I will call upon faithlessness and misery
'I will call upon faithlessness and misery.' The righteous calls upon God; even the unjust calls upon wisdom—'for it will be,' he says, 'when you call upon me, I will not listen to you.' There the unjust; and the righteous also clearly sometimes call upon wisdom: 'And everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.' But here the prophet says: 'I will call upon faithlessness and misery'—as upon God, so upon faithlessness; as upon the Lord, so upon misery. Do you call upon a good thing, Jeremiah, because you promise saying: 'I will call upon faithlessness and misery'?
But one must understand agreements which we set and the faithlessnesses of them—that sometimes agreements are set badly; and after setting agreements badly, would that we called upon the faithlessness. So also if I understand 'the broad and spacious way that leads away into destruction,' and that walking in it I am not miserable, leaving 'the broad and spacious way' and coming 'upon the narrow and afflicted' and being miserable I say: 'I will call upon misery.' I am about to make faithless the agreements toward the world and worldly affairs, that I may take up heavenly agreements. 'I will call upon faithlessness.' So leaving the way of the broad and spacious and coming upon the narrow and afflicted, that I may become miserable as Paul, I say: 'I will call upon misery.' For not every human will say: 'I am a miserable human; who will rescue me from this body of death?' but the one who has understood the body of death, the one wanting to be rescued from this body of death, will say: 'I am a miserable human.' But the one loving the body, the many, the one not believing the age to come, does not say: 'I am a miserable human,' but blesses himself that he is a human and upon being in the body of death. If then I can understand how Paul said: 'I am a miserable human,' not yet having called upon the misery, I will call upon it from making faithless the agreements toward wickedness and say as Jeremiah: 'I will call upon faithlessness and misery.' For he did not say: I will call upon faithlessness of God.
Greek
(19,) «Ἀθεσίαν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν ἐπικαλέσομαι. θεὸν ἐπικαλεῖται ὁ δίκαιος, τὴν σοφίαν ἐπικαλεῖται καὶ ὁ ἄδικος· «ἔσται γὰρ« φησὶν «ὅταν ἐπικαλέσησθέ με, ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ εἰσακούσομαι ὑμῶν. ἐκεῖ μὲν οἱ ἄδικοι· καὶ οἱ δίκαιοι δὲ δῆλον ὅτι ἐπικαλοῦνταί ποτε τὴν σοφίαν· «καὶ πᾶς ὃς ἐὰν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου σωθήσεται.
ἐνθάδε δὲ ὁ προφήτης φησίν· «ἀθεσίαν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν ἐπικαλέσομαι«, ὡς τὸν θεὸν οὕτω τὴν ἀθεσίαν, ὡς τὸν κύριον οὕτω τὴν ταλαιπωρίαν. ἆρα καλὸν πρᾶγμα ἐπικαλῇ, Ἱερεμία, ὅτι ἐπαγγέλλῃ λέγων· «ἀθεσίαν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν ἐπικαλέσομαι«; ἀλλὰ δεῖ κατανοῆσαι συνθήκας ἃν τιθέμεθα καὶ τὰς ἀθεσίας αὐτῶν, ὅτι ἔστι ποτὲ συνθήκας θέσθαι κακῶς· καὶ μετὰ τὸ θέσθαι συνθήκας κακῶς εἴθε ἐπικαλοῖμεν τὴν ἀθεσίαν. οὕτω δὲ και ἐὰν κατανοήσω >τὴν πλατεῖαν καὶ εὐρύχωρον, τὴν ἀπάγουσαν εἰς τὴν ἀπώλειαν< καὶ ὅτι ὁδεύων ἐν αὐτῇ οὐ ταλαιπωρῶ, μεταβαίων >ἀπὸ τῆς πλατείας καὶ εὐρυχώρου ὁδοῦ< καὶ ἔρχομαι >ἐπὶ τὴν στενὴν καὶ τεθλιμμένην< καὶ ταλαιπωρῶν λέγω· «ταλαιπωρίαν ἐπικαλέσομα. ἀθετεῖν μέλλω τὰς συνθήκας τὰς πρὸς τὸν κόσμον καὶ τὰ κοσμικὰ πράγματα, ἵνα ἀναλάβω οὐρανίους συνθήκας. «ἀθεσίαν ἐπικαλέσομαι. οὕτω δὲ καταλλιπῶν τὸν > τῆς πλατείας καὶ εὐρυχώρου ὁδοῦ< καὶ ἐρχόμενος >ἐπῖ τὴν στενὴν καὶ τεθλιμμένην<, ἵνα γένωμαι ταλαίπωρος ὡς ΙΙαῦλος, λέγω· «ταλαιπωρίαν ἐπικαλέσομαι. οὐ γὰρ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἐρεῖ τὸ «ταλαίπωρος ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος· τίς με ῥύσεται ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου;« ἀλλ᾿ ὁ νοήσας τὸ σῶμα τοῦ θανάτου, ὁ ῥυσθῆναι βουλόμενος ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θαν΄του τούτου ἐρεῖ τὸ «ταλαίπωρος ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος.
ὁ δὲ φιλοσωματῶν, ὁ πολύς, ὁ ἀπιστῶν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι οὐ λέγει· «ταλαίπωρος ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος«, ἀλλὰ μακαρίζει ἑαυτόν, ὅτι ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ εἶναι ἐν τῷ τοῦ θανάτου σώματι. ἐὰν οὖν δυνηθῶ νοήσας πῶς Παῦλος εἶπε· «ταλαίπωρος ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος«, μηδέπω ἐπικαλεσάμενος τὴν ταλαιπωρίαν, ἐπικαλέσομαι αὐτὴν ἐκ΄τοῦ ἀθετῆσαι τὰς πρὸς τὴν κακίαν συνθήκας καὶ λέγω ὡς ὁ Ἱερεμίας· «ἀθεσίαν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν ἐπικαλέσομαι. οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν· ἀθεσίαν θεοῦ ἐπικαλέσομαι. Θέλω παράδειγμα δοῦναι ἀπὸ τῆς γραφῆς δικαίου τοῦ συνθήκας ἀθετοῦντος, ἵνα παραστήσω πῶς ἐκεῖνος τῷ ἔργῳ ἀθεσίανἐπεκαλέ- σατο.
Ἰουδὴθ συνθήκας ἔθετο πρὸς τὸν Ὁλοφέρνην ὥστε τοσῶνδε ἡμερῶν ἐξερχομένη εὔχεσθαι τῷ θεῷ καὶ μετὰ τοσάσκε ἡμέρας ἑαυτὴν παρέξειν τῇ κοίτῃ τοῦ Ολοφέρου. ταύτας τὰ συνθήκας Ὁλοφέρνης προσεδέξατο. ἀπέλυσε τὴν Ἰουδὴθ ἐπὶ τὰς εὐχὰς ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς. τί ἐχρῆν ποιῆσαι τὴν Ἰουδήθ; τηρῆσαι τὰς συνθήκας ἢ ἀθετῆσαι αὐτάς; ὡμολόγηται ὅτι ἀθετῆσαι· τὰς γὰρ πρὸς Ὁλοφέρνην ἀθετῆσαι μακάριον ἦν ἐπὶ θεοῦ. ἔμελλεν ἀθετεῖν τὰς πρὸς τὸν Ὁλοφέρνην συνθήκας ἡ Ἰουδήθ, ἔμελλεν εἰπεῖν· «ἀθεσίαν ἐπικαλέσομαι«· καὶ ἐπεκαλέσατό γε τὴν ἀθεσίαν.
ὄφελον κἀγὼ τοιοῦτος γένωμαι ἵν᾿ εἴπω· «ἀθεσίαν ἐπικαλέσομαι«, καὶ ἐπικαλέσομαι τὴν ἀθεσίαν τὴν πρὸς τὸν ὄφιν, τὴν πρὸς τὸν διάβολον. συνθήκας ποτὲ ὁ ὄφις πρὸς τὴν Εὔαν ἐποιήσατο, καὶ ἦν αὐτῷ φίλη καὶ ὁ ὄφις τῇ γυναικί. ἀλλ᾿ ὁ θεὸς ἐπραγματεύσατο ὡς ἀγαθὸς τὰς συνθήκας ταύτας λυθῆναι καὶ τὴν φιλίαν ταύτην τὴν κακὴν διασκεδάσαι καὶ ὡς ἀγθὸς θεὸς λέγει· «ἔχθραν θήσω ἀνὰ μέσον σοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς γυναικός, καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματος σοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῆς. εὐγνωμόνως οὖν ἀκούοιμεν, πῶς ὁ θεὸς ἔχθραν ποιεῖ τὴν πρὸς τόνδε, ἵνα φιλίαν ποιήσῃ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Χριστόν· ἀδύνατον γὰρ ἅμα εἶναι φίλον τῶν ἐναντίων. καὶ ὥσπερ «οὐδεὶς δύναται δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν«, οὕτως οὐδεὶς δύναται εἶναι φίλος καὶ >θεῷ καὶ μαμωνᾷ<, φ΄΄ιλος καὶ Χριστῷ καὶ ὄφει. ἀλλὰ ἀνάγκη καὶ τὴν φιλίαν τὴν πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν ἔχθραν ποιῆσαι πρὸς τὸν ὄφιν, καὶ τὴν φιλίαν τὴν πρὸς τὸν ὄφιν ἔχθραν γεννῆσαι τὴν πρὸς τὸν Χριστόν. «Ἀθεσίαν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν ἐπικαλέσομαι.
ἵνα δὲ μᾶλλον νοήσῃς τὸ «ταλαιπωρίαν ἐπικαλέσομαι«, διαγράψω τι γινόμενον τοῖς ἀσκηταῖς. πολλάκις γὰρ παρακειμένου τοῦ γῆμαι καὶ μὴ ἔχειν πρᾶγμα ἐπανισταμένης τῆς σαρκὸς τῷ πνεύματι, αἱρεῖταί τις οὐ καταχρήσασθαι τῇ τοῦ γαμεῖν ἐξουσίᾳ, ἀλλὰ ταλαιπωρεῖν καὶ κάμνειν, >ὑπωπιάζειν τὸ σῶμα νηστείαις καὶ δουλαγγεῖν αὐτὸ< >ἀποχαῖς τοιῶνδε βρωμάτων<, καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ >τῷ πνεύματι τὰς πράξεις τοῦ σώματος θανατοῦν<. ἆρ᾿ οὖν ὁ τοιοῦτος οὐ τὴν ταλαιπωρίαν ἐπεκαλέσατο, παρὸν ἐπιδοῦναι ἑαυτὸν τρυφῇ καὶ ἡδονῇ καὶ μὴ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὴν ταλαιπωρίαν; εἴ τις οὖν δύναται μιμεῖσθαι τὸν προφήτην, καὶ ἀθεσίαν, ὡς διηγησάμεθα, ἐπικαλείσθω, καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν δὲ ἐν ταῖς ἀσκήσεσιν ἐπικαλείσθω.
ἔτυχε δὲ ἡ ἱστορία εἶναι ἀληθὴς καὶ [ἡ] περὶ τοῦ Ἱερεμίου, ὅτι καὶ ἐν ἁγνείᾳ ἔζησεν· εἶπε γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ κύριος· >οὐ μὴ λάβῃς γυναῖκα, οὐδ᾿ οὐ μῆ ποιήσῃς τέκνα<. καὶ ἐν ἁγνείᾳ ἔξησεν· ἀθεσίαν γὰρ καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν ἐπεκαλέσατο.
About this text
Origen on Jeremiah. Twenty Greek homilies survive. This page publishes the Pass B English for Homilies 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. Homily 8 remains a machine draft and is not shipped yet. The rest of the volume is still being translated.
English follows Erich Klostermann, Origenes Werke III (GCS, 1901). A second transcription of that same edition (First1KGreek TEI) was checked; where the TEI drops or garbles a line, the page image wins. This is a reading translation for study, not a new critical edition of the Greek. Homilies that survive only in Jerome’s Latin are not on this page yet. When they are, they will be marked at those homilies.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Klostermann, Origenes Werke III (GCS, 1901) (Greek · Homilies 1–20 Greek (this page: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20))
- Checked print Archive.org page image and DjVu of GCS III (Greek · Same print as the copy-text)
- Checked print First1KGreek TEI of GCS III (Greek · Same print; encoding errors deferred to the page image)
Where the prints differ
- Homily 1.1 — The TEI omits Ἑβραῖον. English follows the GCS page image: Jonah is “a Hebrew prophet.”
- Homily 1.5 — The TEI dropped Ἰσαάκ. English follows the GCS page image: Isaac born of promise.
- Homily 1.11 — The TEI/OCR of this line is garbled. English follows the GCS page image and the quoted verse: “I have sanctified you.”
- Homily 3.2 — The TEI gaps Matthew 5:45 (sun on the evil and [gap]; rain on [gap] and the unjust). English follows the Gospel wording.
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.