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for they have prophecies from cycles. It is therefore no great thing for even demons to have prophecy and knowledge, since even ants have prophecies from cycles, and men are skilled guessers of the future; but not so as to know everything or with certainty. For the devil also prophesied the knowing of good and evil, and it happened. And again Balaam foretold, saying, "Set up prostitutes, and Israel will be betrayed through them;" and 64.744 it happened so. But this is conjecture, or rather prophecies having nothing extraordinary; as in the case of Christ, the preaching of the Gospel; the, "There shall not be left one stone upon another." And a little later: They say that the blessed Jeremiah, as being clearer than the others, should be read before the others. And it is not surprising if among the prophets some are obscure, and others clearer; since even in a single writing of the divine Scripture, sometimes some parts are obscure, and others clear, and of the writings of a single man, some are one way, and others another, as in the Psalms and the Epistles of the apostles, and in the case of the Lord's words. For in general, obscurity arises either from the nature of the subjects, being strange to the ear, as in the case of the tent-making, and the construction of the temple in Ezekiel; or from the hearers, being disposed without understanding. Wherefore Christ spoke the parables as if intentionally obscure. And a little later. Again, obscurity also arises from the peculiarity of the speaker, having a propensity for such a style. And in the case of the prophets, the Spirit spoke only the thoughts, but not the words; but they themselves then spoke in their own idiom. For he did not use them as unmoved instruments, like the inspiration of demons; but he wished them to know what was said, and to say everything with their own understanding; "The Lord will do nothing, unless he reveals it to his servants the prophets."

CHAPTER ONE.

Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests. From the commentary on the prophet Jeremiah. The time, indeed, during which the blessed prophet Jeremiah prophesied, and from which king he began, and under which he ended his prophesying, can be clearly learned in the introductions of the prophet. He makes the entire prophecy against the two tribes, the ten having already been taken captive by the Assyrian. And it is possible to see the prophecy as somewhat varied; for on the one hand he reproves them by examples, as when he says: "See your ways in the burial ground;" and on the other hand from certain things done by the prophet himself, as when he takes the loincloth, and does the things that follow, and the jar, which he broke before the face of the people, a message of the destruction of the multitude, and the collars which he put on. And he had some great difficulty in his times, with everyone already turning to impiety, and priests resisting, such as was Zephaniah, against whom he is seen also to speak, and some of those in authority; and again addressing himself to Pashhur, and kings who least of all accepted his counsel. And he makes the 64.745 reproof not only from the facts, speaking clearly of the impieties; but also from certain obedient men, the sons of Jonadab, son of Rechab, in comparison with whom he shows the Jews to be lawless. For this reason he is seen also to have suffered the worst things, on the one hand becoming a suspect for treason, on the other hand being shut up in prison, and on another being thrown into a pit of mire. For this reason, God promises him at the very beginning to provide strength; foretelling the terrible things to him, but promising to defend him. He speaks also against the nations, for the benefit not only of the Hebrews,

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γὰρ ἔχουσι τὰς ἐκ περιόδων προῤῥήσεις. Οὐδὲν οὖν μέγα καὶ πρόῤῥησιν ἔχειν καὶ γνῶσιν καὶ δαίμονας, ὅπου καὶ μύρμηκες ἔχουσι τὰς ἐκ περιόδων προῤῥήσεις, καὶ δεινοὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἄνθρωποι στοχασταί· ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς πάντως ἢ πάντα εἰδέναι. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ διάβολος προεφήτευσε τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν, καὶ ἐγένετο. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Βαλαὰμ προεῖπεν, ὅτι Πόρνας στῆσον, καὶ προδοθήσεται δι' αὐτῶν ὁ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ γέγονεν 64.744 οὕτως. Τοῦτο δὲ στοχασμὸς, μᾶλλον δὲ προῤῥήσεις μηδὲν παράδοξον ἔχουσαι· καθάπερ ἐπὶ Χριστοῦ, τὸ κηρυχθῆναι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον· τὸ, Οὐ μὴ μείνῃ λίθος ἐπὶ λίθον. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον· Τὸν μακάριον Ἱερεμίαν ὡς τῶν ἄλλων σαφέστερόν φασι δεῖν πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἀναγινώσκεσθαι. Καὶ οὐ θαυμαστὸν, εἰ τῶν προφητῶν οἱ μὲν ἀσαφεῖς, οἱ δὲ καὶ σαφέστεροι· ὅπου καὶ ἑνὸς τῆς θείας Γραφῆς, ἔσθ' ὅτε συγγράμματος, τὰ μὲν ἀσαφῆ, τὰ δὲ σαφῆ, καὶ τῶν ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς συγγραμμάτων τὰ μὲν οὕτως, τὰ δὲ ἐκείνως, καθάπερ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς ἀποστόλων τε Ἐπιστολαῖς, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν τοῦ Κυρίου ῥημάτων. Καθόλου γὰρ ἀσάφεια γίνεται ἢ διὰ τὴν φύσιν τῶν ὑποκειμένων, ξένων ὄντων πρὸς ἀκοὴν, ὡς ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνοποιίας, καὶ τῆς παρὰ Ἰεζεκιὴλ κατασκευῆς τοῦ ναοῦ· ἢ παρὰ τοὺς ἀκούοντας, ἢ ἀσυνέτως διακειμένους. ∆ιόπερ ὁ Χριστὸς τὰς παραβολὰς ὡς ἐπίτηδες ἀσαφῶς εἰρημένας. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον. Γίνεται δὲ πάλιν ἀσάφεια καὶ παρὰ τὴν τοῦ λέγοντος ἰδιότητα, ἐπιῤῥεπῶς ἔχοντος πρὸς τὴν τοιάνδε ἀπαγγελίαν. Καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν προφητῶν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὰ νοήματα μόνον ἔλεγεν, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ τὰ ῥήματα· αὐτοὶ δὲ λοιπὸν ἔφραζον ἰδιωτικῶς. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἀκινήτοις ἐκέχρητο, καθάπερ ἡ τῶν δαιμόνων ἐπίπνοια· τὰ δὲ λεχθέντα γινώσκειν ἠβούλετο, καὶ μετὰ τῆς οἰκείας γνώμης ἅπαντα λέγειν· Οὐ πρᾶγμα ποιήσει Κύριος, ἐὰν μὴ ἀποκαλύψῃ τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ τοῖς προφήταις.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΠΡΩΤΟΝ.

Ἱερεμίας ὁ τοῦ Χελκίου ἐκ τῶν ἱερέων. Ἐκ τῆς εἰς τὸν προφήτην Ἱερεμίαν ἑρμηνείας. Τὸν μὲν χρόνον, καθ' ὃν προεφήτευσεν ὁ μακάριος προφήτης Ἱερεμίας, καὶ ἀπὸ ποίου βασιλέως ἤρξατο, καὶ εἰς ποῖον προφητεύων ἐτελεύτησε, σαφῶς ἐν τοῖς προοιμίοις τοῦ προφήτου ἔστι μαθεῖν. Πᾶσαν δὲ τὴν προφητείαν κατὰ τῶν δύο ποιεῖται φυλῶν, ἤδη τῶν δέκα αἰχμαλώτων γενομένων ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀσσυρίου. Ποικίλην δέ τινα τὴν προφητείαν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν· τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν παραδειγμάτων αὐτοὺς ἐλέγχει, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Ἴδε τὰς ὁδούς σου ἐν τῷ πολυανδρίῳ· τοῦτο δὲ ἀπό τινων παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ προφήτου γενομένων, ὡς ὅταν λαμβάνῃ τὸ περίζωμα, καὶ τὰ ἀκόλουθα ποιῇ, καὶ τὸν βίκον, ὃν ἔκλασε κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ λαοῦ, μήνυμα τῆς ἀπωλείας τοῦ πλήθους, καὶ τοὺς κλοιοὺς οὓς περιέθετο. Πολλὴν δέ τινα δυσχέρειαν ἐν τοῖς χρόνοις τοῖς αὐτοῦ ἔσχε, πάντων ἤδη εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἐκκλινάντων, καὶ ἱερέων ἀνθισταμένων, οἷος ἦν ὁ Σοφονίας, καθ' οὗ καὶ φαίνεται λέγων, καί τινων τῶν ἐν τέλει ὄντων· καὶ πάλιν πρὸς τὸν Πασχὼρ ἀποτεινόμενος, καὶ βασιλέων ἥκιστα δεχομένων τὴν παραίνεσιν. Ποιεῖται δὲ τὸν 64.745 ἔλεγχον οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων μόνον, τὰς ἀσεβείας λέγων σαφῶς· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπό τινων εὐπειθῶν ἀνδρῶν υἱῶν Ἰωναδὰβ, υἱοῦ Ῥηχὰβ, ὧν κατὰ σύγκρισιν δείκνυσι παρανόμους τοὺς Ἰουδαίους. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὰ χείριστα φαίνεται πεπονθὼς, τοῦτο μὲν ὕποπτος ἐπὶ τῆς προδοσίας γινόμενος, τοῦτο δὲ ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ κατακλειόμενος, τοῦτο δὲ ἐν λάκκῳ βορβόρου βαλλόμενος. Ταύτης ἕνεκεν τῆς αἰτίας εὐθὺς ἐν ἀρχῇ ὑπισχνεῖται αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς παρέξειν τὴν ἰσχύν· προλέγων μὲν αὐτῷ τὰ δεινὰ, ἐπαμύνειν δὲ ἐπαγγελλόμενος. Λέγει καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν, πρὸς ὠφέλειαν οὐ μόνον Ἑβραίων,