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preserved, and led them into the land promised to their ancestors. 18-20. And I said, he says, to their children in the wilderness: Walk not in the statutes of your fathers, neither keep their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their practices. I am the Lord your God; walk in my precepts, and keep my ordinances, and do them. And hallow my Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God. And to their children, he says, separated from the teaching of their fathers, I exhorted in the wilderness, and I advised them to be rid of their paternal customs, but to acknowledge my dominion, and to follow my commandments, and to fulfill the ordinances that were given, and by the keeping of the Sabbaths to recognize what was distinctive to their polity, and to be guided to the lawgiver through the law; but these also, he says, continued to despise these laws. And indicating this he added: 21. And their children also provoked me; they did not walk in my precepts, and they did not keep my ordinances to do them, which if a man do, he shall live in them, and they profaned my Sabbaths. 81.996 Then he adds, that again I wished to exact penalties from these for their impiety, and to deliver some to captivity, and others to slaughter. For he signified this by saying: 23. And I lifted up my hand against them in the wilderness, to scatter them among the nations, and to disperse them through the countries. But lest, he says, any harm from this should come to the Egyptians and the Canaanites, this I did not do, but, 25. And I gave them precepts that were not good, and ordinances in which they should not live. Some, therefore, have taken these things to refer to the worship of idols, having understood "I gave" as "I permitted"; but it is clear that they have in no way grasped the meaning of what was said. For no one in his right mind would call the impious religion of idols "not good," but rather "exceedingly bad." Therefore, the fount of wisdom, the lawgiver of piety, the accuser of impiety, did not call the ultimate impiety "not good"; for he calls it the very definition of evil. The word, therefore, hints at other things. For since, he says, I gave them ordinances "which if a man do, he shall live in them;" and by these he means the ten words of the law; but they transgressed these, and continued to trample on them fearlessly, I bound and nailed them to other precepts, which were unable to provide them any life, but by their observance and occupation with them, they would cease from the transgression of those necessary laws. And by these he hints at the commandments concerning leprosy, and a dead bone, and a carcass, and a discharge, and the other such things, and the frequent sprinklings on account of these things, and the sacrifices offered for them; for being occupied with the observance of such things, they were no longer able to despise in the same way those necessary and beneficial laws; for this reason he did not say that he had given them bad precepts, but "not good." For it neither taught evil, nor were these things in themselves productive of virtue, but they compelled them to frequent the divine temple, and to attend to God. For he who believed he was defiled ran to purification, and arriving, he was reminded of God. And this memory banished their impious opinion, and persuaded them to keep the divine laws; these things, therefore, in themselves, were "not good"; for they did not accord with the divine purpose, but were suited to the weakness of those for whom the laws were made; yet these things, though not good, nor necessary, led to what was good and necessary. To these he adds: 20. And I will pollute them in their own gifts, in my passing through all that opens the womb, that I might make them desolate, so that they may know that I am the Lord. This is like what was said by God through the blessed David: "And I sent them away according to 81.997 the desires of their hearts; they will walk in their own desires." For since I saw them not any

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διεφύλαξε, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην τοῖς προγόνοις εἰσήγαγε γῆν. ιηʹ-κʹ. Καὶ εἶπον, φησὶ, πρὸς τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· Ἐν τοῖς νομίμοις τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν μὴ πορεύεσθε, καὶ τὰ δικαιώματα αὐτῶν μὴ φυλάττεσθε, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν αὐτῶν μὴ συναναμίγνυσθε. Ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν· ἐν τοῖς προστάγμασί μου πορεύεσθε, καὶ τὰ δι καιώματά μου φυλάττεσθε, καὶ ποιεῖτε αὐτά. Καὶ τὰ Σάββατά μου ἁγιάζετε αὐτὰ, καὶ ἔσται εἰς σημεῖον ἐμοῦ καὶ ἀναμέσον ὑμῶν, τοῦ γι νώσκειν ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν. Καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις δὲ αὐτῶν, φησὶ, τῆς τῶν πατέρων χωρισθεῖσι διδασκαλίας, παρῄνουν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καὶ συνεβού λευον ἀπαλλαγῆναι μὲν τῶν πατρῴων ἠθῶν, τὴν δὲ ἐμὴν δεσποτείαν ἐπιγνῶναι, καὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς προστά γμασιν ἕπεσθαι, καὶ τὰ δοθέντα πληροῦν δικαιώ ματα, καὶ τῇ τῶν Σαββάτων φυλακῇ τὸ τῆς πολι τείας ἰδιάζον γνωρίζειν, καὶ ποδηγεῖσθαι πρὸς τὸν νομοθέτην διὰ τὸν νόμον· ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτοι, φησὶ, τῶν νόμων τούτων καταφρονοῦντες διετέλεσαν. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν ἐπήγαγε· καʹ. Καὶ παρεπίκρανάν με καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐ τῶν· ἐν τοῖς προστάγμασί μου οὐκ ἐπορεύθη σαν, καὶ τὰ δικαιώματά μου οὐκ ἐφυλάξαντο τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτὰ, ἃ ποιήσει ἄνθρωπος αὐτὰ, καὶ ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὰ Σάββατά μου ἐβεβή 81.996 λωσαν. Εἶτα προστίθησιν, ὅτι καὶ τούτους πάλιν δίκας ἐβουλήθην εἰσπράξασθαι τῆς ἀσεβείας, καὶ τοὺς μὲν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ, τοὺς δὲ σφαγῇ παραδοῦναι. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐσήμανεν εἰρηκώς· κγʹ. Καὶ ἐξῆρα τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, τοῦ διασκορπίσαι αὐτοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ διασπεῖραι αὐτοὺς ἐν ταῖς χώραις. Ἵνα δὲ μή τις ἐντεῦθεν βλάβη καὶ Αἰγυπτίοις γένηται, καὶ Χα ναναίοις, τοῦτο μὲν, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐποίησα, ἀλλὰ, κεʹ. Καὶ δέδωκα αὐτοῖς προστάγματα οὐ καλὰ, καὶ δικαιώματα ἐν οἷς οὐ ζήσονται ἐν αὐ τοῖς. Τινὲς οὖν ταῦτα εἰς τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ἔλαβον θεραπείαν, τὸ ἔδωκα ἀντὶ τοῦ συνεχώρησα νενοη κότες· δῆλοι δέ εἰσιν οὐδαμῶς τὴν τῶν εἰρημένων κατειληφότες διάνοιαν. Τὴν γὰρ ἀσεβῆ τῶν εἰδώλων θρησκείαν οὐδεὶς ἂν εὖ φρονῶν εἴποι οὐ καλὴν, ἀλλὰ λίαν κακήν. Οὐ τοίνυν ἡ τῆς σοφίας πηγὴ, τῆς εὐ σεβείας ὁ νομοθέτης, ὁ τῆς ἀσεβείας κατήγορος, τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀσέβειαν οὐ καλὴν προσηγόρευσεν· ὅρον γὰρ αὐτὴν ὀνομάζει κακίας. Ἄλλα τοιγαροῦν ὁ λόγος αἰνίττεται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔδωκα αὐτοῖς δικαιώ ματα "ἃ ποιήσει αὐτὰ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς·" λέγει δὲ διὰ τούτων τοὺς δέκα λόγους τοῦ νόμου· παρέβησαν δὲ ταῦτα, καὶ πατοῦντες ἀδεῶς διετέλεσαν, ἑτέροις αὐτοὺς προστάγμασι προσέδησα καὶ προσήλωσα, ζωὴν μὲν αὐτοῖς οὐδεμίαν δυναμέ νοις παρέχειν, τῇ δὲ περὶ αὐτὰ φυλακῇ τε καὶ ἀσχο λίᾳ τὴν τῶν ἀναγκαίων νόμων ἐκείνων παράβασιν παύονται. Αἰνίττεται δὲ διὰ τούτων τὰς περὶ λέπρας, καὶ ὀστέου νεκροῦ, καὶ θνησιμαίου, καὶ γονοῤῥυοῦς, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων ἐντολὰς, καὶ τὰ συχνὰ διὰ ταῦτα περιῤῥαντήρια, καὶ τὰς ὑπὲρ τούτων προσφερομένας θυσίας· περὶ γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων εἱλούμενοι φυλακὴν, οὐκ ἔθ' ὁμοίως τῶν ἀναγ καίων ἐκείνων καὶ ὠφελίμων καταφρονεῖν ἠδύναντο νόμων· διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔφη δεδωκέναι αὐτοῖς προστά γματα κακὰ, ἀλλ' οὐ καλά. Οὔτε γὰρ κακίαν ἐδίδα σκεν, οὔτε ἀρετῆς αὐτὰ καθ' ἑαυτὰ ποιητικὰ ὄντα ἐτύγχανεν, ἀλλὰ συχνῶς φοιτᾷν εἰς τὸν θεῖον νεὼν, καὶ τῷ Θεῷ προσεδρεύειν ἠνάγκαζεν. Ὁ γὰρ με μιάνθαι πιστεύων ἐπὶ τὴν κάθαρσιν ἔτρεχεν, ἀφ ικνούμενος δὲ μνήμην ἐλάμβανε τοῦ Θεοῦ. Αὕτη δὲ ἡ μνήμη τὴν δυσσεβῆ γνώμην ἐξώριζε, καὶ τοὺς θείους νόμους φυλάττειν ἀνέπειθεν· αὐτὰ τοίνυν καθ' ἑαυτὰ, οὐ καλά· οὐ γὰρ τῷ θείῳ συνέβαινε σκο πῷ, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῶν νομοθετουμένων ἥρμοττεν ἀσθε νείᾳ· οὐ καλὰ δὲ ὅμως αὐτὰ, οὐδὲ ἀναγκαῖα, ἦγεν δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ καλὰ καὶ ἀναγκαῖα. Τούτοις ἐπάγει· κʹ. Καὶ μιανῶ αὐτοὺς ἐν τοῖς δόμασιν, ἐν τῷ διαπορεύεσθαί με πᾶν διανοῖγον μήτραν, ὅπως ἀφανίσω αὐτοὺς, ἵνα γνῶσιν ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύ ριος. Τοῦτο ἔοικε τῷ διὰ τοῦ μακαρίου ∆αβὶδ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰρημένῳ· "Καὶ ἐξαπέστειλα αὐτοὺς κατὰ 81.997 τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν· πορεύσονται ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν αὑτῶν." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶδον αὐ τοὺς οὐδεμίαν