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"From where have you fallen away?" The first accusation, then, is wickedness; a second and greater one is the abandonment of the good, which is followed by the provoking of the One who is good and gentle; for these, according to their proportion, wrath is treasured up. But just as the one being perfected strains toward what is ahead, so the sinner steps back toward what is behind. About whom he says: "Behold, those who remove themselves far from you shall perish. Since, having offered every kind of therapy, they sin, "Why will you be struck anymore," he says? For to those who have transgressed in a curable way, the word says, threatening: "I will visit their iniquities with a rod." But to those who are incurably sick: "Why are you still struck?" as if one were at a loss and despairing of correction. Of the providential allowances, some are for sins; some for the betterment of those being tested; some for the manifestation of a hidden virtue, as in the case of Job; and some for the destruction of the despaired, as those now being threatened, like those of Pharaoh. These it is possible to understand only after the saving passion, when the nation was delivered over. For the Jews could not have sinned more greatly than by saying: "Away with him, away with him, crucify him." "We have no king but Caesar." Therefore the disciples of Christ testify to them as having been the first to begin, and when they were not accepted, they turned to the Gentiles, all but saying: "We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed. Let us forsake her." For they are likened to Babylon, as impious. For the sins before the coming of the Savior were not incurable. For they also had prophets in Babylon. And having returned again, they engaged in worship according to the law, but after the Romans, no longer, since their temple was destroyed and all were scattered. The prophet, then, presents Christ as Lord and the Holy One of Israel, whom they abandoned, at which time also their every head was in pain, clearly their ruling authority having been humbled. And from the feet up to the head is the wound. From the small to the greater. Therefore they were despaired of. For what greater therapy could have come upon them, after the coming of the Savior, who was able to heal every disease and infirmity of souls and bodies for those who believed? But some say "every head" means each individual person, as in, "Take a census of all the congregation of Israel, by their heads." As if no one was found worthy to escape the threatened penalty. A wound, then, is a breaking of the body's continuity, when some small part of the connection is severed; which can signify the schisms of the Church. A bruise is the mark of a bloody wound, when the body has been crushed by the resistance of what struck it. And this also 1836 in some part consists; which signifies deceitful hearts. But inflammation is a fiery swelling, from the humors flowing to the weak part, and with unnatural heat inflaming the affected area; which signifies the soul's arrogance, being puffed up by irrational conceit, and for this reason lifting itself up against the knowledge of Christ. And he says concerning the Jews that they did not have one distinct suffering, but the evil lies upon them united, so that all the sufferings are completely confused, and each suffering does not receive its appropriate remedies. A mollifying ointment, then, is the word that, with gentleness and reasonableness, humbles vain puffings-up. Oil is that which, with pity and sympathy, smooths out the deceitful, and treacherous, and harsh quality of false speakers in hypocrisy. A bandage is that which holds together things hastening toward separation. But the phrase, "There is no soundness in it," and what follows, Symmachus has rendered thus: "There is nothing healthy in him, but wound, and bruise, and blow, a wound not bound, nor bandaged, nor softened with oil." ζʹθʹ. 9Your land is desolate, your cities are burned with fire. Strangers devour your country in your presence9, etc. These things he foretold in the reign of Uzziah, and they were fulfilled in part by the Babylonians; but completely during the siege by the Romans, things which are seen even to this day. And he calls the nation a vineyard. For he will say later on: "For the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth

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"Πόθεν που μεταπέπτωκας;" Πρώτη μὲν οὖν κατηγορία, τὸ πονηρόν· δευτέρα καὶ μείζων ἡ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἐγκατάληψις, ἣν ἐπαναβαίνει τὸ παροξύναι τὸν ἀγαθόν τε καὶ πρᾶον· τῶν, κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν, ὀργὴ θησαυρίζεται. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ὁ τελειούμενος τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτείνεται· οὕτως ὁ ἁμαρτάνων εἰς τὸ κατόπιν ἀναποδίζει. Περὶ οὗ φησιν· "Ἰδοὺ οἱ μακρύνοντες ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ σοῦ, ἀπολοῦνται. Ὡς δὲ πᾶν εἶδος θεραπείας προσενεγκὼν ἁμαρτάνουσι, Τί ἔτι πληγήσεσθε, φησί; Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἰάσιμα πλημμελήσασι φησὶν ἀπειλῶν ὁ λόγος· "Ἐπισκέψομαι ἐν ῥάβδῳ τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῶν." Τοῖς δὲ νοσοῦσιν ἀνίατα· Τί ἔτι πληγεῖτε; ὡς ἄν τις ἀπορῶν καὶ ἀπογνοὺς τὴν διόρθωσιν. Τῶν δὲ περιστατικῶν συγχωρήσεων, αἱ μὲν ἐφ' ἁμαρτήμασι γίνονται· αἱ δὲ πρὸς τὴν τῶν πειραζομένων βελτίωσιν· αἱ δὲ πρὸς ἀνάδειξιν ἀρετῆς λανθανούσης, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦς Ἰώβ· αἱ δὲ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀπεγνωσμένων ἀπώλειαν, ὡς αἱ νῦν ἀπειλούμεναι, ὥσπερ αἱ τοῦ Φαραώ. Ταύτας δὲ δυνατὸν μόνως νοεῖν, μετὰ τὸ σωτήριον πάθος παραδοθέντος τοῦ ἔθνους. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν ὅ τι μεῖζον ἁμάρτωσιν Ἰουδαῖοι εἰπόντες· "Αἶρε, αἶρε, σταύρου αὐτόν." "Οὐκ ἔχομεν βασιλέα εἰ μὴ Καίσαρα." Τοιγαροῦν διαμαρτύρονται τούτοις οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαθηταὶ ὡς πρώτοις κατάρξαντες, καὶ μὴ δεξαμένων ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη τρεπόμενοι, μονονουχὶ λέγοντες· "Ἰατρεύσαμεν τὴν Βαβυλῶνα, καὶ οὐκ ἰάθη. Ἐγκαταλίπωμεν αὐτήν." Βαβυλῶνι γὰρ, ὡς ἀσεβεῖς, ἀπεικάζονται. Αἱ γὰρ πρὸ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἁμαρτίαι οὐκ ἦσαν ἀνίατοι. Καὶ προφήτας γὰρ ἔσχον ἐν Βαβυλῶνι. Καὶ πάλιν ἐναπελθόντες, τῇ λατρείᾳ τῇ κατὰ νόμον ἐχρήσαντο, μετὰ δὲ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους, οὐκ ἔτι, καθαιρεθέντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ νεὼ, καὶ πάντων διεσπαρμένων. Κύριον ἄρα καὶ ἅγιον Ἰσραὴλ τὸν Χριστὸν παρίστησιν ὁ προφήτης, ὃν ἐγκατέλιπον, ὄτε καὶ πᾶσα κεφαλὴ τούτων εἰς πόνον ἐγένετο, ἀρχικὴ δῆλον ἐξουσία ταπεινωθεῖσα. Καὶ ἀπὸ ποδῶν μέχρι κεφαλῆς ἡ πληγή. Ἀπὸ σμικροῦ μέχρι τοῦ μείζονος. Τοιγαροῦν ἀπεγνώσθησαν. Τίς γὰρ ἂν αὐτοῖς μείζων ἐπεγένετο θεραπεία, μετὰ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημήσαντος, τοῦ πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ μαλακίαν ψυχῶν τε καὶ σωμάτων τοῖς πεπιστευκόσι δυνηθέντος ἰάσασθαι; Τινὲς δὲ, πᾶσα κεφαλὴ, τὸν καθ' ἕνα φασὶν ἄνθρωπον, ὡς τὸ, "Λάβετε ἀρχὴν ἀπὸ πάσης συναγωγῆς Ἰσραὴλ κατὰ κεφαλὴν αὐτῶν." Ὡς μηδενὸς εὑρεθέντος ἀξίου τὴν ἀπειλουμένην δίκην διαφυγεῖν. Ἔστι δὲ τραῦμα μὲν, λύσις τῆς τοῦ σώματος συνεχείας, κατὰ μικρόν τι μέρος τῆς συναφείας διακοπείσης· ὃ δηλοῦν δύναται τὰ σχίσματα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Ὁ δὲ μώλωψ, ἴχνος ἐστὶ πληγῆς ὕφαιμον, θλασθέντος τοῦ σώματος ἐκ τῆς ἀντιτυπίας τοῦ πλήξαντος. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ 1836 κατά τι μέρος συνίσταται· ὃ τὰς ὑπούλους καρδίας δηλοῖ. Φλεγμονὴ δὲ ὄγκος ἐστὶ πυρώδης, συῤῥεόντων ἐπὶ τὸ ἀσθενὲς μέρος τῶν ὑγρῶν, καὶ τῇ παρὰ φύσιν θερμασίᾳ φλεγόντων τὸ πεπονθός· ὃ δηλοῖ, ψυχῆς ἔπαρσιν ἐξ οἰήσεως ἀλόγου ὀγκουμένης, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως ἐπαιρομένης Χριστοῦ. Φησὶ δὲ περὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ὡς οὐχ ἓν ἀφωρισμένως ἐσχήκασι πάθος, ἀλλ' ἡνωμένως αὐτοῖς ἐπίκειται τὸ κακὸν, ὡς πάντα συγκεχῦσθαι ὁλοσχερῶς τὰ πάθη, καὶ μὴ δέχεσθαι πάθος ἕκαστον τὰ κατάλληλα βοηθήματα. Μάλαγμα μὲν οὖν ὁ μετὰ πραότητος καὶ ἐπιεικείας ταπεινωτικὸς τῶν ματαίων φυσιώσεων λόγος. Ἔλαιον δὲ ὁ μετὰ οἴκτου καὶ συμπαθείας τὸ δολερὸν, καὶ ὕπουλον, καὶ τραχὺ τῶν ἐν ὑποκρίσει ψευδολόγων καταλεαίνων. Κατάδεσμος δὲ ὁ τὰ πρὸς διάστασιν ἐπειγόμενα συγκρατῶν. Τὸ δὲ, Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ ὁλοκληρία, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἐξέδωκεν· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ ὑγιὲς, ἀλλὰ τραῦμα, καὶ μώλωψ, καὶ πληγὴ, τραύματος οὐ σφιγγομένου, οὐδὲ ἐπιδεννομένου, οὐδὲ ἁπαλυνομένου ἐλαίῳ. ζʹθʹ. 9Ἡ γῆ ὑμῶν ἔρημος αἱ πόλεις ὑμῶν πυρίκαυστοι. Τὴν χώραν ὑμῶν ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν ἀλλότριοι κατεσθίουσιν αὐτὴν9, κ.τ.λ. Ταῦτα προεῖπεν ἐπὶ τῆς Ὀζίου βασιλείας, ἐπληρώθη δὲ μερικῶς μὲν ὑπὸ Βαβυλωνίων· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων πολιορκίας ὁλοσχερῶς, ἃ μέχρι νῦν ὁρᾶται. Ἀμπελῶνα δὲ τὸ ἔθνος καλεῖ. Λέξει γὰρ προϊών· "Ὁ γὰρ ἀμπελὼν Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ