41

being placed around the neck, the yoke of the law; and a nose-ring being put on the nostril, the overturning of wickedness through the commandments, being brought in like a bridle by a metaphor of the bulls, who receive the iron bridle in their nostrils, and by it are led this way and that. And that he also likened their audacity to oxen, the prophet Hosea is a witness, speaking from the person of God: "Like a stubborn heifer, Ephraim was stubborn." And earrings being brought to the ears, he says, is good teaching, bringing adornment to the hearing through obedience; and a crown being placed on the head, the good repute brought forth from piety, and from good laws, and from all good things. 13. And you were adorned with gold and silver, and your raiment was of fine linen, and of silk, and of embroidered work. And it is possible to understand each of these things in this way; and it is fitting to add to what has been said, that not only spiritual things are alluded to by what has been said, but it also signifies bodily prosperity. For immediately after they left Egypt, they took from the Egyptians silver and gold vessels, and they despoiled the Egyptians, demanding a just wage for their forced labor. And indeed, they plundered all the wealth of the nations inhabiting Palestine. It signifies, therefore, in addition to the spiritual things, also bodily abundance. For this reason he adds: "You ate fine flour, and honey, and oil." You enjoyed, he says, all the good things from the earth. And you became exceedingly, exceedingly beautiful. You had the law, fulfilling the comeliness from the good law. "And you were directed to a kingdom." Thus, he says, you grew, so as to become fearsome to all the neighbors, and to enjoy royal honor. For he alluded to this through what he added, 14. And a name went out for you among the nations in your beauty. For you became renowned, and much talked of everywhere. Then he also states the reason for this: "Because it was perfected in comeliness, which I have set upon you, says the Lord Adonai." For I became the cause of this comeliness for you, having adorned you with my own commandments and laws. 15. And you trusted in your beauty. This is the beginning of evils, to leave the divine hope, and to take pride in one's own achievements. "And you played the harlot because of your name, and you poured out your fornication on every passerby; it became his, and shall not be." Having become most renowned, he says, and being very proud on account of this, you departed from me, and you ran aground into the utmost licentiousness, receiving not one lover, nor two, but everyone who wished to pass by you 81.940; and you had intercourse with each, unlawfully receiving the union. For he indicated this by saying: "it became his, and shall not be;" that is, you were joined to others, in no way being suited to them; for you dedicated yourself to me from the beginning. And here he calls idolatry fornication; and every passerby, the various plots of the demons. 10. And you took of your garments, and you made for yourself sewn idols, and you committed fornication upon them, and you shall not enter in, which things shall not be, nor shall they happen. Your practices of idolatry, he says, are new and strange. For you not only emulated the evils of others, but you yourself also devised others, fashioning images of idols out of garments, and proclaiming them gods, and this though I had forbidden you such things through the law. 17. And you took the vessels of your boasting from my silver and from my gold, of which I had given you, and you made for yourself male images, and you committed fornication with them. Receiving the silver and the gold from me, he says, you fashion gods from my gifts, and you preferred these to my worship. And he called them male images, since he tropically calls idolatry fornication. 18, 19. And you took, he says, your embroidered raiment, and you covered them, and my oil and my incense you set before their face. And the breads, which I gave you, fine flour and honey, and oil with which I fed you, and you set them before their face for an odor

41

δὲ τῷ τραχήλῳ περιτιθέμενον, τὸν τοῦ νόμου ζυγόν· ἐνώτιον δὲ τῷ μυκτῆρι ἐμβαλόμε νον, τὴν διὰ τῶν ἐντολῶν τῆς κακίας ἀνατροπὴν, χαλινοῦ δίκην προσφερομένην ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν ταύρων, οἳ τὸν σιδηροῦν χαλινὸν ταῖς ῥισὶ δέχονται, καὶ δι' ἐκείνου τῇδε κἀκεῖσε περιάγονται. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ βουσὶν ἀπείκασεν αὐτῶν τὴν θρασύτητα, μάρτυς ὁ προφήτης Ὠσηὲ ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγων· "Ὡς δάμαλις παροιστρῶσα παροίστρησεν Ἐφραΐμ." Ἐνώτια δὲ τοῖς ὠσὶ προσφερόμενα τὴν ἀγαθὴν λέγει διδασκαλίαν, κόσμον ταῖς ἀκοαῖς διὰ τῆς εὐπειθείας προσφέρουσαν· στέφανον δὲ τῇ κεφαλῇ ἐπιτιθέμενον, τὴν ἐκ τῆς εὐσεβείας, καὶ τῆς εὐνομίας, καὶ ἐξ ἁπάν των τῶν ἀγαθῶν προσφερομένην εὐφημίαν. ιγʹ. Καὶ ἐκοσμήθης χρυσίῳ, καὶ ἀργυρίῳ, καὶ τὰ περιβόλαιά σου βύσσινα, καὶ τρίχαπτα, καὶ ποικίλα. Καὶ τούτων δὲ ἕκαστον δυνατὸν οὕτω νοῆσαι· κἀκεῖνο δὲ προσήκει προσθεῖναι τοῖς εἰρημέ νοις, ὅτι οὐ πνευματικὰ μόνον διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων αἰνίττεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν σωματικὴν εὐπραξίαν ση μαίνει. Εὐθὺς μὲν γὰρ ἐξελθόντες ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐχρήσαντο παρὰ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων σκεύη ἀργυρᾶ καὶ χρυσᾶ, καὶ ἐσκύλευσαν τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους, τῆς βιαίας ἐργασίας δίκαιον ἀπαιτοῦντες μισθόν. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῶν τὴν Παλαιστίνην οἰκούντων ἐθνῶν πάντα τὸν πλοῦτον ἐληΐσαντο. Σημαίνει τοίνυν, πρὸς τοῖς πνευ ματικοῖς, καὶ τὴν σωματικὴν περιουσίαν ∆ιὸ ἐπ άγει· "Σεμίδαλιν, καὶ μέλι, καὶ ἔλαιον ἔφαγες." Πάντων, φησὶ, τῶν ἐκ γῆς ἀπήλαυσας ἀγαθῶν. Καὶ ἐγένου καλὴ σφόδρα, σφόδρα. Εἶχες τὸν νόμον πλη ροῦσα τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς εὐνομίας εὐπρέπειαν. "Καὶ κατευ θύνθης εἰς βασιλείαν." Οὕτω, φησὶν, ηὐξήθης, ὡς φοβερὰ γενέσθαι πᾶσι τοῖς ἐκ γειτόνων, καὶ βασιλι κῆς ἀπολαύειν τιμῆς. Τοῦτο γὰρ ᾐνίξατο, δι' ὧν ἐπήγαγεν, ιδʹ. Καὶ ἐξῆλθέ σοι ὄνομα ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐν τῷ κάλλει σου. Ἐπίσημος γὰρ ἐγένου, καὶ πολυθρύλλητος πανταχοῦ. Εἶτα καὶ τὴν τούτου αἰτίαν φησί· "∆ιότι συντετελεσμένον ἦν ἐν εὐπρεπείᾳ, ᾗ ἔταξα ἐπὶ σὲ, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος." Ἐγὼ γάρ σοι τῆς εὐπρεπείας ταύτης ἐγενόμην αἴτιος, ἐντολαῖς καὶ νόμοις ἰδίοις κατακοσμήσας. ιεʹ. Καὶ ἐπεποίθεις ἐν τῷ κάλλει σου. Αὕτη τῶν κακῶν ἡ ἀρχὴ, τὸ καταλιπεῖν μὲν τὴν θείαν ἐλπίδα, τοῖς δὲ οἰκείοις ἐναβρύνεσθαι κατορθώμασι. "Καὶ ἐπόρνευσας ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί σου, καὶ ἐξέχεας τὴν πορ νείαν σου ἐπὶ πάντα πάροδον· αὐτῷ ἐγίνετο, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται." Ὀνομαστοτάτη, φησὶ, γενομένη, καὶ μέγα διὰ τοῦτο φρονήσασα, ἐμοῦ μὲν ἀπέστης, εἰς ἐσχάτην δὲ ἀκολασίαν ἐξώκειλας, οὐχ ἕνα ἐραστὴν, οὐδὲ δύο δεχομένη, ἀλλὰ πάντα τὸν διὰ σοῦ παρελθεῖν 81.940 ἐθελήσαντα· καὶ συνεγίνου ἑκάστῳ παρανόμως δε χομένη τὴν συνουσίαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσεν εἰρη κώς· "Αὐτῷ ἐγίνετο, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται·" τουτέστι, Συνήπτου ἑτέροις, οὐδαμόθεν αὐτοῖς ἁρμόττουσα· ἐμοὶ γὰρ σαυτὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀνατέθεικας. Πορνείαν δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὴν εἰδωλολατρείαν καλεῖ· πάντα δὲ πάρ οδον, τὰς διαφοροὺς τῶν δαιμόνων ἐπιβουλάς. ιʹ. Καὶ ἔλαβες ἐκ τῶν ἱματίων σου, καὶ ἐποίη σας σεαυτῇ εἴδωλα ῥαπτὰ, καὶ ἐξεπόρνευσας ἐπ' αὐτὰ, καὶ οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθῃς, ἃ οὐκ ἔσται, οὐδὲ μὴ γένηται. Καινὰ, φησὶ, καὶ παράδοξά σου τὰ τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας ἐπιτηδεύματα. Οὐ γὰρ μόνα τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐζήλωσας κακὰ, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴ ἕτερα ἐπενόη σας, ἐξ ἱματίων εἰδώλων εἰκόνας κατασκευάσασα, καὶ θεοὺς ἀναγορεύσασα, καὶ ταῦτα ἐμοῦ σοι διὰ τοῦ νόμου τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀπαγορεύσαντος. ιζʹ. Καὶ ἔλαβες τὰ σκεύη τῆς καυχήσεώς σου ἐκ τοῦ ἀργυρίου μου καὶ ἐκ τοῦ χρυσίου μου, ἐξ ὧν δέδωκά σοι, καὶ ἐποίησας σεαυτῇ εἰκόνας ἀῤῥενικὰς, καὶ ἐπόρνευσας ἐν αὐταῖς. Παρ' ἐμοῦ, φησὶ, τὸν ἄργυρον, καὶ τὸν χρυσὸν λαμβάνουσα, θεοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἐμῶν κατασκευάζεις δωρεῶν, καὶ τούτους τῆς ἐμῆς προείλου θεραπείας. Εἰκόνας δὲ ἀῤῥενικὰς ὠνό μασεν, ἐπειδὴ πορνείαν τὴν εἰδωλολατρείαν τροπι κῶς ὀνομάζει. ιηʹ, ιθʹ. Καὶ ἔλαβες, φησὶ, τὸν ἱματισμόν σου τὸν ποικίλον, καὶ περιέβαλες αὐτὰ, καὶ τὸ ἔλαιόν μου καὶ τὸ θυμίαμά μου ἔθηκας πρὸ προσώπου αὐ τῶν. Καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους, οὓς ἔδωκά σοι, σεμίδαλιν καὶ μέλι, καὶ ἔλαιον ἐψώμισά σε, καὶ ἔθηκας αὐτὰ πρὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν εἰς ὀσμὴν