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let not the sin of his mother be blotted out." The virtue of fathers has often benefited even children who have transgressed, 80.1760 as the faith of Abraham did the Jews, as the piety of David did Solomon. But the wickedness of fathers increases the punishment for like-minded children; for no occasion for mercy is found anywhere. This, therefore, the prophetic word also said, that the Jews, enduring utter destruction, in addition to their own impieties, will appear more abominable by the memory of their ancestral evils. And it calls their fathers those who practiced impiety in the desert, those in the time of the Judges, those in the time of the Kings, those who lived in transgression after the return from Babylon; and it said their mother was Jerusalem, in which was dared the abomination of the bloody murder against the Lord Christ. For this the Lord said in the Gospels: "that upon this generation may come all the innocent blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, whom they murdered between the temple and the altar." For they will pay the penalty for all things at the same time. 15. "Let them be before the Lord continually, and let their memory be blotted out from the earth." For God, he says, always seeing all the lawless things dared by them, will deem them worthy of no mercy, but will deliver them to utter destruction. And from this, however, it is clear that he went through these things not concerning Judas alone, but concerning all who have been unfaithful. For he changed the discourse from the singular person to the plural. For he no longer said his, but their. 16, 17. "Because he did not remember to show mercy. But persecuted a man who was poor, and a beggar, and broken in heart, to put him to death." These things, he says, they will suffer, having committed the bloody murder cruelly and savagely, and having persecuted to the point of death him who used all moderation and gentleness. To these things both the Apostle testifies in words, and the Lord himself; the Apostle crying out: "Who for our sakes became poor, though he was rich, that we through his poverty might become rich;" and again: "Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant;" and the Lord now says: "Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls;" and now: "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 18. "And he loved a curse, and it shall come to him; and he did not desire a blessing, and it shall be far from him. 80.1761" Here he has clearly changed the optative form, and has set forth both things prophetically, that they will both receive the curse which they loved, and will be deprived of the blessing which they did not want to receive. "And he put on a curse like a garment." That is, by this he is surrounded on all sides. "And it entered like water into his inward parts." For the evils encompass him not only from without, but also from within, and by these he is inundated as if by water. Then, since water irrigates and wets the body, but its moisture is not lasting, he added: "And like oil in his bones." For oil remains on the body for a very long time. And what he says is this: A flood of evils will be brought upon him, imitating the violence of water, and the permanence of oil. 19. "Let it be to him as a garment which he puts on, and as a belt with which he is continually girded." From all sides, he says, by the aforementioned evils, let him be covered as with a garment, and let him be bound as with a girdle. 20. "This is the work of those who slander me before the Lord." But the others have interpreted it as, "of my adversaries." "And of those who speak evil against my soul." They will harvest these fruits, both those who showed hatred toward me, and the traitor who served them. For since they called him an adversary of God and a lawbreaker, he rightly said: "Of those who slander me before the Lord." 21. "But you, O Lord, Lord, deal with me for your name's sake, for your mercy is good." And these things the Lord Christ has spoken in a human way; all

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ἁμαρτία τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐξαλειφθείη." Πατέρων ἀρετὴ πολλάκις καὶ πλημ 80.1760 μελήσαντας ὤνησε παῖδας, ὡς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἡ πίστις, ὡς τὸν Σολομῶντα τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἡ εὐσέβεια. Πονηρία δὲ πατέρων τοῖς ὁμοίοις παισὶν ἐπαύξει τὴν τιμωρίαν· οὐδεμία γὰρ οὐδαμόθεν εὑ ρίσκεται φειδοῦς ἀφορμή. Τοῦτο τοίνυν καὶ ὁ προ φητικὸς ἔφη λόγος, ὅτι Ἰουδαῖοι τὴν πανωλεθρίαν ὑπομένοντες πρὸς ταῖς οἰκείαις ἀσεβείαις τῇ μνήμῃ τῶν πατρῴων κακῶν φανήσονται βδελυρώτεροι. Πα τέρας δὲ αὐτῶν καλεῖ τοὺς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τῇ δυσσε βείᾳ χρησαμένους, τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν Κριτῶν, τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν Βασιλέων, τοὺς μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάν οδον παρανομίᾳ συζήσαντας· μητέρα δὲ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔφη· ἐν ᾗ τῆς κατὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ μιαιφονίας ἐτολμήθη τὸ μύσος. Τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ἔφη· "Ὅπως ἂν ἐπέλθῃ ἐπὶ τὴν γενεὰν ταύτην πᾶν αἷμα ἀθῶον ἐκχυνόμε νον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος Ἄβελ τοῦ δι καίου, ἕως τοῦ αἵματος Ζαχαρίου, οὗ ἐφόνευσαν με ταξὺ τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου." Πάντων γὰρ κατὰ ταυτὸν τίσουσι δίκας. ιεʹ. "Γενηθήτωσαν ἐναντίον Κυρίου διαπαντὸς, καὶ ἐξολοθρευθείη ἐκ γῆς τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῶν." Πάντα γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ ὑπ' αὐτῶν τολμηθέντα παρά νομα ἀεὶ θεώμενος ὁ Θεὸς, οὐδεμιᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀξιώσει φειδοῦς, ἀλλὰ πανωλεθρίᾳ παραδώσει. Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν μέντοι δῆλον, ὡς οὐ περὶ μόνου τοῦ Ἰούδα, ἀλλὰ περὶ πάντων ἠπιστηκότων ταῦτα διῆλθεν. Ἀπὸ γὰρ ἑνικοῦ προσώπου, ἐπὶ τὸ πληθυντικὸν τὸν λόγον μετήνεγκεν. Οὐκέτι γὰρ εἶπεν αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' αὐτῶν. ιʹ, ιζʹ. "Ἀνθ' ὧν οὐκ ἐμνήσθη ποιῆσαι ἔλεος. Καὶ κατεδίωξεν ἄνθρωπον πένητα, καὶ πτωχὸν, καὶ κατανενυγμένον τῇ καρδίᾳ τοῦ θανατῶσαι." Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶ, πείσονται, ἀπηνῶς καὶ θηριωδῶς τῇ μιαι φονίᾳ χρησάμενοι, καὶ τὸν πάσῃ χρησάμενον με τριότητι καὶ πραότητι μέχρι θανάτου διώξαντες. Τούτοις καὶ Ἀπόστολος μαρτυρεῖ λόγοις, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ ∆εσπότης· ὁ μὲν Ἀπόστολος βοῶν· "Ὃς δι' ἡμᾶς ἐπτώχευσε πλούσιος ὢν, ἵνα ἡμεῖς τῇ ἐκείνου πτω χείᾳ πλουτήσωμεν·" καὶ πάλιν· "Ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσε μορφὴν δούλου λαβών·" ὁ δὲ Κύ ριος νῦν μέν φησι· "Μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι, καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν·" νῦν δέ· "Αἱ ἀλώπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσι, καὶ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις· ὁ δὲ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνῃ." ιηʹ. "Καὶ ἠγάπησε κατάραν, καὶ ἥξει αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησεν εὐλογίαν, καὶ μακρυνθήσεται ἀπ' αὐ 80.1761 τοῦ." Ἐνταῦθα σαφῶς τὸ εὐκτικὸν μεταβέβληκε σχῆμα, καὶ προαγορευτικῶς ἀμφότερα τέθεικεν, ὅτι καὶ τὴν κατάραν ἣν ἠγάπησαν λήψονται, καὶ τῆς εὐλογίας, ἣν λαβεῖν οὐκ ἠθέλησαν, στερηθήσονται. "Καὶ ἐνεδύσατο κατάραν ὡς ἱμάτιον." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ταύτῃ πανταχόθεν περιεστοίχισται. "Καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ὡσεὶ ὕδωρ εἰς τὰ ἔγκατα αὐτοῦ." Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἔξωθεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔνδοθεν περίκεινται τὰ κακὰ, καὶ ὑπὸ τούτων δίκην ὕδατος περικλύζονται. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ τὸ ὕδωρ ἀρδεύει μὲν τὸ σῶμα καὶ βρέχει, οὐκ ἔχει δὲ μόνιμον τὴν ὑγρότητα, ἐπήγαγεν· "Καὶ ὡσεὶ ἔλαιον ἐν τοῖς ὀστέοις αὑτοῦ." Τὸ γὰρ ἔλαιον ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐπιμένει τῷ σώματι. Ὃ δὲ λέ γει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἐπενεχθήσεται φορὰ κακῶν, τοῦ μὲν ὕδατος τὴν σφοδρότητα, τοῦ δὲ ἐλαίου μι μουμένη τὸ μόνιμον. ιθʹ. "Γενηθήτω αὐτῷ ὡς ἱμάτιον, ὃ περιβάλλε ται· καὶ ὡσεὶ ζώνη, ἣν διαπαντὸς περιζώννυται." Πανταχόθεν, φησὶ, τοῖς προειρημένοις κακοῖς, καὶ ὡς ἐσθῆτι καλυπτέσθω, καὶ ὡς ζωστῆρι σφιγγέ σθω. κʹ. "Τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον τῶν ἐνδιαβαλλόντων με παρὰ Κυρίου." Οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι, τῶν ἀντικειμένων, ἡρ μήνευσαν. "Καὶ τῶν λαλούντων πονηρὰ κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς μου." Τούτους τρυγήσουσι τοὺς καρποὺς, καὶ οἱ τὸ πρὸς ἐμὲ μῖσος ἀναδειξάμενοι, καὶ ὁ τού τοις ὑπουργήσας προδότης. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀντίθεον αὐτὸν καὶ παράνομον ἐκάλουν, εἰκότως εἶπε· "Τῶν ἐνδιαβαλλόντων με παρὰ Κυρίου." καʹ. "Καὶ σὺ, Κύριε, Κύριε, ποίησον μετὰ ἐμοῦ ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματός σου, ὅτι χρηστὸν τὸ ἔλεός σου." Καὶ ταῦτα ἀνθρωπίνως εἴρηκεν ὁ ∆εσπότης Χρι στός· πάντα