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Babylon, not until today like Israel, but for “seventy years,” concerning which Jeremiah prophesied, which Daniel also mentioned. If we understand these things in relation to that people of that time, see the words of the prophet, if they do not declare something of this sort; for it accuses the sins of Israel, as it were, and says that since so many sins had been committed by Israel, the synagogue of Judah, having heard of their stumblings and how I had made them to be in captivity, was not instructed, but added to its sins, so that through the addition of its sins, when compared to the sins of Israel, righteousness was found in Israel rather than in Judah. Then upon these things the prophet is commanded to prophesy, since Judah has become worse than Israel, that after the sins it might turn back. Therefore, after the prophecy to Israel commanding it to turn back, the prophet prophesies that Israel and Judah are about to be together and that there will one day be one kingdom of them both. Let him who cares for the readings, take the words of the entire reading today and then he will see the meanings have been revealed. “And the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king: Have you seen what the house of Israel has done to me?” Not Judah, but “of Israel” first, ”she went upon every high mountain and under every leafy tree and committed fornication <there>. And I said after she committed all these fornications: Turn back to me; <and she did not turn back>. And her faithlessness,” that of the synagogue of Israel, “faithless Judah saw. And they saw,” those from Judah, “that for all the reasons she was forsaken in which the house of Israel committed adultery, I both sent her away and gave her a bill of divorce”; it being necessary for Judah to be instructed—for I sent Israel away, the synagogue of Israel, I cast them out to the Assyrians “and I gave her a bill of divorce into her hands”— “and faithless Judah was not afraid”; but after so many things that he did to Israel, sending it away, giving it a bill of divorce, it being necessary for the synagogue of Judah to be instructed by what those had suffered, they not only were not instructed, but they added to their sins, so that the sins of the synagogue of Israel, in comparison with the sins of the synagogue of Judah, seem to be righteousness, “and I gave her a bill of divorce into her hands; and faithless Judah,” her sister, “was not afraid, and she went and committed fornication also, and her fornication came to nothing, and she committed adultery with wood and stone. And in all these things faithless Judah did not turn to me with her whole heart, but in falsehood” she turned to me; she was not ashamed of me because of what I had done to Israel, so that she might completely turn back, but though it was necessary for her to turn back in truth, she turned back in falsehood; “and in all these things faithless Judah did not turn to me with her whole heart but in falsehood. And the Lord said to me: Israel has justified her soul from faithless Judah,” —the sins of Israel compared to the stumblings of Judah have become a justification of the soul 4.2 of the synagogue of Israel;— ”Go” therefore “and read these words toward the north.” If the saying has been understood, let us see what it wishes to be shown in these things. The calling of the gentiles had its beginning from the transgression of Israel, and the apostles, having preached to the synagogues of the Jews, say that “to you was the word of salvation sent; but since you judge yourselves unworthy, behold, we are turning to the gentiles,” and the apostle, knowing what he knows about these things, says: “By their transgression salvation has come to the gentiles, in order to make them jealous.” Therefore the many sins of that people have caused it to be forsaken and us to come to the “hope of salvation,” “strangers to the covenants, aliens to the promises”; for from where did it come to me, who became a stranger from anywhere to the so-called holy land, to now discourse concerning the promises of

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Βαβυλῶνα, οὐχὶ μέχρι τῆς σήμερον ὡς ὁ Ἰσραήλ, ἀλλὰ ἐπὶ «ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη», περὶ ὧν ὁ Ἱερεμίας προεφήτευσεν, ὧν ἐμνήσθη καὶ ὁ ∆ανιήλ. Εἰ νοοῦμεν ταῦτα ὡς πρὸς τὸν λαὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν τότε, ἴδε τὰς λέξεις τοῦ προφήτου, εἰ μὴ τοιοῦτό τι δηλοῦσι· κατηγορεῖ γὰρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὡς λόγος, καί φησιν ὅτι τοσούτων ἁμαρτημάτων γεγενημένων τῷ Ἰσραήλ, ἀκούσασα ἡ Ἰούδα συναγωγὴ τὰ ἐκείνων πταίσματα καὶ τίνα τρόπον πεποίηκα αὐτοὺς γενέσθαι ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ, οὐκ ἐπαιδεύθη, ἀλλὰ προσέθηκε ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις, ὥστε διὰ τὴν προσθήκην τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων συγκρινομένων τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ δικαιοσύνην εὑρῆσθαι ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ παρὰ τὸν Ἰούδαν. Εἶτα ἐπὶ τούτοις κελεύεται ὁ προφήτης προφητεῦσαι, ὡς χείρονος γενομένου τοῦ Ἰούδα παρὰ τὸν Ἰσραήλ, ἵνα μετὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἐπιστρέψῃ. Μετὰ τὴν προφητείαν οὖν τὴν πρὸς Ἰσραὴλ κελεύουσαν ἐπιστρέψαι αὐτὸν προφητεύει ὁ προφήτης, ὅτι μέλλουσιν ἅμα γίνεσθαι Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδας καὶ γίνεσθαί ποτε μίαν ἀμφοτέρων βασιλείαν. Ὧι δὴ μέλει τῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων, λαβέτω τὰ ῥήματα τῆς ὅλης σήμερον ἀναγνώσεως καὶ τότε ὄψεται τὰ νοή ματα δεδηλῶσθαι. «Καὶ εἶπε κύριος πρός με ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἰωσίου τοῦ βασιλέως· εἶδες ἃ ἐποίησάν μοι ἡ κατοικία τοῦ Ἰσραήλ», οὐκ Ἰούδα, ἀλλὰ «τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ» πρῶτον,»ἐπορεύθη ἐπὶ πᾶν ὄρος ὑψηλὸν καὶ ὑποκάτω παντὸς ξύλου ἀλσώδους καὶ ἐπόρνευσεν <ἐκεῖ>. Καὶ εἶπα μετὰ τὸ πορνεῦσαι αὐτὴν πάντα ταῦτα· ἀνάστρεψον πρός με· <καὶ οὐκ ἀνέστρεψε>. Καὶ εἶδεν τὴν ἀσυνθεσίαν αὐτῆς» τῆς Ἰσραὴλ συναγωγῆς «ἡ ἀσύνθετος Ἰούδα. Καὶ εἶδον» οἱ ἀπὸ Ἰούδα, «διότι περὶ πάντων ὧν κατελείφθη ἐν οἷς ἐμοιχᾶτο ἡ κατοικία τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ἐξαπέστειλα αὐτὴν καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτῇ βιβλίον ἀποστασίου»· δέον παιδευθῆ ναι τὸν Ἰούδαν- ἐξαπέστειλα γὰρ τὸν Ἰσραήλ, τὴν συναγωγὴν Ἰσραήλ, ἐξέβαλον αὐτοὺς εἰς Ἀσσυρίους «καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτῇ βιβλίον ἀποστασίου εἰς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῆς»- «καὶ οὐκ ἐφοβήθη ἡ ἀσύνθετος Ἰούδα»· μετὰ τοσαῦτα δὲ ἃ ἐποίησε τῷ Ἰσραήλ, ἐξαποστείλας αὐτόν, δοὺς βιβλίον ἀποστασίου, δέον παιδευθῆναι τὴν Ἰούδα συναγωγὴν ἐξ ὧν πεπόνθασιν ἐκεῖνοι, οἳ δὲ οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐπαιδεύθη σαν, ἀλλὰ προσέθηκαν τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν, ὥστε τὰ ἁμαρτή ματα τῆς Ἰσραὴλ συναγωγῆς συγκρίσει τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τῆς συναγωγῆς τοῦ Ἰούδα δικαιοσύνην εἶναι δοκεῖν, «καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτῇ βιβλίον ἀποστασίου εἰς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῆς· καὶ οὐκ ἐφοβήθη ἡ ἀσύνθετος Ἰούδα» ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτῆς «καὶ ἐπορεύθη καὶ ἐπόρνευσε καὶ αὐτή, καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτῆς εἰς οὐδὲν ἡ πορνεία, καὶ ἐμοίχευσε τὸ ξύλον καὶ τὸν λίθον. Καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις οὐκ ἐπεστράφη πρός με ἡ ἀσύνθετος Ἰούδα ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας αὐτῆς, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ψεύδει» ἐπέστρεψε πρός με· οὐκ ᾐδέσθη με ἐξ ὧν πεποίηκα τῷ Ἰσραήλ, ἵνα τελείως ἐπιστρέψῃ, ἀλλὰ δέον αὐτὴν ἐπιστρέ φειν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, ἣ δὲ ἐπὶ ψεύδει ἐπέστρεψε· «καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις οὐκ ἐπέστρεψε πρός με ἡ ἀσύνθετος Ἰούδα ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας αὐτῆς ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ψεύδει. Καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρός με· ἐδικαίωσε τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῆς Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀσυνθέ του Ἰούδα», -τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ συγκρινόμενα τοῖς πταίσμασιν Ἰούδα γέγονε δικαίωσις τῆς ψυχῆς 4.2 <τῆς> Ἰσραὴλ συναγωγῆς· -»πορεύου» οὖν «καὶ ἀνάγνωθι τοὺς λόγους τούτους πρὸς βορρᾶν». Εἰ νενόηται τὸ ῥητόν, ἴδωμεν τί βούλεται ἐν τούτοις δηλοῦσθαι. Ἡ κλῆσις τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀρχὴν ἔσχεν ἐκ τοῦ παρα πτώματος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ λέγουσιν οἱ ἀπόστολοι κηρύξαντες ταῖς τῶν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγαῖς ὅτι «ὑμῖν ἦν ἐξαπεσταλ μένος ὁ λόγος τῆς σωτηρίας· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀναξίους κρίνετε ἑαυτούς, ἰδοὺ στρεφόμεθα εἰς τὰ ἔθνη», καὶ ὁ ἀπόστο λος περὶ τούτων εἰδὼς ἃ οἶδε λέγει· «Τῷ αὐτῶν παρα πτώματι ἡ σωτηρία τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, εἰς τὸ παραζηλῶσαι αὐ τούς.» Οὐκοῦν αἱ πολλαὶ ἁμαρτίαι ἐκείνου τοῦ λαοῦ πεποιήκασιν αὐτὸν ἐγκαταλειφθῆναι καὶ ἡμᾶς ἥκειν ἑπὶ τὴν «ἐλπίδα τῆς σωτηρίας», «τοὺς ξένους τῶν διαθη κῶν, τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν»· πόθεν γὰρ ἐμοὶ τῷ ὁπουποτοῦν γενομένῳ ξένῳ τῆς λεγομένης ἁγίας γῆς, νῦν περὶ τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν διαλέγεσθαι τοῦ