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to sacrifice, when he was about to scatter you throughout the whole world, or, if he wanted you to sacrifice there only, not to scatter you throughout the whole world and to make that single city inaccessible in which alone the sacrifice had to be offered. What then? Does he contradict himself, one might say, by commanding sacrifice in one place, and then again shutting off that very place? Not at all, but is rather in perfect agreement with himself; for he did not wish to give you sacrifices from the beginning; and of this I bring forward the prophet himself as a witness, saying thus: Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of your God, you people of Gomorrah; not speaking to the Sodomites and those dwelling in Gomorrah, but to the Jews. He calls them this because by their imitation of wickedness they drew to themselves kinship with them. Thus he even calls them dogs, and horses mad for females, not because they changed into their nature, but because they pursued the lustfulness of these animals. What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord. But those in Sodom were never seen offering sacrifices; but the word is directed to these, calling them by the name of those others, for the reason I have stated: What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord. I am full of the burnt offerings of rams; and the fat 48.880 of lambs and the blood of bulls and goats, I do not want; not even if you come to appear before me. For who has required all these things from your hands? Have you heard a most clear voice saying that he did not require these things from you from the beginning? For if he had required these things, he would have first introduced into this way of life all the ancients who shone before them. How then, one might say, did he permit it now? By condescending to your weakness. And just as a physician, seeing a man with a fever, a certain peevish and impatient one, desiring a cold drink, and threatening, if he does not receive it, to hang himself, or to cast himself down from a cliff, wishing to prevent the greater evil, gives the lesser, wishing to lead him away from a violent death; so also did God do. For since he saw them raging, choking, desiring sacrifices, prepared, if they should not receive them, to desert to idols, or rather not only prepared, but having already deserted, he permitted the sacrifices. And that this is the reason, what is said would become clear from the time itself. For after the feast which they celebrated to the wicked demons, then he permitted the sacrifices, as if to say: You are mad and wish to sacrifice; therefore, sacrifice at least to me. But nevertheless, having permitted this, he did not allow it to the end, but by a most wise method led them away again. And just as that physician—for nothing prevents using the same example again—having gratified the desire of the sick man, brought a cup from home and commanded him to enjoy the cold drink in this alone, and when the sick man was persuaded, he secretly ordered those who were giving it to him to break the cup itself, so that unsuspectedly and secretly he might lead him away from that desire; so also did God do, permitting them to sacrifice, he allowed this to be done in no other place in the world, but in Jerusalem only. Then, when they had sacrificed for a short time, he overthrew the city, so that just as the physician through the breaking of the vessel, so also God through the razing of the city might lead them, even unwillingly, away from the practice. For if he had said openly, "Abstain," they would not have readily endured to abstain from their madness for sacrifice; but now through the necessity imposed by the place, he has secretly led them away from their madness for the practice. Let God, then, be the physician, the cup the city, the sick one the peevish people of the Jews, and the cold drink the permission and authority for sacrifices. Therefore, just as the physician stops the sick man from this untimely request by destroying the vessel, so also God led them away from sacrifices by overthrowing the city itself, and making it inaccessible to all. For if he had not wished to bring this about, for what reason did he confine such a

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θύειν, πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης μέλλοντα διασπείρειν ὑμᾶς, ἢ βουλόμενον ὑμᾶς ἐκεῖ θύειν μόνον, μὴ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης διασπεῖραι καὶ μόνην ἐκείνην τὴν πόλιν ποιῆσαι ἄβατον ἐν ᾗ μόνῃ τὴν θυσίαν ἀναφέρεσθαι ἐχρῆν. Τί οὖν; ἑαυτῷ μάχεται, φησὶ, θῦσαι μὲν ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ κελεύσας, αὐτὸν δὲ πάλιν ἀποκλείσας τὸν τόπον ἐκεῖνον; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἑαυτῷ συμφωνεῖ· οὐδὲ γὰρ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ὑμῖν δοῦναι τὰς θυσίας ἠβούλετο· καὶ τούτου αὐτὸν τὸν προφήτην παράγω μάρτυρα, λέγοντα οὕτως· Ἀκούσατε λόγον Κυρίου, ἄρχοντες Σοδόμων· προσέχετε νόμον Θεοῦ ὑμῶν, λαὸς Γομόῤῥας· οὐ πρὸς Σοδομίτας καὶ τοὺς ἐν Γομόῤῥοις οἰκοῦντας διαλεγόμενος, ἀλλὰ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους. Καλεῖ δὲ αὐτοὺς οὕτως, ἐπειδὴ τῇ τῆς κακίας μιμήσει τὴν πρὸς ἐκείνους ἐπεσπάσαντο συγγένειαν. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ κύνας καλεῖ, καὶ ἵππους θηλυμανεῖς, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ πρὸς τὴν φύσιν ἐκείνων μετέπεσαν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὴν τῶν ζώων τούτων λαγνείαν ἐδίωκον. Τί μοι πλῆθος τῶν θυσιῶν ὑμῶν; λέγει Κύριος. Οἱ δὲ ἐν Σοδόμοις οὐδέποτε ἀνεφάνησαν ἀναφέροντες θυσίας· ἀλλὰ πρὸς τούτους ὁ λόγος ἀποτείνεται καλῶν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκείνων ἐπωνυμίας, διὰ τὴν αἰτίαν ἣν εἶπον· Τί μοι πλῆθος τῶν θυσιῶν ὑμῶν; λέγει Κύριος. Πλήρης εἰμὶ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων κριῶν· καὶ στέαρ 48.880 ἀρνῶν καὶ αἷμα ταύρων καὶ τράγων οὐ βούλομαι· οὐδὲ ἐὰν ἔρχησθε ὀφθῆναί μοι. Τίς γὰρ ἐξεζήτησε ταῦτα πάντα ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν; Ἥκουσας σαφεστάτης φωνῆς λεγούσης, ὅτι οὐκ ἐξεζήτει ταῦτα παρ' ὑμῶν παρὰ τὴν ἀρχήν; Εἰ γὰρ ταῦτα ἐπεζήτει, καὶ τοὺς παλαιοὺς πάντας τοὺς πρὸ αὐτῶν λάμψαντας πρώτους ἂν εἰς ταύτην εἰσήγαγε τὴν πολιτείαν. Πῶς οὖν ἄρτι, φησὶν, ἐπέτρεψε; Τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ συγκαταβαίνων. Καὶ καθάπερ ἰατρὸς, πυρέττοντα ὁρῶν ἄνθρωπον, δυσάρεστόν τινα καὶ ἀκαρτέρητον, ἐπιθυμοῦντα ψυχροποσίας, καὶ ἀπειλοῦντα, εἰ μὴ λάβοι, βρόχον ἀνάψειν, ἢ κατὰ κρημνῶν ἑαυτὸν ἀφήσειν, τὸ μεῖζον βουλόμενος κωλῦσαι κακὸν, τὸ ἔλαττον δίδωσι, βουλόμενος βιαίου τελευτῆς αὐτὸν ἀπαγαγεῖν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶδεν μαινομένους, ἀγχομένους, ἐπιθυμοῦντας θυσιῶν, παρεσκευασμένους, εἰ μὴ λάβοιεν, πρὸς τὰ εἴδωλα αὐτομολῆσαι, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ παρεσκευασμένους μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτομολήσαντας ἤδη. ἐπέτρεψε τὰς θυσίας. Καὶ ὅτι αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ αἰτία, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ χρόνου γένοιτ' ἂν καταφανὲς τὸ λεγόμενον. Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἑορτὴν, ἣν ἐπετέλεσαν τοῖς πονηροῖς δαίμοσι, τότε τὰς θυσίας ἐπέτρεψε, μονονουχὶ λέγων· Μαίνεσθε καὶ βούλεσθε θύειν· οὐκοῦν κἂν ἐμοὶ θύετε. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τοῦτο ἐπιτρέψας οὐ μέχρι τέλους ἀφῆκεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς σοφωτάτης μεθόδου πάλιν ἀπήγαγεν. Καὶ καθάπερ ὁ ἰατρὸς ἐκεῖνος οὐδὲν γὰρ κωλύει τῷ αὐτῷ παραδείγματι χρήσασθαι πάλιν, χαρισάμενος τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τοῦ κάμνοντος, φιάλην οἴκοθεν κομίσας ἐκέλευσεν ἐν ταύτῃ μόνῃ τῆς ψυχροποσίας ἀπολαύειν, καὶ τοῦ κάμνοντος πεισθέντος, λάθρα τοῖς ἐπιδιδοῦσι προσέταξε συντρίψαι τὴν φιάλην αὐτὴν, ἵνα ἀνυπόπτως καὶ λαθραίως αὐτὸν ἀπαγάγῃ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐκείνης· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησε, θύειν ἐπιτρέψας, ἐν οὐδενὶ ἑτέρῳ τόπῳ τῆς οἰκουμένης εἴασε τοῦτο γίνεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις μόνον. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ χρόνον ἔθυσαν βραχὺν, καθεῖλε τὴν πόλιν, ἵν' ὥσπερ ὁ ἰατρὸς διὰ τῆς τοῦ σκεύους συντριβῆς, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τῆς κατασκαφῆς τῆς κατὰ τὴν πόλιν καὶ ἄκοντας αὐτοὺς ἀπαγάγῃ τοῦ πράγματος. Εἰ γὰρ φανερῶς εἶπεν, ἀπόστητε, οὐκ ἂν ἠνέσχοντο ῥᾳδίως τῆς κατὰ τὴν θυσίαν μανίας ἀποστῆναι· νυνὶ δὲ διὰ τῆς κατὰ τὸν τόπον ἀνάγκης λανθανόντως αὐτοὺς ἀπήγαγε τῆς περὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα μανίας. Ἔστω τοίνυν ὁ μὲν ἰατρὸς ὁ Θεὸς, ἡ φιάλη δὲ ἡ πόλις, ὁ δὲ νοσῶν ὁ δυσάρεστος τῶν Ἰουδαίων δῆμος, ἡ δὲ ψυχροποσία ἡ τῶν θυσιῶν ἐπιτροπὴ καὶ ἐξουσία. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ ἰατρὸς ἵστησι τῆς ἀκαίρου ταύτης αἰτήσεως τὸν ἄῤῥωστον τὸ σκεῦος ἀφανίσας· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τῶν θυσιῶν ἀπήγαγε, τὴν πόλιν αὐτὴν καθελὼν, καὶ ποιήσας αὐτὴν ἄβατον πᾶσιν. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο κατασκευάσαι ἐβούλετο, τίνος ἕνεκεν εἰς τόπον ἕνα συνέκλεισε τὴν τοιαύτην