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Sin, the exaction of transgressions. She has turned things upside down, she has brought in all terrible things, she has armed the wars, she has brought about defeat. From nowhere else has the swarm of grievous things overcome us, but from this cause. So that whether the one ruling is an Abraham, or a Moses, or a David, or Solomon the most wise, or the most sinful of all men, when we are in a bad state, it makes no difference as to the cause of the evils. How and in what way? Because if he should be one of the most lawless and of those who behave thoughtlessly and disorderly, our thoughtlessness and disorderliness brought forth such a man, our sins caused the plague. For to receive rulers according to our hearts is nothing other than this: that having sinned beforehand, we obtained such a ruler, whether he is one of the consecrated or one of those who administer worldly powers. But if he should be exceedingly righteous, and so righteous as to have reached the virtue of Moses, his righteousness alone will not be able to cover the immeasurable faults of his subjects. And one might learn this accurately from Moses himself, who suffered many evils for Israel's sake, and made much supplication to God on its behalf, that it might inherit the promised land; but since this people by its own transgressions made itself a stranger to the possession, his prayer did not have the strength to alter the just decree of God, with the whole people being laid low in the wilderness. And yet who is more righteous than Moses? Or who is bolder towards God? "The prayer of a righteous man is said to have power," indeed, but "when it is effective," that is, when it is assisted by the repentance and conversion of those for whom it is offered. But for those whose way is unrepentant and unconverted, how will it be able to help, when they themselves hinder it by their works? 1.5 And why do we say this happens in the case of a whole people transgressing, when indeed the sin of even a few subjects, or often even of one, overcomes the boldness of those who rule righteously? And this again one might understand from Israel itself, which, being led by Moses, when it drew near to the land of the foreigners and joined battle with them, how some of its people, going mad for their women, wrought that general destruction and ruin. But such a thing has happened in the case of one man; as in the case of Achar, who took the embroidered robe from the devoted thing and kindled the wrath of God against the people. But perhaps some of those present are ignorant of the details of this story. For this reason it is necessary, by saying a few things about it, to remind those who know, and to teach those who are ignorant. This Achar, then, was one of those who crossed the Jordan with Jesus son of Nave, that Jesus who was chosen by the decree of God as the successor of Moses, who held the image and type of our true Savior Jesus Christ. For just as he led the people from the wilderness through the Jordan into the land of promise, so also our Savior from the wilderness of ignorance and idolatry has transformed us through the holy and saving baptism for the Jerusalem above, for the mother of the firstborn, in which the dwelling-places of true rest have been prepared, where life is without strife and peaceful. This man, then, having led the people across by the power of him who commanded, attacked Jericho, and while conducting that strange siege, when the walls were already about to fall, what does he say to the people? "This city and all that is in it shall be a devoted thing to the Lord of Sabaoth, except for Rahab the harlot, save her. Beware then of the devoted thing, lest you, having coveted it, take from it, and destroy us." "All things in the city," he says, "were consecrated"—for this is what "devoted thing" signifies—"Let no one, therefore

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ἁμαρτία, ἡ τῶν πλημμελημάτων εἴσπραξις. Ἐκείνη τὰ ἄνω κάτω πεποίηκεν, ἐκείνη πάντα τὰ δεινὰ εἰσήγαγεν, ἐκείνη τοὺς πολέμους ἐξώπλισεν, ἐκείνη τὴν ἧτταν ἐνήργησεν. Οὐκ ἄλλοθεν ἡμῖν ὁ τῶν ἀνιαρῶν ἑσμὸς ὑπερεσχέθη, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐκ ταύτης τῆς αἰτίας. Ὥστε κἂν Ἀβραάμ τις ᾖ ὁ κρατῶν, κἂν Μωϋσῆς, κἂν ∆αυίδ, κἂν Σολομῶν ὁ σοφώτατος, κἂν ἁπάντων ἁμαρτωλότερος ἀνθρώπων, ἡμῶν κακῶς διακειμένων, ἀδιάφορον ἔχει τὴν πρὸς τὰ κακὰ αἰτίαν. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ὅτι εἰ μὲν τῶν παρανομωτάτων εἴη καὶ τῶν ἀβουλήτως καὶ ἀτάκτως φερομένων, ἡ ἡμῶν ἀβουλία καὶ ἀταξία τὸν τοιοῦτον ἐκαρποφόρησεν, τὰ ἡμέτερα ἁμαρτήματα τὴν πληγὴν προεξένησεν. Τὸ γὰρ κατὰ τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν λαμβάνειν ἄρχοντας οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἢ τοῦτο, ὅτι προημαρτηκότες τοιούτου τοῦ προεστηκότος ἐτύχομεν, κἄν τε τῶν ἱερωμένων ᾖ τις, κἄν τε τῶν τὰς κοσμικὰς διεπόντων ἐξουσίας. Εἰ δὲ καὶ λίαν δίκαιος εἴη καὶ οὕτω δίκαιος, ὥστε μέχρι τῆς Μωϋσέως ἀρετῆς ἐληλακέναι, οὐχ ἡ αὐτοῦ μόνου δικαιοσύνη τὰ ἄμετρα τῶν ὑπηκόων συγκαλύψαι δυνήσεται πταίσματα. Καὶ τοῦτο ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἄν τις ἀκριβῶς καταμάθοι τοῦ Μωϋσέως, τοῦ πολλὰ μὲν κακοπαθήσαντος ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, πολλὴν δὲ τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἱκεσίαν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐνστησαμένου, τοῦ τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην αὐτὸν κατακληρονομῆσαι γῆν· ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ξένον ἑαυτὸν οὗτος τῆς κατασχέσεως ταῖς οἰκείαις κατέστησεν παρανομίαις, οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἡ αὐτοῦ δέησις τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαίαν ψῆφον μεταποιῆσαι παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ κατεστρωμένου. Καίτοι τίς τοῦ Μωϋσέως δικαιότερος; ἢ τίς παρρησιαστικώτερος πρὸς τὸν Θεόν; "Ἰσχύειν" μὲν οὖν δὴ "λέγεται δικαίου δέησις", ἀλλ' "ἐνεργουμένη", τουτέστι, βοηθουμένη τῇ μεταμελείᾳ καὶ ἐπιστροφῇ, ὑπὲρ ὧν καταβάλλεται. Οἷς δὲ ἀμετανόητος καὶ ἀνεπίστροφός ἐστιν ὁ τρόπος, πῶς ἂν ἐπαμῦναι δυνήσεται, αὐτῶν ἐκείνων τοῖς ἔργοις ἀντικοπτόντων; 1.5 Καὶ τί λέγομεν ἐπὶ ὁλοκλήρου λαοῦ παρανομοῦντος τοῦτο συμβαίνειν, ὅπου γε καὶ τῶν ὀλίγων ὑπηκόων ἁμαρτία, ἢ πολλάκις καὶ τοῦ ἑνός, τὴν τῶν δικαίως κρατούντων ὑπερακοντίζει παρρησίαν; Καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἄν τις κατανοήσειε τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, ὃς ὑπὸ Μωϋσέως δημαγωγούμενος, ἡνίκα πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων παρέβαλε γῆν καὶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς συνῇρε μάχην, πῶς τινες τῶν αὐτοῦ μανέντες εἰς τὰς ἐκείνων γυναῖκας, τὴν πάνδημον ἐκείνην θραῦσιν καὶ τὸν ὄλεθρον κατειργάσαντο. Ἐπὶ ἑνὸς δὲ τὸ τοιοῦτο συμβέβηκεν· ὡς ἐπὶ Ἄχαρ τοῦ τὴν ποικίλην στολὴν ἀφελομένου τοῦ ἀναθήματος καὶ κατὰ τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκκαύσαντος ὀργήν. Ἀλλ' ἴσως τινὲς τῶν παρόντων τὰ τῆς ἱστορίας ταύτης ἀγνοοῦσιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δεῖ βραχέα περὶ ταύτης εἰπόντα ὑπομνῆσαι μὲν τοὺς εἰδότας, διδάξαι δὲ τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας. Οὗτος τοίνυν ὁ Ἄχαρ εἷς ἐτύγχανε τῶν μετὰ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ διαβάντων τὸν Ἰορδάνην, Ἰησοῦ ἐκείνου τοῦ ψήφῳ Θεοῦ διαδόχου Μωϋσέως προκεκριμένου, τοῦ εἰκόνα καὶ τύπον ἐπέχοντος τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου διὰ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὸν λαὸν διεβίβασεν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου τῆς ἀγνωσίας καὶ εἰδωλολατρείας διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ σωτηριώδους βαπτίσματος εἰς τὴν ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἡμᾶς μετεποίησεν, εἰς τὴν μητέρα τῶν πρωτοτόκων, ἐν ᾗ τῆς ἀληθινῆς καταπαύσεως ηὐτρεπίσθησαν αἱ μοναί, ἔνθα ἡ ἀστασίαστος καὶ εἰρηνικὴ διατριβή. Οὗτος τοίνυν τῇ τοῦ προστάττοντος δυνάμει τὸν λαὸν διαβιβάσας, προσέβαλε τῇ Ἱεριχὼ καὶ τὴν ξένην ἐκείνην πολιορκίαν ἐνεργῶν, ἤδη τῶν τειχῶν καταπίπτειν μελλόντων, τί φησι πρὸς τὸν λαόν; "Ἔσται ἀνάθημα ἡ πόλις αὕτη καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἐστὶν ἐν αὐτῇ Κυρίῳ Σαβαώθ, πλὴν Ῥαὰβ τὴν πόρνην, περιποιήσασθε αὐτήν. Φυλάξασθε οὖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀναθήματος, μήποτε ἐνθυμηθέντες ὑμεῖς λάβητε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκτρίψητε ἡμᾶς." Ἀφιερώθη, φησίν, ἅπαντα τὰ ἐν τῇ πόλει τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ ἀνάθημα δηλοῖ, Μή τις οὖν