7

16. But when matter is at strife with itself, and becomes ungovernable, contemplating dissolution through strife, or God agitates something of its harmony for the fear and punishment of sinners, either by the sea retreating, or the earth boiling up, or strange rains being brought, or the sun being covered over, or a season being excessive, or fire gushing forth, by this there is disorder, and fear for the universe, and the good of peace is shown by strife. And that I may pass over peoples, and cities, and kingdoms, and further 35.744 choirs, and armies, and houses, and ships' crews, and marriages, and companies, held together by peace, but destroyed by strife, I will go in my discourse to Israel, and having reminded you of its sufferings, and of the dispersion, and of the wandering which they now have, and which they will have for a very long time, for I am persuaded by the prophecies concerning them, I will then ask you who know precisely, what is the cause of these calamities, that we may be taught concord by the evils of others.

17. Was it not that as long as they had peace both with one another and with God, though oppressed in Egypt, the iron furnace, and gathered together by their common affliction (for at times affliction is also a good medicine for salvation), they were called a holy people, and the Lord's portion, and a royal priesthood. And not so in names, but otherwise in deeds; but they were also led by generals who were led by God, and they were guided by a pillar of fire and of cloud by night and day; and the sea was parted for them as they fled, and heaven supplied food for them when hungry, and a rock gushed forth for them when thirsty, and when they warred, the stretching out of hands was instead of myriads, raising up trophies through prayer, and making a way before them; and rivers withdrew, imitating their kinsman the sea, and elements stood still, and walls were shaken down by trumpets. And what need is there to speak of the plagues of the Egyptians bestowed upon these, and the voices of God heard from the mountain, and the twofold lawgiving, the one in letter, the other in spirit, and the other things by which Israel was of old honored beyond its own worth. But when they began to be sick, and raged against one another and were divided into many parts (the cross driving them on to final destruction, and the madness which they insanely committed against our God and Savior, being ignorant of the God in man), and drew upon themselves the iron rod threatened them from afar, I mean the now prevailing rule and kingdom, what happens? and what have they suffered?

18. Jeremiah indeed laments them for their former sufferings, and mourns the captivity to Babylon; for those things were truly also worthy of lamentations and dirges; how could it not be of the greatest, with walls dug down, a city razed, a sanctuary destroyed, votive offerings plundered, profane feet and hands; the ones treading on the untrodden places, the others rioting over 35.745 the untouched things, prophets silent, priests led away, elders not pitied, virgins dishonored, youth falling, a foreign and hostile fire, rivers of blood instead of the holy fire and blood, Nazirites dragged down, lamentations raised up against hymns; and that I may say something from Jeremiah's own Lamentations, the sons of Zion, the precious ones and comparable to gold, the delicate and unacquainted with evils, walking a strange road; and the ways of Zion mourning because there are none who come to the feast; and a little before this: the hands of compassionate women, not offering food to their children, when the siege prevailed, but tearing them apart for food, and making their own beloved ones a remedy for famine. How are these things not terrible and beyond terrible, not only to those who suffered then, but also to those who hear of them now? I at least, as often as I take up this book, and consort with the Lamentations—and I consort with them as often as I wish to chasten prosperity with the reading—my voice is cut short, and I am overwhelmed with tears, and the suffering comes as it were before my eyes, and I lament with him who lamented. The

7

Ιςʹ. Ὅταν δὲ στασιάσῃ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἡ ὕλη, καὶ δυσκάθεκτος γένηται, μελετῶσα τὴν λύσιν διὰ τῆς στάσεως, ἢ Θεός τι παρασαλεύσῃ τῆς ἁρμονίας εἰς φόβον τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων καὶ κόλασιν, ἢ θαλάσσης ὑπεξιούσης, ἢ γῆς βρασσομένης, ἢ ξέ νων ὑετῶν φερομένων, ἢ συγκαλυφθέντος ἡλίου, ἢ πλεοναζούσης ὥρας, ἢ πυρὸς ὑπερβλύζοντος, ἀκοσμία κατὰ τοῦτο, καὶ φόβος περὶ τὸ πᾶν, καὶ τὸ τῆς εἰρήνης ἀγαθὸν τῇ στάσει δείκνυται. Καὶ ἵνα παρῶ δήμους, καὶ πόλεις, καὶ βασιλείας, ἔτι 35.744 δὲ χοροὺς, καὶ στρατοὺς, καὶ οἴκους, καὶ νηῶν πλη ρώματα, καὶ συζυγίας, καὶ ἑταιρείας, ὑπὸ μὲν εἰρή νης συνεχομένας, ὑπὸ δὲ στάσεως καταλυομένας, ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ εἶμι τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ τῶν ἐκείνου παθῶν ὑπομνήσας ὑμᾶς, καὶ τῆς διασπορᾶς, καὶ τῆς ἄλης, ἥν τε νῦν ἔχουσι, καὶ ἣν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἕξωσι, πείθομαι γὰρ ταῖς περὶ αὐτῶν προῤῥήσεσιν, ἔπειτα ἐρήσομαι ἀκριβῶς εἰδότας ὑμᾶς, τί τὸ τῶν συμφορῶν τούτων αἴτιον, ἵνα παιδευθῶμεν τοῖς τῶν ἄλλων κα κοῖς τὴν ὁμόνοιαν.

ΙΖʹ. Οὐχ ἕως μὲν εἰρήνην εἶχον καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους καὶ πρὸς Θεὸν, Αἰγύπτῳ τῇ καμίνῳ τῇ σιδη ρᾷ πιεζόμενοι, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς κοινῆς θλίψεως συν αγόμενοι (ἔστι γὰρ ὅτε καὶ τοῦτο φάρμακον ἀγαθὸν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἡ θλίψις), λαός τε ἅγιος ἤκουον, καὶ μερὶς Κυρίου, καὶ βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα. Καὶ οὐ τοῖς μὲν ὀνόμασιν οὕτω, τοῖς δὲ ἔργοις ἑτέρως· ἀλλὰ καὶ στρατηγοῖς ἤγοντο ἀγομένοις ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, καὶ στύ λῳ πυρὸς καὶ νεφέλης ὡδηγοῦντο νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας· καὶ θάλασσα μὲν αὐτοῖς διίστατο φεύγουσι, πεινῶσι δὲ οὐρανὸς ἐχορήγει τροφὴν, πέτρα δὲ διψῶσιν ἐπή γαζε, πολεμοῦσι δὲ χειρῶν ἔκτασις ἀντὶ μυριάδων ἦν, δι' εὐχῆς ἐγείρουσα τρόπαια, καὶ ὁδοποιοῦσα τὰ ἔμπροσθεν· ποταμοὶ δὲ ὑπεχώρουν τὴν συγγενῆ μι μούμενοι θάλασσαν, καὶ στοιχεῖα ἵστατο, καὶ τείχη σάλπιγξι κατεσείετο. Καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν Αἰγυπτίων πληγὰς τούτοις χαριζομένας, καὶ Θεοῦ φωνὰς ἐξ ὄρους ἀκουομένας, καὶ νομοθεσίαν διπλῆν, τὴν μὲν ἐν γράμματι, τὴν δὲ ἐν πνεύματι, καὶ τἄλλα οἷς ἐτι μῶντο πάλαι παρὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀξίαν ὁ Ἰσραήλ. Ἐπεὶ δὲ νοσεῖν ἤρξαντο, καὶ κατ' ἀλλήλων ἐμάνησαν καὶ διέστησαν εἰς μέρη πολλὰ (τοῦ σταυροῦ πρὸς τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀπώλειαν αὐτοὺς συνελαύνοντος, καὶ τῆς ἀπονοίας ἣν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀπενοήθησαν, τὸν ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ Θεὸν ἀγνοήσαντες), καὶ τὴν ῥάβδον τὴν σιδηρᾶν πόῤῥωθεν ἀπειλουμένην αὐτοῖς ἐφ' ἑαυτοὺς εἵλκυσαν, τὴν νῦν ἐπικρατοῦσαν ἀρχὴν λέγω καὶ βασιλείαν, τί γίνεται; καὶ τί πεπόν θασι;

ΙΗʹ. Θρηνεῖ μὲν αὐτοὺς Ἱερεμίας ἐπὶ τοῖς προτέ ροις πάθεσι, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ Βαβυλῶνα αἰχμαλωσίαν ὀδύρεται· καὶ γὰρ ἦν ὄντως κἀκεῖνα θρήνων καὶ ὀδυρμῶν ἄξια· πῶς δὲ οὐ τῶν μεγίστων τείχη κατ εσκαμμένα, πόλις ἠδαφισμένη, ἁγίασμα καθῃρημέ νον, ἀναθήματα σεσυλημένα, πόδες βέβηλοι καὶ χεῖ ρες· οἱ μὲν τοῖς ἀβάτοις ἐμβατεύοντες, αἱ δὲ κα 35.745 τῶν ἀψαύστων κατατρυφῶσαι, προφῆται σιγῶν τες, ἱερεῖς ἀγόμενοι, πρεσβῦται μὴ ἐλεούμενοι, παρ θένοι καθυβριζόμεναι, νεότης πίπτουσα, πῦρ ἀλλό τριον καὶ πολέμιον, αἵματος ποταμοὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ ὁσίου πυρὸς καὶ αἵματος, Ναζαραῖοι κατασυρόμενοι, θρῆνοι τοῖς ὕμνοις ἀντεγειρόμενοι· καὶ ἵν' ἐξ αὐτῶν εἴπω τι τῶν Ἱερεμίου Θρήνων, οἱ υἱοὶ Σιὼν, οἱ τίμιοι καὶ ἀντιτιθέμενοι χρυσίῳ, οἱ τρυφεροὶ καὶ κα κῶν ἀπαθεῖς, ξένην ὁδὸν ὁδεύοντες· καὶ ὁδοὶ Σιὼν πενθοῦσαι παρὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι τοὺς ἑορτάζοντας· καὶ μικρὸν πρὸ τούτων· χεῖρες γυναικῶν οἰκτιρμό νων, οὐ τροφὴν ὀρέγουσαι τέκνοις, τῆς πολιορκίας ἐπικρατούσης, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τροφὴν ταῦτα σπαράττουσαι, καὶ λιμοῦ φάρμακον τὰ ἑαυτῶν ποιούμεναι φίλτατα, Ταῦτα πῶς οὐ δεινὰ καὶ πέρα δεινῶν, οὐ τοῖς πάσχουσι τότε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ νῦν τοῖς ἀκούουσιν; Ἐγὼ γοῦν ὁσάκις ἂν ταύτην ἀναλάβω τὴν βίβλον, καὶ τοῖς Θρήνοις συγγένωμαι, συγγίνομαι δ' ὁσάκις ἂν εὐημερίαν σωφρονίσαι ἐθελήσω τῷ ἀναγνώσματι, ἐγκόπτομαι τὴν φωνὴν, καὶ συγχέομαι δάκρυσι, καὶ οἷον ὑπ' ὄψιν μοι τὸ πάθος ἔρχεται, καὶ συνθρηνῶ τῷ θρηνήσαντι. Τὴν