Heidegger's Bible Handbook: Jeremiah: Style

5. The opinion of Jerome and Bullinger concerning his style of speaking.

With respect to the style of his teaching and speaking, Saint Jerome, in his Prologue to Jeremiah, thus speaks: Jeremiah the Prophet does indeed appear among the Hebrews as more rustic in speech than Isaiah and Hosea, and certain other prophets, but equal in sense: since he prophesied by the same Spirit. Moreover, the simplicity of his speech arose to him from the place in which he was born: which is a small village today, three miles distant from Jerusalem. And in his Proœmio in sex libros Commentariorum in Jeremiam, capturing many things in a few words: As simple and easy in words as Jeremiah appears to be, so is he profound in majesty of sense. Nevertheless, the simplicity of style is not so much to be attributed to the village of Anathoth, as to the purpose of Jeremiah. For his rude times were not so much needing sweet and soothing speech, as sharp goads. And he was seized by the Spirit of burning, who was not so much teaching art, as inspiring and inflaming the soul. That he was otherwise able to make use of a grave and elegant style, his Lamentations sufficient argue. Our Venerable Bullinger piously observes in his Expositione de libris Sanctis: Although in eloquence Jeremiah did not approach the urbanity of Isaiah, he, having something of a harsher style, indeed, easier and inkling more to the vulgar capacity, is equal in sense.