Fragments on Jeremiah · §4 · Cyril of Alexandria

Refusal to Acknowledge the Law

The present times are characterized by the elders of creation associated with Alexander, and it is possible that a city existed in that location before Alexander, which had ceased to exist, and he rebuilt it.

According to some, the Egyptians refer to Ammon as the god, from which the Ammonian region is named, and they consider him the son of the goddess, deified by her.

The statue of Ammon, which is handmade, will be taken by the Babylonians, along with the other gods they introduce.

The phrase 'I will avenge' applies generally to Pharaoh and Egypt.

He sent angels to the nations, and the region he spoke of is referred to as angels by Jeremiah, while Symmachus gave a message, which could be thought of as a siege.

He calls the divine impulse towards the nations, and the movement from it, angels, for having been moved by God towards war, they provoked each other, as Abdiu says, and they joined those from Israel against Idumea and the surrounding nations.

Turning towards Idumea, he says: 'Behold, I gave you a little among the nations, but you became contemptible, thinking big in difficulties, not knowing that you will be captured even if you exalt your dwelling like an eagle.', and to him, Idumea will become desolate.

Abdiu said again: 'The house of Esau will become a stubble, and it will be burned, and there will be no one to kindle a fire in the house of Esau' (Obadiah 1:18).

The proverb also holds true among outsiders: 'Not even a firebrand was left, among those who were utterly destroyed.', for someone used to go before, carrying fire, and purifying the armies before the battle, and it was a law not to raise a hostile hand against this.

We have healed Babylon, as stated in 70.1457.

In this context, Babylon is named Jerusalem among these things, as they strive to imitate its ways and do not relinquish their claim to the land of the nations, having attained complete possession.

They refuse to honor the law, which is the beneficial aspect of prophetic guidance.

Greek

παρόντες καιροὶ τῆς Ἀλεξάνδρου πρεσβύτεροι κτίσεως. Ἴσως οὖν πρὸ Ἀλεξάνδρου πόλις ὑπῆρχεν ἐκεῖ, καὶ παυσαμένην ἀνέκτισε. Τινὲς δέ φασιν ὡς Ἀμμωνᾶν τὸν ∆ία καλοῦσιν Αἰγύπτιοι, ἀφ' οὗ καὶ Ἀμμωνιακὴ προσαγορεύεται χώρα· ὃν αὐτῆς υἱὸν καλεῖ ὡς παρ' αὐτῆς θεοποιηθέντα· χειροποίητον γὰρ τὸ ἄγαλμα, ὃ δὴ, φησὶν, οἱ Βαβυλώνιοι παραλήψονται, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους αὐτῶν οὓς ἐπάγει θεούς. Τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ Φαραὼ καὶ Αἴγυπτον, κατὰ κοινοῦ ἔχει τὸ ἐκδικῶ. Καὶ ἀγγέλους εἰς ἔθνη ἀπέστειλε. Περιοχὴν δὲ εἶπεν οὓς Ἱερεμίας ἀγγέλους, καὶ Σύμμαχος ἀγγελίαν ἐξέδωκεν· νοοῖτο δ' ἂν καὶ πολιορκία. Καλεῖ δὲ κατὰ τῆς Ἰδουμαίας ἔθνη πολλὰ τὸ θεῖον νεῦμα, καὶ τὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ κίνησιν ἀγγέλους εἶπε. Κινηθέντες γὰρ ἐκ Θεοῦ πρὸς πόλεμον, ἀλλήλους ἠρέθιζον, ὥς φησιν Ἀβδιού· συνεισέβαλον γὰρ τοῖς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ εἰς Ἰδουμαίαν καὶ τὰ περίοικα τῶν ἐθνῶν. Πρὸς Ἰδουμαίαν δὲ μεταστρέψας, φησίν· Ἰδοὺ μικρὸν ἔδωκά σε ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἀλλ' ὅμως εὐκαταφρόνητος γενόμενος ἐφρόνεις εἰς μέγα ἐπὶ ταῖς δυσχερείαις, ἀγνοῶν ὡς ἁλώσῃ κἂν ὑψώσῃς ὡς ἀετὸς τὴν κατοίκησιν. Τῷ δὲ, καὶ ἔσται Ἰδουμαία εἰς ἄβατον, καὶ τοῖς ἐφεξῆς, συνωδὰ πάλιν ἔφησεν Ἀβδιού· Καὶ ἔσται ὁ οἶκος Ἡσαῦ εἰς καλάμην, καὶ ἐκκαυθήσεται εἰς αὐτοὺς , καὶ οὐκ ἔσται πυρφόρος ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Ἡσαῦ. Ἡ δὲ παροιμία καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἔξω κρατεῖ· Οὐδὲ πυρφόρος ἐλείφθη, ἐπὶ τῶν ἄρδην ἀπολλυμένων. Προηγεῖτο γάρ τις πῦρ ἔχων, καὶ περικαθαίρων πρὸ τῆς συμβολῆς τὰ στρατεύματα, καὶ νόμος ἦν μηδένα κατὰ τούτου χεῖρα φέρειν πολέμιον. 70.1457 Ἰατρεύσαμεν τὴν Βαβυλῶνα. Βαβυλῶνα τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐν τούτοις κατονομάζουσιν, ὡς τὰ ἐκείνης μιμεῖσθαι σπουδάζουσαν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀποδέουσαν τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν χώρας, τό γε ἧκον εἰς ἕξιν τελείαν, καὶ τὸ μὴ ἀνέχεσθαι τιμᾷν τὸν νόμον, ἤτοι τῆς προφητικῆς παιδαγωγίας τὸ ἐπωφελές. 2