18

2. A fourth part you will burn with fire in the midst of the city, when the days of your siege are completed, and you will take the fourth part, and you will burn it in the midst of it, and the fourth part you will strike with a sword round about it, and the fourth part you will scatter to the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them. He himself interprets these things shortly after, and calls it fire, and famine, and death; for this reason he commanded two fourths to be given over to the fire, as both this and that, in the manner of fire, consume men; and by the sword he signified the attack of the enemies, and the slaughters to be committed by them; and the scattering, the captivity and the coming dispersion, about which he added: "And I will draw out a sword after them;" for after they became captives of the spear, they endured countless kinds of deaths. 81.864 3, 4. And you will take from there, he says, a few in number, and you will bind them up in the skirt of your robe. And from these you will take yet more, and you will cast them into the midst of the fire, and you will burn them in the fire; from it fire will go out into all the house of Israel. And by these things he signifies those who were left behind, whom Nebuzaradan the chief cook left behind with Gedaliah, who were again consumed in various ways; now being killed by one another, now fleeing to Egypt, and not departing from impiety. And the prophecy of Jeremiah teaches us this clearly. And the phrase, "From it fire will go out into all the house of Israel," alludes both to the indignation of the Babylonian that occurred then, and the destruction brought upon them in Egypt; but it also prefigures the seditions that occurred after the return in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, because of which they fell into those countless calamities. But especially it foretells the madness against the Lord Christ, and their complete destruction which happened after the cross, and their dispersion into the whole world. After you have done these things, he says, also state the reasons for the punishment. 5, 6. Thus says the Lord Adonai: This is Jerusalem, I have set it in the midst of the nations, and the countries round about it; and you will say, she has changed my judgments into lawlessness more than the nations round about her. Because they have rejected my judgments, and they have not walked in my statutes. The God of all chose the nation of the Jews, wishing through them to benefit all men; therefore He also gave them a law separating them from all, so that from this they might have their distinction; and He gave them a place for a habitation in the middle of the inhabited world; for to the east and north they had Asia, and to the west Europe, joined by the sea; and from the south, Libya. For into these three parts the sons of Noah also divided the inhabited world. "I have therefore set Jerusalem," says God, "in the midst of the nations, so that they might draw benefit from it, and learn from them all piety and good law; but it has done the very opposite; for not only did it not share with them the good law given by Me, but it even partook of their impiety. 7, 8. For this reason, thus says the Lord Adonai: Because your form is from the nations round about you, you have not walked in my statutes, and have not kept my judgments, nor even have you acted according to the judgments of the nations round about you. For this reason, thus says 81.865 the Lord Adonai, behold, I am against you, and I will execute judgment in your midst in the sight of the nations. For since you have taken on the character of the nations, and have been mixed up in their practices, and have despised my judgments and statutes, and using an excess of lawlessness you have surpassed the nations in impiety, from whom you learned it; for this reason I will judge you openly, with the nations watching the tribunal, and hearing the sentence; so that since they were not benefited by your good law, they may at least draw benefit from your punishment. 9. And I will do in you what I have not done, and I will not do the like again, because of all your abominations. Then he teaches what are the

18

βʹ. Τὸ τέταρτον ἐν πυρὶ κατακαύσεις ἐν μέσῃ τῇ πόλει, κατὰ τὴν συμπλήρωσιν τῶν ἡμερῶν τοῦ συγκλεισμοῦ σου, καὶ λήψῃ τὸ τέταρτον, καὶ κατακαύσεις ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς, καὶ τὸ τέταρτον κατακόψεις ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ κύκλῳ αὐτῆς, καὶ τὸ τέταρτον διασκορπιεῖς τῷ πνεύ ματι, καὶ μάχαιραν ἐκκενώσω ὀπίσω αὐτῶν. Ταῦτα αὐτὸς ἑρμηνεύει μετὰ βραχέα, καὶ καλεῖ πῦρ, καὶ τὸν λιμὸν, καὶ τὸν θάνατον· διὸ τὰ δύο τέταρτα προσέταξε τῷ πυρὶ παραδοθῆναι, ὡς καὶ τούτου κἀ κείνου δίκην πυρὸς ἐπινεμομένου τοὺς ἀνθρώπους· διὰ δὲ τῆς ῥομφαίας τὴν τῶν πολεμίων ἔφοδον ἐσή μανε, καὶ τὰς ὑπ' ἐκείνων ἐσομένας σφαγάς· τὸν δὲ διασκορπισμὸν τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν καὶ τὴν ἐσομένην διασπορὰν, περὶ ὧν ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ μάχαιραν ἐκ κενώσω ὀπίσω αὐτῶν·" καὶ γὰρ μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι δορυάλωτοι μυρία θανάτων ὑπέμειναν εἴδη. 81.864 γʹ, δʹ. Καὶ λήψῃ, φησὶν, ἐκεῖθεν ὀλίγους ἐν ἀριθμῷ, καὶ συμπεριλήψῃ αὐτοὺς τῇ ἀναβολῇ σου. Καὶ ἐκ τούτων λήψῃ ἔτι, καὶ ῥίψεις αὐτοὺς ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ πυρὸς, καὶ κατακαύσεις αὐτοὺς ἐν πυρί· ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐξελεύσεται πῦρ εἰς πάντα οἶκον Ἰσραήλ. Σημαίνει δὲ διὰ τούτων τοὺς ὑπο λειφθέντας, οὓς Ναβουζαρδᾶν ὁ ἀρχιμάγειρος κατ έλιπε μετὰ Γοδολίου, οἳ πάλιν διαφόρως κατηναλώ θησαν· νῦν μὲν ὑπ' ἀλλήλων ἀναιρούμενοι, νῦν δὲ εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἀποδιδράσκοντες, καὶ τῆς ἀσεβείας οὐκ ἀφιστάμενοι. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς ἡμᾶς ἡ τοῦ Ἱερε μίου προφητεία διδάσκει. Τὸ δὲ, "Ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐξ ελεύσεται πῦρ εἰς πάντα οἶκον Ἰσραὴλ," αἰνίττεται μὲν καὶ τὴν τότε γενομένην ἀγανάκτησιν τοῦ Βα βυλωνίου, καὶ τὸν ἐπενεχθέντα αὐτοῖς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ὄλεθρον· προσημαίνει δὲ καὶ τὰς μετὰ τὴν ἐπάν οδον ἐπὶ Ἀντιόχου τοῦ Ἐπιφανοῦς γενομένας στάσεις, δι' ἃς ταῖς μυρίαις ἐκείναις περιέπεσον συμ φοραῖς. ∆ιαφερόντως δὲ προαγορεύει τὴν κατὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ μανίαν, καὶ τὴν μετὰ τὸν σταυ ρὸν γενομένην αὐτῶν πανωλεθρίαν, καὶ εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην διασποράν. Ταῦτα, φησὶ, ποιήσας, εἰπὲ καὶ τῆς τιμωρίας τὰς αἰτίας. εʹ, ϛʹ. Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Αὕτη Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐθνῶν τέθεικα αὐτὴν, καὶ τὰς κύκλῳ αὐτῆς χώρας· καὶ ἐρεῖς, ἤλ λαξε τὰ δικαιώματά μου εἰς ἀνομίαν ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν κύκλῳ αὐτῆς. ∆ιότι τὰ δικαιώματά μου ἀπώσαντο αὐτὰ, καὶ ἐν τοῖς νομίμοις μου οὐκ ἐπορεύθησαν ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἐξελέξατο ἔθνος, διὰ τούτων ἅπαντας ἀν θρώπους εὐεργετῆσαι βουλόμενος· διὸ καὶ νόμον αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ πάντων αὐτοὺς διορίζοντα δέδωκεν, ἵνα κἀντεῦθεν τὸ ἐπίσημον ἔχωσιν· ἔδωκε δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ τόπον εἰς οἰκητήριον τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ μέσα· πρὸς ἕω μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἄρκτον τὴν Ἀσίαν εἶχον, πρὸς ἑσπέ ραν δὲ τὴν Εὐρώπην διὰ τῆς θαλάσσης συναπτομέ νην· ἀπὸ δὲ νότου τὴν Λιβύην. Εἰς ταῦτα γὰρ τρία τμήματα καὶ οἱ τοῦ Νῶε παῖδες τὴν οἰκουμένην διεί λοντο. "Τέθεικα τοίνυν τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, φησὶν ὁ Θεὸς, ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐθνῶν, ἵν' ἐκεῖνοι τὴν ἀπὸ ταύτης ὠφέλειαν ἑλκύσωσιν, καὶ πᾶσαν εὐσέβειαν καὶ εὐνομίαν παρ' αὐτοῖς μεταμάθωσιν· αὕτη δὲ πᾶν τοὐναντίον πεποίηκεν· οὐ γὰρ μόνον αὐτοῖς τῆς παρ' ἐμοῦ δοθείσης εὐνομίας οὐ μετέδωκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἐκείνων δυσσεβείας μετέλαβε. ζʹ, ηʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Ἀνθ' ὧν ἡ μορφὴ ὑμῶν ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν κύ κλῳ ὑμῶν, ἐν τοῖς νομίμοις μου οὐκ ἐπο ρεύθητε, καὶ τὰ δικαιώματά μου οὐκ ἐποιήσατε, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ κατὰ τὰ δικαιώματα τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν κύ κλῳ ὑμῶν οὐκ ἐποιήσατε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει 81.865 Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ ποιήσω ἐν μέσῳ σου κρῖμα ἐνώπιον τῶν ἐθνῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸν τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀνεμάξασθε χαρακτῆρα, καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνων ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ἐνεφύρητε, καὶ τὰ ἐμὰ δικαιώματά τε καὶ νόμιμα διεπτύσατε, ὑπερβολῇ δὲ παρανομίας χρώμενοι ὑπερηκοντίσατε τῇ δυσσεβείᾳ τὰ ἔθνη, παρ' ὧν ταύτην ἐμάθετε· τούτου χάριν προ φανῶς σοι δικάσω, τῶν ἐθνῶν θεωρούντων τὸ δικα στήριον, καὶ τῆς δίκης ἀκροωμένων· ἵν' ἐπειδὴ διὰ τῆς σῆς οὐκ ὠφελήθησαν εὐνομίας, διὰ γοῦν τῆς τιμωρίας ἑλκύσωσιν ὠφέλειαν. θʹ. Καὶ ποιήσω ἐν σοὶ ἃ οὐ πεποίηκα, καὶ οὐ μὴ ποιήσω ὅμοια αὐτοῖς ἔτι διὰ πάντα τὰ βδε λύγματά σου. Εἶτα διδάσκει, τίνα τὰ