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That is, I returned to myself. For since he foretells the harsh punishments, he necessarily also teaches their causes, and sees in the divine temple the pillar of the image of jealousy; it was an idol unlawfully set up there; and he calls it jealousy, 81.884 by a metaphor from adulterous women, who lead their husbands to jealousy. And this God Himself said through the great Moses: "They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God;" and interpreting this, he added, They have provoked me to anger with their idols. 4, 5. And behold, there was the glory of the Lord God of Israel, according to the vision that I saw in the plain. And he said to me: Son of man, lift up your eyes toward the north; and I lifted up my eyes toward the north, to the gate that is toward the east of the altar, where the image of this jealousy was as one enters it. And we have already said that the prophet is taught the justice of the punishment of the Jews; for which reason the just judge shows him all the things dared by them. 6. And he said to me: Son of man, have you seen what these are doing, great iniquities, which the house of Israel is doing here, so as to be far from my holy things? Do you see, he says, how they bring upon themselves punishments by their own wicked deeds? For by being impious, and despising my worship, they will become far from my holy places, according to the prophecy of David, that those who remove themselves far from you will perish. 7-9. And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and I saw, and behold a hole in the wall. And he said to me: Son of man, dig now in the wall; and I dug, and behold one door in the wall. And he said to me: Enter and see the wicked iniquities that they are doing here. The Lord, having shown him the impiety openly dared by them, also shows him the things being done in secret. 10, 11. For I entered, he says, and I saw, and behold every likeness of a creeping thing, and of a beast, vain abominations, and all the idols of the house of Israel depicted on the wall all around. And seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel and Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan stood in their midst, and each had his censer in his hand, and the vapor of the incense went up. Great in addition to the impiety is the excess of folly; for what is more foolish than those who worship the images of venomous reptiles and irrational beasts? For we are accustomed to destroy the one sort, as harmful and treacherous; but the other sort the Lord has assigned for our service and use. "For," he says, "who makes grass to grow on the mountains— 81.885 and green herb for the service of men." Let us consider, therefore, how full of irrationality it is, to worship the images of servants and slaves. Wherefore the Lord, being justly indignant, says to the prophet: 12. Have you seen, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing, each in his secret chamber, because they have said: The Lord does not see, he has forsaken the earth. For the cause of the impiety is the forgetting of God, and having persuaded themselves that God does not watch over any of the things being done by them, they proceeded to that transgression. But by the blessed David we are taught to think and say the contrary: "For I foresaw," he says, "the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand, that I should not be moved." 13, 14. And he said to me: You shall yet see greater iniquities, which these are doing. And he brought me to the entrance of the gate of the house of the Lord, which looks toward the north; and behold women sitting and weeping for Tammuz. And he accuses these not only of impiety, but also of licentiousness. For Tammuz is Adonis in the Greek language. The weeping, therefore, is of Aphrodisian orgies, of a licentious demon, who receives worship on account of licentiousness. 15, 16. And he said to me: Son of man, you will yet see practices greater than these. And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord; and at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, between the porch, and between the altar, were about twenty-five men; their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces opposite

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τουτέστιν, Εἰς ἐμαυτὸν ἐπανῆλθον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὰς χαλεπὰς τιμωρίας προλέγει, ἀναγ καίως καὶ τὰς τούτων αἰτίας διδάσκει, καὶ βλέπει ἐν τῷ θείῳ νεῷ τὴν στήλην τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ ζήλου· εἴδωλον δὲ ἦν ἐκεῖ παρανόμως ἱδρυμένον· ζῆλον 81.884 δὲ αὐτὸ καλεῖ, ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν μοιχευομένων γυναικῶν, καὶ εἰς ζηλοτυπίαν τοὺς ἄνδρας ἀγου σῶν. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ διὰ τοῦ μεγάλου Μωσέως αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἔφη· "Αὐτοὶ παρεζήλωσάν με ἐπ' οὐ Θεῷ·" καὶ ἑρμηνεύων αὐτὸ ἐπήγαγε, Παρώργισάν με ἐν τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὑτῶν. δʹ, εʹ. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐκεῖ ἦν δόξα Κυρίου Θεοῦ Ἰσ ραὴλ, κατὰ τὴν ὅρασιν, ἣν ἴδον ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ. Καὶ εἶπε πρός με· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, ἀνάβλεψον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς σου πρὸς βοῤῥᾶν· καὶ ἀνέβλεψα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου πρὸς βοῤῥᾶν, ἐπὶ τὴν πύλην τὴν πρὸς ἀνατολὰς τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, οὗ ἡ εἰκὼν τοῦ ζήλου τούτου ἐν τῷ εἰσπορεύεσθαι αὐτήν. Καὶ ἤδη προειρήκαμεν, ὅτι τὸ δίκαιον τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων τιμωρίας ὁ προφήτης διδάσκεται· οὗ χάριν αὐτῷ πάντα ὑποδείκνυσιν ὁ δίκαιος κριτὴς τὰ ὑπ' ἐκείνων τολμώμενα. ϛʹ. Καὶ εἶπε πρός με· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου ἑώρακας τί οὗτοι ποιοῦσιν, ἀνομίας μεγάλας, ἃς ὁ οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ ποιοῦσιν ὧδε, τοῦ ἀπέχεσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων μου; Ὁρᾷς, φησὶν, ὡς αὐτοὶ ταῖς οἰκείαις πονηρίαις ἐπισπῶνται τὰς τιμωρίας; Ἀσεβοῦντες γὰρ, καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς θεραπείας καταφρονοῦντες, πόῤῥω τῶν ἁγίων μου γενήσονται τόπων, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ προφητείαν, ὅτι οἱ μακρύναντες ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ σοῦ ἀπολοῦνται. ζʹ-θʹ. Καὶ ἐπήγαγέ με ἐπὶ τὰ πρόθυρα τῆς αὐλῆς, καὶ ἴδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ὀπὴ ἐν τῷ τοίχῳ. Καὶ εἶπε πρός με· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, ὄρυξον δὴ ἐν τῷ τοίχῳ· καὶ ὤρυξα, καὶ ἰδοὺ θύρα μία ἐν τῷ τοίχῳ. Καὶ εἶπε πρός με· Εἴσελθε καὶ ἴδε τὰς ἀνομίας τὰς πονηρὰς, ἃς οὗτοι ποιοῦσιν ὧδε. ∆είξας αὐτῷ ὁ ∆εσπότης τὴν προφανῶς ὑπ' αὐτῶν τολμωμένην ἀσέβειαν, ὑποδείκνυσι καὶ τὰ κρύβδην γιγνόμενα. ιʹ, ιαʹ. Εἰσῆλθον γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἴδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ πᾶσα ὁμοίωσις ἑρπετοῦ, καὶ κτήνους, μάταια βδελύγματα, καὶ πάντα τὰ εἴδωλα τοῦ οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ διαγεγραμμένα ἐν τῷ τοίχῳ κύκλῳ διόλου. Καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα ἄνδρες ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυ τέρων οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰεζονίας υἱὸς Σαφὰν εἱστήκει ἐν τῷ μέσῳ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἕκαστος τὸ θυμιατήριον εἶχεν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἡ ἀτμὶς τοῦ θυμιάματος ἀνέβαινε. Πολλὴ πρὸς τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ ἡ τῆς ἀνοίας ὑπερβολή· τί γὰρ ἀνοητότερον τῶν τὰς εἰκόνας προσκυνούντων τῶν ἰοβόλων ἑρπετῶν καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων κτηνῶν; Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἀναιρεῖν εἰώθαμεν, ὡς λυμαντικὰ καὶ ἐπίβουλα· τὰ δὲ εἰς ἡμετέραν δουλείαν καὶ θεραπείαν ὁ ∆εσπότης ἀπένειμεν. "Τῷ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐξανατέλλοντι ἐν ὄρεσι χόρτον- 81.885 καὶ χλόην τῇ δουλείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων." Σκοπήσωμεν τοίνυν, πόσης ἐστὶν ἀλογίας μεστὸν, τὸ τῶν οἰκετῶν καὶ δούλων προσκυνεῖν τὰς εἰκόνας. Ὅθεν εἰκό τως ὁ ∆εσπότης ἀγανακτῶν, πρὸς τὸν προφήτην φησίν· ιβʹ. Ἑώρακας, υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, ἃ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ ποιοῦσιν, ἕκαστος ἐν τῷ κοιτῶνι αὑτοῦ τῷ κρυπτῷ, διότι εἶπον· Οὐχ ὁρᾷ Κύριος, ἐγκαταλέλοιπε τὴν γῆν. Αἰτία γὰρ τῆς ἀσεβείας ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ λήθη, καὶ πείσαντες σφᾶς αὐ τοὺς, ὡς οὐδὲν τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῶν γιγνομένων ὁ Θεὸς ἐφορᾷ, ἐπ' ἐκείνην τὴν παρανομίαν ἐχώρησαν. Ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ μακαρίου ∆αβὶδ τοὐναντίον καὶ φρονεῖν διδα σκόμεθα καὶ λέγειν· "Προωρόμην γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν Κύριον ἐνώπιόν, μου διαπαντὸς, ὅτι ἐκ δεξιῶν μού ἐστιν, ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶ." ιγʹ, ιδʹ. Καὶ εἶπε πρός με· Ἔτι ὄψει ἀνομίας μείζονας, ἃς οὗτοι ποιοῦσι. Καὶ εἰσήγαγέ με ἐπὶ τὰ πρόθυρα τῆς πύλης οἴκου Κυρίου, τῆς βλε πούσης πρὸς βοῤῥᾶν· καὶ ἰδοὺ γυναῖκες καθ εζόμεναι καὶ θρηνοῦσαι τὸν Θαμμούζ. Τούτων δὲ οὐ μόνον ἀσέβειαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀκολασίαν κατηγορεῖ. Ὁ γὰρ Θαμμοὺζ ὁ Ἄδωνίς ἐστι κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδαφωνήν. Ἀφροδισίων τοίνυν ὀργίων ὁ θρῆνος, ἀκο λάστου δαίμονος, καὶ δι' ἀκολασίαν δεχομένου τὴν θεραπείαν. ιεʹ, ι ϛʹ. Καὶ εἶπε πρός με· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ ἔτι ὄψει ἐπιτηδεύματα μείζονα τούτων. Καὶ εἰσ ήγαγέ με εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν οἴκου Κυρίου τὴν ἐσωτέ ραν· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν προθύρων τοῦ ναοῦ Κυρίου ἀναμέσον τῶν αἰλὰμ, καὶ ἀναμέσον τοῦ θυσια στηρίου, ὡς εἴκοσι πέντε ἄνδρες· τὰ ὀπίσθια αὐτῶν πρὸς τὸν ναὸν Κυρίου, καὶ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν κατέναντι