Fragments on Lamentations · §112 · Origen of Alexandria

Lord’s face against evil-doers; priests’ face not received

It shows the punishment from Christ; for David says: “the Lord’s face is upon those doing evils.” (Psalm 34:16) And they are not looked upon by him, remaining what they are; for “when the fullness of the nations has entered, all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25) and thereafter as faithful. And if it should be written “their portion,” clearly he says of those going out from the midst. And about the enemies: “they did not receive priests’ face,” (Lamentations 4:16) for they led all away.

Greek

Klagel. Jerem. 4, 16. Τὴν παρὰ Χριστοῦ τιμωρίαν δηλοῖ· λέγει γὰρ ὁ Δαβίδ· δὲ κυρίου ἐπὶ ποιοῦντας κακά. οὐκ ἐπιβλέπονται δὲ παρ αὐτοῦ , μένοντες ὅπερ εἰσίν· 〉ὅταν〈 γὰρ >εἰσέλθῃ τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν, πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται< καὶ λοιπὸν ὡς πιστὸς εἰ δὲ γράφοιτο· μερὶς αὐτῶν, δῆλον ὅτι τῶν ἐξιόντων ἐκ μέσου φησίν. περὶ δὲ τῶν πολεμίων τὸ πρόσωπον ἱερέων οὐκ ἔλαβον, πάντας γὰρ ἀπήγαγον.

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About this text

Origen on Lamentations: Jeremiah's grief for captive Jerusalem, read also as the soul taken captive by sin and set free by Christ.

Origen of Alexandria (c. 185–c. 254) was a Christian teacher in Alexandria and head of the catechetical school. This English is his fragments on Lamentations.

The full commentary is lost. What survives are short passages kept in later chains of quotations. He sets out the literal sense, the Hebrew form of the book, and its historical setting, and he compares the Greek translations.

A reader meets Jeremiah lamenting the fall of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem read both as the city and as the soul. Origen quotes Symmachus, Aquila, and Theodotion. He also cites Paul, David, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, Zechariah, and Daniel. He uses Septuagint book names and Psalm numbering.

EditionKlostermann, Origenes Werke III (GCS 6, 1901)

We have not yet re-checked this work against its source. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

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