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pride, these things were said. For this is he who insults those in the Church, some as slavish and, on account of their ignorance, no different from them. This is he who works reproach in each one; this is he who persuades the leaders of certain heresies to speak injustice on high, but if they should ever condescend to an inquiry, teaching them not to examine the argument, but to insult the one able to refute the absurdity of his dogmas. Therefore, healing him, the Lord says: I have removed his pride. For the evil passion of arrogance is like the removal of a disease. But also his insolence (he says) and his wrath. These passions are the property of Moab; Moab is the master of evil possessions, of insolence contrived for the dishonor of his neighbor, and of wrath that is lasting and prolonged anger. 16.308 Then he adds: Not so your divination, not so. He reproaches the ancient device of Moab, since the divination of Balaam was able to do nothing to Israel, because the Lord God turned his mouth from a curse to a blessing. Not so (he says) your divination, not so. For Balak, son of Sepphor, king of Moab, sent for Balaam the diviner, in whose hands were the divinations, and said: Curse this people for me. Thus the divinations did not turn out so, as Balaam himself answered: What shall I curse whom the Lord does not curse? And what shall I execrate whom God does not execrate? Then he prophesies a wailing for the Moabitess: For Moab shall wail (he says); for in the Moabitess all shall wail. Since, therefore, wailing is a sorrowful cry uttered by women, for the most part, when overcome by the deepest grief, it shows both the painfulness of the blow and the weakness of the sufferers, by saying that Moab shall wail. 16.309 To the inhabitants of Sedek, a meditation. This saying, being obscure, the others clarify; for Symmachus says: To those who rejoice in the earthen wall, speak. There are some who think highly of themselves for their dialectic, and who, as it were, surround their dogmas with an impregnable wall of assistance from it. These, then, rejoicing, are found in the earthen wall. And that it might be shown what the earthen wall is, he added the word Speak. For what could be more easily captured than an earthenware pot? Those who delight in paltry and worthless tales, these rejoice speaking in the earthen wall. This is To the inhabitants of Sedek, a meditation. Good meditation, therefore, is to meditate on the law of the Lord day and night; but evil is that of the Moabites, because for the inhabitants of Sedek there will be meditation. Those, therefore, who meditate on words worthy of shame will not be put to shame. For this reason The fields of Heshbon will mourn. The punishment for not being ashamed is the barrenness of the fields of Heshbon. It is the name of a Moabite city, which has spaciousness in its surrounding suburbs; which, on account of the evil meditation of its inhabitants, will be barren and fruitless, providing no benefit to its inhabitants. But if one must also take some starting-point from the meaning of the word, Heshbon is interpreted as reasoning. Therefore, the multitudes of vain reasonings (which are called fields) will mourn, as the, as it were, wickedness of the impious dogmas advances to nothing. 16.310 The vine of Sibmah; swallowing up the nations, you have trodden down her vines as far as Jazer. You shall not join; you have wandered the desert. The sent ones were abandoned, for they crossed the sea. And for this reason they will weep (as with the weeping of Jazer) for the vine of Sibmah. Heshbon and Elealeh have cast down your trees, because upon your harvest and upon your vintage I will tread, and all things will fall down. And gladness and rejoicing will be taken away from the vineyards, and in your vineyards they will not rejoice, and they will not tread wine into the winepresses; for it has ceased. Afterwards it is said: The fields of Heshbon will mourn; now it is added that also the vine of Sibmah (the verb "will mourn" is shared).

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ρηφανίᾳ, εἴρηται ταῦτα. Οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ καθυβρίζων τοὺς ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, τοὺς μὲν ὡς ἀνδραποδώδεις καὶ διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν οὐδὲν αὐτῶν διαφέροντας. Οὗτος ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἑκάστῳ τὴν λοιδορίαν· οὗτος ὁ ἀναπείθων τοὺς αἱρέσεών τινων προεστῶτας ἀδικίαν μὲν εἰς τὸ ὕψος λαλεῖν, εἰ δέ ποτε εἰς ζήτησιν συγκαταβαίνοιεν, διδάσκων τὸν μὲν λόγον μὴ βασανίζειν, ὑβρίζειν δὲ τὸν δυνάμενον ἐλέγχειν τὴν ἀτοπίαν τῶν δογμάτων αὐτοῦ. Θεραπεύων οὖν αὐτὸν ὁ Κύριός φησι· Τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν αὐτοῦ ἐξῆρα. Ὡς γὰρ νόσου ἀφαίρεσίς ἐστι τὸ πονηρὸν τῆς ἀλαζονείας πάθος. Ἀλλὰ Καὶ ἡ ὕβρις αὐτοῦ (φησὶ) καὶ ἡ μῆνις αὐτοῦ. Ἰδιόκτητα τοῦ Μωὰβ τὰ πάθη ταῦτα· πονηρῶν κτημάτων δεσπότης ὁ Μωὰβ, ὕβρεως μὲν τῆς ἐπ' ἀτιμίᾳ τοῦ πλησίον ἐπινοου μένης, μήνιδος δὲ τῆς ἐμμόνου καὶ παρατεταμένης ὀργῆς. 16.308 Εἶτα ἐπιφέρει· Οὐχ οὕτως ἡ μαντεία σου, οὐχ οὕτως. Ὀνειδίζει τὴν παλαιὰν ἐπίνοιαν τοῦ Μωὰβ, μηδὲν τῆς τοῦ Βαλαὰμ μαντείας δυνηθείσης ποιῆσαι τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, ἐπείπερ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἔστρεψε τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κατάρας εἰς εὐ λογίαν. Οὐχ οὕτως (φησὶν) ἡ μαντεία σου, οὐχ οὕτως. Με τεπέμψατο γὰρ Βαλὰκ, υἱὸς Σεπφὼρ, βασιλεὺς Μωὰβ, τὸν Βαλαὰμ τὸν μάντιν, οὗ τὰ μαντεῖα ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν ἦν, καὶ εἶπεν· Ἐπάρασαί μοι τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον. Οὐχ οὕτως οὖν ἀπ ήτησε τὰ μαντεῖα, αὐτοῦ ἀποκριναμένου τοῦ Βαλαάμ· Τί ἀρά σομαι ὃν μὴ ἀρᾶται Κύριος; καὶ τί καταράσομαι, ὃν μὴ κατα ρᾶται ὁ Θεός; Εἶτα προφητεύει ὀλολυγμὸν τῇ Μωαβίτιδι· Ὀλολύξει γὰρ (φησὶν) Μωάβ· ἐν γὰρ τῇ Μωαβίτιδι πάντες ὀλολύξουσιν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ ὀλολυγμὸς φωνὴ ὀδυνηρά ἐστιν ὑπὸ γυναικῶν, ὡς τὰ πολλὰ, ἐν πένθει βαρυτάτῳ κεκρατημέ νων ἀφιεμένη, δείκνυσι καὶ τῆς πληγῆς τὸ ἀλγεινὸν καὶ τῶν πασχόντων τὸ ἀσθενὲς, ἐκ τοῦ λέγειν ὅτι Ὀλολύξει Μωάβ. 16.309 Τοῖς κατοικοῦσι Σεδὲκ, μελέτησις. Ταύτην τὴν φωνὴν, ἀσαφῶς ἔχουσαν, οἱ λοιποὶ σαφηνί ζουσιν· ὁ γὰρ Σύμμαχός φησι· Τοῖς εὐφραινομένοις ἐν τῷ τείχει ὀστρακίνῳ φθέγξασθε. Εἰσί τινες οἱ μέγα φρονοῦντες ἐπὶ διαλεκτικῇ, καὶ οἱονεὶ τεῖχος ἀκαθαίρετον τὴν ἀπ' αὐτῆς βοήθειαν τοῖς δόγμασι περιβάλλοντες. Οὗτοι τοίνυν εὐφραινό μενοι, εὑρίσκονται ἐν τῷ τείχει τῷ ὀστρακίνῳ. Καὶ ἵνα δειχθῇ, τί τὸ ὀστράκινον τεῖχος, προσέθηκε τὸ Φθέγξασθε. Τί δ' ἂν ὀστράκου γένοιτο εὐαλωτότερον; Οἱ ἐν εὐτελέσι καὶ οὐδενὸς λόγου ἀξίοις μύθοις ἐναβρυνόμενοι, οὗτοι εὐφραί νονται ἐν τῷ τείχει τῷ ὀστρακίνῳ φθεγγόμενοι. Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ Τοῖς κατοικοῦσι Σεδὲκ, μελέτησις. Ἀγαθὴ μὲν οὖν μελέτησις, τὸ μελετᾷν τὸν νόμον Κυρίου ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός· πονηρὰ δὲ ἡ τῶν Μωαβιτῶν, ὅτι ἔσται τοῖς κατοικοῦσι Σεδὲκ μελέτησις. Οἱ τοίνυν μελετῶντες ἐπ' αἰσχύνης ἀξίοις λόγοις οὐκ ἐντραπήσονται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Τὰ πεδία Ἐσεβὼν πενθήσει. Τιμωρία τοῦ μὴ ἐντρέπεσθαι, ἡ ἀφορία τῶν πεδίων Ἐσεβών. Ἔστι δὲ πόλεως ὄνομα Μωαβιτικῆς, εὐρυχωρίαν ἐχούσης ἐν τοῖς περικειμένοις αὐτῇ προαστείοις· ἃ διὰ τὴν πονηρὰν τῶν κατοικούντων μελέ τησιν, ἄγονα ἔσται καὶ ἄκαρπα, οὐδεμίαν ὠφέλειαν τοῖς κατοικοῦσι παρέχοντα. Εἰ δὲ δεῖ καὶ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ῥήματος διανοίας λαβεῖν τινα ἀφορμήν, Ἐσεβὼν ὁ διαλογισμὸς ἑρμη νεύεται. Τὰ οὖν πλήθη τῶν ματαίων διαλογισμῶν (ἃ πεδία ὠνόμασται) πενθήσει, ὡς εἰς οὐδὲν προχωρούσης τῆς οἱονεὶ πονηρίας τῶν ἀσεβῶν δογμάτων. 16.310 Ἄμπελος Σεβαμά· καταπίνοντες τὰ ἔθνη, καταπα τήσατε τὰς ἀμπέλους αὐτῆς ἕως Ἰαζήρ. Οὐ μὴ συνάψητε· πλανήθητε τὴν ἔρημον. Οἱ ἀπεσταλμένοι ἐγκατελείφθησαν. διέβησαν γὰρ τὴν θάλασσαν. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κλαύσονται (ὡς τὸν κλαυθμὸν Ἰαζὴρ) ἄμπελον Σεβαμά. Τὰ δένδρα σου κατ έβαλεν Ἐσεβὼν καὶ Ἐλεαλὴ, ὅτι ἐπὶ τῷ θερισμῷ σου καὶ τῷ τρυγητῷ σου καταπατήσω, καὶ πάντα καταπεσοῦνται. Καὶ ἀρθήσεται εὐφροσύνη καὶ ἀγαλλίαμα ἐκ τῶν ἀμπελώ νων, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀμπελῶσί σου οὐ μὴ εὐφρανθήσονται, καὶ οὐ μὴ πατήσωσιν εἰς τὰ ὑπολήνια οἶνον· πέπαυται γάρ. Κατόπιν εἴρηται· Τὰ πεδία Ἐσεβὼν πενθήσει· νῦν πρόσ κειται ὅτι καὶ Ἄμπελος Σεβαμά (ἀπὸ κοινοῦ τὸ πενθήσει).