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leading them down, first took up the war against Israel, and this when he was far away, and had not approached their borders. And he taught again more clearly, that he commanded two tithes to be set apart. For he spoke thus: "And when you have finished tithing all the tithe of the produce of your land, in the third year, you shall give the second tithe to the Levite and to the proselyte and to the widow and to the orphan and they shall eat in your cities and be 251 filled ". That, however, the prophet did not bring this teaching to the people in one day, these things also make clear. "For, he says, Moses and the elders of Israel commanded, saying: Take heed to do all these commandments, which I command you today." Then the Lord God commanded, after crossing the Jordan, to set up two large stones, and to plaster them, and to inscribe these commandments on them; then to build an altar out of natural stones on Mount Ebal, and to perform the customary sacrifices; and in addition to the others, a kind of thank-offering for salvation; and after this to feast, praising God the benefactor. XXXIV Why then did he subject them to curses and blessings? The Lord Christ, having brought perfect teachings to the perfect, promised the kingdom of heaven to those who fulfilled them, but threatened Gehenna to those who transgressed them. But to the Jews, having a groveling and low-minded disposition, he assigned curses and blessings pertaining to the earth. For those who did not even believe the visible miracles, how could they have accepted the things pertaining to the future life? And it is necessary to note that he assigned the blessings to the tribes sprung from the free women, and here he numbered the priestly tribe with the people, and he commanded the tribe of Joseph, being double, to bless as one. And he allotted the curses to the half-slaves; assigning to them, on account of the number of the tribes, Reuben and Zebulun; the one as having fallen into sin, the other as the last of the sons of Leah. And he commanded to curse, before all others, those who act impiously towards the divine, and who worship man-made idols. Then those 252 who transgress against their fathers. For after the divine things, it is just to serve those through whom we were brought into being. Then those who mock those deprived of sight and who try to turn them from the straight path. And, in short, those who transgress the aforesaid commandments. And as the priests were saying these things, he commanded the people to add, "So be it"; receiving this word from them as a kind of signature on a document. But to those who keep the divine commandments, he has given all kinds of blessings, and to those who inhabit the cities and the villages, good children, many children, fertility of flocks and herds, fruitfulness from the earth, a life in peace, victory in wars; and things similar to these. And to the bodily blessings he has added also a spiritual blessing, "The Lord shall raise you up for himself a holy people, as he swore to your fathers." And he added this condition: "if you will hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, and walk in his ways." For some seeing these things, and others hearing them, will be afraid, considering the divine care which you enjoy. Indeed, "to become the head and not the tail," means a ruler and not a servant. For he added this: "and you shall then be above, and not beneath." Then again he brings on the curses, which are the opposite of the aforesaid blessings: barrenness, hardship, want, diseases, misery, famine, pestilence, war, defeat, drought, unfruitfulness of the land. For this is what "the iron earth" and "the bronze heaven" signifies. Then the things that happen in a siege: "you shall take a wife and another man shall have 253 her; you shall build a house, and you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard and you shall not gather the grapes of it; your calf shall be slain before you, and you shall not eat of it," and what follows has the same meaning as these. And he adds threats of ulcers, and various sufferings, and

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κατάγοντες, πρῶτοι τὸν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἀνεδέξαντο πόλεμον, καὶ ταῦτα πόρρωθεν ὄντος, καὶ τοῖς ὁρίοις αὐτῶν μὴ πελάσαντος. ἐδίδαξε δὲ πάλιν σαφέστερον, ὡς δύο ἀφορίζεσθαι δεκάτας προσέταξεν. ἔφη δὲ οὕτως· " ἐὰν δὲ συντελέσῃς ἀποδεκατῶσαι πᾶν τὸ ἐπι δέκατον τῶν γενημάτων τῆς γῆς σου, ἐν τῷ ἔτει τῷ τρίτῳ, τὸ δεύτερον ἐπιδέκατον δώσεις τῷ λευΐτῃ καὶ τῷ προσηλύτῳ καὶ τῇ χήρᾳ καὶ τῷ ὀρφανῷ καὶ φάγονται ἐν ταῖς πόλεσί σου καὶ ἐμ 251 πλησθήσονται ". ὅτι μέντοι οὐκ ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ τῷ λαῷ ταύτην τὴν διδασκαλίαν ὁ προφήτης προσήνεγκε, καὶ ταῦτα δηλοῖ. " προσ έταξε, γάρ φησι, Μωϋσῆς καὶ ἡ γερουσία Ἰσραήλ, λέγοντες· φυλάσσεσθε ποιεῖν πάσας τὰς ἐντολὰς ταύτας, ὅσας ἐγὼ ἐντέλλομαι ὑμῖν σήμερον ". εἶτα ἐκέλευσεν ὁ δεσπότης Θεὸς μετὰ τὸ διαβῆναι τὸν Ἰορδάνην, δύο στῆ σαι λίθους μεγάλους, καὶ κονιάσαι αὐτούς, καὶ ταύτας ἐπιγράψαι τὰς ἐντολάς· ἔπειτα ἐκ λίθων αὐτοφυῶν οἰκοδομῆσαι θυσιαστήριον ἐν τῷ ὄρει Γεβάλ, καὶ τὰς νενομισμένας ἐπιτελέσαι θυσίας· καὶ πρὸς ταῖς ἄλλαις, οἷόν τινα χαριστήριον τὴν τοῦ σωτηρίου· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα εὐωχηθῆναι τὸν εὐεργέτην ἀνυμνοῦντας Θεόν. XXXIV Τί δήποτε κατάραις αὐτοὺς καὶ εὐλογίαις ὑπέβαλεν; Ὁ δεσπότης Χριστὸς τὰ τέλεια μαθήματα τοῖς τελείοις προσενεγκών, βα σιλείαν μὲν οὐρανῶν τοῖς ταῦτα πληροῦσιν ὑπέσχετο, ἠπείλησε δὲ τοῖς παραβαίνουσι γέενναν. ἰουδαίοις δὲ χαμαιπετὲς ἔχουσι καὶ χαμαίζηλον φρόνημα, τὰς τῇ γῇ προσηκούσας ἀρὰς καὶ εὐλογίας ἀπένειμεν. οἱ γὰρ μηδὲ τοῖς ὁρωμένοις πιστεύσαντες θαύμασι, πῶς ἂν ἐδέξαντο τὰ τῷ μέλ λοντι βίῳ προσήκοντα; ἐπισημήνασθαι δὲ χρή, ὡς τὰς μὲν εὐλογίας ταῖς ἐκ τῶν ἐλευθέρων βεβλαστηκυίαις φυλαῖς ἀπένειμε, καὶ τὴν ἱερατικὴν ἐνταῦθα τῷ λαῷ συνηρίθμησε, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ διπλῆν οὖσαν, ὡς μίαν προσέταξεν εὐλογεῖν. τὰς δὲ κατάρας τοῖς ἡμιδούλοις ἐκλήρωσε· συντάξας αὐτοῖς διὰ τὸν τῶν φυλῶν ἀριθμὸν τὸν Ῥουβὶν καὶ τὸν Ζα βουλών· τὸν μὲν ὡς ἁμαρτίᾳ περιπεπτωκότα, τὸν δὲ ὡς ἔσχατον τῶν τῆς Λείας υἱῶν. ἐπαρᾶσθαι δὲ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἐκέλευσε τοῖς εἰς τὸ θεῖον ἀσεβοῦσι, καὶ τὰ χειροποίητα προσκυνοῦσιν ἀγάλματα. εἶτα τοῖς 252 εἰς πατέρας παρανομοῦσι. μετὰ γὰρ τὰ θεῖα δίκαιον θεραπεύειν τούτους δι' ὧν εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήχθημεν. ἔπειτα τοῖς ἐπικερτομοῦσι τοῖς τὸ βλέ πειν ἀφῃρημένοις καὶ τῆς εὐθείας αὐτοὺς ἐκτρέπειν ὁδοῦ πειρωμένοις. καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς τοῖς τὰς προειρημένας παραβαίνουσιν ἐντολάς. ταῦτα δὲ τῶν ἱερέων λεγόντων, ἐκέλευσε τὸν λαὸν ἐπιλέγειν, " γένοιτο "· οἷον ὑπο γραφήν τινα γραμματείου ταύτην παρ' αὐτῶν κομιζόμενος τὴν φωνήν. τοῖς δὲ τὰς θείας φυλάττουσιν ἐντολάς, τὰς παντοδαπὰς δέδωκεν εὐλογίας, καὶ τοῖς τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὰς κώμας οἰκοῦσιν εὐπαιδίαν, πολυπαιδίαν, ποιμ νίων καὶ βουκολίων πολυγονίαν, τὴν ἀπὸ γῆς εὐκαρπίαν, τὴν ἐν εἰρήνῃ διαγωγήν, τὴν ἐν πολέμοις νίκην· καὶ τὰ τούτοις προσόμοια. ταῖς δὲ σω ματικαῖς καὶ πνευματικὴν εὐλογίαν προστέθεικεν " ἀναστήσαι σε Κύριος ἑαυτῷ λαὸν ἅγιον, ὃν τρόπον ὤμοσε τοῖς πατράσι σου ". καὶ τοῦτον δὲ προστέθεικε τὸν διορισμόν· " ἐὰν εἰσακούσῃ τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου, καὶ πορευθῇς ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ ". ταῦτα γὰρ οἱ μὲν ὁρῶν τες, οἱ δὲ ἀκούοντες φοβηθήσονται, λογιζόμενοι τὴν θείαν κηδεμονίαν ἧς ἀπολαύετε. τὸ μέντοι, " γενέσθαι εἰς κεφαλὴν καὶ μὴ εἰς οὐράν ", ἄρχοντα λέγει καὶ μὴ δουλεύοντα. τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγε· " καὶ ἔσῃ τότε ἐπάνω, καὶ οὐχ ὑποκάτω ". εἶτα πά λιν ἐπιφέρει τὰς ἀρὰς τἀναντία τῶν προρρηθεισῶν ἐχούσας εὐλογιῶν, ἀγονίαν, δυσκληρίαν, ἔνδειαν, νόσους, ταλαιπωρίαν, λιμόν, λοιμόν, πό λεμον, ἧτταν, ἀνομβρίαν, γῆς ἀκαρπίαν. τοῦτο γὰρ " ἡ σιδηρᾶ γῆ " δηλοῖ, καὶ " ὁ χαλκοῦς οὐρανός ". ἔπειτα τὰ ἐν πολιορ κίᾳ γινόμενα· " γυναῖκα λήψῃ καὶ ἀνὴρ ἕτερος ἕξει 253 αὐτήν· οἰκίαν οἰκοδομήσεις, καὶ οὐκ ἐνοικήσεις ἐν αὐτῇ· ἀμπελῶνα φυτεύσεις καὶ οὐ τρυγήσεις αὐτόν· ὁ μόσχος σου ἐσφαγμένος ἐναντίον σου, καὶ οὐ φάγῃ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ", καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, τὴν αὐτὴν τούτοις ἔχει διάνοιαν. προστίθησι δὲ καὶ ἑλκῶν ἀπειλάς, καὶ παθημάτων διαφοράς, καὶ