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of man, when someone sins, and then God does not punish, he ought not for this reason be more slothful, so also in the case of other sins. That man sinned, he was not punished; do not you be slothful, as if you will not pay the penalty. For if God were not going to do the same for all, we would all have perished more quickly. He was long-suffering toward that man, both leading him to repentance and making you better. And I will cast you off. Concerning the chariot, Forte harshness, he says, of the foreign gods. They will not have mercy even on those who serve them; you insult me, and I had mercy, so that you might learn from the comparison who I am, and who they are. For if one examines the punishments, long-suffering no less benefits the prudent. The Lord lives. 64.913 Why does he set forth the good things? Not to weaken them, but so that they might also believe concerning the more somber things. Or rather after the descent, so that they might have some faith also of the ascent. But the Lord lives, who brought up. Why is this added? For the sake of trustworthiness. For if he was able to give after they had spent four hundred years, much more so to you; for it is enough to cast them into despair. *Behold I am sending many fishermen, says the Lord, and they will fish them, and after these things I will send many hunters, and they will hunt them. He speaks about the Babylonians, that is, Nebuchadnezzar, and his generals. He compared them to fishermen and hunters, so that he might say, And tracking down those who are hidden, he will bring them to punishment. He says then: And I will hunt them on every mountain, and on every hill, and from the holes of the rocks. For he who knows the things done in secret is also able to hand over those who are hidden; and especially when those who hunt are many. Some say this is also about the apostles, and I do not forbid it; but for now let us stick to the historical account. For when God hands someone over, no one will any longer protect them. And I will repay. Perhaps what was said troubles many; since we indeed do not expect, nor simply to receive back, trusting in the loving-kindness of God. But this man says, double. And Isaiah too, that She has received from the Lord’s hand double for her sins. For so that you might think that what was said is a threat, he testifies that it happened. What then? Men punish according to the worth of the sins, but God even beyond the worth? It is not so; but what is it? They sinned double, and double they will receive. Or he says double, not only in being deprived of good things, but also in enduring countless terrible things. Since for us too the punishment becomes double, the fall from the kingdom, and the experience of Gehenna; for each of these in and of itself is a great and unbearable terror. To you nations. The Jews, having pious fathers, turned to impiety, but these the opposite. The prophet says this, accusing them, and showing how much profit there will be for others from their punishment, while at the same time vexing the Jews: Those near you dishonor you, but those from afar will come to you. If he will make. For how is that which is made a God?

CHAPTER 17

Cursed. The sin of Judah is written with a pen, with iron, with a point of diamond. Engraved on the breast of their heart. So that he might say, They have an indelible impiety, 64.916 as if engraved with diamond and with iron on their own heart. And the phrase, and on the horns of their altars, so that he might show their zeal for idols. Hope in men does this; it leads away from God. Or he does not say this, but hoping in man in such a way as to fall away from God. For God wills nothing so much as that we should always depend on him. And for this reason he does all things, not so that he might gain something from us, but so that he might benefit us; for

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ἀνθρώπου, ὅταν τις ἁμάρτῃ, εἶτα μὴ τιμωρήσηται ὁ Θεὸς, οὐ διὰ τοῦτο ῥᾳθυμότερον αὐτὸν εἶναι χρὴ, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁμαρτημάτων. Ἥμαρτεν ἐκεῖνος, οὐκ ἐκολάσθη· μὴ ῥᾳθυμήσῃς σὺ ὡς οὐ δώσων δίκην· εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἤμελλεν ἐπὶ πάντων τὸ αὐτὸ ποιεῖν ὁ Θεὸς, θᾶττον ἂν ἅπαντες ἀπολώλαμεν· ἐμακροθύμησεν ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ, αὐτόν τε εἰς μετάνοιαν ἄγων, καὶ σὲ βελτίω ποιῶν. Καὶ ἀποῤῥίψω ὑμᾶς. Περὶ τῆς ἀπήνης Forte ἀπηνείας λέγει τῶν ἀλλοτρίων θεῶν. Ἐκεῖνοι καὶ δουλεύοντας οὐ μὴ ἐλεήσωσιν· ἐμὲ ὑβρίζετε, καὶ ἠλέουν, ἵνα μάθητε ἀπὸ τῆς συγκρίσεως, τίς ἐγὼ, τίνες ἐκεῖνοι. Εἰ γάρ τις ἐξετάζει τὰς τιμωρίας, οὐχ ἧττον ἡ μακροθυμία ὠφελεῖ τοὺς φρονίμους. Ζῇ Κύριος. 64.913 Τίνος ἕνεκεν τὰ χρηστὰ προτίθησι; οὐχ ἵνα αὐτοὺς ἐκλύσῃ, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ περὶ τῶν σκυθρωποτέρων πιστεύσωσι. Μᾶλλον δὲ μετὰ τὸ κατελθεῖν, ἵνα σχῶσί τινα καὶ τοῦ ἀνελθεῖν πίστιν. Ἀλλὰ ζῇ Κύριος, ὃς ἀνήγαγε. Τίνος ἕνεκεν τοῦτο πρόσκειται; ἀξιοπιστίας ἕνεκεν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκείνων τετρακόσια ἔτη πεποιηκότων ἠδυνήθη δοῦναι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑμῖν· ἱκανὸν γὰρ αὐτοὺς εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν ἐμβαλεῖν. *Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω ἁλιεῖς πολλοὺς, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ ἁλιεύσουσιν αὐτοὺς, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀποστελῶ θηρευτὰς πολλοὺς, καὶ θηρεύσουσιν αὐτούς. Λέγει μὲν περὶ Βαβυλωνίων, τουτέστι, Ναβουχοδονόσορ, καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ στρατηγῶν. Ἁλιεῦσι δὲ καὶ θηρευταῖς παρέβαλεν, ἵνα εἴπῃ, Καὶ τοὺς κρυπτομένους ἀνιχνεύσας εἰς τιμωρίαν ἄξει. Λέγει γοῦν· Καὶ θηρεύσω αὐτοὺς ἐπάνω παντὸς ὄρους, καὶ ἐπάνω παντὸς βουνοῦ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν τρυμαλιῶν τῶν πετρῶν. Ὁ γὰρ τὰ κρυφῆ γινομένα εἰδὼς, καὶ τοὺς λανθάνοντας παραδοῦναι δυνάμενος· καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν πολλοὶ ὦσιν οἱ θηρεύοντες. Τινὲς καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἀποστόλους τοῦτό φασιν, καὶ οὐ κωλύω· τέως δὲ ἱστορίας ἐχώμεθα· ὅταν γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς παραδῷ, οὐδεὶς οὐκέτι προστήσεται. Καὶ ἀνταποδώσω. Τάχα πολλοὺς θορυβεῖ τὸ λεχθέν· εἴγε ἡμεῖς μὲν οὐ προσδοκῶμεν, οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς ἀπολήψεσθαι, τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ θαῤῥοῦντες. Οὗτος δέ φησι, διπλᾶς. Καὶ ὁ Ἡσαΐας δὲ, ὅτι Ἐδέξατο ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου διπλᾶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτῆς. Ἵνα γὰρ νομίσῃς ὅτι ἀπειλῆς τὸ λεχθὲν, ἐκεῖνος μαρτυρεῖ, ὅτι ἐγένετο. Τί οὖν; Ἄνθρωποι μὲν πρὸς τὴν ἀξίαν κολάζουσι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ὁ δὲ Θεὸς καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀξίαν; Οὐκ ἔστιν· ἀλλὰ τί ἐστι; ∆ιπλᾶ ἥμαρτον, διπλᾶ καὶ ἀπολήψονται. Ἢ διπλᾶ λέγει, τῷ μὴ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὑστερεῖσθαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μυρία ὑποστῆναι δεινά. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμῖν ἡ κόλασις γίνεται διπλῆ, τῆς βασιλείας ἡ ἔκπτωσις, καὶ τῆς γεέννης ἡ πεῖρα· τούτων γὰρ ἕκαστον αὐτὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸ μέγα καὶ ἀφόρητον δεινόν. Πρὸς σὲ ἔθνη. Οἱ μὲν Ἰουδαῖοι, εὐσεβεῖς πατέρας ἔχοντες, εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἔκλιναν, οὗτοι δὲ τοὐναντίον. Τοῦτό φησιν ὁ προφήτης, κατηγορῶν τούτων, καὶ δεικνὺς ὅσον ἔσται κέρδος ἐκ τῆς τιμωρίας αὐτῶν ἑτέροις, ἅμα καὶ κνίζων τοὺς Ἰουδαίους· Οἱ πλησίον ἀτιμάζουσί σε, οἱ δὲ μακρὰν ἥξουσι πρὸς σέ. Εἰ ποιήσει. Πῶς γὰρ τὸ ποιηθὲν Θεός;

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΖʹ

Ἐπικατάρατος. Ἁμαρτία Ἰούδα ἐγγέγραπται ἐν Γραφῇ, ἐν σιδήρῳ, ἐν ὄνυχι ἀδαμαντίνῳ. Ἐγκεκολαμμένη ἐπὶ τοῦ στήθους τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν. Ἵνα εἴπῃ, Ἀνεξάλειπτον ἔχουσι τὴν ἀσέβειαν, 64.916 ὥσπερ ἐν ἀδάμαντι καὶ ἐν σιδήρῳ ἐγκεκολαμμένην ἐπὶ τῆς ἑαυτῶν καρδίας. Τὸ δὲ, καὶ ἐν τοῖς κέρασι τῶν θυσιαστηρίων αὐτῶν, τὴν περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα σπουδὴν ἵνα δείξῃ. Τοῦτο ἡ εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἐλπὶς ποιεῖ· ἀπάγει τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἢ οὐ τοῦτό φησιν, ἀλλ' οὕτως ἐλπίζων εἰς ἄνθρωπον, ὡς ἀποστῆναι τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς βούλεται, ὡς ἀεὶ ἡμᾶς ἐκκρέμασθαι αὐτοῦ. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πάντα ποιεῖ, οὐχ ἵνα τι καρπώσηται παρ' ἡμῶν, ἀλλ' ἵνα εὐεργετήσῃ ἡμᾶς· διὰ