Homilies on Jeremiah · §19.11 · Origen of Alexandria

Pashhur strikes Jeremiah and is named Migrant

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Jeremiah prophesied, and Pashhur son of Immer the priest heard the words of the prophecy. And though, as is likely upon the bare sequence of the prophecy, many had heard Jeremiah, it is not quickly written that another heard except Pashhur. And Scripture cared to say also whose son he was—that of Immer—and that he was called a priest, and what rank he had among the people—that he had been appointed leading the house of the Lord at the time Jeremiah was prophesying these words.

And it is written that hearing the words of this prophecy Pashhur struck Jeremiah, and was not content with having struck him, but also threw him into a certain fall-pit. Scripture cared to say also where this fall-pit was—in the gate of Benjamin—and that the fall-pit was in a place where there was an upper room, and an upper room of no other than the house of the Lord. These things the Holy Spirit wrote as having come to be upon the prophecy to Jeremiah, and as having come from Pashhur.

Then it says: on the next day Pashhur led Jeremiah out of the fall-pit. And led out, Jeremiah said to Pashhur that the Lord did not call you this name Pashhur; another name has been set for you—as for Jacob, Israel; as for Abram, Abraham; as for Sarai, Sarah—so he has set for you the name Migrant. And for this reason he called you Migrant, because the Lord says: Behold, I give you into migration with all—with whom? Not with your wife and your sons and your daughters, but with your friends. And when you are given into migration, your friends will fall by a sword. Then, as there is a difference for those falling by a sword if they fall by a sword of enemies or by a sword of others, he says that the friends of the one who threw Jeremiah into the fall-pit will fall into a sword of their enemies. And your eyes, he says, will see these things prophesied. But you and all Judah I will give into the hands of the king of Babylon, after your friends suffer these things, and they will migrate them into Babylon and will cut them down; for the king of Judah and those from Judah they will cut down with a sword, and no longer is 'of their enemies' added, as upon the former who were said to be friends of Pashhur. Then he says: and I will give all the strength of this city and all the treasures of the king of Judah and all the labors of this city into the hands of their enemies (Isaiah 44:5 (naming pattern)) (Jeremiah 15:11 (captivity theme)) (Jeremiah 18:21 (friends fall by sword)) (Jeremiah 19:3 (city strength given to enemies)).

Greek

(18,) >Προεφήτευσεν Ἱερεμίας· καὶ ἤκουσε Πασχὼρ υἱὸς Ἐμμὴρ ὁ ἱερεὺς τῶν λόγων τῆς προφητείας. καὶ τοσούτων κατὰ τὸ εἰκός, ὅσον ἐπὶ ψιλῇ τῇ ἀκολουθίᾳ τῆς προφητείας, ἀκηκοότων Ἱερεμίου οὐ ταχέως ἀναγέγραπται ἄλλος ἀκούσας εἰ μὴ Πασχώρ. ἐμέλησε δὲ τῇ γραφῇ εἰπεῖν ἐπεῖν καὶ τίνος υἱὸς ἠν, ὅτι Ἐμμήρ, καὶ ὅτι ἐχρημἀτιζεν ἱερεύς, καὶ ποίαν τάξιν εἶχεν ἐν τῷ λαῷ, ὅτι ἠν καθεσταμένος ἠγούμενος οἴκου κυρίου κατὰ τὸν χρόνον Ἱερεμίου προφητεύοντος τοὺς λόγους τούτους. καὶ ἀναγέγραπται ὅτι ἀκούσας τῶν λόγων τῆς προφητείας ταύτης Πασχὼρ ἐπάταξε τὸν Ἱερεμίαν, καὶ οὐκ ἠρκέσθη τῷ αὐτὸν πεπαταχέναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔβαλεν αὐτὸν εἴς τινα καταρράκτην.

ἐμέλησε τῇ γραφῇ εἰπεῖν καὶ ποῦ ἦν οὗτος ὁ καταρράκτης, ἐν τῇ πύλῃ τοῦ Βενιαμίν, καὶ ὅτι ὁ καταρράκτης ἡν ἐν τόπῳ ἔνθα ὑπερῷον ἦν, ὑπερῷον δὲ οὐκ ἔλλου τινὸς ἢ τοῦ οἴκου κυρίου. ταῦτα ἀνέγραψεν ἐπὶ τῇ προφητείᾳ γεγονέναι τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ, γεγονέναι δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πασχώρ. εἶτά φησι· τῇ ἐπαύριον ὁ Πασχὼρ ἐξήγαγε τὸν Ἱερεμίαν ἐκ τοῦ καταρράκτου. καὶ εἶπεν ἐξαχθεὶς ὁ Ἱερεμίας τῷ Πασχώρ, ὅτι οὐ κύιος τοῦτο τὰ ὄνομα ἐκάλεσέ σε τὸ Πασχώρ· ἄλλο ὄνομά σοι τέθειται· ὡς τῷ Ἰακὼβ Ἰσραήλ, ὡς τῷ Ἄβραμ Ἀβραάμ, ὡς τῇ Σαρᾷ Σάρρα, οὕτως σοι ὄνομα τέθεικε Μέτοικον. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐκάλεσέ σε Μέτοικον, ἐπειδήπερ λέγει ὁ κύριος· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ δίδωμί σε εἰς μετοικίαν σὺν πᾶσι· τίσιν; οὐχὶ γυναικί σου καὶ υἱοῖς σου καὶ θυγατράσι σου, ἀλλὰ σὺν τοῖς φίλοις σου. καὶ ἐπὰν δοθῇς εἰς μετοικίαν, πεσοῦνται οἱ φίλοι σου μαχαίρᾳ. εἶτα ὡς διαφορᾶς οὔσης τοῖς πίπτουσιν ἀπὸ μαχαίρας, ἐὰν πέσωσιν ἀπὸ μαχαίρας ἐχθρῶν ἢ ἀπὸ μαχαίρας ἄλλων, φησὶ πεσεῖσθαι τοὺς φίλους τοῦ βαλόντος τὸν Ἱερεμίαν εἰς τὸν καταρράκτην εἰς μάχαιραν ἐχθρῶν αὐτῶν. καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου, φησίν, ὄψονται ταῦτα τὰ προφητευόμενα. σὲ δὲ καὶ πάντα τὸν Ἰούδα δώσω εἰς χεῖρας βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος, μετὰ τὸ παθεῖν ταῦτα τοὺς φίλους σου, καὶ μετοικιοῦσιν αὐτοὺς εἰς Βαβυλῶνα καὶ κατακόψουσιν αὐτούς· τὸν γὰρ βασιλέα Ἰούδα καὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ Ἰούδα κατακόψουσιν ἐν μαχαίρᾳ, καὶ οὐκέτι πρόσκειται τὸ ἐχθρῶν αὐτῶν, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν προτέρων οἳ εἴρηνται φίλοι εἶναι τοῦ Πασχώρ. εἶτά φησι· καὶ δώσω πᾶσαν τὴν ἰσχὺν τῆς πόλεως ταύτης καὶ πάντας τοὺς θησαυροὺς τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰοὐδα καὶ πάντας τοὺς πόνους τῆς πόλεως ταύτης εἰς χεῖρας ἐχθρῶν αὐτῶν, ἵνα οἱ ἐχθροὶ διαρπάσωσι τοὺς θησαυροὺς καὶ λάβωσι τὰ προειρημένα καὶ ἀγάγωσι τὸν Ἰούδαν καὶ τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῆς εἰς Βαβυλῶνα. σὺ δέ, ὦ Πασχώρ, καὶ πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου, πορεύεσθε ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα, καὶ ἐκεῖ ἀποθανῇ, καὶ ἐκεῖ ταφήσῃ σὺ καὶ πάντες οἱ φίλοι σου οἷς προεφήτευσας αὐτοῖς ψευδῆ<.

ἔδει ἐπιτέμνεσθαι τὴν περικοπὴν ὅλην καὶ σαφηνίσαι, οὐδέπω τὸ νόημα αὐτῆς τὸ βαθὺ (εἴγε χωροῦμεν αὐτό), ἀλλ᾿ ἢ τὴν λέξιν καὶ τὸ ῥητὸν αὐτό, ὃ καὶ ὁ τυχὼν ἐπιστήσας ἐπιμελῶς τοῖς γράμμασι καὶ μὴ ἐκ παρέργου δύναται κἂν οὕτως νοῆσαι. τί οὖν βούλεται ταῦτα; ἐνθάδε ὁ ἀγών ἐστι παραστῆσαι τὸ βούλημα τούτων τῶν γραμμάτων. καὶ δὴ ὁμολογῶ κατ᾿ ἐμαυτὸν μὴ δύνασθαι αὐτὰ διηγήσασθαι, ἀλλὰ δεῖσθαι, ὡς προεῖπον, ἐπιφανείας τῆς δυνάμεως Ἰησοῦ, καθ᾿ ὃ σοφία ἐστί, καθ᾿ ὃ λόγος, καθ᾿ ὅ ἀλήθεια, ἵνα ἡ ἐπιφάνεια αὐτοῦ ποιήσῃ φῶς ἐπὶ τοῦ προσώπου τῆς ψυχῆς μου.