God's Justice Comes to Jerusalem
Tomos 5. The vision of the valley of Zion.
Having foretold the capture of the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and the Idumeans, the prophet comes to the holy city itself, that is, Jerusalem, and usefully foretells what would befall it from time to time through divine wrath. He does this so that they might know that the God of all is the ruler of justice, or rather is justice itself. He does not honour, welcome, and care for someone simply because that person has become his own by being schooled under the law; rather, he tests what each has lived, and grants good things to those whose way of life is good, but counts the lover of wickedness a stranger and in no way his own, even if such a person should happen to be beloved for the sake of the fathers (Romans 11:28).
Out of very great ignorance, the Jewish people thought that they would be wholly beyond the reach of their enemies, and that, with no one at all attacking them, they would live out a quiet life in great prosperity, even though they were offending God and had sunk into very great ungodliness. For they worshipped idols, and setting up images and altars under oak and poplar (Hosea 4:13), they offered sacrifices and poured libations to vain things, utterly disregarding the glory owed to the all-holy God.
So through the voice of Jeremiah he says to them about Jerusalem: “And do not say, ‘It is the temple of the Lord’; for unless you thoroughly amend your ways and your practices, I will make this house like Shiloh” (Jeremiah 7:4–5; 26:6).
Again he accused them through the prophet Micah, saying: “Her rulers judged for bribes, and her priests answered for hire, and her prophets divined for silver; and they leaned on the Lord, saying, ‘Is not the Lord among us? No evil will come upon us.’ Therefore, because of you, Zion will be ploughed like a field, and Jerusalem will be like a hut for guarding fruit, and the mountain of the house like a grove in a thicket” (Micah 3:11–12).
And the inspired John also made it plain to them that God's judgment comes swiftly upon everyone who makes a habit of wrongdoing, when he said: “Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits, then, worthy of repentance, and do not presume to say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham” (Matthew 3:7–9). “Even now…” (Matthew 3:10)
Greek
ΤΟΜΟΣ Εʹ. ΤΟ ΟΡΑΜΑ ΤΗΣ ΦΑΡΑΓΓΟΣ ΣΙΩΝ.}1 Τὴν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, Ἀσσυρίων τε καὶ Ἰδουμαίων ἅλωσιν προηγορευκὼς ὁ προφήτης, ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἔρχεται τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν, τοῦτ' ἔστι τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ· καὶ τὰ συμβησόμενα αὐτῇ κατὰ καιροὺς ἐκ θείας ὀργῆς προαφηγεῖται χρησίμως· ἵν' εἰδεῖεν, ὅτι δικαιοσύνης ὑπάρχων πρύτανις ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτὸ χρῆμα δικαιοσύνη· οὐ τὸν οἰκεῖον ἁπλῶς γεγονότα, διά γε τοῦ πεπαιδαγωγεῖσθαι νόμῳ, τιμᾷ καὶ προσ- ίεται, καὶ φροντίδος ἀξιοῖ· δοκιμάζει δὲ μᾶλλον τὰ ἑκάστῳ βεβιωμένα, καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἀγαθοῖς τὴν ἕξιν διανέμει τὰ ἀγαθά· ἡγεῖται δὲ ξένον καὶ κατ' οὐδένα τρόπον αὐτῷ προσοικειούμενον τὸν τῆς φαυλότητος ἐραστὴν, κἂν εἴ τις εἴη τυχὸν ἀγαπητὸς διὰ τοῦς πατέρας. Ὤοντο τοίνυν ἐκ πολλῆς ἄγαν ἀμαθίας τῶν Ἰουδαίων οἱ δῆμοι, καὶ ἀνάλωτοι παντελῶς ἔσεσθαι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, καὶ οὐδενὸς τὸ σύμπαν ἐπι- πηδῶντος αὐτοῖς, τὸν ἠρεμαῖόν τε καὶ ἐν πολλαῖς ἅγαν εὐημερίαις διαβιῶναι βίον, καίτοι Θεῷ προσ- κρούοντες, καὶ εἰς πολλὴν ἄγαν ἀσέβειαν ἀπονενευ- κότες. Προσκεκυνήκασι γὰρ εἰδώλοις, καὶ ὑποκάτω δρυὸς καὶ λεύκης ἀναθέντες ἕδη καὶ βωμοὺς τοῖς ματαίοις θυσίας προσῆγον καὶ σπονδὰς ἐπετέλουν, τῆς ὀφειλομένης τῷ παναγίῳ Θεῷ δόξης εἰς ἅπαν ἠφειδηκότες. Καὶ γοῦν διὰ φωνῆς Ἱερεμίου φησὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς περὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ· "6Καὶ μὴ λέγετε ὅτι, Ναὸς Κυρίου ἐστὶν, ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ διορθοῦντες διορ- θώσητε τὰς ὁδοὺς ὑμῶν, καὶ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα ὑμῶν, καὶ δώσω τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον ὥσπερ Σηλώμ."6 Κατ- ητιᾶτο δὲ πάλιν αὐτοὺς διὰ Μιχαίου τοῦ προφήτου λέγων· "6Οἱ ἡγούμενοι αὐτῆς μετὰ δώρων ἔκρινον, καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς αὐτῆς μετὰ μισθοῦ ἀπεκρίνοντο, καὶ οἱ προφῆται αὐτῆς μετὰ ἀργυρίου ἐμαντεύοντο, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον ἐπανεπαύοντο λέγοντες· Οὐχὶ Κύριος ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν; Οὐ μὴ ἐπέλθῃ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς κακά. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δι' ὑμᾶς Σιὼν ὡς ἀγρὸς ἀροτριαθήσεται, καὶ Ἱερου- σαλὴμ ὡς ὀπωροφυλάκιον ἔσται, καὶ ὄρος τοῦ οἴκου ὡς ἄλσος δρυμοῦ."6 Ὀξὺ δὲ ὅτι τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίμα κατὰ παντὸς ἔρχεται τοῦ πλημμελεῖν εἰωθότος φα- νερὸν αὐτοῖς ἐποίει λέγων καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Ἰωάννης· "6Γεννήματ' ἐχιδνῶν, τίς ὑπέδειξεν ὑμῖν φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς; Ποιήσατε οὖν καρποὺς ἀξίους τῆς μετανοίας, καὶ μὴ δόξητε λέγειν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ὅτι Πατέρα ἔχομεν τὸν Ἀβραάμ· λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν ὅτι δύ-ναται ὁ Θεὸς ἐκ τῶν λίθων τούτων ἐγεῖραι τέκνα τῷ Ἀβραάμ. Ἤδη δὲ