54
the house of the potter, and having gone down" he saw a "vessel" being formed, "clay" being shaped into a "vessel"; and since 344 it did not have the proper shape of the "vessel" of "honor," "it fell from his hands"; the potter "dropped" it, so that the potter might reshape it. When therefore someone has room for repentance, he is a clay "vessel" that can be reshaped, transformed. But when he then acquires a firmness in a state almost unchangeable or hard to change, then he is an "earthenware" vessel. For this reason he is accepted. Then the prophet, after seeing in the "house of the potter" the formation of the "vessel," takes an "earthenware jar" and "smashes" it. And says, "Thus will I destroy the pride of Jacob." Then, therefore, they were rejected, then they were "cast out." And he says about it in Isaiah, about this "smashed earthenware vessel," that it was so "smashed" "that not even a piece of it was found" "in which" someone could take a little "water" or "fire," that is, it became completely useless, no longer able to receive either the "water" † the little † or that which gives drink, nor that "fire" which brought it to an "earthenware" and solid state. Q: Here, then, does he call the world or the church a "house"? —In this too there are the different "vessels," those "for honor and for dishonor." And that there are such in the church the divine word says: "Remove the wicked one from among yourselves" "vessels of dishonor" k.....? Again, "Fornication is heard among you, and such fornication as is not even among the Gentiles, that a certain man has his father's wife." And he commands this man to be "cast out." And the church ... can be the "great house" and the place on earth. And the "guardians" of this "house" are those appointed to guard it... or by teaching. If you take it to be the church, the teachers. And angels also attend these. For about Peter they said, "It is his angel." And the little ones in the church have angels who "always see the face of the Father." And if the little ones, how much more the perfect. Q: these ... if they are "shaken"? —An increase has occurred in the evil of those being guarded; the guards will leave, whether they were perfect men 345 or angels. For they say, "Come, let us also 'abandon her'"; so that the Holy Spirit proclaims beforehand and says, "The daughter of Zion will be left like a booth in a vineyard." There was a certain Jewish historian, Josippus; he, among the divine signs that occurred after the Savior was betrayed by the Jews, set down also the following which he relates: there was a great door of the temple; thirty strong men could barely close it, and bars were laid on it so that it would be secured when closed; suddenly, he says, in one night, the priests, going around, heard, he says, a voice as of many saying, "We are departing from here"; and suddenly, he says, the gates opened by themselves. And this was the meaning of, "The daughter of Zion will be left like a booth in a vineyard." And this especially occurred then, when the Savior "had abandoned," saying, "I have left your house, having forsaken my inheritance"; "Behold, your house is left to you," the Savior again to the Jews themselves. This, then, is what "the guardians of the house being shaken" means, the guards departing, no longer taking care of the "house." Q: In what day, then? —...of judgment... Q: But if the place is on earth, what? —Again... having been permitted...
12,3bcd and the men of might shall be perverse; and the grinding women have ceased, because they are few; and those that look out of the windows shall be darkened. 12,3b The "men of might" are these, who as it were are generals ruling the house, the rulers. But by "perversion" he does not mean their evil, but the removal from the rule with which they had been entrusted. No longer ... the general is no longer a general, the horseman is no longer a horseman. 12,3c and the grinding women have ceased, because they are few. ? from ... manner ... has a history. For if the "belly" is "done away with"
54
οἶκον τοῦ κεραμέως, καὶ καταβὰς" εἶδεν "σκεῦος" πλατ τόμενον, "πηλὸν" σχηματιζόμενον εἰς "σκεῦος"· καὶ ἐπει 344 δὴ οὐκ εἶχεν τὸ οἰκεῖον σχῆμα τοῦ "σκεύους" τοῦ "τιμί ου", "διέπεσεν ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ"· ὁ κεραμεὺς "διέ πεσεν" αὐτό, ἵνα ἀναπλάσηται αὐτὸ ὁ κεραμεύς. ὅτε οὖν χώραν τις ἔχει μετανοίας, πήλινόν ἐστιν "σκεῦος" δυνάμενον ἀναπλασθῆναι, μετασχηματισθῆναι. ὅταν δὲ λοι πὸν βεβαιότητα σχῇ ἐν ἕξει σχεδὸν ἀδιαπτώτῳ ἢ δυσμετα πτώτῳ, τότε λοιπὸν "ὀστράκινόν" ἐστιν. διὰ τοῦτο προσ ίεται. λοιπὸν ὁ προφήτης μετὰ τὸ ἰδεῖν ἐν τῷ "οἴκῳ τοῦ κεραμέως" τὴν διάπλασιν τοῦ "σκεύους" λαμβάνει "βῖκον ὀ στράκινον" καὶ "συντρίβει" αὐτόν. καὶ λέγει. "οὕτως φθερῶ τὴν ὕβριν Ἰακώβ". τότε λοιπὸν ἀπεδοκιμάσθησαν, τότε "ἐκβέβληνται". καὶ λέγει περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν Ἰσαΐᾳ τούτου τοῦ "συντρι βέντος σκεύους ὀστρακίνου" ὅτι οὕτω "συνετρίβη" "ὡς μὴ εὑρεθῆναι" μέρος αὐτοῦ "ἐν ᾧ" τις δύναται ὀλίγον "ὕ δωρ" λαβεῖν ἢ "πῦρ", τουτέστιν ἀχρήσιμον παντελῆ γενό μενον οὐδὲ τὸ "ὕδωρ" † τὸ ὀλίγον † ἢ τὸ ποτίζον ἔτι δυ νάμενον δέξασθαι, οὐδὲ τὸ "πῦρ" ἐκεῖνο τὸ εἰς "ὀστρά κινον" αὐτὸ καὶ στερεότητα ἀγαγόν. ἐπερ· ὧδε οὖν "οἰκίαν" λέγει τὸν κόσμον ἢ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν; -εἰσὶν καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ τὰ διάφορα "σκεύη" τα`̣ "εἰς τιμὴν καὶ εἰς ἀτιμίαν". καὶ ὅτι εἰσὶν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλη σίᾳ τ̣ο̣ι̣οῦτο̣ι̣ ὁ θεῖος λ̣ο´̣γος λέγει· "ἐξάρατε τὸν πονηρὸν ἐξ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν" "ἀτιμίας σκεύη" κ·····? πάλιν "ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία, καὶ τοιαύτη πορνεία ἥτις οὐ δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἐ´̣θνεσιν, ὥστε γυναῖκά τινα τοῦ πα τρὸς ἔχειν". καὶ "ἐκβάλλεσθαι" τοῦτον κελεύε̣ι̣. καὶ ἡ ἐκκλησία ··1-2ν δ̣ύνατα̣ι̣ εἶναι ἡ "μεγάλη οἰκία" καὶ ὁ περι`̣ γῆν τ̣όπος̣. "φύλακες" δὲ ταύτης τῆς "οἰκίας" εἰσὶν οἱ τεταγμένοι φρουρεῖν αὐτὴν η········ι̣ ἢ διδασκαλι´̣ᾳ. ἐα`̣ν μὲν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν λάβῃς, οἱ διδάσκαλοι. παρ̣έπονταί γ̣ε τούτοις καὶ ἄγγελοι. περὶ γοῦν τοῦ Πέτρου εἴρηκαν· "ὁ ἄγγελος αυ᾿̣τοῦ ἐστιν". καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ μικροὶ ἔχουσιν ἀγγέλους "βλέποντας διὰ παντὸς τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρός". ε̣ι᾿̣ δὲ οἱ μικροί, πόσῳ οἱ τέ λειοι. ἐπερ· οὗτοι ···ε̣αν "σ̣αλε̣υθῶσιν"; -ἐπίτασις γεγένητ̣αι τῆς κακίας τῶν φρουρουμένων· καταλείψ̣ουσιν οἱ φρουροί, κἄν γ̣ε̣ ἄνδ̣ρ̣ες ἦσαν τέλειοι 345 κἂν ἄγγελοι. λέγουσιν γοῦν· δεῦτε γὰρ καὶ "ἐνκαταλεί πομεν αὐτήν"· ὡς προαναφωνεῖν τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα καὶ λέ γειν· "ἐνκαταλειφθήσεται ἡ θυγάτηρ Σιὼν ὡς σκηνὴ ἐν ἀμπελῶνι". γέγονέν τις Ἰουδαϊκὸς ἱστοριογράφος Ἰώσιππος· ἐκεῖνος ἐν ταῖς θεοσημίαις ταῖς γενομέναις μετὰ τὸ προ δοθῆναι τὸν ςωτῆρα ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ τοιαύτην ἔθηκεν ἣν λέγει· θύρα μεγάλη τοῦ ναοῦ ἦν· μόλις ἔκλειον ἰσχυροὶ ἄνδρες τριάκοντα, καὶ μοχλοὶ ἐπέκειντο ἵν' ἀσφαλισθῇ κλεισθεῖσα· ἄφνω, λέγει, ἐν νυκτὶ μιᾷ οἱ ἱερεῖς̣ περιερχόμενοι ἤκουσαν, λέγει, φωνὴν ὡς πολλῶν λεγόντων· "μεταβαίνομεν ἐντεῦθεν"· καὶ ἄφνω, λέγει, αὐ τομάτως ἠνεῴχθησαν αἱ πύλαι. καὶ τοῦτο ἦν τὸ "ἐνκαταλειφθήσεται ἡ θυγάτηρ Σιὼν ὡς σκηνὴ ἐν ἀμπελῶνι". καὶ τότε μάλιστα τοῦτο ὑπῆρκται, ὅτε ὁ ςωτὴρ "ἐνκαταλέλοιπεν" λέγων· "ἐνκατέλειψα τὸν οἶκόν σου, ἀφεὶς τὴν κληρονομίαν μου"· "ἰδοὺ ἀφίεται ὑμῖν ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν" ὁ ςωτὴρ πάλιν αὐτοῖς τοῖς Ἰου δαίοις. τοῦτο οὖν ἐστιν τὸ "σαλευθῆναι τοὺς φύλακας τῆς οἰκίας", τὸ μεταστῆναι τοὺς φρουρούς, τὸ μηκέτι περιέ πειν τὸν "οἶκον". ἐπερ· ἐν ἡμε´̣ρᾳ οὖν ποίᾳ; -····ε·?λ········ι̣ν τ̣ῆς κρίσεως̣ ··λε ·········οι̣. ἐπερ· εἰ δὲ περὶ γῆν τόπος, τί; -πάλιν ··········ιωδε ἐπιτραπέντες δι̣···· ···ε̣.
12,3bcd καὶ διαστραφῶσιν ἄνδρες τῆς δυνάμεως· καὶ ἤργησαν αἱ ἀλήθου σαι, ὅτι ὠλιγώθησαν· καὶ σκοτά σουσιν αἱ βλέπουσαι ἐν ταῖς ὀπαῖς. ̣12,3b οἱ "ἄνδρες τῆς δυνα´̣μεως" οὗτ̣οί εἰσιν, οἳ ὡσανεὶ στρατηγοὶ ἄρχουσι̣ν τ̣ῆς οἰκίας, οἱ ἄρχον τ̣ες. "διαστροφὴν" δὲ οὐ κακίαν αὐτῶν λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὴν μετάθεσιν τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἧς ἦσ̣αν ἐνκεχει ρισμένοι. μηκέτι ·ε̣·········υ̣τω····ν̣π̣·ρ······· οὐκέτι ὁ στρατηγὸς στρατηγός ἐστιν, οὐκέτ̣ι̣ ὁ ἱπ πεὺς ἱππεύς ἐστιν. 12,3c καὶ ἤρ̣γησα̣ν αἱ ἀλήθουσαι, ὅτι ὠλιγώθησαν. ? ἐκ π····ς̣ τρόπου ···α······χει ἱσ̣τορι´̣ αν. εἰ γὰρ "καταργεῖται" ἡ "κοιλ̣ία"