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Do this, and do not carry burdens on the Sabbath, and not even so is He reconciled to you. For that sin of yours was greater than all, so that this discussion about sins is superfluous for you. For it is not on account of the rest of your life, but on account of that daring deed that you are in your present terrible state. So that if it were not for this, God would not have turned away from you to such an extent, even if you had sinned ten thousand times; and this is clear both from all that has been said, and from this which I am about to say now. What is this? We have often heard God saying through the prophets to your fathers, "You were indeed worthy of ten thousand evils; but I," He says, "act for My name's sake, that it not be profaned among the nations." And again: "It is not for your sake that I act, O house of Israel, but for My name's sake." What He says is something like this: You were worthy of heavier 48.908 punishments and chastisements; but so that no one may say that God, being weak and unable to save, abandoned the Jews to the hands of their enemies, I help and protect them. Therefore, if Christ were a transgressor, and you crucified him, and if you had committed ten thousand sins, and much worse than the former ones, God would certainly have saved you for this reason, that His name might not be profaned, that that one might not be thought someone great, nor anyone say that it was on account of him that you suffered these things. For if He is seen to overlook your sins for the sake of His own glory, much more would He have done this now, and would have accepted this slaughter, and would have blotted out your many sins. But when He is seen turning away from you completely, it is very clear that through this wrath, and this final abandonment, He shows even to the utterly shameless, that the one who was slain was not some transgressor, but the lawgiver Himself, and the one who came was the cause of ten thousand good things. For this reason you who acted impiously against Him are in insolence and dishonor, while we who worship Him, though formerly more dishonored than all of you, are now, through the grace of God, both more honorable than all of you, and have been established in greater honor. And from where is it clear, he says, that God has turned away from us? For is there still need of argument and proof? Tell me. When the facts themselves cry out, and utter a voice clearer than a trumpet, through the destruction of the city, through the desolation of the temple, and through all the other things that have happened to you, do you still seek proof through words? But, he says, men brought these things upon us, not God. Most certainly, then, God wrought these things. But if you attribute these things to men, consider again that even men, if this were not pleasing to God, even if they dared, would not have been able to bring them to completion. For when the barbarian came leading all of Persia, and expected to take everyone in a raid, and had everyone shut up in the city as in some dragnet and nets; did he not then, yes then, since God was merciful, without war or battle or engagement, leaving one hundred and eighty-five thousand dead soldiers among you, flee thus, content if he alone might be saved? And God often decided ten thousand other wars in this way. So now too, if it were not He who had utterly forsaken you, those who razed your city and laid waste your temple would not have had the strength, nor would the state of desolation have remained for so long; nor would the attempt have been fruitless, though you attempted it many times. 4. Not from this alone, but also from another quarter I will try to persuade you that the kings of the Romans did not do what they did to you by their own power, but through the wrath of God and His abandonment. For if what happened was the work of men, your affairs should have stopped at the capture of the city, and your dishonor should not have proceeded further. For let it be granted, according to your argument, that men tore down the walls, and razed the city, and overturn48.909ed the altar; did men also cause the prophets to cease? did they abolish the grace of the Spirit? did they themselves destroy the other holy things among you, such as the voice being brought forth from the mercy seat,

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τοῦτο ποιεῖτε, καὶ οὐκ αἴρετε βαστάγματα ἐν σαββάτῳ, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως καταλλάττεται ὑμῖν. Τὸ γὰρ ἁμάρτημα ὑμῶν ἐκεῖνο ἁπάντων μεῖζον ἦν, ὥστε περιττὸς ὑμῖν οὗτος ὁ λόγος ὁ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν. Οὐ γὰρ διὰ τὸν λοιπὸν ὑμῶν βίον, ἀλλὰ δι' ἐκεῖνο τὸ τόλμημα ἐν τοῖς παροῦσιν ἐστὲ δεινοῖς. Ὥστε εἴ γε μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, οὐκ ἂν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ὁ Θεὸς ὑμᾶς ἀπεστράφη, εἰ καὶ μυρία ἦτε ἡμαρτηκότες· καὶ δῆλον ἔκ τε τῶν εἰρημένων ἁπάντων, καὶ τούτου οὗ μέλλω λέγειν νῦν. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν; Ἠκούσαμεν τοῦ Θεοῦ πολλάκις λέγοντος διὰ τῶν προφητῶν πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας τοὺς ὑμετέρους, ὅτι Ὑμεῖς μὲν ἄξιοι μυρίων ἦτε κακῶν· ἐγὼ δὲ, φησὶ, ποιῶ διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου, ἵνα μὴ βεβηλωθῇ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι. Καὶ πάλιν· Οὐ δι' ὑμᾶς ἐγὼ ποιῶ, οἶκος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλ' ἢ διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Βαρυτέρας 48.908 μὲν τιμωρίας ἦτε ἄξιοι καὶ κολάσεως· ἀλλ' ἵνα μή τις λέγῃ, ὅτι ἀσθενῶν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος σῶσαι, ἀφῆκε τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ταῖς τῶν πολεμίων χερσὶν, ἀντιλαμβάνομαι καὶ προΐσταμαι. Ὥστε εἰ παράνομος ἦν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὑμεῖς δὲ αὐτὸν ἐσταυρώσατε, καὶ εἰ μυρία ἦτε ἡμαρτηκότες, καὶ πολλῷ τῶν προτέρων χαλεπώτερα, πάντως ἂν ὑμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦτο διέσωσεν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ βεβηλωθῇ, ἵνα μὴ μέγας τις ἐκεῖνος νομίζηται, μηδὲ εἴπῃ τις, ὅτι δι' ἐκεῖνον ταῦτα ἐπάθετε. Εἰ γὰρ φαίνεται διὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δόξαν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ὑμῶν παρορῶν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἂν τοῦτο ἐποίησε νῦν, καὶ τὴν σφαγὴν ἀπεδέξατο ταύτην, καὶ τὰ πολλὰ ἂν ὑμῶν ἐξήλειψεν ἁμαρτήματα. Ὅταν δὲ φαίνηται εἰς τέλος ὑμᾶς ἀποστρεφόμενος, εὔδηλον ὅτι διὰ τῆς ὀργῆς ταύτης, καὶ τῆς εἰς τέλος ἐγκαταλείψεως, δείκνυσι καὶ τοῖς σφόδρα ἀναισχυντοῦσιν, ὅτι οὐχὶ παράνομός τις ἦν ὁ σφαγεὶς, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ νομοθέτης, καὶ τῶν μυρίων ἀγαθῶν αἴτιος ὁ παραγενόμενος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οἱ μὲν εἰς αὐτὸν ἀσεβήσαντες ὑμεῖς, ἐν ὕβρει καὶ ἀτιμίᾳ, οἱ δὲ προσκυνοῦντες αὐτὸν ἡμεῖς, ἀτιμότεροι πάντων ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν ὄντες, διὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν καὶ σεμνότεροι πάντων ὑμῶν ἐσμεν νῦν, καὶ ἐν μείζονι τιμῇ καθεστήκαμεν. Καὶ πόθεν δῆλον ὅτι ἀπεστράφη, φησὶν, ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεός; Λόγου γὰρ ἔτι χρεία καὶ ἀποδείξεως; εἰπέ μοι. Τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν βοώντων, καὶ σάλπιγγος λαμπροτέραν ἀφιέντων φωνὴν, διὰ τῆς κατασκαφῆς τῆς κατὰ τὴν πόλιν, διὰ τῆς ἐρημώσεως τοῦ ναοῦ, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων τῶν εἰς ὑμᾶς συμβεβηκότων, ἔτι διὰ λόγων ἀπόδειξιν ἐπιζητεῖτε· Ἀλλ' ἄνθρωποι, φησὶ, ταῦτα ἡμῖν ἐπήγαγον, οὐχ ὁ Θεός. Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν ὁ Θεὸς ταῦτα εἰργάσατο. Εἰ δὲ ἀνθρώποις ταῦτα λογίζῃ, σκόπησον πάλιν ἐκεῖνο, ὅτι καὶ ἄνθρωποι, εἰ μὴ τῷ Θεῷ δοκοῦν ἦν τοῦτο, εἰ καὶ ἐτόλμων, οὐκ ἂν ἴσχυσαν εἰς πέρας αὐτὰ ἀγαγεῖν. Ὅτε γοῦν τὴν Περσίδα πᾶσαν ἄγων ἐπῆλθεν ὁ βάρβαρος, καὶ ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς ἅπαντας λήψεσθαι προσεδόκησε, καὶ καθάπερ ἐν σαγήνῃ τινὶ καὶ δικτύοις εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἅπαντας εἶχε συγκεκλεισμένους· οὐχὶ τότε δὴ, τότε, ἐπειδὴ ὁ Θεὸς ἵλεως ἦν, χωρὶς πολέμου καὶ μάχης καὶ συμβολῆς ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα πέντε χιλιάδας στρατιωτῶν νεκροὺς ἀφεὶς παρ' ὑμῖν, οὕτως ἔφυγεν, ἀγαπῶν, εἰ διασωθείη μόνος; Καὶ ἄλλους δὲ μυρίους πολέμους οὕτως ἔκρινεν ὁ Θεὸς πολλάκις. Ὥστε καὶ νῦν, εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ καθάπαξ ὑμᾶς ἀφεὶς, οὐκ ἂν ἴσχυσαν οἱ τὴν πόλιν ὑμῶν καθελόντες, καὶ τὸν ναὸν ἐρημώσαντες, οὐκ ἂν μέχρι τοσούτου τὰ τῆς ἐρημίας ἔμεινεν· οὐκ ἂν, πολλάκις ὑμῶν ἐπιχειρησάντων, ἀνόνητος ἡ ἐπιχείρησις γέγονεν. δʹ. Οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρωθεν ὑμᾶς πεῖσαι πειράσομαι, ὅτι οὐκ οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει ἐποίησαν ὅπερ ἐποίησαν εἰς ὑμᾶς οἱ βασιλεῖς Ῥωμαίων, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐγκατάλειψιν. Εἰ γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ἦν ἔργον τὸ γενόμενον, ἔδει μέχρι τῆς ἁλώσεως στῆναι τὰ ὑμέτερα, καὶ μὴ περαιτέρω προελθεῖν ὑμῶν τὴν ἀτιμίαν. Κείσθω γὰρ κατὰ τὸν ὑμέτερον λόγον, ὅτι τὰ τείχη κατέσκαψαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ τὴν πόλιν καθεῖλον, καὶ τὸν βωμὸν ἀνέτρε48.909 ψαν· μὴ καὶ τοὺς προφήτας ἄνθρωποι ἔπαυσαν; μὴ τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν ἀνεῖλον; μὴ τὰ ἄλλα τὰ σεμνὰ τὰ παρ' ὑμῖν, αὐτοὶ κατέλυσαν, οἷον τὸ φωνὴν ἐκ τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου φέρεσθαι,