30

Having nothing, they truly had the peace which God left to them. Peace, he says, my peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. They were put to shame, because. How were they put to shame? that is, the testimony through deeds did not accompany their words. They were convicted by their own works. For even if the war was not present, yet the preludes to the war were; and not even so did they give in at all. Do you see that signs are not needed for a soul that is ill-disposed? for this reason he says, They will fall in their falling. Stand by the ways. See what is free and unconstrained; and how not for his own sake, but for ours, he wants us to serve him. He permits the choice of the way. See which way is good; learn them all, 64.828 he says, with exactness, both mine and not mine, and learn, and do not take mine, but the good one. And in any case you will find mine to be this one; for if I were considering my own interest, I would say, 'By all means take mine'; but now it is not simply mine, but the one that is expedient for you. And see and ask for the eternal paths of the Lord, and see which is the good way, and walk in it. What he says is this: Become better, and test from eternity who is truly Lord; and let the testing be from his works. For the phrase, 'the eternal paths of the Lord,' means the works of God that have come to be from eternity, the law that was placed in creation. And having tested this, turn away from idols, and serve God; but nevertheless they did not accept the exhortation. I do not say that you have had experience for so long a time. But why do I now permit examination, and choice after so long a time? And you will find purification for your souls. Two great goods, than which nothing could ever be equal, rest, not simply for bodies, but for souls; for when this is at rest, there is nothing that harms the body, just as when it is afflicted, there is nothing that can give the body rest. I set watchmen over you, that is, prophets. Listen to the sound of the trumpet; and they said, We will not listen. That is, the prophets foretold the terrible things, and they did not wish to be persuaded. So that he might say, Throughout it all that they neither accept exhortation from their misfortunes, nor have they become more sober-minded from the attack of their enemies. Watchmen and trumpets, he says, are the prophets; why or when? because they foresee the future, because with a great voice they foretell the things that will be. For this reason the nations heard. This is a kind of prophecy; while they were living the Jews did not listen, and after they died we listen, we who are not only separated by place, but also kept apart by a long time. The prophets were sent to others, and they drew to themselves others to whom they were not sent. So useful were they, so beneficial, as for those to whom it was not fitting to hear them. They were given to you, you did not transgress, and others heard them. Hear, O earth. Do you see how when they themselves will not listen, he speaks to the elements? For since they said, 'We will not listen,' he says, 'Hear, O earth.' He does not bring it upon them first, but they draw their wickedness upon themselves. Behold, I. Because they did not pay attention to my word. See everywhere, not only the not doing of what is lawful, but also the not being heard, has a punishment. For what expense of money, what toil of bodies is there in listening? 64.829 Why do you bring me frankincense from Sheba, and cinnamon from a distant land? He wishes to say that I do not need offerings, nor is there a need for toils, but only for the disposition toward what is good. Sheba is a country of the Indians. Since he said, 'They rejected my law,' so that they might not retort, 'And how have we rejected the law when we sacrifice daily, and burn incense?' to these things he says: 'But perhaps you will say that you bring frankincense; I do not seek gifts, but the fragrance of a soul; that perfume is sweet to me.' For God does not smell bodies, nor perceptible fragrance, but the spiritual fragrance according to the soul, of all

30

οὐδὲν ἔχοντες, τὴν εἰρήνην εἶχον ὄντως, ἣν ἀφῆκεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεός. Εἰρήνην, φησὶ, τὴν ἐμὴν ἀφίημι ὑμῖν, εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν. Κατῃσχύνθησαν, ὅτι. Πῶς κατῃσχύνθησαν; τουτέστιν οὐ παρεγένοντο ἄλλ. παρεγένετο τοῖς λόγοις ἡ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων μαρτυρία. Ἠλέγχοντο διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὁ πόλεμος μὴ παρῆν, ἀλλὰ τὰ τοῦ πολέμου προοίμια· καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐνέδωκάν πως. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τῶν σημείων οὐ χρεία πρὸς τὴν κακῶς διακειμένην ψυχήν; διὰ τοῦτό φησι, Πεσοῦνται ἐν πτώσει αὐτῶν. Στῆτε ἐπὶ ταῖς ὁδοῖς. Ὅρα τὸ ἐλεύθερον, καὶ ἀκατανάγκαστον· καὶ πῶς οὐχ αὑτοῦ ἕνεκεν, ἀλλ' ἡμῶν, βούλεται δουλεύειν ἡμᾶς αὐτούς. Ἐπιτρέπει τῆς ὁδοῦ τὴν αἵρεσιν. Ἴδετε ποία ἐστὶν ὁδὸς ἀγαθή· πάσας καταμάθετε, 64.828 φησὶ, μετὰ ἀκριβείας, καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν, καὶ τὴν μὴ ἐμὴν, καὶ μάθετε, καὶ μὴ λάβετε τὴν ἐμὴν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀγαθήν. Καὶ πάντως τὴν ἐμὴν εὑρήσετε ταύτην οὖσαν· εἰ μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἐμαυτοῦ ἐσκόπουν, ἔλεγον, ὅτι Πάντως τὴν ἐμήν· νῦν δὲ οὐχ ἁπλῶς τὴν ἐμὴν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ὑμῖν συμφέρουσαν. Καὶ ἴδετε καὶ ἐρωτήσατε τρίβους Κυρίου αἰωνίας, καὶ ἴδετε ποία ἐστὶν ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀγαθὴ, καὶ βαδίσατε ἐν αὐτῇ. Ὃ λέγει τοῦτό ἐστι· Κρείττους γίνεσθε, καὶ ἐξ αἰῶνος δοκιμάσατε τίς ἐστιν ἀληθῶς Κύριος· ἡ δὲ δοκιμασία γενέσθω ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων. Τὸ γὰρ, Τρίβους Κυρίου αἰωνίας, τουτέστι, τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ἐξ αἰῶνος γενόμενα, νόμον τὸν ἐν τῇ κτίσει τεθέντα. Καὶ τοῦτο δοκιμάσαντες, ἐκτράπητε τῶν εἰδώλων, καὶ δουλεύσατε τῷ Θεῷ· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἐδέξαντο τὴν παραίνεσιν. Οὐ λέγω, ὅτι τοσοῦτον χρόνον ἐλάβετε πεῖραν. Ἀλλὰ τί νῦν ἐπιτρέπω τὴν ἐξέτασιν, καὶ τὴν αἵρεσιν μετὰ τοσοῦτον χρόνον; Καὶ εὑρήσετε ἁγνισμὸν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν. ∆ύο τὰ μεγάλα ἀγαθὰ, ὧν ἴσον οὐδὲν ἄν ποτε γένοιτο, ἀνάπαυσις, ἄλλ. ἀνάπαυσιν οὐχ ἁπλῶς τοῖς σώμασιν, ἀλλὰ ταῖς ψυχαῖς· ταύτης γὰρ ἀναπαυομένης, οὐδέν ἐστιν ὃ τὸ σῶμα διαλυμαίνεται ἄλλ. λυμαίνεται, ὥσπερ οὖν θλιβομένης, οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν ὃ τὸ σῶμα ἀναπαῦσαι δύναται. Κατέστησα ἐφ' ὑμᾶς σκοπούς, τουτέστι προφήτας. Ἀκούσατε τῆς φωνῆς τῆς σάλπιγγος· καὶ εἶπον, Οὐκ ἀκουσόμεθα. Τουτέστι, προέλεγον οἱ προφῆται τὰ δεινὰ, καὶ πείθεσθαι οὐκ ἐβούλοντο. Ἵνα εἴπῃ, ∆ι' ὅλου ὅτι οὔτε παραίνεσιν ἐκ τῶν συμφορῶν δέχονται, οὔτε ἐκ τῆς ἐφόδου τῶν πολεμίων σωφρονέστεροι γεγόνασιν. Σκοποὺς καὶ σάλπιγγας, τοὺς προφήτας φησί· τί ἢ πότε; ὅτι προορῶσι τὸ μέλλον, ὅτι μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ προλέγουσι τὰ ἐσόμενα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἤκουσαν τὰ ἔθνη. Τοῦτο προφητεία τίς ἐστιν· ζώντων αὐτῶν οὐκ ἤκουσαν Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ ἀποθανόντων ἀκούομεν ἡμεῖς, οὐ τόπῳ διῳκισμένοι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ πολλῷ χρόνῳ διειργόμενοι. Ἑτέροις ἀπεστάλησαν οἱ προφῆται, καὶ ἑτέρους ἐπεσπάσαντο πρὸς οὓς οὐκ ἀπεστάλησαν. Οὕτως ἦσαν χρήσιμοι, οὕτω συμφέροντες, ὡς τοὺς μηδὲν προσήκοντας ἀκοῦσαι αὐτῶν. Ὑμῖν ἐδόθησαν, ὑμεῖς οὐ παρέβητε, καὶ ἕτεροι ἤκουσαν αὐτῶν. Ἄκουε, γῆ. Ὁρᾷς ὅταν αὐτοὶ μὴ ἀκούσωσι, πῶς πρὸς τὰ στοιχεῖα διαλέγεται; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπον, Οὐκ ἀκουσόμεθα, φησίν· Ἄκουε, γῆ. Οὐ πρότερον αὐτοῖς ἐπάγει, ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ τὴν κακίαν ἐφέλκονται. Ἰδοὺ ἐγώ. Ὅτι τῷ λόγῳ μου οὐ προσέσχον. Ὅρα πανταχοῦ, οὐ τὸ μὴ πράττεσθαι τὰ νόμιμα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ μὴ ἀκούεσθαι, τιμωρίαν ἔχει. Ποία γὰρ χρημάτων δαπάνη, ποῖος σωμάτων πόνος πρὸς τὸ ἀκοῦσαι; 64.829 Ἵνα τί μοι λίβανον ἐκ Σαβὰν φέρεις, καὶ κινάμωμον ἐκ γῆς μακρόθεν; Βούλεται εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Οὐ δέομαι τῶν προσκομιδῶν, οὐδὲ χρεία πόνων, μόνον δὲ τῆς περὶ τὸ καλὸν διαθέσεως. Σαβὰ δὲ χώρα ἐστὶν Ἰνδῶν. Ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν, ὅτι Τὸν νόμον μου ἀπώσαντο, ἵνα μὴ ἀνθυπενέγκωσι, Καὶ πῶς ἀπωσάμεθα τὸν νόμον καθημέραν θυσιάζοντες, καὶ τὸν λιβανωτὸν θυμιῶντες; πρὸς ταῦτά φησιν· Ἀλλ' ἐρεῖς ἴσως, ὅτι λίβανον φέρεις· οὐχὶ δῶρα ζητῶ, ἀλλὰ ψυχῆς εὐωδίαν· ἐκεῖνό μοι τὸ ἄρωμα ἡδύ. Οὐ γὰρ σωμάτων ὁ Θεὸς ὀσφραίνεται, οὐδὲ τῆς αἰσθητῆς εὐωδίας, ἀλλὰ τῆς νοερᾶς τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν, τῆς παντὸς