before you”; for as John says in the Apocalypse: “the prayers of the saints are incense.” But if we defile it with evil thoughts, what happens is “let their prayer become sin,” or the opposite, if we should pray from righteousness; since for those who say because of sin: “my wounds have festered and are corrupt because of my foolishness,” the incense becomes foul-smelling. Therefore Isaiah said: “if you bring fine flour, it is in vain; incense is an abomination to me.” And in what manner one should pray, the apostle taught, saying: “I desire that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without anger and disputes.” When Moses' such hands were lifted up, Israel was victorious, but when they were lowered, Amalek was victorious. He who prays thus does not fail, the saying being true: “while you are still speaking, he will say: ‘Behold, here I am’.” Therefore, the incense of the wicked, he says, the Lord was no longer able to bear, just as we, though we may endure some stench, flee it when it is greater. And so God, having a measure of forbearance, pursues those who <do not> repent; which he did in the time of Noah, being no longer able to bear the stench of those then sinning. Therefore he says in the prophets: “I was silent, shall I also be silent forever?” 69 For as the adjacent air, taking from rotting bodies and being corrupted, creates a plague for those who encounter it, and the place becomes impassable, so the sins of souls work a plague of souls. Fragments on Jeremiah 70.1 to Fragments on Jeremiah Baruch, sympathizing with the people, lamented, and beseeches God concerning them. Therefore he receives the promise of help in evils, God saying thus: whom I tear down, I will build up again. For first “he causes to grieve, and again he restores” and the things upon these; for good things are not acceptable if the evil things have not first been done away with. For he also dissolves the wicked structures of the unbelievers as the architect “of the true tabernacle which he himself pitched and not man,” about which Paul says: “you are God's building.” And as a farmer who plucks out that which does not bear fruit (for “every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted”), he plants a “fruit-bearing vine,” not according to the one “turned to bitterness and foreign,” which he cuts out so that he may again make it “true” and “God's tillage.” Thus of the one “out of Egypt” he “tore down the hedge” according to David, for which he prays: “look down from heaven, and visit this vine.” And these, therefore, are disciplined for their benefit; “for whom the Lord loves he disciplines.” “For who is it that makes me glad but he who is made sorry by me?” “For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation without regret.” For because of this I bring evils upon all flesh, those who set their minds on earthly things. 71 For God finds the souls of the righteous; for “the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,” but those of sinners are reckoned as not even existing.

ἐνώπιόν σου»· καθὰ γὰρ Ἰωάννης ἐν Ἀποκαλύψει φησί· «θυμιάματά εἰσιν αἱ προσευχαὶ τῶν ἁγίων». ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν λογισμοῖς ταύτην μολύνομεν πονηροῖς, συμβαίνει τὸ «ἡ προσευχὴ αὐτῶν γενέσθω εἰς ἁμαρτίαν», ἢ εἰς τὸ ἐναντίον, ἐὰν ἀπὸ δικαιοσύνης εὐξώμεθα· ἐπεὶ τῶν δι' ἁμαρτίας λεγόντων· «προσώζεσαν καὶ ἐσάπησαν οἱ μώλωπές μου ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς ἀφροσύνης μου», γίνεται τὸ θυμίαμα δυσῶδες. διόπερ Ἡσαΐας εἶπεν· «ἐὰν φέρητε σεμίδαλιν, μάταιον· θυμίαμα, βδέλυγμά μοί ἐστιν». τίνα δὲ τρόπον εὐκτέον, ἐδίδαξεν ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγων· «βούλομαι τοὺς ἄνδρας προσεύχεσθαι ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ἐπαίροντας ὁσίους χεῖρας χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμῶν». τοιούτων χειρῶν ἐπαιρομένων τοῦ Μωσέως ἐνίκα Ἰσραήλ, καθαιρουμένων δὲ ἐνίκα ὁ Ἀμαλήκ. ὁ οὕτωςεὐχόμενος οὐκ ἀποτυγχάνει, ἀληθεύοντος τοῦ ῥητοῦ· «ἔτι λαλοῦντός σου ἐρεῖ· ἰδοὺ πάρειμι». τῶν οὖν πονηρῶν τὸ θυμίαμα, φησίν, οὐκ ἠδύνατο κύριος ἔτι φέρειν, καθάπερ ἡμεῖς κἂν ὑπομείνωμέν τινα δυσωδίαν, ἀλλ' οὖσαν πλείονα φεύγομεν. καὶ ὁ θεὸς οὖν μέτρον ἀνοχῆς ἔχων, <μὴ> μετανοοῦντας μετέρχεται· ὅπερ ἐπὶ Νῶε πεποίηκε, τῶν τότε πλημμελούντων τὴν δυσωδίαν μηκέτι φέρειν δυνάμενος. διό φησιν ἐν προφήταις· «ἐσιώπησα, μὴ καὶ ἀεὶ σιωπήσομαι;» 69 Ὡς γὰρ σωμάτων σεσηπότων ὁ παρακείμενος παραλαμβά νων ἀὴρ καὶ φθειρόμενος λοιμὸν ποιεῖ τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσι, καὶ τὸ χωρίον ἄβατον γίνεται, οὕτω ψυχῶν ἁμαρτίαι λοιμὸν ψυχῶν ἀπεργάζονται. Fragmenta in Jeremiam 70.1 to Fragmenta in Jeremiam Τῷ λαῷ συμπάσχων Βαροὺχ ἀπωδύρετο, καὶ ἀξιοῖ περὶ αὐτῶν τὸν θεόν. διὸ λαμβάνει τῆς ἐν κακοῖς βοηθείας ἐπαγγελίαν, λέγοντος οὕτω τοῦ θεοῦ· οὓς καθαιρῶ, πάλιν οἰκοδομήσω. πρῶτον γὰρ «ἀλγεῖν ποιεῖ, καὶ πάλιν ἀποκαθίστησιν» καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τούτοις· οὐ γὰρ δεκτὰ τὰ χρηστὰ μὴ τῶν κακῶν προανῃρημένων. λύει γὰρ καὶ τὰς μοχθηρὰς τῶν ἀπίστων οἰκοδομὰς ὡς ἀρχιτέκτων «τῆς σκηνῆς τῆς ἀληθινῆς ἣν ἔπηξεν αὐτὸς καὶ οὐκ ἄνθρωπος», περὶ ἧς φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· «θεοῦ οἰκοδομή ἐστε». καὶ ὡς γεωργὸς ἐκτίλας τὸ μὴ ποιοῦν καρπόν («πᾶσα» γὰρ «φυτεία ἣν οὐκ ἐφύτευσεν ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ οὐράνιος ἐκριζωθήσεται»), καταφυτεύει «ἄμπελον καρπο- φόρον», οὐ κατὰ τὴν «εἰς πικρίαν μεταστραφεῖσαν καὶ ἀλλοτρίαν», ἣν ἐκκόπτει ἵνα πάλιν αὐτὴν «ἀληθινὴν» ἀπεργάσηται καὶ «θεοῦ γεώργιον». οὕτω «τῆς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου» «καθεῖλε τὸν φραγμὸν» κατὰ τὸν ∆αβίδ, ὑπὲρ ἧς εὔχεται· «ἐπίβλεψον ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἐπίσκεψαι τὴν ἄμπελον ταύτην». καὶ οὗτοι τοίνυν ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ παιδεύονται· «ὃν γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ κύριος παιδεύει». «τίς» γάρ «ἐστιν ὁ εὐφραίνων με εἰ μὴ ὁ λυπούμενος ἐξ ἐμοῦ;» «ἡ γὰρ κατὰ θεὸν λύπη μετάνοιαν ἀμεταμέλητον εἰς σωτηρίαν κατεργάζεται». διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπάγω κακὰ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα, τοὺς φρονοῦντας τὰ γήϊνα. 71 Εὑρίσκει γὰρ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν δικαίων ὁ θεός· «ψυχαὶ» γὰρ «δικαίων ἐν χειρὶ θεοῦ», αἱ δὲ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ὡς μηδὲ οὖσαι λογίζονται.