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Commentary on the Epistle of Jeremiah 93.773 "A copy of a letter." The prophet, being fully informed by the Spirit that they are about to become captives, is commanded by God even before the captivity to write the letter so that, when they become captives, they might have it as a provision against being deceived and worshipping the idols of the Babylonians. 93.776 "Until seven generations." Because here he numbers the generation as ten years. "For my angel." It is clear that an angel also defends those in captivity, so that they may not be destroyed utterly by their enemies. "For their tongue." Of the idols, that is, of the false teachers, the tongue is made fluent for falsehood by the devil, the artisan of evils. "And they are gilded." The false teachers, having a form of godliness, but having denied its power. "But they are false and cannot speak." Because falsehood does not speak truth. "And to the prostitutes on the roof." Because by "roof" he means the brothel. "But these are not saved from venom." The gods of the nations; but neither are the false teachers from the diabolical venom. "Therefore do not fear them." Against the rottenness of the idols, because they are not able to help themselves. "Their eyes." He speaks of the idols, but no less of the heresiarchs, or also of those occupied with earthly things, whose eyes of the mind are full of diabolical dust, being unable to look upon the truth because of the diabolical energies entering into them. "They light lamps." After the idols, understand also the deceived to look into the law of God. Concerning which it is written: Your law is a lamp to my feet. But neither by the prophetic word, as by a lamp shining in a dark place. "They have been blackened." The idolaters being like the idols. For it is written, that those who make them become like them. And all who are energized by demons have a dark face of the soul, being darkened by the diabolical smoke in their heart. "Upon the body." And their soul, he says, and the ruling part itself, that is, the mind, or also their church, and the leaders, demons strike, because they did not make God their protection. "In whom there is no spirit." After the idols, understand also those who are energized by them, being outside the divine Spirit. "Neither to a poor man." And this is a sign of demonic misanthropy. "Of their sacrifices, a menstruating woman." It should be noted, therefore, that a woman in childbirth and a menstruating woman must not touch the holy sacrifices. For the law also commanded this. And in a spiritual sense, it forbids impure souls from performing sacred rites. "Because women set things beside them." It should be noted that women must not perform sacred rites. And in a spiritual sense, that the 93.777 souls of priests must not be effeminate, but courageous and noble. "Whose heads are uncovered." Not having the helmet of salvation. He says the dumb idol was speechless. Both Bel and Zeus the Greeks worshipped. "But the women, having put on ropes." By ropes he means girdles; for covering only the unseemly parts of the body, they left the rest bare, summoning their lovers. "Burning the bran as incense." Perhaps to Aphrodite, or to some procuress. And perhaps the wretched people did this for purification. "Because he has not been deemed worthy." Because he was not deemed worthy of God's visitation. -How then could the things made by them be gods, since that which is made by another is not God. "It will be known after this that they are false." Which indeed also came to pass through the epiphany of the Savior. "For like crows." The crow is an unclean bird. The demons therefore are unclean, being neither heavenly because they are dishonored, nor earthly, because they are falsely named; and in another way, they were cast out from the vaults of heaven by God, and from the earth they are driven about by holy men through the help of Christ. And according to a mystical sense, the Savior also ascended the cross, cleansing the air from their

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Commentarii in Jeremiae epistulam 93.773 "Ἀντίγραφον ἐπιστολῆς." Πνεύματι πληροφορηθεὶς ὁ προφήτης, ὡς μέλλουσιν αἰχμάλωτοι γίνεσθαι, κελεύεται ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ πρὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας γράψαι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἵνα, ὅταν γένωνται αἰχμάλωτοι, ἔχωσιν αὐτὴν ἐφόδιον εἰς τὸ μὴ ἀπατηθῆναι, καὶ προσκυνῆσαι τοῖς τῶν Βαβυλωνίων εἰδώλοις. 93.776 "Ἕως γενεῶν ἑπτά." Ὅτι τὴν γενεὰν ἐνταῦθα εἰς δέκα ἕτη ἀριθμεῖ. "Ὁ γὰρ ἅγγελός μου." ∆ηλονότι καὶ τοῖς ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ἄγγελος ἐπαμύνει, ἐφ' ᾧ μὴ πανωλεθρίᾳ διαφθαρῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν. "Γλῶσσα γὰρ αὐτῶν." Τῶν εἰδώλων, δηλονότι τῶν ψευδοδιδασκάλων ὑπὸ τοῦ τῶν κακῶν τέκτονος διαβόλου εὐτρόχαλος γίνεται ἡ γλῶσσα πρὸς τὸ ψεῦδος. "Αὐτά τε περίχρυσα." Οἱ ψευδοδιδάσκαλοι μόρφωσιν ἔχοντες εὐσεβείας, τὴν δὲ δύναμιν αὐτὴν ἠρνημένοι. "Ψευδῆ δ' ἐστὶ καὶ οὐ δύναται λαλεῖν." Ὅτι τὸ ψεῦδος ἀλήθειαν οὐ λαλεῖ. "Καὶ ταῖς ἐπὶ τοῦ στέγους πόρναις." Ὅτι στέγος λέγει τὸ πορνεῖον. "Οὗτοι δὲ οὐ διασώζονται ἀπὸ ἰοῦ." Οἱ θεοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οἱ ψευδοδιδάσκαλοι ἀπὸ τοῦ διαβολικοῦ ἰοῦ. "Μὴ οὖν φοβηθῆτε αὐτούς." Κατὰ τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων σαθρότητος, ὅτι ἑαυτοῖς βοηθῆσαι οὐ δύνανται. "Οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν." Φησὶν μὲν τῶν εἰδώλων, οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον τῶν αἱρεσιαρχῶν, ἢ καὶ τῶν περὶ τὰ γήϊνα ἀσχολουμένων, οἱ τῆς διανοίας ὀφθαλμοὶ διαβολικοῦ κονιορτοῦ πλήρεις εἰσὶν, εἰς τὸ ἀληθὲς οὐ δυνάμενοι κατιδεῖν ἐκ τῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς εἰσπορευομένων ἐνεργημάτων διαβολικῶν. "Λύχνους καίουσι." Μετὰ τὰ εἴδωλα νόει καὶ τοὺς ἠπατημένους ἐνιδεῖν τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Περὶ οὗ γέγραπται· Λύχνος τοῖς ποσί μου ὁ νόμος σου. Ἀλλὰ μηδὲ προφητικῷ λόγῳ, ὡς λύχνῳ καίοντι ἐν αὐχμηρῷ τόπῳ. "Μεμελάνωνται." Οἱ εἰδωλολάτραι ὅμοιοι ὄντες τοῖς εἰδώλοις. Γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι Ὅμοιοι αὐτοῖς γένοιντο οἱ ποιοῦντες αὐτά. Καὶ πάντες δὲ οἱ ὑπὸ δαιμόνων ἐνεργούμενοι ἀφεγγὲς ἔχουσι τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ πρόσωπον, ἀπὸ τοῦ καπνοῦ τοῦ διαβολικοῦ τοῦ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν διασκοτιζόμενοι. "Ἐπὶ τὸ σῶμα." Καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῶν, φησὶν, καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν, τουτέστιν τὸν νοῦν, ἢ καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν αὐτῶν, καὶ τοὺς ἡγουμένους ῥαπίζουσι δαίμονες, διὰ τὸ μὴ ποιῆσαι σκέπην τὸν Θεόν. "Ἐν οἷς οὐκ ἔστι πνεῦμα." Μετὰ τὰ εἴδωλα νόει καὶ τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐνεργουμένους, θείου Πνεύματος ἐκτὸς ὅντας. "Οὔτε πτωχῷ." Καὶ τοῦτο δεῖγμα δαιμονικῆς μισανθρωπίας. "Τῶν θυσιῶν αὐτῶν ἀποκαθημένη." Σημειωτέον οὖν, ὡς ἱερὰς θυσίας οὐ δεῖ λεχὼ καὶ ἀποκαθημένην ἅπτεσθαι. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ νόμος ἐκέλευσεν. Πρὸς δὲ θεωρίαν, τὰς ἀκαθάρτους ψυχὰς ἱερουργεῖν ἀποκωλύει. "Ὅτι γυναῖκες παρατιθέασι." Σημειωτέον, ὅτι οὐ δεῖ γυναῖκας ἱερουργεῖν. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, ὅτι τὰς 93.777 τῶν ἱερέων ψυχὰς οὐκ ἐκλύτους εἶναι δεῖ, ἀλλ' ἀνδρείας καὶ γενικάς. "Ὧν αἱ κεφαλαὶ ἀκάλυπτοί εἰσιν." Οὐκ ἔχουσαι τοῦ σωτηρίου τὴν περικεφαλαίαν. Ἐνεόν φησι τὸ εἴδωλον τὸ ἄφωνον. Βῆλον ∆ία καὶ Ἕλληνες ἐσεβάσθησαν. "Αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες περιθέμεναι σχοινία." Σχοινία φησὶν τὰ περιζώματα· καλύπτουσαι γὰρ μόνα τὰ τοῦ σώματος ἀσχήμονα, τὰ λοιπὰ παρεγύμνουν, προσκαλούμεναι τοὺς ἐραστάς. "Θυμιῶσαι τὰ πίτυρα." Ἀφροδίτῃ τυχὸν, ἤ τινι προαγωγῷ. Ἴσως δὲ καὶ εἰς καθαρμὸν τοῦτο ἐποίουν οἱ δυστυχεῖς. "Ὅτι οὐκ ἠξίωται." Ὅτι οὐκ ἠξιώθη Θεοῦ ἐπισκέψεως. -Πῶς γε δὴ μέλλοι τὰ ὑπ' αὐτῶν κατασκευασθέντα εἶναι θεοὶ, ὅτι τὸ ὑπὸ ἄλλου γινόμενον οὐ Θεός. "Γνωσθήσεται μετὰ ταῦτα ὅτι ἐστὶ ψευδῆ." Ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονεν διὰ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιφανείας. "Ὥσπερ γὰρ κορῶναι." Ἡ κορώνη πτηνὸν ἀκάθαρτον. Ἀκάθαρτοι οὖν εἰσιν οἱ δαίμονες, οὔτε ἐπουράνιοι ὄντες διὰ τὸ ἄτιμοι, οὔ τε ἐπίγειοι, διότι ψευδώνυμοι· καὶ ἄλλως δὲ, ἀπὸ μὲν οὐρανίων ἀψίδων ὑπὸ Θεοῦ ἐξεβλήθησαν, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς γῆς περιελαύνονται ὑπὸ ἁγίων ἀνθρώπων διὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ βοηθείας. Κατὰ δὲ λόγον μυστικὸν καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ εἰς τὸν σταυρὸν ἀνῆλθεν, τὸν ἀέρα καθαίρων ἐκ τῆς αὐτῶν