Commentary on Isaiah, Discourses 1–19

Commentary on Isaiah, Discourses 1–19

continued

Discourse 14

1 Having foretold the capture of the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Idumeans, the prophet, comes to the holy city itself, that is, to Jerusalem; and he usefully relates beforehand the things that will happen to it at times from divine wrath; so that they might know that the God of all is the ruler of justice, or rather, justice itself; He does not simply honor and accept and deem worthy of care one who has become His own, through being instructed by the law; but rather He tests the life that each has lived, and to those who are good in disposition He distributes good things; but He considers a lover of wickedness a stranger and in no way related to Him, even if he happens to be beloved on account of the fathers. The people of the Jews, therefore, out of very great ignorance, thought both that they would be utterly indestructible to their enemies, and that with no one at all attacking them, they would live a quiet life in very great prosperity, even though they were offending God and had turned to very great impiety. For they had worshiped idols, and having set up images and altars under oak and poplar trees, they offered sacrifices and performed libations to vain things, having utterly disregarded the glory due to the all-holy God. And so, through the voice of Jeremiah, He says to them concerning Jerusalem:

2 "And do not say, 'This is the temple of the Lord,' because unless you thoroughly correct your ways and your practices, I will make this house like Shiloh. And again He accused them through Micah the prophet, saying: "Her leaders judged for a bribe, and her priests gave answers for a price, and her prophets divined for silver, and they leaned upon the Lord, saying: Is not the Lord in our midst? No evil will come upon us. Therefore, on your account, Zion will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem will become like a fruit-keeper's hut, and the mountain of the house like a grove of the forest. And the divine John also made it clear to them that the judgment of God comes swiftly against everyone who is accustomed to sin, saying: "Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Produce then fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think of saying to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. And now the axe is laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, since Israel had an unbridled impulse to sin, and was devoted, as I just said, to the false worship of idols, God reveals beforehand through the prophet the future capture of Jerusalem at times, and says:

3 What has happened to you now, that you have all gone up to vain housetops? The city was filled with those shouting; your wounded are not wounded by the sword, nor are your dead the dead of war. It seems, then, to indicate here the devastation in the times of Jeconiah; and to accuse those of Israel strongly, as not even in the evils themselves, and so exceedingly knowing how to achieve in the most severe calamities what leads to benefit, and what was to be for them the cause of favor from above. For it was necessary for them, weeping and lamenting, to go up to the house of God, to profess repentance, and to ask for forgiveness for the things in which they had provoked Him, and to seek the helping hand from Him alone. And He Himself taught this, saying through one of the holy prophets: "Gird yourselves and beat your breasts, O priests; lament, you who minister at the altar. Enter in, sleep in sackcloth, you who minister to God, for the sacrifice and the libation are withheld from your house. Sanctify a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, gather the elders, all the inhabitants of the land, into the house of your God, and cry out earnestly to the Lord, 'Alas, alas for the day!'. Therefore it was necessary for them, by doing these things, to appease the one who had been provoked, who has power to save.

4 But they, perhaps not even admitting into their minds that it was fitting to do these things, went up to the rooftops of their houses, and there were beatings of the breast everywhere, and lamentations of children, being consumed perhaps by hunger and thirst. For it is necessary that these things happen to besieged cities. For this reason he says: What has happened to you now, that you have all gone up to vain rooftops? For why, he says, even in such unbearable terrors, and when your concern is for the ultimate things, and the entire struggle, have you not cried out to God, but have instead jumped up to the rooftops, although this action benefits you in no way? For this reason he also calls them vain rooftops. Why was the city also filled with those shouting? Not indeed to God, but crying out in vain, and, as it were, being immoderately distressed at the evils that had happened within the gates. The lamentation should have been for repentance; the tears should have been shed before God. Behold, he says, before engaging in battle, before taking up the sword, before practicing resistance, the city has become full of the dead. It is therefore useful and necessary for salvation to know how to achieve the things through which one might have God as a savior, even if one should be in bitter calamities. For indeed the blessed David sings and says: "O Lord God of hosts, blessed is the man who hopes in You.

5 But it should be known that he calls Jerusalem the valley of Zion. For Zion is a mountain, or on a mountain; but Jerusalem lies at its foothills, whence he also calls it the valley of Zion. All your rulers have fled, and those who were captured are harshly bound, and the strong ones in you have fled far away. Having abandoned, as I said, God the Savior of all, the peoples of the Jews, and having taken courage in human aid, expected to be saved. But when the enemies came, and the fear of suffering was at its height, and they saw the phalanxes of the Assyrians already surrounding the country, or rather the holy city, those in authority and in the highest honors fled; just as from a sinking ship they swam away to save themselves, having as it were bid farewell to those who had hoped in them. Therefore all have fled, he says, who formerly promised to save you, and were thought to have an unconquerable hand; and indeed those who were captured are harshly bound. For Zedekiah was captured along with his children; and the Babylonians slaughtered them, but him, with his eyes gouged out, they carried away to their own land. "Vain therefore is the salvation of men," according to what is written. But one must cleave to God alone, crying out that wise saying: "For I will not hope in my bow, and my sword will not save me.

6 For the Lord of hosts alone saves those who love Him, and delivers from every evil, so that they say rejoicing: "For you have saved us from those who afflict us, and have put to shame those who hate us. For this reason I said, Leave me alone, I will weep bitterly; do not strive to comfort me for the ruin of the daughter of my people, because it is a day of trouble and destruction and trampling from the Lord Sabaoth, in the valley of Zion. This the voice of the prophet all but weeping and lamenting over the misfortunes of the race. And by the fact that he begs off those who have the strength to comfort, he reveals the magnitude of the wound, as if it has no cure; but rather has been brought upon them unbearably, having a bitter and incorrigible assault. For a day of confusion and destruction and trampling from the Lord Sabaoth has been brought upon them. "For who shall turn back the high hand? For if the assault by the Assyrians were done without the wrath from above, there would be very great hope for those in distress, of being able at times to overcome those attacking them, as God who rules all things extends to them his ever-saving hand. But since it is he himself who strikes, and the trampling is from the Lord, who will overturn it? "For if he shuts a man in, who will open? he says.

7 They wander from the small to the great, they wander upon the mountains. Marvel at the sobriety of the Spirit-bearer. For since he said that the confusion and the destruction and the day of trampling would be brought from the Lord Sabaoth, lest anyone think that the divine wrath has leaped upon them in vain, he immediately cuts off the suspicion of those who are sometimes expected out of levity to arrive at this foolishness; and he adds the defense, so that the creator of all things might appear a just judge. "They wander," he says, "from the small to the great, they wander upon the mountains. And what this is, you will learn from the very words of God. For he said somewhere to the blessed prophet Jeremiah: Have you seen what the house of Israel has done to me? She has gone up on every high mountain, and under every leafy tree, and has committed fornication there. For occupying the high places of the mountains, they built both hills and sacred precincts. Then, having fashioned an idol as they saw fit, they brought sacrifices to it, and having utterly disdained piety towards God, they said to the wood, 'You are my Father,' and to the stone, 'You gave me birth.' So, have few suffered this? By no means, he says; for the whole race and every household has gone astray, small and great. And so he said again to the blessed prophet Jeremiah:

8 "And you, do not pray for this people, and do not make supplication for them in petition and prayer, because I will not listen. Or do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem? Their sons gather wood, and their fathers kindle a fire; and their women knead dough to make cakes for the host of heaven; and they have made libations to other gods, in order to provoke me to anger. Therefore, they have been punished by a holy decree. For having dedicated their worship to creation and having served the works of their own hands, they themselves have drawn down upon their own heads the things from divine wrath. For not in vain are nets spread for the winged, as it is written; and God brings punishments upon the one who dishonors his glory, having inclined with an erring mind toward anything that is out of place. But the Elamites took up quivers, men riders on horses, and a gathering for battle. And your choice valleys will be, they will be filled with chariots, and the horsemen will block your gates, and they will uncover the gates of Judah; and on that day they will look to the choice houses of the city, and they will uncover the hidden things of the houses of the citadel of David.

9 He raises the narratives to a height, and all but paints the assault of the war, and terrifies the listeners with fears, skillfully driving them to the necessity of choosing to repent; therefore, as if beholding the companies already present, and having come inside the gates, he says such things. And the Elamites, as from a Persian city, are named from it. But some say that they are Saracen horsemen, and these are horse-archers and among the most accurate, harsh and unbending, and not knowing how to show mercy. And that they are also superior in number he teaches by saying: Your choice valleys will be filled with chariots, and that the horsemen will block your gates, so that those wishing to drive through are severely constricted; and having rushed in, they will search every splendid house, and they will uncover the hidden things of the houses of the citadel of David, that is, the wealth of the kings. For those from the tribe of Judah ruled, from which the blessed David also came. And let these things, again, be said with a view to history. But if indeed they should invade the human mind like enemies, either swarms of foolish thoughts, or even carnal pleasures; they seize it as a captured city; and they destroy all its spiritual wealth, banishing all piety, and stripping it of the splendid accomplishments of virtue. For this reason the divinely-inspired Scripture says: "If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for healing will pacify great sins.

10 For when such passions are checked, they are diminished, and sobriety benefits those who use it. But by impulses that are, as it were, unrestrained and unreproved, always creeping toward what is worse, they shake from their foundations those who are spiritually drowsy. And they saw that they are many, and that they diverted the water of the old pool into the city, and that they tore down the houses of Jerusalem to fortify the wall for the city. And you made for yourselves water between the two walls, inside the old pool, and you did not look to the one who made it from the beginning, and you did not see the one who created it. Again he accuses the people of the Jews, that is, the leaders and those adorned with the highest honors, as having erred from sound reasoning, and having acted foolishly, not doing what was likely to be able to save Jerusalem in its peril, but such things as made the wrath that had come upon them fiercer, in a way whetting and making even greater the indignation against them of God, who rules over all, since he was overlooked, and no one still trusted in him; but rather by their own efforts and human undertakings, those from Israel supposed they would be able to overpower the hand of their enemies.

11 For they say that having numbered the houses of the city, then having measured out the stored water as if by estimations, they realized that they are many, and they diverted the water of the old pool into the city, so that they might have, as they themselves thought, what would be able to suffice, even if the time of the siege should somehow become longer. And in addition to this, they made fortifications for the walls, he says, by tearing down the houses of the city. And you did not look to the one who made it from the beginning, and you did not see the one who created it. For it was necessary, it was necessary, he says, not to be bold in your own powers, that is, your good fortunes, rather, but to raise the eye of the mind to the one who always walled the holy city. For, he says, 'Mountains are round about her, and the Lord is round about his people,' which he also promises to her through the voice of the prophet, saying: And I will be to her, says the Lord, a wall of fire round about, and I will be for glory in the midst of her; but you considered the matter of no account, he says, and you overlooked the things from God, as if in no way needing help from above, you have most foolishly taken courage in bulwarks of stones.

12 But it were far better for you to have called upon the invincible hand, and to have sought to receive the things from the gentleness and love for mankind of God, to name him Savior and Redeemer, and being so disposed, to shed a tear in repentance. And the Lord of Sabaoth called in that day for weeping and for mourning, and for baldness, and for girding with sackcloth, but they themselves made gladness and joy, slaying calves, and killing sheep, so as to eat meat, and to drink wine, saying: Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. And these things are revealed in the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, that this sin shall not be forgiven you, until you die. It is true that according to what is written: "When the wicked one comes into a depth of evils, he scorns; this one might see that the people of Israel had suffered. For having been in fear of every evil, and seeing the danger from the cruelty of the Assyrians hanging over them, then, when it was necessary to appease God by lamenting their own indolence, and to make lamentation and shaving, and girding with sackcloth, as the time called for this, they turned to the very opposite.

13 For, as if giving up, and as it were, having become callous to everything, they pursued luxuries, and were eager to perform the works of gladness, slaughtering calves and sheep, getting drunk and indulging in excessive luxuries, and indeed also uttering to one another things born of despair and of a wild and careless mind: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. For they likely thought that God would also be deaf to such things; But these things are revealed, he says, in his ears; and this sin shall not be forgiven you until you die, that is, you shall certainly go down to death and destruction, and because of this sin of yours. Therefore, in days of wrath, that is, for those shattered by the fears from temptations, we must not be supine towards indolence, but rather mourn and approach the good-loving God in tears, and by afflicting ourselves with the toils of fasting, seek to be pitied, crying out that verse through the voice of the Psalmist: "Behold my humiliation and my toil, and forgive all my sins. But since the prophet says in these things that the Lord Sabaoth called in that day for weeping and lamentation, and shaving, and girding with sackcloth, I thought it necessary to weave the words of Micah, or rather those given by God through the prophet, into my discourse. And it is written thus: "And now says the Lord our God:

14 Turn to me with all your heart, in fasting and in weeping and in lamentation, and rend your hearts and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, long-suffering and full of mercy, and repents of evils. Who knows if he will turn and repent, and will leave behind him a blessing, a sacrifice and a libation to the Lord our God? Sound the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, proclaim a service, gather the people, sanctify the Church, select the elders, gather the infants that suck the breasts, let the bridegroom come forth from his chamber, and the bride from her bridal-canopy. Between the foundation and the altar the priests who minister to the Lord will weep, and they will say: Spare, O Lord, your people, and do not give your inheritance to reproach, for the nations to rule over them, so that they may not say among the nations, Where is their God? Therefore, when God at that time was calling for weeping and lamentation, and shaving and girding with sackcloth, they made merry, sharpening against themselves even more greatly into an unrestrainable wrath the one who is able to destroy and to save. Thus says the Lord Sabaoth: Go to the treasury, to Somnas the treasurer, and say to him: What are you doing here, and what have you here? that you have hewn a monument for yourself here, and have made a monument for yourself on high, and have inscribed a tent for yourself in the rock?

15 Behold now, the Lord Sabaoth will cast out and destroy a man, and he will take away your robe, and your glorious crown, and will throw you into a great and immeasurable land, and there you will die; and he will turn your beautiful chariot into dishonor, and the house of your ruler into a thing to be trampled, and you will be removed from your stewardship and from your position. Somnas became a treasurer of money, and of what kind is not yet clear, whether of the sacred funds, and those distributed to the temple, or of the royal funds, but he seems rather to have been in charge of the collection of the sacred funds, and of those things necessarily and needfully spent at times for the repair of sacred vessels. They say that he, being also of the blood of Levi, was seen to be distinguished by the boasts of the high priesthood. A certain proud and he was exceedingly arrogant, and harsh towards those who offended him, and leaping upon acts of greed, and overcome by shameful gains, and a lover of ostentation, and always hunting for honors from men. For this very reason and quite rightly hated by God, therefore when Judea was about to be utterly laid waste, and Jerusalem itself to be captured, when the victorious Babylonians also transported Israel as a captive to their own land, Shebna was making a conspicuous monument for himself, and he was putting into it a most costly construction.

16 Thus, the word from God came to him in this manner. For what does He say to the prophet? Go to the chamber, this is a place in the temple, to Shebna the treasurer, and say to him: What are you doing here? and what have you here? That is, what inheritance do you have here? or how do you remain here? For why have you hewn a monument for yourself and inscribed a dwelling in the rock? What then will be? and what is the threat? or with what evils, he says, will you consort? Behold, the Lord of Sabaoth will cast out and destroy a man. For, as I said, the most powerful were led away captive with the common herd, even those who had a distinguished superiority over others. But since he himself was also carried away into captivity, his crown of the high priesthood was taken away, and he was cast like a useless vessel into a boundless land, there to die without any mercy, no longer riding in splendid chariots as before, but rather shaken and cast out completely from the stewardship entrusted to him and from his position, that is, from standing and ministering to God. And it shall be in that day, I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him with your robe, and I will give him your crown, and I will give the power and the stewardship into his hands;

17 and he shall be as a father to the inhabitants in Jerusalem, and to the inhabitants of Judah, and I will give the glory of David to him, and he shall rule, and there shall be no one who speaks against him; and I will set him as a ruler in a faithful place, and he shall be for a throne of glory of his father's house, and every glorious one in his father's house shall trust in him, from the small to the great, and they shall be depending on him in that day. The narrative has not yet departed from the history, for it is still directed against Shebna the treasurer, who had indeed received the glory of the priesthood, but who abused it in this way and went against every ordinance, so as to be unbearably greedy and in short to leave no impropriety unpracticed. Therefore, when he was cast off, that is, having been carried away to a far and boundless land, I will call, He says, at that time my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah. And by calling him His own servant, He has testified to his obedience; and that He will bestow the glory of the priesthood on him He makes clear; promising to crown him and saying, that He will also give him a robe, and the stewardship and the power, that is, the ability to rule the peoples under his hand.

18 And in addition to these things, He has testified, that he will also be good, not arrogant like Shebna, but as a father, or faithful and good. And for this reason he will also be established in a faithful place, that is, with it being securely preserved for him and remaining, so that every glorious and distinguished person would all but place their hope in him, not as in God, far from it, but as in a good father. For he will preside over and defend small and great, He says. And he will be so loved, that the peoples under his hand will seem to hang on him. And these things, as I said, the historical account brings to us. But again, through the innermost contemplation, it seems to hint to us the mystery of Christ. For crowned with the priesthood according to the laws, the Scribes and Pharisees were not obedient, but hard and arrogant, and lovers of money, and lovers of full purses, and practicing everything that is hated by God. And so the prophet Isaiah himself says at the beginning of his book: "How has the faithful city Zion become a harlot, full of judgment, in which right- righteousness slept in her, but now murderers? Your silver is worthless; your innkeepers mix the wine with water; your rulers are disobedient, companions of thieves, loving gifts, pursuing rewards, not judging for orphans, and not paying attention to the judgment of a widow. And the Savior himself also accuses them, saying thus:

19 "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe dill and mint and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: judgment and mercy and faith. and what is even more unholy than these things, they have also become slayers of the Lord. For this reason, they were cast out from the honors of the priesthood, and have been removed from ruling the peoples, and have been thrown out of the economy entrusted to them according to the law; they have come to be outside of sacred crowns and of sacred vestments; and after them our Lord Jesus Christ has been called, our great high priest. For as the blessed Paul writes: "No one takes the honor for himself, but is called by God, just as Christ did not glorify himself to become a high priest, but he who spoke to him, 'You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.'" For being God by nature and Lord of all, and receiving the worship of all, since he became man, he has also been named our high priest. And he is said to have also received the glory of David, that is, the rule and kingdom over Israel. But by Israel we do not at all mean the one according to the flesh, but the one in spirit and intelligible.

20 For not all, he says, who are from Israel, are Israel, nor because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, but as many as have been justified through faith, following in the footsteps of their father Abraham, these are also his children, and sons of the promise, and are named Israel. When Christ, the high priest of us all, was revealed, therefore, there will be none, he says, who speaks against him. For an enemy will not prevail against him, and a son of iniquity will not presume to harm him. And in another way as well. For Israel spoke against him, but the nations welcomed being ruled by him. And so he is found saying through the voice of David, concerning Israel: "Deliver me from the contradictions of the people; and concerning the nations, "You will make me the head of the nations; a people whom I did not know served me, at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me. Strange children lied to me, strange children have grown old, and they have become lame in their paths. For they have grown old and have come near to destruction, and they have, as it were, a broken mind, having become strange children, that is, those from Israel. For formerly he was the firstborn, but since they lied against Christ, they have become strangers. For they are henceforth called children of perdition, sons of Gehenna. But when, he says, I reveal Eliakim (which is interpreted God's resurrection;

21 for the Word, being God, was raised up for our help, who also long ago said: ‘Because of the oppression of the poor, and because of the groaning of the needy, now I will arise,’ says the Lord), then, he says, everyone who is glorious in the house of his father will trust in him. And what other house of the Father of Christ could there be than the Church? But if anyone is glorious in it, this one will trust in Christ, and not only the glorious, but also if one is small, I mean according to the world. For the God of all is just and impartial, but rather according to the measure of spiritual age, for some are fathers, and others still children, and young men and youths, spiritually speaking. Thus says the Lord of Sabaoth: The man who is fixed in a faithful place will be moved, and he will fall, and the glory that is upon him will be taken away, for the Lord has spoken. After so long a narrative, a concise and brief word has been introduced, showing the severity of the divine judgments, and as it were of a king decreeing with fitting authority that it should come to pass. And again the power of the sentence looks, if one should wish, to Somnas the treasurer; but if also more broadly upon those who minister according to the law, he will understand it thus, just as also we have just now rendered.

22 For those who seem to be established in the security of their prosperity, for this is what it is to be established: to seem to be in a faithful place, have fallen and have been stripped of the glory that was in them, with no one defending them, that is, able to raise up those already cast down, because the Lord has spoken. "For if he shuts a man in, who can open? he says.

Discourse 15

1 Wail, you ships of Carthage, because it has been destroyed, and they no longer come, from the land of the Kittim it has been brought captive. Come now, let us again, endeavoring to make clear as possible the oracles given by God concerning Tyre, first relate the history, and let us make it clear in what way it was captured and destroyed and brought captive, according to what is written. Therefore, when the Babylonians, having laid waste to Judea, and having also burned the holy city itself, were carrying away Israel captive, the surrounding and neighboring foreign nations, opening a bold and unbridled mouth, attempted to mock the glory of God. For they said that he was not able to save them, but rather that even the assisting God himself had been defeated by the hand of the Assyrians, and rather they thought that their own gods were even mightier than the God of the Hebrews, and that they presided over and fortified them, keeping them safe from every attack, and showing them to be superior to the Babylonians. And in another way they themselves also plundered the nation of the Jews, on the one hand by attacking those who were in distress, and seizing those who were left behind; and on the other by dedicating sacred vessels to their falsely-named gods, and by necessity sending those who had come under the yoke of slavery under them away from the worship according to the law. And so God spoke through one of the holy prophets:

2 "And what are you to me, O Tyre, and Sidon, and all Galilee of the foreigners? Are you rendering a recompense to me, or are you bearing a grudge against me? Swiftly and speedily I will return your recompense upon your own heads, because you took my silver and my gold, and my choice and beautiful things you brought into your temples, and the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel you sold to the sons of the Greeks, that you might drive them out from their own borders. Therefore Tyre was also captured by the wrath of God, in a certain manner as follows: For it was an island, still with a strait passing through the middle, and not separating it from the mainland by long distances. And when the Babylonian came, he sought to take it along with the others, and he commanded the armies under his command to fill in the sea between, and to join it to the mainland, and not to allow it to remain an island any longer. When this had happened, or was expected to happen before long, most of those in Tyre, since they had trade as their occupation and were accustomed to sailing, swam away from the island with their children and wives, and departed to other cities and villages.

3 Therefore the Babylonians, having driven in, killed those who remained, and took many captive, and did the usual things for victors, except they were not moderately grieved having learned that a great many, and the most prominent among them, had put their possessions on ships and fled. And the account remembers the history, and the prophecy of Ezekiel. For thus spoke the God of all to him: "Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army serve a great service against Tyre. Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was worn bare; yet he had no wages, nor his army, for the hard service that he had served against Tyre. In return for this I have given him the land of Egypt. For after the capture of Tyre, the Babylonian turned the battle to the nation of the Egyptians. Of this history the blessed prophet Isaiah now makes mention, and commands the things of Ships of Carthage. It is clear that Tyre is to wail because she was destroyed, and they no longer come from the land of the Kittim. Some say that the Kittim are Greek islands, that is, Macedonian; but others affirm that through this Cyprus is signified, named from one of the cities in it. But wail, he says, for what reason? For she has been taken captive. But perhaps someone will say, Does he bid Carthage, that is, the ships from there, to lament for Tyre? For what reason? For the Carthaginians have become colonists of the Tyrians.

4 And they were very proud, having Tyre as their mother, at once the most famous and most valiant among the islands, those, I say, in the east. And they say that those from the land of the Kittim are also proud of her, and revel in the profits of their commerce. Wail, therefore, he says, you merchants of Carthage, or rather, the ships, for she has been destroyed. And let Tyre also wail, for they no longer come from the land of the Kittim. For she has been taken captive. To whom have the inhabitants of the island become like, the traders of Phoenicia, crossing the sea in much water, the seed of traders, as a harvest being brought in, the traders of the nations. To which, then, he says, of the nations shall we compare those who inhabit this island? Who have suffered such things, or have been so sacked, as also the traders of Phoenicia? For trade is the pursuit of the Tyrians, and crossing the sea with haste, for the sake of profits and gains. And by adding that they are the seed of traders, he showed that their ignobility is also hereditary, and that they sprang from a wicked root, and that their ancestors from of old were overcome by the love of gain. And those who pursue such a shameful life among them are more than can be numbered, as he teaches, saying: As a harvest being brought in, the traders of the nations.

5 For when the grain is harvested, that is, the ears of corn in the field, the bringing in of sheaves from all sides is great, and the gathering into the threshing floor. Be ashamed, Sidon, the sea has said; and the strength of the sea said, I have not travailed, nor brought forth, nor nourished virgins, nor reared young men. The Carthaginians are colonists of the Tyrians. Yet the Tyrians have Sidon as a mother; for Tyre was from Sidon. Yet Sidon was very proud of Tyre as a brilliant and renowned daughter. But when she was captured, and has been taken captive, then, he says, the sea, that is, all the islands by the sea, will then say: Be ashamed, Sidon, for the finest of your boasts has perished, and she who was long ago formidable and most valiant, and most illustrious for her great wealth, is gone. Therefore, the sea will say these things; but the strength of the sea itself, that is, she who prevails over the islands, clearly Tyre, lamenting her own misfortunes, when she is already stripped of her inhabitants, and desolate of children, then she will certainly say, "I have not travailed, nor brought forth, nor nourished young men, nor reared virgins. For I have become, he says, equal to those who have not borne at all, nor raised either young men or virgins, because all have utterly come to destruction, and absolutely no one was left. But when it becomes audible to Egypt, pain will seize them concerning Tyre.

6 The prophet has not been ignorant that, as I have already said, after the capture of Tyre, the Assyrian was about to move on to the land of the Egyptians. When, therefore, he says, these things become heard among the Egyptians, then they too will be pained in every way and altogether, not because Tyre has been sacked, perhaps, but because the evils of war have moved on to them. Go away to Carthage, wail, you inhabitants of this island. The discourse of the prophecy is of great character. For he does not properly and truly command them to depart from Tyre, and rather to remove to Carthage, nor simply to wail, but as it were to reproach them for fleeing, and being crushed by immeasurable cowardice. He says they should lament for themselves, and for the misfortunes brought upon them. Both of these are womanly, and more fitting for youths and for those already past their prime. For when war has been announced, and is expected to come against a country or a city, everyone who is in their prime prepares for battle, and practices tactics, and rages against the enemy phalanxes with all the zeal they have, even if they are not yet present. But women and young boys practice for flight, and wail, crying. For a young boy and a woman are somehow always ready for fear and lamentations. Therefore, the God of all smiles at the cowardice of the Tyrians.

7 For those who were formerly mighty in battles, terrible and hard to meet, bold and indestructible, are fleeing and wailing. Is not this your insolence from the beginning, before it was delivered up? Who has planned these things against Tyre? Is he weaker, and has no strength? I said before, that when Jerusalem was sacked, and the temple itself was burned by the army of the Assyrians, the surrounding and neighboring nations rejoiced as if Israel had perished, and as if it were utterly cut off, and they shook their own heads at them; and they thought that they had fallen into the hands of enemies, not because of their own sins, but rather that the one who saves them had grown weak, and that those who had conquered had become stronger than the hand of God. What then, O Tyrians, does he say? Before it was delivered up, did you not commit this insolence against me? Did you not say that my strength was weaker and inferior to your gods? Who then, he says, planned these things against Tyre? I, clearly, whom you have dared to call weaker and feeble. Therefore, judge from the events themselves, whether he is weaker than your gods, or has no strength. For I delivered Israel, who sinned against me, to their enemies. But since you are rich in gods, and many are honored among you, which of them planned such a design against Tyre? Who has delivered it to the enemies?

8 Therefore, it is a hard thing to await through experience itself what one must suffer. But I think the most prudent ought to see from afar with the slender eyes of the mind what leads to benefit, and not to exult over the scourged saints, nor indeed to think that the hand which always saves them has grown weak, but rather to understand that they sometimes fall into temptations when God permits it. Her merchants are glorious, rulers of the earth. The Lord of Sabaoth has planned to bring to nothing all the insolence of the glorious, and to dishonor every glorious one upon the earth. The discourse returns again to the need to strip from them their excess of inherent arrogance, and moreover in addition to this, their insatiable greed. For being merchants, he says, and having such a shameful and ignoble occupation, they have advanced to such a degree of glory and preeminence, that they are even bound with the honors most fitting for rulers, and have become most renowned for crowns of good repute. But the Lord of hosts, he says, has planned to bring to nothing the insolence of the glorious and to dishonor every such person. And when God determines such a decree for them, and brings a sharp judgment, who is able to defend, or who could ward off the divine wrath? For who will be stronger than the all-powerful authority? Or who will turn back the high hand, according to what is written?

9 Therefore, let them not think, he says, that having offended their own gods they were brought down from glory to dishonor, but rather let them know that it was the judgment of the Lord of Sabaoth, against whom they dared to say, that he is weaker and has no strength. Therefore let us also say to the lawless not to be lawless, and to sinners not to lift up the horn, nor indeed to raise it impiously, and to speak injustice against the God who rules all things. Work your land; for ships no longer come from Carthage. And your hand will no longer have strength at sea, which provokes kings. He transfers, he says, their pursuits from commercial occupations to agriculture. For you will no longer engage in your most beloved commerce, nor will those who gather for you immeasurable wealth come from Carthage, running to your hand, that is, your power. You will be able to for nothing at all any longer, although she had been very powerful at sea, that is, having become most mighty against every island and city lying by the sea, she who also provoked very many kings. For Tyre was formidable in ancient times, as I said, both to those farthest away and to her neighbors and to the leaders of the nations. But the Lord of hosts has given a command concerning Canaan (that is, concerning the land of the foreigners), to destroy her strength.

10 For the evils from the war have been brought through the cruelty of the Assyrians, not indeed upon Tyre alone somehow, but also upon other nations, both Moabites and Idumeans, and certain others. And collectively all are called Canaanites, the worshipers of idols, and not being of the blood of Israel, and indeed let one who hears reproach, seed of Canaan and not of Judah. When therefore, he says, the harms of the war come upon all the Canaanites at once, then some, understanding the causes of what has happened to them, will say: No longer continue to insult and wrong the daughter of Zion. For I said that they reproached Judea, and mocked those from Israel as having been captured, and they pitied Jerusalem, that is Zion, not as having been overlooked by God the savior, but as having fallen into capture and suffering for this reason, that the God honored among them has been defeated and grown weak, to whom they performed the worship according to the law. And if you go to the Kittim, there also will be no rest for you; and to the land of the Chaldeans, it too has been desolated by the Assyrians, its wall has fallen. When God drives one to sweat and toils, who is able to help? When the almighty right hand wages war, who is so great that he will deliver the weary from incurable disaster? No one at all.

11 For the nature of things follows his divine nods, and whatever he wishes to happen, this is brought to pass in every way and completely. If, therefore, he says, you should go on a long journey, so as to arrive even at the Kittim; for they say it is one of the cities in Cyprus; but the Kittim, they maintain, is Carthage itself; there also will be no rest for you, that is, wars, and the fear of death, and the dangers of death will find you. But even if you, having become a captive, should reach the land of the Chaldeans, not even so will you cease from needing to be grieved. For there will be no rest for you, how or in what way; for it too has been laid waste by Persians and Assyrians plundering it, that is, when Cyrus was campaigning, at which time its wall also fell. And by "wall" of the land of the Chaldeans, I think, he means either the one who presides and the one who reigns, or even the wall itself, in which the Babylonians had especially trusted, expecting to suffer nothing grievous, but that the attack of those warring against them would be fruitless. For it was so constructed that even with wagons coming side by side, a wide road could be seen on it. And so through the voice of Jeremiah the God of all says, shaking the hope of the Babylonians in this very thing: "The wall of Babylon has been widened;

12 being dug up, it will be utterly dug up. Wail, O ships of Carthage, because your stronghold has perished. A song and lament from the beginning of the vision is placed in the middle; that it is most fitting for such voices to be spoken by all against Tyre, the account in a way confirming the prophecy. And for the ships from Carthage to wail, because their stronghold has perished, that is, Tyre. And the occasion of the matter has been stated clearly through what has already passed. And it shall be in that day that Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, like the time of a king, like the time of a man. Tyre mocked Jerusalem, as having been plundered, and she did not attribute the causes of their suffering to the indolence of the Jews, as having offended God through their outrageous behavior toward the law, and what seemed good to him; but rather she thought that their protector was not able to save them, that is, the God of all. Therefore she herself was also captured for this reason, And it endured a desolation of equal duration to the captivity of those from Israel. For they had completed seventy years among the Chaldeans, having the burdensome yoke of slavery.

13 Therefore, at that time Tyre will be left behind, that is, it will be desolated, and it will remain depopulated, and it will extend to such a length of time so as to seem to be the lifetime of a man, that is, of a kingdom, that is, the seventieth year, just as the blessed David also sings in the Psalms: "The days of our years are seventy years in them, and if in might, eighty years, and the greater part of them is toil and trouble. And it shall be after seventy years, Tyre shall be as the song of a harlot. Take a harp, wander about, O city, a forgotten harlot; play the harp well, sing many songs, so that you may be remembered. The promiscuous and wanton woman, selling the beauty of her body to her lovers, as long as she is youthful and young, she snares many, and the bloom of her body is itself a trap and, as it were, a charm for those who see her. But when she has passed her prime, then indeed, when her beauty has faded, she is no longer successful in the hunt, but by another method she pursues the ability to devise again provisions of wretched gains. For her pursuit becomes song and melody; for many are charmed by her playing the harp. From this, there will sometimes be for her some brief remembrance of her past life, and some will praise her beauty in its prime.

14 Something of this sort will happen to the city of the Tyrians, he says. For it will be like the song of a forgotten harlot, no longer having the adornment it had in the beginning. It will be a song and a melody to many. For they will remember the things that formerly belonged to her. But you, O Tyre, like an old harlot who has passed her prime, take a harp, wander about as a city that has become like some forgotten harlot. For when, as I said, the beauty of women has faded, even those who were once captivated and became her lovers forget her. Play the harp well, therefore, and sing many songs, so that at least some memory of you may arise. And it shall be after seventy years, God will make a visitation to Tyre, and it shall be restored again to its former state, and it shall be a marketplace for all the kingdoms of the world, and her merchandise and her hire shall be holy to the Lord, and it shall not be gathered for them, but for those dwelling before the Lord; all her merchandise to eat and drink, and to be filled to satiety, a memorial before the Lord. By a just decree, God, as I said, made the desolation of the Tyrians of equal duration to the captivity of those from Israel.

15 And since Cyrus with the Persians and Medes had taken the city of the Babylonians by force, and had laid waste the whole land of the Chaldeans, Israel was released from captivity, and returned again to his own land, and inhabited the holy city. And God, the ruler of all, not remembering evils, also turned away His wrath from the Tyrians; and He reconstituted it again, and it has returned to its former state, and has become a marketplace and a lodging, just as it was long ago for all the kingdoms of the earth. But observe the difference. For in the past, the hire from the merchandise was collected only by those who practiced it, and absolutely no fruits at all were brought to God by anyone. But since the Gentiles have been called to grace through faith, she herself also came to know the Savior and Redeemer of all, and a holy temple has been raised among them, and a divine altar has been set up, no longer is the hire from the merchandise collected for them alone; but indeed it will also be holy to the Lord, that is, for a votive offering and a fruit-offering, so as to eat and drink before the Lord. For in the past, taking possession of the shrines of the idols and the precincts of the demons, they would offer sacrifices, and they would hold festivals in them, for the honor and glory of their own creations; for they were still wandering in error.

16 But since, as I said, they have come to know the true God, the hire of the merchandise has become holy to the Lord, and they eat and drink as a memorial before the Lord, clearly dedicating to God thank-offerings for the things in which they might prosper. Behold, the Lord destroys the inhabited world, and will make it desolate, and will uncover its face, and will scatter those dwelling in it. I have already said that Jerusalem has been sacked, and with it the other cities of Judaea have also been laid waste. Indeed, the surrounding and neighboring nations smiled upon her as she lay fallen, and practically shaking their heads over her, laughing broadly, they were saying that God was being defeated by the hand of the Assyrians; just as, of course, the Rabshakeh, being full of Persian arrogance, said to those sitting on the wall: "Let not Hezekiah deceive you, saying, that God will deliver Jerusalem out of my hand. Therefore, since together with those from Babylon the other nations also, mocking the glory of God, said that he who had long presided over them had not been able to save them, for this reason indeed, and very rightly, suffering punishment both for their sins and for this impious insolence, they themselves also have been given over to the Babylonians for desolation. And the word of prophecy has related to us the vision concerning each of the nations.

17 For they have fallen under the movements of divine wrath, both the Philistines and Moabites, Damascenes and Egyptians, and indeed also those from the desert, the Ashdodites and Idumeans, and Tyre in addition to these, and last of all Babylon, and the whole land of the Chaldeans has been laid waste in the same way as the others, when Cyrus son of Cambyses and Mandane roused up against it the Assyrians and the Medes. Therefore, the blessed prophet, having narrated the things brought upon each of the named nations by divine wrath, through the preceding words, virtually makes a recapitulation of the whole discourse, and calls the destruction that happened to many nations a universal one. For this reason he says: Behold, the Lord destroys the inhabited world, and will make it desolate, and will uncover its face. For not just one or two cities have fallen, but lands and nations have been destroyed in the ways already mentioned. Therefore He will destroy and make desolate, he says, the inhabited world, and will uncover its face. For as long as the God of all is long-suffering and postpones punishments, the life of the impious somehow remains hidden, and the face, that is, the appearance, of each one's life is, as it were, concealed. But when He brings His wrath and inflicts on each the fitting and deserved punishment, the face of those being punished is laid bare.

18 For the manner of the punishment shows what sort of people they are and have been, if it is true that God will render to each according to his works. But I think I should also say this. For since the prophet named the inhabited world, and said that it would be destroyed and indeed also come to desolation, some wish the prophet's discourse to pass from a partial indignation to one that is universal and against all; and indeed they say that he clearly relates beforehand the things that will happen to the world, also at the time of the consummation. Therefore we must also, choosing to follow their thoughts, make a twofold narration for each of the things said. Therefore he says the inhabited world will be destroyed and will be made desolate, and its face will be revealed, with the things done by each one, whether good or evil, obviously being made manifest, and he will scatter those dwelling in it. And if the force of the meaning were applied to the nations, you will understand that when the named lands were brought to desolation, of those dwelling in them, some were scattered, and others, having become captives, were enslaved to their captors, and leaving the land that bore them, they migrated to other lands.

19 But if it applies to the universal judgment, "the inhabitants of the earth will be scattered" would signify that they will be divided, and the Savior will teach this clearly, saying, "When the Son of man sits on the throne of his glory, he will set the sheep on his right, but the goats on his left. Therefore, instead of to separate, or to divide, the inhabitants on the earth, to scatter has placed in them. And the people shall be as the priest, and the servant as the Lord, and the handmaid as her mistress; the buyer shall be as the seller, and the lender as the borrower, and the debtor, as he to whom he owes. The earth will be utterly corrupted with corruption, and the earth will be utterly plundered with plunder, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things. When peace prevails, it is in every way necessary for cities and countries to be administered by the proper laws, both divine and human, and for the ranks of dignities and pre-eminence to be preserved, and for the wealthy to be secure in their wealth, and for the free their freedom. But if the phalanxes of the enemy should descend, and a city or country should become the work of barbaric cruelty, there will perchance be a confusion of affairs, and nothing will remain in order.

20 For the honor of priests will be gone, and in equal rank will be servant and master, handmaid and mistress, the buyer and the seller, the lender and the borrower, the debtor and he to whom he owes; and by these are signified the rich and the poor. For corruption and plunder, that is, pillage and devastation, proceed in the same way against all. And the prophet seals the saying with truth, adding: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things. And that judgment at the divine tribunal is without respect of persons, who would dare not to say? For pre-eminence of dignities does not save anyone, unless they have the good fruits of a lawful life; and wealth in no way benefits those who have it, but we shall all stand before the judge on an equal footing and in such a rank, whether small and great, rich and poor. For there is no partiality with God. Something of this sort is also written in Job: "Small and great are there, and the servant does not fear his master. The earth mourned, and the world was corrupted, the high ones of the earth mourned; and the earth transgressed because of those who dwell in it. The appearance of mourners is always somehow gloomy, and their eyes and cheeks are full of dejection, and their foreheads pale; for grief for the dead consumes a man's heart like fire.

21 It is possible to see a city, or land and country, that has suffered such a thing when occupied by barbarians; for all things become gloomy, when those in them have been consumed by swords, and houses have been burned, and have suffered the damages of war. Thus you will understand that the earth mourned, and since it suffered such things, it is necessary for the high ones in it also to suffer, that is, the most distinguished. For are not those who are deprived of honor and wealth and the other things that are wont to accompany the glorious, who have a more burdensome grief in their sufferings? And he says that the earth transgressed because of those who dwell in it. For a city is called lawless, and indeed a country very often, although the insensate earth does not know how to be lawless, but they receive this judgment from the wickedness of the inhabitants. And you will again take the saying in a general sense. For if, as one of the holy disciples says, the earth and all the works in it will be burned up at the time of the consummation, the face of the earth will be gloomy, and like those who mourn. And as a lawless earth, that is, having served the lawless, it is burned up.

22 For we await new heavens and a new earth and his promises, according to what is written, and Paul also writes that creation itself will be set free from the bondage of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Because they have transgressed the law, and have changed the ordinances of the everlasting covenant, therefore a curse shall devour the earth, because those who dwell in it have sinned. The discourse returns again to the precision of the prophecy. For lest some think that the God of all brings punishments upon some without cause, they connect the causes with the movements of anger, and clearly proclaim the accusations of those being punished. Therefore, the earth will mourn, for what reason? Because they have transgressed the law and broken the everlasting covenant. For this reason he says: And the earth shall be cursed. having transgressed- for its inhabitants have ceased. And again the prophet seems, since along with the other cities or lands he also demanded justice for that of the Jews—for, as I said, the sins of those under the law have been destroyed—to bring it into the midst;

23 For they transgressed the law, he says, those of Israel considering it of no account, but turning as it were to another path, and paying attention to doctrines which are the commandments of men, since indeed, applying the universal principle as the rendering of the concepts, we say that the God of all created man in the beginning, and engraved in him a natural law, instructing him in the knowledge of both evil and good. And this, I think, is what was said through the voice of John concerning the only-begotten Son of God: that "There was the true light, which enlightens every man coming into the world. This, then, we understand to happen also in the last times—I mean those of His coming; for it is written that, "In those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws into their mind, and I will write them on their hearts. Therefore, those on the earth transgressed this law that innately steers us toward the knowledge of good and evil, and they changed the commandments. For, having been created for good works, they turned to love of the flesh and an earthly mindset. For this reason the earth has become cursed. For its inhabitants have offended the Creator through very many sins. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth shall be poor, and few men shall be left. For since, he says, the earth has become cursed, on account of the great lawlessness that has occurred in it, for this reason also, burdened with unexpected poverty, they will scarcely be saved;

24 for few and easily counted shall be left. And these things, indeed, pertain to the letter, and the outward aspect of the history. But as for the innermost meaning, we say again that those who are to be condemned for very many sins at the divine tribunal will surely be poor in every way, and in want of the good things from above, and stripped of the hope prepared for the saints; for they will go down to Hades to be punished, and few will be left, that is, those who through righteousness have pleased God, and possess the wealth that comes from good deeds; and these are few in number, according to the voice of the Savior, that "Many are called, but few are chosen. The wine shall mourn, the vine shall mourn, all those who rejoice in soul shall groan; the gladness of timbrels has ceased, the arrogance and wealth of the impious have ceased; the voice of the lyre has ceased. They were ashamed, they did not drink wine, the strong drink became bitter to those who drink it. Every city was laid waste, he will shut a house so that none may enter. Wail everywhere for the wine; all the gladness of the earth has ceased, and the cities shall be left desolate, and the abandoned houses will be destroyed.

25 The God of all very often accused those of the blood of Israel, as having sinned unbearably, and that, foreknowing for this reason that they would be punished, they had not chosen to ward off his wrath with the labors of repentance. For he said that the Lord of Sabaoth called in that day for weeping, and lamentation, and shaving, and girding with sackcloths, but they themselves made gladness and rejoicing, slaughtering calves and sacrificing sheep, so as to eat meat and drink wine, saying: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. And indeed through another prophet, he says: "Those who sleep on ivory beds and live wantonly on their couches. Those who eat kids from the flocks, and suckling calves from the midst of the herds, who drink strained wine, and anoint themselves with the best ointments, and suffered nothing for the affliction of Joseph. Therefore, having tended toward great extravagance, they lived luxuriously out of season, although it was necessary to wet the cheek with unceasing tears, and to ask for amnesty for their sins, the harms from the war have been justly brought upon them; and those who once lived in luxury have unexpectedly fallen into calamities. The vine has mourned, and not the plant itself, but those who drink the fruit from it, those who once, he says, rejoiced their soul will lament, and wailing will rather be their pursuit. For the gladness of tambourines has ceased, the arrogance and wealth of the impious has ceased.

26 He calls arrogance the exceedingly haughty brow, that is, boastfulness. And he says the things that come from wealth also cease, and the sound of the lyre, and strong drink is bitter to those who once lived in luxury, and cities and houses have become desolate. For all the gladness of the earth has ceased, and if one should reflect upon the consummation of the age itself, in which the time of judgment will be, he will say again: that all the luxury of those in the world will pass away, and there will rather be groaning and gnashing of teeth for those who go down to Hades; and wealth will not benefit at all those who have possessed it, and all luxury will be idle, and bodily things will cease, or rather, the love of the flesh, once so longed-for by them, will come to a bitter end for the lovers of sin. For they will render an account to the judge of all; for as the most wise Paul writes, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad. In the same way as if someone were to glean an olive tree, so will they glean them; and if the vintage should cease, these will cry out with a loud voice.

27 He shows again, as from the most visible and manifest examples of the enemies' perversity, the harshness of those who spare no one, nor indeed tolerate anyone to escape without a share of their inherent cruelty. For with a precise eye they observe the plant, those who seek the fruit from the olives; and if any should fall somewhere, they eagerly snatch it up, and they gather up to the very last one; so, he says, the enemies will glean them, destroying them with complete ruin, and when the vintage has ceased, these will cry out with a loud voice. But again he also takes this as from a custom that is wont to be done at the conclusions of the vintage. For the grape-gatherers, when they have come to this end of their labors, rejoice and shout, and composing some rustic song, they depart from the fields. When, therefore, he says, the enemies have gleaned every- one and left absolutely no one behind, then just as when the vintage has ceased, they will cry out with a loud voice, evidently shouting over the fallen and exulting over the dead. We say then again, looking to the innermost meaning, that at the time of judgment there will be no one of those who have lived unholy lives who will be able to escape notice. But those who have lived and gone through life rightly and lawfully will go to the mansions above; but the profane and wicked will be food for the all-consuming fire.

28 Therefore, he says, the gathering of such people will be exact, and the Savior himself will teach this, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind, which, when they had drawn it to shore, they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. Therefore, he says, the search for the unholy will be exact, and absolutely no one who has lived thus will be left behind; for he who knows hearts and minds will deliver them all to the angels appointed for this. But those who are left on the earth will rejoice together with the glory of the Lord. Saying that the examination of those caught in sins will be so exact that no one can escape notice, he does not permit the impious and God-loving person to be crushed by these fears. For even if it is said that the things from wrath come upon all, nevertheless the God of all does not destroy the righteous with the wicked. And he teaches this, saying through the voice of Ezekiel: "Son of man, a land on which I bring a judgment of blood, even if Noah and Daniel and Job are in the midst of it, they will be saved by their righteousness, but the land will be for destruction. And indeed elsewhere the same prophet says to us; that he had seen a man clothed in a long robe, and having a girdle, and six men coming after him;

29 and of each, he says, the ax was in his hand, and he said: "Go into the city after him, and strike and do not spare, and do not pity an elder, a young man, and infants, and kill women to extermination, but upon all on whom is the mark, do not draw near, and begin from the saints. But since I think it necessary not to leave the prophet's words unexamined, come let us say, why ever, when Noah and Job were already dead, and perhaps also Daniel himself, he says that they will be saved in their own righteousness, even though all the rest of the earth, against which the vote of death might be cast, was being destroyed. It seems, then, that by Noah he represents those who through faith in God are pleasing to him; and by Daniel, the wise and discerning; and by Job, again, those who through patience, clearly in everything praiseworthy, are pleasing to him. When therefore, he says, wrath consumes those on the earth, not only of the Jews, but also of the gentiles, those who are left and by the just judgment of God who weighs all our affairs have escaped destruction will rejoice together with the glory of the Lord; for they will be glad, having been saved through the ineffable glory of the one who presides over the saints, and who fortifies the pious with his forbearance and grace. We shall add this also to what has been said.

30 For indeed at the time of the consummation of the present age, those who have become lovers of wicked practices will be sent down to Hades to be punished. But those who are left, that is, the just, will rejoice together with the glory of the Lord, for they will be with Christ who is the glory of God the Father. For he himself said, "I have glorified you on the earth, I have finished the work that you gave me to do. And indeed God the Father himself says somewhere to the blessed Moses: As I live, and my name lives, truly all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. For all things have been filled with Christ. But the water of the sea shall be troubled. For this reason the glory of the Lord will be in the islands of the sea, the name of the Lord will be glorious. He enigmatically calls the multitude of the nations water and sea. For it is the custom of the holy prophets to do this. And so the blessed David says concerning the earth and those in it: "This is the great and wide sea, therein are creeping things innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships: this is that dragon, whom you have made to play therein.

31 And we certainly do not say that his speech was about those swimming in the sea, nor indeed that he wished to indicate the different kinds of fish, nor do we say that some corporeal and perceptible dragon is in the waters of the sea. But he shows to us, as I said, through these things the turmoil in this life, and for those in it a life in the surge; and indeed also a dragon, that is, Satan, who goes about all men, and roams about our inhabited world, plotting against the souls of the saints. The water of the sea, therefore, he calls the multitude of the nations; and the islands, perhaps, the cities. And indeed he says that all those in them will be troubled, when the divine wrath leaps upon them. But he says that the glory of Christ will be in all of them in a certain way. For they will recognize that by the divine commands they have been ravaged and have utterly perished, and having not moderately offended the almighty one through their inherent unholiness, they are given over to desolation. And they will altogether and in every way condemn their own gods, who in no way defended them. And this was nothing other than the glory of the Lord being lifted to a great height. But the aim of the prophetic predictions seems henceforth to pass over to the mystery of Christ, and to make remembrance of the salvation that will be through him.

32 For indeed, he says, those who are left on the earth will rejoice together with the glory of the Lord; "For we were saved not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His great mercy, and not being justified through the shadow in the law. For the law justifies us least of all, but the grace through holy baptism will rather deliver us from sins, and making us rejoice in the hope of future good things, it richly nourishes us. For we expect that we will also be with Christ Himself, who is the glory of the Father, as I just said. But since the word of the holy apostles has gone forth from one end to the other of what is under heaven, removing the nations from polytheistic error, and bringing them to the grace through Christ; he says the water of the sea was troubled, that is, the peoples under the whole sun. They are troubled by strange voices, and departing from their ancient error, they are brought to anchor at the knowledge of the truth. Therefore he says: The glory of the Lord will be in the islands of the sea. And by islands, as I think, he means the holy Churches of God, which, lying in this world as in a sea, both endure and rise above the turmoil in it, with Christ preserving them, and not allowing them to be shattered by the waves of persecution.

33 For since he enigmatically calls the nations a sea, following this turn of speech intelligently, he calls the churches islands, in which the glory of God is marveled at. Lord God of Israel, from the wings of the earth we have heard wonders, hope for the pious. Of those left on the earth and rejoicing with the glory of the Lord, and of those dwelling in the islands, I mean the churches, the prophet brings in the person for us in these things, of those glorifying the God of all and saying: From the wings of the earth you have heard wonders, and in addition to this, of those who have believed that there will be a good hope for the pious of being justified by him, and indeed also of richly partaking of his gentleness. And they seem to call the holy mystagogues the wings of the earth, by whose words, as if on wings, we mind the things above, leaping away from earthly affairs, and having cast off an earthly and carnal mindset, we have our citizenship in the heavens. From the thus understood wings of the earth we have heard the wonders through Christ, he says, clearly. For we have been initiated by the writings of the holy apostles and evangelists, and learning the divine signs through the Savior, we have the firmest faith in them, and we are confident and steadfastly disposed and believe that the hope of the pious is very good;

34 for we expect the kingdom of heaven, and the honors and glories prepared for those who love God. And they will say: Woe to those who set aside, who set aside the law; fear and a pit, and a snare are upon you who dwell on the earth. And it shall be, that he who flees from the fear will fall into the pit, and he who comes out of the pit will be caught in the snare. Who will say it? Those left upon the earth, surely, and rejoicing with the glory of the Lord, and those who inhabit the islands, that is, the Churches. And to whom will they say it? To those who set aside the law, that is, to those who have not believed. For if they had believed Moses, they would have believed Christ, for he wrote about him. But see how, having accepted the faith, they immediately admonish those who set aside the law, and hold up the fear of the coming punishment upon them, and they terrify them with dread, foretelling what is to come. For fear, he says, and a pit and a snare, that is, every kind of evil is upon you, and there will be no escape from the disaster. But even if someone should by chance escape one of the evils, he will be caught by another, and in every way and altogether he will be caught by one of the evils brought upon him.

35 And this happened to the Jews, after the cross of the Savior, when their country was plundered, and their cities and houses were shaken down; and it would be a long story to tell each detail, especially to those who are nurtured by the Church. Because the windows from heaven were opened, and the foundations of the earth will be shaken. The earth will be troubled with confusion, and in perplexity the land will be laid waste. The earth has swayed and all the earth will be shaken like a fruit-watcher's hut, like one who is drunk and carousing, and it will fall, and they will not be able to rise, for lawlessness has prevailed upon it. He gives the reason for the things that were foretold would happen, and that they will fall into bitter and inescapable calamities. For he said that fear and a pit and a snare are upon you; and that if anyone should escape the pit, he will be caught by the snare. What then is the reason for this? Windows, he says, were opened from heaven, that is, God has visited those on the earth. For as long as he is patient with those accustomed to transgress, he seems, as it were, not even to be watching, but rather that heaven is closed. But when he examines the ways of those on the earth, then indeed, as if windows have been opened, he holds in his sight those who are on the earth;

36 and bringing charges according to the transgressions of each, all things are in turmoil; and he fills them with fear, and as if from drunkenness all those on the earth are thrown into every kind of evil. And it is usefully added, to say that the earth is shaken like one of the fruit-watchers' huts in the fields; that is, because lawlessness has prevailed upon it. For as long as those upon it commit tolerable transgressions, he postpones the punishments, and the God of all restrains the movement. But since the impiety of all has become unrestrained, it is altogether necessary both for the earth to be watched over by God, and, with lawlessness prevailing upon it, for it to be drunk, in a way, and to carouse, and to be shaken down into every form of calamity. And God will bring his hand upon the host of heaven, and upon the kings of the earth. And they will gather and shut them up in a stronghold and in a prison, after many generations their visitation will be, and the brick will melt, and the wall will fall. This too is a brilliant achievement of the incarnation of the Only-Begotten. For it was necessary, it was necessary, when the sun of righteousness had at last shone forth, for that spiritual darkness to be scattered, which Satan had poured into the hearts of all. For he darkened the minds of the unbelievers, as it is written, and persuaded them to worship the creation rather than the creator.

37 For those who were deceived divided among themselves the elements of the world. and some inscribed the sun as a god, others the moon, and others the stars according to their pleasure. And the peoples of the Jews themselves have also been sick with this impiety. And indeed God said somewhere to the prophet Jeremiah, when he was once offering up supplications on their behalf: "And you, do not pray for this people, and do not ask, and do not approach me concerning them in petition and prayer, because I will not listen. Do you not see what these are doing in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem? Their sons gather wood, and their fathers kindle a fire, and their women knead dough to make cakes for the host of heaven, and they have poured libations to other gods in order to provoke me to anger. And indeed also through another prophet he says to them: "Did you offer me victims and sacrifices in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel, says the Lord? And you took up the tent of Moloch, and the star of the god Rephan, figures which you made to worship them. Therefore, he says, God will bring his hand upon the host of heaven, that is, he will scatter those who worship the host of heaven, I mean the sun and moon and stars. And it is likely that all idolatry is named in part in these.

38 For worship of the elements of the world has ceased since Christ was revealed. And understanding the host of heaven to be also the inventor and father of sin itself, that is, Satan, we will perhaps come straight to the truth. For it is said concerning him: How has Lucifer, who rises in the morning, fallen from heaven? And since, because of his ancient glory, and the glory before his fall, he is likened to Lucifer, the prophetic word now also names him the host of heaven for us. But he says that the hand will be brought, not indeed only upon the host of of heaven, but indeed also to the kings of the earth, that is, to those who have held sway by avarice over what is under heaven, and it is clear that this means the world rulers of this age, the wicked and opposing powers. For they have ruled the earth, having declared as their own worshippers those in it, and having persuaded them to completely disregard the love toward God. Therefore, these who held sway, that is, ruled, by deceit and falsehood and avarice, they will gather and shut up in a fortress and in a prison. For the power of the Savior has sent them down into the prison of punishment, into the inescapable fortress. And indeed, the demons, approaching him, were begging that he not command them to go into the abyss. And the prophet adds and says that after many generations there will be a visitation for them;

39 for they have tyrannized from the foundation of the world, and have not ceased warring against the divine and ineffable glory. And their madness was extended for them, even until the time of the coming of the Savior of us all, Christ. Then, when a visitation came upon them, they were shut up in prison. Yet they have suffered this for many generations, and he says the brick will melt, and the wall will fall, perhaps comparing Satan to a wall. For he is formidable in resistance and like a city with the finest towers; but he has been captured and has fallen, with Christ casting him down. For it was not possible to escape his invincible power. That when Satan had been cast down and had fallen, the trifles of idolatry were laid waste, and those who formerly wandered were called through faith to the knowledge of truth, the all-powerful right hand almost seizing them, the Savior himself will teach, saying: "Or how can one enter the house of the strong man and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his goods? But it is the custom of the divinely inspired Scripture to compare the exceedingly mighty to a wall and to cities, just as indeed also with the blessed prophet Jeremiah. For God said somewhere:

40 "Behold, they have set on this day as a fortified city, and as a strong bronze wall to all the kings of the earth, and they will fight against you and will not be able to prevail against you, because I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord. It is necessary to remember that Jesus son of Nave, having taken by force the five kings of the nations, and having conquered them, shut them in a cave, and rolled stones, blocking their escape route. And it was an image of a true barrier. For the wicked and opposing powers which once held sway over what is under heaven were shut up in a fortress and in a prison by the strength of Christ. And with them was also abolished the once great and ineffable wall, that is, Satan. And so the wanderers are called through faith to know henceforth the true and by nature creator and God and Lord of all. But it must be known that some interpret these things with another meaning regarding the cosmos of heaven, and say that at the time of the end the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. But I think it is necessary for the meanings of what is presented each time to be concluded in accordance with the interpretations, and very harmoniously. That the Lord will reign in Zion, and in Jerusalem, and will be glorified before the elders.

41 Zion is interpreted as high, and a watchtower, that is, Jerusalem, a vision of peace. Therefore the true watchtower and indeed the vision of peace, would be, according to the truth, the Church of Christ. For in it the highest contemplation of his divine mysteries is accustomed to take place, and indeed also the vision of peace. And we say that Christ is peace, whom we know from the divinely inspired Scripture, the all-wise Moses having written about him, and in addition to this the holy prophets. Therefore, with profane and abominable idolatry having been removed, and the worship of creation having been taken out of the way, cast down- But when those who have seized dominion under heaven through greed are shut up both into a fortress and into a prison, and the wall has been melted down, and shaken from its very foundations, according to the meanings already previously given, the Lord will reign in Zion, and will be glorified before the elders. And elders, as I think, he says in these things are those who are perfect in mind, and who have, as it were, a mind grown gray, so as to be able to perceive with the eyes of the heart the depth of the mysteries concerning him. To these also the wise John writes, saying: "I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. But those who have known, marvel and ascribe to him the glory fitting for God, confessing him to be King and Lord of all.

42 That Christ has reigned, the tyranny of the devil having been completely removed, he himself will teach, saying, when he offered himself as a ransom for the life of all to God the Father, enduring the precious cross for our sake: "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself. Therefore, he has subjected to his own scepters those throughout the whole earth, having first cast out the ruler of this age. The name of ‘casting out’ seems to signify the overthrow of his greed against all.