Commentary on Isaiah, Discourses 1–19

Commentary on Isaiah, Discourses 1–19

continued

Discourse 4

1 Woe to those who draw sins to themselves as with a long rope and iniquities as with the strap of a heifer's yoke, who say: Let what he will do quickly draw near, that we may see, and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel come, that we may know. The creator and Lord of all, conquering the weakness of human nature with gentleness, spoke to the ancients through the holy prophets, the things by which it was likely for them to change to the better, having left behind the worse, and to cease from wickedness and sin, and rather to live in virtue, and to choose to do what is good. And for this reason, at one time he set before them the rewards prepared for the saints; at another time he described the modes of punishment, those befitting lovers of sin, so that from all sides he might drive them for what is profitable. But there was no way capable of pushing away the worthlessness of the Jews. For having turned aside to greed and luxury, and already suffering from the utmost despair against God, they terribly attacked the holy prophets. And some, completely disbelieving the things spoken through them, would say: "Speak other things to us, and announce another delusion; while others, all but accusing the long-suffering of the divine nature, laughing at one another as was likely, would say: But the days are far off, every vision has perished. And so God said somewhere to the blessed Ezekiel:

2 "Son of man, behold the provoking house of Israel, they say, saying: The vision which this man sees is for many days, and he prophesies of distant times. Therefore say to them: Thus says the Lord Adonai: None of my words which I shall speak will be prolonged any more; for I will speak a word, and I will do it, says the Lord Adonai. But others again, all but despairing of their own salvation and life, grew bold in their anger, and indeed would say: Let the time of war come quickly; those wishing to ravage will not find us to be unmanly or fearful of noise. We too are experienced in war, and know tactics well. He rightly declares wretched those who have thought these things, and says: "Woe to those who draw their sins as with a long rope, and their iniquities as with the strap of a heifer's yoke. And by sins and iniquities in these words he means the punishments or chastisements for sins, which are still far off, and not yet near, because God still wishes to be long-suffering, but which are in a way drawn by them, through their wishing to fall into the stirrings of divine wrath. And I think we can most fittingly and truly say to each of such persons: "Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness leads you to repentance?

3 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation and righteous judgment of God. For they draw, as I said, the time of punishment upon themselves, perhaps being vexed that He is about to punish them, and did not inflict punishments on them unrestrainedly as they were sinning. They draw, therefore, their sins as with a long rope, and their iniquities as with the strap of a heifer's yoke. For just as, bringing heifers, that is, oxen, under the yoke, they sometimes draw them with great force, and bind them for toils; in the same way, I think, those men also, bringing themselves under the things that are about to happen from divine wrath, would say: "Let what he will do draw near with speed, that we may see, and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel come, that we may know. Another of the holy prophets also declares wretched those who say this and think thus, saying: Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord; for it is darkness, and not light, and gloom having no brightness in it. Therefore it is necessary, upon learning that God is grieved, to repent immediately, and to appease him rather with unceasing prayers, not to provoke him further when he is moved; nor indeed to despise him when he threatens; for he is long-suffering, and full of mercy, taking away iniquities, and passing over injustices;

4 and is sometimes moved by the small tears of sinners to that calmness most dear to him. Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who put darkness for light, and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight. Through these words he also convicts as being utterly foolish those who draw their sins as with a long rope. For it is necessary to deem worthy of all praise the need to repent, and through all gentleness to deliver themselves from the impending wrath, and with fastings to make their defense to the grieved God who rules over all; they have become unapproved money-changers, honoring the more shameful things, but debasing what is incomparably better, and what is most profitable for salvation for them. Therefore, woe is fitting for those who have thought thus. For they have become impious and foolish judges against themselves. For by saying that evil is good, counting darkness as light, and affirming that the bitter is sweet, and the sweet bitter, they chose to suffer the calamities of war, although it was easy to get out of the evil, but having thrust aside even the illumination through Christ, they have remained in darkness. And what does the prophet say? "They that waited for light, it became darkness unto them; waiting for brightness they walked in darkness.

5 And they have slipped into such ill counsel and savagery of mind, that even when the gentleness of God and the sweet hope from it was set before them for enjoyment, they themselves rather chose the bitterness of being punished, and to be worn out by such terrible evils. He says they have suffered this because they have become wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight. It is true that, according to the voice of the writer of Proverbs, "Unreproved wisdom goes astray. It is burdensome and harmful for those who are accustomed to do this to love being self-willed, and to attribute to their own judgment alone the appearance of knowing what is beneficial. Thus also Holy Scripture says: But the conceited and contemptuous, arrogant man will accomplish nothing. The teachers of the Jews, having this sickness in their mind and heart, did not accept the counsels from the Savior. For they were, they were, not prudent in the sight of the Lord, but rather in their own sight, being supercilious and high-minded because of their knowledge of the divine laws, but having understood nothing at all. For they were blind guides of the blind, according to the voice of the Savior himself. Woe to them that are mighty among you, that drink wine, and the rulers who mix strong drink; who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the justice of the just.

6 The more powerful and more renowned of the Jewish synagogue, who had pre-eminence over others in the knowledge of the divine laws, and who made the judgments among them, were greatly slandered for stretching out an insatiable hand to bribery, and for easily selling their vote to those wishing to wrong their brothers; although the law says clearly: "Judge a just judgment. That what I say is true, the prophet Habakkuk will confirm, saying: "How long, O Lord, shall I cry, and you will not hear? I will cry out to you being wronged, and you will not save? Why have you shown me toils and troubles, to look upon misery and impiety? Judgment has become before me, and the judge takes a bribe. Therefore the law is scattered, and judgment is not brought to completion, because the wicked oppresses the just. For this reason judgment will go forth perverted. And somewhere the divine Isaiah himself says to Jerusalem, that is, to Zion: "Your rulers are disobedient, companions of thieves, loving bribes, pursuing a reward; not judging for the orphans, and not paying attention to the judgment of the widow. And they did these things, being overcome by shameful gains; and perhaps they were unholily collecting contributions for drinking parties and luxuries, and gathering them from injustices. For he accuses them through the voice of a prophet, saying: And binding their garments with ropes, they made hangings adjoining the altar, and drank wine from extortions in the house of their God.

7 Woe, therefore, he says, to the powerful and mighty, to those who elaborately prepare strong drink, to the lovers of drink, and who love drunkenness, to those who take away the justice of the just, that is, to those who condemn the wronged, but render a just verdict to those accustomed to be greedy. And this, I think, is to say openly that evil is good, and good is evil, and darkness is light, and light is darkness, the bitter is sweet, and the sweet is bitter. But it must be known that the mighty will be mightily tested; and from him to whom they committed much, they will demand much more, according to the voice of the Savior. For the things of punishment will not be in the same way for the leaders and for those under their hand. The For sometimes they will put forward the pretense of not knowing, perhaps, the will of their master; but others, although they knew it very precisely, have not done it. For this reason they will rightly endure a more burdensome movement from the one who punishes. Therefore, in the way that straw is burned by a coal of fire, and is consumed by a flame let loose, their root will be as dust, and their flower will go up like fine dust.

8 For since they themselves against themselves, he says, have drawn sins as with a long rope, and have become not upright judges of matters, condemning the good, but praising the wicked, and they were wise in their own eyes, and knowledgeable before themselves, and looking to things even more shameful than these, they have justified the ungodly for the sake of bribes, and they took away the right of the righteous; for the sake of all these things, like easily combustible matter and in the manner of straw, they will be food for fire, and flames let loose will consume them, so that together with the roots the fruits from them are consumed, that is, that their offspring should be destroyed along with their parents, and be scattered by the gusts of a most violent wind like soil or dust. And he calls "a flame let loose" that which is extinguished by no one. For sometimes a fire falls upon standing crops or, that is, vines; but it has not become "let loose," with many defending and not allowing it to approach, nor indeed to consume the fields without hindrance. But when no one is working, that is, checking the further course of the flame, then indeed it will be a "let loose" flame, and unrestrained, and being unbridled against anything whatsoever that lies nearby. Therefore, since, when the all-powerful God was subjecting them to the misfortunes of war and punishing them by a holy decree, there was absolutely no one to defend them;

9 for this reason he very fittingly calls the wrath a "let loose" flame. For as the blessed Moses says: "Our God is a consuming fire, and if he shuts up against a man, who will open? " And knowing this, the divine David sings: "You are terrible, and who will stand against you from your wrath? " It is necessary therefore, using all strength, to beg off wrath; for the matter is terrible, and hard to escape; and at any rate we have been taught to say in prayers: "O Lord, do not reprove me in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. For it is not, it is not being disciplined that is difficult. But it is burdensome and hard to bear, for this to be done against us in wrath and anger; so also the prophet said: "Discipline us, O Lord, but in judgment, and not in anger, lest you make us few. For they did not desire the law of the Lord of Sabaoth, but they provoked the oracle of the holy one of Israel. And the Lord of Sabaoth was angered with wrath against his people, and he laid his hand upon them, and struck them, and the mountains were provoked, and their carcasses became as dung in the middle of the road. The most wise Jeremiah rebukes the ignorance and arrogance of the Jews, saying: "How will you say, 'We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us'?

10 In vain was the pen made, a false scribe, the wise were shamed, they were dismayed and were captured. What wisdom is in them? Because they have rejected the word of the Lord. For they in no way accepted the evangelical preaching; but neither have they honored the law itself through Moses. For as Christ himself has said: "If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me. They have sinned, therefore, in both respects, and the wretched ones have rejected the word of God, neither accepting the prophecies through the law as true, nor indeed praising the saving evangelical word. For this reason God spoke about them through the voice of Jeremiah: "To whom shall I speak, and bear witness, that he may hear? behold, their ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hear. Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them; they will not wish to hear it. For they were reproaching the word of Christ, saying to those who were listening concerning him: "He has a demon, and is mad; why do you listen to him? Therefore, since not they have rejected the law of the Lord of Sabaoth, and they have provoked the oracle of the Holy One of Israel, that is, of Christ; He was roused, it says, to wrath, and He struck them, and the mountains were provoked. And what mountains does he mean in this? Clearly, the Roman authorities, because of their conspicuous glory and their exalted dignities?

11 And from the provocation of the mountains, their corpses became like dung, that is, the dead from the war, scattered everywhere, and perhaps lying in heaps, and filling all their land. And in another sense, against those who provoke the Savior God of all through disobedience. For the spiritual mountains are provoked, that is, the principalities and powers, and the world-rulers of this darkness. When this happens, it is somehow entirely necessary for those subjected to them to endure the death of the soul. For when the all-powerful God helps, even if the mountains are provoked against us, they are of no account. For it is written, that The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and will deliver them. But when He withdraws His hand, and no longer consents to save, then we shall lie down, and like dung we shall be under the feet of the enemy. For all this his anger was not turned away, but still his hand is high. Therefore he will lift up a signal among the nations that are far off, and will hiss for them from the end of the earth. And behold, they come swiftly, lightly; they shall not hunger, nor shall they grow weary, nor shall they slumber, nor shall they sleep, nor shall they loosen the belts from their loins, nor shall the straps of their sandals be broken, whose arrows are sharp, and their bows bent. The hooves of their horses were counted as hard rock; the wheels of their chariots as a whirlwind.

12 They rush as lions, and they stand ready as a lion's whelp. And he will seize, and will roar as a wild beast, and will cast out, and there will be no one to deliver. And he will roar because of them in that day, as the voice of a surging sea, and they will look upon the earth, and behold, harsh darkness in their distress. That the measure of wrath upon them will not be limited to these things by the One who judges righteously, but will proceed even further, the present text will make clear. For although they have been savagely ravaged, oppressed by hunger and thirst, and caught in the calamities of war, the wretched ones have remained in apostasy from God, and have not escaped His wrath. For this, I think, is what he means by saying, 'Still his hand is high,' that it is striking those who have sinned. For the hand of the one striking is somehow always raised high. Then what or how great the provocation of the mountains will be, and who will serve their wrath, and with how much courage and boldness, and with what unaccustomed cruelty towards men they will come, he reveals, saying: "Therefore he will lift up a signal among the nations that are far off. For not bordering or neighboring to the land of the Jews were those who laid it waste and burned Jerusalem and all the cities of the Jews, but they were gathered from distant lands, and from all the earth.

13 For they were very many; or rather, perhaps even beyond numbering were those who fought alongside Vespasian and Titus. A signal will be given, he says, as in a time of war and battle. For it is the custom for generals, when they are about to arm the multitude under their command for battle, to give a signal, raising high the so-called standards. Of which the prophet Isaiah also makes mention, saying: He shall be left as a mast upon a mountain, and as one bearing a standard upon a hill. For setting up masts on high hills, they either raise them, or lower them, or even hang something from them, towards which the fighting force looks. And thus he saw what seemed good to the general. Therefore he raises the signal, he says, and will hiss for them. And this again he takes from the custom regarding flies. For it is somehow a custom for beekeepers to hiss for them; and thus to lead them from the hives to flowers and grasses, and indeed also to bring them back from the fields, and make them lodge at home. He will hiss, then, he says. And they will arrive winged and light, having little concern for hunger, and not fearing toils, both sleepless and most ready for action, and trained in tactics, and riding on tireless horses, and rushing like a storm, and equal to lions, and devouring like wild beasts.

14 And they will be so difficult to meet and terrible, that they will be able to conquer without a fight, with no one leading out against them, that is, having sufficient strength for assistance, There will be at that time a lamentation and a mingled cry, so that some will think nothing else than that the echo of the sea is scattered over the land of the Jews. And there will also be a harsh darkness, and not at all in every way that which is understood as in a mist and in the night, but rather that from terrors and perplexity. For the most difficult of evils darkens the mind. Therefore the God of all helps us through everything. For he does not make in vain the foretellings of things to come; and he goes through precisely the magnitudes of the evils; so that, since we are often unadmonished, and have made of no account the word that calls to repentance, we might at least, shrinking from being caught in such terrible punishments, receive the divine fear into ourselves, and having rejected evil things, we might transfer our heart at last to what is necessary, to choose the good. And it came to pass in the year that king Ozias died, I saw the Lord of Sabaoth, sitting on a high and exalted throne; and the house was full of his glory. And Seraphim stood round about him. Six wings to one, and six wings to the other.

15 And with two, they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one cried to another, and they said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Sabaoth, the whole earth is full of his glory. Not just on any single occasion, nor indeed without interval, did the blessed prophets receive the revelations of the visions from God. But rather in parts, according to what seemed good to the Lord. And in times in which he who reveals deep and hidden things, and knows the hidden things, wished to do this. For with him there is light, as it is written. Therefore, while Ozias, who is also Azarias, was still alive and ruling the thrones of the kingdom in Jerusalem, the blessed prophet Isaiah uttered the words concerning the things that had already happened. For Ozias, also Azarias, was among the most God-loving of men, for he is said to have done what was right in the eyes of God. But he did not preserve to the end the good and blameless glory of his piety. For having prevailed through God over the neighboring nations, and having accomplished very many and wonderful things against them, he was intoxicated by the ways of prosperity; and he slid into arrogance. For he came to such a state of mind as to even seize the sacred ministry, and to come, self-appointed, to the duty of sacrificing to God.

16 For having entered into the divine temple, he did not wish to offer the sacrifices to God through the mediation of the Levites, that is, the priests. But having leaped up to the divine altar itself, he sought to offer incense contrary to custom and the law. And he was reproved by the priestly tribe as doing unholy things, and attempting to transgress the law. But since, glorying in the boasts of his kingdom, he had also assigned to himself that it was fitting to be a priest; and making of no account the counsels of the priests, he was immediately reproved by God. For he was made a leper, the disease having broken out on his very forehead. But I think it is necessary for an accurate knowledge of what has been said to also set forth the divine oracles themselves, those written about him. And it is as follows: "In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azarias son of Amasias, king of Judah, began to reign. He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother was Jecolia of Jerusalem. And he did what was pious in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that Amazias his father had done. But the high places he did not remove; still the people sacrificed and offered incense in the high places. And the Lord touched the king. And he was a leper until the day of his death.

17 And these things are in the Books of Kings. But in Chronicles, as I said: "And When he had grown strong, it says, his heart was lifted up to his destruction. And he acted wickedly against the Lord his God; and he entered into the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense; and Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him eighty-two priests of the Lord, mighty men; and they stood against Uzziah the king, and said to him; It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for us, the priests who serve, the sons of Aaron who have been consecrated, to burn incense. Go out from the sanctuary, for you have fallen away from the Lord. And this will not be for your glory from the Lord God. And Uzziah was enraged; and in his hand was the censer to burn incense in the temple; while he was enraged with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the Lord, above the altar of incense. And the chief priest and the priests turned toward him, and behold, he was leprous on his forehead. And they hurried him from there, and indeed he himself hurried to go out, because the Lord had afflicted him.

18 Since the law given through Moses commanded that the leper must by all means be sent out of the camp as unclean, and that it defiled and declared common because of the uncleanness of the leper whoever was with him, Uzziah dwelt in Jerusalem, thereby defiling almost all of Jerusalem. The Master has been silent, not dishonoring holy prophets, but rather showing those who dwell with the unclean to be unworthy of his admonition, contrary to what seemed right to the lawgiver. For so he says somewhere also to the blessed Ezekiel: "And I will bind your tongue, and you shall be mute; and you shall not be for them a man who reproves, for it is a rebellious house. Therefore he has become silent, although showing his indignation. For Jerusalem has been shaken, and the whole land of the Jews was quaked. And we shall know this through what the prophet Amos wrote. For it is as follows: "The words of Amos which were in Akkarim in Tekoa, which he saw concerning Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel two years before the earthquake. But when Uzziah died, the time of silence ended with him. And again the God of all gave visions of God to the holy prophets. For this reason the prophet Isaiah says: "And it came to pass in the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord of Sabaoth sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up.

19 That the prophet therefore beheld the Son in the glory of God the Father, no one would doubt, as John writes clearly concerning him: "These things Isaiah said, when he saw his glory, and spoke of him. But consider for me the dignity of the God-befitting excellence, and the power over all creation. For he is upon a high and lifted up throne, very well crowned with the most distinguished boasts of his kingship. But the highest powers, after which nothing beyond created things is said to exist, stand around in a circle, holding the rank of servants, and honoring him with praises. And he says that the whole earth is full of his glory. But I think one must not suppose the divine throne to be set in local heights. For the thing is utterly foolish and unintelligible. But the divine throne is set on high, inasmuch as the glory of God's kingdom is also conceived to be beyond all intelligible nature. But the sitting upon it seems to signify a kind of stability and the establishment and permanence of good things in sameness. For thus also the divine David sings in the Psalms: "God sits upon his holy throne. And indeed the prophet Jeremiah also says to him somewhere: "For you sit forever, and we perish forever. For always and in all time, created nature is corruptible, and in these things is the measure of created beings;

20 but, as I said, the wisdom that is the artisan and creator of all things sits, that is, it has an unshakable permanence in sameness. And he says the house is full of his glory. For Israel had not yet acted impiously toward our Lord Jesus Christ, the glory of God filled the house in Jerusalem. But when they denied his kingdom, and fell into impiety of ways. For this reason they heard the voice saying: "Behold, your house is left to you. He says that each of the Seraphim had six wings, so that with two they covered their face, and with two their feet, and with the remaining they flew. Seraphim is interpreted as burners, or those who make warm. For there is nothing cold among the powers above, which would be especially near to God. In this way, therefore, we ourselves, cleaving through faith and a good and most lawful conduct, are made fervent in the spirit, and warm in our love for God. And the Seraphim covering both their face and their feet with their wings, and flying with two, is a symbol of no one being able to see either a beginning or an end of the thoughts or words concerning God. For the head and the face signify the beginning, but the feet the end. For the Divine is without beginning and knows no end. But we with difficulty approach the things in between, I mean those according to the times in which things that once were not were brought into existence.

21 They fly, indeed, as having nothing that is cast down. But their thought is always lifted up to God. For they do not, like us, think on things below, but the highest powers have their own mind in certain ineffable heights of thought. And their mouth is also for praising. For they offer doxology, and this in turn, not because they grow weary, as I suppose, but rather they yield the honors to one another, and exchange the doxologies. For all things above are in order. And saying "Holy" three times, they conclude the doxology with, "Lord of Sabaoth," placing the holy Trinity in one nature of divinity. For we confessedly say that the Father subsists; so also the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And no reasoning divides each of the named ones into a different nature, but one divinity is understood in three hypostases. And this has been testified to us by these holy Seraphim, who also say that the whole earth is full of his glory, proclaiming beforehand the things to come, and foretelling the mystery of the economy which has come to be through Christ. For before the Word became flesh, the wandering demon, the dragon, the apostate, held sway over the world under heaven. And creation was worshipped instead of the creator and Maker; but when the only-begotten Word of God became man, the whole earth has been filled with his glory. For to him every knee shall bow, and every tribe, and tongues shall confess, and they shall serve him, according to what is written.

22 And the blessed David also proclaimed this beforehand in spirit; for he said: "All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord. This, therefore, has been fulfilled by the calling of the multitude from the nations; and all worshipping him who for our sake became as we are, while remaining for his own sake above all. And the lintel was lifted up at the voice which they cried, and the house was filled with smoke. For the prophet has seen the Lord of Sabaoth sitting on a high and exalted throne, with the holy Seraphim standing around in a circle, and praising him with unceasing doxologies. And it was confirmed that the house was full of his glory. But now he says the lintel was lifted up, and the house was filled with smoke, and from the voice with which the holy Seraphim cried out. Shall we then say that the voice was the cause of the things that happened to the house? And yet how is it not exceedingly unseemly to choose to think this? In what way, then, shall we approach the meanings of the things set before us? Most excellently and wisely. Before the incarnation and advent of our Savior, while Israel was still conducting its life under the law without hindrance and without rebuke, that famous temple in Jerusalem which Solomon built was full of the glory of God. For they performed in it the sacrifices according to the law.

23 But since the they did not receive him who arrived from heaven in human form, and was proclaimed through the law and the prophets, but rather even killed the author of life; he abandoned his house, he left his inheritance. For he has turned aside to the nations, and indeed the whole earth has been filled with his glory. But the land of the Jews has been given over to desolation, and the temple itself has been burned. When therefore, according to the prophecy, or foretelling, or voice of the holy Seraphim, the whole earth was filled with his glory, then was the lintel of the temple lifted up, and it was filled with smoke. Therefore, the phrase, "from the voice with which they cried out," is indicative of time rather, not at all the work and result of the doxology. But I think the phrase, "The lintel was lifted up," signifies that the temple has been abandoned. And that it has also been burned is indicated by his saying that it was filled with smoke. But if someone should wish to understand such things in another way, and to say that they were done intellectually against the entire nation of the Jews, he would not err from a fitting interpretation. For when the whole earth was filled with the glory of our Savior, as the nations were called through faith, then all spiritual security of the Jewish mind was dissolved. And like smoke, the wretched ones, having received the mist of ignorance into their mind, have become intellectually blind.

24 For this reason also the Savior proclaimed to them, saying: "While you have the light, walk in the light, that darkness may not overtake you. And that the mind of the Jews is insecure and vulnerable to any passion whatsoever, being devoid of help from above, how could anyone of sound mind doubt it? And I said, Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man, and having unclean lips, I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips; and I have seen the King, the Lord of Sabaoth, with my eyes. The law commanded through the all-wise Moses that the profane should not mix with the holy, and there was very great observance of this among the Jews. And so to the holy apostles while they were still fishing, the Lord proclaimed, saying: "Let down your nets for a catch. When this had happened, a great multitude of fish was indeed caught, and the divine Peter, marveling at the power of the word, "fell," it says, "at Jesus' knees, saying: 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.'" But Peter would not have wanted Christ to depart from him. But since he knew the purpose of the law, he confessed that he was a sinner, and he was afraid to be with the holy one, according to the custom that always prevailed among the Jews.

25 And when Christ had once come into the country of the Gergasenes, and then had healed those who were savagely possessed by demons in the tombs, they marveled indeed at the divine sign. But Matthew said that "The whole city went out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to depart from their region. And yet how was it not necessary rather to lay claim to the one who had healed, and to beg him to remain with them, and to become the creator of many other wonders? But at that time it was a proof of reverence and a way of the honor owed to the holy ones for some to decline to approach them. When Matthew had been called and had followed Christ, and then had invited him into his house; "And behold," it says, "many sinners and tax collectors came and reclined with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples: 'Why does your teacher eat with sinners and tax collectors?'" You understand then how they accused Christ as one who had neglected the law, precisely for being willing to live with wicked men. And somewhere God also blames those allotted to preside over the Synagogue of the Jews, saying through a prophet: "They did not distinguish between the holy and the profane.

26 Therefore, it was a manner of reverence, as I said, and a tradition of the legal commandments for those with a reputation for worthlessness, and whose conscience is not free from sins, not to wish to be with the holy ones. The blessed prophet is also seen to have suffered something of this sort, for this reason he says: "Woe is me, for I am pierced to the heart. And not wretched for this reason, that he has been pierced to the heart; how is it not foolish to understand it this way? but that he has been pierced, he says, by his conscience, and it is clear that for this reason he said: "Woe is me, for being a man, and having unclean lips, I dwell in the midst of a people having unclean lips; and I have seen the King, the Lord of Sabaoth, with my eyes. For since the holy Seraphim uttered the doxologies with pure and all-holy mouths, he himself, being taught by God, feared the matter, not being ignorant that praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner, as it is written. For admittedly the lips of Israel were unclean; for they had blasphemed against our Lord Jesus Christ.

27 But if indeed the prophet says that he himself also has such lips, although he was completely without share in the impiety of Israel, we say that he moderates himself as a saint, and it is likely that, as one who is of the blood of Israel, he does not place himself outside the charge. But he submits to the common offense of the people, saving through this the ones who have sinned; that is to say, he confesses the sickness of human nature. Such is that which is said by the blessed David against all mankind: "I said in my ecstasy: Every man is a liar. For the mind of man is sick with falsehood, even if some should be delivered from the evil, gaining the matter by sobriety. The prophet therefore was afraid that, not being so pure, as indeed are the holy Seraphim, he had seen the Lord of Sabaoth, yet had kept silent, although he ought rather to have given glory, because he did not have so pure a mouth. But that one must offer hymns with pure mouths would be clear from one of the holy disciples speaking about the tongue: "With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God. It ought not to be so, my brothers. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine figs?

28 Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. And one of the Seraphim was sent to me, and in his hand he had a live coal, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: Behold, this has touched your lips, and it will take away your iniquities, and will cleanse your sins. The divine Paul writes concerning the holy angels, that they are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation. And the matter is not inconsistent. For all things in the world that are among the powers above, and the measures of honor or ministry among them, and the boundaries of the glory of each have been set, by the God who distributes all things according to what seems good to Him. Nevertheless, the yoke is one upon all, and they serve the Lord's commands, not disdaining servitude, but rather counting what is genuine in these things as a portion of honor and glory. The mystery of Christ is therefore prefigured in the eyes of the prophet, being most excellently ministered by the powers above. Therefore one of the Seraphim is sent having a live coal, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. And this, then, was a symbol of Christ, who for us and on our behalf offered himself to God the Father, as a spiritual sacrifice, pure and unblemished, and as a fragrant offering. For this reason also it is very fittingly taken from the altar.

29 It is indeed compared to a live coal; and it is necessary to say for what reason. It is the custom for the divinely-inspired Scripture to compare the divine nature to fire. For so he appeared to the blessed Israel on Mount Horeb, that is Sinai, on the day of the assembly. Thus also to the blessed Moses himself, while shepherding in the wilderness, he appeared and spoke at times in the form of fire in the bush. Just as, therefore, the live coal is by nature wood, yet it is entirely filled through and through with fire, and has its power and energy; in this way, I think, would also fittingly be understood our Lord Jesus Christ Himself; "For the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. But even if He was seen as a man according to us, by economy, yet the whole fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Him, I mean according to the manner of the union. For this reason also He is seen having the most divine energies through His own flesh. For He touched the bier, and raised the dead son of the widow. And indeed, spitting, He gave sight to the blind, anointing their eyes with clay. Emmanuel, therefore, must be very well likened to a coal, who, if He should somehow be on our lips, completely and in every way takes away sins, and will cleanse iniquities. Then how will He be on our lips? When we confess the faith in Him. Thus also the divine Paul writes:

30 "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart; that is, the word of faith which we preach. For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Therefore let the divine coal be on our lips, which consumes the refuse of sin, and melts away the filth of iniquity, and makes us fervent in the spirit. But if it is said to be taken with tongs, you will cleverly understand that we receive faith in Him, and indeed knowledge, as with some tongs, through both the legal and prophetic instructions, that is, predictions. From which also the word of the holy apostles is everywhere truly sealed, for using testimonies from the law and the prophets, they persuade their listeners, and, as it were, they themselves bring the coal to their lips, preparing them to confess the faith in Christ. And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Whom shall I send? and who will go to this people? And I said: Behold, I am; send me.

31 When the coal touched the prophet's lips, and took away his iniquities, then he also hears the voice of the Lord, and no longer fears, and is silent about the, "Woe is me," but very swiftly presented himself for the mission, and as it were a volunteer going for this very thing, the, "Behold, I am, send me. But if God should say: "Whom shall I send? and who will go to this people? we say the voice is not of one who is at a loss, nor as it were of one who is in lack of someone to be sent, but rather of one accusing Israel as being exceedingly disobedient, and yielding to none of the previously sent, but rather killing them. For some they insulted, some they stoned, and some they killed, as Christ says, composing for us the parable in the Gospels. Whom then shall I send? he says. And who will go to this people? who having been disobedient to those already sent before, are both hard and difficult to meet, and have shown by their very actions, that it would not be for any ordinary person to approach them, but perhaps only for one who despaired of his own life. That Israel has become inflexible, and exceedingly unadmonishable, one might learn also through what God said to the blessed Ezekiel. And it is thus:

32 "Son of man, go, enter the house of Israel, and speak my words to him, because you are not sent to a people of obscure speech and a slow tongue, to the house of Israel, nor to many peoples of foreign speech, or foreign tongues, nor of a hard language, whose words you will not hear. And if I had sent you to such, they would have listened to you; but the house of Israel will not want to listen to you, because they do not want to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is contentious, and hard-hearted. Rightly therefore, as it were, at a loss, or rather, as I have just said, accusing those of Israel for their very great cruelty. Whom then shall I send? The prophet therefore, having hesitated in no way: "Behold, I am here," he says, "send me. Therefore, whenever the divine coal touches us, we shall be clean of our trespasses, and eager and youthful for the mission, which is indeed what the divine disciples have done. For although they were from the Jews, and before their love for Christ, their lips were surely unclean along with the rest, but when they accepted the faith, and made the good confession, and the coal touched them also, then they were also called to the mission, and they followed without delay, even though the all-wise Moses said: "I pray, Lord, appoint another powerful one, whom you will send; and Jeremiah again:

33 "O Being, Lord Master, behold I do not know how to speak, for I am a youth. Therefore, those in Christ are more ardent for mission and ministry than the saints of old. And a clear type of this matter would be the blessed prophet Isaiah, who after the touch of the coal cried out and said: "Behold, I am here, send me. And he said: Go, and say to this people: Hearing you will hear, and you will not understand; and seeing you will see, and you will not perceive. For the heart of this people has grown dull, and with their ears they heard with difficulty, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I should heal them. That a hardening in part has happened to Israel, the divine Paul writes; explaining, as it were, in what way it happened that they suffered this hardening. "For until this day, he says, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. For it was consistent for those who had henceforth slipped into such savagery of ways, to be very sick with disobedience, and to be willing to yield neither to the writings of Moses, nor indeed to the holy prophets; and I would add that not even to Christ himself, being seized by the darkness of an intelligible mist, and differing little from insensible stones.

34 Therefore, God of all makes this prediction, and instructs the prophet to proclaim beforehand to them: that "Hearing you will hear and will not understand; and seeing you will see, and you will not perceive. For they were hearers of the Savior's voice; he taught in synagogues, he spoke in Jerusalem many times, but they were the same as those who had not heard at all. They were spectators of the things miraculously accomplished. For they saw lepers freed from their affliction, the lame leaping up, the blind recovering their sight, the dead rising from tombs; but they were benefited in no way, and the wretched ones continued as if deprived of their own eyes. For this reason they are also reproached through the voice of the saints, as having always been stiff-necked, and disobedient in heart, and killers of saints. And indeed he says the hardening was given to them, so that they might not see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and he might heal them. And this was very clearly what Christ said to those who chose to disobey: "Do not grumble among yourselves; no one can come to me unless my Father who sent me draws him. And again: "Everyone who has heard from the Father, comes to me. Therefore they are not called to the knowledge of the Son, through the revelation of God the Father, because they were not worthy of salvation and life through him.

35 But if someone should wish to approach the meanings of what has been said in another way, he will understand thus. For God of all foretells, as knowing the hidden and future things, and says that in every way they will both see and hear, yet they will remain as if neither having heard nor agreeing, and suffering this themselves from their own wicked opinion. And he adds to this, that in doing these things, they plot against their own heads. For they have become sick with deafness, and the inability to see, "Lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and they will turn, and I will heal them. Therefore, they themselves have become the cause of their own of destruction, neither lending a sharp ear to the things said by Christ, nor indeed opening the eye of their own mind. For if they had done this, they would have returned, and having obtained the appropriate healing, they would have preserved their own mind sound and healthy. And I said: How long, Lord? And he said: Until cities be laid waste because they are not inhabited, and houses, because there are no people, and the land shall be left desolate. And after these things God shall remove men far away, and those who are left shall be multiplied upon the earth. The prophet feared, lest perhaps the hardening brought upon those of Israel be continuous and unceasing.

36 For this reason indeed he thinks it right to learn the time during which this will befall them, and until when the sickness extends. And in response to these things, God foretells the devastation of Jerusalem itself, and of the whole land of the Jews, and says: "Until cities be laid waste because they are not inhabited, and houses because there are no people. which indeed has come to pass, when Vespasian and Titus devastated Judea after the cross of the Savior, and the ascension into heaven. But that the punishment for the disobedient will not be measured out until they suffer these things, nor indeed will Israel utterly, that is, root and branch, perish, he reveals, saying: "And after these things God will remove men far away, and those who are left, will be multiplied upon the earth. For they were removed far from God, both having killed the saints, and adding to them the author of life. But those who were left, that is, those who were saved, and have believed in Christ, who are also the remnant of Israel, will be in great multitude, he says. For not a small part of Israel has believed, and this at the beginning of the book the blessed prophet Isaiah himself has revealed, saying: "And unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we should have become as Sodom, and we should have been made like unto Gomorrah. But it seems to some to understand the meaning of the things set forth otherwise.

37 And when the prophet asks, and wishes to learn to what and how long a time the hardening will extend, God answers: "Until the cities be laid waste, because they are not inhabited, and houses, because there are no people, and after these things God will remove men far away; so that through this we may understand the time of the consummation. For we must first hear of wars, and rumors of wars, and nation rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and cities and houses be laid waste, and then the end; after which men are then removed far away, that is, after the time of the resurrection, living a pure and long-lasting life, corruption having been entirely done away with, and death having been abolished, and all sin having been removed. But that Israel has been hardened, yet will be called in the last times of the age, since the divinely inspired Scripture says it clearly and plainly, I think it is vain to insist, and to seek for things that lead to full assurance. And yet there is a tenth upon it, and again it shall be for plunder, as a terebinth, and as an acorn, when it falls from its husk. And now the prophetic word reminds us of a history, which it is necessary, as it seems, to relate; for thus what is signified will be clear.

38 For when they campaigned against the land of the Jews, as I have already said, Vespasian and Titus, the land of the Jews was consumed, being burned up along with its cities and houses, it was a terrible sight, and full of all pity to those who saw it, their nation had then come to this point of depopulation, so that he who says it does not err from the truth, that scarcely a tenth of the whole people was left in it. Then they passed some time being sustained in peace, yet not without fears, of suffering devastation again, which indeed also happened. For Hadrian in his time, administering the throne of the Roman empire, and indeed Antiochus surnamed Epiphanes, overran the land of the Jews, and it was in no way less than the former ca- of the remnants being further desolated, of the captured being sent into captivity, when also the sufferings of the Maccabees happened to occur. God of all again makes mention of such accounts to us in a prophecy and says: "Yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return and be for a spoil. For it will not lie outside of his care, he says, even if it should be in remnants, and these small, the people of the Jews; but it will again be for a spoil. And the land will then again become to them like a terebinth, and they themselves like an acorn when it falls from its cup.

39 For the terebinth is a plant, but if a shedding of its leaves should occur, it has a very great unpleasantness, having the driest branches. In this manner, I think, a land also that has suffered the desolation of its inhabitants will be in every way like dry plants, not having their bloom upon it, but also having suffered the shedding of its foliage. Likewise the acorn is the fruit of an oak; but when it falls from its cup, it will then be available to the animals accustomed to consuming it. Therefore, the land of the Jews has imitated the terebinth that has shed its leaves. But those who have fallen away from it by going into captivity will lie like acorns, having all but fallen from their own cup which bore them. Solomon also says something like this: "Like a bird when it falls from its own nest, so also is a man when he is separated from his own places. For what could be more wretched than those in captivity? And what is so pitiable and trampled upon as for men to fall under the hand of their conquerors? And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but could not besiege it.

40 Those who reject the history in the divinely-inspired Scriptures as stale, naturally flee from being able to understand, in the proper way, the things written in them. For spiritual contemplation is both beautiful and profitable, and by brilliantly illuminating the eye of the mind, it makes men very wise. But when something of what has been done historically is brought to us through the sacred Letters, then indeed the useful thing from history must be sought, so that from every side the divinely-inspired Scripture may be seen to be saving and benefiting us. Therefore, in these things the prophetic word relates to us what happened in the times of the reign of Uzziah to those from Judah and Benjamin, and to the ten tribes in Samaria, which were also named Ephraim, and indeed also Israel. And since the whole word of the prophecy came in the times of four kings, the prophet sets down the events in the times of each, and necessarily marks them, imposing the best order on the visions, that is, on his words. Therefore, when Azariah, that is, Uzziah, died, Jotham succeeded to the kingdom, and he followed the purpose and the practices of his own father. For he too is said to have done what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as Uzziah did, except that he did not remove the high places, but the people still burned incense in the high places.

41 And Uzziah sought, beyond what was permitted, to act as priest to God and to offer incense, and he was struck with leprosy for this reason. Jotham, however, was not so. But when he also died, Ahaz succeeded to the kingdom, while Pekah the son of Remaliah was ruling over Israel, that is, of the twelve tribes. This one stirred up war against Ahaz and Judah, and killed one hundred and twenty thousand in one day. For the God of all was provoked by the impieties of Ahaz, concerning whom it is also written in the fourth book of Kings, that he walked in the way of the king of Israel. For he became an impious man, and worshipped idols, and made his children pass through the fire, sacrificing to the unclean demons. Therefore in the times of his reign, they conspired against both Jerusalem and Judah, both Pe- Pekah the son of Remaliah, and Rezin king of Aram, that is, of Syria. And they came as if to lay it waste, but they did not take the city. But Ahaz, fearing the assault to be unbearable, makes a great collection of money, and sends an embassy to the king of the Assyrians, Tiglath-pileser, asking him to come to his aid and to campaign against Rezin, which indeed was brought to completion. And the Assyrian came and took Damascus, and he also killed Rezin.

42 And when Pekah son of Remaliah, who had reigned over Israel in Samaria, died, Hoshea son of Elah succeeded to the scepter, and during his reign, Shalmaneser the Assyrian came against Samaria, and he took all of it, and carried Israel away captive, and settled them in the mountains of the Persians and Medes; then he ordered some of those under him to inhabit Samaria, both the one from Cuthah and the one from Sepharvaim. For it is written thus in the books of Kings, and the account for each of the things said is long in the divinely inspired Scripture, but I have made the narrative concise as far as possible. But we will speak of each thing in turn, following the meanings of the text before us. In the days, then, it says, of Ahaz, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, both Rezin king of Aram, that is, of Syria, and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, conspired against Jerusalem, and they came to lay it waste, but they were not able to besiege it. And these things have been said for now with the force of an introduction, and as in a narrative of what happened. For it reveals the plan and the attempt itself, and it adds immediately also the outcome of the matter: For they were not able, it says, to besiege it.

43 And it was reported to the house of David, saying, "Aram has made a pact with Ephraim," and his soul was shaken, and the soul of his people, as a tree in a forest is shaken by the wind. Having defined, as I said, the occasion of the narratives, and having stated summarily in a brief chapter the attempt of the two kings, and that their purpose did not come to fulfillment, he then begins to detail each thing in his account. For it was reported, he says, to the house of David, that is, to the one who was reigning, and they announced that Aram had made a pact with Ephraim. And by Aram he means the Syrian, and by Ephraim likewise the ten tribes in Samaria. Since these things are this way, the house of David, that is, Ahaz, learned of it and believed it. His soul was shaken, and the soul of his people, as a tree in a forest is shaken by the wind. And the term, "was shaken," he uses commonly, instead of, "was terrified," and almost fell out of his mind. For the dreadful of terrors are somehow able to shake the mind, and to agitate the soul, and to seem to suffer something of the sort that a tree in the woods would suffer, being tossed this way and that by the blasts of wild winds. And the occasion for the cowardice, or rather for his distress, was what had happened.

44 For I have already said that during his reign, Pekah had warred against Judah, and in one day killed one hundred and twenty thousand from the people. When, therefore, even Pekah alone was so great as to easily overpower those in Jerusalem; how was it not necessary for him to show the utmost fear, both Ahaz himself and the people under him, when the Syrian had conspired and was arming with Ephraim against Jerusalem? And the Lord said to Isaiah, "Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son who is left, at the pool of the upper highway of the fuller's field. And you shall say to him, 'Take care to be quiet, and do not be afraid, nor let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands. For when the anger of my wrath occurs, I will heal again.'" Truly the Lord is compassionate and merciful, and wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth; and he manages all things clearly, and... preparing for each one the way of salvation. And this we can see is so from the facts themselves. For Ahaz became an idolatrous man, abominable and profane.

45 But when he was already in inescapable evils, and the compassionate one saw him almost drunk with calamities, He immediately adds the possibility of partaking of the salvation from Himself, and He promises aid, so that he might cease from idolatrous madness, and be prepared to abstain from the things he had already stumbled in, and to receive the light of true knowledge of God. Therefore the prophet commands him to meet him with Shear-jashub, which is interpreted as a remnant and what is left behind; almost as if the type signifies as a symbol to Ahaz that the remnant of Judah that has remained with God will be saved. For the prophet is taken as a type of God, and very well does He make the promise of aid at the pool of the upper conduit of the fuller's field. And again the pool is a type of the saving font of holy baptism, which both brings us to the way above, and of the spiritual fuller, that is, of the one who wipes away all our filth and frees us from defilements. Therefore the promise is secure, and as in a type of the particular the universal and through Christ, a wise riddle has been given to the prophet. And it says, "Take heed to be quiet, and do not be afraid, nor let your soul be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands. And to command him to be still and to continue without cares, and indeed to be free from harsh fears;

46 was then a call very prudently to obedience, and as it were referring to the first principles of the need to honor the words concerning God, and to readily affirm as true whatever he might say. And he calls those who conspired against him firebrands and smoldering pieces of wood, as those who are about to cease both from being and from their kingdom. For just as a piece of wood, that is, a firebrand, when it is taken out of the fire, smokes, yet it is at its end of even having fire in itself; in this same way, I think, a person who is about to come to the end of either life or a matter, might reasonably be called a still smoldering firebrand or piece of wood. And since he would know that they had become especially fearful, and in great dejection, because of being defeated having fought against Pekah, when also, as I said, one hundred and twenty thousand from Judah fell in one day; he also removes them from these fears, and says: "For when the wrath of my anger comes, I will heal again; that is, not even they would have fallen, if my anger had not given them into the hand of their enemies. But if, he says, the things from anger should come upon some, I will heal again those who have suffered. For He who delivered them over out of anger, will easily deliver them through His innate gentleness and love for mankind.

47 And the son of Aram, and the son of Remaliah, because they have devised an evil counsel concerning you, saying: We will go up to Judea, and having spoken with them, we will turn them to us, and we will make the son of Tabeel king over them; thus says the Lord of Sabaoth: This counsel shall not stand, nor shall it be. He neither allows the report of the plots against him to be disbelieved, nor does He permit him to be excessively crushed with fear. But rather having confirmed and declared as true the agreements, that is, the conspiracies of the two kings against him, He promises aid, shifting him to the need to rely on them rather, and not to be attached to the worship of idols, and to the words of false prophets, who say countless things according to the mind of those who bring them inquiries, but they speak nothing of the truth. Therefore that they have counseled, he says, to go up to Judea, and to speak with those under your hand, and to persuade them to follow their opinions, is true and acknowledged. For they wish to set up the son of Tabeel. But this will not be, he says. And who is the one promising? The Lord of Sabaoth, that is, the Lord of hosts, or of armies; with whose assent the must prevail, with whomever he might happen to choose, who will overturn the things decreed? And to his divine judgments, who is able to resist?

48 Therefore, he strengthens for faith those who are still unbelievers. For those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but those who are sick, just as the Savior himself has said. But it must be known that he calls the Syrian the son of Aram, that is, Rezin, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, who had ruled over Israel, that is, of the ten tribes in Samaria. But the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; but yet in sixty-five years, the kingdom of Ephraim shall fail from being a people, and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. And if you will not believe, surely you shall not understand. For those wishing to clarify the things in the divinely-inspired Scripture, there is certainly a need for historical narrative, so that from every side the truth may follow the divine words. Therefore the prophet explains the things in the sacred Writings, through which it is especially possible to best approach the meanings of the things set forth. Therefore in the times of the reign of Ahaz, both Rezin king of Syria and Damascus, and Pekah son of Remaliah, reigning over Israel in Samaria, conspired against Judah and Jerusalem. Therefore Ahaz, fearing the attack, persuades with money Tiglath-pileser the king of the Assyrians both to defend him and to overturn the attack of those who had conspired. And he came and took Damascus, being the metropolis of the Syrians, and killed Rezin himself.

49 And when Pekah, who was the son of Remaliah, died in Samaria, Hoshea son of Elah succeeded to the kingdom, a wicked man, and given over to the deceits of demons. While he was administering the kingdom, Shalmaneser the Assyrian came up against all of Samaria, and immediately captured Hoshea, and put him in the rank of a servant; and having ravaged the entire country, and having made it destitute of the sons of Israel, he established in their place some of his own inhabitants, that is, of those under his hand, both the Cuthite and the Sappharvaean; and I think these nations are Persian. For it is so written in the books of Kings. The prophet gives us the narrative of this history, saying: "Thus says the Lord: This counsel shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass, but the head of Ephraim is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; but yet in sixty-five years the kingdom of Ephraim shall fail from being a people. And the composition of the words is obscure; but one must approach it thus: The head, he says, of Aram, that is of Syria, is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin, that is, Rezin; for the head of both the country and the city is their king. And the kingdom of Ephraim will fail from being a people; yet in sixty-five years the kingdom of Ephraim, that is, of Israel, will fail;

50 the head of Aram, that is Damascus, will also fail, and the head of Damascus, that is Rezin. For, as I said, Tiglath-pileser took both Damascus and Rezin, and Shalmaneser took Hoshea the king of Ephraim, that is of Israel, and Samaria, that is Samaria, the word "will fail" applying to both in common; and the head of Ephraim, Samaria, will fail again. And he calls Samaria the head of Ephraim, that is Samaria; for the metropolis of Samaria is Samaria. And when he says Ephraim, he means Israel; and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah, that is Pekah; and again the word "will fail" applies to all. And to these he adds: "And if you will not believe, surely you shall not understand. And the word is very plausible. For to those who insult the word of God with unbelief, understanding from him could not be produced. Therefore one must receive without delay the things from God, and readily assent to what he promises and speaks. For thus good understanding will be in us, and the illumination of the wisdom from him will shine around the mind. And the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying: Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God in the depth, or in the height. And Ahaz said: I will not I will ask, nor will I tempt the Lord.

51 He tries in every way to move Ahaz, who held the throne of the kingdom in Jerusalem and who had strayed far too much toward the unruly and loved to be devoted to the false worship of demons, to what is better, and indeed to the necessity of attaining the doctrines of truth, and to choose to think rightly about God. Therefore, since it was of great importance to the worshipers of idols, and a matter of diligence, to be overly curious about the outcomes of events, and to ask for oracles from temples, and to be deceived by the words of false prophets, with dangers hanging over them, he in a way prevents Ahaz, who was about to do this, and directs him to have requested a sign, not from their usual sanctuaries, nor from the false prophets any longer, but rather from the Lord God. And he has assigned the manner of the request to his own choices, saying: "To the depth or to the height," that is, either to heaven, or to earth, and even to the things below. And through this he has given full assurance, and gives one to understand that being God and Lord of all, He works what seems good by His authority, whether one might wish to see something in heaven, or something on the earth. But Ahaz refuses, not as one revering God, but rather the wretched man is being utterly insolent, even if he made himself seem venerable with words of piety.

52 For I will not ask, he says, nor will I tempt the Lord. For since God commands him to ask, the wish not to ask clearly has impiety. He feigns that he does not want to be tempting Him, and puts forward a legalistic saying, as it were: "For you shall not tempt the Lord your God. And yet, how will reason not cry out against all the foolishness of Ahaz? For when God Himself permits him to ask, how is it not better to choose rather to do that which He has commanded, than to invent excuses perversely, and to make the flimsy pretext of obedience, "I will not tempt the Lord"? But his purpose was not to accept the words from above and from God, but rather, crowning the oracle-giver with the superior vote, to be overly curious about falsehoods and perhaps the flights of birds of omen, and to ask for help from demons. And he said: Hear then, O house of David, is it a small thing for you to weary men? And how do you weary the Lord? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. When Ahaz had refused the request for the sign, and would not endure to honor or know the God who is by nature and truly, and Lord of all, he tries to teach him that He will not be entirely unknown by Israel, nor indeed will He lose His own inheritance, but they will come to know Him in due time.

53 However, he no longer deems Ahaz, who was insolent and hateful to God, worthy of a word, but has addressed rather the house of David, that is, those from the tribe of Judah, from which Christ Himself was born according to the flesh. But as God, He makes the prediction with extreme forbearance. For after first charging that it has been treated as nothing to offend the all-powerful God Himself, and, as it were, to try to stir up struggles and toils for Him, as far as it depended on them, by not being willing to walk uprightly; then indeed, then he makes the proclamation of the universal and most general help. O, therefore, he says, house of David, if offending men is not without penalty, why do you weary the Lord, who does not wish to punish, but is able to do this and very easily? But since you refuse the request for the sign, I come of my own accord to this, he says; and even if you wish to be sick, I bring the cure, since I am good and a lover of mankind. The Lord Himself will give you a sign, giving full assurance that the straying Israel will also be saved in due time, and will not be ignorant of the Master, but will be a worshiper of the God who has saved. And this has been accomplished through Christ, who called Israel to full knowledge, and delivered him from all sin, and from the will to worship wood and stones.

54 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Emmanuel. Butter and honey he shall eat; before he knows or chooses evil, to choose the good. For before the child knows good and evil, he refuses evil, to choose the good. And the land which you fear shall be abandoned, desolate before the face of the two kings. Some of those who have interpreted the divine Scriptures have published, "Behold, the young woman shall conceive in her womb. It seems, however, to the Jews that the Mother of the Lord must be designated by the name of 'young woman,' and not rather be called 'virgin.' For they think that the power of the mystery is nullified if she is called a young woman, and not rather a virgin. But one might see them being ignorant in many ways. For first, even if the virgin were called a young woman, she will not cease to be a virgin. Then they say that the prophet spoke about the wife of Ahaz, "Behold, the young woman shall conceive in her womb, and shall bear a son," so that we might understand this to be Hezekiah who was born from him. But not examining the words of the prophecy, they seize upon what seems inconsiderately right, and then think to establish their own aim through this alone. But, O excellent sirs, one might say to them, who called Hezekiah Emmanuel?

55 Or whence could they show that before he knew good or evil, he refused evil in order to choose the good? Therefore, having bid farewell to their triflings, we shall accept what is right and true, believing that the holy Virgin is designated by God through the prophecy set before us. For thus the sign will be truly wondrous and exceedingly great, reaching into the depth and the height at once, according to the divine promise. For the only-begotten Son, who was begotten from above and from God the Father according to nature, emptied Himself, and was brought forth from a virgin's womb in the flesh, not from human seed receiving its origin, but from the power and operation of the Holy Spirit. For thus it was said to the holy Virgin by the voice of the blessed Gabriel: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, he says, she will bear a son. And you, O house of David, who now, he says, refuses to trust in God, and to ask a sign from Him, for the confirmation of what He has promised, because you are more inclined to idols, you shall call his name Emmanuel, that is, you will confess God revealed in human form. For when the only-begotten Word of God appeared in our likeness, then He was also with us. For He who is above all creation, became in our likeness.

56 But see how, in order to show that He is at the same time truly God and man, he applies to Him both divine and human things. For that He truly became in the flesh, he tries to assure us, by saying that His food was that which is suitable for infants, both butter and honey. But that, although having become flesh, He will be no less superior to sin as God, he teaches again, immediately adding: For before the child knows good or evil, he refuses evil, in order to choose the good. For humans who have not yet reached puberty, nor indeed arrived at a measure of age that is honored with wisdom from time, would not be at all suited to be able to discern what is bad and what is good; but when the time already calls for this, then they make a free choice of what must be done. But the divine and most high nature, not in our condition, but in its own and fitting heights, is always inaccessible to evil; and it casts off the ways of wickedness, not being tempted at all, not enduring disturbance, but rather naturally and essentially refusing evil. And in no other way, I think, than as someone might say about light, that it surely refuses to be darkness. For it does not endure suffering not to be light. Therefore, it signifies the ever-fixed state of the divine nature towards the good, saying, that "He refuses evil in order to choose the good.

57 And this is true also of Christ Himself. For even if He was born according to the flesh through the holy Virgin, being by nature God and the Word revealed from God, yet He was holy as God from the womb and before it, or rather, even before every age, not having slipped from His own advantages because of His humanity; but neither did He neglect human things on account of the economy; so that He might be believed to have truly become like us, and might sanctify our very birth. But He says that the land will be abandoned, which he suspects and fears because of the two kings. It is as if he were to say clearly: When the Virgin, having conceived in her womb, shall bear a son, you, O house of David, shall call his name Emmanuel; then all those who trouble the holy land will abandon it. For it will no longer be accessible to those who wish to ravage it. But the saying is spiritual. For when Emmanuel was born, the truly holy land and city, that is, the Church, was established in the beauty of hope, and has trodden down every enemy, who, knowing her to be unconquerable, have withdrawn, having abandoned her as one saved by God. For I will be to her, says the Lord, a wall of fire round about, and I will be for glory in her midst.