32

preventing what is worse. But nevertheless, these people, transgressing the divine law in this also, neither exterminated the impious nations, nor did they flee from fellowship with them, but they emulated their wicked way of life. The prophet, therefore, showing that God was not teaching misanthropy, but wishing to establish them in safety, added: And this mixing and association became a stumbling block for them, and not an ordinary stumbling block; for they raged against nature itself, which he adds, saying: And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. And they shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the carved images of Canaan. And the land was polluted with murder by the blood, and was defiled by their works. He left the culmination of impiety for last. For what excess of impiety will it leave behind to pollute the earth with the blood of sons and daughters, and to offer their sacrifices to bloodthirsty demons? for to God they did not even offer the customary things, 55.665 but to idols even the slaughter of their children. And they committed fornication in their practices. Here he calls fornication not only licentiousness, but also the worship of idols. For since, being joined to God, they loved the worship of those others, he reasonably called superstition fornication. And the Lord was angered in wrath against His people, and He abhorred His inheritance. And He delivered them into the hands of the nations, and those who hated them ruled over them. And their enemies afflicted them, and they were humbled under their hands.

εʹ. The history of the Judges teaches these things, and indeed also the writing of the Kings. For at one time He delivered them to the Moabites, at another to the Ammonites, Amalekites, Midianites and foreigners, working out their benefit through discipline. But the statement, 'He abhorred His inheritance,' seems somehow to be contrary to what was said before, 'That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, that I may glory with Your inheritance.' But now he speaks of the one that was abhorred, having prophesied about another inheritance, and another people and nation, with whom he prayed to be numbered. First, to be abhorred, then to be delivered up by God, then to be ruled by their enemies. For as long as God rules someone, they cannot rule. And he adds: He delivered them many times. But they provoked Him in their counsel, and were brought low in their iniquities. For bringing on discipline, He again imparted loving-kindness; but they requited Him with the opposite. And He was sweet to them out of loving-kindness, but they forced Him to appear bitter to them. And again He saved them as a Savior; but they were destroyed, involving themselves in works of destruction, until, doing this many times, they were finally destroyed. And the 'many times,' is similar to the, 'How often would I have gathered your children?'; and the, 'And they were brought low in their iniquities,' to the 'And you were not willing.' And the Lord saw when they were afflicted, when He heard their supplication. These things the histories also teach, both that they besought God, being driven by necessity, and that having besought, they were heard. And He remembered His covenant, and He relented according to the multitude of His mercy. For He bestowed mercy because of the promises to the fathers. And he calls the cessation of discipline 'relenting.' For God does not have the passion of repentance, nor is He pleased now with these things, now with those, but wisely governing all things, He both brings on discipline and extends loving-kindness. And He gave them over to compassion before all those who had taken them captive. For Ezra says that the Lord God put into the heart of Cyrus the king, and after this of Darius and Artaxerxes, to use

32

χεῖρον προαναστέλλων. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὗτοι καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τὸν θεῖον παραβαίνοντες νόμον, οὔτε τὰ δυσσεβῆ ἐξωλόθρευσαν ἔθνη, οὔτε τὴν πρὸς αὐτὰ ἔφυγον κοινωνίαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν πονηρὰν αὐτῶν πολιτείαν ἐζήλωσαν. ∆ηλῶν τοίνυν ὁ προφήτης, ὡς οὐ μισανθρω πίαν ἐδίδασκεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ αὐτοὺς κατα στῆσαι βουλόμενος, ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ ἐγενήθη αὐτοῖς σκάνδαλον ἡ ἐπιμιξία καὶ ἡ συνουσία αὕτη, καὶ σκάν δαλον οὐ τὸ τυχόν· κατὰ γὰρ τῆς φύσεως αὐτῆς ἐμά νησαν, ὅπερ ἐπάγει λέγων· Καὶ ἔθυσαν τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας αὐτῶν τοῖς δαιμο νίοις. Καὶ ἐξέχεαν αἷμα ἀθῷον, αἷμα υἱῶν αὐτῶν καὶ θυγατέρων, ὧν ἔθυσαν τοῖς γλυπτοῖς Χαναάν. Καὶ ἐφονοκτονήθη ἡ γῆ ἐν τοῖς αἵμασι, καὶ ἐμιάνθη ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτῶν. Τὸν κολοφῶνα τῆς ἀσεβείας τελευ ταῖον κατέλιπε. Ποίαν γὰρ δυσσεβείας ὑπερβολὴν κατα λείψει τὸ αἵμασιν υἱῶν καὶ θυγατέρων μολῦναι τὴν γῆν, καὶ τοῖς αἱμοβόροις δαίμοσι τὰς τούτων θυσίας προσενεγκεῖν; τῷ Θεῷ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ τὰ νενομισμένα προσ 55.665 έφερον, τοῖς δὲ εἰδώλοις καὶ τὰς τῶν παίδων σφαγάς. Καὶ ἐπόρνευσαν ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν αὐτῶν. Πορ νείαν ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὴν ἀκολασίαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων λατρείαν καλεῖ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ συνημ μένοι τὴν ἐκείνων θεραπείαν ἠγάπησαν, τὴν δεισιδαι μονίαν εἰκότως πορνείαν ἐκάλεσε. Καὶ ὠργίσθη θυμῷ Κύριος ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐβδελύξατο τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς χεῖρας ἐθνῶν, καὶ ἐκυρίευσαν αὐτοὺς οἱ μισοῦντες αὐτούς. Καὶ ἔθλιψαν αὐτοὺς οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐταπεινώθησαν ὑπὸ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν.

εʹ. Ταῦτα καὶ ἡ τῶν Κριτῶν ἱστορία διδάσκει, καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν συγγραφή. Ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ αὐτοὺς Μωαβίταις, ποτὲ δὲ Ἀμμανίταις, Ἀμαληκίταις, Μαδιηναίοις καὶ ἀλλοφύλοις παρέδωκε, τῇ παιδείᾳ τὴν ὠφέ λειαν πραγματευόμενος. Ἐναντίον δέ πως εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ, Ἐβδελύξατο τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτοῦ, τῷ προῤ ῥηθέντι, Τοῦ ἰδεῖν ἐν τῇ χρηστότητι τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν σου, τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι ἐν τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ τοῦ ἔθνους σου, τοῦ ἐπαινεῖσθαι μετὰ τῆς κληρονομίας σου. Ἀλλὰ τὴν βδελυχθεῖσαν λέγει νῦν, περὶ ἑτέρας προθε σπίσας κληρονομίας, ἑτέρου δὲ λαοῦ καὶ ἔθνους, μεθ' ὧν ηὔξατο καταριθμηθῆναι. Πρῶτον δὲ τὸ βδελυχθῆναι, εἶτα τὸ παραδοθῆναι ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, εἶτα τὸ κυριευθῆναι πρὸς τῶν ἐχθρῶν. Ἐν ὅσῳ γὰρ ἄρχει τινὸς ὁ Θεὸς, ἄρχειν οὐ δύνανται. Καὶ ἐπάγει· Πλεονάκις ἐῤῥύσατο αὐ τούς. Αὐτοὶ δὲ παρεπίκραναν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ βουλῇ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐταπεινώθησαν ἐν ταῖς ἀνομίαις αὐτῶν. Ἐπάγων γὰρ τὴν παιδείαν, πάλιν μετεδίδου φιλανθρω πίας· οἱ δὲ αὐτὸν τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἠμείβοντο. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἦν αὐτοῖς ἐκ φιλανθρωπίας γλυκὺς, οἱ δὲ πικρὸν ἑαυτοῖς ἠνάγκαζον φαίνεσθαι. Καὶ πάλιν ἔσωζεν αὐτοὺς οἷα Σω τήρ· οἱ δὲ ἀπώλοντο ἔργοις ἀπωλείας ἑαυτοὺς περιπεί ροντες, μέχρι πολλάκις αὐτὸ ποιοῦντες τέλος ἀπώλοντο. Τὸ δὲ, Πλεονάκις, ὅμοιον τῷ, Ποσάκις ἠθέλησα ἐπι συναγαγεῖν τὰ τέκνα σου; τὸ δὲ, Καὶ ἐταπεινώθη σαν ἐν ταῖς ἀνομίαις αὐτῶν, τῷ Καὶ οὐκ ἠθελήσατε. Καὶ εἶδε Κύριος ἐν τῷ θλίβεσθαι αὐτοὺς, ἐν τῷ αὐ τὸν εἰσακοῦσαι τῆς δεήσεως αὐτῶν. Ταῦτα καὶ αἱ ἱστορίαι διδάσκουσι, καὶ ὅτι ἐδεήθησαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης ὠθούμενοι, καὶ ὅτι δεηθέντες ἠκούσθησαν. Καὶ ἐμνήσθη τῆς διαθήκης αὐτοῦ, καὶ μετεμελήθη κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ ἐλέους αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὰς πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ἐπαγγελίας τὸν ἔλεον ἐχορήγησε. Μεταμέλειαν δὲ καλεῖ τῆς παιδείας τὴν παῦλαν. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς τῆς με ταμελείας οὐκ ἔχει τὸ πάθος, οὐδὲ νῦν μὲν τούτοις, νῦν δὲ ἐκείνοις ἀρέσκεται, ἀλλὰ σοφῶς ἅπαντα πρυτανεύων, καὶ παιδείας ἐπάγει καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν ὀρέγει. Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς οἰκτιρμοὺς ἐναντίον πάντων τῶν αἰχμαλωτευσάντων αὐτούς. Λέγει γὰρ Ἔσδρας, ὡς ἐνέβαλε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τὴν καρδίαν Κύρου τοῦ βασι λέως, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ∆αρείου καὶ Ἀρταξέρξου, χρῆ σθαι