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COMMENTARY ON AMOS, CHAPTER THREE Hear this word that the Lord spoke to you, house of Israel, and against every tribe that I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, Only you have I known from all the tribes of the earth; hence I shall take vengeance on you for all your sins (vv.1–2). HE VERSE could be taken as addressed to the whole of Israel, not citing Judah and Ephraim separately, but as though addressing a unit comprising every tribe, since every tribe of Israel was led out of the land of Egypt. With no one excluded, then, they are bidden to listen to what comes from God.1 What was it? While the cities and towns throughout the world under heaven were beyond counting, he says, I made a choice from all of only you, the people of Israel, clearly making you mine by many marvels, rescuing you from harsh and unbearable slavery, rendering you zealous and thrice-blessed, guiding you by the Law to what pleases me, fortifying you with aid, and introducing you even into the land promised to the ancestors. But since, (418) despite being the only ones out of them all to be accorded such a splendid favor, you did not cease offending and transgressing in manifold ways, consequently I shall now exact an account of your folly, and show no patience for your continuing to sin and indulging a tendency to it with impunity. Despising God, therefore, and spurning the Lord’s wishes were at that time productive of ruin for those who acknowledged him or who also experienced from him at least a form of spiritual relationship. Paul in his wisdom, for instance, writes 41 1. Cyril is unable without help from Jerome, which was not forthcoming, to see in the oracle against Judah in the previous chapter a possible insertion into a work from a prophet to the north; thus he continues to think both kingdoms are in focus. 42 CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA to those who had been called from the nations through faith and then suffered some debility and were inclined to relapse, in these words: “Now that you have come to know God, however , or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back to the weak and beggarly elements of the universe, and want to be enslaved to them again?”2 The Creator knew them even before faith, in fact, since he is in no way ignorant of what exists; but in this passage, as I said, knowledge would quite likely suggest spiritual relationship. Will two walk together unless they make each other’s acquaintance? (v.3) The figure is profound, and the statement obscure; but we shall give an explanation as far as possible. Israel was accused, then, of “giving the prophets this instruction: Do not prophesy .”3 The reason why they incautiously forbade utterances by the holy ones it is necessary to declare. You see, since they announced the disasters that would result from wrath, and the events that would probably lead the guilty to reform out of fear of fulfillment of the prophecies, there was an effort to rebut and oppose them (419) on the part of those who were in the habit of distracting the will of their flock to what was improper, and who deceived their subjects. While they upbraided the prophets, in fact, they commended those they had deceived, saying that they were following the correct path; hence God says in Isaiah, “My people, those who compliment you are deceiving you and confusing the path for your feet.” Amaziah the priest of Bethel also upbraided Amos the prophet in the words, “On your way, O seer, off with you to the land of Judah; live there and prophesy there. Continue prophesying no further in Bethel.” Now, those who opposed the prophets as a result of utter knavery and dire disaffection misrepresented their opposition as seemly, and claimed, “The Lord has not sent you.”4 Accordingly, he accuses them of denying that the prophets sent by him were from on high and brought messages from 2. Gal 4.9. 3. 2.12. The verse begins a sustained series of images, bearing on divine providence, that was notorious, not only for being “profound” and “obscure,” but (we know from Chrysostom’s homily on Is 45.6–7) for being commonly cited irresponsibly to justify lack of moral accountability. 4. Is 3.12; Am 7.12; Jer 43.2. God...

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