THEOSISJerome of Stridon
And He inquired of me, “Have you observed this, son of man? When you return, you will witness even graver abominations than these.” He guided me into the innermost court of the LORD's house, and there, at the entrance of the LORD's temple, situated between the portico and the altar, I saw about twenty-five men standing with their backs toward the house of the LORD and their faces directed eastward, bowing to the sun in reverence.
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The term we have interpreted as vestibule, following Symmachus's translation of πρόπυλον, while the Seventy and Theodotion rendered it with the Hebrew word aelam; Aquila's first translation referred to it as προστάδα, and in the second, he described it as the aelam of the temple, which we might render as the temple portico or the open court lying between the temple and the altar.
Previously, after mentioning the idol of jealousy located at the northern gate, we noted, “When you return, you will see even greater abominations.” Upon revealing the diverse images of creatures depicted on the wall—observed by the seventy elders and Jesoniah, son of Shaphan, who held censers—the call to return was reiterated, stating that one would observe even greater offenses, as women mourned for Adonis. Again, the prompt to turn back was issued with the declaration that greater abominations awaited. What could possibly exceed these three transgressions? The next atrocity is evident: I saw at the temple's entrance, amidst the portico and the altar, around twenty-five men, standing with their backs turned to the house of the LORD, their faces turned toward the east as they bowed toward the sun. In their contempt for the LORD, they yielded to the sun—one of His creations—despite the command given through Moses (Deuteronomy 12) instructing them not to worship the sun or any created being. Rather, regardless of their geographical location—whether to the east, west, south, or north—they were to direct their worship toward the temple, the holy of holies recognized as the dwelling of God. Daniel exemplified this practice in Babylon, as recorded in the book of Daniel (Daniel 6); he opened the windows of his upper room to pray to the LORD in the direction of the temple in Jerusalem.
It is clear that this act represents a literal desecration of true worship. Yet, in a deeper, symbolic understanding, all heretics surpass the earlier offenses—namely, the idol of jealousy, the animal images, and the mourning for Adonis, which embody the essence of idolatry and immorality—this can be discerned by those who comprehend the prophet’s declaration, “But you have despised correction and turned back My words” (Psalms 49:17). Similarly, it is written: “Those who turn their backs have turned away from Me” (Jeremiah 2:27). Are we not aware that figures like Marcion and other heretics who reject the Old Testament, in their disdain for the Creator— the true God—honor and venerate some fabricated good God of their own invention? Numerous heretics today preach about the Son as if He were a creature, yet they worship Him. By their own admission, they forsake the temple of the Godhead and turn away from it, instead serving the creations of their own making. In contrast, we bow before the Sun of righteousness, worshiping God in the Old Testament temple, where the Law and the Prophets are present, alongside the cherubim and the apparatus of purification. While we translated the total to twenty-five, the Seventy provided the figure as twenty, with some listings from Theodotion adding an additional five.