Origen · a new plain-English translation from the Greek and Latin
It is clearly written in the Acts of the Apostles that the apostles first entered the synagogue of the Jews, proclaiming to them, as kinsmen through Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the things that had been written concerning the coming of Jesus Christ. But when those people would not accept what was said, and it was necessary that there be other hearers of what was spoken, then the apostles, having made their defense to them, left them behind.
For it is written: "You were the ones to whom God's word had to be announced first; but since you judge yourselves unworthy, look, we are turning to the nations instead." Now this, which is said plainly in the Acts of the Apostles, has in effect been said in many places by the prophets as well; for the Holy Spirit speaks primarily, through the prophets, to those of that people, but
whenever, after speaking much, it was not heeded, it prophesies the word that would be proclaimed to the nations. This is exactly what happened at the beginning of today's reading, since before this very passage it is said to those of Israel: "Even if you call me father, you will not turn away from me. But as a wife who is faithless to the one who lives with her, so
has the house of Israel been faithless to me, says the Lord." And when these things concerning Israel had first been said, and the sons of Israel had heard "that they dealt unjustly in their ways and forgot the Lord their God," next the Holy Spirit turns the word to us who are from the nations, and says: "Turn back, sons who turn back, and I will heal
your wounds." For we are the ones filled with wounds — each of us could say this, even if now cleansed and healed of our wounds. "For we too were once foolish, foolish, going astray, enslaved to desires and to many and varied pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness and love for mankind of God our Savior appeared,
he poured out his mercy upon us through the washing of regeneration" — though having once mentioned this apostolic saying, I will try to set it forth more clearly. For it was not said: "we were once foolish, disobedient" simply by anyone — but Paul, the apostle, the one from Israel, the one who "became blameless according to the righteousness that is in the law," says: "for we too were once (we who are from Israel) disobedient, foolish" — but
not only were those from the nations foolish, nor were those from Israel alone disobedient, nor were they alone sinners — we too, who had been taught the law, were of the same kind before the coming of Christ. So it is said, after the words spoken to Israel, to us who are from the nations: "Turn back, sons who turn back, and I will heal your wounds." But
someone will say: these things were said to Israel, and you draw them over to those from the nations. We wish to show that it is not after many things but immediately, wherever it wishes to speak to Israel about turning back, that it adds the name of Israel. Accordingly, it is next said: "If Israel turns back, says the Lord, to me, it shall be restored; and if it removes its abominations
of his, from his mouth, and be in awe before my face, and swear, ‘The Lord lives,’ in truth and in judgment and in righteousness, and nations will bless themselves in him.’ The first things, then, are said to those from the nations, since if the fullness of the nations comes in, then all Israel will be saved, according to what has been said by the apostle
in the letter to the Romans. Observe in what way God urges us, as we turn, to turn completely, promising that if, ‘turning,’ we turn to him, he will heal, through Jesus Christ, our ‘wounds’; while we, answering—we who are not going to delay or be slow about our salvation as that Israel was—say, ‘Here we are, we will be yours.’ God said,
‘Turn back, sons who are turning, and I will heal your wounds’; and those from the nations say, ‘We will be slaves’—we who were not ‘yours’ before, but belonged to demons, and were in the grip of opposing powers. For ‘when’ the Most High ‘divided the nations, we became not your portion, nor, with the people of Jacob, a measured cord of inheritance,’ but we became the portions of others; yet we who
once became portions, when you said to us, ‘Turn back, sons who are turning, and I will heal your wounds,’ answer: ‘Here we are.’ For this is what we were waiting for—the call—not that, just as those were called and declined, so we too, being called, should decline. For we have it in the parables of the gospel that, when some had been called first, one said, ‘I have taken a wife, consider me excused,’ and another
said, ‘Five yoke of oxen is what I have purchased, and I am on my way to test them; count me among the excused.’ We, then, who are from the nations, are not like that—we were called, and we do not decline. Why? What field is there for us to attend to? What wise wife? What else should occupy us? God, then, has said to us, ‘Turn back, sons who are turning, and I will heal your wounds’; and seeing our own
wounds, and the promise concerning their healing, we immediately answer and say, ‘Here we are, we will be yours, for you are the Lord our God.’ Having heard, then, and having said ‘we will be yours,’ let us remember that we have made a promise to God, saying to him, ‘we will be yours’; and having said to him ‘we will be yours,’ let us belong to nothing else—not to a spirit of anger, not to a spirit of grief, not to a spirit of desire, not
let us belong to the devil, nor to his angels; but, having been called and having said, ‘Here we are, we will be yours,’ let us show by our deeds that we have devoted ourselves to becoming his, and no one else’s. And we say, ‘for you are the Lord our God’; for we confess no other god—not the belly, as the gluttons do, ‘whose god is the belly’; not
silver, as the money-lovers do, nor covetousness, which is idolatry, nor do we deify and make a god of anything else, as many do make gods; but for us the God over all, the God who is over all, through all, and in all, is God, and since we have been bound in attachment to God—for love binds us to God—we say: ‘Here we are, we will be yours,’
'...that you are the LORD our God.' Then, having condemned our former evils (when we regarded the idols as great and lofty, and worshiped them, thinking marvelous the things we served; but now we have condemned them, since all those things were false and amounted to nothing), we say, turning back: 'Truly the hills were a lie' — we too having condemned the former lofty things and the former marvels.
And perhaps, if we work carefully at it, we will find the difference between the hills and mountains among the nations, which those who said, 'Behold, here we are, we will be yours, for you are the LORD our God,' having abandoned, accuse as false — both the hills and the mountains. What, then, is the difference between the mountains and hills among the nations, which, having condemned, we say: 'Truly
the hills were a lie, and the power of the mountains'? This is what we say, we who have condemned the former things. Among the things worshiped by the nations, some are worshiped as gods, others as heroes. For they themselves also acknowledge, concerning some, that they were formerly human and were deified. They worship Heracles not as a god born a god, but as one changed from a human being into a god;
they worship Asclepius as one changed from a human being into a god through virtue. But when they worship the fathers of these, who are called gods among them, they worship them not as ones changed from human beings into gods, but, as those people suppose, as gods existing from the beginning. So, then, those regarded by the nations as gods from the beginning will be 'the mountains' and 'the power of the mountains,' while those regarded
by them as being gods now, but as having formerly been human, these are 'the hills.' Knowing, then, both orders of things worshiped, we say: 'Truly the hills were a lie, and the power of the mountains.' For those who serve them do not suppose that these things are false. That is why they think the oracles and the cures are true cures, not seeing the difference belonging to every
power and sign and wonder of falsehood in every deceit of unrighteousness for those who are perishing — the fullness of the nations should come in, and after this all Israel will be saved — Christ Jesus: these were signs of truth; and even before him, the things Moses did were a power of truth. But the things the Egyptians did were signs and wonders indeed, but of falsehood. And so too were the things
Simon the magician did after Jesus, so as to lead the nation of Samaria astray and to have himself regarded as the power of God — these too were signs and wonders of falsehood. When, then, we condemn those things, we who have condemned them say: 'Truly the hills were a lie, and the power of the mountains.' Then, since we, who are from the nations, know that by the
trespass of Israel we received the way of salvation, and that they are cast out, until our fullness comes in — and we know too that if the fullness of the nations comes in, after this all Israel will be saved — for this reason we say, first, 'Truly the hills were a lie, and the power of the mountains,' and second, concerning Israel after the fullness of the nations.
"But salvation for Israel is through the Lord our God." Since we have once mentioned the apostolic saying, that by the trespass by which Israel fell, salvation came to the nations, and that when "the fullness of the nations comes in" — Israel remaining outside — after the fullness of the nations that is coming in, "then all Israel will be saved," come, let us unfold the matters relating to these places.
Israel was being saved. The greater part of Israel fell away, but "a remnant has come to be according to the election of grace," concerning which remnant it is said mystically "in the passage on Elijah": "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bent the knee to Baal." And in explaining this remnant the apostle says: "So then, in the present time also a remnant has come to be according to the election of grace." Therefore
there is Israel, even if only a remnant is being saved, once Israel has been left behind. These two orders, if you are able, transfer for me also to those from the nations. For he did not say: when all the nations are saved, then all Israel will be saved; but: "when the fullness of the nations comes in," then it is not that just any Israel will be saved along with all the nations, but rather after "the fullness of the
nations." If anyone is able, let him go further and, just as he found Israel being saved after the fullness of the nations, pass over in reasoning and consider when all will serve God under a single yoke, and bring sacrifices from the ends of Ethiopia — as it is said in the sixty-seventh Psalm: "Ethiopia will stretch out her hand to God," and to the kingdoms
"of the earth" the word commands, saying: "Sing to the Lord, sing praise to the God of Jacob." So then, we who are from the nations say, concerning ourselves, repenting of the falsehoods which we thought were true: "Truly the hills were a delusion, and the power of the mountains"; but concerning the Israel who will be saved after us: "But salvation for the house of Israel is through the
Lord our God." And when we confess our sins, in which our fathers too were involved, and we ourselves were idolaters, we say: "Shame has consumed the labors of our fathers from their youth, their sheep and their oxen, their sons and their daughters." "Shame has consumed the labors of our fathers" —
and the words said here. Therefore, if the toilsome labor and the false work of the fathers is to be consumed, shame must come about; for before shame comes, the labor of the fathers is not consumed — and what follows. For this reason let us consider the differences among those who sin. There are those who sin and are neither ashamed nor abashed at their sins, nor do they blush. Such are those who
have grown callous and have given themselves over to all licentiousness and all uncleanness. For as to those from the nations — in what manner, as though recounting feats of valor, they sometimes list their fornications and their adulteries, not even ashamed to confess that they have done such things, and do not call them sins. Insofar as they are not ashamed, their labors are not consumed. Their sins are not consumed. The beginning of good things is
being ashamed of things one was not ashamed of before. For this reason I do not think it is a curse that is spoken among the prophets in “let all who hate Zion be ashamed and confounded.” For he is praying that those insensible to shameful deeds may come to an awareness, so that, having been put to shame, they may be able to consume their toils and their sins. And the irrational movements of the fathers he called “sheep” and
“calves.” For not all irrational things are praiseworthy; rather, some are blameworthy, like the sheep of the fathers who had sinned; but there are also some irrational things that are praiseworthy, such as: “my sheep hear my voice.” These too were sheep, to which we bear an analogous relation, since we have the good shepherd in our souls. For whenever the Savior says:
“I am the good shepherd,” I do not hear this only as everyone hears it, that he is the shepherd of those who believe (for this too is sound and true), but I also ought to have Christ within my own soul, the good shepherd within me, shepherding the irrational movements within me, so that they may no longer go out to pasture at random,
but, being led by the shepherd, these things, which once happened to be foreign to him, may become his own. For this reason, now, if the shepherd is in me, he rules over my senses; they are no longer under a foreign mind, or under Pharaoh, or under Nebuchadnezzar, but under the good shepherd. “Shame,” then, “has consumed the toils of our fathers from their youth,
their sheep and their oxen.” There is something in us that farms us, whether farming badly — I mean “badly” said of the one farming — or farming well. If, then, it farms badly, it is a toil of the fathers that is being consumed by their shame; but if it farms well, it is not a toil of the fathers, but rather a toil from which
the firstborn are offered up upon the altar of God. “Their sons and their daughters,” they say. Whose “them”? The sons of “the fathers” are consumed by their shame, and their daughters as well. We have often said that these are the offspring of the soul — that thoughts are sons, while the works and the deeds performed through the body are daughters. Since, then,
there are some wicked thoughts, of the kind that those from the nations conceived, and there are also wicked deeds, for this reason sons and daughters are consumed by those who produced them, if shame arises in them concerning their sins. But may it not befall us to make sons and daughters subject to that consumption which comes from shame. After this, these who are confessing say, “We lay down in our shame,
“our shame”; and after this they say: “and our dishonor,” it says, “has covered us.” Concerning the veil that lies upon the face of those who do not turn to the Lord, we have often spoken. Because of this veil, whenever Moses is read, the sinner does not understand him; for “a veil lies upon his heart.” Because of the veil, if the old covenant is read, he will not understand it,
...listening. That is why the gospel too is veiled to those who are perishing. Let us speak then about the veil, that shame is the veil. For as much as we have “the works of shame,” it is clear that we have the veil, according to what is said somewhere in the forty-third Psalm: “and the shame of my face has covered me.” I cited this because he who does not
have works of shame does not have a veil; such was Paul, saying: “but we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord.” Paul therefore has his face unveiled, for he does not have works of shame. He who is not like Paul has his face veiled. As therefore there it is said “the shame of my face has covered me” in the forty-third
Psalm, in the same way it is said here: “our dishonor,” it says, “has covered us.” As much as we work the works of dishonor, we have a veil lying upon our heart. If we wish to lay aside the veil that comes from dishonor, let us arrive at the works of honor and understand that saying spoken by the Savior: “that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father,”
let us also understand what is said by the apostle: “through transgression of the law you dishonor God. The righteous man, as he honors the Father, honors the Son.” Dishonor, whenever I dishonor the Son — the very dishonor by which I dishonor the Father or the Son — becomes a covering upon my face, and I say: “and dishonor has covered us.” For this reason, having understood the
veil that lies upon us from the works of shame, from the deeds, let us remove — let us remove the veil. It is in our power for the veil to be removed; it belongs to no one else. For “whenever Moses turned to the Lord, the veil was removed.” Do you see how Moses is at times taken also for the people? As much as he did not turn to the Lord, being a symbol of the people who do not turn
to the Lord, he had a veil lying upon his face; but when he turned to the Lord, becoming a symbol of those who turn to the Lord, then “the veil was removed.” And it was not as though God commanded him, saying: put on the veil (for the Lord did not say to Moses: put on the veil), but Moses, seeing that the people could not look upon his glory,
then would put “the veil upon his face,” and did not wait for God to say: remove the veil, whenever he might turn to the Lord. This then is written, so that you too, in putting the veil upon your face through the works of dishonor and of shame, may yourself also work at having the veil removed. If you turn to the Lord, then you remove the
veil, and you will no longer say “our dishonor has covered us.” For instance, when anger lies upon our soul against someone, a veil of ours lies upon our face. Therefore, if we wish, while praying, to say: “the light of your face has been marked upon us, O Lord,” let us remove the veil and do that apostolic saying: “I want the men to pray in every
in that place lifting up holy hands without anger and disputations.» If we remove the anger, we have removed the veil, if all the passions too. And to the extent that these things are in our mind, in our reasoning, the veil and the dishonor lie upon the inner face, upon our ruling faculty, so that we do not see the glory of God shining. It is not
God who hides his glory from us, but we who place the veil upon the ruling faculty out of wickedness. »Because we have sinned before our God, we and our fathers.« Would that we too might say this, as they do, in accordance with the prophet's impersonation: we have sinned. »We have sinned« is not the same as we sin; for the one still in sin
should not say, we have sinned, but the one who sinned before, and has repented precisely, should say, we have sinned, as it is also written in Daniel: a confession by those no longer sinning, who say, »we have sinned, we have broken the law,« and in the Psalms: »do not remember the iniquities of our former days,« says the prophet. Let us too, then, confess our sins – would that not for yesterday's, would that not for those of three days ago, but would that in confessing we might confess concerning sins committed fifteen years
ago, so as to have had no sin after that for fifteen years. But if we sinned yesterday, we are not yet trustworthy in confessing about our sins; nor is there room for these sins of ours to be blotted out. »Because we have sinned, we and our fathers, from our youth until this day.« Let that first point be said for instruction concerning the manner of the best confession;
but this is an accusation of sinning for a long time. »From youth,« it says, »until this day, and we have not heeded the voice of the Lord our God«: we have sinned, and we have not heeded, up to the present. Then, having turned and having made a beginning of turning, they say, »we have sinned, and we have not heeded.« For it is not the case that the moment we wish to obey we already obey at once; for there is still need of
time, just as with wounds in coming to healing, so too with turning, in coming to turn completely and purely to God. On this point God says concerning Israel: »if Israel turns back to me, says the Lord, it shall indeed be turned back«; that is, if it turns back completely, it will also be turned back with a true turning, not if it merely begins, as it were, to turn back. Then he says: »And
if he removes his abominations from his mouth, and reveres my presence, and swears, 'the Lord lives,' in truth and in judgment and in righteousness, then the nations shall bless themselves in him.« If they do these things, »the nations shall bless themselves in him.« And what must they do, that the nations may bless themselves in him? »If he removes his abominations from his mouth
«. And what is it to remove the abominations from the mouth? Whatever we say wickedly is abominations in our mouth. Let us, then, remove the abominations from our mouth, taking away slanders, vain words, idle words that are bound to bring us under accusation »on the day of judgment; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.« If, then,
We want to meet the words "and nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him they shall praise God in Jerusalem." Let us do what was said from the beginning. But what comes first? To remove "the abominations from" our "mouth." Next comes "you shall be reverent before my face." Let us do this second thing, not simply so that we may be reverent - for perhaps there is a reverence that comes about not from the
face of God. At any rate, those who fear without understanding, but merely set out to be afraid, are not reverent before the face of God; but those who are reverent with understanding, by always looking upon and picturing to themselves "the face of God turned against those who do evil, so as to destroy their memorial from the earth" - these are the ones who are reverent before the face of God. "If
he removes his abominations from his mouth, and is reverent before my face, and swears, 'The Lord lives,' in truth and in judgment and in righteousness." Let us examine ourselves, we who swear, in what way we do not swear in judgment but without judgment, so that our oaths come about more from habit than from judgment. We are carried away, at any rate, and the word, rebuking this, says: "And
if he swears, 'The Lord lives,' in truth and in judgment and in righteousness." We know it was said by the Lord in the gospel to the disciples: "But I say to you, do not swear at all." Let us examine this saying too; and if God grants it, both will be considered together. For perhaps one must first swear "in truth and in judgment and
in righteousness," so that after this, having made progress, one may become worthy of not swearing at all, but of having a "yes" that needs no witnesses to establish that it is so, and of having a "no" that needs no witnesses to establish that it is truly "no." "And let him swear, then, 'The Lord lives' in truth." In the one who swears I look first for the absence of falsehood, but for truth, so that with truth
he may swear; but we wretches even commit perjury. But even granting that it is "with truth," even so an oath does not thereby become good, unless it is also "in judgment." For let it be granted that I swear out of habit; I do not swear "in judgment." If, in taking on such an oath, one must bring in God who is over all, and his Christ, for some matter, how weighty must the matter be, that I should bend the knee
and swear? Out of concern for some disbelief that has arisen in certain people about my word, I might do this at some point; but if I should swear carelessly, as it happened, I would be sinning. "If," then, "he swears, 'The Lord lives,' with truth and in judgment" - not without judgment - "and in righteousness" - not unjustly - "then nations shall bless themselves in him." He has united both, those from the nations and
Israel. He spoke concerning the nations, he spoke also concerning Israel. He adds: "and nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him they shall praise God in Jerusalem. For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and to those who dwell in Jerusalem." He has spoken to those from the nations, he has spoken also to those from Israel, he speaks to those from Judah. I recall what was said before,
Concerning the tropological readings about Judah and those dwelling in Jerusalem. For we dwell, if God grants it, in Jerusalem, since "where the treasure is, there also is the heart." If we store up treasure in heaven, we also have our heart in the Jerusalem above, about which the apostle says: "But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother, as
it is written," and so on. "Thus," then, "says the LORD to the men of Judah and to those dwelling in Jerusalem: break up new ground for yourselves, and do not sow among thorns." This word is spoken above all to teachers, so that they may not entrust what is said to their hearers before breaking up new ground in their souls. For when, having put their hand to the plow, they break up
new ground in souls that are listening in the manner of "good and noble soil," then they sow, and not among thorns. But if, before the plow and before breaking up new ground in the ruling faculty of the hearers, someone takes the holy seeds — the word concerning the Father, the word concerning the Son, the word concerning the Holy Spirit, the word concerning
the resurrection, the word concerning punishment, the word concerning rest, the word concerning the law, the word concerning the prophets, and simply the word concerning each of the things written — and sows, he transgresses the commandment that says, first, "break up new ground for yourselves," and second, "do not sow among thorns." But one of the hearers will say: I do not teach, I am not bound by this commandment. You too, become a farmer
of yourself, and do not sow among thorns, but break up new ground for me in the field that the God of all has entrusted to you. Take note of the field, see where the thorns are, where the cares of life are, and the deceit of wealth, and love of pleasure. And having taken note of the thorns in your soul, seek the rational plow, concerning which Jesus says, "No one who has put
his hand to the plow and turns back is fit for the kingdom of God." Having sought it and found it, and having gathered from the scriptures the pure oxen that do the work, plow and break up the ground, and so that it may no longer be old, make it new, casting off the old self together with its deeds and kindling the new self, which is being renewed
unto knowledge — you will make new ground for yourself, and when you have made the new ground, take seeds from the teachers; take seeds from the law; take from the prophets, from the gospel writings, from the apostolic words; and having taken these seeds, sow the soul through memory and study. These will seem to spring up of their own accord; but in truth it is not they themselves
that spring up after their remembrance, but God who makes them grow: "Planting was my part, Apollos watered, yet it was God who caused the growth." And if anyone has been able to understand the scriptures, this person has broken up new ground, and having broken up new ground has sown, not among thorns. These seeds are so ordered by God as not to become an ear of grain suddenly, but, as in the Gospel according to Mark, "first
grass, then an ear, then it comes to be, so that when it is ready for harvest, those sent out to the harvest will come; when it is ready for harvest, they will come to those to whom the word says: "Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that they are already white for harvest." He says to us, then: "Plow yourselves new ground, and do not sow among thorns." But if
before you have cleansed your soul, while still having thorns you approach one who teaches, whether he is able to or is only reputed to be, or you ask for teachings and spiritual seeds, you transgress the commandment that says: "Do not sow among thorns." And next to this it is said: "Circumcise yourselves to your God, circumcise the foreskin of your heart." "Circumcise yourselves to your God" — the phrase "to your God" is necessarily added.
You will grasp this from the example drawn from the senses: circumcised — I speak of the sensible level — are not only those of the circumcision according to the law of Moses, but also many others. The priests of the Egyptian idols are circumcised, but that circumcision is a circumcision to idols and is not a circumcision performed to God; whereas that of the Jews, perhaps — but certainly at that time — was performed to God.
If, then, the word says, "Circumcise yourselves to your God," once you have understood the literal statement, pass over also to the tropological reading, so that you may find how, among those tropologically circumcised (so that some of them might perhaps say, "We are the circumcision"), some are circumcised to God, while others are circumcised indeed, but not to God. For there are also other doctrines besides the doctrine
of truth, besides the doctrine of the church. The philosophers, so to speak, circumcise their characters and their heart and bring them to self-mastery; those of the heresies bring them to self-mastery, and circumcision comes about for them. But it is circumcision indeed, yet not to God, for among them circumcision comes about by a false doctrine. But when, according to the rule of the church, according to the purpose of
sound teaching, you hold communion, you have not merely been circumcised, but you have been circumcised "to God." "Circumcise yourselves," then, to your God, and circumcise the foreskin of your heart. Who would pass over these words as though they were plain? There is, then, a certain foreskin of the heart, and this must be circumcised. Whoever examines the text precisely will, in inquiring into such things, look into this point: the foreskin is inborn, the circumcision is acquired,
and what has come from birth, this the circumcision removes. If, then, the word commands that "the foreskin of the heart" be removed, there must be something inborn together with the heart, which it calls foreskin, which must be removed, so that one may have circumcised "the foreskin of the heart." If one grasps the meaning of "we were by nature children of wrath, as also the rest were," if one grasps the meaning of "the
body of humiliation" in which we have been born, if one grasps the meaning of "no one is clean from filth, not even if his life were but a single day; his months are numbered," he will see in what manner we have been born with the uncleanness and the foreskin of our heart. But so that it may be stated by a simpler example capable of bringing you to see "the foreskin of the heart," I will set forth that
In the first stage of life, false opinions certainly arise in the soul, for it is not possible for a person to receive true doctrines from the very beginning. The divine word took forethought for history and for the literal scripture, so that it might nourish the one born according to the flesh to Abraham first with words that concern the flesh, and that he might become the first from the...
...in order that after him the one born of the free woman, the one born through the promise, might be able to be born. As for why this was included, one can understand it as the foreskin of the heart that precedes circumcision. We therefore need to receive the word that purifies our doctrines and strips away everything in us that has arisen through false opinion. This, then, is what it means to put off the foreskin of our heart, for...
...if the heart is, as we understand it, that which possesses the governing faculty, where our thoughts reside, from which reasonings go out, then the one who strips away evil reasonings strips away "the foreskin of the heart," and the one who puts off false opinion has circumcised "the foreskin of his heart" and becomes a man of Judah and an inhabitant of Jerusalem, being circumcised. But if someone does not put off "the foreskin of his heart,"
let us see what the word threatens him with: "Lest," it says, "my wrath go forth like fire and be kindled, and there be no one to quench it." The wrath of the Lord, then, goes forth like fire upon those not circumcised to God, upon those who have not put off "the foreskin" of their heart, "and there shall be no one to quench it, because of the wickedness of their practices,"
of theirs. That fire has as its fuel the wickedness of our practices. Where there is no wickedness of practices, the fire has nowhere to feed. And that the fuel of that fire is the wickedness of practices, hear the prophet saying: "and there shall be no one to quench it, because of the wickedness of your practices." "Announce it in Judah, and in Jerusalem"
let it be heard; say, announce, sound the trumpet in the land, and cry out loudly." These things that are announced, he says, speak them among... those of the tribe of Judah, concerning Christ; "for it is evident that our savior has risen from Judah." "Sound the trumpet in the land." This is the lofty word that rouses the hearer, that prepares him for the...
...struggle against the passions, for the struggle against the activities of the adversaries, and that prepares him for the heavenly feasts (for the trumpet is taken up with reference to both of these things). In Numbers such a word is a trumpet: as the word commands me, and anyone else to whom it has been given, whoever wishes it and seeks the meaning of the scriptures,
is commanded to make "trumpets of beaten silver." So the word says: "Sound the trumpet in the land, and cry out loudly; say: gather together and let us enter the walled cities." The word of God does not wish us to enter an unwalled city, but into... the church of the living God, walled about by... the word, for this is the wall.
It is also found in the seventeenth Psalm, that God is even a wall: "Take up your goods and flee to Zion" — as many of you as are outside Zion, "take up your goods and flee to Zion; hurry, do not stand still" — you who are making progress, hurry to the Watchtower, "for I am bringing evils from the north, and a great destruction." Of the evils being brought "from the north," the north is the adversary, as has often
been said, whoever is found not hurrying and not entering "into the walled cities," not being found in the churches of God, but standing outside, will himself be seized by the enemies and put to death. But who is the enemy? Let us see from what follows in what way it is spoken: "A lion has gone up from his den, one who destroys nations has set out." This is the enemy,
whom we must flee. A lion pursues us. Who is this? Peter — Peter teaches, saying: "Your adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour; stand against him, firm in the faith." And according to the ninth Psalm, "he lies in wait in a hidden place, he lies in wait like a lion in his den." And this lion lies in wait not by day, but when night comes;
for according to the hundred and third Psalm: "You appointed darkness, and it became night. In it all the beasts of the forest will pass through, young lions roaring to seize prey and to seek their food from God." "A lion," then, "has gone up from his den." Where? When? He lies below; he has come down into the lowest parts of the earth. "A lion has gone up from his den." You are a human being,
you are above the devil; for you are better than he is, whatever sort of person you are; he, because of his wickedness, is below. "A lion," then, "has gone up from his den, one who destroys nations has set out"; having gone up "from his den," the place proper to his own punishment, "one who destroys nations has set out; he has gone out from his place to make your land a desolation" — he wants your
land, the one we were speaking about a little earlier. He wants each of us to be grazed upon. He comes, then, "to make your land" such that the lion may trample the seeds, so that he may make your land desolate. "And your cities will be torn down, for lack of inhabitants. Because of these things, gird yourselves with sackcloth." Since, then, a lion has gone up and a lion threatens you and
wants to destroy your land, gird yourself with sackcloth, weep and mourn, entreat God through prayers, that he may destroy this lion away from you and that you may not fall into his mouth. For "just as, when the shepherd snatches from the lion's mouth two legs or a piece of an ear" — this lion seeks to seize you by the ears, so that through
your greediness, by throwing false words your way, he may drive you out of the truth; he wants to snatch your feet away from the truth and devour you. But you, gird yourself with sackcloth and beat your breast and weep and wail, seeing the enemy standing arrayed against you, so that the "fury of the Lord's anger" may be turned away from you, and, the fury having turned away, you may be able, once free from care, no longer of the lion
...creeping in upon you, since you have entered the fortified city, to glorify the God who rescues you in Christ Jesus, to whom belongs the glory and the power for the ages of ages. Amen.