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and brought down from the honor they formerly were deemed worthy of by God. But also, 'scatter them,' he says, 'in your power'; or according to Symmachus: 'Uproot them by your power.' This the fact itself presents more clearly than any word, with the nation of the Jews scattered everywhere on earth, 23.545 and being uprooted; so that if the Jews should be proud of this, that they fill all the nations, dwelling both among barbarians and in the midst of the Greeks; yet let them know that these things were prophesied concerning them in the manner of a curse. At any rate, the present prophecy says concerning them: 'Scatter them in your power, and bring them down, O Lord, my protector.' But it also signifies that they have not been completely wiped out from mankind, saying: 'Do not kill them, lest they ever forget your people.' For if they had been wiped out from mankind, and were in no way among the living, they would not have seen, he says, my people, nor would they have known my flourishing Church; but so that they might look upon it and behold my people, do not kill them, but scatter them everywhere on earth, where my Church is also to be established; so that, seeing my people and the Church founded by me throughout the whole world, they might come to a zeal for piety, and by the example of the people converting from the Gentiles they themselves might someday cease from the incurable and untreatable evil of idolatry among them. Therefore, the Savior prayed for these things on their behalf, having beseeched the Father that they not be destroyed, but remain in life and be preserved so as to behold his people and be greatly benefited by it. The sin of their mouth, the word of their lips; and let them be caught in their pride. Again, here too, it presents the cause of what was said before. For it necessarily teaches why he deemed them worthy to suffer these things, saying: 'Because of the sin of their mouth, and because of the word of their lips.' And it is possible to marvel at the precision of the prophecy of the Holy Spirit. For since the Jews themselves, in the time of our Savior, did not inflict death upon him, but this was done by a Roman hand, with Pilate judging, and soldiers taking and leading him away, and the Jews having done none of these things; it rightly does not attribute the deed of the death itself to them, but the cause. For the rulers of the Jews, having formed a council, set every device in motion so that they might destroy him; and the false witnesses and accusers who were currying favor with them stood in the presence of the Savior; and all the people with their own voices and lips demanded his blood upon themselves and upon their own children. Rightly, therefore, the present text does not mention the act of the death, which Pilate decreed and the soldiers under him carried out, but the conspiracy of the high priests, and the testimony of the accusers, and the voice of the multitude shouting against him. Therefore he says: 'The sin of their mouth, the word of their lips'; as if he were saying more clearly: 'Because of the sin of their mouth, and because of the word of their lips.' For because of these things, 'scatter them in your power, and bring them down, O Lord, my protector.' But according to Symmachus, he says, 'By the sin of their mouth and by the word of their lips,' the aforementioned things will be brought upon them. And he adds: 'And let them be caught in their pride'; or, according to Symmachus, 'Let them be caught with their 23.548 pride.' For being proud and arrogant, they did not bear the frankness of our Savior. Therefore, approaching with great pride they said to him: 'Who gave you this authority? And by what authority do you do these things?' For while we are in control of the temple and rulers of the whole nation, who are you and from where do you dare such things? Therefore, on account of these words it is said here: 'And let them be caught'

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καὶ κατενηνεγμένοι ἧς πάλαι ἠξίωντο παρὰ Θεῷ τιμῆς. Ἀλλὰ καὶ διασκόρπισον αὐτοὺς, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Ἀναστάτωσον αὐτοὺς τῇ δυνάμει σου. Ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐναργέστερον παντὸς λόγου παρίστησιν, ἁπανταχοῦ γῆς τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους διεσκορπισμένου, 23.545 καὶ ἀναστάτου τυγχάνοντος· ὥστ' εἰ μέγα φρονοῖεν ἐπὶ τούτῳ Ἰουδαῖοι, ὡς πάντα πληροῦντες τὰ ἔθνη παρά τε βαρβάροις καὶ ἐν μέσοις Ἕλλησιν οἰκοῦντες· ἀλλ' ἴστωσαν, ὅτι ἐν κατάρας λόγῳ ταῦτα περὶ αὐτῶν ἐθεσπίζετο. Ἡ γοῦν παροῦσα προφητεία φησὶν περὶ αὐτῶν· ∆ιασκόρπισον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου, καὶ κατάγαγε αὐτοὺς, ὁ ὑπερασπιστής μου Κύριε. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ μὴ πάμπαν αὐτοὺς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἠφανίσθαι σημαίνει λέγουσα· Μὴ ἀποκτείνῃς αὐτοὺς, μήποτε ἐπιλάθωνται τοῦ λαοῦ σου. Εἰ γὰρ ἦσαν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισθέντες, καὶ μηδαμῶς ἐν ζῶσιν ὄντες, οὐκ ἂν εἶδον, φησὶ, τὸν ἐμὸν λαὸν, οὐδ' ἂν ἔγνωσαν ἀνθοῦσαν τὴν ἐμὴν Ἐκκλησίαν· ἀλλ' ἵνα βλέπωσιν αὐτὴν καὶ τὸν ἐμὸν θεωρῶσι λαὸν, μὴ ἀποκτείνῃς μὲν αὐτοὺς, διασκόρπισον δὲ αὐτοὺς ἁπανταχοῦ γῆς, ἔνθα μέλλει καὶ ἡ ἐμὴ Ἐκκλησία συνίστασθαι· ὅπως, βλέποντες τὸν ἐμὸν λαὸν καὶ τὴν καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης ὑπ' ἐμοῦ θεμελιωθεῖσαν Ἐκκλησίαν, εἰς ζῆλον ἔρχοιντο θεοσεβείας, καὶ τῷ παραδείγματι τοῦ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐπιστρέφοντος λαοῦ καὶ αὐτοὶ παύσοιντό ποτε τοῦ ἀνιάτου παρ' αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀθεραπεύτου κακοῦ τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ταῦτα ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ὁ Σωτὴρ ηὖκται, δεηθεὶς τοῦ Πατρὸς μὴ ἀναιρεθῆναι μὲν αὐτοὺς, μένειν δὲ ἐν τῷ βίῳ καὶ φυλάττεσθαι ἐπὶ τῷ θεωρεῖν τὸν αὐτοῦ λαὸν καὶ μεγάλα ἐξ αὐτοῦ ὠφελεῖσθαι. Ἁμαρτίαν στόματος αὐτῶν, λόγον χειλέων αὐτῶν· καὶ συλληφθήτωσαν ἐν τῇ ὑπερηφανίᾳ αὐτῶν. Πάλιν κἀνταῦθα τὴν αἰτίαν παρίστησι τῶν προλεχθέντων. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ ταῦτα παθεῖν αὐτοὺς ἠξίου, ἀναγκαίως διδάσκει λέγων· ∆ι' ἁμαρτίαν στόματος αὐτῶν, καὶ διὰ τὸν λόγον τῶν χειλέων αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἔστι θαυμάσαι τὸ ἀκριβὲς τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος προῤῥήσεως. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ αὐτοὶ Ἰουδαῖοι, κατὰ τὸν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καιρὸν τὸν θάνατον αὐτῷ εἰργάσαντο, Ῥωμαϊκῇ δὲ χειρὶ τοῦτ' ἐπράττετο, δικάζοντος μὲν Πιλάτου, διαλαβόντων δὲ στρατιωτῶν καὶ ἀπαγαγόντων αὐτὸν, Ἰουδαίων δὲ τούτων μηδ' ὁτιοῦν πεποιηκότων· εἰκότως οὐκ αὐτὸ τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θανάτου τούτοις ἀνατίθησι, ἀλλὰ τὴν αἰτίαν. Οἵ τε γὰρ ἄρχοντες τῶν Ἰουδαίων, συνέδριον ποιησάμενοι, πᾶσαν ἐκίνησαν μηχανὴν, ὅπως αὐτὸν ἀπολέσωσιν· οἵ τε τούτοις χαριζόμενοι ψευδομάρτυρες καὶ συκοφάνται εἰς πρόσωπον ἔστησαν τοῦ Σωτῆρος· ὅ τε πᾶς λαὸς φωναῖς καὶ χείλεσιν οἰκείοις τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ καθ' ἑαυτῶν καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἰδίων παίδων ἐζητήσαντο. Εἰκότως οὖν ὁ παρὼν λόγος οὐ τῆς τοῦ θανάτου πράξεως, ἣν ὥρισε μὲν Πιλάτος, διεπράξαντο δὲ οἱ ὑπ' αὐτῷ στρατιῶται, μνημονεύει, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν ἀρχιερέων συσκευῆς, καὶ τῆς τῶν συκοφαντῶν μαρτυρίας, τῆς τε φωνῆς τοῦ πλήθους ἐπιβοήσαντος κατ' αὐτοῦ. ∆ιό φησιν· Ἁμαρτίαν στόματος αὐτῶν, λόγον χειλέων αὐτῶν· ὡσεὶ ἔλεγε σαφέστερον· ∆ι' ἁμαρτίαν στόματος αὐτῶν, καὶ διὰ λόγον χειλέων αὐτῶν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ ταῦτα διασκόρπισον αὐτοὺς τῇ δυνάμει σου, καὶ κατάγαγε αὐτοὺς, ὁ ὑπερασπιστής μου Κύριε. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Ἁμαρτίᾳ, φησὶ, τοῦ στόματος αὐτῶν, καὶ τῷ λόγῳ τῶν χειλέων αὐτῶν τὰ προλεχθέντα αὐτοῖς ἐπαχθήσεσθαι. Καὶ ἐπιλέγει· Καὶ συλληφθήτωσαν ἐν τῇ ὑπερηφανίᾳ αὐτῶν· ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Συλληφθήτωσαν μετὰ τῆς 23.548 ὑπερηφανίας αὐτῶν. Ὑπερήφανοι γάρ τινες ὄντες καὶ ἀλαζόνες, οὐκ ἔφερον τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τὴν παῤῥησίαν. ∆ιὸ μετὰ πολλῆς ὑπερηφανίας προσελθόντες ἔλεγον αὐτῷ· Τίς σοι ἔδωκε τὴν ἐξουσίαν ταύτην; καὶ ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιεῖς; Ἡμῶν γὰρ κρατούντων τοῦ ἱεροῦ καὶ τοῦ παντὸς ἔθνους ἀρχόντων, σὺ τίς ὢν καὶ πόθεν τὰ τοιαῦτα τολμᾷς; Τούτων οὖν ἕνεκα τῶν λόγων ἐνταῦθα εἴρηται· Καὶ συλληφθήτωσαν