from the Persians. Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, king of Judah, reigned. {Cyril.} He advanced to such a point of glory and strength, as to overpower the nations neighboring Judea, and indeed to impose many tributes. And a little later: Then he suffered something human; for from excessive luxury, and overcome by the preeminence of his good repute, he in a way grew proud, and being seized by the disease of arrogance, he even rose up against the divine law itself. For he thought it right to crown himself also with the boasts of the divine priesthood. For he attempted to enter the divine temple, and to offer incense by himself to the 69.696 God, and to fulfill lawfully the accustomed rites. For this reason he was immediately made a leper, and was most dishonored; for according to the law, one afflicted with the disease of leprosy is unclean. Where is the God of Hamath? etc. That they took Samaria out of my hand? {Cyril.} For perhaps the barbarian, having a tongue to match his pride, thought that the master of earth and heaven and the creator and Lord of all is like one of the falsely-named gods; for it is a custom for those who do not know God to mock at times the hope of the saints; and to dare to say that they would not be delivered by God. But he was not ignorant that human hands had made the falsely-named gods; but He who is by nature and in truth God was made by no one, but rather He Himself brought into existence things that once were not. Samaria was captured, therefore, since God withdrew His aid. And, as I said before, even if none of the so-called gods among the Greeks has saved his own, this is nothing compared to God, who truly and by nature is and is great. For they by human artifice were allotted at least to be seen only, but He holds dominion over all things, being the Lord of hosts. He tore his garments. {Cyril.} Do you see how, neglecting his own affairs, he grieves for God's sake, and seeks vindication? He tore, it says, his garments, and put on sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord

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what was the reason for tearing the garments? It was a custom for the Jews to do this upon blasphemies against God; which is also recorded in the Gospels as having been done by Caiaphas. I have cut down the height of its cedar. {Cyril.} Its, whose? Of Lebanon, that is, of Judea. And by height of the cedar he means the kingdom among them. For the boasts of the kingdom of Hezekiah were about to be raised on high. And I will put, he says, my hooks in your nostrils, and a bridle in your lips. {Cyril.} So that you may not dare to utter such things. However, although he did not share the fate of the multitude for the aforementioned reason, for which Pharaoh also was kept as a spectator while the rest of the Egyptians were being punished, yet he found his own sons to be his murderers, when he was in his own land.

And I will defend this city for my own sake. {Cyril.} For this is fitting for God. Therefore I will do these things for my own sake, but not because those who are helped are worthy. And an angel of the Lord went out, and struck in the camp of the Assyrians 185 thousand. {Cyril.} And the war was ended, and the threats fled along with the dangers; so that from this the inhabitants of Jerusalem, greatly rejoicing in the help from God, say: You have turned my mourning into joy for me. See the reversal of affairs; understand precisely what he says: You have turned my mourning into joy for me. Great was the mourning because of the multitude of the warriors; great became the joy because of the multitude of the fallen.

ἐκ τῆς Περσῶν. Ἐβασίλευσεν Ἐζεκίας υἱὸς Ἀχὰζ βασιλέως Ἰούδα. {Κυρίλλου.} Προβέβηκε δὲ δόξης τε καὶ ὁμοῦ ἰσχύος εἰς τοῦτο, ὡς κατακρατῆσαι τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν προσοικούντων τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, καὶ μὴν καὶ δασμοὺς ἐπιθεῖναι πολλούς. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Εἶτα πέπονθέ τι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων· ἀπὸ γάρ τοι τῆς ἄγαν τρυφῆς, καὶ τῇ τῆς εὐκλείας ὑπεροχῇ νενικημένος, τρόπον τινὰ πεφρόνηκεν ὑψηλὰ, καὶ τῇ τῆς ὑπεροψίας νόσῳ κεκρατημένος, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ θείου κατεξανέστη νόμου. Ὠήθη γὰρ δεῖν καὶ τοῖς τῆς θείας ἱερωσύνης αὐχήμασιν ἑαυτὸν στεφανοῦν. Ἐπεχείρησε γὰρ εἰς τὸν θεῖον εἰσελάσαι νεὼν, αὐτὸς δὲ δι' ἑαυτοῦ θυμιᾷν τῷ 69.696 Θεῷ, καὶ πληροῦν ἐννόμως τὰ νενομισμένα. Ταύτης ἕνεκα τῆς αἰτίας λελέπρωται παραχρῆμα, καὶ ἧν ἀτιμώτατος· μιαρὸς γὰρ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ὁ τῷ τῆς λέπρας πάθει κατισχημένος. Ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ Θεὸς Αἰμάθ; κ.τ.λ. Ὅτι ἐξείλαντο Σαμάρειαν ἐκ χειρός μου; {Κυρίλλου.} Ὠήθη γὰρ ἴσως ὁ βάρβαρος ἔχων μετὰ τοῦ φρονήματος καὶ τὴν γλῶτταν, ὅτι καθ' ἕνα τῶν ψευδωνύμων θεῶν ἐστιν ὁ γῆς τε καὶ οὐρανοῦ δεσπότης καὶ τῶν ὅλων γενεσιουργὸς καὶ Κύριος· ἔθος δὴ εἶναι τοῖς οὐκ εἰδόσι Θεὸν κατακερτομεῖν ἔσθ' ὅτε τὴν τῶν ἁγίων ἐλπίδα· καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἂν ῥυσθεῖεν παρὰ Θεοῦ λέγειν ἀποτολμᾷν. Οὐκ ἠγνόησε δὲ, ὅτι τοὺς μὲν ψευδωνύμους θεοὺς αἱ ἀνθρώπων εἰργάσαντο χεῖρες· ὁ δὲ φύσει τε καὶ ἀληθῶς, ὑπ' οὐδενὸς πεποίηται, παρήγαγε δὲ μᾶλλον αὐτὸς εἰς ὕπαρξιν τὰ οὐκ ὄντα ποτέ.Ἥλω οὖν Σαμάρεια, Θεοῦ συστέλλοντος τὴν ἐπικουρίαν. Καὶ, ὡς ἔφην φθάσας, κἂν μηδεὶς τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι λεγομένων θεῶν σέσωκε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, τοῦτο πρὸς Θεὸν οὐδὲν, τὸν ἀληθῶς καὶ φύσει ὅντα καὶ μέγαν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τέχνης ἀνθρωπίνης διέλαχον τὸ κἂν γοῦν ὁρᾶσθαι μόνον ὁ δὲ κατεξουσιάζει τῶν ὅλων, τῶν δυνάμεων ὑπάρχων Κύριος. ∆ιέῤῥηξε τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ. {Κυρίλλου.} Ὁρᾷς ὅπως, ἀμελήσας τῶν καθ' ἑαυτὸν, λυπεῖται διὰ Θεὸν, καὶ ζητεῖ τὴν ἐκδίκησιν; ∆ιέῤῥηξε, φησὶ, τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ, καὶ περιεβάλετο σάκκον, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον Κυρίου

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τις ἦν ἡ πρόφασις τοῦ περιῤῥήγνυσθαι τὰ ἄμφια; Ἔθος ἦν Ἰουδαίοις ἐπὶ ταῖς κατὰ Θεοῦ δυσφημίαις τοῦτο δρᾷν· ὅπερ καὶ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ὑπὸ Καϊάφα γεγενῆσθαι ἱστόρηται. Ἔκοψα τὸ μέγεθος τῆς κέδρου αὐτοῦ. {Κυρίλλου.} Αὐτοῦ, τίνος; Τοῦ Λιβάνου, ἤτοι τῆς Ἰουδαίας. Ὕψος δὲ κέδρου τὴν παρ' αὐτοῖς βασιλείαν φησί. Εμελλε γὰρ τῆς Ἐζεκίου βασιλείας εἰς ὕψος αἴρεσθαι τὰ αὐχήματα. Καὶ θήσω, φησὶ, τὰ ἄγκιστρά μου ἐν τοῖς μυκτῆρσί σου, καὶ χαλινὸν ἐν τοῖς χείλεσί σου. {Κυρίλλου.} Πρὸς τὸ μὴ τοιαῦτα φθέγγεσθαι τολμᾷν. Πλὴν εἰ καὶ μὴ συναπήλαυσε τῷ πλήθει διὰ τὴν εἰρημένην αἰτίαν, δι' ἣν καὶ Φαραὼ τῶν λοιπῶν Αἰγυπτίων κολαζομένων θεωρὸς ἐφυλάττετο, ὅμως γοῦν τοὺς αὐτοῦ παῖδας εὗρεν ἑαυτοῦ φονέας, ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκείας γενόμενος γῆς.

Καὶ ὑπερασπιῶ ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως ταύτης δι' ἐμέ. {Κυρίλλου.} Τοῦτο γὰρ Θεῷ ὄντι πρέπει. ∆ιὸ ταῦτα πράξω δι' ἐμὲ, ἀλλ' οὐ διὰ τὸ ἀξίους εἶναι τοὺς βοηθουμένους. Καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἄγγελος Κυρίου, καὶ ἐπάταξεν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ρπεʹ χιλιάδας. {Κυρίλλου.} Καὶ λέλυται μὲν ὁ πόλεμος, φεύγουσι δὲ μετὰ τῶν κινδύνων αἱ ἀπειλαί· ὡς ἐντεῦθεν τοὺς τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκήτορας ἐπὶ τῇ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βοηθείᾳ μεγάλα χαίροντας λέγειν· Ἔστρεψας τὸν κοπετόν μου εἰς χαρὰν ἐμοί. Ὅρα τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν ἀντιστροφήν· νόησον ἀκριβῶς ὃ λέγει· Ἔστρεψας τὸν κοπετόν μου εἰς χαρὰν ἐμοί. Μέγας ἦν ὁ κοπετὸς διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πολεμούντων· μεγάλη γέγονεν ἡ χαρὰ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πεπτωκότων.