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The prophet is at a loss to whom he shall speak. For some are poor, and others have broken the yoke. Behold, the word of the Lord became a reproach to them. That is, because I do not swiftly bring on the evils, they slander him as a liar. Behold, their ears are uncircumcised. And what would be the circumcision of ears? We for our part know the foreskin. Let a Jew now come here into the midst, one who wishes to hear nothing more than the letter, one who stands firm in wickedness, one who does not wish to look upon the truth. Let him hear this along with the first: Circumcise the foreskin of your heart. You hear them being accused here, that he says their ears are uncircumcised. When he hears otherwise. you may hear Stephen accusing. Uncircumcised in heart, and in ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit; learn, that Jeremiah says these things beforehand. And after a little: What then is this circumcision? To pay attention to the things being said. For since it stands before us perhaps. it resists hearing; Take away, he says, the filth, wash it off, and there is no need to remove it by cutting. Do you see how otherwise. how useful circumcision is? it does not allow it to remain in the flesh; so also the sacrifices, so also the temple, so also the feasts, so also the day of rest; these are types of certain other things, and symbols. The word of the Lord became a reproach to them. Like swine trampling on the pearls; for piety is an abomination to sinners. And I was filled with my wrath, and I held it back. So that they may learn that they are not yet punished not because they have not sinned, but because God is long-suffering, hear what he says: I was filled with my wrath, and I held it back. He uses human words, in order to frighten. I will pour it out on the infants outside, and upon the assembly. See how he represents the vehemence; he says, I will pour out, so that he may not pour out, and he touches upon the earliest age, which is able to bend even wild beasts; Do you not grieve from your own evils? receive perception from those of others. Since even in the cutting of the body the insensibility otherwise. the more insensible of the members, provides us with greater sensation. That man and woman will be seized; an elder with a full. Neither grey hair, nor marriage, nor anything else will protect them then. 64.825 And their houses shall be turned over to others. Since he sees our disposition abounding towards our own things, as we also groan when we have departed, when we see houses and fields and wives becoming another's. That I will stretch out my hand. Do you see the war beginning from above? the battle being fanned into flame from there? heaven warring against them? Have you heard from the north, have you despised them as fellow slaves? Hear now, that he is about to stretch out his hand. Because from the least of them to the greatest, all have committed lawless deeds. He was speaking of great wickedness; but fathers, even if they themselves are in wickedness, would nevertheless wish their children to be virtuous. But here it is entirely the opposite; and they have ignored nature itself, nor did they show the tender love of fathers. So be it; you yourself have a desire to say perhaps. to do., and pleasure, and anger, and wickedness. For what reason do you at once push the child over the same cliff? And they were healing the bruise. Again the rulers themselves are the cause of the evils. For I do not think this saying is for those who are ruled, but that it pertains to us who are rulers. For it is directed towards such people, towards those who curry favor, and who speak things for pleasure, and who seem to be healing the wound, but were making the ulcer worse. And where is peace? He did not say, There is no peace, but, Where is it, See the forbearance; In refuting I do not even now take away. Show in your works what you promised. I fear that even now there may be occasion for it to be said: And where is peace? For is it because by the grace of God all things from the unbelievers have been abolished, and we have obtained pious rulers, and we have houses of prayer, and in al. deest. and we think we are enjoying peace? This is not a peace befitting the Church; since even the apostles of these

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Ἀπορεῖ ὁ προφήτης τίνι λαλήσει. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ πτωχοὶ, οἱ δὲ συνέτριψαν ζυγόν. Ἰδοὺ τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου ἐγένετο αὐτοῖς εἰς ὀνειδισμόν. Τουτέστιν, Ἐπειδὴ μὴ ταχέως ἐπάγω τὰ κακὰ, ὡς ψευδόμενον διαβάλλουσιν. Ἰδοὺ ἀπερίτμητα τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν. Καὶ ποία γένοιτο ὤτων περιτομή; ἡμεῖς μὲν ἀκροβυστίαν ἴσμεν. Παραγενέσθω νῦν ἐνταῦθα Ἰουδαῖος εἰς μέσον, ὁ μηδὲν πλέον βουλόμενος ἀκούειν τοῦ ῥητοῦ, ὁ μέχρι τῆς κακίας ἑστὼς, ὁ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἰδεῖν μὴ βουλόμενος. Ἀκουέτω μετὰ τοῦ πρώτου καὶ τοῦτο· Περιτμήθητε τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν ὑμῶν τῆς καρδίας. Ἀκούεις ἐνταῦθα ἐγκαλουμένους αὐτοὺς, ὅτι ἀπερίτμητα τὰ ὦτά φησι. Ὅταν ἀκούῃ ἄλλ. ἀκούσῃς ἐγκαλοῦντος τοῦ Στεφάνου. Ἀπερίτμητοι τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν, ὑμεῖς ἀεὶ τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ ἀντιπίπτετε· μάθε, ὅτι προλαβὼν ὁ Ἱερεμίας ταῦτα λέγει. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Τίς οὖν ἐστιν αὕτη ἡ περιτομή; τὸ προσέχειν τοῖς λεγομένοις. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡμῶν προΐσταται ἴσ. ἀνθίσταται τῇ ἀκοῇ· Περίελε, φησὶ, τὸν ῥύπον, ἀπόκλυσον, καὶ οὐ χρεία ὑφαιρεῖν. Ὁρᾷς ὅπως ἄλλ. πῶς χρήσιμος ἡ περιτομή; οὐκ ἐᾷ ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ μένειν· οὕτω καὶ αἱ θυσίαι, οὕτω καὶ ὁ ναὸς, οὕτω καὶ ἑορταὶ, οὕτω καὶ ἡ ἀργία· ταῦτα τύποι ἑτέρων τινῶν, καὶ σύμβολα. Τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου ἐγένετο αὐτοῖς εἰς ὀνειδισμόν. ∆ίκην χοίρων καταπατούντων τοὺς μαργαρίτας· βδέλυγμα γὰρ ἁμαρτωλῶν, θεοσέβεια. Καὶ τὸν θυμόν μου ἔπλησα, καὶ ἐπέσχον. Ἵνα μάθωσιν ὅτι οὐδέπω παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἡμαρτηκέναι οὐ τιμωροῦνται, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸ τὸν Θεὸν εἶναι μακρόθυμον, ἄκουσον τί φησιν· Ἔπλησα τὸν θυμόν μου, καὶ ἐπέσχον. Ἀνθρωπίνοις χρᾶται ῥήμασιν, ἵνα φοβήσῃ. Ἐκχεῶ ἐπὶ νήπια ἔξωθεν, καὶ ἐπὶ συναγωγήν. Τὸ σφοδρὸν ὅρα πῶς παρίστησιν· λέγει, Ἐκχεῶ, ἵνα μὴ ἐκχέῃ, καὶ ἡλικίας ἅπτεται τῆς πρώτης, τῆς καὶ τὰ θηρία δυναμένης ἐπικάμψαι· Οὐκ ἀλγεῖς ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων κακῶν; λάβε αἴσθησιν ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν τῇ τοῦ σώματος τομῇ τὴν ἀναισθητότητα ἄλλ. τὰ ἀναισθητότερα τῶν μελῶν, πλείονα ἡμῖν παρέχει τὴν αἴσθησιν. Ὅτι ἀνὴρ καὶ γυνὴ συλληφθήσονται· πρεσβύτερος μετὰ πλήρους. Οὐ πολιὰ, οὐ συζυγία, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν προστήσεται τῶν τότε. 64.825 Καὶ μεταστραφήσονται αἱ οἰκίαι αὐτῶν εἰς ἑτέρους. Ἐπειδὴ ὁρᾷ πλεονάζουσαν πρὸς τὰ ἡμέτερα τὴν διάθεσιν, ὡς καὶ ἀπελθόντες στενάζομεν, ὅταν καὶ οἰκίας καὶ ἀγροὺς ἴδωμεν, καὶ γυναῖκας ἑτέρων γιγνομένας. Ὅτι ἐκτενῶ τὴν χεῖρά μου. Ὁρᾷς ἄνωθεν τὸν πόλεμον ἀρχόμενον; ἐκεῖθεν τὴν μάχην ἀναῤῥιπιζομένην; τὸν οὐρανὸν αὐτοῖς πολεμοῦντα; Ἤκουσας ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ, κατεφρόνησας ὡς ἀνθρώπων ὁμοδούλων; Ἄκουσον νῦν, ὅτι ἐκτείνειν μέλλει τὴν χεῖρα. Ὅτι ἀπὸ μικροῦ αὐτῶν ἕως μεγάλου πάντες συνετέλεσαν τὰ ἄνομα. Πολλὴν ἔλεγε τὴν κακίαν· οἱ δὲ πατέρες, κἂν αὐτοὶ ἐν κακίᾳ τυγχάνωσιν, ἀλλ' ὅμως βούλοιντο ἂν τοὺς παῖδας εἶναι ἐναρέτους. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἅπαν τοὐναντίον· καὶ τὴν φύσιν αὐτὴν ἠγνόησαν, οὐδὲ πατέρων ἐπεδείξαντο φιλοστοργίαν. Ἔστω· αὐτὸς ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχεις εἰπεῖν ἴσ. ποιεῖν., καὶ ἡδονὴν, καὶ θυμὸν, καὶ πονηρίαν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἅπαξ τὸ παιδίον ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ὠθεῖς κρημνόν; Καὶ ἰῶντο τὸ σύντριμμα. Πάλιν αὐτοὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες αἴτιοι τῶν κακῶν. Τοῦτον γὰρ τὸν λόγον οὐχ ἡγοῦμαι πρὸς τοὺς ἀρχομένους εἶναι, ἀλλ' ἡμῖν διαφέρειν τοῖς ἄρχουσι. Πρὸς γὰρ τοὺς τοιούτους ἀποτείνεται, πρὸς τοὺς χαριζομένους, καὶ τὰ πρὸς ἡδονὴν ὁμιλοῦντας, καὶ δοκοῦντας ἰατρεύειν τὸ τραῦμα, ἐπέτεινον δὲ τὸ ἕλκος. Καὶ ποῦ ἐστιν εἰρήνη; Οὐκ εἶπεν, Οὐκ ἔστιν εἰρήνη, ἀλλὰ, Ποῦ ἐστιν, Ὅρα τὴν ἐπιείκειαν· Ἐλέγχων οὐδὲ νῦν ἀφαιροῦμαι. ∆είξατε ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων ἅπερ ἐπηγγέλλεσθε. ∆έδοικα μὴ καὶ νῦν χώραν ἔχῃ λέγεσθαι· Καὶ ποῦ ἐστιν εἰρήνη; Μὴ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἀπίστων ἅπαντα κατήργηται, καὶ ἀρχόντων εὐσεβῶν ἐπετύχομεν, καὶ οἴκους εὐκτηρίους ἔχομεν, καὶ in al. deest. καὶ ἀπολαύειν εἰρήνης νομίζομεν; Οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο εἰρήνη πρέπουσα Ἐκκλησίᾳ· ἐπειδὴ καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι τούτων