THEODORE OF HERACLEA BISHOP. NOTICE. (From Leon Allatius, *Diatriba de Theodoris*, no. LXIV, in Mai, *Bibliotheca nova Patrum*, VI, II, 115.)
Theodore of Heraclea—or Perinthus, for it is a city of two names—in Thrace, was bishop. Hence he was also called Heracleotes and Perinthius. At the Synod of Nicaea, fighting with many others against the apostolic dogmas, he cunningly defended the opinion of Arius (Gelasius of Cyzicus, *Acts of the Council of Nicaea*, book II, ch. 7). Afterwards, at the Synod of Antioch, he agreed with the remaining Arians against the Nicene Synod. Finally, he was deposed from the episcopate by the Catholics at the Council of Sardica, as one who, along with others, separated the Son of God from the paternal substance, and received those who had been rejected on account of the Arian heresy, raising them to the wider dignity of the divine ministry. He was otherwise a man, if we believe Nicephorus (book IX, 5, *Ecclesiastical History*), "well-learned" (*ellogimos*), and if we believe Jerome, of elegant and clear speech, and of a more historical understanding. Under the Emperor Constantine, he published commentaries on Matthew, and on John (a), and on the Psalter (b). Nicephorus writes: *Tēn tōn Euangeliōn hermēneian upagoreusai*, that he set forth expositions of the Gospels. The most ancient manuscripts of his commentaries on the Psalms, and of excellent quality, are held in the Barberini Library, presented as a gift by Cardinal Ludovisi to Urban VIII, as the prefixed inscription indicates: *A codex conspicuous for antiquity, integrity, and orthography; of which the Vatican Library holds a sole copy, but it is mutilated, defective, full of gaps, and not so elegant; to Urban VIII, Supreme Pontiff, the asylum of all virtues and sacred erudition, Ludovisi, Cardinal Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church, offers this small gift of Greek antiquity as a perpetual argument of a most devoted mind.*
(a) The commentary of the Heracleote on John was once translated from the Greek language into Gothic, and not-to-be-despised fragments of it have appeared in the most precious palimpsest codices of the Gothic tongue, which, God willing, we discovered at Milan and Rome. A. M. (b) Balthasar Corderius published this commentary of the Heracleote on the Psalter; see his preface to volume I of the *Catena on the Psalms*. We, however, have now edited the copious scholia of this same Heracleote on Isaiah, unknown to Allatius, from a very old Vatican *catena* on that prophet. A. M. — Kollarius, in his notes to Lambecius's *Commentaries* (III, p. 59, note B), demonstrates that the *Commentary on the Psalms* which circulates under the name of Theodore is not the work of one Theodore, but of many Fathers, and therefore should be placed among the *catenae*, based on Garnier in the Paris 1721 edition of the Works of Basil the Great (vol. I, p. 89). There, Lambecius (from p. 56) reviews the Imperial Codex XI, which contains a commentary on the entire Psalter; the commentary, in which the name of the author is not read due to the lack of a beginning, he ascribed—along with Corderius—to Theodore of Heraclea, and discoursed on this at length. — Christoph Harles, in his additions to Fabricius's *Bibliotheca Graeca*, vol. IX, p. 319.
THEODORE OF HERACLEA FROM THE EXPOSITION ON ISAIAH.
(MAI, *Bibliotheca nova Patrum*, VI, 214.)
CH. I, VER. 1. Hear. Of Theodore of Heraclea. He was calling together both parts of the universal world to the learning of the things spoken by the Lord...
heaven, namely, which holds the divine powers, and earth, the dwelling-place of mortals. And he exhorts heaven to hear and earth to give ear, summoning thereby the hidden powers within them. And a little later, since the prophet wished to provide them with a focal point of memory for what was said, he necessarily calls upon the testimony of heaven and earth, so that even if they should forget the things spoken by the prophet, heaven and earth, being seen, might remind them of the words of God. A
VERS. 2. The Lord makes mention of sons and confesses that he has begotten them, indicating that he did not adopt strangers, but deemed his own creatures worthy of paternal care. And he says that he has exalted them, reminding them of the exodus from Egypt, and of the miracles wrought in the midst of that time, and of those provided for them by him thereafter; but he rightly calls their apostasy and their wandering after idols a contempt. B
VERS. 8. He signifies the utter barrenness of the Jews. For as long as the vine is full of good fruits, it possesses one who watches over it and guards it—who, having pitched a tent, looks down from on high, and keeps watch and guards the vineyard; but if the fruit of this is taken away, then the guard, that he may not labor in vain, leaves the tent desert and departs from his station.
VERS. 9. Since Israel did not know him, and the people did not understand him, but from among them the seed—the apostolic chorus—both understood and knew him, they are deservedly distinguished from the multitude. For it is absurd to think that the apostles are called the seed of the impious, of whom it was spoken above (VERS. 4): “Seed of wickedness, lawless children”; it is more fitting to regard them as the seed of the prophets. C
VERS. 16. Not by those washings which cleanse the surface of the body—for naturally this had not been harmed—but by spiritual ones, which are able to dispel the darkness of sins and cleanse the evil conscience of the soul; and these do so by their own power.
VERS. 29. For having abandoned the benefactor and Savior, they placed their hope in soulless and senseless things; wherefore they were stripped of all good report, and shall be burned like tow (VERS. 31), “and there shall be no one to quench it.” For who could be able to rescue them, once God has brought forth the verdict against them? D The discourse thus intimates the shame to be suffered in captivity, when all their desires have been cleared out of the way, and their hope, which they had placed in their idols, has been made vain.
CAP. II, VERS. 1. Whether it be called a word or a vision, it makes no difference; for in visions also something is heard. When God places something before the eyes, the mind is instructed by knowledge, just as if it were perceiving the discourse of the visions by the mind; and upon hearing the word, the mind is so illuminated that it grasps the knowledge of all things in a single glance. Here he no longer speaks against, but concerning [Jerusalem], indicating that he had previously announced the calamities that would befall them and the desolation of the places.
A Ver. 3. He calls the word and law of our Savior "law"; for, having appeared from Jerusalem, he refuted the wandering nations—not condemning those who confessed him, but bestowing gifts upon those who had come to know him.
Ver. 18. The causes of evils: upon coming to a realization that they had abandoned God in vain and served idols, they will reflect that they would have done better to worship bats—which were endowed with sense—than their images which were devoid of it. He says that when judgment is imminent, with no one standing by to deliver them, they will rightly hide themselves in the rocks from which, he says, they had fashioned idols for themselves. "For you will not be able," he adds, "to endure the wrath of God stirred up against you; but your weakness will be confessed, and the majesty of God will appear."
B Cap. IV, Ver. 4. By these words our saving baptism is signified, through which we are most especially shown to be cleansed from the beginning.
Cap. V, Ver. 1. The words "in a horn, in a fat place" indicate a choice and set-apart place. He speaks of a hedge, a trench, a planting, and a tower, to record how much he valued the Jews, with how much care he guarded them, and with how much zeal he taught them through the prophets. Having been cultivated in this way, they ought not to have produced thorns, but fruit worthy of and appropriate to their labors. That such was not the fruit brought forth by them is testified by the crown of thorns placed upon our Savior, a figure of the thorns lurking in their souls.
Cap. XXIII, Ver. 17. (Regarding Tyre) he says that after receiving punishment it is to be visited by God and restored to its ancient fame, so that it may serve God with the wealth acquired through trade; things which are recorded in the Holy Scriptures as having been very useful to the inhabitants of Jerusalem during the reign of Hiram.
Cap. XXVI, Ver. 9. He says that souls thus disposed rise in the morning to offer thanks for the things that have passed; for the night, which was given to man for the refreshment of the body, could not refresh those who sleep unless this had been ordained by God. Most worthily, therefore, does such a soul occupy the morning time, so that it may give thanks for past things and entreat help for the day now dawning. It is manifest that the minds of the pious are enlightened by the commandments of God; D for just as the soul is nourished by every word of God, so also is it illumined and enlightened by every commandment.
Ver. 10. Therefore, let it be the zeal and concern of everyone to learn justice; for justice is not so ingrained in us as something naturally inherent, that we might neglect it [as one would something found in nature, like the ability to see or walk; but each person needs zeal...]
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to turn the understanding away from injustice and to put on justice. A For behold, those who have lived in impiety have been removed; for it is not possible for one who has not learned justice to be found a worker of truth. These things are also understood of the devil, and of the ungrateful Jews, who, though they had received countless benefits, still remained with the eye of their understanding closed; for when our Lord Jesus Christ appeared, and the nations had believed, they not only proved themselves ungrateful toward their Benefactor, but also, burning with wicked zeal, they preferred to be consumed themselves rather than to see the nations endowed with salvation.
VERS. 12. B Here he says that God has rendered [back], that is, the punishments deserved for sins; for since you have rendered all things to us, he says, justly, and as though remitting a debt, give us your only-begotten Son; for there is no other who is our salvation, except your only-begotten Son who has descended upon the earth.
VERS. 13. That the lordship of all things belongs to God is clear to everyone, and one would not suspect that anyone is outside the lordship of God. "Acquire [us]," therefore, is said here, because having redeemed us through the advent of your only-begotten Son, he made us his own and possessed us, who had died to sins.
For those who are dead to sins will never see you; for those are dead whose body has perished; and those are also dead who restrain their members in the midst of pleasures, and who repress the wicked and impious affections of the mind. C Here, conversely, it treats of those who have stripped away all the manners of vital justice, who are dead to God on account of the multitude of sins and misdeeds, and have cast off the life-giving justice; therefore God, being merciful and moved by goodness, has cut [the way] for those who sin.
VERS. 14. [God] indicates that, out of mercy for the life of Christ, he cut short their life, so that by remaining for a long time they might not extend themselves in malice and increase their wickedness; for out of goodness God also defines times for punishment: sometimes after one hundred and twenty years, just as in the time of the flood, and sometimes after sixty (or rather, seventy). It also happens, as that same prophet testifies, D that God demands the penalty even before the appointed time, setting a limit to their sins, restraining the iniquities of those laboring under madness. Therefore it is read in the psalm: "Men of blood and deceit shall not halve their days;" and again: "Do not call me up in the midst of my days."
VERS. 15. Here, by "evils," he does not mean evil actions, but inflictions [calamitous things]; for he makes use of the same word in this sense when he says: "Creating evils." He declares, therefore, that by these afflictions he will humble the pride of those who are considered glorious.
A Ver. 16. That the anger brought forth from God to the point of threatening is intended for the conversion of our souls, and does not progress to action or deed, he indicates; for being a lover of humanity he threatens, so that, by restraining us with fear, he may not bring the punishment upon those who have repented. For he does not rejoice in our death, nor does he abhor his own creatures, nor does he create in order to have those whom he might punish; indeed, if he were such, he could have inflicted the punishment in silence. But he announces all things, and by every kind of threat he hastens to make his own dispositions known, so that we, hearing what we are accustomed to fear, may turn back before the judgment and be saved.
Ver. 17. Here he calls the Savior our "beloved"; for ever since, according to the prophecy, the Virgin is said to have given birth, he makes mention of the child everywhere in a fitting manner. Since, therefore, our situation, he says, has become such that the debt can only be paid through great punishments, there was need for your beloved to deliver us from these calamities by his grace.
Ver. 18. He shows how much threats profit us; for having received your terror like good seed, and having brought it to birth, we shall obtain salvation at the proper time. For as long as we inhabit the earth, you grant time for repentance, not removing us by a justice based on merit, but granting that having turned, we may be saved. Having received, therefore, the life-giving seeds, and having acquired fear, we shall escape all punishment; for we who were once dead through sins and desires will now be awakened as if from tombs, upon your rebuke; through which rebuke we are changed, abstaining from evil deeds; for you always send your mercy down upon us like a medicinal dew.
B Cap. XXVIII, Ver. 1. The fall of Ephraim himself, and the ruin, will appear to all, like something on the highest mountain, visible to everyone and from every side.
Ver. 2. He says that they must justly be afflicted with a punishment which they are now unable to endure; for just as a field exposed to the sun, defended by no covering, cannot avoid the blows of falling hail, so neither can they; for when God demands the punishment, we are destitute of all aid, and there is no one who can rescue us.
Ver. 3, 4. Thereby he declares that they are to be pressed under the rule of enemies and will suffer every indignity in captivity; for they will not be able to hide, he says, even the few left from the captivity, but they will be so detected by all their neighbors, and will appear so afflicted by punishments, that it would be easier for an early fig to hide on the summit of a mountain, which alone of all others ripens and draws to itself the eyes of passersby.
Ver. 5. These words concern those who had reached the state of mind where they thought their race was destitute of all help and was to be rooted out completely; for, that they might not fall into total despair, he foretells the…
one who is to come for the salvation of the race, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, who will be a crown of glory to all, having appeared in the world and taken on our flesh. A
He manifests God’s providence and His just judgment, that not all those delivered into captivity will die indiscriminately, but those will be preserved whom it pleases God to save, although we are not able to trace the reasons for which they are preserved. For it would be a phantom and a monstrosity, properly speaking, if those thus nurtured by God, and having enjoyed so many good things, should fall into such iniquity.
[Vers. 7.] It would indeed be a phantom and a monstrosity if, having been so nurtured by God and loaded with so many benefits, they should fall into such great impiety.
[Vers. 10.] He calls the calamities that were to invade the captives tribulation; but "tribulation upon tribulation" he calls the consciousness of the crimes by which they merited these evils for themselves; which was both useful and salutary for them.
[Vers. 11.] He foretells that a just vengeance from God is to be inflicted upon them: because they mocked the Divinity with their tongue, they will pay the penalty with their tongue; for when led away into captivity, it was no longer permitted to use their native dialect, but they were forced to speak the language of those who mastered them. B
[Vers. 12.] The prophet ironically points out to them the fruit born from their labors, calling their punishment "rest": for those things, he says, which you have treasured up for yourselves, enjoy these as if in joy, while you are afflicted by torments. C
[Vers. 13.] He signifies the benefit that resulted from the discipline for their souls; for when they came to themselves, regarding what they had perpetrated, they experienced the profitable pain and tribulation for their souls, with God assisting them and checking their irrational impulses; so that by the violence of the recoil, being instructed long after, and raising their eyes to the heights, they might recognize their own Creator and Maker.
[Vers. 16.] After the threat of the terrible things which they deserved, God, calling them again not to fall into despair, but to run to His own philanthropy, foretells what is to be managed for their salvation: "For I will send," He says, "My only-begotten Son who is to appear in the flesh; asking of you nothing else but faith in Him, and that you should receive salvation in return." For what else is the "precious, elect, cornerstone, honorable stone" but praise given by the Father to the Son? For whom was it fitting to bear witness to the only-begotten Son, if not His own Father? D Herein is revealed the precision of God's care, in that not all will be deemed worthy of God's mercy, but only those who rest their hope in Him.
[Vers. 17.] For when, He says, you thought you were serving demons to ward off your evils, and you trusted in this vain hope, know that you will not escape any of the things brought upon you, and you will be subjected to the storm and to death...
Ver. 19. The prophet, moved by compassion and calling to mind the calamities that were hanging over them, undertakes to warn them so that they might now listen prudently; for it is impossible that, submerged in such great whirlpools and oppressed by such great calamities, we could resist God; for then we would not even be able to move ourselves unless God impelled us. A
Ver. 21. He compares the wrath of God to the mountain of the impious, rising up against each other. If it is said to rage and to do the work of bitterness, do not for that reason accuse the Lord; for God is not moved by rage, since He remains immutable in nature and affection. They, however, shall feel the bitterness when they are corrected; but God Himself corrects them with mercy and kindness, so that, deterred by punishments, they may work out their own salvation through repentance. B
Ver. 22. This discourse also looks toward the Israelites, but especially toward the nations. He admonishes the Israelites indeed not to be detained by the pleasure of sins, nor to be oppressed or bound by their transgressions, but by turning their ears to the judgment, to consult for their own salvation. He declares to the nations, however, that they should not rejoice at the punishments of the Israelites, since there are also punishments due for sins hanging over them as well.
Cap. XXIX, Ver. 14. He announces that they are to be led into captivity by the Assyrians, because they would not remain in the worship of God, but turned aside to idols. Wherefore He does not hesitate to transfer them, as it were from one place to another, C and in doing so He manifests the greatest mercy; for since their fatherland had rendered them depraved, they had to be transferred into a strange land, so that perhaps, with the places changed, their ways might also be changed.
Ver. 17. Chermel is a mountain that lay near Jerusalem, which the Israelites inhabited; but the nations possessed Mount Lebanon. Therefore, the Lord here testifies that Israel is to be rejected on account of their innumerable sins and their impiety toward God, and that in place of one nation, all the nations are to be chosen and received by God.
Ver. 8. He speaks again of the sealed book, by which he signifies the coming of the Savior: "And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book," that is, those who have not stumbled at the stone of stumbling, D those who have not hesitated to believe in the seal that is present, namely, Christ. For those dwelling in darkness and in the mist will look forward to the coming of the Savior; and those who are called "in poverty" will be enriched through the Christ who appeared: all those who have believed in Him shall be filled with joy.
A By tribulation, he here signifies the incursion of the Assyrians, by which, being constrained, they endured incurable calamities. These, therefore, on account of the perversity of their ways, he calls both lions and lion’s whelps and the offspring of asps. Just as the blessed John, the forerunner of our Savior, called the Jews serpents and a brood of vipers—though indeed these words are used not by John but by Christ Himself—and as they had also become like unbridled horses, and he called them by other names to show their malice; so now, characterizing their ways, he calls them wild beasts, who, when constrained by terrible things, did not flee for refuge to God, the author of all good things and the fountain of blessings, but, loading their wealth onto donkeys and camels, sent an embassy to the Egyptians.
B God anticipates, even before the trial of events, the prophet’s testimony, saying that the human help they hoped for from them would profit them nothing, when God denies His aid. There is also much of the goodness of God here signified; for, he says, since speech does not so much reach those being admonished as does the written word, He testifies to them in writing, recording the things that are to happen to them on a tablet and in a book.
Since, indeed, even after these were foretold, you persisted in the same things, neither discerning for yourselves what was advantageous, nor willing to be enlightened in your vision by the prophets, but ran down to Egypt as to a strong help, for this reason hear also what concerns Egypt: for the defense and help you hoped would come to you will be so weak, just as a wall of a city falling suddenly. C
Verses 15. Neither is superficial lamentation and the turning away of the face profitable, but the conversion of one’s ways and the departure from sins brings about salvation. He speaks of a pure awareness after the departure from sins; for then a person will be a precise judge of himself, when, having been released from a kind of disease—that is, from pleasure and idolatry—he might more clearly see the things previously sinned and despised by him.
He predicts that the help they called upon would be of no profit to them, but on the contrary, would become a source of evils for them, as they were fleeing to it as in that case, and using their horses for flight, they remained intractable and disobedient to the things said by the prophets; whence you shall know that those who go out against you will be swifter and lighter, having received a sign of permission from the God of all; but you will be seized by fear, for both boldness and fear will be granted by Him. D
After these threats, he says, God will receive you, and will wait for a return to mercy, if indeed you repent; but if you persist in your own malice, unforgiv-
Aen in the judgment of those prepared for you shall you undergo the requital; for the Lord is established as Judge of all.
VERS. 19. He calls those holy who, through repentance, have drawn to themselves sanctification. The prophet introduces Jerusalem weeping, prefiguring her as such, according to his own mind, with the bowels of compassion. That, even if for a short time you be afflicted, you might find that you have made yourself a stranger to God; concerning which, when you have repented, you shall be delivered from those who lead you astray.
VERS. 20. Jerusalem, or though for a brief time afflicted with tribulations, may you understand that you have been made a stranger to God; by whom, when you have performed repentance, you shall be freed from the men who deceive you.
VERS. 21. He illuminates Jerusalem to recognize her errors; for she trusted in prophecies uttered by deceivers. When the way was before you to the right, you turned aside to the left, seduced by them; but me you never believed, and never did you take me into counsel for the things you were to do. B
VERS. 22. He indicates that things [are to be] illuminated for converted souls; no longer, he says, shall you be deceived by the vanity of idols; but you shall seize and crush them, showing their weakness, and counting them viler than dung.
VERS. 23. To the people who have turned and act with justice, all things that oppressed the sinner shall be dissolved. For as long as you indulged in sin and idols, famine and a lack of necessities prevailed; so now, having broken the idols and regarded them as nothing, but serving God, He will give you good rain, and all the fruits of the earth for your enjoyment; which He will bestow upon you most copiously. For these things are because of you, and they flourish or wither along with you. It appears also from these things that God is the Creator of all things, not only of men, but also of animals of every kind. C
VERS. 26. He does not indicate here that the light of the elements is to be increased, but the joy which will carry them away in those days. For so will their souls exult, that they will believe the light of the day is increased, and the days will seem to them to shine more illustriously and brilliantly; for their souls will receive healing, being cured of spiritual blemishes, and being delivered from sorrowful pain.
VERS. 28. These things confirm that all things are ruled by divine providence, since the wrath of God does not look only toward the Jews, but also strikes the nations themselves with punishments. For if He had not reproved others, it would have been permitted to the Israelites to say that they alone were punished by God for their sins. Therefore, to prevent this, He warns that He will judge the nations also, and will exact from them the punishments deserved through their error. D
VERS. 29. By these things we learn that we should not at all times indulge in merriment; for do not think that by celebrating splendid feasts, and pouring out your soul in joy, you will procure for yourself a reward. For it does not seem to be sin to feast at festivals, but let us not hope that a future reward will come to us from this. Moreover,
we sin more often when we are detained there by excessive pleasure. You should rather accept tribulations, for they are full of reward. A
VERS. 30. God will cause His vengeance to be heard; for it will not happen in secret or in a corner, as if it were an iniquitous deed, but the anger brought on with just judgment will be clear to all.
CAP. XXXI, VERS. 1. Since He had predicted the destruction of the Assyrians and had revealed the vengeance to be exercised by Him, the Israelites are most justly blamed by the prophet; for when they were trembling before this man, and expecting to be helped by the Egyptians, they did not flee to God, the Lord of all and Savior, as if His protection were empty; but trusting in the multitude of horses and chariots, they hoped to be saved by them. B
VERS. 4. He declares that the minds of those who are to be corrected by God should be instructed by Him; for the vengeance of God is like the prudence of a physician who cuts back a disease and heals wounds; God wisely calls back sinners to healthier things, and prepares a time for repentance, while He seems to injure.
VERS. 5. God will protect those who repent, and will defend Jerusalem, after the manner of birds fostering their young; for He pursues her with such great care.
VERS. 6. He addresses those who are immersed in evils and surrendered to impiety against God, and the prophet advises them to take counsel for themselves, and reproaches the confidence which they had placed in the Egyptians. C
CAP. XXXII, VERS. 1. In the historical sense, these things refer to Hezekiah, but they are rightly referred to the Savior Himself. Understand, therefore, that they are truly blessed who have progressed according to God, and inhabit the heavenly Sion, and have as King our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom truly even on earth supreme justice belongs.
VERS. 2. He declares that men who observe the commands of God, and keep the words of God hidden within themselves for the sake of justice, will be protected from the coming wrath.
VERS. 4, 5. With the Assyrian war imminent, it was fitting that, with their eyes fixed on God, they should despise human help; I mean the help of the Egyptians; and that they should trust in Him alone, and look to Him alone. For those who previously could barely stammer the name of God with a hesitating tongue, you might now see them confessing the Prince of peace with a distinct voice, and now shrinking from the empire of the Egyptians, whom the Scripture justly calls foolish. D
VERS. 9. When the order of men labors under disobedience, the prophet turns his speech to the women, and undertakes to instruct them; especially those who abound in riches, who adorned their own bodies with the greatest care, as the prophet also confirmed above: but truly the fault—
A of the true spiritual world, which brought salvation to them, they neglected. Just as if awakening and rousing them with his word, "Hear," he said, "you rich women," not mocking them for wealth, which even itself had been given by God, but rather for the way they made bad use of such wealth. The desolation which is to seize the places he indicates here; for Chermel is a mountain of Samaria.
CAP. XXXIII, VERS. 2. When the sins of the people were increasing day by day, and neither deterred by threats to repentance, nor stirred by the hope of good things to godliness, the prophet himself, moved by compassion, just as if he already saw them crushed by deserved punishments, implores salvation for the citizens from God. By this reasoning he declares that they had left nothing unattempted and undefiled, and had earned nothing for themselves but punishments. "It is fitting that you spare us and have mercy; for in you we trust." B VERS. 3. These things the prophet says, not as if to please a God who is indignant, but to teach the people what they themselves must do to obtain salvation. For since those prayers which the people, mindful of themselves, should have poured forth to God were neglected, the prophet makes them for them before their Lord; thus teaching them what they should ask for with a pious mind, so that they themselves, even if only by imitating the prophet, might plead their own cause before God.
VERS. 5. This present prayer indicates a progress of the mind and sound doctrine of the soul. For not because God progresses in holiness is He called holy, but he who prays progresses in holiness, and attains by understanding to the majesty and sublimity of God. For then especially is God truly recognized as holy and sublime, when a more perfect soul perceives all the judgments of the true God to be just. These things now refer to Jerusalem, now to all creation. For the city was paying penalties, not so that it should be utterly uprooted, but so that its inhabitants should be instructed and converted. C VERS. 9. He uses places in place of the inhabitants of those places; he brings forth in public that which is devoid of sense, so that he might affect those endowed with sense with shame; for what was applicable to men lamenting their own lot, this the Word transfers to the places themselves as groaning and, as the Apostle says, almost in labor; whose desolation he declares to be manifest and plain to all. D VERS. 13. When God oppresses the people through the Assyrians, not only will the neighbors be stunned, but also those who hear from afar; the impious in Jerusalem will be confounded.
CAP. XXXIV, VERS. 12, 13. Rhapsaces is said to have been from the captivity of the ten tribes, and this is confirmed by the fact that he was able to speak in the Jewish tongue.
A It is to be noted, as is shown in the present history in the first book of Paralipomenon, that Hezekiah was humbled from the height of his heart, after he B had become arrogant and sickened with pride. For it is written: "Hezekiah was humbled from the height of his heart," as he began to think that he was Christ, and that the prophecies relating to the Savior concerned himself. For when his father Ahaz had heard that prophecy, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son," and Hezekiah was born after this prophecy, he remained unmarried and devoted himself to virginity, because he professed that this utterance was about himself. But when he received the sign of the destruction of the 180,000, as God was overseeing his affairs and he escaped the dangers of war most easily with God putting the enemies to flight, he became yet more confirmed in that opinion, that he was that expected God. Therefore, with most fitting reasoning, God led him back to a sounder state and used a disease to teach him wisdom; He allowed him to fall ill, for his feet to be afflicted with rot, and for him to be affected by the greatest torments. The blessed Hezekiah, then, while suffering from the aforementioned disease, was warned by the prophet Isaiah of his impending death; and then, becoming conscious of himself and instructed about his nature through these pains, he was commanded to take thought for his house, and as there was no one to succeed to the kingdom, he turned to the remedy of repentance. For, having restrained his senses from superfluous imaginations and having, as it were, enclosed himself in his own dwelling, and having turned his face toward the wall, he gave his soul time to return to its own Master and through prayer to reap the healing of his body; he brought this forward as an appeal, saying, "I have walked before you in honesty of soul and a true heart." It is also said in those places that there is something else: that King Solomon had inscribed the natural remedies for the healing of the body on a column and had set it up, but the blessed Hezekiah later took it down, lest the people thence have cause for departing from God, and he placed it in the wall of his own house; it is said, therefore, that when he turned himself toward the wall, he brought that column to mind as an appeal, for I was concerned with the greatest zeal to have it removed, that a way to impiety might not lie open to the people. It is also to be noted here that the wall and the column are called by one and the same voice in Hebrew; wherefore it was especially for this reason that he was taken to the wall, or for his turning toward the wall; but he made his prayer not without tears, but indeed with many of these.
"The height of days" signifies the arrogance that had grown in his mind, by which he was gripped; and he was about to cut short his own life, thinking these things—for he did not hope to see the salvation of God in the land of the living, having been refuted in that which had taken hold of me.
A And he says that he would also be deprived of this life for destruction and slaughter, having destroyed it like one who has pitched a tent but pulls it down quickly; for the vital spirit was being taken from its powers, like a weaver’s web about to be cut. Whence I shall not cease in the things that follow to be a herald of your goodness, like the birds—the swallow and the dove—ceaselessly explaining your great works; for you are he who caused the pains in my body to cease, and bestowed healing upon my soul, having passed over my transgressions.
He was saying this not as one cutting off the hope of the resurrection, but as one declaring that he had gone down to the Hades of destruction, not having been called back by you nor having received forgiveness for his sins. Whence, I myself, healing that dangerous thought, will hasten both to engage in marriage and to beget children, so that those born of me may also proclaim and rise up for righteousness.
B A valley must be understood, not as if God were about to descend into it, but it speaks to souls sunk deep down and lying somewhere below in Hades, and humbled by sins; for it is time for these, having been freed from these deadly and dangerous thoughts, to be humbled above the mountains.
Showing how even the prophet himself, who serves the Word, was unable to grasp it, his mind being overshadowed by the flesh; for indeed every human assumption will quickly cease, but the Word of God shall never receive an end; but it reaches further, truth-telling his C promise for ever.
Again, toward the disputes in the mind concerning God’s judgments and the Providence that extends through all things, and to each one individually, and how there is nothing that escapes God, but God’s knowledge passes through all things; the Word teaches [us] to trace out each one’s [nature], that from the things seen, and from the more universal elements of God, it teaches [us] of God’s power.
Again, the Word meets the thoughts in the mind: that you might perhaps think to appease this God, who was fore-announced through the things mentioned, with sacrifices, not considering that he is not in need of these, by whose Word all things have been made. “Shall Lebanon therefore suffice,” and the forest that is in it? Or shall all the four-footed animals suffice for a whole burnt offering, to whom all the nations, according to his own utterance, are as nothing, and are counted as nothing?
D It speaks to souls languishing and afflicted with pains; for it is possible for you, who have grown old in desires and pleasures, and have been cast down by them, to relieve your spiritual powers, and like old age, to cast off whatever has been broken and nearly consumed by passions. These he calls islands most appropriately; for as islands, in the midst of the sea, are washed all around by the waves
yet are not submerged, so also our souls are washed by the things of this world and by bodily passions, which are salty. The Apostle exhorts us for this same reason, that we should strip off the old man and put on the new A.
VERS. 2. It treats of Cyrus, whom God justly raised up against Babylon. — He subjected many to his empire, that he might justly overthrow Babylon.
VERS. 8. Here God mentions His affection for Israel, that is, for the Israelites themselves. He calls him a "servant," not bought with money or received into His own house from another, but taken up as a Son by a Father; whom He also calls Jacob, being his heir and having obtained the same lot B.
VERS. 15. When the prophet teaches that they were assisted by God and defended against the incursions of enemies, he renews their confidence. I myself, He says, have bestowed upon you such power against your enemies, that you appeared to have taken iron wheels in the manner of saws, and I surrendered all the nations to you to be trampled upon. For the arrogance rising up like mountains, and the haughty minds raised up like hills, you shall thus crush and reduce to nothing, so that they might be compared to dust. This, indeed, was accomplished against the Assyrians; for without Israel fighting or drawing up a line of battle, the plain was seen covered far and wide with corpses, when Christ, by His own hand, had laid low one hundred and eighty-five thousand, so that there was nothing else for the Israelites to do but to go out to behold so great a miracle C, and to exult at such great concern from God.
VERS. 17. The Word declares the calamities impending over their enemies.
VERS. 26. He declares that the incursion of the Assyrians and Egyptians occurred by the command of God. For they would not have entered this land, He says, if I had not myself granted this by way of permission. Therefore, as long as they serve Me, they shall be powerful against you, as if they were to tread upon clay. Let, therefore, someone also from the nations come forward who might predict things to come before all ages; and let him show, if they are able to announce as their own decrees those things which are about to proceed into action; for demons, even if they predict something, do not predict their own works but reveal the actions of others. Therefore, these do not announce anything of their own, nor will they have hearers who can distinguish the false from the true D.
VERS. 27. He reminds them of what God Himself prepared for Jerusalem from the beginning, that as a lamp of the knowledge of God it might illuminate the whole world, and with how many and great benefits He has adorned them; nor does He announce smaller things that He will grant to those returning from captivity. But above all, He further foretells the grace of the Savior in Sion.
A For in this way does he foretell the coming of our Savior, beginning from thence, and how His grace passed over to all nations. Just as, then, even now the prophet, having grasped the saving presence of our Savior which was to happen for our gain and for the salvation of our souls, exults in his soul at such great philanthropy of God, he initiates the songs and the glorification; and he urges others to do the same. For God, who has appeared and become known to us, did not begin to rule now, but since His lordship was already pre-existing, and prevailing on high, and being glorified by those there, it will first be made manifest to the ends of the earth everywhere; and the order of the apostles was indicated by those who, initiating this knowledge, had it as their work to sail the sea. B By the places he signifies the inhabitants therein, who were also the first to be about to acknowledge our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to adore and glorify Him. He speaks now of the wilderness, referring the discourse to the souls that were struggling in the wilderness, deprived of the knowledge of God. And he necessarily mentions Qedar; by this instruction he teaches us that those souls which resisted the coming of the Savior, having later recognized Him, will confess the worship; for Qedar was a region of the race of Esau, and it continued to resist Jerusalem, and was hostile to its laws. C He clearly indicates the coming of the Savior here also, who bestows peace upon us, but will break down all the power and arrogance of the enemy, having moved Himself to vengeance. For He does not advance against the enemy and our adversary as if He were affected by passion; for being void of all human passion, inasmuch as He is God, He will move Himself to defense; just as He also did when He appeared in the flesh. For the evangelists recount that He groaned in spirit, indicating the freedom of His will; D for He shed a tear, and endured bodily fatigue, not suffering these experiences against His will, but willingly subjecting His body to them. For we humans indeed shed tears not when we will, but because they are bodily affections, we are moved by them even against our will; but God is not so, but doing all things by authority, He will use the same power against the enemies. He says they are worthy to be ashamed according to the merit of their sins, and that they will be such as their objects of worship are, according to what is written: "Let those who make them become like them." But if you consider it an insult to be made like your objects of worship, consider much rather in your minds how you degrade yourselves by counting them as masters and gods. Therefore, possessing the senses, reflect on the purpose of
A calling. You have been called to the heavenly citizenship, and prepared to rank with the angels; God demands nothing else from you but praise offered out of goodwill. But since you have withheld this and have given yourselves over to the evil one, and have become his captives, ensnaring yourselves in your conscience and setting up idols in your houses—for what you previously studied in your minds you have completed in actual deed—therefore, having been subjected to captivity in both body and soul, you will not have any to help you. For when the enemies attack, those who are thought by you to be gods will not deliver you, nor will they restore what has been plundered by the enemies.
He reminds them of the liberation from Egypt, showing that, B "having punished all the nations, I have taken them in exchange for you," afflicting those with calamities and destruction, while cherishing you with my aid.
Again here he reminds them that it was not by their own labors that they acquired glory for themselves, nor did they prevail over the nations by their own power, but God was everywhere, and even of these things was acting for them against the adversaries. For if I had chosen to complete you into my own people, you would not have remained without providence.
That the desert soul, being devoid of divine moisture, is flooded with divine teachings after the advent of the Savior, who irrigated each man individually and the Church in common like rivers with divine teachings; similarly you will understand the following things as well, adapting each of the things said to the contemplation within C the souls.
He points out the providence from God that came to them from above and from ancient times; for I did not begin to provide for you now, nor when you were making the exodus from Egypt did I ask sacrifices of you, nor did I allow you to overcome the adversaries with labors. But I even allowed these things to be offered after those events, wishing to turn you away from idols, and to provide for you occasions for my gifts; for I am not in need of these things.
He reminds them that he is the creator both of the race in common and of each person individually; but he also mentions the providence that extends through the womb, since he fashions all of us in the mother's D womb and grants us existence.
Here the words, "There were no formers," do not mean that those who fashioned such things did not happen to exist, but that they were unable to provide any help to those who reverenced them, acting as if they did not exist. For even when the land was being allotted to the Israelites, there being many objects of worship, the nations were being destroyed and driven out of the places in such a way that their weakness and nothingness were demonstrated, and the mastery of God was made manifest.
They have called the Red Sea an abyss, which was made desolate by the passing of the Israelites; but they have called the rivers
arefacta Jordanem usden trans euntibus jussu Dei debiscentem.
CAP. XLV, VERS. 9. By things which cannot happen, He instructs them in wisdom, persuading them to accept with equanimity whatever has been ordained by God for the salvation of the nations. For in the same way that clay shall not argue with the potter, nor shall a father who is eager to beget other children be hindered by his children, nor would it be the act of an impious man to reproach a mother in labor—so too, He says, do not you lay down this law for God, that He should pour out His grace upon you alone.
VERS. 11. B Commit your cause to Me, and you shall not stray from salvation. I shall have no need of your exhortations and commendations to cherish with care and providence My creatures, whom I have held as sons and daughters. For I did not create heaven and earth so that they might be for My use, that I should have the heaven as a throne and the earth as a footstool, and be wrapped in those things which are themselves contained by My will; rather, I arranged all things for your benefit. And in particular, My will directs the courses and stations of the stars; nor is it permitted to the angels, while these are being governed in such a way, to give themselves over to idleness, but they have rendered to Me the praises due from them. Since, therefore, all things are ordered by Me, not even earthly things escape Me. Thus shall Cyrus the King appear, both distinguished C in his piety toward Me and professing what is right. He shall not be hidden from My foreknowledge, being born at his proper time; he shall dispose his life not by his own judgment but by My nod; he shall grant you your return from captivity, and he shall rebuild Jerusalem, not by a price given by you, but by the command of My will.
VERS. 14. Again, to confound them, He recalls the memory of the things done in Egypt and the miracles performed by God against the Egyptians for the deliverance of the people. They indeed labored, stupefied, but you have not departed from your sins, but weary yourselves with your vain transactions. And a little later: But as you are negligent and refuse the care of God, the only-begotten Son shall appear, who will perform My will and will be to all Israel; indeed, He shall be Judah, in whom they shall make their vows, D through whom they shall obtain My benefits and attain salvation. For in what way shall that be fulfilled: "Out of Egypt I have called My Son"? For the Jews loathed the name of the Son and were unwilling to be converted by the multitude of My benefits; the only-begotten Son, however, most aptly vindicated that outstanding utterance for Himself; for when He returned from Egypt after the death of Herod, that saying was most correctly understood of Him: "Out of Egypt I have called My Son."
VERS. 16. These things are referred to King Cyrus; for they who shall wish to resist him shall profit nothing else, but shall be confounded; they intend also Israel, into whose hands all shall be delivered. Here He calls the regions of the islands themselves "islands."
A Jerusalem, inasmuch as it is surrounded by the nations flowing in from every side, shall also be flooded by the sins of the people, by which they have fallen away from God, having lapsed into the customs of the nations and slid into idolatry. He urges them, therefore, to be renewed, especially and primarily Jerusalem itself, but nevertheless also every region of the nations, and to take themselves up into the knowledge of God, and to secure for themselves eternal salvation by fleeing to the grace of God.
Vers. 18. To confirm the proclamation of such great things and to remove the doubt of the hearers, the Word seems to offer counsel drawn from the trustworthy works of God. For this God, He says, who promises these things, is the same who also made the heaven and showed the earth to be a work of His own preceding intention, and separated it from the waters gathered into congregations. The Creator of these natures, therefore, will never cease to show His love for mankind; for He did not bring men into being in order to have whom to punish, or to leave the earth empty of them, but that He might benefit those who dwell upon it, save those who repent, and teach those who recognize Him. B
Vers. 20. Therefore, you who are from the gentiles, who have recognized God and have been shown to be worthy of salvation, having collected yourselves and considered within your minds, you must perceive the absurdity, that those who carry their own objects of worship upon their shoulders, and bring aid to them, are soon to sail and to traverse a long journey, and hope that return and salvation will be granted to them by those beings; whereas it behooved them to perceive the absurdity, that he who is animate and capable of aiding himself can receive nothing of the good from one who is helpless and devoid of sense. C
Vers. 21. The uncommunicable and incomparable nature of God is declared even in this; for no one else possesses existence in this way, but He alone is unbegotten, and gives to each what is just. Now Jesus is the salvation of God, according to the name itself; and the Savior God is in Him, and He Himself is in God; for He does not separate God from Himself and from being, but the one who is outside and in another order of justice and salvation; for there is nothing such—alien to the only-begotten God, the sole source of all good; for the good is one, and that which is from Him is the same, as a true and natural image. D
Vers. 22. The Giver of salvation and Author of life urges all to be saved, and to receive with certainty the promise that has extended to them. For since the calling also betrothed salvation to the Jews, and deemed the nations worthy of the same gift, and heralded that all from everywhere fleeing to the gift of God were to be saved; for if Israel, after having sinned so much, needed grace, much more did they disbelieve that what was said was a great thing, as if it would only be received in words, and not also proceed into deed. Therefore, to remove every doubt for those called to
A salvation, God applies an oath, and uses this as He discourses with men, whereby the conclusion of every dispute is most perfectly resolved for mankind.
VERS. 25. Whoever in this life do not repent of the sins they have committed, but being ungrateful and deceived, refuse to confess Christ (shall be confounded).
VERS. 26. But they shall be justified and glorified throughout their whole life who have endeavored to acknowledge Christ, to practice justice, and to become the true seed of Israel.
CAP. XLVI, VERS. 1. Here God recalls that all things, whatsoever have been decreed by Him, are accomplished with certainty; but that the same does not hold true of idols, but rather they shall be seen prostrate before the eyes of all. Let each one of you recognize that my words are not a vain boast, but a certain prediction of things soon to come to pass, made by God; for when God announced to Abraham that a seed would go forth from him, and would occupy the land, and he said, "Whereby shall I know that these things are so?"—thinking that the patriarch, having heard of the calamities, needed to be instructed unto wisdom—He foretold both the servitude of his race and their liberation after four hundred and fifty years; all of which things—though there was no one to urge the execution of the things predicted—were fulfilled. B
VERS. 2. All your possessions, having been delivered into captivity, shall be a burden for elephants and beasts of burden upon which they will be placed to be led away. Nay, more, the very men carrying the graven images shall be wearied. By this, too, they shall confess the weakness of these things, when those carrying them are fatigued, and those bearing the gods grow weak, whereas they ought rather to have been refreshed by them, if they had been any gods at all.
VERS. 3. He leads them to understand His words, commending the patriarch and his glory; for since they boast of being his offspring, it is fitting that they should imitate his ways. For since you are the remnant of Israel, two tribes alone remaining, the other ten having been led off into captivity, I will not forsake you, if you shall perform penance. C
VERS. 5. The context of the discourse indicates what that error is. For, it says, having the image of me implanted in you, you descended to making idols, as if you would worship me through them, so that you might behold with your eyes the form impressed upon your minds, now expressed through an effigy.
VERS. 6. That they might make for you a god at the price of bronze; but as for me, I ask no reward from you, but rather I bestow upon you all things by grace and goodness, and I gift you with everything, even what did not exist, unto life. D
VERS. 8. By every manner of reasoning He calls them back to wisdom and to a remembrance both of the sins they have committed and of the benefits with which God has continuously adorned them, so that, having become conscious of their delicts, and [bearing] themselves as though dead to their own works
A they may find healing, God demanding naught but a change of heart.
VERS. 11. For what shall be lacking to me calling, when all things obey my nod? For even if I call a bird from the ends of the earth, it will be present; and Cyrus the king is led by my power, yielding to my nod. Indeed, every man who is mindful of my concerns shall have me as his guide on his paths. But when no man is found who performs my will, then I shall send my Son, that is to say Christ, who fulfills all the Father's intention, and in His own action makes manifest my intentions.
VERS. 12. He rebukes them, not because they had abandoned their physical heart, but because they had of their own accord extinguished the light of their minds; for on that account have you defected from me. Therefore, I shall exact just penalties from you, penalties that shall be for your salvation; for in every punishment God provides for our utility, after the pattern of a physician healing a disease. Though the things provided by the physician be bitter, they restore the sick to health: in the same manner, their legal state was ruled, and the institutions of God granted glory to those observing them.
CAP. XLVII, VERS. 1. He turns his discourse back to the Chaldeans, and foretells the vengeance that will overtake them.
VERS. 3. He makes his address to Israel: That if you rely on me, there will no longer be reason to fear the Assyrians, for I shall no longer deliver you to them or to any others. C
CAP. XLVIII, VERS. 1. God, offering proof of His multifarious goodness, professes that He has never been silent, nor has He endured their delicts with a tranquil mind, but has always rebuked them while they were sinning, and has foretold the punishments due for their sins, not that He might punish them (otherwise, remaining silent, He would have oppressed them in anger), but that, frightening and schooling them with threats, He might find them repentant and obedient to Him. He again makes mention of the patriarchs and of the name signifying spiritual progress, which 'Israel' denotes D; so that those who boast of their lineage may also adopt for themselves their manner of life, and, imitating their favor, may accustom themselves to obeying God.
VERS. 3. Such did you prove to be even from the beginning; having abandoned the laws which were implanted in you by nature, you extorted from me laws to be written on stone tablets; which Moses even then rebuked you for, and turned into a reproach.
VERS. 7. Once again rebuking their feigned faith, he recounts their sayings, saying: Do not say, "Yes, I know these things." Even though you pretend to know them, your very deeds will confirm that you have been ignorant of them, just as it is written in the Gospel: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven"; for while with mouth and tongue you confess me, you do not...
hold these things with the disposition and love of your soul. A Do not say that you were sold by me for silver and copper; rather, you sold yourself, not indeed for money, but by handing over your own sins instead of silver. For you will not find my power lacking, remembering the things done in Egypt and mindful of Egyptian slavery. But even now, for my own sake, I grant you your return from captivity, so that when you are handed over on account of your sins, idols may not usurp my glory, accusing me of powerlessness, as if I were unable to grant you liberty.
Ver. 12. These things are spoken to the people, but you may rightly apply them to anyone. B God therefore exhorts the hearers to come to a realization of what is spoken and to reap the benefit from it. For I am the same in character as I am in nature; and just as it is impossible for nature to undergo change, so it is with my intent and character. Remaining the same forever, I am distinguished by my goodness, by which I brought all things into existence from the beginning, having manifested them in the Son and having established them through him. For the only-begotten Son is called the Hand and the Right Hand, the minister of the Father’s mind; hence the only-begotten Son truly stands as the Wisdom of God, making clear the Father's purposes in the works that are accomplished by him.
Ver. 14. Again, He urges those who are proud among the nations to come forward and to understand in their minds C that they did not receive these predictions from another, nor did anyone else foretell what would happen after a long interval of time, except God, the Lord of all, who proclaims the calamities that will befall them and, when they are converted, consoles them anew.
Ver. 15. Here God reminds the Israelites that they have become masters of their own desires. Since they were constantly oppressed by the Chaldeans and defeated in battle, the Israelites were most eager for their destruction. God, responding kindly to this desire, declares that He did not defend them for acting justly, but rather saved those whom He loved by reason of their lineage from the incursions of the Chaldeans.
Ver. 16. Here the speech of the prophet describes the intent of the Lord. For these things were not spoken to the people in corners or in secret, but were brought forth before all and in public. D For I myself, having certain knowledge of these things, spoke them to you, and even now I do not cease doing the same for your salvation; for the Lord has sent me, and the Holy Spirit breathes [through me].
Ver. 17. Again rebuking their ingratitude, He recalls the deliverance from slavery. Come, He says, you did not recognize your Creator; you did not serve the One who formed and fashioned you with your mind, nor did you perceive the One who delivered you from Egypt? I, however, who did this, am still the same; I have let no occasion pass to commend to you the things that could lead to your salvation.
A But I constituted you free, daring to explain to you clearly what you must do and what would be profitable for you; and while you walked in this path, you withdrew from the other, which causes death.
Verse 20. He counsels them to change both their place and their customs; some, by leaving Babylon and returning to Jerusalem; others, indeed, by avoiding the customs of the Chaldeans, abstaining from idols, and from auguries and other customs of this kind. A little later: These things may also be aptly referred to all the nations living everywhere in the world, or occupying the ends of the earth, when the word of salvation is preached to them, and spiritual freedom, namely, the deliverance by which the only-begotten Son of God liberated us when we were oppressed in captivity and under the power of the devil. B
Chapter XLIX, Verse 4. Even if you have received no profit from my words, says the prophet, I shall perform my work; my labor will become known before God.
Verse 15. When Jerusalem unjustly argues against God, as if He had forgotten her, He responds most fittingly that the divine power is not subject to oblivion, nor is it overcome by sloth so as to abandon its creatures from its providence. For if the providence of God were to desert us, and we were to fall from His memory, our life would immediately vanish. For if that mind by which we were brought into the light were to depart, we would have to perish. C
Chapter L, Verse 1. God declares that He in no way fostered their defection, since they themselves surrendered and destroyed themselves, and made themselves unworthy of His care, while God added good upon good and gifts upon gifts.
Verse 2. I, indeed, was calling you back to myself through reproofs and punishments, and especially through exhortations, but you did not listen; not because you lacked ears, but because you of your own accord obstructed them. You accuse me of weakness, He says, as if I were unable to help you or to liberate you from the tyranny of your enemies; do not speak so, having so often experienced my power. Did I not make the sea a desert and prepare for you a path among the waves, and produce countless other miracles? D
Verse 3. Which I will do if it pleases me. I will clothe the heaven in dark shadows, that is, I will define the terms of all things, and then all things will vanish, and the life of each will be weighed, and each will receive according to his merits.
Verse 9. He calls the sins committed by them the moth here. Because they are produced by them and will harm no others, but their own parents. For just as a garment breeds the moth and then is corroded by it, so too do sins harm us, having sprung from us. And the things that they suffer...
because of our disobedience and lack of reverence toward God. A
Cap. LI, Vers. 2. He now uses a milder tone to reprove them, and addresses them as those who have stood far off from justice and have become alienated from the Lord, that he might lead them to faith. And a little later: "Who then, having taught your race these things, and having increased it from a small pretext, and having fulfilled it with blessing, how shall I not now be bounteous to one who repents and acknowledges Me?" These things are not said with exaggeration; for how shall those souls not be filled with gladness and all manner of joy, which are not at variance with themselves, but which thrive in the hopes of God and are dedicated to Him? B
Vers. 3. (Note: The Latin omits this verse heading in its progression, but the content follows the logic of the Greek text provided above).
Vers. 4. Now He brings help to all, to the princes equally as well as to the people. For He does not prefer those who preside in authority, nor does He deny aid to those serving in the ranks, but weighing all souls in the same balance, He makes the rewards of obedience common. Therefore, He exhorts all equally to attune their ears.
Vers. 5. He shall illuminate all nations, He shall brighten all peoples with the knowledge of God, so that they may place their hopes in Him who is My arm. By "islands" here, He refers to the places themselves, but especially to the Churches; and not undeservedly might you refer these to those souls that are encircled by pleasures like a salty current, and tossed by the vain opinions in this life. C
Vers. 6. He presents trustworthy proofs, by which He may convince those who disbelieve in His divine power—[the] heaven and the earth. And a little later: "Now therefore, having used the proper energies of your souls, take wing in your mind, and having drawn near to heaven, study that very thing: how I established it, which seems to the eye in its present state to be but smoke; and this earth, which you think to be solid, I shall deliver to destruction, and I shall cause the things in the world to pass away; while only the saving oracle of the Word shall remain forever; with which it is fitting to remain and to have eternal life."
Vers. 7. Fear rather the disgrace and contempt from God; for those things which are from men, who perish daily, will perish along with them; only the hope in Christ remains, lasting forever with those who have attained this salvation. D
Vers. 9. He urges Jerusalem to recover whatever she has lost through negligence; for there is strength within you, by which, when you have clothed yourself in it, you shall be able to appear powerful; remember that you are none other than that Jerusalem to whose signal the sea parted, allowing a path amidst the waves, so that those delivered from Egypt might have a crossing; whom the elements served; and which even in the desert abounded with an abundance of all things. Do not, therefore, betray your own strength, nor introduce sloth into the virtue of your mind, but arise to heavenly hopes, and, having received confidence, adorn yourself with good works.
A
VERS. 13. You were indeed begotten of father and mother, that ties of friendship and kinship might be joined with you, not as though they supplied [what was lacking] to my power, for in the beginning, when Adam was fashioned, I had no need of them, but I brought him into existence by my own will and power.
VERS. 14. He calls past things to their remembrance, and thus restores their broken spirits; for, he says, those who pressed upon you with threats and fury could not withstand you while I was acting as your advocate; nor will others be any more successful, for I shall easily put them to flight.
VERS. 15. Here he teaches us that the disturbances and rebellions of nations, and the straits of circumstances, and temptations, do not happen without the divine will of God. When these are pressing, you ought to prudently turn to the help of God, and beseech Him for deliverance from them.
CAP. LII, VERS. 1. He declares this again, while he exhorts them, [noting that] they had willingly fallen into these calamities. For if they had been oppressed by anyone else, he would not have commanded them to arise, but would have reproved the oppressor; but now, because they were detained in evils by their own will, he suitably urges them to rise up.
VERS. 2. Shake off and cast away the dust which you collected when you fell; and as for the bonds wherewith you bound yourself, loosen them, having stripped off the yoke to which you had willingly submitted your neck; thus you shall solve through repentance the captivity you earned for yourself. For you were not sold by me in times past after receiving money, but you were sold because of your own sins; these, however, I will forgive if you repent, and I will call you back from captivity. C
VERS. 4. Your being carried away violently into Assyria happened by my permission, but [it was] your own fault; for I would not have delivered you to them had not your sins first betrayed you; but you shall experience how easy your deliverance from them will be when your hearts are converted.
VERS. 5. Has not Rhapsaces even thought me weaker than the idols which are called gods among them, saying: "Let not Ezecias deceive you: Will your God deliver you? Have the gods of the nations delivered each his own region?" Because of you, therefore, my name is blasphemed and mocked, for you have driven away my benefits from you by your wicked character. D
VERS. 6. By these words God indicates that He will subsequently take care of the people; which is also best said to be a presence, not because his substance moves from place to place, but because his power is made more manifest. For God is said to be present to us then, when we render ourselves worthy to receive Him through good character; and likewise [He is said] to be absent, when He does not deign to rest in us because we have turned away from the right path on account of our depraved character.
VERS. 7. Just as the light of day is seen by all, with which the sun shining forth illuminates all the mountains,
so clear and glorious shall be the movement of my coming to you; and you shall be so filled with joy and exultation that, just as you receive the message of peace and happiness A in your hearing, so shall your salvation be widely proclaimed, and you shall offer yourselves for correction to such a degree that I myself shall deign to be called your king. In this, the prophetic spirit marvels at the feet of the heralds of the Gospel, by which they have completed the course of their journey in traversing all the nations; beautiful were their feet because they had been cleansed, as if the Savior himself had washed them; and they ran upon the mountains because of the lofty and exalted nature of the evangelical preaching; and they announced peace to men, evangelizing the peace toward God, which they proclaimed to those afar and to those near, declaring Christ to be the one of God, who made the two into one and destroyed the middle wall of the enclosure, B that is, all enmities, in his own flesh.
VERS. 11. He exhorts them to take counsel for their souls, and to change their wicked and Chaldean affections rather than their places; he persuades them not to dwell in the same manners, for as long as they indulge in them, they will appear unclean.
VERS. 15. Kings will worship God with a peaceful and silent mouth. For they shall remain blind and deaf—those who had received the law and had listened to the predictions of the prophets, and had known the prophecies brought forth concerning the Savior; while the nations, on the contrary, to whom nothing had been announced nor revealed, shall attain the knowledge of God by faith alone, and of those things which God has disposed concerning his only-begotten Son. C
CAP. LIII, VERS. 1, 2, 3. "Who hath believed?" the prophet signifies. "And to whom shall be revealed" the doctrine concerning the only-begotten Son of God? For we have described the same as a lowly child, as a root attenuated by a lack of moisture; his appearance was indeed so humble that it could be compared with no other, so that it seemed to fit not at all the virtue by which so many and such great prodigies were performed.
VERS. 5. While the wickedness of men was increasing day by day, and leaving nothing untried or undefiled, punishment and vengeance awaited us. Yet the punishment that was our due, the only-begotten Word of God, having come down into our world and fulfilling every law and all justice, D while remaining subject to no sin, underwent of his own will, with the intention that he might make us, who were ungrateful, grateful to God and friends. He himself truly bore all the punishments and reproaches for us; we, however, through faith suffer with him, and through grace die with him and are saved.
VERS. 6. "God delivered him," clearly as one offered voluntarily, not compelled by force. For the Apostle also uses this word to declare the freedom and the will of the Father. For "God so loved the world, that he delivered his only-begotten Son for us."
A Having thus willingly endured the sufferings, he maintains silence, providing himself to us as a law of patience.
The willingness of the Savior is indicated in the test of the things economically ordained; for as a sheep led to the sacrifice, or a lamb before him who shears it, having no power to bleat—as those overcome by necessity possess—so he, too, willingly kept silent in his suffering.
He declares the illegal and unjust judgment, with the truth suppressed. Who would be capable of expressing in speech the glory that came after the resurrection, and his inherent dignity, which the experience of the things economically administered demonstrated? He was made subject to death, yet by his grace all are brought to life toward immortality, and are ransomed by faith. This is understood in two ways: first, that the presence of the Savior was necessarily required because of our transgressions, for the Savior’s sojourn would have had no place had we not been found in transgressions; and second, that by those very iniquities he was led to death. B
As far as the words go, if taken unexamined, they seem to carry the impression of a curse and not a blessing; but if one wishes to investigate the mind lying within, one will find an ocean of philanthropy hidden away. For he will rescue from the works they have performed those who are wicked, and those who boast in riches, and those condemned to death, insofar as it is possible, provided they believe and accept the death of the Savior, which will be for them a compensation, yielding to them eternal life and incorruptible immortality in place of burial and death.
The injustice declares the wanton insolence of the devil, which he displayed against our Savior; for although no sin was found in his life in the flesh, but his flesh remained sinless and pure, the devil nevertheless inflicted death upon him as if he were guilty of sin, thereby demonstrating his own primordial wickedness; in return for which, a reasonable redemption comes to those falling under sin. C
Just as he adopted the sufferings owed by us by taking them upon himself, so he also declares that he has accepted, on our behalf, the cleansing that comes through faith. Here he does not speak of a gift through sacrifices, but that which is accompanied by perception and repentance; which, as they perform it in their sins, they received psychic healing, not only procuring for themselves the present life.
Since the only-begotten Son of God sets our salvation as his own gain, for which reason he also took up a body and necessarily underwent the sufferings for us, his own Father declares that he removes his labor—our healing and cleansing—and that he shows him the light, the light by which we are enlightened toward the knowledge and understanding of God, our characters being changed for the better and transformed by the wisdom of God. For the only-begotten Son of God, while doing all things according to the Father's command D and fulfilling every intent by his obedience, it was necessary that the Savior
also gird himself with a towel, and pour water into a basin, and undertake every service: all of which he did with the eagerness of a servant, while thinking of serving the will of the Father. B
VERS. 12. Whoever believes in him is called the possession of the Son, just as one might also rightly say they had previously been the spoils of the devil. Since, therefore, the only-begotten Son of God, through his wonderful incarnation, brought all men to the knowledge of the Father and of the Son, having delivered them from the errors and from the empire of the devil—whom those who were formerly wandering thought to be strong—it is necessary that he should claim them as his own portion, now that the devil, who once seemed to have power over them, has been despoiled.
CAP. LIV, VERS. 1. These things must be interpreted by anagogy, even for each individual soul that has been neglectful of itself; but certainly also regarding the calling of the Gentiles, who were to be increased and multiplied upon the coming of the Savior.
VERS. 2. These things must indeed be referred to Jerusalem itself, as it was augmented after the captivity; but it is more correctly referred to the Churches themselves, which are being widened and enlarged every day by the addition of all those whom the grace of God has moved; and one may also understand this of any soul that excellently performs the commandments of God.
VERS. 3. He speaks here in an anagogical sense concerning the Gentiles, not that they are to be possessed by Israel in such a way that they perish, but that they might be saved together with Israel by believing in the same faith. C
VERS. 7. He indicates that he will deliver all evils to oblivion. For he says thus: I will forgive your negligences, so that I will no longer reproach you by bringing them to mind, just as those do who cast off for a time women who have committed faults. D
VERS. 11. Here he declares the cruelty of the Chaldeans, since, although they had received from God the authority to punish the Israelites for their sins, they devised and inflicted upon them more severe punishments out of their own lust for power.
VERS. 17. He says that the incursions of the enemies will accomplish nothing, since Jerusalem itself is protected; for every hostile vessel shall not prevail against you; you yourselves shall overcome.
CAP. LV, VERS. 2. Ever ready for bestowing gifts is the Lord, and the merciful God is overflowing with good things; for he does not only promise to give the good things of this world here, but also the enjoyment of eternal gifts hereafter in heaven; he asks for nothing else from us but a grateful and docile soul, one that consents to the teacher and responds to the one who calls with eagerness.
VERS. 3. While he bids us to attend with our ears, he does not seem to mean that we should focus on the senses of the body. For while we are attending with our eyes, we are not able to hear with them; nor is it possible to see with ears that are attending. The same is true of the other senses of the body. From which it is evident that he
faculty. A
But perhaps the multitude of your sins and your having acted impiously toward Him constrains you and prevents you from taking refuge in Him; yet even this will not appear to you a great obstacle, if you consider that His mercy is infinite. For your evils will not be so great as to conquer and surpass His philanthropy; for He, being plenteous in mercies, will grant an abundant forgiveness of your sins, and will thus show you to be so clean that not a trace of your former transgressions will remain.
VERS. 7. Perhaps your sins and impiety toward God hinder you and prevent you from taking refuge in Him. But if you consider His mercy, nothing will be able to hinder you; for your sins will not be such as can conquer and overcome His kindness. He Himself is great in mercy, and He will forgive many sins, and will thus render you clean, so that not even a trace of your former transgressions remains. B
VERS. 11. God promises that He will provide a prosperous path for those who keep the Law, provided only that they are willing to show themselves as doers of it, He Himself supplying the strength to accomplish this. Moreover, it seemed good to Him that those who were about to leave the captivity should take up such great zeal for their departure that He would guide them with a guard of honor; a thing which was fulfilled under Cyrus, the king of the Persians, with the divine inclination being made manifest. Indeed, as they moved, the very mountains showed their rejoicing, and other signs also followed. For just as the Red Sea retreated for those traversing the desert, so, moving out from captivity, it is recounted that they crossed the river Tigris on foot, just as they did the Jordan. And the mountains, in contrast to the desolation caused by the enemy, received such a transformation that they produced the growth of strange trees alongside what was already there, and the divine favor was shown through this transformation of the mountains, so that all things contribute to the power of God and to His manifestation. C
VERS. 15. Therefore, the gifts from God are not for sale; you will receive them freely and without silver. For there is no need for wine for a libation, nor for fat for a sacrifice. Even if you purchase these things with silver, you will bring back no more benefit than toil or labor, for these are not sufficient to persuade God.
CAP. LVI, VERS. 3. You, He says, who are foreigners, who have dedicated yourselves to God and live according to His commandments, do not think that you will fail to attain blessedness and the inheritance of the saints; but knowing that it is character that joins you to Abraham, and not blood-kinship, take care of your ways, hasten to serve God, and you shall not be excluded from the lineage of the righteous. D
He leads them to understanding through these rewards owed to the righteous.
Again, through an appeal, He wishes to bring them to a realization of their own transgressions, for they speak fearlessly against the righteous, while thinking thoughtlessly that they will escape from this life. He points out to them that they have denied the bodily form of the saints, and by the depravity of their ways have associated themselves with adulterers and fornicators, not taking into account that, being themselves worthy of perdition, they have attempted to vilify those who...
A exercise care for what is just and are attentive to God; for by worshipping idols and leading their own children to the slaughter upon both the mountains and the rocks, they supposed that they were escaping the vengeance of God.
Through all these names, the kindness of God is demonstrated, and that He is the Most High; even if, as far as their part is concerned, they have made Him humble, by comparing Him to idols and demons. But He is nonetheless holy, while they profane His name with evil thoughts and unseemly deeds; but nevertheless, being holy Himself and rejoicing in the holy, and sanctifying those others, strengthening their power and raising up their minds—if only they would show themselves worthy, and demonstrate their own will to be contrite B and humbled—for I shall also bestow eternal life upon such as these.
Vengeance is also spoken of in another sense: that the sinner is handed over to the grim ones so that he might be disciplined by some means or other for his own sake; this God does, sparing our race out of philanthropy. God reveals His own philanthropy even in the punishments: while we commit many sins, He disciplines us but little.
For even if the impious appear to rejoice, to the onlooker, nurtured in their own pleasures, yet nonetheless, as they draw closer day by day to destruction, they lack true joy; for there is no other joy than that which, through toils and tribulations, procures eternal life. But the righteous are filled with true joy, since their purpose succeeds in its work, and their soul remains undisturbed and serene within itself. And He guides those who regulate themselves according to these things unto a life of virtue and integrity of ways.
For most of their desires, which they have gathered up like the eggs of asps, are unaccomplished, and remain like the spider’s web, which serves no purpose, bringing them more harm than utility; but if it should happen that these thoughts, as if hatched, proceed into actions, is it not fitting to compare them to men who break the egg of an asp and find within it a basilisk? And it is a venomous and deadly reptile.
D And this also must be observed: that just as, when there are eyes, if there were no light, and when there is light, if there were no eyes that see, it would be impossible to catch sight of the things that lie before us; so it is necessary that he who wishes to conceive something in his mind, if he does not draw wisdom from the divine Scriptures, must fail.
Such will be the groan and the wailing from them, as much as a bear will groan having lost its own cubs; and not only that, but also like a dove that moans continuously by nature.
He speaks of God as taking upon Himself the salvation that men procure for themselves through repentance and teachableness while paying the penalty, and as clothing Himself like a garment with the
A righteousness of these. Nay more, He even says that God puts on, as it were, a helmet and a breastplate—the righteous deeds of men. These things, however, are spoken of God so as to bring comfort to the hearers; they stir up their spirits, since they are capable of becoming themselves a garment of God by pursuing righteousness.
One must foresee the character of the Master, that He foretells everything out of goodness; thus, when He threatens, it is so that, having feared the gloomy things, they may turn back and repent and be delivered from the experience of evils; or again, He promises good things so that, by His promises, He may strengthen the souls of those who act righteously, so that they may the more cling to the hope towards God. But God is not anywhere under any necessity to fulfill these things; for either He has laid aside His anger when they have repented, or, if they have not remained in the good, He will not perfect the promised goods, as we ourselves provide the causes for God to fulfill the foretold evils.
And these things, to one who inquires according to history, can be found; this refers to the time when Cyrus was rebuilding Jerusalem, and after him, Darius; and indeed also when Alexander saw the priestly procession and changed his anger into worship.
What this signified is also revealed in the present state of the Churches; for all from everywhere bring their first fruits to them. He calls those who preside over the people "bishops," whom he also proclaimed would be lovers of righteousness. B
It is a custom for the prophets, when foreseeing the future, to be grieved and mourn over gloomy things, but over the contemplation of the good things which they announce to the people, even if those who hear them are insensible, to celebrate in advance and feast in their soul, possessing a sure conviction of the contemplation of the things shown. C The prophet therefore, looking toward Christ, as if he had become his garment—for everyone who has clothed himself in Christ has put on a garment of salvation—also adorns His holy Church. And fulfilling that disposition which a young man performs toward a virgin, he rejoiced and feasted in his soul, as being with Christ, and having clothed himself in Him, and having Him as a tunic of gladness.
He signifies the seminal words, which are as if deposited in the soil of the soul, and like a garden increasing the seeds within it, and not bringing in seeds from without or from elsewhere, but as having soil that possesses reason and is making a way toward Christ. Just as in the body the eyes have a kinship with the light, and when the sun has risen we immediately see that which is akin to it, so, when our Savior has shone forth, let us cause the aptitude for righteousness hidden in us to shine forth, having put off the dark character of the soul. He calls the exultation that which is spread out in the sight of the nations. D
The prophet, having been settled in his soul because of the things promised to the people; but also, because they are neglecting the grace which reaches to the nations, he has fore-announced it; consistently, he does not for that reason neglect Sion, or
A say that Jerusalem is to be abandoned; but rather that it too is to be illuminated by him, both because of his relationship toward it from above and because of the sacred things bestowed upon it. For while the apostles were hastening to lead the proclamation forth to the nations, the Savior commanded them first to direct the proclamation toward the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
VERS. 2. A new name is spoken of, that of us Christians; this is understood in many ways. For he who has been baptized with the baptism of salvation is called by another name, a believer, receiving a renewal of his entire condition. But the Jew fights against this new name; let him say, then, according to the prophecy of Isaiah, what new name has been imposed upon him. But he has nothing to point to. It remains, therefore, that that name is the name of Christians, taken from Christ, which the Lord himself has set for us, ennobling the nations by his own name.
VERS. 3. Interwoven from various flowers, a garland and a royal diadem denote the band of the apostles, who were also leaders of the Churches and at the same time Israelites by race; to whom the new name fitly applied, since they had a common lineage with them.
VERS. 4. "My delight" (Hephzibah) are those called who do his will, whom he also says he loves, as a youth living with a virgin. This signifies, however, not corruption, B but a flourishing relationship; for he preserves the virgin in their life together.
VERS. 6. He indicates the present constitution of the Churches; with the people guarding the commandments of God all day and all night; with the priests teaching the true doctrine concerning God, and celebrating the praises of God and his memory, throughout the whole night.
CAP. LXIII, VERS. 1. He calls the children of Esau Edom; and Bosor, or Bozrah, is called flesh. This man, therefore, will contend with you with strength and violence by a just reckoning, exacting penalties from you. For God contends with men when he calls them to judgment, that he may teach them that he uses legitimate vengeance, but that we ourselves are the authors of the punishments brought upon us. For even when exacting vengeance, he does all things to procure our salvation, that we may cease from sins, and by doing penance be saved, or be cleansed by the C judgment of punishments. And a little later: For truly the spiritual powers will be struck with wonder when they see their own God ascending into heaven with his body, and reddened with blood, and pierced with the marks of the cross; and the victory brought back from death; and the grace bestowed upon men; and the remission of sins. For since men were condemned to death on account of their own sins, our Savior himself underwent death for us, that he might work immortality for us. And a little later: But if you hear that the angels were wondering, do not accuse them of ignorance; for they knew the Savior's counsels from the time he descended to the earth and took on flesh; D
but the matter was a source of enlightenment and instruction, so that you might learn that angels also rejoice at salvation, and render honor to the Master, and marvel that God was willing to undergo A the penalty owed by humans for their transgressions, so as to grant salvation to them, having gifted them with immortality.
Again, the ineffable philanthropy of God is signified here; for it is displayed that he has granted us both our very existence out of goodness, and our being shown mercy out of philanthropy, laying claim to us as his own handiwork; and it was not as if he accepted us from another that he said, "Is not my people my children?" That is to say: Since you are mine, you shall be reckoned as children; I will embrace you with the affection that is owed to children, provided that you show yourselves grateful toward your Father. And these things were fitting to be said by them to God, as they had been brought into the catalog of his children.
Again, the prophet reminds us of the relationship that existed between God and the people, calling to mind the things from the beginning, and, as it were, bringing before their eyes through his discourse the events that occurred regarding the patriarchs.
Here the prophet shifts his discourse to prayer, and asks God to look down from heaven; not as though God were enclosed in the heavens and unable to reach the earth, but as one who raises up minds that have collapsed and are crawling upon the earth, leading them up to the heavens, and teaching them to think nothing earthly, nothing humble, regarding God; but rather to know that as the great Mind, which holds and governs all things, he knows all other things fittingly from heaven.
For not even Abraham would I call father at the present time, not denying the patriarch, but because the name of Father more rightly befits God.
The prophet refers all things to God, not as though God becomes the cause of our sinning, but as one who allows and permits those things to be done which anyone might choose—so that the cause remains from us and by us, but the reference is directed to God. As if they were abandoned, and were not held back by the blows that hinder them from sinning.
For when the Assyrians had taken away their cities and razed most of the cities, and had brought in the Gothaeans—who were also called Samaritans, having taken their designation from the place—and only two and a half tribes remained, D occupying a small portion, the prophet prayed, asking that even this which they seemed to possess might be left to them as a memorial of your kindness that occurred toward the race from the beginning; lest, even this being taken away, we should become as though we were not your people, nor even claim to be your portion.
Again, the prophet signifying that it was not through weakness of God that they were abandoned to suffer such things, but rather because of their own wickedness in sinning and breaking the commandments, he sets forth the majesty of God, as one who is of such greatness that, by his command, the heavens are opened, and the things beneath [are] like wax...
and melt away. In this, the prophet shows that He is not to be subjected to the eyes or heard by the ears; nor does he compare Him with others who are called gods. Rather, possessing authority over all, He alone is such that no other can be compared to Him.
Verse 5. This is to be understood in this way: when a good teacher has a depraved pupil whom he wishes to call back from wickedness, he exhorts him to become better. If, however, the pupil becomes worse day by day, and far from abstaining from evil, even takes on an increment of wickedness, it follows that the master should turn away from him, and the pupil, having been abandoned, should deliver himself to greater disorder. So it is said in our case: since we have not been willing to turn away from perverse habits, You have become angry, and we, deprived of Your assistance, are dragged into the stain of all vices. B
Verse 6. We shall observe the commandments in such a way that justice no longer defends our friendship with God. For then we shall fall away from Him, like leaves falling from trees and from their own root, which constitutes the greatest crime against us.
Verse 7. Whenever God, having exhorted them many times, cannot call back His faithful ones from their sins, then He finally becomes angry and abandons them, deserted by His care.
Chapter LXV, Verse 1. These things also pertain to the Savior. For He, sent by the Father’s kindness and moved by His own mercy, became manifest to all men, even though men neither called upon Him nor summoned Him. C
Verse 5. The avenging power, that is to say.
Verse 6. When it says, "it is written," understand that He is consoling our ignorance. For since memory of past things is reinforced for us through written documents, bringing us to remembrance and setting past events before our eyes as it were, in the same way God teaches us. All things, however, are known to God, and He knows them even before they come to pass.
Verse 8. Here again, He most clearly declares the riches of His charity by a singular proof; for as when a ripe grape is found in a cluster, the whole bunch is preserved on account of that one grape, and is valued highly, and is plucked by no one, so, He says, if I find one who serves me, I will spare all, just as was said to Abraham D when I was exacting punishment from Sodom, and I proved my mercy even to the fifth degree; the same He now relates to indicate His kindness.
Verse 10. "These things, therefore, I grant them on account of the few who serve me. But you, who contradict me, the author of your life, who indulge spirits and prepare tables and libations for those who lack a mind, shall die the death." He justly condemns them to death; for even after impiety and sins against God, they did not listen to Him when He called, and they did not obey Him who granted a place for repentance, but iniquities
A that melts before the fire.
Ver. 13. When to those solely devoted to their bellies it appeared that the highest happiness consisted in the possession of fruits, and they deemed only those happy who abounded in them, the Lord, wishing to strike them with fear by His word, that they might be converted and saved, threatens them with a shortage of fruits.
Ver. 15. To those things which hang over men who neither fear God nor return to Him, God adds: Not only shall those who serve Me obtain an altogether different lot, but they shall also be called by a new name, just as the patriarchs, who were distinguished by new names on account of their conduct. But to the Israelites who refuse to repent, this name shall be given to the nations; a name which shall remain forever, and there is no other than the name of Christians. They shall no longer make mention of idols, nor shall they invoke them as gods, but they shall worship the one God and their Creator, and from Him, they shall obtain an abundance of good things.
Ver. 20. He who is not carried off by an untimely death and attains to a vigorous old age completes many years. For the just man who is a hundred years old shall be like a youth dying before his time, but the sinner who is a hundred years old shall be cursed, condemned on account of that very length of life.
Ver. 22. The ever-blooming plants of paradise bear eternal fruits. For while man was in paradise, [the fruits], growing daily more and more, provided eternal joys to man; but when man was cast out of paradise, the fruits remained forever incorruptible. C
Ver. 25. These things, indeed, God promises to Israel if they repent; but because they remained disobedient, He imparts His blessings to the nations, so that they might be received into the Church in accordance with the truth.
Chap. LXVI, Ver. 1. While the two and a half tribes were still occupying their land, and thinking they would not be led away into captivity because of their relationship to the temple of God, and not because of the goodness of their ways or their piety toward the Lord, God declares that they—who primarily cultivate these things—will not be immune from captivity on account of the place or the temple. For they shall retain these, says God, because of the piety of the inhabitants regarding the ordinances; for those whom I wish to possess the temple, they must be worthy to inhabit it. D
Ver. 6. All things everywhere cry out that the judgment of God is just, with the enemies scattered, and Hezekiah coming forth from the temple and proclaiming the magnificence of God.
Ver. 7. That is: Before the labor was complete, she brought forth a male, that is to say, excellent and thrice-desirable fruit; for to mothers, the generation of males is more pleasing. And indeed, a male was born; for the people faithful to Christ cannot be called effeminate; for their perception is manly. He teaches us to anticipate the day of childbirth through repentance, and like little children...
A produce our own salvation; which is beyond all human custom, that in a moment of time, as if we had been laboring for a long period, we should reap salvation. And He promised that these things would be accomplished regarding Jerusalem, which in a little while would receive back its inhabitants and the whole nation. For not only, if you turn to God, shall your reception be most swift, with God delaying not for a duration of time, but straightway and immediately all things being gathered from everywhere to Jerusalem; the matters of the promise shall not be straitened against those who are unwilling or those who have not obeyed. Rather, it shall be fulfilled regarding the nations—these indeed casting off their intimacy, but the nations being adopted into the heavenly Jerusalem, having recognized their own God and Savior, and having repented of their former error. But Israel is ungrateful everywhere; for even when God outlined good hopes for them, they remained contrary; they did not take account of this, that one woman is shown to be fruitful with many children, while another is barren of children, the Lord of natures leading each nature to His own nod; and one He declares to be as it were a fertile field, but the other as barren and infertile.
B
VERS. 12.
As all come streaming into it from everywhere. For He will bestow upon them the glory of the nations as they hasten to Jerusalem, as if carrying their sons and daughters upon their shoulders, and carrying them upon their knees, that they might share in the fellowship with them. For God, as a helper, shall provide all things for them, exercising His care for them according to the pattern of a good mother for her own children.C
VERS. 13.
Which things you shall find confirmed in histories; especially indeed in the narration of events among us now, after the coming of our Savior. Therefore we strive toward the true Jerusalem, and we carry true Jews, bearing them on our shoulders and knees; for when we hold in our hands the blessed prophets and encounter their books, we ourselves also hope in the God of Abraham and the succeeding fathers; and furthermore, having the books written after our Savior by the blessed apostles, and carrying them on our shoulders, and drawing from them the symbols of our salvation, how do we not truly carry the true sons of the true Jerusalem on our shoulders, all those from the nations who from everywhere strive to be joined with her?D
VERS. 14.
The bones shall sprout, receiving their former virtue according to the Lord’s prediction, which the history of the blessed Ezekiel also relates, with the dry bones being raised up and receiving their joining together and harmony.VERS. 15.
These things He brings forward to indicate how rapidly the judgment shall be made, with God needing neither time nor delay; for He does not wait for external accusers, He who knows all things before they come to pass, as it is written: “They saw my unworked substance”A. Therefore, necessarily cutting short the reason for sinning, He takes up fire and a tempest, which He Himself kindles in our consciences.
By this He signifies mental punishment, and says that many will be wounded, in order that, by the hearing of what seem to Him to be terrible things, having instructed them, He might hold them back from sins.
He adds these things in the midst, not only setting forth an accusation against them, but also procuring for them salvation through reproof, if they should apply their mind. For He also took the mouse [a reference to the unclean animals in Isaiah 66:17], so that, even if only in this way ashamed of the loathsomeness of their deeds, they might grant a reprieve to evils.
He was making a reproof not only of their manifest deeds, but also of the evil thoughts themselves that were stirred up within them; which He did necessarily and usefully for their own benefit. No longer uttering the threat through words, but also promising His own presence; for from every side the goal for the Lord is to save the people, and to establish the word which had been made to the fathers; whence also through mournful and joyful visions He manages salvation for them. And after a little: In the same way also here He announces his inspection of them as His own presence, declaring that He will gather them together from all the nations among which they had lived, having there learned also their languages. B
From there also He sent forth the blessed apostles as heralds who were to be throughout the whole world, from one end to the other.
He recalls horses and mules and litters, declaring the gladness of the nations, which was first fulfilled in the case of the eunuch of Queen Candace, who carried Philip upon his chariot.
For they will no longer be deceived concerning Him, nor will they be enticed by this world, and worship it as God; but they will be joined to the Lord God, offering continual sacrifices, no longer only three times in the year, but week by week and month by month gathering together in the holy churches; and not only will they stop up to this point, but night and day they will not cease performing worship to the true God.
Of the nations gathered together in the time of King Hezekiah along with Sennacherib. But all these things will be rendered clear in the C fearful and glorious presence of the Lord, when the universal theater is assembled; when all are gathered from every side; when each receives according to what he has done; when the lot of each is revealed; when they will truly see of those who have transgressed against God their worm that is immortal, and their fire that is unquenchable; that is, the judging of their own conscience, which, like an immortal worm, twists about within them; D and fire springing up within them will burn them; and they will be manifest to all who have recognized their own Master and Creator.