266

it acquires beauty. For silversmiths and goldsmiths make these, and painters. Therefore they derive their composition from matter and art. Then he further laments their weakness, saying: 80.1793 13-15. "They have a mouth, but they will not speak; they have eyes, but they will not see. They have ears, but they will not hear; they have noses, but they will not smell. They have hands, but they will not feel; they have feet, but they will not walk." Of the senses, he says, they are clothed in their images, but are deprived of their function. Therefore they are more worthless not only than their makers, but also than the smallest of living creatures; for flies, and gnats, and creatures smaller than these, have the function of their senses; for they see and hear, and fly, and walk; but those who are worshipped as gods do not even have the function of small and tiny animals. 10. "They will not make a sound in their throat." For since the demons who worked through them, using false prophecies, delivered them not through these lifeless idols, but through rational men, or revealed something through certain symbols, he rightly said: "They will not make a sound in their throat." For they are completely motionless and lifeless idols. 17. "May those who make them become like them, and all who trust in them." But may both those who worship and those who create them become like them. For it is just that those honored with reason, and yet have fallen into such irrationality, should receive the insensibility of the things worshipped by them. 18, 19. "The house of Israel hoped in the Lord; he is their helper and their defender. The house of Aaron hoped in the Lord; he is their helper and their defender." Those ones reaped loss, but not profit, from the worship of these; but the house of Israel, having acquired hope in the true God, continuously enjoys His providence. He made mention of them by division, thus honoring the priesthood, and teaching those of that time how great the difference of the priests is from the others. 20. "Those who fear the Lord hoped in the Lord; he is their helper and their defender." This is another order besides the previous ones. The word teaches that even if one does not have the dignity of the priesthood nor is clothed in Israelite kinship, but, being adorned with the fear of God, cultivates virtue, he too will obtain equal providence from the God of all. And indeed, in old times there were many such people among the Jews, not sprouting from the Abrahamic root, but coming from other nations, being called proselytes, and holding divine things in high esteem. And now the nations do not have the kinship according to the flesh with Abraham, but having acquired the faith of Abraham, they are named children of Abraham. 80.1796 21, 22. "The Lord, remembering us, has blessed us, he has blessed the house of Israel, he has blessed the house of Aaron. He has blessed those who fear the Lord." Here too he made the same division, and showed the fruit of hope; for he joined blessing to hope, and said that this was imparted not only to the house of Israel, and to the house of Aaron, but also to those who fear him. Then again he makes a division of ages and ranks. "The small with the great." For not only the young, but also the old; not only those who boast in wealth, but also those living with poverty; nor only those adorned with freedom, but also those forced to bear the yoke of slavery. 23. "May the Lord add to you, to you and to your children." The prophetic word prays for increase and multitude for those who have acquired divine hope. 24. "Blessed are you by the Lord, who made heaven and earth." You will certainly obtain this, he says, since you have received the blessing from the maker of all things. 25. "The heaven of heaven is the Lord's, but the earth he has given to the sons of men." For He has as his dwelling place the heaven, not this visible one, but the one higher than it, which this one has as a roof, just as this one

266

εὐμορφίαν κομίζεται. Ἀργυροχόοι γὰρ καὶ χρυσοχόοι ταῦτα κατασκευάζουσι, καὶ ζωγράφοι. Ἀπὸ ὕλης τοίνυν καὶ τέχνης τὴν σύστασιν ἐρανίζονται. Εἶτα διὰ πλεῖον αὐτῶν τραγῳδεῖ τὴν ἀσθένειαν, λέ γων· 80.1793 ιγʹ-ιεʹ. "Στόμα ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐ λαλήσουσιν· ὀφ θαλμοὺς ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ὄψονται. Ὦτα ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ἀκούσονται· ῥῖνας ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ὀσφραν θήσονται. Χεῖρας ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐ ψηλαφήσουσι· πό δας ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐ περιπατήσουσιν." Τῶν αἰσθητη ρίων. φησὶ, τὰς μὲν εἰκόνας περίκεινται, τῆς δὲ ἐν εργείας ἐστέρηνται. Εὐτελέστεροι τοίνυν οὐ μόνον τῶν ποιούντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν σμικροτάτων ζωϋφίων εἰσί· μυῖαι γὰρ, καὶ κώνωπες, καὶ τὰ τούτων σμικρότε ρα, τῶν αἰσθητηρίων ἔχουσι τὴν ἐνέργειαν· βλέπουσι γὰρ καὶ ἀκούουσι, καὶ πέτανται, καὶ βαδίζουσιν· οἱ δὲ ὡς θεοὶ προσκυνούμενοι, οὐδὲ τὴν τῶν ὀλίγων καὶ σμικρῶν ζώων ἐνέργειαν ἔχουσιν. ιʹ. "Οὐ φωνήσουσιν ἐν τῷ λάρυγγι αὑτῶν." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἱ δι' αὐτῶν ἐνεργοῦντες δαίμονες, καὶ ταῖς ψευδέσι χρώμενοι μαντείαις, οὐ διὰ τῶν ἀψύχων ταύτας εἰδώλων, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν λογικῶν ἀν θρώπων προσέφερον, ἢ διὰ συμβόλων τινῶν τινὰ κατεμήνυον, εἰκότως ἔφη· "Οὐ φωνήσουσιν ἐν τῷ λάρυγγι αὑτῶν." Ἀκίνητα γὰρ καὶ ἄψυχα εἴδωλα παντελῶς. ιζʹ. Ὅμοιοι αὐτοῖς γένοιντο οἱ ποιοῦντες αὐτὰ, καὶ πάντες οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπ' αὐτοῖς." Ἀλλ' ἐκεί νοις μὲν ὁμοιωθεῖεν καὶ οἱ προσκυνοῦντες, καὶ οἱ δημιουργοῦντες. Τοὺς γὰρ λόγῳ τετιμημένους, καὶ εἰς τοσαύτην ἀλογίαν ἐκπεπτωκότας, δίκαιον τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῶν προσκυνουμένων τὴν ἀναισθησίαν λα βεῖν. ιηʹ, ιθʹ. "Οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ ἤλπισεν ἐπὶ Κύριον· βοηθὸς καὶ ὑπερασπιστὴς αὐτῶν ἐστιν. Οἶκος Ἀαρὼν ἤλπισεν ἐπὶ Κύριον· βοηθὸς καὶ ὑπερασπι στὴς αὐτῶν ἐστιν." Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ζημίαν, ἀλλ' οὐ κέρδος ἐκ τῆς τούτων ἐδρέψαντο προσκυνήσεως· ὁ δὲ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ οἶκος τὴν εἰς τὸν ὄντα Θεὸν ἐλπίδα κτησάμενος, τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ προνοίας ἀπολαύει δι ηνεκῶς. Κατὰ διαίρεσιν δὲ τὴν μνήμην ἐποιήσατο, τὴν ἱερωσύνην ταύτῃ τιμῶν, καὶ διδάσκων τοὺς τηνικαῦτα, πόση πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους ἡ τῶν ἱερέων διαφορά. κʹ. "Οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον ἤλπισαν ἐπὶ Κύ ριον· βοηθὸς καὶ ὑπερασπιστὴς αὐτῶν ἐστιν." Ἕτε ρον τοῦτο τάγμα παρὰ τὰ πρότερα. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ ὁ λόγος, ὅτι κἂν μὴ τὴν τῆς ἱερωσύνης τις ἀξίαν ἔχει μηδὲ τὴν Ἰσραηλιτικὴν συγγένειαν περίκειται, τῷ δὲ θείῳ φόβῳ κοσμούμενος ἐπιμελεῖται τῆς ἀρετῆς τῆς ἴσης καὶ αὐτὸς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων τεύξε ται προμηθείας. Ἦσαν δὲ καὶ πάλαι παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις τοιοῦτοι πολλοὶ, ἐκ μὲν τῆς Ἀβραμιαίας οὐ βλα στήσαντες ῥίζης, ἐξ ἑτέρων δὲ προσελθόντες ἐθνῶν, προσήλυτοι προσαγορευόμενοι, καὶ περὶ πολλοῦ τὰ θεῖα ποιούμενοι. Καὶ νῦν δὲ τὰ ἔθνη οὐκ ἔχει τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα συγγένειαν, τοῦ δὲ Ἀβραὰμ τὴν πίστιν κτησάμενα, τέκνα χρηματί ζει τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. 80.1796 καʹ, κβʹ. "Κύριος μνησθεὶς ἡμῶν εὐλόγησεν ἡμᾶς, εὐλόγησε τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραὴλ, εὐλόγησε τὸν οἶκον Ἀαρών. Εὐλόγησε τοὺς φοβουμένους τὸν Κύ ριον." Τὴν αὐτὴν καὶ ἐνταῦθα διαίρεσιν ἐποιήσατο, καὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος ὑπέδειξε τὸν καρπόν· εὐλογίαν γὰρ τῇ ἐλπίδι συνέζευξε, καὶ ταύτης ἔφη μετα δόσθαι οὐ μόνον τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ τῷ οἴκῳ Ἀαρὼν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν. Εἶτα πάλιν ἡλικιῶν καὶ ἀξιωμάτων ποιεῖται τὴν διαίρεσιν. "Τοὺς μικροὺς μετὰ τῶν μεγάλων." Οὐ γὰρ μόνον τοὺς νέους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς γεγηρακότας· οὐ δὲ μόνον τοὺς πλούτῳ κομῶντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς πε νίᾳ συζῶντας· οὐδὲ μόνον τοὺς τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ κο σμουμένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς τῆς δουλείας τὸν ζυγὸν ἕλκειν ἠναγκασμένους. κγʹ. "Προσθείη Κύριος ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, ἐφ' ὑμᾶς καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς ὑμῶν." Τοῖς τὴν θείαν ἐλπίδα κε κτημένοις τὴν αὔξησιν καὶ τὸ πλῆθος ὁ προφητικὸς ἐπεύχεται λόγος. κδʹ. "Εὐλογημένοι ὑμεῖς τῷ Κυρίῳ, τῷ ποιήσαντι τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν." Τεύξεσθε δὲ τούτου πάν τως, φησὶν, ἅτε δὴ παρὰ τοῦ ποιητοῦ τῶν ὅλων τὴν εὐλογίαν δεξάμενοι. κεʹ. "Ὁ οὐρανὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ, τὴν δὲ γῆν ἔδωκε τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων." Αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ ἐνδιαίτημα ἔχει τὸν οὐρανὸν, οὐ τὸν ὁρώ μενον τοῦτον, ἀλλὰ τὸν τούτου ὑπέρτερον, ὃν οὗτος ὄροφον ἔχει, καθάπερ τοῦτον