196

they encounter. Therefore, wishing to show the unbearable nature of that punishment, he brought forward these images. He will summon the heaven above, and the earth, to judge his people. Again he mentions the elements, through which countless good things have come to the race of men, not only for the life and constitution of the body, but also the very foundation of the knowledge of God. For their beauties and their magnitudes, and the manner of their positions, and the substances from which these elements are composed, and the things that come from them, both those that happen universally throughout all time, and those that often happen specifically, all these things both nourish and sustain our bodies, and lead us by the hand to the knowledge of the one who made them. For this reason Paul also said: For his invisible attributes, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, both his eternal power and deity. And again: For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know God, that is, through the wisdom which is apparent in the created things, as being a teaching not small, but exceedingly great and most clear. And the things that happen daily through them, even if they seem to happen according to the sequence of nature, nevertheless these too proclaim the Creator. For the Creator is the Master of nature. 3. But do not be surprised if he directs his discourse to the Jews, while speaking about the universal judgment. For thus Paul also says: Wrath and anger, tribulation and distress, for every human soul that does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek. And again: For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law; and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. Gather to him his holy ones, those who make his covenant by sacrifice. Why is it that those whom he is about to accuse, and whom he is about to condemn, he here calls holy ones? To augment the accusation, and to make their honor a greater mark of their punishment. Thus we too, whenever we see some who have transgressed, and we wish to rebuke them more severely, we call them by their dignities, so as to make the accusation heavier, saying: Call the deacon, or the presbyter. Since, therefore, these too were a royal priesthood and a chosen people, and were very proud of this, from this he also weaves the magnitude of their crimes. Those who make his covenant by sacrifice. Since, while daring countless evils, and practicing so many kinds of wickedness, robbing, being greedy, murdering, committing adultery, mingling blood with blood, they thought they were achieving great things, and fulfilling the law and the covenant, if they sacrificed sheep and calves, from this he reproaches them 55.245 and, mocking them, says: Those who make his covenant by sacrifice; that is, those who think it is sufficient for their salvation to slaughter the bodies of irrational animals. And the heavens will declare his righteousness. Again here, wishing to show the brilliance of his righteousness, its radiance, its clarity, its irrefutability, its acknowledged nature, he introduces the inanimate elements, proclaiming it according to the same figure of speech he used before. For God is judge. Appointing what is just for each, he says. For he has not placed here simply the act of judging, but in order to show that he is also just, and provides this to others. For in the case of God, 'Judge' is taken to mean 'just,' just as Paul also has put it, saying: For otherwise how will God judge the world? For this is preeminently judgment, this is preeminently a judge, not simply to cast a vote, but to cast a vote justly. But the Jews will be judged, both those of that time, and those who after these things transgressed under the New [Covenant]; the former having nature and the law as their accuser, the latter, along with these, also the things that came from Christ into

196

ἐντυγχάνουσι. ∆εῖξαι τοίνυν βουλόμενος τὸ ἀφόρητον τῆς κολάσεως ἐκείνης, ταύτας παρήγαγε τὰς εἰκόνας. Προσκαλέσεται τὸν οὐρανὸν ἄνω, καὶ τὴν γῆν, τοῦ διακρῖναι τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. Πάλιν τῶν στοιχείων μέμνηται, δι' ὧν τὰ μυρία γέγονεν ἀγαθὰ τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὐ μόνον πρὸς τὴν τοῦ σώματος ζωὴν καὶ συγκρότησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς θεογνωσίας τὴν ὑπόθεσιν. Τά τε γὰρ κάλλη καὶ τὰ μεγέθη, καὶ οἱ τρόποι τῶν θέσεων, καὶ αἱ οὐσίαι, ἐξ ὧν ταυτὶ συνέστηκε τὰ στοιχεῖα, καὶ τὰ ἐξ αὐτῶν γενόμενα, τά τε καθολικῶς διὰ παντὸς τοῦ χρόνου, τά τε ἰδικῶς πολλάκις συμβαίνοντα, ἅπαντα ταῦτα καὶ τὰ σώματα τρέφει καὶ συγκροτεῖ, καὶ πρὸς τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ ποιήσαντος χειραγωγεῖ. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλος ἔλεγε· Τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασι νοούμενα καθορᾶται, ἥ τε ἀΐδιος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θειότης. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἔγνω ὁ κόσμος διὰ τῆς σοφίας τὸν Θεὸν, τουτέστι, διὰ τῆς σοφίας τῆς ἐν τοῖς κτίσμασι φαινομένης, ὡς οὐ μικρᾶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα μεγίστης καὶ σαφεστάτης οὔσης διδασκαλίας. Καὶ τὰ καθ' ἡμέραν δὲ δι' αὐτῶν γινόμενα, εἰ καὶ κατὰ φύσεως ἀκολουθίαν γίνεσθαι δοκεῖ, ἀλλ' οὖν καὶ αὐτὰ τὸν ∆ημιουργὸν ἀνακηρύττει. Καὶ γὰρ τῆς φύσεως ∆εσπότης ὁ ∆ημιουργός. γʹ. Μὴ θαυμάσῃς δὲ, εἰ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἀποτείνει τὸν λόγον, περὶ τῆς καθόλου κρίσεως διαλεγόμενος. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ Παῦλός φησι· Θυμὸς καὶ ὀργὴ, θλίψις καὶ στενοχωρία ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν ἀνθρώπου τοῦ κατεργαζομένου τὸ κακὸν, Ἰουδαίου τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνος. Καὶ πάλιν· Ὅσοι γὰρ ἀνόμως ἥμαρτον, ἀνόμως καὶ ἀπολοῦνται· καὶ ὅσοι ἐν νόμῳ ἥμαρτον, διὰ νόμου κριθήσονται. Συναγάγετε αὐτῷ τοὺς ὁσίους αὐτοῦ, τοὺς διατιθεμένους τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ θυσίαις. Τί δήποτε, ὧν μέλλει κατηγορεῖν, καὶ οὓς μέλλει καταδικάζειν, ὁσίους ἐνταῦθα καλεῖ; Τὴν κατηγορίαν αὔξων, καὶ γνώρισμα μεῖζον τῇ τιμωρίᾳ τιθεὶς τὴν τιμήν. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπειδὰν ἴδωμέν τινας πεπλημμεληκότας, καὶ βουλώμεθα αὐτῶν σφοδρότερον καθάψασθαι, μετὰ τῶν ἀξιωμάτων αὐτοὺς καλοῦμεν, ὥστε βαρυτέραν ἐργάσασθαι τὴν κατηγορίαν, λέγοντες· Κάλεσον τὸν διάκονον, ἢ τὸν πρεσβύτερον. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ οὗτοι βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα καὶ λαὸς περιούσιος ἐχρημάτιζον, καὶ μέγα ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἐφρόνουν· καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ὑφαίνει τῶν ἐγκλημάτων τὸ μέγεθος. Τοὺς διατιθεμένους τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ θυσίαις. Ἐπειδὴ μυρία τολμῶντες κακὰ, καὶ τοσαῦτα κακίας μεταχειρίζοντες εἴδη, ἁρπάζοντες, πλεονεκτοῦντες, φονεύοντες, μοιχεύοντες, αἵματα ἐφ' αἵμασι ἀναμιγνύντες, ἐνόμιζον μεγάλα κατορθοῦν, καὶ τὸν νόμον πληροῦν καὶ τὴν διαθήκην, εἰ πρόβατα θύσαιεν καὶ μόσχους, ὀνειδίζων 55.245 αὐτοῖς ἐντεῦθεν, καὶ κωμῳδῶν αὐτούς φησι· Τοὺς διατιθεμένους τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ θυσίαις· τουτέστι, τοὺς νομίζοντας αὐτοῖς ἀρκεῖν εἰς σωτηρίαν τὸ καταθύειν ἀλόγων σώματα. Καὶ ἀναγγελοῦσιν οἱ οὐρανοὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα τὸ διαλάμπον αὐτοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης, τὸ φαιδρὸν, τὸ σαφὲς, τὸ ἀναντίῤῥητον, τὸ ὡμολογημένον δεῖξαι βουλόμενος, εἰσάγει τὰ ἀναίσθητα στοιχεῖα, ἀνακηρύττοντα αὐτὴν κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ σχῆμα, ὅπερ ἔμπροσθεν ἔλεγεν· Ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς κριτής ἐστι. Τὰ δίκαια ὁρίζων ἑκάστῳ, φησίν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἁπλῶς τὸ κρίνειν ἐνταῦθα τέθεικεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα δηλώσῃ, ὅτι καὶ δίκαιός ἐστι, καὶ ἑτέροις τοῦτο παρέχει. Ἐπὶ γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ, Κριτὴς, ἀντὶ τοῦ, δίκαιος, εἴληπται, καθὰ καὶ Παῦλος αὐτὸ τέθεικε λέγων· Ἐπεὶ πῶς κρινεῖ ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον; Τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστα κρίσις, τοῦτο μάλιστα κριτὴς, οὐ τὸ ψηφίσασθαι ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ τὸ δικαίως ψηφίσασθαι. Κριθήσονται δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ οἱ τότε, καὶ οἱ μετὰ ταῦτα παρανομήσαντες ἐπὶ τῆς Καινῆς· ἐκεῖνοι μὲν τὴν φύσιν καὶ τὸν νόμον κατήγορον ἔχοντες, οὗτοι δὲ μετὰ τούτων καὶ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ γεγενημένα εἰς