THEOSISJerome of Stridon
In regard to the previous discussion: due to the fact that you have surpassed the nations surrounding you, or perhaps because the Gentiles nearby have influenced your actions, you have failed to adhere to my commandments and have not upheld my decrees. He reiterated this point emphatically, saying for the first time, Thus says the Lord God, Behold I am against you, and I will carry out judgment upon you. For a second time, He declared that the fathers will consume their sons among you; and again, for a third time, He proclaimed, As I live, says the Lord God, you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable practices, and so on. It is important to note that concerning what is honorable and aligns with the worth of those involved, God asserts that He will carry it out Himself.
Read more (416 words)
However, regarding what is disgraceful and does not reflect God's dignity, although He states that it will be done, He will bring it about Himself, as in this instance: therefore, the fathers will consume their sons among you, and the sons will consume their fathers. He did not say, I will enact this, that the fathers will consume their sons among you, and the sons will consume their fathers. But concerning what is fitting and honors the grandeur of God, He commits to performing it Himself. Hence, it is declared, And I will execute judgment upon you, and I will scatter your burdens across every wind. (Deut. 28), particularly as said: Those who honor Me I will honor; but those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. For those who honor Him, He will indeed honor. Yet those who scorn Him shall not simply be disregarded or demeaned by the Lord but shall generally be lower, not judged by God according to their deeds and transgressions. In the account of Kings, we find a mother, in her desperation, consumed her son (4 Sam. 6). Josephus recounts multiple such incidents during the siege of Jerusalem. However, instances of fathers consuming their sons or vice versa are rarely documented in history, barring the possible existence of such actions during extreme adversities. This can also be applied to your Jerusalem, where, amid internal conflicts, teachers oppose their students, namely, fathers against sons, and students versus their instructors, which fulfills the apostolic warning: But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed by one another (Galatians 5:13). This is why the prophet also expressed in a veiled manner: When the wicked draw near to me to devour my flesh (Psalm 26:2). Likewise, Job remarked: who will grant us his flesh to eat our fill (Job 31:31)? Regarding teachers who seek gain from their students, neglecting their spiritual well-being, it is said, They who devour My people consume bread (Psalms 52:5). The Apostle also addresses them, stating: And they consume the houses of widows (Luke 20:47). We can relate the fathers who consumed the sons, and the sons who consumed the fathers, not only to the siege by Babylon but also to that by Rome. The assertion, And I will scatter all your remnant to every wind, pertains more to the Roman exile, as they were dispersed far and wide. This also signifies the scattering of hair from the head and beard to the winds.