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of God, and to believe in the God of the patriarchs Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and to receive Jesus Christ proclaimed by the prophets by the grace of God? If you understand these two peoples, the one from Israel and the one from the Gentiles, consider the exile of Israel and concerning that people of Israel, and understand that it was written concerning that one: "I have sent her away and have given her a bill of divorce"; for God sent that people away and gave it a bill of divorce, which is of such a kind in the case of married persons; if the wife is displeasing to the husband, the law of Moses says, a "bill of divorce" was made by the husband and the wife was sent away, and it was permitted for the one who sent away the former wife, because she seemed to have behaved disgracefully, to marry another wife; so in this way see them receiving a bill of divorce, and since they received the bill of divorce, for this reason they were completely abandoned. For where are there prophets still among them? where are there signs still among them? where is the manifestation of God? where is the worship, the temple, the sacrifices? They were cast out from their own place. So he gave to Israel "a bill of divorce", then we of Judah—and Judah because of the Savior who arose from the tribe of Judah; "for it is evident that our Lord has sprung from Judah"—we have returned to the Lord, and our last state, which I wish were not already so, seems to be becoming similar to their last state, if not indeed 4.3 also worse. For that our circumstances also will be of such a kind "at the end of this age", is clear from those things spoken by the Savior in the gospel, in which he says: "Because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold, but the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved", and: "The one who is to come will perform signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect"; and our circumstances are such that the Savior says concerning his own coming, as if out of so many churches a faithful person would quickly not be found: "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" And truly if we judge matters by truth and not by crowds, and judge matters by inner conviction and not by seeing many gathered together, we will see now that we are not faithful; but they were faithful then, when the noble martyrdoms were happening, when after escorting the martyrs from the cemeteries we would come to the assemblies, and the whole church, not being afflicted, would be present, and the catechumens were instructed at the martyrdoms and at the deaths of those confessing the truth "unto death," "not being terrified" nor disturbed "before the living God." Then we know of those who have seen strange and wondrous signs, then they were faithful, few indeed but truly faithful, traveling "the narrow and afflicted way that leads to life," but now that we have become many, since it is not possible for there to be many elect, —for Jesus who said does not lie: "Many are called, but few are chosen,"— for out of the multitude of those professing reverence for God very few are they who attain to the election of God and blessedness. 4.4 If then it says that first I sent away Israel on account of its sins and I sent it into exile, but Judah, hearing the things that happened to Israel, did not return, it speaks concerning our sins. When the things that have befallen Israel and the transgressions concerning that people are read, it is necessary for us to fear and to say: "If he did not spare the natural branches, how much more will he not spare us"; if the good and man-loving God, not sparing them, cut off those who boast of being a "good olive tree," who are rooted in "the root" of the patriarchs Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, "how much more will he not spare us". For "behold the kindness and severity of God". For he is not kind but not severe, nor severe but not kind; but if he were only kind, and were not severe, we would have despised his kindness all the more; if he were severe, but were not kind, perhaps we would have even despaired at the

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θεοῦ, καὶ πιστεύειν εἰς τὸν θεὸν τῶν πατριαρχῶν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ, καὶ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν προκεκηρυγμένον ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν χάριτι θεοῦ παραδέχεσθαι; Εἰ νοεῖς τοὺς δύο τούτους λαούς, τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν, ἴδε μοι τὴν μετοικίαν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ λαοῦ ἐκείνου τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ περὶ ἐκείνου νόει μοι γεγράφθαι· «Ἐξαπέσταλκα αὐτὴν καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτῇ βιβλίον ἀποστασίου»· ἐξαπέστειλε γὰρ τὸν λαὸν ἐκεῖνον ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ βιβλίον ἀποστασίου, ὅπερ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν ἐπὶ τῶν γεγαμηκότων· ἐὰν δυσάρεστος ᾖ ἡ γυνὴ τῷ ἀνδρί, λέγει ὁ Μωσέως νόμος, «βιβλίον ἀποστασίου» ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐγίνετο καὶ ἐξαπεστέλλετο ἡ γυνή, καὶ ἐξῆν τῷ ἀποστείλαντι τὴν προτέραν γυναῖκα διὰ τὸ δοκεῖν ἠσχη μονηκέναι γαμεῖν ἑτέραν γυναῖκα· οὕτως τῷ λόγῳ ἴδε ἐκείνους λαμβάνοντας βιβλίον ἀποστασίου, καὶ ἐπεὶ ἔλαβον τὸ βιβλίον τοῦ ἀποστασίου, διὰ τοῦτο ἐγκατελείφθησαν πάντῃ. Ποῦ γὰρ προφῆται ἔτι παρ' αὐτοῖς; ποῦ σημεῖα ἔτι παρ' αὐτοῖς; ποῦ ἐπιφάνεια θεοῦ; ποῦ ἡ λατρεία, ὁ ναός, αἱ θυσίαι; Ἐξεβλήθησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου ἑαυτῶν. Ἔδωκεν οὖν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ «βιβλίον ἀποστασίου», εἶτα ἡμεῖς Ἰούδα-Ἰούδας δὲ διὰ τὸν σωτῆρα ἐξ Ἰούδα φυλῆςἀνατείλαντα· «πρόδηλον γὰρ ὅτι ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀνατέταλκεν ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν»-ἐπεστρέψαμεν πρὸς κύριον, καὶ τὰ τελευταῖα ἡμῶν, ἅπερ εἴθε μὴ ἤδη εἴη, παραπλήσια ἔοικε γίνεσθαι τοῖς ἐκείνων τελευταίοις, εἰ μὴ ἄρα 4.3 καὶ χείρονα. Ὅτι γὰρ τοιαῦτα καὶ τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς «ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος» τούτου ἔσται, δῆλον ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος εἰρημένων, ἐν οἷς φησιν· «∆ιὰ τὸ πληθυνθῆναι τὴν ἀνομίαν ψυγήσεται ἡ ἀγάπη τῶν πολλῶν, ὁ δὲ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος, οὗτος σωθήσεται», καί· «Ποιήσει σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ὁ ἐλευσόμενος, ὥστε ἀποπλανᾶσθαι, εἰ δυνατόν, καὶ τοὺς ἐκλεκτούς»· καὶ τοιαῦτά ἐστι τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ὥστε τὸν σωτῆρα λέγειν περὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιδημίας, ὡς ἐκ τῶν τοσούτων ἐκκλησιῶν πιστοῦ ταχέως μὴ εὑρισκομένου· «Πλὴν ἐλθὼν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἆρα εὑρήσει τὴν πίστιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς;» Καὶ ἀληθῶς ἐὰν κρίνωμεν τὰ πράγματα ἀληθείᾳ καὶ μὴ ὄχλοις, καὶ κρίνωμεν τὰ πράγματα προαιρέσει καὶ μὴ τῷ βλέπειν πολλοὺς συναγομένους, ὀψόμεθα νῦν ὡς οὐκ ἐσμὲν πιστοί· ἀλλὰ τότε ἦσαν πιστοί, ὅτε τὰ μαρτύρια τὰ γενναῖα ἐγίνοντο, ὅτε ἀπὸ τῶν κοιμητηρίων προπέμψαντες τοὺς μάρτυρας ἠρχόμεθα ἐπὶ τὰς συναγωγάς, καὶ ὅλη ἡ ἐκκλη σία μὴ θλιβομένη παρεγίνετο, καὶ οἱ κατηχούμενοι ἐπὶ τοῖς μαρτυρίοις κατηχοῦντο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς θανάτοις τῶν ὁμο λογούντων τὴν ἀλήθειαν «μέχρι θανάτου», «μὴ πτυ ρόμενοι» μηδὲ ταρασσόμενοι «ἐπὶ τὸν ζῶντα θεόν». Τότε οἴδαμεν καὶ σημεῖα ἑωρακότας παράδοξα καὶ τεράστια, τότε ἦσαν πιστοὶ ὀλίγοι μὲν πιστοὶ δὲ ἀληθῶς, «τὴν στενὴν καὶ τεθλιμμένην» ὁδεύοντες «ὁδὸν τὴν ἀπάγουσαν εἰς τὴν ζωήν», νῦν δὲ ὅτε γεγόναμεν πολλοί, ἐπεὶ οὐ δυνατὸν εἶναι πολλοὺς ἐκλεκτούς, -οὐ γὰρ ψεύδεται ὁ εἰπὼν Ἰησοῦς· «Πολλοὶ οἱ κλητοί, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοί», - ἐκ [γὰρ] τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ἐπαγγελλομένων θεοσέβειαν σφόδρα εἰσὶν ὀλίγοι οἱ καταντῶντες ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκλογὴν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν μακαριότητα. 4.4 Ἐὰν οὖν λέγῃ ὡς πρῶτον ἐξαπέστειλα διὰ τὰ ἁμαρτή ματα τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἐξαπέστειλα εἰς μετοικίαν αὐτόν, ὁ δὲ Ἰούδας ἀκούων τὰ γενόμενα τῷ Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ ἐπέστρεψε, λέγει περὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἁμαρτημάτων. Ὅτε ἀναγινώσκον ται τὰ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ συμβεβηκότα καὶ τὰ πταίσματα <τὰ> περὶ ἐκεῖνον τὸν λαόν, δέον ἡμᾶς φοβεῖσθαι καὶ λέγειν· «Εἰ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν κλάδων οὐκ ἐφείσατο, πόσῳ πλέον οὐδὲ ἡμῶν φείσεται»· εἰ ἐκείνους τοὺς αὐχοῦντας εἶναι «καλλιέλαιον», τοὺς ἐρριζωμένους εἰς «τὴν ῥίζαν» τῶν πατριαρχῶν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ μὴ φεισάμενος ὁ χρηστὸς ἅμα καὶ φιλάνθρωπος θεὸς ἐξέκοψε, «πόσῳ πλέον ἡμῶν οὐ φείσεται». «Ἴδε» γὰρ «χρηστότητα καὶ ἀποτομίαν θεοῦ». Οὐ γὰρ χρηστὸς μὲν οὐκ ἀπότομος δέ, οὐδὲ ἀπότομος μὲν χρηστὸς δὲ οὔ· εἰ δὲ χρηστὸς μόνον ἦν, ἀπότομος δὲ μὴ ἦν, ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἂν κατεφρονήσαμεν τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ· εἰ ἀπότομος μὲν ἦν, χρηστὸς δὲ μὴ ἦν, τάχα ἂν καὶ ἀπέγνω μεν ἐπὶ ταῖς