13

to say, that We enjoyed good things, but we were in dishonor. Just as an ornament is to the bride, so was I to the people, so that it was difficult to forget. *That is, people pursue things that lead to good order. And a bride loves her adornment, as she is beautified by it, and a maiden holds fast to her breastband, as it has seemliness; but the people, having received from me both adornment and seemliness, and having enjoyed no ordinary glory—calling the ordinance of the laws adornment and seemliness, according to which they lawfully appear to be in ordinances different from the rest, being strangers to all greed and wickedness, being taught gentleness and love for humanity, and glory as from the help of God all things submitting, and marveling at the providence of God toward them—having therefore enjoyed so many things from me, they became forgetful of my good deeds. What good thing will you yet practice in your ways to seek love? *That is, what things will you be able to do to blot out your sins, and show her pure, so as to be deemed worthy of my love. Not so, that is, not even by doing many things, are you able to wash away the multitude of sins. But you too acted wickedly to defile your ways. That is, you made this your aim, as if striving and practicing to become unclean, thus you have done all things. She therefore had such zeal, what such thing did you about her? And yet, leaving aside all other things, see what he puts forth: in your hands was found the blood of innocent souls. I did not find them in holes dug in the ground. Ezekiel also says this, This is beyond all your wickedness, that they sacrificed their sons, and 64.777 they made war against their own nature. I say nothing yet, that it was to demons, but that having nothing to accuse, and the terrible thing not even in secret, nor by the law of robbery, but in the manner of piety the terrible things were done, under the pretext of sanctification murders were performed or were dared. And you said, I am innocent. The shamelessness concerning sins, which especially is able to kindle the wrath of God, the not even recognizing their own faults. But let his anger be turned away from me. What do you say, am I angry in vain or am I harsh without reason? Therefore I defend myself, because you have greatly despised me. Behold I am judged with you in your saying: I have not sinned. As if, if you had not added this, I would not have been judged; Do you see that this is what makes me condemn you, and despise you? you have placed me in this necessity, you have become the cause of the judgment, you judge this accusation, so that I might defend myself I extend these long words, and he did not say, I accuse you; but, I am judged with you, I stand up for myself, I advocate for myself, so that I would not even have been judged, not only would I not have accused, if you had not said this, since you wish to make me liable to the charge. Because you despised to repeat your ways. Nor for the first, or, former sins do I now call you to account, you have set upon the same again. And I would not even have considered this a charge, if you had not again attempted the same things, not from being overcome by passions, but from being slothful. Do you see that it is not sinning that provokes God, but falling into the same things, and out of contempt not turning back, since this is also accustomed to provoke us in turn. And you will be put to shame by Egypt as you were put to shame by Assur. Either because they were ungrateful, or were shown to be weak, and the Persian prevailed. Not because of the ingratitude of the Egyptians or Assyrians, but because of God's abandonment the whole thing happened, that is, He has thrust away your good things, your expectation. Her hope was the Egyptians themselves; God rejected it, and it did not prosper. Why? because they did not hope in security, Cursed is the man who hopes in man. Do you see how he does all things, putting them under the necessity of hoping in

13

εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Ἀγαθῶν μὲν ἀπελαύομεν, ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ δὲ ἦμεν. Ὥσπερ τῇ νύμφῃ κόσμος, κἀγὼ τῷ λαῷ, ὥστε δύσκολον ἦν τὸ ἐπιλαθέσθαι. *Τουτέστι, τὰ πρὸς εὐκοσμίαν διώκουσιν ἄνθρωποι. Καὶ νύμφη μὲν ἀγαπᾷ τὸν κόσμον, ὡς ὡραϊζομένη ἐξ αὐτοῦ, παρθένος δὲ τῆς στηθοδεσμίδος ἀντέχεται, ὡς εὐπρέπειαν ἐχούσης· ὁ δὲ λαὸς, καὶ κόσμον, καὶ εὐπρέπειαν ἐσχηκὼς παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δόξης οὐ τῆς τυχούσης ἀπολαύσας, κόσμον μὲν καὶ εὐπρέπειαν καλέσας τῶν νομίμων τὴν διάταξιν, καθ' ἣν νομίμως τῶν λοιπῶν ἄλλων φαίνονται ἐν διατάγμασιν ὄντες, πάσης μὲν πλεονεξίας καὶ κακίας ἀλλότριοι τυγχάνοντες, ἡμερότητα καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν παιδευόμενοι, δόξαν δὲ ὡς ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ βοηθείας πάντων ὑποκυπτόντων, καὶ θαυμαζόντων τὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς κηδεμονίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοσούτων τοίνυν ἀπολαύσαντες παρ' ἐμοῦ, λήθην τῶν ἐμῶν εὐεργεσιῶν ἐποιοῦντο. Τί ἔτι καλὸν ἐπιτηδεύσεις ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς σου τοῦ ζητῆσαι ἀγάπησιν; *Τουτέστι, πόσα ποιήσασα δυνήσῃ ἐξαλεῖψαι τὰ ἁμαρτήματά σου, καὶ δεῖξαι αὐτὴν καθαρὰν, ὥστε τῆς παρ' ἐμοῦ ἀγάπης ἀξιωθῆναι. Οὐχ οὕτως, τουτέστιν, οὐδὲ πολλὰ ποιήσασα, δύνῃ ἐκπλῦναι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὸ πλῆθος. Ἀλλὰ καὶ σὺ ἐπονηρεύσω τοῦ μιᾶναι τὰς ὁδούς σου. Τουτέστιν, σπουδὴν ἔθου ταύτην, ὥσπερ φιλονεικοῦσα καὶ ἐπιτηδεύουσα ἀκάθαρτος γενέσθαι, οὕτω πάντα πεποίηκας. Αὕτη τοίνυν σπουδὴν ἔσχε τοιαύτην, τί τοιοῦτον σὺ περὶ αὐτῆς; Καίτοι πάντα τὰ ἄλλα παραλιπὼν, ὅρα ποῖον τίθησιν, ἐν χερσί σου εὑρέθη αἵματα ψυχῶν ἀθώων. Οὐκ ἐν διορύγμασιν εὗρον αὐτούς. Τοῦτο καὶ Ἰεζεκιήλ φησι, Τοῦτο ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν τὴν πονηρίαν σου, ὅτι τοὺς υἱοὺς ἔθυον, καὶ τὴν φύ 64.777 σιν ἐξεπολέμωσαν πρὸς ἑαυτούς. Οὐδὲν οὐδέπω λέγω, ὅτι δαίμοσιν, ἀλλ' ὅτι μηδὲν ἔχοντες ἐγκαλεῖν, καὶ τὸ δεινὸν οὐδὲ λάθρα, οὐδὲ νόμῳ λῃστείας, ἀλλὰ τρόπῳ εὐσεβείας ἐδρᾶτο τὰ δεινὰ, ἐπὶ προσχήματι ἁγιαστείας μιαιφονίαι ἐτελοῦντο ἄλλ'. ἐτολμῶντο. Καὶ εἶπας ἀθῶός εἰμι. Τὸ ἀναίσχυντον τὸ περὶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, ὃ μάλιστα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ὀργὴν ἐκκαίειν δύναται, τὸ μηδὲ ἐπιγινώσκειν τὰ ἑαυτῶν πλημμελήματα. Ἀλλὰ ἀποστραφήτω ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. Τί λέγεις, μάτην ὀργίζομαι ἢ εἰκῆ χαλεπαίνω; Οὐκοῦν ἀπολογοῦμαι ὑπὲρ ἐμαυτοῦ, ὅτι κατεφρόνησας σφόδρα. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ κρίνομαι πρὸς σὲ ἐν τῷ λέγειν σε· Οὐχ ἥμαρτον Ὡς εἰ μὴ τοῦτο προσέθηκας, οὐκ ἂν ἐκρίθην· Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ποιοῦν με καταδικάζειν καταψηφιεῖν σε, καὶ καταφρονεῖν σου; σύ με κατέστησας εἰς τὴν ἀνάγκην ταύτην, σὺ τῆς δίκης αἴτιος γέγονας, σὺ τὴν κατηγορίαν ταύτην κρίνεις, ἵνα ἀπολογήσωμαι ὑπὲρ ἐμαυτοῦ τοὺς μακροὺς τούτους ἀποτείνεις ἀποτείνω λόγους, καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Κατηγορῶ σου· ἀλλὰ, Κρίνομαι πρὸς σὲ, ἐμαυτοῦ προΐσταμαι, ἐμαυτῷ συνδικῶ, ὥστε οὐδ' ἂν ἐκρίθην, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἂν κατηγόρησα, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἔλεγες, ἐπειδή με ὑπεύθυνον ἐγκλήματι βούλει ποιῆσαι. Ὅτι κατεφρόνησας τοῦ δευτερῶσαι τὰς ὁδούς σου. Οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς πρώτοις ἄλλ. προτέροις σε εὐθύνω νῦν ἁμαρτήμασι, τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπέθου πάλιν. Καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἔγκλημα ἂν ἐθέμην, εἰ μὴ πάλιν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπεχείρεις, οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ νικᾶσθαι πάθεσι, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ ῥᾳθυμεῖν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ παροξύνον τὸν Θεὸν τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν, ἀλλὰ τὸ τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπίπτειν, καὶ καταφρονοῦντας μὴ ἐπιστρέφεσθαι, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμᾶς τοῦτο πάλιν παροξύνειν εἴωθε. Καὶ ἀπὸ Αἰγύπτου καταισχυνθήσῃ καθὼς κατῃσχύνθης Ἀσσούρ. Ἤτοι ἀγνωμονησάντων ἐκείνων, ἤτοι ἀσθενῶν ἀποδειχθέντων, καὶ τοῦ Πέρσου κρατήσαντος. Οὐ τῆς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἢ Ἀσσυρίων ἀγνωμοσύνης, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγκαταλείψεως τὸ πᾶν γέγονε, τουτέστι τὰ ἀγαθά σου τὴν προσδοκίαν σου ἀπώσατο. Ἡ ἐλπὶς αὐτῆς αὐτοῖς Αἰγύπτιοι ἦσαν· ἀπώσατο αὐτὴν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ οὐκ εὐωδώθη. ∆ιατί; ὅτι οὐκ ἐπ' ἀσφάλειαν ἤλπισαν, Ἐπικατάρατος ἄνθρωπος ὁ ἐλπίζων ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον. Ὁρᾷς πῶς τὰ πάντα ποιεῖ εἰς ἀνάγκην καθιστὰς αὐτοὺς τοῦ ἐλπίσαι ἐπ'