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Hos.4:1–2. Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the judgment of the Lord is upon them that dwell on the earth: Because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God on the earth: oaths and lies, and murder, and theft, and fornication are spread over the earth, and blood 58 mixes with blood. In order to explain the meaning of the present saying, we must reproduce almost everything from the beginning and, so to speak, restore the entire content of the prophecy. So, as briefly as possible, I will say the following. There was “the beginning of the word of the Lord to Hosea” (Hosea 1:2). Interpreting this, we, as naturally, said that the words of God came to the blessed prophet Hosea, who, as it were, secretly guided him and foreshadowed the future both in images (symbols) and in speeches. So, in the beginning Gomer was taken and gave birth to “Not my people” and “She who has not had mercy”; then after her a second fornicator and harlot was accepted. Everything that happened, as I said, the prophet observed in detail and carefully; when he has sufficiently understood the power of the sacrament, then he begins to proclaim to the descendants of Israel what is to come, to explain the reason for the disaster that will soon befall them, and to state with all clarity what God has been offended by, so that those punished know that whatever they have to endure, they will endure in justice. Since they were to be taken captive by their enemies and then become a laughing stock for those who had the best opinion of them and believed that Israel was more difficult to subjugate than all other nations, so that they would not think to themselves that the protecting and saving hand had weakened, but, on the contrary, that they would decide to repent and return to something better, realizing that through ignorance they had offended the One who is able to save and as a result fell under the wrath of God - of necessity before their He waits, proclaims to them their guilt and says: “Hear the word of the Lord, the sons of Israel: for the judgment of the Lord is upon those who dwell on the earth.” God conducts judgment with people not as a litigant, but as an accuser, presenting direct evidence against those who did not honor Him, which seems to be in accordance with what is sung in the psalms: “I will reprove you, and bring your sins of iniquity before your face” (Ps. 49:21), - and this is with the purpose of making them think that anger has not befallen them in vain, but as if in the form of retribution, and revealed itself, out of necessity, to those who were in the habit of committing the greatest sins. What does the person suing or the accuser say? - “There is no truth, no mercy, no knowledge of God on earth.” The words “there is no truth” most likely indicate that everyone at that time had a lot of slander, perjury, deception and deceit - the most shameful of all evils. And that they were unfriendly, ruthless, inexorable, cruel and hard-hearted - this is indicated by the expression “no mercy.” Further, he explains that they were rather sensualists than lovers of God, and that they were in every possible way attached to false gods, saying: there is no “knowledge of God on earth.” And especially those who are committed to such terrible absurdities, with all justice, should be considered ignorant of God, since, we think, he knows Him who thinks rightly about Him and obeys His Divine commands. To this he adds that “oaths, and lies, and murder, and theft, and fornication are spread over the earth, and blood is mixed with blood.” Do you hear how those about whom we are speaking, without leaving anything most disgusting unexplored, finally reached the boundaries of all evil, (passed) beyond the limits of immoral undertakings, and, what is even more reckless than this, “blood,” he says, “is mixed with blood.” This can serve as clear proof that they did not know how to restrain themselves from vices - having committed, they did not come to repentance of what they dared to do, but constantly and continuously added sin to sin. However, this is enough for the simplest (i.e. historical) explanation. But the blessed prophet, obviously, again teaches us a more mysterious instruction and exposes Israel for abusing Christ and killing Him and the saints. So: “the judgment of the Lord is upon those who live on the earth.” Because of what and why? – Our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to us and was sent, as He himself says, “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24), in order to enlighten the darkened with a spiritual light, - in order to free them from the shadow of the law, to lead them to true worship - so that, having justified by faith those entangled in sins, through Himself to unite them with God and the Father. But the Israelites, it turned out, did not think right: they rejected and dishonored the One who came from heaven for this purpose, and did not want to have in themselves the truth, mercy, knowledge of God and the Father. And that both truth and mercy are Christ, to prove this, I think, few words will be required, since in this regard the inspired Scripture is quite sufficient, which in various places calls Christ mercy and truth for us (1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2, 18; 2 John 3; Jude 21; John 14:6; Eph. 4, etc.). That He is also the “knowledge of God,” one can be convinced of this very easily, since He himself very clearly and openly cried out: “He who has seen me in the form of the Father” (John 14:9). So, “the judgment,” he says, “of the Lord is upon those who live on the earth,” obviously, Jewish, because they had neither truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of the Father. Thus He judges those who do not have the same. But those who accepted faith escaped judgment with Him or from Him, which is again evident from the words of Christ: “Amen, amen, I say to you: believe in me, you will have eternal life” (John 6:47), “and you will not come into judgment” (John 5:24). What did “spread over the earth?” “Oaths, and lies, and murder, and theft, and fornication, and blood interfere with blood.” What kind of “oath” is this? – Slander and contempt, because the Jewish people constantly insulted Jesus, attacking (Him) with their blasphemous and unbridled tongue and calling Him either a Samaritan (John 8:48) or a wine drinker (Matthew 11:19) and born of fornication, for they believed to themselves that the Holy Virgin was an fornicator. This is what an “oath” is. But they lied ("lies") and to His glory, saying that He has a demon (John 7:20, 8:48, 10, etc.), and attributing Divine signs to the powers of Beelzebub (Matt. 12, etc.). And that they are guilty of intending to kill Him (“murder”), this can be seen from the fact that they repeatedly threw stones at Emmanuel (John 10:31, 11:8) and lifted Him up to the top of the mountain to throw Him out from there (Luke 4:29). But their guilt does not end there: they also highly valued theft, for for it they rewarded Judas the traitor, the filthy money-grubber, and the great thief. And the Pharisees, having become, as it were, some kind of criminal fornicators of the Jewish synagogue, expelled its heavenly bridegroom, that is, Christ; They fornicated with her, convincing her to serve her own lusts. Blood mixed with blood. How or in what way? Having killed the holy prophets, they added to them the Lord of the prophets. Therefore, blessed Stephen in the Acts of the Apostles rightly condemns them, saying: “Whom did your fathers not drive out from the prophets? and having killed the one who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, you are now his traitors and murderers” (Acts 7:52). And the Savior, denouncing the insolence of the Pharisees and scribes, said: “And you will fulfill the measure of your fathers” (Matthew 23:32). Hos.4:3–4. For this reason, the earth will mourn, and will diminish with all that dwell on it, with the wild beasts of the land, and with the creatures that creep on the earth, and with the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and the fish of the sea will become scarce: for let no one be found, and no one shall be convicted. Since they, he says, led such an ungodly and very destructive life, wicked and unbridled, thought and did what should not be done, insulting God, then, as a result of this and quite rightly, they will come to destruction, at which point the earth will, as it were, “mourn,” that is, it will be plundered, change its image and will present the sad sight of burned cities, destroyed houses and devastated fields. The inhabitants will be in the same position as the earth, weeping and groaning, for they too will “weep,” that is, they will be far from all complacency and prosperity. Who are the inhabitants? - Animals, reptiles, and with them flying. If we judge sensibly, then we will not think that the prophetic word tells us about wild animals, or reptiles, or birds: to understand this is completely absurd and completely unreasonable. On the contrary, having understood the correct meaning, we believe that what has just been said to us depicts the morals of the Jews. Under the image of animals, speech represents the most powerful people, capable of intimidating others, wild and provocative, accustomed to killing and having very great ferocity; and under the image of reptiles - those who have become extremely sophisticated in damaging morals and have reached the limit of all depravity; therefore, the wise John denounced the most despicable host of Pharisees and scribes, crying out and saying: “a serpent, a generation of vipers” (Matthew 23:33; cf. Matthew 3:7; Luke 3:7;). In the image of birds you can easily see those who quickly fly away from God or suffer from damned arrogance, as if they ascend upward and become accustomed to being arrogant. Pisces, obviously, refers to people in the crowd, gregarious, immersed in everyday worries, having a mind as if drowned by water, voiceless and senseless (after all, the fish species is voiceless), or in other words, those who seem to absorb the weakest, because mutual devouring is noticed especially among fish. “So, “the earth will cry,” he says, “along with its inhabitants.” What is the reason for this? - “Yes, no one will be accused, no one will be exposed.” Since “oaths, and lies, theft and murder, and fornication are spread over the earth, and blood is mixed with blood,” then “they will cry,” and then the lies, deceit and slander will stop, because, weeping at unexpected events and mourning the misfortune that has befallen them, they will involuntarily lag behind such sins. And the expressions: “claimed” and “convicted,” as I think, mean nothing more than to accuse and condemn someone, that is, to bear false witness. In this, another of the holy prophets loudly denounced the descendants of Israel, saying: “My soul is sore, for the godly perished from the earth, and there is no one who can correct men; they all hide in their roofs, each one embittering his neighbor with bitterness” (Mic. 7:2). This is in a historical sense. Then directing prophetic speech to a deeper understanding, let us say the following. Since in the land of Judea, or among the Jews themselves, “there is no truth, no mercy, no knowledge of God” (this, as we said, is and is called Immanuel), but, on the contrary, “oaths and lies prevail and the thieves are honored, and blood is mixed with blood” (for, as I said, having killed the prophets, they killed Jesus himself), then the earth will finally “mourn” together with its inhabitants, burned by the hands of the Romans. But it will be, he says, “that no one will be found guilty, and no one will be convicted,” which clearly accuses the Jews as having judged unrighteously and brought up accusations, or given false witness to Christ. Namely: the leaders brought Him to Pilate, condemning and accusing Him; some came and testified against Him and almost even dared to denounce Him, falsely speaking, despised, that He was corrupting the people (Luke 23:5), - or that we heard Him say that in three days He would destroy the church of God and raise it again (Mark 14:57-58). So, he says, straight and reproach will cease, that is, false witness and unrighteous judgment, in the absence of a king or prince who can judge. Therefore, as I believe, the prophetic words liken the people of Judah to animals that do not have a king, i.e. animals, reptiles, birds and fish. Likewise, the blessed prophet Habakkuk said to the God of all: “Do you despise the despicable? Are you silent when the wicked devours the righteous? And thou shalt make men like fish of the sea, and elders like creeping things that have no property” (Hab. 1:13-14). Hos.4:4–5. My people are like a bickering priest, and in these days the prophet will faint, and the prophet will faint with you. Notice; the blessed prophet expresses in a different way what God has spoken to him. He clearly heard that “the children of Israel will sit for many days; however, as if anticipating the unbridled anger of the listeners, he makes the denunciation restrained and clothes the speech with appropriate obscurity. That they will spend their lives without leaders and without a king and will remain without a leader is hinted at lightly by likening them to animals that do not have a king; and that they will be deprived of sacrifices and priestly service, this is explained by saying that they will be like priests who are quarreled. Who are they, or who is the “disputed priest”! - Anyone who has a physical defect or illness, and therefore is not allowed to serve. Thus, some, due to damage to the legs or eyes, or due to a broken leg, or for some other reason, were deprived of the right to perform sacred functions, although they came from the tribe and from the blood of Levi (Lev. 21:18-19). This was prescribed by the Law of Moses. This, he says, will be my people: although they are considered sacred by the merits of their forefathers and have been worthy to have sacrifices, they will remain without a holy tabernacle, without worship and priests, will not make sacrifices, will not offer up to God “the stench of fragrance,” because they have fallen into an already important illness of the mind, have become corrupted in heart and have become justly rejected and hated. And that the silence of the prophets will also befall the Israelites, it is proclaimed in the words: “and the prophet will faint with you,” with which it is fully consistent with what God said to blessed Ezekiel: “and I will bind your tongue... 59 and you will be speechless, and you will not be their husband (correction or) 60 reproof, since the house is angry” (Eze. 3:26). All this will happen for wickedness towards Christ and for insulting the prophets. However, he says, Israel “will not faint forever, but in days,” because a period of salvation and conversion has been appointed for her - through faith. Hos.4:5–6. I have made the night like your mother: my people have become like those who have no skill: because you have rejected your skill, I will also reject you, so that you should not be a priest to me: and you have forgotten the law of your God, so I will forget your children. Speech is still to the deceitful and wicked host of Jews. He calls the synagogue his mother, no doubt in the same way as the church calls him (the mother) of those justified in Christ. Therefore, he rightly compares the Jewish synagogue to darkness and gloom. That is why the wisest Paul speaks excellently about himself and about those enlightened by faith: “There are no nights beneath darkness, but sons of light and day” (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Further, he says, my people became like those without knowledge, although they were gifted with the guidance of the law: they were called to the knowledge of the true God, certified by miracles and did not have the slightest lack of what can enlighten the darkened and is able to instill wondrous knowledge in those who are more understanding. But since, he says, “you have rejected this skill,” that is, Christ, through whom and in whom the Father is accessible and knowable, you will finally lose the right to be a priest and offer sacrifices, like an unclean one. And since you have reached the point of oblivion of the divine laws, without understanding the spiritual meaning of the Mosaic decrees, without accepting Christ’s instructions with a humble and well-disposed mind, then I, so to speak, will tend to forget your children, that is, I will no longer remember (them) in order to honor them with mercy and care, for whomever God is pleased to remember, He rewards with His love for mankind. Or, in another sense: Israel forgot God and rejected understanding when it began to serve idols. Hos.4:7. Because of their multitude, I have sinned in this way: I will put their glory into dishonor. God's ineffable nature is the source and beginning of all goodness and self-existent goodness, however, it is not long-suffering towards all those who sin, and if someone strives for this unbridledly, it determines the appropriate punishment. Israel, as the prophetic word attests, has reached such a degree of depravity that its madness has become unbearable. It seemed that their sins became equal to themselves, and they were “like the stars of heaven in multitude” (Deut. 28, etc.) “and like the sand in the depths of the sea” (Gen. 22:17), according to what is written, and, he says, their sins were in no way inferior to their number. This, I think, means: “because of the multitude of them, I have sinned.” And since they fell to such insignificance and meaninglessness and did not cease to insult God, then “I will put their glory into dishonor,” that is, what they are most accustomed to being proud of will be put to shame. How or in what way? - They will cease to be proud of their large population when the war, along with those capable of war, destroys every other age, because they will be left without husbands, home and city. It was for this very reason that the prophet Jeremiah mourned Judah, saying: “How is one city multiplied with people? rule the countries and bring them under tribute” (Pl. 1:1). Or in other words: if we offend God, we will find ourselves very far from all glory, doing what we should not, and sometimes even being proud and exalted in what we should be ashamed of, so that it is rightly said about us: “their glory is in their shame” (Phil. 3:19). And in this sense one can understand the saying: “I will put their glory into dishonor.” And that some give themselves over to “an unskilled mind, doing things that are not like them” (Rom. 1:28), is it possible to doubt this when Blessed Paul directly speaks about this? Hos.4:8–9. The sins of my people will consume them, and their iniquities will take away their souls, and it will be like the people, so will the priest. Having outlined the reasons for his anger at the crowd, he reduces the speech to a sacred rite. This speech, as I think, is fully consistent with what was just told to us: “I will put their glory into dishonor,” because the glory of the Jewish synagogue is the sacred and chosen race. So, he says, he will be covered with dishonor and move on to dishonor. For what reason? - Because, having neglected what was most fitting for them, they declined to retreat, did not observe their superiors, did not recognize the image of priestly service, did not understand that they “will consume the sins of my people, and will take away their souls in their iniquities.” Since the speech is characterized by the greatest obscurity, we will try, as far as possible, to explain how it should be understood. For sin they killed a goat from goats; for this reason the sacrifice was called “sin” 61. Bringing a goat to the altar, the priests of those times offered up the entrails and fat, and ate the rest themselves, according to the command of the divine law. Thus, the priest is, as it were, a mediator between God and people, accepting offerings from the people and sharing “with the altar,” as it is written (1 Cor. 9 cf. 1 Cor. 10:18), and himself, as it were, performing sacred acts for the sins of the people, just like our Lord Jesus Christ. To prove that I am telling the truth, I will cite the law about the goat itself. It reads like this: “and the goat that was for sin, Moses exacted punishment: and this one was burned, and Moses was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron, who remained, saying: Because there is no food in the holy place for the sake of sin, which is the holy of holies, this he gave you to eat: that you may take away the sin of the congregation, and pray for them before the Lord” (Lev. 10:16–17). See how those who stand before the divine altar, eating from the sacrifice for sin, are intercessors, with the purest prayers they soften anger at those who have sinned and almost offer up their own lives to God in the stench of fragrance for the sins of the people, as for example the divine Aaron, when the defeat among the people began; it is written about this like this: taking the censer and laying incense, “one hundred,” he says, “between the dead and the living, and destruction ceased” (Num. 16:48). So blessed Moses, when the Israelites made a calf in the desert, interceded, begged God and, as it were, offered himself for punishment, crying out and saying: “If you forgive them their sin, forgive it; otherwise, blot me out of your book, you have written it in the book” (Ex. 32:32). So, “the sins of my people are consumed,” that is, the sacrifices made for sin. “And in their iniquities,” that is, during their iniquities, obviously the Israelites or the people. “They will take up their souls” - instead: they will bring them to God. Divinely inspired Scripture uses the phrase used in such cases, because what was offered to God and prepared as a sacrifice was said to be “taken” (taken, λαμβάνεσθαι). And this saying, as I just said, is very common in such cases. So, in Numbers, God, establishing the law about the red-haired youth, said to the mediator of revelation Moses: “This is the order of the law, the great commandment of the Lord, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and let them bring 62 (λαβέτωσαν) to you a red-haired youth without blemish” (Num. 19:2). You hear: “let them take it,” that is, let them offer it, let them bring it. And again: about the leper who is to be cleansed, he says the following: “and the priest went out from the army, and the priest saw, and behold, the leper’s plague had been healed from the leper: and the priest commanded 63 that they should give 64 to the cleansed man two birds, alive and clean” (Lev. 14: 3-4). When he says about priests: “they will bring” (λήφονται), then, of course, this word is understood in the sense: “they will bring.” So, during the untruths, of course, of the people, they will “take up”, that is, they will offer their souls as a sacrifice and as a spiritual fragrance to God, obviously by the fact that they will behave properly, lead a decent life and, as far as possible, try to think and act as befits priests. Such a one will be able to save people who have offended God and broken the law. But, he says, those assigned to this fell along with the others; therefore, and rightly, there will be no sacred rites, the holy and revered race will cease: “and like the people, so will the priest be,” i.e., there will no longer be a difference between the people and the priest. The words also related to this: “I will put their glory into disgrace” (Hos. 4:7). Hos.4:9. And I will avenge their ways on them, and I will repay them for their plots 65. Paths, as one should assume, refers to a course of action, and intentions - sins that depend on absurd thoughts. Since, he says, he (the people of Israel) did not take the right path, moved away from the straight path and followed the path of all wickedness, thought about the most shameful and disgusting things, and did not honor God of all kinds and turned away to idolatry, then I will “take revenge” on him, that is, I will impose a punishment commensurate with the sins. And that those who move away from the love of God are always and in everything reached by all sorts of disasters - is it possible to doubt this? – They (the people of Israel) did not follow the straight and impeccable path and never reasoned prudently, not having divine wisdom and power assisting them. Os.4:10. And they will eat and not be satisfied; they will commit sexual immorality and not reform. Again preserves for the descendants of Israel a remnant; precisely with the words: “and they will eat, but they will not be satisfied” clearly shows that the ministry of the priests will not stop at all. In fact, if anyone reflects either on those ancient migrations and captivities of Israel, or on the devastation of Judea at the hands of the Romans (as punishment) for Christ, he will find that remnants of both Israel itself and the ministry under the law are preserved. So, although they were then taken by Shalmaneser and Tiglaphalaser to Assyria and Media, nevertheless some very few of the remaining Israelites made legal offerings to the priests, donating what was at hand and not deviating at all from customs. Likewise, in the last war, I mean under Caesar Augustus, when their country was devastated, although they were scattered to all the winds, to all countries and cities, they still made all possible offerings, however, already meagerly rewarding the sacred and chosen family. And they still do this, although the ancient sacrifices have disappeared, because it is illegal to offer sacrifices outside of Jerusalem. So, “they will eat, he says, and will not be satisfied,” that is, they will receive little and with difficulty and in quantities insufficient to satisfy. In the same way, this also testifies to their deprivation of their former honor and their loss of their former favor. After, he says, they have committed fornication, “they will not be corrected”: as I said, those who move away from God (this, I think, is both the name and the essence of spiritual fornication) are not able to use the goods given to them until satiation, nor to collect heavenly and mountain food, nor to correct themselves in thoughts and actions, because the guardian of all good in us and the feeder of our mind is God. Hos.4:10–11. Having forsaken the Lord, who provided fornication 66 , both wine and drunkenness are accepted by the hearts of my people. Here he lists the reasons why neither they are satisfied with food, nor the clergy will correct themselves. Since, he says, they themselves departed from the Lord, and their educators fell along with their pupils, and those who received authority fell with their subordinates and subordinates, then they will rightly be under the wrath of God and will be punished for their continuous sins. It was they who preserved fornication, i.e. acted in such a way that the error of their subordinates survived, although, on the contrary, they are obliged to uproot and destroy it, because the duty of teachers is to diligently remove what is harmful to the people and immediately eradicate what is hostile to God; if, however, wanting to do this, they allow the deeds of error to remain and persist, even support them, then, of course, the soul of those being educated will accept something like “wine and drunkenness.” In fact: where or how will the students receive sobriety and the strength to direct the eye of the mind to the true and existing God by nature, if educators and mentors in useful things accustom them to error as it should be? This, I think, is clearly stated by another prophet: “The priests do not decide where the Lord is; and they that keep the law do not know me, and the shepherds of your dishonesty are against me, and the prophets of you prophesy in Baal” (Jer. 2:8), and in another place: “I have no sons and no sheep, no place for my tabernacle, no place for my skins. The shepherds were overwhelmed and did not seek the Lord; for this reason the whole flock did not understand, and was quickly scattered” (Jer. 10:20-21). Hos.4:12. I asked questions in signs, and told them with my wands. It clearly shows how they abandoned the Lord and maintained their asceticism: he recognizes the educator as an accomplice of those in error and directly declares that those for whom it was proper, or, better to say, necessary, to follow the divine laws and lead their subordinates to this, they, as I said, deserved the reproach of error. Some, he says, came to them, wanting to know what would happen in the future, or what would happen to them, at what time and under what circumstances. They wickedly convinced those who came to them not to turn to God for this, but “asked in signs,” that is, they tried to find out from unclean spirits with the help of some signs and omens, just as Balaam once tried to prophesy against the Israelites, because Balam, the son of Beor, ordered him to do so; “Build,” he says, “here for me seven churches, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams” (Num. 23:1) and I will go “to be met with sorcery” (Num. 24:1). They watch where and how and how high the sacrificial grains fly, scattering, or examine, unfortunate people, the movements of the liver, or watch the flight of birds. Fortune telling by the flight of birds, sorcery and similar evil deeds are signs of wickedness that has reached the extreme, and occur in the most base refuges of idolatry. - “And with my rods I will tell them.” When, he says, the Israelites came to them to inquire about some of their affairs, they gave them an answer not only by signs, but also by their rods. This is another method of deception - fortune telling with the help of wands, an activity and invention, it seems, of the fussy Chaldeans. This is exactly how Nebuchadnezzar cast his magic regarding Jerusalem, as the divine prophet Ezekiel speaks about (Ezekiel 21:21). By placing two rods and then chanting some kind of secret spell over them, with the help of demonic forces they forced them to bend over and when they fell, they observed where they were going: forward or backward, to the right or to the left: then they communicated the decision to those who came. This is “I will tell with rods.” It is truly terrible that the leaders of others, who were supposed to attract others to the beloved of God, even themselves contributed to error and, as the prophet says, “found amazement in the house of God” (Hosea 9:8). “Amazing” refers to false prophecy, for those who engage in such matters pretend that they no longer know where they are, and some have claimed that they are inspired and go into a frenzy, as if filled with divinity. They did not know that the heart of the deluded is something like a house or den for unclean spirits. Hos.4:12–13. She was deceived by the spirit of fornication and led astray by her God: on the top of the mountains there is a kadyahu, and on a hill there is a priest under an oak, and under a spruce, and under a branch tree, for there is good shelter. It clearly shows that this is not done without the participation of unclean and evil spirits, for every kind of evil comes from them, and whoever decides to do what pleases them does not have to retreat from any shameful deed. That is why he says: “they were deceived by the spirit of fornication” and became far, far away from God, being lustful and turning acts of idolatry into an excuse for carnal knowledge. They made sacrifices, sitting on hills and mountains and (thus) with earthly heights honoring the demons cast down to the underworld. Then, erecting altars “under the oak and under the fir tree,” they made libations, paying homage to the nymphs, probably the Hamadryads, according to the legends of the Hellenes; for the Hellenic poets and storytellers say that unclean demons love plants and trees, which - I don’t know why on earth - they called nymphs. So, he says, it was pleasant for them to seek shade, bask under the shelter of flowering trees, and he says with approval, “as the shelter is good.” As a result of this, a sensualist could not become a lover of God, as Paul will testify, saying about some that they are “more lovers of voluptuousness than lovers of God” (2 Tim. 3:4). Blessed are, as the Savior says, “those who mourn now” (Matthew 5:4; Luke 6:21), and patience in useful labors is worthy of the greatest honor and love. Hos.4:13–14. For this reason your daughters will commit adultery, and your brides will commit adultery. And I will not sit on your daughters when they commit fornication, or on your brides when they commit adultery: for they also mix with harlots, and demand the gluttons with fornicators. Since, he says, it is considered praiseworthy among you to indulge in bliss under a tree, in the shade, and since you find pleasure in what is offensive to Me, that is, in accursed deception and impurity, then, therefore, “your daughters will commit fornication,” and “your brides, that is, the wives of sons, will commit adultery,” and, despite this, I, he says, will not move “and will not sit down.” Apparently, this foreshadows the disasters of war and the consequences of captivity that await sinners, because the conquerors and victors do with the conquered as they please, unbridled use of power, striving with uncontrollable zeal for everything that can give them pleasure - not thinking about the law and not allowing themselves to think about decency or decency, and, as if hardened and possessing a soul very prone to severity, do not give any mercy to those who have suffered misfortune. Thus, he clearly announced that the children of those who commit adultery will be handed over to their enemies for ridicule and shame. If anyone wants, you can understand (what was said) differently. The God of all cares for those whom he deigns to honor and love, and even if he sees that they have given themselves over to negligence and want to do what they should not, he mercifully punishes them, urging them to return to something better. Therefore, the God-speaking Paul says to those called to a godly life: “If you endure punishment, as God is found to you as a son, who is a son, whom the father does not punish?” (Heb.12:7). The wisest tributary testifies to the same thing and says: “The Lord loves him, punishes him, and beats every son whom he accepts” (Proverbs 3:12). Consequently, those whom he punishes, he honors with his care, as good and beloved, and he no longer looks at those who have seriously sinned, but says only: “We do not know you” (Matthew 25:12), for “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,” as it is written (Ps. 33:16). So, if, he says, they sin, “I will not sit down,” that is, I will not care, but I will turn to myself, I recognize them as completely unworthy. For what reason? - Because you yourself, he says, as fathers, are so far from the intention of restraining both yourself and your children, even if they indulged in extreme wickedness, that they mixed with harlots and made sacrifices with fornicators. He actually calls the priestesses of Weelphegor harlots. And Weelphegor is the so-called Priapus, and, of course, the admirers of this vile abomination are harlots. Fornicators (τετελεσμένοι) calls those initiated into the mysteries of Weelphegor: these were men who did not want to remain what they were, but, having adopted effeminate morals, became hideously licentious in speech and action. Some call them eunuchs and libertines, who, with women's cries, striking cymbals, ran around with special torches 67 ... showed the appearance that they were performing sacred acts, celebrating the shame of Beelphegor. Therefore, he says, “the priests required with the fornicators,” that is, they took part in their sacraments and, together with such libertines, made sacrifices to Weelphegor. Hos.4:14. And men of understanding entangle themselves with the harlot. Reduces the speech to Judah, that is, to those descended from the tribe of Judah and Benjamin, who still lived in Jerusalem and, having a divine altar (for the church existed), said that they kept the commandments of Moses and had knowledge of the law. But they also served Ashtoreth, “the abomination of Sidon” (2 Kings 23:13). Astarte, as they say, is the so-called Aphrodite among the Hellenes (I don’t know why), her statue stood naked, in the form of a harlot, shamelessly exposing even the innermost members of the body before the eyes of everyone. So, he says, not only Israel, who was suffering from the greatest thoughtlessness, communicated with harlots and made sacrifices with fornicators, but also the “people of understanding” themselves, that is, those who presented themselves as still retaining the knowledge of the law, “were intertwined with the harlot,” for, as I said, they worshiped Astarte, in whose honor Solomon planted an oak grove, doing what was pleasing to them to a voluptuous foreign wife (1 Kings 11). Os.4:15. But do not be foolish to Israel, and to Judah: do not enter Gilgal, and do not go up into the house of iniquity, 68 and do not swear by the living Lord. I have already said many times that the ten tribes located in Samaria are called Israel by the prophets, while Judah and Benjamin are the two tribes located in Jerusalem, I mean Judah and Benjamin. So, in the present case, the speech concerns both and exposes the illness of both people. Look how he reproaches Israel for being completely unreasonable, having little sense, and therefore becoming an apostate. It is most natural to see the guilt of unreason in adherence to idolatry and in distance from love of God. “Do not be foolish” means here: do not be stupid, do not be filled with extreme folly. Then he reproaches the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that is, Judah, as hypocrites and wicked proud people, because they wander back and forth, or rather, worship “on both sides,” according to the word of the prophet (1 Kings 18:21); for although they showed the appearance that they had zeal and love for worship of God, and made legal sacrifices, they did not in the least cease to zealously serve the demons themselves - though not quite openly, but secretly and secretly. Therefore, the blessed prophet Ezekiel was commanded to dig up the wall, after which he saw all the idols of the house of Israel inscribed on the walls, and the God of all said to him: “Have you seen the son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel do here, each of them on their secret beds: having decided beforehand, The Lord does not see, the Lord has forsaken the land” (Ezek. 8:12) 69 . The prophet saw, as he says, “the gray-haired women weeping for Tammuz” (Ezek. 8:14), that is, for Adonis - in the Greek language. Notice how, although they cared about the divine church and showed a disposition towards lawful service, at the same time they secretly participated in disgusting, demonic, God-hating service. So, he says, you, Israel, criminal in all respects, “do not be foolish,” that is, reject ignorance, leave such a reckless and low belief, acquire the understanding of the law and the prophets, or - Christ and the Gospel. “And Judah, do not enter into Gilgal, and do not go up into the house of iniquity, and do not swear by the living Lord,” because it is unreasonable to swear by God, to have the living Lord on your lips, and to prefer serving idols and worshiping soulless heifers (Jeroboam placed one in Bethel, the other in Dan). Thus, on the one hand, it does not allow one to be hypocritical in piety towards God by calling on the name of the Lord, on the other hand, to be carried away by meaningless false service, ascending to Gilgal and to the “house of unrighteousness.” Bethel is called the “house of unrighteousness.” For what reason? - Bethel is interpreted: “the house of God,” but it became the house of an idol, and in some way an insult was caused to both the object and even the name, because, as I said, the house of God became the house of idols. Therefore, (God) said in one place through the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah about the people of Israel: “Why has my beloved created an abomination in my house?” 70 (Jer.11:15) With all justice, the God of all would also say to the descendants of Judah and Benjamin: “This people draws near to Me with their lips,... but their heart is far from Me” (Is.29:13). Os.4:16. For now, like a young woman, Israel is scourged with a goad; now the Lord will shepherd me like a lamb in space. One of the saints wisely leads us to the gates of edification, saying: son, “do not let your heart be jealous of the sinner, but be in the fear of the Lord all day long” (Prov. 23:17), for if someone reproaches someone, how will he become jealous? The Lord of all people expresses something similar to Judah: let it not be a reason for you to retreat because Israel has become angry and seems to be fleeing from the herd, like heifers that are driven from the herd and forced to quickly scatter anywhere by the horsefly (οἶστρος) or the bull botfly, a special type of insect that stings unbearably. (βούτυπος). Isn’t it the same thing, as we find, that befell Israel? He separated from Jerusalem and, leaving his shepherd, that is, God, committed a terrible and cursed retreat. So, do not be jealous, says Judas; for although Israel turned away to retreat, becoming enraged like heifers, this act of his will not go unpunished: he will go into captivity and, leaving his homeland, will settle in the land of the Persians and Medes, no longer being daring, as if unbridled and straying from the flock (such is the enraged youth), but becoming like the meekest lambs. And this is because the position of captives is always humiliated and pitiful, coupled with the constant expectation of suffering and aggravated by the predation of the victors. “Space” he calls the land of the Persians and Medes, saying almost this: he will settle in a vast and vast land, and change many countries, not always having the same ruler, but moving to the country of the one who will accept them to himself. The human soul, perhaps, suffers the same thing, having neglected the love of God: captive, insignificant and powerless, it will be carried away by everything that is pleasing to the demons, and in justice it will hear the word of the Lord: “your apostasy will punish you, and your malice will expose you” (Jer. 2:19). Hos.4:17–19. Partaker of the idol Ephraim set temptations for himself, the chosen one of the Canaanites: having committed fornication, having loved dishonor from his groaning. You are a whirlwind of the spirit 71 in your wings, and they will be put to shame by their treasures. Hitherto the prophet has spoken to Judas, who, as I said, outwardly obeyed the law and did not neglect the reverence of God, but secretly inclined to venerate the images of demons. So, undoubtedly, Ephraim, that is, Israel, became an idol, he says. And it was named so after the tribe that ruled in it - I mean the tribe of Jeroboam, for he was from the mountain and from the tribe of Ephraim: just as the tribe inhabiting Jerusalem calls Judah, keeping the name of the reigning tribe. so in relation to Israel, when he names Ephraim, he borrows the designation from the reigning tribe. So, he says, Ephraim became a partaker of idols, for he worshiped the shrine of the Egyptians (and their shrine was Apis or a heifer), and he equally participated in the wickedness and immeasurable extravagance of the Canaanites, who, according to their custom, served and worshiped such a vile idol - Beelphegor. But by doing this, Ephraim “set himself up for temptation”: he offended God, who helps and is able to save. “The Chosen of the Canaanites” - instead: recognized the morals of the Canaanites as fair and worthy of imitation. The Canaanites were neighbors with the land of Judah, wicked people and idolaters. In addition, the Israelites “went fornication.” It is known that they, indulging in immeasurable and extraordinary spiritual fornication, reached the extreme degree of shamelessness in their vicious retreat. They also loved “dishonor because of their hesitation,” that is, as a result of the arrogant insolence that they discovered in relation to God and His glory. Therefore, they have become truly dishonest, humiliated, pitiful, despicable, having lost their former arrogance, and will no longer be called free, but will submit to ridicule and dishonor, and will be under the rule of cruel rulers. But if, he says, the craziest congregation of Ephraim was subjected to all this, then you, Judah, were for him like a “whirlwind of the spirit” in the wings of a bird. Without a doubt, everyone knows that birds, when they are driven, or, one might say, forced by a strong wind, fly faster. Thus, Israel strayed from the true path, deviating towards retreat, and you became for them “a whirlwind of the spirit in the krileh.” How or in what way? - When he saw that you, instructed by the law, possessing the church of God and making the established sacrifices, still live carelessly and are burdened with the same sins, he began to move away (from the law) much faster. - In addition, they, to their shame, will find their “treasury” altars to be the culprits of their shame and dishonor. Consequently, if we, who pretend to “stand” (1 Cor. 10:12) and are obliged to live honestly and impeccably, turn out to be lazy and careless in this and even, like others, inclined to despise the commandment of God, then we will not only harm ourselves, but, destroying others with ourselves, we will suffer extreme punishment - for the fact that we, being obliged to serve as a model and example of virtue for those who are mistaken and do not want to live rightly, we become a reason for temptation. How does Christ speak about this? “If he seduces one of these little ones who believe in me, let him not eat, and let a millstone of the donkey break upon his neck, and drown in the abyss of the sea. (Matthew 18:6). In glory blood according to the Italian translation (sanguinem), Vulgate, Syriac and reading of the Complutensian Bible: αἴμα; at St. Cyril: τὰ αἴματα, as in Heb., Arab. and ancient Greek lists. In glory according to the Complutensian edition: to your larynx, as in Heb. Vulg. Sire. Huld. Theodotus. But in Alexander. and some other lists, like St. Cyril’s; Wed Arab. St. Cyril gives two well-known different readings of verse 26: εὐθύνοντα and ἐλέγχοντα. Ἁμαρτία, see for example. Numbers 6:14: προσάξει... ἀμνάδα... εὶς ἁμαρτίαν. It should be noted the option πράξει vm. ordinary προςτάξει. In the Paris edition of the works of St. Cyril, 1638 and Min, instead of the given second half of the 9th verse, erroneously placed the beginning of the 10th, which is why it is repeated twice in the text. According to St. Cyril, fornication depends on the provision of children (πορνείαν from τοῦ φυλὰξαι); in glory from nice . Here is the pass in the original. Εἰς τὸν οἷκον τῆς ἀδικίας. Another reading: εἰς τὸν οἷκον Ων, from where it is famous: to the house of On. The discrepancies are explained by the fact that in Heb. in the expression בֵּּית אָזֶן the second word is then taken as a noun, meaning everything insignificant, vain, trashy (Is. 41:29; Zech. 10 Greek τὸ ἀνωφελε; Ak. Sim.), also sinful, hypocritical, false ( Num.23:21; Job.5 and other Greek ἡ ἀδικία, as here the option y LXX), then for the proper name of the Egyptian city He or Heliopolis (city of the sun), which is written instead of the usual און and אֹן (Gen.41:45, 50, 46:20). אׇזֶן in Ezek.30:17 (Cf. Jer.43:13; Am.1:5). He is the Egyptian word for sun. Wed. Onomasticon Evsebii – Hieronymi, ed. Larsow et Parthey, Berol. 1862, pag. 202–203, lin. 12–15; and sense. St. Cyril on Hos. 5:8–9. Actually at St. Kirill: The Lord has forsaken, the Lord does not see the earth. Συ εἴ; in glory: will praise according to the variant συριεῖ. You might be interested in: