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2485 enduring captivity, but he destroys the one who attacked him; thus it was not possible, if I had not willed it, for those who took you captive to seize you, unless you, having sinned against yourselves, provided the cause. Nevertheless, having had mercy, I will call you back, but I will punish them for intensifying the punishment against you; and having tasted of their own flesh they will know their maker, just as Nebuchadnezzar, having been instructed through signs, confessed the great God of Daniel. But some, explaining the things concerning the giant, say: The might of Jerusalem has not been defeated, nor the righteousness in it, but through sin it has been overcome. CHAPTER 50. 11. 9Thus says the Lord, What is this bill of your mother's divorce, with which I have sent her away? or to which creditor have I sold you? behold, for your sins you were sold, and for your iniquities I sent your mother away? Why is it that when I came, there was no man; when I called, there was none that would hear?9, etc. The discourse, having gone through the evangelical proclamation, both the calling of the nations through it, and the constitution of the godly commonwealth, and the overthrow of the aforementioned giant, passes again to those of the circumcision, as if making an apology for why, having visited the nations, he gave them up. For you, he says, are the cause of this, not I. For I did not send away your mother, the Synagogue, or the one in Jerusalem (for the legislation through Moses does not indicate this), but the relationship concerning you; which Moses, wishing to give as a bride-price to a bride, and bringing it to you, found the Synagogue committing adultery through the making of the calf, and broke it, finding her unworthy of my gifts. And he compares himself sometimes to a husband, as to a wife, and sometimes to a Master, as to household slaves. For neither did I sell you as a Master who was in debt. But you, transgressing from beginning to end, have been cast out, sold to the sins to which you were enslaved, though on my part you had become possessed of free will and free. And finally, though I am God, I did not hesitate to come to you, descending from my own dignity, and becoming man; and when I called to salvation, no one obeyed. "There was no man," he says, because the disobedient multitude is not even considered to exist. And those who obeyed, being few in comparison to the whole nation, were not counted as part of the nation. Therefore they were also removed, as Lot was from Sodom. For it was not necessary for so many to hand over the holy land to the Lord. Whence also the withered fig tree is a sign of its barrenness. This is also signified through the Gospel parable of those who refused the banquet, with others being called in their place from the 2488 roads, concerning whom Christ says in the present 2488 prophet: "I was found by those who did not seek me. I became manifest to those who did not ask for me. I said, Behold, it is I, to a nation that did not know me." But concerning the Jews he adds: "All the day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people." Whom also he called in the Gospels, saying: "Come to me, you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," and such things many times. But were you then led into captivity, he says, because I was too weak to save you? and you will not be able to be saved from his tyranny—this is said to those who blaspheme God as being unable to save the people, just as the Savior also says to those who supposed he suffered unwillingly, concerning the provision of 15 legions; that is, since he said that no one obeyed his call, he shows that besides not obeying, you committed the most lawless acts of all against me. And in the face of these things, he says, did I not bear them with forbearance, though I was able to suffer nothing at all? as the Red Sea, dried up for the crossing, previously showed; and the river Jordan; and the three-day darkness that occurred in Egypt. For Symmachus rendered it: Behold, at my rebuke I dried up the sea, I made rivers a wilderness. And even if it is taken as referring to the future, it must be understood as God being able, if he wished, to do similar things. And the darkness they also caused at the consummation of all things, in which everything will also disappear, as lives are judged according to their worth. And at his first coming, too, having been threatened by him, it grew calm

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2485 κον ὑπομένων αἰχμαλωσίαν, ἀναιρεῖ δὲ τὸν ἐγχειρήσαντα· οὕτως οὐκ ἐνῆν ἐμοῦ μὴ θελήσαντος, τοὺς λαβόντας ὑμᾶς αἰχμαλώτους ἑλεῖν, Εἰ μὴ καθ' ἑαυτῶν ἡμαρτηκότες τὴν αἰτίαν παρέχετε. Πλὴν ἐλεήσας ὑμᾶς μὲν ἀνακαλέσω, ἐκείνους δὲ τιμωρήσομαι τὴν καθ' ὑμῶν ἐπιτείναντας κόλασιν· καὶ σαρκῶν τῶν ἰδίων γευσάμενοι γνώσονται τὸν ποιήσαντα, καθὰ καὶ Ναβουχοδονόσορ διὰ σημείων παιδευθεὶς μέγαν ὡμολόγει τὸν Θεὸν ∆ανιήλ. Τινὲς δὲ τὰ περὶ τοῦ γίγαντος ἐξηγούμενοι λέγουσιν· Οὐχ ἥττηται τὸ δυνατὸν τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, οὐδὲ ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡ ἐν αὐτῇ, ἀλλὰ δι' ἁμαρτίας κεκράτηται. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Νʹ. αιαʹ. 9Οὕτως λέγει Κύριος, ποῖον τοῦτο βιβλίον τοῦ ἀποστασίου τῆς μητρὸς ὑμῶν, ᾧ ἐξαπέστειλα αὐτήν; ἢ τίνι ὑποχρέῳ πέπρακα ὑμᾶς; ἰδοὺ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν ἐπράθητε, καὶ ταῖς ἀνομίαις ὑμῶν ἐξαπέστειλα τὴν μητέρα ὑμῶν; τί ὅτι ἦλθον, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἄνθρωπος· ἐκάλεσα, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ὑπακούων9, κ.τ.λ. ∆ιελθὼν ὁ λόγος τὸ κήρυγμα τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν, τήν τε δι' αὐτοῦ τῶν ἐθνῶν κλῆσιν, καὶ τὴν σύστασιν τοῦ θεοσεβοῦς πολιτεύματος, καὶ τοῦ ῥηθέντος γίγαντος τὴν καθαίρεσιν, μεταβαίνει πάλιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς, ὥσπερ ἀπολογούμενος διὰ τί τὰ ἔθνη ἐπισκοπήσας, αὐτοὺς ἐκδότους ἐποίησεν. Τούτου γὰρ αἴτιοι, φησὶν, ὑμεῖς, οὐκ ἐγώ. Οὐ γὰρ ἐγὼ τὴν μητέρα ὑμῶν ἀπεπεμψάμην Συναγωγὴν, ἢ τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ (οὐ τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ διὰ Μωσέως νομοθεσία δηλοῖ) σχέσιν δὲ τὴν περὶ ὑμᾶς· ἣν ὁ Μωσῆς, ὡς ἔδνα νύμφῃ δοῦναι βουλόμενος, καὶ φέρων ὑμῖν, μοιχεύσασαν διὰ τῆς μοσχοποιίας εὑρὼν τὴν Συναγωγὴν διέσπασεν ἀναξίαν εὑρὼν τῶν ἐμῶν δωρεῶν. Παραβάλλει δὲ ἑαυτὸν ποτὲ μὲν ἀνδρὶ, ὡς πρὸς γυναῖκα, ποτὲ δὲ ∆εσπότῃ, ὡς πρὸς οἰκέτας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὡς ἄν τις ∆εσπότης ὀφείλων ἀπεδόμην ὑμᾶς. Ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς εἰς τέλος παρανομοῦντες ἐκβέβλησθε, πραθέντες τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν, οἷς ἐδουλώθητε, τοὐμὸν μέρος γεγονότες αὐτεξούσιοι καὶ ἐλεύθεροι. Καὶ τέλος, οὐκ ὤκνησα Θεὸς ὢν, ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ὑποκαταβὰς τῆς ἀξίας τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ, καὶ γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος· καὶ καλοῦντι πρὸς σωτηρίαν ὑπήκουσεν οὐδείς. Οὐκ ἦν δὲ ἄνθρωπος, φησὶν, ἐπειδὴ τὸ ἀνήκοον πλῆθος οὐδὲ εἶναι λελόγισται. Οἱ δὲ ὑπακούσαντες, ὡς πρὸς ὅλον τὸ ἔθνος ὀλίγοι, ὡς μὴ ἀριθμεῖσθαι εἰς λόγον τοῦ ἔθνους. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὑπεξῃρήθησαν, ὡς ὁ Λὼτ ἀπὸ Σοδόμων. Οὐ γὰρ τοσούτους ἔδει παρασχεῖν τῷ Κυρίῳ τὴν ἁγίαν γῆν. Ὅθεν καὶ σημεῖον τῆς ἀκαρπίας αὐτῆς ἡ ξηρανθεῖσα συκῆ. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ διὰ τῆς Εὐαγγελικῆς παραβολῆς τῶν παρῃτημένων τὸ δεῖπνον σημαίνεται, τῶν ἐν 2488 ταῖς ὁδοῖς ἀντικεκλημένων, περὶ ὧν ἐν τῷ παρόντι 2488 προφήτῃ φησὶν ὁ Χριστός· "Εὑρέθην τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ζητοῦσιν. Ἐμφανὴς ἐγενόμην τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ἐπερωτῶσιν. Εἶπα, Ἰδού εἰμι, τῷ ἔθνει, οἳ οὐκ ἠπίσταντό με." Περὶ δὲ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐπάγει· "Ὅλην τὴν ἡμέρανἐξεπέτασα τὰς χεῖρά μου πρὸς λαὸν ἀπειθοῦντα καὶ ἀντιλέγοντα." Οὓς καὶ καλῶν ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ἔλεγε· "∆εῦτε πρός με, οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς," καὶ τοιαῦτα πολλάκις. Ἀλλ' ἄρα μὴ σῶσαί μου, φησὶν, ἀσθενοῦντος, εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν ἀπήχθητε; καὶ οὐ δυνήσεσθε σωθῆναι τῆς ἐκείνου τυραννίδος, τοῦτο πρὸς τοὺς Θεὸν βλασφημοῦντας ὡς οὐ δυνηθέντα σῶσαι τὸν λαὸν, ὁποῖον καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ πρὸς τοὺς οἰομένους αὐτὸν ἄκοντα πάσχειν, περὶ τῆς τῶν ιεʹ λεγεώνων φησὶ παραστάσεως· ἤγουν, ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν μηδένα ὑπακοῦσαι καλοῦντι, δείκνυσιν ὡς πρὸς τῶν μὴ ὑπακοῦσαι, τὰ πάντων ἀθεσμότατα κατ' ἐμοῦ διεπράξασθε. Καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶν, ἀνεξικάκως ἠνέχθην, δυνάμενος μηδὲν ὅλως παθεῖν; ὡς ἐδήλωσε πρότερον Ἐρυθρὰ ξηρανθεῖσα πρὸς διάβασιν θάλασσα· καὶ ποταμὸς Ἰορδάνης· καὶ σκότος τριήμερον ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ γενόμενον. Ὁ γὰρ Σύμμαχος ἐξέδωκεν· Ἰδοὺ ἐν τῇ ἐπιτιμήσει μου ἐξήρανα θάλασσαν, ἐποίησα ποταμοὺς ἔρημον. Κἂν ἐπὶ μέλλοντος δὲ ληφθῇ νοητέον ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἰ βούλοιτο, δυναμένου ποιῆσαι τὰ παραπλήσια. Τὸ δὲ σκότος καὶ ποιήσαντες ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ τῶν ὅλων, ἐν ᾗ καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἀφανισθήσεται, τῶν βίων πρὸς ἀξίαν εὐθυνομένων. Καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς πρώτης δὲ παρουσίας ἀπειληθεῖσα πρὸς αὐτοῦ ἡσύχασε