322

a solemn charge, through which he accuses the fathers, but he also commanded and solemnly charged the children not to be like their fathers, nor the former generation, which did not direct its heart, and its spirit was not faithful to God. For it was not of a base nature, nor of a wicked constitution, but by choice, shrinking from obedience to God, it provoked him, and by perversion it became crooked; wherefore according to Symmachus it is said: A generation without choice in its heart, and unsteady towards God in its own spirit. The sons of Ephraim, bending and shooting with bows, turned back in the day of battle. The good and man-loving Lord showed to the first forefathers of the Jewish nation, through Moses, works greater than any word; but they became stiff-necked and truly a foolish and not a wise people, and a crooked and perverse generation. But when the first ones were proven to be such, he handed down the law to those after them, commanding and solemnly charging in it both the things to be done and the things not to be done; and exhorting them not to imitate the fathers, nor the crooked generation, nor the provoking one, which did not direct its heart, and its spirit was not faithful to God. But they, becoming worse than their fathers, benefited nothing from the delivered writing of the law, driving into the depth of wickedness. And the first of these were the sons of Ephraim, honored with a special honor because their tribe and their lot were chosen before the whole nation, to be the first to receive the ark of God and the tent of witness which was constructed by Moses in the wilderness; for indeed the place in Shiloh, where the tent and the sanctuary were, before Jerusalem, belonged to the tribe of Ephraim; but being the first to receive this honor, they became idolaters. And it is possible to gather the history of their deeds from the book of Judges. And the present psalm also rebukes them as it proceeds, saying about them: He rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; and again: And he rejected the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among men; and he presents the reason, saying: They were turned into a deceitful bow. And they provoked him on their hills, and with their graven images they moved him to jealousy. Therefore, it is fittingly said through the preceding words: The sons of Ephraim, bending and shooting with a bow, turned back in the day of battle. And he presents more clearly how they turned back, saying: And they became a deceitful bow. For it was necessary to shoot and fight against the enemies of God, but they, being idolaters, raised up war against God. Wherefore he adds: They did not keep the covenant of God, and in his law they were not willing to walk. And he metaphorically signifies the rest of the whole nation through the sons of Ephraim, signifying also those similar in ways, even if they did not happen to be of the same tribe. Since also those in the times after these, who broke away from Jerusalem and practiced idolatry in Samaria, were sons of Ephraim. Fittingly, therefore, having named the transgressors of the whole nation sons of Ephraim, he accuses them all at once, saying: And they forgot his benefits and his wonders, which he had shown them. Before their fathers, he did wonderful things in the land of Egypt, in the plain of Tanis. For having forgotten all these things that were shown to their fathers, they took up arms against God, not willing to walk in his law, although the ability and the will depended on them. But they, having the power, were not willing to use right choice; but giving their backs to God, they forgot his wonders of old. And of what wonders? Other than those that happened in Egypt itself, and not in all of Egypt, but in the plain of Tanis? Which Moses indeed did not

322

διαμαρτυρίαν, δι' ἧς κατηγορεῖ μὲν τῶν πατέρων, διεστείλατο δὲ καὶ διεμαρτύρατο τοῖς τέκνοις μὴ ἐξομοιοῦσθαι τοῖς πατράσι, μηδὲ τῇ προτέρᾳ γενεᾷ, ἥτις οὐ κατηύθυνε τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἐπιστώθη μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτῆς. Οὐ γὰρ φύσεως φαύλης ἦν, οὐδὲ κατασκευῆς πονηρᾶς, ἐκ προαιρέσεως δὲ ἀνανεύουσα πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπακοὴν παρεπίκρανε, καὶ ἐκ διαστροφῆς σκολιὰ γέγονε· διὸ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον εἴρηται· Γενεὰ ἀπροαίρετος τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ ἀβέβαιος πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἑαυτῆς. Υἱοὶ Ἐφραῒμ, ἐντείνοντες καὶ βάλλοντες τόξοις, ἐστράφησαν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πολέμου. Ὁ μὲν ἀγαθὸς καὶ φιλάνθρωπος Κύριος τοῖς πρώτοις προπάτορσι τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους ἔργα παντὸς λόγου κρείττονα ἐνεδείκνυτο τὰ διὰ Μωσέως· οἱ δὲ ἐγίνοντο σκληραύχενες καὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς λαὸς μωρὸς καὶ οὐχὶ σοφὸς, καὶ γενεὰ σκολιὰ καὶ διεστραμμένη. Ἀλλὰ τῶν πρώτων τοιούτων ἀπελεγχθέντων, νόμον τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα παρεδίδου, διαστειλάμενος καὶ διαμαρτυράμενος ἐν αὐτῷ τά τε πρακτέα καὶ τὰ μή· παραινῶν τε μὴ μιμεῖσθαι τοὺς πατέρας, μηδὲ τὴν γενεὰν τὴν σκολιὰν, μηδὲ τὴν παραπικραίνουσαν, ἥτις οὐ κατηύθυνε τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἐπιστώθη μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτῆς. Οἱ δὲ, χείρους τῶν πατέρων γενόμενοι, οὐδὲν μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς παραδοθείσης τοῦ νόμου γραφῆς ὠφελοῦντο εἰς βάθος κακίας ἐλαύνοντες. Καὶ πρῶτοί γε τούτων ἦσαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἐφραῒμ, τιμηθέντες μὲν ἐξαιρετῷ τιμῇ διὰ τοῦ τὴν αὐτῶν φυλὴν καὶ τὸν αὐτῶν κλῆρον προκριθῆναι τοῦ παντὸς ἔθνους, καὶ τὴν κιβωτὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου τὴν ὑπὸ Μωσέως ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ κατασκευασθεῖσαν ὑποδέξασθαι πρώτους· ὁ γοῦν τόπος ὁ ἐν Σηλῶ, ἔνθα ἡ σκηνὴ καὶ τὸ ἁγίασμα, πρὸ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τῆς φυλῆς Ἐφραῒμ ἐτύγχανεν· ἀλλὰ πρῶτοι ταύτης τυχόντες τῆς τιμῆς, εἰδωλολάτραι γεγόνασι. Καὶ ἔστι γε τὴν ἱστορίαν τῶν πεπραγμένων αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς βίβλου τῶν Κριτῶν ἀναλέξασθαι. Ἐλέγχει δὲ καὶ ὁ παρὼν ψαλμὸς προϊὼν ἑξῆς καὶ λέγων περὶ αὐτῶν· Ἀπώσατο τὸ σκήνωμα Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ τὴν φυλὴν Ἐφραῒμ οὐκ ἐξελέξατο· καὶ πάλιν· Καὶ ἀπώσατο τὴν σκηνὴν Σηλὼμ, σκήνωμα οὗ κατεσκήνωσεν ἐν ἀνθρώποις· καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν παρίστησιν εἰπών· Μετεστράφησαν εἰς τόξον στρεβλόν. Καὶ παρώργισαν αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς βουνοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς γλυπτοῖς αὐτῶν παρεζήλωσαν αὐτόν. Εἰκότως οὖν καὶ διὰ τῶν προκειμένων εἴρηται· Υἱοὶ Ἐφραῒμ, ἐντείνοντες καὶ βάλλοντες τόξον, ἐστράφησαν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πολέμου. Πῶς δὲ ἐστράφησαν σαφέστερον παρίστησιν εἰπών· Καὶ ἐγένοντο εἰς τόξον στρεβλόν. ∆έον γὰρ βάλ 23.912 λειν καὶ πολεμεῖν τοὺς τῷ Θεῷ πολεμίους, οἱ δὲ εἰδωλολατροῦντες πόλεμον ἤραντο κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγει· Οὐκ ἐφύλαξαν τὴν διαθήκην τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἠβουλήθησαν πορεύεσθαι. Καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς δὲ τοῦ παντὸς ἔθνους δηλοῖ μεταφορικῶς διὰ τῶν υἱῶν Ἐφραῒμ, καὶ τοὺς ὁμοίους τοῖς τρόποις, εἰ καὶ μὴ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐτύγχανον ὄντες φυλῆς, σημαίνων. Ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα χρόνοις ἀποσχίσαντες τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἐν τῇ Σαμαρείᾳ εἰδωλολατρήσαντες υἱοὶ ἦσαν Ἐφραΐμ. Εἰκότως οὖν τοὺς παραβάτας τοῦ παντὸς ἔθνους υἱοὺς Ἀβραὰμ ὀνομάσας, ἀθρόως διαβάλλει τοὺς πάντας λέγων· Καὶ ἐπελάθοντο τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν θαυμασίων αὐτοῦ, ὧν ἔδειξεν αὐτοῖς. Ἐναντίον τῶν πατέρων αὐτῶν, ἃ ἐποίησε θαυμάσια ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτου ἐν πεδίῳ Τάνεως. Πάντων γὰρ τούτων λήθην πεποιημένοι τῶν πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν ἐπιδεδειγμένων, ὅπλα ἤραντο κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐ βουληθέντες ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ πορεύεσθαι, καίτοι ἐπ' αὐτοὺς κειμένου τοῦ δύνασθαι καὶ τοῦ βούλεσθαι. Οἱ δὲ τὴν δύναμιν ἔχοντες, οὐκ ἠβουλήθησαν ὀρθῇ χρήσασθαι προαιρέσει· νῶτα δὲ δόντες τῷ Θεῷ, λήθην ἐποιήσαντο τῶν πάλαι θαυμασίων αὐτοῦ. Ποίων δὲ θαυμασίων ἢ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ γενομένων τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ, καὶ οὐκ ἐν πάσῃ Αἰγύπτῳ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ τῆς Τάνεως πεδίῳ; Ὅπερ Μωσῆς μὲν οὐκ