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it was a transgression, but rather a confirmation, having foreshadowed the truth, according to the Apostle who says: Do we then nullify the Law through faith? By no means. Rather, we establish the Law. For it is written that my righteous one will live by faith. For Christ is the end of the Law and the Prophets, justifying the ungodly by faith. But to those now being called the Father said: "This is my beloved Son, listen to him." But some say, better, that he calls to repentance the one who seems to be god-fearing among the Jews, and since no one is persuaded, he says that they exist in darkness and are deprived of light. But this was not fitting for the apostles, nor to heap up fire upon themselves, and to strengthen the flame. But he says that, as you persist in unbelief, the fire of eternal punishment awaits you; whom he advises first to trust in the Lord, saying that he himself is God, and turning them away from the lowly 2496 notion of his wearing flesh, and to make him a rod and support. For they could not believe, receiving glory from one another, and not seeking the glory that is from God, who is called a rod. For he holds all things up for their well-being, according to that: "Your rod and your staff, they have comforted me." For nature is slippery, and needs one who holds it fast. Having obtained this, the righteous one says: "He set my feet upon a rock." And Paul, declaring that the Jews are in darkness, says, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers." And Isaiah says: "When they waited for light, there was darkness for them." Therefore Christ said: "I am the light of the world," and what follows. And turning them away from the fire of punishment he said: "He who believes in the Son is not judged." And he presents an intensification of judgment by the phrase, Strengthen the flame. For when much fuel is added, the fire increases; but with little, it weakens; and when it is consumed, it is extinguished. The Jews therefore kindled a fire against themselves, by killing the prophets and stoning those who were sent. And they strengthened their own flame by killing the heir, they who did not receive the instruction through Christ, remaining in the shadows of the law. Therefore, since they thought they had the light of the law, but did not truly have it, he sends them away from fellowship with him, saying: Walk by the light of your fire and by the flame which you have kindled. And that they paid the penalty for their insolence toward Christ he shows by adding: Through me these things have come upon you; in sorrow you will lie down. And these things he says mean the sacking of the country, the capture of the city, the burning of the temple. And they lay down in sorrow, or even in anguish, according to Symmachus; or according to Aquila, unto exhaustion. For not having been deemed worthy to receive the redemption through Christ, they will lie down not in hope of rewards and spiritual gladness, but in fear of punishments, and grieving in sorrow because of them. CHAP. 51. 1-3. 9Listen to me, you who pursue what is right, and seek the Lord. Look to the solid rock, from which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit, from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who gave you birth9, etc. But that you may not suffer these things, even now I urge repentance upon you, O men, who pretend to honor the Lord, but do things contrary to the Lord's will, by persecuting what is right, and considering the truth an enemy. But some say that he addresses those who believe and seek Christ, the righteousness, and that he calls these people strangers to the Jews. For he foretold that all 2497 would burn in a fire, in which were also consumed those who pursue righteousness, not as though persecuting it, but as running toward it, in order to attain it, as in: "Seek peace, and pursue it." For these are few; but they will advance to an immeasurable multitude of the nations being added to those of the circumcision, which he also illustrates with the example of Abraham and Sarah. But some, saying that the word was spoken to the unbelievers, as we have said before, say that instead of, and to the hole, Symmachus has, to the aperture; and Aquila, to the cutting, have rendered it; the word alluding to the body of the Lord

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παράβασις ἦν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον βεβαίωσις, σκιαγραφήσαντος τὴν ἀλήθειαν, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον λέγοντα· Νόμον οὖν καταργοῦμεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως; μὴ γένοιτο. Ἀλλὰ νόμον ἱστάνομεν. Γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι ὁ δίκαιός μου ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται. Πέρας γὰρ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν ὁ Χριστὸς δικαιῶν ἐν πίστει τὸν ἀσεβῆ. Τοῖς δὲ νῦν καλουμένοις ἔλεγεν ὁ Πατήρ· "Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς, ἀκούετε αὐτοῦ." Τινὲς δὲ ἄμεινόν φασιν, ὡς τὸν θεοσεβεῖν δοκοῦντα παρ' Ἰουδαίοις ἀνακαλεῖ πρὸς μετάνοιαν, καὶ ὡς μηδενὸς πειθομένου, ἐν σκότῳ φησὶν ὑπάρχειν αὐτοὺς καὶ φωτὸς ἐστερῆσθαι. Τοῦτο δὲ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις οὐχ ἥρμοττεν, οὐδὲ τὸ πῦρ σωρεύειν καθ' ἑαυτῶν, καὶ κατισχύειν τὴν φλόγα. Ἐπιμένοντας δέ φησιν, ὑμᾶς τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ τὸ τῆς αἰωνίου κολάσεως ἐκδέχεται πῦρ· οἷς παραινεῖ πρότερον ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ πεποιθέναι, Θεὸν ἑαυτὸν εἶναι λέγων, καὶ ταπεινῆς 2496 ἐννοίας ἐκ τοῦ σάρκα φορεῖν ἑαυτὸν ἀποτρέπων αὐτοὺς, αὐτόν τε ποιεῖσθαι ῥάβδον καὶ στήριγμα. Οὐ γὰρ ἠδύναντο πιστεύειν δόξαν παρ' ἀλλήλων λαμβάνοντες, καὶ τὴν δόξαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐ ζητοῦντες, ὃς εἴρηται ῥάβδος. Ἀνέχει γὰρ πάντα πρὸς τὸ εἶναι καλῶς κατὰ τό· "Ἡ ῥάβδος σου καὶ ἡ βακτηρία σου, αὐταί με παρεκάλεσαν." Ὀλισθηρὰ γὰρ ἡ φύσις, καὶ δεῖται τοῦ περικρατοῦντος. Οὗ τυχὼν ὁ δίκαιος λέγει· "Ἔστησεν ἐπὶ πέτραν τοὺς πόδας μου." Ἐν σκότῳ δὲ εἶναι τοὺς Ἰουδαίους καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δηλῶν, "Ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, φησὶν, ἐτύφλωσε τὰ νοήματα τῶν ἀπίστων." Καὶ Ἡσαΐας φησίν· "Ὑπομεινάντων αὐτῶν φῶς, ἐγένετο αὐτοῖς σκότος." ∆ιὸ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν· "Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ τοῦ τῆς κολάσεως δὲ πυρὸς ἀποτρέπων αὐτοὺς ἔλεγεν· "Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν Υἱὸν, οὐ κρίνεται." Ἐπίτασιν δὲ παρίστησι κρίσεως τὸ, Κατισχύετε φλόγα. Ὕλης μὲν γὰρ πολλῆς προσαγομένης, αὔξει τὸ πῦρ· ὀλίγης δὲ, ἀτονεῖ· δαπανηθείσης δὲ, σβέννυται. Ἰουδαῖοι τοίνυν πῦρ καθ' ἑαυτῶν ἔκαυσαν, ἀποκτείναντες τοὺς προφήτας, καὶ λιθοβολήσαντες τοὺς ἀπεσταλμένους. Κατίσχυσαν δὲ τὴν ἑαυτῶν φλόγα, τὸν κληρονόμον ἀπεκτονότες, οἳ τὴν διὰ Χριστοῦ παίδευσιν οὐκ ἐδέξαντο, ταῖς τοῦ νόμου σκιαῖς ἐπιμείναντες. ∆ιόπερ ὡς φῶς μὲν ἔχειν οἰομένους τὸ νομικὸν, οὐ μὴν ἔχοντας ἀληθῶς, τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν οἰκειότητος ἀποπέμπεται λέγων· Πορεύεσθε τῷ φωτὶ τοῦ πυρὸς ὑμῶν καὶ τῇ φλογὶ, ᾗ ἐξεκαύσατε. Ὅτι δὲ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν παροινίας ἔτισαν δίκας παρίστησιν ἐπάγων· ∆ι' ἐμὲ ἐγένετο ταῦτα ὑμῖν· ἐν λύπῃ κοιμηθήσεσθε. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγει πόρθησιν χώρας, πόλεως ἅλωσιν, ἐμπρησμὸν τοῦ νεῶ. Ἐκοιμήθησαν δὲ καὶ ἐλύπη, ἢ καὶ ἐν ὀδύνῃ, κατὰ Σύμμαχον· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, εἰς διαπόνησιν. Τὴν διὰ Χριστοῦ γὰρ λύτρωσιν οὐκ ἀξιωθέντες λαβεῖν, οὐκ ἐν ἐλπίδι γερῶν, καὶ θυμηδίᾳ πνευματικῇ, ἀλλ' ἐν φόβῳ κολάσεων, καὶ λύπῃ τῇ δι' αὐτὰς ὀδυνώμενοι κοιμηθήσονται. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΝΑʹ. αγʹ. 9Ἀκούσατέ μου, οἱ διώκοντες τὸ δίκαιον, καὶ ζητοῦντες τὸν Κύριον. Ἐμβλέψατε εἰς τὴν στερεὰν πέτραν, ἣν ἐλατομήσατε, καὶ εἰς τὸν βόθυνον τοῦ λάκκου, ὃν ὠρύξατε. Ἐμβλέψατε εἰς Ἀβραὰμ τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν, καὶ εἰς Σάῤῥαν τὴν ὠδίνουσαν ὑμᾶσ9, κ.τ.λ. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ ταῦτα πάθητε, καὶ νῦν ἔτι παραινῶ τὴν μετάνοιαν, ὦ ἄνδρες, ὑμῖν, οἱ προσποιούμενοι μὲν τὸν Κύριον τιμᾷν, ἐναντία δὲ πράττοντες τῇ τοῦ Κυρίου βουλῇ, τῷ τὸ δίκαιον ἐλαύνειν, ἡγεῖσθαί τε δυσμενῆ τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Τινὲς δέ φασιν ὡς προσφωνεῖ τοῖς πιστεύουσι καὶ ζητοῦσι Χριστὸν τὴν δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ὡς ἀλλοτρίους τῶν Ἰουδαίων τούτους καλεῖ. Πάντας 2497 γὰρ προεῖπε πῦρ καίειν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ κατεκαύθησαν οἳ διώκουσι τὸ δίκαιον, οὐχ ὡς ἐλαύνοντες, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐπ' αὐτὸ τρέχοντες, ἵνα καταλάβωσιν, ὡς τό· "Ζήτησον εἰρήνην, καὶ δίωξον αὐτήν." Ὀλιγοστοὶ μὲν γὰρ οὗτοι· προβήσονται δὲ εἰς ἄμετρον πλῆθος τῶν ἐθνῶν προστιθεμένων τοῖς ἐκ περιτομῆς ὃ καὶ παρίστησι παράδειγμα τὸν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τὴν Σάῤῥαν. Τινὲς δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἀπίστους εἰρῆσθαι τὸν λόγον, ὡς προείπομεν, λέγοντες, φασὶν ὡς ἀντὶ τοῦ, καὶ εἰς τὸν βόθυνον, ὁ Σύμμαχος, εἰς τὴν τρυμαλιάν· ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας, πρὸς ἐκκοπὴν, ἐκδεδώκασιν· αἰνιττομένου τοῦ λόγου τὴν σῶμα τοῦ Κυρίου