Homilies on Jeremiah and 1 Kings 28

Homily 14 : Jeremiah 15.10–19

HOMILY 14 Jeremiah 15.10–19 On “Woe is me, mother,” up to, “‘Therefore,’ thus says the Lord, ‘if you will return, I will restore you.’” ealers of bodies, since they are around the sick and always give themselves freely to the cure of the sick in accordance with the purpose of the healing arts, view what is terrible 1 and touch what is loathsome, and2 they reap their own pains by others’ misfortunes3 and their life is always in crisis. For they are never with those who are well but always with the wounded,4 with those who have contagions , with those filled with pus, fevers, all kinds of illnesses . And if someone wants to prepare for medicine, he should not feel irritated nor should he neglect the purpose of the skill which he has adopted whenever he may be with the kind of situations we have just mentioned. (2) I have stated this preface because the Prophets are like healers of souls, and they are always occupied wherever there are those who need treatment. For, those who are well have no need of a healer, but those who suffer,5 but what healers suffer by 6 135 1. “What is terrible” (deinav), a correction from the Catena. S has tina;. 2. “And,” an addition from Jerome and Hippocrates’ text. See below. 3. Klostermann notes that this description is from Hippocrates, De flatibus I.569K. 4. “Wounded” (traumatiw'n), a correction of Delarue from Jerome. S has traumavtwn. 5. Luke 5.31. 6. “By” (uJpov), a correction of Blass and Klostermann from Jerome. S has uJpevr. unbridled7 sick people this also Prophets and teachers suffer from those who do not want to be treated. For thence they are hated, as are those who prescribe against the choice of the wishes of sick people, as are those who restrain those who want to live licentiously and to pursue pleasures in their diseases , who do not want to take what is appropriate for the diseases. Thus the unbridled people among sick people flee from healers, often after they have blasphemed and abused them and done every sort of thing which an enemy would do to an enemy. For they forget, when they look on the agony of his way of life, on the agony of the impact from the knife of surgeons, not on the objective beyond the pain, that healers come as friends, and they hate healers as fathers only of pains, but not of the pains which bring to well-being those who are healed. 2. That people then was sick;8 there were all kinds of diseases among those who had the name of the people of God. God sent to them the Prophets as healers. One of the healers was Jeremiah. He reproved the sinners since he wanted those who do evil to return, yet though needing to hear what was said they accused the Prophet and they accused before judges9 similar to themselves. And always the Prophet was in judgments by10 those who, with respect to his prophecy, had been cured but were not cured because of their own disobedience . It is due to them when he says: And I said: “I will no longer speak nor name the name of the Lord.” But it happened as a burning fire flaming in my bones, and I am weakened on all sides and I cannot bear it.11 And when he said, seeing himself as one who always is judged, abused, accused and falsely testified against, Woe is me, mother, as what kind of man did you bear me? he was not speaking as a man who judges but as one who is ORIGEN 136 7. “Unbridled” (ajkolavstwn), a correction of Klostermann from Jerome. S has ajkolavstw". 8. “Was sick” (e[kamne), an addition of Klostermann from Jerome. S has eij kaiv. 9. “Judges,” a correction from the Catena and Jerome. S has “judge.” 10. “By” (uJpov), a correction from the Catena, S has ejpiv. 11. Jer 20.9. HOMILY 14 137 judged, and not as one who disputes but one who is disputed over all of the earth.12 And since those who are sick do not hear him when he advises for their good13 and well-being, he says,14 I have not helped.15 And since he lent spiritual funds, they to whom he was speaking did not want to hear in...