into the potter's house and he recounts what he saw, saying: "and behold, he was doing a work with his hands, and the vessel which he was making in the clay was ruined in his hands; and again he made it another vessel, as it seemed good in his sight to make." But I do not know what the pro phet saw when he was at the potter's. For he saw the potter working; the vessel that was made was of clay; the vessel was ruined. Why did he not say precisely: he let the vessel go from his hand, nor did he assign the cause to the potter? But since the word is concerning living vessels, which are ruined of their own accord, for this reason it is said: "the vessel fell from his hands." Take heed therefore to yourself, lest being in the hands of the potter and still being formed, you fall from his hands of your own accord. For "no one" snatches "out of his hands," according to what is said in the Gospel according to John. However it is not written that as no one snatches, so no one falls from his hands; for free will is free. And I say: no one will snatch from the hand of the shepherd, from the hand of God no one is able to take us; but we are able, through neglect, to fall from his hands. 18.4 "And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: As the potter, shall I not be able thus to deal with you, O house of Israel? says the Lord." Each one understands what is written according to his ability, the one more superficially, as if taking the sense from a surface spring, the other more deeply, as if drawing it from a well. And both can be edified, since the same thing is a spring to the one, but a well to the other. The Gospel testifies, when it recounts the story of the Samaritan woman; for there the same thing is called a "spring" and a "well", and in turn it is sometimes called a spring and sometimes a well. But let the one who is able understand, that he may know that the same thing in substance is a spring to the superficial person, but a well to the deeper person. This is a prelude for me to the coming exposition, on account of the clay vessel that fell from the hand of the potter and was formed again. Some have regarded these things more simply and have understood. I will set before you their account and their exposition; after these things, if we have anything deeper, we will explain this also. It is possible, they say, that the things concerning the resurrection are here signified. For if the clay vessel fell from the hands of the potter, and from the same material of the same clay he makes "it another vessel as it seemed good in his sight", God the potter of our bodies, the creator of our frame, is able, when this falls and is broken for any reason whatsoever, to take it up again and renew it and make it a more beautiful and better "vessel, another one, as it seemed good in his sight to make". Let this exposition also have grace. 18.5 But let us hear the Lord himself explaining and saying: "As the potter, shall I not be able thus to deal with you, O house of Israel? says the Lord. Behold, as the clay of the potter, so are you in my hands. At one time I will speak concerning a nation and a kingdom, to pluck them up and to destroy, and that nation shall turn from their evils against which I spoke to it, and I will repent of the evils which I purposed to do to them. And at another time I will speak concerning a nation and a kingdom, to build up and to plant, and they shall do evil things before me, so as not to hear my voice, and I will repent concerning the good things which I spoke of doing for them, says the Lord." This matter concerning the potter's house we see refers not to any one individuals, but to two nations; for he says from the beginning <ὅτι> he is about to speak concerning nations, that he may suggest something to those who are able to hear secret mysteries: "At one time I will speak concerning a nation." Seek both the "at one time" and the former nation, <ἐφ' ὃ λαλεῖ> things of destruction on account of their sins; and having spoken the things of destruction on account of their sins, he nonetheless promises that if they repent, he will repent of the evils which he spoke of doing to them. And again he speaks concerning another, a second nation, "to build up and to
εἰς τὸν τοῦ κεραμέως οἶκον καὶ διηγεῖται ἃ ἐθεάσατο λέγων· «καὶ ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς ἐποίει ἔργον ἐπὶ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ διέπεσε τὸ ἀγγεῖον ὃ αὐτὸς ἐποίει ἐν τῷ πηλῷ ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ· καὶ πάλιν ἐποίησεν αὐτὸ ἕτερον ἀγγεῖον, καθὼς ἤρεσεν ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ ποιῆσαι». ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδα τί ἑώρακεν ὁ προ φήτης παρὰ τῷ κεραμεῖ γενόμενος. εἶδε γὰρ ἐργαζόμενον τὸν κεραμέα· πήλινον ἦν τὸ σκεῦος τὸ γεγενημένον· διέπεσε τὸ σκεῦος. τί ἀκρι βῶς οὐκ εἶπεν· ἀφῆκε τὸ σκεῦος ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ τῷ κεραμεῖ ἀνέθηκε τὴν αἰτίαν; ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ὁ λόγος ἐστὶ περὶ ἐμψύχων σκευῶν, ἅτινα παρ' ἑαυτὰ διαπίπτει, διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηται· «διέπεσε τὸ σκεῦος ἀπὸ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ». πρόσεχε οὖν καὶ σὺ σαυτῷ, μήποτε ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν ὢν τοῦ κεραμέως καὶ ἔτι πλασσόμενος παρὰ σαυτὸν διαπέσῃς ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ. «οὐδεὶς» μὲν γὰρ ἁρπάζει «ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ» κατὰ τὰ εἰρημένα ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγελίῳ. οὐ μὴν γέγραπται ὅτι ὡς οὐδεὶς ἁρπάζει, οὕτως οὐδεὶς διαπίπτει ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ· τὸ γὰρ αὐτεξούσιον ἐλεύθερόν ἐστι. καί φημι· οὐδεὶς μὲν ἁρπάσει ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ ποιμένος, ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ οὐδεὶς δύναται ἡμᾶς λαβεῖν· δυνάμεθα <δὲ> ἡμεῖς ἀμελήσαντες δια πεσεῖν ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ. 18.4 «Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων· εἰ καθὼς ὁ κεραμεὺς οὕτως οὐ δυνήσομαι τοῦ ποιῆσαι ὑμᾶς, οἶκος Ἰσραήλ; φησὶ κύριος». ἕκαστος κατὰ δύναμιν νοεῖ τὰ γεγραμμένα, ὁ μὲν ἐπιπολαιότερον οἷον ὡς ἐξ ἐπιπέδου πηγῆς λαμβάνων τὸν νοῦν ἀπ' αὐτῶν, ὁ δὲ βαθύτερον ὡς ἀπὸ φρέατος ἀνιμῶν. καὶ δύνανται ἀμφότεροι ὠφελεῖ σθαι, ἐπεὶ τὸ αὐτὸ τῷ μέν ἐστι πηγή, τῷ δὲ φρέαρ. μαρτυρεῖ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἡνίκα διηγεῖται τὰ περὶ τῆς Σαμαρίτιδος· ἐκεῖ γὰρ ὀνο μάζεται τὸ αὐτὸ «πηγὴ» καὶ «φρέαρ», καὶ ἀνὰ μέρος ποτὲ λέγεται πηγὴ καὶ ποτὲ φρέαρ. κατανοείτω δὲ ὁ δυνάμενος, ἵνα εἰδῇ ὅτι τὸ αὐτὸ τῇ ὑποστάσει τῷ μὲν ἐπιπολαίῳ πηγή ἐστι, τῷ δὲ βαθυτέρῳ φρέαρ ἐστί. προοίμιόν μοι τοῦτό ἐστι τῆς μελλούσης διηγήσεως διὰ τὸ ἀγγεῖον τὸ πήλινον τὸ διαπεσὸν ἀπὸ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ κεραμέως καὶ αὖθις πλασθέν. τινὲς ἐθεώρησαν ταῦτα ἁπλούστερον καὶ ἐνόησαν. παραθήσομαι ὑμῖν τὸν ἐκείνων λόγον καὶ τὴν διήγησιν· μετὰ ταῦτα ἐάν τι ἔχωμεν βαθύτερον καὶ τοῦτο διηγησόμεθα. δύναται, φασίν, ἐνταῦθα δηλοῦσθαι τὰ περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως. εἰ γὰρ τὸ πήλινον ἀγ γεῖον διέπεσεν ἀπὸ τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ κεραμέως καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς ὕλης τοῦ πηλοῦ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ποιεῖ «αὐτὸ ἀγγεῖον ἕτερον καθὼς ἤρεσεν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ», δύναται ὁ κεραμεὺς θεὸς τῶν σωμάτων ἡμῶν, ὁ δημιουργὸς τῆς κατασκευῆς ἡμῶν, ἐπὰν διαπέσῃ τοῦτο καὶ συντριβῇ καθ' οἵαν δήποτε αἰτίαν, ἀναλαβεῖν αὐτὸ καὶ ἀνακαινῶσαι καὶ ποιῆσαι αὐτὸ ὡραιότερον καὶ βέλτιον «ἀγγεῖον ἕτερον καθὼς ἤρεσεν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ποιῆσαι». Ἐχέτω καὶ αὕτη ἡ διήγησις χάριν. 18.5 αὐτοῦ δὲ ἀκούσωμεν τοῦ κυρίου διηγουμένου καὶ λέγοντος· «εἰ καθὼς ὁ κεραμεὺς οὕτως οὐ δυνήσομαι τοῦ ποιῆσαι ὑμᾶς, οἶκος Ἰσραήλ; φησὶ κύριος. ἰδοὺ ὡς ὁ πηλὸς τοῦ κεραμέως οὕτως ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν χερσί μου. πέρας λαλήσω ἐπ' ἔθνος καὶ βασιλείαν τοῦ ἐξᾶραι αὐτοὺς καὶ τοῦ ἀπολλύειν, καὶ ἐπιστρέψει τὸ ἔθνος ἐκεῖνο ἀπὸ τῶν κακῶν αὐτῶν ὧν ἐλάλησα πρὸς αὐτό, καὶ μετανοήσω ἀπὸ τῶν κακῶν ὧν ἐλογισάμην τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτοῖς. καὶ πέρας λαλήσω ἐπὶ ἔθνος καὶ βασιλείαν τοῦ ἀνοικοδομεῖσθαι καὶ καταφυτεύειν, καὶ ποιήσουσι τὰ πονηρὰ ἐναντίον μου τοῦ μὴ ἀκοῦσαι τῆς φωνῆς μου, καὶ μετανοήσω περὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὧν ἐλάλησα τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτοῖς, φησὶ κύριος». τοῦτο τὸ κατὰ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ κεραμέως ὁρῶμεν ἀναφέρεσθαι οὐκ ἐπί τινα τῶν καθ' ἕνα, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ δύο ἔθνη· λέγει γὰρ ἀρξάμενος <ὅτι> μέλλει λέγειν περὶ ἐθνῶν, ἵνα τι ὑποβάλῃ τοῖς δυναμένοις ἀκούειν ἀπορρήτων μυστηρίων· «πέρας λαλήσω ἐπὶ ἔθνος». ζήτει καὶ τὸ πέρας καὶ τὸ πρότερον ἔθνος, <ἐφ' ὃ λαλεῖ> τὰ τῆς ἀπωλείας διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν· καὶ λαλήσας τὰ τῆς ἀπωλείας διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας, οὐδὲν ἧττον ἐπαγγέλλεται ὅτι ἐὰν μετανοήσωσι, μετανοήσει περὶ τῶν κακῶν ὧν ἐλάλησε τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτοῖς. καὶ πάλιν λαλεῖ ἐπ' ἄλλο ἔθνος δεύτερον «τοῦ ἀνοικοδομεῖ σθαι καὶ τοῦ