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Commentarii in Baruch (in catenis)

93.761 CHAPTER 1.

"The son of Chelkias." Perhaps he mentions the ancestors of Baruch as being noteworthy. "In the time." He did not say in the year, but in the time, so that he might say, in those times; for the city was not captured in the fifth, nor in the ninth year of the reign of Zedekiah, but in the eleventh. "In the ears of Jechonias." Nebuchadnezzar had previously relocated him to Babylon. This same Jechonias was the son of Joachim, and was also called Eliakim, having two names. "And in the ears of everyone." Instead of, of those who had come together for the hearing. "And bring it up to the altar." Even if the temple had been demolished, they still sacrificed in the place; for it was not permitted to perform the sacrifices elsewhere, except in Jerusalem. "And you shall pray for the life of Nebuchadnezzar." God had commanded them to pray for the peace of the Babylonians, so that they too might be at peace. "So that their days may be." So that they may be long-lived, or, so that they may live according to piety. "On feast days." For they had certain periods for various feasts. "And you shall say to the Lord our God." According to the 93.764 just word, God both punished, and we are in shame today, being justly in captivity. "And we made excuses." We made pretenses, inventing reasons. CHAP. 2. "And you made a name for yourself." According to your continuous wonders; for God does not cease working wonders for the prophet and all the saints, but is always wonderful among them. If he does not perform signs, he is not marveled at. "But the soul." Those carrying great burdens, being weak, stoop. Therefore, he says, the soul that is afflicted because of sins, and has a magnitude of grief, is acknowledged as stooping and weak. "And the eyes that are failing." Either physically because of the calamities, or being dimmed from the intelligible vision. "That the bones of our kings should be brought out." As a sign of the future judgment, their bones were punished after death. CHAP. 3. "For you sit forever." You, he says, are eternal and a ruler, but we are mortal and subject to fate. "Lord Almighty, hear now the prayer of the dead." Of the dead, he says, of those who have come under the sentence on account of sin. The word clearly showed the immortality of the soul. "But remember." Use your accustomed wonder-working, he says, and just as you led them out of Egypt, so free them from Babylon. For we are called your people. "Behold, we are today in our exile." We judged ourselves, he says, and we blamed ourselves, because it justly came upon us on account of the works of our fathers. "Hear, Israel." From this point Baruch begins to prophesy; for all the preceding words are of the letter sent by the captives from Babylon, being brought forth in the form of a confession. You have grown old." The commandment of life, wisdom. "You were counted." With those who have ignorance of God. Of those still held by death. "You have forsaken." Our Lord Jesus Christ. You yourself, he says, became the cause of the present evils. For though you should have used as a guide the law, which the fount of wisdom brought forth, you followed vain reasonings. "In the way of God." The Lord says: I am the way. Therefore, he who proceeds in imitation of him, proceeds in his way. "Learn where there is wisdom." Since you have adhered to the letter, learn that wisdom is in the Holy Spirit. "Where there is strength." Now at least, since not 93.765 before, seek and you will know, who is the giver of these good things. "Where there is understanding." That which is against sin. "Where there is long life and life." To distinguish the good from the bad. "Where there is light." In the Lord, clearly. For he who believes in

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Commentarii in Baruch (in catenis)

93.761 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Αʹ.

"Υἱοῦ Χελκίου." Ἴσως ὡς ἀξιολόγων τῶν προγόνων τοῦ Βαροὺχ μέμνηται. "Ἐν τῷ καιρῷ." Οὐκ εἶπεν ἐν τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ καιρῷ, ἵνα εἴπῃ, κατ' ἐκείνους τοὺς χρόνους· οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῷ πέμπτῳ, οὕτε ἐν τῷ ἐνάτῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας Σεδεκίου ἥλω ἡ πόλις, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ ἑνδεκάτῳ. "Ἐν ὠσὶν Ἰεχονίου." Τοῦτον πρότερον μετοικήσας ἦν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ὁ Ναβουχοδονόσορ. Ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ οὗτος Ἰεχονίας υἱὸς Ἰωακεὶμ, καὶ αὐτὸς Ἐλιακεὶμ ἐκαλεῖτο, διώνυμος ὤν. "Καὶ ἐν ὠσὶ παντός." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, τῶν συνελθόντων εἰς τὴν ἀκρόασιν. "Καὶ ἀνοίσατε ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον." Εἰ καὶ κατασκαφεὶς ἦν ὁ ναὸς, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ἔθυον· οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἐξὸν ἀλλαχοῦ, εἰ μὴ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὰς θυσίας ἐπιτελεῖν. "Καὶ προσεύξεσθε περὶ τῆς ζωῆς Ναβυχοδονόσορ." Θεὸς ἦν προστάξας αὐτοῖς εὔχεσθαι περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης τῶν Βαβυλωνίων, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ εἰρηνεύωσιν. "Ἵνα ὦσιν αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτῶν." Ἵνα ὦσιν πολυχρόνιοι, ἢ, ἵνα κατὰ εὐσέβειαν ζῶσιν. "Ἐν ἡμέραις ἑορτῆς." Καὶ γὰρ εἶχον καιρούς τινας διαφορὰς ἑορτῶν. "Καὶ ἐρεῖτε Κυρίῳ Θεῷ ἡμῶν." Κατὰ τὸν τοῦ 93.764 δικαίου λόγον, καὶ Θεὸς ἐτιμωρήσατο, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν αἰσχύνῃ ἐσμὲν σήμερον, ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ὄντες δικαίως. "Καὶ ἐσχεδιάζομεν." Προὐφασιζόμεθα αἰτίας ἀναπλάττοντες. ΚΕΦ. Βʹ. "Καὶ ἐποίησας σεαυτῷ ὄνομα." Κατὰ τὰ διηνεκῆ σου θαυμάσια· τῷ γὰρ προφήτῃ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἁγίοις οὐ διαλιμπάνει θαυματουργῶν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ θαυμαστὸς παρ' αὐτοῖς. Εἰ μὴ ποιήσῃ σημεῖα, οὐ θαυμάζεται. "Ἀλλὰ ἡ ψυχή." Οἱ μεγάλα φορτία βαστάζοντες, ἀσθενοῦντες κύπτουσι. Ψυχὴ οὖν, φησὶν, ἡ διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας κακουμένη, καὶ μέγεθος ἔχουσα λύπης, κύπτουσα καὶ ἀσθενοῦσα ὁμολογεῖται. "Καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ οἱ ἐκλείποντες." Εἴτε αἰσθητῶς διὰ τὰς συμφορὰς, εἴτε καὶ ἐκ τῆς νοητῆς θεωρίας ἀμαυρούμενοι. "Τοῦ ἐξενεχθῆναι τὸ ὀστᾶ βασιλέων ἡμῶν." Εἰς δεῖγμα τῆς μελλούσης κρίσεως, μετὰ τελευτὴν τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτῶν ἐτιμωροῦντο. ΚΕΦ. Γʹ. "Ὅτι σὺ καθήμενος τὸν αἰῶνα." Σὺ, φησὶν, ἀΐδιος εἶ καὶ ἐξουσιαστὴς, ἡμεῖς δὲ θνητοὶ καὶ ἐπίκηροι. "Κύριε παντοκράτωρ, ἄκουσον δὴ τῆς προσευχῆς τῶν τεθνηκότων." Τεθνηκότων, φησὶ, τῶν ὑπὸ τὴν ἀπόφασιν γενομένων διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Ἔδειξεν ὁ λόγος σαφῶς τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ ἀθάνατον. "Ἀλλὰ μνήσθητι." Τῇ συνήθει, φησὶν, χρῆσαι θαυματουργίᾳ, καὶ ὡς ἐξήγαγες ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, οὕτως ἐλευθέρωσον ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος. Ὅτι σὸς λαὸς χρηματίζομεν. "Ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς σήμερον ἐν τῇ ἀποικίᾳ ἡμῶν." Ἑαυτοὺς, φησὶν, ἐκρίναμεν, καὶ ἐμεμψάμεθα, ὅτι ἀξίως ἐπέβη ἡμῖν διὰ τὰ ἔργα τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν. "Ἄκουε, Ἰσραήλ." Ἐντεῦθεν ἄρχεται προφητεύειν ὁ Βαρούχ· τὰ γὰρ προηγησάμενα ῥήματα πάντα τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τῶν αἰχμαλώτων τῶν ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπεσταλκότων ἐστὶν, ὡς ἐξομολογήσεως σχήματι προφερόμενα. Ἐπαλαιώθης." Ἐντολὴ ζωῆς, ἡ φρόνησις. "Προσελογίσθης." Τοῖς ἀγνωσίαν Θεοῦ ἔχουσιν. Τῶν κρατουμένων ἔτι ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου. "Ἐγκατέλιπες." Τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν. Σαυτῷ, φησὶ, πρόξενος ἐγένου τῶν παρόντων κακῶν. ∆έον γάρ σε ποδηγῷ χρήσασθαι τῷ νόμῳ, ὃν ἡ τῆς σοφίας πηγὴ προσενήνοχεν, ματαίοις ἠκολούθησας λογισμοῖς. "Τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ." Ὁ Κύριός φησιν· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός. Ὁ οὖν κατὰ μίμησιν αὐτοῦ πορευόμενος, τῇ ὁδῷ αὐτοῦ πορεύεται. "Μάθε ποῦ ἐστι φρόνησις." Ἐπειδὴ τῷ γράμματι κεκόλλησαι, μάθε ὅτι ἐν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι ἐστὶν ἡ φρόνησις. "Ποῦ ἐστιν ἰσχύς." Νῦν γοῦν, ἐπειδήπερ οὐ πρό 93.765 τερον, ζήτησον καὶ γνώσῃ, τίς τούτων χορηγὸς τῶν ἀγαθῶν. "Ποῦ ἐστι σύνεσις." Ἡ κατὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. "Ποῦ ἐστι μακροβίωσις καὶ ζωή." Τοῦ διακρῖναι τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐκ τοῦ φαύλου. "Ποῦ ἐστι φῶς." Ἐν τῷ Κυρίῳ, δηλονότι. Ὁ γὰρ πιστεύων εἰς