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reason; 81.880 "Because the earth is full of peoples, and the city is full of iniquities." For, he says, the multitude of their lawlessness is compared to the multitude of the people throughout the world. 24. And I will bring the wicked of the nations, and they shall inherit their houses, and I will turn away the arrogance of their strength, and their holy things shall be defiled. And he did not say, My holy things, but Their holy things; that is, The things dedicated to me by them, which I did not need; but on account of their care I accepted them. But again, on account of their lawlessness, I will overlook these things being defiled and trampled. 25. Atonement will come, and you will seek peace, and there will be none. They will pray, he says, in the height of their evils to obtain favor and deliverance, and they will not obtain it. 26. Woe upon woe shall be, and rumor upon rumor. Evil will follow evil for them, and an evil report will follow an evil report. "And a vision will be sought from a prophet, and the law will perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders." These things are still prevalent among them even now and today; for neither is the priesthood administered among them according to the law, and the grace of prophecy has been extinguished. 27. The king will mourn, and the ruler will be clothed with destruction, and the hands of the people of the land will be paralyzed. Jeremiah teaches us this more clearly, explaining the things concerning Zedekiah, and his flight. "According to their ways I will do to them, and with their judgments I will judge them, and they shall know that I am the Lord." These punishments, he says, I will exact from them, demanding retribution for what they have transgressed. Therefore it is fitting for us all, reaping benefit from each of the things that have been said, not to stir up punishment against ourselves by wickedness, but with tears of repentance to heal the wounds of sin, so that the vessel does not become swamped and cause us to sink, according to the just judgments of God; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 81.881

VOLUME 3. CHAPTER 8. 1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the fifth month, on the fifth of the month, I

was sitting in the house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me. It is clear that the prophet fell into captivity with Jeconiah; therefore he marks the time everywhere. And he continued, like a tutor, to order those in captivity, and to guide them to the divine will; and this he indicated by saying, "The elders of Judah were sitting before me." Then he adds, "And the hand of the Lord Adonai came upon me." He calls the energy of the divine Spirit the hand of the Lord. 2. And I saw, and behold a likeness of a man from his loins and downward fire, and from his loins and upward, as a vision of brightness, as the appearance of amber. The one he saw upon the Cherubim, this one he sees without the Cherubim; for sometimes he appears to him fearfully, and sometimes gently, managing all things according to need; for his is the voice, "I have multiplied visions, and by the hand of the prophets I was made like," I did not appear in essence; therefore the prophet also says he saw a likeness. 3. And he stretched forth, it says, the likeness of a man's hand, and took me by the crown of my head, and the Spirit took me up between the earth, and between heaven, and brought me to Jerusalem in a vision of God, to the entrance of the inner gate, that looks toward the north, where was the pillar of the image of jealousy of the possessor. It is necessary to note that the prophet said he had seen these things in a vision of God. Therefore it was not a bodily transfer, nor a sight of the eyes of the flesh, but sitting in the house among the elders of Judah, he saw this entire vision; and this he makes clear after the narration of it; "For I came up, he says, from my vision,"

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αἰτίαν· 81.880 "∆ιότι πλήρης ἡ γῆ λαῶν, καὶ ἡ πόλις πλήρης ἀνομιῶν." Ἀπεικάζεται γὰρ, φησὶ, τῆς τούτων παρανομίας τὸ πλῆθος τῷ πλήθει τῶν κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀνθρώπων. κδʹ. Καὶ ἄξω πονηροὺς ἐθνῶν, καὶ κατακληρο νομήσουσι τοὺς οἴκους αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀπο στρέψω τὸ φρύαγμα τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτῶν, καὶ μιανθήσονται τὰ ἅγια αὐτῶν. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Τὰ ἅγιά μου, ἀλλὰ Τὰ ἅγια αὐτῶν· τουτέστι, Τὰ ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἀφιερωθέντα μοι, ὧν ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἐδεόμην· διὰ δὲ τὴν αὐτῶν ἐπιμέλειαν κατεδεξάμην. Ἀλλὰ πάλιν ταῦτα διὰ τὴν αὐτῶν παρανομίαν μιαινόμενα καὶ πατούμενα περιόψομαι. κεʹ. Ἐξιλασμὸς ἥξει, καὶ ζητήσεις εἰρή νην, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται. ∆εηθήσονται δὲ, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ ἀκμῇ τῶν κακῶν τυχεῖν εὐμενείας καὶ ἀπαλλαγῆς, καὶ οὐ τεύξονται. κ ϛʹ. Οὐαὶ ἐπὶ οὐαὶ ἔσται, καὶ ἀγγελία ἐπὶ ἀγγελίαν. Κακὰ δὲ ἐκ κακῶν αὐτοῖς διαδέξεται, καὶ φήμη πονηρὰ, πονηρὰν διαδέξεται φήμην. "Καὶ ζητηθήσεται ὅρασις ἐκ προφήτου, καὶ νόμος ἀπολεῖ ται ἐξ ἱερέως, καὶ βουλὴ ἐκ πρεσβυτέρων" Ταῦτα καὶ νῦν ἐστιν ἔτι καὶ σήμερον παρ' αὐτοῖς κρατοῦντα· οὔτε γὰρ ἱερωσύνη κατὰ νόμους παρ' αὐτοῖς πολιτεύεται, καὶ τῆς προφητείας ἡ χάρις ἀπέσβη. κζʹ. Ὁ βασιλεὺς πενθήσει, καὶ ὁ ἄρχων ἐνδύ σεται ἀφανισμὸν, καὶ αἱ χεῖρες τοῦ λαοῦ τῆς γῆς παραλυθήσονται. Τοῦτο σαφέστερον ἡμᾶς ὁ Ἱερεμίας διδάσκει, τὰ κατὰ τὸν Σεδεκίαν ἐξηγού μενος, καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου φυγήν. "Κατὰ τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν ποιήσω αὐτοῖς, καὶ κρίμασιν αὐτῶν ἐκ δικήσω ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, καὶ γνώσονται ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος" Ταύτας, φησὶν, αὐτοὺς εἰσπράξομαι τὰς δίκας, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐπλημμέλησαν ἀπαιτῶν τὰς εὐθύνας. ∆ιὸ προσ ήκει πάντας ἡμᾶς, ἐξ ἑκάστου τῶν εἰρημένων ὄνησιν δρεπομένους, μὴ κινεῖν πονηρίᾳ τὴν καθ' ἡμῶν τιμωρίαν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς τῆς μετανοίας δακρύοις θερα πεύειν τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὰ τραύματα, ἵνα μὴ ὑπέραν τλον τὸ σκάφος γενόμενον ὑποβρυχίους ἡμᾶς ἀπ εργάσηται, κατὰ δίκαια τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίματα· ᾧ πρέπει δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 81.881

ΤΟΜΟΣ Γʹ. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ηʹ. α Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἕκτῳ ἔτει, ἐν τῷ πέμ πτῳ μηνὶ, πέμπτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς, ἐγὼ

ἐκαθήμην ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ, καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι Ἰούδα ἐκάθηντο ἐνώπιόν μου. ∆ῆλός ἐστιν ὁ προφήτης σὺν τῷ Ἰε χονίᾳ τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ περιπεσών· διὸ πανταχοῦ αὐτὸν ἐπισημαίνεται τὸν χρόνον. ∆ιετέλει δὲ οἷόν τις παιδονόμος τοὺς ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ῥυθμίζων, καὶ πρὸς τὸ θεῖον βούλημα ποδηγῶν· καὶ τοῦτο ἐδή λωσεν εἰπὼν, "Οἱ πρεσβύτεροι Ἰούδα ἐκάθηντο ἐνώπιόν μου." Εἶτα ἐπάγει· "Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐπ' ἐμὲ χεὶρ Ἀδωναῒ Κυρίου." Τὴν τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος ἐνέργειαν χεῖρα Κυρίου προσαγορεύει. βʹ. Καὶ ἴδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁμοίωμα ἀνδρὸς ἀπὸ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἕως κάτω πῦρ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ ὑπεράνω, ὡς ὅρασις φέγγους, ὡς εἶδος ἠλέκτρου. Ὃν ἐπὶ τῶν Χερουβὶμ ἐθεάσατο, τοῦτον ὁρᾷ δίχα τῶν Χερουβίμ· ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ φοβερῶς, ποτὲ δὲ ἡμέρως ἐπιφαίνεται, πάντα πρὸς τὴν χρείαν οἰκονομῶν· αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐστι φωνὴ, "Ἐγὼ ὁράσεις ἐπλήθυνα, καὶ ἐν χερσὶ προφητῶν ὡμοιώ θην," Οὐ κατ' οὐσίαν ὤφθην· διὸ καὶ ὁ προφήτης ὁμοίωμα λέγει ἑωρακέναι. γʹ. Καὶ ἐξέτεινε, φησὶν, ὁμοίωμα χειρὸς ἀνθρώ που, καὶ ἀνέλαβέ με τῆς κορυφῆς τῆς κεφαλῆς μου, καὶ ἀνέλαβέ με Πνεῦμα ἀναμέσον τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἀναμέσον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἤγαγέ με εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐν ὁράσει Θεοῦ, ἐπὶ τὰ πρόθυρα τῆς πύλης τῆς ἐσωτέρας, τῆς βλεπούσης πρὸς βοῤ ῥᾶν, οὗ ἦν ἡ στήλη τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ ζήλου τοῦ κτωμένου. Ἐπιστῆσαι δεῖ, ὅτι ἐν ὁράσει Θεοῦ ταῦτα ὁ προφήτης ἔφη ἑωρακέναι. Οὐ τοίνυν σωμα τικὴ ἦν μετάθεσις, οὐδὲ τῶν τῆς σαρκὸς ὀφθαλ μῶν ἡ θεωρία, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ καθήμενος με ταξὺ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων Ἰούδα, ταύτην ἅπασαν τὴν ὀπτασίαν ἑώρα· καὶ τοῦτο μετὰ τὴν ταύτης διήγη σιν δῆλον ποιεῖ· "Ἀνέβην γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τῆς ὁράσεώς μου,"