Pottery and the Rejected Vessels
"They were counted as shards." Likewise also the race of Israel, when it was unfaithful to the Savior, says "as vessels of a potter they are broken, they shall shepherd them with an iron rod" (Jeremiah 18:4); when they were sheep, they were golden and were led under a pastoral "rod", but now "with an iron rod", and "they are broken like vessels of a potter".
Immediately also in Jeremiah a mystical thing regarding such things lies; it is commanded "to go down into the fifth house of the potter, and having gone down" (Jeremiah 18:2) he saw a "vessel" being flattened, "clay" being shaped into a "vessel"; and since the dwelling did not have the form of the "vessel" of "honor", "it fell from his hands"; the potter "let it fall" so that it might be remolded by the potter. Therefore, when a place has capacity for repentance, it is a clay "vessel" capable of being remolded, of being transformed. But when it has reached a stability in a state almost unchangeable or difficult to change, then it is henceforth a "shard". For this reason it is cast away.
Furthermore, the prophet, after seeing in the "house of the potter" the shaping of the "vessel", takes a "small shard" and "breaks" it. And he says: "thus I will destroy the pride of Jacob" (Isaiah 10:22). Therefore they were rejected, therefore "they are cast out". And he says concerning this in Isaiah, of this "broken shard vessel", that thus "it was broken" (Isaiah 32:20) so that "not to be found" is a part of it "in which" anyone is able to take a little "water" or "fire", that is to say, having become completely useless, not even the "water"—the little bit or that still capable of quenching—can be received, nor the "fire" that brings to the "shard" itself hardness.
Therefore: here does he say "house" for the world or the church? For in this too there are such diverse "vessels" "for honor and for dishonor". And that such things are in the church, the divine word says: "remove the evil one from among yourselves" (1 Corinthians 5:13), "vessels of dishonor" etc. Again, "fornication is heard among you, and such fornication as is not even among the Gentiles, that a man has a woman of his father" (1 Corinthians 5:1). And he commands "to cast out" this one. And the church can be the "great house" and the surrounding place. And "guards" of this "house" are those appointed to watch.
abandon
Greek
"ἐλογίσθησαν εἰς ὀστράκινα". ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ τὸ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ γένος, ὅτε ἠπίστησεν τῷ ςωτῆρ̣ι, "ὡς σκεύη κεραμέως συντρίβονται, ποιμανεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ"· ὅτε ἦσαν πρόβατα, χρυσᾶ ἦσαν καὶ ὑπὸ "ῥάβδου" ποιμαντικῆς ἤγοντο, νῦν δὲ "ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ", καὶ "συν τρίβονται ὡς σκεύη κεραμέως". αὐτ̣ίκ̣α̣ γο̣υ῀̣ν κ̣αὶ ἐν Ἰηρεμίᾳ μυστικόν τι περὶ τῶν τοιούτων κεῖται· προστάττεται "καταβῆναι εἰς τὸν 53 οἶκον τοῦ κεραμέως, καὶ καταβὰς" εἶδεν "σκεῦος" πλατ τόμενον, "πηλὸν" σχηματιζόμενον εἰς "σκεῦος"· καὶ ἐπει 344 δὴ οὐκ εἶχεν τὸ οἰκεῖον σχῆμα τοῦ "σκεύους" τοῦ "τιμί ου", "διέπεσεν ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ"· ὁ κεραμεὺς "διέ πεσεν" αὐτό, ἵνα ἀναπλάσηται αὐτὸ ὁ κεραμεύς. ὅτε οὖν χώραν τις ἔχει μετανοίας, πήλινόν ἐστιν "σκεῦος" δυνάμενον ἀναπλασθῆναι, μετασχηματισθῆναι. ὅταν δὲ λοι πὸν βεβαιότητα σχῇ ἐν ἕξει σχεδὸν ἀδιαπτώτῳ ἢ δυσμετα πτώτῳ, τότε λοιπὸν "ὀστράκινόν" ἐστιν. διὰ τοῦτο προσ ίεται. λοιπὸν ὁ προφήτης μετὰ τὸ ἰδεῖν ἐν τῷ "οἴκῳ τοῦ κεραμέως" τὴν διάπλασιν τοῦ "σκεύους" λαμβάνει "βῖκον ὀ στράκινον" καὶ "συντρίβει" αὐτόν. καὶ λέγει. "οὕτως φθερῶ τὴν ὕβριν Ἰακώβ". τότε λοιπὸν ἀπεδοκιμάσθησαν, τότε "ἐκβέβληνται". καὶ λέγει περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν Ἰσαΐᾳ τούτου τοῦ "συντρι βέντος σκεύους ὀστρακίνου" ὅτι οὕτω "συνετρίβη" "ὡς μὴ εὑρεθῆναι" μέρος αὐτοῦ "ἐν ᾧ" τις δύναται ὀλίγον "ὕ δωρ" λαβεῖν ἢ "πῦρ", τουτέστιν ἀχρήσιμον παντελῆ γενό μενον οὐδὲ τὸ "ὕδωρ" † τὸ ὀλίγον † ἢ τὸ ποτίζον ἔτι δυ νάμενον δέξασθαι, οὐδὲ τὸ "πῦρ" ἐκεῖνο τὸ εἰς "ὀστρά κινον" αὐτὸ καὶ στερεότητα ἀγαγόν. ἐπερ· ὧδε οὖν "οἰκίαν" λέγει τὸν κόσμον ἢ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν; –εἰσὶν καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ τὰ διάφορα "σκεύη" τα`̣ "εἰς τιμὴν καὶ εἰς ἀτιμίαν". καὶ ὅτι εἰσὶν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλη σίᾳ τ̣ο̣ι̣οῦτο̣ι̣ ὁ θεῖος λ̣ο´̣γος λέγει· "ἐξάρατε τὸν πονηρὸν ἐξ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν" "ἀτιμίας σκεύη" κ·····? πάλιν "ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία, καὶ τοιαύτη πορνεία ἥτις οὐ δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἐ´̣θνεσιν, ὥστε γυναῖκά τινα τοῦ πα τρὸς ἔχειν". καὶ "ἐκβάλλεσθαι" τοῦτον κελεύε̣ι̣. καὶ ἡ ἐκκλησία ··1–2ν δ̣ύνατα̣ι̣ εἶναι ἡ "μεγάλη οἰκία" καὶ ὁ περι`̣ γῆν τ̣όπος̣. "φύλακες" δὲ ταύτης τῆς "οἰκίας" εἰσὶν οἱ τεταγμένοι φρουρεῖν αὐτὴν η········ι̣ ἢ διδασκαλι´̣ᾳ. ἐα`̣ν μὲν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν λάβῃς, οἱ διδάσκαλοι. παρ̣έπονταί γ̣ε τούτοις καὶ ἄγγελοι. περὶ γοῦν τοῦ Πέτρου εἴρηκαν· "ὁ ἄγγελος αυ᾿̣τοῦ ἐστιν". καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ μικροὶ ἔχουσιν ἀγγέλους "βλέποντας διὰ παντὸς τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρός". ε̣ι᾿̣ δὲ οἱ μικροί, πόσῳ οἱ τέ λειοι. ἐπερ· οὗτοι ···ε̣αν "σ̣αλε̣υθῶσιν"; –ἐπίτασις γεγένητ̣αι τῆς κακίας τῶν φρουρουμένων· καταλείψ̣ουσιν οἱ φρουροί, κἄν γ̣ε̣ ἄνδ̣ρ̣ες ἦσαν τέλειοι 345 κἂν ἄγγελοι. λέγουσιν γοῦν· δεῦτε γὰρ καὶ "ἐνκαταλεί πομεν αὐτήν"· ὡς προαναφωνεῖν τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα καὶ λέ γειν· "ἐνκαταλειφθήσεται ἡ θυγάτηρ Σιὼν ὡς σκηνὴ ἐν ἀμπελῶνι". γέγονέν τις Ἰουδαϊκὸς ἱστοριογράφος Ἰώσιππος· ἐκεῖνος ἐν ταῖς θεοσημίαις ταῖς γενομέναις μετὰ τὸ προ δοθῆναι τὸν ςωτῆρα ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ τοιαύτην ἔθηκεν ἣν λέγει· θύρα μεγάλη τοῦ ναοῦ ἦν· μόλις ἔκλειον ἰσχυροὶ ἄνδρες τριάκοντα, καὶ μοχλοὶ ἐπέκειντο ἵν' ἀσφαλισθῇ κλεισθεῖσα· ἄφνω, λέγει, ἐν νυκτὶ μιᾷ οἱ ἱερεῖς̣ περιερχόμενοι ἤκουσαν, λέγει, φωνὴν ὡς πολλῶν λεγόντων· "μεταβαίνομεν ἐντεῦθεν"· καὶ ἄφνω, λέγει, αὐ τομάτως ἠνεῴχθησαν αἱ πύλαι. καὶ τοῦτο ἦν τὸ "ἐνκαταλειφθήσεται ἡ θυγάτηρ Σιὼν ὡς σκηνὴ ἐν ἀμπελῶνι". καὶ τότε μάλιστα τοῦτο ὑπῆρκται, ὅτε ὁ ςωτὴρ "ἐνκαταλέλοιπεν" λέγων· "ἐνκατέλειψα τὸν οἶκόν σου, ἀφεὶς τὴν κληρονομίαν μου"· "ἰδοὺ ἀφίεται ὑμῖν ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν" ὁ ςωτὴρ πάλιν αὐτοῖς τοῖς Ἰου δαίοις. τοῦτο οὖν ἐστιν τὸ "σαλευθῆναι τοὺς φύλακας τῆς οἰκίας", τὸ μεταστῆναι τοὺς φρουρούς, τὸ μηκέτι περιέ πειν τὸν "οἶκον". ἐπερ· ἐν ἡμε´̣ρᾳ οὖν ποίᾳ; –····ε·?λ········ι̣ν τ̣ῆς κρίσεως̣ ··λε ·········οι̣. ἐπερ· εἰ δὲ περὶ γῆν τόπος, τί; –πάλιν ··········ιωδε ἐπιτραπέντες δι̣···· ···ε̣. 12,3bcd καὶ διαστραφῶσιν ἄνδρες τῆς δυνάμεως· καὶ ἤργησαν αἱ ἀλήθου σαι, ὅτι ὠλιγώθησαν· καὶ σκοτά σουσιν αἱ βλέπουσαι ἐν ταῖς ὀπαῖς. ̣12,3b οἱ "ἄνδρες τῆς δυνα´̣μεως" οὗτ̣οί εἰσιν, οἳ ὡσανεὶ στρατηγοὶ ἄρχουσι̣ν τ̣ῆς οἰκίας, οἱ ἄρχον τ̣ες. "διαστροφὴν" δὲ οὐ κακίαν αὐτῶν λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὴν μετάθεσιν τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἧς ἦσ̣αν ἐνκεχει ρισμένοι. μηκέτι ·ε̣·········υ̣τω····ν̣π̣·ρ······· οὐκέτι ὁ στρατηγὸς στρατηγός
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Ecclesiastes.
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Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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