Letter 99

To Capito the Deacon. Jeremiah the prophet says, in the person of God, to the soul that has been wounded and disfigured by its sins: "Behold, I bring upon her the closing-over of her scar, and a cure, and I will heal her, and I will reveal to them peace, and faith; and I will not call to remembrance the sins by which they sinned against me." [Jeremiah 33:6, Septuagint] The phrase "behold, now I bring the closing-over of the scar" is useful to be taken up in connection with the leprosy that is written about in Leviticus. But for those upon whom God brings the closing-over of the scar, and whom he heals, for these he also reveals the peace of the understanding, and the faith that is unwavering and firmly set. Those, therefore, who have had their scar closed over, that is, plainly those who have been wholly cleansed in their soul, receive the gift of freedom from passion.

Φησὶν Ἱερεμίας ὁ προφήτης ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς τὴν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις τραυματισθεῖσαν καὶ λελωβηθεῖσαν ψυχήν · Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀνάγω συνούλωσιν αὐτῇ, καὶ ἴαμα, καὶ ἰατρεύσω αὐτήν, καὶ φανερώσω αὐτοῖς εἰρήνην, καὶ πίστιν, καὶ οὐ μὴ μνησθῶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν, ὧν ἡμαρτόν μοι. Τό, ἰδοὺ νῦν ἀνάγω συνούλωσιν, χρήσιμόν ἐστι παραληφθῆναι εἰς τὴν λέπραν ἐν τῷ Λευϊτικῷ γεγραμμένην. Οἷς δὲ θεὸς τὴν συνούλωσιν ἀνάγει, καὶ οὓς ἰατρεύει, τούτοις καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην τῆς διανοίας, καὶ τὴν πίστιν τὴν ἀδίστακτον καὶ στερεμνίαν φανεροῖ. Οἱ τοίνυν συνουλωθέντες, δῆλον ὅτι τὸ τέλειον καθαρθέντες τὴν ψυχήν, τὸ χάρισμα τῆς ἀπαθείας κομίζονται.