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a counsel and not through the Lord, those who make a counsel in secret, and their works will be in darkness, and they will say: Who has seen us, and who will know us, 16what we are doing? These things contain a general accusation against those who think they will escape the overseeing eye of the universe, and a specific one against the scribes and Pharisees, who, using deceit as a collaborator, brought many questions to the savior, trying, as the evangelist says, to trap him in his speech, but they also often took counsel on how to destroy him. But nevertheless, to these and to all others who think God is ignorant of things done in secret, the all-holy spirit says through the prophet: Will you not be reckoned as the potter's clay? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it: You did not form me with understanding? and the work to its maker: You did not make me with understanding? How is it possible, he says, for the potter to be ignorant of the clay? And if he, the molder, knows, how much more I, the maker of the potter. But the clay does not contradict the potter nor does it accuse his workmanship—and this while having the same nature as him; for he too is from clay—, but you resist God. Learn, then, the harm that will come to you from this; for just as the potter can remodel things already formed but not yet put to the fire, and in turn make other things in their place, so I will cast you off, and I will take in the gentiles and I will transfer the spiritual grace flourishing in you to the whole nature of men. For this he has declared through the following: 17Is it not yet a little while and Lebanon shall be changed like mount Chermel, and Chermel shall be reckoned a forest? He calls the gentiles Lebanon because of their former impiety, and the mountain itself was not of the Jews but of the gentiles. Chermel is Carmel; this is a very fertile and fruitful mountain situated in the land of Israel. Figuratively, then, he teaches the exchange of the gentiles and the Jews; |136 b| for he says that to Lebanon—that is, to the gentiles—will be given the fruitfulness of Carmel—that is, of the Jews—, and Carmel—that is, the Jews—will be a fruitless forest. And we see the truth of the prophecy; for both in their multitude and in their barrenness they resemble a forest. 18And in that day the deaf will hear the words of a book. Those who do not know letters, those from the gentiles who have believed, those unable to discern the prophetic character, these will listen eagerly to these words. And in the darkness and in the mist the eyes of the blind will see. Truly they were sitting in darkness and mist, seeing the creation and being ignorant of its maker, but nevertheless, he says, these too will see the light of truth. 19And the poor will rejoice because of the Lord in gladness. He calls the same ones poor, as they did not have the abundance of the all-holy spirit. And the despaired of among men will be filled with gladness. For, having been given up on by the Jews, against all hope they enjoyed salvation. 20The lawless man has failed, and the proud man has perished, and those who do lawlessness for wickedness were utterly destroyed 21and those who cause men to sin in a word. Having prophesied the salvation of the gentiles, he also foretells the punishment of the unbelieving Jews. And he particularly accuses their chief priests and scribes; for they forced their subjects to sin with their tongue; and the evangelist is a witness, teaching how they commanded all who confess the Savior Christ to be put out of the synagogue. And for all those who reprove in the gates they will set a stumbling block, and they have turned aside the just man with unjust things. Thus, he says, they fled those who reproved with boldness, turning aside a stone that lay in the middle and made one stumble. And indeed, with their deceitful words they turned those living in simplicity from the straight path. 22For this reason the Lord says this to the house of Jacob, which he set apart from Abraham. The patriarch Abraham became the father of many children; for Ishmael was from Abraham and those born of Rheuma; and

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βουλὴν καὶ οὐ διὰ κυρίου, οἱ ἐν κρυφῇ βουλὴν ποιοῦντες, καὶ ἔσται ἐν σκότει τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐροῦσιν· Τίς ἡμᾶς ἑώρακε καὶ τίς ἡμᾶς γνώσεται, 16οἷα ἡμεῖς ποιοῦμεν; Ταῦτα καὶ κοινὴν ἔχει κατηγορίαν κατὰ τῶν οἰομένων λήσειν τὸν τῶν ὅλων ἔφορον ὀφ θαλμὸν καὶ ἰδίαν γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, οἳ δόλῳ χρησάμενοι συνεργῷ πολλὰς ἐρωτήσεις τῷ σωτῆρι προσέ φερον πειρώμενοι, ᾗ φησιν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής, παγιδεῦσαι αὐτὸν ἐν λόγῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ συμβούλιον πολλάκις ἔλαβον, ὅπως αὐτὸν ἀπολέσωσιν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τούτοις καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι τοῖς οἰομένοις ἀγνοεῖν τὸν θεὸν τὰ κρύβδην γινόμενα τὸ πανάγιον πνεῦμα διὰ τοῦ προφήτου φησίν· Οὐχ ὡς ὁ πηλὸς τοῦ κεραμέως λογισθήσεσθε; Μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι· Οὐ συνετῶς με ἔπλασας; καὶ τὸ ποίημα τῷ ποιήσαντι· Οὐ συνετῶς με ἐποίησας; Πῶς οἷόν τέ φησι τὸν κεραμέα τὸν πηλὸν ἀγνοεῖν; Εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνος οἶδεν ὁ διαπλά στης, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἐγὼ τοῦ κεραμέως ὁ ποιητής. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν πηλὸς οὐκ ἀντιλέγει τῷ κεραμεῖ οὐδὲ τῆς ἐκείνου ἐργασίας κα τηγορεῖ-καὶ ταῦτα τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκείνῳ φύσιν ἔχων· ἐκ πηλοῦ γὰρ κἀκεῖνος-, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἀντιτείν ετε τῷ θεῷ . Μάθετε τοίνυν τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ὑμῖν ἐσομένην βλάβην· ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ κεραμεὺς τὰ ἤδη πλασθέντα καὶ μηδέπω πυρὶ ὁμιλήσαντα ἀνασκευάσαι δύναται καὶ πάλιν ἕτερα ἀντ' ἐκείνων κατασκευάσαι, οὕτως ἐγὼ μὲν ὑμᾶς ἀπώσομαι, τὰ δὲ ἔθνη προσλήψομαι καὶ τὴν ἐν ὑμῖν ἀνθοῦσαν πνευματικὴν χάριν εἰς ἅπαςαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων μεταθήσω τὴν φύσιν. Τοῦτο γὰρ διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς δεδήλωκεν· 17Οὐχὶ ἔτι μικρὸν καὶ μετατεθήσεται ὁ Λίβανος ὡς τὸ ὄρος τὸ Χερμὲλ καὶ ὁ Χερμὲλ εἰς δρυμὸν λογισθήσεται; Λίβανον τὰ ἔθνη καλεῖ διὰ τὴν προτέραν ἀσέβειαν, καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ ὄρος οὐκ Ἰουδαίων ἦν ἀλλ' ἐθνῶν. Χερμὲλ δὲ τὸν Κάρμηλον· ὄρος δὲ τοῦτο πολυφόρον καὶ πολύκαρπον ἐν τῇ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ κείμενον χώρᾳ. Τροπικῶς τοίνυν διδάσκει τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων |136 b| ἐναλλαγήν· δοθήσεται γάρ φησι τῷ Λιβάνῳ-τουτέστι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν- ἡ τοῦ Καρμήλου -τουτέστι τῶν Ἰουδαίων- εὐ καρπία, ὁ δὲ Κάρμηλος- τουτέστιν Ἰουδαῖοι-δρυμὸς ἔσονται ἄκαρπος. Καὶ ὁρῶμεν τὴν τῆς προφητείας ἀλήθειαν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀκαρπίαν μιμοῦνται δρυμόν. 18Καὶ ἀκούσονται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ κωφοὶ λόγους βιβλίου. Οἱ μὴ εἰδότες γράμματα, οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκότες, οἱ μὴ δυνάμενοι διαγνῶναι τὸν προφητικὸν χαρακτῆρα, οὗτοι τούτων ἐπακούσονται προθύμως τῶν λόγων. Καὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ σκότει καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ ὁμίχλῃ ὀφθαλμοὶ τυφλῶν ὄψονται. Ἀληθῶς ἦσαν ἐν σκότῳ καὶ ὁμίχλῃ καθήμενοι τὴν κτίσιν ὁρῶντες καὶ τὸν ταύτης ποιητὴν ἀγνοοῦντες, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ οὗτοί φησιν ὄψονται τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ φῶς. 19Καὶ ἀγαλλιά σονται πτωχοὶ διὰ κύριον ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ. Τοὺς αὐτοὺς καὶ πτωχοὺς ὀνομάζει τοῦ παναγίου πνεύματος τὴν εὐπορίαν οὐκ ἐσχηκότας. Καὶ οἱ ἀπελπισμένοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων πλη σθήσονται εὐφροσύνης. Ἀπεγνωσμένοι γὰρ ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων παρὰ πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπέλαυσαν. 20Ἐξέλιπεν ἄνομος, καὶ ἀπώλετο ὑπερήφανος, καὶ ἐξωλοθρεύθησαν οἱ ἀνομοῦντες ἐπὶ κακίᾳ 21καὶ οἱ ποιοῦντες ἁμαρτεῖν ἀνθρώπους ἐν λόγῳ. Τῶν ἐθνῶν προθεσπίσας τὴν σωτηρίαν προλέγει καὶ τῶν ἀπιστησάντων Ἰουδαίων τὴν τιμωρίαν. ∆ιαφερόντως δὲ αὐτῶν τῶν ἀρχιερέων καὶ γραμματέων κατηγορεῖ· οὗτοι γὰρ ἁμαρτάνειν τῇ γλώττῃ τοὺς ὑπηκόους ἠνάγκαζον· καὶ μάρτυς ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς διδάσκων ὡς ἐκέλευσαν ἅπαντας τοὺς ὁμολογοῦντας τὸν σωτῆρα Χριστὸν ἀποσυναγώγους γενέσθαι. Πάντας δὲ τοὺς ἐλέγχοντας ἐν πύλαις πρόσκομμα θήσουσι καὶ ἐπλαγίαςαν ἐν ἀδίκοις δίκαιον. Οὕτω φησὶν ἔφευγον τοὺς μετὰ παρρησίας ἐλέγχοντας, ἐκκλίνοντες λίθον ἐν μέ σῳ κείμενον καὶ προσπ<τ>αίειν παρασκευάζοντα. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τοῖς ἀπατηλοῖς αὐτῶν λόγοις τοὺς ἁπλότητι συζῶντας ἀπέτρ ε πον τῆς εὐθείας ὁδοῦ. 22∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰακώβ, ὃν ἀφώρισεν ἐξ Ἀβραάμ. Πολλῶν ἐ γένετο παίδων Ἀβραὰμ ὁ πατριάρχης πατήρ· καὶ γὰρ Ἰσμαὴλ ἐξ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ οἱ ἐκ τῆς Ῥεύμ ας τεχθέντες· καὶ