65

very sharpened to a point, sending forth flashes like lightning. Therefore he says, separate into whichever part you wish, whether the right, or the left; for you will have me also as a co-worker. For he indicated this by adding: 17. And I will strike my hand against my hand, and I will bring my wrath to an end; I the Lord have spoken to you. For this reason the blessed Jeremiah also said: "I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not his own, nor will a man walk and direct his own way;" teaching that none of such things happens without the energy or permission from above; on the one hand, He works what is fitting, and on the other, permits other things according to another mode of economy, both yielding to the free will of men, and in this way exacting penalties for sins. 18-20. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: And you, son of man, appoint for yourself two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to enter; from one land the two shall go forth. Prepare a hand to point at the beginning of the way of each city. You shall appoint a sign at the beginning of the way, for the sword to enter against Rabbath of the sons of Ammon, and against Judah in Jerusalem. As in a picture, he says, draw one road divided in two, one leading straight to Jerusalem, and the other extending to Rabbath of the sons of Ammon; for since Nebuchadnezzar, setting out from Babylon, marched against both Judea and the Ammonites, God foretells these things through the prophet. He said Rabbath of the sons of Ammon, because there is also another of the same name, that of Amman; some say this one of Amman is the one now called Philadelphia in Arabia, which to this day is called Amman in the local language. To these he adds: 21. Therefore the king of Babylon will stand at the ancient road, at the beginning of the two roads, to use divination, to shake arrows, and to inquire of the idols, and to inspect the liver. 81.1016 For having reached, he says, the road that is divided in two, of which one part leads to Judea and the other to Rabbath, he will use divination by rods, and likewise also the inspection of the entrails of victims, wishing to learn where he must campaign first; and while these things, he says, are being done by him: 22. On his right hand was the divination against Jerusalem, to cast up a rampart, and to open the mouth in a shout, and to raise the voice with the cry of a trumpet, to set battering rams against its gates, and to cast up a mound, and to build siege-towers. But it is proper to know that the demons know nothing of things to come; but by guessing from events, they attempt to foretell; and sometimes they are on the right track, but often they also err completely; and it is possible to see this not only from events, but also to be taught it from the divine Scripture. For having spoken of a victory for Ahab through Zedekiah the false prophet, they fell short of the truth; for not only was he defeated when he went to battle, but he was also slain; and here also, knowing the law given to Israel, and seeing their way of life outside these commandments, and moreover hearing the prophetic predictions, they were taught from every side of the divine indignation; this therefore they also presignified through the divinations to the impious king, that he must first campaign against Jerusalem, and use ramparts and mounds, and all other engines of war. But while these things, he says, were being done by him, the besieged show contempt, not trusting in virtue, but suffering from insensibility. And teaching this he said: 23. And he himself is to them as one divining a divination in their sight, keeping weeks of weeks for them. Thus, he says, they are disposed, as if the divinations signify good things for them; for he alluded to this through the phrase "in their sight," that is, as if the divinations had been made on their behalf, and they live as if celebrating a week of weeks; and this was one of the three greatest feasts; but events, he says, will not follow their opinions. "For he himself, he says, is calling their iniquity to remembrance, that they may be tak

65

μάλα εἰς ἀκ μὴν ἠκονημένον, ἀστραπῆς δίκην ἀφιὲν λαμπηδό νας. ∆ιό φησιν εἰς ὁπότερον βούλῃ χώρισον μέρος, εἴτε τὸ δεξιὸν, εἴτε τὸ εὐώνυμον· ἕξεις γὰρ κἀμὲ συνεργοῦντα. Τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσεν ἐπαγαγών· ιζʹ. Καὶ ἐγὼ δὲ κροτήσω μου χεῖρα πρὸς χεῖρα, καὶ ἐπαφήσω τὸν θυμόν μου, ἐγὼ Κύριος λελάληκά σοι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἱερε μίας ἔλεγεν· "Οἶδα, Κύριε, ὅτι οὐχὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ πορεύσεται ἄνθρωπος, καὶ κατ ευθυνεῖ ὁδὸν αὑτοῦ·" διδάσκων, ὡς τῶν τοιούτων οὐδὲν δίχα τῆς ἄνωθεν ἐνεργείας ἢ συγχωρήσεως γίγνεται· ἐνεργεῖ μὲν τὰ πρέποντα, συγχωρεῖ δὲ τ' ἄλλα καθ' ἕτερον τρόπον οἰκονομίας, καὶ τῷ αὐ τεξουσίῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων παραχωρῶν, καὶ τῷ τρόπῳ τούτω δίκας τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων πραττόμενος. ιηʹ-κʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς μὲ, λέγων· Καὶ σὺ, υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, διάταξον σεαυτῷ δύο ὁδοὺς, τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν ῥομφαίαν βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος· ἐκ χώρας μιᾶς ἐξελεύσονται αἱ δύο ἀρχαὶ, ἑτοίμασαι χεῖρα κεντοῦσαν ἐν ἀρχῇ ὁδοῦ ἑκάστης πόλεως. Κεντοῦσαν ἐπ' ἀρχῆς ὁδοῦ διατάξεις, τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν ῥομφαίαν ἐπὶ Ῥαββὰθ υἱῶν Ἀμμὼν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰούδανἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ὡς ἐν εἰκόνι, φησὶ, διάγραψον μίαν ὁδὸν διχῆ μεριζομένην, καὶ τὴν μὲν κατ' εὐθὺ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ φερομένην, τὴν δὲ εἰς τὴν Ῥαββὰθ υἱῶν Ἀμμὼν διατεινομένην· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ Ναβου χοδονόσορ ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ὁρμώμενος, καὶ κατὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, καὶ κατὰ Ἀμμανιτῶν ἐπεστράτευσε, προλέγει ταῦτα ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου. Ῥαββὰθ δὲ υἱῶν Ἀμμὼν εἶπεν, ἐπειδὴ ἔστι καὶ ἑτέρα ὁμώνυ μος, ἡ τοῦ Ἀμμάν· ταύτην δὲ τὴν τοῦ Ἀμμάν φασί τινες εἶναι τὴν νῦν ἐν τῇ Ἀραβίᾳ Φιλαδελφίαν κα λουμένην, ἥτις μέχρι νῦν Ἀμμὰν τῇ ἐπιχωρίῳ φωνῇ προσαγορεύεται. Τούτοις ἐπιφέρει· καʹ. ∆ιὸ στήσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχαίαν ὁδὸν, ἐπ' ἀρχῆς τῶν δύο ὁδῶν, τοῦ μαντεύσασθαι μαντείαν τοῦ ἀναβράσαι ῥάβδους, καὶ ἐπερωτῆσαι ἐν τοῖς γλυπτοῖς, καὶ ἡπατο 81.1016 σκοπήσασθαι. Τὴν γὰρ διχῆ, φησὶ, μεριζομένην καταλαβὼν ὁδὸν, ἧς τὸ μὲν εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, τὸ δὲ εἰς τὴν Ῥαββὰθ ἀπάγει, τῇ διὰ τῶν ῥάβδων χρήσε ται μαντείᾳ, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τῇ τῶν σφαγίων σπλαγ χνοσκοπείᾳ, μαθεῖν βουλόμενος, ποῖ δεῖ στρατεῦσαι πρότερον· τούτων δὲ, φησὶν, ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γιγνομένων· κβʹ. Ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο τὸ μαντεῖον ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τοῦ περιβαλεῖν χάρακα, καὶ τοῦ διανοῖξαι στόμα ἐν βοῇ, καὶ ὑψῶσαι φωνὴν μετὰ κραυγῆς σάλπιγγος, τοῦ βαλεῖν χάρακας ἐπὶ τὰς πύλας αὐτῆς, καὶ βαλεῖν χῶμα, καὶ οἰκοδομῆσαι βελοστάσεις. Προσήκει δὲ εἰδέναι, ὅτι τῶν ἐσομένων οὐδὲν οἱ δαίμονες ἴσασι· καταστοχαζόμενοι δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων, προλέγειν ἐπιχειροῦσι· καὶ ἔστι μὲν ὅτε κατευθὺ φέρονται, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ διαμαρτάνου σι· καὶ τοῦτο οὐ μόνον ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς θείας διδαχθῆναι Γραφῆς. Εἰπόντες γὰρ διὰ Σεδεκίου τοῦ ψευδοπροφήτου νίκην τοῦ Ἀχαὰβ, τῆς ἀληθείας ἐξέπεσαν· οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἡττήθη παραταξάμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνῃρέθη· καὶ ἐν ταῦθα δὲ καὶ τὸν δεδομένον τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπιστάμενοι νόμον, καὶ τὴν ἔξω τῶν τούτων διαγορεύσεων πολι τείαν ὁρῶντες, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῶν προφητικῶν προῤ ῥήσεων ἐπαΐοντες, πανταχόθεν τὴν θείαν ἀγανάκτη σιν ἐδιδάσκοντο· ταύτην τοίνυν καὶ διὰ τῶν μαντείων τῷ δυσσεβεῖ προεσήμαινον βασιλεῖ, ὅτι δεῖ πρῶτον τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπιστρατεῦσαι, καὶ χαρακώμασι καὶ χώμασι χρήσασθαι, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι πολεμικοῖς μηχανήμασιν. Ἀλλὰ τούτων, φησὶν, ὑπὸ τούτου γι γνομένων, καταφρονοῦσιν οἱ πολιορκούμενοι, οὐκ ἀρετῇ θαῤῥοῦντες, ἀλλ' ἀναλγησίᾳ νοσοῦντες. Καὶ τοῦτο διδάσκων ἔφη· κγʹ. Καὶ αὐτὸς αὐτοῖς μαντευόμενος μαντείαν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν, ἑβδομάζοντες ἑβδομάδας αὐ τοῖς. Οὕτω, φησὶ, διάκεινται, ὡς χρηστὰ τῶν μαν τείων αὐτοῖς σημαινόντων· τοῦτο γὰρ ᾐνίξατο διὰ τοῦ ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν τουτέστιν, ὡς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν τῶν μαντείων γεγενημένων, καὶ ὡς ἑβδομάδα ἑβδομάδων ἑορτάζοντες οὕτω διάγουσι· μία δὲ ἦν αὕτη τῶν τριῶν τῶν μεγίστων ἑορτή· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀκολουθήσει, φησὶ, ταῖς αὐτῶν δόξαις τὰ πράγματα. "Καὶ αὐτὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀναμιμνήσκων ἀδικίαν αὐτῶν τοῦ συλ