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they were pretending, but in their mind they hid their impiety. And having statues in their houses they secretly offered worship. Therefore God says to Ezekiel: "Son of man, dig. And I dug in the wall and saw. And behold, every likeness of a reptile, and a beast, and all the idols of the house of Israel were drawn upon it all around. And he said to me: Have you seen, Son of man. Is it a small thing to the house of Israel what each of them does in their secret chamber?" therefore he says, I have delivered them into captivity. But when God gave them up, who would have stood over them while they were being plundered, since none of the so-called gods were able to do this? But according to the divine economy, after the calling of the gentiles, he stated the reason for the rejection of Israel, which Moses, making it clear, said: "They have made me jealous with what is no God, and I will make them jealous with what is no nation." And David also says: "They provoked him to anger with their carved images," and the rest. Therefore one must flee the snares of the mind, lest we become prey for demons through the passions stirred within us, according to the verse: "If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, do not leave your place." Then, since he was speaking as if to the deaf, lacking hearers among them, he says: Who among you will give ear to these things? For even if the outcome of these things is not yet present, still it will be accomplished in the times to come; who then will seek the cause of the plundering of the people, so as to say, Who gave Jacob for a spoil? and no one has done this, except he against whom they sinned, and in whose ways they were not willing to walk. For being called into the ways of the gospel, they did not obey; nor were they willing to hear the law of the New Covenant. Therefore war prevailed against them. For of old, when warred against for a time, they recovered themselves again, such that Jerusalem, and the kingdom in it, was established. But now, when both the war from without and the war of souls has prevailed against them, they have not considered the cause of these evils. 2381 But some again took these things to refer to the capture by the Assyrians, who also say that "to hear" means simply to listen. But "to give ear," for those hearing wisely to commit the word to the mind, such hearers as the prophet now seeks, knowing according to Paul that what happened to them was typical, and was written for our admonition, so that they might guard against being caught in the same things. But with emphasis he says, that he gave up Jacob, whom he had saved from Egypt, for whose sake so many miracles were worked against enemies. Who then made him who was accustomed to conquer fall subject to his enemies, and for what cause? But the question "who" contains a clear confession, that God was the one who did it, in return for their having abandoned him. But though they ought not to have sinned, not even when they suffered were they admonished. On account of whom Jeremiah says: "Lord, your eyes look for faithfulness. You have scourged them, and they were not willing to receive instruction." Therefore, when he told those who were left from the capture not to go down into Egypt, their women, being insensible to the wrath, cried out: The Lord has not sent you. And they alleged, Because we have ceased to sacrifice to the queen of heaven, these evils have overtaken us. So insensible were they, when war prevailed over them, and those around were burning them. As this present prophet also says elsewhere: "Your cities are burned with fire." Which things he now says they have suffered, not because God was unable to save them. The preceding miracles make this clear. Nor have they suffered while doing right, but because they transgressed the law given to them. Not understanding this, he says, you have remained held fast by terrible things. CHAP. 43. 43. 9And now thus says the Lord God who made you, O Jacob, and who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name. You are mine. And if you pass through water, I am with you, and rivers shall not overwhelm you. And if you walk through fire, you shall not be burned9, etc. These things are inappropriate for the people of the circumcision just spoken of, whom he called blind, and deaf, and plundered. Therefore the discourse is now about the better order of those of the circumcision who believed. For if even those, he says,

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ἐπλάττοντο, ἐν νῷ δὲ τὴν ἀσέβειαν ἔγκρυπτον. Καὶ ἐν οἴκοις ἔχοντες ἀγάλματα λάθρα τὸ σέβας προσέφερον. ∆ιὸ πρὸς Ἰεζεκιήλ φησιν ὁ Θεός· "Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, ὄρυξον. Καὶ ὤρυξα δὴ ἐν τῷ τοίχῳ καὶ εἶδον. Καὶ ἰδοὺ πᾶσα ὁμοίωσις ἑρπετοῦ, καὶ κτήνους, καὶ πάντα τὰ εἴδωλα οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ διαγεγραμμένα ἐπ' αὐτοῦ κύκλῳ. Καὶ εἶπεν πρός με· Ἑώρακας, Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου. Μὴ μικρὰ τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραὴλ ἃ ποιοῦσιν ἕκαστος ἐν τῷ κοιτῶνι αὐτῶν τῷ κρυπτῷ;" διό φησιν, Αὐτοὺς εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν παρέδωκα. Θεοῦ δὲ προδόντος, τίς ἂν προέστη τὰ διηρπασμένα πραττόμενος, μηδενὸς τοῦτο πράττειν δυναμένου τῶν νομισθέντων θεῶν|; οἰκονομικῶς δὲ μετὰ τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν κλῆσιν, τὴν αἰτίαν ἔφη τῆς ἀποβολῆς Ἰσραὴλ, ἢν δηλῶν ἔλεγε Μωσῆς· "Αὐτοὶ παρεζήλωσάν με ἐπ' οὐ Θεῷ, κἀγὼ παραζηλώσω αὐτοὺς ἐπ' οὐκ ἔθνει." Καὶ ∆αβὶδ δέ φησι· "Παρεπίκραναν αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς γλυπτοῖς αὐτῶν," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ∆ιὸ φευκτέον τὰς κατὰ νοῦν παγίδας, ἵνα μὴ δαίμοσι γενώμεθα προνομὴ, διὰ τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν κινουμένων παθῶν, κατὰ τό· "Ἐὰν πνεῦμα ἐξουσιάζοντος ἀναβῇ ἐπὶ σὲ, τόπον σου μὴ ἀφῇς." Εἶτα, ἐπειδήπερ ὡς κωφοῖς ἐλάλει, ἀπορῶν ἀκροατῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς λέγει· Τίς ἐν ὑμῖν ἐνωτιεῖται ταῦτα; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μήπω πάρεστι τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ ἔκβασις, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς ἐπιοῦσιν ἐπιτελεσθήσεται χρόνοις· τίς οὖν ζητήσει τὸ αἴτιον τῆς διαρπαγῆς τοῦ λαοῦ, ὥστε εἰπεῖν τὸ, Τίς ἔδωκεν εἰς διαρπαγὴν Ἰακώβ; οὐδεὶς δὲ τοῦτο πέπραχεν, ἢ αὐτὸς ᾧ ἡμάρτοσαν, καὶ οὐκ ἐβούλοντο ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ πορεύεσθαι. Καλούμενοι γὰρ εἰς τὰς εὐαγγελικὰς ὁδοὺς, οὐχ ὑπήκουον· οὐδὲ τοῦ τῆς Καινῆς ∆ιαθήκης ἀκούειν ἤθελον νόμου. ∆ιὸ κατίσχυσεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς πόλεμος. Πάλαι μὲν γὰρ πρὸς καιρόν τινα πολεμούμενοι, αὖθις ἀνελάμβανον ἑαυτοὺς, ὡς καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ συνεστάναι βασίλειον. Νῦν δὲ, ὅτε ἔξωθε, καὶ ὁ τῶν ψυχῶν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς κατίσχυκε πόλεμος, καὶ τῶν κακῶν τούτων οὐκ ἐλογίσαντο τὴν αἰτίαν. 2381 Τινὲς δὲ καὶ ταῦτα πάλιν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐπ' Ἀσσυρίων ἁλώσεως ἔλαβον, οἳ καὶ τὸ μὲν ἀκούειν, τὸ ψιλῶς ἀκροᾶσθαί φασι. Τὸ δὲ ἐνωτίσασθαι, τὸ τῇ διανοίᾳ παραπέμψασθαι λόγον ἐμφρόνως ἀκούοντας, ὁποίους νῦν ἀκροατὰς ὁ προφήτης ζητεῖ, κατὰ Παῦλον εἰδότας ὅτι τυπικῶς ἐκείνοις συνέβαινεν, ἐγράφη δὲ πρὸς νουθεσίαν ἡμῶν, ὅπως ἂν τὸ τοῖς ἴσοις ἁλῶναι φυλάξωνται. Ἐν ἐμφάσει δέ φησιν, ὅτι παρέδωκεν Ἰακὼβ, ὃν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου διέσωσεν ὑπὲρ οὗ τοσαῦτα κατ' ἐχθρῶν ἐγένετο θαύματα. Τὸν οὖν εἰωθότα νικᾷν τίς ὑποπεσεῖν ἐποίησε τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, καὶ διὰ ποίαν αἰτίαν; ἡ δὲ τοῦ τίς ἐρώτησις, ὁμολογίαν ἔχει σαφῆ, ὡς Θεὸς ὁ δράσας, ἀνθ' ὧν αὐτὸν ἐγκατέλιπον. Πλὴν δέον αὐτοὺς μὴ ἁμαρτεῖν, οὐδὲ παθόντες ἐνουθετήθησαν. ∆ι' οὓς Ἱερεμίας φησί· "Κύριε, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν. Ἐμαστίγωσας αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησαν δέξασθαι παιδείαν." ∆ιὸ καὶ λέγοντος αὐτοῦ τοῖς ὑπολειφθεῖσιν ἐκ τῆς ἁλώσεως μὴ κατελθεῖν εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον, αἱ τούτων γυναῖκες ἀναισθήτως ἔχουσαι τῆς ὀργῆς, ἐβόων· Οὐκ ἀπέστειλέ σε Κύριος. Προσέφασκον δὲ, Ἐπειδὴ διελίπομεν θύουσαι τῇ βασιλίσσῃ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, κατείληφεν ἡμᾶς τὰ κακά. Οὕτως ἀναισθήτως εἶχον, κατισχύσαντος αὐτῶν τοῦ πολέμου, καὶ τῶν κύκλῳ καταφλεγόντων αὐτούς. Ὡς καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν ὁ παρὼν προφήτης· "Αἱ πόλεις ὑμῶν πυρίκαυστοι." Ἃ δή φησι νῦν αὐτοὺς πεπονθέναι, οὐκ ἀσθενήσαντος σώζειν αὐτοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ τὰ φθάσαντα θαύματα. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ δικαιοπραγοῦντες πεπόνθασιν, ἀλλ' ὅτι τὸν αὐτοῖς δοθέντα νόμον παρέβησαν. Ὃ μὴ νοοῦντες, ἐμείνατε, φησὶ, τοῖς δεινοῖς συνεχόμενοι. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΜΓʹ. αιγʹ. 9Καὶ νῦν οὕτως λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιήσας σε, Ἰακὼβ, καὶ ὁ πλάσας σε, Ἰσραήλ· Μὴ φοβοῦ, ὅτι ἐλυτρωσάμην σε, ἐκάλεσά σε τὸ ὄνομά σου. Ἐμὸς εἶ σύ. Καὶ ἐὰν διαβαίνῃς δι' ὕδατος, μετὰ σοῦ εἰμι, καὶ ποταμοὶ οὐ συγκλείσουσί σε. Καὶ ἐὰν διέλθῃς διὰ πυρὸς, οὐ μὴ κατακαυθῇσ9, κ.τ.λ. Ἀνοίκεια ταῦτα τῶν περὶ τοῦ ἐκ περιτομῆς ἀρτίως εἰρημένων λαοῦ, οὓς ἀπεκάλει τυφλοὺς, καὶ κωφοὺς, καὶ διηρπασμένους. Οὐκοῦν νῦν ὁ λόγος περὶ τοῦ κρείττονος τάγματος τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς πιστευσάντων. Εἰ γὰρ κἀκεῖνοι, φησὶ,