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they raged similarly against Christ and against the holy apostles, and they stoned the divine Stephen, and they cut off the head of the most holy James, and James the great, the much-famed, renowned for extreme righteousness, they pushed from the pinnacle of the temple, and having been brought down, they beat him with clubs and delivered him to death. For the righteous one is taken away from the face of iniquity; 2his burial will be in peace, he is taken away from the midst. He says these things about the Lord Christ and reveals at the same time both the injustice of the slaughter and the victory after death; for his death bestowed upon us reconciliation with God, and he, leaving the tomb, was taken up into the heavens. 3But you, come <here>, lawless sons, seed of adulterers and a prostitute. He cast them out of kinship with Abraham. This the Lord also did in the holy gospels; for when they said: “We have Abraham as our father,” the Lord replied and said: “If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham; but now you seek to kill me, a man who has spoken to you the truth which I heard from my Father; Abraham did not do this,” and again: “You are of your father the devil. He was a murderer from the beginning.” Thus also here he calls them the seed of adulterers and a prostitute; for also in the introductions of the prophecy he named the city a prostitute: “How the faithful city Zion has become a prostitute.” He accuses them of adultery, not only that of marriages but also the corruption of dogmas; for while seeming to be joined to God, they secretly served demons, and what was happening was openly adultery. 4In what did you delight? And against whom did you open your mouth? And against whom did you let loose your tongue? Clearly through these words he refutes the blasphemies made by them against the Lord; for they called him a deceiver and one possessed by a demon and a Samaritan and one who casts out demons by Beelzebul the prince of demons. Are you not children of destruction, a lawless seed, 5you who call upon idols under thick-leaved trees, |172 a| slaughtering their children in the ravines <in the> midst of the rocks 6and in the parts of the ravine? For since they nailed the Lord to the wood as if he were an opponent of God, showing, as they thought, zeal for the one who gave the law, he opportunely reminded them of their superstition; Do you not, he says, continually serve idols and wander about the groves and in the ravines sacrifice your children to demons? Now you have been inflamed with zeal for the law and you have directed this against the lawgiver, you who against the idols are “dumb dogs,” against the savior and benefactor are “dogs shameless in soul.” That is your portion, this is your lot, and to them you poured out libations and to these you offered sacrifices; shall I not be angry at these things? says the Lord. He clearly showed their polytheistic error; for he says you served not two or three but very many demons and to some you offered libations and to others sacrifices and leaving behind the divine lot you wished to have them as your lot. For this reason I will bring a just punishment upon you. 7Upon a high and lofty mountain, there is your bed. He called their assiduous worship and their repose a bed. And there you brought up sacrifices 8and behind the doorposts of your door you placed your memorial. Through these things he also teaches their great impiety; for they not only went astray on the mountains, but also served idols in their houses. He calls the written record of the accusation a memorial. You thought that if you departed from me, you would have something more. The blessed Jeremiah teaches us this clearly; for he brings in their women and the men themselves saying that, from when we desisted from the servitude of idols, evils befell us. You have widened your bed and made a covenant for yourself from them. Symmachus interpreted this more clearly: You have widened your bed and made covenanters for yourself.” That is: you joined yourself to many demons and followed their laws and you made a covenant to serve each one. And God himself of all the lawful

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Χριστὸν καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἱερῶν ἀποστόλων παραπλησίως ἐλύττησαν καὶ τὸν μὲν θεσπέσιον κατέλευσαν Στέφανον, ἀπέτεμον δὲ τὸν θειότατον Ἰάκωβον, τὸν δὲ ἐπ' ἄκρᾳ δι καιοσύνῃ , τὸν πολυθρύλητον, τὸν μέγαν Ἰάκωβον ὦσαν μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ πτερυγίου τοῦ ναοῦ, κατενεχθέντα δὲ ξύλοις παίοντες τῷ θανάτῳ παρέδωκαν. Ἀπὸ γὰρ προσώπου ἀδικίας ἦρται ὁ δίκαιος· 2ἔσται ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἡ ταφὴ αὐτοῦ, ἦρται ἐκ μέσου. Περὶ τοῦ δεσπότου ταῦτα λέγει Χριστοῦ καὶ δηλοῖ κατὰ ταὐτὸν τό τε ἄδικον τῆς σφαγῆς καὶ τὴν μετὰ θάνατον νίκην· ὁ γὰρ θάνατος αὐτοῦ τὰς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἡμῖν καταλλαγὰς ἐδωρήςατο, αὐτὸς δὲ τὸν τάφον καταλιπὼν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνελήφθη. 3Ὑμεῖς δὲ προσ<αγ>άγετε ὧδε υἱοὶ ἄνομοι, σπέρμα μοιχῶν καὶ πόρνης. Ἐξέβαλεν αὐτοὺς τῆς συγγενείας τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖ ς εὐαγγε λίοις πεποίηκεν· λεγόντων γὰρ ἐκείνων· «Ἡμεῖς πατέρα ἔχομεν τὸν Ἀβραάμ» ὑπολαβὼν ὁ κύριος ἔφη · «Εἰ τέκνα Ἀβραὰμ ἦτε, τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἐποιεῖτε· νῦν δὲ ζητεῖτέ με ἀποκτεῖναι ἄνθρωπον ὃς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὑμῖν λελάληκα ἣν ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου· τοῦτο Ἀβραὰμ οὐκ ἐποίησεν», καὶ πάλιν· «Ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστέ. Ἐκεῖνος ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἦν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς.» Οὕτω κἀνταῦθα σπέρμα μοιχῶν καὶ πόρνης αὐτοὺς ὀνομάζει· καὶ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς προοιμίοις τῆς προφητείας πόρνην τὴν πόλιν ὠ νόμασεν · «Πῶς ἐγένετο πόρνη πόλις πιστὴ Σιών.» Κατηγορεῖ δὲ αὐτῶν μοιχείαν οὐ μόνην τὴν τῶν γάμων ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τῶν δογμάτων διαφθοράν· τῷ γὰρ θεῷ συνῆφθαι δοκοῦντες λάθρᾳ τοῖς δ αίμοσιν ἐδού λευον, καὶ μοιχεία ἦν ἄντικρυς τὸ γινόμενον. 4Ἐν τίνι ἐτρυφήσατε; Καὶ ἐπὶ τίνα ἠνοίξατε τὸ στόμα ὑμῶν; Καὶ ἐπὶ τίνα ἐχαλάσατε τὴν γλῶσσαν ὑμῶν; Σαφῶς διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων τὰς ὑπ' αὐτῶν γεγενημένας κατὰ τοῦ δεσπότου βλασφημίας ἐλέγχει· πλάνον γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐκάλουν καὶ δαιμονῶντα καὶ Σαμαρίτην καὶ ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλ τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων ἐκβάλλειν τὰ δαιμόνια. Οὐχ ὑμεῖς ἐστε τέκνα ἀπωλείας, σπέρμα ἄνομον, 5οἱ παρακαλοῦντες ἐπὶ τὰ εἴδωλα ὑπὸ δένδρα δασέα, |172 a| σφάζοντες τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν ἐν ταῖς φάρα<γ>ξιν ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν πετρῶν 6καὶ ἐν τοῖς μέρεσι τῆς φάραγγος; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὡς ἀντίθεον δῆθεν τὸν δεσπότην τῷ ξύλῳ προσήλωσαν ζῆλον ὡς ἐνόμιζον ὑπὲρ τοῦ τεθεικότος τὸν νόμον ὑποδεικνύ μενοι, εἰς καιρὸν αὐτοὺς τῆς δεισιδαιμονίας ἀνέμνησεν· Οὐ διηνεκῶς φησι τοῖς εἰδώλοις διατελεῖτε λατρεύοντες καὶ τὰ ἄλση περινοστοῦντες καὶ ἐν ταῖς φάραγξι τὰ τέκνα τοῖς δαίμοσι καταθύοντες; Νῦν τῷ ὑπὲρ τοῦ νόμου ἐπυρσεύθητε ζήλῳ καὶ κατὰ τοῦ νομοθέτου κεκινήκατε τοῦτον οἱ ἐπὶ τῶν εἰδώλων «κύνες ἐνεοί», ἐπὶ τοῦ ςωτῆρος καὶ εὐεργέτου «κύνες ἀναιδεῖς τῇ ψυχῇ». Ἐκείνη σου ἡ μερίς, οὗτός σου ὁ κλῆρος, κἀκείνοις ἐξέχεας σπονδὰς καὶ τούτοις ἀνήνεγκας θυσίας· ἐπὶ τούτοις οὖν οὐκ ὀργισθήσομαι; λέγει κύριος. Τὴν πολύθεον αὐτῶν ἐναργῶς ἐδήλωσε πλάνην· οὐ γὰρ δύο φησὶν ἢ τρισὶν ἀλλὰ παμπόλλοις ἐδουλεύσατε δαίμοσι καὶ ἐκείνοις μὲν σπονδὰς τούτοις δὲ θυσίας προσενηνόχατε καὶ τὸν θεῖον κλῆρον καταλιπόντες ἐκείνους ἔχειν ἠβουλήθητε κλῆρον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δικαίαν ὑμῖν τιμωρίαν ἐποίσω. 7Ἐπ' ὄρος ὑψηλὸν καὶ μετέωρον ἐκεῖ σου ἡ κοίτη. Τὰς προσεδρείας καὶ τὴν ἀνάπαυλαν κοίτην ὠνόμασεν. Καὶ ἐκεῖ ἀνεβίβασας θυσίας 8καὶ ὀπίσω τῶν σταθμῶν τῆς θύρας σου ἔθηκας μνημόσυνόν σου. Τὴν πολλὴν αὐτῶν ἀσέβειαν καὶ διὰ τούτων διδάσκει· οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν ἐπλανῶντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐδούλευον. Μνημόσυνον δὲ καλεῖ τὸ τῆς κατηγορίας ἀνά γραπτον. Ὤου ὅτι, ἐὰν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ἀποστῇς, πλέον τι ἕξεις. Τοῦτο σαφῶς ἡμᾶς ὁ μακάριος Ἱερεμίας διδάσκει· εἰσάγει γὰρ τὰς γυναῖκας αὐτῶν καὶ αὐτοὺς λέγοντας ὅτι, ἐξ οὗ ἀπέστημεν τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων δουλείας, κατέλαβεν ἡμᾶς τὰ κακά. Ἐπλάτυνας τὴν κοίτην σου καὶ ἔθου σαυτῇ παρ' αὐτῶν. Τοῦτο σαφέστερον ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν· Ἐπλάτυνας τὴν κοίτην σου καὶ συνδιαθήκους ἐποίησάς σ οι .» Ἀντὶ τοῦ· πολλοῖς συνήφθης δαίμοσι καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνων ἠκολού θησας νόμοις καὶ συνέθου δουλεύειν ἑκάστῳ. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς τὸν ἔννομον