being full of the divine spirit. But behold the sabbath number, the symbol of rest, and the ten being perfect and proper to God (for tithes are offered on the tenth day of atonement, and the Decalogue is the first law), and you will know "the field," full of fruits befitting saints. Such was the field of Jacob, whose scent Isaac smelled; "Behold," he says, "the smell of my son is as the smell of a full field which the Lord has blessed." Such is he who has "the fruits of the spirit," that he might "sow the things of the spirit and reap eternal life"; for Jacob breathed not the scent of vines or figs, but of "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control." For such a field, then, Jeremiah gives thanks, saying: O Lord who is. For he looks at the one who truly is, "not looking at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen." 63 Not only prophecies did Jeremiah write down, but also his own sufferings, teaching with the one the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and with the other teaching examples of endurance, while the false prophets suffered nothing of the sort on account of their flattery. Let us prepare ourselves, therefore, in time of persecution to be ranked with Jeremiah and with the apostle who said: "in prisons often." The fact that the king was not able has made clear his more benevolent disposition toward them. And a righteous king must not be led astray by the wicked men around him; but often the protection of those in power is also useful, through which God often bestows benefits. 64 I fear, he says, lest I become an object of ridicule to the deserters; for I take account and care of this. And just as Jerusalem is handed over because of sin, so too is the church. And if one were to rule it like Hezekiah, it is saved; but if like Zedekiah, by separating himself he saves it, but by remaining he destroys it. If, therefore, anyone defiling the church were to depart, he saves both it and his own soul; but if he hesitates to go out, after the manner of Zedekiah, "a little leaven leavens the whole lump." 65 Jeremiah says to him what the women being led into exile will say: Those who spoke peaceably to you have deceived you, saying that they would not surrender you to the Babylonian. And they will stand with you, as having become the cause of your fall; for you will certainly be captured. And perhaps he also accuses the false prophets who promised peace in word. But the prophet humanely concealed the truth from the rulers, caring for the king. For he was not harming it now by being silent, having already read the words themselves in public. 66 The prophet, having received the choice of where he wishes to live, disdains Babylon and chooses Judea, fleeing the honor from the king and because of the poor who remained for agriculture, so that he might both care for the land for the sake of the poor and cultivate their souls with his prophecies. For the prophets divided the labor, this one Judea, and Daniel and the three young men, Babylon. 67 A good man suspects no one to be so wicked as to murder even those who have done no wrong. But why God allowed Gedaliah to be killed would be a matter for another discussion and of the inscrutable judgments of God. 68 Connect the 'not' of the incense with 'the Lord remembered'. It is clear, then, that he is speaking of those who burn incense to idols; for the preceding words are introduced after they confessed this. But let us examine if someone who burns incense to God improperly also becomes a cause for the land becoming desolate. So even if you offer the perceptible incense according to the Jews, if you have virtue you offer it well, having a corresponding inner fragrance; but offering it with wickedness, somehow staining even the outer fragrance, you change it into a foul odor; when it would not be said, "the Lord smelled a sweet-smelling savor," but the opposite. And the sweet-smelling savor with God was not of the clean animals offered by Noah that were mentioned, but of his righteousness and perfection, which he himself was in his generation. For God is not pleased with blood and the smell of fat, as are the demons. But as "having been raised with Christ, let us seek the things that are above," having taken to mind, "let my prayer be set forth as incense

θείου πνεύματος ὑπάρχοντα πλήρη. ἀλλ' ὅρα τὸν σαββατικὸν ἀριθμὸν τὸ τῆς ἀναπαύσεως σύμβολον, καὶ τὸν δέκα τέλειον ὄντα καὶ οἰκεῖον θεοῦ (δεκάται γὰρ ἐν τῇ δεκάτῃ τῶν ἱλασμῶν ἀναφέρονται, καὶ δεκάλογος ἡ πρώτη νομοθεσία), καὶ γνώσῃ «τὸν ἀγρόν», τὸν πλήρη καρπῶν πρεπόντων ἁγίοις. τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ ἀγρὸς Ἰακώβ, οὗπερ ὀσφρανθεὶς Ἰσαάκ· «ἰδοὺ» φησὶν «ὀσμὴ τοῦ υἱοῦ μου ὡς ὀσμὴ ἀγροῦ πλήρους ὃν εὐλόγησεν ὁ κύριος». ὁποῖός ἐστιν ὁ «καρποὺς ἔχων τοῦ πνεύματος», ἵνα «σπείρῃ τὰ τοῦ πνεύμα τος καὶ θερίσῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον»· ἔπνει γὰρ Ἰακὼβ οὐκ ἀμπέλων ὀσμὴν ἢ σύκων, ἀλλ' «ἀγάπης, χαρᾶς, εἰρήνης, μακροθυμίας, χρηστότητος, ἀγαθωσύνης, πίστεως, ἐγκρατείας». ἐπὶ τοιούτῳ τοίνυν ἀγρῷ Ἱερε μίας εὐχαριστεῖ λέγων· ὁ ὢν κύριε. σκοπεῖ γὰρ τὸν ὄντως ὄντα, «μὴ σκοπῶν τὰ βλεπόμενα ἀλλὰ τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα». 63 Οὐ μόνον προφητείας Ἱερεμίας ἀνέγραψεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἴδια πάθη, ταῖς μὲν διδάσκων βασιλείας οὐρανῶν μυστήρια, τοῖς δὲ δι δάσκων ὑπομονῆς παραδείγματα, τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν διὰ τὴν κολακείαν πασχόντων. ἑτοιμασώμεθα τοίνυν ἐν καιρῷ διωγμοῦ μετὰ Ἱερεμίου τετάχθαι καὶ τοῦ εἰπόντος ἀποστόλου· «ἐν φυλακαῖς πολλάκις». τὸ δὲ ὅτι οὐκ ἠδύνατο ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς αὐτοὺς φιλανθρωποτέραν αὐτοῦ τὴν προαίρεσιν μεμήνυκεν. καὶ δεῖ τὸν ὀρθὸν βασιλέα μὴ τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν πονηροῖς συναπάγεσθαι· χρήσιμον δὲ πολλάκις καὶ ἡ παρὰ τοῖς κρατοῦσι προστασία, δι' ἧς πολλάκις εὐεργετεῖ ὁ θεός. 64 ∆έδια, φησίν, μὴ τοῖς αὐτομόλοις καταγέλαστος γένωμαι· τούτου γὰρ λόγον καὶ φροντίδα ποιοῦμαι. ὡς δὲ δι' ἁμαρτίας Ἱε ρουσαλὴμ παραδίδοται, οὕτως καὶ ἡ ἐκκλησία. καὶ εἰ μέν τις κατ' Ἐζεκίαν αὐτῆς ἄρχοι, σῴζεται· εἰ δὲ κατὰ Σεδεκίαν, ἀφοριζόμενος μὲν σῴζει, μένων δὲ ταύτην ἀπόλλυσιν. εἴ τις οὖν μολύνων τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐξέλθοι, αὐτήν τε σῴζει καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ· ἐὰν δὲ μέλλῃ κατὰ τὸν Σεδεκίαν πρὸς ἔξοδον, «μικρὰ ζύμη ὅλον τὸ φύραμα ζυμοῖ». 65 Φησὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν Ἱερεμίας ὡς ἐροῦσιν αἱ γυναῖκες εἰς ἀποικίαν ἀγόμεναι· ἠπάτησάν σε οἱ πρός σε φήσαντες εἰρηνι κῶς ὡς οὐ παραδώσουσι τῷ Βαβυλωνίῳ. συστήσονται δὲ μετὰ σοῦ, ὡς αἴτιοι γενόμενοι πτώσεως· πάντως γὰρ ληφθήσῃ. τάχα δὲ καὶ τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας αἰτιᾶται λόγῳ τὴν εἰρήνην ὑποσχομένους. ὁ δὲ προφήτης φιλανθρώπως ἀπέκρυψε τοῖς ἄρχουσι τὴν ἀλήθειαν, τοῦ βασιλέως κηδόμενος. οὐ γὰρ ἔβλαπτε ταύτην νῦν σιωπῶν, ἤδη αὐτοὺς τοὺς λόγους ἀναγνοὺς ἐν κοινῷ. 66 Ὁ προφήτης αἵρεσιν λαβὼν ἔνθα βούλεται ζῆν, ὑπερορᾷ μὲν Βαβυλῶνος, αἱρεῖται δὲ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, φεύγων τὴν ἐκ βασιλέως τιμὴν καὶ διὰ τοὺς πτωχοὺς τοὺς πρὸς γεωργίαν ἐμμείναντας, ὡς ἂν καὶ τῆς γῆς ἐπιμελῆται διὰ τοὺς πένητας καὶ τὰς τούτων ταῖς προφητείαις γεωργῇ ψυχάς. ἐμερίσαντο γὰρ οἱ προφῆται, οὗτος μὲν τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, τὴν δὲ Βαβυλῶνα ∆ανιὴλ καὶ οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες. 67 Ὁ χρηστὸς ἄνθρωπος οὐδένα ὑποπτεύει οὕτως εἶναι πονη ρὸν ὡς καὶ τοὺς μηδὲν ἀδικήσαντας φονεύειν. διὰ τί δὲ συνεχώρησεν ὁ θεὸς ἀναιρεθῆναι τὸν Γοδολίαν, ἑτέρου ἂν εἴη λόγου καὶ τῶν ἀνεφίκτων κριμάτων τοῦ θεοῦ. 68 Σύνταξον τὸ οὐχὶ τοῦ θυμιάματος πρὸς τὸ ἐμνή σθη κύριος. δῆλον μὲν οὖν ἐστιν, ὡς τοῖς εἰδώλοις θυμιώντων φησί· τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτῶν ὁμολογησάντων ἐπάγεται τὰ προκείμενα. πλὴν ἐξετάσωμεν εἰ καὶ θεῷ τις θυμιῶν ὡς οὐ δεῖ, τοῦ ἄβατον γε νέσθαι γῆν αἴτιος γίνεται. κἂν τὸ αἰσθητὸν τοίνυν προσάγῃς κατὰ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους θυμίαμα, ἀρετὴν μὲν ἔχων προσάγεις καλῶς, σύμ φωνον ἔχων τὴν ἔνδοθεν εὐωδίαν· μετὰ κακίας δὲ προσφέρων, οἱ ονεί πως καὶ τὴν εὐωδίαν τὴν ἔξω χρωννύων, πρὸς δυσωδίαν μετα ποιεῖς· ὅτε οὐκ ἂν λεχθείη τὸ «ὠσφράνθη κύριος ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας» ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον. ὀσμὴ δὲ εὐωδίας παρὰ θεῷ οὐ τῶν προσενεχθέντων παρὰ Νῶε ζώων καθαρῶν εἰρημένων, ἀλλὰ τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς τελειότητος, ἅπερ ἦν αὐτὸς ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ αὐτοῦ. θεὸς γὰρ αἵματι καὶ κνίσαις οὐ τέρπεται, καθάπερ οἱ δαίμονες. πλὴν ὡς «συνεγερθέντες Χριστῷ τὰ ἄνω ζητήσωμεν», εἰς νοῦν εἰληφότες τὸ «γενηθήτω ἡ προσευχή μου ὡς θυμίαμα