114
a special prophecy concerning Kedar and Idumea and Mount Seir. But Jeremiah also shows that there was a certain wisdom among the Idumeans, saying: "There is no longer wisdom in Teman. Counsel has perished from the prudent. Their wisdom is gone." And what the end for them will be, he shows: "I have made you despicable among the nations." And again: "Idumea shall be desolate," and what follows. But some say that, in addition to their former cruelty against Jerusalem, they also added these things. For when Jerusalem and all of Judea were captured by the Assyrians, and with some being slain and others enslaved, those who barely escaped fled to neighboring Idumea as it was also of their kin. But they, in addition to not saving them, became worse toward them than the enemies. And Obadiah has made these things clear, saying: "In that day I will destroy the wise from Idumea." And after other dreadful things, he added the cause, saying: "Because of the slaughter and the impiety toward your brother Jacob." And after a little: "And strangers entered his gates. And upon Jerusalem they cast lots. And you were as one of them." The Assyrians, therefore, they say, having taken Judea and while proceeding homeward, made the plundering of Idumea a by-work of their journey, and they subdued them all. To which Idumeans Obadiah says: "As you have done, so shall it be to you; your recompense shall be returned upon your own head." Therefore now, God says to the prophet: Call Seir to me, as they are about any moment to be turned to flight. That is, let them also come fleeing to Judea, so that just as they mocked the defeated, they too will be laughed at, having become inferior to the Assyrians. To whom he speaks in a certain manner, reproaching, that you labor in vain on the walls, hoping to escape the attackers, and not asking for divine alliance. Who indeed also say: I keep watch in the morning 2169 and the night. But, "Unless the Lord guards the city, in vain does the watchman stay awake." If therefore you wish, he says, to seek help, seek it from me who am able to save. And dwell with me. That is, be mine, and think my thoughts, having forsaken idols, according to: "He who loves me, let him follow me." And, "Where I am, there also my servant will be." But when the enemies come upon you, you will be outside cities and houses, lodging together with the wild beasts. For you will pay the equal penalty. And he proposes to them what they ought to have done for the fugitives from Israel. For it was necessary, he says, for you, O you from Teman, to meet the fugitives on the way to Dedan, offering the things for their need; which since you did not do, after a year you will suffer the most terrible things. For since God has said it, what was foretold will certainly be. And in the same way you will understand those from the heresies, who seem to be Christians, joining in the attack on those who think rightly when Greek persecutions are at hand, whom divine justice pursues before long. CHAPTER 22. THE VISION OF THE VALLEY OF ZION. αιδʹ. 9What has happened to you, that now you have all gone up to the vain housetops? The city was filled with those shouting. Your wounded, are not wounded with swords. Nor are your dead, the dead of war9, etc. Perhaps being idolaters, while seeming to themselves to claim God, they thought they would remain unconquered. Therefore he says concerning Jerusalem through the voice of Jeremiah to them: "And do not say that it is the temple of the Lord, for unless you thoroughly correct your ways and your practices, I will also make this house like Shiloh." And concerning these things he also says through Micah: "Her leaders judged for gifts. And her priests gave answers for a wage. And her prophets divined for silver, and they relied upon the Lord, saying: 'Is not the Lord in our midst? Evils shall not come upon us';" and what follows. Therefore also now God foretells to the idolaters the future capture by the Assyrians when Jeconiah was reigning. Which, so to speak, being seen, it was necessary to turn to God in repentance, and to do all that Micah commanded, saying: "Sanctify a fast, proclaim a service," and what follows. These things
114
ἰδιάζουσαν προφητείαν περὶ Κηδὰρ καὶ Ἰδουμαίας καὶ ὄρους Σηείρ. Ὁ δὲ Ἱερεμίας καὶ σοφίαν οὖσάν τινα παρὰ τοῖς Ἰδουμαίοις παρίστησιν λέγων· "Οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι σοφία ἐν Θεμάν. Ἀπώλετο ἡ βουλὴ ἐκ συνετῶν. Ὤχετο ἡ σοφία αὐτῶν." Τὸ δὲ τέλος αὐτοῖς οἷον ἔσται, παρίστησι· "∆έδωκά σε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εὐκαταφρόνητον." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἔσται ἡ Ἰδουμαία εἰς ἄβατον," καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τούτοις. Τινὲς δὲ λέγουσιν, ὡς πρὸς τῇ πάλαι καθ' Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὠμότητι, ἔτι καὶ τάδε προσέθηκαν. Ἁλούσης γὰρ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ πάσης τῆς Ἰουδαίας ὑπ' Ἀσσυρίων, καὶ τῶν μὲν ἀνῃρημένων, τῶν δὲ ἀνδραποδιζομένων, οἱ μόλις σωθέντες, ὡς εἰς ὅμορον τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν καὶ συγγενῶν οὖσαν κατέφευγον. Οἱ δὲ πρὸς τῷ μὴ σώζειν, χείρους ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τῶν πολεμίων ἐγένοντο. ∆ῆλα δὲ ταῦτα πεποίηκεν Ἀβδιοῦ λέγων· "Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἀπολῶ σοφοὺς ἐκ τῆς Ἰδουμαίας." Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα δεινὰ τὴν αἰτίαν προσέθηκε λέγων· "∆ιὰ τὴν σφαγὴν καὶ τὴν ἀσέβειαν τὴν εἰς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου Ἰακώβ." Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· "Καὶ ἀλλότριοι εἰσῆλθον εἰς πύλας αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔβαλον κλήρους. Καὶ σὺ ἦς ὡς εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν." Οἱ τοίνυν Ἀσσύριοι τὴν Ἰουδαίαν φασὶν, ἑλόντες πρός τε τὰ οἴκοι χωροῦντες, ὁδοῦ πάρεργον ἐποιοῦντο τῆς Ἰδουμαίας τὴν δῄωσιν, καὶ πάντας αὐτοὺς ἐχειρώσαντο. Πρὸς οὓς Ἰδουμαίους φησὶν Ἀβδίας· "Ὃν τρόπον ἐποίησας, οὕτως ἔσται σοι· τὸ ἀνταπόδομά σου ἀνταποδοθήσεται εἰς κεφαλήν σου." ∆ιὸ νῦν, φησὶ τῷ προφήτῃ Θεός· Πρός με κάλει Σηεὶρ, ὡς μελλόντων ὅσον οὔπω τραπήσεσθαι πρὸς φυγήν. Τοῦτ' ἔστιν, Ἡκέτωσαν καὶ αὐτοὶ φεύγοντες εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, ἵν' ὡς ἐπετώθαζον ἡττημένοις, καὶ αὐτοὶ γελασθήσονται τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἥττους γενόμενοι. Πρὸς οὓς ἐν ἤθει τινί φησιν ὀνειδίζων, ὡς Ἀνόνητα μοχθεῖτε περὶ τὰ τείχη, διαφυγεῖν τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἐλπίζοντες, καὶ μὴ τὴν θείαν συμμαχίαν αἰτούμενοι. Οἳ δὴ καί φασι· Φυλάσσω τὸ πρωῒ 2169 καὶ τὴν νύκτα. Ἀλλ', "Ἐὰν μὴ Κύριος φυλάξῃ πόλιν, εἰς μάτην ἠγρύπνησεν ὁ φυλάσσων." Ἐὰν οὖν βούλει, φησὶν, ἐπικουρίαν ζητεῖν, ζήτει ταύτην παρ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ διασώζειν ἰσχύοντος. Καὶ οἴκει παρ' ἐμοί. Τοῦτ' ἔστιν, Ἐμὸς ἔσο, καὶ φρόνει τἀμὰ τῶν εἰδώλων ἀφέμενος, κατὰ τό· "Ὁ ἐμὲ ἀγαπῶν, ἐμοὶ ἀκολουθείτω." Καὶ, "Ὅπου εἰμὶ ἐγὼ, ἐκεῖ καὶ ὁ διάκονος ὁ ἐμὸς ἔσται." Ἐπιόντων δέ σοι τῶν πολεμίων ἔξω πόλεων ἔσο καὶ οἴκων, ὁμοῦ τε τοῖς ἀγρίοις συναυλίζου θηρίοις. Ἀποτίσεις γὰρ τὴν ἴσην ποινήν. Προτείνει τε αὐτοῖς ἅπερ ἔδει ποιεῖν τοῖς φυγοῦσιν ἐξ Ἰσραήλ. Ἐχρῆν γὰρ, φησὶν, ὑμᾶς ὦ ἐκ Θεμὰν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ∆αιδὰν προαπαντῆσαι, τοῖς φεύγουσιν τὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν προτείνοντας· ὃ μὴ ποιήσαντες πείσεσθε μετ' ἐνιαυτὸν τὰ δεινότατα. Θεοῦ γὰρ εἰπόντος, ἔσται πάντως τὰ προλεγόμενα. Ὁμοίως δὲ νοήσεις, καὶ διωγμῶν ἐπικειμένων Ἑλληνικῶν, τοὺς ἐκ τῶν αἱρέσεων τοῖς ὀρθὰ φρονοῦσι συνεπιτίθεσθαι δοκοῦντας εἶναι Χριστιανοὺς, οὓς οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἡ θεία δίκη μετέρχεται. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΚΒʹ. ΤΟ ΟΡΑΜΑ ΤΗΣ ΦΑΡΑΓΓΟΣ ΣΙΩΝ. αιδʹ. 9Τί ἐγένετό σοι, ὅτι νῦν ἀνέβητε πάντες εἰς δώματα μάταια; Ἐνεπλήσθη ἡ πόλις βοώντων. Οἱ τραυματίαι σου, οὐ τραυματίαι ἐν μαχαίραις. Οὐδὲ οἱ νεκροί σου, νεκροὶ πολέμου9, κ.τ.λ. Εἰδωλολατροῦντες ἴσως ἐν τῷ δοκεῖν ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιγραφόμενοι τὸν Θεὸν ἀνάλωτοι διαμένειν ἐνόμιζον. ∆ιόπερ φησὶ περὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ διὰ φωνῆς Ἱερεμίου πρὸς αὐτούς· "Καὶ μὴ λέγετε ὅτι ναὸς Κυρίου ἐστὶν, ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ διορθοῦντες διορθώσητε τὰς ὁδοὺς ὑμῶν, καὶ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα ὑμῶν, καὶ δώσω τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον ὥσπερ Σηλώμ." Περὶ δὲ τούτων καὶ διὰ Μιχαίου φησίν· "Οἱ ἡγούμενοι αὐτῆς μετὰ δώρων ἔκρινον. Καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς αὐτῆς μετὰ μισθοῦ ἀπεκρίνοντο. Καὶ οἱ προφῆται αὐτῆς μετὰ ἀργυρίου ἐμαντεύοντο, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον ἐπανεπαύοντο λέγοντες· Οὐχὶ Κύριος ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν; Οὐ μὴ ἐπέλθῃ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς κακά·" καὶ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα. ∆ιὸ καὶ νῦν εἰδωλολατροῦσι προλέγει Θεὸς αὐτοῖς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἅλωσιν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων Ἰεχονίου βασιλεύοντος. Ἧς, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ὁρωμένης, δέον ἐκ μετανοίας ἐπιστρέφειν ἐπὶ Θεὸν, ποιεῖν τε πάντα ὅσα Μιχαίας ἐπέταξε λέγων· "Ἁγιάσατε νηστείαν, κηρύξατε θεραπείαν," καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τούτοις. Ταῦτα