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them at the beginning of the prophecy, saying: “I have begotten and exalted sons, but they have rejected me.” He therefore, taking the initiative, hastened to the salvation of his people, being present as his own messenger and through himself, not ministering the supply of good things to them through others. Therefore he says: not an elder nor an angel, but he himself saved them because he loved them and spared them and so on. Such, then, were the acts of his philanthropy, but they, having shown themselves unworthy of his benefactions, try to make him an enemy to themselves. Immediately, therefore, he who had bestowed so many good things upon them became an enemy to them, bringing to remembrance that not now for the first time have they become such, but always and from the first visitation to them they were harsh and insensible to the benefactions of God. Immediately, then, in the time of Moses, what sort of people, having been deemed worthy of countless paradoxical benefactions, in no way set their benefactor before their eyes, nor considered among themselves who and what sort of person he was who had displayed such great wonders to them, but even “made a calf” and again committed idolatry and committed countless other impieties in the wilderness itself, not considering in their mind how he led them through the Red Sea, appointing Moses over them like a shepherd of sheep, whom he also showed to be a great “prophet” and his “servant,” filling him with his own spirit. But instead of: water prevailed from his face, Symmachus has said, he who broke the waters before them, to make their name eternal. Thus, then, having parted the waters of the Red Sea, he led them through as a horse through the wilderness and through dry land and as cattle through a plain, but making no memory of these things, those indicated by the word were disobedient and provoked his holy spirit; for which reason he was turned into an enemy to them, and he himself warred against them. Their former champion judged this with right reason and justice, except that since he is philanthropic and good, as God is by nature, we must not be numb nor despair of salvation from him; for it is possible by giving ourselves to supplications and confessions to win him over. Therefore, all in common, both I, the prophet who says these things, and you who have chosen to be God-fearing among the people, beseeching and entreating with earnest exhortations, we say: Return from heaven and look from your holy house and your glory. if indeed we show him the change from worse things to better, saying: and look, and this too, O Lord, it is necessary to recall that often not for our sake, but for your zeal you acted with us, although we were unworthy, and you provided your mercies; where, then, is that zeal of yours and your strength and the multitude of your mercy? For already at other times, when we had sinned many times, you endured, and it is no wonder, since you once deigned to say: “My people are children and my people are sons.” As, therefore, a father of children you endured before, so now again endure; for Abraham was not our father, even if he seemed to serve our birth according to the flesh, but in true reason you are our father, being the “father of all spirits” and of souls “made in your image.” Therefore we beseech you to deliver us, since your name adorns us. Therefore, doing a favor “to your own name, that it not be blasphemed among the nations,” deem us worthy of your mercy. Having said these things, the prophet, from his own person and that of the more devout among the people, adds these things also from the person of those among the people who are fond of blaming and complaining, who often do not hesitate to find fault even with God himself. Therefore they say: Why did you make us wander, Lord, from your way, you hardened our hearts from fearing you? As from the person of the people he says these things: for just as you once hardened “the heart of Pharaoh,” so, he says, you have now hardened us also, judging us to be unworthy of your fear, but you also made us wander

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αὐτοὺς κατ' ἀρχὰς τῆς προφητείας λέγων· «υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα καὶ ὕψωσα, αὐτοὶ δέ με ἠθέτησαν». Αὐτὸς μὲν οὖν προαρξάμενος ἔσπευσεν ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ σωτηρίαν αὐτάγγελος παρὼν καὶ δι' ἑαυτοῦ, οὐχὶ δι' ἑτέρων διακονούμενος αὐτοῖς τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν χορηγίαν. διό φησιν· οὐ πρέσβυς οὐδὲ ἄγγελος, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἔσωσεν αὐτοὺς διὰ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτοὺς καὶ φείδεσθαι αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. τὰ μὲν οὖν τῆς αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας τοιαῦτα οἱ δὲ οὐκ ἀξίους ἑαυτοὺς τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν παραστήσαντες πειρῶνται ἐχθρὸν αὐτὸν ἑαυτοῖς καταστῆσαι. αὐτίκα γοῦν ὁ τὰ τοσαῦτα δεδωρημένος αὐτοῖς ἀγαθὰ πολέμιος κατέστη αὐτοῖς ἀνενέγκας τῇ μνήμῃ ὡς νῦν οὐ πρῶτον τοιοῦτοι γεγόνασι, πάντοτε δὲ καὶ ἐκ πρώτης τῆς εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐπισκοπῆς ἀπηνεῖς ἦσαν καὶ ἀνεπαίσθητοι τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ εὐεργεσιῶν. Αὐτίκα δ' οὖν ἐπὶ Μωσέως ὁποῖα μυρίων καταξιωθέντες παραδόξων εὐεργεσιῶν οὐδαμῶς τὸν εὐεργέτην πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔθεντο οὐδὲ ἐλογίσαντο παρ' ἑαυτοῖς, τίς ἦν καὶ οἷος ὁ τὰ τοσαῦτα αὐτοῖς θαύματα ἐπιδεδειγμένος, ἀλλὰ καὶ «ἐμοσχοποίησαν» καὶ πάλιν εἰδωλολάτρησαν καὶ μυρία ἕτερα ἠσέβησαν ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἐρήμου μὴ λογισάμενοι τῇ διανοίᾳ, ὅπως αὐτοὺς διὰ τῆς θαλάσσης τῆς ἐρυθρᾶς διήγαγε, Μωσέα οἷα προβάτων ποιμένα ἐπιστήσας αὐτοῖς, ὃν καὶ μέγαν «προφήτην» καὶ «θεράποντα» ἑαυτοῦ ἀνέδειξε πληρώσας αὐτὸν τοῦ ἰδίου πνεύματος. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· κατίσχυσεν ὕδωρ ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ, ὁ Σύμμαχος ὁ ῥήξας ὕδατα ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν εἴρηκε, ποιῆσαι αὐτῶν ὄνομα αἰώνιον. οὕτως οὖν διαρρήξας τὰ τῆς ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης ὕδατα ὡς ἵππον δι' ἐρήμου καὶ διὰ ξηρᾶς καὶ ὡς κτήνη διὰ πεδίου παρήγαγεν αὐτούς, ἀλλὰ τούτων οὐδεμίαν μνήμην ποιησάμενοι οἱ ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου δηλούμενοι ἠπείθησαν καὶ παρώξυναν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ· διὸ καὶ ἐστράφη αὐτοῖς εἰς ἔχθραν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπολέμησεν αὐτούς. Ὁ πρότερος ὑπέρμαχος αὐτῶν ὀρθῷ λόγῳ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ τοῦτο κρίνας πλὴν ἐπεὶ φιλάνθρωπος καὶ ἀγαθὸς οἷα θεὸς τὴν φύσιν ἐστίν, οὐκ ἀποναρκητέον ἡμῖν οὐδ' ἀπογνωστέον τὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ σωτηρίαν· ἔξεστι γὰρ ἱκετηρίαις καὶ ἐξομολογήσεσιν ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδιδόντας ἵλεων αὐτὸν κτήσασθαι. διὸ κοινῇ πάντες, ἐγώ τε ὁ ταῦτα λέγων προφήτης, καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ ἐν τῷ λαῷ θεοσεβεῖν προῃρημένοι καθικετεύοντες καὶ λιπαραῖς ταῖς παρακλήσεσιν ἀντιβολοῦντες λέγομεν· Ἐπίστρεψον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἴδε ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ ἁγίου σου καὶ δόξης σου. εἴ γε δεικνύομεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν χειρόνων ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττω μεταβολὴν λέγοντες· καὶ ἴδε καὶ τοῦτο δέ, ὦ κύριε, ἀναγκαῖον ὑπομνῆσαι ὡς πολλάκις οὐ δι' ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν σὸν ζῆλον ἐποίησας μεθ' ἡμῶν καίτοι ἀναξίων ὄντων καὶ παρέσχου τὰ σαυτοῦ ἐλέη· ποῦ τοίνυν ἐστὶν ὁ ζῆλός σου ἐκεῖνος καὶ ἡ ἰσχύς σου καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ ἐλέους σου; ἤδη γὰρ καὶ ἄλλοτε πολλάκις ἁμαρτησάντων ἡμῶν ἠνέσχου καὶ οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν, ἐπειδὴ ἅπαξ κατηξίωσας εἰπεῖν· «ὁ λαός μου τέκνα καὶ ὁ λαός μου υἱοί εἰσιν». ὡς οὖν πατὴρ τέκνων καὶ πρότερον ἠνέσχου, καὶ νῦν πάλιν ἀνάσχου· οὐ γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ ἦν πατὴρ ἡμῶν, εἰ καὶ διακονεῖσθαι τῇ κατὰ σάρκα ἡμῶν ἔδοξε γενέσει, ἀληθεῖ δὲ λόγῳ σὺ πατὴρ ἡμῶν εἶ ἅτε «πατὴρ πάντων πνευμάτων» ὑπάρχων καὶ τῶν «κατ' εἰκόνα τὴν σὴν πεποιημένων» ψυχῶν. διὸ ῥύσασθαι ἡμᾶς ἀντιβολοῦμεν, ἐπείπερ τὸ ὄνομά σου κοσμεῖ ἡμᾶς. διὸ χαριζόμενος «τῷ σαυτοῦ ὀνόματι, ἵνα μὴ βλασφημεῖται παρὰ τοῖς ἔθνεσι», καταξίωσον ἡμᾶς τοῦ σοῦ ἐλέους. Ταῦτα εἰπὼν ὁ προφήτης ἐξ οἰκείου προσώπου καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ λαῷ εὐλαβεστέρων καὶ ταῦτα προστίθησιν ἐκ προσώπου τῶν ἐν τῷ λαῷ φιλαιτίων καὶ φιλεγκαλημόνων οὐκ ὀκνούντων πολλάκις καὶ αὐτῷ καταμέμφεσθαι τῷ θεῷ. διό φασι· τί ἐπλάνησας ἡμᾶς, κύριε, ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ σου, ἐσκλήρυνας τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν τοῦ μὴ φοβεῖσθαί σε; ὡς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ λαοῦ ταῦτά φησιν· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐσκλήρυνάς ποτε «τὴν καρδίαν Φαραώ», οὕτως φησὶ καὶ ἡμᾶς νῦν ἐσκλήρυνας ἀναξίους εἶναι κρίνας τοῦ φόβου σου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπλάνησας ἡμᾶς σὺ