Letter 123: There are many who go halting upon both feet, and refuse to bend their heads even when their necks are broken, persisting in adherence to their former errors, even though they have not their former liberty of proclaiming them. Respectful salutations are sent to you by the holy brethren who are with your humble servant, and especially by your pio...
From Jerome to Augustine.
There are those who limp along on both feet and refuse to bow their heads even when their necks are broken — clinging to their old errors even after they've lost the freedom to proclaim them openly.
The holy brethren here with me send you their warmest regards, and especially your devoted and venerable daughters in the faith. I beg your Excellency to greet my lords Alypius and Evodius on my behalf. Jerusalem is held captive by Nebuchadnezzar [context: Jerome uses this as a metaphor for a community or person in spiritual bondage], and will not listen to the counsel of Jeremiah [context: the prophet who warned Jerusalem against trusting in Egypt] — preferring instead to gaze longingly toward Egypt, only to die at Tahpanhes [context: an Egyptian city where, according to Jeremiah, the Jewish refugees who fled there after Jerusalem's fall met their end in permanent exile] and perish there in everlasting slavery.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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