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unsound words, and having accepted them, to make their children foreigners. 2.80 For their land was filled with silver and gold, and there was no number to their treasures. How great a sin is the love of wealth, that it was placed in the catalog of such great sins. For along with omens and foreign children, who were perhaps born in Israel from the increase of fornication, is also numbered the filling of the land with silver and gold. For to a God-fearing soul, wealth becomes an occasion for good works, according to communicative fellowship; but to a pleasure-loving and body-loving soul, it becomes a provision for luxury and licentiousness. For poverty is a tutor unto piety, but wealth is an occasion for insolence. And if a whole nation is accused for an abundance of money, let the wealthy consider how they will make a defense for their own possessions. And if anyone thinks, being wealthy from some seemingly reasonable pretext, that he does not sin, let him remember the evangelical command, clearly forbidding to treasure up for themselves on the earth. 2.81 And the land was filled with horses, and there was no number to their chariots. We have observed that the Saints everywhere have avoided the use of horses, both in military formations and in the other needs of life. For which reason here also the matter of horses is numbered with the other accusations. For since God wanted them to be dependent on His help, and not to place their hopes in their own preparations in wars, and for this reason forbade, "You shall not multiply horses for yourself," those who were then being accused surrounded themselves with such a multitude of horses as to even exceed number. We should either take this hyperbolically, or because wicked and otherwise dishonorable things are not numbered in the Scripture, we should consider it said that there was no number of the chariots. For observe that in Numbers a woman is not counted, as being weak; nor a child, as being contemptible, except for the firstborn and the Levites; nor a slave, because of being without honor; nor the mixed multitude, because of being foreign. Thus therefore we reckon also that the ill-gotten chariots are outside the number. 2.82 And the land was filled with the abominations of the works of their hands. The pagan practices, having taken their beginning from omens, advancing through love of money and a passion for horses, ran aground into idolatry. For because of their turning away from the counsel of God and paying attention to omens, because of not trusting in God but in the uncertainty of wealth, because of relying on horses, which are false for salvation, and not on the one who is able to crush wars, they consequently proceeded to fill their land with abominations. Therefore, every action that is performed contrary to right reason is an abomination to God. As those who are squeamish and easily nauseated turn away from foul sights, such as the expulsion of excrement and stinking sores and such things, so also are the activities of impurity an abomination to the Holy One. Since Scripture is accustomed to call idols abominations in the proper sense, all the wicked fantasies that are impressed upon the soul by way of depiction are abominations filling the land, that is, all the broad space of the rational part of the soul. And they worshiped what their fingers had made. O the excess of madness, to consider what was made by oneself to be God, and not to perceive the absurdity of what is happening. For if you admire the material, why indeed do you not also worship the unformed bronze or stone? But if it is because of the craftsmanship, worship your own hands that imposed the form on it, or the tools by which you fashioned it. And how great is the folly in not, during so great a passage of time in which the image was being carved or cast, coming to a realization of what was being done? For this is what "And they worshiped what their fingers had made" signifies. Then, however, he will be forced to choose one of two things: either not to have a God before he formed one by himself, or for the pre-existing one to have grown old, because of

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λό γους οὐχ ὑγιεῖς, καὶ παραδεξάμενον αὐτοὺς, τὰ τέκνα ἀλλό φυλα ποιεῖσθαι. 2.80 Ἐνεπλήσθη γὰρ ἡ χώρα αὐτῶν ἀργυρίου καὶ χρυσίου, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἀριθμὸς τῶν θησαυρῶν αὐτῶν. Ἡλίκον ἁμάρτημα τὸ φιλοπλουτεῖν, ὅτι ἐν τῷ καταλόγῳ τῶν τηλικούτων ἁμαρτημάτων ἐτάχθη. Μετὰ γὰρ κληδονισ μῶν καὶ τέκνων ἀλλοφύλων, τῶν ἐκ τοῦ πληθυνθῆναι τὴν πορ νείαν γεννωμένων τάχα ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, συγκατηρίθμηται καὶ τὸ ἐμπλησθῆναι τὴν χώραν ἀργυρίου καὶ χρυσίου. Θεοσεβεῖ μὲν γὰρ ψυχῇ ἀφορμὴν πρὸς εὐποιίαν, κατὰ τὴν μεταδοτι κὴν κοινωνίαν ὁ πλοῦτος γίνεται· φιληδόνῳ δὲ καὶ φιλοσω μάτῳ, ἐφόδιον τρυφῆς καὶ ἀκολασίας γίνεται. Πενία μὲν γὰρ παιδαγωγός ἐστιν εἰς εὐσέβειαν, πλοῦτος δὲ ὕβρεώς ἐστιν ἀφορμή. Εἰ δὲ ὅλον ἔθνος ἐγκαλεῖται περιουσίαν χρημάτων, σκοπείτωσαν οἱ πλουτοῦντες, πῶς ὑπὲρ τῶν οἰκείων ἀπο λογήσονται. Ἐὰν δέ τις οἴηται, ἔκ τινος εὐλόγου προφάσεως νομιζομένης πλουτῶν, μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν, ἀναμνησθήτω τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ προστάγματος, σαφῶς ἀπαγορεύοντος μὴ θησαυ ρίζειν ἑαυτοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 2.81 Καὶ ἐνεπλήσθη ἡ γῆ ἵππων καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἀριθμὸς τῶν ἁρμάτων αὐτῶν. Πανταχοῦ παραιτησαμένους τοὺς Ἁγίους τετηρήκαμεν τὴν τῶν ἵππων χρῆσιν, ἐπί τε τῶν πολεμικῶν παρατάξε ων καὶ ἐν ταῖς λοιπαῖς κατὰ τὸν βίον χρείαις. ∆ι' ὃ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοῖς λοιποῖς κατηγορήμασι καὶ ἡ τῶν ἵππων συγκατηρίθμηται. Τοῦ γὰρ Θεοῦ βουλομένου τῆς παρ' αὐ τοῦ βοηθείας αὐτοὺς ἐξηρτῆσθαι, καὶ μὴ ταῖς οἰκείαις παρασκευαῖς αὐτοὺς ἐπελπίζειν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπαγορεύσαντος μή ποτε πληθύνῃς σεαυτῷ ἵππον, οἱ τότε ἐγκαλούμενοι τοσοῦτόν τι πλῆθος ἵππων περιεβάλ λοντο, ὥστε καὶ ἀριθμὸν ὑπερβαίνειν. Τοῦτο δὲ ἤτοι ὑπερ βολικῶς ἐκδεξώμεθα, ἢ παρὰ τὸ τὰ φαῦλα καὶ ἄλλως ἄτιμα μὴ ἀριθμεῖσθαι ἐν τῇ Γραφῇ, νομίσωμεν εἰρῆσθαι, τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἁρμάτων. Τήρει γὰρ ὅτι ἐν Ἀριθμοῖς οὐ γυνὴ ἀριθμεῖται, ὡς ἀσθενής· οὐ παιδίον, ὡς εὐκαταφρόνη τον, πλὴν πρωτοτόκων καὶ Λευιτικῶν· οὐ δοῦλος, διὰ τὸ ἄτιμον· οὐχ ὁ ἐπίμικτος, διὰ τὸ ἀλλότριον. Οὕτως οὖν καὶ τὰ κακῶς κτηθέντα ἅρματα ἔξω εἶναι τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ λογι ζόμεθα. 2.82 Καὶ ἐνεπλήσθη ἡ γῆ βδελυγμάτων τῶν ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν. Τὰ ἐθνικὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα ἀπὸ κληδονισμῶν τὴν ἀρχὴν λαβόντα, διὰ φιλαργυρίας καὶ ἱππομανίας προκόψαντα, εἰς εἰδωλολατρείαν ἐξώκειλε. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὸ ἀποστῆναι συμβου λίας Θεοῦ καὶ κληδόσι προσέχειν, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐπὶ Θεὸν πεποιθέναι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ πλούτου ἀδηλότητι, διὰ τὸ τοῖς ψευδέσιν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἵπποις, ἀλλὰ μὴ τῷ δυνατῷ συντρίβειν πολέμους, ἐπιστηρίζεσθαι, ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολούθου προῆλθον εἰς τὸ ἐμπλῆσαι τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν βδελυγμάτων. Πᾶσα μὲν οὖν πρᾶξις, ἡ παρὰ τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον ἐνερ γουμένη, βδέλυγμά ἐστι τῷ Θεῷ. Ὡς οἱ στομαχῶντες καὶ εὐανάτρεπτοι τὰ μυσαρὰ τῶν θεαμάτων ἐκτρέπονται, οἷον περιττωμάτων ἐκβολὰς καὶ ἕλκη δυσώδη καὶ τὰ τοι αῦτα, οὕτω καὶ αἱ κατὰ ἀκαθαρσίαν ἐνέργειαι βδέλυγμά εἰσι τῷ Ἁγίῳ. Ἐπειδὴ κυρίως τὰ εἴδωλα βδελύγματα λέγειν ἔθος τῇ Γραφῇ, πᾶσαι αἱ μοχθηραὶ φαντασίαι κατὰ ἀναζω γράφησιν ἐναποτυπούμεναι τῇ ψυχῇ, βδελύγματά εἰσι πλη ροῦντα τὴν χώραν, τουτέστι τὴν εὐρυχωρίαν πᾶσαν τοῦ λογιστικοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς. Καὶ προσεκύνησαν οἷς ἐποίησαν οἱ δάκτυλοι αὐτῶν. Ὢ ὑπερβολῆς μανίας, Θεὸν νομίζειν τὸ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γενόμενον, καὶ μὴ συνορᾶν τὴν ἀτοπίαν τοῦ γινομένου. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ὕλην θαυμάζεις, τί δήποτε καὶ τὸν ἀτύπωτον χαλκὸν, ἢ λίθον οὐ προσκυνεῖς; Εἰ δὲ διὰ τὴν τέχνην, τὰς χεῖρας σαυ τοῦ προσκύνει, τὰς ἐπιβαλούσας αὐτῷ τὴν μορφὴν, ἢ τὰ ὄργανα, δι' ὧν ἀπήρτισας. Πόσην δὲ καὶ τὴν ἄνοιαν ἔχει τὸ ἐν τοσαύτῃ χρόνου τριβῇ, καθ' ἣν ἐγλύφετο, ἢ ἐχωνεύετο τὸ ἀφίδρυμα, μὴ λαβεῖν ἔννοιαν τοῦ γινομένου; Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐμφαίνει τὸ Καὶ προσεκύνησαν οἷς ἐποίησαν οἱ δάκτυλοι αὐ τῶν. Ἔπειτα μέντοι καὶ τῶν δύο τὸ ἕτερον ἑλέσθαι ἀναγ κασθήσεται· ἢ μὴ ἔχειν Θεὸν πρὶν μορφῶσαι δι' ἑαυτοῦ, ἢ γηράσαι τὸν προϋπάρχοντα, διὰ τὸ