161

is a battle array formed by counsel and words of lips? and he calls him, the Assyrian, by a mere title, having called him both king and great. But some say, since the Hebrews seemed wiser than the others, having the law of Moses, and indeed they were saying, We are blessed, O Israel, because the things pleasing to the Lord are known to us; Rabshakeh, refuting this, says that in war this is useless. And he challenges him to the judgment by arms. To whom Hezekiah would have said: "These in chariots, and these in horses," and the rest. But he slanders him, as trusting in Pharaoh. Who, he says, is more bitter than an enemy to those who trust in him, not knowing how to keep treaties with them, in addition to being very weak. But perhaps, they say, since some of the kings before him had called upon the Egyptian, he thinks that Hezekiah also trusts in this one. And this he added as in passing. Then he assails the alliance of God, being ignorant that he is the God over all. Therefore he says, Why do you trust in a God whose high places and altars you have torn down? For he thought that Hezekiah had torn down the high places not of the idols, but of God. But if you trust in this, be mingled with my Lord, that is, stand for battle. But he runs them down, as not even having two thousand who are able to ride horses; being ignorant that the God-fearing Hezekiah kept the law, which speaks concerning a pious king: He shall not multiply horses for himself. And being inexperienced in horsemanship, how, he says, can you turn back the face of our toparchs? Instead of which Symmachus says, and how will he withstand the face of one ruler from among the least of my Lord's servants? but if for this you trust in the Egyptians, they happen to be, he says, our servants. Much more, then, do those who trust in them also already serve as slaves. 2313 But he reasons perversely, saying that he is not coming against the city without God; If he is great, and fights for Judea, did we come against it when he was unwilling, and how is he strong? or did we arrive with his consent, and just as we conquered the others, we will conquer this also. Therefore we have subdued Israel, who are your brothers, not to mention that God has handed you over, as he did the others who were not his. Being ignorant that Israel also, having practiced idolatry, became estranged from God. But it is clear, they say, whether he said these things from probabilities, from having conquered Israel who were supposedly God's people, or he also perceived that God was suggesting to his thoughts to come against the Judeans because of their transgressions. Then he advises the people to surrender the city, and he tears down the renowned piety of Hezekiah, even among them. And above he attacked him, as one who had torn down the high places, in which he knew the people rejoiced during the reign of Ahaz, thinking they belonged to God. Then he reasons that if the gods did not save the others, neither will the Lord save Judah, thinking him no different from the others. At these words they are silent, according to the royal command. For he does not piously answer the blasphemy, lest he provoke him more greatly to this. According to, "Do not kindle the coals of a sinner." And it is useless to converse with those whose soul is incurably sick, towards whom one must be fenced in by silence, hiding the true words within themselves, and awaiting the timely movement of God against them. For they no longer have their war against us, but against God, which must be done in a time of persecution in the blasphemous discourses of the impious, obeying David who says: "I set a guard to my mouth. When the sinner stood against me, I became deaf and was humbled, and I kept silent from good things." CHAPTER 37. 37. 9And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard, he tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth, and went up into the house of the Lord9, etc. It was a custom for the Hebrews to tear their tunics at blasphemies against God; therefore, when the Savior said, "Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven," the high priest tore his garments, saying, "He has blasphemed." And through one of the prophets he says, "Tear your

161

βουλῇ καὶ λόγοις χειλέων παράταξις γίνεται; καὶ ψιλῇ τοῦτον προσηγορίᾳ καλεῖ, τὸν Ἀσσύριον, καὶ βασιλέα, καὶ μέγαν εἰπών. Τινὲς δέ φασιν, ἐπειδὴ σοφώτεροι τῶν ἄλλων ἐδόκουν Ἑβραῖοι τὸν Μωσέως ἔχοντες νόμον, καὶ γοῦν ἔφασκον, Μακάριοί ἐσμεν Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι τὰ ἀρεστὰ Κυρίῳ, ἡμῖν γνωστά ἐστιν· τοῦτο καθαίρων ὁ Ῥαψάκης ἐν πολέμῳ φησὶν ὑπάρχειν ἀνόνητον. Προκαλεῖται δὲ πρὸς τὴν δι' ὅπλων κρίσιν αὐτόν. Πρὸς ὃν εἶπεν ἂν Ἐζεκίας· "Οὗτοι ἐν ἅρμασι, καὶ οὗτοι ἐν ἵπποις," καὶ τὰ ἐξῆς. Συκοφαντεῖ δὲ αὐτὸν, ὡς θαῤῥοῦντα τῷ Φαραώ. Ὃς τοῖς ἐπ' αὐτῷ, φησὶ, θαῤῥοῦσίν ἐστι πολεμίου πικρότερος, συνθήκας οὐκ εἰδὼς φυλάττειν αὐτοῖς, πρὸς τῷ καὶ λίαν εἶναι σαθρός. Ἴσως δὲ, φασὶν, ἐπεί τινες τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ βασιλέων προσεκαλέσαντο τὸν Αἰγύπτιον, καὶ τὸν Ἐζεκίαν οἴεται τούτῳ θαῤῥεῖν. Καὶ τοῦτο μὲν ὡς ἐν παρέργῳ προσέῤῥιψε. Τῆς δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ λοιπὸν συμμαχίας καθάπτεται τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων εἶναι Θεὸν αὐτὸν ἀγνοῶν. Τοιγαροῦν φησι, Τί θαῤῥεῖς ἐπὶ Θεὸν, οὗ καθεῖλες τὰ ὑψηλά τε καὶ τὰ θυσιαστήρια; ᾤετο γὰρ ὡς οὐ τῶν εἰδώλων, τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ καθεῖλεν Ἐζεκίας τὰ ὑψηλά. Εἰ ἐπὶ τούτῳ δὲ θαῤῥεῖτε, μίχθητε τῷ Κυρίῳ μου, τοῦτ' ἔστι στῆτε πρὸς μάχην. Κατατρέχει δὲ, ὡς μηδὲ δισχιλίους ἐχόντων δυναμένους ἱππάζεσθαι· ἀγνοῶν ὡς ὁ θεοσεβὴς Ἐζεκίας τὸν νόμον ἐφύλαττε, περὶ βασιλέως εὐσεβοῦς ἀγορεύοντα· Οὐ πληθυνεῖ ἑαυτῷ ἵππους. Ἄπειροι δὲ τυγχάνοντες ἱππικῆς, πῶς δύνασθε, φησὶν, ἀποστρέψαι εἰς πρόσωπον τῶν ἡμετέρων τοπαρχῶν; Ἀνθ' οὗ Σύμμαχός φησι, καὶ πῶς ὑποστήσει τὸ πρόσωπον ἄρχοντος ἑνὸς τῶν δούλων τοῦ Κυρίου μου τῶν μικρῶν; εἰ δὲ θαῤῥεῖτε πρὸς τοῦτο τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις, ἡμέτεροι, φησὶν, οἰκέται τυγχάνουσι. Πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἄρα καὶ οἱ θαῤῥοῦντες αὐτοῖς καὶ σχεδὸν ἤδη δουλεύουσιν. 2313 ∆υστρόπως δὲ συλλογίζεται μὴ Θεοῦ χωρὶς ἐπιέναι τῇ πόλει λέγων· Εἰ μέγας ἐστὶ, καὶ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ὑπερμαχεῖ, ἢ μὴ θέλοντος ἐπέβημεν ταύτης, καὶ πῶς ἐστιν ἰσχυρός; ἢ βουλομένου παρεγενόμεθα, καὶ ὥσπερ τῶν ἄλλων, καὶ ταύτης κρατήσομεν. Τοιγαροῦν καὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἀδελφοὺς ὄντας ὑμετέρους ἐχειρωσάμεθα, πρὸς τῷ μὴ λέγειν ὑμᾶς, ὡς τοὺς ἄλλους ὁ Θεὸς μὴ ὄντας αὐτοῦ παραδέδωκεν. Ἀγνοῶν ὡς καὶ Ἰσραὴλ εἰδωλολατρήσας Θεοῦ προῆλθεν ἀλλότριος. ∆ῆλον δὲ, φασὶν, εἰ ἐξ εἰκότων ἔλεγε ταῦτα, ἐκ τοῦ νικῆσαι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ λαὸν ὄντα δῆθεν Θεοῦ, ἢ καὶ ᾔσθετο Θεοῦ τοῖς αὐτοῦ λογισμοῖς ὑποβάλλοντος ἐπελθεῖν Ἰουδαίοις διὰ τὰς ἐκείνων παρανομίας. Εἶτα παραινεῖ τῷ λαῷ παραδοῦναι τὴν πόλιν, καὶ τὴν διαβόητον καὶ παρ' αὐτοῖς Ἐζεκίου καθαιρεῖ θεοσέβειαν. Καὶ ἄνω δὲ συνέκρουσεν αὐτὸν, ὡς καθελόντα τὰ ὑψηλὰ, οἷς ἔγνω κατὰ τὴν Ἄχαζ βασιλείαν χαίροντα τὸν λαὸν Θεοῦ νομίζων αὐτά. Εἶτα συλλογίζεται, ὡς εἰ τοὺς ἄλλους οὐκ ἔσωσαν οἱ θεοὶ, οὐδὲ τὸν Ἰούδαν ὁ Κύριος, οὐδὲν τῶν ἄλλων αὐτὸν διαφέρειν οἰόμενος. Πρὸς ἃ ῥηθέντα κατὰ πρόσταγμα σιγῶσι βασιλικόν. Εὐσεβῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἀποκρίνεται βλασφήμης, ἀντὶ ὡς μὴ πρὸς τοῦτο μειζόνως αὐτὸν ἐρεθίσειεν. Κατὰ τὸ, "Μὴ ἔκκαιε ἄνθρακας ἁμαρτωλοῦ." Καὶ ἀνόνητον δὲ τοῖς ἀνίατα τὴν ψυχὴν νοσοῦσι προσδιαλέγεσθαι, πρὸς οὓς δεῖ πεφράχθαι τῇ σιωπῇ, κρύπτοντας μὲν τοὺς ἀληθεῖς λόγους ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, περιμένοντας δὲ τὴν ἐκ Θεοῦ κατὰ τούτων εὔκαιρον κίνησιν. Οὐ πρὸς ἡμᾶς γὰρ ἔτι, πρὸς Θεὸν δὲ τὸν πόλεμον ἔχουσιν ὃ ποιητέον ἐν καιρῷ διωγμῶν ἐν ταῖς βλασφήμοις τῶν ἀσεβῶν διαλέξεσι λέγοντι πειθομένους ∆αβίδ· "Ἐθέμην τῷ στόματί μου φυλακήν. Ἐν τῷ συστῆναι τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐναντίον μου, ἐκωφώθην καὶ ἐταπεινώθην, καὶ ἐσίγησα ἐξ ἀγαθῶν." ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΖʹ. αζʹ. 9Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἀκοῦσαι τὸν βασιλέα Ἐζεκίαν, ἔσχισε τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ, καὶ περιεβάλετο σάκκον, καὶ ἀνέβη εἰς τὸν οἶκον Κυρίου9, κ.τ.λ. Ἔθος ἦν Ἑβραίοις ἐπὶ ταῖς κατὰ Θεοῦ βλασφημίαις περιῤῥήγνυσθαι τοὺς χιτῶνας· τοιγαροῦν εἰπόντος τοῦ Σωτῆρος, "Ἀπάρτι ὄψεσθε τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καθήμενον ἐκ δεξιῶν τῆς δυνάμεως, καὶ ἐρχόμενον ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ," ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς διέῤῥηξε τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ λέγων, "Ἐβλασφήμησεν." Καὶ δι' ἑνὸς δὲ λέγει τῶν προφητῶν, "∆ιαῤῥήξατε τὰς