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in their practices." Having strayed again into licentiousness, and mingling with the women of the Moabites, they learned their impiety. Baal-peor is an idol honored among them; Peor was the name of the place of the idol, and Baal was the idol. They say this is called Kronos in the Greek language. And he calls sacrifices of the dead what are called libations among the Greeks, which they are accustomed to offer to the dead; and one would not err in calling the so-called gods themselves dead. "And the fall was multiplied among them." For he brought another death upon them. 30, 31. "And Phinehas stood up, and made atonement, and the destruction ceased. And it was counted to him for righteousness, unto generation and generation forever." The destruction Symmachus called a plague. And history also teaches this; for using a spear, he slew Zimri along with the woman, as he openly mingled with a certain Midianite. God, accepting his zeal, proclaimed him, and prevented the punishment being brought upon the others. 32, 33. "And they provoked him at the water of strife, and Moses was ill-treated for their sakes. Because they embittered his spirit, and he spoke rashly with his lips." For approaching him as he was mourning his sister, they demanded what they needed with great disorder. But he, being struck by the despondency of grief and seeing their lack of self-control, being overcome by anger and sorrow, did not minister to the divine command with his usual harmony; but having mixed a certain doubt into his words, he struck the rock and brought forth water. For this is what "He spoke rashly with 80.1732 his lips" signifies, instead of, he did not use words without doubt. For he said: "Moses says to them, 'Shall I bring forth water for you from this rock?'" For this reason, the God of all was supposedly indignant, and did not give even to him the land promised to the fathers; but he commanded him to accept the end of his life; and through Jesus son of Nun he fulfilled the promise. And the ruler of all seems to have imposed this punishment on him; but he arranged this while managing other things. For first, knowing the folly of the Jews, he did not allow the whole promise to reach its conclusion through him, so that they might not suppose him to be a god. For those who deified the image of a calf, what reverence would they not have brought to the one who had become the minister of so many wonders? For this very reason, God caused his tomb to be hidden; and in addition to this, he also wished to show the temporary nature of the law from what happened to the lawgiver himself. For if the lawgiver did not enjoy the promised land, it is easy to see from this that they themselves also would not enjoy this providence for very long. Having thus narrated the events in the wilderness, he rebukes their transgression that occurred in the land of promise. 34-36. "They did not destroy the nations, which the Lord told them. And they were mingled among the nations, and learned their works. And they served their carved images, and it became a stumbling block to them." For he forbade intermingling on account of the fellowship of impiety, destroying the end along with the beginning, and destroying the fruit along with the root, and preventing the worse evil with the lesser evil. But nevertheless, these, transgressing the divine law in this also, neither destroyed the impious nations, nor fled from fellowship with them, but emulated their wicked way of life. 37-39. "And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. And they shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the carved images of Canaan; and the land was murderously defiled with blood. And it was defiled by their works." They left the height of impiety for last; for what excess of impiety does it leave behind to pollute the land with the blood of sons and daughters, and to offer their sacrifices to bloodthirsty demons? For to God they did not even offer the customary things; but to idols, even the slaughters of their children. "And they went whoring in their practices." Here he calls fornication not only licentiousness, but also the worship of idols.

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ἐπιτηδεύμασιν αὐτῶν." Εἰς ἀκολασίαν ἐξοκεί λαντες πάλιν, καὶ ταῖς τῶν Μωαβιτῶν μιγνύμενοι γυναιξὶ, μετέμαθον τὴν ἐκείνων ἀσέβειαν. Βεελφε γὼρ δέ ἐστιν εἴδωλον παρ' ἐκείνοις τιμώμενον. καὶ Φεγὼρ μὲν ἐκαλεῖτο τοῦ εἰδώλου ὁ τόπος, Βάαλ δὲ τὸ εἴδωλον. Τοῦτον δέ φασι Κρόνον καλεῖσθαι τῇ Ἑλλάδι φωνῇ. Θυσίας δὲ νεκρῶν καλεῖ τὰς κα λουμένας παρ' Ἕλλησι χοὰς, ἃς τοῖς νεκροῖς προσ φέρειν εἰώθασι· καὶ αὐτοὺς δὲ τοὺς καλουμένους θεοὺς νεκροὺς οὐκ ἄν τις ἁμάρτοι προσαγορεύσας. "Καὶ ἐπληθύνθη ἐν αὐτοῖς ἡ πτῶσις." Πάλιν γὰρ ἕτερον αὐτοῖς ἐπήγαγε θάνατον. λʹ, λαʹ. "Καὶ ἔστη Φινεὲς, καὶ ἐξιλάσατο, καὶ ἐκόπασεν ἡ θραῦσις. Καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιο σύνην, εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος." Τὴν θραῦσιν ὁ Σύμμαχος πληγὴν εἴρηκε. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἡ ἱστορία· τὸν γὰρ Ζαμβρὴν μιχθῆναι τῇ Μαδιανίτιδί τινι προφανῶς ἀνασχόμενον δόρατι χρησάμενος συνανεῖλε τῇ γυναικί. Τὸν τούτου ζῆ λον ἀποδεξάμενος ὁ Θεὸς, αὐτὸν μὲν ἀνεκήρυξε, τὴν δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐπαγομένην τιμωρίαν ἐκώλυσεν. λβʹ, λγʹ. "Καὶ παρώργισαν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ ὕδατος ἀν τιλογίας, καὶ ἐκακώθη Μωσῆς δι' αὐτούς. Ὅτι παρ επίκραναν τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ διέστειλεν ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὑτοῦ." Πενθοῦντι γὰρ τὴν ἀδελφὴν προσελθόντες, μετὰ πολλῆς ἀταξίας τὴν χρείαν ἐξ ῄτησαν. Ὁ δὲ καὶ τῇ ἀθυμίᾳ τοῦ πένθους βαλλόμενος, καὶ τούτων ἀκρασίαν θεώμενος, θυμῷ καὶ λύπῃ περισχεθεὶς, οὐ μετὰ τῆς συνήθους ἁρμονίας τῷ θείῳ προστάγματι διηκόνησεν· ἀλλ' ἀμφιβολίαν τινὰ τοῖς λόγοις ἀναμίξας, τὴν πέτραν ἐπάταξε, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐξήγαγε. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ "∆ιέστειλεν ἐν 80.1732 τοῖς χείλεσιν αὑτοῦ," ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐκ ἀναμφιβόλως λόγοις ἐχρήσατο. Εἶπε γάρ· "Φησὶ Μωσῆς πρὸς αὐ τοὺς, Μὴ ἐκ τῆς πέτρας ταύτης ἐξάξω ὑμῖν ὕδωρ;" Τούτου χάριν ἀγανακτήσας δῆθεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, οὐδ' αὐτῷ τὴν τοῖς πατράσιν ἐπηγγελμένην ἀπέδωκε γῆν· ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν ἐκέλευσε δέξασθαι τοῦ βίου τὸ τέ λος· δι' Ἰησοῦ δὲ τοῦ Ναυῆ πεπλήρωκε τὴν ὑπόσχε σιν. Καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν ταύτην αὐτῷ τιμωρίαν ἐπιτεθει κέναι τῶν ὅλων ὁ πρύτανις· ἕτερα δὲ οἰκονομῶν ἐπραγματεύσατο τοῦτο. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ, τῶν Ἰου δαίων ἐπιστάμενος ἄνοιαν, οὐκ εἴασε δι' αὐτοῦ πᾶ σαν τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν πέρας λαβεῖν, ἵνα μὴ αὐτὸν θεὸν ὑπολάβωσιν. Οἱ γὰρ εἰκόνα μόσχου θεοποιήσαντες, ποῖον οὐκ ἂν προσήνεγκαν σέβας τῷ τοσούτων θαυ μάτων ὑπουργῷ γενομένῳ; ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ τὸν τάφον αὐτοῦ λαθεῖν πεποίηκεν ὁ Θεός· πρὸς δὲ τοῦτο, καὶ τῆς νομοθεσίας ἠβουλήθη δεῖξαι τὸ πρόσκαιρον ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτῷ τῷ νομοθέτῃ συμβάντων. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ νομοθέτης τῆς ἐπηγγελμένης οὐκ ἀπήλαυσε γῆς, συνιδεῖν ἐντεῦθεν ῥᾴδιον, ὡς οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ ταύτης ἀπολαύσωσιν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τῆς προμηθείας. Οὕτω τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον διηγησάμενος, τὴν ἐν τῇ γῇ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας γεγενημένην αὐτῶν ἐλέγχει παρανο μίαν. λδʹ-λʹ. "Οὐκ ἐξωλόθρευσαν τὰ ἔθνη, ἃ εἶπε Κύ ριος αὐτοῖς. Καὶ ἐμίγησαν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ ἔμαθον τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἐδούλευσαν τοῖς γλυπτοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐγενήθη αὐτοῖς εἰς σκάνδαλον." Τὴν γὰρ ἐπι μιξίαν διὰ τὴν τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐκώλυσε κοινωνίαν, τῇ ἀρχῇ τὸ τέλος συναναιρῶν, καὶ σὺν τῇ ῥίζῃ τὸν καρ πὸν ἀφανίζων, καὶ τῷ ἐλάττονι κακῷ τὸ χεῖρον προ αναστέλλων. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὗτοι καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τὸν θεῖον παραβαίνοντες νόμον, οὔτε τὰ δυσσεβῆ ἐξωλόθρευσαν ἔθνη, οὔτε τὴν πρὸς αὐτὰ ἔφυγον κοινωνίαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν πονηρὰν αὐτῶν πολιτείαν ἐζήλωσαν. λζʹ-λθʹ. "Καὶ ἔθυσαν τοὺς υἱοὺς αὑτῶν καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας αὑτῶν τοῖς δαιμονίοις. Καὶ ἐξέχεαν αἷμα ἀθῶον, αἷμα υἱῶν αὑτῶν καὶ θυγατέρων, ὧν ἔθυσαν τοῖς γλυπτοῖς Χαναάν· καὶ ἐφονοκτονήθη ἡ γῆ ἐν τοῖς αἵμασι. Καὶ ἐμιάνθη ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτῶν." Τὸν κολοφῶνα τῆς ἀσεβείας τελευταῖον κατέλιπον· ποίαν γὰρ δυσσεβείας ὑπερβολὴν καταλείπει τὸ αἵ μασιν υἱῶν καὶ θυγατέρων μολῦναι τὴν γῆν, καὶ τοῖς αἱμοβόροις δαίμοσι τὰς τούτων θυσίας προσ ενεγκεῖν; Τῷ Θεῷ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ τὰ νενομισμένα προσ έφερον· τοῖς δὲ εἰδώλοις καὶ τὰς τῶν παίδων σφαγάς. "Καὶ ἐπόρνευσαν ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν αὑτῶν." Πορνείαν ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὴν ἀκολασίαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων λατρείαν καλεῖ.