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they went about, but in the most pleasant country itself, near the city. To burn their sons; which I did not command them, and not, etc. For lest anyone should say that to You these things ... I gave the sacrifices, just as the other. And that I did not command them innocent blood, nor did I give a riddle; nor did I wish it, nor simply to sacrifice; but they themselves burned them. Let it be that the fear of God did not restrain you, the law of nature did not prevent you, so they were driven to a Bacchic frenzy. Where it was necessary for demons to be honored, they even ignored nature itself; but where God was to be served, they spared the sheep. Whom would this sight not distress? Behold, even to us who hear it, it seems dreadful; do we then still wonder, tell me, for what reason is the sacking? for what reason is the captivity? Was it good for those living thus to live any longer? For this reason, days are coming, says the Lord, and they will no longer say: Altar of Topheth. Do you wish, he says, to slaughter? I will do this by the law of war. It is better for sons to be slain thus, than by paternal hands. And they will bury in Topheth, because there is no other place. For where previously, he says, they did not allow a corpse to approach, holding it as a sacred place, there the multitude of the dead will be heaped up. And he says these things, as if the barbarian had wrought a great slaughter on that very spot. For he adds: And the dead of this people will be food for the birds of the sky. 64.844 As they would not even be deemed worthy of burial; which showed the calamity to be worse.

CHAP. VIII.

And they will expose them to the sun, and to the moon, and to all the stars. That is, in the sight of these. For not only will the enemies offer no honor to the departed, but also of those already dead and deemed worthy of honor, even of these they will dig up the bones; so that they might know that the worship of these idols is of no benefit. They will expose them to the sun, and the moon, and the stars, which you have loved, he says. As if treading upon them, so he speaks. That they will not spare, they will not pity those that have enjoyed much worship, nor the other... they will be able... worship by those who loved... nor will they be able to prevent; but they will overlook the bones of those who so worshipped being dishonored, and others will not defend... they defend them. And they will not be buried. For burial was no small matter to the ancients. For thus says the Lord: Does he who falls not rise up? See some lover leaping away from his beloved, and thinking not to speak, not to share a word, and after this being bent again. It is something like this, he introduces an exhortation and counsel. And yet many of those who are insulted say: Go away, say this, but as if from yourself; do not say that it is from me, so that they may not seem to be insulted; but God not even this, but said that I have said it. See the desire: Does he who falls not rise up? You see that evils and goods are nowhere natural; for the things of nature are unchangeable. For have you not fallen from a standing position? For were you not walking? I do not accuse you, he says, because you have fallen. But that you remain in your fall, this provokes me. Or does he who turns away not turn back? He blames them, as they sin without repentance. Why did he turn away? a shameless turning away ... Because it is from God, because it is for such things, because it is forever, because it has nothing to complain of. For truly shameless is the turning away from God. And they were overcome in their own choice. See again the will being taken into account; nowhere the things of necessity, nor that of fate. For were they not such from the beginning? *Give ear now, and hear. Do they not speak thus? It must be read with hypocrisy. And this is the meaning, that is, they also converse about these things

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περιήρχοντο, ἀλλ' ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ χώρᾳ τῇ ἡδίστῃ, τῇ πλησίον τῆς πόλεως. Τοῦ κατακαίειν τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτῶν· ὃ οὐκ ἐνετειλάμην αὐτοῖς, καὶ οὐ, κ. τ. λ. Ἵνα γὰρ μήτις λέγῃ, ὅτι Σοὶ ταῦτα ... ἔδωκα τὰς θυσίας, ὥσπερ τὴν ἄλλην. Καὶ ὅτι Αἷμα ἀθῶον οὐκ ἐνετειλάμην αὐτοῖς, οὐδὲ αἴνιγμα ἔδωκα· οὐδὲ ἐβουλόμην, οὐδὲ θύειν ἁπλῶς· ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ κατέκαυσαν. Ἔστω ὁ φόβος οὐ κατέσχεν ὑμᾶς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ τῆς φύσεως οὐκ ἐκώλυσε νόμος, οὕτως ἐξεβακχεύθησαν. Ἔνθα μὲν τοὺς δαίμονας τιμηθῆναι ἔδει, καὶ τὴν φύσιν ἠγνόουν αὐτήν· ἔνθα δὲ τὸν Θεὸν θεραπευθῆναι, καὶ προβάτων ἐφείδοντο. Τίνα οὐκ ἂν ἀνιάσῃ τοῦτο τὸ θέαμα; Ἰδοὺ ἡμῖν καὶ ἀκούουσι φρικτὸν εἶναι δοκεῖ· ἔτι οὖν θαυμάζομεν, εἰπέ μοι, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἡ πόρθησις; τίνος ἕνεκεν ἡ αἰχμαλωσία; Τοὺς οὕτω ζῶντας ζῇν ἔτι καλὸν ἦν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ οὐκ ἐροῦσιν ἔτι· Βωμὸς τοῦ Ταφέθ. Βούλεσθε, φησὶ, σφάζειν; ἐγὼ ποιήσω νόμῳ πολέμου τοῦτο. Βέλτιον οὕτως ἀναιρεῖσθαι τοὺς υἱοὺς, ἢ χερσὶ πατρικαῖς. Καὶ θάψουσιν ἐν τῷ Ταφὲθ, διὰ τὸ μὴ ὑπάρχειν τόπον. Ὅπου γὰρ πρότερον, φησὶν, οὔτε νεκρὸν πλησιάζειν παρεσκεύαζον, ὡς ἱερὸν ἔχοντες τόπον, ἐνταῦθα τῶν νεκρῶν σωρευθήσεται τὸ πλῆθος. Ταῦτα δέ φησιν, ὡς αὐτόθι τοῦ βαρβάρου πολλὴν σφαγὴν ἐργασαμένου. Ἐπάγει γοῦν· Καὶ ἔσονται οἱ νεκροὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου εἰς βρῶσιν τοῖς πετεινοῖς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. 64.844 Ὡς οὐδὲ ταφῆς ἀξιωθησομένων· ὃ χείρονα τὴν συμφορὰν ἐδείκνυεν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ηʹ.

Καὶ ψύξουσι αὐτὰ πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ πρὸς τὴν σελήνην, καὶ πρὸς πάντας τοὺς ἀστέρας. Τουτέστιν ὑπ' ὄψεσι τούτων. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον οὐδεμίαν τοῖς ἀποθανοῦσι παρέξουσι τιμὴν οἱ πολέμιοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἤδη τεθνηκότων, καὶ τιμῆς ἀξιωθέντων, καὶ τούτων ἀνορύξουσι τὰ ὀστᾶ· ὡς ἂν γνοῖεν, ὡς οὐδὲν ὄφελός ἐστιν ἡ τῶν ξοάνων τούτων θεραπεία. Ψύξουσιν αὐτὰ πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ τὴν σελήνην, καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας, ἃ ἠγαπήκατε, φησίν. Ὥσπερ ἐπεμβαίνων αὐτοῖς, οὕτω διαλέγεται. Ὅτι οὐ φείσονται, οὐκ ἐλεήσουσι τὰ πολλῆς ἀπολαύσαντα θεραπείας, οὔτε τὸν ἄλλ. τὴν τῶν ἀγαπησάντων δυνήσονται ἴσ. θεραπείας παρὰ τῶν ἀγαπ. οὔτε δυνήσονται κωλῦσαι· ἀλλὰ τῶν οὕτω θεραπευσάντων παρορῶσι τὰ ὀστᾶ καθυβριζόμενα, καὶ οὐκ ἀμυνοῦσιν ἄλλ. ἀμύνουσιν αὐτοῖς. Καὶ οὐ ταφήσονται. Οὐ γὰρ ὁ τυχὼν λόγος ἦν τοῖς παλαιοῖς τῆς ταφῆς. Ὅτι τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Μὴ ὁ πίπτων οὐκ ἀνίσταται; Ὅρα ἐραστήν τινα τῆς ἐρωμένης ἀποπηδῶντα, καὶ οἰόμενον, μὴ διαλέγεσθαι, μὴ λόγου μεταδιδόναι, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάλιν καμπτόμενον. Τοιοῦτόν τί ἐστι, παραίνεσιν εἰσάγει καὶ συμβουλήν. Καίτοιγε πολλοὶ τῶν ὑβριζομένων λέγουσιν· Ἄπελθε, εἰπὲ τόδε, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ· μὴ εἴπῃς, ὅτι παρ' ἐμοῦ, ἵνα μὴ δόξωσιν ὑβρίζεσθαι· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς οὐδὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλ' εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἐγὼ εἶπον. Ὅρα τὸν πόθον· Μὴ ὁ πίπτων οὐκ ἀνίσταται; Ὁρᾷς οὐδαμοῦ φυσικὰ τὰ κακὰ οὐδὲ τὰ καλά· τὰ γὰρ τῆς φύσεως ἀμετάβλητα. Μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἀπὸ στάσεως πέπτωκας; μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἐβάδιζες; Οὐκ ἐγκαλῶ, φησὶν, ὅτι ἔπεσας. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μένεις ἐπὶ τῷ πτώματι, τοῦτό με παροξύνει. Ἢ ὁ ἀποστρέφων οὐκ ἐπιστρέφει; Μέμφεται αὐτοὺς, ὡς ἀμεταμέλητα πταίουσιν. ∆ιατί ἀπέστρεψεν; ἀποστροφὴν ἀναιδῆ ... Ὅτι ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, ὅτι ἐπὶ τοιούτοις, ὅτι διὰ παντὸς, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἔχουσα ἐγκαλεῖν. Ὄντως γὰρ ἀναιδὴς ἡ ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀποστροφή. Καὶ κατεκρατήθησαν ἐν τῇ προαιρέσει αὐτῶν. Ὅρα πάλιν τὴν βούλησιν παραλαμβανομένην· οὐδαμοῦ τὰ τῆς ἀνάγκης, οὐδὲ τὸ τῆς εἱμαρμένης. Μὴ γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐτύγχανον τοιοῦτοι ὄντες; *Ἐνωτίσασθε δὴ, καὶ ἀκούσατε. Οὐχ οὕτως λαλοῦσι; Καθ' ὑπόκρισιν ἀναγνωστέον. Ἔστι δὲ ἡ ἔννοια αὕτη, τουτέστι περὶ τούτων καὶ διαλέγονται