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being crushed by the cross, has been deprived of all strength. But if the Jews await these things to be according to the literal text, let them say what benefit will come from this; for what will men gain when lions eat straw, and snakes make the earth their food? But leaving behind their foolishness, let us take up the interpretation. 661Thus says the Lord: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord, and what kind of place is this for my habitation? 2For all these things my hand has made, and all these things are mine, says the Lord. Through these things he casts out localized worship and shows himself to be the maker of heaven and earth and the creator of all other things, and not in need of a man-made temple. And he teaches them also his own greatness, as much as they were able to learn; If I have heaven as a throne, what size house are you able to build for me? I do not need your cooperation, I who fashioned all these things by a word and have made them not for my own need but for the benefit of men. Then he teaches in whom he is pleased: And on whom shall I look but on the humble and quiet and who trembles at my words? I have a true house and a holy temple, the one who lives according to my commandments, the one who fears and trembles at the transgression of my commands, the one who uses a gentle manner and a humble mind. 3But the lawless man who sacrifices a calf to me is as one who strikes a man, sacrificing a sheep is as one who kills a dog, he who offers fine flour is as swine's blood, he who gives frankincense for a memorial is as a blasphemer. Through these things he cast out the legal worship, teaching that for their sake from the beginning he legislated these things, not being pleased with the sacrifices but providing for them as being weak. For this reason he compares the permitted things with the forbidden things; for sacrificing a calf and offering a sheep and presenting fine flour and frankincense had long been permitted by God, but to commit violence and to defile the tongue with blasphemy was completely forbidden, and swine and dogs were considered unclean. And they themselves chose their own ways and their abominations which their soul desired. They were not persuaded by my |184 a| words but followed their own reasonings. 4And I indeed will choose their delusions and I will repay their sins to them, because I called them and they did not obey me, I spoke and they did not hear me, and they did evil before me and chose the things that I did not want. Since, he says, they chose not what I wanted but what they themselves wanted, I too will bring punishments upon them, which they themselves do not want but which I will justly bring. For he called the punishments "delusions." For I called them and they did not obey me. Having thus prophesied these things against those who contradict, he turns his discourse to those who have believed: 5Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word, say: "Our brothers," to those who hate you and loathe you, so that the name of the Lord may be glorified and be seen in your joy, and they will be ashamed. This also he commands in the holy gospels: "Love your enemies, bless those who persecute you." For this reason the blessed Paul said: "For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites." For this reason the blessed Stephen, speaking to the unbelievers, said: "Men, brothers and fathers, listen." This also the Lord of all commands through the prophet to those who tremble at his word, to call brothers those who hate and loathe them, so that the name of the Savior might be glorified. For this, he says, will produce joy for you, but for them it will cause shame. After these things he prefigures the siege of the city: 6A voice of a cry from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord rendering recompense to his adversaries. The prophetic word has revealed the wailing that would be at the time of the capture, and of the

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σταυροῦ συντριβόμενος πάσης ἰσχύος ἐστέρηται. Εἰ δὲ κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν ἔσεσθαι ταῦ τα προσμένου σιν Ἰουδαῖοι, εἰπάτωσαν ποῖον ὄφελος ἐντεῦθεν γενήσεται· τί γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι κερ δαν οῦσι λεόντων μὲν ἄχυρα ἐσθιόντων, τῶν ὄφεων δὲ τὴν γῆν ποιουμένων τροφήν; Ἀλλὰ τὴν τούτω ν ἄνοιαν καταλιπόντες τῆς ἑρμηνείας ἐχώμεθα. 661Οὕτως λέγει κύριος· Ὁ οὐρανός μοι θρόνος καὶ ἡ γῆ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν μου. Ποῖον τοῦτον οἶκον οἰκο δομήσετέ μοι; λέγει κύριος, καὶ ποῖος οὗτος τόπος τῆς κατοικήσεώς μου; 2Πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα ἐποίησεν ἡ χείρ μου, καὶ ἔστιν ἐμὰ ταῦτα πάντα, λέγει κύριος. Τὴν τοπι κὴν διὰ τούτων ἐκβάλλει λατρείαν καὶ δείκνυσιν ἑαυτὸν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς ποιητὴν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων δημιουρ γὸν καὶ χειροποιήτου ναοῦ μὴ δεόμενον. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ τὸ οἰκεῖον μέ γε θος, ἕως οἷοί τε μαθεῖν ἦσαν· Εἰ τὸν οὐρανὸν θρόνον ἔχω, πηλίκον οἶκον οἰκοδομῆσαί μοι δύνασθε; Οὐ τῆς ὑμετέρας δέομαι συνεργίας ὁ ταῦτα πάντα τεκτη νάμενος λόγῳ καὶ οὐ διὰ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ χρείαν ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων εὐεργεσίαν πεποιηκώς. Εἶτα διδάσκει οἷς ἀρέσκεται· Καὶ ἐπὶ τίνα ἐπιβλέψω ἀλλ' ἢ ἐπὶ τὸν ταπεινὸν καὶ ἡσύχιον καὶ τρέμοντά μου τοὺς λόγους; Οἶκον ἀληθινὸν ἐγὼ καὶ ναὸν ἅγιον τὸν κατὰ τὰς ἐμὰς ἐντολὰς πολιτευόμενον ἔχω, τὸν δεδιότα καὶ τρέμοντα τὴν τῶν ἐμῶν προσταγμάτων παράβασιν, τὸν πράῳ τρόπῳ καὶ ταπεινῷ φρονήματι χρώμενον. 3Ὁ δὲ ἄνομος ὁ θύων μοι μόσχον ὡς ὁ τύπτων ἄνδρα, θυσιάζων πρόβατον ὡς ὁ ἀποκτείνων κύνα, ὁ δὲ ἀναφέρων σεμίδαλιν ὡς αἷμα ὕειον, ὁ διδοὺς λίβανον εἰς μνημόσυνον ὡς βλάσφημος. Τὴν νομικὴν λατρείαν διὰ τού των ἐξέβαλε διδάσκων ὡς ἐκείνων χάριν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ταῦτα νενομοθέτηκεν, οὐ ταῖς θυσίαις ἀ ρεσκό μενος ἀλλ' ἐκείνων ὡς ἀσθενῶν προμηθούμενος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὰ συγκεχωρημένα τοῖς ἀπηγο ρευμένοις συγ κ ρ ίνει· τὸ μὲν γὰρ θύειν μόσχον καὶ θυσιάζειν πρόβατον καὶ προσφέρειν σεμίδαλιν καὶ λιβανωτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ συνεκεχώρητο πάλαι, τὸ δὲ ἄρχειν χειρῶν ἀδίκων καὶ βλασφημίᾳ τὴν γλῶτταν μολύνειν πα ντελῶς ἀπηγόρευτο, ὕες δὲ καὶ κύνες ἀκάθαρτα ἐνενόμιστο. Καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐξελέξαντο τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ βδελύγματα αὐτῶν ἃ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῶν ἠθέλησεν. Οὐ τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἐπεί σθησαν |184 a| λόγοις ἀλλὰ τοῖς οἰκείοις ἠκολούθησαν λογισμοῖς. 4Καί γε ἐγὼ ἐκλέξομαι τὰ ἐμπαίγματα αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν ἀνταποδώσω αὐτοῖς, ὅτι ἐκάλεσα αὐτοὺς καὶ οὐχ ὑπήκουσάν μου, <ἐλάλησα καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσάν μου,> καὶ ἐποίησαν τὸ πονηρὸν ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ καὶ ἃ οὐκ ἐβουλόμην ἐξελέξαντο. <Ἐπειδή φησιν ἐξελέξαντο> οὐχ ἅπερ ἐβουλόμην ἀλλ' ἅπερ ἠθέλησαν, ἐπάξω κἀγὼ τιμωρίας αὐτοῖς, ἃς αὐτοὶ μὲν οὐ βούλονται ἐγὼ δὲ δικαίως ἐποίσω. Ἐμπαίγματα γὰρ τὰς τιμωρίας ἐκάλεσεν. Ἐκάλεσα γὰρ αὐτοὺς καὶ οὐχ ὑπήκουσάν μου. Οὕτω ταῦ τα κατὰ τῶν ἀντιλεγόντων προαγορεύσας πρὸς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον· 5Ἀκού σατε τὸ ῥῆμα κυρίου οἱ τρέμοντες τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, εἴπατε· Ἀδελφοὶ ἡμῶν, τοῖς μισοῦσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ βδελυσσο μένοις, ἵνα τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου δοξασθῇ καὶ ὀφθῇ ἐν τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ ὑμῶν, κἀκεῖνοι αἰσχυνθήσονται. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς εὐαγγελίοις νομοθετεῖ· «Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν, εὐλογεῖτε τοὺς διώκοντας ὑμᾶς.» ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ μακάριος ἔλεγε Παῦλος· «Ηὐχόμην αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἀνάθεμα εἶναι ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ σάρκα, οἵτινές εἰσιν Ἰσραηλῖται.» ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ μακάριος Στέφανος τοῖς ἀπιστοῦσι διαλεγόμενος ἔλεγεν· «Ἄνδρες ἀδελφοὶ καὶ πατέρες ἀκούσατε.» Τοῦτο καὶ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου παρεγγυᾷ τῶν ὅλων ὁ κύριος τοῖς τρέμουσι τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, ἀδελφοὺς καλεῖν τοὺς μισοῦντας καὶ βδελυσσομένους, ὥστε δοξασθῆναι τοῦ σωτῆρος τὸ ὄνομα. Τοῦτο γάρ φησιν ὑμῖν μὲν εὐ φρο σύνην ἐκείνοις δὲ προξε νήσει αἰσχύνην. Μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς πόλεως τὴν πολιορκίαν προδιαγ ράφει · 6Φωνὴ κραυγῆς ἐκ πόλεως, φωνὴ ἐκ ναοῦ, φωνὴ κυρίου ἀνταποδιδόντος ἀνταπόδοσιν τοῖς ἀντικειμένοις αὐτῷ. Τὴν ἐσομένην κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἁλώσεως ὀλολυγὴν ὁ προφητικὸς δεδήλωκε λόγος καὶ τῆς