71

But now that a God-loving man has succeeded to the kingdom, do not rejoice any longer as before; for he who strikes and smites and disciplines you is at hand. And these things were also fulfilled literally in the case of Hezekiah, concerning whom it is said in the fourth book of Kingdoms: "He smote the Philistines as far as Gaza and its borders, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city." What has been said might have this meaning: Do not rejoice, Philistines, thinking great things of your supposed gods because there is no one to crush you on account of the wickedness of the present time. For even if the yoke of him who strikes you was completely broken, this did not happen for your benefit, but for your harm; for since no one strikes or humbles or converts you, a great increase of evils has occurred among you. For the evil demons, who long ago lurked like serpents in your souls, and lay in wait in your sanctuaries and temples and as your so-called gods, have brought forth a terrible offspring and an evil seed, so that asps are born from them, the worst of all venomous creatures; and from these very ones other serpents have come into being, flying through the air. These things, then, at the present time, are abundant not only among you, the Philistines, but now also among the very people who are called the people of God, so that every place is filled with flying serpents and the offspring of asps, certain evil and destructive spirits. But when the destroyer of all these appears in due time, the serpents and the asps will be gone, as well as their evil offspring, so that they no longer work in men. Therefore, he who is prophesied will destroy this creeping and venomous race with famine, no longer permitting their customary food, that is, what is offered through sacrifices to demonic error, but he will nourish his own poor and give them rest in peace, no longer being troubled by the serpents that were delivered up. However, these things can also be fulfilled differently in relation to Hezekiah; for he restored those in the whole nation of the Jews who had long been poor according to God with rational food and teachings, whom he also established upon the good pasture of the law of godliness, causing them to be fed with divine lessons and nourished with sacred teachings. These things are shown in part to have reached their fulfillment historically in the time of Hezekiah. And it signifies the king of the Assyrians, who, coming from the northern parts in the time of Hezekiah, subdued the Philistines dwelling in Palestine, so as to besiege their cities, take captive the multitudes in them, and burn the gates of the cities. For the greatest sign to them that God is the guardian of his own city will be that it suffers nothing similar to the other cities. For the people's salvation will not come through a battle line of armed men, nor through the king who rules the nation, but through God himself. Which was indeed fulfilled literally "in the fourteenth year of the reign of Hezekiah," in which the king of the Assyrians, having come upon Judea, subdued the other cities, but having marched against Jerusalem, he returned without success. 1.70 The inhabitants of Moab thought great things of their own gods, and they laughed and scoffed at the God of Israel; for this reason the prophetic word set forth the prophecy concerning them. Wherefore, beginning, it named their prevailing ignorance of God night and darkness, and threatened that their destruction would be in that very night, saying: By night Moab will be destroyed, for by night the wall of Moab will be destroyed. Then, next, concerning the place in which their idolatry was established, it adds: For Dibon also will be destroyed; where your altar is, there you will go up to weep. And at the end of the prophecy it again mentions the same altars, saying: "For Moab has grown weary upon the altars and will enter into her handmade things to pray, and she will not be able to deliver him." from

71

νυνὶ δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν διαδεξαμένου ἀνδρὸς θεοφιλοῦς μηκέτι χαίρετε ὡς τὸ πρίν· ἐφέστηκε γὰρ ὑμῖν ὁ παίων καὶ τύπτων καὶ σωφρονίζων ὑμᾶς. ἐπληροῦτο δὲ καὶ ταῦτα πρὸς λέξιν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἑζεκίου, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται ἐν τῇ τετάρτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν· «αὐτὸς ἐπάταξε τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους ἕως Γάζης καὶ ἕως ὁρίων αὐτῆς ἀπὸ πύργου φυλασσόντων ἕως πόλεως ὀχυρᾶς». ταύτην σχοίη ἂν τὴν διάνοιαν τὸ εἰρημένον· Μὴ εὐφρανθείητε, ἀλλόφυλοι μέγα φρονοῦντες ἐπὶ τοῖς νομιζομένοις ὑμῖν θεοῖς τῷ μηδένα εἶναι τὸν συντρίβοντα ὑμᾶς διὰ τὴν τοῦ παρόντος καιροῦ μοχθηρίαν. εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα συνετρίβη ὁ ζυγὸς τοῦ παίοντος ὑμᾶς, ἀλλ' οὐ πρὸς ὑμῶν ἐγένετο ταῦτα, ἐπὶ κακῷ δὲ τῷ ὑμετέρῳ· μηδενὸς γὰρ ὑμᾶς παίοντος μηδὲ ταπεινοῦντος καὶ ἐπιστρέφοντος, πολλή τις ἐν ὑμῖν γέγονεν ἐπιτριβὴ κακῶν. οἱ γὰρ πάλαι ὄφεων δίκην ταῖς ὑμετέραις ψυχαῖς ἐμφωλεύοντες, ἔν τε τοῖς ὑμετέροις ἱεροῖς τε καὶ ναοῖς καὶ ὡς δὴ θεοῖς ἐφεδρεύοντες πονηροὶ δαίμονες δεινὴν γονὴν καὶ σπέρμα πονηρὸν ἀπεκύησαν, ὡς ἀσπίδας ἐξ αὐτῶν γεννᾶσθαι τὸ πάντων ἰοβόλων χείριστον· ἐκ τούτων τε αὐτῶν ἄλλους ὑποστῆναι ὄφεις τὸν ἀέρα διιπταμένους. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν οὐ παρ' ὑμῖν μόνοις τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις, ἤδη δὲ καὶ παρ' αὐτῷ τῷ χρηματίζοντι λαῷ θεοῦ πληθύει, ὡς πάντα τρόπον πεπληρῶσθαι τῶν τὸν ἀέρα διιπταμένων ὄφεων καὶ ἐκγόνων ἀσπίδων πονηρῶν τινων καὶ λυμαντικῶν πνευμάτων. ἀναδειχθέντος δὲ κατὰ καιρὸν τοῦ πάντων τούτων ὀλετῆρος οἰχήσονται οἱ ὄφεις καὶ αἱ ἀσπίδες, τά τε τούτων πονηρὰ ἔκγονα ὡς μηκέτι ἐνεργεῖν ταῦτα ἐν ἀνθρώποις. Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν τὸ ἑρπυστικὸν καὶ ἰοβόλον γένος λιμῷ ἀνελεῖ ὁ προφητευόμενος μηκέτι ἐπιτρέπων τροφὴν τὴν συνήθη, δηλαδὴ τὴν διὰ θυσιῶν τῇ δαιμονικῇ πλάνῃ φέρεσθαι, τοὺς δὲ ἑαυτοῦ πτωχοὺς ἐκθρέψει καὶ ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἀναπαύσει μηκέτι παρενοχλουμένων ὑπὸ τῶν παραδοθέντων ἑρπετῶν. δύναται μέντοι ταῦτα καὶ ἑτέρως εἰς τὸν Ἑζεκίαν δύνασθαι πληροῦσθαι· τοὺς γὰρ πάλαι κατὰ θεὸν πτωχεύσαντας ἐν παντὶ τῷ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνει ἀνεκτήσατο τροφαῖς λογικαῖς καὶ διδασκαλίαις, οὓς καὶ κατέστησε ἐπὶ τὴν καλὴν νομὴν τοῦ τῆς θεοσεβείας νόμου βόσκεσθαι τοῖς θείοις μαθήμασι καὶ ταῖς ἱεραῖς διδασκαλίαις ἐντρέφεσθαι ποιήσας. ταῦτα πρὸς ἱστορίαν ἐκ μέρους δείκνυται κατὰ Ἑζεκίαν τέλους τετυχηκότα. σημαίνει δὲ τὸν τῶν Ἀσσυρίων βασιλέα, ὃς ἐπελθὼν ἀπὸ τῶν βορειοτέρων μερῶν κατὰ τοὺς Ἑζεκίου χρόνους τοὺς τὴν Παλαιστίνην οἰκοῦντας ἀλλοφύλους ἐχειρώσατο, ὡς πολιορκῆσαι μὲν τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν, αἰχμάλωτα δὲ λαβεῖν τὰ ἐν αὐταῖς πλήθη, ἐμπρῆσαι δὲ τῶν πόλεων τὰς πύλας. μέγιστον γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἔσται δεῖγμα τοῦ θεὸν εἶναι τὸν τῆς αὐτοῦ πόλεως φύλακα, τὸ μηδὲν παθεῖν ὅμοιον ταῖς λοιπαῖς πόλεσιν. οὐ γὰρ διὰ παρατάξεως ἀνδρῶν ὁπλιτῶν οὐδὲ διὰ τοῦ προεστῶτος τοῦ ἔθνους βασιλέως, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ τῆς σωτηρίας ἔσται τῷ λαῷ. ἃ δὴ ἐπληροῦτο κατὰ λέξιν «ἐν τῷ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῳ ἔτει τῆς Ἑζεκίου βασιλείας», ἐν ᾧ ὁ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων βασιλεὺς ἐπιστὰς τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ τὰς μὲν ἄλλας ἐχειρώσατο πόλεις, ἐπιστρατεύσας δὲ τῇ Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἄπρακτος ἐπανῄει. 1.70 Μεγάλα ἐφρόνουν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἑαυτῶν θεοῖς οἱ τὴν Μωὰβ οἰκοῦντες, ἐγέλων τε καὶ ἐχλεύαζον τὸν θεὸν Ἰσραήλ· τούτου χάριν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος τὴν περὶ αὐτῶν ἐξέθετο προφητείαν. ὅθεν ἀρχόμενος τὴν ἐπικρατοῦσαν αὐτῶν ἄγνοιαν τοῦ θεοῦ νύκτα καὶ σκότος ὠνόμασεν, ἐν αὐτῇ τε τῇ νυκτὶ τὴν ἀπώλειαν αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθαι ἠπείλει φήσας· Νυκτὸς ἀπολεῖται ἡ Μωαβῖτις, νυκτὸς γὰρ ἀπολεῖται τὸ τεῖχος τῆς Μωαβίτιδος. εἶθ' ἑξῆς περὶ τοῦ τόπου, ἐν ᾧ ἵδρυτο αὐτῶν ἡ εἰδωλολατρία, ἐπιλέγει· ἀπολεῖται γὰρ καὶ ∆ηβών· οὗ ὁ βωμὸς ὑμῶν, ἐκεῖ ἀναβήσεσθε κλαίειν. καὶ ἐπὶ τέλει δὲ τῆς προφητείας πάλιν τῶν αὐτῶν μέμνηται βωμῶν λέγων· «ὅτι ἐκοπίασεν Μωὰβ ἐπὶ τοῖς βωμοῖς καὶ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὰ χειροποίητα αὐτῆς ὥστε προσεύξασθαι, καὶ οὐ μὴ δύνηται ἐξελέσθαι αὐτόν». ἐκ