ. Ἀκολούθως δὲ μετὰ τὸ σπέρμα, υἱὸς, καὶ ἀναλόγως ἐπὶ ψυχῆς. Σπέρμα γὰρ διδασκαλίας, ἡ τῶν μαθημάτων καταβολή. Υἱὸς δὲ πᾶς ὁ τῷ διδαξαμένῳ γεγονὼς παραπλήσιος, εἴτε κατ' ἀρετὴν, εἴτε κατὰ κακίαν. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν βασιλείας χρηματίζει, ὁ δὲ γεέννης υἱός. Ὀνειδίζει δὲ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, ὡς χείροσι τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν. Οὐχ υἱοθεσία γὰρ τούτους, οὐχ ὕψος δόξης, κρείττους ἐποίησεν. Οὐ διάφοροι μάστιγες τοῦ μαστιγοῦντος πάντα υἱὸν, ὃν παραδέχεται. Καὶ ἐπείπερ εὐγένειαν ηὔχουν σωματικὴν, ὡς ὄντες ἐξ Ἀβραὰμ, σπέρμα πονηρὸν, καὶ υἱοὺς ἀνόμους καλεῖ, ὡς καὶ ἐξάρχοντας Σοδόμων καὶ λαὸν Γομόῤῥας, δεικνὺς ὡς προαίρεσις καὶ βίος εὐγένειάν τε καὶ τοὐναντίον ποιεῖ. Οὗτοι δὲ προγόνους μὲν ἔσχον λαμπροὺς τοὺς πατριάρχας· ἐκ πονηρῶν δὲ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα πατέρων γεγόνασι πονηροὶ, ἀλλ' οὐ φύσει, μιμησάμενοι δὲ τὴν ἐκείνων προαίρεσιν. Μεγάλη δὲ κατηγορία, χρηματίζειν ὅλον ἔθνος ἁμαρτωλὸν, ὡς μηδένα σχεδὸν ἐν αὐτῷ κατορθοῦν. Τὸ δὲ, πλῆρες ἁμαρτιῶν, πᾶν εἶδος κακίας ὑπέδειξεν. Τοιοῦτον τὸ, "Πεπληρωμένους πάσης ἀδικίας." Καὶ τὸ, "Οὔπω γὰρ ἀναπεπλήρωνται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι τῶν Ἀμοῤῥαίων." Καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ δέ φησιν· "Πληρώσατε καὶ ὑμεῖς τὸ μέτρον τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν." Σπέρμα δὲ πονηρὸν, 1833 ὅπερ ἐχθρὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐπέσπειρε τῷ σίτῳ ζιζάνιον, ὃ τελειωθὲν υἱὸς γέγονεν ἄνομος, ἀντὶ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Ὑψίστου. ∆ιὸ θρηνεῖ τοῦτον σχεδόν που λέγων·