Origen of Alexandria, On Jeremiah

the Lord to Moses: Put on the veil, -but when Moses saw that the people could not see his glory, then he put the "veil on his face," and he did not wait for God to say: Take off the veil, "whenever he returned to the Lord." 5.9 This then is written, so that you also, having put the veil on your face through the works of dishonor and shame, might yourself also work for the veil to be taken away; if you turn to the Lord, then you take away the veil, and you will no longer say, "our dishonor has covered us." For example, anger lying upon our soul against someone lies as our veil upon our face; for this reason if we wish in prayer to say: "The light of your face has been signed upon us, O Lord," let us take away the veil and perform that apostolic command: "I desire then that men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without anger and arguments." If we take away anger, we have taken away the veil, if all the passions; but as long as these things are in our mind, in our reasoning, the veil and dishonor lie upon the inner face, our ruling faculty, so that we do not see the glory of God shining. It is not God who hides his glory from us, but we who place the veil from wickedness upon our ruling faculty. 5.10 "Because we and our fathers have sinned before our God." Would that we too might say, as they did through the personification of the prophet, "we have sinned." "We have sinned" is not the same as we are sinning; for one who is still in sin should not say "we have sinned," but one who has sinned before, and has precisely repented, should say "we have sinned," just as also in Daniel a confession is written of those who are no longer sinning, saying: "We have sinned, we have acted lawlessly," and in the Psalms: "Do not remember our former iniquities," says the prophet. Let us then confess our sins, would that they are not yesterday's, would that they are not from three days ago, but would that in confessing we may confess concerning sins committed fifteen years ago, by no longer having sin after those for fifteen years; but if we sinned yesterday, we are not yet credible in confessing concerning our sins, nor is there a place for these our sins to be wiped away. "Because we and our fathers have sinned from our youth until this day"-those things should be said otherwise for instruction concerning the best manner of confession, but these things are an accusation of sinning for a long time-»from youth" he says "until this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God;" we have sinned, and we have not obeyed up to the present, then turning back and having a beginning of conversion they say "we have sinned, and have not obeyed." For not at the same time as we wish to obey do we immediately obey; for indeed time is still needed, just as for wounds for their healing, so also for conversion, to turn completely and purely to God. 5.11 Concerning these things God says about Israel: "If Israel returns to me, says the Lord, he will also be returned," that is if he returns completely, he will also be returned by a return, as if he began to return; then he says: "and if he removes his abominations from his mouth, and is in awe before my face, and swears: as the Lord lives in truth and in judgment and in righteousness, then nations will bless themselves in him." If they do these things, "nations will bless themselves in him"; and what are these things they must do, so that nations will bless themselves in him? "If he removes his abominations from his mouth." What does it mean to remove "the abominations from the mouth"? Whatever we speak evilly, are abominations in our mouth. Let us then remove the abominations from our mouth, taking away slander, vain words, idle words that will cause us to be accused "in the day of judgment; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." If therefore we wish to encounter for ourselves the "and

κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν· περίθου τὸ κάλυμμα, -ἀλλ' ἰδὼν Μωσῆς, ὅτι οὐ δύναται ὁ λαὸς ἰδεῖν τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, τότε ἐπετίθει τὸ «κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσωπον», καὶ οὐ περιέμενεν θεὸν λέγοντα· περιελοῦ τὸ κάλυμμα, «ἡνίκα ἂν ἐπέστρεφεν πρὸς κύριον». 5.9 Τοῦτο οὖν γέγραπται, ἵνα καὶ σύ, τὸ κάλυμμα ἐπιτι θείς σου τῷ προσώπῳ διὰ τῶν τῆς ἀτιμίας καὶ τῶν τῆς αἰσχύνης ἔργων, αὐτὸς ἐργάσῃ καὶ τὸ περιαιρεθῆναι τὸ κάλυμμα· ἐὰν ἐπιστρέψῃς πρὸς κύριον, τότε περιαιρεῖς τὸ κάλυμμα, καὶ οὐκέτι ἐρεῖς τὸ «ἐπεκάλυψεν ἡμᾶς ἡ ἀτιμία ἡμῶν». Οἷον ὀργὴ ἐπικειμένη τῇ ψυχῇ ἡμῶν κατά τινος ἐπίκειται κάλυμμα ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσωπον· διὰ τοῦτο εἰ θέλομεν προσευχόμενοι εἰπεῖν· «Ἐσημειώθη ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, κύριε», περιαιρῶμεν τὸ κάλυμμα καὶ ποιήσωμεν τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἐκεῖνο τὸ «βούλομαι οὖν προσεύχεσθαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ἐπαίροντας ὁσίους χεῖρας χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμῶν». Ἐὰν περιέλωμεν τὴν ὀργήν, περιείλομεν τὸ κάλυμμα, ἐὰν τὰ πάθη πάντα· ὅσον δὲ ταῦτά ἐστιν ἐν τῷ νῷ ἡμῶν, ἐν τῷ λογισμῷ ἡμῶν, ἐπίκειται τῷ ἔνδον προσώπῳ, <τῷ> ἡγε μονικῷ ἡμῶν, τὸ κάλυμμα καὶ ἡ ἀτιμία, τοῦ μὴ βλέπειν ἡμᾶς τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ λάμπουσαν. Οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἀπο κρύπτων αὐτοῦ τὴν δόξαν ἀφ' ἡμῶν, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς τὸ κάλυμμα ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας ἐπιτιθέντες τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ. 5.10 «∆ιότι ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἡμάρτομεν ἡμεῖς καὶ οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν.» Εἴθε καὶ ἡμεῖς λέγωμεν, ὡς οὗτοι κατὰ τὴν προσωποποιίαν τοῦ προφήτου, «ἡμάρτομεν». Οὐ ταὐτόν ἐστιν τὸ «ἡμάρτομεν» τῷ ἁμαρτάνομεν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἔτι ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ ὢν μὴ λεγέτω «ἡμάρτομεν», ὁ δὲ προαμαρ τήσας, ἀκριβῶς δὲ μετανοήσας λεγέτω «ἡμάρτομεν», ὡς καὶ ἐν τῷ ∆ανιὴλ γέγραπται ἐξομολόγησις τῶν μηκέτι ἁμαρτανόντων λεγόντων· «Ἡμάρτομεν, ἠνομήσαμεν», καὶ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς· «Μὴ μνησθῇς ἡμῶν ἀνομιῶν ἀρχαίων» φησὶν ὁ προφήτης. Καὶ ἡμεῖς οὖν ἐξομολογησώμεθα τὰς ἁμαρτίας, εἴθε μὴ χθιζάς, εἴθε μὴ τριθημερινάς, ἀλλ' εἴθε ἐξομολογούμενοι ἐξομολογησώμεθα περὶ ἁμαρτημάτων πρὸ πεντεκαίδεκα ἐτῶν γεγενημένων, τῷ μηκέτι ἁμαρτίαν ἔχειν μετ' ἐκεῖνα ἐπὶ πεντεκαίδεκα ἔτη· εἰ δὲ χθὲς ἡμάρ τομεν, οὔπω ἀξιόπιστοί ἐσμεν ἐξομολογούμενοι περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἡμῶν, οὐδὲ χώραν ἔχει ἀπαλειφθῆναι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἡμῶν ταῦτα. «∆ιότι ἡμάρτομεν ἡμεῖς καὶ οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἀπὸ νεό τητος ἡμῶν ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης»-ἐκεῖνα μὲν ἄλλως λελέχθω εἰς διδασκαλίαν τὴν περὶ τρόπου ἀρίστου ἐξομο λογήσεως, ταῦτα δέ ἐστιν κατηγορία τοῦ ἐκ πολλοῦ ἁμαρ τάνειν-»ἀπὸ νεότητος» φησὶν «ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης, καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσαμεν τῆς φωνῆς κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν»· ἡμάρτομεν, καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσαμεν ἕως τοῦ παρόντος, εἶτα ἐπιστρέψαντες καὶ ἀρχὴν ἔχοντες ἐπιστροφῆς λέγουσιν τὸ «ἡμάρτομεν, καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσαμεν». Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἅμα τῷ θέλειν ὑπακοῦσαι ἤδη εὐθέως ὑπακούομεν· καὶ γὰρ ἔτι χρόνου δεῖ, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν τραυμάτων πρὸς τὴν ἴασιν, οὕτως καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐπιστροφῆς, πρὸς τὸ τελείως καὶ καθα ρῶς ἐπιστρέψαι πρὸς τὸν θεόν. 5.11 Ἐπὶ τούτοις περὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ λέγει ὁ θεός· «Ἐὰν ἐπιστραφῇ Ἰσραὴλ πρός με, λέγει κύριος, καὶ ἐπιστραφήσε ται», τουτέστιν <ἐὰν> τελείως ἐπιστρέψῃ, καὶ ἐπιστρα φήσεται ἐπιστροφῇ, οἱονεὶ ἄρξηται ἐπιστρέφειν· εἶτά φησι· «καὶ ἐὰν περιέλῃ τὰ βδελύγματα αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου μου εὐλαβηθῇ, καὶ ὀμόσῃ· ζῇ κύριος ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἐν κρίσει καὶ ἐν δικαιο σύνῃ, καὶ εὐλογήσουσιν ἐν αὐτῷ ἔθνη.» Ἐὰν τάδε ποιή σωσιν, «εὐλογήσουσιν ἐν αὐτῷ ἔθνη»· τίνα δὲ τάδε ποιή σωσιν, ἵνα εὐλογήσωσιν ἐν αὐτῷ ἔθνη; «Ἐὰν περιέλῃ τὰ βδελύγματα αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ.» Τί δὲ τὸ περιελεῖν «τὰ βδελύγματα ἐκ τοῦ στόματος»; Ὅσα κακῶς λέγομεν, βδελύγματά εἰσιν ἐν τῷ στόματι ἡμῶν. Περιέλωμεν τοίνυν τὰ βδελύγματα ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ἡμῶν, περιαιροῦντες καταλαλιάς, λόγους ματαίους, ἀργοὺς λόγους καὶ μέλλοντας ἡμᾶς ποιεῖν ἐγκαλεῖσθαι «ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρί σεως· ἐκ γὰρ τῶν λόγων σου δικαιωθήσῃ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων σου καταδικασθήσῃ». Εἴπερ οὖν θέλομεν ἀπαντῆ σαι ἡμῖν τὸ «καὶ