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second. But what is brought against the idols concerns the first commandment, from which idols, wood and stones, are considered. Demons flee both the sight and the name of the Cross. The word is not entirely inconsistent with the second commandment either, which would look to the complete purging of impiety. And by idols, we also mean the fantasies impressed upon the mind concerning false doctrines. Therefore, when the true light has appeared, each one, having condemned his own doctrines, will hasten to make them disappear, hiding them as it were in caves and holes, seeing from the operation the terrible things of God shattering material and earthly things for the manifestation of the spiritual, and how the image of the man of dust must disappear, so that the image of the heavenly man may appear. But those who first hid the idols, later cast them out. For one must first be ashamed of the falsehood, and then cast it from the heart, And silver idols are false doctrines composed of plausible words. But golden ones are those concerning falsehood stored in the mind. But he who deifies the power of demons, which is akin to darkness, worships the bats; having ceased from which one might seek to enter into the holes of the solid rock. But these alone are divided according to the analogy of faith in Christ. And clefts of rocks signify the passion of his body, to which all who are being saved constantly pray to flee for refuge and to be hidden in its shelter; but according to the saying, it declares the thought of the Jews worthy of laughter, if they hide their gods and hasten to save those they worship, signifying by what they do their powerlessness, lest they become captives to the enemy along with them. For those who made these idols received no benefit from them. And perhaps they built their temples for the bats. For the creature loves to frequent dark places, which it also fills with a stench. They will reckon, therefore, 1893 that they were rather worshipping bats that were nesting in the idols, which had sensation in their lodgings that were without sensation. And they have been eager to be buried with their own gods, but they were not being hidden with the God of all, but Pharaoh, pursuing, was drowned. Nor, when Rabshakeh was raging with threats, did God hide himself, but punished the impious one. CHAPTER 3. 11. 9Behold now, the Lord, the Lord of Sabaoth, will take away from Judea, and from Jerusalem, the strong man and the strong woman, the strength of bread, and the strength of water. The giant and the mighty man, and the man of war9, etc. Having spoken about the day of vengeance, he now from another beginning threatens the removal from the former people of the gifts of God, saying that they will be removed not for idolatry, nor for other actions, but for the counsel which, he says, they plotted against the righteous one. For having killed the prophets, in the end they also raged impiously against the Lord of all, having killed the author of life, as far as it lay in their power, and he takes away first the strong man and the strong woman, and according to Aquila, stay and support. And according to Symmachus, Support and foundation, showing, according to the apostolic word, those who excel according to God, whom he calls pillars and foundations. For the people of old also had such, and he who by divine inclination mastered his passions was strong. But now there is no one like this among the Jews. For they cannot say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." For they have become weak through their unbelief because of the cross. For he who does not have Christ, the power of God, does not have strength. The strength of bread, he says, and the strength of water. Not simply bread nor water, but the strength, which another prophet indeed interpreted, saying: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord," which they think they partake of when they go through the divine Scriptures, and love to learn them, not having the strength of the nourishing words, and of the life-giving spring. And of the bread concerning which David says, "He gave them the bread of heaven." And of the waters concerning

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δευτέρας. Τὰ δὲ περὶ τῶν εἰδώλων ἐπιφερόμενα, περὶ τῆς πρώτης, ἀφ' ἧς τὰ εἴδωλα, ξύλα καὶ λίθοι νομίζεται. Σταυροῦ δὲ καὶ θέαν καὶ τοὔνομα φεύγουσι δαίμονες. Οὐκ ἀπᾴδει δὲ παντελῶς οὐδὲ τῆς δευτέρας ὁ λόγος, ἥτις πρὸς τὴν τελείαν τῆς ἀσεβείας ἴδοι καθαίρεσιν. Εἴδωλα δὲ, καὶ τὰς ἐντυπωθείσας περὶ ψευδῶν δογμάτων φαντασίας ἐλέγομεν. Τοῦ τοίνυν ἀληθινοῦ φανέντος φωτὸς, ἕκαστος τῶν ἰδίων δογμάτων κατεγνωκὼς, ἐξαφανίσαι ταῦτα σπουδάσει ἐν οἱονεὶ σπηλαίοις καὶ τρώγλαις ἐγκατακρύψας αὐτὰ, ὁρῶν ἐκ τῆς ἐνεργείας τὰ φοβερὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ θραύοντος τὰ ὑλικά τε καὶ γήϊνα πρὸς τὴν τῶν πνευματικῶν ἤδη φανέρωσιν, καὶ ὡς δεῖ, ἐξαφανισθῆναι τοῦ χοϊκοῦ τὴν εἰκόνα, ἵνα ἡ τοῦ ἐπ' οὐρανίου ἀναφανῇ. Ἀλλ' οἱ τὸ πρῶτον τὰ εἴδωλα κατακρύψαντες, ὕστερον ἐκβάλλουσιν. ∆εῖ γὰρ πρῶτον ἐπαισχυνθῆναι τῷ ψεύδει, εἶτα καὶ ἐκβαλεῖν τῆς καρδίας, Καὶ ἀργυρᾶ μὲν εἴδωλα, τὰ λόγοις πιθανοῖς ψευδῆ συγκείμενα δόγματα. Χρυσᾶ δὲ, οἱ ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ περὶ τοῦ ψευδοῦς ἐναποκείμενοι. Προσκυνεῖ δὲ τὰς νυκτερίδας ὁ τὴν τῶν δαιμόνων τὴν δύναμιν συγγενῆ οὖσαν τῷ σκότῳ θεοποιῶν· ὧν τις παυσάμενος εἰς τὰς τρώγλας εἰσελθεῖν τῆς στερεᾶς πέτρας ζητήσειεν. Μόναι δὲ αὗται κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως διαιρούμεναι. Σχισμαὶ δὲ πετρῶν, τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ τὸ πάθος σημαίνουσιν, ᾧ προσφυγεῖν καὶ ἐγκατακρυφθῆναι τῇ σκέπῃ πάντες εὔχονται διαπαντὸς οἱ σωζόμενοι· κατὰ δὲ τὸν ῥητὸν, γέλωτος ἀξίαν τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀποφαίνεται σκέψιν, εἰ κατακρύπτουσι τοὺς θεοὺς καὶ σώζειν τοὺς προσκυνουμένους ἐπείγονται, τὸ τούτων ἀδρανὲς οἷς ποιοῦσι σημαίνοντες, μὴ σὺν αὐτοῖς αἰχμάλωτοι τοῖς πολεμίοις γενήσονται. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀπώναντο τῶν εἰδώλων οἱ ταῦτα κατασκευάσαντες. Καὶ τάχα που ταῖς νυκτερίσιν ἀνεδείμαντο τοὺς ναούς. Ἐμφιλοχωρεῖ γὰρ τοῖς ἀφεγγέσι τόποις τὸ ζῶον, οὓς δὴ καὶ δυσωδίας πληροῖ. Ἀναλογίσονται τοίνυν 1893 ὅτι δὴ μᾶλλον νυκτερίσι προσεκύνουν τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐμφωλευούσαις αἴσθησιν ἐχούσαις τοῖς τούτων καταγωγίοις ἀναισθήτοις ὑπάρχουσιν. Συγκατορύττεσθαι δὲ τοῖς ἑαυτῶν θεοῖς ἐσπουδάκασιν, ἀλλ' οὐ μετὰ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ὄντες ἐκρύπτοντο, ἀλλ' ὁ Φαραὼ διώκων κατεποντίζετο. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ Ῥαψάκου ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς μανέντος ὁ Θεὸς ἀπεκρύπτετο τὸν ἀσεβῆ τιμωρούμενος. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Γʹ. αιαʹ. 9Ἰδοὺ δὴ ὁ ∆εσπότης Κύριος Σαββαὼθ ἀφελεῖ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, καὶ ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἰσχύοντα καὶ ἰσχύουσαν, ἰσχὺν ἄρτου, καὶ ἰσχὺν ὕδατος. Γίγαντα καὶ ἰσχύοντα, καὶ ἄνθρωπον πολεμιστὴν9, κ.τ.λ. Εἰπὼν περὶ τῆς ἡμέρας τῆς ἐκδικήσεως, νῦν ἐξ ἑτέρας ἀρχῆς ἀφαίρεσιν ἀπειλεῖ τῶν ἐν τῷ προτέρῳ λαῷ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ χαρισμάτων, οὐ δι' εἰδωλολατρείαν εἰπὼν, οὐ δι' ἄλλας ἀφαιρεθήσεσθαι πράξεις, διὰ δὲ τὴν βουλὴν, ἣν κατὰ τοῦ δικαίου, φησὶν, ἐβουλεύσαντο. Τοὺς προφήτας γὰρ ἀποκτείναντες, τέλος καὶ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ πάντων ἀσεβῶς ἐπεμάνησαν, τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς, ὅσον ἧκεν εἰς αὐτοὺς, ἀποκτείναντες, ἀφαιρεῖ δὲ πρῶτον ἰσχύοντα καὶ ἰσχύουσαν, κατὰ δὲ Ἀκύλαν, ἔρεισμα καὶ ἐρεισμόν. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Στήριγμα καὶ στηριγμὸν, δηλῶν, κατὰ τὸν λόγον τὸν ἀποστολικὸν, τοὺς κατὰ Θεὸν διαπρέποντας, οὓς καλεῖ στύλους καὶ ἑδραιώματα. Τοιούτους γὰρ εἶχεν καὶ ὁ πάλαι λαὸς ἰσχύεν δὲ καὶ ὁ θείᾳ ῥοπῇ κρατῶν τῶν παθῶν. Τοιοῦτος δὲ νῦν παρ' Ἰουδαίοις οὐδείς. Οὐ γὰρ δύνανται λέγειν, "Πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με Χριστῷ." Ἠσθένησαν γὰρ τῇ διὰ τὸν σταυρὸν ἀπιστίᾳ. Ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἔχων τὸν Χριστὸν, τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμιν τὴν ἰσχὺν, οὐκ ἔχει. Ἰσχύν τε ἄρτου, φησὶ, καὶ ἰσχὺν ὕδατος. Οὐκ ἄρτον οὔτε ὕδωρ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ἰσχὺν ὃ δὴ προφήτης ἄλλος ἡρμήνευσεν εἰπών· "Ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ ἀποστελῶ λιμὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, οὐ λιμὸν ἄρτου, οὐ δὲ δίψαν ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ λιμὸν τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λόγον Κυρίου," ὧν νομίζουσι μεταλαμβάνειν ἐν τῷ διέρχεσθαι τὰς θείας Γραφὰς, φιλοκαλεῖν τε τὴν τούτων ἐκμάθησιν, οὐκ ἔχοντες τὴν τῶν θρεπτικῶν λόγων ἰσχὺν, καὶ πηγῆς τῆς ζωοποιοῦ. Ἄρτου δὲ περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ ∆αβὶδ, "Ἄρτον οὐρανοῦ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς." Καὶ ὑδάτων περὶ