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by the Assyrians. But in the time of... ...this Hezekiah they took all the people captive at the first blow, who were in no way chastened; but again out of philanthropy he foretells to those in Jerusalem the things to come, blaming their impiety. For these also practiced idolatry in the time of Ahaz and in the times after him. But how do the carved images wail? The senseless things, not at all, but the demons that dwell in them and share their name, enjoying the pleasure from the defilements; wherefore those who eat things sacrificed to idols are said to be partakers of the table of demons, which he reveals, and then he says, "The Lord will come into Egypt, and the handmade things of Egypt will be shaken, and their heart will be defeated." For they were shaken, being driven into the abyss at the advent of the Savior. For this reason, cursed is he who shall make a carved or molten thing, and shall place it in a secret place. For he treasures up for himself an evil, the demon that accompanies the carved image. ιβιθʹ. 9And it will be, when the Lord has finished doing all things on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he will bring it upon the great mind, the ruler of the Assyrians, and upon the height of the glory of his eyes. For he said: By strength will I do it, and by the wisdom of my understanding I will remove the boundaries of nations9, etc. He still says, I still give way to the Assyrians, until they subdue Jerusalem just as they did Israel. For after these things, he says he will bring it upon the great mind, indicating one who is great in wickedness, or one so called by himself or by his flattering subjects. For properly a great mind is one who is perfect in virtue and knowledge, and who considers nothing small concerning God and His judgments, but he says He will bring it upon him, since he did not give glory to God for the things delivered to him, having put forward his own strength, or that of the idols, to which he dedicated also the sacred vessels of God. And by the law of allegory, he calls "great mind" either the author of evil who caused many to apostatize with him, who are now tropically called Assyrians; that is, an opposing power simply, ruling the Assyrians, as one speaks of the ruler of the kingdom of the Persians, or of the Medes, or of the Greeks. With 2028 his own understanding, therefore, and power he attributed the things done to the Assyrians, thinking himself to be great, not setting before his eyes the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, but being lifted up against God with haughty eyes. He might also call "great mind" the cunning prudence for evil, as "the serpent was more shrewd than all the beasts on the earth"; which the divine Apostle, explaining to the Corinthians, says, "I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning." And the Savior also says that the steward of unrighteousness acted shrewdly; and the sons of this age are more shrewd than the sons of light. Since, they also say that "mind" is a twisted prudence. This mind, therefore, since he knows that "the eyes of a wise man are in his head," glorifies his eyes, as being superior to earthly things, both looking upward and not stooping to the earth. For such are the wise men among the Greeks, who live badly; but through what they say concerning both heaven and the things on high, they bestow a certain glory upon their own eyes. He therefore calls the thoughts "eyes." But He who sees hearts and minds makes even the hidden things manifest, saying how he intended, trusting in all manner of power and strategic skill, to take away the things by which the nations are distinguished from one another, and to make one single boundary for one kingdom, having subjected them to his own scepters, which indeed God well distinguished, when the Most High divided the nations. that no one was watching, nor did the things on earth concern God. For the abandonment of the eggs and nestlings reveals this. And he added the eggs after the nestlings as an intensification of the contempt. But you should have considered, he says, that you became an instrument of God, just like an axe, a saw, and a rod, needing one to move them. For they have no power of their own for motion, but since you did not reason thus, nor did you recognize from where you have your strength, the Lord of hosts will replace your honor with dishonor. And by "honor" they mean the army subject to him, in which he was also glorified. Which he says fire will also consume. But according to some, glory differs from fame.

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παρὰ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων. Ἐπὶ δὲ του... ...τον Ἐζεκίου πάντα τὸν λαὸν ᾐχμαλώτευσαν ἐπὶ τῇ πρώτῃ πληγῇ μηδαμῶς σωφρονίσαντα· διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν δὲ πάλιν προλέγει καὶ τοῖς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις τὰ μέλλοντα, τὴν ἀσέβειαν αὐτῶν αἰτιώμενος. Καὶ οὗτοι γὰρ εἰδωλολάτρησαν ἐπί τε Ἄχαζ καὶ χρόνων τῶν μετ' αὐτόν. Πῶς δὲ ὀλολύζει τὰ γλυπτά; Τὰ μὲν ἀναίσθητα, οὐδαμῶς, τὰ δὲ ὁμώνυμα τούτοις ἐνοικοῦντα δαιμόνια, τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν μιασμάτων ἡδονῆς ἀπολαύοντα· διόπερ οἱ τὰ εἰδωλόθυτα ἐσθίοντες, κοινωνοὶ τραπέζης λέγονται δαιμονίων, ἅπερ δηλοῖ, καὶ τότε φησὶν, "Ἤξει εἰς Αἴγυπτον Κύριος καὶ σεισθήσεται τὰ χειροποίητα Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν ἡττηθήσεται." Ἐσείσθη γὰρ εἰς ἄβυσσον ἐλαυνόμενα κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, ἐπικατάρατος ὅστις ποιήσει γλυπτὸν ἢ χωνευτὸν, καὶ θήσει αὐτὸ ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ. Κακὸν γὰρ ἑαυτῷ θησαυρίζει τὸν τῷ γλυπτῷ παρεπόμενον δαίμονα. ιβιθʹ. 9Καὶ ἔσται, ὅταν συντελέσῃ Κύριος πάντα ποιῶν ἐν τῷ ὄρει Σιὼν, καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἐπάξει ἐπὶ τὸν νοῦν τὸν μέγαν, τὸν ἄρχοντα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ὕψος τῆς δόξης τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ. Εἶπε γάρ· Τῇ ἰσχύϊ ποιήσω, καὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ τῆς συνέσεως ἀφελῶ ὄρια ἐθνῶν9, κ.τ.λ. Ἔτι φησὶν, Ἔτι τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις ἐνδίδωμι, μέχρι χειρώσονται καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὥσπερ τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Μετὰ ταῦτα γὰρ, ἐπὶ τὸν νοῦν τὸν μέγαν ἐπάξειν φησὶ, τὸν ἐν κακίᾳ μέγαν δηλῶν, ἢ τὸν παρ' ἑαυτῷ, ἢ παρὰ τῶν ὑπηκόων κολακευόντων οὕτω λεγόμενον. Κυρίως γὰρ νοῦς μέγας, ὁ κατ' ἀρετὴν καὶ γνῶσιν τέλειος ὢν, καὶ μηδὲν σμικρὸν περὶ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν κριμάτων αὐτοῦ λογιζόμενος, ἐπάξειν δέ φησιν, ἐπεὶ μὴ δόξαν δέδωκεν ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτῷ παραδοθεῖσιν Θεῷ, τὴν ἰδίαν προτάξας ἰσχὺν, ἢ τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων, οἷς ἀνέθηκε καὶ σκεύη τὰ ἱερὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἀλληγορίας δὲ νόμῳ, νοῦν μέγαν, ἢ τὸν ἀρχέκακόν φησι τὸν συναποστήσαντα πολλοὺς ἑαυτῷ, τροπικῶς νῦν Ἀσσυρίους λεχθέντας· ἤγουν δύναμιν ἀντικειμένην ἀπλῶς, ἄρχουσαν Ἀσσυρίων, ὡς λέγεται ὁ ἄρχων βασιλείας Περσῶν, ἢ Μήδων, ἢ τῶν Ἑλλήνων. Συν 2028 έσει τοίνυν ἰδίᾳ καὶ δυνάμει τὰ πραχθέντα τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις ἀνέθηκεν οὖν ἑαυτὸν εἶναι μέγαν δοκῶν, μὴ θέμενος πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τὴν εἰρήνην τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ὑπερέχουσαν πάντα νοῦν, ὑπερηφάνοις δὲ ὀφθαλμοῖς κατεπαρθεὶς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Λέγοι δ' ἂν καὶ μέγαν νοῦν ὡς φρόνησιν τὴν πανουργίαν ἐπὶ κακῷ, ὡς ὁ ὄφις φρονιμώτερος τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ὅπερ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ἐξηγούμενος πρὸς Κορινθίους, "Φοβοῦμαι, φησὶ, μήπως ὡς ὁ ὄφις ἐξηπάτηκεν Εὔαν ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτοῦ." Καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ δέ φησιν, ὡς ὁ οἰκονόμος τῆς ἀδικίας φρονίμως ἐποίησεν· καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου φρονιμώτεροι ὑπὲρ τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ φωτός. Ἐπεὶ, καὶ νοῦν εἶναί φασι φρόνησιν συνεστραμμένην. Οὗτος οὖν ὁ νοῦς, ἐπεὶ οἶδεν, ὡς σοφοῦ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ, δοξάζει τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ, ὡς τῶν γηΐνων κρείττων, ἄνω τε βλέπων καὶ μὴ κύπτων εἰς γῆν. Τοιοῦτοι γὰρ οἱ παρ' Ἕλλησι σοφοὶ, ζῶντες μὲν κακῶς· δι' ὧν δὲ περί τε οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῶν μετεώρων φασὶ, δόξαν τινα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τοῖς ἰδίοις περιτιθέμενοι. Ὀφθαλμοὺς οὖν τὰς ἐννοίας φησίν. Ἀλλ' ὁ καρδίας ὁρῶν καὶ νεφροὺς, καὶ τὰ κεκρυμμένα καθίστησιν ἐναργῆ, λέγων ὡς διενοήθη παντοδαπῇ δυνάμει θαῤῥῶν καὶ τέχνῃ στρατηγικῇ, τὰ μὲν οἷς διώρισται τὰ ἔθνη παρ' ἀλλήλων περιελεῖν, μιᾶς δὲ βασιλείας ἕνα μόνον ὅρον ποιεῖν, τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ σκήπτροις ὑποτάξας αὐτὰ, ἃ δὴ καλῶς διώρισεν ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτε διεμέριζεν ὁ Ὕψιστος ἔθνη. Μηδένα γὰρ ἐφορᾷν, μηδὲ Θεῷ μέλλειν τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ τῶν ὠῶν καὶ νεοττῶν ἐρημία δηλοῖ. Τὰ δὲ ὠὰ μετὰ τοὺς νεοττοὺς ἐν ἐπιτάσει τῆς ὀλιγωρίας ἐπήνεγκεν. Ἐχρῆν δέ σε σκοπῆσαι, φησὶν, ὡς ὄργανον ἐγένου Θεοῦ, καθάπερ ἀξίνη, πρίων τε καὶ ῥάβδος τοῦ κινοῦντος δεόμενα. ∆ύναμιν γὰρ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν οὐδεμίαν πρὸς κίνησιν ἔχουσιν, ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ μὴ οὕτως ἐλογίσω, μηδὲ τὴν ἰσχὺν ὅθεν ἔχεις ἐπέγνως, ὁ τῶν δυνάμεων Κύριος ἀτιμίᾳ τὴν σὴν τιμὴν διαδέξεται. Τιμὴν δέ φασι τὴν ὑποκειμένην αὐτῷ στρατιὰν, ἐφ' ᾗ καὶ δεδόξαστο. Ἣν καὶ πῦρ ἀναλώσειν φησίν. ∆ιαφέρει δὲ κατά τινας τοῦ κλέους ἡ δόξα.