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Leaving aside now the heterogeneous and allied Syrian, he speaks concerning Samaria. For since Sennacherib had come against Jerusalem, he first destroyed Samaria (for Israel had committed greater impiety than the Jews, and was first handed over by God); for this reason he says that the people of Israel drew down upon themselves the terrible things sent against others. But when Samaria was captured, though it was necessary for the survivors, having learned by experience how terrible it is to offend God, to appease him through repentance; on the contrary, in their desperation they said, 'Let us build towers,' no longer like the former ones (for being of brick, they were rightly captured) but of stones and incorruptible wood; blaming the bricks for the capture instead of their impiety; and instead of divine assistance, trusting in the strength of material. He says these things of the insolent and arrogant, who also will know, that is, they will experience the consequences of their own judgment. For after Sennacherib, and the terrible things that happened through him, Nebuchadnezzar campaigns again in the times of Jeremiah, and he captured both Jerusalem and Samaria; and Jeremiah says to the arrogant of today: "Cursed is he who has his hope in man, and will make the flesh of his arm his support, and his heart departs from the Lord." But God strikes and heals, through both exhorting to piety, who now proclaims the devastation to those who have suffered it. For Nebuchadnezzar, campaigning last against Judea and Samaria together, captured them. And they remained captives until the seventieth year. But by the loving-kindness of God they received back their own land, and when they attempted to build both the city and the temple, they were hindered by the surrounding nations, and especially by the Syrians, but they prevailed over these by divine influence. Then, as time went on, Antiochus, surnamed Epiphanes, king of Asia, having waged war against Ptolemy, who ruled Egypt, thought it a consolation for the defeat he suffered if he should dare something against Judea, and taking their metropolis, and having plundered the temple, he left his general Lysias as its guard. But he was defeated when the Jews rose up against him 2016. And the king, learning what had happened, ended his life in despair. Now therefore God promises his own influence to those who escaped the captivity by the Assyrians, against those who rise up against Mount Zion. And who are these, he says immediately: Syria from the rising of the sun, when they were being kept from building, and the Greeks from the setting of the sun. For Antiochus was a Greek by race from Macedonia, which is situated in the more western region, especially if judged in relation to Judea. And he was brought bitterly against the Jews, when the sufferings of the Maccabees also occurred. And divine justice swiftly pursues this one also, after those from Syria who with whole mouth devoured the holy people; but although the Jews suffered so many things, the hand is still raised for justice, and is most ready for the blow against them, because of the very great impiety which they dared against the Savior, for which they were handed over to perpetual destruction by the arms of the Romans. But some say thus, that the death sent upon Jacob, or a word pronouncing wrath, having found those among them thought to be better, who are called Israel, to be worthy of wrath and death, pursued them. For to the patriarch, the name of his birth according to the flesh was Jacob, but after he grew strong with God, it became Israel. Therefore, having been sent against the more irrational, he found those who seemed to be rational to be worthy. But some have taken the word in a good sense, and say that through mercy the word first condescends to the weakest. But the more discerning, having received a sense of the benefit from it, seize it, anticipating the sluggishness of those to whom it was sent; for the Father sent the Word who was in the beginning with God upon Jacob; but the pure mind, having recognized him, received him. But such men were formerly insolent and arrogant, dwelling in Samaria. For it says in the Acts, the apostles heard that Samaria had received the Word. But the former

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ἑτερογενῆ καὶ συμμαχοῦντα τὸν Συρίας, νῦν ἀφεὶς, περὶ τοῦ Σαμαρείας φησίν. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἀφῖκτο κατὰ Ἱερουσαλὴμὁ Σενναχηρεὶμ, προανεῖλε δὲ τὴν Σαμάρειαν (μείζω γὰρ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἠσέβησεν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ παρεδόθη πρῶτος ὑπὸ Θεοῦ) τούτου χάριν φησὶν, ὡς τὰ καθ' ἑτέρων ἀπεσταλμένα δεινὰ, καθ' ἑαυτῶν οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπεσπάσαντο. Τῆς δὲ Σαμαρείας ἁλούσης, δέον τοὺς περιλειφθέντας πείρᾳ μαθόντας ὅσον ἐστὶ δεινὸν προσκροῦσαι Θεῷ, δι' ἐπιστροφῆς τε τοῦτον ἐξευμενίζεσθαι· τοὐναντίον, ἀπονοούμενοι πύργους οἰκοδομήσωμεν ἔλεγον, μηκέτι κατὰ τοὺς πρότερον (ἐκ πλίνθου γὰρ ὄντες εἰκότως ἑάλωσαν) ἀπὸ λίθων δὲ καὶ ξύλων ἀσήπτων· ἀντὶ μὲν τῆς ἀσεβείας, τὰς πλίνθους αἰτιώμενοι τῆς ἁλώσεως· ἀντὶ δὲ θείας ἐπικουρίας, ὕλης θαῤῥοῦντες στεῤῥότητι, ὑβριστῶν ταῦτά φησι καὶ ὑπερηφάνων, οἳ καὶ γνώσονται, τοῦτ' ἔστι τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀπολαύσουσι γνώμης. Μετὰ γὰρ τὸν Σενναχηρεὶμ, καὶ τὰ δι' αὐτοῦ γεγονότα δεινὰ, πάλιν ἐπιστρατεύει Ναβουχοδονόσωρ ἐν τοῖς Ἱερεμίου καιροῖς, Ἱερουσαλήμ τε εἷλε καὶ τὴν Σαμάρειαν· ὅ τε καὶ πρὸς τοὺς νῦν αὐθάδεις Ἱερεμίας φησίν· "Ἐπικατάρατος ὃς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχει ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον, καὶ στηρίσει σάρκα βραχίονος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ Κυρίου ἀποστῇ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ." Ἀλλὰ πλήττων ἰᾶται Θεὸς δι' ἀμφοῖν παρακαλῶν εἰς εὐσέβειαν, ὁ νῦν τοῖς παθοῦσι τὴν δήωσιν ἐπαγγέλλεται. Τελευταῖος μὲν γὰρ κατὰ Ἰουδαίας ὁμοῦ καὶ Σαμαρείας ἐπιστρατεύσας Ναβουχοδονόσωρ εἶλε. Καὶ παρέτεινον εἰς ἑβδομηκοστὸν ἔτος αἰχμάλωτοι. Φιλανθρωπίᾳ δὲ Θεοῦ τὴν ἰδίαν αὖθις ἀπέλαβον γῆν, καὶ κτίζειν ἐπιχειροῦντες τήν τε πόλιν καὶ τὸν ναὸν, ὑπ' ἐθνῶν τῶν κύκλῳ, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν Σύρων διεκωλύοντο, θείᾳ δὲ τούτων ἐπεκράτουν ῥοπῇ. Εἶτα χρόνου προϊόντος Ἀντίοχος ὁ ἐπίκλην Ἐπιφανὴς, βασιλεύων τῆς Ἀσίας,πρὸς τὸν τῆς Αἰγύπτου κρατοῦντα Πτολεμαῖον συστησάμενος πόλεμον, ἧς ὑπέμεινεν ἥττης ἐνόμιζε παραμύθιον, εἴτι κατὰ Ἰουδαίας τολμήσειε, καὶ τὴν μητρόπολιν τούτων ἐλέων, καὶ τὸν νεὼν ἱεροσυλήσας, Λυσίαν στρατηγὸν ἑαυτοῦ ταύτης κατέλιπε φύλακα. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἐπαναστάντων αὐτῷ τῶν Ἰουδαίων 2016 νενίκηται. Μαθὼν δὲ τὸ συμβὰν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀθυμίᾳ τὸν βίον κατέστρεψε. Νῦν οὖν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς διαφυγοῦσι τὴν ἐξ Ἀσσυρίων αἰχμαλωσίαν, τὴν ἰδίαν ῥοπὴν ἐπαγγέλλεται πρὸς τοὺς ἐπανισταμένους ἐπ' ὅρος Σιών. Τίνες δὲ οὗτοί φησιν εὐθὺς, Συρίαν ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν, ὅτε τῆς οἰκοδομίας ἀπείργοντο, καὶ τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἀφ' ἡλίου δυσμῶν. Ἕλλην γὰρ ἦν τὸ γένος Ἀντίοχος ἐκ Μακεδονίας, ἥτις τῆς δυτικωτέρας καθέστηκε λήξεως, καὶ μάλιστα πρὸς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν εἰ κρίνοιντο. Ἦν δὲ πικρῶς Ἰουδαίοις ἐπενεχθεὶς, ὅτε καὶ τὰ Μακκαβαίων ἐγεγόνει παθείματα. Καὶ τοῦτον δὲ θᾶττον ἡ θεία δίκη μετέρχεται, μετὰ τοὺς ἐκ Συρίας ὅλῳ στόματι τὸν ἱερὸν καταφαγόντα λαόν· ἀλλὰ καίπερ τῶν Ἰουδαίων τοσαῦτα παθόντων, ἡ χεὶρ ἔτι πρὸς δίκην ἐστὶ μετέωρος, καὶ πρὸς τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν ἑτοιμοτάτη πληγὴν, διὰ τὴν μεγίστην ἀσέβειαν, ἣν κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐτόλμησαν, δι' ἣν ἀπωλείᾳ διηνεκεῖ τοῖς Ῥωμαίων παρεδόθησαν ὅπλοις. Τινὲς δὲ οὕτω φασὶν, ὡς ὁ ἀποσταλεὶς ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ θάνατος, ἢ λόγος ἀποφατικὸς ὀργῆς, τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς κρείττους εἶναι νομιζομένους ἀξίους ὀργῆς καὶ θανάτου καταλαβὼν, Ἰσραὴλ χρηματίζοντας, τούτους μετῆλθεν. Τῷ γὰρ πατριάρχῃ, τὸ μὲν τῆς κατὰ σάρκα γενέσεως ὄνομα ἦν Ἰακὼβ, μετὰ δὲ Θεοῦ ἐνισχύσαντι γεγένηται Ἰσραήλ. Κατὰ τοίνυν τῶν ἀλογωτέρων πεμφθεὶς, τοὺς λογικοὺς δοκοῦντας εὗρεν ἀξίους. Τινὲς δὲ ἐπὶ καλοῦ τὸν λόγον ἐξέλαβον, καί φασιν, ὡς δι' ἐλεημοσύνην πρώτοις συγκαταβαίνει τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις ὁ λόγος. Οἱ δὲ διορατικώτεροι τῆς ἐξ αὐτοῦ λαβόντες αἴσθησιν ὠφελείας, ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτὸν, τὴν πρὸς οὓς ἀπεστάλη νωθρότητα προλαμβάνοντες· τὸν γὰρ ἐν ἀρχῇ Λόγον πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, ἀπέστειλεν ἐπὶ Ἰακὼβ ὁ Πατήρ· ὁ δὲ νοῦς αὐτὸν ὁ καθαρὸς γνωρίσας ὑπέλαβεν. Οἱ δὲ τοιοῦτοι πρώην ἦσαν ὑβρισταί τε καὶ ὑπερήφανοι ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ καθήμενοι. Φησὶν γὰρ ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν, ἤκουσαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι ὅτι Σαμάρεια δέδεκται τὸν Λόγον. Τὴν δὲ πρὶν