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backwards to her own good. 23 According to the bodily narrative, what is said about Jerusalem is now of this sort. The uncleanness of Jerusalem is an impediment; but of what it is an impediment, the prophet has left for us to understand. Perhaps, then, he shows that her uncleanness is an obstacle to her progress . But being of such a kind, she also shows that Jerusalem did not remember her last things . And he who has these things before his eyes and sees what will happen because of his sins will not sin. Therefore, because of this uncleanness, it is an impediment to her; and because she did not remember her last things , she brought down her wonders and her great things, which she had when she happened to be worthy of being visited, and brought them to humility, though they were formerly immense and greater than all praise. But even after all these things, there was no one to comfort her who had brought down her greatest things. And upon these things, consider my humility, who am speaking, O Lord, since the enemy is magnified over what has happened to my fatherland . And after a little: We must inquire, however, according to the laws of allegory, if it is possible for uncleanness to exist in someone who is not the cause of it. Let us also see the first thoughts of the Lamentation. Such a soul, having fallen, is certainly also in uncleanness, which uncleanness prevents it from walking the holy way. And just as the holy Moses, when entering a holy place, and his successor Jesus, are commanded by God to take off their sandals, since it is not fitting for feet to be covered with dead hide in a holy place, so if someone is to travel unimpeded, perhaps he ought not only to take them off, but also to wash away the uncleanness that comes from the dust around his feet. And we think that this is a symbol of the Savior pouring water into the basin and washing the feet of the disciples, saying to Peter who did not yet understand the mystery and for this reason was hindering him: “If I do not wash you, you have no part with me,” and “What I am doing, you do not know now, but you will know after these things.” Therefore, having gathered uncleanness around, so to speak, the feet of the soul, we will need to ask Jesus to wash it away, so that we may be able to have a part with him. For if this remains, it is an impediment for us to walk the way according to the sound word, the Savior who said: “I am the way.” 24 And it is clear that the healthy soul, or at least one wishing to be such, does these things, not looking so much at the present alone, as foreseeing what will result in the future from what is being accomplished. And if, when something considered good is happening in the present, it foresees the bitterness in the future, it dismisses what seems pleasant and does the opposite, in order not to fall into some hardship after this; but if, when the present is arduous, good hopes succeed what appears harsh, it will willingly give itself over to the roughness of what might seem dreadful to some, in order to obtain the sweet things that succeed the harsh ones because it has endured these things. 25 And having suffered all these things, he says, the one called Jerusalem more tropologically, did not find even a comforter; for having turned away from the word in her and having become wholly of passion, she has lost her helper, the one who always arms against labors and supposed terrors the disposition that attends to him. And upon these things, behold the humility of me, the citizen ; as a kinsman of the soul might say: the suffering of my fellow citizen, through which I was taught love for humanity, is my misfortune. Consider, therefore, O Lord, and do not completely forsake the one who has suffered the aforementioned things; do not overlook her enemy, I mean wickedness, which has been magnified and poured out against her. But "Behold, O Lord, my humility" can be said more tropologically by the word existing in the soul, which has been dishonored and humbled and, so to speak, has lost its own kingdom. 26 The desirable things of Jerusalem, therefore, must be understood as the things in the temple, and the holy of holies set apart, suitable for the priestly liturgy, and the other things believed to be divine besides being laid up in the temple, such as the

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εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἐπὶ τῷ ἰδίῳ καλῷ. 23 Κατὰ μὲν τὴν σωματικὴν διήγησιν τὸ λεγόμενον περὶ τῆς Ἱε ρουσαλὴμ νῦν τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν. ἐμπόδιόν ἐστιν ἡ ἀκαθαρσία τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ· τίνος δὲ ἐμπόδιον, ἡμῖν καταλέλοιπε νοεῖν ὁ προφήτης. τάχα οὖν δηλοῖ ὅτι κωλυτική ἐστι τῆς πορείας αὐτῆς ἡ ἀκαθαρσία . ἀλλὰ καὶ τοιάδε τις οὖσα δηλοῖ ὅτι Ἱερουσαλὴμ τῶν ἐσχάτων αὐ τῆς οὐκ ἐμνημόνευσεν . ταῦτα δὲ ὁ ἔχων πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ ὁρῶν τί διὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἀπαντήσεται, οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεται. διὰ ταύτην τοίνυν τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν ἐμπόδιον αὐτῇ· καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ μνη μονεύειν αὐτὴν τῶν ἐσχάτων αὐτῆς , τὰ θαυμαστὰ αὐτῆς καὶ τὰ μεγάλα, ἅτινα εἶχεν ὅτε ἀξία τοῦ ἐπισκοπεῖσθαι ἐτύγχανε, κατεβίβασε καὶ εἰς ταπεινότητα ἤνεγκε, πρότερον ὑπέρογκα ὄντα καὶ μείζονα παντὸς ἐπαίνου. ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάντα οὐκ ἦν ὁ παραμυ θούμενος τὴν τὰ μέγιστα αὐτῆς καταβιβάσασαν. ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ κατανόησον τὴν ἐμοῦ τοῦ λέγοντος ταπείνωσιν, κύριε , ἐπει δήπερ ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἐπὶ τοῖς γενομένοις τῇ πατρίδι μου μεγαλύνεται . Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Ζητητέον μέντοι κατὰ τοὺς τῆς ἀναγωγῆς νόμους, εἰ δυνατὸν ἔν τινι τυγχάνειν ἀκαθαρσίαν οὐκ αἰτίῳ ταύτης ὄντι. ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ τὰ πρῶτα νοήματα τοῦ Θρήνου. ἡ τοιάδε ψυχὴ ἐκπεσοῦσα πάντως καὶ ἐν ἀκαθαρσίᾳ ἐστίν, ἥτις ἀκαθαρσία κωλύει τὴν ἁγίαν ὁδὸν ὁδεύειν. καὶ ὥσπερ τὰ ὑποδήματα κελεύεται ὑπὸ θεοῦ ὑπολύσασθαι ἁγίῳ τόπῳ ἐπιβαίνων ὁ ἱερὸς Μωσῆς καὶ ὁ διάδοχος αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦς, οὐ καθήκοντος περικεῖσθαι νεκρὰν δορὰν ἐν ἱερῷ τόπῳ τοὺς πόδας, οὕτως εἰ μέλλοι τις ὁδεύειν ἀνεμποδίστως, τάχα οὐ μόνον ὑπολύσα σθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀποπλύνασθαι ὀφείλει τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν τὴν γενομένην ἀπὸ τοῦ χοῦ περὶ τοὺς πόδας. καὶ οἰόμεθά γε τούτου σύμβολον εἶναι τὸ τὸν σωτῆρα βαλόντα ὕδωρ εἰς τὸν νιπτῆρα πεπλυκέναι τοὺς πόδας τῶν μαθητῶν, λέγοντα τῷ μηδέπω συνιέντι τὸ μυστή ριον καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κωλύοντι Πέτρῳ· «ἐὰν μὴ νίψω σε οὐκ ἔχεις μέρος μετ' ἐμοῦ», καὶ «ὃ ἐγὼ ποιῶ, σὺ οὐκ οἶδας ἄρτι, γνώσῃ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα». οὐκοῦν δεήσει περιαθροίσαν<τας> περὶ τούς, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, πόδας τῆς ψυχῆς ἀκαθαρσίαν [καὶ] δεηθῆναι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ὅπως αὐτὴν ἀποπλύνῃ καὶ δυνηθῶμεν μέρος ἔχειν μετ' αὐτοῦ. εἰ γὰρ παρα μένοι αὕτη, ἐμπόδιόν ἐστι τὴν κατὰ τὸν ὑγιῆ λόγον ἡμᾶς βαδίζειν ὁδόν, τὸν σωτῆρα τὸν εἰπόντα· «ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός». 24 ∆ῆλον δὲ ὅτι ἡ μὲν ὑγιαίνουσα ψυχὴ ἢ κἂν τοιαύτη γε εἶναι βουλομένη ταῦτα πράττει, οὐ τοσοῦτον τὸ παρὸν μόνον σκοποῦσα, ὅσον προορωμένη τί καὶ εἰς τὰ μέλλοντα ἐκ τῶν ἐπιτελουμένων ἀπαντηθήσεται. καὶ ἐὰν μὲν χρηστοῦ τινος νομιζομένου ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος γίνεσθαι προθεωρῇ τὸ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι πικρόν, παραπεμψα μένη τὸ δοκοῦν εἶναι ἡδὺ τὸ ἐναντίον πράττει, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ μετὰ ταῦτα χαλεπῷ τινι περιπεσεῖν· ἐὰν δὲ ἐπιπόνου τυγχάνοντος τοῦ παρόντος ἀγαθαὶ ἐλπίδες διαδέχωνται τὸ φαινόμενον σκληρόν, ἑκου σίως αὑτὴν ἐπιδώσει τῇ τραχύτητι τοῦ δόξαντος ἂν εἶναι δεινοῦ παρά τισιν, ἐπὶ τῷ τυχεῖν τῶν διὰ τὸ ὑπομεμενηκέναι ταῦτα δια δεχομένων γλυκέων τὰ σκληρά. 25 Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα, φησί, παθοῦσα ἡ τροπικώτερον καλουμένη Ἱε ρουσαλὴμ οὐδὲ τοῦ παραμυθουμένου εὐπόρησεν· ἀποστραφεῖσα γὰρ τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ λόγον καὶ ὅλη τοῦ πάθους γεγενημένη, τὸν βοηθὸν ἀπολώλεκε, τὸν ἀεὶ κατὰ τῶν πόνων ὁπλίζοντα καὶ τῶν νομιζο μένων δεινῶν τὴν προσέχουσαν αὐτῷ διάθεσιν. ἐπὶ τούτοις δ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ πολίτου τὴν ταπείνωσιν ἴδε · ὡς ἂν λέγοι συγγενὴς ψυχῆς· τὸ τοῦ πολίτου μου πάθος, δι' ἣν ἐδιδάχθην φιλανθρωπίαν, ἐμή ἐστι συμφορά. κατανόησον οὖν, ὦ κύριε , καὶ μὴ τέλεον καταλίπῃς τὴν τὰ προειρημένα πεπονθυῖαν· μὴ ὑπερίδῃς τὸν ἐχθρὸν αὐτῇ, λέγω δὴ τὴν κακίαν μεγαλυνθεῖσαν καὶ κεχυμένην κατ' αὐτῆς. δύνα ται δὲ τροπικώτερον λέγεσθαι τὸ ἴδε, κύριε, τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐνυπάρχοντος τῇ ψυχῇ λόγου, ἀτιμασθέντος καὶ τετα πεινωμένου καί, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, τὸ ἴδιον βασίλειον ἀπολωλεκότος. 26 Ἐπιθυμήματα τοίνυν τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ νοητέον τὰ ἐν τῷ ναῷ, καὶ τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων ἀποκείμενα εἰς τὴν ἱερατικὴν λειτουργίαν εὔθετα, καὶ τὰ ἄλλως παρὰ τὸ ἐναποκεῖσθαι τῷ ναῷ θεῖα εἶναι πεπιστευμένα, οἷον τὴν