Homilies on Jeremiah and 1 Kings 28

Homily 13 : Jeremiah 15.5–7

HOMILY 13 Jeremiah 15.5–7 On “Who will spare you, Jerusalem?” as far as, “I was bereaved of children.” e want to understand the words said to Jerusalem with much foreboding, expressed thus: “Who will spare you, Jerusalem? Or who will feel sad for you? Or who will return to plead for your peace? You have turned away from me,” says the Lord, “you will go back. And I will stretch out my hand on you and destroy you, and no longer will I forbear you.1 And I will scatter them in a dispersion,” then,2 I was bereaved of children.3 (2) A difficulty has occupied me. I take as an example a certain proven enemy of a ruler of the earth. To such a person it is not possible to impart mercy lest someone offend the king who condemned him. And since4 it is not possible to be merciful to such a person, some who feel sad for him do not rally around him lest by feeling sad they seem displeased with the king’s judgment. If you have understood this, observe with me the one condemned by God for his many sins, even though angels who are assigned to help with the nature of humanity look on, consider this man as one who has received mercy from no one. For each of the angels, when they see that it is God who has condemned, that the Creator is the one who has turned away, that the nature of the sins are 130 1. LXX has “them” here. 2. “Then” (ei\ta), a correction of Klostermann, LXX and Hebrew. S and Jerome have ei\pa. 3. Jer 15.5–7. 4. “Since,” an addition of Nautin. HOMILY 13 131 such that they force—if I may speak5 thus—the good God to cast the vote against the sinner, each of those who see do not spare, do not feel sad, do not act with mercy, do not go back to plead for peace for that sort of person. (3) Suppose therefore this Jerusalem—for so it is stated by the letter6 —has sinned against my Jesus, and has done such acts that Jesus could say about her: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you killed the Prophets and stoned those sent to you. How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not. Behold, your house is forsaken.7 Let this Jerusalem be left behind as she has been left behind. The angels who have always helped Jerusalem, by whom also the Law of Moses, ordained by angels through an intermediary,8 was ordained, let them leave behind Jerusalem and say: “Her sins have become great, they killed Jesus, they have laid hands on the Christ. Insofar as their sins were still little, we could still deem them worthy and plead for them; we could spare Jerusalem. Who will spare for this crime?” If a man by sinning should sin against another man, then shall they pray for him. But if he sins against the Lord, who will pray for him? 9 Jerusalem committed a sin, because of this she has been tossed into a torrent,10 and it is said to her first, to this Jerusalem, Who will spare you, Jerusalem? And who will be sad for you? We do not feel sad for Jerusalem and for her misfortunes and for everything which happened to that people. For in the trespass of those, our salvation has come so as to make them jealous,11 and since12 their trespass was so great a sin that it was said through the voice of the Lord:13 Who will spare you, Jerusalem? I14 too say to her who 5. “I may speak” (ei[pw), a correction of Klostermann from Jerome. S has eij toiauvthn. 6. Origen will now consider the literal interpretation. 7. Matt 23.37–38. 8. Gal 3.19. 9. 1 Kings 2.25. 10. Lam 1.8. 11. Rom 11.11. 12. “Since,” an addition of Klostermann from Jerome. 13. “That . . . Lord,” an addition of Klostermann from Jerome. 14. “I” (ejgwv), a correction of Klostermann from Jerome. S has levgw. killed15 my Jesus, Who will spare you Jerusalem? And who will feel sad for you? 2. I pass from the letter—since even it has taken a way which the Word has given16 —to each...