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I was approved for them,” 10.4.6 instead of which, again, Aquila says: “And the Lord said to me, cast them into the foundry, throw them to the potter; exceedingly great is the price, at which I was prized for them.” And pay attention to how the Lord himself confesses that the thirty pieces of silver were given as his price. 10.4.7 The meaning of the text seems to signify some such thought as this: I, the Lord, beginning from the first day, did not cease to provide you of the circumcision with proofs of my own goodness and to benefit you in countless ways, not only through the prophets of old, but also through my own presence, both in exhortatory teachings and in rational lessons, both in signs and wonders and in other marvels, both in healings and in therapies; but you who were deemed worthy of so great a benefaction “give me my wage or refuse,” asking of them, as is likely, fruits of piety and a sign of their faith in him. 10.4.8 But they, according to what was said in the quotation before this, “instead of loving me, they slandered me, and they returned to me evil for good, and hatred for my love,” setting “thirty pieces of silver,” as if they valued him at that price when sold. 10.4.9 But since “fire itself will test what sort of work each one has done,” he rightly orders them to be cast “into the foundry,” adding: “in the manner I was approved for them.” And here he seems to call the house of the Lord a foundry. For when the Lord said according to the Seventy, “cast them into the foundry,” he adds: “and I cast them into the house of the Lord, into the foundry.” 10.4.10 But according to Aquila, when the Lord said “throw it”—clearly meaning the silver—“to the potter,” he adds: “and I threw it in the house of the Lord to the potter.” 10.4.11 And according to Symmachus, when the Lord said: “throw it into the foundry,” he adds, saying: “and I threw it into the house of the Lord, into the foundry.” And perhaps this too was fulfilled, when Judas, who betrayed the Lord, seeing “that he was condemned, repented and returned the silver to the chief priests and elders, saying: I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. But they said to him, what is that to us? You see to it. And throwing the silver pieces into the temple he departed, and went and hanged himself. 10.4.12 But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said: It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood. And taking counsel they bought with them the potter's field for the burial of strangers. Therefore that field was called the field of blood until this day. Then was fulfilled what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying: And I took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by the sons of Israel, and I gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.” 10.4.13 And here you will take note, since these things are not found in the prophecy of Jeremiah, whether one should suppose they were removed from it through some villainy, or that a scribal error has occurred, one of those who more carelessly made copies of the holy gospels having made a mistake and put Jeremiah instead of Zechariah, as it ought to have been written thus: Then was fulfilled what was spoken through Zechariah the prophet, 10.4.14 and instead of “and I cast them into the house of the Lord into the foundry” he erroneously made it: “and I gave them for the potter’s field.” For it is clearly said through the prophecy that the silver was thrown into the temple of the Lord, and through the gospel itself also, into the temple; for it says, “Judas, throwing the silver pieces into the temple, departed.” 10.4.15 And it is likely that from those pieces of silver the temple was profaned and it was fulfilled that “behold, your house is forsaken to you, desolate.” And see if perhaps the house of the Lord is called a “foundry” for this reason, since it happens that souls are refashioned in the house of God as in a furnace by the fiery heat of the divine words, or are otherwise refuted

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ἐδοκιμάσθην ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν», 10.4.6 ἀνθ' οὗ πάλιν ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας φησίν· «καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρός με, κάθες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ χωνευτήριον, ῥῖψον αὐτὰ πρὸς τὸν πλάστην· ὑπερμεγέθης ἡ τιμή, ἣν ἐτιμήθην ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν». καὶ πρόσσχες τίνα τρόπον αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος τιμὴν ἑαυτοῦ ὁμολογεῖ τοὺς τριάκοντα ἀργυροῦς δεδόσθαι. 10.4.7 ἔοικεν δὲ ἡ τῆς λέξεως διάνοια τοιοῦτόν τινα ἐμφαίνειν νοῦν· ἐγὼ μὲν ὁ κύριος ἐκ πρώτης ἀρξάμενος ἡμέρας οὐ διέλιπον τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ χρηστότητος ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐκ περιτομῆς δείγματα παρέχων καὶ μυρία ὅσα ὑμᾶς εὐεργετῶν, οὐ μόνον τὰ διὰ τῶν ἀνέκαθεν προφητῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ διὰ τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ παρουσίας, ἔν τε ταῖς προτρεπτικαῖς διδασκαλίαις καὶ τοῖς λογικοῖς μαθήμασιν, ἔν τε τοῖς σημείοις καὶ τέρασιν καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις παραδοξοποιίαις, ταῖς τε ἰάσεσιν καὶ ταῖς θεραπείαις· ὑμεῖς δὲ οἱ τῆς τοσαύτης εὐεργεσίας ἠξιωμένοι «δότε τὸν μισθόν μου ἢ ἀπείπασθε» αἰτῶν αὐτούς, ὡς εἰκός, καρποὺς εὐσεβείας καὶ δεῖγμα τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν πίστεως. 10.4.8 οἱ δέ, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον ἐν τῇ πρὸ ταύτης παραθέσει, «ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀγαπᾶν με ἐνδιέβαλλόν με, καὶ ἔθεντο κατ' ἐμοῦ κακὰ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν καὶ μῖσος ἀντὶ τῆς ἀγαπήσεώς μου», «τριάκοντα ἀργυροῦς» στήσαντες, ὥσπερ τοσούτου αὐτὸν πωλούμενον ἐτιμήσαντο. 10.4.9 ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ «τὸ ἑκάστου ἔργον ὁποῖόν ἐστι τὸ πῦρ αὐτὸ δοκιμάσει», εἰκότως προστάττει καθεῖναι αὐτοὺς «εἰς τὸ χωνευτήριον», ἐπιλέγων· «ὃν τρόπον ἐδοκιμάσθην ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν». χωνευτήριον δὲ ἐνταῦθα ἔοικεν τὸν οἶκον κυρίου ὀνομάζειν. εἰπόντος γοῦν τοῦ κυρίου κατὰ τοὺς ἑβδομήκοντα «κάθες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ χωνευτήριον», ἐπιφέρει· «καὶ ἐνέβαλον αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν οἶκον κυρίου, εἰς τὸ χωνευτήριον». 10.4.10 κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν εἰπόντος τοῦ κυρίου «ῥῖψον αὐτό» δῆλον δ' ὅτι τὸ ἀργύριον «πρὸς τὸν πλάστην», ἐπιφέρει· «καὶ ἔρριψα αὐτὸ ἐν οἴκῳ κυρίου πρὸς τὸν πλάστην», 10.4.11 κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, εἰπόντος τοῦ κυρίου· «ῥῖψον αὐτὸ εἰς τὸ χωνευτήριον», ἐπιφέρει λέγων· «καὶ ἔρριψα αὐτὸ εἰς τὸν οἶκον κυρίου, εἰς τὸ χωνευτήριον». μήποτε δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἐπληροῦτο, ὅτε Ἰούδας ὁ παραδιδοὺς τὸν κύριον, ἰδὼν «ὅτι κατεκρίθη, μεταμεληθεὶς ἀπέστρεψεν τὸ ἀργύριον τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσιν καὶ πρεσβυτέροις, λέγων· ἥμαρτον παραδοὺς αἷμα ἀθῷον. οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ τί πρὸς ἡμᾶς; σὺ ὄψει. καὶ ῥίψας τὰ ἀργύρια εἰς τὸν ναὸν ἀνεχώρησεν καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἀπήγξατο. 10.4.12 οἱ δὲ ἀρχιερεῖς λαβόντες τὰ ἀργύρια εἶπαν· οὐκ ἔξεστιν βαλεῖν αὐτὰ εἰς τὸν κορβανᾶν, ἐπεὶ τιμὴ αἵματός ἐστιν. συμβούλιον δὲ λαβόντες ἠγόρασαν ἐξ αὐτῶν τὸν ἀγρὸν τοῦ κεραμέως εἰς ταφὴν τοῖς ξένοις. διὸ ἐκλήθη ὁ ἀγρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἀγρὸς αἵματος ἕως τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας. τότε ἐπληρώθη τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Ἱερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· καὶ ἔλαβον τὰ τριάκοντα ἀργύρια, τὴν τιμὴν τοῦ τετιμημένου ὃν ἐτιμήσαντο ἀπὸ υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτὰ εἰς τὸν ἀγρὸν τοῦ κεραμέως, καθὰ συνέταξέν μοι κύριος.» 10.4.13 ἔνθα καὶ ἐπιστήσεις, ἐπεὶ μὴ ταῦτα φέρεται ἐν τῇ τοῦ Ἱερεμίου προφητείᾳ, εἴτε χρὴ ὑπονοεῖν περιῃρῆσθαι αὐτὰ ἐξ αὐτῆς κατά τινα ῥᾳδιουργίαν, ἢ καὶ σφάλμα γραφικὸν γεγονέναι, τῶν ἀμελέστερον τὰ τῶν ἱερῶν εὐαγγελίων ἀντίγραφα πεποιημένων σφαλέντος τινὸς καὶ ἀντὶ μὲν τοῦ Ζαχαρίου Ἱερεμίαν τεθεικότος, ὡς δέον οὕτως ἀναγεγράφθαι· τότε ἐπληρώθη τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Ζαχαρίου τοῦ προφήτου, 10.4.14 ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ «καὶ ἐνέβαλον αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν οἶκον κυρίου εἰς τὸ χωνευτήριον» ἐσφαλμένως πεποιηκότος· «καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτὰ εἰς τὸν ἀγρὸν τοῦ κεραμέως». σαφῶς γὰρ διὰ μὲν τῆς προφητείας εἰς τὸν τοῦ κυρίου ναὸν ἐρρίφθαι λέγεται τὸ ἀργύριον, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ δὲ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου εἰς τὸν ναόν· «ῥίψας γοῦν», φησίν, «Ἰούδας τὰ ἀργύρια εἰς τὸν ναὸν ἀνεχώρησεν». 10.4.15 καὶ εἰκός γε ἐξ ἐκείνων τῶν ἀργυρίων βέβηλον γεγονέναι τὸν ναὸν καὶ πεπληρῶσθαι τὸ «ἰδοὺ ἀφίεται ὑμῖν ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν ἔρημος». καὶ ὅρα γε μήποτε «χωνευτήριον» ὁ οἶκος κυρίου διὰ τοῦτο κέκληται, ἐπείπερ ὡς ἐν χωνείᾳ μεταπλάττεσθαι τὰς ψυχὰς ἐκ τῆς τῶν θείων λόγων πυρώσεως ἐν τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ οἴκῳ συμβαίνει, ἢ ἄλλως ἀπελέγχεσθαι