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boasting in wealth, he says, or even more precious than gold, how were they thus likened to the worthless and shattered, having been led away into slavery? And he said that they were likened to these things also when, having gone down “to the potter’s house,” he took a vessel and shattered it. And Isaiah also likens them to a fallen city, saying, “and its ruins will be like the fragments of an earthen vessel.”

95 He speaks of the famine of the noble infants, how Jerusalem was not even able, like the wild animals, to offer them the breast. The excess of suffering also produces a forgetting of nature. You will hear “dragons” or, according to Symmachus, “Sirens,” meaning the evil spirits that have nursed their own infants with wicked milk. Such are those introduced to the teachings of the impious.

96 For how are the effeminate not daughters, whom Pharaoh also spares, while killing the males? They who also feed on the teaching that is bereft of God, unable to fly away like the ostriches, but always running over the ground? For Symmachus has rendered it thus, “sparrow,” and he not unreasonably called their teachers “Sirens.” For according to the pagan myth, these destroyed those who approached them through pleasure, just as dragons do, having bitten with venom. He reproaches, therefore, the supposedly good teachers, because they have not been as diligent concerning their students as these are.

97 They have suffered these things, being besieged and led away. You might also say that “they endured a famine not of bread, nor of water,” according to the prophetic oracle, “but of hearing the word of the Lord.” Therefore, he prophesies concerning their infants.

98 Historically, he returned to the events of the captivity, but in a spiritual sense, he speaks of the famine of the word of teaching.

99 For the poor who are mistreated are not so pitiable. Paul also laments for these, saying “whose is the adoption and the glory.” For now, meditating on empty things, they do not delight in Moses and the prophets, as in “delight yourself in the Lord.” For no one for them digests the nourishing word, nor do they partake of the fatted calf, though they themselves have sacrificed it. He calls “thoroughfares” the dispersions or even the perversions of the legal letters.

100 They were formerly nursed in scarlet, prophetically hearing beforehand of the blood of the Savior that was to be shed, and now wearing rags from earthly thoughts.

101 Symmachus rendered “as if with haste,” “suddenly,” and “they did not labor,” “which they did not wound.” For what is more concise than the divine word which said, “Behold, your house is left to you desolate,” and handed it over by merely willing it? The iniquity of Jerusalem was magnified beyond that of Sodom. The latter had only the natural law, but the former had also the written law and the prophets and all the wonders God worked among them. And those sinned against angels and fellow human beings; but these sinned against the Savior and Redeemer, formerly from Egypt, and now from the worship of demons, if indeed they had received him who came to them first. “For I was not sent,” he says, “except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

102 Symmachus: Her undefiled separated ones are whiter than snow, brighter than milk, ruddier in appearance than precious stones, their limbs are sapphire, their form is darker than soot. He speaks of those who have consecrated themselves to God. For “Nazirites” means “consecrated ones,” for thus Symmachus and Theodotion in Amos rendered “the consecrated ones,” saying “Nazirites.” Moses also mentions these; such a one was also Samson. They were also prominent among the Jews. Therefore he compared their purity to snow, and their brightness to milk; and they were fired by discipline, having been tested in what they promised to God, and their chosen ones (which the fragment indicates) have a heavenly citizenship; for such is the color of sapphire. It also has veins of gold, to which Symmachus likens their condition, having what is incorruptible and what is fiery in piety.

103 They fell from the spiritual radiance and were melted away by the spiritual famine, so as to resemble dry wood, those not

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κομῶντες ἐπὶ πλούτῳ, φησίν, ἢ καὶ χρυσίου τιμιώτεροι πῶς οὕτω τοῖς εὐτελέσι καὶ συντριβομένοις ἀπαχθέντες εἰς δουλείαν εἰκάσθησαν; ἔφη δὲ τούτοις αὐτοὺς ἀπεικάζεσθαι καὶ ἡνίκα κατελ θὼν «εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ κεραμέως» λαβὼν ἀγγεῖον συνέτριψεν. ἀπει κάζει δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ Ἡσαΐας πόλει πεσούσῃ, «καὶ τὰ πτώματα» λέγων «αὐτῆς ἔσται ὡς συντρίμματα ἀγγείου ὀστρακίνου». 95 Περὶ λιμοῦ τῶν ἐνδόξων λέγει βρεφῶν, ὡς τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ μηδὲ τοῖς ἀγρίοις ζώοις ὁμοίως θηλὴν αὐτοῖς προτεῖναι δεδυνημένης. ἡ δὲ τοῦ πάθους ὑπερβολὴ καὶ φύσεως λήθην ἐργάζεται. δράκοντας δὲ ἢ καὶ τὰς κατὰ Σύμμαχον Σειρῆνας ἀκούσει τὰ πονηρὰ πνεύ ματα, τὰ τοὺς ἑαυτῶν νεογνοὺς πονηρῷ θηλάσαντα γάλακτι. τοι οῦτοι δὲ οἱ ταῖς διδασκαλίαις τῶν ἀσεβῶν εἰσαγόμενοι. 96 Πῶς γὰρ οὐ θυγατέρες οἱ ἐκτεθηλυμμένοι, οὓς καὶ Φαραὼ περι ποιεῖται, φονεύων τοὺς ἄρρενας; οἳ καὶ τὴν διδασκαλίαν, τὴν ἔρη μον θεοῦ, καταβόσκονται, ἀποπτῆναι κατὰ τοὺς στρουθοκαμή λους μὴ δυνάμενοι, ἀλλὰ τὴν γῆν ἀεὶ διαθέοντες; τὸ γὰρ στρουθίον οὕτως ἐξέδωκε Σύμμαχος, τοὺς δὲ τούτων διδασκάλους οὐκ ἀπεικότως Σειρῆνας ἐκάλεσεν. κατὰ γὰρ τὸν ἔξω μῦθον αὗται διὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς τοὺς προστυχόντας ἀπώλλυον, ὥσπερ οὖν τὸν ἰὸν ἐνδακόντες οἱ δράκοντες . ὀνειδίζει τοίνυν τοῖς δῆθεν ἀγαθοῖς διδασκάλοις, ὅτι μηδὲ τούτοις ὁμοίως περὶ τοὺς φοιτῶντας ἐσπούδασαν. 97 Ταῦτα πεπόνθασι πολιορκούμενοί τε καὶ ἀπαγόμενοι. λέγοις δ' ἂν καὶ ὡς «λιμὸν ὑπέμειναν οὐκ ἄρτου, οὐχ ὕδατος» κατὰ τὸ λόγιον τὸ προφητικόν, «ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λόγον κυρίου». διὸ περὶ τῶν νεογνῶν αὐτῶν προφητεύει. 98 Ἱστορικῶς μὲν ἐπανῆλθεν ἐπὶ τὰ συμβάντα ἐπὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας, πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν περὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ τοῦ διδασκαλικοῦ λόγου φησίν. 99 Οὐ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἐλεεινὸν οἱ πένητες οἱ κακούμενοι. τούτους δὲ θρηνεῖ καὶ Παῦλος, «ὧν ἡ υἱοθεσία» λέγων «καὶ ἡ δόξα». κενὰ γὰρ νῦν μελετῶντες οὐκ ἐντρυφῶσι Μωσεῖ τε καὶ τοῖς προφήταις, ὡς τὸ «κατατρύφησον τῷ κυρίῳ». οὐδεὶς γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὁ πέττων τὸν τρόφιμον λόγον, οὐδὲ τοῦ σιτευτοῦ μεταλαμβάνουσι μόσχου καίπερ αὐτοὶ τεθυκότες. διεξόδους δὲ καλεῖ τὰς διασπορὰς ἢ καὶ τὰς τῶν νομικῶν γραμμάτων παρατροπάς. 100 Ἐτιθηνοῦντο τὸ πρὶν ἐπὶ κόκκου , τὸ μέλλον ἐκχεῖσθαι τοῦ σωτῆρος αἷμα προφητικῶς προακούοντες, καὶ νῦν ἐκ τῶν γηΐνων νοημάτων ῥακοδυτοῦντες. 101 Σύμμαχος τὸ μὲν ὥσπερ σπουδή, ἐξαπίνης ἐξέδωκε, τὸ δὲ οὐκ ἐπόνεσαν, ἣν οὐκ ἔτρωσαν . τί γὰρ θείου συντομώτερον λόγου φήσαντος· «ἰδοὺ ἀφίεται ὑμῖν ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν ἔρημος» καὶ μόνῳ παραδόντος τῷ βούλεσθαι; ἡ ἀνομία δὲ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὑπὲρ τὴν Σοδόμων ἐμεγαλύνθη . οἱ μὲν τὸν φυσικὸν νόμον εἶχον μόνον, οἱ δὲ καὶ γραπτὸν καὶ προφήτας ὅσα τε παραδόξως ὁ θεὸς ἠργάζετο ἐν αὐτοῖς. κἀκεῖνοι μὲν ἥμαρτον εἰς ἀγγέλους καὶ τοὺς ὁμοίους ἀν θρώπους· οὗτοι δὲ εἰς τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ λυτρωτὴν πάλαι μὲν ἐξ Αἰ γύπτου, νῦν δὲ δαιμόνων λατρείας, εἴπερ ἐδέξαντο τὸν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐλθόντα προηγουμένως. «οὐκ ἀπεστάλην» γάρ φησιν «εἰ μὴ εἰς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ». 102 Σύμμαχος· ἄχραντοι ἀφωρισμένοι αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ χιόνα, λαμ πρότεροι γάλακτος, πυρρότεροι τὴν ἕξιν ὑπὲρ τὰ περί βλεπτα, σάπφιρος τὰ μέλη αὐτῶν, σκοτεινότερον ἀσβόλης τὸ εἶδος αὐτῶν . τοὺς ἁγιάσαντας ἑαυτούς φησι τῷ θεῷ· Ἡγια σμένοι γὰρ τὸ Ναζιραῖοι δηλοῖ, οὕτω γὰρ Σύμμαχος καὶ Θεοδοτίων ἐν τῷ Ἀμὼς τοὺς ἡγιασμένους ἐξέδωκαν, Ναζιραίους εἰπόντες. μέ μνηται τούτων καὶ Μωσῆς· ὁποῖος ἦν καὶ Σαμψών. ἦσαν δὲ καὶ παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις ἐπιφανεῖς. διὸ τὸ μὲν καθαρὸν αὐτῶν ἀντεξήτασε χιόνι , τὸ δὲ λαμπρὸν γάλακτι· ἐπυρώθησαν δὲ τῇ ἀσκήσει δοκιμα σθέντες ὧν ἐπηγγέλλοντο τῷ θεῷ, οἱ ἐκλεκτοὶ δὲ αὐτῶν (ὃ δηλοῖ τὸ ἀπόσπασμα ) πολιτείαν οὐράνιον ἔχουσιν· τοιοῦτον γὰρ τῆς σαπφίρου τὸ χρῶμα. ἔχει δὲ καὶ χρυσιζούσας φλέβας, αἷς δὴ τὴν ἕξιν αὐτῶν ὁ Σύμμαχος ἀπεικάζει, τὸ ἀδιάφθορον ἔχουσαν καὶ τὸ διάπυρον κατὰ θεοσέβειαν. 103 Τῆς πνευματικῆς ἐξέπεσαν ἐλλάμψεως καὶ λιμῷ τῷ νοητῷ δι ετάκησαν, ὡς ἐοικέναι ξύλοις ξηροῖς , τοῖς μὴ