Книга пророка Варуха, Глава 3, стих 9. Толкования стиха

THE BEGINNING OF PROPHECY. OLYMPIODORUS OF ALEXANDRIA: This is the beginning of Baruch’s prophecy. All of the preceding words are part of the letter of the deportees to Babylon and are in the form of a confession. FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 3.9.

THE SOURCE OF LIFE AND DEATH. ORIGEN: It seems good to me to attempt to explain why the prescriptions, judgments and commandments of the law have been given. The text says, “In order to put them to the test to see if they would listen to the voice of the Lord and keep his commandments.” In fact, what was there about the commandments that was so good and perfect if the former people of God were found still murmuring and rebelling? Shortly thereafter, in fact, they even returned to the idols and forgot all about the benefits and wonders that God had done, erecting the statue of a year-old calf. This therefore is why the precepts were given, in order to put them to the test. This is also why, through the mouth of Ezekiel the prophet, the Lord says to them, “I gave you ordinances and prescriptions that were not good, in which you cannot live.” Notice how when they were put to the test in the precepts of the Lord they were not found faithful. Therefore “the commandment that was ordained for life was found to be death for them.” The same commandment, if it is observed, generates life, but if it is not observed, it generates death. In so far, therefore, as the commandments generate death for those who do not observe them, they are called “commandments that are not good, in which they cannot live.” But since the wood of the cross of Christ has been mixed in with them and has changed them into sweetness and they are observed, being understood in the spirit, those same commandments have come to be called commandments of life, as it also says elsewhere, “Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life.”

But let us see what it promises if they are observed. It says, “If you will observe my ordinances, I will not bring on you all the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians.” What does he mean to say? That if one observes the commandments he will not suffer disease, that is, he will not have a fever or suffer other pains of the body? I do not believe that these are the kinds of promises given to those who observe the divine commandments. In another place there is the example of Job, the most just and observant of every religious act of mercy who is struck by malignant ulcers from head to foot. Therefore one cannot say that those who keep the commandments are free from diseases but that they will not have the diseases that the Egyptians have; in fact, the world is figuratively called Egypt. HOMILIES ON EXODUS 7.2.