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having announced their sin to all. For as the Sodomites, by demanding the men from Lot, announced their licentiousness; so these men announced their lawlessness to Pilate, crying out, "Away, away, crucify him." But everyone who plots evil, has plotted against himself; as arrows that strike hard bodies return against those who shot them. And what was the plot? "Let us bind the just one, for he is useless to us." For having bound Christ, they led him to Caiaphas. And justice is useless to the unjust, just as the sun is to those with sore eyes. But the fruits of their works are captivity, dispersion, the destruction of the temple, the fall from glory, the shame of their face, because of which they do not look up to God, having acted impiously against the only-begotten Son, and having bound the Word, the truth, the light, the justice, the Savior, the physician, the liberator; which are variously conceived as Christ. They have been deprived of the Word, of light, of truth, reaping such things in return for what they sowed. "For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." And as they handed Jesus over to Pilate, and to the savage rages of the soldiers; so also they themselves, he says, Ῥω 1905 will be handed over to the Roman armies. To whom Ezekiel says in agreement, "As you have done, he says, so shall it be to you. Your recompense shall be returned upon your own head." But these things are said concerning the final divine judgment, which measures out to each what is just. But if because of this: "Woe to the wicked, for it shall be to him according to his works;" for him whose wickedness did not proceed to action, but was completed in wickedness, will there not be punishment, and woe? But having spoken of what is complete in wickedness, he has left the remainder to you by analogy. For the deed makes it complete, but the impulse of the mind is incomplete. But instead of, "their tongues," Aquila says, "their practices." But instead of, "disobeying," Symmachus gave, "to provoke him." But from the "Woe to their soul, for they have plotted an evil plot," the prophet speaks lamenting, having seen their shameless and Sodomitical audacity unto impiety; ιβιεʹ. 9My people, your exactors glean you, and those who demand payment will rule over you. My people, those who call you blessed lead you astray, and disturb the path of your feet9, etc. Of those who transgress in some way, some sin knowingly, being conquered by evil, but being bitten by their conscience. Others in ignorance, living like cattle. But worse than all are those who also lead others to wickedness through plunder; but the Word of God, seeing many among the Jews sinning in error, separates them from those previously accused, and like a Father, Christ exhorts them, calling them his own people exhortatively. For we are all his, even if we sin. Therefore he also wishes all to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth, not desiring our death as much as our repentance, that is, as those being able, if they should choose, to become the people of the Lord; and granting pardon to those who transgressed in ignorance, he rebukes those who were the cause of their disbelief in him, whom he had previously called mockers, whom he also says glean the people, for wishing to receive first-fruits and tithes, they did not permit them to believe in Christ. For in those things in which they grew rich, they commanded only to keep the law, neglecting the other commandments. For this reason he declared them wretched, as they tithed dill, and mint, and 1908 cumin, but neglected the weightier matters of the law, 1908 judgment, and mercy, and faith. And at times they also brought punishment on those who transgressed, as someone caught in a crime, fearing, brings upon them things beyond their ability. Whence he says "glean," as after the harvest, bringing a hand also to what is still left; and he calls them exactors. For they did not rule over them gently, as teachers approaching disciples, but as harsh masters compelling them to what seemed good to them, contrary to the divine Peter who commands teachers not to be as lords over the flocks, but to become examples to the flock. And evil powers happen to be exactors of souls, demanding what is for the worse

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ἁμαρτίαν πᾶσιν ἀναγγείλαντας. Ὡς γὰρ Σοδομῖται τῷ Λὼτ τοὺς ἄνδρας ἀπαιτοῦντες ἀνήγγειλαν τὴν ἀσέλγειαν· οὕτως οὗτοι τῷ Πιλάτῳ τὴν ἀνομίαν, "Αἶρε, αἶρε βοῶντες, σταύρου αὐτόν." Κακὰ δὲ πᾶς βουλευόμενος, ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν ἐβουλεύσατο· ὡς ἀπὸ στεῤῥῶν σωμάτων τὰ προσπεσόντα βέλη πρὸς τοὺς ἀφέντας ἐπάνεισιν. Τίς δὲ ἡ βουλή; ∆ήσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον, ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστιν. ∆ήσαντες γὰρ τὸν Χριστὸν ἤγαγον πρὸς τὸν Καϊάφαν. ∆ύσχρηστος δὲ τοῖς ἀδικοῦσιν ἡ δικαιοσύνη, καθάπερ ὀφθαλμιῶσιν ὁ ἥλιος. Τὰ γεννήματα δὲ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν, αἰχμαλωσία, διασπορὰ, καταστροφὴ τοῦ ναῦ, ἡ ἀπὸ δόξης κατάπτωσις, ἡ αἰσχύνη τοῦ προσώπου αὐτῶν, δι' ἣν οὐκ ἀναβλέπουσι πρὸς Θεὸν, εἰς τὸν μονογενῆ Υἱὸν ἀσεβήσαντες, καὶ δήσαντες τὸν Λόγον, τὴν ἀλήθειαν, τὸ φῶς, τὴν δικαιοσύνην, τὸν Σωτῆρα, τὸν ἰατρὸν, τὸν ἐλευθερωτήν· ἃ δὴ ποικίλως ἐπινοεῖται Χριστός. Ἐστέρηνται Λόγου, φωτὸς, ἀληθείας, ἀνθ' ὧν ἔσπειραν, τοιαῦτα θερίζοντες. "Ὃ γὰρ ἂν σπείρῃ ἄνθρωπος, τοῦτο καὶ θερίσει." Καὶ ὡς παρέδοσαν Πιλάτῳ τὸν Ἰησοῦν, καὶ ταῖς τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀνημέροις ὀργαῖς· οὕτω καὶ αὐτοὶ, φησὶ, Ῥω 1905 μαίων παραδοθήσονται στρατιαῖς. Οἷς Ἰεζεκιὴλ συμφώνως φησὶ, "Καθὼς ἐποίησα, φησὶν, οὕτω καὶ ἔσται σοι. Τὸ ἀνταπόδομά σου ἀνταποδοθήσεται εἰς κεφαλήν σου." Ταῦτα δὲ περὶ τῆς ἐσχάτης θείας εἴρηται κρίσεως ἀντιμετρούσης ἑκάστῳ τὸ δίκαιον. Εἰ δὲ διὰ τοῦτο· Οὐαὶ τῷ πονηρῷ, ὅτι κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ συμβήσεται αὐτῷ· ᾧ μὴ προεχώρησεν εἰς ἔργον ἡ κακία, ἐν δὲ τῇ κακίᾳ συνετελέσθη, ἆρ' οὐκ ἔσται κόλασις, καὶ οὐαί; Ἀλλὰ τὸ τέλειον εἰπὼν ἐν κακίᾳ, σοὶ τὸ λειπὸν ἐξ ἀναλόγου κατέλιπεν. Τὸ γὰρ ἔργον τελειοῖ, ἡ δὲ τῆς διανοίας ὁρμὴ ἀτελής. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, αἱ γλῶσσαι αὐτῶν, Ἀκύλας φησὶ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ἀπειθοῦντες, ὁ Σύμμαχος, εἰς τὸ παραπικρᾶναι αὐτὸν, ἐξέδωκεν. Ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ αἴου τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν, ὅτι βεβούλευνται βουλὴν πονηρὰν, ὁ προφήτης λέγει θρηνῶν, ἰδὼν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀναιδῆ καὶ Σοδομιτικὴν τόλμαν τὴν εἰς ἀσέβειαν· ιβιεʹ. 9Λαός μου, οἱ πράκτορες ὑμῶν καλαμῶνται ὑμᾶς, καὶ οἱ ἀπαιτοῦντες κυριεύσουσιν ὑμῶν. Λαός μου, οἱ μακαρίζοντες ὑμᾶς πλανῶσιν ὑμᾶς, καὶ τὸν τρίβον τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ταράσσουσιν9, κ.τ.λ. Τῶν κατά τι πλημμελούντων, οἱ μὲν πταίουσιν ἐν γνώσει, νικώμενοι μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς κακίας, ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ συνειδότος δακνόμενοι. Οἱ δὲ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ, βοσκημάτων δίκην βιοῦντες. Πάντων δὲ χείρους, οἱ καὶ ἄλλους δι' ἁρπαγῆς πρὸς τὴν κακίαν ἐνάγοντες· ὁ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος πολλοὺς κατὰ πλάνην ἐν Ἰουδαίοις ὁρῶν ἁμαρτάνοντας, ἀφορίζει μὲν τῶν πρόσθε κατηγορηθέντων αὐτοὺς, οἷά τε Πατὴρ Χριστὸς τούτους παρακαλεῖ, λαὸν ἴδιον αὐτοὺς ὀνομάζων προτρεπτικῶς. Αὐτοῦ γὰρ πάντες, κἂν ἁμαρτάνωμεν. ∆ιὸ καὶ πάντας θέλει σωθῆναι, καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν, μὴ βουλόμενος ἡμῶν τὸν θάνατον ὡς τὴν μετάνοιαν, ἤγουν ὡς δυναμένων, εἴπερ ἕλοιντο, Κυρίου γενέσθαι λαός· συγγνώμην τε νέμων τοῖς κατ' ἄγνοιαν πλημμελήσασιν, τοὺς αἰτίους αὐτοῖς τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀπιστίας ἐλέγχει, οὓς ἔμπροσθεν ἐμπαίκτας ὠνόμαζεν, οὓς καὶ καλαμᾶσθαί φησιν τὸν λαὸν, τὰς ἀπαρχὰς καὶ δεκάτας λαμβάνειν ἐθέλοντες, οὐ συνεχώρουν πιστεύειν Χριστῷ. Ἐν οἷς γὰρ ἐπλούτουν, μόνον φυλάττειν τὸν νόμον ἐκέλευον, ἐντολῶν παραμελοῦντες τῶν ἄλλων. ∆ιόπερ αὐτοὺς ἐταλάνιζεν, ὡς ἀποδεκατοῦντας τὸ ἄνηθον, καὶ τὸ ἡδύοσμον, καὶ τὸ 1908 κύμινον, ἀφιέντας δὲ τὰ τοῦ νόμου βαρύτερα, τὴν 1908 κρίσιν, καὶ τὸ ἔλεος, καὶ τὴν πίστιν. Ἔσθ' ὅτε δὲ κα δίκην ἐπῆγον τοῖς πταίουσιν, ὡς ἄν τις ἁλοὺς, ἐπὶ ἐγκλήματι τὰ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν αὐτοῖς προσάγει φοβούμενος. Ὅθεν καλαμᾶσθαί φησιν, ὡς μετὰ τὸ θερίσαι, καὶ τοῖς ἔτι λειπομένοις προσάγοντας δεξιάν· καὶ πράκτορας καλεῖ. Κατεξουσίαζον γὰρ αὐτῶν οὐ πράως, ὡς δὴ μαθηταῖς διδάσκαλοι προσφερόμενοι, ὡς δὲ σκληροὶ δεσπόται πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν ἀναγκάζοντες, ἐναντίως τῷ θείῳ Πέτρῳ παραγγέλλοντι τοῖς διδασκάλοις μὴ ὡς κατακυριεύοντες τῶν κλήρων, ἀλλὰ τύποι γινόμενοι τοῦ ποιμνίου. Καὶ ψυχῶν δὲ τυγχάνουσι πράκτορες πονηραὶ δυνάμεις τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἀπαιτοῦσαι