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for a short time as happened at other times, but, “continually,” it says. For which Aquila has interpreted: “And their backs continually weaken;” and Symmachus: “And their loins continually dislocate.” And this happened to them; since the wrath of God no longer came upon them with measure as in the old days; but the whole of it was poured out upon them at once. Therefore it is added: “Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your wrathful anger take hold of them.” This is also shown in another psalm which says: “Why, O God, have you cast us off forever?” And the divine Apostle spoke in agreement with this: “But wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.” First, then, their table became a snare for them; then their eyes were darkened; then their back was continually bent, as the wrath of God was poured out upon them. And after these things he foretells that something else will happen to them, saying: “Let their habitation be desolate;” instead of, it will be; “and let there be no one dwelling in their tents;” instead of, there will not be. For it was necessary that not even this should escape prophetic knowledge; that indeed their habitation would be desolate; or according to Symmachus, “uninhabited;” or according to Aquila, “destroyed.” And he calls Jerusalem their habitation, no longer being the city of God, but their habitation. Therefore he says it will be desolate; which is indeed shown by the event. Then he adds: “And let there be no one dwelling in their tents,” that is, from among their former inhabitants; which the truth of the statement also presents to our eyes. If, then, anyone should come to the place, he would see the extreme desolation of the place; and no Jew daring to set foot in the city, much less to live there; nor is there any Jewish dwelling left in the place, so that any of the Greeks could live in it. Therefore it has been said: “And let there be no one dwelling in their tents;” or according to Symmachus: “In their tents let there be no one dwelling.” For all their tents and their dwellings were utterly razed from their foundations. See, then, how many things the word mentioned: the desolation of the holy place, the destruction of their tents, the complete humiliation of the nation, 23.756 the darkening of their mind, their incomprehension of the divine Scriptures, which were not fulfilled for them at any other time than after they acted impiously toward the Christ of God. Therefore the prophecy adds the reason for these things next, saying thus: “Because they persecuted him whom you have struck, and they added to the pain of my wounds,” and what follows. He says that all the things foretold will happen to them, not because of some idolatry, but “because they persecuted him whom you have struck.” For you, according to the prophecy that says, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered,” struck him for reasons you yourself know. Whence it is said by the Apostle: “For if He did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.” But to whom did He deliver him up? Isaiah will teach, saying: “And the Lord has delivered him up for our sins;” for which reason he became a curse for us. For God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. But also “he has become a man in suffering, and knowing how to bear weakness; and by his stripe we are healed.” Therefore he has received blows and stripes, and has suffered all these things, the Father willing and allowing it to be so. Therefore it is said in Zechariah the prophet: “Sword, awake against my shepherd, and against the man who is my fellow. Strike the shepherd, and let the sheep of the flock be scattered;” and in the Gospel our Savior himself, when he came to his passion, charged his disciples, saying: “All of you will be made to stumble because of me. For it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” And in what follows

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γὰρ πρὸς ὀλίγον τινὰ χρόνον καθὼς ἄλλοτε ἐγένετο, ἀλλὰ, «διαπαντὸς,» φησίν. Ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας ἡρμήνευσε· «Καὶ τοὺς νώτους αὐτῶν ἐνδελεχῶς ἀτόνωσον·» ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· «Καὶ τὰς ὀσφῦς αὐτῶν διαπαντὸς ἐξάρθρωσον.» Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ αὐτοῖς συνέβη· ἐπεὶ ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκέτι μέτρῳ κατὰ τὸ παλαιὸν μετῆλθεν αὐτούς· ἡ πᾶσα δὲ ἀθρόως κατ' αὐτῶν ἐξεχύθη. ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγεται· «Ἔκχεον ἐπ' αὐτοὺς τὴν ὀργήν σου, καὶ ὁ θυμὸς τῆς ὀργῆς σου καταλάβοι αὐτούς.» Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ δηλοῦται ψαλμῷ τῷ φήσαντι· «Ἱνατί, ὁ Θεὸς, ἀπώσω εἰς τέλος;» Καὶ ὁ θεῖος δὲ Ἀπόστολος τούτοις συμφώνως ἔλεγεν· «Ἔφθασε δὲ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἡ ὀργὴ εἰς τέλος.» Πρῶτον οὖν ἡ τράπεζα αὐτῶν ἐγένετο αὐτοῖς εἰς παγίδα· εἶτα οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν ἐσκοτίζοντο· εἶτα ὁ νῶτος αὐτῶν διαπαντὸς ἐκάμπτετο, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀργῆς ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἐκχεομένης. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἄλλο τι γενήσεσθαι αὐτοῖς προαγορεύει φάσκων· «Γενηθήτω ἡ ἔπαυλις αὐτῶν ἠρημωμένη·» ἀντὶ τοῦ, γενηθήσεται· «καὶ ἐν τοῖς σκηνώμασιν αὐτῶν μὴ ἔστω ὁ κατοικῶν·» ἀντὶ τοῦ, μὴ ἔσεται. Ἔδει γὰρ μηδὲ τοῦτο παρελθεῖν τὴν προφητικὴν γνῶσιν· ὡς ἄρα καὶ ἡ ἔπαυλις αὐτῶν ἔσται ἔρημος· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «ἀοίκητος·» ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, «ἠφανισμένη.» Ἔπαυλιν δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὀνομάζει, οὐκέτι Θεοῦ πόλιν οὖσαν, ἀλλ' αὐτῶν ἔπαυλιν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔρημον αὐτὴν ἔσεσθαί φησιν· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἔργῳ δείκνυται. Εἶτ' ἐπιλέγει· «Καὶ ἐν τοῖς σκηνώμασιν αὐτῶν μὴ ἔστω ὁ κατοικῶν,» ἐξ αὐτῶν δηλαδὴ τῶν πάλαι οἰκητόρων· ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ λόγου παρίστησιν. Εἰ γοῦν τις ἀφίκοιτο εἰς τοὺς τόπους, ἴδοι ἂν τὴν ἐσχάτην ἐρημίαν τοῦ τόπου· Ἰουδαίων δὲ οὐδένα τολμῶντα ἐπιβαίνειν τῇ πόλει, μήτι γε οἰκεῖν αὐτόθι· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οἴκησις Ἰουδαϊκὴ περιλέλειπται ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, ὥς τινα τῶν Ἑλλήνων οἰκεῖν ἐν αὐτῇ δύνασθαι. ∆ιὸ λέλεκται· «Καὶ ἐν τοῖς σκηνώμασιν αὐτῶν μὴ ἔστω ὁ κατοικῶν·» ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· «Ἐν ταῖς σκηναῖς αὐτῶν μὴ ἔστω ὁ κατοικῶν.» Ἄρδην γὰρ ἐκ βάθρων πᾶσαι αὐτῶν αἱ σκηναὶ καὶ αἱ οἰκήσεις κατεσκάφησαν. Ὅρα τοίνυν ὁπόσων ἐμνημόνευσεν ὁ λόγος, ἐρημίας τοῦ ἁγίου τόπου, ἀφανισμοῦ τῶν σκηνωμάτων αὐτῶν, τοῦ ἔθνους παντελοῦς ταπεινώσεως, 23.756 σκοτισμοῦ τῆς διανοίας αὐτῶν, ἀνοησίας τῶν θείων Γραμμάτων, ἃ καὶ οὐκ ἄλλοτε ἐπληροῦτο εἰς αὐτοὺς ἢ μετὰ τὸ ἀσεβῆσαι εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ. ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγει τούτοις ἑξῆς τὴν αἰτίαν ὧδε φάσκουσα προφητεία· «Ὅτι ὃν σὺ ἐπάταξας, κατεδίωξαν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἄλγος τῶν τραυμάτων μου προσέθηκαν,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τὰ προλεχθέντα πάντα συμβήσεσθαι αὐτοῖς φησιν, οὐ διά τινα εἰδωλολατρείαν, ἀλλ' «ὅτι ὃν σὺ ἐπάταξας, κατεδίωξαν.» Σὺ μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τὴν λέγουσαν προφητείαν, «Πατάξω τὸν ποιμένα, καὶ διασκορπισθήσεται τὰ πρόβατα τῆς ποίμνης,» δι' οὓς αὐτὸς οἶδας λόγους ἐπάταξας. Ὅθεν εἴρηται παρὰ τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ· «Εἰ γὰρ τοῦ ἰδίου Υἱοῦ οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάντων παρέδωκεν αὐτόν.» Τίνι δὲ παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν, Ἡσαΐας διδάξει λέγων· «Καὶ Κύριος παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν·» διὸ γέγονεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα. Μὴ γνόντα γὰρ αὐτὸν ἁμαρτίαν ὁ Θεὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησεν, ἵνα ἡμεῖς γενώμεθα δικαιοσύνη ἐν αὐτῷ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ «ἄνθρωπος ἐν πληγῇ ὢν, καὶ εἰδὼς φέρειν μαλακίαν γέγονε· καὶ τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν.» Οὐκοῦν καὶ πληγὰς καὶ μώλωπας εἴληφε, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα πέπονθε, τοῦ Πατρὸς βουλομένου καὶ συγχωροῦντος οὕτω γίγνεσθαι. ∆ιὸ ἐν μὲν Ζαχαρίᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ λέλεκται· «Ῥομφαία, ἐξεγέρθητι ἐπὶ τὸν ποιμένα μου, καὶ ἐπ' ἄνδρα πολίτην αὐτοῦ. Πάταξον τὸν ποιμένα, καὶ διασκορπισθήτω τὰ πρόβατα τῆς ποίμνης·» ἐν δὲ τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ αὐτὸς ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν πρὸς τῷ πάθει γενόμενος τοῖς αὐτοῦ μαθηταῖς διεστέλλετο εἰπών· «Πάντες ὑμεῖς σκανδαλισθήσεσθε ἐν ἐμοί. Γέγραπται γάρ· Πατάξω τὸν ποιμένα, καὶ διασκορπισθήσεται τὰ πρόβατα τῆς ποίμνης.» Καὶ ἐν τῷ μετὰ χεῖρας