Fragmenta in Jeremiam

De Simulatione, ad Jeremiae cap. IX, 8-26. v. 8.

He speaks peace to his neighbor, but in himself he has enmity, etc. The scribes and Pharisees of the Jewish people would not have inherited so great a 'woe' from the Savior, were it not for their hypocrisy; for in rebuking their sins, the Lord did not cease to declare on every account: Woe to you, 592 scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, calling them whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful to men, but within are full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness. For if we do any good to our neighbor through unfeigned love, we hear from the Savior: As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me. So also if we show any evil to a brother through deceitful and foul hypocrisy, or through any other sin, we likewise sin against God. Therefore, hypocrisy is a terrible and hostile thing, brethren; and deceit hidden in the heart, for the deception of those who approach simply, for those possessing love, speaking one thing from the mouth, but bearing other things in the breast, it entices.

Pride is not a good thing, having much vainglory; for it is clear, clear, that every perfect good comes from God; and it cannot be otherwise received by man, so that what has been said is truly the most true of all things, that he who boasts in something ought to glory in this alone, and in understanding and knowing that He is the Lord who shows mercy and judgment and righteousness, and in this is the will of God. For the divine is pleased with such a man, and it brings lasting and sure good things through all, when he attributes the cause of the present good things to this one who is truly the ultimate cause, to whom one must also refer the cause for the good things remaining. How is it that the word, having called them circumcised, then names not only the Jews, nor the Israelites, nor the house of Jacob, nor the very name itself which is proper, Judah, 593 but also counts among them Egypt, and Edom, and the sons of Ammon, and the sons of Moab, as all being uncircumcised in their hearts? Does the word then wish to say something like this, that the sons of Israel seem to have the law of circumcision, but differ in nothing from the rest of the uncircumcised nations, being themselves also uncircumcised in their hearts, not having cut away their vices? Does the word, I say, wish to say something like this, that the sons of Judah have the word of circumcision and the other oracles of God, yet differ in nothing from those who do not have the law of God, Egypt and Edom, the sons of Ammon and the sons of Moab? Or does it perhaps call them all circumcised together, not only the Israelites and the Jews, but also the other nations, as the letters that are read also indicate? For it called all circumcised, then it subjected Egypt and Judah and the other nations. And how is it possible to be led to say they were all circumcised?

All these aforementioned nations that have been named, if one were to reckon from the beginning, one would find them to be from the seed of Abraham. Abraham was circumcised when he was ninety-nine years old, he and his sons, Ishmael and all the men of his house, and the homeborn, and those bought with money, who were from foreign nations; he circumcised them. For these things are written word for word in Genesis. How then does he apply circumcision to the Egyptians, and to Edom, and to the sons of Moab, and to the sons of Ammon? Ishmael was indeed circumcised, as I said, according to the law, being about thirteen years old, as he was the son of Abraham by Hagar the Egyptian handmaid. And

Fragmenta in Jeremiam

De Simulatione, ad Jeremiae cap. IX, 8-26. v. 8.

Τὸ πλησίον αὐτοῦ λαλεῖ εἰρηνικὰ, καὶ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἔχει τὴν ἐχθράν κτλ. Οὐκ ἂν οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ φαρισαῖοι τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων πολὺ τὸ οὐαὶ παρὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐκληρονόμησαν, εἰ μὴ διὰ τὴν ὑπόκρισιν· ἐν γὰρ τοῖς ἐλέγχοις τῶν ἁμαρ- τιῶν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐπαύσατο κατὰ πᾶσαν αἰτίαν προλέγων ὁ Κύριος· Οὐαὶ ὑμὶν, 592 γραμματεῖς καὶ φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταὶ, κεκονιαμένους τάφους ἀποκαλῶν αὐτοὺς, οἱ ἔ- ξωθεν μὲν φαίνονται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὡραῖοι, ἔσωθεν δὲ γέμουσιν ὀστέων νεκρῶν καὶ πά-σης ἀκαθαρσίας. Ἐὰν γάρ τι εἰς τὸν πλησίον ἀγαθὸν ἐργασώμεθα διὰ τῆς ἀνυποκρίτου ἀγάπης, ἀ-κούομεν παρὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος· Ἐφ' ὅσον ἐποιήσατε ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν ἐλαχίστων, ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ εἴ τι φαῦλον διὰ τῆς ἀπατηλῆς καὶ μιαρᾶς ὑποκρίσεως, ἢ καὶ διὰ ὁποιασοῦν ἑτέρας ἁ-μαρτίας, εἰς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐνδειξώμεθα, ὁ-μοίως ἁμαρτάνομεν καὶ εἰς τὸν Θεόν. ∆εῖνον οὖν ἡ ὑπόκρισις, ἀδελφοὶ, καὶ πολέμιον· καὶ κεκρυμμένος ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ δόλος, εἰς ἀπά-την τῶν ἁπλῶς προσφερομένων, τοῖς ἀγά-πην κεκτημένοις, ἄλλα μὲν ἐκ στόματος λα- λοῦσα, ἄλλα δὲ ἐν στέρνοις φέρουσα, δελεάζει.

Οὐκ ἀγαθὸν ἡ ὑπερηφανία, ψευδοδοξίαν ἔχουσα πολλήν· δῆλον γὰρ, δῆλον, ὡς πᾶν ἀγαθὸν τέλειον θεόθεν ἔρχεται· καὶ οὐκ ἔστι ληπτὸν ἄλλως ἀνθρώπῳ, ὡς ὄντως ἀ-ληθέστατον εἶναι πάντων τὸ εἰρημένον, ὅτι δέοι τὸν αὐχοῦντα ἐπί τινι τούτῳ μόνον σε-μνύνεσθαι, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ συνιέναι καὶ γινώσ-κειν ὅτι Κύριος αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ποιῶν ἔλεος καὶ κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ἐστὶ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἀρέσκεται γὰρ τὸ θεῖον τῷ τοιούτῳ ἀνθρώπῳ, μόνιμά τε καὶ βέβαια φέρει διὰ παντὸς τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ὅταν τούτῳ τὴν αἰτίαν ἀποδιδῷ τῷν παρόντων ἀγαθῶν τῷ ὄντως αἰτιωτάτῳ, ᾧ τὴν αἰτίαν ἀναφέρειν δεῖ καὶ τοῦ μένειν τὰ ἀγαθά. Πῶς περιτετμημένους ὀνομάσας ὁ λό-γος, εἶτα οὐκ Ἰουδαίους μόνον ὀνομάζει, οὐ-δὲ Ἰσραηλίτας, οὐδὲ τὸν οἶκον Ἰακὼβ, οὐδὲ αὐτὸ τὸ κείμενον ὄνομα τὸ οἰκεῖον, Ἰούδα, 593 ἀλλ' ἐγκαταλέγει τούτοις καὶ Αἴγυπτον, καὶ Ἐδὼμ, καὶ υἱοὺς Ἀμμὼν, καὶ υἱοὺς Μωὰβ, ὡς πάντας ἀπεριτμήτους καρδίας αὐτῶν; ἄ-ρα γὰρ τοιοῦτόν τι θέλει εἰπεῖν ὁ λόγος, ὅτι δὴ δοκοῦσι μὲν ἔχειν τὸν νόμον τὸν τῆς πε-ριτομῆς οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ, οὐδὲν δὲ διαφέρουσι τῶν λοιπῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν ἀπεριτμήτων, ἀπε-ρίτμητοι ὄντες καὶ αὐτοὶ τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἀποτετμημένοι τὰς κακίας; Ἄρα, φημὶ, τοιοῦτόν τι εἰπεῖν βούλεται ὁ λόγος, ὅτι ἔ-χουσι μὲν τὸν λόγον τὸν τῆς περιτομῆς καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ λόγια τοῦ Θεοῦ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰούδα, οὐ-δὲν μέν τοι διαφέρουσι τῶν οὐκ ἐχόντων τὸν νόμον τοῦ Θεοῦ, Αἰγύπτου καὶ Ἐδὼμ, υἱῶν Ἀμμὼν καὶ υἱῶν Μωάβ; Ἢ μέν ποτε πάντας ὁμοῦ περιτετμη-μένους καλεῖ, οὐ μόνον τοὺς Ἰσραηλίτας καὶ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἔθνη, ὡς δηλοῖ καὶ τὰ ἀναγινωσκόμενα γράμματα; πάντας γὰρ ἐκάλεσε περιτετμη-μένους, εἶτα ὑπέταξεν Αἴγυπτον καὶ Ἰούδαν καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἔθνη. Καὶ πῶς ἐστι προσαχθῆναι πάντας αὐτοὺς εἰπεῖν περιτετ-μημένους;

Πάντα τὰ ὀνομασθέντα ταῦτα ἔθνη τὰ προκείμενα, εἴ τις ἄνωθεν συλλογίζοιτο, εὕροι ἂν ἐκ σπέρματος Ἀβραάμ. Ἁβραὰμ περιετμήθη ὢν ἐτῶν ἐννέα καὶ ἐννενήκοντα, αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, Ἰσμαὴλ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄνδρες τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἱ οἰκογενεῖς, καὶ οἱ ἀργυρόνητοι, οἱ ἐξ ἀλλογενῶν ἐθνῶν· περιέτεμεν αὐτούς. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἐπὶ λέξεως τὰ ἀναγεγραμμένα ἐν τῇ Γενέσει. Πῶς οὖν ἐπ' Αἰγυπτίους καταβιβάζει, καὶ ἐπ' Ἐδώμ, καὶ ἐπὶ υἱοὺς Μωὰβ, καὶ ἐπὶ υἱοὺς Ἀμ-μὼν τὴν περιτομήν; Περιτέτμηται μὲν ὁ Ἰσμαὴλ, ὡς ἔφην, κατὰ νόμον, τρισκαιδε-καετής που ὢν, οἷα δὴ υἱὸς ὢν τοῦ Ἁβραὰμ ἐκ τῆς Ἄγαρ τῆς παιδίσκης τῆς Αἰγυ-πτίας. Καὶ