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to be laid down, as when one might say: May I suffer, or be destroyed, like Jerusalem, and its temple. But these things happened not because of your weakness, but because we acted impiously toward Christ. Some said that the curse was a denunciation. For those who took Jerusalem glorified their own gods, but they accused its God of weakness. CHAPTER 65. 1-12. 9I was made manifest to those who did not seek me. I was found by those who did not ask for me. I said to a nation, which did not call upon my name. I spread out my hands all day long to a disobedient and gainsaying people, who did not walk in a true way, but after their own sins. This people that provokes me, continually before me, they sacrifice in gardens, and burn incense upon bricks to demons, which are not9, etc. To those who confessed through prayer, and to those who reproached God as one who had led them astray, he answers in effect saying: How could I have overlooked those who were praying, I who do not seek the 2685 death of the sinner, but his repentance? How could I have led them astray, I who exhort all to turn back, and to rise up when they fall? how could I have hardened you, I who even spontaneously run to those who are far away from me out of love for mankind, so that even foreigners who have toiled for nothing in this matter might know me, when I revealed myself to them? And if I am such toward strangers, how could I be harsh toward you? And yet, from you I began the grace, calling graciously, and as if with outstretched hands hastening to embrace true children, and loving those who hate you. But some say that he says they did not ask. For on his own he would run into the synagogues, preaching and healing, and he would say to them: I am the light of the world. And, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me. But they followed their own sins. Although I declared: If you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins. Some, however, understood the saying in relation to the distressing events in Egypt at various times, that he helped them without being called. For I, who also through Moses stretched out my hands, in order to make some my own through victory, and to destroy Amalek, although they were gaping after idols, and following their own desires, but not now for the first time. For you are the ones who from all eternity have provoked me, sacrificing in the sight of me, the God who oversees all things, and who said: Shall anything be hidden from me [before me], that is, in the temple dedicated to me? For through Jeremiah he also said: "What has the beloved done in my house? An abomination;" thus Scripture calls the idol. And the phrase 'which are not,' he says concerning the demons, that they are not gods, to whom they sacrificed on altars constructed of bricks. That is, since, when they prayed to the demons, they marked out places resembling bricks, on which they stood. And he says 'in tombs,' on account of necromancies, and 'in caves,' where they set up statues on a mountain, or even performed certain rites, offering sacrifices under large trees. And making yourselves like the Gentiles [he says] you were filled with swine's flesh, and from the sacrifices which you offered to demons, by boiling the leftovers, you defiled every vessel. And doing such things, being purified by fire and water, you called yourselves clean. All of which things are smoke of my wrath. For before the advent there was in a way a beginning of the divine anger. But they kindled the wrath by what they dared against the Savior. And the smoke turned into fire. And since for men letters are an aid against forgetfulness, tropologically from these things he shows the unforgetfulness of God; just as also in Daniel the phrase, 'The books were opened,' signifying the knowledge of God which embraces all things. But on the hills they reproached me, he says. For 2688 they would not have sacrificed to others, if they did not despise me as worthless, and as not even being God. But the phrase, 'I will not be silent,' clearly applies while they persist. Therefore, if anyone in the multitude should be found having a hope of salvation, he will be outside of these things. For even if the Lord's vineyard, having produced thorns instead of grapes, will be destroyed; but if anywhere a rare, healthy berry is found as in a dry cluster, as partaking of a blessing, it will be saved; as if also a master of a field

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κεῖσθαι, ὡς ὅτ' ἄν τις λέγοι· Πάθοιμι, ἢ καταστραφείην, ὡς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὅ τε ταύτης ναός. Ταῦτα δὲ γέγονεν οὐ διὰ σὴν ἀσθένειαν, ἀλλ' ἡμῶν ἠσεβηκότων εἰς τὸν Χριστόν. Τινὲς δὲ κατάραν ἔφασαν τὴν κατάῤῥησιν. Οἱ γὰρ ἑλόντες τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ θεοὺς μὲν τοὺς ἰδίους ἐδόξαζον, ἀσθενείας δὲ τὸν ταύτης ᾐτιῶντο Θεόν. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΞΕʹ. αιβʹ. 9Ἐμφανὴς ἐγενήθην τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ζητοῦσιν. Εὑρέθην τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ἐπερωτῶσιν. Εἶπα τῷ ἔθνει, οἳ οὐκ ἐκάλεσάν μου τὸ ὄνομα. Ἐξεπέτασα τὰς χεῖράς μου ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν πρὸς λαὸν ἀπειθοῦντα καὶ ἀντιλέγοντα, οἳ οὐκ ἐπορεύθησαν ὁδῷ ἀληθινῇ, ἀλλ' ὀπίσω τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν. Ὁ λαὸς οὗτος ὁ παροξύνων με, ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ διαπαντὸς, αὐτοὶ θυσιάζουσιν ἐν τοῖς κήποις, καὶ θυμιῶσιν ἐπὶ ταῖς πλίνθοις τοῖς δαιμονίοις, ἂ οὐκ ἔστιν9, κ.τ.λ. Τῶν μὲν ἐξομολογησαμένων δι' εὐχῆς, τῶν δὲ ὀνειδισάντων ὡς πλανήσαντι τῷ Θεῷ, ἀποκρίνεται δυνάμει λέγων· Πῶς ἂν παρεῖδον εὐχομένους, ὁ μὴ τὸν 2685 θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ζητῶν, ὡς τὴν μετάνοιαν; Πῶς δ' ἂν ἐπλάνησα, ἐπιστρέφειν πάντας παρακαλῶν, καὶ ἀνίστασθαι πίπτοντας; πῶς δ' ἂν ἐσκλήρυνον ὑμᾶς, ὁ καὶ τοῖς μακρὰν ἀφεστῶσιν ἐμοῦ διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν ἐπιτρέχων αὐτόματος, ὡς καὶ τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους γινώσκειν ἐμὲ, μηδὲν εἰς τοῦτο μοχθήσαντας, ἐμαυτὸν αὐτοῖς ἐπιδείξαντος; Ὁ δὲ περὶ τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους τοιοῦτος, πῶς περὶ ὑμᾶς ἀπηνής; Καὶ μὴν ἐξ ὑμῶν ἀπηρξάμην τῆς χάριτος, καλῶν εὐμενῶς, καὶ οἷα χερσὶν ἐκτεταμέναις γνησίους παῖδας περιλαβεῖν ἐπειγόμενος, καὶ μισοῦντας ὑμᾶς ἀγαπῶν. Τινὲς δὲ λέγουσιν, ὡς αὐτούς φησι μὴ ἐπερωτήσαντας. Ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ γὰρ εἰς τὰς συναγωγὰς εἰσέτρεχεν, κηρύσσων καὶ θεραπεύων, ἔλεγέν τε αὐτοῖς· Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου. Καὶ, Εἴτις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με. Ἀλλ' ἠκολούθουν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ἁμαρτίαις. Καί τοι γεγωνότος ἐμοῦ· Ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύσητε, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν ἀποθανεῖσθε. Τινὲς δὲ πρὸς τὰ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, καὶ κατὰ καιροὺς λυπηρὰ, τὸν λόγον ἐδέξαντο, ὅτι μὴ κληθεὶς αὐτοῖς ἐβοήθει. Ἐγὼ γὰρ, ὁ καὶ διὰ Μωσέως χεῖρας ἐκπεταννὺς, πρὸς τὸ τοὺς μὲν οἰκειώσασθαι διὰ νίκης, τὸν δὲ Ἀμαλὴκ ἀπολέσαι, καί τοι κεχηνότων πρὸς εἴδωλα, καὶ ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ἐπιθυμίαις ἀκολουθούντων, ἀλλ' οὐ νῦν πρῶτον. Ὑμεῖς γὰρ οἱ ἐκ παντὸς αἰῶνός με παροξύναντες, θύοντες ἐνώπιον ἐμοῦ τοῦ πάντα ἐφορῶντος Θεοῦ, καὶ εἰπόντος· Μὴ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ κρυβήσεταί τι [ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ] ἤγουν ἐν τῷ μοι ἀφιερωθέντι ναῷ; Καὶ διὰ Ἱερεμίου γὰρ ἔφη· "Τί ἡ ἠγαπημένη ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου ἐποίησε βδέλυγμα;" οὕτω τῆς Γραφῆς καλούσης τὸ εἴδωλον. Τὸ δὲ καὶ οὐκ εἰσὶ, περὶ τῶν δαιμόνων φησὶν, ὡς οὐκ ὄντων θεῶν, οἷς ἔθυον ἐν τοῖς ἐκ πλίνθων κατεσκευασμένοις βωμοῖς. Ἤγουν ἐπείπερ, ἡνίκα τοῖς δαιμονίοις εὔχοντο, τόπους πλίνθοις ἐοικότας διέγραφον, ἐφ' ὧν ἵσταντο. Ἐν μνήμασι δὲ λέγει, διὰ τὰς νεκυομαντείας, ἐν δὲ σπηλαίοις, ἔνθα ἵστων ἐπ' ὄρους ἀγάλματα, ἢ καὶ τελετὰς ἐπετέλουν τινὰς, ὑπὸ δένδρεσι μεγάλοις θυσίας προσάγοντες. Καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν [φησὶν] ὁμοιούμενοι χοιρείων ἐνεφορεῖσθε κρεῶν, καὶ ἐκ τῶν θυσιῶν, ὧν προσεφέρετε δαίμοσιν, ἔψοντες τὰ περιττὰ, πᾶν σκεῦος ἐμολύνετε. Καὶ τοιαῦτα δρῶντες πυρὶ καὶ ὕδατι περιαγνιζόμενοι καθαροὺς ἑαυτοὺς ὠνομάζετε. Ἃ δὲ πάντα καπνός εἰσι τοῦ θυμοῦ μου. Πρὸ γὰρ τῆς ἐπιδημίας ἀρχή πως ἦν τῆς θείας ὀργῆς. Τὸν δὲ θυμὸν ἐξῆψαν τὰ κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος τολμήσαντες. Ὁ δὲ καπνὸς εἰς πῦρ μετεβάλλετο. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις βοήθεια πρὸς λήθην τὰ γράμματα, τροπικῶς ἐκ τούτων δείκνυσι τὸ ἀνεπίληστον τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὁποῖον καὶ παρὰ ∆ανιὴλ τὸ, Βίβλοι ἀνεῴχθησαν, σημαῖνον τὴν πάντα γνῶσιν περιλαμβάνουσαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν βουνῶν ὠνείδισάν με, φησί. Οὐ 2688 γὰρ ἂν ἔθυον ἑτέροις, μὴ καταφρονοῦντες ὡς εὐτελοῦς, καὶ μηδὲ ὄντος Θεοῦ. Τὸ δὲ, Οὐ μὴ σιωπήσω, ἐπιμενόντων αὐτῶν δηλονότι. Τοιγαροῦν εἰ εὑρεθείη τις ἐν τῷ πλήθει σωτηρίας ἔχων ἐλπίδα, τούτων ἔξω γενήσεται. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὁ ἀμπελὼν Κυρίου ἀντὶ σταφυλῆς ἀκάνθας ποιήσας, ἀφανισθήσεται· ἀλλ' εἴπου τις εὑρεθήσεται σπάνιος ὡς ἐν ξηρῷ βότρυϊ ῥὼξ ὑγιὴς, ὡς εὐλογίας μετέχων, σωθήσεται· ὡς εἰ καὶ δεσπότης ἀγροῦ