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he brought forth the reasons. But something else clearer, after the mountain of the Lord, he also brought forth the house, according to the ascent of those who are advancing, who apprehend a purer light for the understanding of the blessed and intelligible sights. Such is, "Come to him and be enlightened, and your faces shall not be ashamed." For how could they be ashamed, upon whom the light of the Lord's countenance has been signed? And since they thought they had a sufficient light in the law and the prophets, he added "of the Lord." For those things were like a lamp and stars before the sun appeared, after which they are covered, having become unprofitable. Therefore the Savior also said to them: "While you have the light, walk in the light, that darkness may not overtake you. "speaking of himself:" I am the light of the world." And now the prophet says, I am, so to speak, refashioning the writings of Moses towards the truth. But since, because of their fathers, they thought they were a care to God, even if they sinned terribly, even if they did not accept the one incarnate for us, he says to them: For he has forsaken his people. And another prophet makes this clear, saying: "And they coveted fields and seized orphans, and oppressed households." And they magnified themselves against the Lord, saying: "Is not the Lord among us? No evil will come upon us." For this reason, "For your sake, Zion shall be plowed as a field," and so on. This the Savior also said to those who did not wish to receive him: "Behold, your house is left to you desolate." But as to why he forsook them, the prophet brought forth that they imitated the impious people who inhabited the land before them. The most grievous loss is abandonment by God. For as God held them in his hand through his protection, he says "you have forsaken," no longer providing for the people. And see how many evils divination causes, becoming a reason for abandonment by God, because of all the faithful who take part in such things. For the law of Moses also rejected all these things, as inventions of demons. "But as for you," it says, "the Lord your God has not given you thus." For it is absurd for those who have counsel from the ordinances of God to be led away by things that happen by chance. Divination seems to be an invention of the Philistines, as astrology is of the Chaldeans, and incantations and sorcery of the Egyptians, and augury of the Cretans. And foreign children, it says, were born in her. For when a city accepts wicked customs, the sin of the fathers then becomes like a law for those who come after; and immediately from birth they become alien 1881 to God, being named foreigners, and perhaps with the increase of fornication they were born from foreign women. But in terms of the soul, foreign children are the fruits of reasonings from outside piety. But as for the love of wealth, he shows how terrible it is by placing it with such impieties. For without unjust acquisition, poverty is a tutor, but wealth from unjust acquisition is an occasion for insolence. Therefore he says not to lay up treasures on earth. And of the horses, he says, there is therefore no number, as the law says, "you shall not multiply horses for yourself." And every holy person avoided the use of these. And through these things he reveals the arrogance of the Jews. But "there was no number" is either hyperbolic; or because with God none of the wicked are numbered: not a little woman, as weak; not a little child, as contemptible, except for the firstborn and the Levites; not a slave, because of being without honor; not a mixed-breed, because of being foreign. Then, he also speaks of abominations. For it was necessary that those who began with divination, having journeyed through avarice and horse-madness, should arrive at idolatry, having trusted in the uncertainty of riches and in false horses for salvation, and not in the one who is able to shatter wars. But every lawless deed is an abomination before the Lord. But with respect to idolatry, for which Scripture has used it, every refashioning of false doctrines impressed upon the mind would rightly be called an abomination. And according to what is apparent, Scripture says, "Cursed is the man who makes a graven or molten image [an abomination to the Lord] the work of a craftsman's hands. In response to which the prophet, lamenting, says: And he hid

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τὰς αἰτίας ἐπήνεγκεν. Ἄλλο δέ τι τρανότερον, μετὰ τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου, καὶ τὸν οἶκον ἐπήνεγκε, κατὰ τὴν τῶν προκοπτόντων ἀνάβασιν καθαρωτέρας καταλαμβανόντων αὐγῆς εἰς κατανόησιν τῶν μακαρίων καὶ νοητῶν θεαμάτων. Τοιοῦτον τὸ, "Προσέλθετε πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ φωτίσθητε, καὶ τὰ πρόσωπα ὑμῶν οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθείη." Πῶς γὰρ ἂν αἰσχύνοιντο, ἐφ' οὓς ἐσημειώθη τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου Κυρίου; Καὶ ἐπειδὴ φῶς αὔταρκες τὸ νομικόν τε καὶ προφητικὸν ἔχειν ἑαυτοὺς ἐνόμιζον, τὸ Κυρίου προσέθηκεν. Ἐκεῖνα γὰρ λύχνος οἷα καὶ ἀστέρες ἦσαν, πρὶν ὀφθῆναι τὸν ἤλιον, μεθ' ὃν ἐκεῖνα καλύπτεται τῶν ἀνονήτων γενόμενα. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ αὐτοῖς ἔλεγεν· "Ἕως τὸ φῶς ἔχετε, περιπατεῖτε ἐν τῷ φωτὶ, ἵνα μὴ ἡ σκοτία ὑμᾶς καταλάβῃ. "περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λέγων·" Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου." Καὶ νῦν ὁ προφήτης μονονουχὶ μεταπλάττομαί φησι, τὰ Μωϋσέως γράμματα πρὸς ἀλήθειαν. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ διὰ τοὺς πατέρας ᾤοντο μελεῖν Θεῷ, κἂν δεινῶς ἁμαρτάνωσιν, κἂν μὴ τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς σαρκωθέντα προσίοιντο, φησὶν αὐτοῖς· Ἀνῆκε γὰρ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ τοῦτο προφήτης ἄλλος εἰπών· "Καὶ ἐπεθύμουν ἀγροὺς καὶ διήρπαζον ὀρφανοὺς, καὶ οἴκους κατεδυνάστευον." Καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον ἐμεγαλύνοντο λέγοντες· "Οὐχὶ Κύριος ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν; Οὐ μὴ ἐπέλθῃ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὰ κακά;" ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, "∆ι' ὑμᾶς, Σιὼν ὡς ἀγρὸς ἀροτριαθήσεται," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἔλεγεν μὴ βουλομένοις αὐτὸν ὑποδέξασθαι· "Ἰδοὺ ἀφίεται ὑμῖν ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν ἔρημος." Ἀλλὰ γὰρ διὰ τί ἀνῆκεν αὐτοὺς, ὁ προφήτης ἐπήνεγκεν, ὅτι τοὺς πρὸ αὐτῶν τὴν χώραν οἰκοῦντας ἀσεβεῖς ἐμιμήσαντο. Χαλεπωτάτη δὲ ζημία ἡ ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἐγκατάλειψις. Ὡς γὰρ κρατοῦντος αὐτοὺς τῇ χειρὶ διὰ φυλακῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸ, ἀνῆκας φησὶ, μηκέτι τοῦ λαοῦ προνοούμενος. Καὶ ὅρα πόσων κακῶν ὁ κληδονισμὸς Θεοῦ γιγνόμενος ἐγκαταλείψεως αἴτιος, διὰ τοὺς, ὅσοι τῶν πιστῶν τοῖς τοιούτοις συμπεριφέρονται. Πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Μωσέως ἀπεκήρυξε νόμος, ὡς δαιμόνων εὑρήματα. "Σοὶ δὲ οὐχ οὕτω, φησὶν, ἔδωκεν Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου." Ἄτοπον γὰρ, ἔχοντας τὴν ἐκ τῶν δικαιωμάτων τοῦ Θεοῦ συμβολὴν, τοῖς εἰκῆ γινομένοις ἀπάγεσθαι. Εὕρημα δὲ τῶν Φυλιστιαίων ἔοικεν εἶναι κληδονισμὸς, ὡς Χαλδαίων ἀστρολογία, καὶ Αἰγυπτίων ἐπῳδαί τε καὶ φαρμακεῖαι, καὶ Κρητῶν οἰωνοσκοπία. Καὶ τέκνα, φησὶν, ἀλλόφυλα ἐγεννήθησαν ἐν αὐτῇ. Ὅταν γὰρ πόλις ἔθη μοχθηρὰ καταδέξηται, τοῖς ἐπιγινομένοις λοιπὸν ὥσπερ νόμος γίνεται τὸ τῶν πατέρων ἁμάρτημα· καὶ εὐθὺς ἐκ γενέσεως ἀλλότρια γίνεται 1881 τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀλλόφυλα χρηματίζοντα, καὶ τῆς πορνείας πληθυνθείσης ἴσως ἐκ γυναικῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐγένοντο. Ἐπὶ ψυχῆς δὲ τέκνα ἀλλόφυλα οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγων καρποί. Τὸ δὲ φιλοπλουτεῖν, ὅσον δεινὸν δείκνυσιν μετὰ τοιούτων ἀσεβημάτων τάξας αὐτό. Χωρὶς γὰρ τῆς ἀδίκου κτήσεως ἡ μὲν πενία παιδαγωγός ἐστιν εἰς ἀδίκου κτήσεως πλοῦτος ὕβρεως ἀφορμή. ∆ιό φησι μὴ θησαυρίζειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Τῶν δ' ἵππων, φησὶν, οὐκ οὖν ἀριθμὸς, εἰπόντος τοῦ νόμου, μὴ πληθυνεῖς σεαυτῷ ἵππον. Καὶ πᾶς ἅγιος τὴν τούτων χρῆσιν ἀπέφυγε. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ διὰ τούτων τὴν Ἰουδαίων ἀλαζονείαν. Τὸ δὲ, οὐκ ἦν ἀριθμὸς, ἢ ὑπερβολικόν· ἢ ὅτι παρὰ Θεῷ τῶν κακῶν οὐδὲν ἐναρίθμιον· οὐ γύναιον, ὡς ἀσθενές· οὐ παιδίον, ὡς εὐκαταφρόνητον, πλὴν πρωτοτόκων, καὶ Λευϊτῶν· οὐ δοῦλος, διὰ τὸ ἄτιμον· οὐκ ἐπίμικτος, διὰ τὸ ἀλλότριον. Εἶτα, καὶ περὶ βδελυγμάτων φησίν. Ἔδει γὰρ ἀρξαμένους ἀπὸ κληδονισμῶν, διὰ φυλαργυρίας τε καὶ ἱππομανίας ὁδεύσαντας, καταντῆσαι πρὸς εἰδωλολατρείαν τοὺς ἐπὶ πλούτου θαῤῥήσαντας ἀδηλότητι, καὶ ψεύδεσιν ἵπποις εἰς σωτηρίαν, ἀλλ' οὐ τῷ δυνατῷ συντρίβειν πολέμους. Βδέλυγμα δὲ παρὰ Κυρίῳ πᾶσα πρᾶξις παράνομος. Πρὸς δὲ τὴν εἰδωλολατρείαν, ἐφ' οὗ ἐχρήσατο ἡ Γραφὴ, πᾶς ἀναπλασμὸς ψευδῶν δογμάτων ἐν διανοίᾳ τυπούμενος, εἰκότως λέγοιτο βδέλυγμα. Καὶ κατὰ τὸ φαινόμενον δέ φησιν ἡ Γραφὴ, "Ἐπικατάρατος ἄνθρωπος, ὅστις ποιήσει γλυπτὸν ἢ χωνευτὸν [βδέλυγμα Κυρίῳ] ἔργον χειρῶν τεχνίτου. Πρὸς ὃ σχετλιάζων ὁ προφήτης φησί· Καὶ ἔκρυψεν