97

of the sword, nor are your dead the dead of war. And he adds: all your rulers have fled or have been removed according to Symmachus, but according to Theodotion: they were moved. Therefore, no longer as of old among them is there a king, nor leaders, nor high priests, nor prophets, but not even Pharisees, nor Sadducees, nor as many as of old were honored with offices among them; for all were moved, and those who even now are captured by these besiegers of souls are bitterly bound, since "each is bound by the cords of his own sins." Therefore it has been said: and those who are captured are bitterly bound. The prophet, seeing these things in the spirit, and the fall of the Jewish people from so great a height into the deepest wickedness, as into a certain ravine, laments, saying: For this reason I said, Let me weep bitterly, do not try to comfort me over the destruction of the daughter of my people, or according to Symmachus: do not console me for the misery of the daughter of my people; for I know accurately, he says, and foresee in the spirit, that because of all the things said before, both the city dedicated to God will be captured, and all who are in it will be delivered into the hands of enemies. Therefore, from this point I now lament and weep as if for my own true affections. For in addition to what has been said: a day of confusion and destruction and trampling and wandering from the Lord Sabaoth has come upon the valley of Zion. And these things, I think, are said about those who came together in the plot against our savior, about whom he adds: they wander on the mountains, from the least to the greatest of them, signifying the people along with the rulers. Then he brings the threat against them, saying: But the Elamites took up quivers, riders of horses and a gathering for battle. And it indicates opposing and unseen powers, enemies and foes, to whom they were delivered up by God. But since the Elamites are interpreted as "overlooking" because they disregard the salvation of the perishing and spare no one, it is likely that the military forces that besieged them were so called, which indeed, having arrayed themselves with horses and with very great power against the aforementioned valley of Zion, brought it to the utmost desolation. Therefore it is said next: And your choicest valleys will be filled with chariots, and the horsemen will block the gates of Judah and will enter, not now nor at the present time, but on that day, I mean at the prophesied time, into the houses of the city, when besieging every place and scrutinizing every corner of the city they will uncover the hidden things of the houses of the citadel of David. And these were the secret symbols of the kingdom or also the things laid up in the sanctuary; which it was lawful for no one to behold except "the high priest alone," which he says will also themselves be delivered up to the enemies. But instead of: and they saw that they are many, Symmachus says: and you will see the breaches of the house of David, that they have been multiplied. For these things he blames those in the valley of Zion, as having turned away the waters of the ancient pool that are in the city, and having devised for themselves other water between the two walls. And the water of the old pool in the city was the word of the old and divinely inspired scripture, which they turned away from and devised for themselves a foreign water, "the traditions of the elders," "teaching doctrines and commandments of men." For which also the savior blames them, convicting them of their lawlessness, in what he says: "And you have made void the word of God for the sake of your tradition, you hypocrites." And Jeremiah himself also alluded to this, saying: "They have forsaken me, a spring of living water, and have dug for themselves broken cisterns, which cannot hold water." Thus, then, they turned away the water of the old pool that is in the city and devised for themselves a strange water between the two walls, I mean of the old and new

97

ῥομφαίας, οὐδὲ οἱ νεκροί σου νεκροὶ πολέμου. καὶ ἐπιφέρει· πάντες οἱ ἄρχοντές σου πεφεύγασιν ἢ ἀνεστατώθησαν κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Θεοδοτίωνα· μετεκινήθησαν. διὸ οὐκέτι κατὰ τὸ παλαιὸν παρ' αὐτοῖς οὐ βασιλεὺς οὐχ ἡγούμενοι οὐκ ἀρχιερεῖς οὐ προφῆται, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ Φαρισαῖοι οὐδὲ Σαδδουκαῖοι οὐδ' ὅσοι τὸ παλαιὸν ταῖς παρ' αὐτοῖς ἀρχαῖς τετίμηντο· πάντες γὰρ μετεκινήθησαν, οἱ δ' εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν ἁλόντες ὑπὸ τούτων ψυχῶν πολιορκητοῦ πικρῶς δεδεμένοι εἰσίν, ἐπειδὴ «σειραῖς τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτιῶν ἕκαστος σφίγγεται». διὸ λέλεκται· καὶ οἱ ἁλόντες πικρῶς δεδεμένοι εἰσί. Ταῦτα συνιδὼν ὁ προφήτης τῷ πνεύματι καὶ τὴν ἐκ τοσούτου ὕψους ἐπὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην κακίαν ὥσπερ τινὰ φάραγγα πτῶσιν τοῦ Ἰουδαίων λαοῦ ἀπολοφύρεται λέγων· διὰ τοῦτο εἶπα Ἄφετέ με πικρῶς κλαύσομαι, μὴ κατισχύσητε παρακαλεῖν με ἐπὶ τὸ σύντριμμα τῆς θυγατρὸς τοῦ γένους μου, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· μὴ παραμυθεῖσθέ με ἐπὶ τῇ ταλαιπωρίᾳ τῆς θυγατρὸς τοῦ λαοῦ μου· οἶδα γάρ φησιν ἀκριβῶς καὶ τῷ πνεύματι προορῶ, ὡς διὰ τὰ προλεχθέντα πάντα καὶ ἡ πόλις ἡ τῷ θεῷ ἀνακειμένη ἁλώσεται, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐν αὐτῇ εἰς χεῖρας ἐχθρῶν παραδοθήσονται. διόπερ ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη ἀποδύρομαι καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ γνησίοις ἐμαυτοῦ σπλάγχνοις ἀποκλάομαι. καὶ γὰρ πρὸς τοῖς προλεχθεῖσιν· ἡμέρα ταραχῆς καὶ ἀπωλείας καὶ καταπατήματος καὶ πλάνησις παρὰ κυρίου σαβαὼθ ἐπῆλθε τῇ φάραγγι Σιών. καὶ ταῦτα δὲ οἶμαι λέγεσθαι περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ συνελθόντων ἐν τῇ κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιβουλῇ, περὶ ὧν ἐπιφέρει· πλανῶνται ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη ἀπὸ μικροῦ ἕως μεγάλου αὐτῶν τὸν λαὸν ἅμα τοῖς ἄρχουσι σημαίνων. εἶτ' ἐπάγει τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν ἀπειλὴν φάσκων· οἱ δὲ Ἐλαμῖται ἔλαβον φαρέτρας, ἀναβάται ἵππων καὶ συναγωγὴ παρατάξεως. δηλοῖ δὲ δυνάμεις ἀντικειμένας καὶ ἀφανεῖς, ἐχθροὺς καὶ πολεμίους, οἷς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ παρεδόθησαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ Ἐλαμῖται ἑρμηνεύονται παραβλέποντες διὰ τὸ παρορᾶν τὴν σωτηρίαν τῶν ἀπολλυμένων καὶ μηδενὸς φείδεσθαι, εἰκὸς οὕτω κεκλῆσθαι τὰ πολιορκήσαντα αὐτοὺς στρατιωτικά, ἃ δὴ μεθ' ἵππων καὶ μετὰ πλείστης δυνάμεως παραταξάμενα τῇ προλεχθείσῃ φάραγγι Σιὼν εἰς ἔσχατον ἐρημίας αὐτὴν ἤγαγον. ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγεται ἑξῆς· καὶ αἱ ἐκλεκταὶ φάραγγές σου πλησθήσονται ἁρμάτων, οἱ δὲ ἱππεῖς ἐμφράξουσι τὰς πύλας τοῦ Ἰούδα καὶ εἰσελεύσονται, οὐχὶ νῦν οὐδὲ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα καιρόν, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, λέγω δὲ ἐν τῷ προφητευομένῳ καιρῷ, εἰς τοὺς οἴκους τῆς πόλεως, ὅτε καὶ πολιορκοῦντες πάντα τόπον καὶ πᾶσαν γωνίαν τῆς πόλεως περιεργαζόμενοι ἀνακαλύψουσι τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν οἴκων τῆς ἄκρας ∆αυίδ. ταῦτα δὲ ἦν τὰ ἀπόρρητα τῆς βασιλείας σύμβολα ἢ καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ ἁγιάσματι ἀποκείμενα· ἃ οὐδενὶ ἐξῆν εἰ μὴ «μόνῳ τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ» ἐποπτεύειν, ἃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὰ τοῖς πολεμίοις παραδοθήσεσθαί φησιν. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· καὶ ἴδοσαν ὅτι πλείους εἰσίν, ὁ Σύμμαχος· καὶ τὰ ῥήγματά φησιν οἴκου ∆αυὶδ ὄψεσθε ὅτι ἐπληθύνθη. ἐπὶ τούτοις μέμφεται τοὺς ἐν τῇ φάραγγι Σιών, ὡς ἀποστρέψασι τὰ ὕδατα τῆς ἀρχαίας κολυμβήθρας τὰ ὄντα ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἕτερον δὲ ἑαυτοῖς ὕδωρ ἐπινοήσασι μεταξὺ τῶν δύο τειχῶν. ὕδωρ δὲ ἦν παλαιᾶς κολυμβήθρας ἐν τῇ πόλει ὁ τῆς παλαιᾶς καὶ θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς λόγος, ὃν ἀποστραφέντες ἀλλότριον ὕδωρ ἑαυτοῖς ἐπενόησαν «τὰς παραδόσεις τῶν πρεσβυτέρων», «διδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας καὶ ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων». ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ μέμφεται αὐτοὺς ὁ σωτὴρ ἀπελέγχων αὐτῶν τὴν παρανομίαν, ἐν οἷς φησι· «καὶ ἠκυρώσατε τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν, ὑποκριταί». τοῦτο δὲ καὶ αὐτὸ ὁ Ἰερεμίας ᾐνίττετο φάσκων· «ἐμὲ ἐγκατέλιπον, πηγὴν ὕδατος ζῶντος, καὶ ὤρυξαν ἑαυτοῖς λάκκους συντετριμμένους, οἳ οὐ δυνήσονται ὕδωρ συνέχειν». οὕτως οὖν ἀπέστρεψαν τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς παλαιᾶς κολυμβήθρας τὸ ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ ἐπενόησαν ἑαυτοῖς ξένον ὕδωρ μεταξὺ τῶν δύο τειχῶν, λέγω δὲ τῆς παλαιᾶς καὶ καινῆς