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because Sodom was, as it were, the metropolis of wickedness, whose rulers surpassed it in excess of evil. And he appropriately added, that just as those men rejected Lot who was judging righteous things, saying: "You came in to sojourn, not also to render judgment?" So also these men rejected the righteous judge, saying: "Crucify, crucify, away with such a one." And those men, on the one hand, committed outrage against strangers; but these men, on the other hand, against him who came to his own. And those men, against angels; but these men, against God. And Jerusalem, therefore, out of impiety became Sodom. For just as among those people God, when seeking, did not find ten righteous men for whose sake the city ought to be saved, so Jerusalem had a great scarcity of righteous men. Wherefore, to Jeremiah who was pleading for her, God said: "Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see, and know, and seek in her broad places if you can find a man, if there is one who does judgment, and seeks faith, and I will be merciful to her, says the Lord." And being deprived of every good thing, they moreover also arrived at the extreme of impiety by killing Christ; which indeed especially happened through the unholiness of the rulers. For knowing that he is the heir, they attempted to kill him, wishing to make his vineyard 1844 their own inheritance. Concerning whom God says in the prophets: "Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard," and what follows. And again: "The shepherds have become foolish, and have not sought the Lord. Therefore the whole pasture did not understand, and they were scattered." For it was necessary for them, having believed Moses, to know the Lord, and to lead the others to him. "For," he says, "that man wrote concerning me," saying: "The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet from your brethren, like me; him you shall hear." Whence with rebuking admonition the prophet lovingly brings them to the necessity of knowing him, crying out to the rulers, on the one hand, as being more skillful, to hear, which is more a matter of the mind. Therefore, stirring them up to know the will of his own words, the Lord says: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear;" but to the peoples, as being without understanding, to pay attention, or to give ear, as others have rendered it. But it is clear that the mere sound is placed in the ears. Therefore also in Exodus the people say: "All that God shall say, we will do, and we will hear." For the imperfect, on the one hand, do, observing the bodily things of the law; wherefore it has been set forth first; "But the perfect man hears," understanding the will of the things in the law. So again, to the rulers, on the one hand, he assigned the word; but to the people, on the other hand, the law. For the law, on the one hand, is a rule of righteous and unrighteous things; commanding, on the one hand, what must be done; but prohibitive, on the other hand, of what must [not, or, not] be done, which the common man is eager to keep, being ignorant of its purpose. But the word, on the other hand, also gives the reason for which each thing was said, showing the law to be spiritual. But rulers of Sodom, not only as rulers of wicked men, he says, but also as being such themselves. And he also indicated the wickedness of the people by saying, people of Gomorrah. For the first would have been sufficient, if it signified the wickedness of the people. But the greater part of this he assigns to the rulers, because Sodom presided over the Pentapolis, showing its evil to be ruling and greater. But rulers of Sodom, except for those who were defeated, we have not received from history; but because with great boldness he reproves the wrongdoers, Paul says: "But Isaiah is very bold and says." Therefore they also say this is one cause of the plot against the prophet. And one might use these things against unfit rulers of churches, and a lawless people. ιαιεʹ. 9What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I am full9, etc. The word introduces a new legislation, rejecting the old, as unprofitable to those living 1845 bodily according to it. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins, even if they themselves, when sinning, thought to propitiate God through these things. But with the seed having been taken away, which the Lord God left behind, it must reasonably be thought that the word is established concerning those who dared such things against Christ, both rulers and followers. Therefore, he says, I will no longer forgive your sins. For he forgave those in Babylon

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διὰ τὸ μητρόπολιν ὥσπερ εἶναι τῆς πονηρίας τὰ Σόδομα, ἦς κατὰ κακίας ὑπερβολὴν ὑπερέχειν τοὺς ἄρχοντας. Οἰκείως δὲ καὶ παρέθηκεν, ὅτι ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνοι παρητοῦντο τὸν τὰ δίκαια κρίνοντα Λὼτ, λέγοντες· "Εἰσῆλθες παροικεῖν, μὴ καὶ κρίσιν κρίνειν;" Οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι τὸν δίκαιον παρῃτοῦντο κριτὴν, λέγοντες· "Σταύρου, σταύρου, αἶρε τὸν τοιοῦτον." Κἀκεῖνοι μὲν, εἰς ξένους ὕβριζον· οὗτοι δὲ, τὸν εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἐλθόντα. Κἀκεῖνοι μὲν, εἰς ἀγγέλους· οὗτοι δὲ, εἰς Θεόν. Καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ τοίνυν ἐξ ἀσεβείας ἐγένετο Σόδομα. Ὡς γὰρ ἐν ἐκείνοις οὐχ εὗρε δέκα δικαίους ζητῶν ὁ Θεὸς, δι' οὓς ἔδει σωθῆναι τὴν πόλιν· οὕτως ἡ Ἱερουσαλὴμ πολλὴν εἶχε τῶν δικαίων τὴν σπάνιν. ∆ιόπερ Ἱερεμίᾳ λιπαροῦντι περὶ αὐτῆς ἔφασκεν ὁ Θεός· "Περιδράμετε ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἴδετε, καὶ γνῶτε, καὶ ζητήσατε ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις αὐτῆς ἐὰν εὕρητε ἄνδρα, εἰ ἔστι ποιῶν κρῖμα, καὶ ζητῶν πίστιν, καὶ ἵλεως ἔσομαι αὐτῇ, λέγει Κύριος." Καὶ παντὸς ἐστερημένοι καλοῦ, προσέτι καὶ πρὸς ἄκρον ἀσεβείας κατήντησαν, τὸν Χριστὸν ἀποκτείναντες· ὃ δὴ μάλιστα γέγονεν, διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀρχόντων ἀνοσιότητα. Εἰδότες γὰρ ὡς ἔστιν ὁ κληρονόμος, ἀνελεῖν ἐπεχείρησαν, θέλοντες αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα 1844 κλῆρον ἴδιον ἀπεργάσασθαι. Περὶ ὧν ἐν προφήταις φησὶν ὁ Θεός· "Ποιμένες πολλοὶ διέφθειραν τὸν ἀμπελῶνά μου," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ πάλιν· "Ποιμένες ἠφρονεύσαντο, καὶ τὸν Κύριον οὐκ ἐξεζήτησαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔγνω πᾶσα ἡ νομὴ, καὶ διεσκορπίσθησαν." Ἐχρῆν γὰρ Μωσῇ πιστεύσαντας ἐπιγνῶναι Κύριον, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁδηγῆσαι τοὺς ἄλλους. "Περὶ ἐμοῦ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκεῖνος γέγραφεν, εἰπών· Προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν, ὡς ἐμέ· αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε." Ὅθεν πληκτικῇ νουθεσίᾳ φιλανθρώπως αὐτοὺς ὁ προφήτης ἐπάγεται πρὸς τὸ δεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπιγνῶναι, τοῖς μὲν ἄρχουσιν ὡς ἐντρεχεστέροις, τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι βοῶν, ὅπερ μᾶλλον διανοίας ἐστίν. ∆ιὸ πρὸς τὸ γνῶναι τὸ βούλημα τῶν ἑαυτοῦ λόγων διεγείρων ὁ Κύριος φησίν· "Ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν, ἀκουέτω·" τοῖς δὲ λαοῖς, ὡς ἀσυνέτοις, τὸ προσέχειν, ἢ τὸ ἐπωτίζεσθαι, ὡς ἐξέδωκαν ἕτεροι. ∆ῆλον δὲ τὸ ψιλὸν τὸν ἦχον ἐντίθεσθαι τοῖς ὠσίν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐν Ἐξόδῳ φησὶν ὁ λαός· "Πάντα ὅσα ἂν εἴπῃ ὁ Θεὸς, ποιήσομεν, καὶ ἀκουσόμεθα." Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀτελεῖς ποιοῦσι τὰ σωματικὰ τοῦ νόμου φυλάττοντες· διὸ καὶ προτέτακται· "Ὁ δὲ τέλειος ἀκούει," νοῶν τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τὸ βούλημα. Οὕτω δὲ πάλιν τοῖς μὲν ἄρχουσι τὸν λόγον ἀπένειμεν· τῷ λαῷ δὲ τὸν νόμον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ νόμος κανών ἐστι δικαίων καὶ ἀδίκων· προστακτικὸς μὲν ὧν ποιητέον· ἀπαγορευτικὸς δὲ ὧν [οὐ, ἢ, μὴ] ποιητέον, ὃν ὁ πολὺς φυλάττειν ἐσπούδακεν ἄνθρωπος τὸν σκοπὸν ἀγνοῶν. Ὁ δὲ λόγος καὶ τῆς αἰτίας ἐστὶν ἀποδοτικὸς, δι' ἣν ἔκαστον εἴρηται, πνευματικὸν τὸν νόμον δεικνύς. Ἄρχοντας δὲ Σοδόμων, οὐχ ὡς πονηρῶν ἄρχοντας μόνον, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς αὐτοὺς τοιούτους ὑπάρχοντας. Καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ δὲ τὴν πονηρίαν παρέστησεν εἰπὼν, λαὸς Γομόῤῥας. Ἤρκει γὰρ τὸ πρῶτον, εἰ τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν πονηρίαν ἐδήλου. Ταύτης δὲ τὸ πλέον ἀπονέμει τοῖς ἄρχουσι, διὰ τὸ προκαθέζεσθαι τὰ Σόδομα τῆς Πενταπόλεως, ἀρχικὴν αὐτῷ καὶ μείζω τὴν κακίαν δεικνύς. Ἄρχοντας δὲ Σοδόμων, πλὴν τῶν ἡττηθέντων, ἐξ ἱστορίας οὐ παρειλήφαμεν· διὰ δὲ τὸ σὺν πολλῇ παῤῥησίᾳ τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας ἐλέγχειν, φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος· "Ἡσαΐας δὲ ἀποτολμᾷ καὶ λέγει." Τοιγαροῦν καὶ μίαν ταύτην αἰτίαν τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς τῆς κατὰ τοῦ προφήτου φασίν. Χρήσαιτο δ' ἄν τις τούτοις πρὸς ἄρχοντας ἐκκλησιῶν ἀτόπους, καὶ παρανομοῦντα λαόν. ιαιεʹ. 9τί μοι πλῆθος τῶν θυσιῶν ὑμῶν; λέγει Κύριος· πλήρης εἰμὶ9, κ.τ.λ. Καινὴν νομοθεσίαν ὁ λόγος εἰσάγει τὴν παλαιὰν παραιτούμενος, ὡς τοῖς σωματικῶς κατ' αὐτὴν βιοῦ 1845 σιν ἀνόνητον. Ἀδύνατον γὰρ αἷμα ταύρων καὶ τράγων ἀφαιρεῖν ἁμαρτίας, εἰ καὶ αὐτοὶ πλημμελοῦντες διὰ τούτων ἐνόμιζον ἐξιλεοῦσθαι Θεόν. Περιῃρημένου δὲ τοῦ σπέρματος, ὃ κατέλιπε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, εἰκότως νομιστέον περὶ τῶν κατὰ Χριστοῦ τοιαῦτα τετολμηκότων τὸν λόγον καθίστασθαι ἀρχόντων τε καὶ ἑπομένων. Τοιγαροῦν, φησὶν, Οὐκ ἔτι ἀνήσω τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν. Ἀνῆκε γὰρ τοῖς εἰς Βαβυλῶνα