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of instruction, lest the Lord be angry and you perish from the righteous way." Since they were not persuaded, they have perished from the evangelic way along with those whom they shepherded, in addition to not watching like dogs, but acting like wolves, so that it is said of them: "The priests did not say, Where is the Lord? and those who handle the law did not know me." And the shepherds acted impiously against me. They did not even go so far as to bark, but being no different from those sleeping, they attended only to fantasies as if dreaming. Therefore Symmachus says: sleeping seers, loving to slumber. But Aquila: dreaming while sleeping, loving to doze off. And such they were toward those without, against whom it was necessary to be vigilant and sober. But shameless toward their own, devouring the subject flocks, and this very greedily. For they perverted justice for gifts, just as a prophet said before: companions of thieves, loving gifts. And Habakkuk also, after speaking words of indignation to God, adds: "Judgment is against me, and the judge takes. Because of this, the law is scattered, and judgment does not go forth to the end, because the wicked oppresses the just." And from enjoying only the tithes, they became those who tithed dill and mint and cumin, and overlooked judgment, and mercy and faith, as the Savior says. For this reason, he says, they all followed their own ways, not the ways of God. And they were not like this one by one, but also holding wicked councils together, such as those against Christ and the apostles. For following their own ways they were lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. CHAPTER 57. αιδʹ. 9See how the just man has perished, and no man takes it to heart. And just men are taken away, and no one understands. For from the face of injustice the just man is taken away. His burial will be in peace. He has been taken from the midst. But you, draw near here, lawless sons, seed of adulterers and a prostitute9, etc. Wherefore he immediately adds their audacious acts against Christ and the 2573 just, saying: See how the just man is taken away, and no one takes it to heart. For how were the blind to see? for they would have seen him, understanding the economy concerning them, and they would not have said the opposite: "Let us bind the just man, because he is useless to us?" And he was just, as one who knew no sin; his disciples also are called just, not partaking, whom they also killed as they proclaimed the evangelic word to them. For they killed James the brother of the Lord, and Stephen, not understanding the magnitude of their impiety; which is what is meant by, not taking it to heart. And the just man has been taken away from the face of injustice; that is, the unjust have overcome the just. And he has revealed at the same time both the death and resurrection of the Lord. Through the burial, the death; and through its being taken from the midst, the resurrection. For it disappeared since the one who was buried did not remain in it, so that the angel also said: Come, see the place where he lay. But how was his burial in peace, except that being silent and saying nothing in opposition he was taken away? or that the ruler of this world did not lay claim to him, finding nothing in him? or as they say, because all the leaders of the Jews, with their subjects, killed him with one accord, with no one speaking against it. And so out of great love for God the prophet turns upon them, for whom the blood of the prophets was not enough, but they went up to the very height of blood-guilt. For it is a terrible thing that they of old also slandered the prophets. But still they were men bearing the rank of servants. But what would you say, he says, that they moved their tongues against the very Lord of all? For they called him a Samaritan, and a drunkard, and born of fornication, and possessed by a demon. And finally bringing him to Pilate they said: "This man stirs up the crowds, and forbids giving tribute to Caesar." Therefore through Isaiah the Savior says: "Woe to them, for they have leaped away from me. They are wretched, because they have acted impiously against me. And I redeemed them. But they

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παιδείας, μή ποτε ὀργισθῇ Κύριος καὶ ἀπολεῖσθε ἐξ ὁδοῦ δικαίας." Ὡς μὴ πεισθέντες ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς ἀπολώλασι σὺν αὐτοῖς, οἷς ἐποίμαινον, πρὸς τῷ μὴ φυλάττειν ὡς κύνες, τὰ τῶν λύκων ποιήσαντες, ὡς λέγεσθαι περὶ αὐτῶν· "Οἱ ἱερεῖς οὐκ εἶπον, Ποῦ ἐστι Κύριος; καὶ οἱ ἀντεχόμενοι τοῦ νόμου, οὐκ ἠπίσταντό με." Καὶ οἱ ποιμένες ἠσέβουν εἰς ἐμέ. Οἳ οὐδὲ μέχρι τοῦ ὑλακτεῖν ἐχώρουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὐδὲν καθευδόντων διαφέροντες φαντασίαις προσεῖχον μόναις ὥσπερ ἐνυπνιαζόμενοι. ∆ιὸ Σύμμαχος μέν φησιν· ὁραματισταὶ κοιμώμενοι, ἀγαπῶντες νυστάζειν. Ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας· φανταζόμενοι κοιμώμενοι, ἀγαπῶντες νυστάξαι. Καὶ τοιοῦτοι μὲν ἦσαν πρὸς τοὺς ἐκτὸς, καθ' ὧν ἔδει διεγρηγορέναι καὶ νήφειν. Πρὸς δὲ τοὺς οἰκείους ἀναιδεῖς, κατεσθίοντες τὰ ὑποκείμενα θρέμματα, καὶ τοῦτο λίαν ἀπλήστως. Παρεδίκαζον γὰρ διὰ δῶρα, καθάπερ ἔφη προλαβὼν προφήτης· κοινωνοὶ κλέπτων, ἀγαπῶντες δῶρα. Καὶ Ἀμβακοὺμ δὲ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀγανακτητικὰς εἰπὼν φωνὰς ἐπιφέρει· "Ἐξ ἐναντίας μου γέγονε κρίσις, καὶ ὁ κριτὴς λαμβάνει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο διεσκέδασται νόμος, καὶ οὐκ ἐξάγεται εἰς τέλος κρῖμα, ὅτι ὁ ἀσεβὴς καταδυναστεύει τὸν δίκαιον." Καὶ τοῦ δὲ καρποῦσθαι τὰς δεκάτας μόνον, ἐγίνοντο ἀποδεκατοῦντες τὸ ἄνηθον καὶ τὸ ἡδύοσμον καὶ τὸ κύμινον, καὶ παρορῶντες τὴν κρίσιν, καὶ τὸ ἔλεος καὶ τὴν πίστιν, καθά φησιν ὁ Σωτήρ. Ταύτης ἕνεκα τῆς αἰτίας πάντες φησὶ ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν ἠκολούθησαν, οὐ ταῖς ὁδοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ οὐ καθ' ἕνα μόνον ἦσαν τοιοῦτοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ συνέδρια ποιούμενοι πονηρὰ, οἷα τὰ κατὰ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων. Ταῖς γὰρ ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν ἀκολουθοῦντες φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ἦσαν, ἢ φιλόθεοι. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΝΖʹ. αιδʹ. 9Ἴδετε ὡς ὁ δίκαιος ἀπώλετο, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀνὴρ ἐκδέχεται τῇ καρδίᾳ. Καὶ ἄνδρες δίκαιοι αἴρονται, καὶ οὐδεὶς κατανοεῖ. Ἀπὸ γὰρ προσώπου ἀδικίας ἦρται ὁ δίκαιος. Ἔσται ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἡ ταφὴ αὐτοῦ. Ἦρται ἐκ τοῦ μέσου. Ὑμεῖς δὲ προσαγάγετε ὧδε υἱοὶ ἄνομοι, σπέρμα μοιχῶν καὶ πόρνησ9, κ.τ.λ. ∆ι' ὅπερ εὐθὺς αὐτῶν τὰ κατὰ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῶν 2573 δικαίων ἐπιφέρει τολμήματα λέγων· Ἴδετε ὡς ὁ δίκαιος αἴρεται, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐκδέχεται τῇ καρδίᾳ. Καὶ πῶς γὰρ ἤμελλον ἰδεῖν οἱ τυφλοί; ἦ γὰρ ἂν ἑώρων αὐτὸν, τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν οἰκονομίαν νοήσαντες, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων ἔλεγον· "∆ήσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστιν;" ∆ίκαιος δὲ ἦν, ὡς οὐκ εἰδὼς ἁμαρτίαν· οὐ μετέχοντες καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ χρηματίζουσι δίκαιοι, οὓς καὶ αὐτοὺς ἀπέκτειναν τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν αὐτοῖς πρεσβεύοντας λόγον. Ἀπέκτειναν γοῦν Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ Στέφανον, τὸ τῆς ἀσεβείας οὐκ ἐννοούμενοι μέγεθος· ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὸ, μὴ ἐκδέχεσθαι τῇ καρδίᾳ. Ἦρται δὲ καὶ ἐκ προσώπου ἀδικίας ὁ δίκαιος· τοῦτ' ἔστιν, οἱ ἄδικοι κατηγωνίσαντο τοὺς δικαίους. Ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ τὸν θάνατον, καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦ Κυρίου δεδήλωκε. ∆ιὰ μὲν τῆς ταφῆς, τὸν θάνατον· διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἦρθαι ταύτην ἐκ μέσου, τὴν ἀνάστασιν. Ἀφανὴς γὰρ γέγονε μὴ μείναντος ἐν αὐτῇ τοῦ ταφέντος, ὡς καὶ τὸν ἄγγελον λέγειν· ∆εῦτε, ἴδετε τὸν τόπον ὅπου ἔκειτο. Πῶς δὲ γέγονεν ἡ ταφὴ αὐτοῦ ἐν εἰρήνῃ, ἢ ὅτι σιωπῶν, καὶ μηδὲν ἀντιλέγων ἀνῄρηται; ἢ ὅτι οὐκ ἐπεδικάσατο αὐτοῦ ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, μηδὲν εὑρὼν ἐν αὐτῷ; ἢ ὥς φασιν, ἐπειδὴ πάντες οἱ καθηγηταὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, μετὰ τῶν ὑπηκόων, ἀπέκτειναν αὐτὸν ὁμονοίᾳ χρησάμενοι, μηδενὸς ἀντιλέγοντος. Ἐκ πολλῆς δὲ φιλοθεΐας λοιπὸν ὁ προφήτης αὐτοῖς ἐπιφέρεται, οἷς οὐκ ἤρκεσε τῶν προφητῶν τὸ αἷμα, πρὸς αὐτὸ δὲ τῆς μιαιφονίας ἀνέδραμον τὸ κεφάλαιον. ∆εινὸν μὲν γὰρ ὅτι καὶ πάλαι τοὺς προφήτας ἐσυκοφάντουν. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἦσαν ἄνθρωποι τάξιν οἰκετικὴν περιφέροντες. Τί δ' ἂν εἴποις, φησὶν, ὅτι κατ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ πάντων ∆εσπότου τὰς γλώσσας ἐκίνησαν; Σαμαρείτην γὰρ ἔλεγον, καὶ οἰνοπότην, καὶ ἐκ πορνείας γεγεννημένον, καὶ δαιμονᾷν. Καὶ τέλος Πιλάτῳ προσαγαγόντες ἔφασκον· "Οὗτος ἀνασείει τοὺς ὄχλους, καὶ κωλύει φόρους διδόναι Καίσαρι." Τοιγαροῦν δι' Ἡσαΐου φησὶν ὁ Σωτήρ· "Οὐαὶ αὐτοῖς, ὅτι ἀπεπήδησαν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. ∆είλαιοί εἰσιν, ὅτι ἠσέβησαν εἰς ἐμέ. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐλυτρωσάμην αὐτούς. Αὐτοὶ δὲ