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Incline to visit all the nations; but those who work iniquity, from wherever they may be, do not pity. He mentions those who work iniquity also above, saying: Deliver me from those who work iniquity, and from men of blood save me. Thus he called those who godlessly laid hands upon our Savior. He alluded to the same ones also in the 54th psalm, saying: Because I saw iniquity and strife in the city. Day and night it will encircle it; and again: They have profaned his covenant, they were divided by the wrath of his face; and again: Men of blood and deceit shall not live out half their days; but I will hope in you. They will return at evening, and will hunger like a dog, and will go around the city. Very consistently, having supplicated for a visitation of the nations and vengeance on those who work iniquity, he next prophesies, saying: They will return at evening. And who are these but those who work iniquity and the men of blood? And why at evening? Because these things were about to happen at the end of the age. Instead of, 'And they will hunger like a dog,' Aquila translated, 'And let them make a noise like a dog'; and Symmachus, 'And they will sound together like dogs'; and Theodotion, 'And they will make a sound like a dog'; and the fifth edition similarly, 'And they will make a sound like dogs.' Plainly through these words he called 'dogs' those who, late in the times of our Savior's arrival, similarly to Saul then who persecuted the blameless one, were themselves also about to make war on the Christ of God. Since also through the prophet Isaiah the same Holy Spirit teaches concerning the same people, saying: All are dumb dogs, not knowing how to bark; and in the 21st psalm, which describes the sufferings of our Savior, it has been said from the person of the Savior himself: Many dogs have encircled me, a synagogue of evildoers has surrounded me. Therefore, those who work iniquity and the men of blood, even if for now they seem to be very powerful and to hold the kingdom just as Saul did for a time at present, yet all who have done things kindred to this will return late at some point, and at evening they will make a noise and sound together, uttering nothing articulate, nor from a rational 23.541 mind offering words worthy of memory, but similarly to dogs letting out barks, and insolent and shameless cries. Wherefore they will also hunger, having been deprived of the bread of life; since they did not receive the saving and heavenly food, him who said: I am the bread that came down from heaven and gives life to men. Whence also another prophet, alluding to this famine, cried out saying: Behold, those who serve me will eat, but you will be hungry; behold, those who serve me will drink, but you will be thirsty. But having been deprived of the eternal food and having refused the bread of life, they will no longer be as sheep of the good shepherd; but they will be compared to dogs. Then also they will be driven out of their own city, which they inhabited badly; and they will be shut out of it, so as no longer to dare to set foot in it; since those who inhabited it filled it with blood. Wherefore in what was previously shown it was said: Because I saw iniquity and strife in the city. But there what was dared by Israel in Jerusalem itself against the Savior was being declared; but here Scripture records with the foreknowledge of the Holy Spirit what happened to them after these things; wherefore it is also called an inscription on a pillar. The outcome of events presents the result of the word. So then, after their plot against our Savior, the Romans, having come, brought fulfillment to the prophetic words. For by the laws of the rulers from that time on the entire nation of the Jews has been forbidden to set foot in those places, with inexorable punishment hanging over the transgressors of the law. Wherefore, still even today, passing by the borders and round about, they stand from afar; not even within sight

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Πρόσχες τοῦ ἐπισκέψασθαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη· τοὺς δὲ ἐργαζομένους τὴν ἀνομίαν, ὅθεν δήποτε εἶεν, μὴ οἰκτειρήσῃς. Μέμνηται δὲ τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν καὶ ἀνωτέρω λέγων· Ῥῦσαί με ἐκ τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν, καὶ ἐξ ἀνδρῶν αἱμάτων σῶσόν με. Οὕτω δὲ ἐκάλει τοὺς κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀθέους ἐπενέγκαντας χεῖρας. Τοὺς αὐτοὺς δὲ ᾐνίττετο καὶ ἐν νδʹ ψαλμῷ λέγων· Ὅτι εἶδον ἀνομίαν καὶ ἀντιλογίαν ἐν τῇ πόλει. Ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς κυκλώσει αὐτήν· καὶ πάλιν· Ἐβεβήλωσαν τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ, διεμερίσθησαν ἀπ' ὀργῆς τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ· καὶ αὖθις· Ἄνδρες αἱμάτων καὶ δολιότητος οὐ μὴ ἡμισεύσωσι τὰς ἡμέρας αὐτῶν· ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ σὲ ἐλπιῶ. Ἐπιστρέψουσιν εἰς ἑσπέραν, καὶ λιμώξουσιν ὡς κύων, καὶ κυκλώσουσι πόλιν. Σφόδρα ἀκολούθως ἐπισκοπὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν ἱκετεύσας γενέσθαι, τῶν τε ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐκδίκησιν, ἑξῆς θεσπίζει φάσκων· Ἐπιστρέψουσιν εἰς ἑσπέραν. Τίνες δὲ οὗτοι ἀλλ' οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες τῶν αἱμάτων; ∆ιὰ τί δὲ εἰς ἑσπέραν; ἐπειδὴ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἤμελλε ταῦτα γίγνεσθαι. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Καὶ λιμώξουσιν ὡς κύων, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας, Καὶ ὀχλασάτωσαν ὡς κύων, ἡρμήνευσεν· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Καὶ συνηχήσουσιν ὡς κύνες· ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων, Καὶ ἠχήσουσιν ὡς κύων· καὶ ἡ πέμπτη ἔκδοσις ὁμοίως, Καὶ ἠχήσουσιν ὡς κύνες. Ἄντικρυς δὲ διὰ τούτων τοὺς ὀψέ ποτε κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀφίξεως ὁμοίως τῷ τότε Σαοὺλ, τὸν ἀναίτιον διώξαντι, μέλλοντας καὶ αὐτοὺς τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ πολεμεῖν, κύνας ὠνόμασεν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἠσαΐου τὸ αὐτὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν διδάσκει λέγον· Πάντες κύνες ἐνεοὶ οὐκ εἰδότες ὑλακτεῖν· καὶ ἐν καʹ ψαλμῷ, τὰ πάθη τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν διαγράφοντι, ἐξ αὐτοῦ προσώπου λέλεκται τοῦ Σωτῆρος· Περιεκύκλωσάν με κύνες πολλοὶ, συναγωγὴ πονηρευομένων περιέσχον με. Οἱ οὖν ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες τῶν αἱμάτων, εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα νῦν πολλὰ δύνασθαι δοκοῦσι, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας κρατεῖν ὥσπερ Σαοὺλ τέως ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος, ἀλλὰ πάντες γε οἱ τὰ ἀδελφὰ τούτῳ πράξαντες ἐπιστρέψουσιν ὀψέ ποτε, καὶ εἰς ἑσπέραν ὀχλάσουσί τε καὶ συνηχήσουσιν, οὐδὲν μὲν ἔναρθρον φθεγγόμενοι, οὐδὲ ἐκ λογικῆς δια 23.541 νοίας λόγους ἀξίους μνήμης προσφέροντες, κυσὶ δὲ παραπλησίως ὑλαγμοὺς ἀφιέντες, φωνάς τε ὑβριστικὰς καὶ ἀναιδεῖς. ∆ιὸ καὶ λιμώξουσιν τοῦ τῆς ζωῆς ἄρτου στερηθέντες· ἐπεὶ μὴ παρεδέξαντο τὴν σωτήριον καὶ οὐράνιον τροφὴν, αὐτὸν τὸν εἰρηκότα· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβὰς, καὶ διδοὺς ζωὴν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Ὅθεν καὶ ἕτερος προφήτης τὸν λιμὸν τοῦτον αἰνιττόμενος ἐβόα λέγων· Ἰδοὺ οἱ δουλεύοντές μοι φάγονται, ὑμεῖς δὲ πεινάσετε· ἰδοὺ οἱ δουλεύοντές μοι πίονται, ὑμεῖς δὲ διψήσετε. Στερηθέντες δὲ τῆς αἰωνίου τροφῆς καὶ τὸν ἄρτον τῆς ζωῆς παραιτησάμενοι, οὐκέθ' ὡς πρόβατα γενήσονται τοῦ καλοῦ ποιμένος· παραβληθήσονται δὲ κυσίν. Εἶτα δὲ καὶ τῆς ἑαυτῶν πόλεως, ἣν κακῶς ᾤκησαν, ἀπελασθήσονται· ἀποκλεισθήσονταί τε αὐτῆς, ὡς μηκέτ' αὐτῆς ἐπιβαίνειν τολμᾷν· ἐπειδήπερ οἱ οἰκοῦντες αὐτὴν αἱμάτων αὐτὴν ἐπλήρουν. ∆ιὸ ἐν τῷ προδηλωθέντι ἐλέγετο· Ὅτι εἶδον ἀνομίαν καὶ ἀντιλογίαν ἐν τῇ πόλει. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν τὰ τολμηθέντα τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐδηλοῦτο· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὸ συμβεβηκὸς αὐτοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα τῇ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος προγνώσει ἡ Γραφὴ στηλιτεύει· διὸ καὶ στηλογραφία κέκληται. Τοῦ δὲ λόγου τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα παρίστησιν ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔκβασις. Μετὰ γοῦν τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιβουλὴν αὐτῶν, ἐπιστάντες Ῥωμαῖοι τέλος ἐπῆγον τοῖς προφητικοῖς λόγοις. Νόμοις γοῦν τῶν κρατούντων ἐξ ἐκείνου τὸ πᾶν Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος ἀπηγόρευται τοῖς τόποις ἐπιβαίνειν, ἀπαραιτήτου τιμωρίας ἐπαιωρουμένης τοῖς τοῦ νόμου παραβάταις. ∆ιὸ εἰσέτι καὶ σήμερον ἀμφὶ μὲν τοὺς ὅρους καὶ κύκλῳ παριόντες πόῤῥωθεν ἵστανται· μηδ' ἐξ ἀπόπτου