someone might say, the temple-keepers under 13.789 the priests; and the house of Israel those from the 12 tribes; and those who fear the Lord are foreigners from the Israelite seed and are attached to the Lord and are proselytes. And I will send against you. This must be observed, having been expressed paradoxically for the presentation of a secret and most divine meaning. In your ways, he says, that are being punished, I will avenge you. For those who sin, being wronged, have been wronged by no other than by themselves. And those who did wrong are not punished as others by hypothesis than those who were wronged, but they are themselves the ones being avenged and being punished. Therefore, God, avenging those who have been wronged by themselves on account of wickedness, punishes them inasmuch as they have done wrong. And through the punishment, on the one hand, those who have done wrong disappear, while on the other hand, those who were wronged are left behind, no longer having within themselves those who did them wrong; for they no longer have the wickedness that wronged them and its works. But also attend to this: I will bring upon you all your abominations; for he does not bring some, and not bring others, but he makes them all disappear; and if it must be said so, God, both acting kindly and showing favor to those who have committed abominations, brings upon them all their abominations, as it is possible to learn also from what is thus written in Amos: You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities; for there too what is said is something like this: Since I have known you above all those on earth, having chosen you as mine, which is consistent with, The Lord knows those who are his; therefore I will punish you for all your sins, as you are mine (and those whom I have known I treat with kindness). And like a good physician, he says: My eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity. For as a physician who spares those needing a major incision and cauterization, and pities them when they need greater torments and pains, offers a more deficient treatment; so would he have done who says: My eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity; if indeed as a companion he cared for and pitied. Therefore, he will bring the way of each upon him, and the abominations of the one who has sinfully committed abominations will be in the midst of the sinner, as if being perceived and seen and condemned, so that after these things those about whom the discourse is may know that the Lord is Lord, and how he is Lord; and in Hosea he says: I will punish Jacob according to his ways, and according to his deeds I will repay him; the saying there also declaring the same thing in "I will punish." One wickedness, behold, wickedness is present. The prophet foretells one wickedness in which he says the end has come, the audacity of the Jews against Christ; and he calls the fulfillment of sins an entanglement. For by this word the Amorites also were destroyed, when their sins were fulfilled. And when someone, sinning many things, does not commit some one thing, because he enjoys the long-suffering 13.792 of God, if after these things he too should add that sin to his previous sins, it might reasonably be said of him: One wickedness, behold, wickedness is present, behold, the entanglement has come upon you. The rod has blossomed. Perhaps because after the chastisements the benefactions of God shine forth, the rod of the benefaction from the correction of the one being chastised is said to blossom. And in Isaiah, one of the prophecies concerning Christ runs thus: And there shall come forth a rod from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall grow up out of his root. Which I think the prophet also indicates, through the rod of the saving word the rebuking and punishing aspect for the hearers, when they are reproved; but through the flower the result of the reproof and the rebuke. Therefore, whenever each of us feels he is being struck by a divine rod, let him try, through enduring and being well-pleased with what happens, to make a flower for the rod. See if the rod of Aaron can be a symbol of this, which after a long time during which he had it, budded and bore fruit; for that was, as it were, a rod of God, as it is written: And you shall take the rod from God; which he who bore it in the way one must bear the rod of God, will later see not only a flower, but also fruit in
εἴποι τις, οἱ ὑπὸ 13.789 τοὺς ἱερεῖς νεωκόροι· οἱ δὲ οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ιβʹ φυλῶν· οἱ δὲ φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον οἱ ἀλλότριοι τοῦ Ἰσραηλιτικοῦ σπέρματος καὶ προσκείμενοι τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ προσήλυτοι. Καὶ ἀποστελῶ ἐγὼ ἐπὶ σέ. Παρατηρητέον τοῦτο παραδόξως πεφρασμένον εἰς παράστασιν ἀποῤῥήτου καὶ θειοτάτου νοήματος. Ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς σου, φησὶ, ταῖς κολαζομέναις ἐκδικήσω σε. Ἀδικούμενοι γὰρ οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες οὐκ ὑπὸ ἄλλου τινὸς ἢ ὑπὸ ἑαυτῶν ἠδικήθησαν. Καὶ οὐκ ἄλλοι καθ' ὑπόθεσιν ὄντες τῶν ἠδικημένων κολάζονται οἱ ἀδικήσαντες, ἀλλ' εἰσὶν οἱ αὐτοὶ ἐκδικούμενοι καὶ κολαζόμενοι. Ἐκδικῶν τοίνυν τοὺς ὑφ' ἑαυτῶν διὰ τὴν κακίαν ἠδικημένους ὁ Θεὸς, κολάζει αὐτοὺς καθὸ ἠδικήκασι. Καὶ διὰ τῆς κολά σεως μὲν ἐξαφανίζονται οἱ ἠδικηκότες, καταλείπονται δὲ οἱ ἠδικημένοι οὐδαμῶς ἔτι ἔχοντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τοὺς ἠδικηκότας· οὐ γὰρ ἔτι ἔχουσι τὴν ἠδικηκυῖαν αὐτοὺς κακίαν καὶ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῆς. Πρόσχες δὲ καὶ τῷ· ∆ώ σω ἐπὶ σὲ πάντα τὰ βδελύγματά σου· οὐ γὰρ τινὰ μὲν δίδωσι, τινὰ δὲ οὐ δίδωσιν, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἐξαφανί ζει· καὶ εἰ δεῖ οὕτως εἰπεῖν, καὶ εὐεργετῶν καὶ χαρι ζόμενος τοῖς τὰ βδελύγματα πεποιηκόσιν ὁ Θεὸς, δί δωσιν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς πάντα τὰ βδελύγματα αὐτῶν, ὡς ἔστι μαθεῖν καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐν τῷ Ἀμὼς οὕτω γεγραμ μένων· Πλὴν ὑμᾶς ἔγνων ἐκ πασῶν τῶν φυλῶν τῆς γῆς· διὰ τοῦτο ἐκδικήσω ἐφ' ὑμᾶς πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν· οἱονεὶ γὰρ κἀκεῖ τοιοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ λεγόμενον· Ἐπειδήπερ παρὰ πάντας τοὺς ἐπὶ γῆς ὑμᾶς ἔγνων ὡς ἐμοὺς ἐπιλεξάμενος, ὅπερ ἀκόλου θόν ἐστι τῷ, Ἔγνω Κύριος τοὺς ὄντας αὐτοῦ· διὰ τοῦτο ἐκδικήσω ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ὡς ἐμοὺς (καὶ οὓς ἔγνων ἐγὼ εὐεργετῶ) πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν. Καὶ ὡς ὁ καλός γε ἰατρός, φησὶ τό· Οὐ φείσεται ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου ἐπὶ σὲ, οὐδ' οὐ μὴ ἐλεήσω. Ὡς γὰρ ὁ φειδό μενος τῶν μείζονος τομῆς καὶ καυτηρίου δεομένων ἰατρὸς καὶ ἐλεῶν αὐτοὺς δεομένους μειζόνων βασάνων καὶ πόνων, ἐλλιπεστέραν προσάγει θεραπείαν· οὕτως ἂν ἐποίησεν ὁ λέγων· Οὐ φείσεται ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου ἐπὶ σὲ, οὐδὲ μὴ ἐλεήσω· εἴπερ ὡς ἑταῖρος ἐκήδετο καὶ ἐλεεῖ. Τὴν ὁδὸν οὖν ἑκάστου ἐπ' αὐτὸν δώσει, καὶ τὰ βδελύγματα τοῦ βδελυκτὰ ἡμαρτηκότος ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ἡμαρτηκότος ἔσται οἱονεὶ κατανοούμενα καὶ βλε πόμενα καὶ καταγινωσκόμενα, ἵνα μετὰ ταῦτα γνῶ σιν οὗτοι περὶ ὧν ὁ λόγος, διότι Κύριος Κύριος, καὶ πῶς ἐστι Κύριος· καὶ ἐν τῷ Ὠσηὲ δέ φησιν· Ἐκδικήσω τὸν Ἰακὼβ κατὰ τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα αὐτοῦ ἀνταποδώσω αὐτῷ· τὸ ὅμοιον κἀκεῖ ἐν τῷ ἐκδικήσω δηλῶν ὁ λόγος. Κακία μία, κακία ἰδοὺ πάρεστι. Κακίαν μίαν προαγορεύει ὁ προφήτης ἐν ᾗ τὸ πέρας ἥκειν φησὶ, τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατὰ Χριστοῦ τόλμαν· πλοκὴν δέ φησι τὴν ἀναπλήρωσιν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων. Τούτῳ γὰρ τῷ λόγῳ καὶ οἱ Ἀμοῤῥαῖοι ἐξωλοθρεύθησαν, ὅταν ἐπληρώθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. Καὶ ὅταν δέ τις ἁμαρ τάνων πολλὰ ἕν τι μὴ ἁμαρτήσῃ, διότι τῆς μακρο 13.792 θυμίας ἀπολαύει τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐὰν μετὰ ταῦτα κἀκεῖνος προσθήσῃ τὸ ἁμάρτημα τοῖς προημαρτημένοις, εἰκό τως λεχθείη ἂν ἐπ' αὐτῷ· Κακία μία, κακία ἰδοὺ πάρεστι, ἰδοὺ ἥκει ἡ πλοκὴ ἐπὶ σέ. Ἤνθησεν ἡ ῥάβδος. Τάχα ἐπειδὴ μετὰ τὰς παι δεύσεις αἱ εὐεργεσίαι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀναλάμπουσιν, ἀν θεῖν λέγεται ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς ἐκ τῆς διορθώσεως τοῦ παιδευομένου εὐεργεσίας. Καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ δὲ μία τῶν περὶ Χριστοῦ προφητειῶν οὕτως ἔχει· Καὶ ἐξε λεύσεται ἡ ῥάβδος ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ, καὶ ἄν θος ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης ἀναβήσεται. Ἥντινα καὶ προφή της νομίζω δηλοῖ, διὰ μὲν τῆς ῥάβδου τοῦ σωτηρίου λόγου τὸ ἐπιπληκτικὸν καὶ κολαστικὸν τῶν ἀκουόν των, ὅτε ἐλέγχονται· διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἄνθους τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα τοῦ ἐλέγχου καὶ τῆς ἐπιπλήξεως. Ἕκαστος οὖν ἡμῶν ὅτε αἰσθάνεται ὑπὸ ῥάβδου θείας πληττόμενος, πειρά σθω, διὰ τοῦ ὑπομένειν καὶ εὐαρεστεῖσθαι τοῖς ἀπαν τῶσιν, ἄνθος ποιεῖσθαι πρὸς τὴν ῥάβδον. Ὅρα εἰ τού του δύναται σύμβολον εἶναι ἡ τοῦ Ἀαρὼν ῥάβδος μετὰ πολὺν χρόνον ἐν ᾧ εἶχεν αὐτὴν βλαστήσασα καὶ καρπὸν ἐνηνοχυῖα· οἱονεὶ γὰρ ῥάβδος Θεοῦ ἐκείνη, ὡς γέγραπται· Καὶ τὴν ῥάβδον τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ λήψῃ· ἥντινα ὁ ἐνεγκὼν ὃν δεῖ τρόπον ῥάβδον φέρειν Θεοῦ, ὕστερον οὐ μόνον ἄνθος, ἀλλὰ καὶ καρπὸν ὄψε ται ἐν