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idols. But Symmachus says, Their idols came to be given over to animals, clearly as having been cast away, and utterly thrown down. Some say that God reminds them that His own things remain perpetually fulfilled; but all the things of the idols are false, and fall away into nothingness. For God is the same, admitting no change in mind and nature. And what He foretold to Abraham, He fulfilled. And now He is true in saying, that To me every knee shall bow, and a common gift will be given to all. But the weakness of the idols is refuted; and when you are given over to captivity, the loads of elephants, and the things carried away by beasts of burden will become a load. And the men carrying them on their shoulders will grow weary. But who grows weak carrying God? Therefore these are not gods. For how 2440 could they be led captive by enemies? How could they, having suffered these things, overlook their own worshippers? Others say that in the processions of the demons, priests carrying out the statues, bearing them on their shoulders, went through the public squares bearing their burdens. But through these things He reminds Israel also of the enemies who will lead them away, as having worshipped idols, and He intimates in thought that the burden of the demons is heavy and hard for souls to bear, when they enslave them with impiety, leading them away like captives bound in chains of sins, making this the end of the war waged by them. Then He calls them not Jacob, but only the house of Jacob, because of their kinship according to the flesh, and the remnant of Israel, as a kind of vintage and remainder of Israel. Some say that since most were led into captivity, He calls them as one house and a remnant of barbaric cruelty. For He says they will suffer this if they do not repent. Others say that He brings them to an awareness of the things that have been said. For boasting to be the race of Jacob, they are worthy to emulate his manner of life. For even if you happen to be a remnant of Israel, two tribes left behind (for the ten were led away into captivity), yet I will not overlook you if you repent. Then He reproached them for practicing unprofitable things, the law from their tenderest years. For receiving the eight-day circumcision, they are brought up in the other legal precepts, so that it was said for this reason: "And the peoples have imagined vain things." For being idolaters, they needed prophetic words for refutation. You then are the same in error; but I am the same in love for humanity, always seeking your salvation, and having disciplined you by captivity, I will again release you from the bond. For like a good physician, He tries to snatch them from the hands of the devil, now with threats, and now again with promises of good things. e-ia-. 9To whom have you likened me? See, devise, you who wander, and who contribute gold from a pouch, and they will set silver on a balance with a weight; and having hired a goldsmith, they made handmade things, and bowing down they worship them. They lift it upon their shoulder, and go9. etc. I, He says, am such a one concerning you. But you, consider to what an absurdity of impiety you fall, subjecting the incorporeal to images of mortals; contributing gold and silver, thinking to honor the divine nature with material and form. To this what contrived defense will you find? Therefore, come to your senses at last to the conception of my divinity, that I am eternal and alone. And a proof of this is the foretelling through my prophets of things to be fulfilled long after, 2441 some of which I have already done, and others I will do, by calling like birds my servants the angels, and the ministering spirits sent forth to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation. But the others have rendered it, calling a bird from the east, from a land far off a man of my counsel. It signifies Christ, whom He says was called back from a land far off, clearly from the recesses of Hades, through whom He says He will fulfill the promises. But others said the bird was the Babylonian, about whom Ezekiel says: "The great eagle, with great wings," and the rest. Which he explains, saying: "Do you not know what these things are? When the king comes

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εἴδωλα. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Ἐγένετο, φησὶ, τὰ εἴδωλα αὐτῶν ζώοις ἔκδοτα, ὡς ἀποῤῥιφέντα δηλονότι, καὶ λίαν κρημωμένα. Ὑπομιμνήσκει δὲ, φασί τινες, αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, ὡς τὰ μὲν αὐτοῦ μένει διηνεκῶς τελούμενα· τὰ δὲ τῶν εἰδώλων πάντα ψευδῆ, καὶ πρὸς τὸ μηδὲν διαπίπτοντα. Θεὸς γὰρ ὁ αὐτός ἐστι, γνώμῃ καὶ φύσει μεταβολὴν οὐ δεχόμενος. Καὶ ἃ προεῖπεν Ἀβραὰμ, ἐξετέλεσεν. Καὶ νῦν ἀληθὴς εἰπὼν, ὅτι Ἐμοὶ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψει, καὶ κοινὴ πᾶσι δοθήσεται δωρεά. Ἡ δὲ τῶν εἰδώλων ἀσθένεια διελέγχεται· καὶ παραδοθέντων ὑμῶν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ, ἐλεφάντων φορτία, καὶ τῶν ὑποζυγίων ἀπαγόμενα φορτίον γενήσεται. Καὶ ἄνδρες δὲ φέροντες ἐπ' ὤμων αὐτὰ κοπωθήσονται. Τί δὲ φέρων Θεὸν ἀσθενεῖ; Οὐκ ἄρα ταῦτα θεοί. Πῶς γὰρ 2440 ἂν καὶ ἤγετο πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων αἰχμάλωτα; πῶς δ' ἂν ταῦτα παθόντας τοὺς ἰδίους παρεῖδον προσκυνητάς; Ἄλλοι δέ φασιν ὡς ἐν ταῖς τῶν δαιμονίων πομπαῖς ἐκκομίζοντες ἱερεῖς τὰ ἀγάλματα φέροντες ἐπ' ὤμων, τὰς πλατείας ἀχθοφοροῦντες διήρχοντο. Τὸν Ἰσραὴλ δὲ διὰ τούτων ὑπομιμνήσκει καὶ τῶν ἀπαξόντων αὐτοὺς πολεμίων, ὡς τὰ εἴδωλα προσκυνήσαντας, καὶ κατὰ διάνοιαν αἰνιττόμενος, ὡς βαρὺ καὶ δυσβάστακτον ψυχαῖς τὸ τῶν δαιμόνων φορτίον, ἐπειδὰν αὐτὰς ἀσεβείᾳ καταδουλώσωνται, δίκην αἰχμαλώτων σειραῖς αὐτὰς ἁμαρτημάτων δεδεμένας ἀπάγοντες, τοῦ παρ' αὐτῶν πολέμου πέρας τοῦτο ποιούμενοι. Εἶτα καλεῖ αὐτοὺς οὐ Ἰακὼβ, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ μόνον οἶκον Ἰακὼβ, διὰ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα συγγένειαν, καὶ κατάλοιπον Ἰσραὴλ, ὡς τρύγα τινὰ καὶ περίττευμα Ἰσραήλ. Τινὲς δέ φασιν ὡς τῶν πλείστων εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν ἀχθέντων, ὥσπερ οἶκον ἕνα καλεῖ καὶ βαρβαρικῆς ὠμότητος λείψανον. Τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοὺς πείσεσθαι μὴ μετανοοῦντάς φησιν. Ἄλλοι δέ φασιν ὡς πρὸς τὴν τῶν εἰρημένων αὐτοὺς ἄγει συναίσθησιν. Ἰακὼβ γὰρ αὐχοῦντες εἶναι γένος τὸν ἐκείνου τρόπον ζηλοῦν εἰσιν ἄξιοι. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ λεῖμμα τυγχάνετε τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ δύο περιλειφθεῖσαι φυλαὶ (αἱ γὰρ δέκα πρὸς αἰχμαλωσίαν ἀπήχθησαν), μετανοοῦντας ὅμως οὐ περιόψομαι. Λοιπὸν αὐτοῖς ὡς ἀνόνητα μελετῶσι, τὸν νόμον ἐξ ἁπαλῶν ὀνύχων ὠνείδισεν. ∆εχόμενοι γὰρ περιτομὴν ὀκταήμερον, τοῖς ἄλλοις νομίμοις ἐντρέφονται, ὡς εἰρῆσθαι διὰ τοῦτο· "Καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά." Εἰδωλολατροῦντες γὰρ, προφητικῶν εἰς ἔλεγχον ἐδέοντο λόγων. Ὑμεῖς μὲν οὖν οἱ αὐτοὶ τὴν πλάνην· ἐγὼ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀεὶ σωτηρίαν ζητῶν, καὶ παιδεύσας ὑμᾶς αἰχμαλωσίᾳ, πάλιν ἀνήσω δεσμοῦ. Ὡς γὰρ ἰατρὸς ἀγαθὸς νῦν μὲν ἀπειλαῖς αὐτοὺς, νῦν δὲ πάλιν ἀγαθῶν ὑποσχέσεσιν ἁρπάσαι πειρᾶται τοῦ διαβόλου χειρῶν. εʹιαʹ. 9Τίνι με ὡμοιώσατε; ἴδετε, τεχνάσασθε, οἱ πλανώμενοι, καὶ οἱ συμβαλλόμενοι χρυσίον ἐκ μαρσιππίου, καὶ ἀργύριον ἐν ζυγῷ στήσουσιν ἐν σταθμῷ· καὶ μισθωσάμενοι χρυσίον, ἐποίησαν χειροποίητα, καὶ κύψαντες προσκυνοῦσιν αὐτοῖς. Αἴρουσιν αὐτὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὤμου, καὶ πορεύονται9. κ.τ.λ. Ἐγὼ μὲν περὶ ὑμᾶς, φησὶ, τοιοῦτό εἰμι. Ὑμεῖς δὲ λογίσασθε πρὸς ὅσην ἀσεβείας ἀτοπίαν ἐκπίπτετε, τὸν ἀσώματον εἰκόσι θνητῶν ὑποβάλλοντες· χρυσίον καὶ ἀργύριον συνεισφέροντες, ὕλῃ, καὶ πλάσει τιμᾷν τὴν θείαν φύσιν ἡγούμενοι. Πρὸς τοῦτο ποίαν ἀπολογίαν τετεχνασμένην εὑρήσετε; Τῆς οὖν ἐμῆς ποτε θεότητος πρὸς ἔννοιαν ἀνανήψατε, ὡς ἀΐδιος καὶ μόνος ἐγώ. Καὶ τούτου τεκμήριον τὸ διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν προφητῶν προαγορεύειν τὰ μέλλοντα χρόνοις ὕστε 2441 ρον ἐπιτελεῖσθαι μακροῖς, ὧν τὰ μὲν ἤδη πεποίηκα, τὰ δὲ καὶ ποιήσω, διὰ τοῦ καλεῖν πετεινῶν δίκην τοὺς ἐμοὺς ὑπηρέτας ἀγγέλους, τά τε λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα τὰ πρὸς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν. Οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ἐξέδωκαν, καλῶν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ὄρνιν, ἀπὸ γῆς πόῤῥωθεν ἄνδρα βουλῆς μου. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν ὃν ἀνακεκλῆσθαί φησιν ἐκ γῆς πόῤῥωθεν, τῶν τοῦ ᾅδου δηλονότι μυχῶν, δι' οὗ πληρώσειν τὰς ἐπαγγελίας φησίν. Ἄλλοι δὲ πετεινὸν ἔφασαν τὸν Βαβυλώνιον, περὶ οὗ φησιν Ἐζεκιήλ· "Ὁ ἀετὸς ὁ μέγας, ὁ μεγαλοπτέρυγος," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἅπερ ἐξηγούμενός φησιν· "Οὐκ ἐπίστασθε τί ἐστι ταῦτα; ὅτ' ἂν ἔλθῃ βασιλεὺς