CHAPTER 1
Verse 1. "The word of God which came upon Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, from among the priests, who dwelt in Anathoth." The prophet partook of a twofold grace, of priestly and of prophetic; and the one he drew from his lineage, but the other he received as a gift from above. And he also states the time of the prophecy.
2. “For in the days,” he says, “of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.” And he also makes mention of those who reigned after him, up to the final siege. Then also he teaches the things spoken by the God of all.
4–5. “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; and before you came forth from the womb, I sanctified you.’” The choice is not unjust; for knowledge anticipated it. For He knew, and then He sanctified, since He knows all things before their coming into being. And “I sanctified” He has used in place of “I set apart.” Then he also states the purpose for which He chose him: “I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” For he proclaims beforehand not only the things of the Jews, but also those of the other nations.
6. And I said, “O He Who Is, Master, Lord, behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am young.” The prophet recognized the One speaking with him; for which very reason he addresses Him with the more authoritative title. For when the great Moses once asked, and desired to learn the divine name, the Master said: “I am the One Who Is.” And he imitates also the reverence of Moses, saying that his youth is not worthy for prophecy. But the Master instructs him not to put forward his youth as an excuse for refusal, but rather to do what has been commanded. And He also drives out his fear.
8. “For do not be afraid,” he says, “from before their face; nor be terrified before them.” Then He also teaches the cause of boldness: “Because I am with you, in order to deliver you,” says the Lord. This also the Master God said to the divine Moses; for when he was fearing the ministry and was saying, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh?” the Master said, “Because I will be with you.” This same promise He also gave as a sure pledge to the holy Apostles. For, having commanded them to make disciples of all the nations, and knowing beforehand, as God, how thoughts rise up in their hearts — how it would be possible for eleven men, poor and deprived of eloquence, to transform the whole inhabited world — He both removed the doubt and cast out the fear, having said: “And behold, I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age.” This also He said here to the prophet, that “I am with you, in order to deliver you,” says the Lord. And the work confirms the word.
9–10. “For He stretched out His hand,” he says, “and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: ‘Behold, I have given My words into your mouth.’” And he also teaches what the words are: “Behold, I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to overthrow, and to build, and to plant.” For he proclaimed beforehand not only the captivity of the Jews, but also the freedom granted by Cyrus; and he proclaimed beforehand also to many other nations not only manifold calamities, but also the salvation granted through the incarnation of the Master Christ. For which very reason he has assigned “to root out” and “to destroy” the grievous things, but “to build” and “to plant” the opposite things. After this he shows him a rod of walnut wood, or, according to the Syrian and the Hebrew, an almond rod. For thus both the one and the other also have named the rod; and when the prophet had been asked and was answering, “What is the thing seen?” the Master said to him:
12. “You have seen well, because I am watching over My words to perform them.” And he calls “watching” the arising for punishment, and he calls long-suffering “sleep.” For the blessed David says: “Awake, why do You sleep, O Lord?” and again: “And the Lord awoke as one sleeping.” And the almond rod signifies the swiftness of the punishment; for before the other trees this tree blossoms. But according to the Seventy, it must be understood thus: the fruit of the walnut has a bitter and rough covering, but the edible part is hidden beneath it. So also discipline has painful and grievous things in what appears, but beneficial things in what follows. Then he shows him also “a boiling cauldron, and its face from the face of the north”; and he calls the cauldron Jerusalem, and the fire the Babylonian; for he names him “from the north,” since Babylon lies to the north of Jerusalem; and the divine Ezekiel also calls Jerusalem a cauldron, and those dwelling in it “meats.” Then he teaches more clearly the things spoken figuratively.
15. “For behold,” he says, “I am calling together all the kingdoms of the kings of the earth from the north,” says the Lord; “and they shall come, and each one shall set his throne at the entrances of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls, and against all the cities of Judah.” And showing the justice of the things that happen, he adds:
16. “And I will speak with My judgment against them concerning all their wickedness, because they have forsaken Me, and have sacrificed to foreign gods, and have worshiped the works of their own hands.” And what is more senseless than this impiety? And what is more just than the punishment? For they, having abandoned their own Maker, made their own works into gods. But He, having been long-suffering for a very long time, stripped them of His own grace. And having been stripped of this, they were enslaved to lawless men. And He commands him to gird his loins, that is, to prepare himself briskly and courageously; and reminding him of the promises already made, He casts out fear. And He says that He will make him a pillar of iron, and a wall of bronze, and like a most fortified city, and make him unconquerable, not only against the priests of the Jews and the rulers, but also against the kings themselves, and against all the multitude of their subjects. And He promises him not peace and quiet, but struggles and victory.
19. “For they shall fight against you,” he says, “and they shall not prevail against you; because I am with you, to deliver you,” says the Lord. This promise He also made to the Church; for He said to the most divine Peter: “Upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” He did not say, “They will not fight,” but, “Though they fight, they will not prevail.” For it is by struggle that the contestants accomplish victory.
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ΚΕΦΑΛ. Αʹ.
αʹ. Τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὃ ἐγένετο ἐπὶ Ἱερεμίαν, τὸν τοῦ Χελκίου, ἐκ τῶν ἱερέων, ὃς κατῴκει ἐν Ἀναθώθ. ∆ιπλῆς ὁ προφήτης μετέλαχε χάριτος, ἱερατικῆς καὶ προφητικῆς· καὶ τὴν μὲν ἐκ τοῦ γένους εἵλκυσε· τὴν δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἄνωθεν ἔλαβε δωρεᾶς. Λέγει δὲ καὶ τὸν χρόνον τῆς προφητείας.
βʹ. Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἰωσίου υἱοῦ Ἀμὼς βασιλέως Ἰούδα, ἔτους τρισκαιδεκάτου ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ. Μέμνηται δὲ καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς βεβασιλευκότων, μέχρι τῆς ἐσχάτης πολιορκίας. Εἶτα καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων δι δάσκει.
δʹ, εʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρός με, λέ γων· Πρὸ τοῦ με πλάσαι σε ἐν κοιλίᾳ, ἐπίσταμαί σε· καὶ πρὸ τοῦ σε ἐξελθεῖν ἐκ μήτρας, ἡγίακά σε. Οὐκ ἄδικος ἡ ἐκλογή· προὔλαβε γὰρ ταύτην ἡ γνῶσις. Ἔγνω γὰρ, καὶ τότε ἡγίασεν. Ἐπειδὴ γινώσκει πάντα πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν. Τὸ δὲ ἡγίασα, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀφώρισα τέθεικεν Εἶτα λέγει καὶ τὴν χρείαν, δι' ἣν αὐτὸν ἐξελέξατο. "Προφήτην εἰς ἔθνη τέθει κά σε." Οὐ γὰρ μόνον τὰ Ἰουδαίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν προθεσπίζει.
ϛʹ. Καὶ εἶπον, ὁ ὢν ∆έσποτα Κύριε, ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι λαλεῖν, ὅτι νεώτερος ἐγώ εἰμι. Ἐπ 81.500 έγνω τὸν προσδιαλεγόμενον ὁ προφήτης· οὗ δὴ χά ριν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς κυριωτέρας ὀνομάζει προσηγορίας. Ἐρομένου γάρ ποτε τοῦ μεγάλου Μωσέως, καὶ τὸ θεῖον ὄνομα μαθεῖν ἐθελήσαντος, εἶπεν ὁ ∆εσπότης· "Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν." Μιμεῖται καὶ τὴν Μωσέως εὐ λάβειαν, οὐκ ἀξιόχρεων εἰς προφητείαν εἶναι λέγων τὴν νεότητα. Ἀλλ' ὁ ∆εσπότης αὐτὸν παρεγγυᾷ μὴ προβάλλεσθαι εἰς παραίτησιν τὴν νεότητα, ἀλλὰ δράσαι τὸ κελευσθέν. Ἐξελαύνει δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ δέος.
ηʹ. Μὴ φοβηθῇς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν· μηδὲ πτοηθῇς ἐναντίον αὐτῶν. Εἶτα καὶ τοῦ θάρσους τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκει· "Ὅτι μετὰ σοῦ ἐγώ εἰμι, τοῦ ἐξαιρεῖσθαί σε, λέγει Κύριος." Τοῦτο καὶ τῷ θεσπεσίῳ Μωσῇ εἶπεν ὁ ∆εσπότης Θεός· ἐκείνου γὰρ τὴν διακονίαν δειμαίνοντος, καὶ λέγοντος, "Τίς εἰμι ἐγὼ, ὅτι πορεύσομαι πρὸς Φα ραώ;" εἶπεν ὁ ∆εσπότης, "Ὅτι ἔσομαι μετὰ σοῦ." Ταύτην καὶ τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἀποστόλοις τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἐχέγγυον ἔδωκε. Μαθητεῦσαι γὰρ αὐτοὺς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη κελεύσας, καὶ προειδὼς, ὡς Θεὸς, ὡς λογι σμοὶ ἀναβαίνουσιν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν, πῶς οἷόν τε ἕνδεκα ἄνδρας πένητας καὶ εὐγλωττίας ἐστερη μένους πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην μεταβαλεῖν· ἔλυσε τὴν ἀμφιβολίαν, καὶ τὸ δέος ἐξέβαλεν, εἰρηκώς· "Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος." Τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα τῷ προ φήτῃ ἔφη, ὅτι "Μετὰ σοῦ ἐγώ εἰμι τοῦ ἐξαιρεῖσθαί σε, λέγει Κύριος." Βεβαιοῖ δὲ τὸν λόγον τὸ ἔργον.
θʹ, ιʹ. Ἐξέτεινε γὰρ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, φησὶ, καὶ ἥψατο τοῦ στόματός μου, καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρός με· Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα τοὺς λόγους μου εἰς τὸ στόμα σου. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ καὶ τίνες οἱ λόγοι· Ἰδοὺ καθ έστακά σε σήμερον ἐπὶ ἔθνη καὶ βασιλείας, ἐκριζοῦν, καὶ κατασκάπτειν, καὶ ἀπολλύειν, καὶ καταλύειν, καὶ ἀνοικοδομεῖν, καὶ καταφυ τεύειν. Προεθέσπισε γὰρ οὐ μόνον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ὑπὸ Κύρου παρασχεθεῖ σαν ἐλευθερίαν· προεθέσπισε δὲ καὶ ἄλλοις παμπόλ λοις ἔθνεσιν, οὐ μόνον παντοδαπὰς συμφορὰς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν διὰ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χρι στοῦ παρασχεθεῖσαν σωτηρίαν. Οὗ δὴ χάριν τὸ μὲν ἐκριζοῦν καὶ καταλύειν ἐπὶ τῶν λυπηρῶν τέθεικε· τὸ δὲ οἰκοδομεῖν καὶ καταφυτεύειν ἐπὶ τῶν ἐναντίων. Μετὰ ταῦτα δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ ῥάβδον καρυΐνην, ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Σύρον καὶ τὸν Ἑβραῖον, ἀμυγδαλίνην. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ οὗτος κἀκεῖνος τὴν ῥάβδον ὠνόμασαν· καὶ ἐρωτηθέντος καὶ ἀποκρινομένου τοῦ προφήτου, τί τὸ ὀφθέν; εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ ∆εσπότης·
ιβʹ. Καλῶς ἑώρακας, διότι ἐγρήγορα ἐγὼ ἐπὶ τοὺς λόγους μου τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτούς. Ἐγρήγορ σιν δὲ τὴν ἐπὶ τιμωρίᾳ διανάστασιν, καὶ τὴν μακροθυμίαν ὕπνον καλεῖ. Φησὶ γὰρ ὁ μακάριος ∆αβίδ· "Ἐξεγέρθητι, ἱνατί ὑπνοῖς, Κύριε;" καὶ πάλιν· "Καὶ ἐξηγέρθη, ὡς ὁ ὑπνῶν, Κύριος." Ἡ δὲ ἀμυγδαλίνη ῥάβδος τὸ ταχὺ τῆς τιμωρίας αἰνίττεται· πρὸ γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων δένδρων τοῦτο τὸ δένδρον ἀνθεῖ. Κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἐβδομήκοντα, οὕτω νοητέον· Ὁ τῆςκαρύας καρπὸς πικρὸν μὲν ἔχει καὶ τραχὺ τὸ κά λυμμα· τὸ δὲ ἐδώδιμον ὑπὸ τοῦτο κεκρυμμένον. Οὕτω καὶ ἡ παιδεία ἀνιαρὰ μὲν ἔχει καὶ ἀλγεινὰ τὰ φαι νόμενα· ὀνησιφόρα δὲ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα. Εἶτα δεί κνυσιν αὐτῷ καὶ "λέβητα ὑποκαιόμενον, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον, αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου βοῤῥᾶ·" καλεῖ δὲ λέβητα μὲν τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ· πῦρ δὲ, τὸν Βα βυλώνιον, ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ γὰρ αὐτὸν ὀνομάζει· βόῤῥα θεν γὰρ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἡ Βαβυλὼν διάκειται· λέ βητα δὲ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Ἰεζεκιὴλ ὀνομάζει· καὶ κρέα τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας. Εἶτα τὰ παρα βολικῶς εἰρημένα διδάσκει σαφέστερον.
ιεʹ. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐγὼ συγκαλῶ πάσας τὰς βασιλείας τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ, λέγει Κύριος· καὶ ἥξουσι, καὶ θήσουσιν ἕκαστος τὸν θρόνον αὑτοῦ ἐπὶ τὰ πρόθυρα τῶν θυρῶν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ τείχη αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ πάσας τὰς πόλεις Ἰούδα. Καὶ δεικνὺς τῶν γινομένων τὸ δίκαιον, ἐπιφέρει·
ιϛʹ. Καὶ λαλήσω μετὰ κρίσεώς μου πρὸς αὐτοὺς περὶ πάσης τῆς κακίας αὐτῶν, ὡς ἐγκατέλιπόν με, καὶ ἔθυσαν θεοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις, καὶ προσεκύνη σαν τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν. Τί δὲ τῆς ἀσε βείας ταύτης ἀνοητότερον; Τί δὲ τῆς τιμωρίας δι καιότερον; Οἱ μὲν γὰρ, τὸν οἰκεῖον ποιητὴν καταλι πόντες, τὰ οἰκεῖα ἐθεοποίουν ποιήματα. Ὁ δὲ, μα κροθυμήσας ἐπὶ πλεῖστον, τῆς οἰκείας αὐτοὺς ἐγύ μνωσε χάριτος. Ταύτης δὲ γυμνωθέντες, ἀνοσίοις ἀνδράσιν ἐδούλευσαν. Κελεύει δὲ τὴν ὀσφὺν περι ζώσασθαι, τουτέστιν, εὐζώνως καὶ ἀνδρείως διακο σμῆσαι· καὶ τῶν ἤδη γεγενημένων ὑποσχέσεων ἀνα μιμνήσκων, ἐκβάλλει τὸ δέος. Λέγει δὲ αὐτὸν ἀποφῆναι καὶ στύλῳ σιδηρῷ, καὶ τείχει χαλκῷ, καὶ ὀχυρωτάτῃ παραπλήσιον πόλει, καὶ ἄμαχον κατα στῆσαι, οὐ μόνον τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῖς τοῖς βασιλεῦσι, καὶ παντὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν ὑπηκόων. Ἐπαγγέλλεται δὲ αὐτῷ οὐκ εἰρήνην καὶ ἡσυχίαν, ἀλλ' ἀγῶνας καὶ νίκην.
ιθʹ. Πολεμήσουσι γάρ σοι, φησὶ, καὶ οὐ μὴ δύ νωνται πρός σε· διότι ἐγὼ μετὰ σοῦ εἰμι, τοῦ ἐξαιρεῖσθαί σε, λέγει Κύριος. Ταύτην καὶ πρὸς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἐποιήσατο τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν· πρὸς γὰρ δὴ τὸν θειότατον ἔφη Πέτρον· "Ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς." Οὐκ εἶπεν, Οὐ πολεμήσου σιν· ἀλλὰ, "Πολεμοῦντες οὐ κατισχύσουσι." Τὴν γὰρ δὴ νίκην οἱ ἀνταγωνισταὶ πραγματεύονται.
