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more familiar. But some are accustomed, when accusing servants and disciples, to say: God has blinded your heart, he has deafened your ears. The prophet has done something like this here also and through familiar words has accused them of their folly. XXXVIII How is this to be understood, "if someone hears the words of this curse and blesses himself in his heart, saying: 'It shall be well with me, for I will walk in the stubbornness of my heart'"? The text has described the one who is insolent towards the divine commandments. For many transgress the divine law through indolence. But many, through audacity and pride, despise the commandments. This one he has here revealed, as one who chooses the opposite way and prefers the erring to the straight path. To this one he has threatened utter destruction, so as to become an example of piety for those who see and those who hear. And teaching them that he is ignorant of nothing that happens in secret, he added: "The secret things belong to the Lord your God, but the things that are revealed belong to you and to your children." Just as you, he says, know the things that are plainly done, so to me are clear even the very movements of thoughts. And he also introduces the subject of repentance. For if, he says, having transgressed the divine commandments you fall into the curses and, becoming a captive of war, you receive the yoke of slavery, then using sober reasoning, you seek the causes of your slavery and you propitiate the lawgiver, using mercy he will bring you back and restore to you your ancestral land. And this has happened many times and is clearly taught by the book of Judges and the histories of the Kingdoms and of the Chronicles. Later, however, having raged against the savior, they were scattered over all the earth and sea. And when four hundred years had passed, they did not obtain recall. And he also showed the ease of keeping the laws: "For this commandment, he says, which I command you today, is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’" You have need, he says, neither of wings for flight, nor of ships for a journey, in order to be taught what must be done; "But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart and in your hands, so that you can do it." And through the mouth, it indicates the study of the divine oracles; and through the heart, the eagerness of the soul; and through the hands, the practice of the commandments. The divine Paul also used this testimony: "For if, he says, you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." And he has set forth the rewards for keeping the laws and for transgressing them: life and death. 258 XXXIX Why did the lawgiver command this book to be read to them after seven years? They did not have leisure while waging war and besieging cities; and indeed also after the victory, dividing the land according to tribes and according to villages and according to clans and according to each individual. Then building and farming and doing the other things, which those who have taken possession of a foreign land must do. For this reason, in the seventh year after being freed from these things, he commanded the reading to take place. XL Why did he command heaven and earth to be called to witness? Not because these things are animate and rational, but because they are inclusive of all created things. The prophet Isaiah has also done this: "Hear, he says, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken." The divine Jeremiah also: "Be appalled, he says, O heavens, at this, and be shocked, O earth, says the Lord." For since the lawgiver called them to witness the threat, it is fitting that after the transgression of the laws they are said both to shudder and to be appalled. Thus also Jacob and Laban named the hill "the hill of

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μᾶλλον γνωριμωτέ ροις. εἰώθασι δέ τινες καὶ οἰκέταις ἐγκαλοῦντες καὶ μαθηταῖς λέγειν· ἐτύ φλωσεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν καρδίαν σου, ἐκώφωσεν τὰ ὦτά σου. τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ προφήτης πεποίηκε καὶ διὰ τῶν συνήθων λόγων τῆς ἀνοίας αὐτῶν κατηγόρησε. XXXVIII Πῶς νοητέον, " ἐάν τις ἀκούσῃ τὰ ῥήματα τῆς ἀρᾶς ταύτης καὶ ἐπιφημίσηται ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, λέγων· ὅσιά μοι γένοιτο, ὅτι ἐν τῇ ἀποπλανήσει τῆς καρδίας μου πορεύσομαι "; Τὸν κατὰ τῶν θείων θρασυνόμενον ἐντολῶν ὁ λόγος διέγραψε. πολλοὶ μὲν γὰρ διὰ ῥαθυμίαν τὸν θεῖον παραβαίνουσι νόμον. πολλοὶ δὲ δι' αὐ θάδειαν καὶ τῦφον καταφρονοῦσι τῶν ἐντολῶν. τοῦτον ἐνταῦθα δεδήλω κεν, ὡς τὴν ἐναντίαν ὁδὸν προαιρούμενον καὶ τὴν πλανῶσαν τῆς εὐθείας προκρίνοντα. τούτῳ τὸν ἔσχατον ἠπείλησεν ὄλεθρον, ὥστε καὶ τοῖς ὁρῶσι καὶ τοῖς ἀκούουσιν εὐσεβείας γενέσθαι παράδειγμα. διδάσκων δὲ αὐτοὺς ὡς οὐδὲν ἀγνοεῖ τῶν λάθρα γιγνομένων ἐπήγαγε· " τὰ κρυπτὰ Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ὑμῶν, τὰ δὲ φανερὰ ὑμῖν καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν ". ὥσπερ ὑμεῖς φησί, γιγνώσκετε τὰ προφανῶς γιγνόμενα, οὕτως ἐμοὶ δῆλα καὶ αὐτὰ τῶν λογισμῶν τὰ κινήματα. εἰσάγει δὲ καὶ τὸν περὶ μετανοίας λόγον. ἐάν, γάρ φησι, τὰς θείας παραβεβηκὼς ἐντολὰς ταῖς ἀραῖς περιπέσῃς καὶ δορυάλωτος γενόμενος τὸν τῆς δου λείας δέξῃ ζυγόν, εἶτα σώφρονι χρησάμενος λογισμῷ, τὰς τῆς δουλείας 257 αἰτίας ἐπιζητήσῃς καὶ ἐξιλεώσῃ τὸν νομοθέτην, οἴκτῳ χρώμενος ἐπανάξει σε καὶ τὴν πατρῴαν ἀποδώσει σοι γῆν. καὶ τοῦτο πολλάκις γεγένηται καὶ διδάσκει σαφῶς καὶ τῶν Κριτῶν ἡ βίβλος καὶ τῶν Βασι λειῶν καὶ τῶν Παραλειπομένων αἱ ἱστορίαι. ὕστερον μέντοι κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος λυττήσαντες εἰς ἅπασαν μὲν γῆν καὶ θάλατταν διεσπάρησαν. τετρακοσίων δὲ διεληλυθότων ἐτῶν, οὐκ ἔτυχον ἀνακλήσεως. ἐπέδειξε δὲ καὶ τῆς τῶν νόμων φυλακῆς τὴν εὐκολίαν· " ἡ ἐντολή, γάρ φη σιν, αὕτη, ἣν ἐγὼ ἐντέλλομαί σοι σήμερον, οὐχ ὑπέρογκος οὐδὲ μακράν ἐστιν ἀπὸ σοῦ· οὐκ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἐστι, λέγων· τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ λήψεται ἡμῖν αὐτὴν καὶ ἀκούσαντες αὐτὴν ποιήσομεν; οὐδὲ πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης λέ γων· τίς διαπεράσει εἰς τὸ πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ λήψεται ἡμῖν αὐτὴν καὶ ἀκουστὴν ἡμῖν ποιή σει αὐτὴν καὶ ποιήσομεν "; οὔτε πτερῶν σοι, φησί, χρεία εἰς πτῆσιν, οὔτε πλοίων εἰς ἀποδημίαν, ἵνα διδαχθῇς τὸ πρακτέον· " ἀλλ' ἐγγύς σου τὸ ῥῆμα σφόδρα ἐν τῷ στόματί σου καὶ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου καὶ ἐν ταῖς χερσί σου ποιεῖν αὐτό ". δηλοῖ δὲ διὰ μὲν τοῦ στόματος, τὴν τῶν θείων λο γίων μελέτην, διὰ δὲ τῆς καρδίας, τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς προθυμίαν· διὰ δὲ τῶν χειρῶν, τὴν πρᾶξιν τῶν ἐντολῶν. ταύτῃ τῇ μαρτυρίᾳ καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἐχρή σατο Παῦλος· " ἐάν, γάρ φησιν, ὁμολογήσῃς ἐν τῷ στό ματί σου Κύριον Ἰησοῦν, καὶ πιστεύσῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν σωθήσῃ. καρδίᾳ γὰρ πιστεύεται εἰς δικαιοσύ νην· στόματι δὲ ὁμολογεῖται εἰς σωτηρίαν ". τέθεικε δὲ καὶ τῆς τῶν νόμων φυλακῆς καὶ τῆς παραβάσεως τὰ ἆθλα, τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὸν θάνατον. 258 XXXIX Τί δήποτε μετὰ ἑπτὰ ἔτη προσέταξεν ὁ νομοθέτης ταύτην αὐτοῖς ἀναγ νωσθῆναι τὴν βίβλον; Οὐκ ἦγον σχολὴν πολεμοῦντες καὶ τὰς πόλεις πολιορκοῦντες· καὶ μέντοι καὶ μετὰ τὴν νίκην, κατὰ φυλὰς τὴν γῆν μεριζόμενοι καὶ κατὰ δήμους καὶ κατὰ πατριὰς καὶ καθ' ἕνα. εἶτα οἰκοδομοῦντες καὶ γεωργοῦντες καὶ τἄλλα ποιοῦντες, ὅσα πράττειν ἀνάγκη τοὺς ξένης γῆς τὴν δεσποτείαν παρει ληφότας. τούτου χάριν τῷ ἑβδόμῳ ἔτει μετὰ τὴν τούτων ἀπαλλαγήν, γε νέσθαι προσέταξε τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν. XL ∆ιὰ τί τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν διαμαρτύρασθαι προσέταξεν; Οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ἔμψυχα ταῦτα καὶ λογικά, ἀλλ' ὅτι πάντων ἐστὶ τῶν κτισ μάτων περιεκτικά. τοῦτο καὶ Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης πεποίηκεν· " ἄκουε, γάρ φησιν, οὐρανέ, καὶ ἐνωτίζου, γῆ, ὅτι Κύριος ἐλάλησε ". τοῦτο καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἱερεμίας· " ἐξέστη, γάρ φησιν, ὁ οὐρανὸς ἐπὶ τούτῳ καὶ ἔφριξεν ἐπιπλεῖον ἡ γῆ, λέγει Κύριος ". ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰς μαρτυρίαν αὐτὰ τῆς ἀπειλῆς ὁ νομοθέτης ἐκάλεσεν, εἰκότως μετὰ τὴν τῶν νόμων παράβασιν καὶ φρίξαι λέγεται, καὶ ἐκστῆναι. οὕτω καὶ ὁ Ἰακὼβ καὶ ὁ Λάβαν τὸν βουνὸν ὠνό μασαν " βουνὸν τῆς