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our hands to a strange god," that is, if we worshipped a strange god. We must consider as strange gods all those called gods by false names according to scripture; for it is said: "all the gods of the nations are demons." We have not stretched out our deeds, allegorically called hands, to our own belly, nor to mammon. to a strange god and to the enemies who seem to have conquered. 22 Will not God search this out? They were saying that it is customary to read it thus: "Will not God search this out?"; and they were saying that I read it thus: "God will not search this out." This is what it says: do not think it a small thing to forget the name of God or to stretch out the hands to a strange god. For God searches out these things also. And you know that some, especially in the persecutions, said this, that it is possible to do it without doing it with the heart. At any rate, many both died saying this, and they were silent about the name of God as if forgetting it. Not even this, he says, escapes God's notice, and he searches these things out. If indeed, therefore, he searches it out? -the following saying does not permit this interpretation. 22 For he knows the secrets of the heart. Let him who is ignorant of the secrets of the heart first investigate whether he acted this way or that. As if someone, reasoning sophistically, were to say: "3I did not stretch out my hands to a strange god"3, I say that: "3I who am ignorant of the secrets of the heart examine these things"3. But God does not search it out; for he knows them. And he then says what secrets he knows: "For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 23 For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Those who for God's sake are killed all the day long and are accounted as sheep for the slaughter do not have any doubt whether they have forgotten the name of God or have stretched out their hands to a strange god. Therefore he does not search these things out, since the heart is manifest. "We were accounted," then, "as sheep for the slaughter." Anyone who wishes slaughters us. And this is also possible: even if some make war on us, yet we consider ourselves thus as sheep being sacrificed, as being offered to God for a "well-pleasing sacrifice." Indeed, at any rate, also in the Revelation of John, "the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus" appeared dancing "under the altar" of God in heaven, as having evidently approached there as victims. 24 Awake! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Arise, and do not cast us off forever. God seems to sleep when he is long-suffering while his holy men are being oppressed and those who are against him are acting insolently. At any rate, indeed, they send up a prayer, saying: "Lift up your hands against their pride forever," and: "May the pride of those who hate you ascend continually to you." But God seems to sleep when he is long-suffering, when he overlooks his own who are afflicted. "Arise, and do not cast us off forever." 325 For even if we have been in captivity and are afflicted in the place of our affliction, being mortal and changeable men, we are cautious lest we be utterly cast off. Israel was cast off in Babylon, when they worshipped Bel and the image of Nebuchadnezzar and did the other Babylonian things; it was cast off forever. But those around Daniel, even if they were cast off in place, these were not cast off forever; for they remained in the same piety. He seems to be cast off, but he was not cast off forever, when the lions were muzzled and he came up unharmed. 25-26 Why do you turn your face away, do you forget our poverty and our affliction? For our soul is humbled to the dust. It is the same thing to be sleeping and to seem to turn one's face away. Appear to us, delivering and saving us from the prevailing evil. Why then do you turn away? Do you therefore forget our poverty and our affliction? For your sake we are afflicted, for your sake we are poor. But you do not forget

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χεῖρας ἡμῶν πρ̣ὸς θεὸν ἀλλότριον", τουτέστιν, εἰ προσεκυνήσαμεν θεῷ ἀλλοτρίῳ. ἀλλοτρίους δὲ θεοὺς ἡγητέον πάντας τοὺς κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν ψευδωνύμους λεγομένους θεούς· εἴρηται γάρ· "πάντες οἱ θεοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν δαιμόνια". οὐ πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτῶν κοιλίαν, οὐ πρὸς τὸν μαμωνᾶ τὰς πράξεις ἡμῶν χεῖρας ἀλληγορικῶς καλουμένας διεπετάσαμεν. πρὸς θεὸν ἀλλότριον καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τοῖς δοκοῦσιν κεκρατηκέναι. 22 οὐχὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐκζητήσει ταῦτα. ἔλεγον ὅτι τέτριπται οὕτω ἀναγιγνώσκειν· "οὐχὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐκζητήσει ταῦτα"; καὶ ἔλεγον ὅτι ἐγὼ οὕτω ἀναγιγνώσκω· "οὐχὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐκζητήσει ταῦτα". τοῦτο λέγει· μὴ νομίζετε μικρὸν εἶναι τὸ ἐπιλαθέσθαι τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ διαπετάσαι τὰς χεῖρας πρὸς θεὸν ἀλλότριον. ἐκζητεῖ δὲ καὶ ταῦτα θεός. οἶδας δὲ ὅτι τινές, μάλιστα ἐν τοῖς διωγμοῖς, τοῦτο ἔλεγον, ὅτι δυνατόν ἐστιν ποιῆσαι μὴ τῇ καρδίᾳ πράττοντα. πολλοὶ γοῦν καὶ ἔθα̣νον λέγοντες τοῦτο, καὶ ἐσιώπησαν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ ὥσπερ ἐπιλαθόμενοι αὐτοῦ. οὐδὲ τοῦτο, φησίν, ου̣····αορα θεόν, καὶ ταῦτα ἐκζητεῖ. ἐπερ · οὐκοῦν ἐκζητεῖ; -τὸ ἑξῆς ῥητὸν οὐκ ἐπιτρέπει ταύτην τὴν διάνοιαν. 22 αὐτὸς γὰρ γιγνώσκει τὰ κρύφια τῆς καρδίας. ὁ ἀγνοῶν τὰ κρύφια τῆς καρδίας ζητείτω πρότερον̣ οὕτως ἐποίησεν ἢ ἐκείνως. οἷον εἴ τις σοφιζόμενος λέγοι ὅτι· "3οὐ διεπέτασα τὰς χεῖρας πρὸς θεὸν ἀλλότριον"3, λε´̣γω̣ ὅτ̣ι· "3ἐγὼ ὁ ἀγνοῶν τὰ κρύφια τῆς καρδίας ἐξετάζω περὶ τούτων"3. ὁ δὲ θεὸς οὐκ ἐκζητεῖ· οἶδεν γὰρ αὐτά. κ̣αὶ λέγει λοιπὸν ἃ ἐπίσταται κρύφια· "ὅτι ἕνεκα σοῦ θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς". 23 ὅτι ἕνεκα σοῦ θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐλογίς θημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς. οἱ ἕνεκα θεοῦ πᾶσαν τὴν ἡμέραν θανατούμενοι καὶ εἰς πρόβατα σφαγῆς λελογισμένοι μὴ ἀμφίβ̣ολον ἔχουσιν πότερον ἐπελάθοντο τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ διεπέτασαν τὰς χεῖρας πρὸς θεὸν ἀλλότριον̣. ὁ´̣θεν οὐκ ἐκζητεῖ ταῦτα τῆς καρδίας οὔσης φανερᾶς. "ε᾿̣λογι´̣σθημεν" οὖν "ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς". πᾶς̣ ὁ βουλόμενος σφάττει ἡμᾶς. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο· εἰ καὶ πολεμοῦσιν ἡμᾶς τινες, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς οὕτως ἑαυτοὺς ἡγούμεθα ὡς πρόβατα ἱερουργούμενα, ὡς θυόμενα τῷ θεῷ εἰς "εὐάρεστον θυσίαν". ἀμέλ̣ει γοῦν καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει Ἰωάννου "αἱ ψυχαὶ τῶν πεπελεκιςμένων̣ διὰ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ" "ὑπὸ τὸ θυσιαστήριον" τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ οὐράνιον ἐφάνησαν χορεύουσαι, ὡς θύματα δηλονότι ἐκεῖ προσελθοῦσαι. 24 ἐξεγέρθητι· ἵνα τί ὑπνοῖς, κύριε; ἀνάστηθι καὶ μὴ ἀπώσῃ εἰς τέλος. δοκεῖ ὑπνοῖν ὁ θεός, ὅταν μακροθυμῇ κα̣τ̣α̣π̣ονουμένων τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἑαυτοῦ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ βρενθυομένων τῶν κατ' αὐτου῀̣ γεγενημένων. ἀμέλει γοῦν εὐχὴν ἀναπέμπουσιν λέγοντες· "ἔπαρον τὰς χεῖρας εἰς τὰς ὑπερηφανίας αυ᾿̣τῶν εἰς τέλος", καί· "ἡ ὑπερηφανία τῶν μισούντων σε διὰ παντὸς ἀναβαίη πρὸς σέ". δοκεῖ δὲ ὑπνοῖν ὁ θεός, ὅταν μακροθυμῇ, ὅταν παρορᾷ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ θλιβομένους. "ἀνάστηθι καὶ μὴ ἀπώσῃ εἰς τέλος". 325 εἰ γὰρ καὶ γεγόναμεν ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ καὶ θλιβόμεθα ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τῆς κακώσεως, ἄνθρωποι ὄντες θνητοὶ καὶ τρεπτοὶ εὐλαβούμεθα μὴ τέλεον ἀπωσθῶμεν. ἀπώσθη ὁ Ἰσραὴλ ἐν τῇ Βαβυλῶνι, ὅτε τὸν Βὴλ προσεκύνουν καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα το̣ῦ Ναβουχοδονοσσὸρ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πεποίηκεν καὶ Βαβυλώνια, εἰς τέλος ἀπώσθη. οἱ δὲ ἀμφὶ τ̣ο`̣ν ∆ανιὴλ εἰ καὶ ἀπώσθησαν τοπικῶς, ταῦτα οὐκ εἰς τέλος ἀπώσθησαν· ἔμειναν γὰρ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ θεοσ̣εβείᾳ. δοκεῖ ἀπῶσθαι, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς τέλος ἀπώσθη φιμωθέντων τῶν λεόντων καὶ αὐτοῦ ἀβλαβοῦς ἀνα̣βάντος. 25-26 ἵνα τί τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀποστρέφεις, ἐπιλανθάνῃ τῆς πτωχείας ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν; ὅτι ἐταπεινώθη εἰς χοῦν ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν. ταὐτόν ἐστιν τὸ ὑπνοῖν καὶ δοκεῖν τὸ πρόσωπον ἀποστρέφειν. ἐπιφάνηθι ἡμῖν ῥυόμενος καὶ σῴζων ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς κατεχούσης κακουργίας. διὰ τί οὖν ἀποστρέφεις; ἐπιλανθάνῃ ἄρα τῆς πτωχείας καὶ τη῀̣ς̣ θλίψεως ἡμῶν; διὰ σὲ θλιβόμεθα, διὰ σὲ πτωχοί ἐσμεν. οὐκ ἐπιλανθάνῃ δὲ