145

They say that in the allotment of the land, the tribe of Judah received by lot the parts of the country towards the east and the south, with the desert lying beside them, through which those wishing to go to Egypt had to pass. Therefore, at the time of the Assyrian invasion (for he called this affliction and distress) a lion, and a lion’s cub from there. By lions, he means the powerful and the rulers, and by cubs, those immediately after them, or even from them; and the rest 2264, according to the measure of their wickedness, calling them venomous and flying creatures, on account of their swiftness for any of the most outrageous things. And the Forerunner of the Savior also called them serpents and a brood of vipers. And they became lustful horses, says the Scripture. For being beset by evils, when they ought to have fled for refuge to God, the fount of good things, they carried their wealth to Egypt, whose very name they should have turned away from, remembering their ancient slavery, and with how many plagues God had punished it on their behalf. Therefore he says, Having sat down, write these things on a tablet. As the events were to happen in due time, he causes these things to be written, so that the outcome might be shown to happen as it was allotted; and the things of the prophets will be known even until the consummation of the present age. That is, they say, Since the spoken word does not reach those being admonished as much as a written voice, for this reason he commanded it to be written. But perhaps the tablet also indicates the fruitlessness of those about whom the Scripture is. Therefore, set forth a written testimony in every house and for every man; read it to all, lest they should later make an excuse as not having learned; and the testimony is that they have trusted in a false help, and in cisterns unable to hold water, neither their own nor brought from without, having forsaken me who richly provides them with good things. And being disobedient, they will be put to shame by the prophets who spoke then, as I had foretold these things concerning them. He rightly called them false, because when Moses revealed the legislation to them, they said: "All that the Lord God has spoken, we will do and we will hear." And while the law proclaimed, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. And you shall not make for yourself an idol;" having forsaken God, they were dragged down to idols. For which reason he calls them false sons. And David also sings in the psalms: "The enemies of the Lord have lied to him." And as from Christ he says: "Strange children have lied to me." Which things they did, disobeying the law; for besides their other acts of disobedience, they contradicted Jeremiah, accusing him of falsehood for not permitting them to go down into Egypt. Therefore he adds, Saying to the prophets, Do not report to us, and so on. For which Symmachus rendered: And to the seers, do not see rightly for us. Speak smooth things to us. See illusions for us. Depart from the way. Turn aside from the path for me. Cease from before our face the Holy One of Israel. Because of which, he says, as of a city being captured, your sin will fall upon you as a wall, and this swiftly. But of a city so shattered, as an earthen vessel is shattered into fine pieces, so as to be useless for carrying coals, or a little water, which shows that none of these will escape judgment. Or 2265 perhaps it shows that the hoped-for help from you Egyptians will be shattered like a fallen wall. But Christ being God, both sets forth the causes of the threats, and advises how it will be possible to escape them, as not willing the death of him who is dying, as to turn him from his evil way, and that he may live, as he himself says somewhere in Ezekiel, and so he has now said: When you turn and groan, then you shall be saved. But Symmachus says, in repentance and rest you will be saved, and In hope will be your strength. For if you sit, he says, in the place of Jerusalem having repented and ceased from the rush to Egypt, then you will be saved, being in quietness and rest. But your strength will also be in hope. For having hoped in God, you will be able to be saved. And the Lord is called in these things the Holy One of Israel, not only as being holiness itself, but also as sanctifying Israel. For above, holy

145

φασιν ἐν τῇ κληροδοσίᾳ τῆς γῆς τὴν τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλὴν τὰ πρὸς ἠώ τε καὶ νότον τῆς χώρας λαχεῖν προσπαρακειμένης αὐτοῖς τῆς ἐρήμου, δι' ἧς ἦν ἀπιέναι τοὺς θέλοντας εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον. Ἐν καιρῷ τοίνυν τῆς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐφόδου (τοῦτον γὰρ θλίψιν καὶ στενοχωρίαν ἐκάλεσεν) λέων, καὶ σκύμνος λέοντος ἐκεῖθεν. Λέοντας μὲν λέγων τοὺς δυνατούς τε καὶ ἄρχοντας, σκύμνους δὲ τοὺς εὐθὺς μετ' αὐτοὺς, ἢ καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν· καὶ τοὺς λοι 2264 ποὺς, κατὰ λόγον τῆς πονηρίας, ἰοβόλα ζῶα καλῶν, καὶ πετόμενα, διὰ τὴν ἐφοτιοῦν τῶν ἀτοπωτάτων ὀξύτητα. Καὶ ὁ τοῦ Σωτῆρος δὲ Πρόδρομος ὄφεις αὐτοὺς ἐκάλει καὶ γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν. Καὶ ἵπποι δὲ θηλυμανεῖς ἐγενήθησαν, φησὶν ἡ Γραφή. Τοῖς γὰρ κακοῖς συνεχόμενοι, δέον ἐπὶ Θεὸν τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν καταφεύγειν πηγὴν, εἰς Αἴγυπτον τὸν πλοῦτον μετέφερον, ἧς καὶ τὴν προσηγορίαν ἐχρῆν ἀποστρέφεσθαι, λογιζομένους τὴν πάλαι δουλείαν, καὶ ὅσαις αὐτὴν ὁ Θεὸς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν μετῆλθε πληγαῖς. ∆ιό φησιν, Καθίσας γράψον ἐπὶ πυξίου ταῦτα. Ὡς ἐσομένων κατὰ καιροὺς τῶν πραγμάτων, γραφῆναι ταῦτα ποιεῖ, πρὸς τὸ δειχθῆναι συμβαίνουσαν λαχόντα τὴν ἔκβασιν· τὰ δὲ τῶν προφητῶν ἔσται γνώριμα καὶ μέχρι συντελείας τοῦ παρόντος αἰῶνος. Ἤγουν, φασὶν, Ἐπειδὴ μὴ τοσοῦτον ὁ λόγος καθικνεῖται τῶν νουθετουμένων, ὡς ἔγγραφος φωνὴ, τούτου χάριν γράψαι προσέταξεν. Τάχα δὲ, καὶ τὸ ἄκαρπον τῶν περὶ ὧν ἡ Γραφὴ, τὸ πυξίον δηλοῖ. Σχεδὸν οὖν ἔγγραφον μαρτυρίαν πρόθες κατ' οἶκον καὶ κατ' ἄνδρα· πᾶσιν ἀνάγνωθι, μήπως ὡς μὴ μαθόντες ὕστερον προφασίσαιντο· ἡ δὲ μαρτυρία, ὅτι ψευδεῖ βοηθείᾳ πεποίθασι, καὶ λάκκοις τοῖς οὐ δυναμένοις ὕδωρ συνέχειν, οὔτε ἴδιον, οὔτε φερόμενον ἔξωθεν, τὸν τἀγαθὰ πλουσίως αὐτοῖς χορηγοῦντα καταλιπόντες ἐμέ. Ἀπειθεῖς δὲ ὄντες, καὶ τοῖς λέγουσι τότε προφήταις ἐντραπήσονται ταῦτα περὶ αὑτῶν προειρηκότος ἐμοῦ. Ψευδεῖς δὲ αὐτοὺς εἰκότως ἐκάλει, ὅτι τοῦ Μωσέως αὐτοῖς τὴν νομοθεσίαν ἐκφήναντος ἔλεγον· "Πάντα ὅσα εἶπεν Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, ποιήσομεν καὶ ἀκουσόμεθα." Καὶ τοῦ νόμου διαγορεύοντος, "Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου προσκυνήσεις, καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις. Καὶ οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ εἴδωλον·" τὸν Θεὸν ἀφέντες πρὸς εἴδωλα κατεσύροντο. ∆ι' ὅπερ υἱοὺς αὐτοὺς ὀνομάζει ψευδεῖς. Ψάλλει δὲ καὶ ∆αβίδ· "Οἱ ἐχθροὶ Κυρίου ἐψεύσαντο αὐτόν." Καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ δέ φησιν· "Υἱοὶ ἀλλότριοι ἐψεύσαντό μοι." Ἅπερ ἐποίουν ἀπειθοῦντες τῷ νόμω· ἀντέλεγον γὰρ Ἱερεμίᾳ πρὸς ταῖς λοιπαῖς ἀπειθείαις ψεύδους αὐτὸν αἰτιώμενοι μὴ συγχωροῦντα κατελθεῖν εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον. ∆ιόπερ ἐπιφέρει, Λέγοντες τοῖς προφήταις, Μὴ ἀναγγέλλετε ἡμῖν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἀνθ' ὧν ἐξέδωκε Σύμμαχος· Καὶ τοῖς ὁρῶσι, μὴ ὁρᾶτε ἡμῖν ὀρθῶς. Λαλήσατε ἡμῖν λεῖα. Ὁρᾶτε ἡμῖν πλάνας. Ἀπόστητε ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ. Ἐκκλίνατε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τρίβον. Παύσατε ἐκ προσώπου ἡμῶν τὸν ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Ἀνθ' ὧν, φησὶν, ὡς ἁλούσης πόλεως, τεῖχος ὑμῖν ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐπιπεσεῖται, καὶ τοῦτο ταχέως. Πόλεως δὲ τῆς οὕτω συντετριμμένης, ὡς ὀστράκινον ἄγγος εἰς λεπτὰ συντριβόμενον, ὡς ἄχρηστον εἶναι πρὸς ἀνθράκων κομιδὴν, ἢ σμικροῦ τινος ὕδατος, ὃ δηλοῖ φεύξεισθαι τούτων τὴν δίκην μηδενί. Ἤ 2265 τάχα δηλοῖ, ὡς Ἡ ἐλπισθεῖσα παρ' ὑμῶν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων βοήθεια, καθάπερ τεῖχος πεπτωκὸς συντριβήσεται. Χριστὸς δὲ ὢν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τῶν ἀπειλῶν τὰς αἰτίας ἐκτίθεται, καὶ ὅπως ἔσται ταύτας διαφυγεῖν παραινεῖ, ὡς μὴ θέλων τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἀποθνήσκοντος, ὡς τὸ ἀποστρέψαι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς, καὶ ζῇν αὐτὸν, ὡς ἐν Ἰεζεκιὴλ αὐτός πού φησι, καὶ νῦν οὖν εἶπεν· Ὄτ' ἂν ἐπιστραφεὶς στενάξῃς, τότε σωθήσῃ. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, ἐν μετανοίᾳ, φησὶ, καὶ ἀναπαύσει σωθήσεσθε, καὶ Ἐν ἐλπίδι ἔσται ἡ δύναμις ὑμῶν. Ἐὰν γὰρ κάθησθε, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ μετανοήσαντες καὶ παυσάμενοι, τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον ὁρμῆς, τότε σωθήσεσθε ἐν ἠρεμίᾳ γενόμενοι καὶ ἀναπαύσει. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ δύναμις ὑμῶν ἐν ἐλπίδι ἔσται. Ἐλπίσαντες γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, δυνήσεσθε σωθῆναι. Λέγεται δὲ Κύριος ἐν τούτοις ἅγιος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, οὐ μόνον ὡς αὐτὸ τυγχάνων ἁγιωσύνη, ἀλλ' ὡς καὶ ἁγιάζων τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Ἄνω μὲν γὰρ ἅγιον