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well-being of the body, scarcity of necessities, and the durability of perishable clothing and sandals. Then he advises those who conquer not to attribute the victory to their own strength, but to God, the helper and champion. VII Whom does he mean by sons of Anak? They were descendants of giants, as the history teaches. For this he said: "a people great and tall, the sons of Anak, whom you know and of whom you have heard; 'Who can stand before the sons of Anak'?" And he has set down, "you know and you have heard," reminding them of the words of those who had spied out that land. For they said that "we were like grasshoppers in their sight." Thus having suppressed the arrogance based on strength, he teaches them not to be proud even of the achievements of the soul. "Do not say," he says, "in your heart, 'It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this good land.' For it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord will destroy them from before you, not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you are going in to possess the land." And he said these things, accomplishing two things at the same time, both teaching them to be moderate and to attribute everything to the help of God; and foretelling that they would suffer things similar to those nations, if they were to do similar things. And opportunely he reminded them also of the transgressions in the desert, 237 strengthening that argument, that it was not because of their righteousness they would inherit the land. "Remember," for he said, "and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God in the desert." And he brought forward also the worship of the calf, and that because of their wickedness he broke the God-given tablets; and how, having offered earnest supplication, he propitiated God who was very angry both with them and with Aaron; "And against Aaron," for he says, "the Lord was very angry enough to destroy him, and I prayed for Aaron also at that time." Thus having recounted the other things that had happened, he says: "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you, but to fear the Lord your God, and to walk in all his commandments, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart"? And lest they should suppose that God legislated these things as one in need of sacrifices, he added: "Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven, and the heaven of heavens, the earth and all that is in them. Yet the Lord chose to love your fathers; and he chose you, their seed after them, above all the nations." And through these things we are taught that children enjoy good things because of the piety of their ancestors. And he also taught what kind of circumcision is beloved by God: "Circumcise," for he said, "the hardness of your heart and you will no longer stiffen your neck," and these things were said to those whose foreskin had not yet been circumcised. For Joshua the son of Nun circumcised them at Gilgal after crossing the Jordan. But nevertheless, even though they were uncircumcised, he did not command the foreskin to be circumcised, but the hardness of heart 238 and the stiff neck. Therefore, more honorable is the circumcision of the heart. And this accusation against them the Lord God also made through Jeremiah the prophet: "For all," he said, "the nations are uncircumcised in flesh, but the house of Israel are uncircumcised in their hearts." VIII How is it to be understood, "For the Lord your God, he is God of gods and Lord of lords"? He calls the judges 'gods'. "You shall not," for it says, "revile the gods, nor speak evil of a ruler of your people." And where the Seventy said, "you shall bring him to the court of judgment," those with Aquila and Symmachus translated it, "you shall bring him to the gods," calling the judges 'gods'. He called him God of these gods, not, of course, of the falsely-named ones. And already we have interpreted these things at greater length. IX How is it to be understood, "You shall not do everything that we are doing here today, each one what is right in his own eyes"? In all the places where they camped, they offered sacrifices to the Lord God, before the construction of the tabernacle, building altars from unhewn stones. But after its construction, in it the divine 239

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σώματος εὐπάθεια, σπάνις ἀναγκαίων καὶ τῶν εὐφθάρτων ἱματίων καὶ ὑποδημάτων τὸ διαρκές. εἶτα παραινεῖ νικῶντας μὴ τῇ οἰκείᾳ ῥώμῃ τὴν νίκην ἐπιγράφειν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἐπικούρῳ καὶ προμάχῳ Θεῷ. VII Τίνας λέγει υἱοὺς Ἐνάκ; Ἀπόγονοι γιγάντων ἦσαν, ὡς ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφη· " λαὸν πολὺν καὶ εὐμήκη, υἱοὺς Ἐνάκ, οὓς σὺ οἶσθα καὶ σὺ ἀκήκοας· τίς ἀντιστήσεται κατὰ πρόσωπον υἱῶν Ἐνάκ "; τὸ δέ, " σὺ οἶσθα καὶ ἀκή κοας ", τέθεικε, τῶν λόγων ἀναμιμνῄσκων τῶν ἐκείνην κατασκο πησάντων τὴν γῆν. ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ ἔλεγον, ὅτι " ἦμεν ἐνώπιον αὐ τῶν ὡσεὶ ἀκρίδες ". οὕτω τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ῥώμῃ καταστείλας τύ φον, διδάσκει αὐτοὺς μηδὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς κατορθώμασι μέγα φρο νεῖν. " μὴ εἴπῃς, γάρ φησιν, ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, ὅτι διὰ τὰς δικαιοσύνας μου εἰσήγαγέ με Κύριος κλη ρονομῆσαι τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθὴν ταύτην. διὰ γὰρ τὴν ἀσέβειαν τῶν ἐθνῶν τούτων, Κύριος ἐξολο θρεύσει αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ προσώπου σου, οὐχὶ διὰ τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου, οὐδὲ διὰ τὴν ὁσιότητα τῆς καρδίας σου σὺ εἰσπορεύῃ κληρονομῆσαι τὴν γῆν ". ταῦτα δὲ ἔφη, δύο κατὰ ταὐτὸν πραγματευόμενος, καὶ μετριά ζειν διδάσκων αὐτοὺς καὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ βοηθείᾳ τὸ πᾶν ἐπιγράφειν· καὶ προλέγων, ὡς τὰ παραπλήσια πείσονται τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐκείνοις, εἰ τὰ ὅμοια δράσαιεν. εἰς καιρὸν δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ παρανομηθέντων ἀνέμνησε, 237 τὸν λόγον ἐκεῖνον κρατύνων, ὡς οὐ διὰ τὰς δικαιοσύνας αὐτῶν κληρονο μήσουσι τὴν γῆν· " μνήσθητι, γὰρ ἔφη, καὶ μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ ὅσα παρώξυνας Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἐν τῇ ἐρή μῳ ". ἤγαγε δὲ εἰς μέσον καὶ τὴν τοῦ μόσχου λατρείαν, καὶ ὅτι διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἀσέβειαν τὰς θεοσδότους συνέτριψε πλάκας· καὶ ὡς σπουδαίαν ἱκετείαν προσενεγκὼν ἱλεώσατο τὸν Θεὸν μάλα καὶ αὐτοῖς καὶ τῷ Ἀαρὼν ὀργιζόμενον· " καὶ ἐπὶ Ἀαρών, γάρ φησιν, ἐθυμώθη Κύ ριος σφόδρα ἐξολοθρεῦσαι αὐτὸν καὶ ηὐξάμην καὶ περὶ Ἀαρὼν ἐν τῷ καίρῳ ἐκείνῳ ". οὕτω καὶ τὰ ἄλλα γεγενημένα διεξελθών φησι· " καὶ νῦν, Ἰσραήλ, τί Κύ ριος ὁ Θεὸς αἰτεῖ παρὰ σοῦ, ἀλλ' ἢ φοβεῖσθαι Κύ ριον τὸν Θεόν σου, καὶ πορεύεσθαι ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐντολαῖς αὐτοῦ, λατρεύειν Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σοῦ "; καὶ ἵνα μὴ τοπάσωσι τὸν Θεὸν ταῦτα νομοθετεῖν, ὡς θυμάτων δεόμενον, ἐπήγαγεν· " ἰδοὺ Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου ὁ οὐρανός, καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἡ γῆ καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἐστὶν ἐν αὐτοῖς· πλὴν τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν προείλετο Κύριος ἀγαπᾶν αὐτούς· καὶ ἐξελέξατο τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν μετ' αὐτοὺς ὑμᾶς παρὰ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ". διδασκόμεθα δὲ διὰ τούτων, ὡς ἀπο λαύουσι παῖδες ἀγαθῶν διὰ τὴν τῶν προγόνων εὐσέβειαν. ἐδίδαξε δὲ καὶ ποία περιτομὴ τῷ Θεῷ προσφιλής· " περιτεμεῖσθε, γὰρ ἔφη, τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν ὑμῶν καὶ τὸν τράχηλον ὑμῶν οὐ σκληρυνεῖτε ἔτι ", καὶ ταῦτα ἐλέγετο τοῖς μηδέπω τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν περιτμηθεῖσιν. Ἰησοῦς γὰρ ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ μετὰ τὸ διαβῆναι τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἐν Γαλγάλοις αὐτοὺς περιέτεμεν. ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ ἀπεριτμή τοις οὖσιν οὐκ ἐκέλευσε τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν περιτμηθῆναι, ἀλλὰ τὴν σκλη 238 ροκαρδίαν καὶ τὸν τράχηλον τὸν σκληρόν. τοιγάρτοι τιμιωτέρα ἡ τῆς καρδίας περιτομή. ταύτην δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν κατηγορίαν καὶ διὰ Ἱερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου ὁ δεσπότης Θεὸς ἐποιήσατο· " πάντα, γὰρ ἔφη, τὰ ἔθνη ἀπερίτμητα σαρκί, ὁ δὲ οἶκος Ἰσραήλ, ἀπε ρίτμητοι καρδίαις αὐτῶν ". VIII Πῶς νοητέον, " ὁ γὰρ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν, οὗτος Θεὸς τῶν θεῶν καὶ Κύριος τῶν κυρίων "; Θεοὺς τοὺς κριτὰς ὀνομάζει· " θεοὺς, γάρ φησιν, οὐ κακολο γήσεις, καὶ ἄρχοντα τοῦ λαοῦ σου οὐκ ἐρεῖς κακῶς ". καὶ ἔνθα δὲ εἶπον οἱ ἑβδομήκοντα, " ἄξεις αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ κριτήριον ", οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Ἀκύλαν καὶ τὸν Σύμμαχον " ἄξεις αὐτὸν πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς " ἡρμήνευσαν, θεοὺς τοὺς κριτὰς ὀνομάσαντες· τούτων αὐτὸν εἶπε Θεὸν θεῶν οὐ γάρτοι τῶν ψευδωνύμων. καὶ ἤδη δὲ διὰ πλειόνων ἡρμηνεύσαμεν ταῦτα. IX Πῶς νοητέον, " οὐ ποιήσετε πάντα ἃ ἡμεῖς ποιοῦμεν ὧδε σήμερον, ἕκαστος τὸ ἀρεστὸν ἐναντίον αὐ τοῦ "; Ἐν ἅπασιν οἷς κατεσκήνωσαν τόποις, θυσίας προσήνεγκαν τῷ δεσπότῃ Θεῷ, πρὶν μὲν τὴν σκηνὴν κατασκευάσαι, ἐκ λίθων αὐτοφυῶν οἰκοδομοῦν τες θυσιαστήρια. μετὰ δὲ τὴν ταύτης κατασκευήν, ἐν ταύτῃ τὰς θείας 239