Olympiodorus of Alexandria

In his own words on Baruch

• Baruch 1:1

  Perhaps he mentions Baruch's ancestors because they were worthy of respect.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 1:1

• Baruch 1:3

  He had earlier been deported to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar: the same Jeconiah, son of Jehoiakim, was also called Eliakim, because he had two names.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 1:3

• Baruch 1:10

  Even though the temple had been razed to the ground, they offered sacrifices on the spot where it was built. In fact, it was unlawful to offer sacrifices in a place other than Jerusalem.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 1:10

• Baruch 1:15

  God punished us justly, and today we are ashamed to be justly made prisoners.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 1:15

• Baruch 2:18

  Their eyes are failing perhaps in a concrete sense, due to misfortune, or perhaps it refers to those whose minds are darkened and do not reason.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 2:18

• Baruch 2:18

  Those who carry a great weight bend over due to their weakness. And the soul that is tormented and greatly saddened by its sins also confesses to be bowed down and weak.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 2:18

• Baruch 2:24

  After death, their bones were to suffer as a sign of the future judgment.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 2:24

• Baruch 3:4

  Those who have received condemnation for sin are dead. These words clearly indicate the immortal nature of the soul.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 3:4

• Baruch 3:9

  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

• Baruch 3:13

  The Lord says, "I am the way." The one who walks in imitation of him follows his way.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 3:13

• Baruch 3:14-15

  Obviously, in the Lord, "the one who believes in me, will never die." In fact, the Lord says, "I am the light of the world." And the apostle, "He indeed is our peace."

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 3:14

• Baruch 3:16-17

  The leaders of the nations are the wise of this age who ruled over human beings who behaved like beasts.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 3:16

• Baruch 3:16-17

  They are those who look for omens in the birds. Or, they are called this because their wisdom is earthly, beastly, diabolical.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 3:17

• Baruch 3:22-23

  Those who followed the letter of the law were judged like the pagans who had not received the law. In fact, "seeing, they see not, and hearing, they hear not."

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 3:22

• Baruch 3:22-23

  He calls them merchants because they have no experience with cultivation. Asked to make wine, they gathered wild grapes instead of domestic grapes. Merran and Teman are barbarous peoples. They represent the uncouth manners of those who remain entangled in the vanity of this life.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 3:23

• Baruch 3:22-23

  They are those who esteemed ablutions of cups and bowls instead of the commandment and judgments of God. And having violated justice, mercy and faith, they paid tithes of rue and mint.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 3:23

• Baruch 3:24-25

  This treats of the church and of the nature of the mystery, since now "our knowledge is imperfect," and the perfection of knowledge has not yet arrived. He refers to compassion as territory, which increases as one grows toward the good.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 3:24

• Baruch 3:26

  This refers to demons, who in the beginning were part of the ranks of angels and were cast down from the highest heaven for their lack of respect. They are famous because their condition was foretold. They were tall in stature, though proud. "Experts in war," since demons, or rather heretics, being unworthy of the peace of Christ, are committed to fighting him.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 3:26

• Baruch 3:35

  They speak who obeyed the apostolic calling without delay and "have the desire to be set free from the body so as to be with Christ," preferring nothing to the fulfillment of the commandments.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 3:36

• Baruch 4:4

  He urges the Israelites to be the first to take hold of grace. In fact, "it was necessary that the Word of God first be announced to them." The spiritual Israel speaks in this way, to whom the Savior addresses himself, saying, "Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears, because they hear."

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 4:4

• Baruch 4:6

  The devil in fact had a written note for our debt, but Christ redeemed us with his own blood.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 4:6

• Baruch 4:12

  He calls her a widow because she was without the divine care, alone and desolate—clearly she who is now alone. Or, furthermore, the only one to have had the divine temple. Or the only one to have been encircled by the Assyrians but not conquered, because in fact "the Lord tried me harshly but did not give me over to death." But above all it is the synagogue that deserves the name widow, which, having acted arrogantly toward Christ her spouse, has been abandoned.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 4:12

• Baruch 4:15

  God "removed our sins from us," but we are attracted to them, and for them we are punished. It says that he sends, because nothing happens without God's consent. The "perverse nation" was first the Babylonians, then the Romans. This can also be understood as those who teach false knowledge, resorting to the deceptions of the sophists.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 4:15

• Baruch 4:19

  I remain alone because of God's absence. This could have been said by the saints, who made the condition of sinners their own; or by the synagogue of the Jews, when because of its arrogance toward Christ it was said to it, "See, your house will be left desolate"; or by the city, because of the desolation of the inhabitants.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 4:19

• Baruch 4:30

  That is, the Word of God, who became incarnate for us and made the church worthy to be called his spouse.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 4:30

• Baruch 4:36

  Look toward the sun of justice, toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 4:36

• Baruch 5:1

  Put off the old humanity with its desires, since "as many of you as have been baptized in Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 5:1

• Baruch 5:2

  That is, the cross of Christ, which is marked on the foreheads of believers. Or it is said of the Lord, since Christ is the head of the church.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 5:2

• Baruch 5:4

  These are the distinguishing signs of the new Jerusalem. He added the term "justice." Because, however, he is the peace of sinners, as David says, for this reason the Lord adds, "My peace I leave you, my peace I give you." In fact, the enemies' attacks can no longer destroy the peace of justice or defeat the glory of piety. And moreover, because Christ is our peace, he is also our justice and our glory and is the model for our behavior according to justice, and by him we also have been called.

  FRAGMENTS ON BARUCH 5:4

• Baruch 6:1

  Instructed by the Spirit that the Jews would be deported, the prophet is commanded by God to write the letter even before the deportation, so that when the time of their imprisonment had arrived, it would be a protection for them so that they would not let themselves be deceived or worship the idols of the Babylonians.

  FRAGMENTS ON THE LETTER OF JEREMIAH

• Baruch 6:3

  He calculates ten years for each generation.

  FRAGMENTS ON THE LETTER OF JEREMIAH 2

• Baruch 6:17

  He speaks of idols but says the same of the leaders of the heretics and of those who are preoccupied with earthly things. Their eyes are full of the devil's dust, so they truly cannot see the diabolical impulses that enter them.

  FRAGMENTS ON THE LETTER OF JEREMIAH 16

• Baruch 6:19

  Along with idols he considers those who have been drawn into error and are not enlightened by the law of God, of which it is written, "Your law is light for my feet," or by the word of the prophets, "lighted like a lamp that shines in a dark place."

  FRAGMENTS ON THE LETTER OF JEREMIAH 18

• Baruch 6:20

  Idolaters are similar to idols. Indeed, it is written, "The one who makes them will be like them." And for all those who are moved by demons, the face of the soul is deprived of light, darkened by the diabolical smoke that is in their hearts.

  FRAGMENTS ON THE LETTER OF JEREMIAH 20