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you yourself, O Lord, for not knowing your way. But even if we are such, you at least, as God, for the sake of your servants—for it is likely that there are some such in the entire multitude—turn back, and since we have been deemed worthy to be called your inheritance, we beseech you: Return for the sake of your servants and for the tribes of your inheritance, so that at least for the sake of your servants and the tribes of your inheritance we also, the unworthy, might be able to obtain some small portion in the holy mountain promised by you, from which we have now completely fallen away, since our adversaries have trampled upon your sanctuary. And this they did because you turned away from us; thus, then, having been left destitute of your care, we are now such as we were even before you ruled over us. For as there was once a time when we had "neither prophets nor priests nor kings" nor any of your gifts, in the same way we have now been brought into that desolation. And we were such in Egypt, having spent a long time there before Moses even came to us. For at that time your name did not adorn us, nor were we called "your people" or "the portion of your inheritance," and now likewise we have come to the same end. All these things seem to refer to the time after the coming of our Savior, in which they were completely abandoned because of the things they dared to do against our Savior. For now they have truly become such as they were from the beginning, when God did not rule over them. But instead of: if you open the heaven, trembling from you will seize the mountains and what follows, Symmachus has interpreted it in this way: we have become as from of old, over whom you will not rule nor was your name called upon them, nor did you rend the heavens and come down. From your face the mountains flowed down, as a burning fire the sea melted, the waters were terrified. So then, he says, we have become such as those who have never experienced your wonders, to whom you did not show your marvelous deeds that occurred in the time of Moses. But according to the Seventy: We, he says, have become such as we were before you ruled over us. But nevertheless we know precisely and are persuaded that if you, being God and all-powerful, should wish to open the heaven, trembling from you will seize the mountains, that is, the opposing powers that rise up against the knowledge of you, and they will melt like wax from fire, and fire will also devour the adversaries of your divinity. And in deed the power of your name will be shown to all the enemies, and "the nations that do not know you as God," if you should wish only to open your own heaven and look upon those on the earth, will be troubled, and trembling from you will seize the aforementioned mountains. Such great power is present with you, whence from of old we have not heard who is another such god, nor can we, bearing false witness, say that our eyes have seen any other maker of such works; therefore, we have neither seen another god besides you, nor divine deeds. And the things which you have granted to those who wait for you to see, we place as having been done by another. Having come to this point, take note how the prophetic word introduces a God who is seen, speaking from the person of the people: 'nor have our eyes seen a God besides you.' And yet: "no one has ever seen God," and: "no one shall see my face and live," but it seems through these words to allude to the Christ of God, the one who spoke to Moses in the desert, and was seen by all the people through the glory that appeared to all, concerning which it is said: "and all the people saw the glory of the Lord." Next after these things he adds: Behold, you were angry, and we sinned, as if he were saying more clearly, because we sinned, you were angry; but he also says we have gone astray, and we have all become as one who is unclean. And if any righteousness and just deed was thought to be found among us, it too has been exposed as defiled and dishonored. Therefore we have become like a fruitless tree that has cast off its fruit, but also as leaves

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αὐτός, ὦ κύριε, τοῦ μὴ γνωρίσαι τὴν ὁδόν σου. πλὴν ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ἡμεῖς τοιοῦτοι, σὺ γοῦν ὡς θεὸς διὰ τοὺς δούλους σου, εἰκὸς γὰρ εἶναί τινας ἐν τῷ παντὶ πλήθει τοιούτους, ἐπίστρεψον, καὶ ἐπειδὴ κλῆρός σου κατηξιώθημεν ὀνομάζεσθαι, ἱκετεύομεν· Ἐπίστρεψαι διὰ τοὺς δούλους σου καὶ διὰ τὰς φυλὰς τῆς κληρονομίας σου, ἵνα κἂν διὰ τοὺς σοὺς δούλους καὶ τὰς φυλὰς τῆς κληρονομίας σου δυνηθῶμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ἀνάξιοι μικρᾶς τινος μερίδος τυχεῖν ἐν τῷ ἐπηγγελμένῳ ὑπὸ σοῦ ὄρει ἁγίῳ, οὗ παντελῶς νῦν ἀποπεπτώκαμεν, ἐπειδήπερ οἱ ὑπεναντίοι ἡμῶν κατεπάτησαν τὸ ἁγίασμά σου. Καὶ τοῦτ' ἔπραξαν διὰ τὸ σὲ ἀποστραφῆναι ἡμᾶς· οὕτω γοῦν καταλειφθέντες ἔρημοι τῆς σῆς ἐπισκοπῆς τοιοῦτοι νῦν ἐσμεν, ὁποῖοι καὶ πρὶν σὲ ἡμῶν ἄρξαι. ὡς γὰρ ἦν ποτε χρόνος, ὅτε «οὔτε προφήτας οὔτε ἱερέας οὔτε βασιλέας» οὔτε τι τῶν σῶν χαρισμάτων εἴχομεν, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ νῦν εἰς ἐκείνην κατέστημεν τὴν ἐρημίαν. ἦμεν δὲ τοιοῦτοι ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ μακρῷ διατρίψαντες χρόνῳ πρὶν καὶ Μωσέα ἡμῖν ἐπιστῆναι. τὸ τηνικαῦτα γὰρ οὐδὲ τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐκόσμει ἡμᾶς οὐδὲ «λαός σου» ἐχρηματίζομεν οὐδὲ «μερὶς κληρονομίας σου», καὶ νῦν δὲ ὁμοίως εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ περιέστημεν τέλος. ταῦτα πάντα ἔοικεν ἀναφέρεσθαι ἐπὶ τὸν καιρὸν τὸν μετὰ τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ἐν ᾧ παντελῶς κατελείφθησαν διὰ τὰ κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τολμηθέντα αὐτοῖς. νῦν γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς τοιοῦτοι γεγόνασιν ὡς τὸ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, ὅτε οὐκ ἦρχεν αὐτῶν ὁ θεός. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· ἐὰν ἀνοίξῃς τὸν οὐρανόν, τρόμος λήψεται ἀπὸ σοῦ ὄρη καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς, ὁ Σύμμαχος τοῦτον ἡρμήνευσε τὸν τρόπον· ἐγενήθημεν ὡς ἀπ' αἰῶνος, ὧν οὐκ ἐξουσιάσεις οὐδὲ ἐπεκλήθη τὸ ὄνομά σου αὐτοῖς, οὐδὲ ῥήξας οὐρανοὺς κατέβης. ἀπὸ προσώπου σου ὄρη κατέρρευσεν, ὡς ἔκκαυσις πυρὸς ἐτάκη θάλασσα, ὕδατα ἐπτοήθησαν. τοιοῦτοι γοῦν φησι γεγόναμεν ὁποῖοι μηδὲ πώποτε πειραθέντες τῶν σῶν θαυμάτων, οἷς οὐκ ἔδειξας τὰ θαυμάσιά σου τὰ ἐπὶ Μωσέως γεγεννημένα. κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα· τοιοῦτοι μὲν ἡμεῖς φησι γεγόναμεν ὁποῖοι ἦμεν πρὶν ἄρξαι σὲ ἡμῶν. πλὴν ἀλλ' ἴσμεν ἀκριβῶς καὶ πεπείσμεθα, ὅτι ἐὰν θελήσῃς ἀνοῖξαι τὸν οὐρανὸν θεὸς ὢν καὶ πάντα δυνατός, τρόμος λήψεται ἀπὸ σοῦ ὄρη, τὰς ἀντικειμένας δηλαδὴ δυνάμεις τὰς ἐπαιρομένας κατὰ τῆς γνώσεώς σου, καὶ τακήσονται ὡς κηρὸς ἀπὸ πυρός, ἀλλὰ καὶ πῦρ καταφάγεται τοὺς ὑπεναντίους τῆς σῆς θεότητος. ἔργῳ τε δειχθήσεται πᾶσι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἡ δύναμις τοῦ ὀνόματός σου, καὶ «τὰ ἔθνη δὲ τὰ σὲ μὴ εἰδότα τὸν θεόν», εἰ βουληθείης αὐτὸ μόνον διανοίξας τὸν σαυτοῦ οὐρανὸν ἐπισκοπῆσαι τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ταραχθήσονται, καὶ τρόμος λήψεται ἀπὸ σοῦ τὰ προλεχθέντα ὄρη. Τοσαύτη πάρεστί σοι δύναμις, ὅθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν, τίς ἕτερος τοιοῦτος θεὸς οὐδὲ δυνάμεθα ψευδομαρτυρήσαντες εἰπεῖν ὡς ἄρα καὶ ἄλλον τινὰ τοιούτων ἔργων ποιητὴν τεθέανται ἡμῶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ οὔτε οὖν θεὸν πλὴν σοῦ ἕτερον εἴδομεν οὔτε πράξεις θεϊκάς. ὁποῖα δὲ τοῖς σὲ ὑπομένουσιν ὁρᾶν παρέσχες, ὑφ' ἑτέρου γεγενημένα τιθέμεθα. ἔνθα γενόμενος ἐπίστησον, ὅπως θεὸν ὁρώμενον ὁ προφητικὸς εἰσάγει λόγος φάσκων ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ λαοῦ· οὐδὲ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν εἶδον θεὸν πλὴν σοῦ. καὶ μήν· «θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε», καί· «οὐδεὶς ὄψεται μου τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ ζήσεται», ἀλλ' ἔοικε τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τούτων αἰνίττεσθαι, τὸν δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου χρηματίσαντα Μωσεῖ, τῷ τε παντὶ λαῷ ἑωραμένον διὰ τῆς ἐμφαινομένης τοῖς πᾶσι δόξης, περὶ ἧς εἴρηται· «καὶ ἑώρα πᾶς ὁ λαὸς τὴν δόξαν κυρίου». Τούτοις ἑξῆς ἐπιφέρει· ἰδοὺ σὺ ὠργίσθης, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἡμάρτομεν, ὡσεὶ σαφέστερον ἔλεγεν, ἐπειδὴ ἡμάρτομεν ἡμεῖς, σὺ ὠργίσθης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπλανήθημέν φησι, καὶ ἐγενήθημεν ὡς ἀκάθαρτοι πάντες ἡμεῖς. εἰ δὲ καί τις ἐνομίσθη παρ' ἡμῖν εὑρίσκεσθαι δικαιοσύνη καὶ πρᾶξις δικαία, ἐρρυπωμένη καὶ αὐτὴ καὶ ἄτιμος ἐλήλεγκται. διόπερ ὡς ἄκαρπον δένδρον ἀποβαλὸν τοὺς καρποὺς τοιοῦτοι γεγόναμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς φύλλα