65

the prophet handed down their insolence, how they acted insolently towards those from Judah, testifying weakness to them, but strength to themselves. But some interpret it thus, as those who are now coming against Jerusalem, while inhabiting Samaria, being called Israel and the people of Ephraim, because they were ruled by those from the tribe of Ephraim, mocking Jerusalem, said that it was built with bricks, promising to make their own things better. And instead of the temple that Solomon built, they thought it right to construct a tower for themselves, thinking similar things to those in Calneh. For those men also said, Come, let us make bricks for ourselves, and bake them with fire." And again: "Come, let us build for ourselves a city and a tower, whose top will be 2017 to the heaven." From what then, did the tower in turn become foolish, God making foolish the wisdom of the world that seems to have a bare and small sweetness? For such also, according to this name, are the sycamore-fig trees. And such men are also called cedars in another sense, being puffed up by falsely named knowledge, possessing both harsh and inflexible characters. Therefore the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. And for this reason he says, "I saw the wicked highly exalted and lifted up, like the cedars of Lebanon, whose destruction is swift." For I passed by, and behold, he was not. Who also say that the buildings in the doctrines of the pious are fallen bricks. But the cedars of God are not such, but are men seeking the things above, having their citizenship in heaven with the fruit-bearing trees, being taken up into the hymn of God, concerning whom he says again: "The trees of the plain shall be satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon, which he planted." Since, therefore, those men acted so insolently against Israel, what does he say? And God will break those who rise up against Mount Zion, against him. For those who are lifted up against the God who is honored here will be humbled. And he speaks of all the enemies, indicating those in Damascus with those in Samaria, who were also allied with Israel, and he promises destruction for all who rise up against Mount Zion (that is, against the God honored here); of whom some were easterners, and others from the sunset, and between them were the Greeks, who, while consuming Israel, through whom they prepared them to be impious, promised to help. For those who draw men away from piety through the wisdom of this world devour with a whole mouth. Therefore the wrath of God, being emphatically of righteous punishment, was prepared against them; but they did not turn back, according to their own impenitent heart, treasuring up for themselves wrath in the day of wrath; and since this people is not healed through word, but through affliction, it is written. And this whole people did not turn back, until it was struck. We have, therefore, the reason for which gloomy things are brought upon men. For it is necessary to know by all means, that as sinners they did not turn back. ιδʹκαʹ. 9And the Lord took away from Israel head and tail, great and small, in one day, the elder, and those who admire faces. This is the head, and the prophet teaching lawless things. This is the tail. And those who call this people blessed will be leading them astray9, etc. For "he took away," Theodotion has "he will take away"; and the rest also in the future tense: Aquila, "he will destroy"; and Symmachus, "he will utterly destroy." For before acting, God, seeking to turn them, foretells, and he says "in one day," that is, under one and the same time of the Roman 2020 war, clearly. But some say that after the word sent to them has arrived, he says that their entire evil order will be thrown into confusion. By saying "head and tail," he alluded to an irrational animal to which he compared the people, that is, the rational and the irrational, or the ruler and each of the ruled, which indeed he also clarified by saying "great and small." And "the elder," he says, "and those who admire faces," indicating perhaps those who were allotted to serve as priests, to whom indeed the disciples also say when addressing them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are this day examined for a good deed done to a helpless man;" who also, taking bribes in judgment, admired the faces of the rich; but instead of this, those who

65

ὕβριν αὐτῶν ὁ προφήτης παρέδωκεν, ὅπως τῶν ἐξ Ἰούδα κατεθρασύνοντο, ἀσθένειαν μὲν ἐκείνοις, ἑαυτοῖς δὲ μαρτυροῦντες ἰσχύν. Τινὲς δὲ οὕτως, ὡς οἱ νῦν τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπερχόμενοι τὴν μὲν Σαμάρειαν οἰκοῦντες, Ἰσραὴλ δὲ χρηματίζοντες καὶ λαὸς Ἐφραῒμ, διὰ τὸ βασιλευθῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκ φυλῆς Ἐφραῒμ, χλευάζοντες Ἱερουσαλὴμ, πλίνθοις αὐτὴν ἔλεγον οἰκοδομεῖσθαι, τὰ ἑαυτῶν κρείττω ποιήσειν ἐπαγγελλόμενοι. Καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ ναοῦ, ὃν ᾠκοδόμησεν Σολομῶν, πύργον ἑαυτοῖς ἠξίουν κατασκευάσασθαι ὅμοια τοῖς ἐν Χαλάνῃ διανοούμενοι. Κακεῖνοι γὰρ ἔλεγον, ∆εῦτε, πλινθεύσωμεν ἑαυτοῖς πλίνθους, καὶ ὀπτήσωμεν αὐτὰς πυρί." Καὶ πάλιν· "∆εῦτε, οἰκοδομήσωμεν ἑαυτοῖς πόλιν καὶ πύργον, οὗ ἡ κεφαλὴ ἔσται 2017 ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ." Ἐκ τίνων δὲ ὁ πύργος ἑξῆς ἐμώρανεν, ὁ Θεὸς σοφίας τοῦ κόσμου ψιλὴν καὶ σμικρὰν δοκούσης ἔχειν γλυκύτητα; Τοιαῦτα γὰρ καὶ κατὰ ταύτην ἐπωνυμίαν ἐστὶ τὰ συκόμορα. Οἱ δὲ τοιοῦτοι, καὶ κέδροι καθ' ἑτέραν ἐπίνοιαν χρηματίζουσιν ἐπὶ τῇ ψευδωνύμῳ ἐπαιρόμενοι γνώσει, σκληρά τε ἤθη καὶ δυσκαμπῆ κεκτημένοι. ∆ιὸ συντρίβει Κύριος τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιβάνου. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτό φησιν, "Εἶδον τὸν ἀσεβῆ ὑπεραιρόμενον καὶ ὑπερυψούμενον, ὡς τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιβάνου, ὧν ἡ ἐξολόθρευσις ταχεῖα." Παρῆλθον γὰρ, καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἦν. Οἳ καὶ τὰ ἐν δόγμασι τῶν εὐσεβούντων οἰκοδομήματα πλίνθους εἶναι πεπτωκυίας φασίν. Οὐ μὴν αἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ κέδροι τοιαῦται, ἀλλ' ἄνδρες τὰ ἄνω ζητοῦντες, ἐν οὐρανῷ ἔχοντες τὸ πολίτευμα μετὰ τῶν καρποφόρων ξύλων, εἰς ὕμνον παραλαμβανόμενοι τοῦ Θεοῦ, περὶ ὧν αὖθίς φησιν· "Χορτασθήσεται τὰ ξύλα τοῦ πεδίου αἱ κέδροι τοῦ Λιβάνου, ἃς ἐφύτευσεν." Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἐκεῖνοι τοιαῦτα κατ' Ἰσραὴλ ἐθρασύναντο, τί φησίν; Καὶ ῥήξει ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς ἐπανισταμένους ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος Σιὼν ἐπ' αὐτόν. Ταπεινωθήσονται γὰρ οἱ ἐπαρθέντες κατὰ τοῦ ἐνταῦθα τιμωμένου Θεοῦ. Καὶ πάντας φησὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς, τοὺς ἐν ∆αμασκῷ μετὰ τῶν ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ δηλῶν, οἱ καὶ συνεμάχουν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, πάντας τε τοὺς ἐπανισταμένους τῷ ὄρει Σιὼν (τοῦτ' ἔστι, τῷ ἐνταῦθα τιμωμένῳ Θεῷ καθαίρεσιν ἐπαγγέλλεται), ὧν οἱ μὲν ἦσαν ἀνατολικοί τινες, οἱ δὲ ἀφ' ἡλίου δυσμῶν, μέσοι δὲ τούτων οἱ Ἕλληνες, οἳ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ κατεσθίοντες, δι' ὧν ἀσεβεῖν παρεσκεύαζον, βοηθεῖν ἐπηγγέλλοντο. Ὅλῳ γὰρ κατεσθίουσι στόματι οἱ διὰ τῆς σοφίας τοῦ κόσμου τούτου τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀφέλκοντες. ∆ιόπερ ὁ θυμὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, τῆς δικαίας κολάσεως ὑπάρχων ἐμφατικῶς κατ' αὐτῶν ηὐτρεπίζετο· οἱ δὲ οὐκ ἐπέστρεφον κατὰ τὴν ἀμετανόητον ἑαυτῶν καρδίαν, θησαυρίζοντες ὀργὴν ἑαυτοῖς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆ· καὶ ἐπεὶ μὴ διὰ λόγου, διὰ δὲ πληγῆς οὗτος ὁ λαὸς θεραπεύεται, γέγραπται. Καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς οὗτος οὐκ ἀπεστράφη, ἕως ἐπλήγη. Ἔχομεν τοίνυν τὴν αἰτίαν, δι' ἣν τὰ σκυθρωπὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπάγεται. ∆εῖ γὰρ εἰδέναι πάντως, ὡς οὐκ ἐπεστράφησαν ἁμαρτάνοντες. ιδʹκαʹ. 9Καὶ ἀφεῖλε Κύριος ἀπὸ Ἰσραὴλ κεφαλὴν καὶ οὐρὰν, μέγαν καὶ μικρὸν, ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ, πρεσβύτην, καὶ τοὺς τὰ πρόσωπα θαυμάζοντας. Αὕτη ἡ ἀρχὴ, καὶ προφήτην διδάσκοντα ἄνομα. Οὗτος ἡ οὐρά. Καὶ ἔσονται οἱ μακαρίζοντες τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον πλανῶντεσ9, κ.τ.λ. Τὸ ἀφεῖλε, Θεοδοτίων ἀφελεῖ· καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ δὲ ἐπὶ μέλλοντος· ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας, ὀλοθρεύσει· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, ἐξολοθρεύσει. Πρὶν γὰρ ποιεῖν, ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιστρέφων προλέγει, ἐν μιᾷ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ φησὶν, ὑφ' ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ δηλονότι 2020 πολέμου. Τινὲς δὲ, μετὰ τὸ φθᾶσαι, φασὶν, ἐπ' αὐτοὺς τὸν λόγον ἀπεσταλμένον, πᾶσαν τὴν κακὴν αὐτῶν διάταξιν συγχυθήσεσθαι λέγει. Κεφαλὴν καὶ οὐρὰν εἰπὼν, ᾐνίξατο ζῶον ἄλογον ᾧ τὸν λαὸν ἀφωμοίωσεν, ἤγουν τὸν λογικὸν καὶ τὸν ἄλογον, ἢ τὸν ἄρχοντα καὶ τὸν τῶν ἀρχομένων ἕκαστον, ὃ δὴ καὶ διεσάφησεν εἰπὼν μέγαν καὶ μικρόν. Πρεσβύτην τε, φησὶ, καὶ τοὺς τὰ πρόσωπα θαυμάζοντας, δηλῶν ἴσως τοὺς ἱερᾶσθαι λαχόντας, οἷς δὴ καί φασι προσφωνοῦντες οἱ μαθηταὶ, "Ἄρχοντες τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ πρεσβύτεροι, εἰ ἡμεῖς σήμερον ἀνακρινόμεθα ἐπ' εὐεργεσίᾳ ἀνθρώπου ἀσθενοῦς·" οἳ καὶ δωροδοκοῦντες ἐν κρίσει τὰ τῶν πλουσίων ἐθαύμαζον πρόσωπα· ἀντὶ δὲ οὗ, τοὺς τὰ