Fragment from the commentaries on Hosea

FROM THE EXPLANATORY [WORKS] ON HOSEA. 13.825 Since those things spoken in a solecistic manner in Scripture, insofar as the wording confuses the reader, so that he suspects the sayings have been written not correctly, nor consistently, nor as they are; so that some even dare, on the pretext of correction, to alter them, changing the inherent meaning concerning the sayings that seem to have been written consistently; it is necessary here also, since a similar case has occurred, as far as the wording concerning the proposed sayings, that we see the meaning inherent in them. For having spoken in the plural, *They wept and besought me*; and again having indicated the next part in the plural, *Being in the house, they found me*, he adds what follows in the singular, saying: *And there it was spoken to him*. For someone looking at the bare wording, thinking it has been written in error, will either write the last part in the plural; or would change the preceding 13.828 parts to the singular. For having read, *They wept and besought me*; and, *Being in the house, they found me*, he would say that the next part is therefore, *There it was spoken to them*; that is, to those who wept and besought, and who, being in the house, found God. But from the observation of similar sayings we will show that this too has been spoken consistently. In Genesis, God giving a commandment to Adam, says thus: *From every tree in paradise you shall eat by eating; but from the tree of knowing good and evil, you shall not eat from it; for on whatever day you eat from it, you shall die by death*. For having begun there also with the singular in having said, *from every tree in paradise you shall eat by eating*, He adds in the plural, saying, *but from the tree of knowing good and evil, you shall not eat from it; for on whatever day you eat from it, you shall die by death*. For when it is about the commandment through which He wished him to be in life by keeping it, He commands in the singular, and says: *From every tree in paradise you shall eat by eating*. For those who walk according to God and hold fast to His commandments, even if they are many, are one by being of the same mind. For this reason, when a commandment about a good thing is given, it is said in the singular, *you shall eat by eating*; but when it now makes a distinction about transgression, it no longer says it in the singular, but now in the plural: *You shall not eat from it; for on whatever day you eat, you shall die by death*. Thus therefore here also, when they are still weeping and beseeching God, it is said in the plural, *They wept and besought*; but when they find God, it no longer says in the plural, *There it was spoken to them*, but, *to him*. For the many have now become one in having found God, and in hearing His word. For the one, when he sins, is a multitude, being torn away from God and divided, and falling away from unity; but the many, following the commandments of God, are one; as the Apostle also testifies, saying: *Because we, the many, are one bread and one body*; and again: *One God, and one Christ, and one faith, and one baptism*; and elsewhere: *For we are all one in Christ Jesus*; and again: *For I have espoused you all to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to the Lord*. And that those who are well-pleasing to the Lord are one, it is possible to see from the prayer which the Savior prays to the Father concerning His disciples; for, He says, *Holy Father, grant that, as I and you are one, so also these may be one in us*. And when the saints are said to be members of one another, what else are they but one body? And in the Shepherd, the building of the tower being built with many stones, but the building appearing to be of one stone, what else does the Scripture signify but the harmony and unity of the many?

Fragmentum ex commentariis in Osee

ΕΚ ΤΩΝ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΩΣΕΕ ΕΞΗΓΗΤΙΚΩΝ. 13.825 Ἐπειδὴ τὰ σολοικοειδῶς εἰρημένα κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν ὅσα κατὰ τὴν λέξιν συγχύνει τὸν ἐντυγχάνοντα, ὡς ὑπονοεῖν οὐκ ὀρθῶς, οὐδὲ ἀκολούθως, οὐδὲ ὡς ἔχει, γεγράφθαι τὰ ῥητά· ὡς καὶ τολμᾷν τινας, προφάσει διορθώσεως, ἀλλοιοῦν, μετατιθέντας τὸν ἐγκείμενον περὶ τὰ δοκοῦντα ἀκολούθως γεγράφθαι ῥητὰ νοῦν· ἀναγκαίως καὶ ἐνθάδε τοῦ ὁμοίου ἐμπεσόντος, ὅσον κατὰ τὴν λέξιν περὶ τὰ προκείμενα ῥητὰ, ἴδωμεν τὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐγκείμενον νοῦν. Πληθυντικῶς γὰρ εἰπὼν, Ἔκλαυσαν καὶ ἐδεήθησάν μου· καὶ πάλιν πληθυντικῶς τὸ ἑξῆς δηλώσας, Ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ ὢν, εὗρόν με, τὸ ἑξῆς ἐπὶ ἑνικοῦ ἐπιφέρει, λέγων· Καὶ ἐκεῖ ἐλαλήθη πρὸς αὐτόν. Τῇ γὰρ λέξει ψιλῇ τις ἐνιδὼν κατὰ πλάνην δοκῶν γεγράφθαι, ἢ καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον πληθυντικῶς γράψει· ἢ τὰ προά 13.828 γοντα εἰς ἑνικὸν μεταθείη. Ἀναγνοὺς γὰρ, Ἔκλαυσαν καὶ ἐδεήθησάν μου· καὶ, Ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ ὢν, εὗρόν με, εἴποι ἂν, ὅτι καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς οὖν ἐστιν, Ἐκεῖ ἐλαλήθη πρὸς αὐτούς· τουτέστι τοὺς κλαύσαντας καὶ δεηθέντας, καὶ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ ὢν, εὑρόντας τὸν Θεόν. Ἐκ παρατηρήσεως δὲ ὁμοίων ῥητῶν καὶ τοῦτο ἀκολούθως εἰρῆσθαι δείξομεν. Ἐν τῇ Γενέσει ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἀδὰμ ἐντολὴν διδοὺς, οὕτω φησίν· Ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ βρώσει φαγῇ· ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν, οὐ φάγεσθε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ· ᾗ δ' ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε. Ἀρξάμενος γὰρ κἀκεῖ ἀπὸ ἑνικοῦ ἐν τῷ εἰρηκέναι, παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ βρώσει φαγῇ, ἐπιφέρει πληθυντικῶς, εἰπὼν, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν, οὐ φά- γεσθε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ· ᾗ δ' ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε. Ὅτε γὰρ περὶ τῆς ἐντολῆς δι' ἧς αὐτὸν ἐν ζωῇ ταύτην τηροῦντα ἠθέλησεν εἶναι, ἑνικῶς ἐντέλλεται, καὶ φησίν· Ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ βρώσει φαγῇ. Οἱ γὰρ κατὰ Θεὸν περιπατοῦντες καὶ τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ ἀντεχόμενοι, κἂν πολλοὶ ὦσι, τῷ ὁμόφρονες εἶναι οἱ πολλοὶ ἕν εἰσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὅτε περὶ ἀγαθοῦ ἐντολὴ δίδοται, ἑνικῶς αὐτὸ λέγεται τὸ, βρώσει φαγῇ· ὅτε δὲ ἤδη περὶ παραβάσεως διαστέλλεται, οὐχ ἑνικῶς, ἀλλ' ἤδη πληθυντικῶς φησιν· Οὐ φάγεσθε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ· ᾗ δ' ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε, θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε. Οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἐνθάδε, ὅτε ἔτι κλαίουσι καὶ δέονται πρὸς Θεὸν, πληθυντικῶς λέγεται τὸ, Ἔκλαυσαν καὶ ἐδεήθησαν· ὅτε δὲ εὑρίσκουσι τὸν Θεὸν, οὐκέτι πληθυντικῶς φησι τὸ, Ἐκεῖ ἐλαλήθη πρὸς αὐτοὺς, ἀλλὰ, πρὸς αὐτόν. Ἤδη γὰρ ἐν γεγόνασιν οἱ πολλοὶ ἐν τῷ εὑρηκέναι τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀκούειν λόγον αὐτοῦ. Ὁ γὰρ εἷς, ὅτε ἁμαρτάνει, πολλοστός ἐστιν, ἀποσχιζόμενος ἀπὸ Θεοῦ καὶ μεριζόμενος, καὶ τῆς ἑνότητος ἐκπίπτων· οἱ δὲ πολλοὶ ταῖς ἐντολαῖς ἑπόμενοι ταῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἷς εἰσι· καθὼς καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος μαρτυρεῖ, εἰπών· Ὅτι εἷς ἄρτος καὶ ἓν σῶμα οἱ πολλοί ἐσμεν· καὶ πάλιν· Εἷς Θεὸς, καὶ εἷς Χριστὸς, καὶ μία πίστις, καὶ ἓν βάπτισμα· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· Ὅτι πάντες ἕν ἐσμεν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· καὶ αὖθις· Ἡρμοσάμην γὰρ ὑμᾶς τοὺς πάντας ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ παρθένον ἁγνὴν παραστῆσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ. Καὶ ὅτι οἱ εὐαρεστοῦντες τῷ Κυρίῳ ἕν εἰσιν, ἀπὸ τῆς προσευχῆς ἧς ὁ Σωτὴρ εὔχεται πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα περὶ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ, ἔστιν ἰδεῖν· Πάτερ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἅγιε, δὸς ἵνα, καθὼς ἐγὼ καὶ σὺ ἕν ἐσμεν, οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι ἐν ἡμῖν ἓν ὦσιν. Ὅταν δὲ καὶ ἀλλήλων μέλη λέγωνται εἶναι οἱ ἅγιοι, τί ἄλλο εἰ μὴ ἓν σῶμά εἰσι; Καὶ ἐν τῷ Ποιμένι δὲ τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ πύργου διὰ πολλῶν μὲν λίθων οἰκοδομουμένην, ἐξ ἑνὸς δὲ λίθου φαινομένην εἶναι τὴν οἰκοδομὴν, τί ἄλλο ἢ τὴν ἐκ πολλῶν συμφωνίαν καὶ ἑνότητα σημαίνει ἡ Γραφή;