Chapter XXXV.—Precepts from the Prophetic Books.

The divine law, then, not only forbids the worshipping of idols, but also of the heavenly bodies, the sun, the moon, or the other stars; yea, not heaven, nor earth, nor the sea, nor fountains, nor rivers, must be worshipped, but we must serve in holiness of heart and sincerity of purpose only the living and true God, who also is Maker of the universe. Wherefore saith the holy law: “Thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not bear false witness; thou shalt not desire thy neighbour’s wife.” So also the prophets. Solomon indeed teaches us that we must not sin with so much as a turn of the eye,95    Literally, “a nod.” saying, “Let thine eyes look right on, and let thy eyelids look straight before thee.”96    Prov. iv. 25. And Moses, who himself also was a prophet, says, concerning the sole government of God: “Your God is He who establishes the heaven, and forms the earth, whose hands have brought forth all the host of heaven; and He has not set these things before you that you should go after them.”97    Cf. Deut. iv. 19. And Isaiah himself also says: “Thus saith the Lord God who established the heavens, and founded the earth and all that is therein, and giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein. This is the Lord your God.”98    Isa. xlii. 5. And again, through him He says: “I have made the earth, and man upon it. I by my hand have established the heavens.”99    Isa. xlv. 12. And in another chapter, “This is your God, who created the ends of the earth; He hungereth not, neither is weary, and there is no searching of His understanding.”100    Isa. xl. 28. So, too, Jeremiah says: “Who hath made the earth by His power, and established the world by His wisdom, and by His discretion hath stretched out the heavens, and a mass of water in the heavens, and He caused the clouds to ascend from the ends of the earth; He made lightnings with rain, and brought forth winds out of His treasures.”101    Jer. x. 12, 13. One can see how consistently and harmoniously all the prophets spoke, having given utterance through one and the same spirit concerning the unity of God, and the creation of the world, and the formation of man. Moreover, they were in sore travail, bewailing the godless race of men, and they reproached those, who seemed to be wise, for their error and hardness of heart. Jeremiah, indeed, said: “Every man is brutishly gone astray from the knowledge of Him; every founder is confounded by his graven images; in vain the silversmith makes his molten images; there is no breath in them: in the day of their visitation they shall perish.”102    Jer. li. 17, 18. The same, too, says David: “They are corrupt, they have done abominable works; there is none that doeth good, no, not one; they have all gone aside, they have together become profitless.”103    Ps. xiv. 1, 3. So also Habakkuk: “What profiteth the graven image that he has graven it a lying image? Woe to him that saith to the stone, Awake; and to the wood, Arise.”104    Hab. ii. 18. Likewise spoke the other prophets of the truth. And why should I recount the multitude of prophets, who are numerous, and said ten thousand things consistently and harmoniously? For those who desire it, can, by reading what they uttered, accurately understand the truth, and no longer be carried away by opinion and profitless labour. These, then, whom we have already mentioned, were prophets among the Hebrews,—illiterate, and shepherds, and uneducated.

Ὁ μὲν οὖν θεῖος νόμος οὐ μόνον κωλύει τὸ εἰδώλοις προσκυνεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς στοιχείοις, ἡλίῳ σελήνῃ ἢ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἄστροις, ἀλλ' οὔτε τῷ οὐρανῷ οὔτε γῇ οὔτε θαλάσσῃ ἢ πηγαῖς ἢ ποταμοῖς θρησκεύειν· ἀλλ' ἢ μόνῳ τῷ ὄντως θεῷ καὶ ποιητῇ τῶν ὅλων χρὴ λατρεύειν ἐν ὁσιότητι καρδίας καὶ εἰλικρινεῖ γνώμῃ. διό φησιν ὁ ἅγιος νόμος· Ὅὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐ φονεύσεις, οὐ κλέψεις, οὐ ψευδομαρτυρήσεις, οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον σου.” ὁμοίως καὶ οἱ προφῆται. Σολομὼν μὲν οὖν καὶ τὸ δι' ἐννεύματος μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν διδάσκει ἡμᾶς, λέγων· Ὅἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὀρθὰ βλεπέτωσαν, τὰ δὲ βλέφαρά σου νευέτω δίκαια.” Καὶ Ὠσηὲ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς προφήτης περὶ μοναρχίας θεοῦ λέγει· Ὅὗτος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν ὁ στερεῶν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ κτίζων τὴν γῆν, οὗ αἱ χεῖρες κατέδειξαν πᾶσαν τὴν στρατιὰν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ οὐ παρέδειξεν ὑμῖν αὐτὰ τοῦ ὀπίσω αὐτῶν πορεύεσθαι.” Ἠσαΐας δὲ καὶ αὐτός φησιν· Ὅὕτως λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός, ὁ στερεώσας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ θεμελιώσας τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ δίδους πνοὴν τῷ λαῷ τῷ ἐπ' αὐτῆς καὶ πνεῦμα τοῖς πατοῦσιν αὐτήν. οὗτος κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν.” καὶ πάλιν δι' αὐτοῦ· “Ἐγώ, φησίν, ἐποίησα γῆν καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἐπ' αὐτῇ, ἐγὼ τῇ χειρί μου ἐστερέωσα τὸν οὐρανόν.” καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ κεφαλαίῳ· Ὅὗτος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν ὁ κατασκευάσας τὰ ἄκρα τῆς γῆς· οὐ πεινάσει οὐδὲ κοπιάσει, οὐδέ ἐστιν ἐξεύρησις τῆς φρονήσεως αὐτοῦ.” ὁμοίως καὶ Ἰερεμίας [ὃς] καί φησιν· “Ὁ ποιήσας τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὐτοῦ, ἀνορθώσας τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῇ φρονήσει αὐτοῦ ἐξέτεινεν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ πλῆθος ὕδατος ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἀνήγαγεν νεφέλας ἐξ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, ἀστραπὰς εἰς ὑετὸν ἐποίησεν καὶ ἐξήγαγεν ἀνέμους ἐκ θησαυρῶν αὐτοῦ.” Ὁρᾶν ἔστιν πῶς φίλα καὶ σύμφωνα ἐλάλησαν πάντες οἱ προφῆται, ἑνὶ καὶ τῷ αὐτῷ πνεύματι ἐκφωνήσαντες περί τε μοναρχίας θεοῦ καὶ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου γενέσεως καὶ τῆς ἀνθρώπου ποιήσεως. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ὤδιναν, πενθοῦντες τὸ ἄθεον γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ τοὺς δοκοῦντας εἶναι σοφοὺς διὰ τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς πλάνην καὶ πώρωσιν τῆς καρδίας κατῄσχυναν. ὁ μὲν Ἰερεμίας ἔφη· “Ἐμωράνθη πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἀπὸ γνώσεως αὐτοῦ, κατῃσχύνθη πᾶς χρυσοχόος ἀπὸ τῶν γλυπτῶν αὐτοῦ, εἰς μάτην ἀργυροκόπος ἀργυροκοπεῖ, οὐκ ἔστιν πνεῦμα ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπισκοπῆς αὐτῶν ἀπολοῦνται.” τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ λέγει· “Ἐφθάρησαν καὶ ἐβδελύχθησαν ἐν ἐπιτηδεύμασιν αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἔστιν ποιῶν χρηστότητα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός· πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἠχρειώθησαν.” ὁμοίως καὶ Ἀββακούμ· “Τί ὠφελεῖ γλυπτὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὅτι ἔγλυψεν αὐτὸ φαντασίαν ψευδῆ; οὐαὶ τῷ λέγοντι τῷ λίθῳ ἐξεγέρθητι, καὶ τῷ ξύλῳ ὑψώθητι.” ὁμοίως εἶπον καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ τῆς ἀληθείας προφῆται. Καὶ τί μοι τὸ πλῆθος καταλέγειν τῶν προφητῶν, πολλῶν ὄντων καὶ μυρία φίλα καὶ σύμφωνα εἰρηκότων; οἱ γὰρ βουλόμενοι δύνανται ἐντυχόντες τοῖς δι' αὐτῶν εἰρημένοις ἀκριβῶς γνῶναι τὸ ἀληθὲς καὶ μὴ παράγεσθαι ὑπὸ διανοίας καὶ ματαιοπονίας. οὗτοι οὖν οὓς προειρήκαμεν προφῆται ἐγένοντο ἐν Ἑβραίοις, ἀγράμματοι καὶ ποιμένες καὶ ἰδιῶται.