192

ought to drink, if he is in need of these things, so that he might slander those who offer something material to God, of which He is not by nature in need? For not even God by nature primarily commanded the sacrifices. But now the prophet persisted in these words reprovingly, so that understanding, they might turn to piety. And the phrase "as the form of a man" shows that they worship their own form, so dissonant, as is the imitation of archetypes. And they shame their own nature by preferring the image in stones and wood to the true form, and by offering glory to it. And the phrase "he sets it in a house" means that he took the material for the temple from a forest. Knowing this, he would not be able to say, according to the nonsense of the Greeks, that the statues fell from heaven. Their heart, then, is ash, and no one could rescue the souls of those who have fallen into this, unless God alone, should he wish, who transforms all things as he wills, and enlightens what is darkened. "See," that is, understand, and you will not say that "a lie is in my right hand," thus customarily calling the only-begotten Son, who, whether he be called God, or Lord, or light, or power, or king, or Creator, or life, is properly called all these things in truth, while idols or demons are falsely called these things. For he himself is God by nature from God. And he rightly added the "Remember" to Israel, as to one who is forgetful. For having been formed as a servant, he ought not to disdain his worth by clinging to deaf idols. "For he who knew the will of his Lord, and did not do it, shall be beaten with many stripes." Therefore, remember what you have sinned, even if I grant you amnesty for these things. And he is said to have been formed into a servant through the law. For just as Adam was from the earth, and every infant is formed in the womb; so those in Christ through participation in the Holy Spirit are formed into his likeness, according to the verse: "My little children, of whom I am in labor again until Christ is formed in you." And again: "Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." And again: "But we, with unveiled face, are being transformed into the same image by the 2409 renewing of your mind, from glory to glory, as from the Lord, the Spirit." But we are thus. But for those under the law, having received a spirit of bondage, it is fitting to be formed into a servant and a slave. For the law punished transgressors as servants. But the formation in Christ makes sons and conformable. To Israel, therefore, he says, "Do not forget me," turning to impiety. To whom he says elsewhere: "You who forget me, and prepare a table for the demon, and fill a drink-offering for Fortune." Thus, then, forgetfulness of God means to depart from him. And urging them to hasten to repentance, he promises forgiveness of sins to them when they return, saying, "I have blotted out," instead of "I will blot out," as having dispersed a cloud or darkness. For the phrase "I will redeem you" indicates the future tense. For how did he blot out, who is calling to repentance, Israel, as one who had turned away? For through Christ the forgiveness of sins was about to be given to all, when the Lamb, who takes away the sin of the world, had dwelt among us. Foreseeing this, and that many of them would believe, persuaded by the prophetic word, the prophet calls on the heavens to rejoice, that is, the heavenly powers, as joy would be in heaven over those about to repent. Whence, when Christ was born, they cried out: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace." And he wants the divine powers, if there are any, that also support the earth itself, to sound the trumpet, or rather, to shout for joy, according to others, sending up a hymn to God. And it is likely that he calls all the God-loving prophets and righteous men foundations, according to the Apostle who says: "Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets." For to the calling of Christ they called all with a loud voice, according to the verse: "Their sound has gone out into all the earth." For Christ is the foundation of all things, upholding and sustaining what is established. For upon him we are all built as a house

192

ὀφείλει πιεῖν, εἰ τούτων ἐστὶν ἐνδεὴς, ἵνα διαβάλλει καθόλου τοὺς Θεῷ τι προσφέροντας ὑλικὸν, οὗ μὴ πέφυκεν ἐνδεής; οὐ δὲ γὰρ ὁ φύσει Θεὸς προηγουμένως τὰς θυσίας ἐπέταξεν. Ἐντρεπτικῶς δὲ νῦν ὁ προφήτης τοῖς περὶ τούτων ἐνέμεινε λόγοις, ὡς ἂν φρονήσαντες ἐπιστραφεῖεν πρὸς θεοσέβειαν. Τὸ δὲ ὡς μορφὴν ἀνδρὸς, παρίστησιν ὡς τὴν ἰδίαν προσκυνοῦσι μορφὴν τοσοῦτον ἀπᾴδουσαν, ὅσων ἀρχετύπων ἡ μίμησις. Καὶ τὴν ἑαυτῶν αἰσχύνουσι φύσιν τὴν ἐν λίθοις καὶ ξύλοις εἰκόνα τῆς ἀληθοῦς προτιμῶντες μορφῆς, καὶ δόξαν ἐκείνῃ προσάγοντες. Τὸ δὲ ἵστησιν ἐν οἴκῳ, δηλοῖ ὅτι ναῷ ἐκ δρυμοῦ τὴν ὕλην λαβών. Ὅπερ εἰδὼς οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι λέγειν, κατὰ τοὺς Ἑλλήνων λήρους, διοπετῆ τὰ ἀγάλματα. Σποδὸς οὖν ἄρα ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἂν ἐξέλοιτο τὰς τῶν εἰς τοῦτο πεσόντων ψυχὰς, πλὴν ὃ ἤτι μόνος εἴπερ ἐθέλοι Θεὸς ὁ μετασκευάζων, ὡς βούλεται, πάντα, καὶ φωτίζων ἐσκοτισμένα. Ἴδετε, τοῦτ' ἔστι κατανοήσατε, καὶ οὐκ ἐρεῖτε ὅτι ψεῦδος ἐν τῇ δεξιῇ μου, συνήθως οὕτω τὸν μονογενῆ καλέσας Υἱὸν, ὃς εἴτε Θεὸς, εἴτε Κύριος, εἴτε φῶς, ἢ δύναμις, ἢ βασιλεὺς, ἢ ∆ημιουργὸς, ἢ ζωὴ λέγοιτο, πάντα κυρίως ἐστὶν ἐξ ἀληθείας λεγόμενος, τῶν εἰδώλων ἢ δαιμόνων ψευδῶς ταῦτα λεγομένων. Φύσει γὰρ Θεὸς αὐτὸς ἐκ Θεοῦ. Ὡς ἐπιλήσμονι δὲ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ τὸ μνήσθητι καλῶς ἐπενήνοχεν. Πλασθεὶς γὰρ εἰς παῖδα, οὐκ ὀφείλει τῆς ἀξίας ὑπεριδεῖν, κωφοῖς εἰδώλοις προσκείμενος. "Ὁ γὰρ εἰδὼς τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ ποιήσας, δαρήσεται πολλάς." Λοιπὸν, ὧν ἥμαρτες μέμνησο, κἂν ἐγώ σοι τούτων ἀμνηστείαν χαρίζωμαι. Πεπλάσθαι δὲ λέγεται διὰ τοῦ νόμου πρὸς παῖδα. Ὡς γὰρ Ἀδὰμ ἐκ γῆς, καὶ πᾶν ἐν γαστρὶ πλάττεται βρέφος· οὕτως οἱ ἐν Χριστῷ διὰ μετοχῆς τοῦ ἁγίου πλάττονται Πνεύματος εἰς εἶδος τὸ πρὸς αὐτὸν, κατὰ τό· "Τεκνία, οὓς πάλιν ὠδίνω μέχρι μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν." Καὶ πάλιν· "Μὴ συσχηματίζεσθε τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλ' ἀναμορφοῦσθε τῇ ἀνακαινώσει τοῦ νοὸς ὑμῶν, εἰς τὸ δοκιμάζειν τί τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἀγαθὸν, καὶ εὐάρεστον, καὶ τέλειον." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα μεταμορφοῦσθε τῇ 2409 ἀνακαινώσει τοῦ νοὸς ὑμῶν, ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν, καθάπερ ἀπὸ Κυρίου Πνεύματος." Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς μὲν οὕτω. Τοῖς ἐν νόμῳ δὲ πρέπει δουλείας πνεῦμα λαβοῦσι τὸ εἰς οἰκέτην καὶ παῖδα πεπλάσθαι. Παραβαίνοντας γὰρ ὁ νόμος, ὡς οἰκέτας ἐκόλαζεν. Ἡ ἐν Χριστῷ δὲ πλάσις υἱούς τε καὶ συμμόρφους ἐργάζεται. Τῷ δὴ οὖν Ἰσραὴλ, Μὴ ἐπιλανθάνου μου, φησὶ, τρεπόμενος εἰς ἀσέβειαν. Πρὸς ὃν ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· "Ὑμεῖς οἱ ἐπιλανθανόμενοί μου, καὶ ἑτοιμάζοντες τῷ δαιμονίῳ τράπεζαν, καὶ πληροῦντες τῇ τύχῃ κέρασμα." Οὕτως ἄρα λήθη Θεοῦ, τὸ ἀποφοιτῆσαι τούτου δηλοῖ. Προτρέπων δὲ σπεύδειν ἐπὶ μετάνοιαν, ἐπιστρέφουσιν αὐτοῖς ἀμαρτημάτων ἄφεσιν ἐπαγγέλλεται, Ἀπήλειψα, λέγων, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀπαλείψω, καθάπερ τι νέφος διαλύσας ἢ γνόφον. Τὸ γὰρ μέλλον τοῦ χρόνου, τὸ λυτρώσομαί σε παρίστησιν. Πῶς γὰρ ἀπήλειψεν ὁ καλῶν εἰς ἐπιστροφὴν, ὡς ἀπεστραμμένον, τὸν Ἰσραήλ; διὰ Χριστοῦ γὰρ ἤμελλε πᾶσιν ἡ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἄφεσις δίδοσθαι συναναστραφέντος ἡμῖν τοῦ Ἀμνοῦ, ὃς αἴρει τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου. Ὃ δὴ προϊδὼν ὁ προφήτης, καὶ ὡς πολλοὶ τούτων πιστεύσουσιν τῷ προφητικῷ πειθόμενοι λόγῳ, χαίρειν τοὺς οὐρανοὺς προσφωνεῖ, τὰς οὐρανίους δηλονότι δυνάμεις, ὡς ἂν χαρᾶς ἐν οὐρανοῖς γενησομένης ἐπὶ τοῖς μετανοεῖν μέλλουσιν. Ὅθεν Χριστοῦ γεννηθέντος ἀνέκραζον· "∆όξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη." Σαλπίζειν δὲ βούλεται, καὶ εἴ τινές εἰσι, καὶ τὴν γῆν αὐτὴν ὑποστηρίζουσαι θεῖαι δυνάμεις, ἤγουν ἀλαλάξαι, κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς, ὕμνον ἀναπεμπούσας Θεῷ. Εἰκὸς δὲ θεμέλια χρηματίζειν τοὺς θεοφιλεῖς πάντας προφήτας τε καὶ δικαίους, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον λέγοντα· "Ἐποικοδομηθέντες ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν." Ἐπὶ τὴν Χριστοῦ γὰρ κλῆσιν μεγαλοφώνως πάντας ἐκάλεσαν, κατὰ τό· "Εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν." Ἁπάντων μὲν γὰρ θεμέλιος ὁ Χριστὸς ἀνέχων τε καὶ διακρατῶν τὰ ἐρηρεισμένα. Ἐπ' αὐτῷ γὰρ πάντες ἐποικοδομούμεθα οἶκος