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CHAPTER 26.

Thus said the Lord: Stand in the court of the Lord's house. So that they may learn that not even the sight abashed the prophet; just as if someone, about to condemn a great and wondrous 64.957 man, were to bring the man himself into the midst. What are you saying? Did you not say beforehand, "Just as the bad figs, so will I give them"? How then do you give hope of a change? You shall not take away. For what reason do you command this? Not as if the prophet would do this? May it never be; but so that he might make the word trustworthy, and persuade them more to pay attention; and that the prophecy absolutely needed to be spoken. Perhaps they will listen. Often it happens as with things unhoped for and despaired of; this persuades the prophet, "Perhaps they will listen," He who foresees all things says, leading them to hope. Perhaps it happens. "Perhaps," in Scripture, is said for confirmation. For "Perhaps they will respect my son," instead of, "they ought to respect." And he may turn away. This is what the prophet most wanted to hear; You are willing to run a risk on such a hope; say then, "Thus said the Lord." And I will make the house. Which grieved them most; for they were very proud of the temple. *But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that he should not be given into the hands of the people, to put him to death. That is, he informed him of the plots, so that he might escape. These things are placed in sequence with the prophecy, in the parts about the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, as we noted above; where he prophesied the capture of the city and the temple, just as had previously happened in the case of Shiloh. It is clear then that what he said above against Jehoiakim, that he would not be buried with a burial, and all such things he said in this manner, was at the time when they seized him and wanted to kill him, as one who had spoken evil against the city. But the one who composed it has placed the prophet's words above, for the reason we mentioned, so that it is clear that those things are not cut off from the preceding sequence; but it is set down in the manner we have interpreted. And now make your ways better. See how, videtur superfluere, how instead of defending himself, he took the role of a teacher. He does not seek how he might escape the danger, but how he might rescue them from the terrible things. And listen. For even if no punishment lay ahead, even if no terrible things were threatened, ought one not to listen to our God? And he will relent. What is more profitable than this word? But you disbelieve? For am I declaring these things? God is. For is it not God? You are against yourselves. And behold, I am in your hands. What then? If I die, will these things not happen? Concerning Stephen they said: That he speaks blasphemous words against this holy place. 64.960 But know. Why? For I do not speak from myself, but from God. And the princes said. See how they make the matter seem terrible; they do not want to say the words, not enduring even to mention them with a bare tongue. So also in the case of Stephen, "He speaks blasphemous words." They did not say what the blasphemies were. By omission we often magnify the matter, as when we say: I do not want to say what he said. And after a little; And how were they not going to be credible accusers? For the reverence of the priesthood was sufficient to make them credible, they who ought to have been restraining the others, these men inflame the people, these men fan the anger of the crowd, and do not even await the verdict of the judges. And they spoke to the whole assembly of the people. That man spoke of something more grievous, not simply a desolation, but a grievous one; was he not put to death? But they feared God. This alone, and it resolved everything; this is what they should have done now, not to bury and destroy the one who speaks terrible things, but to consider how they might be rid of them. We have brought great evils upon our souls.

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ΚΕΦΑΛ. Κςʹ.

Οὕτως εἶπε Κύριος· Στῆθι ἐν αὐλῇ οἴκου Κυρίου. Ἵνα μάθωσιν, ὅτι οὔτε ἡ ὄψις

ἐδυσώπησε τὸν προφήτην· ὥσπερ ἂν εἴτις ἀνδρὸς μεγάλου καὶ θαυ 64.957 μαστοῦ μέλλων καταψηφίζεσθαι, αὐτὸν εἰς μέσον ἀγάγοι τὸν ἄνδρα. Τί λέγεις; οὐ προλαβὼν εἶπες, ὅτι Ὥσπερ τὰ σῦκα τὰ πονηρὰ, οὕτως αὐτοὺς δώσω; πῶς οὖν δίδως ἐλπίδα μεταβολῆς; Μὴ ἀφέλῃς. Τίνος ἕνεκεν παραγγέλλεις; οὐχ ὡς τοῦτο ποιοῦντος τοῦ προφήτου; μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀξιόπιστον ποιήσῃ τὸν λόγον, καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς πείσῃ προσέχειν· καὶ ὅλως ἀναγκαίας οὔσης λεχθῆναι τῆς προφητείας. Ἴσως ἀκούσονται. Πολλάκις συμβαίνει ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνελπίστων καὶ ἀπεγνωσμένων· τοῦτο πείθει τὸν προφήτην, Ἴσως ἀκούσονται, ὁ πάντα προειδώς φησι, καὶ εἰς ἐλπίδα ἄγων αὐτούς. Ἴσως συμβαίνει. Τὸ ἴσως, ἐν τῇ Γραφῇ ἐπὶ βεβαιώσει λέγεται. Ἴσως γὰρ ἐντραπήσονται τὸν υἱόν μου, ἀντὶ τοῦ ὀφείλουσιν ἐντραπῆναι. Καὶ ἀποστραφῇ. Τοῦτο μάλιστα ἤθελεν ὁ προφήτης ἀκοῦσαι· Σὺ βούλει παρακινδυνεῦσα ἐπ' ἐλπίδι τοιαύτῃ· εἰπὲ οὖν, Οὕτως εἶπε Κύριος. Καὶ δώσω τὸν οἶκον. Ὃ μάλιστα αὐτοὺς ἐλύπει· μέγα γὰρ ἐφρόνουν ἐπὶ τῷ ναῷ. *Πλὴν χεὶρ Ἀχικὰμ υἱοῦ Σαφανῆς μετὰ Ἰερεμίου, τοῦ μὴ παραδοθῆναι εἰς χεῖρας τοῦ λαοῦ, τοῦ μὴ ἀνελεῖν αὐτόν. Τουτέστι, ἐμήνυσεν αὐτῷ τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς, ὥστε ἐκκλῖναι. Ταῦτα ἀκολούθως κεῖται τῇ προφητείᾳ, ἐν οἷς ἄρχεται τῆς βασιλείας Ἰωακεὶμ, ὡς ἀνωτέρω ἐπεσημηνάμεθα· ἔνθα προεφήτευσε τῆς πόλεως καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τὴν ἅλωσιν, καθάπερ ἤδη πρότερον ἐπὶ τῆς Σελὼ ἐγένετο. ∆ῆλον οὖν ὅτι ἅπερ ἀνωτέρω εἶπε κατὰ τοῦ Ἰωακεὶμ, ὅτι ταφείῳ οὐ ταφήσεται, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα κατὰ τοῦτον εἶπε τὸν τρόπον, ἡνίκα συλλαβόμενος αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν ἠβούλοντο, ὡς κατὰ τῆς πόλεως εἰρηκότα κακά. Ἀλλ' ὁ συνθεὶς, τοῦ προφήτου τὰ ῥήματα τέθεικεν αὐτὰ ἀνωτέρω, δι' ἣν αἰτίαν ἔφαμεν, ὥστε δῆλον ὡς οὐ διατέτμηται τῆς προτέρας ἀκολουθίας ἐκεῖνα· κεῖται δὲ καθ' ὃν ἡρμηνεύσαμεν τρόπον. Καὶ νῦν βελτίους ποιήσατε ὁδούς. Ὅρα πῶς videtur superfluere πῶς ἀντὶ ἀπολογουμένου, διδασκάλου λαβόντα τάξιν. Οὐ ζητεῖ ὅπως τὸν κίνδυνον διαφύγῃ, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἐκείνους ἐξαρπάσῃ τῶν δεινῶν. Καὶ ἀκούσατε. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τιμωρία προὔκειτο, εἰ γὰρ μὴ δεινά τινα ἠπείλητο, τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἀκούειν οὐκ ἐχρῆν; Καὶ παύσεται. Τί τούτου λυσιτελέστερον τοῦ λόγου; Ἀλλ' ἀπιστεῖτε; μὴ γὰρ ἐγὼ ταῦτα ἀποφαίνομαι; Ὁ Θεός. Μὴ γὰρ ὁ Θεός; Ὑμεῖς καθ' ἑαυτῶν. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ, ἐν χερσὶν ὑμῶν. Τί οὖν; ἐὰν ἀποθάνω, οὐκ ἔσται ταῦτα; Περὶ τοῦ Στεφάνου ἔλεγον· Ὅτι λαλεῖ ῥήματα βλάσφημα κατὰ τοῦ τόπου τοῦ ἁγίου τούτου. 64.960 Ἀλλ' ἢ γνόντες. ∆ιατί; Οὐ γὰρ ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ λαλῶ. Καὶ εἶπον οἱ ἄρχοντες. Ὅρα, πῶς δεινοποιοῦσι τὸ πρᾶγμα· οὐ βούλονται τὰ ῥήματα εἰπεῖν, οὐκ ἀνεχόμενοι οὐδὲ μέχρι ψιλῆς γλώττης αὐτῶν ἐπιμνησθῆναι. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ Στεφάνου, Ῥήματα βλάσφημα λαλεῖ. Οὐκ εἶπον, ποῖα τὰ βλάσφημα. Τῇ παραλείψει πολλάκις ἐπαίρομεν τὸ πρᾶγμα, ὡς ὅταν λέγωμεν· Οὐ θέλω εἰπεῖν ἅπερ εἶπεν. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἤμελλον ἀξιόπιστοι κατήγοροι εἶναι; τὸ γὰρ αἰδέσιμον τῆς ἱερωσύνης, ἱκανὸν αὐτοὺς ποιῆσαι ἀξιοπίστους, οὓς ἔδει τοὺς ἄλλους καταστέλλειν, οὗτοι τὸν δῆμον ἐκκαίουσιν, οὗτοι τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ πλήθους ἀναῤῥιπίζουσι, καὶ οὐδὲ ἀναμένουσι τὴν ψῆφον τῶν δικαζόντων. Καὶ εἶπον πάσῃ τῇ συναγωγῇ τοῦ λαοῦ. Χαλεπώτερον ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν, οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐρημίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ χαλεπὴν, μὴ ἀνῃρέθη; Ἀλλ' ἐφοβήθησαν τὸν Θεόν. Τοῦτο μόνον, καὶ πάντα ἔλυσε· τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ποιῆσαι ἐχρῆν, μὴ τὸν λέγοντα τὰ δεινὰ κατορύττειν, καὶ ἀναιρεῖν, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἀπαλλαγεῖεν αὐτῶν, σκοπεῖν. Ἡμεῖς ἐποιήσαμεν κακὰ μεγάλα ἐπὶ ψυχὰς ἡμῶν.