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of you in all your wickednesses, which you committed. For the knowledge of sin is the beginning of shame; for this reason, when our conscience pricks us, we are accustomed to strike our foreheads; this is what he has signified here also. For having turned away, he says, from your former lawlessness, and having embraced my service, and receiving my providence, you will become sensible of your former impieties, and you will strike your faces, considering in how many evils you were entangled. 44. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you in this way, so that my name may not be profaned, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt practices, O house of Israel, says the Lord Adonai. And I will deem you worthy of this care, he says, wishing to turn all other people to the knowledge of me through my beneficence to you; for you are not worthy of kindness or forgiveness, having been brought up in lawless practices; learning, therefore, how impious it is to profane the divine name, let us flee from ascribing blasphemy to the Master. For those who have been deemed worthy of his name, but live unworthily of it, provoke the tongues of the foolish to blasphemy against him; this is what God also said concerning the Jews: "And you profaned my name among the nations, when it was said of you, 'These are the people of the Lord, and they have come out of his land.'" But we have received the very name of the Master; for we are named after Christ; wherefore it is fitting for all of us, according to the apostolic law, "whether we eat, or drink, or whatever we do, to do all to the glory of God, and to be without offense to Jews and to Greeks, and to the Church of God," to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 81.1005 VOLUME 8. 45, 40. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, set your face toward Teman, and look toward Darom, and prophesy against the leading forest of the Negeb. Teman is south in the Greek language, and Darom signifies the southwest wind, and Negeb, the south; thus Symmachus also translated: "Son of man, set your face toward the south, the way of the southwest wind, and prophesy concerning the forest of the southern country." Through all these things he alluded to Jerusalem; for Jerusalem is situated to the south, and south-land, and southwest of Babylon. And since it is not situated directly south, but inclines a little to the west, he necessarily added the southwest wind, having such a position. And he called Jerusalem a leading forest on account of its fruitlessness; for such is a forest; and on account of the hardness of their mind; for such is the nature of the oak; and in addition to these, because the trees in the forest are not planted in order, but there is great disorder among them; and indeed also because the forest is a dwelling place for wild beasts. And all these things one could find at that time in Jerusalem. 47. And you shall say to the forest of Negeb: Hear the word of the Lord; Thus says the Lord Adonai: Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour in you every green tree, and every dry tree; the kindled flame shall not be quenched. He persisted in the trope. and since he called Jerusalem a forest, he fittingly also names the campaign of the enemies fire, and those killed by them burning trees; and a green tree and a dry tree, those who boast in wealth and those who live with poverty. Then he teaches that the nations lying in between will also share in the calamity; for he says: 48. And every face shall be scorched in it from east to north; And all flesh shall know that I the Lord have kindled it, and it shall not be quenched. But 'from the east' Symmachus again translated as 'from the south.' And he teaches that from the land of the Chaldeans as far as Jerusalem he will use the fire of the campaign, and will consume the nations lying in between, so that at least through 81.1008 the calamity all may learn that he himself is master of the inhabited world. 49. And I said: In no way, Lord Adonai! They themselves say to me, Is this not a parable being told? Of these things, he says, thus

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ὑμῶν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς κακίαις ὑμῶν, ἃς ἐποιήσατε. Ἐπίγνωσις γὰρ ἁμαρτίας αἰσχύνης ἀρ χή· διὰ τοῦτο τοῦ συνειδότος κεντοῦντος τὰ μέτωπα τύπτειν εἰώθαμεν· τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐσή μανεν. Ἀποστάντες γὰρ, φησὶ, τῆς προτέρας παρα νομίας, καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν ἀσπασάμενοι θεραπείαν, καὶ τῆς παρ' ἐμοῦ προμηθείας τυγχάνοντες, ἐν αἰσθήσει γενήσεσθε τῶν προτέρων ἀσεβημάτων, καὶ τὰ πρόσ ωπα τύψετε, ἡλίκοις ἐνεφύρητε κακοῖς λογιζόμε νοι. μδʹ. Καὶ ἐπιγνώσεσθε, ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος, ἐν τῷ ποιῆσαί με οὕτως ὑμῖν, ὅπως τὸ ὄνομά μου μὴ βεβηλωθῇ, οὐ κατὰ τὰς ὁδοὺς ὑμῶν τὰς πονη ρὰς, οὐδὲ κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα ὑμῶν τὰ δι εφθαρμένα, οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος. Ταύτης δὲ, φησὶν, ἀξιώσω τῆς κηδεμονίας ὑμᾶς, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους διὰ τῆς εἰς ὑμᾶς εὐεργεσίας εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τρέψαι βουλόμε νος· οὔτε γὰρ ὑμεῖς φιλανθρωπίας ἄξιοι, ἢ συγ γνώμης, παρανόμοις ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ἐντραφέντες· μαθόντες τοίνυν, ὅπως ἐστὶ δυσσεβὲς, τὸ θεῖον ὄνομα βεβηλοῦν, φύγωμεν τὸ βλασφημίαν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ προσάπτειν. Οἱ γὰρ τῆς αὐτοῦ προσηγορίας ἠξιωμέ νοι, ἀναξίως δὲ ταύτης πολιτευόμενοι, εἰς τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ βλασφημίαν τῶν ἀνοήτων παρακινοῦσι τὰς γλώττας· τοῦτο καὶ περὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὁ Θεὸς ἔλεγε· "Καὶ ἐβεβηλώσατε τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἐν τῷ λέγεσθαι ὑμῖν, Λαὸς Κυρίου οὗτοι, καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ ἐξεληλύθασιν." Ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ αὐτὴν ἐσχή καμεν τοῦ ∆εσπότου τὴν προσηγορίαν· ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ γὰρ ὀνομαζόμεθα· διὸ προσήκει πάντας ἡμᾶς, κατὰ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν νομοθεσίαν, "εἴτε ἐσθίομεν, εἴτε πίνομεν, εἴτε τι ποιοῦμεν, πάντα εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ ποιεῖν, καὶ ἀπροσκόπους εἶναι Ἰουδαίοις καὶ Ἕλλησι, καὶ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ," ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 81.1005 ΤΟΜΟΣ Ηʹ. μεʹ, μʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς μὲ, λέγων· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, στήρισον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἐπὶ Θαιμὰν, καὶ ἐπίβλεψον ἐπὶ ∆αροὺμ, καὶ προφήτευσον ἐπὶ δρυμὸν ἡγούμενον Ναγέβ. Θαιμὰν μεσημβρία ἐστὶ τῇ Ἑλλάδι φωνῇ, ∆αροὺμ δὲ τὸν λίβα σημαίνει, τὸ δὲ Ναγὲβ τὸν νότον· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν· "Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, στήρισον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἐπὶ τὸν νότον ὁδὸν λιβὸς, καὶ προ φήτευσον περὶ τοῦ δρυμοῦ τῆς χώρας τῆς μεσημ βρινῆς." ∆ιὰ πάντων δὲ τούτων τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ᾐνίξατο· κατὰ νότον γὰρ, καὶ μεσημβρίαν, καὶ λίβα τῆς Βαβυλῶνος ἔχει τὴν θέσιν ἡ Ἱερουσαλήμ. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ οὐ κατ' εὐθεῖαν μεσημβρίαν κεῖται, ἀλλὰ βραχύ τι πρὸς δύσιν ἀποκλίνει, ἀναγκαίως καὶ τὸν λίβα προστέθεικε, τοιαύτην ἔχοντα τὴν θέσιν. ∆ρυ μὸν δὲ ἡγούμενον προσηγόρευσε τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ διὰ τὴν ἀκαρπίαν· τοιοῦτος γὰρ ὁ δρυμός· καὶ διὰ τὸ σκληρὸν τῆς διανοίας· τοιαύτη γὰρ τῆς δρυὸς ἡ φύσις· καὶ πρὸς τούτοις διὰ τὸ μὴ κατὰ τάξιν πε φυτεῦσθαι τὰ ἐν τῷ δρυμῷ ξύλα, ἀλλὰ πολλὴν εἶναι ἐν τούτοις ἀταξίαν· καὶ μέντοι καὶ διὰ τὸ θηρίων οἰκητήριον εἶναι τὸν δρυμόν. Ταῦτα δὲ ἅπαντα τη νικαῦτα εὕρειεν ἄν τις ἐν τῇ Ἱερουσαλήμ. μζʹ. Καὶ ἐρεῖς τῷ δρυμῷ Ναγέβ· Ἄκουε λόγον Κυρίου· Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼἀνάπτω ἐν σοὶ πῦρ, καὶ καταφάγεται ἐν σοὶ πᾶν ξύλον χλωρὸν, καὶ πᾶν ξύλον ξηρόν· οὐ σβε σθήσεται ἡ φλὸξ ἡ ἐξαφθεῖσα. Ἐπέμεινε τῇ τρο πῇ. καὶ ἐπειδὴ δρυμὸν τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐκάλεσεν, εἰκότως καὶ πῦρ ὀνομάζει τῶν πολεμίων τὴν στρα τείαν, καὶ ξύλα καιόμενα τοὺς ὑπὸ τούτων ἀναι ρουμένους· ξύλον δὲ χλωρὸν, καὶ ξύλον ξηρὸν, τοὺς πλούτῳ κομῶντας καὶ τοὺς πενίᾳ συζῶντας. Εἶτα διδάσκει, ὅτι καὶ μεταξὺ διακείμενα ἔθνη κοι νωνήσει τῆς συμφορᾶς· φησὶ γάρ· μηʹ. Καὶ κατακαυθήσεται ἐν αὐτῇ πᾶν πρόσ ωπον ἀπὸ ἀπηλιώτου ἕως βοῤῥᾶ· Καὶ ἐπιγνώ σεται πᾶσα σὰρξ, ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος ἐξέκαυσα αὐτὰ, καὶ οὐ σβεσθήσεται. Τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ ἀπηλιώτου πάλιν ὁ Σύμμαχος ἀπὸ μεσημβρίας ἡρμήνευσε. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῆς Χαλδαίων γῆς μέχρι τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων τῷ τῆς στρατείας χρήσεται πυρὶ, καὶ δαπανήσει τὰ ἐν μέσῳ διακείμενα ἔθνη, ἵνα διὰ γοῦν 81.1008 τῆς συμφορᾶς μάθωσιν ἅπαντες, ὡς αὐτὸς δεσπόζει τῆς οἰκουμένης. μθʹ. Καὶ εἶπον· Μηδαμῶς Ἀδωναῒ Κύριε αὐτοὶ λέγουσι πρὸς μὲ, Οὐχὶ παραβολή ἐστι λεγομένη αὕτη; Τούτων, φησὶν, οὕτως