once for all we boast in you through all time and to your name we give thanks by which we are saved, just as it is also said through Ezekiel, It is not for your sake that I act, house of Israel, but for my name’s sake. 61 Ps 43,10.11 But these hopes, he says, are firm and unmovable, from which we will not depart on account of what has happened; yet the things that have happened now are contrary to these. For we have been left behind, he says, cast off by you and you are not present with our armies, and the shame that then possessed those at war has surrounded us, and we have become diminished by those whom we formerly ruled, and we have been plundered by those whom we used to plunder. For in this it has been shown even more that the power belonged to the Israelites from God, in that being abandoned they are defeated, just as also for man, being abandoned became a pretext for death, showing that the resurrection is not otherwise than from God. 62 Ps 43,12 We are seized by cowardice, he says, unable to defend ourselves against those who devour us like sheep, a cowardice which Moses also threatened would possess them for their transgressions, because the sound of a driven leaf will chase them; and we have become, he says, captives and have been scattered among the nations, we who were formerly led out from the nations and possessed a holy land. This is a dissolution of honor, just as for man concerning his creation, "You are earth and to earth you shall return," so also concerning the people Isaiah says, "We have become as from the beginning, when you did not rule over us, nor was your mercy called upon us." 63 Ps 43,13a They were sold for nothing, as Isaiah also says, and he says also that they were sold for their sins, just as also concerning man Paul says, "But I am of the flesh, sold under sin." And the sale is the alienation and the coming to be under human masters instead of God, which he also threatened Jeroboam and the people with him through Shemaiah the prophet, that they would become slaves to the Egyptian king, to Shishak, and they will know the service of God and the service of the kings of the lands. 64 πς 43,15 For such a thing is a byword, for them to be remembered in curses, just as Jeremiah says against the false prophets, "They will take up a curse against him in the exile, of Judah, in Babylon, saying, 'May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire because of the lawlessness they committed in Israel.'" You have provided these things now and most justly; as sheep they are devoured since they led Christ like a sheep to the slaughter; they are sold to the nations as they purchased the Lord who was betrayed for silver and in a way delivered to death; and they are laughed at just as they made laughter and a shaking of heads at the crucified Lord. 65 ps 43,18-21 This alone is left for Israel as a hope for the recall of those remaining, which the prophecy, foreseeing, says: not to change to the customs of the Greeks in regard to the idolatry which they agreed to, nor to turn aside from the path prescribed of piety toward the one God, although they were so humbled and exiled and placed under the authority of those who put them to death; which was especially kept by Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, who also endured fire for the sake of not accepting prostration. in some way, piety is not present even in the remaining Jews at the present time; at least the practice of not frequenting idols or the Greek sickness concerning incantations they do not entirely abandon, but their impiety toward Christ is thus also proven most harmful because, although not practicing idolatry as before, they are enslaved as never before.

66 Ps 44,2 Having mentioned the evils of Israel before this and having left

the redeeming grace from evils, beginning indeed from the nations, but also taking

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καθάπαξ αὐχοῦμεν ἐπὶ σοὶ δι' ὅλου τοῦ χρόνου καὶ τῷ ὀνόματί σου χάριτας ἀναφέρομεν ᾧ σῳζόμεθα, ὥσπερ καὶ λέγεται διὰ τοῦ Ἱεζεκιὴλ ∆ι' ὑμᾶς ἐγὼ οὐ ποιῶ νῖκος Ἰσραὴλ ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου. 61 Ps 43,10.11 Ἀλλ' αἱ μὲν ἐλπίδες, φησίν, αὗται βέβαιοι καὶ ἀμετακίνητοι ὧν οὐκ ἀποστησόμεθα διὰ τὰ συμβεβηκότα, τά γε μὴν συμβεβηκότα τούτοις ἐναντία νῦν. ἀπολελείμμεθα γάρ φησιν σοῦ ἀπωσθέντες καὶ οὐ παρόντος ἡμῶν ταῖς στρατιαῖς, καὶ περιέστηκεν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἡ τότε κατασχοῦσα τοὺς πολέμους αἰσχύνη, καὶ γεγόναμεν ἠλαττωμένοι παρ' ἐκείνοις ὧν ἐκρατοῦμεν τὸ πρότερον, καὶ διηρπάσθημεν ὑπ' αὐτῶν οὓς διηρπάζομεν. ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ καὶ μᾶλλον ἀποδέδεικται παρὰ θεοῦ τὸ κράτος ὑπᾶρξαν Ἰσραηλίταις ἐν ᾧ καταλειφθέντες ἡττῶνται, καθὰ καὶ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ καταλειφθῆναι θανάτου πρόφασις γέγονεν ἐπιδεικνύον τὸ μὴ εἶναι τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἄλλως ἢ παρὰ θεοῦ. 62 Ps 43,12 ∆ειλίᾳ κατεσχήμεθα, φησίν, οὐ δυναμένῃ ἀμύνεσθαι τοὺς κατεσθίοντας ἡμᾶς ὡς πρόβατα, δειλίαν ἣν καὶ Μωυσῆς ἠπείλησεν ἐπὶ ταῖς παρανομίαις καθέξειν αὐτοὺς ὅτι διώξει αὐτοὺς φωνὴ φύλλου φερομένου· καὶ γεγόναμεν, φησίν, αἰχμάλωτοι καὶ διεσπάρημεν εἰς τὰ ἔθνη οἱ πρότερον ἐξαχθέντες ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ γῆν ἁγίαν σχόντες. ἀνάλυσις αὕτη τῆς τιμῆς ὥσπερ ἀνθρώπῳ τῆς πλάσεως τὸ Γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ, οὕτω δὴ καὶ περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ φησὶν Ἡσαΐας Ἐγενόμεθα ὡς τὸ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, ὅτε οὐκ ἦρξας ἡμῶν οὐδὲ ἐκλήθη τὸ ἔλεός σου ἐφ' ἡμᾶς. 63 Ps 43,13a ∆ωρεὰν ἐπράθησαν, ὡς καὶ ὁ Ἡσαΐας λέγει, λέγει δὲ καὶ ὡς ἐπράθησαν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις αὐτῶν, ὡς καὶ ἐπ' ἀνθρώπου Παῦλός φησιν Ἐγὼ δὲ σάρκινός εἰμι, πεπραμένος ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. πρᾶσις δὲ ἡ ἀπαλλοτρίωσις καὶ τὸ ὑπ' ἀνθρώποις γενέσθαι δεσπόταις ἀντὶ θεοῦ, ὅπερ καὶ ἠπειλήσατο Ἱεροβεὰμ καὶ τῷ μετ' αὐτοῦ λαῷ διὰ Σεμεεὶ τοῦ προφήτου, ὅτι τῷ Αἰγυπτίῳ βασιλεῖ γενήσονται, τῷ Σουσακείμ, εἰς δούλους καὶ γνώσονται τὴν δουλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν δουλείαν τῶν βασιλέων τῶν γεῶν. 64 πς 43,15 Παραβολὴ γὰρ τὸ τοιοῦτο τὸ ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀραῖς μνημονεύεσθαι αὐτούς, ὥσπερ ὁ Ἱερεμίας φησὶ κατὰ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν Λήψονται ἐπ' αὐτῷ κατάραν ἐν τῇ ἀποικίᾳ, Ἰούδα, ἐν Βαβυλῶνι λέγοντες Ποιήσαι σοι κύριος ὡς Σεδεκία ἐποίησε καὶ ὡς Ἀχιὰθ οὓς ἀπετηγάνισε βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος ἐν πυρὶ δι' ἣν ἐποίησαν ἀνομίαν ἐν Ἰσραήλ. Παράσχου δὴ ταῦτα νῦν καὶ μάλιστα δικαίως· ὡς πρόβατα μὲν κατ εσθιόμενοι ὅτε Χριστὸν ὡς πρόβατον ἤγαγον ἐπὶ σφαγήν, πεπραμένοι δὲ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὡς τὸν κύριον ἀργυρίου προδοθέντα καί τινα τρόπον παραθέντα εἰς θάνατον ἐξωνήσαντο, γελώμενοι δὲ καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ σταυρωθέντι γέλωτα ἐποιοῦντο καὶ κίνησιν κεφαλῶν. 65 ps 43,18-21 Τοῦτο μόνον ὑπολείπεται τῷ Ἰσραὴλ εἰς ἐλπίδα τῆς ἀνακλήσεως τῶν ὑπολειπομένων, ὅπερ ἡ προφητεία προορωμένη λέγει, τὸ μὴ μεταβάλλεσθαι πρὸς τὰ Ἑλλήνων ἔθη κατὰ τὴν εἰδωλολατρείαν ἣν συνέθεντο μηδ' ὥσπερ ὁδοῦ τῆς ἐπιταχθείσης ἀποκλῖναι τῆς πρὸς ἕνα θεὸν εὐσεβείας καίτοι ταπεινωθέντας οὕτω καὶ ἐξοικισθέντας καὶ ὑπ' ἐξουσίαν τῶν θανατούντων θέντας· ὅπερ ἐξαιρέτως τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀνανίαν καὶ Ἀζαρίαν καὶ Μισαὴλ ἐφυλάχθη καὶ πῦρ ὑπεμείνασιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ προσδέξασθαι προσκύνησιν. οὐκ εὐσεβῆ πρόσεστι δή πως καὶ τοῖς ὑπολειπομένοις Ἰουδαίων κατὰ τὸν παρόντα χρόνον· αὐτὸ γοῦν τὸ μὴ φοιτᾶν εἰς εἴδωλα ἢ καὶ τὴν περὶ ἐπωδὰς Ἑλληνικὰς νόσον οὐ παντελῶς ἀπολείπουσιν, ἡ δὲ εἰς Χριστὸν ἀσέβεια καὶ οὕτως ἐλέγχεται βλαβερωτάτη ὅτι καὶ μὴ εἰδωλολατροῦντες ὡς πρότερον δεδούλωνται ὡς οὐδέποτε πρότερον.

66 Ps 44,2 Τῶν Ἰσραηλιτικῶν πρὸ τούτου μνησθεὶς κακῶν καὶ καταλιπὼν

τὴν λυτήριον τῶν κακῶν χάριν ἀρχομένην μὲν ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν, προσλαμβάνουσαν δὲ καὶ

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