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God, through his own philanthropy, [intends] for those who hear not to suffer the things of captivity. Such things also concern us. If we sin, we too are about to become captives; for 'to hand such a one over to Satan' is no different from handing over those from Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar; for as they were handed over to him on account of their sins, so we are handed over to Satan on account of our sins, who is a Nebuchadnezzar, and 'whom I have handed over to Satan, that they may be taught not to blaspheme,' says the apostle concerning other sinners. 1.4 See, therefore, how great an evil it is to sin, that they 'be handed over to Satan' who takes captive the souls of those abandoned by God, not without cause nor without judgment did God abandon those whom he abandoned; for when he sends the rain upon the vineyard, and the vineyard bears 'thorns' instead of 'grapes,' 'what will' God 'do' but 'command the clouds not to rain rain' upon the vineyard? Therefore, on account of our sins, captivity is also imminent for us, and we are about to be handed over, if we do not repent, to Nebuchadnezzar and to the Babylonians, so that the spiritual Babylonians might tear us apart; with these things being imminent, the words of the prophets, the words of the law, the words of the apostles, the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ speak to us about repentance, they exhort us to conversion; if we listen, let us believe the one who said: 'I too will repent of all the evils which I spoke of doing to them.' 1.5 These things for the preface; after the preface it is written that 'the word of the Lord came to him,' clearly meaning Jeremiah. And what does the word of the Lord say to him? Something exceptional beyond what was said to the other prophets. For we find this said to none of the prophets; Abraham was called a prophet in 'he is a prophet and he will pray for you,' and God did not say to him: 'Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came forth from the womb I consecrated you,' but Abraham was consecrated at a later time, when he went out 'from his land and from his kindred and from his father's house'; Isaac was born from a promise, and we do not find this word being said even to him, and why must I enumerate what follows? Jeremiah received an exceptional gift, that of 'before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came forth 1.6 from the womb I consecrated you.' We are not unaware that some refer these things, as being greater than Jeremiah, to our Savior and Lord; and it must be known that many things are in harmony with him and can be referred to the Savior, which I will set forth, but a few of the things said to Jeremiah strain the interpretation, being unable, unlike the many, to apply to the Savior. What then are the things that apply to the Savior? 'To all to whom I shall send you, you shall go, and whatever I shall command you, you shall speak; do not be afraid of their face, because I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord'; these things will not yet seem to be clearly referred to the Savior, but the things that follow: 'and the Lord stretched out his hand to me and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: Behold, I have given my words into your mouth; behold, I have appointed you this day over nations and kingdoms, to root out and to pull down.' What nations did Jeremiah root out, what kingdoms did he destroy? for it is written: 'Behold, I have appointed you this day over nations and kingdoms, to root out and to pull down.' And what authority did Jeremiah have 'to destroy,' which is said as to Jeremiah in 'and to destroy'? And whom did Jeremiah build up in such numbers, that it might be said 'and to build'? Jeremiah says: 'I have not helped, nor has anyone helped me'; how then has been given to him 'to build and to plant'? How will 'to plant' apply to Jeremiah? These things, when referred to the Savior, do not strain the interpreter, because in these things Jeremiah is a symbol of the Savior; but the things about to be set forth greatly strain even the most sagacious person who wishes to show how these things also can be fitted to the Savior;

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φιλανθρωπίαν ἑαυτοῦ ὁ θεὸς τοὺς ἀκούοντας μὴ παθεῖν τὰ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας. Τοιαῦτα καὶ περὶ ἡμᾶς ἐστιν. Ἐὰν ἁμαρτάνωμεν, αἰχμάλωτοι καὶ ἡμεῖς μέλλομεν γίνεσθαι· τὸ γὰρ «παραδοῦναι τὸν τοιοῦτον τῷ σατανᾷ» οὐδὲν διαφέρει τοῦ παραδοῦναι τοὺς ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ· ὡς γὰρ ἐκείνῳ παρεδίδοντο διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας, οὕτω τῷ σατανᾷ παραδιδόμεθα διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὄντι Ναβουχοδονόσορ, καὶ «οὓς παρέδωκα τῷ σατανᾷ, ἵνα παιδευθῶσι μὴ βλασφη μεῖν» φησὶ περὶ ἄλλων ἁμαρτωλῶν ὁ ἀπόστολος. 1.4 Ὅρα οὖν πηλίκον κακόν ἐστι τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν, ἵνα «παρα δοθῶσι τῷ σατανᾷ» αἰχμαλωτίζοντι τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἐγκατα λειπομένων ὑπὸ θεοῦ, οὐκ ἀναιτίως δὲ οὐδὲ ἀκρίτως ἐγκα ταλιπόντος θεοῦ, οὓς ἐγκατέλιπε· ἐπὰν γὰρ πέμψῃ τὸν ὑετὸν ἐπὶ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα, ὁ δὲ ἀμπελὼν φέρῃ ἀντὶ «σταφυλῆς» «ἀκάνθας», «τί ποιήσει» ὁ θεὸς ἢ «ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐντελεῖται τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι ὑετὸν» ἐπὶ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα; Ἐπίκειται οὖν διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν καὶ ἡμῖν αἰχμα λωσία καὶ μέλλομεν παραδίδοσθαι, ἐὰν μὴ μετανοῶμεν, τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ καὶ τοῖς Βαβυλωνίοις, ἵνα ἡμᾶς σπαράξω σιν οἱ νοητοὶ Βαβυλώνιοι· ἐπικειμένων τούτων οἱ λόγοι τῶν προφητῶν, οἱ λόγοι τοῦ νόμου, οἱ λόγοι τῶν ἀποστόλων, οἱ λόγοι τοῦ κυρίου καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγουσιν ἡμῖν περὶ μετανοίας, παρακαλοῦσιν ἡμᾶς εἰς ἐπιστροφήν· ἐὰν ἀκούσωμεν, πιστεύωμεν τῷ εἰρηκότι· «με τανοήσω κἀγὼ περὶ πάντων τῶν κακῶν ὧν ἐλάλησα τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτοῖς». 1.5 Ταῦτα μὲν εἰς τὸ προοίμιον· μετὰ δὲ τὸ προοίμιον γέγρα πται ὅτι «ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρὸς αὐτόν», δῆλον ὅτι τὸν Ἱερεμίαν. Τί δὲ λέγει ὁ λόγος τοῦ κυρίου πρὸς αὐτόν; Ἐξαίρετον παρὰ τὸ εἰρημένον πρὸς τοὺς λοιποὺς προφή τας. Τοῦτο γὰρ πρὸς οὐδένα εὕρομεν τῶν προφητῶν εἰρημέ νον· Ἀβραὰμ προφήτης ἐχρημάτισεν ἐν τῷ «προφήτης ἐστὶ καὶ προσεύξεται περὶ σοῦ», καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ θεός· «Πρὸ τοῦ με πλάσαι σε ἐν κοιλίᾳ ἐπίσταμαί σε, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ σε ἐξελθεῖν ἐκ μήτρας ἡγίακά σε», ἀλλὰ ὕστερόν ποτε ἡγιάσθη ὁ Ἀβραάμ, ὅτε ἐξῆλθεν «ἐκ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ»· ἐξ ἐπαγγελίας γεγέννηται ὁ Ἰσαάκ, καὶ οὐχ εὕρομεν οὐδὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν τοῦτον λεγόμενον τὸν λόγον, καὶ τί με δεῖ καταλέγειν περὶ τῶν ἑξῆς; Ἱερεμίας ἐξαιρέτου ἔτυχε δωρεᾶς, τῆς «πρὸ τοῦ με πλάσαι σε ἐν κοιλίᾳ ἐπίσταμαί σε, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ σε ἐξελθεῖν 1.6 ἐκ μήτρας ἡγίακά σε». Οὐκ ἀγνοοῦμεν ὅτι ταῦτα ἀνα φέρουσί τινες ὡς μείζονα Ἱερεμίου ἐπὶ τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν· καὶ ἰστέον ὅτι τὰ μὲν πολλὰ αὐτῷ συνᾴδει καὶ δύναται ἀναφέρεσθαι ἐπὶ τὸν σωτῆρα, ἃ παραθήσομαι, ὀλίγα δέ τινα τῶν εἰρημένων πρὸς τὸν Ἱερεμίαν θλίβει τὸν λόγον, οὐ δυνάμενα ὡς πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐφαρμόσαι τῷ σωτῆρι. Τίνα οὖν ἐστι τὰ ἐφαρμόζοντα τῷ σωτῆρι; «Πρὸς πάντας οὓς ἐὰν ἐξαποστείλω σε πορεύσῃ, καὶ κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἐὰν ἐντείλωμαί σοι λαλήσεις· μὴ φοβηθῇς ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν, ὅτι μετὰ σοῦ εἰμι τοῦ ἐξαιρεῖσθαί σε, λέγει κύριος»· οὔπω ταῦτα ἐναργῶς πρὸς τὸν σωτῆρα δόξει ἀναφέρεσθαι, τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ «καὶ ἐξέτεινε κύριος τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ πρός με καὶ ἥψατο τοῦ στόματός μου, καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρός με· ἰδοὺ δέδωκα τοὺς λόγους μου εἰς τὸ στόμα σου· ἰδοὺ καθέστακά σε σήμερον ἐπὶ ἔθνη καὶ βασιλείας, ἐκριζοῦν καὶ κατασκάπτειν». Ἱερεμίας ποῖα ἔθνη ἐξερρίζωσε, ποίας κατέστρεψε βασιλείας; γέγραπται γάρ· «Ἰδοὺ καθέστακά σε σήμερον ἐπὶ ἔθνη καὶ βασιλείας, ἐκριζοῦν καὶ κατα σκάπτειν.» Ποίαν δὲ εἶχεν ἐξουσίαν ὁ Ἱερεμίας εἰς τὸ «ἀπολλύειν», ὅπερ εἴρηται ὡς πρὸς Ἱερεμίαν ἐν τῷ «καὶ ἀπολλύειν»; Τίνας δὲ τοσούτους ᾠκοδόμησεν Ἱερεμίας, ἵνα λέγηται «καὶ οἰκοδομεῖν»; Ἱερεμίας φησίν· «οὐκ ὠφέλησα, οὐδὲ ὠφέλησέ με οὐδείς»· πῶς οὖν δέδοται αὐτῷ τὸ «οἰκοδομεῖν καὶ καταφυτεύειν»; Πῶς ἐπὶ τὸν Ἱερε μίαν ἐφαρμόσει τὸ «καταφυτεύειν»; Ταῦτα ἐπὶ τὸν σωτῆρα ἀναφερόμενα οὐ θλίβει τὸν ἑρμηνεύοντα, ὅτι ὁ Ἱερεμίας ἐν τούτοις σύμβολον τοῦ σωτῆρός ἐστιν· τὰ δὲ παρατεθησόμενα πάνυ θλίβει καὶ τὸν πάνυ συνετώτατον βουλόμενον δεῖξαι, πῶς καὶ ταῦτα δύναται ἁρμόζειν ἐπὶ τὸν σωτῆρα·