Teaching Christianity (continued)
Would these so-called learned and well-spoken people, who despise our prophets as unlettered men unfamiliar with eloquence, would they really have wished to say that differently, if they had to say anything of the sort to that sort of persons—those of them, that is, who would not have liked to be thought crazy?
17. What more, after all, could sober ears desire than this piece of eloquence? First of all, with what a roar is that invective hurled at, so to say, sleep-sodden senses to make them wake up! Woe to you who are opulent in Sion, and place your trust in the mountain of Samaria, aristocrats, heads of peoples, pompously pacing into the house of Israel! Next, to show how ungrateful they were for God's favors in giving them ample lands for their kingdom, since they were placing their trust in the mountain of Samaria, where of course they were worshiping idols, Pass over, he says, to Calneh and see, and go from there to Hamath the great; and go down to Gath of the Philistines, and to each of their best kingdoms, if their boundaries are wider than your boundaries. Simultaneously with this point being made, the utterance is decorated with place names as with lights: Sion, Samaria, Calneh, Hamath the great, and Gath of the Philistines. And then the words which are connected to these places have such a nice variety: "are opulent," "place your trust," "pass over," "go," "go down."
18. It goes on to announce that the captivity which is to be experienced under an iniquitous king is drawing near, when it adds, You that have been set apart for the evil day, and are drawing near to the throne of iniquity. Then it details the love of luxury that deserved this: Who sleep on beds of ivory and sport wantonly on your quilts; who eat lamb from the flock and veal from the midst of the herd. These six clauses have been set out in three two-clause periods. For he did not say, "You that have been set apart for the evil day, you that are drawing near to the throne of