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Therefore, not having heeded the saving grace, both their rulers and the people of the Jewish nation themselves were immediately and not after a long time delivered to the sword of the enemy, when the Romans came upon them and subjugated them all by the law of war. And if there is also a diabolical sword, to this also they have been given over because of disobeying the call of the grace of Christ. 1.19 Therefore, neither the Hebrew nor the other interpreters mentioned Zion here. But the Word teaches that in the past faithful men inhabited the city, for which reason it was called a faithful city, as if one might say a city of the faithful, but it was also full of judgment and righteousness, as having then become a dwelling place of virtuous souls; for which reason it is said that righteousness slept in it, that is, dwelt and rested. Therefore, in the past it was full of these things, perhaps around the times of David, who first, taking the city from the hand of foreigners, established the ark of God and the tabernacle in it, and he himself, having shown it to be his royal city, so that the place was named "city of David." For then it was likely that it had become both faithful, and full of judgment and righteousness, but now it has become a prostitute because of those who whored in it. These were they whom he next indicates, saying: but now murderers. And these things, in agreement with what was previously stated, might be referred to the times of our Savior, and after calling murderers those who had whored away from the bridegroom Word, the Holy Spirit is directed toward them, saying: your silver is worthless, since even after whoring and becoming murderers, they pretended to proclaim words of piety and to interpret the divine scriptures and to make mythical deuteroseis of the readings. Their silver was worthless, that is, the "Judaic" word being "mythical" and "old-womanish" and for this reason "to be rejected." And their teachers themselves, "peddling" the teaching, were fittingly named retailers, mixing the wine with water, with a watery word diluting the pure and the tart and astringent meaning of the divinely inspired scriptures through their mythical and nonsensical deuterosis. 1.20 For, being called by the Savior, they did not obey, but also became partners of thieves, being with the traitor Judas who was stealing, and sharing with him in the betrayal of the teacher, and they themselves, being takers of bribes, sold the uprightness of justice for gifts, and they pursued recompense, because they were not willing to accept the reproof that was for their benefit, but were willing to use evil requital. Therefore, according to Symmachus, they are said to pursue requitals. In addition to all these things, having been entrusted with the care of the needy, they neither judged for orphans nor helped widows. The aforementioned murderers are accused of all these things, but it can also be referred to their forefathers; I mean "those who long ago became the murderers of the prophets of God." 1.21 The Lord Sabaoth is interpreted as Lord of powers or Lord of hosts. And the word refers to our Savior and Lord, the only-begotten Word of God, who at present, because of the deeds of the accused murderers, makes the following threats: saying, Woe to the mighty ones of Israel. And who these were, the Gospel shows, saying: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites"; for to the rulers and the powerful of the nation these things were said, as being the cause of the perversion of their subjects. And the master, the Lord Sabaoth, says there will be woe to them, since his anger, his punitive and chastising power being thus revealed, he says, will not cease nor relent until it has come upon them. But the Word, being philanthropic and "not willing the death of the sinner, but his repentance," promises to bring a manner of healing to those who have not needed wrath. And what was this, but his hand, which is saving

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γοῦν μὴ ἐπακούσαντες τῇ σωτηρίῳ χάριτι αὐτοῖς ἄρχουσι καὶ αὐτῷ λαῷ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους παραχρῆμα καὶ οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν τῇ τῶν πολεμίων μαχαίρᾳ παρεδόθησαν, ἐπελθόντων αὐτοῖς Ῥωμαίων καὶ πολέμου νόμῳ τοὺς πάντας χειρωσαμένων. εἰ δὲ καὶ διαβολική τίς ἐστι μάχαιρα, καὶ ταύτῃ ἔκδοτοι γεγόνασιν διὰ τὸ ἀπειθῆσαι τῇ κλήσει τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριτος. 1.19 Οὔτε γοῦν τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν οὔτε οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ τῆς Σιὼν ἐνταῦθα ἐμνημόνευσαν. διδάσκει δὲ ὁ λόγος, ὡς πάλαι μὲν ᾤκησαν τὴν πόλιν ἄνδρες πιστοί, διὸ πιστὴ πόλις ἐχρημάτισεν, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴποι τις πιστῶν πόλις, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλήρης κρίσεως ἦν καὶ δικαιοσύνης, ὡς ἂν ἐναρέτων ψυχῶν οἰκητήριον τότε γενομένη· διὸ κεκοιμῆσθαι ἐν αὐτῇ δικαιοσύνην, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἐνοικῆσαι καὶ ἀναπεπαῦσθαι εἴρηται. πάλαι μὲν οὖν τούτων πλήρης ἐτύγχανεν, τάχα που περὶ τοὺς χρόνους ∆αυίδ, ὃς πρῶτος ἑλὼν τὴν πόλιν ἐκ χειρὸς ἀλλοφύλων, τὴν κιβωτὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν ἐν αὐτῇ κατεστήσατο, αὐτός τε αὐτὴν βασιλικὴν ἀποδείξας ἑαυτοῦ ὡς χρηματίσαι «πόλιν ∆αυὶδ» τὸν τόπον· τότε γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτὴν καὶ πιστὴν γεγονέναι, πλήρη τε κρίσεως καὶ δικαιοσύνης, νυνὶ δὲ γέγονεν πόρνη διὰ τοὺς ἐκπορνεύσαντας ἐν αὐτῇ. οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν, οὓς ἑξῆς δηλοῖ λέγων· νῦν δὲ φονευταί. καὶ ταῦτα συμφώνως τοῖς προαποδοθεῖσιν ἐπὶ τοὺς χρόνους ἀναφέροιτ' ἂν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, μετὰ δὲ τὸ φονευτὰς ἀποκαλέσαι τοὺς ἐκπορνεύσαντας ἀπὸ τοῦ νυμφίου λόγου τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον πρὸς αὐτοὺς τείνεται φάσκον· τὸ ἀργύριον ὑμῶν ἀδόκιμον ἐπειδὴ καὶ μετὰ τὸ ἐκπορνεῦσαι καὶ φονευτὰς γενέσθαι προσεποιοῦντο θεοσεβείας λόγους ἀπαγγέλλειν καὶ τὰς θείας γραφὰς διερμηνεύειν καὶ δευτερώσεις μυθικὰς ποιεῖσθαι τῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων. ἦν αὐτῶν τὸ ἀργύριον ἀδόκιμον, δηλαδὴ ὁ «Ἰουδαϊκὸς» λόγος «μυθικός» τις ὢν καὶ «γραώδης» καὶ διὰ τοῦτο «ἀπόβλητος». καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ οἱ διδάσκαλοι αὐτῶν «καπηλεύοντες» τὴν διδασκαλίαν κάπηλοι προσφυῶς ὠνομάσθησαν μιγνύντες τὸν οἶνον ὕδατι, λόγῳ ἐξυδαροῦντι τὸν ἄκρατον καὶ τὸν στρυφνὸν καὶ ἐπιστυπτικὸν τῶν θεοπνεύστων γραφῶν νοῦν διὰ τῆς μυθικῆς αὐτῶν καὶ ληρώδους δευτερώσεως. 1.20 Καλούμενοι γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος οὐχ ὑπήκουον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κοινωνοὶ κλεπτῶν ἐγίνοντο τῷ προδότῃ Ἰούδᾳ κλέπτοντι συνόντες καὶ κοινωνοῦντες αὐτῷ τῆς τοῦ διδασκάλου προδοσίας, οἱ δ' αὐτοὶ δωροδόκοι τινὲς ὄντες τὴν ὀρθότητα τοῦ δικαίου δώροις ἐπίπρασκον, ἐδίωκόν τε ἀνταπόδομα τῷ μὴ βούλεσθαι παραδέχεσθαι τὸν ὑπὸ ὠφελείας αὐτῶν γινόμενον ἔλεγχον, ἀμοιβῇ δὲ κακῇ κεχρῆσθαι ἐθέλειν. διὸ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον λέγονται διώκειν ἀμοιβάς. πρὸς τούτοις ἅπασιν τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν πεπιστευμένοι τῶν ἐνδεῶν οὔτε ὀρφανοῖς ἔκρινον οὐδὲ χήρας ἀντιλαμβάνοντες. ταῦτα πάντα κατηγοροῦνται οἱ προλεχθέντες φονευταί, δύναται δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς προπάτορας αὐτῶν ἀναφέρεσθαι· ταῦτα λέγω δὲ «τοὺς πάλαι γενομένους τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ προφητῶν φονευτάς». 1.21 Τὸ κύριος σαβαὼθ ἑρμηνεύεται κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων ἢ κύριος στρατιῶν. ἀναφέρεται δ' ὁ λόγος ἐπὶ τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ μονογενῆ λόγον, ὃς ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος διὰ τὰς τῶν κατηγορηθέντων φονευτῶν πράξεις τὰ προκείμενα ἀπειλεῖ· Οὐαὶ οἱ ἰσχύοντες Ἰσραὴλ λέγων. τίνες δὲ ἦσαν οὗτοι, παρίστησι φάσκον τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον· «Οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί»· πρὸς γὰρ τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ τοὺς δυνατοὺς τοῦ ἔθνους ταῦτ' ἐλέγετο ὡς αἰτίους τῆς τῶν ὑπηκόων διαστροφῆς. οὐαὶ δὲ αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθαί φησιν ὁ δεσπότης κύριος σαβαώθ, ἐπεὶ ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ τε τῆς τιμωρητικῆς καὶ κολαστικῆς δυνάμεως οὕτως δηλουμένης οὐ παύσεταί φησιν οὐδὲ ἀνήσει, ἕως οὗ μετέλθῃ αὐτούς. Φιλάνθρωπος δὲ ὢν ὁ λόγος καὶ «μὴ βουλόμενος τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ὡς τὴν μετάνοιαν» ἐπαγγέλλεται τρόπον θεραπείας προσοίσειν τοῖς μὴ τοῦ θυμοῦ δεηθεῖσιν. τίς δὲ ἦν οὗτος, ἀλλ' ἢ ἡ αὐτοῦ χείρ, ἣν σωτήριον