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not pure, as if fired and tested in a furnace. 10.4.16 which Aquila, saying he cast the silver "in the house of the Lord to the potter," clearly teaches, that the divine Word, in the manner of a potter, dwells in the house of the Lord, molding and renewing the souls of those who approach. But since the price of the one who was priced, having been transferred to that house, rendered it profane, it fittingly adds at once: "And I cast off the second staff, 'Cords,' to scatter the covenant between Judah and between Israel." 10.4.17 For from that time the multitude of the nation was cast off from the oversight of God which formerly watched over them. I believe that by "the second staff" the entire nation of the Jews is here signified. And he calls it "Cords," saying: "The one I called 'Beauty,' and the second I called 'Cords'." And he clearly speaks about the second, saying: "And I cast off the second staff, 'Cords,' to scatter the covenant between Judah and between Israel." 10.4.18 For these were the "Cords" and "the second staff"; and the first, named "Beauty," could be none other than Jerusalem itself and the worship according to Moses and the whole of the old covenant. 10.4.19 And this is also presented from the prophecy itself, which says: "And I will take my beautiful staff, and I will cast it away to scatter my covenant." You see how he said that his covenant was the first staff, and the second staff was "Cords." But he threatens to cast away both staffs, having said before: "And I will take for myself two staffs, the one I called 'Beauty,' and the second I called 'Cords'." 10.4.20 For this, Aquila says: "The one I called 'Comeliness,' and the other I called 'Cords'," and Symmachus: "One I called 'Comeliness,' and the other one I called 'Cords'." He therefore fittingly named the divine law and the covenant contained in it the "beauty" and "comeliness" of the whole nation; 10.4.21 For both the sacred things of Jerusalem and those of the high priestly ministry, and all that was formerly practiced among them according to the divine laws and according to the old covenant, was a comely ornament for those who were adorned by these things. And the multitude of the nation is also called "cord" by Moses, who says: "Jacob became the Lord's portion, his people; Israel the cord of his inheritance." 10.4.22 But he proclaims that a sudden change of these two staffs will take place at the times indicated, so that both the old covenant that was formerly in it and the beauty that was formerly in it will disappear, and the "cord" and the whole nation will be scattered, when, having valued "the price of the one who was priced" at thirty pieces of silver, they should suffer the fitting dishonor for their impiety. 10.4.23 So he says: "And I will take my beautiful staff, and I will cast it away to scatter my covenant," and again: "And I cast off the second staff, 'Cords'." After this, when the prophecy says, "And I will destroy the three shepherds in one month," I think it alludes to three orders of those who formerly presided over the people of God, that of king and high priest and prophet, since indeed through these three shepherds all things concerning the people of former times were administered. 10.4.24 But since these three shepherds also suffered a perversion at one time, that of our Savior— for their king led them unlawfully, being a certain foreigner and not native to the nation, and the high priest came to the ministry under the Romans, not approaching the honor according to the succession of the family nor according to the lawful statutes, and the prophet, having ceased with John, was no longer active among them, but instead of him a certain impious and deceitful false prophet leading the people astray, fittingly the three gifts, formerly on behalf of

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μὴ καθαράς, ὡς ἐν χωνευτηρίῳ πυρουμένας καὶ δοκιμαζομένας. 10.4.16 ὅπερ ὁ Ἀκύλας, ἔρριφεν, φήσας, τὸ ἀργύριον ἐν τῷ «οἴκῳ κυρίου πρὸς τὸν πλάστην», σαφῶς διδάσκει, ὡς τοῦ λόγου τοῦ θείου, δίκην πλάστου, κατοικοῦντος εἰς τὸν οἶκον κυρίου καὶ πλάττοντος καὶ ἀνανεοῦντος τὰς τῶν προσιόντων ψυχάς. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐπείπερ ἡ τιμὴ τοῦ τετιμημένου εἰς ἐκεῖνον μεταβληθεῖσα τὸν οἶκον βέβηλον αὐτὸν κατεστήσατο, εἰκότως εὐθὺς ἐπιλέγει· «καὶ ἀπέρριψα τὴν ῥάβδον τὴν δευτέραν, τὸ σχοίνισμα, τοῦ διασκεδάσαι τὴν διαθήκην ἀνὰ μέσον Ἰούδα καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον Ἰσραήλ». 10.4.17 ἐξ ἐκείνου γάρ τοι τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ ἔθνους ἀπερρίφη τῆς πάλαι πρότερον ἐφορώσης αὐτοὺς ἐπισκοπῆς τοῦ θεοῦ. «δευτέραν» δὲ «ῥάβδον» ἡγοῦμαι τὸ πᾶν ἀθρόως Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος ἐνταῦθα δηλοῦσθαι. καλεῖ δ' οὖν αὐτὴν «σχοίνισμα», λέγων· «τὴν μίαν ἐκάλεσα κάλλος, καὶ τὴν δευτέραν ἐκάλεσα σχοίνισμα». καὶ σαφῶς ἐπιλέγει περὶ τῆς δευτέρας, φάσκων· «καὶ ἀπέρριψα τὴν ῥάβδον τὴν δευτέραν τὸ σχοίνισμα, τοῦ διασκεδάσαι τὴν διαθήκην ἀνὰ μέσον Ἰούδα καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον Ἰσραήλ». 10.4.18 οὗτοι γὰρ ἦσαν τὸ «σχοίνισμα» καὶ «ἡ ῥάβδος ἡ δευτέρα»· ἡ δὲ προτέρα «κάλλος» ὠνομασμένη οὐδ' ἂν ἄλλη γένοιτο τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ αὐτῆς καὶ τῆς κατὰ Μωσέα λατρείας ἁπάσης τε τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης. 10.4.19 καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἐξ αὐτῆς παρίσταται τῆς προφητείας, φησάσης· «καὶ λήψομαι τὴν ῥάβδον μου τὴν καλήν, καὶ ἀπορρίψω αὐτὴν τοῦ διασκεδάσαι τὴν διαθήκην μου». ὁρᾷς ὡς τὴν μὲν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ τὴν ῥάβδον ἔφησεν εἶναι τὴν πρώτην, τὴν δὲ δευτέραν ῥάβδον τὸ σχοίνισμα. πλὴν ἀμφοτέρας τὰς ῥάβδους ἀπορρίψειν ἀπειλεῖ, προειπὼν πρότερον· «καὶ λήψομαι ἐμαυτῷ δύο ῥάβδους, τὴν μίαν ἐκάλεσα κάλλος, καὶ τὴν δευτέραν ἐκάλεσα σχοίνισμα». 10.4.20 ἀνθ' ὧν ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας φησίν· «τὴν μίαν ἐκάλεσα εὐπρέπειαν, καὶ τὴν ἑτέραν ἐκάλεσα σχοίνισμα», ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· «τὴν μὲν ἐκάλεσα εὐπρέπειαν, τὴν δὲ μίαν ἐκάλεσα σχοίνισμα». τοῦ μὲν οὖν παντὸς ἔθνους κάλλος καὶ εὐπρέπειαν τὸν θεῖον νόμον καὶ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ περιεχομένην διαθήκην ὠνόμασεν, εἰκότως· 10.4.21 τά τε γὰρ σεμνὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀρχιερατικῆς λειτουργίας, καὶ πάντα ὅσα πάλαι πρότερον ἐν αὐτοῖς κατὰ τοὺς θείους νόμους καὶ κατὰ τὴν παλαιὰν διαθήκην ἐπολιτεύετο, κόσμος εὐπρεπὴς ὑπῆρχεν τοῖς ὑπὸ τούτων κοσμουμένοις. σχοίνισμα δὲ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ ἔθνους καὶ παρὰ Μωσεῖ κέκληται, λέγοντι· «ἐγενήθη μερὶς κυρίου λαὸς αὐτοῦ Ἰακώβ, σχοίνισμα κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ Ἰσραήλ». 10.4.22 ἀλλὰ γὰρ τῶν δύο τούτων ῥάβδων ἀθρόαν μεταβολὴν γενήσεσθαι κατὰ τοὺς δηλουμένους χρόνους θεσπίζει, ὡς καὶ τῆς πάλαι ἐν αὐτῇ παλαιᾶς διαθήκης καὶ τοῦ πάλαι ἐν αὐτῇ κάλλους ἀφανισθησομένου, τοῦ τε σχοινίσματος καὶ τοῦ παντὸς ἔθνους διασκεδασθησομένου, ἐπὰν «τὴν τιμὴν τοῦ τετιμημένου» τριάκοντα ἀργυρίων τιμησάμενοι τῆς σφῶν δυσσεβείας τὴν προσήκουσαν ἀτιμίαν ὑπόσχοιεν. 10.4.23 λέγει δ' οὖν· «καὶ λήψομαι τὴν ῥάβδον μου τὴν καλήν, καὶ ἀπορρίψω αὐτὴν τοῦ διασκεδάσαι τὴν διαθήκην μου», καὶ πάλιν· «καὶ ἀπέρριψα τὴν ῥάβδον τὴν δευτέραν τὸ σχοίνισμα». Ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐπὰν ἡ προφητεία φάσκῃ «καὶ ἐξαρῶ τοὺς τρεῖς ποιμένας ἐν μηνὶ ἑνί», νομίζω τρία τάγματα αἰνίττεσθαι τῶν πάλαι τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ προεστώτων, βασιλέως καὶ ἀρχιερέως καὶ προφήτου, ἐπεὶ καὶ διὰ τῶν τριῶν τούτων ποιμένων πάντα τὰ κατὰ τοὺς πάλαι πρότερον ᾠκονομεῖτο. 10.4.24 ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ διαστροφὴν καὶ οἱ τρεῖς οὗτοι πεπόνθασιν ποιμένες καθ' ἕνα καιρόν, τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ὅ τε γὰρ βασιλεὺς παρανόμως αὐτῶν ἡγεῖτο, ἀλλόφυλός τις ὢν καὶ οὐκ οἰκεῖος τοῦ ἔθνους, ὅ τε ἀρχιερεὺς ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων παραγενόμενος ἐπὶ τὴν λειτουργίαν, οὐ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ γένους διαδοχὴν οὐδὲ κατὰ τοὺς ἐννόμους θεσμοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν τιμὴν παρῄει, ὅ τε προφήτης μέχρις Ἰωάννου παυσάμενος οὐκέτι ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐνήργει, ἀντὶ δὲ τούτου ψευδοπροφήτης τις ἀσεβὴς καὶ πλανῶν τὸν λαόν, εἰκότως τὰ τρία χαρίσματα, πάλαι πρότερον ὑπὲρ