Holy elect; broken cisterns; famous apostates
And holy as elect because of the fathers, or because of the holy ones taken with Jehoiachin, whom he likened to good figs. And after a little: And of the exits leading from the holy land unto Babylon and unto the intelligible Babylonian, “so that they may be disciplined not to blaspheme.” And you would also say the lament upon those changing from piety—if they should be notable and should lead the others unto error—having left the spring of the living water and having become broken cisterns that cannot hold. From which fittingly they are poured out about error, groaning untimely.
Greek
Klagel. Jerem. 4, 1. Ἀγιοι δὲ ὡς ἐκλεκτοὶ διὰ τοὺς πατέρας ἢ διὰ τοὺς σὺν Ἰωακεὶμ ληφθέντας ὰγίους, οὔς ἀπείκασε σύκοις χρηστοῖς. Καὶ μετ΄ όλίγα· Ἐξόδων δὲ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁγίας γῆς >ἀπαγουσῶν εἰς καὶ εἰς τὸν νοητὸν Βαβυλώνιον, «ἴνα παιδευθῶσι μὴ βλασφημεῖν. εἴποις δ' ἂν τὸν Θρῆνον καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκ θεοσεβείας μεταβαλλόντων, εἴπερ εἶεν ἐπίσημοι καὶ πλάνης ἡγοῖντο τοῖς ἄλλοις, καταλιπόντες μὲν τὴν πηγὴν τοῦ ζῶντος ὕδατος, γεγονότες δὲ λάκκοι συντετριμ- μένοι οἳ οὐ δύνανται στέγειν<. ὅθεν εἰκότως ἐκχέονται περὶ πλάνην ἀωρὶ στένοντες.
About this text
Origen, Fragments on Lamentations. Original English Translation from the Greek (Klostermann).
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.