Homilies on Jeremiah and 1 Kings 28

Homily 7 : Jeremiah 5.18–19

HOMILY 7 Jeremiah 5.18–19 On “‘And it will happen in those days,’ says the Lord your God, ‘that I will never smite you until a consummation,’” up to, “‘so you will serve as aliens in a land not your own.’” od, who judges little by little those punished, gives a chance of repentance,1 and, by not punishing all at once for the sinning, holds off for the sinner the consummation2 of the punishment. Because of this, by judging 3 little by little he punishes, and the example of this4 is in Leviticus . For in the curses on those who transgress the Law there is written after the prior punishments: “And it will happen, if after these things you do not return,” says the Lord, “I will also bring upon you seven plagues.” 5 And again he speaks of another punishment: And it will happen, if after these things you do not return but walk contrary to me, I also will walk with you with a con68 1. Wis 12.10. 2. The word “consummation” (suntevleia) discussed here is one of the most complex in all of Origen’s complex theology. It is another word in that series of words based on tevlo". Much of Origen’s thought is “goal-directed.” Each interpretation or reflection is part of a process toward some end. The idea of the consummation is especially intriguing to him because so many biblical texts seem to him to refer to some future afterlife experience. The chief questions are then: When is the consummation? What will happen at the consummation? What does it concern? Whom does it concern? Why is there a consummation? Is it literally an end to something or some event or people, or is it an allegory for some other experience? 3. “Judging,” a correction of Klostermann. S has “punishing.” 4. “Of this” (touvtou), a correction of Huet. S has tou'to. 5. Cf. Lev 26.21. HOMILY 7 69 trary heart.6 So you will find God measuring out punishments with caution, since7 he wants to lead the one who has sinned to a return and not render what is due8 for everything all at once. (2) These things then happened concerning the people according to the letter.9 And the Word, by threatening them with what they will suffer, says after this, “And it will happen in those days,” says the Lord your God, “I will never smite you until a consummation.”10 And if these things directly anticipate also the future punishmentsl.l.l.l,11 if not, let him who can pass from what has happened in this life concerning the people to those punishments.12 For I may say with confidence13 that just as they serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly,14 so that people were punished in this way for their sins by a copy and shadow of the true punishments, so that every punishment which is mentioned according to the15 Law and Prophets concerning the people includes a shadow of the true punishments . (3) Thus just as a consummation for sins for them has not occurred, but will occur then at an end, so perhaps the punishment also for sinners will be after the final departure. But it was a consummation for Jerusalem when the Captivity oc6 . Cf. Lev 26.23–24. 7. “Since” (ejpeiv), a correction of Lietzmann and Klostermann. S has hj eij. 8. “Render what is due” (ajpodidovnta), a correction of Ghisleri. S has ajpodidovnti. 9. The first dimension of scriptural interpretation by which Origen often means what concerns the historical, namely, the Jews. 10. Jer 5.18. 11. According to Klostermann, some text is evidently missing after “punishments .” 12. We can gather from what remains of this thought that either it is a direct reference to the end times or, if not, it is, through the Hebrew people, a figure for the future punishments. 13. “With confidence” (peiqovmeno"), a correction of Blass. S has peiqomeqovmeno". 14. Heb 8.5. 15. “The,” an addition of Klostermann. curred under Nebuccadnezzar. And yet16 someone will say that it was not a consummation then, nor even in the time of the Maccabees, but a consummation for the people was at the time of the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. For insofar as the Savior was not saying to them, Behold your house is forsaken ,17 it was not forsaken...