Fragments on Jeremiah 1 For the just man is not in youth, since "being made perfect in a short time, he fulfilled a long time." For to one not on reprehensible paths, the saying is, do not say that I am a youth; like Rehoboam, who "abandoning the counsel of the elders" and following that of the younger men, for which reason he did not keep the kingdom as he had received it. 2 The seething cauldron from the face of the north is set on fire; for this one is at once an enemy and an avenger. Wherefore the one who has sinned, whether in blasphemy, "is delivered to Satan, that he may learn not to blaspheme," or in fornication is delivered "to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord." But whom does it set on fire? Those who dwell in, but not those who sojourn in the land. For he releases "fiery darts" against those who do not guard their own hearts with all vigilance, so as to be set on fire by any sin whatsoever. 3 Concerning those who will strike them, he speaks of a lion and a wolf and a leopard. The plot according to deeds seems to be made by those tropically called lions, and the one according to knowledge by those wishing to harm the perceptive part of the soul; for the leopard is said especially to leap upon the eyes, and the lion, as is related, when grown old, roams about the cities wishing to hunt men. It is also said that from its bones, when they are struck or ground, fire comes out. And perhaps Nebuchadnezzar might be the lion and leopard, having taken the city and, like a leopard, taking out its eyes, the king along with the chief men, and later also having put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and his bones might be understood as Nebuzaradan, who burned the city. 4 He teaches to examine clearly what is the passage concerning sacrifices, and he provides starting points from the oracles, saying: "A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit," and "Offer a sacrifice of righteousness." But those not so disposed, but being distraught about bodily sacrifices, the Savior turned back, saying: "But if you had known what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless." And that such legislation is about mystical things, Paul taught, saying: "who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things." 5 A turtledove and a swallow, sparrows of the field, the discerning hearers and those capable of speaking better things, have observed to make their own entrances at the proper time, so that what is said might reach the hearers, with the entrance of the swallow coinciding with the entrance of the turtledove. 6 Aquila and Theodotion have published: that he who formed all things is he himself, and Israel is the rod of his inheritance. But if Israel is the rod of his inheritance, and the nations have also received an inheritance according to "Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance," the nations also will be Israel. 7 God justly does not listen to those who have not listened to him; but the demons will not be able to justly save those who have offered incense to them, when the time of evils comes. Therefore, when God does not hearken, it is a terrible thing to seek help from demons. But one must pour oneself out to God, who has turned away on account of sins, yet does not despise much and persistent refuge in him. 8 He did not say: I will not listen to you, but to them, showing that even then, when they repent, if you should ask on their behalf, I will listen. 9 He called abandonment an activity; for God, by lifting up his own tent, is said to destroy. Moreover, a destruction worthy of the hand of God is the transformation from vice to virtue, according to, "I will bring my hands upon you, and I will purge you to purity," the defilements previously in us from sin having been destroyed. Such also is "I will scatter them." For since they were impious toward me in concert, I will scatter their most wicked assembly and concord, just as he also divided the tongues of the tower-builders, hindering a growing, concordant impiety. But "they were made childless, they destroyed my people" contains an accusation of the rulers and the priests; for they, being in the rank of fathers to the

Fragmenta in Jeremiam 1 Ὁ γὰρ δίκαιος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν νεότητι, ἐπεὶ «τελειωθεὶς ἐν ὀλίγῳ ἐπλήρωσε χρόνους μακρούς». ὡς πρὸς μὴ ὄντα γὰρ ἐν ὁδοῖς ψεκταῖς τὸ μὴ λέγε ὅτι νεώτερός εἰμι· ὁποῖος Ῥοβοὰμ «ἐγ καταλιπὼν τὴν βουλὴν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων» καὶ ταῖς τῶν νεωτέρων ἀκολουθήσας, διὸ καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν οὐ τετήρηκεν οἵαν παρέλαβεν. 2 Ὁ ὑποκαιόμενος λέβης ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ βορρᾶ ὑπο καίεται· ἐχθρὸς γὰρ οὗτος ἅμα καὶ ἐκδικητής ἐστιν. διόπερ ὁ ἁμαρ τήσας εἴτ' ἐν βλασφημίᾳ «παραδίδοται τῷ σατανᾷ, ἵνα παιδευθῇ μὴ βλασφημεῖν», εἴτ' ἐν πορνείᾳ παραδίδοται «τῷ σατανᾷ εἰς ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκός, ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα σωθῇ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ κυρίου». τίνας δὲ ὑποκαίει; τοὺς κατοικοῦντας, ἀλλ' οὐ τοὺς παροικοῦντας τὴν γῆν. «βέλη» γὰρ ἀπολύει «πεπυρωμένα» ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ πάσῃ φυλακῇ τηροῦντας τὰς ἑαυτῶν καρδίας, ὡς ὑφ' οἱασδηποτοῦν ἁμαρτίας πυροῦσθαι. 3 Περὶ τῶν παισόντων αὐτοὺς λέγει λέοντα καὶ λύκον καὶ πάρδαλιν. δοκεῖ δὲ ἡ μὲν κατὰ τὰς πράξεις ἐπιβουλὴ ὑπὸ τῶν τροπικῶς λεγομένων λεόντων γίνεσθαι, ἡ δὲ κατὰ τὴν γνῶσιν ὑπὸ τῶν βλάψαι τὸ διορατικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς βουλομένων· ἡ γὰρ πάρδαλις ἐπιπηδᾶν μάλιστα λέγεται τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, ὁ δὲ λέων ὡς ἱστορεῖται γηράσας περὶ τὰς πόλεις νέμεται θηρεύειν θέλων ἀνθρώπους. λέγεται δὲ ὅτι καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὀστῶν αὐτοῦ κοπτομένων ἢ πτισσομένων πῦρ ἐξέρχεται. καὶ ἴσως λέων ἂν εἴη καὶ πάρδαλις ὁ Ναβουχο δονόσορ, τὴν πόλιν ἑλὼν καὶ ὡς πάρδαλις τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῆς ἐξαιρῶν, τὸν βασιλέα σὺν τοῖς πρώτοις, ὕστερον δὲ καὶ Σεδεκίου τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐκκόψας· ὀστᾶ δὲ αὐτοῦ νοηθείη Ναβουζαρδάν, τὴν πόλιν ἐμπρήσας. 4 Σαφῶς ἐξετάζειν διδάσκει τίς ὁ περὶ θυσιῶν τόπος, ἀφορ μάς τε τὰ λόγια δίδωσι λέγοντα· «θυσία τῷ θεῷ πνεῦμα συντε τριμμένον», καὶ «θύσατε θυσίαν δικαιοσύνης». τοὺς δὲ μὴ οὕτως ἔχοντας, περὶ δὲ θυσίας ἐπτοημένους σωματικὰς ἐπέστρεφεν ὁ σωτὴρ λέγων· «εἰ δὲ ἐγνώκειτε τί ἐστιν· ἔλεον θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν, οὐκ ἂν κατεδικάσατε τοὺς ἀναιτίους». ὅτι δὲ περὶ μυστικῶν ἡ τοιαύτη νομοθεσία, Παῦλος ἐδίδαξε λέγων· «οἵτινες ὑποδείγματι καὶ σκιᾷ λα τρεύουσι τῶν ἐπουρανίων». 5 Τρυγὼν καὶ χελιδὼν ἀγροῦ στρουθία, οἱ συνετοὶ ἀκρο αταὶ καὶ οἱ εἰς τὸ λέγειν τὰ κρείττονα ἱκανοί, ἐφύλαξαν ἐν καιρῷ ποιεῖσθαι τὰς ἰδίας εἰσόδους, ὥστε τὸ λεγόμενον καθικνεῖσθαι τῶν ἀκουόντων, συντρεχούσης τῆς εἰσόδου τῆς χελιδόνος τῇ εἰσόδῳ τῆς τρυγόνος. 6 Ἀκύλας καὶ Θεοδοτίων ἐξέδωκαν· ὅτι ὁ πλάσας τὰ πάντα αὐτός ἐστι, καὶ Ἰσραὴλ ῥάβδος κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ. εἴπερ δὲ Ἰσραὴλ ῥάβδος κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ, εἴληφε δὲ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη κληρονομίαν κατὰ τὸ «αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου», ἔσται καὶ τὰ ἔθνη Ἰσραήλ. 7 Ὁ μὲν θεὸς δικαίως οὐκ ἀκούει τῶν μὴ ἀκουσάντων αὐ τοῦ· οἱ δὲ δαίμονες τὸ δίκαιον σῶσαι τοῖς θυμιάσασιν αὐτοῖς οὐ δυνήσονται, ὅταν ὁ καιρὸς τῶν κακῶν ἐπέλθῃ. ὅταν οὖν μὴ ἐπακούσῃ θεὸς, δεινὸν τὸ ζητεῖν παρὰ δαιμόνων βοήθειαν. ἀλλ' ἐξέχεσθαι δεῖ θεοῦ, διὰ τὰ ἡμαρτημένα ἀπεστραμμένου, τὴν δὲ πολλὴν ἐπ' αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπίμονον καταφυγὴν οὐχ ὑπερορῶντος. 8 Οὐκ εἶπεν· οὐκ εἰσακούσομαί σου, ἀλλ' αὐτῶν, δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ τότε μετανοούντων ἐὰν αἰτήσῃς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, εἰσακούσομαι. 9 Τὴν ἐγκατάλειψιν ἐνέργειαν εἶπε· θεὸς γὰρ ἑαυτοῦ τὴν σκηνὴν ἐπαίρων λέγεται διαφθείρειν. ἄλλως τε διαφθορὰ χει ρὸς ἀξία θεοῦ ἡ ἀπὸ κακίας εἰς ἀρετὴν μεταποίησις κατὰ τὸ «ἐποίσω ἐπὶ δὲ τὰς χεῖράς μου, καὶ πυρώσω σε εἰς καθαρόν», τῶν πρὶν ἐν ἡμῖν ἐξ ἁμαρτίας λυμάτων διεφθαρμένων. τοιοῦτον καὶ τὸ διασπερῶ αὐτούς». ἐπεὶ γὰρ συμφώνως ἠσέβησαν εἰς ἐμέ, τὴν κακίστην αὐτῶν διασκεδάσω σύνοδόν τε καὶ συμφωνίαν, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τῶν πυργοποιούντων διεῖλε τὰς γλώσσας, κωλύσας αὐξομένην συμφωνοῦσαν ἀσέβειαν. τὸ δὲ ἠτεκνώθησαν, ἀπώλεσαν τὸν λαόν μου κατηγορίαν τῶν ἀρχόντων ἔχει καὶ τῶν ἱερέων· οὗτοι γὰρ ἐν τάξει πατέρων ὑπάρχοντες τοῖς