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an idol has no substance; but a likeness is an image and a representation of something. Since therefore the Greeks fashion non-existent forms, sphinxes and tritons and centaurs; and the Egyptians dog-faced and bull-headed ones, he calls the imitations of non-existent things "idols"; but "likenesses" the representations of existing things, such as of the sun and moon, stars, humans, beasts, reptiles, and things similar to these. He commands neither to worship nor to serve these. But he does not forbid both without qualification; but since it happens that some worship out of human fear, but do not also serve in their soul, he taught that each is impious. XXXIX What is "a jealous God"? The law holds the position of a husband, and the people that of a wife. And the Lord God taught us this, saying through Isaiah: "What is this bill of your mother's divorce"? and through Jeremiah: "As a wife is treacherous to her partner, so the house of Is 128 rael and the house of Judah have been treacherous to me, says the Lord." And again: "If a man sends away his wife, and she goes and becomes another man's, will she ever return to him again? Will not that woman be utterly defiled? But you have played the harlot with many shepherds and have returned to me, says the Lord." And the apostle also says that "the law has dominion over a person for as long as he lives. For the married woman is bound by law to her living husband; but if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband, so that she is not an adulteress if she becomes another man's. So you also were put to death to the law through the body of Christ, so that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead." For this reason he calls himself a jealous God; using human terms, but frightening them and compelling them to be temperate, for just as a man with a careless wife says to her in exhortation: I am jealous, I cannot bear to see you conversing with another man; so the Lord God, wishing to free them from superstition, called himself not only jealous but also "a consuming fire." And that such jealousy is a matter of affection, God himself has shown this, saying through Ezekiel: "Therefore my jealousy will depart from you"; that is, when I loved, I used jealousy; but having rejected you, I also extinguished the jealousy. This he has also shown through another prophet: "I will not punish your daughters when they commit for 129 nication, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery." Therefore, jealousy is an indicator of love. XL How is justice preserved, when children are punished for their fathers? The threats from the Lord God are greater than the punishments. And this is easy to learn from the divine scripture: "For every uncircumcised male," it says, "who is not circumcised on the eighth day, shall be cut off." But it is possible to find those who were circumcised being variously destroyed in the wilderness; while those who remained uncircumcised obtained the promise of their forefathers; for Joshua circumcised these at Gilgal, thus he threatened total destruction to the houses that had leaven; but he did not inflict the punishment according to the threat. And here therefore, as they were fond of children and cared for their offspring, he frightens them with threats, and says: "visiting the sins of fathers upon children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me." For that it is impious to attend to the bare letter, God himself teaches by legislating the opposite: "For children shall not die," he says, "for fathers, nor fathers for children; but each shall die in his own sin." And through the prophet Ezekiel he says: "What is this proverb to you, saying: The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? As I live, says the Lord, this proverb shall not be, but the teeth of those who eat the sour grapes shall be set on edge; for all souls are mine." And what follows has the same meaning. 130 But I think the threat rather shows the divine love for humanity. For it is added: "of those who hate me," that is, I am long-suffering

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εἴδωλον οὐδεμίαν ὑπόστασιν ἔχει· τὸ δὲ ὁμοίωμα, τινός ἐστιν ἴνδαλμα καὶ ἀπείκασμα. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἕλληνες ἀναπλάττουσι τὰς οὐχ ὑφεστώσας μορφάς, σφίγγας καὶ τρίτωνας καὶ κενταύρους· καὶ αἰγύπτιοι κυνοπρο σώπους καὶ βουκεφάλους, εἴδωλα καλεῖ τὰ τῶν οὐχ ὑφεστώτων μιμή ματα· ὁμοιώματα δὲ τὰ τῶν ὑφεστώτων εἰκάσματα, οἷον ἡλίου καὶ σελή νης, ἀστέρων, ἀνθρώπων, θηρίων, ἑρπετῶν, καὶ τῶν τούτοις παραπλη σίων. τούτοις κελεύει μήτε προσκυνεῖν, μήτε λατρεύειν. οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ ἀπαγορεύει ἀμφότερα· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ συμβαίνει τινὰς προσκυνῆσαι μὲν διὰ φόβον ἀνθρώπινον, οὐ μὴν καὶ λατρεῦσαι κατὰ ψυχήν, ἐδίδαξεν ὡς ἑκάτερον ἀσεβές. XXXIX Τὸ " Θεὸς ζηλωτὴς " τί ἐστιν; Ὁ νόμος τάξιν ἐπέχει ἀνδρός, ὁ δὲ λαὸς γυναικός. καὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ἐδίδα ξεν ὁ δεσπότης Θεὸς διὰ μὲν Ἠσαΐου λέγων· " ποῖον τοῦτο τὸ βιβλίον τοῦ ἀποστασίου τῆς μητρὸς ὑμῶν "; διὰ δὲ Ἱερεμίου· " καθὼς ἀθετεῖ γυνὴ εἰς τὸν συνόν τα αὐτῇ, οὕτως ἠθέτησεν εἰς ἐμὲ ὁ οἶκος Ἰσ 128 ραὴλ καὶ ὁ οἶκος Ἰούδα, λέγει Κύριος ". καὶ πάλιν· " ἐὰν ἀποστείλῃ ἀνὴρ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ πορευθεῖσα γένηται ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ, μὴ ἀνα κάμπτουσα ἀνακάμψει πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔτι; οὐ μιαι νομένη μιανθήσεται ἡ γυνὴ ἐκείνη; σὺ δὲ ἐξε πόρνευσας εἰς ποιμένας πολλοὺς καὶ ἀνέκαμπ τες πρός με, λέγει Κύριος ". καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος δέ φησιν, ὅτι " ὁ νόμος κυριεύει τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐφ' ὅσον χρόνον ζῇ. ἡ γὰρ ὕπανδρος γυνὴ τῷ ζῶντι ἀνδρὶ δέδεται νόμῳ· ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ ὁ ἀνὴρ κατήργηται ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου τοῦ ἀνδρός, τοῦ μὴ εἶναι αὐτὴν μοιχαλίδα γενομένην ἀνδρὶ ἑτέ ρῳ. οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐθανατώθητε τῷ νόμῳ διὰ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι ὑμᾶς ἑτέρῳ τῷ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγερθέντι ". τούτου χάριν Θεὸν ζηλωτὴν ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζει· τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις μὲν κεχρημένος ὀνό μασι, δεδιττόμενος δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ σωφρονεῖν ἀναγκάζων, ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀνὴρ ῥάθυμον ἔχων γυναῖκα παραινῶν αὐτῇ λέγει· ζηλότυπός εἰμι, οὐ δύναμαι βλέπειν σε ἄλλῳ προσδιαλεγομένην ἀνδρί· οὕτως ὁ δεσπότης Θεὸς τῆς δεισιδαιμονίας αὐτοὺς ἀπαλλάξαι βουλόμενος, οὐ μόνον ζηλω τὴν ἑαυτὸν ἀλλὰ καὶ " πῦρ καταναλίσκον " ἐκάλεσεν. ὅτι δὲ φιλοσ τοργίας ὁ τοιοῦτος ζῆλος, αὐτὸς τοῦτο δεδήλωκεν ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιὴλ εἰπών· " διὰ τοῦτο ἀποστήσεται ὁ ζῆλός μου ἀπὸ σοῦ "· τουτέστιν, ὅτε ἠγάπων, ἐχρώμην τῷ ζήλῳ· ἀπωσάμενος δέ σε καὶ τὸν ζῆλον ἔσβεσα. τοῦτο καὶ δι' ἑτέρου προφήτου δεδήλωκεν· " οὐκ ἐπισκέψομαι ἐπὶ τὰς θυγατέρας ὑμῶν ὅταν πορ 129 νεύσωσι, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς νύμφας ὑμῶν ὅταν μοι χεύσωσιν ". ἀγάπης τοίνυν ὁ ζῆλος δηλωτικός. XL Πῶς τὸ δίκαιον σώζεται, τῶν παίδων ὑπὲρ τῶν πατέρων κολαζομένων; Μείζους αἱ ἀπειλαὶ τῶν κολάσεων παρὰ τῷ δεσπότῃ Θεῷ. καὶ τοῦτο ῥᾴ διον μαθεῖν παρὰ τῆς θείας γραφῆς· " πᾶς, γάρ φησιν, ἀπερίτ μητος ἄρσην, ὃς οὐ περιτμηθήσεται τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ ἐξολοθρευθήσεται ". ἀλλ' ἔστιν εὑρεῖν τοὺς μὲν περιτετμημένους ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ διαφόρως ἀναιρεθέντας· τοὺς δὲ ἀπεριτ μήτους μεμενηκότας τῆς τῶν προγόνων ἐπαγγελίας τετυχηκότας· τού τους γὰρ ἐν Γαλγάλοις Ἰησοῦς περιέτεμεν, οὕτω ταῖς ἐχούσαις ζύμην οἰκίαις πανωλεθρίαν ἠπείλησεν· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπήγαγε τὴν τιμωρίαν κατὰ τὴν ἀπειλήν. καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν, ὡς φιλόπαιδας καὶ φιλοπαιδίας πε φροντικότας δεδίττεται ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς, καί φησιν· " ἀποδιδοὺς ἁμαρτίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα ἐπὶ τρίτην καὶ τετάρτην γενεὰν τοῖς μισοῦσί με ". ὅτι γὰρ γυμ νῷ προσέχειν τῷ γράμματι δυσσεβὲς αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς διδάσκει τἀναντία νομοθετῶν· " οὐκ ἀποθανοῦνται, γάρ φησι, παῖδες ὑπὲρ πατέρων, οὐδὲ πατέρες ὑπὲρ παίδων· ἀλλ' ἕκαστος ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἀποθανεῖ ται ". καὶ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἰεζεκιήλ φησι· " τίς ὑμῖν ἡ παραβολὴ αὕτη λεγόντων· οἱ πατέρες ἔφαγον ὄμφακα, καὶ οἱ ὀδόντες τῶν τέκνων ἠμωδία σαν; ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει Κύριος, εἰ ἔσται ἡ παρα βολὴ αὕτη, ἀλλὰ τῶν φαγόντων τὸν ὄμφακα αἱμωδιάσουσιν οἱ ὀδόντες· ὅτι πᾶσαι αἱ ψυ χαὶ ἐμαί εἰσι ". καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει διάνοιαν. 130 ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι μᾶλλον τὴν θείαν φιλανθρωπίαν ἐμφαίνειν τὴν ἀπειλήν. πρόσκειται γάρ· " τοῖς μισοῦσί με ", τουτέστι, μακροθυμῶ