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to be able to help. Therefore every idolatrous person has been humbled, but only the Lord of all has been exalted, and those who before were proud of idols as if they were gods, when their error was exposed and the precious material of their wooden images was taken away, hide the lifeless wooden images in caves according to the prophecy, because of the preciousness of the material, so that they might not be taken by the king's men. And from these things I think it is indisputably established that these things reached their fulfillment after the saving advent. When Jerusalem was practicing idolatry, or rather when all Judea was in error, the war of the Babylonians in a certain way was announced to Judea, who, having laid waste to the whole land, killed those who were captured, and carried off women and children to their own land. But with the attack announced beforehand and about to happen, such great terror came upon the Jews and they fell into such anguish, that they hid in caves and in the clefts of the mountains and occupied impassable places, every hand of theirs being too weak to resist the attackers. But this: Cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for of what account is he? is given as an addition. The word seems to exhort not to pay attention to them nor 'to hope in men' who are mortal, possessing their entire life in their nostrils. 1.29 What has been said before was concerning 'the day of vengeance', but what lies before us, from a different starting point, threatens the removal of the spiritual gifts among the former people of God, which it says will be taken from them, not because of idolatry nor because of any other deeds, but because of one truly godless and impious and wicked counsel against the Lord. See, then, how after all the threats against them he adds, saying: 'They have proclaimed and made manifest their sin like that of Sodom. Woe to their soul, for they have devised a wicked counsel against themselves, saying: "Let us bind the righteous one, for he is useless to us"'; for this was the cause of all the things threatened. And from these things I think it is indisputably established that these things reached their fulfillment after the saving advent. Therefore, the Lord says he will take away from Jerusalem and from Judea the mighty man and the mighty woman, or according to Aquila, stay and support, or according to Symmachus: reinforcement and buttress. which you will understand from the apostolic word, which named those who were distinguished in a life according to God 'pillars and a foundation'; for certainly there were also among the former people some who were like 'foundations' and supports of their whole nation, whom the word threatens will be taken from them, then not bread nor water, but the strength of bread and the strength of water. And this too you will understand from another prophet who said: 'Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord'. There is, therefore, a certain nourishing word as bread for the soul, and likewise a spiritual drink, of which, even if the Jews think they have partaken in studying the divine scriptures and taking pride in their studies and professions, yet the strength of the nourishing words and the nourishment of the life-giving spring you would not find among them. And he threatens that a giant and a mighty man and a diviner will be taken away from them; neither the Hebrew text nor the other interpreters named a giant. But instead of this, Aquila has 'powerful', Symmachus 'valiant', and Theodotion has rendered 'ruler'. Therefore, a ruler and a powerful man, and in addition to these, also a man of war and a judge, for which the others have put 'arbiter', and above all, he threatens that a prophet and a diviner will be removed. And from these things I think it is indisputably established that these things reached their fulfillment after the saving advent; if, at any rate, someone should wish, by straining, during the times of Isaiah the

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δύνασθαι ἐπικουρεῖν. διὸ πᾶς μὲν ἄνθρωπος εἰδωλολάτρης τεταπείνωται, μόνος δὲ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ὕψωται κύριος, οἱ δὲ τὸ πρὶν ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰδώλοις ὡς ἐπὶ θεοῖς μέγα φρονοῦντες ἐλεγχθείσης αὐτῶν τῆς πλάνης καὶ τῆς πολυτελοῦς ὕλης τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς ξοάνων ἀφαιρουμένης τὰ ἄψυχα ξόανα κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν κατακρύπτον ὑπὸ σπήλαια διὰ τὸ τῆς ὕλης πολυτελὲς ὡς ἂν μὴ ληφθείη ὑπὸ τῶν βασιλικῶν ἀνδρῶν. καὶ ἐκ τούτων δὲ ἀναμφιλέκτως οἶμαι συνίστασθαι τὸ μετὰ τὴν σωτήριον παρουσίαν ταῦτα τέλους τετυχηκέναι. εἰδωλολατρούσης τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ μᾶλλον δὲ ἁπάσης πεπλανημένης τῆς Ἰουδαίας κατηχεῖτο τρόπον τινὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ὁ Βαβυλωνίων πόλεμος, οἳ πᾶσαν καταδῃώσαντες ἀπεκτείνασι μὲν τοὺς κατειλημμένους, γύναιά τε καὶ παῖδας ἀπεκόμισαν εἰς τὴν ἑαυτῶν γῆν. πλὴν τῆς ἐφόδου προαπηγγελμένης καὶ μελλούσης ἔσεσθαι, τοσοῦτον τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις γέγονε δεῖμα καὶ ἀγωνίας εἰς τοῦτο πεπτώκασιν, ὡς ἐν σπηλαίοις καὶ ταῖς τῶν ὀρῶν ῥωγμαῖς κατακρύπτεσθαι καὶ τόπους ἀβάτους καταλαμβάνειν ἁπάσης αὐτῶν ἀτονούσης χειρὸς τὴν τῶν ἐπιόντων ἀντίστασιν. Τὸ δέ· παύσασθε ὑμῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ᾧ ἡ ἀναπνοὴ ἐν μυκτῆρι αὐτοῦ· ὅτι ἐν τίνι ἐλογίσθη αὐτός; κατὰ προσθήκην φέρεται. ἔοικεν δὲ παραινεῖν ὁ λόγος μὴ προσέχειν ἐκείνοις μηδὲ «εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἐλπίζειν» θνητοὺς τὴν πᾶσαν ζωὴν ἐν τοῖς μυκτῆρσιν κεκτημένους. 1.29 Τὰ μὲν προλεχθέντα περὶ «τῆς ἡμέρας τῆς ἐκδικήσεως» εἴρηται, τὰ δὲ προκείμενα ἐξ ἑτέρας ἀρχῆς περιαίρεσιν ἀπειλεῖ τῶν ἐν τῷ προτέρῳ λαῷ τοῦ θεοῦ χαρισμάτων, ἅ φησιν ἀρθήσεσθαι ἀπ' αὐτῶν, οὔτε διὰ εἰδωλολατρίας οὔτε διά τινας ἑτέρας πράξεις, διὰ δὲ μίαν βουλὴν ἄθεον ἀληθῶς καὶ ἀσεβῆ καὶ πονηρὰν τὴν κατὰ τοῦ κυρίου. θέα γοῦν ὅπως μετὰ πάσας τὰς κατ' αὐτῶν ἀπειλὰς ἐπάγει λέγων· «τὴν δὲ ἁμαρτίαν αὐτῶν ὡς Σοδόμων ἀνήγγειλαν καὶ ἐνεφάνισαν. οὐαὶ τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν, ὅτι βεβούλευνται βουλὴν πονηρὰν καθ' ἑαυτῶν εἰπόντες· ∆ήσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον, ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστιν»· τὸ γὰρ αἴτιον τῶν ἀπειλουμένων ἁπάντων τοῦτο ἦν. καὶ ἐκ τούτων δὲ ἀναμφιλέκτως οἶμαι συνίστασθαι τὸ μετὰ τὴν σωτήριον παρουσίαν ταῦτα τέλους τετυχηκέναι. διὸ ἀφελεῖ φησι κύριος ἀπὸ Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἰσχύοντα καὶ ἰσχύουσαν, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν ἔρεισμα καὶ ἐρεισμόν, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· στήριγμα καὶ στηριγμόν. ὅπερ νοήσεις τὸν ἀποστολικὸν λόγον, ὃς τοὺς βίῳ τῷ κατὰ θεὸν ἐμπρέποντας «στύλους καὶ ἑδραίωμα» ὠνόμασε· πάντως γάρ που καὶ παρὰ τῷ προτέρῳ λαῷ ἦσάν τινες ὥσπερ «ἑδραιώματα» καὶ στηρίγματα τοῦ παντὸς αὐτῶν ἔθνους, οὓς ἀρθήσεσθαι ἀπ' αὐτῶν ὁ λόγος ἀπειλεῖ, ἔπειτα οὐκ ἄρτον οὐδὲ ὕδωρ, ἀλλὰ ἰσχὺν ἄρτου καὶ ἰσχὺν ὕδατος. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ νοήσεις ἀπὸ ἑτέρου προφήτου φήσαντος· «ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, λέγει κύριος, καὶ ἀποστελῶ λιμὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, οὐ λιμὸν ἄρτου οὐδὲ δίψαν ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ λιμὸν τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λόγον κυρίου». ἔστιν οὖν ψυχῆς ἄρτος θρεπτικός τις λόγος καὶ ποτὸν ὡσαύτως λογικόν, ὧν εἰ καὶ νομίζουσιν Ἰουδαῖοι μετειληφέναι ἐν τῷ τὰς θείας μετέρχεσθαι γραφὰς καὶ περὶ τὰς ἐκμαθήσεις καὶ ἐπαγγελίας αὐτῶν φιλοκαλεῖν, ἀλλά γε τὴν ἰσχὺν τῶν θρεπτικῶν λόγων καὶ τὸ θρεπτικὸν τῆς ζωοποιοῦ πηγῆς οὐκ ἂν εὕροις παρ' αὐτοῖς. καὶ γίγαντα δὲ καὶ ἰσχύοντα καὶ ἄνθρωπον στοχαστὴν ἀφαιρεθήσεσθαι αὐτῶν ἀπειλεῖ· γίγαντα οὔτε ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ φωνὴ οὔτε οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ ὠνόμασαν. ἀντὶ δὲ τούτου ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας δυνατόν, ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος ἀνδρεῖον, ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων δυνάστην ἐκδέδωκαν. καὶ δυνάστην οὖν καὶ δυνατὸν καὶ ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις καὶ ἄνδρα πολεμιστὴν καὶ δικαστήν, ἀνθ' οὗ οἱ λοιποὶ πεποιήκασι κριτήν, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν προφήτην καὶ στοχαστὴν περιαιρεθήσεσθαι ἀπειλεῖ. καὶ ἐκ τούτων δὲ οἶμαι ἀναμφιλέκτως συνίστασθαι τὸ μετὰ τὴν σωτήριον παρουσίαν ταῦτα τέλους τετυχηκέναι· εἰ γοῦν τις θελήσειεν βιασάμενος κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους Ἠσαΐου τοῦ