Commentary on the Prophet Isaiah

^A winter or Sabbath (22). It must be noted, therefore, that God did not make winter or the Sabbath blameworthy; for it is written: "You have fashioned summer and spring." But we are in winter when the passions of the flesh hold sway within us. Thus, therefore, must that evangelical utterance be understood: that our flight should not come to pass when the worse things prevail within us, or when we pass our life in sloth. For this is what is suggested to the mind by the Sabbath, so that we may obtain that blessing: "Blessed is that servant whom, when the Lord comes, he shall find watching." "Be wise as serpents" (23); perhaps for the reason that it wisely and prudently sloughs off its old age (24). For when it needs to cast off its skin, it thrusts itself into a narrow place that constricts its body on all sides, and by forcing itself through in this way (25), it puts off its old age. Perhaps, therefore, the Word also desires that we, walking through the "narrow and constricted way," should put off the old man and put on the new, so that our own youth also may be renewed like the eagle’s. ^B Great, indeed, and the primary gift—and one requiring a soul that is purified to the highest degree—is to be capable of containing the divine inspiration in order to prophesy the mysteries of God. But the next after that, and one which itself requires no mediocre or common diligence, is to listen to the will of what is being spoken by the Spirit, and not to miss the meaning of the words, but to be led straight to it by the Spirit, by whose agency the prophecy was written, and by whom the intellect of those who have received the gift of knowledge is governed. Whence the Lord also added, saying: "He that has ears to hear, let him hear." Moreover, the prophet Joel [Osea] also says: "Who is wise, and will understand these things? And prudent, and will know them?" And the Apostle, in the place where he speaks of spiritual gifts, says that one gift is prophecy, and another is the discernment of spirits. For he who offers himself as a worthy instrument through whom the Spirit may work is a prophet; but he who prudently perceives the power of what is being announced has the gift of the discernment of spirits. ^C Wherefore also, prescribing to the Corinthians, he says: "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the others discern" (29).

2. And this gift is of such magnitude that the Lord threatens to take away the prophet and the guesser from Judea, ^D and for this reason the genre of the prooemium is not so skillfully patched together. There are those who think that part of this prooemium does not belong to Basil the Great. But I am so far from wishing to contend with them about this, that I easily concede that the entire prooemium is not his. Concerning the work itself, whether it be Basil’s, we have disputed sufficiently at length in the Preface. At the very beginning, each of the Combefis [editions]... the second [codex]... Finally, the edited versions, etc., is added in the edited versions and in the second [codex]; but we do not doubt at all that these ought to be expunged, since they appear entirely superfluous. There is also the fact that it is evident that it is missing in both Combefis [editions].

^A And a wonderful counselor, and a discerning auditor. We, however, must pray to receive the gift of wisdom, and of knowledge, and of instruction, so that all these things, running together, might imprint upon the governing principle ^B of our soul the form of all the truth that is contained in prophecy. Now, there is need of the word of knowledge for the contemplation of the mysteries of the Spirit; but for the word of wisdom, for the preparing and elaborating of those things which have been put forth concisely and in brief language; for it is the property of wisdom to extend words. For He says, I extended words, and you did not heed. Then follows the gift of instruction for the edification of those who hear. Therefore, there must needs be a readiness pre-existing in the soul ^C of one who is to prophesy, arising from the movement that is in our power, so that the Word, which is in all, choosing out the more harmonious souls—in whom not even the slightest movement of the passionate part of the soul is discordant with the Word according to the analogy of the inherent harmony—might bring to bear the energy of the divine Spirit. And not only is the calming of the passions necessary for the preparation of the reception of the Spirit, but also the measure of the disposition toward faith, and the benefit both to him receiving the grace, and to those who listen at the time, ^D or even to those who, at a later time, are to derive profit from the prophets. For it says: To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good; and again: According to the analogy of faith. Yet it is impossible for human nature to set forth the reason for the diverse energy that comes from the divine Spirit to those who are worthy—according to which one is entrusted with prophecy, and this to such an extent; another receives the gifts of healings, and these to such a degree; ^C and another, workings of powers, greater or smaller. For God alone knows these things, looking into the worth of each soul, and distributing to each according to its merit by the invisible measures of His justice.

3. How did the pure and pellucid souls prophesy?

not with those that are crooked or knotted. ^A Snow is bright, but it does not show the images of those looking upon it, because it is rough, being composed of frozen froth. Milk is white, but it does not admit images, because it contains tiny bubbles. In water, however, even if it is dark, a form appears because of its smoothness. Thus, then, an uneven life is unsuited for receiving divine operation. When, therefore, a soul has devoted itself to every exercise of virtue, and through a vehement love for God preserves the memory of God, which has been perpetually imprinted upon it, and in this way makes God, as it were, an inhabitant within itself; by means of a most intense concentration upon God and a secret love, being inspired by the Divine, it becomes worthy of the gift of prophecy, God imparting divine power and opening the eyes of the soul to the understanding of the visions which He wills. For this reason, the prophets were also called “seers” ^B beforehand, because they looked forward to future things as if they were present. We shall be led more clearly to an understanding of the prophetic inspiration by the visions that occur in sleep. For just as in the fantasies had in sleep, when the governing part of our soul is imprinted, we become spectators of cities or places distinguished by their size and beauty, or of animals beyond nature, or indeed often retain the memory of certain words that have fallen into our ears; and although we see and hear so many new things within ourselves, we do not in truth see or hear anything with bodily sense: in the same way, the mind of divine and blessed men, sometimes indeed through open vision, and at other times imprinted with images through a dream, ^C is filled with divine words and visions, although it has neither gathered the images of those things seen through the eyes, nor received the impression of air from the organs of speech through the ears. For that exalted and lofty throne was not something existing externally, nor was He who sat upon it [(44)], whom Isaiah saw, or that human-appearing one—the one amber-colored from the loins upward, and fiery from the loins downward—who is described in Ezekiel, existing in human form. Rather, their mind, by a greater power, dwelt in the contemplation of these things, as the Spirit presented the divine nature through enigmas.

4. But the prophets see not only the future, but also ^D the things that are hidden in present matters, as Paul says: *If you all should prophesy, and some unbeliever or unlearned person enters, the hidden things of his heart become manifest*. Or as Elisha; for did not his heart—

go with you when ^A the man turned back with his chariot to meet you? There is also prophecy that is the foreknowledge of things through dreams, as was shown to Joseph in Egypt and to Daniel in Babylon. How then was it also shown to Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar? Because it was necessary for those in power to foresee the state of worldly affairs, so that trust might be placed in them. But how do Balaam and Caiaphas also prophesy? Because they too had those whom they governed: the one acting as high priest, the other as a soothsayer. For there was no purity of soul here, nor the clarity of a mind looking upon God and drawing power from above; but rather the word was among them by way of dispensation, not according to personal merit, but according to the opportunity of the time. You might ask, moreover, whether the things read in Isaiah and Ezekiel are visions seen through such phantasms, or rather teaching on divine things, signifying to us the properties of the Godhead through the enigmas of the Spirit?

5. Now some say that they prophesied while beside themselves, with the human mind being covered by the Spirit. But this is contrary to the profession of the divine presence: that He who is seized by the divine should be made mindless, and that when he is filled with divine teachings, he should then lose his own mind, and while providing benefit to others through himself, he should be deprived of the benefit from his own words. In sum, what logical consistency is there in becoming most like a madman through the Spirit of wisdom, and in losing the power of understanding through the Spirit of knowledge? But light does not produce blindness, but rather awakens the power of sight naturally inherent in us; nor does the Spirit bring darkness into souls, but rather rouses the mind that is pure from the stains of sin toward the contemplation of intelligible things. Now, that a wicked power, being confused in its intellect and plotting against human nature, should disturb the mind is not improbable; but to say that the presence of the divine Spirit causes this same thing is impious. Furthermore, if the saints are wise, how could they not have followed what they were prophesying? For it says, *The wise man will understand the things from his own mouth; and on his lips he bears understanding*. And if, because Isaac was beside himself ^D upon the arrival of his son, and David spoke in his ecstasy, for that reason they falsely claim that the saints are not in their right mind, let them know that the state of being astonished is called "ecstasy"; as in, *The heaven was astonished, and*

^A *the earth shuddered*. But one must begin with common notions when approaching the contrary expressions regarding God, insofar as the wording is concerned, to acknowledge them without understanding them literally. For example, according to common preconceptions, one must acknowledge the divine nature to be good, free from anger, and just. 6. If Scripture says that God is angry, or sorrowful, or repentant, or that He treats someone unfairly, it is necessary to seek the intention of the wording and to be concerned about how we might reconcile it; but one must not overturn the excellent conceptions about God. And thus we shall converse with the Scriptures without stumbling, being helped by those things that are easily understood, and not being harmed by those that are more difficult to understand. But if anyone blames the divine Scripture as if it were not instructive or effective for those capable of being helped, let him contemplate the entire arrangement of human affairs, not only in spiritual things, but also in the lower and life-related ^B matters; and let him consider that the Power which governs the universe has bestowed upon brute animals an easy occasion for preserving their life, providing food of its own accord, and clothing that grows naturally, either from hair or feathers; but having brought forth man naked, it gave reason instead of all these things, through which the arts were discovered, by which he might provide for himself, for instance, architecture, weaving, agriculture, and metallurgy; since the soul, through the abundance of reason, supplies what was lacking to the bodies. Just as, therefore, our Creator, not grudging us the commodities of life in these matters, did not permit all things to be produced and brought forth for us in the same way as they were for brute animals; but, as an exercise for our intelligence, He devised for us a lack of necessary things; ^C so also, He intended the obscurity in the Scriptures for the benefit of the mind, stirring up its activity. First, indeed, so that being occupied with these things, it might be drawn away from worse things. Then, because those things which are obtained with labor are, I know not how, more loved, and those things which are attained over a long time remain more permanently; whereas those things whose acquisition is easy, are not enjoyed with such eagerness. For the presence of things which are at hand is despised, and they are not considered by those who have them to be worth any guarding. For this reason, the nature of dreams is obscure and oblique, and requires no small alertness of mind; and the enigmas of dreams have much affinity with those things ^D that are signified in Scripture by an allegorical and hidden sense. Whence also Joseph and Daniel recognized dreams by the prophetic gift, since the power of thought by itself is not sufficient for the investigation of the truth. Finally, there is added to this the fact that purity of life is also required, so that we may discern what is hidden in the Scriptures in order to apply ourselves to moral virtue. But beyond purity of life, there is a need for constant study of the Scriptures, so that the venerable and mystical quality of the divine words may, through constant meditation, be imprinted upon the soul. That the study of the divine words requires an entire life, [is taught by...]

the life of Moses demonstrates: who was indeed instructed for the first forty years in the disciplines of the Egyptians, but for the second forty years, under the pretext of tending sheep, retired into the deserts and gave himself to the contemplation of things. And thus, after these forty years, being deemed worthy of the vision of God, he descended—unwillingly, through God's concern for humanity—to the care of men. Yet, not even then did he continue unceasingly in the active life, but frequently returned to the contemplative. Hence, when the entire multitude was led into the Egyptian-style mania for idols, that holy man was in converse with God upon the mountain. ^B

7. Such, too, was Elias, fleeing from the tumult of men and rejoicing to dwell in the deserts. Why, then, if the saints labored with all constancy of soul to investigate the truth, is it not absurd to wish to acquire the fruits of their countless toils without any labor? For observe Elias, after how many retreats, how much leisure, and how many struggles he was deemed worthy to see God. The subject matter of this book is clear and perceived from itself. Since the prophet lived in times in which vices abounded, he declares the magnitude of the evils that awaited them and sets forth the cause of the divine wrath, in order to provoke them to repentance. He begins first with those words that pertained to Judea; since, according to Peter, *The time had come for judgment to begin from the house of God* (1 Pet. iv, 17). For naturally, we are most angry with those who are most closely related to us when they sin against us. And in Ezekiel, the Lord, commanding that those who had erred be punished, says: *Begin from my holy ones* (Ezek. ix, 6). ^C Therefore, he began from the land chosen by God and from the city in which the sanctuary was, announcing the things that impended; then about Babylon, then about Moabitis, then about Damascus, fifthly about Egypt, then about the desert, then about Idumea, then about the valley of Sion, then about Tyre, then about the four-footed creatures. Succeeding these are the things that happened in the fourteenth year of the reign of Hezekiah; after which there are prophecies without any heading, announcing the afflictions of Jerusalem and Judea: likewise the circumstances of those who were in the dispersion, and concerning their return after the penalty had been paid: likewise the things concerning Christ scattered throughout all the prophecy. ^D Truly, each thing that is said according to history and that which possesses a mystical sense are linked together.

INITIUM SERMONIS, A APXH TOY PHTOY

8. Chap. I, vers. 1 — *Vision which Esaias the son of Amos saw, which he saw against Judea, and against Jerusalem, in the days of Ozias, and Joathan, and Achaz, and Ezechias, kings of Juda.* Among our own organs of sense, that which possesses the most efficacious faculty for the perception of sensible objects is vision. For it is not possible for one to discern terrible things through hearing as well as through vision; nor does any other faculty apprehend what is desirable as steadily as vision. Wherefore the contemplation of things that are true has been called a vision, on account of its evidence and certain cognition. Whence also the prophet was called a "seer" and an "ante-seer." For in ^B Amos we learned that Amasias said: "Seer, go, depart into the land of Juda; and there shalt thou prophesy." Furthermore, Samuel is termed an "ante-seer" in the book of Kings. For, he says, the prophet was called "ante-seer." For in as much as they foresaw future things, they were called "ante-seers," but in as much as they contemplated the counsels of God, they were named "seers."

9. Thus, it is our duty to take care of the mind, so that through suitable exercises it may, having attained perfection, become perspicacious. But it is a gift of God when the Holy Spirit infuses His light into us for the understanding of His mysteries. Truly, having set forth the vision, he subjoined the announcement of the words, that he might show that he had by no means perceived them by hearing; indeed, he announces that the sense of the words had been impressed upon his mind. For we have need of voice to indicate our own thoughts; but God, reaching the very mind of those who are worthy, impresses upon them the knowledge of His own counsel. Why did he add the father? To show that that gift of prophecy had been transmitted to him from the Father. *Which he saw against Judea.* What does this iteration mean? ^C It means that the former term designates the general vision, while the latter already signifies a particular vision—which is, and of what kind this vision is, and to whom it pertains. Therefore the words which the prophet saw were "visible," that is, they could be contemplated by the mind, according to that which is said in Exodus: "All the people saw the voice." In like manner also other prophets have prefaced their works. "The vision of Abdias: thus saith the Lord God to Idumea: I have heard a rumor from..."

the Lord, and he hath sent an ambassador to the nations." ^A And concerning Nahum: "The burden of Ninive. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elcesite." And concerning Habacuc: "The burden which Habacuc the prophet saw." And Malachias, having passed over the vision in silence, spoke of a "burden," saying thus: "The burden of the word of the Lord upon Israel, by the hand of his angel." And they seem by the word "burden" to signify that they do not possess the power of prophecy of themselves, but that they have received it; so that "burden" is equivalent in meaning to a "gift from God." These, then, say that their books are of vision; but the rest of the prophets say that they have heard words from God. For, he says, "The word of the Lord which came to Osee the son of Beeri, in the days of Ozias, and Joatham, and Achaz, and Ezechias, kings of Juda, and in the days of Hieroboam the son of Joas, king of Israel. The beginning of the word of the Lord to Osee." And in Amos: "The words of Amos, who was in Accarim of Thecue, which he saw concerning Jerusalem, in the days of Ozias king of Juda, and in the days of Hieroboam king of Israel, two years before the earthquake." The order is inverted in this place, as compared to Isaias. There, indeed, a vision is placed first, and then the words are added: "Hear, O ye heavens." But here, the words having been set forth, a vision followed; for it is "The words of Amos," not "the vision of Amos," not what he heard, but "which he saw." And in Micheas: "And the word of the Lord came to Micheas the Morasthite, in the days of Joatham, and Achaz, and Ezechias, kings of Juda, concerning what he saw about Samaria and Jerusalem"; and: "The word of the Lord which came to Joel the son of Bathuel"; and: "The word of the Lord came to Jonas"; and: "The word of the Lord which came to Sophonias the son of Chusi, the son of Godolias, the son of Amorius, the son of Ezechias, in the days of Josias the son of Amos, king of Juda." ^B And the manner in which the times are noted and the word is received in Aggæus is distinct. For in the second year, he says, under Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Aggæus the prophet. And it seems to me that what is said here, "by the hand of," has the same force as the "burden" recorded by the others. And also concerning Zacharias: "In the eighth month of the second year under Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zacharias the son of Barachias, the son of Addo, the prophet." ^C

^A In the days of Ozias and Joatham and Achaz and Ezechias. It was necessary to observe the time, so that it might be discovered after how much time the things predicted came to pass, and that where sickness abounded, the providence of God abounded even more. For most ^B of them coincided in time with one another: Osee in the days of Ozias and in the days of Jeroboam: Micheas in the days of Joatham and Achaz: Sophonias in the days of Josias the son of Amos. But some of the others assigned no time at all to their prophecies; others noted the kingdoms of the Barbarians, as these were better known because they were in power at that time. Aggaeus and Zacharias, Abdias and Nahum, Ambacum, Jonas and Malachias made no mention of the times—indeed, most of them did not even mention their fathers. And perhaps those who were born of illustrious fathers were able to be more readily accepted. For those who are more distinguished by blood gain greater credibility; those born of obscure and ignoble parents are passed over in silence. Yet that Amos, who is numbered among the twelve, is by no means the father of Isaias. For neither is the pronunciation the same, nor is the meaning assigned to the word the same. The former is pronounced with a denser spirit, the latter with a thinner one. Moreover, the significance is different. For the name of the father of Isaias and the propriety of the word indicate firmament, virtue, and strength; but the name of the prophet sounds of a hard word. Furthermore, the prophecy of Osee seems to be more ancient than that of Isaias, because of what is said: "The beginning of the word of the Lord to Osee." It should be known, indeed, that this same Ozias is also called Azarias; ^C for in the first book of Paralipomenon he is called Ozias, but in the second book of Kings, Azarias, though born of the same father and mother. For his mother was indeed Chalia, and his father was Amazias. The time of the reign is also the same: fifty-two years. Now Isaias, Osee, and Amos prophesied under Ozias. But since it is written, "The beginning of the word of the Lord to Osee," did he perhaps begin to prophesy first? And since Amos prophesied two years before the earthquake, did he perhaps prophesy before the vision of Isaias, in which he says: "And the lintel was lifted up"? ^D

^A 11. "Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken." Because this prophecy was issued in the time of a reprobate generation, and had no hearers among men, He addresses heaven and earth. For the Law was given in the presence of these witnesses, Moses saying: "I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day," and again: "Attend, O heaven, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words from my mouth." It was therefore fitting that the same witnesses who had been taken up when the Law was being given should then be summoned for the reproof of the violation of the Law. "Assemble," he says, "to me the princes of your tribes, and your elders, and your judges, and the registrars, that I may speak into their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them." Now, it has been observed that the wording here is contrary to what is in the Ode. For in that place it says: "Attend, O heaven," or, according to other editions, "Give ear, O heaven, and let the earth hear," but here it says: "Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth." For when the people set their minds on things on high and do not withdraw from God, He calls upon heaven as being near, and exhorts it to put the words into their ears; for this is what "Give ear" ^B means. But when they are distanced from heavenly things, He addresses it as being far away: "Hear, O heaven."

12. The same is to be understood regarding the earth. Therefore, Moses, having heaven, as it were, near due to the progress of the people, says, "Attend, O heaven," or "Give ear," as the others say. Isaias, however, with the people remaining in sins and setting their minds on earthly things, commands the earth, as being near, to receive the words into its ears; for this is what "to give ear" means. Or, [he speaks] metonymically, calling "heaven" those who dwell in heaven—just as we call those who are in a city "the city"—and [calling] "earth" all those who dwell upon it, so that we might not be led astray thereby to think that heaven and earth are animate beings. For thus also is heaven called the throne of God, because those heavenly powers have the knowledge of God firmly ^C established within them. And the earth is called a footstool, because those who live on earth can scarcely grasp the ultimate [mysteries] concerning God. It is said according to that: "A cunning man is a throne of perception; but a throne of dishonor is a woman who hates just things." Just as the throne of perception is the man who is discerning and prudent, so the throne of God is he who has grasped the supreme discourse concerning God. "For the Lord has spoken." To hear the words of God negligently is a fearful thing. ^D

^A *They have set me at nought.* O the philanthropy! The Master pleads His case in order that, after the proofs are set forth, He may bring forward the rightful judgment. *I have begotten and raised up children.* Man is a composite being, of soul and body; the flesh is from the earth, the soul is heavenly. Since, therefore, he has a natural affinity with both, He convicts their sin by those things which are most proper to them. *I have begotten and raised up children.* There are two types of generation. The one is the formation according to God, which is accomplished through deeds and the reception of doctrines; just as Paul begets through the Gospel, and travails over those who have fallen, and reshapes them by molding them into piety. The other is that which is the entry into this life, as in the text: *This is the book of the generation of heaven and earth.* He brings both of these before them, therefore, and reproaches them because, although they were brought from nothingness into birth, and were made in the image of God (for this is what it means both to have been begotten and to have been raised up), they neither gave thanks as to a Creator, nor made themselves like a father; but, by turning toward the worse, they set God at nought, and made the devil their father ^B (for *everyone who does sin is born of the devil*). And the Lord Himself says to those who do wickedly: *You are of your father the devil.* Great, then, is the accusation: that he who is a son, and who has attained even a bodily birth, should be ungrateful toward his begetter. But he is worthy of intolerable hatred who, having been so raised up as to become a partaker of heavenly things, nevertheless does not persevere in love toward the Author of this benefit.

14. *The ox knows its owner, and the ass its master’s crib; but Israel has not known me, and the people have not understood me.* The despiser of God is compared to the ox and the ass. For since *he was in honor and did not understand, he was compared to the senseless beasts, and became like to them.* Such ^C indeed are those who live not according to reason, but according to passion, being carried away by irrationality toward a bestial life. Now, in order to express the likeness, He has taken animals which are nurtured together with humans and are familiar, so that we might be put to shame, inasmuch as we are more senseless than they, and as for that benevolence which we receive from brute animals, we do not ourselves repay it to our Creator. For the ox, which has been given to us as a helper in tilling the fields, recognizes the voice of its feeder and knows him who is accustomed to bring it fodder. And the ass, by the impulse of its nature, hastens to the familiar places of its stall. If, therefore, there is such fondness in brute animals for their provider ^D, how much more does the rational nature [continue in the text next page]

need to be asked for the measure of its fondness for God? ^A Observe, however, that the ox, according to that testimony, possesses greater intelligence than the ass. For the one has known its possessor, while the other knows only its stall—the word showing that the animal given to gluttony recognizes only the place of its pleasure, while the ox has also some understanding of what is honorable and useful. Therefore, as animals which are unsuited for one another, it is forbidden in Deuteronomy to plow with an ox and an ass for the same purpose; that is, do not yoke the noble ^A and industrious part of the soul to the pleasure-seeking and passionate part. For God has no concern for oxen, but it was certainly written for our sake. On the other hand, in another place they are yoked together. For "Blessed is he who sows upon every water, where the ox and the ass tread"; that is, he who by a word suited for teaching arouses the industrious and labor-patient part of the soul, and heals its pleasure-seeking part. For just as the ass is an animal born for carrying burdens, so also the concupiscible power of the soul is weighed down by the burden of sin.

15. "But the ox has known its possessor, and the ass the stall of its master, but Israel has not known me." And although there are many stalls, nevertheless the ass does not wander away from the stall of its own master. Yet God is one, and the senseless people goes astray after those who are not gods. It did not understand me, who am acknowledged through the heavens, who am pointed out through the earth and the sea, who am declared through the sun and the moon, who am made known through the stars, who am proclaimed through all creation. ^B It is fitting that Israel be attributed to the image of the ox, and the common people to the ass. For by as much as the difference between an ox and an ass is great, by so much is the difference between Israel, which is interpreted as "seeing God," and the people who are simply designated as such.

16. "Woe to a sinful nation, a people full of sins, an evil seed, lawless children!" People and nation are often mentioned linked together; as that: "In a multitude of nations is the glory of the king; but in the failing of the people, the destruction of a powerful one." And that: "Why did the nations rage, and the peoples meditate vain things?" But now, having begun from being a sinful nation, according to the increase in wickedness they become a people full of iniquities; and from being an evil seed, they become ^D lawless children...

For just as progress in virtue takes its increase from lesser to greater things, so the diffusion of wickedness proceeds from the baser things of the beginning to what is incurable. ^A There is a great relationship and affinity between seed and children, even according to nature itself. For nature advances from the seed to the becoming of children, not only according to bodily generations, but also according to the process of the soul, which is brought about through the seeds of doctrine; since those who have received the doctrine progress until they become similar to their teachers, and therefore are called children, either children of the kingdom, when, having received saving seeds, they are perfected by them; or children of hell, if they are destined for destruction by reason of perverse and wicked doctrines. But it is a great reproach for an entire nation to be called sinful, as if not even one in it performed any good work; and for a people to be said to be full of sins, as if no kind of iniquity and crime were not practiced by them, to such a degree that even the vices themselves are found to be at war with one another and contradictory, as it has been said: *Filled with all iniquity*. And that: *For the sins of the Amorites are not yet full*. And from the Savior himself: *And you fill up the measure of your fathers*.

^B 17. Seed of the wicked. The darnel, which was sown by an enemy man upon pure wheat, once adult, became a lawless child, being a child of destruction and a child of hell. For this reason, they are also deemed worthy of lamentation, who, instead of being children of the Most High, became lawless children, and instead of remaining in the more divine generation, became an evil seed. ^C But the fact that wickedness practiced by habit is, first of all, destructive to those who possess it; for each thing in wickedness is discordant even with itself. *You have forsaken the Lord, and have provoked the Holy One of Israel.* What greater proof of wickedness is there than the abandonment of the good? And what greater depravity than to provoke the good and meek? And they are accused of the same thing by Jeremiah: *For they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water.* But according to the quantity of the desertion, each one stores up for himself the measure of wrath in the day of retribution. *They have been alienated backward.* This is added from the edition of Theodotion, as if an interpretation of "forsaking," to be alienated from God through a fall into evil; ^D just as he who strives for perfection exerts himself toward what is before him, so the sinner stretches out toward what is behind,

^A withdrawing himself from the Lord, and for this reason perishing. "For behold," he says, "those who remove themselves from you shall perish." Let us therefore so live that the things which are past may never appear better than those which are to come or those which are present. For the Ecclesiastes also forbids this: "Do not say, 'Why were the former days better than these?' For you have not asked about this in wisdom." For if the former days are better than those which follow, it will be said to us: "You have suffered so much in vain," since your good works have been brought to nothing by subsequent negligence. For Ezekiel says: "If a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity according to all the iniquities that the lawless man did, all the righteousness that he did will not be remembered; in the transgression that he committed, and in his sins that he sinned, in them he shall die."

18. VERSE 5. "Why should you be struck again, adding to your iniquity?" The meaning is as follows: I was striking you for your sins, to discipline you. Because you would not repent, but rather kept on sinning, I was always bringing in and adding ^B more lashes, so that every part of the body might be covered by blows suited for correction. Certainly, when a remedy can be brought to the sins of those who fail, Scripture threatens that the Lord will visit their iniquities with a rod and their injustices with lashes; but to those who have sinned incurably it says: "Why should you be struck again?" Having experienced all the blows, you have despised all the lashes by which you were chastised. Destruction awaits you. This is the voice of one failing and despairing of correction, just as in Ezekiel: "My jealousy will depart from you, and I will be angry with you no more." Moreover, among the calamities that occur, some happen for the punishment of sins, others for the amendment of the character of those being tested, and others to wear down those who are deemed desperate, as in the case of Pharaoh. Therefore, to these, as to those who are desperate, no longer are ^C blows or lashes, but complete destruction threatened. "Every head is in pain, and every heart in sorrow." Why should you be struck again, you whose bodies and souls have been scourged, and yet there is no correction, with every head aching and every heart feeling gloomy? It does not mean "head" as a member of the body, as if the pain were lodged in that part alone; but by "every head," it signifies every individual person, according to the custom of Scripture. For take "the first-fruits of the entire assembly of Israel, according to their families, according to their tribes, according to the houses of their fathers, according to the number by names, according to the head of them." For because the whole nation is sinful, and all the people are full of iniquities, for this reason ^D

punishment reached them all, and every heart is sorrowful, because ^A the people has been led away into captivity on account of their sins.

VERS. 6. *From the soles of the feet even to the head there is no soundness in him, neither wound, nor bruise, nor festering sore.* He uses the word "head" for the whole man. *From the soles of the feet even to the head there is no soundness in him, neither wound, nor bruise, nor festering sore*; because on account of each individual sin, scourges were brought upon them by Him who undertook their care. Then, since a wound is a dissolution of the continuity of the body, where the connection has been broken in some small part; and as a bruise is a blood-streaked trace of a blow, the body having been crushed by the impact of the striker, and this also consists in some part; and inflammation is a fiery swelling, when the humors flow together into the weakened and feeble part, and inflame the affected area with heat contrary to nature—what does the Word say concerning those who are wholly seized by infirmity throughout? That it is not as a wound, He says, nor as a bruise, nor as a festering sore, that your sickness has touched you, but the evil falls upon you all at once, so that all things are confused, and it is a wound, and a bruise, and a sore. ^B *There is no ointment to apply, nor oil, nor bandages.* Since the sickness is worse than a wound, a bruise, and a festering sore, there is no ointment to apply, as for a sore, nor oil, as for wounds. There is no need, He says, of the relief from these; for the symptoms are too great to yield to these medicines. Therefore, the wounds are the schisms in the Church; the bruises are the deceitful and guileful hearts; the inflammation is the elation of the soul, swelling from irrational conceit, and for this reason lifting itself up against the knowledge of Christ. An ointment, then, is a word joined with mildness and gentleness that humbles vain pride; oil is a word by which the deceitful, guileful, and harsh words of those who speak with hypocrisy are softened with mercy and compassion; and a bandage is a word that holds together those who were hastening toward division.

19. VERS. 7. *Your land is desolate; your cities are burned with fire; your land, strangers devour it before you, and it is desolate, overthrown by strange peoples.* ^C Since He despaired of their correction, He threatens destruction. But these things did not happen in the time of Isaiah; but it is the custom of prophecy to speak of things that are to come as if they had already happened, as in that passage: *They gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.* For because of the certainty ^D of the outcome of the things predicted, since He is persuaded that the things foretold will come to pass, as if they were indubitable...

as clearly, to connect the future with the past, as if they were events that would undeniably come to pass. These things happened at the time of the captivity in Babylon: the land was emptied of its inhabitants, the cities were set on fire, and the territory was devoured by the settlers sent from Media, while those who had been left behind looked on ^A, when the entire country was devastated by foreign peoples. But according to the more sublime understanding, ancient events are adapted to us: when we depart from our God and stretch out our hands toward a foreign god, we are handed over to aliens who lay us waste and overthrow us. For it is possible to perceive that all the threats intended for sinners do come to pass. ^B *Your land is desolate.* In many places, Scripture calls the soul "land" that receives the seeds of the Word, as we have been taught by the Lord's parable in the Gospel, that some seeds fell upon the good earth, capable of divine teachings and apt for bearing fruit. But "desolate" is that which possesses neither wisdom nor doctrine, nor lives according to justice, nor walks in truth. *Your cities are burned with fire.* A city is a system of men brought together from diverse practices for a common life, which, because it has much vanity in its works—that is, wood, hay, and stubble—is burned in the day of judgment, and the assemblies of the wicked become consumed by fire. *Foreigners devour your land before you*, whenever the soul, having previously been filled with a good life and conduct, and with the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness—is fallen upon by foreign ^C thoughts that consume its previous labors. But if, in the conduct of life's affairs, we surrender the active power of the soul to unclean demons, our land is devastated by aliens. For we are God’s husbandry and God’s building. As long as we are branches remaining in the vine, which is Christ, bearing the fruits that are due from us, we have God as our husbandman. But if we depart from the life-giving root—that is, from the faith in Christ—we are dried up, cast out, and burned; and our building up through doctrine is overturned if we live contrary to our duty. For if we do not persevere on the foundation of the apostles, building up precious things, we collapse as if we had no foundation, and our fall is great; for instance, intemperance devours temperance, ^D avarice devours liberality in the sharing of goods, and the zeal of hatred devours the power and capacity for loving. It is therefore a pitiful thing for a soul that is bringing forth good fruits in abundance to become fodder for enemies, to whom our desolation is not enough, unless they also be the authors of our ruin. For truly, ruin is born from evil teachings, as the soul of those who are led astray is dashed against the ground. Indeed, the devastation...

^A is the privation of those things which had been practiced beforehand. This easily happens to the human soul. For behold a young man, educated from childhood in respectable habits, going diligently and eagerly to houses of prayer, doing good according to his ability, mindful of eternal judgment, embracing doctrinal teaching; then consider him having slipped into some debauchery, how after the loss of chastity and the devastation of his fruits, complete ruin follows for him. An evil conscience does not lead him to the place of prayer, because he does not stand in the order of the faithful; for he has fallen. Nor does he stand in the place ^B of the mourners, for he is ashamed. Hence, laziness arises, and he devises feigned excuses to deceive those who ask him. "Such-and-such a person," he says, "presses me, so I do not wait for the celebration of the meal," and for that reason he again withdraws before the prayer of the faithful, fashioning whatever excuse he may. Then, gradually, because of the habit, he meditates on apostasy and is led to complete perdition. In sum, it is peculiar to the malignant powers never to depart from those whom they have rendered empty of the fruits of justice until they have imbued them with errors concerning knowledge.

30. Verse 8. The daughter of Sion shall be left as a tent in a vineyard, and as a keeper of fruits in a cucumber-belt [Isa. 1:8].

^A and drives away the snares of the wild beast from afar. But when it produces the grape of bitterness and brings forth a cluster of gall, He abandons the fruitless soul, and then it is trampled underfoot by every bestial reasoning and every irrational desire. Scripture frequently calls Israel a vineyard in a figurative sense, as in: "Thou didst bring a vine out of Egypt"; and: "A vineyard was made for my beloved"; and: "I planted you a fruitful vine, all of it true." But if Israel is the vineyard, perhaps the tabernacle of this vine is the house of the temple, for it was called the tabernacle of glory and a Tabernacle ^B where He dwelt among men. So long, then, as it produced much fruit, the tabernacle stood for the guarding of the fruits; but after He who planted it waited for it to produce grapes, and it produced thorns, with which they crowned the Lord, and it was all turned into bitterness (for it produced a grape of gall and a cluster of bitterness, and that is why they gave gall to the Lord for food), for this reason the tabernacle of the vineyard was abandoned. For, he says, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." Then that threat was fulfilled; for it was left "As a tabernacle in a vineyard." From then on, He commanded the clouds not to rain upon the vineyard. For this reason, there are no longer prophets among them, no longer heavenly grace, but it has become a wasteland and a place to be trampled. For the hedges of that people were broken down, that is, the protection ^C of the holy powers, and even if they do anything according to the law, it is turned to their destruction.

21. "Wherefore those who pass by the way despoil it; and the boar out of the wood has laid it waste, and a wild beast has fed upon it." Now, however, the invisible powers trample upon them. "And as a watch-house in a garden of cucumbers." In autumn, fortifications are built to preserve the cucumbers. Therefore, a cucumber-garden is a place containing fleeting and short-lived fruits, which provide a certain pleasure rather than benefit. Such also was the law, having the use of a short time. For the worship was temporary, and flourished for a little while, then [perished] to the true...

^A exchanged that state for true and more solid food, namely, the teaching according to the Gospel. "Sion shall be left," therefore, "as a fruit-watcher’s hut," the place where autumn fruits are kept. But fruit is not a solid and stable food, but soft ^B and ephemeral. Such too was the law, having an appearance of worship, but not the truth itself; because it is a pattern and shadow of heavenly things. Since, moreover, the soul of each one is likened to a vine, as in the Psalm: "Your wife [shall be] as a fruitful vine"; and the Lord says: "I am the vine, you are the branches"; we must fear lest this threat reach even us, whenever we do not yield the fruits expected of us. For perhaps the body is a tabernacle, in which the Holy Spirit dwells. "Do you not know that your bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you?" But the soul is the vine, from which is required an abundance of fruit worthy of its original planting and of the husbandry of God; for it was truly planted, having been made in the image of the true God. And now it is gradually cultivated by the providence of its Creator, who prunes the branch bearing fruit, that it may bring forth more fruit. For if we give our own selves to the purity of life, God Himself brings aid for the cleansing of the soul's disturbances, perfecting our zeal and readiness for the good. As, therefore, a vine is pruned, being restricted from luxuriating in superfluous growth; so do we also prune the soul's zeal for vain things, gathering all its power for the fruit-bearing of good works; lest, running wild in this display-oriented world, it exhaust its whole power to catch the favor of men, while it occupies itself, as it were, with leaves and tendrils—that is, the form of this world. Moreover, the soul is also dug around, and claims for its own nourishment all the things that are adjacent, and thus prepares itself for the reception of the doctrines of the Spirit. For just as a vine that is not dug is deprived of passages [for air], and is incapable of receiving the benefit from water because of the density of the adjacent earth; so the soul that has not stripped off its bodily [concerns], and has not caught its breath from the weight of them, remains barren, being compressed by the weight of earthly things; and for this reason, not receiving the help from above, it remains fruitless. And from the fruitless soul the Holy Spirit departs; the hedges also fall, [namely] the aids of the angels; and the strangers—who are passing through us, [that is], those powers of sin that effect the [violation of] doctrine—rush in. Moreover, the desires that had preoccupied it, like a brute animal rushing in with wild force and wallowing in the fetid ^C stench of the soul, ruin it. And then is fulfilled regarding such a soul, "The daughter of Sion shall be left as a hut in ^D

^A a vineyard." But also, "as a lodge in a cucumber garden." They who do not bring forth fruits worthy of the divine storehouse, but rather boast of the corruptible fruits of this world; they who trust in riches; they who are puffed up with glory; they who set great store by the nobility of their ancestors or the physical well-being of their bodies, are like the cucumber garden, cultivating a fruit that provides no nourishment, a fruit which, from a haughty breath, fills one and makes the soul swell ^B and bloat with a vain tumor. Desiring these things, the lusting people were buried in the desert. "For they wept," it says, remembering the cucumbers and the melons, the Egyptian foods, which that Israelite would never eat, who is nourished by the heavenly bread, the manna; and those who then despised it, desired onions. May we not suffer the same, by preferring a life of pleasure to a life governed by reason. For indeed, bodily pleasures are truly like onions and garlic, providing much bitterness and irritation, while emitting a heavy and persistent stench ^C deep within those in whom they have taken root, and causing a multitude of tears for those who receive them. Included in the threats is the prospect of being left like an embattled city. Our enemies lie in wait for us, observing our negligence, so that they may fall upon us while we are unguarded. Just as, therefore, a city that has been taken by siege—with all the wealth stored within it plundered—has its gates left open and no guards watching upon its walls; so too, a soul, having been emptied of the treasures that were provided to it by the divine gift, is henceforth despised as being unworthy of divine protection. For this reason, it has been said, "Keep thy heart ^D with all vigilance." Now, to watch and be sober in this way, we pray that by our own vigilance we may also seek to ensure that "he who keeps Israel shall neither sleep nor slumber." For "except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh in vain." But when, because of a lack of good works, He abandons our protection, we lie exposed to pillage, and we are carried away into captivity and led off by our enemies.

22. ^A For if the Lord of Sabaoth had not left us offspring, we would have become as Sodom, and been made like unto Gomorrah. If the whole nation is sinful, and the entire people is full of iniquities, and all are wicked children, what kind of offspring was left to Israel that prevented it from suffering the evils of Sodom and Gomorrah? For the offspring that actually existed in Israel was an evil offspring, not cause for salvation, but worthy of destruction. What, then, was this? Is it perhaps that which is spoken of in the promises to Abraham: "To you I will give, and to your seed" (56)? For He did not say, he says, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your seed, which is Christ." This seed, therefore, prevented ^B those who, on account of the worthiness of the lives they led, ought to have suffered the fate of Sodom and to have been consumed by fire and brimstone for their wickedness reaching the Sodomite measure, by His own presence. Nevertheless, even after the sin against Christ, "The remnant" (57) "according to the election of grace was saved," while the rest were hardened, and they were delivered to destruction, as Amos says: "I overthrew you" (58), "as the Lord overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and yet you did not return to me, says the Lord." Although He often threatened, He often spared; but later He brought upon the unrepentant heart the ^C sufferings worthy of their deeds. For in a certain prophet, He is indeed moved to vengeance because of the iniquity of the people, but He holds back because of His own loving-kindness. "How shall I treat you, Ephraim? How shall I deal with you, Judah? I will set you as Adama, and as Seboim"; and these belong to the Sodomite pentapolis. Then, through an outreach of loving-kindness, He immediately adds: "My heart was turned within me" (59), "my repentance was troubled. I will not execute the wrath of my anger" (60). But yet, when they fell into extreme lawlessness, the temple was indeed consumed by fire, and the entire city was rendered fire-burned, and by famine, plague, sedition, and mutual plots, they were destroyed. The portion, however, of those who believed in Christ was saved, since the election was found in a few from ^D Israel.

^A This portion, fulfilling the role of leaven among the nations, made all like onto itself, so that out of it the people of the Lord is also called Israel, and everyone from the nations who has believed is a Jew 61 in secret, and an heir of spiritual promises. But besides what it sounds like—if you interpret Sodom as "declination," and Gomorrah as "sedition"—the interpretation of these names offers us a sense of this kind: that if the seed that had been promised had not come, nothing would have prevented us from falling into complete destruction, having declined from God. And if peace had not shone upon us from on high, which surpasses every sense, [*] each of us would have been consumed by his own rebellion and the war dwelling within him 62. For the passions of sin, and all the movements contrary to reason, are naturally productive of unceasing tumults and irreconcilable sedition in souls.

23. Therefore, the Church, being conscious of the benefit from the advent of the Savior, who, as a small seed, fell into our life through human flesh, says these things in the form of thanksgiving: "Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; attend to the law of God, you people of Gomorrah," ^B so as to show that the advent of the seed that was left for her by the Lord Sabaoth became their cause of salvation 64. Since, as far as was in them, they were liable to the evils of the Sodomite 65 condition, He addresses them as rulers of Sodom and people of Gomorrah in view of the wickedness of the rulers; because Sodom was, as it were, a metropolis of wickedness, and the rulers themselves surpassed it in the excess of their evil. And why are they called rulers of Sodom? Is it because, just as those men were rejecting Lot, who judged justly, when he was eager to rescue those who had been entertained as guests by him, saying: "You have come in to sojourn; are you also to judge judgment?"—so too these men were rejecting the just Judge, crying out: "Crucify, crucify 66, take such a man from the earth!" ^C But the wickedness here is much greater. For the former were acting senselessly against strangers who had done them no wrong, but these were acting against Him who had highly benefited them beyond measure; those against guests, but these against Him who... ^D

God. Therefore, they were deservedly deemed worthy of the name of the princes of Sodom. ^A Yet God, being beneficent toward them, calls them to hear His profitable words, and He turns the people subject to these princes—named the people of Gomorrah because of their wicked teachings—to give attention to the law, commanding those who are more alert to "hear," but to the foolish [commanding them] to "pay attention" or to "hearken" (ἐνωτίζεσθαι), as others have translated it.

The difference there is between discourse and law, such is also the difference between "hearing" and "hearkening." For the law is a rule concerning the just and the unjust, commanding what must be done, and forbidding what must not be done; the which the common people keep, even if they are ignorant of its utility. But discourse renders also the cause for which certain things have been ordained. And especially our discourse, explaining the law in a sublime and spiritual sense, is more noble and excellent than the bare observation according to the letter.

What, then, is the difference between "hearing" and "hearkening"? Hearing pertains to the intellect, as the Lord indicates, exciting us to understand wisely the meaning of what is said: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Matt. xi, 15). But to "hearken" is merely to receive the sound into the ears. Hence the people in Exodus say: "All that God shall say, we will do, and we will hear" (Exod. xxiv, 3). ^C And yet, it would have been more consistent to say: "We will hear, and we will do." But to do is for everyone, even for one of the most obtuse mind, such as keeping the Sabbath according to the bodily sense, abstaining from foods, being circumcised on the eighth day, and appearing in the temple three times a year; but to grasp the reasons for these things, that surely would be for a man already perfect, and having advanced much in knowledge.

They say that this was the sole cause that incited the people of that time to lay snares for the prophet. Now, were the princes of Sodom called such because they ruled over wicked men, or because they themselves were wicked? For one who rules over the wicked can himself be immune to the wickedness of those he rules. But if the scripture had been silent concerning the people, perhaps the ambiguity might have some place. But now, since the people were called the people of Gomorrah, the people are less to be blamed than their princes; for Scripture shows that Sodom was preeminent over the pentapolis, and that it held the primacy in iniquity ^D and far surpassed the others in all evil. The history has not handed down the princes of Sodom, except for the kings of those defeated in battle. However, regarding the unrestrained nature of these men...

who are rightly rebuked, the Apostle says concerning Isaiah: "He is bold and says." Furthermore, one whose doctrine is sound and whose life is blameless may sometimes use this liberty of rebuke against those who are princes of the Churches but live shameful lives, and likewise against a people who are wandering astray and living to no purpose.

24. ^B *Vers. 11. Quid mihi multitudo sacrificiorum vestrorum?* says the Lord. Among the things that ought to have been heard by the princes and observed by the people, this is one: "What [to me is] the multitude of your sacrifices? The sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord." How, then, through sacrifices offered in such a multitude without worthy repentance, do you hope to find some redemption for your souls? For God is not appeased by the blood of animals, nor by the slaughter of victims placed upon altars, but by a contrite heart: "For the sacrifice to God is a broken spirit." The same thing is rightly said to those who are prodigal with their expenses but do not repent through their deeds. Therefore, the Word does not entirely reject sacrifices, but rather the Jewish ones. "For what to me," He says, "is the multitude of your sacrifices?" He rejects the multitude, but seeks one sacrifice. Let everyone bring himself to God, presenting himself as a living sacrifice, well-pleasing to God, sacrificing the sacrifice of praise to God through rational worship. Since the multitude of sacrifices according to the Law has been cast away as useless, one sacrifice has been accepted, offered at the end of the ages for the putting away of sin. For the Lamb of God took away the sin of the world, offering Himself as an oblation and a sacrifice in the odor of sweetness.

25. *Plenus sum.* Here it is well to set an end to the reading, and to begin from another point with what follows. For it is most appropriate to God to be full of His own blessedness and to stand in need of nothing outside Himself; but to say that He is filled with the smoke of burnt offerings and the blood of slaughtered victims is unworthy of God. He is therefore full, "of whose fullness we all have received," and in whom "dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." For demons, inasmuch as they are given to pleasures and passions, gain some enjoyment and profit from the victims; for when they are burned, the blood is turned into vapor through the combustion, and thus, being resolved into such minute particles, it is taken up into their ^D subsistence.

^A For they are nourished wholly through the vapors, not by chewing and the stomach; but as the hair of animals, and nails, and all such things receive food for the sustaining of their whole substance. For this reason they are greedily drawn towards the savor of burnt offerings, and they embrace the smoke rising from frankincense as being adapted to them for food. And perhaps there is in animals some affinity with the properties of demonic bodies. Furthermore, those who desire to fulfill the wishes of demons offer one thing or another, as if it were more suitable for their food. But the voice, "I am full," is fitting for God. Therefore, I desire nothing, but all things are mine. For it is the good that all things desire. And God is truly ^B good. "I am the fountain of fullness. For do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the Lord; and, "The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof." For this reason I am myself in need of nothing, and to those whom I approach, I bring fullness. The saints are filled by me. Stephen, "full of grace and power," performed great wonders and signs among the people. And Paul, after receiving the knowledge of the faith, returned to Jerusalem "full of the Holy Spirit." Through this fullness, Abraham also was advanced in age and "full of days." And in the people who are returning, "full days" shall be found.

26. "I desire not the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of lambs, and the blood of bulls and goats." And these things pertain to the word that is heard, and to the law ^C that ought to be received by the ears. But consider whether these things are in conflict with the law of Moses, and are contrary to what was ordained through him; since there he seeks them, but here he averts himself from them. And how shall "one iota or one point not pass from the law, until all be fulfilled"? Or does the Word rather demonstrate that he introduces the bodily aspect of the law, but that it is proper to interpret it spiritually and sublimely in high-mindedness? For he says that he did not by any means seek the ram as an animal, but the mind, the governor of the soul, ^D not...

^A distracted by earthly cares, but one, as it were, purged by fire and shown to be fully approved, to be sent up to me. Nor do I desire the fat of lambs to be dissolved by fire into the finest odors, but for the simplicity and candor of morals to be consecrated to me from an innocent soul. Nor do I demand that the blood of bulls and goats be poured out ^B at the base of the altar; but that the concupiscible and irascible part of the soul be consumed through laborious prayer and assiduous presence in the holy places. Observe, however, that He did not say that He did not want any blood, but the blood of these animals. For the blood which is shed in the last times for the remission of sins, which also speaks better than that of Abel, He did not say He did not want; but He transfers the sacrifices to the spiritual realm, since the changing of the priesthood is also about to happen. For if He rejects bodily sacrifices, He clearly rejects the priest according to the law. For how could those who are high priests according to the law perfect their hands, when the ram of the whole-burnt offering, upon which they used to lay their hands, is no longer brought? Or how could those be sprinkled who are no longer sprinkled by the blood? Thus, therefore, both stand: both the law according to Moses and the introduction of the better one. Those from the seed of Aaron are, therefore, cast out, so that he who is according to the order of Melchizedek may enter in return. No longer are the sacrifices of the continual offering; no longer those ^C of the day of atonement; no longer the ashes of the heifer cleansing those who have been defiled. For there is one sacrifice, Christ, and the mortification of the saints according to Him. One sprinkling, the washing of regeneration; one purgation of sin, the blood shed for the salvation of the world. Therefore He sets aside the first, that He may establish the second. "And even if you come to appear before me," by extension of the common element, I do not want it. He not only sets aside the law concerning sacrifices, but also that concerning the necessity for every male to appear before the Lord three times a year. Since, therefore, they had not changed from being unjust and having crooked designs, He cast them out from His own eyes. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous; and, "His countenance has beheld ^D uprightness." And the anger against servants manifests the Master, in that their freedom of approach is taken away; but the appearing three times denotes the extension of the contemplation of God, the knowledge of theology in the Trinity. For this reason He preferred males as worthy of the divine eyes, indicating that souls which are strenuous, firmly and powerfully fulfilling the doctrines, but not

^A soft, yielding, and effeminate, are what the Word seeks. ^A For this reason, He says, "Three times in the year shall every male appear before me"—which even this is renounced in a bodily sense when pursued by the carnal Israel.

27. "For who has sought these things from your hands?" He has indicated what these things are, the bodily things of the Law: the ram being sacrificed as a whole burnt offering, and the fat of the lambs, and the blood of bulls and goats, and the coming into the temple bodily, as if the divine eyes had need of an approach in order to see, and could not otherwise reach those who were far off. "These things," He says, "so base and earthly, who has sought from your hands?" ^B You see with what force and necessity we are compelled to interpret the Law in a certain spiritual sense. For if anyone confesses that the words of the Law were indeed given by God, but says that these things which are now performed are not sought by God, He clearly and without any controversy compels us to lift our minds to the spiritual contemplation of the Law; since He all but cries out and protests: "I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than a whole burnt offering." ^B And: "If it has been announced to you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord seeks from you, except to do judgment, and to love mercy, and that you be prepared to walk with the Lord your God?" And: "Sacrifice to God a sacrifice of praise." And the whole discourse concerning sacrifices and whole burnt offerings seems to be contained in the discourse concerning mercy and love; ^C since the whole Law is summed up in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Furthermore, those passages that relate to the feast days will be subjected to the same type of exposition; so that we may not celebrate the Passover "in the leaven of malice and wickedness, but in the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth," when towards evening, that is, at the consummation of the age, that true sheep, Christ, is sacrificed, whose flesh is truly food; so that we may not dwell in tabernacles for a fixed number of days, but for the whole time of our sojourn, awaiting the true fatherland of which God is the architect and builder, and keep Pentecost when the seven weeks have been completed—that is, as though being in the final day, we have despaired of this life. ^D

^A Terrible is this threat to those who understand; yet some members of the Church are insensible to this damage, and those who have the ability to come forward are sluggish, while those who have been condemned on account of their sins are indifferent. The text indicates the insolent manner of entry of those who are accused, as if they were trampling underfoot the holy things. Now, the perfect man reaches even to these, to the Holy of Holies within the veil—that is, having passed beyond bodily things, he will converse with naked contemplation of divine ideas ^B—but the person of lower standing will attain to the house of God, which is concerned with the worship of bodily things. But he who is newly introduced to piety is permitted only to frequent the courtyard; and he who is cast out even from this remains outside the places of piety. How great, therefore, is the danger that even what one appears to have will be taken away from him! Nevertheless, the saint who loves God above all things welcomes and embraces all of God's signs, saying: "My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord" (Ps. LXXXIII, 3). For he knows that it is impossible in any other way to blossom and begin to receive the start of fruit-bearing unless one is in the courts of the Lord. And God, in His goodness toward them, removes them from the Jewish courtyard, so that they may take refuge in the courtyard of Christ's sheep, and there may become one flock, one shepherd (Joan. X, 16).

29. "If ye bring me fine flour, it is vain; incense is an abomination to me" (10). "Your new moons and your Sabbaths and the great day I do not endure. Your fasting and idleness and feasts my soul hateth." He clearly rejects the literal interpretation, while professing the law of God and arousing the princes and the people to attention with stern rebukes. For he declares nothing from himself, but sets aside the ancient things, saying that this is the law of God and the ordinance of God, that none of the things now being performed should take place: "If ye bring me fine flour, it is vain." Many times it makes use of fine flour in the sacrifices; sometimes it is merely prepared without oil being poured into it, while at other times...

it is in the form of flat cakes, or unleavened bread, or sometimes only a dough, with the fine flour worked together with oil. Now, having rendered the use of this void, he has abolished the greatest part of the sacrifices. What, then, is he saying? That while other things are signified under the envelope of the word, you, putting aside the intention of the Lawgiver, demonstrate all your diligence and labor in the vanity of corporeal things. For you should have received the grain instead for that word which is sown like seed into your souls, and, stripped of every worldly thought, you should use it by itself in the incorporeal and pure worship of God. And this is spiritual fine flour: discourse concerning God, separated from corporeal understanding.

Therefore, the fine flour that is understood corporeally and offered according to the Jewish way is a vain thing; but incense is now even an abomination to the Lord. ^B For it is truly an execrable thing to think that God desires the pleasures of the sense of smell and has commanded the composition of incense, and not to understand that the incense to the Lord is the sanctification in the body, accomplished by the temperance of the soul, with the parts of the soul having an equal and peaceful constitution toward one another. "Take for yourself," he says, "fragrant spices: stacte, onycha, galbanum of good scent, and pellucid frankincense." These four have a kinship to the four elements from which bodies consist. For stacte is referred to water; onycha, on account of its dryness, to earth; galbanum, on account of its heat, to fire; and frankincense, on account of its transparency, to the air. "Equal shall be to equal"—that is, you shall restrain the impulses that arise from intemperance and burst forth into absurd desires, and you shall recall them to an equal temperature. ^C And "you shall crush them into small pieces"—that is, you shall labor to make it spiritual, destroying that in the soul which is carnal, thick, and immersed in matter, and you shall strive to make the very thing spiritual. "And you shall thus set it against the testimony in the tabernacle, from where I shall be known to you from there." For when someone has reached perfect mixture and has been crushed, then he will be worthy to be introduced into the holy places and to approach the knowledge concerning God. For "you shall set them," he says, "in front of the testimony, where I shall be known to you from there." But such a thing is forbidden, to make it for one's own enjoyment—that is, to ascribe the achievements to oneself, but rather to attribute the cause of good things to God. Such, then, was the incense that Paul spoke of: ^D

^A *We are the aroma of Christ*; and again, *Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph and manifests the fragrance of his knowledge among us.*

30. But corporeal incense, which enters the nasal passages and stimulates the senses, is rightly considered an abomination to the Incorporeal One. ^B Furthermore, the Word wishes for the New Moons, which are worthy of eternal years, to be understood by the prudent, not as the circuit of the moon completed in thirty days as it overtakes the sun and then moves away again. But seeing that *a fool changes as the moon*, the Word wishes for the man who loves his brother and feels sympathy to consider as a feast—a New Moon, as it were, and a beginning of life to be lived in the light—the return to the light which the fool had forsaken, and the restoration to the ancient state through repentance; for the light failed because of the turning for the worse, but it retraced its path back to itself through the act of turning back.

Next, it would be appropriate to speak about the hated Sabbaths: *Do not carry a burden, and do not go out from your place; and do not kindle a fire in all your dwelling.* These things, which on their face indicate an impossibility for keeping and accurate observance, make the one who hears them carnally liable to a curse. For it is impossible to refrain from moving from one's place, and everything that is lifted up, even if it is the lightest thing, is called a burden—for example, a garment, or bread, or any other necessary thing. But he also commands not to kindle a fire; that is, not to be set aflame by the passions of the flesh. ^C And *do not lift up a burden* means: do not be weighed down by the burden of sin, and do not depart from your dwelling in God, but remain firm and immovable in the faith. Those who thus perfect the Sabbaths—not by resting from evil works, but by abstaining from their proper tasks—God rightly turns away from, nor does he tolerate such Sabbaths, for they are lies and falsehoods. For such are the Sabbaths condemned by the prophet: *Woe to those who draw near and touch the lying Sabbaths!*

But the true Sabbaths are the rest laid up for the people of God, which God finds acceptable because they are true. ^D And indeed, the one to whom the world has been crucified arrives at those Sabbaths of spiritual rest, having departed, clearly, from worldly things and arrived at his own proper place of spiritual rest, in which he who has entered shall no longer be moved from his own place, peace and tranquility prevailing regarding that condition. And fire

shall not consume it in the eternal ^A habitation, because there shall be no material brought to kindle the fire, such as wood, grass, or stubble. Neither shall he carry a burden who does not have the heavy load of sin lying upon him, but truly he shall be at rest in the Sabbath of delicacies, by no weight of sin being burdened.

(31). Furthermore, for "the great day," the other translators rendered it "the called." Theodotion indeed says, "I will not endure 'the called [convocation]';" but Symmachus, "I will not endure 'the calling [convocation]'." Whence we judge that not one single day was called "great," but every one which is termed "called." For he says concerning the unleavened bread: *The first shall be celebris, because it shall be holy unto you* [Num. 28:18]; and: *The seventh day shall be called holy unto you* [Num. 28:25]; and: *On the seventh day of the new [offerings], when ye offer the sacrifice of weeks, it shall be celebris holy unto you* [Num. 28:26]; and again: *On the tenth day of this seventh month, it shall be celebris holy unto you* [Num. 29:7]. Therefore, he seems to reject through one word many days which shared the same name, and almost all the celebrated solemnities in the Law. Since he rejects these, therefore, which one does he accept and approve? That of which it is written: *The great day of the Lord* [Joel 2:31], which this sensible sun shall not produce, but which the Morning Star of the Sun of Justice shall illuminate; which shall be one and continuous, not having night as a successor, but extending itself into the whole age. Truly, therefore, and properly, that day is great. But the carnal Jew seeks in these [days] the "great" [day], of which blessed Jacob affirmed that they are *few and evil* [Gen. 47:9]. ^B Moreover, there are four differences among those things which have been mentioned: some are in vain, namely those which are observed according to the Jewish rite; others are abominable; others are intolerable; ^C fourth, others are odious, to which also the very fasting of the Jews is joined. As, therefore, it has been declared in other matters that something is to be rejected, while something else is acceptable to God: so it happens also in fasting. Indeed, that abstinence from foods which is done for the sake of ostentation, the Lord’s soul pursues with hatred, because these precepts—*Touch not, nor taste, nor handle* [Col. 2:21]—have an end. But that which is employed to bring the vehemence of the flesh into servitude, God loves, since it accomplishes holiness through the affliction of the flesh. Yet, abstinence from foods is not enough by itself to commend a fast, but the rest of the manner of life must also be joined to it, in speaking, in conversations, and in that study ^D

and by association with those capable of being useful: so that this abstinence from food may accompany a pious way of life. It is therefore befitting of a man of integrity to ponder many things in his mind, and to devote himself to the pursuit of truth, and to descend rarely to the care of the flesh; then, after having provided the necessary things for the body, by consuming base food obtained without trouble, he suddenly withdraws himself from the occupation of useless things, and hastens back to his primary manner of life. For such a regimen removes every occasion whereby the concupiscence of the flesh is nurtured, so that it may no longer exercise tyranny over the spirit, nor may the flesh perform its own proper works: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire. ^B Having therefore mortified our members which are upon the earth, and suppressing the passions through admonitory words, and through abstinence from foods, let us fast a fast acceptable and pleasing to the Lord. Now, the abstinence from food is indeed a hindrance to the appetites of the belly and those below the belly. And the industrious man will also profitably apply himself to these things, having as an example the life of Elijah, of Moses, of Daniel, of John, and of the rest of the saints, of whom the world was not worthy, who wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented. But the severity of abstinence from food is not yet sufficient for perfection, unless the soul also in complete abstinence from those things which nourish wickedness exists. For just as man is double, consisting of soul and body; so also are the foods double, being ^C suited to the constitution of each, and they perform their own functions more vigorously in that which is nourished. For just as in gymnastic exercises, athletic food, when provided to bodies along with the suitable exercises, in as much as it is overcome by the power of those being nourished, by so much does it raise the body to a greater state of health, and becomes an addition to it by being absorbed into the constitution of the body; so also in the exercise of piety, the dogmas of the faith and the corrective words of character, when constantly presented to the soul and increasing it by small additions, render it stronger and more industrious, preparing it to reach out for greater and more perfect teachings in doctrine.

32. ^D Therefore, we must beware of the fast which is said to be hated by the Lord according to just judgment, concerning which even the prophet prays, saying: The Lord will not starve the souls of the just.

^A For He does not speak of physical famine—for then He would have said "the bodies of the just"—but of the famine of the soul. For He will not starve the souls of the just. In this way, also, there would be a contradiction 42 regarding the life of the blessed, since Paul counts among his glories: In fastings often, and in famine and thirst. Yet he prays that famine be averted from the just. But it is better to interpret each of these points according to a more sublime understanding of deprivation. Of such a kind is also this: I have not seen the just forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread. For we remember Elijah, who sought bread from the Sidonian woman, and also that the seed of Jacob, the just man, sought bread in Egypt. But if we avoid the low and base interpretation, the absurdity which lies in the contradiction of the words will disappear. ^B Such, then, were the fasts the Jews were fasting, starving their own inner man, because that threat had reached them which says: Behold the days are coming, says the Lord, and I will bring a famine upon this land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. These are the fasts, then, that the Lord says He hates 45, of those who wither their own mind by a lack of saving and life-giving teachings, while overly fattening and pampering the outer man. For just as with the balance of a scale, when the one side is weighed down, the opposite side is raised up, one may see the same thing happening in a human being. ^C For when the flesh increases in bulk, it happens that the mind becomes in some way weaker; but when the mind is again in good condition, the flesh often becomes thinner. And this is what the Apostle says, that in so much as the exterior man is corrupted 47, by so much is the interior renovated; and: When I am weak, then I am powerful. For certain soot-like exhalations, released from plentiful and fatty food, like a dense cloud, intercept the illumination infused into the soul by the Holy Spirit. ^D For this reason, Moses, ascending to the contemplation of God through the mind, remained forty days without food or drink, for he had purposed that the ruling faculty of his soul should remain free from all disturbance. Elijah likewise, when he was about to seek God, despised food for an equal interval of time, so that no darkness might be cast upon the mind by food. The Lord, however, rising from the dead and returning to the heavens, did the opposite: He tasted food, confirming the nature of the resurrected body, while out of indulgence He accommodated Himself...

^A to men, fasting to show that for one who is about to strip himself for the struggles of temptations, training is necessary. For the mortification of the body is, as it were, a school for victory. Yet, the flesh should not be used in such a way as to break its natural vigor through starvation, nor should it be brought by excessive weakness to a point where it becomes entirely idle, or—as consequence—where the mind is forced by extreme exhaustion, even to the point of being unable to follow its pursuits.

33. Since we are commanded, the Bridegroom being present, not to fast with the fast of the Word—as those who are not nourished by the bread that came down from heaven, and who turn away from the eating of the flesh of the Lord, which is the cause of life—the Lord says that He hates such a fast. One of the things hated by the Lord is also idleness, which is a kind of neglect of one’s necessary duties. And idleness seems to be the consequence of every feast, because of the command attached to the holy days: "You shall do no servile work"; and because those who practiced idleness from the affairs of life during festivals, while accomplishing nothing non-absurd, were rightfully said to be keeping an odious idleness. ^B And how should idleness not be hated, which makes a man worse than an ant and a bee, a man who, from the very beginning when he was fashioned, was placed in Paradise to work and to guard it? So the first and most proper thing for man is zeal for work, and idleness is, as it were, contrary to his nature—which the Lord said He hates. But how does He wish us to be idle? Not to work for the food which perishes; not to lift our eyes to vanity; not to receive empty stories in our ears; to shake our hands free from bribes; not to have swift feet to shed blood; and, in a word, so that we do not expend all our zeal upon the body.

34. *I will no more forgive your sins.* This is the voice of one casting away hope on account of the constant return to malice of a people heaped with benefits ^C. I will no more forgive. I have called you to repentance many times. You seemed to obey, then you retraced your steps. Having despaired of your impenitent heart, I will no longer remit the punishment owed to you. For he who says, "I have sinned," ^D and then persists in sin, does not truly confess; rather, he is the one who, according to the psalm, finds his sin and hates it. For what profit does the care of the Physician bring to the sick, when the destructive [influences]

^A of life are practiced by the sufferer? Thus, there is no profit in sins being forgiven to one who is still sinning, and in lewd acts being remitted to one still acting lewdly. But how is the soul healed of its sins? When virtue, having mastered the soul and having taken possession of the whole of it with its own precepts (54), produces in it a rejection of the contrary disposition, so that at a time of covetousness it deliberately runs toward the honor of what is just, and even if it were easy to do wrong, and even (55) if it could be done without witness, it shuns it as the greatest evil. One who is thus disposed by the habit within himself can be absolved from his former misdeeds. Furthermore, by this manner, temperance, having acquired a firm habit in the soul, puts to flight intemperance and lust. But we do not call him temperate and continent in whom the appetites for lust have been extinguished by old age, or sickness, or some other turn of events. For in such a person the vice still resides, but the action is hindered by the weakness of the organs. But true continence is a genuine, cognitive power, imprinted deep within the soul, and it eradicates the remaining traces of shameful impulses. For one who is cured in this way, by recovering a disposition contrary to the state of sin, the grace granted through forgiveness is also profitable. ^B But the statement here threatens to reject utterly those who, having often risen up after many falls through the guidance provided by philanthropy, subsequently succumb to their infirmities. Here, the phrase "no more" provides us with an indication that these same sins had already been forgiven many times before. For it is impossible for anyone to devote himself to a life according to virtue without the forgiveness granted by God. Therefore, the One who wisely manages (56) our life wills that he who has been proven in certain sins, and then promises to return to a healthier way of life, should put an end to the past and make a new beginning after the things he has done wrong, as if coming to life again through repentance; but he excludes from His philanthropy, as one utterly despaired of, him who repeatedly makes these promises and yet repeatedly falls from them.

35. VERSE 15. When you spread forth your hands, I will turn ^C my eyes from you. Those who pray only in outward appearance and simulate it, indeed stretch out their hands, but they do not have the eyes of God intent upon their prayer. Yet this mode of praying was familiar to the saints, as we have learned from David, who says: I stretched out my hands ^D toward you, my eyes from you. Those who pray merely in appearance stretch out their hands but do not have the divine eyes looking upon their prayer. Again, this posture of prayer is customary for the saints, as in the case of David.

^A when he says: "I stretched out my hands to you," and, "The lifting up of my hands is an evening sacrifice." Furthermore, while Israel was fighting until sunset, Moses kept his hands extended. There is also the word of the Apostle, who wishes "men to pray in every place, lifting up holy hands."

Perhaps the text hints at something deeper: that when anyone performs great, heavenly, and sublime works—having, as it were, his practical power lifted up—he is said to lift up his hands; but he who is engaged in base, earthly, and corruptible things has his hands drooping and cast down. The history of Moses hints at this, for those things which took place then were symbols of the human condition, in that those who progress do not work with an equal reason and tenor, but sometimes live better and at other times are broken through weakness and act more feebly. For if Moses lifted up his hands, ^B Israel was winning; but when he lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed. That is, if our active power is failing and prostrate, the powers opposing us prevail over us; but if it is lifted up and raised on high, the power of our living, which is called Israel, regains greater strength.

Observe, however, that it is not said here, "When you lift up your hands," but, "When you extend them." For he who seeks things above lifts them up, but he who asks for help to acquire bodily things extends them. And because extension frequently occurs in the disposition of infants toward their nurses or mothers due to their affection for them—showing the desperation of those who are begging—He did not say, "When you extend them toward me," but simply says, "When you extend your hands, I will avert my eyes." And He adds the reason: "For your hands are full of blood."

36. And if you multiply your supplication, I will not hear. Those who have adorned their lives with no virtue, yet nevertheless think that they are justified by the length of their prayers, let them hear these words. For the words of prayer, simply uttered, are of no benefit, but only if they are sent forth with a fervent disposition. For the Pharisee also seemed to multiply his supplication. But what says the Scripture? "The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself, not toward God"; for he was directing his attention back to himself, since he was involved in the sin of pride. Therefore, the Saviour also says, "But when you pray, do not babble like ^C the Gentiles; for they think that they will be heard in their much speaking. Therefore, do not be like them." And that saying: "From much speaking you will not escape sin." It is necessary, therefore, to seek the...

^A kingdom of God and His righteousness, but not the bodily and earthly things. For this reason, the psalm says: "One thing have I asked of the Lord, this will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord."

37. "For your hands are full of blood." This is the cause why God turns away His eyes when they extend their hands, because the very symbols of supplication are occasions for provoking Him. Just as if someone were to kill another's beloved son, and while still having his hands stained with the blood of the murder, were to reach them out toward the father who is angry with him, asking for a right hand of friendship and entreating to obtain forgiveness—would not the sight of the child's blood on the hand of the child-murderer stir the injured party to even greater anger? Such are now the prayers of the Jews; since when they extend their hands, they call to the memory of God and Father the crime committed against the Only-begotten Son, and with each extension ^B they show their own hands to be full of the blood of Christ. For those who persist in their hardness of heart are heirs to the shedding of their father's blood. "For his blood," they say, "be upon us, and upon our children."

38. VERS. 16. "Wash yourselves, be clean." The Scripture seems in some way, as regards the words, to contain a contradiction, and as it were to accuse God of some falsehood. For He said: "I will not forgive your sins any more." And also that: "If you multiply your prayer, I will not hear you." Now, as if they were curable, He says: "Wash, be clean." It is clear that in the former passages the inability of the Law to provide salvation to those who wish to live according to it is refuted; but in these words another way to salvation is shown. And that former passage abolishes the sensible institution of the Mosaic Law; but this one points out the beginnings of the evangelical life. "If you bring fine flour, it is vain; incense is an abomination; I do not want the fat of lambs and the blood of bulls." What then shall we do? What shall we offer? Shall we perhaps, because these bodily observances are rejected, move on to the festival days, and through them offer worship? "Your new moons, and your Sabbaths, and the great day I do not endure." Shall we then fast? "But my soul hates your fasts." It remains, therefore, to supplicate according to the Jewish custom, and to pour out prayers according to the Law? But, "If you multiply your supplication, I will not hear you; and if you extend your hands, I am not moved by your supplication; but because of the blood that has been poured out I am provoked to anger." What then are we to do? How shall we render Thee propitious? How shall we wipe away the blood? "Wash, be clean." It is so, they say; ^D for we remember what Moses said concerning the laver. For he who has touched, he says, any of the unclean things, and has been defiled, shall wash his garments.

and wash his body with water, and shall be clean. But he did not say: "Wash yourselves at every pollution," but only, "Wash yourselves." There is one baptism, one cleansing. ^A There he shall wash his garments, and wash his body with water; here, "remove your wickedness"—not the filth—from your souls, not from your garments. No longer busy yourself with frankincense and galbanum and onycha and stacte; no longer seek with precision a red heifer, such that it has no other color at all—which the entire time of the legal worship scarcely produced three of. Do not fast in the Jewish manner. Do not entangle yourself in ^B the holidays. You have need of one simple and brief thing, of which you yourselves are masters. What then is this? "Learn to do good"—to which you are at present utterly disobedient and unskilled. Since therefore good is something that can be learned, and the Law did not teach you (for its teachings have been cast aside as not good), there is every necessity henceforth to take refuge in the evangelical school. Understand for me the method of the dispensation of the Word from a clear example. Let there be some one of the wealthy and rich, and let there be various things prepared for him for his diet; and let this man be displeased with the rest, but ^C favorably disposed to one thing alone. Then, as each of the things he does not want is sent away, let him compel those who serve him to come to that which by nature is being sought after unknowingly. In this way also, with all the legal requirements being cast aside one after another, the reception of the Gospel is necessarily prepared. "Wash yourselves." And what is the gain? "That you may become clean." And what is the need for cleanliness? "That you may see God." Does it suffice, then, for me to have washed and, having received forgiveness for my former deeds, to remain idle; or is something else needed?

39. "Remove your wickedness from your souls before my eyes." For the cleansing ^D through the laver depends on the philanthropy of the Master; but the putting away of wickedness is a work of our own diligence and care. However, lest we put our hope only in the grace of the laver and remain inactive regarding the commandments, for this reason he appends the summary of the whole life: "Remove your wickedness from your hearts." As it were, root out from the sovereign faculty the wicked thoughts, so that neither a word nor any act of the miserable sort may be brought forth. "Before my eyes." Since many of the things in a virtuous life are practiced by those outside the faith—such as abstinence from conjugal relations and from the pleasures of food, and stability in character and tranquility—he is not content with these words, "Remove your wickedness," but adds...

"from before my eyes," as if no action could be performed fittingly unless it were done with piety toward Christ. Or, since the Father sees in secret, "from before my eyes," he says, with regard to those places that are seen by God; so that we might remove it not only from our actions, but also from our thoughts. This is achieved through perfect love, because love, according to Paul, "thinketh no evil" [14.]

40. "Learn to do good." For, indeed, moral science is not very clear, nor is it set forth and open to everyone from the start, since we learn to do good through instruction. ^B "For justly," he says, "you shall pursue what is just" 15. That is, with the discourses concerning justice, you shall perform a just action. For just as it is possible to do something that relates to the medical art, though it is not done according to the rules of medicine, so it is possible to do something just, but not justly. For example, the very use of herbs is something that relates to the medical art, but when acting according to the precept of medicine, reason considers both the force of the herbs, and the quality of the disease, and the time, and the measure, and the manner of use. And there is a distinction between acting according to knowledge ^C and acting by chance. For he who works according to art will always achieve the same results as long as he adheres to reason; but he who acts rashly and by chance will not always find things helpful offered to him, but if today he provided health, at some time he may even have brought death through those same remedies. In this way, the management of a praiseworthy and good thing, carried out according to the precepts of knowledge, is exerted equitably, because this reason, remaining within, will be present to each of the things that are done. Moreover, Scripture declares in other places that the knowledge of things to be done is necessary, saying: "Everyone who has not learned justice upon the earth will not do truth" 16. And why does David also place divine fear among those things that can be taught, saying: "Come, children, ^D hear me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord" 17?

41. "Seek judgment." That is, Christ’s, by which He judges us and renders to us according to our merits: which, unless we seek and keep before our eyes, we cannot persevere in the exercise of good works. For if the things that are to be in the judgment are announced to us as terrible, the thought of them teaches piety. Or because nothing will be left unweighed, nothing will go unjudged, since nothing remains unjudged, and nothing happens rashly and by chance. "For with counsel," he says, "do all things" 18. And, "The thoughts of the just are judgments."

^A It is necessary, therefore, that reason, which has obtained the supreme place within us as a judge, should adjudicate and weigh every individual thing—both what must be said and what must be done—and should claim for itself the authority to govern with careful judgment both the things to be approved and the more vehement movements of the soul. For this is what Paul says: "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged" 20. "Liberate the oppressed." Since the nature of being wronged is twofold—for some are wronged in their physical concerns, such as in money and other external goods, or else in the soul itself—and we have been commanded without qualification to liberate the one who is wronged, it must be understood that we are debtors to show greater zeal in liberating those who are damaged in the most vital matters. We must strive with all eagerness to capture in return those who have been oppressed by the devil and are held captive by him, ^B and to lead their thoughts into the obedience of Christ. We must also attempt to rescue the weaker ones from physical injuries when they happen upon rapacious and violent men and are swept away by their violence as if by a torrent. If we are not able to rescue them, we should become sources of patient endurance for them in their tribulations by means of comforting words, sparing nothing of what is in our power. But if we fall short of our intention, we should at least manifest a compassionate spirit out of brotherly love.

42. "Judge for the orphan." ^C Because this age is not easily despised, yet it is not easy for orphans who are deprived of advocates to bring those who wrong them into court, "judge for the orphans" who are deprived of defenders; supply for them yourselves what is lacking due to their age, so that you may have the boast of Job: "I was a father to the powerless" 21. Perhaps ^D it is possible to explain the meaning of the statement in a more spiritual way. Since God is called the Father of those who have believed in Christ and have embraced the life according to the Gospel, if anyone, having become estranged from God through the transgression of the Law, should be, as it were, orphaned of His providence, you must strive to restore him to his intimacy with God through righteous and expert judgment. Do not forgive him indiscriminately, nor, out of sympathy, use excessive severity against him; but judge for him by suggesting useful ways of repentance. And since "everyone who commits sin is born of the devil" 22, if

anyone voluntarily alienates himself from that kinship with the evil father and approaches the teaching of piety so that he may be reborn in Christ Jesus through the Gospel, he should, as one happily orphaned, be helped with the appropriate care by those who dispense common resources. For that there is a beneficial kind of ^A orphanage, the Psalm shows, praying for the children of Judah to be deprived of the evil one. For in this way the prayer will appear to have reasonableness, saying: "Let his children be orphans," that they may not have an evil teacher of life, having accepted the disgraces of the thief and the traitor on account of the disease of avarice. "And do justice to the widow." And this ^B is a person who, on account of weakness, is at a disadvantage in many of the affairs of life. For widowhood is easily attacked by those who wish to commit injustice; to this you must by all means bring aid, paying her the debt you owe, especially if she is truly a widow, bereft of human patronage, and if she places all her hope in God and persists in supplications, so that she may remain pure in heart from every stain through her discipline. Since God speaks in many places in Scripture of the human soul as if it were His own spouse, a widow might also be one who, through apostasy from Christ ^C on account of idolatry, has committed spiritual fornication and has been stripped of that union with the Word, the Bridegroom, whom it is necessary to justify by being instructed in the norm of repentance. Or since the Church of Israel according to the flesh is a widow, freed from the yoke of the bondage under the Law so as no longer to be called an adulteress, having become joined to another husband, namely to Christ, who espouses her to Himself for salvation, and since she too must be justified by us once she has learned the evangelical justice brought by Christ.

43. VERSE 18. "And come, and let us reason together," ^D says the Lord. "And if your sins be as purple, I will make them white as snow; and if they be as scarlet, I will make them white as wool." We frequently find such expressions in Scripture, as if God condescends to judgment with men on equal terms. For such also is that: "The Lord himself will come into judgment with the elders of his people, and with his princes." And that which is in Micah: "Hear now...

(23) Ps. cviii, 9. (24) Isa. Iii, 14.

^A the word of the Lord. The Lord said: Arise, contend with the mountains; for the Lord has a judgment against his people, and he will debate with his people. My people, what have I done to you? Or in what have I grieved you? Or in what have I been troublesome to you? Answer me." And it is indeed fitting that the divine judgment should not be tyrannical, but rather have something in common with those who are judges among men, providing a place of apology for those being judged, so that while one sees the sentence against him clearly pronounced, even while he is being punished, he may agree with the unanswerable judgments of God, as one concurring with those brought against him according to all justice; that he may see also the forgiveness of the things allowed, coming about through reason and order concerning him.

The Scripture portrays these things by prosopopeia, not as though the Judge is about to bring questions to each one of us and to introduce the answers of the one being judged; but that he may inspire concern in us, ^B and that we may not treat the earth of our apology with neglect. It is probable that by some ineffable power, in a moment of time, the whole history of our life will be imprinted, as if on some tablet, the mnemonic of our soul. And thus we shall hear this even now: "Their councils have encircled them; they have been before my face." And what else do the books brought in Daniel signify, except the stirring up by the Lord in the memory of men the forms concerning their deeds, unto the remembering of each of his own, so that we may see why we are punished?

44. Therefore, after being washed and cleansed ^C from the filth of sins, and having removed the wickedness from the soul before the eyes of God, and having ceased from wickednesses, and having taken up the knowledge of good works, and "sought judgment, and delivered the oppressed, and judged for the orphan, and justified the widow," then one is called to be brought to the test, receiving the promise that one shall be whitened like snow or like wool. Thus, that bath in itself is not sufficient to bring the one washed to the whiteness of snow or wool, but there is need of works and of diligence not of an ordinary kind. For the bath ^D is what makes one clean from filth; but the judgment of the orphan, and the justification of the widow, provides the whiteness equal to snow or wool. For it is possible for something that is crimson to be clean, yet not have been granted whiteness. Since the crimson is dyed in a diluted way, and the scarlet dye is deeper and thoroughly red, the one compared to snow, the other...

was judged to have an analogy with white wool. Now, therefore, our sins are likened to a crimson hue, because they are murderous ^A to souls. And just as in dyeing, that which is dyed many times and with much labor receives a dye that is firmer and somehow indelible, while that which is colored superficially and casually has a dye that can be easily removed and wiped away; so also the soul, having been imbued by sin and having come into a habit of evil, has taken on a stain of sins that is hard to blot out and, as it were, branded into it. But when it has spent less time in evil and, as it were, more superficially, it is colored more weakly and is stained by the sin, according to the proportion of the sins, as the color comes upon it more or less. But why were snow and wool taken as the image of white things? Because wool, which is white by nature, if it is diligently prepared, becomes whiter than it was of itself. Accordingly, the life of man, through the meditation of divine matters, perfecting its natural resources, can advance greatly toward virtue. And indeed snow, being water in its underlying state, becomes white by the accession of air, when the moisture in the clouds is beaten by the force of the wind, and from the violent motion it swells into foam, and being condensed by the cold in the air, having acquired a certain composition and weight, it is carried downward by its natural inclination. So also the soul, having increased and advanced its natural faculties both by its own work and by the assistance of the Spirit, becomes worthy in the just judgment of God of the splendor given by the ^C grace of God to the saints.

45. *And if you be willing, and hear me, you shall eat the good things of the land: but if you will not, and will not hear me, the sword shall devour you.* From this, the free will of human nature is most especially shown. For indeed we think that this very thing which is added here agrees with all the preceding judgments. For if, he says, you depart from the worship which is according to the killing letter, if you are washed, and having become clean, you keep for the future the manner of life set before you, you shall come into judgment, and you shall be established in such and such an abundance of good things, and you shall enjoy the promised delights, and you shall not be the food of that sword which was ordained for punishing and killing. And indeed to those who hear in an unworthy and abject manner, earthly promises are given as the reward for obedience; on the other hand, to those who hear the ^D spiritual sense of the Scripture, the good things of the land are spoken of, which is spiritual...

^A, and those who are preached as meek, are said to be about to possess them by inheritance. In like manner, the sword is understood to be animate, concerning which it is said that it is saturated with the blood of the wounded; and that in heaven it shall eat flesh. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things. Perhaps the Holy Spirit, who worked so that these things might be written, is now called the mouth, because it is also said to have proceeded from the mouth of God. So that you might not hear these threats with contempt, the Word of the Lord has witnessed to us that these things spoken by the truthful mouth were spoken. But who is so lowly and carnal in his understanding as to think that those things laid up by the good God for men as a reward for obedience are food, namely, the fruits of the ^B earth given to perish in their consumption? But clearly, according to the parable of the Gospel, the seed in the good ground is a good and honest heart, which hears the word, and keeps it, and brings forth fruit with patience. Therefore, the enjoyment of the sweetest fruits of the heart is worthy of the promise of God. The fruits of the heart are that delight which resides in the contemplation of divine beauty. And these fruits are cultivated from the sowing in the Spirit, being reaped unto eternal life; he who gathers its sheaves in exultation delights in the Lord, receiving his petitions from Him. Yet it is necessary first to will, and then to be heard, so that that which is in our own power may not be subject to necessity. And again: "If you are not willing, neither shall you hear me." From not willing comes not hearing. Thus, all beatitude, and the life spent in torment and distress, hinges upon our own volition.

^C 46. *How has the faithful city Sion, full of judgment, become a harlot; in which justice lodged, but now [there are] murderers.* The inquiry is full of admiration, generating immense astonishment at the cause of such an unheard-of thing: how the city that was faithful and full of judgment, in which justice rested, has become a harlot and a dwelling place for murderers. For how would it not be worthy of sad admiration that an entire city should fall from the purity of faith into the impurity of whoredom? Since even when one soul turns from the firmness of faith to the whoredom of infidelity, it is to be numbered among the things that are past belief. When, truly, are these things brought against it, if not when the wicked and adulterous generation, having become so, murdered the Justice that had looked down from heaven ^D and rested in it, namely Christ and our Lord? This increases the wonder and makes the paradox greater, that when justice was present, injustice abounded all the more. And it did these things although it was not ignorant of the sound words concerning judgment. For this is what these words, *Full of judgment*, signify. It is to be noted that the intellectual mother...

of fornication is infidelity. For who that believes God to be everywhere, and to be present to the things that are done, and to stand by at every action, and to behold the counsels of the heart, would either receive an evil thought or perform an evil deed? But because they suppose that God either does not behold, or does not care for the things that are done, in this way do men rush toward impious deeds. It is said sometimes even of the Church (far be it that it be said of ours): *How has the faithful city Sion become a harlot?* When, that is, having repudiated and rejected the word of faith, to which it had been joined from the beginning as if in marriage, according to the tradition of the Fathers—who presented her as a chaste virgin to one man—it receives many and various seeds of doctrine from those who pollute the sanctity of the mysteries as if by fornication, and scatter the dogmas of impiety for the corruption of souls. Rightly and deservedly will this be said of such a Church: *How has the faithful city Sion become a harlot?* For the holy angels, to whom the charge of the Churches is entrusted, not ignorant of ancient things and observing the present, will say with wonder against these: *How has the faithful city become a harlot?* Because, through her own fornication, she has also gathered together murderers—murderers not of bodies, but of souls; who take away the life of the simpler ones with guile and fraud, and, as if by some sword, being sharpened in discourse through worldly wisdom for [the purpose of] persuasion, they inflict lethal wounds upon souls. Then it renders the cause for which she that was before faithful has become a harlot. ^C 47. *Your silver is become dross* (Isa. I, 22). That is, the word of faith is counterfeit and marked with a false sign, inasmuch as it does not preserve the entire and accurate figure of the royal image. That the enigma points to this, and that it calls the word of faith "silver," is shown from many places, and most especially from this: *The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in the fire, proven on the earth* (Ps. XI, 7). Search, therefore, the recesses of your hearts. Look around, I pray, into the hidden and secret storehouses, lest there be anywhere a counterfeit drachma; that is, lest there be anywhere a dogma falsified, marked not by the Spirit with His own characters of truth, which He has bestowed upon us through the prophets and apostles, but [marked] by men who are treacherous...

and difficult to detect, who surreptitiously bring into the royal treasuries forbidden coin, bearing the image of the enemy, thereby corrupting the great wealth and creating doubt in the minds of the many regarding the choice. For few are the trusty money-changers. Few are those who are able to examine all things, and hold fast to what is good, and abstain from every form of evil.

48. Hear also the mere word, you who sell wine, and do not adulterate the creation. For the matter is not a game, but an evil worthy of the greatest censure. Nevertheless, the discourse hastens toward the spiritual understanding. Wine is that which gladdens the heart of man—that is to say, the mind and the governing part of the soul—that is, the teachings of the Scriptures, which the Spirit pours out as wine to us through the holy apostles and prophets, for the sake of eternal gladness. Those who peddle this, the many, turn the word into water, mixing in their own mind to the detriment of their hearers. For by indulging their pleasures and flattering them with smooth speech, they feed their passions unto destruction, slackening that which is stern and vigorous and healthfully astringent in the Scriptures, by [offering] certain unlearned notions of philanthropy and indiscriminate remissions of sins, and such-like things agreeable to the many for the ruin of those who hear, softening more and more the souls of the pleasure-lovers. ^B

49. *Vers. 23. Thy princes are rebellious.* We are the peddlers, we also are the princes, who, being the first to be rebellious and faithless, cause faithful cities to fall into prostitution. For the mind of those who are governed is naturally disposed to be fashioned after the character of those who rule, as is generally the case; so that whatever the leaders may be, it is necessary that those who are being led be the same. ^C Since, therefore, the princes of a once-faithful city were rebellious, the city itself, having been assimilated to them and having put aside its faithfulness, fell into prostitution. Let us not become rebellious, that infidelity may not gain dominion over us. *Your princes are rebellious.* Clearly, they are disobedient to God, turning away from Him, and not abiding in the commands given by Him. Now among those commands was this: to shake their hands free from bribes, and not to run with thieves; but they, on account of avarice and for the sake of shameful gain, have become accomplices of thieves. ^D

50. ^A We are not to understand by these those who cut purses or steal garments in the baths; but rather if any, having been entrusted with the command of armies, or having taken upon themselves the rule of cities and nations, either steal in a clandestine manner or extort by open force and publicly (32). And if he who is esteemed a ruler of the Church receives anything from such men—whether for his own private use under the pretense of the honor due to him because of his position, or under the name and simulation of distributing items to the poor in the Church—he becomes a participant in the theft. For whereas he ought to have convicted, admonished, and turned away from that iniquity those who steal, he himself readily extends his hand to their gifts, and calls him blessed whom he ought rather to have hated all the more the more he steals. Indeed, he even praises him, accompanies him, and escorts him, and, turning about at the doors, takes hold of those hands by which, in like manner, all things have been stolen both privately and publicly. Indeed, if we do these things, we are named accomplices of thieves. Although it is necessary for us to trample upon the inequality of the whole world and its pride: yet when we see ^B in the courts the small thieves punished by the great ones, we hate the servants for such thefts, but we admire these others. The former we turn away from because they are thieves; the latter, because they amass wealth from their theft, we stand astonished at. For what other cause are the rulers condemned?

51.

Loving gifts.

We have been commanded, therefore, not to love gifts, so that for their sake we might permit many forbidden things to those who approach us. In general, the Word does not allow us even to love such gifts, nor to be passionately disposed toward them; but rather to accept their service as a necessity. For it is impossible for the saying, "With all your heart," to admit of any division toward another. For just as in a vessel filled with some liquid, as much as flows out to the ^A outside, by that much must the fullness be lacking; so also in the soul, as much of its love as is poured out for things for which it ought not, by that much must it necessarily fall short in loving God. He who has once set his heart on loving silver pours out all his love there. For "he who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver."

52. Pursuing retribution. The greatest accusation against a leader is that he is quick and prepared for vengeance, and in every way intent upon rendering like for like to those who have caused him grief. For how shall he teach another to return evil to no one for evil, when he himself does everything to take vengeance and to cause suffering in return to the one who injured him? He neither imitates the meekness of David, who says, "If I have repaid those who repay me with evil," nor remembers Jeremiah, who says, "It is good for a man when he has borne the ^B yoke from his youth; he will sit apart and keep silent, because he has taken it upon himself. He will give his cheek to the one who strikes him, he will be filled with rebukes." But what must be said about the teachings of the Lord, as to how those who pursue retribution despise them? since the Lord says, "If anyone strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also." Therefore, whoever pursues retribution is to be reproved; and this is especially true when someone does this from a position of princely authority, when he ought to be teaching the people by his own ^C example the good things that come from patience. For what a spectacle! How noble and admirable, and almost transcending human nature, it is if one who has been assailed by many insults, and has perhaps even received a blow on the cheek, and suffered countless other evils, both in word and in deed, which bring one to the utmost shame, does not boil over in anger, nor rise up for vengeance, but rises up mildly and without anger, and prays.

for the one who insults him; so that the sin committed in the past may be forgiven him, and for the future he may be deemed worthy of the proper care from God, so that he might cease from his wanton behavior. ^A But now, we who are rulers add this to our other evils, and we sin in this most of all: we pursue retribution, and we do not repay in equal measure, but we defend ourselves with excess. We are provoked not only if we are insulted, but also if we are not honored; and we consider even those who honor us less than we have assumed ourselves to be worthy of as enemies.

53. *Orphans not judging, and not attending to the judgment of the widow.* The rest which relates to the orphan and the widow has already been said above. But here consider these words, *not attending*, how much they argue arrogance in a ruler, and how they demonstrate him to be even more savage than that judge of iniquity; for the latter, after many requests, even if he was otherwise unmoved by compassion, at least on account of the widow's intense importunity, showed himself attentive to the judgment, insofar as he was careful not to be further wearied by her ^B disturbance. Moreover, a statement has been made about these matters, as if they were generally unwilling to attend to the judgment of the widow.

54. VERSE 24. *Therefore thus says the Lord God of Sabaoth: Woe to the powerful of Israel.* It is a characteristic of Scripture to fashion speech in this way. When it should have said, "to the powerful," it said, "Woe to the powerful." Doubtless it says that this utterance, which is emitted in the most severe torments, corresponds to the powerful of Israel, who were to suffer a most heavy torment a little later. Nor was this pronounced by the prophet by conjecture, but according to a decree which had issued forth from a mouth free of all falsehood. By "the powerful," however, the same persons are to be understood as "the rulers": they who, besides not obeying God, love gifts, and pursue retribution, and the other things of which they are accused. *Woe to the powerful and to those who do not obey.* For to the weaker, perhaps, pardon will be given. For to the small, mercy is granted; ^C but the powerful shall be powerfully tormented; and, "To whom they have entrusted much, they will demand more of him." Therefore woe also to the rich, because, being powerful to comfort the poor, they have not used the power of their wealth for that for which they had received it. And if anyone, sharper of wit than another, does not use that natural strength and capacity to investigate divine matters: to him also [applies] woe, when it is demanded— ^D

^A seeing that an accounting is required of him in accordance with the proportion of what has been given to him. Moreover, if any who have attained to ecclesiastical offices do not grace their office with a manner of life worthy of their profession, to them also: Woe. For *My furor shall not cease against those who oppose me*. Those who oppose God are they who resist His precepts: and so long as they are enemies, the so-called furor of God against them will not cease. For while we persist in our wickedness, we kindle God’s furor against ourselves, applying our sins to it as if they were fuel for a fire, in accordance with the saying, *A fire has been kindled by my furor*. But when we have put an end to sin, *I will execute judgment upon my enemies*. For he who believes in me, he says, is not judged; but he who does not believe is already judged. The enemies, therefore, are the causes of the judgment, in accordance with the saying: *On account of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience*. ^B But because He said that *My furor shall not cease against those who oppose me*, so that we might not think the wrath of God upon those who provoke Him to be lacking in judgment—even if I am furious against those who oppose me, yet I will not inflict punishments upon them without judgment, but will inflict them with judgment according to their worth and the measure of their offenses; that is to say: *I will execute judgment upon my enemies*. Enemies to God are those who do unjust things. Wickedness is an enemy to goodness; injustice to justice; impurity to holiness; falsehood to truth. On these grounds, therefore, the furor shall not cease, so long as they are enemies; nor, as He said, will He inflict punishment upon them without judgment.

55. *And I will bring my hand upon you, and I will purge you to be pure*. Behold ^C the good end of just judgment, and of the punishments brought upon [men] in accordance with the judgment. *My furor shall not cease; I will execute judgment; I will extend my hand; I will purge*. And what is the purpose? *That I may prove you pure*. Thus God is moved to anger, so that He may confer benefits upon sinners. For it is not for destruction that He punishes, but He chastises for the sake of amendment. He sends this fire to abolish that fire which, through the fiery darts of the devil, is cast into the soul that does not possess the shield of faith; and falling into it, it extinguishes the shafts of the wicked one, and the divine fire becomes a purgation for the other fire, ^D which was inflaming us toward absurd and harmful desires. For this reason the Lord Himself says: *He enters as a refiner’s fire, and as the herb of launderers; and He will sit refining and purifying as silver and as gold*. And what advantage comes therefrom? *They shall be*, He says, *to the Lord offering sacrifice in righteousness*.

And I will remove all the lawless from thee. ^A It is a great benefit to the soul that has fallen away from the alienation of God due to the fault of those who rule over it badly, that the lawless be removed from it. For this reason, the patterns around the Church also separate those found in forbidden transgressions from the rest of the body, so that a little leaven may not corrupt the whole lump. Therefore, it is a work of the good God to remove the lawless from the people. For the lawless shall not enter in with the saints into the holy things, since the winnowing fan is in the hand of the Lord. But those who are now separated from the people as lawless bear what is happening calmly, not understanding that these things are a pattern of what will come to pass in the fearful judgments of God. And how great is the harm of not removing the lawless from the ^B communion with the holy members of Christ, the Apostle made clear, rebuking the Corinthians because they did not mourn, so that he who had done the evil work might be removed from among them.

36. Ver. 26. *And I will restore your judges as before.* Why, omitting the kings, does He mention the judges, even though among the kings there were some who ruled the people with praise? Is it because the administration of the judges was freer, which belonged to them by their very nature, because the people were governed by their own laws, and acknowledged God alone as King; whereas the establishment of kings happened later out of their own recklessness and folly? It was necessary, then, that those who were being benefited should return to the blessed state. For this reason, He promised to appoint not kings, but judges, granting them freedom. *For there was no king in Israel, but everyone did what was right* ^C *in his own eyes*. Or is it because, after the coming of the true King, there was no longer a time for kings, that He promised to provide judges not unequal to the former ones—namely, the disciples of the Lord, of whom it is said: *You shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel*?

57. *And counselors as at the beginning.* Again here, safeguarding their self-determination, He said He would provide not one who commands, but one who advises them. For it is the property of a king to command his subjects; but of a counselor, to persuade those who are deliberating about what is beneficial. For no one is sufficient of himself to discover what is necessary. Therefore, God, being beneficent, gives counselors, and not masters. So let each of us consider himself not as a ruler, but as a counselor given to the people by the Lord. Therefore, all the prophets who urged what was beneficial ^D are counselors; and before all, Moses. Therefore, He raises up others equal to the former counselors.

^A God promises to raise them up, namely the apostles and evangelists; such a counselor was Paul, the minister of the New Testament, saying: "I give my judgment, as one who has obtained mercy from the Lord." The presence of a prudent and well-disposed counselor is a great benefit, as it supplies the lack of intelligence and prudence in those who receive counsel. Moses, who was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, shows most of all how great the utility of counsel is; he who spoke with God, just as if a friend were speaking with a friend. This man received counsel from his father-in-law, Jethro, so that he appointed ^B tribunes, and centurions, and decurions, to judge the people. David also made use of Hushai as a counselor, by whom he dissipated the military counsel of Ahithophel. And in sum, counsel is a sacred thing, an agreement of wills, a fruit of love, a proof of humility. For it is a terrible arrogance to think that one needs nothing, but to pay attention to oneself as the only one who can plan the best things. But we are reluctant to surrender ourselves to those who suggest what is necessary, and we are ashamed to admit that others are more prudent than we are in terms of life. Moreover, he who waits for a counselor gives space to his own reasonings, so that in a longer time he may investigate what is fitting with examination and attention.

58. And after these things, "the city of justice shall be called, the faithful metropolis, Zion." He showed to what end the individual benefits result. For instead of it being a city of murderers, it becomes a city of justice; and instead of a harlot city, a metropolis—that is, ^C one that also leads others toward temperance. And again, "faithful," which is what it was before it was defiled by whoredom. Therefore, the Church which is in Christ, adorned with the ornaments becoming to her, is a metropolis, as it were, and as one having counselors and judges, since she sends out from herself certain colonies, as it were, of a life according to God. "For her captivity shall be saved with judgment, and with mercy." Since He mentions nothing in the preceding parts about sensible enemies, nor about captives, and yet announces her restoration as the liberation of a captivity, He suggests to us that we understand that when each of us falls into sin, when the enemy dominates us, ^D we become as it were prisoners of sin, and are led away by the evil one to present our members as slaves to iniquity unto iniquity. Therefore, judges are those who save, as

^A Barac, and Samson, and Gedeon, and Jephte, fighting for the people, and delivering them from the enemies. For this reason, counselors who provide guidance toward salvation are necessary, so that the captivity of this city might become worthy to attain salvation; for this is what it means to be saved with judgment, that is, with discernment and examination. Then, since "if thou shouldst mark iniquities, who shall stand?" he joined mercy to judgment, so that the strictness of the judgment might be softened by the tempering of mercy. Therefore, indeed, through judgment the city was delivered to captivity; but through mercy it was recalled.

59. *Verse 28. And the iniquitous and the sinners shall be crushed together.* After those who are worthy of restoration to their original state have obtained salvation with judgment and mercy, the utterly iniquitous, ^B and those who persist in sin, *shall be crushed together.* Some, because they "became vain in their imaginations;" others, because through the transgression of the law they bring dishonor upon God. Now, the iniquitous are those who in no way obey divine laws, whether because they have fallen away from them, or because they never approached them in the beginning; but sinners are those who sin voluntarily after having received the knowledge of the truth. Perhaps, too, God afflicts those whom He favors, wishing them to walk in newness of life, by crushing their old man. Therefore, "the sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit." For the spirit of the world that has committed sin is crushed, so that, after it has been made upright, it may be renewed in the inward parts. And the arm of the sinner is crushed, that is, the effective power of sin, so that his sin may be sought, and not be found. Of this sort is that which is said: "I will kill, and I will make to live; I will strike, and I will heal." For He kills the one living wickedly, so that, after the purification of the baser life, ^C He may bestow upon him a new one.

60. For this reason *the iniquitous and the sinners shall be crushed together,* that they may cease to be refractory and disobedient. *And they that have forsaken the Lord shall be consumed.* Naturally, that sin by which the Lord is forsaken is no longer committed. Such is also that which is in the Psalm: "The wickedness of sinners shall be brought to an end." Just as if someone were to exhort a physician to put an end to the disease of the suffering, or by his art prevent the spread of putrefaction. Yet this consumption does not signify an altogether complete abolition; but it hinders the force and impetus of those who act in such a way. For indeed Paul, prophesying about the son of perdition, says to the Thessalonians: "Whom the Lord Jesus shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." For if consumption, altogether

^A destroys, how is he who no longer exists brought to naught? But it is clearly understood that the lie which is in the lawless one is wiped out by the spirit of the mouth of truth, and thus it shall be brought to naught by the brightness of the coming of Christ. We have frequently observed, moreover, that wickedness is wiped out, but not the very substances themselves in which these things happen: as in the passage: "And he shall destroy the way of the ungodly," and, "The way of the ungodly shall perish."

61. Wherefore shall they be ashamed of their idols, which they themselves desired? It is a great benefit, even to be ashamed of a matter in which one previously boasted, when, by reason of ^B dullness of mind, one could not understand what shame was in it, but rather placed glory in one's own disgrace. Therefore, to be ashamed of one's idols is a benefit to those who are ashamed. This happens in no other way than if those who have hitherto been idolaters arrive at the knowledge of the true God. For then he who, having come to a perception of the absurdity, prayed to lifeless things as though they had the power to save, is affected with shame. And every lover of pleasure, under whose sway he may be enslaved to forbidden things—having made this into a god, as if he had some idol ^C established within the temple of his heart—is always accompanied by it through his imagination, and carries around the images of his desire within himself. Just as the lover of money, where his treasure is, there he has his heart, serves the idol of greed. The glutton, enslaved to the desires of the appetite, makes his own belly his god. "Cursed is the man who shall make a graven or molten image, an abomination to the Lord." Blessed, however, are they who, according to the counsel of Jacob, cast away from themselves strange gods, and change their garments, and go up to Bethel—that is, to the house of God—to build there an altar to God. Let us therefore cast away the idols ^D that are strange to God, and change our garments, putting off the old man, and, before that, let us cast off the rings that are in our ears, that is, the ancient doctrines in which we took pride. These things are spoken because of: "They shall be ashamed of their idols, which they themselves desired." For no one has the idols already explained by us against his will; because we desire the passions, we thus deify them.

62. And they shall be ashamed of their gardens.

We find the name of "garden" used in both senses; for instance, in Genesis, according to Aquila: ^A *And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden*. But on the contrary, the land of Egypt, when it is being rebuked, is called a garden of herbs. Again, there is a hateful mention of a garden when Ahab coveted the inheritance of Naboth, the Israelite, to make it a vegetable garden. However, the Ecclesiastes mentions the garden with praise, saying: *I made myself gardens and orchards*. Furthermore, the garden in which the monument was—which received the temporary dispensation of death in the body of the Lord—is blessed. Here, however, it is taken in a bad sense, as one that strikes confusion and shame into those who covet. And it truly seems right now to speak of the groves that are planted everywhere for the adornment of idols by those who have been deceived; by these, one must understand wicked pursuits and external simulations, with which we overshadow our own vices. ^B Just as if someone, wallowing in pleasures, were to simulate chastity; or if someone, enslaved to the service of money, were to endeavor to appear magnanimous: for these things those who covet will be confounded, when the counsels of our hearts are revealed.

63. *For they shall be as a terebinth casting its leaves, and as a garden not having water.* As far as the literal meaning is concerned, it seems to speak of the gardens desired by those who worship idols, that they will be more displeasing than a terebinth stripped of its leaves, and a garden dried up by ^C waterlessness. But as for the moral sense, it is of this kind: those who seek glory from men through external coloring, after the things that are hidden have been revealed, when all things shall be naked and open, and no creature shall any longer lie hidden in the dark, then, as their error vanishes, they will present a most deformed spectacle, so that they themselves will be compared to an oak. For so have other interpreters rendered "terebinth," since we have learned that in Genesis, the oak and the terebinth are the same tree. Therefore, they will be like the terebinth, or oak, after the shedding of its foliage, revealing what was previously covered by the leaves. For it is adorned with a thicker crown of leaves, ^D and by the beauty of these, the roughness of its branches is shaded. They will, he says, be more displeasing than such an oak when the things they have done during their life are discovered. "And as a garden not having water." Such too shall Israel be, having leaves just like an oak—that is, the shadow of the law, which it cast away from itself in the fullness of time. And as a garden planted by

the Lord, through the first creation, but withered because it had lost the life-giving sense of the doctrines. Therefore, we must strive to believe truly in Christ, so that spiritual rivers may flow from our belly, not allowing us to become either joyless or fruitless.

64. "The work of them shall be as tow, and their works as sparks of fire." Hence it is clear ^A that for each one, his works shall be the cause of the pains in punishment, as they render ourselves fit for burning, and they rouse the passions of the soul like sparks of fire for the kindling of the flame in Gehenna; just as that rich man who was withered in the flame was scorched by his own pleasures. For according to the proportion of the darts we receive from the evil one, we shall fare more or less in the burning. ^B "And the lawless and the sinners shall be burned together, and there shall be none to quench them." Twice already the lawless and the sinners have been joined together by the prophecy: above, "And the lawless and the sinners shall be broken in pieces," but here, "And they shall be burned." Let no one deceive himself with ignorant words, saying: "Even if I am a sinner, I am at least a Christian. Therefore I shall not fall into Gehenna, where the idolaters are cast. The very name of Christian will be a help to me, even if I have transgressed his commandments." For hear that ^C "The lawless and the sinners shall be burned together." The causes of the burning pertain to both. In both, there is the stubble of the tow, that is, a life easily ignited and receptive to flame. A spark justly travels into the soul of this one and that one; now it lies as if covered in ashes, insofar as it is concealed by the coverings of the flesh, but it will be ignited by the divine judgment, when in the day of vengeance it is stirred up and kindled by the accusations.

Chapter II.

65. ^D "The word that came to Isaiah the son of Amoz, concerning Judea and concerning Jerusalem." After the description of the former vision, this word came to Isaiah the son of Amoz. But why is it called "Vision" there, and "Word" here? Because the power that is given by God to His saints through the grace of the Spirit is one. For it is the knowledge of things that were unknown, through revelation.

^A And according to the difference between the things regarding which the knowledge, or vision, or word is spoken of, that which is revealed is named. For in that former case, things present were being shown—the wickedness of the people, the alienation from God, the ungrateful disposition towards the benefactor—but here, the future is foretold. For this reason, the Word is used: "For it shall be in the last days." Yet, neither there is the vision perceived by the eyes, nor here is the knowledge perceived by the ears; but it is an illumination in the heart from the Spirit, which either displays things present or proclaims the future beforehand. Yet, even here, it is again about Judaea and Jerusalem. For he is also about to relate something regarding the other nations; for God is not only of the Jews, but also of the gentiles. Since there is one God, who shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith; but in the beginning and in the first order, he mentions his own portion. But you will inquire whether, for some reason needing investigation, the name "of the Lord" is sometimes added ^B to the word, and sometimes that addition of "the Lord" is missing—for example, "The word of the Lord which came to Osee the son of Beeri," and here, "The word which came to Isaiah." And concerning the vision, it is said in Ezekiel: "The heavens were opened, and I saw a vision of God"; but in Isaiah: "The vision which Isaiah saw." And in Jeremiah: "The word which came to Jeremiah." For since they were speaking to a disobedient and gainsaying people, which had utterly fallen away from God, they passed over the name of the Lord in silence, using this caution so that their words might be received. For since they thought that God did not care for human affairs, they mocked those who spoke to them as if from the person of God, as Jeremiah indicates, saying: "All the day I have been mocked."

66. "For it shall be in the last days that the mountain of the Lord shall be manifest, and the house of God on the summits ^C of the mountains." The last days are called those which are approaching the consummation of this time. For the nature of the passing time is bound up with this corruptible world and endures as it does. For it has an affinity and kinship with visible things; it departs together with the things that perish, and subsists together with the things that are coming into being, and is expected and hoped for together with those things that are still to come. Since, therefore, days and nights, and months and years, and temporal intervals take their origin ^D from the sun and moon and the motion of the firmament, upon the corruption of these, it is necessary that the end of time should also follow. Thus, at the consummation of this world, the mountain of the Lord will be manifest.

^A And the house of God [on the tops of the mountains]. Now he who does not serve the word alone, nor stop at the bare letter, will be compelled not to remain among sensible things. For how, at that time, will the mountain of the Lord appear? And how will the house of God be placed on the tops of the mountains? For fleshly Israel does not await the origin of another mountain, nor does it look for the construction of a second house to be imposed upon other summits: yet Mount Sion and the Temple were visible even in the time of the prophet Isaiah. What, then, is meant by this? It is not that these things will be revealed in the last days, but that in the last days, for the undoing of sin, the great and lofty dispensation concerning the salvation of men will be made manifest. For the mystery which was hidden from the ages was revealed at the consummation of time. The descent of the Lord upon earth has been compared to a mountain, because a mountain is earth that is high. And the flesh of the Lord, being earth by its common nature, was raised on high through its conjunction with God. And the house of God, situated on the tops of the mountains, is the Church, according to the voice of the Apostle. For we must know, he says, "how one ought to behave in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God," whose foundations are "in the holy mountains"; for it is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. ^B One of these mountains was also Peter, upon which rock the Lord promised He would build His Church. For those minds that are lofty and exalted, and that have risen far above earthly things, are justly called mountains. The soul of the blessed Peter, moreover, is called a lofty rock, because it had firmly taken root in the faith, and held itself steadfastly and unyieldingly against the blows brought on by temptations. All those, therefore, who have received the knowledge of the Divinity, through the greatness of their intellect and the actions that proceed from the mind, and who are perfected by a sounder life, are the vertices of the mountains upon which the house of God is built.

67. ^C And it will be lifted up above the hills. Now the hills are certain mounds rising to some height from the earth, enclosed by a modest circuit, which are higher than lowly places, but lower than the very highest. Since, therefore, the excellence of the Lord in accordance with His humanity admits no comparison with any whomsoever who have become renowned for any glorious deeds whatsoever: for this reason it has been said that it will be...

^A declared to be the mountain of the Lord. For He has been deemed worthy of greater glory than Moses, inasmuch as the builder of the house has more honor than the house itself. But how much greater than Abraham? Abraham, it says, rejoiced to see the day of the incarnation; and he saw it, and was glad. And Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek; but Melchizedek was a type of the Lord. We have brought these things forward in order that we might set forth the corporal preeminence of the Lord. For heaven forbid that we should ascribe to the divinity the glory which stems from its superiority to created things! For the dispensation according to His humanity is superior to those who have been just among men—for He alone committed no sin—but the majesty and magnificence of the divinity is exalted above the heavens. And all nations shall come unto it. The progress of the discourse reveals the prophecy more openly, indicating that the nations will hasten to the knowledge of Christ. ^B For all the nations, having been called through the preaching, shall come to the faith. For this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world; and, the evangelical sound of the apostles went out into all the earth.

68. Verse 3. And it says: Many nations. Do not pass over the precision of the phrase without examination. By what reason is it said in the one place, "All shall come," but in the other, not "all," but "many, shall walk"? Because that word, "they shall come," refers to faith; but this one, "to walk," to the conduct of life. Since, therefore, we all confess the faith, yet we do not all live according to the commandments, for that reason all nations shall truly come, but many shall walk. ^C That the word "to walk," moreover, is taken to mean living in accordance with the law, is clear. Blessed, it says, are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. But when the Lord says: Few there are that find the way, how do we say that many nations shall walk? Because all nations can be easily enumerated according to the number of each respective nation; but the men who are scattered among the nations are many. Here, therefore, the Scripture says that many nations indeed accept living according to the Gospel, but not all—even if they all designate themselves by the name of Christ. And it does not follow, because many nations are numbered, that the individual men who are comprehended under the common appellation of the nation, precisely follow this same number. For nations can indeed be ^D numbered, such as the Cappadocians, or Galatians, Armenians, or Syrians, or Egyptians, so that it may be said there are so many nations walking in

the law of the Lord; yet you would not say that the goal of life is accepted in harmonious agreement by all the men whom each nation comprises. For as regards the seventy-two nations, or however many are numbered throughout the whole world, many are they who travel on the path in this life; but as regards the whole number of men living on earth, few are they who attain salvation; thus the Gospel is true, and the prophecy does not contradict it. ^A *All nations shall serve Him, yet of the many, few shall worship Him. "All," he says, "the kings of the earth." And Sophonias: "They shall come, that they may serve Him under one yoke."

69. "And they shall say: Come, and let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob." Those who make progress in knowledge, as if they had already occupied the heights, invite those who still linger in lower things and spend their time in the humble anxieties of life to an ascent similar to their own. He who has risen with Christ and seeks the things that are above should provoke those who mind earthly things, and guide their thoughts ^B toward the heights. Since there is a two-fold bodily relationship to a mountain—now indeed ascending from the foothills to the summit, and now descending from the peak to the foot, according to the varying posture of the body and the activity which we perform in different ways—perhaps this twofold allegory and consideration will also be suitable to the dispensation of human nature; so that we may understand the [divine] incarnation to be the mountain, with the flesh, through its conjunction with God, now being raised up to heaven, and now the divinity, as if yielding itself to participate in human nature, descending to our condition.

70. "Come, and let us ascend." Let us approach the height ^C of theology, taking the beginning from the passion. "And to the house of the God of Jacob." Above, the house was simply called "of God," but here, "the house of the God of Jacob." What then is the cause? For either that word is missing there, or it is redundant here. But nothing in the words of the Holy Spirit is idle; for the discourse shows that the first assents occur according to common preconceptions regarding God, but the precision of faith is perfected when now, in the hearts of those who are progressing in knowledge, the property ^D of God is revealed. Therefore, to those indeed who are being introduced to this knowledge, it has been said simply.

a house of God, but to those who are already instructed, we ask: whose God? That of Jacob, to whom He granted intimacy with Himself. For, He says, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. This is My name forever (Ex. III, 15). For in order that He might make the honor of the saints always remembered, never to be forgotten, He attached the names of these His servants to Himself, so that as often as a mention of God is made, so often is a mention of them also associated. Wherefore, to those who have already approached, He added this mark as peculiar to God, saying: And to the house of the God of Jacob. But, since Jacob is, moreover, a name for a supplanter and an athlete (for Jacob is called a supplanter on account of his struggle against opposing forces; but later, after winning the victory, he received the name Israel in place of a prize), he who is still progressing learns for the time being the house of the God of Jacob, namely those things which are lower and which do not exceed his grasp; but eventually, once he has been instructed, he will also be taught the God of Israel, when the more perfect traditions are dispensed to him in the proper way and order.

71. *And He will declare to us His way, and we will walk in it.* Unless we ascend the mountain, He will in no way declare His way to us. And if He does not declare it to us, how shall we walk in it? That is to say, if we have not received the Gospel, how shall we live according to its prescription? But those who desire to learn the way, obviously do not yet know it themselves. By what reason, therefore, shall we ascend the mountain, if we are ignorant of the way? Or rather, the words, *Come and let us ascend*, indicate the resolve and eagerness of those who are hastening; they show, however, that the things desired have not yet been obtained by them. ^B For let us imagine that some of those who are now hastening to the ^C faith are speaking to each other and encouraging one another: Come, let us depart from earthly things; come, let us set our minds on heavenly things; let us enter into the house of God. There we shall learn the way by which we shall arrive through perfection at the end generally proposed to all.

72. *For out of Sion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.* Interrogate the man of the circumcision, that is to say, the Jew according to the flesh, as to of which law He speaks, and of which word. Is it of the law which was given through Moses? But how will they show that this came forth from Sion? For Moses did not enter the land of the inheritance; and yet Sion is located in Judea. Therefore, according to them, Scripture errs in that it mentions one name instead of another; for instead of Sinai or Choreb, it has spoken of Sion. But the discourse concerns a holy law. Of what kind? When given? Where written? And the word ^D

^A from Jerusalem. He speaks of the prophetic [word]. But it has occurred throughout all of Judæa, and not only in Jerusalem, and in Israel, but even in the captivity, and in Nineveh, and in many places of the earth. Let them, therefore, be constrained by the truth, and let them receive the legislation of the Lord, which has originated from the watch-tower — from the God-bearing flesh, from which He surveyed human affairs. And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. For the preaching, having taken its beginning from there, was scattered over the whole world.

73. And He shall judge among the nations. God, ^B standing in the synagogue of gods, will discern the gods; but among the heathen He will judge among the nations. For to the holy it is fitting to be discerned for the recognition of His worth; but to those who have lived in vain, it is fitting to be judged. But perhaps it is shown from this that the punishment of those nations outside of piety is distinct, and not one and the same. For insofar as they have fallen away from the knowledge of God, all are worthy of torments and punishments; but insofar as their ways of life are found to be different, whether in the passions of dishonor or in wicked deeds against their neighbors, there is need for a judgment against the nations that examines the offenses committed against one’s neighbors. And He shall reprove many peoples. In order to show us the justice and the irrefutability of the righteous judgment, He added: And He shall reprove many peoples. For I will reprove thee, He says, and I will set them before thy face. ^C Here, then, the accuser produces witnesses to prove the crimes of the accused, but in that court of hidden things, the very facts are set before us in their own form, with each sin standing before those who have sinned. There, then, the reproof is taken for the establishment of righteous judgment, but here it is for the correction of those things for which one is reproved. Wherefore the Apostle urges Timothy to make use of it. Every reproof, however, clearly touching him who is reproved, strongly torments him, representing the shame of the sin, so that it might greatly benefit the one who is insensible to his own offenses, leading him to self-awareness and true repentance. For what bodily wound creates such sharp pain as that torture which a stinging word produces in the soul, reaching the conscience of those who are held fast by the shame of things badly done, ^D while they are pressed by the disgrace of their evil deeds?

^A 74. *And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.* This is the most useful end of rebukes: to transform those who are warlike and turbulent into a peaceful and tranquil state. It is clear to everyone that the law and word of Christ, having that which is peaceful and conciliatory, announced peace to those who were far off and to those who were near; so that both the Jews and the Gentiles might lay down their instruments of war—both those which are accustomed to be used in close engagement and in hand-to-hand combat, which the prophet called "sword," and those forged for taking vengeance from a distance, which he says are "spears" and "lances." Indeed, he willed that these iron tools be changed into instruments suited for agriculture by the Word that went forth from Jerusalem, so that the destructive sword might become a preparer of the life-giving seeds which are engendered in rational souls by wisdom; having become a plow that softens what has hardened, uproots thorns, and is productive of the preservatives of heavenly grace. ^B The lance, which is for striking and driving from a distance, was to be turned into that which has the power to gather together at close range, and to reconcile fellowship. For such are the pruning hooks, gathering what was scattered and binding together the ears of corn into one and the same sheaf. There is, therefore, a certain rational harvest, for which there is need of suitable instruments, concerning which it was said: *Lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white* (John iv, 35). Therefore, no one who is skilled in war is fit for this harvest. But He sent forth His own disciples to reap this crop, concerning whom He also said: *The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few* (Luke x, 2). To these reapers, therefore, because they did not carry an instrument of war in their hearts, He gave the power of bringing peace to the houses into which they should enter (Matt. x, 12). ^C 75. *And nation shall not lift up sword against nation.* As long as the word of worldly wisdom was raging like fire, the nations were rising up against one another, since they were drawing against each other the sword of the word, very sharpened and gleaming with meditation and the appearance of probable arguments. But as soon as our peace came (Ephes. ii, 14), and glory to God in the highest was announced, and on earth peace (Luke ii, 14), then truth reduced all falsehood at once to silence. For just as the babbling chatter of birds suddenly fell silent when an eagle appeared from somewhere above and came into view, ^D so no longer do they cast down one another's words; the one saying that there is no providence at all, the other

to refute [the] sermons and opinions. One, indeed, denied that there was any providence at all; another, however, contended that it extended even as far as the moon. And disputation about the soul goes no further. This one affirmed it was subject to death, ^A while that one maintained it was immortal. These questions were moved concerning fate: one asserted that it controlled all things, another that it did not exist at all. But, because the folly of the preaching has arrived 10, and [the] crucified One is glorified, because resurrection is believed in, and judgment is hoped for, the nations having ended their war against one another, lead a life of tranquility. I fear, however, that they might eventually become spectators of our own war. And since, before this, their whole life was consumed in the study of vain words (sincce the dialectic that deals with battle delights in fights and quarrels), ^B "No longer," he says, "will they learn to wage war"; as if to say: they will no longer expend effort on the masters of verbal contention.

76. And now, O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the Lord. A second call ^C (48), inviting those who have been benefited unto more perfect things. For after one has ascended unto the mountain of the Lord, and has escaped and become superior to earthly things—having partaken, as it were, of a purer light—it remains for him to encounter divine light, which illuminates the eyes of the soul for the understanding of blessed and intelligible sights and divine ^D contemplations. Similar to this is that which is found in the Psalmist: "Draw near to him, and be enlightened; and your faces shall not be ashamed." For they are not ashamed upon whom the light of the face of the Lord has been marked. But he who does evil, hates the light. Since, however, the house of Jacob has falsely supposed the instruction from the law to be light sufficient for itself, and has esteemed itself a leader of the blind, a light to those walking in darkness, Scripture, correcting their ignorance, says: "Come and let us walk," not by the prophetic, not by the legal light, but "in the light of the Lord." For indeed, lamps are useful, but before the sun; stars are delightful, but in the night. But if he is considered ridiculous who remains holding a lamp to shine for himself when the sun is shining, much more ridiculous is he who, when the Gospel is being preached, lingers in the legal shadow.

77. For He has abandoned his people, the house of Israel. To be forsaken by God is a most grievous harm. It is just as if something were being held by strong and powerful hands, and by the loosening of the fingers, with which someone had previously been held

^A by the fingers, it allowed it to fall from its own preservation; thus the discourse indicates that the people are no longer held fast by God. But for what reasons a person is released from the hands of God, what follows teaches us: "Because their country was filled, as from the beginning, with auguries, as was that of the foreigners." You see what a great evil it is to practice augury. It places the one who gives heed to it outside the care provided by God. Many of the Christians, however, indifferently lend their ears to this, catching at rumors and giving attention to omens. "Someone sneezed," they say, "while I was speaking, and it means this." "Someone called to me from behind, and this is an obstacle." "My foot stumbled as I was going out; my garment was caught." And even some who are very renowned and celebrated, and who look for the Judge who is to come from the heavens, nevertheless fall into these vices, as though it were of no concern to them. ^B But hear how the people who pursue these curious matters are held in contempt. For in the Mosaic Law, auguries, divinations, omens, and auspicious signs were condemned as inventions of demons. "For you shall not use augury," it says, "nor practice divination." For as for the nations, it says, whom the Lord your God will destroy from before your face, they will listen to auguries and divinations; but the Lord your God has not granted you such things. For it is absurd that someone who is able to take counsel for his own affairs from the laws and statutes of God should take up brute animals as his counselors to decide about matters that need to be done—or rather, not even as counselors, but to use them as masters ^C and lawgivers. And indeed, a bird, which does not know the danger hanging over it and lying before its own eyes, is to you a predictor of the future? And surely that bird, when flying from its nest to procure food for its young, has often returned without accomplishing its task; yet that empty movement of the bird is to you in the place of a most truthful oracle, and it reveals the future to you. But if they fly about fraudulently through the operation of demons, I beg you, do not sit there, intent upon these deceptions of the demons, nor become given over to diabolical operations; for once it has taken hold of a soul leaning toward destruction, it abuses it in every way and does not let it go.

^D 78. And the croaking ravens and the wailing eagles, because of a lack of prey, strike terror into the superstitious heart; and so great is the insolence of the enemy against man that if a cat appears, or a dog sticks out its head, or a man happens to meet one in the morning—even if he is one of the closest of friends, whose eye or right leg is wounded—one recoils, draws back his foot, and generally [shuts] his eyes.

^A What is more pitiable than such a life, where everything is suspected and one is hindered by everything, when he ought rather to draw his soul back to God from every side? When you see birds flying through the air, do not busy yourself with the forms of their flight—whether they are tracing circles above our heads, or flying towards our face, or flying from behind, or moving to the sides. Leaving these things aside, admire the wisdom and order of the Creator in them: how so great a mass is carried through the air; how the soft nature of the air becomes a vehicle for the wing; how they swim through the air with extended wings, and direct their flight with their tail as if it were a rudder; how, for whatever birds it is unfit to walk, the wing fulfills the need of the feet. Whatever birds are swimmers, whatever are birds of prey, they have a bodily constitution suitable and convenient for their life. For to some, the claws are given as instruments for seizing prey; to others, the membranes of the feet are found in the place of oars, so that through the breadth of the base the water might be more easily propelled during movement. Everything is full of the wisdom of God; for in wisdom He made them all. But the small-minded man, and he who thinks lowly thoughts, attempting to harmonize the movements of irrational creatures with his own purpose, having abandoned God, gives himself up as a hostage to insidious ^B demons, who, thinking to turn the birds hither and thither because they have dominion over the air, keep incurable the deception of the foolish. Even if these things have been said in a somewhat digressive manner, the discourse has not uselessly employed the opportunity provided by the text for the healing of the foolish. It must be noted, moreover, that Scripture hands down divination as a peculiar practice of the Philistines—that is, the Palestinians—for it is the custom of Scripture to name only them as "alienigenas" (foreigners). For just as the Chaldaeans have fortune-telling, the Egyptians witchcraft and incantations, and the Cretans the art of augury; so also the foreigners have claimed divination for themselves. Therefore, that region returns to the evils proper to itself, having been reduced to its former state.

79. ^C *Et filii multi alienigenæ facti sunt in ea.* When a city has embraced wicked customs and chooses to live according to them, the sin of the parents thereafter becomes like a law to posterity; and immediately from birth the children become "foreigners," being alienated from the people of God by the wicked upbringing. Moreover, since the fruits of the soul are often called children in many places, who could say that he who...

has collected from sources outside of piety words that are not sound, and has accepted them, has begotten foreign children. ^A

80. VER. 7. *And their land was filled with silver and gold, and there was no number of their treasures.* How grave a sin it is to love wealth is evident from the fact that it is numbered in the catalog of such great sins. For together with divinations and foreign children—who perhaps were procreated in Israel because of multiplied fornication—it is also numbered that their land was filled with silver and gold. For a pious and religious soul finds in wealth an opportunity for doing good, insofar as it imparts and shares it; but to a soul that is voluptuous and lover of the body, it becomes an opportunity for luxury and debauchery. For poverty is a guide and mistress to piety; on the contrary, wealth is an opportunity and cause for petulance and wantonness. But if a whole nation is accused for an abundance of money, let those who are wealthy consider how they will render account for their own. If anyone thinks that for some pretext which may seem consistent with reason he does not sin by being wealthy, let him remember the evangelical command, which clearly forbids us from gathering treasures on earth. ^B

81. VER. 8. *And their land was filled with horses, and there was no number of their chariots.* We have observed that the holy ones everywhere, both in martial conflicts and in the other necessities of life, have turned away from the use of horses. Wherefore, in this place also, the use of horses is recounted along with the other charges. For since God wills that they should depend upon His own protection, and that they should by no means place their hope in their own arms while waging war, He for this reason forbids it, saying: *You shall not multiply for yourself a horse.* Those who were then accused were surrounded by such a multitude of horses that it even surpassed counting. ^C But let us either understand this hyperbolically, or let us consider that it was said that there was no number of chariots because vile things, and especially dishonorable ones, are not considered worthy of any number in Scripture. For observe that in Numbers neither a woman is counted, as being weak; nor a child, as being contemptible, except for the firstborn and those of the Levites; nor a slave, because of the ignominy branded upon him; nor the mixed race, because they are foreign. Thus, therefore, we judge that chariots ill-acquired and possessed are not numbered. ^D

82. VER. 8. *And their land was filled with the abominations of their works.* The customs of the Gentiles, having taken their origin from divinations, and having progressed through avarice and the insane pursuit of horses, drifted into idolatry. For because they departed from the counsel of God and gave heed to vaticinations, because they did not place their trust in God but in the instability...

^A of riches; because they relied upon horses which are fallacious for salvation, and not upon Him who is able to shatter wars, the consequence was that they arrived at the point of filling the land with their own abominations. Every action, therefore, that is performed contrary to right reason is an abomination to God. For just as those who suffer from stomach troubles and from an easy dissolution of the bowels shrink from foul sights—as, for example, the evacuations of excrement, or stinking sores, and other things of that nature—so too are impure and obscene actions an abomination to the Holy One. Since it is the custom of Scripture to characteristically call idols "abominations," all wicked imaginations—portrayed as if by a painter and impressed upon the soul—are abominations that fill the region; that is to say, the entire broad capacity of the soul’s faculty of reason. ^B "And they worshipped that which their own fingers had made." O the excess of madness! To think that what is made by oneself is God, and not to perceive the absurdity of what is being done! For if you admire the material, why do you not also worship the unshaped bronze or stone? And if you do it because of the art, then worship your own hands which imparted form to the bronze, or certainly the tools by which you completed that form. And how great an insanity is it, during the long space of time in which the statue was being carved or cast, not to gain an understanding of what was being made! For this is what the phrase indicates: "And they worshipped that which their own fingers had made." Furthermore, one will be forced to choose one of two things: either that he had no God before he formed one for himself, or that he had to let the pre-existing one grow old, because ^C he stood in need of another. "But cursed is every man who shall make a carved or cast image, a work of the hands of an artisan." (Deut. xxvii, 13).

83. "And man bowed down, and the man was humbled" (Isa. ii, 9). I believe these things have been said in a tone of lamentation, the prophet being unable to endure the fall of men from their proper dignity. "He bowed down," he says, "man, for the sake of worshipping an idol," he who is the most precious of the animals upon the earth, who is ranked among rational beings next to the angels, who is honored with the image of God, who by the power of reason discovered the arts. He who has learned the things ^D upon the earth—the virtues of plants, and roots, and fruits—who has dared the sea, who has known the nature of the air, the origin of the winds, the position of the stars, their motions, their distances, their conjunctions, the ordering of things upon the earth, the cities, the laws, the armies...

the prefectures, the arts, both those that are necessary for leading one's life, and those that serve for ornament and display: this very man falls down before an idol, as if asking salvation from it; an animate being from an inanimate one, a rational being from one devoid of sense ^A. He who has taken brute beasts under his hand—to whom all irrational creatures have been subjected for servitude, through God who subjected them to us, who created us in His image in this respect, that we might rule over those in the waters and those on land alike—this same man does not even dare to stand on equal terms or standing with the image of one living thing deprived of reason, or of some disfigured woman, or of a most shameful man, to say nothing of placing himself before one of the brute animals that surpass him in strength: but he stands present before it with fear and his face cast down to the earth, as one who, because of the crime committed against heaven, is unworthy even to lift his eyes to the celestial.

84. *And man was bowed down, and the man was humbled.* ^B It is an intensification of evil that a man, who is more suited for leadership, who is more perfect in intelligence, who acts more strongly and more valiantly, has forgotten his own dignity and submitted himself to an idol. Being the image and glory of God, and having Christ as his own head, he has subjected himself beneath an idol, although he is a man. This is the most grievous of calamities. For if it were a child, if it were a woman, one could grant some pardon to the former on account of his age, and to the latter on account of her natural weakness. But now it is a man who has been humbled, which surpasses every limit and measure of ignominy. *And I will not let them go.* O what fearful threats! Is it due to eternal punishment that these things are said, "I will not let them go"? For how long were they acting like birds of ill omen, while they were multiplying strange children among themselves, while they were being struck with the love of gathering silver, while they were preparing equestrian equipment? There was hope and expectation of pardon. But when they fell into idolatry, the greatest of evils, and, paying no heed to their own dignity, bestowed upon the idol honors not unlike the honor of God, *I will not let them go*. And this very thing the Good One brings about by way of a benefit ^C. For since ease is an occasion for licentiousness, *I will not let them go*; so that affliction might, at the very least, compel them to have a remembrance of God. Thus, the threatening is not at all harmful; on the contrary, not to be let go is a salutary instruction. For He says, I will not let thee go, nor will I abandon thee.

85. *And when you enter into the rocks, and hide...*

^A yourselves in the earth from the face of the fear of the Lord, and from the glory of His strength, when He shall arise to crush the earth.* This is another exhortation to the house of Jacob, inviting it to what is profitable. For as He had said (Vers. 3, 5): *Come, and let us ascend into the mountain of the Lord; Come, and let us walk in the light of the Lord;* so also now: *Enter into the rocks, and hide yourselves in the earth from the face of the fear of the Lord.* Is there anyone so slanderous of Scripture as to think that it counsels some to flee from the face of the fear of the Lord by hiding themselves in the hollows of the rocks? But, He says, *Whither shall I go from thy spirit, and whither shall I flee from thy face? If I ascend into heaven, thou art there.* And again the Lord: *If they be hidden in Carmel, thence will I take them. If they flee into the sea, there will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them.* How then does He give counsel to set before them the rock as a covering from the face of the fear of the Lord? But perhaps He means by this one way of deliverance from the evils that were enumerated earlier, namely, to enter into the covering of the rock, that is, into the steadfastness of the faith which is in Christ. Where Moses was also placed, being about to behold God; thither, He says, *Enter, and hide yourselves in the earth;* that is, bury yourselves. To what end? That being buried together with Him ^B through baptism, and having died together with Him, you may walk in newness of life, having died to sin. But gather together the things concerning the rock in Scripture, so that the place may be made clearer to you. *On a rock thou hast exalted me.* And *the people drank from the rock;* but also *it had honey from the rock.* And the Psalmist says: *The rock is a refuge for the hares.* Pure water was given to them even to satiety; but the hard rock also provided the oil with which they were anointed, according to the song of Moses. If, therefore, you enter into the rock, you will be able to decline from the fear of the Lord, when He shall arise to crush the earth, when He is about to destroy the things of earth, and to destroy the earthly one, in order to provide an unobstructed life to the spiritual one. It is necessary, therefore, to meditate on His resurrection ^C with glory and power, having taken care of ourselves in such a manner.

86. *For the eyes of the Lord are lofty, but man is low.* So that you may not think of some corporeal ^D receding from God.

^A, ^B or advising withdrawal from God, he added this: *The eyes of the Lord are lofty, but man is low.* Nothing of those things that are done here below escapes Him who looks down from on high, since all things come under His sight, and nothing obscures His eyes. But man is low, either because, when comparing himself to the majesty of God, he counts himself as nothing, or because he has laid aside his arrogant spirit through modesty, or finally because, through sin, he has cast himself down from his former loftiness. *And the loftiness of men shall be humbled.* In the preceding passages, man’s loftiness was being humbled, and man was worthy of reproof: for *man bowed down, and the man was humbled.* But here, humility is very useful. For when vain pride is put aside, and when one returns from elation and haughty loftiness, as well as from a vain estimation of oneself, to one's own merit and condition, this is a laudable humility. For if any should flee to the rock, and, hoping that they shall rise again with Christ, should submit their bodies to themselves on earth, the heights born of folly fall, and their vain opinion of themselves rushes headlong: but the true testimony of loftiness is rendered by them to God alone.

87. *And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.* As to a well-known day, and one that is acknowledged by all, the Scripture refers us. *In that day*, namely, the last of all days, which neither night interrupts, nor time circumscribes, to which neither is there a beginning nor does bodily light provide an end, but it is one, like unto itself, immovable, lacking evening, and not subject to succession. Therefore, *in that day* the Lord alone shall be exalted, when all the elation and pride of the haughty falls. Furthermore, that most excellent splendor of His glory surpasses and obscures the brightness of all the blessed virtues. Whether it be a prophet, or an apostle, or whether they be holy and heavenly powers; as soon as that true loftiness shines forth, all things shall be reckoned as low and abject. ^C I pray you, imagine for yourself what is being said by an example taken from the customs of the world. Let there be some city of workmen, who, from their daily labor, scarcely procure for themselves the necessities of life: let there also be here some who, in comparison to the others who are exceedingly poor, are richer, and who are meanwhile counted blessed by these beggars, and are looked up to. Then, let some king arrive in this city, the richest of all kings, who has much gold and silver, and many precious stones, some set in royal finery ^D and others displayed for exhibition. Let the beauty and singular abundance of his garments be immense. Let the crowd of servants and attendants surpass count: let him incur an incalculable expense. Let the multitude of camels and mules transporting his riches and baggage be such that it cannot be numbered.

^A If, upon beholding this, one were to feel such an impression on the poor multitude, who until then had admired those who slightly surpassed them, would they not surely be ashamed of their own judgment, and despise all else by comparison with that which is truly superior, and ascribe glory and riches only to the One who is truly rich? In this way, therefore, as long as the height and magnitude of the wisdom and power of God are hidden, many things will seem exalted and great to those who exist in extreme poverty; but as soon as that which is truly wise and truly powerful appears, no one will be reckoned either wise or powerful. Thus, once upon a time, Moses confessed himself to be slow of speech and of a slow tongue, when he heard God speaking to him. And Abraham, when he beheld God, confessed himself to be earth and ashes. No one, then, being deemed worthy to behold the goodness and wisdom of God, will be able to attribute wisdom or power either to himself or to another. For all the saints are as the light of lamps ^B at noonday, being outshone by the sun in its stead. For this reason, the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

88.

The day of the Lord upon every insolent and proud person

^A and exalts himself. Now pride is the beginning of insolence, and insolence is an evil offspring of pride. For this reason, vengeance shall come upon every insolent and proud person. For sins that have a certain kinship among themselves are punished in a similar way. The celebrated day of the Lord, therefore, shall bring vengeance upon every insolent and proud person. But we, who are worthy of compassion, spending the whole day in these evils, do not even understand what kind of evils we are committing. "Revilers shall not inherit the kingdom of God." But we do revile, not understanding in the very act of reviling that these words which I am now uttering will rise up against me on the day of the Lord, and will block my way, and will become like a wall that no one can cross. Who among us does not elevate himself above measure? Who does not look down upon his neighbor? But insolence is something greater than reviling. For reviling is only a disgrace of the tongue; but insolence also involves the intention of shaming those who are insulted by means of actions. Nevertheless, it is possible for the proud man, if he wishes today, to descend to the humility of the lowly; but there is a danger for him who is now humble lest he be transformed into the exaltation of the proud. For the very act of assuming that one has reached the summit of ^B humility is a pretext for exaltation, and it is a terrible pride—the very thing the Pharisee suffered against the tax collector—to be puffed up against someone who appears to be in sin.

89. And upon every lofty and high one. The lofty person is subject to the same vice as the elevated, in that in attitude he differs from the insolent and proud person only [in orientation]. For the latter employs insults and pride against others; but the former, even when he is alone, elevates himself, and is puffed up in the vanity of his mind, and lifts himself on high. And that you may understand for me a man who is precisely elevated, remind yourself of the vanity of your youth; if ever, when you were alone and attending to your own way of life and pursuits, you were caught up in [thinking of]: how easily, by the imagination of the mind, you ranged from principality to principality, from lordship to lordship, amassed riches, built houses, ^C laid up gold and silver, gathered estates which returned to you so many talents each year, had countless servants, all kinds of crafts and the profits emerging from them, herds of horses, flocks of sheep and cattle, the wealth proceeding from these, a wife and children, and the offspring of these, favored friends with benefits, avenged yourself on enemies, held the leadership of cities, then of nations, and finally even reigned. Do you see how, by reason of its lightness, such a mind is lofty and elevated? It rests nowhere, but is carried beyond what is possible, beyond nature. Therefore, the fearsome things of the day are threatened also against those who are elevated. For sin is... ^D

he says, elation. Hear the Lord saying: "And do not be lifted up on high" (Luc. XII, 29). And the blessed David, among his virtues and illustrious deeds, counts it as one if someone does not lift himself up on high nor become puffed up. "O Lord," he says, "my heart is not lifted up, nor are my eyes raised too high" (Ps. CXXX, 1). One can, however, be praiseworthy for being exalted, when you are not small-minded nor anxious about lowly things, but are alert in your faculty of judgment, and have been adorned in the stature of virtue by greatness of soul and greatness of mind. Such height of purpose is acceptable—being unhumbled in tribulations, despising the things of earth. Such is the one who has his citizenship in heaven, who has his heart captivated by the treasures laid up there. And this height of mind seems to have the same difference from the inflation of vain-glory ^A that true physical fitness has from the swelling of the flesh that occurs from dropsy. For the body puffs up and swells, but it is hollow and diseased.

90. And upon all the cedars of Lebanon high and lifted up. What evil, he says, is in the cedar, that even its height, which is inherent in it by nature, is brought to examination? And why, in general, does the Word threaten that day even against the cedars of Lebanon? That the speech is about ensouled beings who are puffed up, and who possess this elation with a lack of perception, no one will contradict. But why cedars? And why of Lebanon? Cedars are plants that bear useless fruits, growing to the greatest height and, as time passes, ever increasing, neither aging easily nor rotting easily; and Lebanon was a mountain of idolatry in olden times. ^B Therefore, in order to indicate to us the deadly powers that dwell there, he called the heights of wickedness, which exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, the cedars of Lebanon—concerning which the Psalm also says: "The Lord will break the cedars of Lebanon" (Ps. XXVIII, 5).

It is possible that those arrogant temperaments in men, which are puffed up towards pride without any consequent reason, are signified by the cedars. For there is, even in pride, either a plausible cause that produces the elation, or it is entirely irrational. For example, someone thinks highly of himself because of self-control; he thinks highly because of temperance; he thinks highly ^C because of perseverance in prayer; he acts wrongly in thinking more highly than he ought, yet the height has a sequence. Such a person is indeed a high plant, but a fruitful one; but he who, without any good work, is puffed up either because of wealth, or because of nobility, or because of bodily strength, is a cedar, fording a barren life and…

boasting in a glory not his own. And why also of Lebanon? Because, just as plants fixed upon mountains make use of a height not their own, so do those who put forward wealth, or power, or the glory of their ancestors, misuse things that in no way belong to them as an occasion for their own self-exaltation. There are, however, also cedars that are praised: *The trees of the Lord shall be filled* (17), *the cedars of Lebanon, which he has planted.* And in the glorification, *fruitful trees* are included, *and all cedars*; this is to show that there is nothing in nature that is evil, nor estranged from God, but that it is contrary to their own cause that every thing either stands apart from God, or is reconciled to Him. For this reason, the cedars that contributed to the construction of the temple were also transported from Lebanon (19), the history demonstrating that it is possible to change from idolatry to sanctification. For this reason, a cedar is sometimes broken, when it is inseparable from Lebanon; but at other times, when it has abandoned old things, it becomes worthy of being sanctified. In general, however, both the characters of animals and the species of plants are taken for the variety of the human will.

91. *And upon every tree of the oak of Basan.* ^B The mention of another tree is to show that human life is subject to the judgment of threat. For to hard and unyielding characters, which are shaped in opposition to everything, as if resisting, common usage compares the oak. But this tree does indeed bear fruit, but it is food for swine. For this reason, he named it the tree of ignominy; for they use Basan to denote ignominy. If, therefore, the glory of fruit-bearing is ignominy, then, concerning these things (20), the day of the Lord shall come. And indeed, we find idolatry also spoken of as ignominy, as in the third book of Kings, Elias says to Ahab: *And now send and gather to me all Israel to the mountain of Carmel, and the prophets of ignominy, and the prophets of the groves, four hundred men who eat at the table* (21) *of Jezabel.* Since, therefore, *every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire* (4), the day of the Lord ^C is threatened as terrible and formidable even to the trees of ignominy, as if it were a fearful thing. For this reason also the king of Ba... ^D

Bashan is called Og. Now, Og is interpreted as 'obstruction,' because deeds of shame block our way to salvation. For fornicators, adulterers, effeminates, sodomites, and all workers of shame are subjected, as if to a king, to the one who reigns, the one who brings about a cutting-off from God; whom the Lord shatters for the liberation of those he holds captive. For, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good," who struck down great kings, and killed strong kings, Seon and Og. ^B 92. And upon every high tower. Just as mountains differ from hills in size, but in other respects are altogether the same, so too the opposing powers resemble one another in intention, but differ in the magnitude of their offenses. Therefore, the day of the Lord Sabaoth will quite naturally come upon them as well. And what is meant by, "And upon every high tower"? A tower is a high watchtower for the protection of a city and is suitable for determining hostile incursions. Such is the mind that has been given to us: a guardian of good things and one that foresees those that lie in wait. Nor should this mind strive for its own ascent to heaven, neither of itself nor through earthly things. For the Lord descends to it, fallen as it is because of its pride and its harmony with evil, and he breaks up this conspiracy for its benefit and salvation. Concerning the building of this, the Lord commands us to sit down and calculate whether we have what is necessary for its completion, as the very counsel of the Gospel declares. The Word, therefore, desires that the mind which is high-minded and swollen with pride, which despises everyone and accounts itself blessed, should fear the day of the Lord. And upon every high wall. Again, a wall is a rampart made for the guarding of cities and for repelling the assaults of enemies; so too there are certain teachings, some with which we are encompassed from the truth itself, preserving the impregnable nature of saving dogmas; others, however, are devised with great diligence from external ingenuity for the fortification of falsehood and the guarding of vanity. For the power of dialectic is a wall for dogmas, not allowing them to be easily pillaged or easily captured by those who might wish to do so. For this reason, the walls of Jerusalem are inscribed upon the hands of the Lord, but those of Jericho are overthrown by Jesus, dissolved by a mere shout. Above, indeed, only those things that were high were reproved; here, however, those things that also possess a certain strength along with their height—namely, the persuasiveness in demonstrative methods that has been much strengthened and elevated—are called a high wall by the prophet in a figurative sense, and ^{C D}

^A he asserts that it will be overthrown on the day of the Lord.

93. VER. 16. *And upon every ship of the sea.* These riddles are proposed for the exercise of our mind, so that we may not listen to Scripture slothfully, nor fix our soul upon the ground. After speaking of a mind that thinks on high things and is not led away by lowly ones, he consistently continues to speak about bodies in the same allegorical vein. For the day of the Lord is not to be feared or dreaded by inanimate ships, but by those who are tossed about through their bodies in the bitter wave of this life. For just as ships burdened by their cargo can only be carried along with difficulty, and easily suffer shipwreck: so too, bodies that incline toward corpulence through many and abundant delights, floating upon the vortex of destruction for the sake of ^B pleasure, are called ships of the sea. Conversely, those ships are praised which are used by those who descend into the sea to do work in many waters, and of which it is spoken in the psalm composed for the celebration of divine praises: *There the ships pass through*. For those ships that cross the sea, but do not remain in it, nor are submerged by the waves, are praised; and those who live in the flesh, but do not war according to the flesh, trampling upon the wave of this life and being higher than it, perform work in many waters—whoever descends into life to gain those who have been submerged. Therefore they have seen the works of the Lord, receiving as a reward for their labor the understanding of the works of the Lord and of things in the deep that move one to admiration. ^C *And upon every sight of the beauty of ships.* Let those who put effort into adorning the body, and who spend time with excessive curiosity in looking at these things, hear this. For the sight of ships is not harmful; but the contemplation of a body that is lusted after is harmful. Therefore the day of the Lord will be upon every sight of the beauty of ships, because he who looks upon a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart; and a woman who adorns herself to stir the lusts of the intemperate toward her ^D has already committed adultery in her heart.

94. VER. 17. *And every man shall be humbled.* By these words Scripture has declared that all things which were brought forward before were said of men in a riddle and in a hidden manner. Since after the insulting and the proud, after the high and the lofty, after every cedar of Libanus, after every tree of the acorn

^A of Basan, after every high tower, after every high wall, after every sight of the beauty of ships, then he says: "Every man shall be humbled"—that is, every species of evils in men shall fall.

Now, we men have been introduced into this world as into a common school, and we have been commanded, since we have received a mind and possess eyes for understanding, to read God as if from certain letters inscribed through the dispensation and governance of the universe: so that those who wish to busy themselves with the search for the truth, having been amply prepared by the means they have received, might be worthy face to face to contemplate the things rightly sought, or, if they have wandered far from the truth, that they might be put to shame by the truth itself on account of their lie. "Because when they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, or give thanks." For the mind of the saints does not only see, but also hears the creation discoursing on things pertaining to the glory of God: "For the heavens," he says, "declare the glory of God." But those who understand nothing more than the visible things, "became vain, and they worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator."

95. "And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." When light has appeared, darkness vanishes, and when health is present, the troublesome things of sickness cease; and when the truth has been demonstrated, ^B the nature of the lie is refuted. And when He who is truly exalted, and who surpasses every high and lofty mind, has been made known, and all true contemplation has been grasped, those things which previously seemed high and lofty will appear worthy of contempt. To God alone, therefore, shall the truly exalted and great be testified by all rational nature, when those who have hitherto been deceived have laid aside their false opinions on individual matters.

96. "And they shall hide the things made by hands, carrying them into the caves, and into the clefts of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth, from before the face of the fear of the Lord, and from the glory of His strength, when He arises to shake the earth." ^C Since Scripture often speaks in a similar way about the advent of Christ in the flesh, and about that in which He is to come for judgment, and sometimes speaks of both advents intertwined: we consider that these things which presently occur were said concerning the assumption of humanity, even if the sense of what is proposed is not alien to those things which are future and hoped for. For after the advent of Christ, the zeal that was bestowed upon things made by hands has vanished. ^D No longer do image-makers busy themselves...

^A or any of those things which were venerated from of old receive the same zeal, but they have been cast aside into caves, and into chasms, and into the most hidden places. For they saw, once the light had shone forth, those things which had hitherto been hidden in the darkness of ignorance—the wood as wood, and the stone as stone; no longer being deceived by the surrounding form applied to these things, but recognizing them from their essential nature. For the saving advent of Christ to the whole world is terrifying to demons; and they have now abandoned the celebrated places, those workshops of deceit. No longer are there Delphis, ^B no longer are there oracles; the prophetess is silent, yet the Castalian spring is drunk from, and those who drink keep a sound mind; Amphiaraus has fled; Amphilochus appears nowhere, and the shrines have vanished; and the invisible powers have retreated from before the face of the fear of the Lord, and from the glory of his might. Since the Cross is named, the idols have been put to flight.

Yet there are also idols in every soul, the phantasms imprinted upon it of those who take up false opinions, whether about God or about any of the things inquired after. And as long as the power and the manifestation of the truth are not understood, each person venerates and worships his own fabrications; but when the height and superiority of Him who is truly and really true has shone forth, then each one, condemning his own dogmas—as the mind has deceptively imagined them—hastens to efface the thoughts of falsehood, storing them away as if in caves and holes. For he sees henceforth from that very power and efficacy the terrible power and strength of God, both toward the abolishing of all things corporeal, and as it were toward the crushing of earthly things, so that spiritual things may be made manifest. ^C Furthermore, the very image of him who is earthly must be effaced, so that the image of Him who is heavenly may offer itself to be seen. Therefore, those who have false opinions about God, raising up a kind of spiritual idolatry within themselves, fashion for themselves—as if they existed—things that do not exist; and these people become liable to the curse which says: "Cursed is every man who makes a graven and molten thing, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of an artisan, and puts it in a secret place."

97. Vers. 20, 21. "In that day a man shall cast away his abominations, silver and gold, which they made for the purpose of worshipping vanities and bats: to enter into the caverns of the solid rock, and into the clefts of the rocks, from before the face of the fear of the Lord, and from the glory of his might, when he arises to crush the earth." ^D

...of the glory of his power, when he rises to break the earth. In the previous passages it was said that the idols are hidden, but now it is said that they are cast out; for it is necessary first to be ashamed of the lie ^A, and then to cast it out of the heart. He, therefore, casts out the silver idols who banishes from his secret inner chambers the arguments of his own self which construct the lie with all persuasion; and the golden ones, he who causes the images of the lie that arise in his mind to vanish. But he who deifies the power of the demons, which is akin to darkness, worships the bats. For the bat is an animal that loves the night, dwelling in darkness, unable to bear the brightness of the sun, and delighting in desolate places. And what of the demons? Are they not of this kind? Creators of desolation, avoiding the true light, ^B that of the whole world? The bat is both a winged creature, yet it is not feathered, but flies through the air with a fleshy membrane. Such are the demons; they are incorporeal, yet they are not winged with divine love, but are, as it were, turned into flesh, having melted away into the desires of material things. The bat is both winged and a quadruped, yet it is neither securely supported by its feet, nor does it have a stable flight. Such also are the demons; they are neither angels nor men, having lost the dignity of the former and not possessing the nature of the latter. And they have teeth, which birds do not; demons are also prepared for vengeance, which angels do not do. Moreover, they do not lay eggs like birds, ^C but immediately bring forth living young. Such are the demons; they perform wickedness immediately and with great speed. So that those who worship demons are said metaphorically to worship bats. But when someone puts off the vanity of the idols and ceases to worship the bats, then he will seek to enter into the holes of the solid rock, and into the clefts of the stones. I think that the holes are the many mansions which, according to the analogy of the faith in Christ, are distributed to each; and the ^D clefts of the rocks are the passion of his body, to whose protection those who are to be saved long to flee and to hide themselves.

98. *"Cease from man, in whose nostril is breath; for wherein is he to be accounted of?"* In the copies of the common edition these words are not set down, but since they are found in the Hebrew, they were carried over from the other interpreters. And the sense is this: Spare the man; do not wrestle with him and do not wage war against him, who is of such a weak constitution that he has his vital breath in his nostril, and when it is held back for a little, it is no more.

It seems, therefore, that ^A he is commanding these powers, which he figuratively called bats, to abstain henceforth from the plots against human beings; for they are weak according to the flesh, but they are accounted among those who are honorable before God, and nothing concerning them is left uninvestigated.

CHAPTER III

99. VERS. 1. *Behold, therefore, the Lord, the Lord of Sabaoth, shall take away from Judaea and from Jerusalem the strong man and the strong woman.* After the Jewish people had formed an evil counsel against the Lord, He, being crucified by them out of the weakness of the flesh, but living by the power of God the Father, left the weakness to them. For, He says, *"You shall die in your sins"* (John VIII, 24); but to us He has granted the power of the resurrection. For *"he who believes in me, even if he should die, shall live"* (John XI, 25). For indeed, the unbelievers are weakened by their disbelief regarding the cross, but the righteous say with confidence: *"I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me"* (Philippians IV, 13). Therefore, he who does not possess Christ, the power of God, has no strength in him. On this account, the Lord shall take away from Jerusalem and from Judaea the strong man and the strong ^B woman; of which kind was Sarah, being robust, that is, the guide of so great a man, Abraham, according to the command of the Lord saying: *"All that Sarah says to you, listen to her"* (Gen. XXI, 12). Like Rebekah, who for the sake of hospitality drew water, and was robust because of her virtue; Deborah, leading an army; Jael, who showed herself vigorous and strong; Anna, whose prayers were heard; and Elisabeth, who also prophesied. No longer are the strong men or women found. And the cause of the weakness is added, because there is not among them the strength of bread and the strength of water. For just as our bodies are strengthened by suitable foods, so there is something that also feeds the soul and provides it with the energy for, and devotion to, good and honorable things. What, then, is this that the Lord said: *"My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink"* (John VI, 56)? But to those for whom these things are not present, the strength of bread and the strength of water does not exist. And where the nourishment is weak, there it is necessary that those who are fed by it be likewise.

100. Furthermore, far be it that the Church should be ^D subject to the sins of Jerusalem, so that there should be taken away from her one who is capable of every good work and one who is fit to defend the truth; one who is likewise capable in fastings, capable in prayers; strong in temptations, strong

^A in patience, in humility, in the sum of the commandments, that is to say, in charity. In like manner, let it also be that the strength which consists in integrity, in the gravity of one's morals, in almsgiving, in the assiduity of prayer, and in the labor of vigils be not taken away. God forbid that the strength of bread and water should be taken away, which is the aid whereby the Word is most nurtured; just as the power of the prophetic spirit deserted the Jews, and they were thus afflicted with a thirst for the Word, desiring the Word of God but not having it. For the Lord took away the strength of bread and the strength of water. Indeed, there is also for us a certain nourishment ^B which, although it does not provide strength, nevertheless does not permit one to die; such a kind of nourishment Paul supplies to the Corinthians who are still as infants in Christ. Furthermore, herbs are the food of the infirm, whereas solid food is suitable for the perfect and the whole, for in them the senses are exercised by habit for the discernment of good and evil. But if ever the Church should labor under a penury of those who deliver firm and solid dogmas full of divine sense, it shows that the strength of bread is being taken away from her. Moreover, there is in water both strength and infirmity, as the Lord says: Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever shall drink of the water that I will give him shall not thirst for ever. ^C But just as we first take solid food, and we take the liquid so that it may be a vehicle for the solid and prepare for it a path to digestion, so it also happens in the nourishment of the soul. The intellect, indeed, is the first and most proper food of the soul; but the Word, by its own power and the efficacy of its dogma, prepares the way, causing these things to be perceived. And now, the eyes must be opened, that we may be satiated with this bread and water. Open, he says, your eyes, and be filled with bread. And in Genesis, The eyes of Agar were opened, and she saw water.

101. ^D *A giant and a mighty man, and a man of war, and a judge.* We find here that the name of "giant" is used in a good sense, and if it is found anywhere else, it is very rare. For example: *He shall exult as a giant to run his way.* Therefore, *he shall take away the giant.* We think that those are called giants who possess certain excellent gifts from nature, and who, in respect of their body, excel the common people in the capacity to receive knowledge or to cultivate virtue; but the "mighty" are those who, by their own study and practice, have perfected the good received from nature. There are no longer any warriors among the Jews; for they are no longer enrolled in the military list; nor indeed is there any judge; for they have been handed over to those judges who brought them into captivity, because a leader from Judah has failed.

^A And when threats are aimed against them on account of their unbelief in the Lord, the same may also befall us, if we are unbelieving. For warriors also fail us, those who take up the full armor of the Lord and stand firmly against the schemes of the devil, whenever unbelief [(63)] gains the upper hand over us and we are handed over to our adversaries. But let us beseech the Lord that the warrior may not be taken from us—a man fortified with the breastplate of faith, wearing the helmet of salvation to cover its vital parts, having his feet shod in the preparation of the Gospel, and also having the sword, drawn and ready to punish every disobedience; and, in a word, as a good soldier of Christ, sharing in the sufferings of the Gospel and not entangled in the affairs of this life, so that he may please the One who recruited him.

102. Furthermore, the Church has judges who can reconcile brother with brother [(64)], by whom the world is judged, and who will even judge angels. If, therefore, there should ever be a multiplication of vain talkers and deceivers, teaching what they ought not, subverting whole houses for the sake of filthy lucre, and there is no one in the Church to stop their mouths and overthrow their proud heights which exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, we must know that it is because of the multiplication of its disobedience that the Church has been abandoned. And if there is no one wise enough to be able to judge between brother and brother, but they are judged by unbelievers due to a lack of holy men, this is also a sign of abandonment; for the Lord has taken away [(65)] both the judge and the prophet and the conjecturer. All prophecy among the Jews remained until John, but from that time it failed them. Nor is there anyone among them who interprets the meaning of the Law in a spiritual way, because of the blindness that has come upon Israel. But by the kindness of Him who placed in the Church first apostles, then prophets [(81)], now the gift of prophecy is found in the Church. Wherefore, if at any time unbelievers or the unlearned enter in, and yet are not convicted [(66)] or judged, this also is a sign of abandonment. For if, he says, you prophesy, and an unbeliever or an unlearned person enters in, he is convicted [(67)] by all, he is judged by all, and the hidden things of his heart become manifest [(82)]. Therefore, he is a prophet who, according to the revelation of the Holy Spirit, foretells the future; but a conjecturer is one who, through the knowledge he has gained by comparing similar things, conjectures the future from the experience of past events. For instance, if anyone were to say: "If we commit the transgressions of the Sodomites, we shall be punished with a penalty similar to theirs." Or: "If we repent just as the Ninevites did, we shall in like manner obtain mercy" [(68)].

^A. And senior. Among other things, He threatens to take away the senior as well, as one who provides no small benefit by his presence. Is, therefore, whoever has attained in any way to the dignity of the priesthood and has been enrolled in the company of the presbyters, a presbyter and senior? Or rather, is he one who bears the mark and character of the presbyter without any blame, especially if he is untried by a woman? But if, according to the law of the Lord, he is the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not accused of profligacy or unruly, not arrogant, not irascible, not a drunkard, not given to base gain; but hospitable, a lover of good, sober, holy, just, temperate, holding fast to the faithful word according to the doctrine, so as to be able also to exhort in sound doctrine and to reprove those who contradict—this is the presbyter and senior whom the Lord takes away from a delinquent people. As He takes away the strong and the strength, as the strength of bread and the strength of water, as the warrior, as the judge, so also He takes away the senior. Therefore, when you see some who are indeed worthy to be co-opted into the order of presbyters but who are overlooked or neglected, and in their place you see unworthy ones put forward, know that the Lord has taken away the presbyter from such a people. And as to what kind of money-changer is needed so that the one who is approved among these may not escape his notice, God showed this to His great servant Moses, having permitted to him the selection of such men. ^B "Gather for me," He says, "seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you yourself know that these are the elders of the people, and you shall bring them to the tabernacle of the testimony, and they shall stand there with you; and I will take from the spirit that is upon you, and I will place it upon them, and they shall bear with you the burden of this people, and you shall not bear them yourself alone."

104. ^C It is necessary, however, that these should be advanced in age, so that they have been experienced through much length of time, and out of the gray hair blooming upon them they show the constancy of their morals. For the glory of seniors is gray hair. But if, somewhere, in a youthful age, a senile prudence should be found, this gift is not to be despised; rather, faith must be had in Him who says: "Gray hair is prudence in men." For in truth, the old age of the mind contributes more to the commendation of a senior and presbyter than the whiteness of hairs. ^D For perhaps this very sentence wishes to signify this: "You shall rise up from the face of the gray-headed, and you shall honor the person of the old man."

^A For if anyone, according to the wise Daniel, is a youth in body but gray in wisdom, he is more justly to be esteemed than those who carry about the grayness of the body with an impure mind, such as were those seniors of Babylon, grown old in evil days. Wherefore, even to Daniel, while he was still a boy and younger in sensible age, yet adorned with the spiritual grayness of prudence, the gift of the eldership passed. For they did not lie who said: "Come, and sit in our midst, because God has given you the honor of the eldership." Thus it happens at times that youths are found more worthy of greater honor than seniors, who spend their lives indolently and carelessly. Therefore, those among the Jews were seniors in name only. For God took away, just as the warrior and the prophet, so too the senior from their people. But let the Church pray, that its elder, who is worthy of this name, be not taken away from it. How much this is to be valued, we have learned in Abraham; for in previous generations many are enumerated who lived a longer life than he, for Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years, and Methuselah lived nine hundred and seventy years, and died, and Noah lived nine hundred years; yet none of them was an elder. But Abraham was an elder by the testimony of Sarah, who says: "It has not yet happened to me until now, but my lord is an elder." And he was an elder because virtue had adorned his soul with grayness.

^B 105. VERSE 3. *And the captain over fifty.* The Lord of Sabaoth threatens ^C that He will take away from the Jews, along with the rest, the captain over fifty. Why does He say this? Because He allows their entire orderly government and administration to be confounded and disordered, signifying the whole by the part. For since commanders of thousands, and commanders of hundreds, and commanders of fifty, and commanders of ten had been established by Moses, according to the counsel of Jethro, so that they might sustain the weight of the people and take upon themselves the lesser judgments of those who were in need of judgment, the threat to them is that this arrangement will be taken away. For this reason He threatens that the captain over fifty will be taken from them, as well as the warrior, and the judge, and the conjecturer, and the prophet, and the elder.

106. *And a wonderful counselor.* Counsel brings little ^D utility and benefit to the instruction of the life of men, because no one is sufficient for himself for all things, but requires helpers more according to the

than need for corporal actions. Thus, a man lacking a counselor is a ship deprived of its pilot, recklessly exposed to the agitations of the winds. Now, if when considering matters of lighter moment we take on counselors, when we deliberate about the soul and the things that profit it, ought we not seek out wonderful counselors? Since, therefore, the Jews formed a wicked council regarding how they might deliver up the Lord, the Lord took away from them the wonderful counselor, whose counsels were indeed an object of admiration for them—for they were astonished at his teaching—yet they did not attend to his admonitions. And how was he not a wonderful counselor, who, in place of that command, "An eye for an eye," gives the counsel that if anyone strikes your right cheek, you should turn to him the other also? [He counsels] not to be angry, ^B not to go to law, not to covet shameful things, not to consider anyone an enemy, but rather to love those who hate you; who warns that no one should be anxious about things subject to corruption, nor be puffed up in mind, nor ask of God for things of little value, but that one should have his heart in heaven, having transferred his treasures there, to be with God, to be brotherly, compassionate, a sharer of what he possesses, and to believe that it is not in foods that impurity lies, but in the heart and in purpose. Because he was not accepted by them, the Lord took away the one who gave such divine and wonderful counsels ^C. Therefore, he is no longer a wonderful counselor among them. But let us pray that this Church not be deprived of a wonderful counselor, so that, whenever the occasion arises for seeking counsel concerning necessary things, one coming to this house, the common council-chamber of souls, may find a word of consolation which, like a certain light, is brought into the souls for the discovery of those things which are beneficial to them. But he who is carried by the will of his own vain heart, even if he has good counsel at hand, is like Rehoboam, who, having despised the saving judgment of the elders, followed the younger men raised with him, by whose means he lost the kingdom of the ten tribes.

107. ^D And the wise architect. After the benefit of the wonderful counselor, who was shown to be our Lord Jesus Christ, was removed from the Jews, the wise architect was also taken from them, and he became the apostle of the nations—the Hebrew of Hebrews, the Pharisee according to the law—Paul, who was made a servant of Jesus Christ, whom he once persecuted. What is the proof of his architectural skill? For he himself says: "As a wise architect I have laid a foundation." I think, moreover, that the Holy Spirit also acts as an architect for the Church of God, according to Paul himself who says: "Together"

^A you are built into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit; and he asserts that the Church, with the Spirit ministering, is built together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. Therefore, he has stripped those who rejected this wonderful counselor, God the Word, of the wise architect, the Holy Spirit. For this reason, because they do not have the one who joins them together and fits them into one another, they are broken loose and severed from each other, being unable to become a temple of God through spiritual building. But let us pray that the Spirit may be ministered to the Church so that he may appoint for us spiritual architects, of the kind that Besaleel was, whom God filled with a divine Spirit, a Spirit of understanding and knowledge, to craft all the works of architecture. And [he may appoint] a wise listener. If, according to Solomon, ^B "a precious word [is for] an obedient ear," where there is no word, there is no need for hearing. Since, therefore, that wonderful counselor was taken away, consequently the wise listener was also taken away. For where there is no silver, the moneychanger is idle. It is a vexing thing, moreover, when a word is indeed full of thoughts and bears upon the truth of things, but the one who might prudently perceive them is not present, because he does not have the ears of the soul which the Lord requires for the listening to His own words, saying: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

108. VERSE 4. *And I will appoint young men as their rulers, and scoffers shall lord it over them.* There is a twofold kind of punishment: both to be deprived of good things and to be handed over to worse ones. For after the Lord Sovereign took away from Judea and from Jerusalem the strength of bread and the ^C strength of water, the strong giant, the warrior man, the judge, the soothsayer, the captain of fifty, the wonderful counselor, the wise architect, and the wise listener: then the Scripture threatened that young men would be sent as princes to them; so well did it know this most grave punishment, when a city is ruled and administered by adolescents. For adolescence is prone to levity and inclined to shameful deeds: unbridled desires, beastly rages, petulance, insolence, pride, and arrogance—vices are nurtured together with youth. Envy is stirred up against the most excellent virtue; suspicions are held against those of one's own house. A swarm of innumerable evils accompanies youth, of which all the subjects must necessarily be partakers. Indeed, the vices of princes are calamities and torments for their subjects. *I will appoint young men as their rulers.* It expressed the good things in the singular number, ^D [namely the] strong man, the powerful warrior, the judge, the prophet, the soothsayer, the captain of fifty, the wonderful

counselor, the wise architect, the prudent listener; but on the contrary, the threatened evils increased into the plural number: namely, *Adolescents shall be princes*, and, *Derisores shall dominate you*. It is not he who is young in age, but he who is young in character, who is accused. For it is not he who lacks years that is always to be blamed, but he who leads a life addicted to passions. Of such a kind was Roboam, concerning whom it is written: *And Roboam was younger, and timid in heart*. Therefore, the Ecclesiastes also says: *Woe to you, O city, whose king is younger, and whose princes eat in the morning*. For it is not he who is young in age, but he who is imperfect in soul, who is called "younger" here also. For that age is not an impediment to one who wishes to live according to virtue, the Lord showed in his words to Jeremiah, saying: *Do not say: I am younger*. For He did not deny that he ^B was younger; but He said that youth was no impediment to him for the perfection of his soul, saying: *Because to all to whom I shall send you, you shall go*. For I, who see the gravity of the hoariness which is in secret, have seen you to be an old man in mind and prudence.

109. *Derisores* (Mockers) *shall dominate*, namely those who have delivered themselves as slaves to sin. For if the common enemy becomes their master, he does not treat them as his own, but abuses them as strangers. For our common enemy parades the one who has been ensnared by sin, trampling upon him and exalting himself against us, and not only against us, but also against our Lord, from whom we have fallen away by his impulse; and, exposing our shame, he does not cease to triumph over the captives and mock his subjects. For since he himself is destined to be mocked (for this, he says, is the beginning of the Lord's creation, made to be mocked by His angels; and the psalm: *This dragon which You have formed to mock him*), turning ^C upon us what he himself ought to have suffered, he has dominion over us through mockings. Whence he who perceived the sin which he had admitted through the works of the devil said: *For my loins are filled with mockings*. And almost just as Samson, having become plunder for the aliens because of his way of life, and having been blinded by them, was led forth to be mocked; so also whoever

^A is blinded by sin is mocked by aliens. But the Lord does not threaten that He Himself will install these mockers, as He did the young princes, but He says that they themselves, by their own choice, would rule, since each one by his own deeds draws upon himself to be ruled by them. Perhaps, therefore, because they mocked the Lord before the cross, those who were about to crucify Him were delivered to the newer authority of the Romans; and mockers—those, that is, who did not possess the truth—ruled over them. And if you see the Church being led by those who corrupt the Word with their craftiness, and by those who are liars in hypocrisy, know that mockers are ruling over her, those who deceive the more simple through flattering and persuasive words.

110. ^B *And the people shall clash, man to man, and man to his neighbor.* The prophet declares openly what happened before that final conquest of Jerusalem, after which they were dispersed. No longer does he bring forward the subject through prophetic riddles, but he narrates the events themselves nakedly and clearly; when those who had come together against one another filled the city with sedition and slaughter; nor, even while being besieged by their enemies on all sides, were they brought to the necessary concord, but, fearing for themselves because of the extremities, with the city all but captured, the walls being torn down, and the enemies breaking in, they attacked one another in the desire ^C to obtain mastery and precedence. And they suffered these things because the prophet, the diviner, the elder, and the wonderful counselor had been taken away from them, and because, in opposition to them, young princes had been set over them, and mockers were ruling them. *And the child shall behave insolently toward the elder, the dishonored toward the honorable.* He sets forth the characteristics of confusion. For it is peculiar to sedition that nothing is discerned: but that even the child behaves insolently toward the elder, and opposes his teachings, and he who is dishonored, because of the disgrace branded upon him by the vices of his ignominy, desires to be considered more honorable and worthy of greater reverence than the one who is truly honorable. I fear, however, lest these things also come upon us, and lest these very prophecies be fulfilled in this age, when children, young in age and younger in conduct, set themselves against the presbyters of the Church, neither accepting their sacred ministries nor keeping the seemly and due order ^D of the Church. And moreover, when those who have lived wickedly bring [charges] against the upright administrators of the commonwealth...

^A the dishonored rise up against the honorable. For do we not see men daily coming forth from drunkenness and gluttony and the brothel, who discourse about God and judge those who are of the people and are worthy of honor?

111. VERS. 6. *Quia apprehendet homo fratrem suum, et propinquum patris sui, dicens: Vestimentum habes princeps esto noster, et cibus meus sub te sit.* These things clearly relate to the time of the Jewish destruction, when, wasting away with famine, so that they even ate one another, they would pass over to those who appeared to be wealthier and would ask them to preside over them. *Vestimentum habes princeps esto noster.* He who is truly a prince is not recognized by external symbols, such as purple, the cloak, and the diadem, but by the imperial virtue with which he is endowed. For he who is held in subjection by pleasures and is led by ^B various desires, being a slave of sin, is unfit for ruling. Here, however, the testimony by which the capacity for ruling is designated is taken not from the adornment of the soul, but from the wearing of garments. But let us pray that the princes of the Churches and the leaders of the people may have their testimony not from their exterior attire, nor from the appearance they present, but from the truth itself, so that we may say: "Not because that which is on your exterior is adorned and the mask of piety is well cultivated by you, but because God has clothed your soul with the garment of salvation and the tunic of gladness, and has magnified you with every kind of riches, ^C be our prince, so that through the abundance stored up in your word and wisdom and good works, we may obtain from your ministry an abundance of spiritual delights." And *cibus meus sub te sit*, that is, let the ration of grain be under you.

112. VERS. 7. *Et respondens in illa die dicet: Non ero princeps vester. Non enim est in domo mea panis, neque vestimentum.* As regards the history, Scripture further alludes to the things done in that faction, describing the final ruin of the people, so that they possessed not even one garment, ^D those whom they were dragging into the place of authority. And it shows the tumultuous state of affairs done in the sedition, in that not by common accord, nor by a consensus of mind, did they all move toward the election of the one able to rule them, but...

each one would seize the first person they happened upon ^A and would not choose the worthy, but rather the one familiar to him; nor the one able to save them, but the one related to him by birth. "A man will take hold of his brother," he says, "and of his father’s household." ^B Far be it that such a thing should happen in the distribution of Church offices, such that anyone at all chooses anyone at all; indeed, even someone who lacks the wedding garments, who is destitute of decent attire, who is starving for spiritual nourishment, and who does not have in his house—that is, in the secret chambers of his heart—the true and living bread that can strengthen the heart of man.

But now I fear that, just as there were once some in the Jewish sedition who deemed themselves unworthy to be set over others, being conscious of their own poverty of virtue, so in these present times there are not a few who, although they have not put on Christ or the bowels of compassion according to the Apostle, yet if someone promotes them, they do not contradict it; and if no one promotes them, very many intrude themselves. For many seek leadership, created by their own works, pursuing present glory while in no way foreseeing the future judgment.

Yet Moses was not of this sort; but he was in all things obedient and tractable, and when he was being sent to the people, he said: "I pray Thee, Lord, choose another whom Thou wilt send." Consequently, it came about that God urged him even more persistently, inasmuch as by this very refusal and confession of his own infirmity ^C he showed himself worthy of the primacy. Wherefore, that admonition is excellent: "Seek not to be made a judge, lest perhaps thou be not able to take away iniquities."

However, the prophetic word declares that the refusal of those who were being compelled by the seditious to accept leadership was not universal. For he did not say simply, "I shall not be a leader," but with an addition, "I shall not be a leader of this people"; and he subjoined the reason. "Jerusalem has fallen, and their tongues, with iniquity, do not obey the things that are of the Lord." For Jerusalem, which had until now been bound together by the hand of the Lord in a bond of harmony, is now dissolved and repudiated. And Judea has fallen, its supports having been withdrawn. And are the calamities not such as these? But what diligence has been applied by them to render themselves ^D acceptable to God, and what zeal for repentance has been shown, so that from there a hope might shine forth that an end would be put to the evils that threaten? But "their tongues do not obey the things that are of the Lord," and they do not simply disobey, but do so with iniquity; since, because of the heart...

being alienated from God and unsubmissive to the divine law, their tongue, which should have been meditating night and day upon the law of the Lord, contradicts and disobeys. Whom, then, shall I rule? He says. Jerusalem? But she has been cast out and is abandoned. Judea? But it no longer stands upright; for it has fallen. Those who repent? But they disobey with their tongues. ^A Perhaps, then, because of their former glory, it would have been a noble thing to rule over such people. "But," he says, "their glory has been humbled, and the shame of their face has resisted them." That is to say, there is no confidence left for them to lift up their eyes to God, because their sin is not just any sin, but is worthy to be compared to the crime of the Sodomites, which they committed neither in secret nor with any sense of shame, but, as if boasting in the practice of evils, they made it known and manifest to all ^B just as those men, rushing into unlawful pleasures, did not cover their licentiousness with decent words. For "Where," he says, "are the men who came in to you? Bring them out to us, that we may associate with them." They imitated that sin. For their sin, like that of the Sodomites, they published and made manifest. Whoever comes upon the history that narrates the calamities that befell Jerusalem before its destruction will marvel at the distinctness and clarity of the prophecy. There were, therefore, two reasons for the reasonable refusal of those who were drawn to the leadership of the people: their own weakness and the difficulty of the situation, the peoples being hard to rectify because of the great flood of sin; both of which the present discourse includes. Concerning his own weakness, the one who declines the leadership says: "There is no bread in my house, nor a garment"; but he points out the incurable nature of the people by saying: "I will not be a ruler of this people, because Jerusalem is abandoned, and Judea has fallen, and their tongues are with iniquity ^C towards the things of the Lord, and they do not obey. They have published and made ^D manifest their iniquity like the Sodomites. For not even one would have been able to save the Sodomites, but they required at least ten righteous men to intercede for them."

114. V. 10. "Woe to their soul, for they have devised evil counsel against themselves, saying, 'Let us bind the righteous man, for he is useless to us.' Therefore they shall eat the fruits of their own works." After he had finally observed...

the people behaving like Sodom in their headlong rush toward sin, so that they did not even sin secretly or in hiding, but rather carried themselves with the utmost audacity and impudence, glorying in their shameful acts, the prophet laments them and utters these words: "Woe to their soul, for they have taken evil counsel against themselves, saying: Let us bind the righteous man, for he is useless to us." ^A Counsels formed against the righteous recoil upon the heads of those who formed them, just as arrows shot against solid and repellent bodies bounce back upon those who fired them. For this reason he says: "They took counsel against themselves, saying: Let us bind the righteous man, for he is useless to us." And the Jews did these things at the coming of the Lord; for having bound him, they led him to Caiaphas. They were binding the hands that had showered them with benefits; they could not bear the presence of righteousness, because it was destructive to their wickedness. For righteousness is troublesome to those who do wrong, just as the sun is to those with sore eyes. Wherefore he says: "They shall eat the fruits of their own works." Now, the fruits of those works are these: captivity, dispersion, the destruction of the Temple, the fall from glory, the confusion of their faces—which does not allow them to look up to God on account of the impious crime committed against the Only-Begotten. ^B Thus they lost their former boldness, having neither prophets nor divine worship; for having bound the Word, having bound the truth, having bound the light, having bound righteousness, having bound the Savior, having bound the physician, having bound the deliverer—all of which Christ is, according to the varied conception held of him—they are deprived of light, deprived of the Word, deprived of truth; they live in iniquity and suffer from an incurable disease. These are the fruits of their works which they eat.

115. V. 11. "Woe to the wicked! Evil shall befall him according to his works." We believe these things to have been said regarding the divine judgment, which renders to each according to his merit. But if it is said, "Woe to the wicked," because "evil shall befall him according to his works," what of the person whose malice has not proceeded as far as the act, but was completed in the secret recesses of the heart? Will punishment not be inflicted upon him, such that this "Woe" might be applied to him as well? Or where the text has reported what is perfect in malice, it has left it to you, maintaining the proportion, to reason out what is less. For perfect malice is when one sins both by intent and by deed; the half portion of evil is when the sin remains in the intention of the mind. And so, he who sins in his thought is not to remain entirely unpunished, but just as he is deficient...

in evil, so much will be subtracted from his penalties. Woe, therefore, to the wicked, because evils according to his iniquities and according to the works of his hands will befall him, for the hands are the organs of the mind. Just as then the leader moves, so too moves that which carries out the work.

116. ^B My people, your exactors are stripping you, and those who demand payment domineer over you. This voice, "My people," is that of one exhorting the people and pitying those who are badly affected. Before you bound the just man, before you refused to make use of him, what had you suffered? Now you have become liable for many debts. For this reason, you have been handed over to those who exact debts from you, who, since they find no sheaves among you, nor abundance of fruits, reap you as a gleaning of small and worthless things, gathering the broken fruits of your souls. We are of this kind, if we repent with a small and abject mind and without fruit. For what a man sows, that he will also reap. He, therefore, who by worthy repentance sows abundantly into the Spirit—alms, compassion, prayer, righteousness, continuous tears—he, sowing in tears, will reap in exultation, taking up the sheaves of repentance, so that he may pay the entire debt to the exactor. But he who repents for sins previously committed by sowing small things in almsgiving and prayer, fostering a stubble barren of fruit, will not be permitted by the exactor to keep even this. But who is this exactor? Let us be taught through the evangelical admonition, the Lord saying: For as you go with your adversary to the prince, on the road make an effort to be set free from him, lest perhaps he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the exactor, and the exactor cast you into prison. See, then, in this the adversary and the road; then the prince who is set over our adversary. For the road is our life; the adversary, however, is the power that wrestles against us and accompanies our life, devising every stratagem to deflect us from the road leading to God; and the prince is the very prince of this world, of whom the Lord has said: Now the prince of this world is coming, and in me he will find nothing. Indeed, in the Lord he found nothing, because He committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth, though He was tempted in all things according to the likeness, apart from sin. ^{C D}

^A Since therefore He finds many things in us, dragged along by the chains with which we have bound ourselves for our own sins, He will deliver us to the Judge. And the Judge, to whom the Father has given all judgment, having received us from the enemy and avenger—as we are convicted of many charges—will deliver us to the exactor appointed over the punishments; who will cast us into prison, that is, into the place of punishment, demanding and exacting through painful scourges even for the smallest things, and for those sins committed by us with contempt. For this reason the Lord counsels us, as long as we are on the way with the adversary, to exert ourselves to be delivered from him, that is, to perform deeds towards the deliverance from the enemy, and not to wait until we are dragged off when the final hour comes—in which the ruler, being present, will examine us. And if he finds many things in our life that were done by his own prompting, he will deliver us to the Judge, convicting us and not allowing us to deny, as he will call back to our memory the place in which we committed the sin—since he was with us and working the evil with us—as well as the manner in which we practiced it and the disposition with which we sinned. Therefore, while we have the power to act, let us exert ourselves to be delivered from the adversary. *And the exactors lord it over you.* The exactors, demanding debts from the poor who are burdened by many debts, drag them into slavery. It is good, then, not to owe a debt; but the next best thing is not to be in want of the means to discharge the debt. If not, there is every necessity for one to be a slave to the demands being brought against him. Let these things be said on account of the text: *Your exactors shall cut you down, and your demanding creditors shall lord it over you.* ^{B C} 118. *My people, those who promise you beatitude deceive you, and disturb the path of your feet.* Those who are ruled by the young, and are subjected to the dominion of mockers, and who are cut down by the exactors like gleanings, and are led into slavery because of their inability to pay, and have lost their liberty through extreme poverty—these are indeed more worthy of moving [others] to pity than of being called blessed. Whoever, therefore, calls such people blessed acts the part of a flatterer; speaking inappropriately to gain favor, he deceives them and causes no small harm, taking away the sense of their sins. And while they are deceived by the beatitude undeservedly attributed to them, the path of their feet is disturbed. For indeed, afflictions provoke one to humility, but the proclamation of blessedness and happiness breeds swelling and pride. He said, however, in a general way, "O my people," ^D signaling that not only this [one] who is humbly disposed (as in those things enumerated), but the entire people—not only this one who is so humbly

in the passions mentioned; but every people, being an assembly of men gathered from different pursuits, and ages, and modes of life, cannot equally fall under one beatitude. For different calamities harass each one in different ways: some, the hardships of old age; others, the evils of slavery; another, poverty; others, the loss of kin; others, diseases. How, then, is the beatitude proclaimed to every people not deceptive and captious? The Lord, however, although He manifests a multitude in designating the beatitudes—"Blessed are the poor in spirit" ^A, and, "Blessed are those who hunger," and, "Blessed are those who mourn"—nevertheless, by the fact that He was addressing those present, shows that those who are proclaimed blessed can easily be numbered. It is clear, indeed, that He was holding discourse concerning the disciples, who had been taught praiseworthy humility, and, according to the imitation of Him who for our sake became poor, had taken up that poverty of spirit. For this reason He says that "Yours is the kingdom of heaven"; and that, "Blessed are those who hunger now, for they will be satisfied." But if the way is narrow, and there are few who find it ^B, how is it possible for many to be those who are proclaimed blessed? Therefore, whoever pronounces the whole people blessed deceives and disturbs them, not allowing them to walk peacefully. It is easy for those who are not attentive to be captured by the desire and love of praise, since everyone, through self-love, is not easily shielded from the deceits of flattery. But it is the mark of a man endowed with advanced virtue neither to be cast down, succumbing to the reproaches of some, nor on account of this to be discouraged, nor easily to swell up and be puffed up by praises, being ignorant of his own state. But since the path is a beaten and traveled way ^C, by those who have already passed, he who does not allow those who are left behind to come to a painful perception of the zeal of those who go before, but instead proclaims those who are sinning to be blessed as if they were succeeding, disrupts the path of their feet.

119. "But now the Lord will stand for judgment, and will set His people into judgment." Everything is distributed by divine judgment and prudence according to an ineffable wisdom, to each according to his worth, both the things brought upon us now, and those reserved for the future age. Since therefore, He says, the people has transgressed, such are the things the Lord has brought upon it. As if to be demonstrated that it was necessary ^D that the things concerning the righteousness of the Lord...

^A must be set before our eyes—namely, that the measure of iniquities has not surpassed the magnitude of the retribution—it is therefore said: *But now the Lord shall stand up to judgment*: that this "now" might be distinguished from the world to come. Or perhaps that "now" signifies to us a minimal and indivisible moment of time; but in God, according to the meaning of the word "now," all things lie adjacent and present. For there is nothing past with Him, nor anything future, but all things are present; and those things which are expected by us as being far off in the future are looked upon by the divine eyes as though they were already present, so that in God that portion of time, the "Now," also embraces the future age. Since, therefore, as far as God is concerned, the appointed time of judgment is not far off, we have understood the "now" to refer to the universal judgment. *He shall stand up to judgment*, declaring the reasons of His justice, according to which He makes the retribution of such punishments just for those very same deeds, so that even those who are condemned may agree that the judgment pronounced against them is most just.

120. *And He shall set the Israelite people in judgment.* (For as many as have sinned in the Law shall be judged by the Law.) But He will by no means pronounce the same sentence upon the remaining peoples. For *as many as have sinned without Law shall also perish without Law*. And, *The ungodly shall not rise in judgment*, but in condemnation. Judgment is available to every legislator ^B regarding those who are judged according to the law written by him, when both the things that were done and the will of the legislator are compared with one another. Wherefore also the Lord says: *The word which I have spoken, the same shall judge you*; for thoughts oppose one another, both the one suggested by the Lord, and the one that invites to sin. For, according to Hosea, *his own counsels shall encompass every man*. For we shall see all our works as though they were standing before us at the same time through memory, and presented face-to-face to our mind ^C with their own forms, exactly as each was done or spoken. For after the Lord has shown that He has completely fulfilled all things which belong to that office of His, regarding the care of the nations He has taken upon Himself, then He is said to *overcome when He is judged*. And indeed, it is not to be thought that a great deal of time will be consumed in order for each person to be able to see himself with his own actions; since the mind, by an inexplicable power, in a moment ^D of time, will both construct for itself the judge and the things which are joined to the divine judgment, and will represent all things to itself, and will behold, as in a mirror, the forms of the things which were done with the keenness of the mind.

^A 121. VERSE 14. "The Lord Himself will come into judgment with the elders of the people, and with the princes of it." Scripture indicates a somewhat more intense commotion with these words: "The Lord Himself will come into judgment." For it was said regarding the people: "The Lord shall be set for judgment, and He shall set His people in judgment." But regarding the elders and the princes, it is said: "The Lord Himself will come into judgment." First, that we may be taught that we shall each be judged in our own order: the people, the elders, the princes. For to the least, mercy is granted; but the mighty shall be mightily examined. 38 It is manifest, moreover, that He comes into judgment not to judge, but to discern. For it is not the role of a judge to come with those who are to be judged into the judgment, but it is the role of those who are to be judged to come together to the judge. But when He has come to judgment with them, He will immediately rebuke them in a censuring manner, saying (VERSE 15): "But why have you set my vineyard on fire, and the plunder of the poor is in your houses? Why do you treat my people unjustly?" Let us, the elders and the princes of the people, ponder ^B what we shall answer to Him who calls us to justice; or rather, let us pray that such things deserving of reproach may not be found in us. For it is certain that these words pertain to us, who, some having been co-opted into the order of the presbyters, others standing in higher honor and rank, preside over the people. I have entrusted to you a fertile vineyard, everything true, that by your care and diligence it might yield fitting fruits; but you have not only brought desolation to it, but have also set it on fire. This happens when, besides not teaching what belongs to our duty and office, we also introduce into the vineyard, out of our own impiety, a fire like some ^C flame creeping everywhere and perpetually invading contiguous parts. Those who render the shoots, which until now were flourishing and fertile, dry, deformed, and unfruitful, and who do not extinguish the vices born from the fiery arrows of the devil, but rather, by the laxity of their private life, give place to many vices, they set the vineyard on fire. Moreover, he who through foolish avarice invites many to covet the goods of others, he sets the vineyard on fire. Therefore he adds: "And the plunder of the poor is in your houses." Thus, those who collect unjust wealth by plunder and violence give cause and handle for the fire in the vineyard by their corrupt example, by which the whole people are also taught to covet one another's goods ^D through the imitation of their leaders. Therefore, the elders and princes, who through sound doctrine

and the good examples of their own lives do not cultivate the vineyard, will be accused of these things; and with good reason we shall hear the words, *And the rapine of the poor is in your houses*, if we keep in our houses what was granted for the relief of the poor, while defrauding the needy.

122. VERS. 15. *Why do you injure my people, and put to shame the faces of the poor?* It is the custom of those who commit injury and spoil others, that when they are called to account by those who have been wronged, they put them to shame with insults and revilings, treating them with contempt, threatening them with blows, and traducing them as litigious people. Therefore, He says, you do not only injure the poor man—who is easily despoiled and easily entrapped because of his isolation—but you also ^B *put to shame the faces of the poor*. That shame which properly belongs to you by reason of the injury you have committed, you turn back upon the poor by your tyranny; suborning witnesses, hiring advocates, and corrupting judges, until, on top of other iniquities, you have cast the shame resulting from your own false accusations upon the poor. There is also another way in which we become guilty: when we attack the poor severely for similar transgressions, publicly proclaiming their faults and sparing no insult, while pretending a zeal for God against the poor, and in this way putting their faces to shame. Moreover, since there are some poor who are called blessed, who for the sake of piety have spurned all things, and, led by the hope of the wealth that is in God, have counted worldly riches as nothing; when those who poorly govern the people, instead of calling such poor persons blessed, slander them, despise them, and hold their commendable humility in contempt, they are then justly rebuked—especially if they are elders ^C or princes—inasmuch as they put to shame the faces of the holy poor. John was such a poor man, having no house, no servant, no ox for plowing, no little field, no bed, no table, no bread. Such was Elias. Of this kind were all the holy ones who *went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented*.

123. VERS. 16, 17. *The Lord says: Because the daughters of Sion are lifted up, and have walked with a stretched-out neck, and with the glances of their eyes, and with the stepping of their feet, at the same time dragging their tunics, and playing with their feet; and God will humble the princess daughters of Sion.* Although these words primarily signify things of greater moment, yet what is said contains within itself something useful for the common folk and suitable for the correction of morals. For it restrains the life of lascivious women ^D who, by their habit, look, gait, and clothing, betray their inclination to fornication. For when, through...

the beauty of the body they become puffed up with pride and exalt themselves above others, utilizing a vain arrogance and becoming uplifted by a thing that quickly wilts and falls away; then they carry their neck high, so that their faces may be visible to all. For a modest and well-behaved woman, bowing her head to the ground out of shame, keeps her face cast downward; but she who has resolved to trap many in the snare of her beauty walks with a high neck. And in the nods of the eyes. This is an accusation leveled against a woman panting for fornication, when, specifically, she looks around with curious eyes, reveals the impurity of her soul in her gaze, smiles, entices in a meretricious way with her eyes, and sends forth some destructive poison through her gaze—something like the story told about the basilisk, which they say kills those who look at it merely by its glance. Rightly, therefore, does the word of God express indignation against those walking with a high neck, that is, with an unblushing face and with nods of the eyes. The highness of the neck is a sign that they are not even subject to the yoke of temperance; and as one of delicate birth and luxury, she walks trailing her tunic, and her gait is not performed according to nature, but to an unseemly rhythm, practiced in a wanton manner. For these things, therefore: The Lord will humble the leading daughters of Zion. Since they did not choose humility voluntarily but walked with a high ^B neck, He says He will humble their leaders, the daughters of Zion. Even now it is possible to see in many places Jewish women playing with their feet, and not reverencing the voice of the prophet. But would that the daughters of the Church might not be accused of the same things! For many, acting as if in a crowd before the eyes of those who come to hear the divine word during feast days, ignorant of spiritual joy, and giving themselves over to indecent games, are involved in revelries and drunkenness; and, not observing the commandment that says, “Let your eyes look straight,” ^C they turn their eyes aside and deflect them, demonstrating an indication of an evil intent. In many places, the nods of the eyes are denounced; as it is observed in Proverbs concerning the wicked man, that “The same man nods with his eye, but signals with his foot”; and again: “He who nods with his eye with deceit gathers sorrows for men”; and that, “Those who hate me without cause,” ^D and so on. And again: “He who nods with his eye with deceit,” there is no excuse.

^A Indeed, such crimes sometimes reach even men who despise their inferiors with a proud mind, but betray their pride with a haughty gesture, carriage, and the twitching of their eyebrows; who walk with a stately and uplifted gait, and declare their arrogance by garments let down to their ankles; and who, finally, by applying their minds to immoderate games, are met by an unexpected ruin, which will cast them down from their height through their humiliation.

124. “And the Lord will reveal their habit.” The Lord will reveal this proud habit, which is composed to generate intemperance and every unchaste thought in the minds of the unwary, when, once the secrets are laid open, the coverings of the flesh are removed, and the soul is brought forth ^B naked and alone, along with the works of its own shame. And even in this age, sometimes this habit is revealed for the benefit of those to whom this happens, so that when matters which previously had been hidden from many are laid bare, and the shamefulness of sins comes to the knowledge of the many, these very people who previously persisted in evil while hiding now, being ashamed, may turn and repent. Therefore, to reveal a disguised and feigned habit is the work of the Lord. Wherefore, if any of us who are established in dignity and honor cover an unseemly life through simulation, let them fear Him who is about to reveal our habit, and to lay open the counsel of our hearts, to such an extent that the worst thoughts conceived in the mind of each one are set before the eyes of all. ^C For his own thoughts will surround each one of us. Moreover, our actions will stand around us, marked with their own signs, bringing upon us eternal shame and reproach, since they will be found contrary to our speech and doctrine; so that he who preaches not to steal is found guilty of theft; he who says not to commit adultery is discovered to have his portion with adulterers; he who abhors idols is found not restraining himself from sacrilege. For there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed; nor anything secret ^D that shall not be brought to light.

125. VERSE 18. “In that day the Lord will take away the glory of their apparel, and their ornaments.” Since they used the things that had been granted for use contrary to the rule of propriety, the Lord will take away the glory of their apparel, with which they clothed themselves for their own evil and that of those who encountered them. Thus, he threatens that every woman who abuses the refinement of her clothing will be despoiled of it. “For,” he says, “they even walked along trailing their tunics, as if they did not use clothing,

^A but rather abused it, and thus they were ordered to be stripped of the glory of their clothing. Indeed, He strips the glory of the garment even from us, if we are found to be using it unworthily, trampling upon it and filling it with carnal defilements. And what is this garment, if not the attire of the saints, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself? For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ, whom the Lord takes away from those who trample upon the body through sin, and who account the blood of the covenant as common (73). The garments of Israel were symbols of this vestment, those which did not wear out, as is written in Deuteronomy, that your garments did not wear out, and the sandals upon your feet did not grow old; for the sandals too were symbols of the preparation of the Gospel of peace. For the New Testament which Jesus Christ gave (74) remains new, never growing old. For as much as we use this and the sandals, so much the more do they become newer, for a fresh and new preparation of the Gospel is always coming upon us through the progress of the faith in Christ. ^B And the cosymbos (75). The Lord threatens through the prophet that He will take away even the cosymbos from women who adorn themselves with excessive vanity. Now, the term *cosymbos* is not very common in Greek usage, whence its meaning is not obvious. However, having found in the construction of the high-priestly vestment a tunica provided with *cosymboi*, having pomegranates and bells, and certain knots of fringe, we have understood the *cosymboi* to be certain knots of fringe, suspended together with the golden bells and the pomegranates from the extremities, which the daughters of Sion imitated for the sake of excessive luxury in the wrapping of their own garments; through which they insulted (76) the priestly prerogatives, carrying about hyacinthine and scarlet knots of fringe hanging from the hem.

126. And the crescents, and the pendant, and the adornment of their face. He goes through the feminine adornment one by one, rebuking that which is superfluous in this finery. For the Lord will take away (77) both the crescents and the pendant. Another has interpreted the crescents more clearly, saying instead, and the *maniakes*, and instead of the pendant, he said, chains. The crescent, therefore, is a golden necklace, fashioned in a circular shape, ^C which women put on, and make it their purpose to show their neck bare, and shamelessly to expose it, ^D which it would be more modest to cover. And the pendant is a certain ornament, and it too...

^A descends and hangs down to the breast, suspended by certain light and slack little chains; which, so that it may be visible to all, makes it absolutely necessary that the breast cannot be decently covered. And the ornamentation of their face. There are also certain colors, highly refined, used by women to adorn the face: white, red, and another which is black. The white feigns the whiteness of the body; the red blooms upon the cheeks; the black depicts the eyebrows around the eyes in the shape of a crescent moon: which the Lord also threatens to take away, so that, He says, the moderation of men may not be stolen, nor may the miserable eyes of the young be captivated by these paintings. For then these things will be taken away, when all things stand naked and open before the Judge; when the eyebrow shall fall, the cheek shall show sadness, and the color shall be livid from fear. Therefore, the Lord also takes away the ornament. VERSE. And the composition of the ornament of glory, namely, the material serving for the ornament and the works and inventions of art themselves. And since it is not permitted to be carried away to such an extent by even one ornament, or to be puffed up on account of it, but a prideful thought enters when all are joined together, the Lord threatens that He will also take away the composition of the ornament. For whatever the ornament is like, such is also, clearly, the glory derived from it; but the ornament is bodily and vain; therefore, the glory arising from it is also perishable and insubstantial.

127. ^B And the chlidones, and the armillae, and the reliquiae. The whole array which has been recounted is the pursuit of a woman given over to pleasures, that is, one who is wanton and dissipated; but especially the chlidones, which take their name from pleasure, perhaps for this reason were placed around the arms. But armillae are those which were fitted to the extremities of the hands to be seen by all. Sometimes, ^C however, armillae were accepted in a good sense; for example, when the senior of the house adorned the holy Rebecca. For it was fitting that she, who was to dwell with the patriarch, should be instructed in the practical gift of the mind by him whose task it was to betroth her. Therefore, he adorned her hands with golden armillae, that is, with noble actions. Their weight was ten gold pieces, because the entire observance of the law is concluded in ten heads. And earrings having the weight of a drachma each, because it is fitting that obedience be adorned by faith in the one God. ^D Here, however, the armillae are taken away because of those who are exalted by their ornamentation

^A In a word, we are taught by these expressions that he who is puffed up because of the superior faculties with which he is endowed is deprived of the guardianship that preserves him. The reticulum [net-work] seems to have been something woven into the hair, in order to excite the color of the hair with its own extraordinary color. Let no one make light of these things. For we are not more serious than the Holy Spirit, so as to disdain to investigate the words set down in Scripture. For we have learned in the Canticles that the reticulum of the bride, who was being praised, was also commended: For your head, it says, is like Carmel, and the reticulum of your head is in purple.

128. ^B VERS. 20. And the earrings [and the rings]. We know, indeed, that the use of earrings at the betrothal of Rebecca was praised. This served as a proof/document that she, having entered the house of Abraham, was to be taught the truth regarding spiritual matters. Yet we find that earrings were often condemned. First, this is evident from the fact that, when the women were about to ascend to Bethel, Jacob commanded them to cast away the earrings along with the foreign gods. For idolatry and the use of earrings were a hindrance to their ascending to the house of the Lord: for if you interpret Bethel, it sounds "house of God." Then, in Exodus, being pressured by the people to make an idol, Aaron chose earrings as suitable material for the construction of forbidden things. For "all the people," he says, "took off the golden earrings that were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron, and he formed them into a molten calf." ^C Furthermore, Gideon, after he received earrings from the people out of the spoils of the Ishmaelites, "made them into an Ephod, and set it up in the city. And all Israel went a whoring after it there; and it became a scandal to Gideon and his house." And thus, these earrings are now given over to judgment, because the spirit of the daughters of Zion was elated by them.

VERS. 21. And the [prætextæ] cloaks/fringes, and the garments purple in the middle [mesoporphyra]. He censures as superfluous the ornament of garments which is employed by women who hunt for glory from such things, sometimes indeed weaving purple at the edges, and sometimes inserting it in the middle. ^D Now purple is a symbol of guile, covering the natural color and bringing to the fore a color of its own—not unlike those who are cheerful in appearance on the front/face, but conceal the evil within. This is something that must truly be avoided, whether it occupies the end of life or the middle. Wherefore the Scripture also rejects the purple cloaks.

^A Verse 22. *And the garments that are in the house, and the pellucid Laconian [dresses].* This sentence declares an immoderate abundance of luxury and delights, while it says that those clothes kept hidden at home are, by reason of their excessive thinness, translucent. For spending done for the sake of ostentation proposes to itself the favor and goodwill of men as its goal. But when someone, even with no one watching, living privately at home, dresses in pellucid garments, he shows that the misuse of things granted for our use is very immoderate. And so they used to imitate the garments of the Laconian women, who, when they did not wish to be completely bared while dancing, as if that were indecent, put on a linen garment woven as thinly as possible, through which they exposed to view things that ought not to have been seen by the eyes of men.

Verse 23. *And the byssine, and the hyacinthine, and the byssus, with gold and hyacinth interwoven.* Now, the daughters of Zion, leading an immodest life and insulting the holy things because of their immoderate luxury, even wore a garment approaching the likeness of priestly vestments: that is, they wore byssine and hyacinthine garments, such as the priests, clothed in them as symbols of the elements from which all things consist, used to wear when entering the holy places apart, to supplicate God for the world. ^B For byssus is placed for the earth, hyacinth for the air, purple for the water, and scarlet for the fire. But these women, not content with the adornment of these things, and for the sake of causing variety and showing off greater magnificence, wove gold in with them. *And the accubitory theristra.* A *theristrum* seems to be a summer garment, such that it might appear to cover, and yet not be burdensome in the heat: just as we learned in Genesis that Rebecca was clothed in a *theristrum* when she went to meet Isaac. But the *theristra* which the Scripture now blames are those which were evidently spread upon couches for the sake of lounging, due to an excessive passion for pleasure. But the other interpreters did not even translate this word, *cataclita* (accubitoria). Wherefore, as one that exhibits no sense, it has been marked with an obelus. ^C

130. Verse 24. *And there shall be instead of a sweet smell, dust: and instead of a girdle, a knotted cord; and instead of the golden ornament of the head, thou shalt have baldness because of thy works.* Part of pleasure is the sweetness of fragrances, since by burning certain ointments they infect the air and render the breath sweet for themselves. To these women, therefore, steeped in pleasure and beckoning forth a pleasant smell for their sense of smell, dust shall be repaid by Him who threatens the ^D punishments. Dust...

is fine earth, mixed with the air, which, while it obstructs our passages, creates a certain difficulty in breathing and much discomfort through its blocking. For the soul takes pleasure in perfumes and incense, but in spiritual perfumes; such as he was who said: We are the good odor of Christ; and, Thanks be to God who manifests the odor of his knowledge in every place. ^A With such an odor exhaling from him, the father of Jacob, Isaac, was refreshed: Behold, the odor of my son is as the odor of a full field, which the Lord has blessed. And in the Canticle, the young women, perceiving the heavenly odor of the Word, said: We will run after the odor of your ointments. And indeed the high-priestly chrism was a good and delightful ointment, worthy to be compared to the harmony of brothers. Such an ointment requires an artisan who has received from God the art of perfumery, to make a holy chrism, which shall not ascend upon the flesh of man. Yet when the sweetness of an odor is pursued for the sake of wantonness, the passage of the sense is obstructed by the dust, by the benefit of the Lord who manages these things for them. ^B Perhaps, since there were in the temple the seasonings of odors, namely the ointment of anointing and the incense of the composition—but the temple has been destroyed and now lies in the dust, overturned and cast down to the ground—instead of the sweet odor formerly fragrant according to the legal worship, now it is dust, because of those souls that walked with a stiff and rebellious neck, to whom it was said: Behold, your house is left to you desolate. Nevertheless, it is permitted to them, if they wish, by shaking off the dust, to be filled with the sweet odor of Christ, according to the admonition of Him who says: Shake off your dust, and arise, Jerusalem, and put on the glory of your arm.

131. *And instead of a girdle, a rope.* He who is girded according to God is girded in truth as to his loins. Such was Peter, who would stretch out his hands and be girded for the war on behalf of Christ by those who were calling him to martyrdom for the sake of the truth even unto death. ^C The holy man, then, is girded with strength. For God, he says, is He who girds me with strength; but he who has lost this girdle is girded with the bond of his own sins; because each is tightened by the cords of his own sins. The symbol of those sins was that scourge made of ropes, by which those who were profaning the holy things were driven out of the temple, the Lord showing that for each person, their own entanglements of sins become scourges, and he is scourged by the cords of the sins which entwine him. But for the adornment of the head, instead of gold, ^D baldness...

^A you shall have because of your works. Just as those who, out of an excessive concern for things pertaining to the scent, sought what was contrary to nature and fell away from those things which are according to nature—for they were not content with breathing pure air, but by saturating it with perfumes and incense, they afterward breathed not pure air, but air mixed with dust—in this same way, since they did not remain in the natural adornment of hair, which is given to women as a veil, but by entangling their hair in certain nets, they adorned themselves even to the point of disgust; they were stripped of their natural ornament, and having lost their hair (that ornament with which women are clothed by nature itself as if it were their own and natural one), they became a most foul spectacle. For if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, how much more shameful is it to have baldness, which brings deformity as a benefit to those who misuse their beauty? Instead of a tunic of purple-bordered cloth, you shall gird yourself with sackcloth. And the Lord ordains that this change take place for the benefit of those who are showing off their beauty. For the purple is an occasion for softness and arrogance, but the sackcloth is a means for contrition and humility. And he who is dressed in purple is reluctant to throw himself upon the ground and worship God, sparing his adornment, lest the color of his garment be ruined; but he who is clothed in sackcloth deems every place suitable for himself for worship. ^B

132. *Verse 25. And your son, the most beautiful, whom you loved, shall fall by the sword.* It would have been far better for those who were to be brought up in corrupt ways to be snatched away by death before adolescence than to be infected any longer by the wicked upbringing of their parents. You had, therefore, a son, either truly most beautiful in body, or one who appeared so to maternal eyes. He shall die in that very bloom and flower of his youth. And the evil is increased by the fact that he is not taken from our midst by a death that comes of its own accord or naturally, but violently, as he is wounded by the sword by a hostile hand. *And your strong men shall fall by the sword.* And while he suffers these things, not even the power to take revenge will be available to him. For it is a consolation in misfortunes to take revenge for the slain and to repay those who cause grief with like for like. But not even this will be in your power. For all those who are in the prime of life shall die in war, so that only the useless, solitary, and unwarlike age is left behind, which, being destitute of help, is highly exposed to suffering all the evils which it may seem good to the enemies to inflict upon it. ^D *Verse 26. And the cases of your adornment shall be humbled and shall mourn. The cases of gold and silver, and of sumptuous and precious garments,*

as long as they contain precious treasures, they are held in great care and diligence; they are stored in secure houses ^A in high places, and there are bars, and keys, and seals, and guards, and everything that is devised for security and protection. But when they are shown to be empty of these treasures, they are neglected and cast aside and held in contempt. Let this also profit us, for souls that have received the gift of the divine word have become storehouses of valuable things, worthy to be laid up in the divine treasures. But when they are shown to be empty of divine ornaments, they shall be humbled, cast out, and condemned for uselessness. For this reason, he says, Jechonias was made useless, like a vessel for which there is no use. Therefore, that we may remain in the royal storehouses, let us not betray to thieves the precious pearl which we have been entrusted with.

CHAPTER IV

133. And seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own garments, but let thy name be called upon us; take away our reproach from us. ^B According to the literal sense, the word seems to signify the scarcity of men resulting from wars or diseases befalling the people by the wrath of God; so that, in order that there be neither an unfruitful nor a barren woman—both of which were considered a curse among the ancients—the women, putting aside all shame, take hold of one man, and soothing the struggle that he might have in being in charge of many women, ^C they say: We will eat our own bread, and wear our own garments. Therefore, having abandoned the anxiety which is necessary for the sake of making a living, lend us thy name to help us avoid the reproach of our desolation. This is the literal interpretation; but the underlying meaning invites our mind to a deeper investigation. For if we were dealing with a place difficult to see, and which holds much that is obscured by its lack of clarity, such an idea concerning the seven women occurs to us, namely, that in many places both this life and Israel according to the flesh are reckoned by the number seven. For the time concerning things ^D that are in generation is completed by the seven revolving days. Whence also the age after this present state is called the eighth in the Scripture.

^A Hence the psalms "for the octave" are so called, that is, for the age that is to succeed this present time. But also the Jews who are in the manifest, and their polity, are often understood by the number seven. "Give a portion," he says, "to the seven, and also to the eight," since the Old Testament ought to receive witness from God, as well as the New, and they should come into one mutual agreement. Therefore, the seven women foreshadow the Old Testament. "She will take hold of one man," the Lord, who is not one of many, but is the One; saying, "We will eat our own bread," that is, we will remain in our own manner of substance. For we shall be a shadow of things to come, and images of heavenly things. Let only the name of Christ be invoked upon the Old Testament, so that the reproach of uselessness may be removed. But also the synagogue of Israel, once the law by which it was held has been destroyed, having now become free and married to whom she wills, can be called no adulteress, ^B even though she approaches the Bridegroom, the Word, and as if clinging to Him in an amorous embrace, is able to say: "Let Thy name be called upon us."

134. It has been said by some that the seven women are the seven spirits, which this same prophet is about to enumerate a little later, as though they were to rest upon Him who was to blossom from the root of Jesse like a flower: the spirit, I say, of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety, the spirit of the fear of God. These spirits, because all had declined and at the same time become useless, having no place in which to rest lovingly, take hold of the Lord's man and fulfill what is written. For the spirit of knowledge and piety is idle and remains inactive at times when there is no one who understands or seeks after God. ^C And it is, as it were, a reproach and disgrace to the virtues that no one is found to embrace them, but that they are, as it were, widowed by the lack of a soul to receive them. For because they cannot captivate anyone with their own beauty, but remain in solitude, for this reason the virtues themselves seem to be disparaged. But He who was about to demonstrate every kind of virtue in Himself most highly and perfectly, takes away the reproach and ignominy from them. And since it is discovered that knowledge, intelligence, counsel, fortitude, wisdom, and piety are cultivated even by those who knew not God, they demand that the name of Christ be invoked upon them.

135. VERSE 2. On that day shall the Lord shine forth in counsel ^D with glory upon the earth, to exalt and glorify what is left of Israel.

^A These things harmonize with what was previously put forward. For the seven women did not grasp at Him as a man; rather, He will shine forth as Lord. Since they have taken thought that His name should be called upon them, God, accepting their eagerness, will shine upon them in counsel with glory upon the earth; that is to say, judiciously and with deliberation, bestowing what is good from judgment, and not inconsiderately nor lavishly. And this day ^B is that in which God will shine forth in counsel with glory; this is the very day which the Sun of righteousness Himself makes, our Lord, who teaches us about Himself that, so long as He is in the world, He is the light of the world; for which reason He also exhorted us to work while it is day.

It should be noted that, according to different interpretations, this present life is called "day" and the day of judgment is called "night." And again, the present state is called "night," while the age that is hoped for is called "day." For the saying, *Work while it is day*, clearly refers to this life, as it is illumined by the knowledge of Christ; but the saying, *Night is coming*, is spoken concerning the age to come, which is so named because of the gloom and pain of those who are found in sin. Just as the prophet also rebukes those who, though they were engaged in wicked deeds, were nevertheless urging on the day of retribution: *Why*, he says, *do you desire the day of the Lord? And it is darkness, and not light.* ^C But, on the other hand, the Apostle also calls this life "night," both because of the confusion within it and because of the darkening that, for the most part, befalls the mind from the flesh and the cares of this life; and he calls the time of the resurrection "day," when he says: *The night is far spent, and the day has drawn near.*

Therefore, whichever interpretation you wish to accept, God will shine forth in counsel with glory upon the earth. Since, then, He shines forth with counsel, let us render ourselves worthy to receive His illumination, so that He who bestows His brightness according to the capacity of each one, may, in view of the greater zeal of our soul, supply even greater and more perfect gifts from Himself. *And He will exalt* that which is left of Israel; that is to say, He will raise up above earthly and coarse things, and will bring to the contemplation of incorporeal things, the remnant of Israel according to the election of grace. But if you desire to learn, according to the pleasure of Scripture, of the glory with which the saints shall be glorified, conceive, I pray you, of that sacrosanct state in which the mind and soul of those who contemplate great and divine things resides. Such was the state of Moses when he was deemed worthy to ^D

^A behold God. Since, therefore, God will shine forth in counsel along with glory, He has added two things to these two, namely, to exalt and to glorify, so that one might understand the work of counsel to be the exaltation, and that of glory to be the glorifying.

136. VERS. 3. *And it shall be, that what is left in Zion, and what is left in Jerusalem, all shall be called holy that are written unto life in Jerusalem.* The remnant of Israel according to the election of grace [*] will be called holy, and those who have been illuminated by the epiphany of God and exalted by His glory will be inscribed unto life in Jerusalem. These shall be called holy, whom God has left for Himself, in imitation of those who did not bow the knee to Baal. But why are some in Zion, and others in Jerusalem? Because even among those who are saved, there is a difference; each one, according to his own order, will share in the good things prepared by God and will be a partaker of them. ^B And since there are few who attain salvation, Scripture has rendered the sense not in the plural, but in the singular number. For it did not say, "Those who were left," but, "That which is left." And that which is left in Zion seems to be the inferior order, as if left behind by those who are hastening toward what is further ahead; but the more perfect order, on account of the merit of its works, is seen to have obtained a seat in Jerusalem itself. Moreover, the history of these orders also suggests to us their difference, from the fact that Zion is the ancient and inferior city, whereas Jerusalem is the royal city, in which holiness prevails. Certainly all these will be written unto life in Jerusalem, and blessed is everyone who shall be deemed worthy to be written in Jerusalem. ^C For it is fitting that the book of the living, in which the disciples of Christ are written, should be found in that Jerusalem. "Rejoice," He says, "because your names are written in heaven." But since the phrase "unto life" is added to the words "they that are written in Jerusalem," it is necessary to consider whether there are some who are indeed written, but not unto life, according to Jeremiah who says: "Let them that depart be written on the earth." Thus, according to this sense, two kinds of enrollments can be understood: one of those who are unto life, and another of those who are written unto perdition. And often a change in the record occurs, whenever we fall away from virtue into wickedness. For those words: *Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the just*; and again: *Blot me out of thy book*; are spoken of certain ones as though they had already been considered worthy to be enrolled in the book of God. ^D

137. VERS. 4. *For the Lord will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion, and will purge the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, in the spirit of judgment and in the spirit of burning.* These words clearly herald the same thing that John said concerning the Lord: *He it is who shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire*; and concerning himself, that I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance...

(this is the first page of the chain) ^A And he says: *I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance*. Since, therefore, the Lord has joined both—that which is *of water unto repentance* and that which is *of the Spirit unto regeneration*—Scripture designates both as baptism. Indeed, I do not know if there are three conceptions of baptism: the expurgation of filth, the regeneration through the Spirit, and that which is the testing in the fire of judgment; such that the washing is understood as the putting off of sin that occurs at this time, while these expressions, *in the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning*, refer to the testing by fire to be required in the age to come. Sins committed through ignorance, being like some filth that obscures the surface of the soul and damages its natural beauty, stand in need of the cleansing that comes by washing; but those sins unto death of those who voluntarily transgress after having received the knowledge are called blood, and stand in need of the judgment in the heat. Since, therefore, he who confesses seeks both to be washed and to be cleansed, and speaks of iniquity requiring washing but sin requiring cleansing, saying: *Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin*. Those who are entirely uninstructed in the divine teachings, having sinned before learning the Word, are as if covered in filth and stand in need of cleansing by water; but those who, after having received life, plot against themselves and become guilty of blood, it is necessary ^B that they be cleansed by fire. But it can also be explained more simply: that superficial transgressions are like filth, whereas sins that are deeply impressed from the disposition of those who transgress toward evil are likened to blood. Wherefore, blood is also said to be cleansed from the midst of those who have sinned through the burning of the Spirit.

138. *And it shall come to pass, and every place round about Sion, a cloud shall overshadow, by day as smoke, and as fire burning by night; with all the glory it shall be covered. And it shall be for a shadow from the heat, and for a covering, and for a hiding place from the harshness and the rain.* After the purification by the laver and the cleansing by repentance, a time will come, he says, when every place shall be made familiar to the mount of Sion; that is, it shall be exalted and shall be deemed worthy to be a place from which the heavenly things may be viewed. After seven women have taken hold of one man, and the Lord has shone forth with glory in counsel, to exalt and glorify that which is left of the

^A Israel; when also they have been called holy, because the filth of the daughters of Sion has been washed away, and their blood purged from their midst, then a cloud of day shall shade the things around Jerusalem, so as to provide shade from the heat, and a covering from severity and rain; and by night he shall be held by a burning light, and the glory shall be as a certain smoke encompassing all things. We judge, moreover, that these things are promised to those worthy of rest. For since there are many mansions in the Father's house, and a various distribution of inheritance is laid up in the land of the promise, which the meek shall inherit, it is clear that some indeed will rest in the brightness of the manifestation of God, and others under the shelter of the heavenly powers, and others still will be concealed in the glory from that light, as if from smoke. Perhaps the light itself will shine upon Sion itself; and the cloud of day, ^B which possesses its origin from no other source than from the light itself, will shine upon the things round about it. Just as smoke comes from fire, so this [cloud], having its consistency from the light, beneath which those dwelling will enjoy great glory, as being illuminated by the cloud itself, expanding in the heat over their heads, and providing a pleasant breathing from the overshadowing; and when harsh rains burst forth, it fulfills the need for solid and dense coverings, and sufficiently shelters those needing to be hidden, and by its own density wards off the gaze. Of such a kind was the luminous cloud which, at the transfiguration of the Lord, enveloped the disciples. Since, moreover, the stability and, as it were, the set consistency of the cloud is a sign of calmness, it indicates the undisturbed state of that time through the shelter ^C of the cloud. Furthermore, to see more clearly what it is to be "in the covering of a shelter," we are led by an example of this kind. Let someone be sought by enemies, but be guarded by his own kin in a chamber very difficult to find. Such a thing, therefore, must be understood to happen concerning the holy one, being sheltered by that divine cloud so as not to be easily mastered by enemies. So much, that the help bestowed upon those round about Sion may be more clearly understood, in that the cloud overshadows them by day, so that they may be rescued from the heat; and by night, the light of fire is kindled for them, ^D illuminating them; and at both times they may be safe and secure from those who plot against them.

CHAPTER V

139. ^A *Vers. 1. I will sing to my beloved a song of my beloved concerning my vineyard.* All songs seem to embrace a more joyful state of affairs. The ode found in Exodus is a song composed for a victory gained: *Let us sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously magnified* (Exodus xv. 1). The Song of Songs is a nuptial poem, interwoven in a dramatic fashion. But here the Scripture contains threats brought upon the vineyard by the just judgment of God. Yet, could these very terrifying things that are threatened be included among songs because they are referred to a good end? The person who announces the song is the Holy Spirit, who sings the song to the beloved vineyard. ^B And this is the song of the beloved. But who is beloved by nature, if not the Only-Begotten, the essential Good, which all things desire, and whose love is naturally and ineffably impressed upon the minds of all who are endowed with reason? Since, therefore, according to the word of the Lord, the Paraclete receives all things from the Only-Begotten and announces them to us, he says this is the song of the beloved, as though received from him. The same ode is a song to the vineyard once beloved, if it repents; but if it persists in sin, it becomes a lamentation and a woe, just as we learned in Ezekiel, that it was written in the same book, a song, a ^C lamentation, and a woe (Ezek. ii. 9). Indeed, the word of the Lord, inviting to eternal life and the enjoyment of heavenly goods, was a song, which stirred souls to a rhythmic and harmonious movement and to activity consistent with virtue. But John’s preaching, by which the disobedient were turned to repentance, was a lamentation, which produced sorrow unto salvation not to be repented of (II Cor. vii. 10). The Jews, however, because of the hardness of their hearts, were neither induced to life by gentler words, nor led to repentance by more austere ones. And so, the song that is in our hands both embraces ^D the praise of their ancient nobility and of the care God has exercised for them, and reveals their present wickedness, and threatens the evils that are to be inflicted. And yet, neither do those things call the disobedient people back to their proper dignity, nor have these things been able to restrain them or make them more prudent.

140. He takes up the beginning from the ancient praises. *The vineyard was made for the beloved, in a horn, in a fat place.* By the vineyard he refers to the people of Israel. For, he says, *You have brought a vine out of Egypt* (Ps. lxxix. 19). And in Jeremiah, through the same image, reproach is brought upon the people for the same thing.

^A *For I planted you a fruitful vine, all true; how then have you turned into bitterness, a strange vine?* (Jer. ii, 21). *In a horn, in a fat place.* He speaks of the land occupied by the Israelite people, given to their fathers according to the promise of God (16). *In a horn, in a fat place.* Great praise is comprehended in few words. A horn is higher than the rest of the body and firmer, serving at once as an ornament to the head and as a suitable weapon for warding off injuries. But it is dry and devoid of moisture. For this reason, the young of horned animals do not rush to the horn of the mother, but, without anyone teaching them, seek the teat—that is, the moist and fat place. Therefore, the discourse, showing that the region of the Jews is sufficient for both purposes—namely, both to guard them from enemies and to feed the inhabitants—united both: *In a horn, in a fat place*, that is, in a resilient and nourishing place. Now there are some who, while interpreting this thought, touch upon a more recondite understanding. Namely, just as the head of horned animals emerges first at their birth (53), yet is last to be completed, and only late, as the horns grow, receives its proper ornament, so also Israel—who of all nations was the first called into intimacy and benevolence with God (*For it is said, "The Lord’s people, his portion, the cord of his inheritance, Israel"* (17))—is destined to attain its perfection and consummation after all others. For when the fullness of the nations has entered in, then all Israel shall be saved (18).

141. ^C There is also a report of this kind maintained in the Church by unwritten tradition: namely, that Judea first had Adam as an inhabitant, who, after he had been cast out of paradise, settled in that place to mitigate the loss of the goods of which he had been deprived. Therefore, it also received the first dead man, since Adam fulfilled his penalty there. Wherefore, the bone of the head, denuded of the flesh which had fallen away, seemed to the men of that age a new and strange spectacle; and because they deposited the skull in that place, they called it the place of Calvary (or "of the skull"). ^D It is probable, moreover, that Noah, the leader of all mankind, was not ignorant of the burial place, so much so that after the flood this report was spread by him. For that reason, the Lord, having sought out the first-fruits of human death, suffered death in the aforementioned place of Calvary, so that in the place where the destruction of men received its beginning, from there the life of the kingdom might begin its origin; and even as death prevailed in Adam, so it might be weakened in the death of Christ. Wherefore also *In a horn*, as having the cross of Christ as a weapon against the enemy; and, *In a fat [place]*, as...

having obtained the first place among all regions under the sun after paradise.

142. VERSE 2. *And I circumcised, and walled, and planted a vineyard of Sorech; and I built a tower in the midst of it, and I dug a winepress in it.* The sequence of the terminology does not quite follow the nature of the facts. For it is first to plant and [then] to stake; if indeed stakes are an aid to the vine for raising the fruits from the earth. But might the provident farmer, having prepared everything for the first construction, only then begin the planting? ^B For this reason, he first hedges, then stakes, then plants a vineyard; and not just any vineyard, but Sorech, which Symmachus translates as "Elect." What, then, is the hedge, if not evidently the commandments which He gave to the people before bringing them into the land of possession? Then power was given to them by God to prevail over their adversaries and to destroy the nations that had previously dwelt there. This is what he called "stakes," because they make the fruits high and conspicuous, raising them from the ground so that they might not be easily accessible ^C to anyone. After this comes the planting of the elect, because they were from the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the elect of God. The tower built in the midst of the vineyard is evidently the temple established in the midst of Judea; and the winepress is the synagogue of the Jews themselves, because the press is properly called the Church of God, adorned by a gathering from everywhere, for the sake of which the vintage songs are sung by the Psalmist. But the winepress is also the preparation afforded by the Law and a preliminary exercise in piety; and insofar as it leads to unity, it is a press, but ^D insofar as it prepares for more perfect things, it is a winepress. *I looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth thorns.* It was fitting for this elect plantation, and one cultivated with such great care, to yield sweet fruits. For the works of Abraham are required of the children of Abraham. But instead of the expected grape, it produced thorns; that is, instead of gladdening and refreshing, it was prepared to prick and tear and draw blood from those who approached. For which of the prophets did they not kill, according to the parable in the Gospel? And I believe they are not accused of having produced thorns only on account of their murderous propensity, but because, ceasing to love God, they loved pleasure more, and choked their soul with the cares of life as if with thorns. As

^A a thorn does not bear grapes, so neither does the vine-shoot produce thorns. For this reason the Lord says: "Do they gather grapes from thorns?" Yet the Jews produce thorns instead of grapes.

143. VERSE 3. *And now, O man of Judah, and ye that dwell in Jerusalem, judge between me and my vineyard.* If the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel, and the man of Judah is the beloved plant, how is it that a suit is brought before the vineyard against the vineyard? Does the Scripture wish, because of the evidence and clarity of the reproaches, to make them judges against themselves? Nathan did this also against David, when he established him as the judge of his own iniquity. But this further demonstrates the greatest kindness, that God comes into judgment with His servants on equal terms. Simultaneously, justice is also demonstrated from this, in that those who are condemned cannot contradict the evidence and clarity ^B of justice. "Judge," He says, "between me and my vineyard. And tell me, what of the things that contribute to fruitfulness has not been done for it?" "For what," He says, "shall I do for my vineyard, and I did not do for it? What of the things incumbent upon me regarding the care of it have I not done? Is not the place fat and most secure? Is not the fence, the wall, the most noble planting, the tower, the winepress, have all these things not been provided? Is there anything that one can bring forward that has not been done?" But it must be thought that Scripture says these things against us also: who, called to bring forth the fruits of justice, fall through an excessive love of riches into temptation, and a snare, and foolish and harmful desires, which drown men ^C in destruction and perdition. "I expected that it would bring forth grapes, but it brought forth thorns." It was worth the effort to repeat the same sentence. For indeed, the one who announced the song in the place above was saying: "I expected that it would bring forth grapes"; here, however, He addresses those before whom He is being judged: "Judge between me and my vineyard." Indeed, pass judgment on this: "I expected that it would bring forth grapes, but it brought forth thorns."

144. VERSE 5. *And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard.* It is proper to the concern that God has for men never to inflict punishments in silence, but to announce them beforehand, inasmuch as He provokes sinners to repentance through threats: the manner of acting He used towards the Ninevites through Jonah. And He did not bring the destruction and ruin upon the sinful Israel in silence, ^D but, moving them to intercession on behalf of the people.

^A and inciting his own servant, He foretold, saying: "And now release me, and I will blot out this people." Similarly, we have learned something in the Gospel regarding the parable taken from the fig tree, since its master says to the vinedresser: "Behold, three years I come to this fig tree, seeking fruit in it, and I find none. Cut it down. Why does it even render the land useless?" He said this, on the one hand, to incite the vinedresser to care for it, and on the other, to rouse the fruitless soul to produce for itself the fruits befitting it.

What we are saying can be found more clearly in Jeremiah: "For behold," he says, "as the clay of the potter, so are you in my hands, house of Israel, says the Lord. At one time I will speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom, to root them out and to destroy them; and if that nation turns from their evils, I will repent of the evils which I thought to do to them. And at one time I will speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, ^B to build up and to plant; and they shall do evil before me, not hearing my voice; and I will repent of the good things which I spoke to do to them." In this way, therefore, we receive this prophecy here, not as a declaration of what will certainly come to pass, but as a threat producing a turning away from sin.

What, then, is it that He threatens? "I will take away her hedge, and she shall be for plunder. And I will pull down her wall, and it shall be for trampling. And I will neglect my vineyard, and it shall not be pruned, nor shall it be dug, and thorn shall rise up into it as into a desert ^C land. And I will command the clouds not to rain rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel, and the man of Judah is a beloved plant. I waited for it to produce judgment, but it produced iniquity, and not justice, but a cry."

Having therefore taken up and examined each of the threatened things, and having scrutinized their meaning, let us investigate whether the things being said touch also upon us. "I will take away," He says, "her hedge." It is fitting to interpret this hedge as the legal commandments, or else the Israel itself, according to Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, who says that "He is the one who has broken down the middle wall of the hedge, having abolished ^D the law of commandments in ordinances." For this same wall seemed both to be a safeguard for Israel and a hindrance to intercourse and the union of the peoples, because they were discouraged by the heavy yoke of the Law from the acceptance of the word of piety. Therefore, He who in ordinances—that is, in lofty contemplations—abolished the carnal and humble observance of the legal letter, he broke down the middle wall of the hedge, not because He abandoned His own people

^A but by gathering them into one sheepfold, so that there might be one flock and one shepherd. Now, therefore, the Word threatens to tear down the hedge; that is, He signifies that He will remove every protection of Israel. And perhaps, since the Law was given through angels in the hand of a mediator, He hints that He will remove the guardianship of the angels who protect the borders of Israel. Could it be that each of us, having a holy angel encamping round about those who fear the Lord, might, if examined in sins, become liable to the threatened plague and be stripped of the wall of security provided by the holy powers? As long as those powers are present, they keep those guarded by them unassailable. But every soul that is deprived of this protection is exposed to plunder by its enemies—that is, by the opposing powers—and to the trampling of him who boastfully says: "After I have gone about the earth, I have arrived." ^B Something similar the Psalm says concerning the vine: "Why have You broken down her hedge?" and, "The boar from the forest has laid it waste." For those who are not hedged about by the counsel and power of the angels are exposed to irrational impulses; and because of the stench of sin that abounds in them, they are fit to be received by swine—those who stir up the mire of sin more and more, and wallow in it. The Apostle says something similar: "And just as they did not see fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to shameful passions, to do what ought not to be done." That is, those who cast off the safeguard of reason lie open to beastly thoughts and wicked demons, who are the authors of uncleanness for them. And the threat did indeed reach Israel ^C when, because of their sin against the Lord, they were handed over to the nations, and, being abandoned to them, became a plundering and a trampling for their enemies.

146. It then says: "And it shall be for a trampling." When recounting above the benefits He had bestowed upon the people, He said: "I placed a hedge, and I built a tower." Here, however, "I will take away its hedge, and I will tear down the wall." By the wall, I think, He means the tower, since a tower consists of four walls joined together at the corners; so that there, the high circuit of the walls of the vineyard is to be understood as the tower, so that it might be inaccessible and unassailable to the enemy. Our wall, too, is torn down when, through ^D lethargy and sloth, we render ourselves unworthy of the protection of the divine dogmas. For to the righteous, God is a tower from the face of the enemy; but from the sinner, because of his abandonment, every guard and the rampart of the entire citadel is taken away. "And I will abandon my vineyard,"

and it shall not be pruned, nor shall it be tilled. It is clear from this that the indulgence of sinners comes about through abandonment. For if He provides for them, the Word says: "I will not leave you, neither will I forsake you" (Jos. 1, 5). But those of whom He utterly despairs, He leaves at liberty to fulfill the desires of their flesh and of their own imaginations, since divine chastisement would be of no profit to them. "I will abandon," He says, "the vineyard." And what happens to it as a result? "It shall not be pruned," He says, "nor shall it be tilled anymore." For just as those who prune a vine hold its strength in check, so that it may produce its fruits in a regulated and temperate way through the flow of necessary things, so also is a soul bowed down ^B by afflictions; it is, as it were, contracted and humbled for its own benefit, and it is recalled to take care of itself, choosing what is necessary and useful in the conduct of its affairs. But the soul that is left uncontrolled is like a neglected vine; it runs wild and spills itself out on useless and unprofitable things, making a show of all its works for the deception of many. For the one who produces the works of corruption is like a vine that nurtures wood, leaves, and tendrils, but does not produce the wine that creates gladness and is worthy to be stored in the king's storehouses.

147. The neglected vineyard, therefore, suffers two grievous things: it is not pruned, He says, nor is it tilled. It has been said what "not being pruned" means, namely, not being buffeted by adverse circumstances, which is ordained for the benefit of those who are afflicted. But a man is "tilled" when he is taught to take all the material surrounding him and use it for his own profit ^C. For instance, the rich man, whose soul is weighed down by the burden of earthly things, toward whom the heavenly rain does not flow, is "untilled"; for it does not reach the root, because much vanity is piled up upon it. Whoever, however, has learned through the word of compunction to cast off the crowd of earthly and corruptible things, and to breathe again after being confined, and to uncover his own hidden things, and to overturn the roots of bitterness, and to render them, as it were, withered through repentance—this man is "tilled." Consequently, the overgrowth of thorns is also prevented; that is, the anxieties of this life will have no place in the overturning of earthly things. Furthermore, to explain what "not being pruned" means, we must also take into account that which is said in the Gospel according to John: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away: and every one that beareth fruit, he purgeth ^D it, that it may bring forth more fruit" (John XV, 1, 2).

^A The bad steward, therefore, says: "I cannot dig." But the good and prudent steward will skillfully dig around it; that is, he will stir up all his possessions and adapt them to his primary life, showing that just as earth, when it is removed from the roots, becomes food for the plant, but when it lies heavily upon it, crushes and weighs it down, so too the accumulation of wealth, lying heavily upon the rich, sinks their souls; but when it is alienated from the possessors and distributed to those in need, it then becomes their own. ^B And it follows from its not being pruned nor dug that thorns grow in it as in untilled land. Our Savior said that those who entangle themselves in the concerns and anxieties of this life are like land producing thorns, which indeed receives the fruit of the Word, but chokes it with thorns. Therefore, ^C there is a great multitude of cares in an untilled soul. That is why He says: "Thorns shall come up in it as in untilled land."

148. Observe also that the prophet previously said: "I expected it to produce grapes, but it produced thorns"; here, however, he added: "And they shall come up." For Scripture indicates a certain magnitude of wickedness, and a wide-ranging proliferation of it, through the rising and growth of the thorns. Furthermore, since the shoots of the vine are evil, the rain is taken away from it, because it did not use the help from Him as it ought to have done. So we, too, whenever we do not use for good the opportunities granted to us by God, have the help from heaven taken away from us. But if Israel is the vineyard, it remains untilled because it did not render the fruits that were its duty to the Master; but rather it first beat, stoned, and killed the servants sent to it, and finally laid hands on the Master's very Son to kill Him. Now all these evil and unjust actions are called thorns; because they are the offspring of a cursed land, it is fitting that the clouds receive orders not to rain upon the vineyard that brings forth such things. What, then, are the clouds, and what is the rain? Let us endeavor, through the physics concerning clouds, to arrive at an understanding of what has been said. A cloud, therefore, is dense air consisting of moist vapors raised from the earth, then lifted up by the winds; as soon as it has been gathered by their aid into a fitting mass, and sufficient weight has been added from the moisture infused into it, it then falls to the earth in drops. This is the nature of rains which have their origin from the earth, and again fall through the air onto the earth. Such also were the prophets, who, though originating from a common nature, but because of the purity of their soul, by the power of the Spirit

were exalted on high, and instilled drops of life-giving words into good and fruit-bearing souls. Such was Moses, who said: "Let my speech be expected as the rain"; and again: "As a shower upon the grass, and as the snow-like rain upon the herb." These heavenly powers, therefore, receive the command not to rain upon the thorn-bearing vineyard, which crowned my Lord with its own thorns. For this reason, there is now silence in that synagogue regarding the word of God, and there is no longer a prophet, nor prince, nor leader, but a severe and cloudless drought, with the old curse upon it being confirmed; for, "And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be as brass, and the earth under thee as iron"; and again: "The Lord shall give the rain of thy land dust: and dust from heaven shall come down upon thee, until it shall wear thee away." For the spiritual clouds are no longer, and the prophet is no longer, because the commandment of the Lord is being firmly observed. Even if the clouds are said to rain, nonetheless, it is the Lord who rains. For, says the prophet, "Is there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? Art not thou he, O Lord our God?" And again, it is spoken from the person of God: "And I will rain upon one city, and upon one city I will not rain: one part shall be rained upon, and the part whereupon I rain not shall wither." For the good God arranges that the portion of the worse not be watered, so that the shoots of wickedness might wither within it. He clearly set forth the intention ^B of the word, that He calls Israel the vineyard, against which the things promised and foretold have been threatened.

149. "And the man of Judah, a beloved plantation." The name of Jacob was divided into Israel and Judah, first in the time of David, after the death of Saul, when the people were divided between the son of Saul and David; later, in the time of Rehoboam, when Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who caused Israel to sin, led the ten tribes away. For this reason, it received a double name. It is evident from the fourth book of Kings that Israel sinned more, and for this reason, it was taken into captivity more quickly. And in Ezekiel, ninety-three days are numbered for the sins of Israel, and forty for the sins of Judah. Therefore, here too, the thorn-bearing vineyard becomes the house of Israel, while the house of Judah becomes a man, no longer a vineyard, but a plantation—not uncultivated, but beloved. ^C But who is that man from

^A Judah, flourishing in life and truly beloved? It is not difficult for one who knows how to contemplate such things to see. "I looked that it should bring forth judgment, but it brought forth iniquity, and not righteousness, but a cry." Since, according to Solomon, "The thoughts of the righteous are judgments," [Prov. XII, 5.] we are required to do all things with judgment, and nothing without it. Yet, iniquity accompanies a life led without judgment and inconsiderately. For whoever does not follow right reason, nor judges what ought to be done or not done according to the rule given by the law, commits iniquity; and he is not a worker of righteousness, but the cause of a cry, of tumult, and of confusion. For the rest of those who are judged follows upon just judgments, as they accept what is decreed with a steady and tranquil mind; conversely, a cry and seditious tumult accompany the unjust judgments of those who are indignant at injustice. ^B Regarding this "cry," the Apostle also admonishes, saying: "Let all clamor and tumult be put away from you, with all malice." [Ephes. IV, 31.] But there is also a good cry, such as Christ uttered while standing in the temple [Joan. VII, 37.]—the kind which David also used, saying: "With my voice have I cried unto the Lord." [Psal. CXLII, 2.] Nor is it any wonder that the same name should be used to designate opposite things, if it signifies, on the one hand, something tumultuous and disordered, and on the other, the loud and noble voice of heavenly doctrines. In the present phrase, however, the cry has an affinity with that which ascended from Sodom and Gomorrah. [Gen. XIX, 13.]

150. "Woe unto them that join house to house, and lay field to field, that they may take away something away from their neighbor. Shall ye dwell alone upon the earth? For these things have been heard in the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth." ^C For if there are many houses, they shall be a desert, great and fair, yet there shall be no one to dwell in them. "For where ten yokes of oxen work, it shall produce one small vessel. And he that sows six artabae shall produce three measures." Those are now lamented who, for the sake of the desire for more, cut off what belongs to their neighbors; who are not content with their own rural estates or with their own wealth stored at home, but, in measuring the fields, invade the boundaries of their neighbors, and transgressing their own, they claim for themselves the enclosed houses of their neighbors. Being confined into a narrow space by their own insatiable avarice, they are in no way able to contain themselves within their own borders; nay, they even abuse that specious pretext ^D to satiate their own avarice.

^A For it seems to those who are neighbors that their lands are close and connected. To them the Word has countered with most censorious words, saying: "Will you live alone upon the earth?" For if, because a neighbor who farms the land adjacent to you is rightfully to be taken away, it is obvious that once he is cast out, *another* neighbor will appear to you, and your greedy heart will suggest the same thing to you again regarding him, demonstrating that it is reasonable to make the neighboring land your own. But when that man, too, having been stripped of his own possessions, has departed, and the land has become part of your estate as a third territory, there is again another neighbor, other schemes to drive him from his property, and to make the goods of a fourth neighbor your own. What, then, shall be the limit of your desire for more? For the greedy heart is like fire, proceeding through burning material, destroying some things and leaping toward others. ^B And just as the lack of fuel becomes the extinction of a conflagration, so too does this alone restrain the greedy heart and the insatiable eye: having no one who is bounded by one's own possessions. The Word, therefore, healing this passion from afar, as if chanting to a soul possessed by the love of gain, says these things: "Will you live alone upon the earth?" It will certainly not be lacking; you must obviously reach the ends of this inhabited world of ours. ^C But if this is impossible, restrain your own impulse toward evil from the very first thought, O man, being content with what you have received, abiding in what you possess, knowing that even the grandeur of houses, because they stand upon injustice, is destitute of inhabitants, and a multitude of land, acquired through avarice, has often been proven barren of fruits. For the divine judgment often anticipates the judgment to come, and already renders houses unjustly acquired useless, making them—from a state of dense population and brilliant prosperity—destitute of inhabitants. We have, indeed, often known whole families to have been utterly destroyed, so that, failing successors, the grand and proud structures of their buildings have collapsed to the ground. ^D But also, as many as have extended the boundaries of their own holdings by encroaching upon their neighbors, because their possessions have been acquired through the groaning of the wronged, have been proven utterly alien to the divine blessing; so that where ten yoke of oxen have labored, scarcely one jar of wine is harvested, and where six *artabae* were sown, three measures of crops are gathered, which is a tiny fraction of the seeds.

^A The expression, however, is capable of being led by the studious into a wider and more useful interpretation of the prophecy. For the house of each person may be understood as his doctrines and actions, because of the dense and unified structure found in the thoughts concerning each doctrine. For, just as in a house a foundation is laid for the rest of the structure, so too in the case of doctrines there are certain hypotheses and primary principles upon which they rely as they formulate their teachings, weaving together the subsequent points in order and in connection with the primary principles. ^B Therefore, all those who append the doctrine of the faith—which has as its foundation and principle our Lord Jesus Christ—to doctrines that are foreign and alien to piety, are those over whom the Word laments for acting contrary to duty, by adding "house to house." For that the doctrines of piety are called a house, the Lord himself taught us through the parable, saying, "Everyone who hears these my words, and does them, will be likened to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock." ^C Paul also, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, seems to teach us that each of those who have believed in Christ builds a house for himself. For, he says, "No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw." Since, however, of those who construct their doctrines, some, holding things worthy of laughter and mockery, build, as it were, a laughter, while others, more refined, construct serious and praiseworthy things: Micah, demolishing the houses of those who make themselves ridiculous, says: "In Gath do not magnify yourselves; and you in Accarim, do not rebuild from a house to your own mockery." And again, the same prophet, rebuking wicked teachers, says: "Hear now these things, you leaders of the house of Jacob, and the remnant of the house of Israel: who abhor judgment, and pervert all things that are straight; who build Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquities." For everyone who fabricates foreign doctrines builds Zion, that is, his own observation post, with blood; and he who establishes a church of evildoers builds Jerusalem with iniquities. If, therefore

^A There are two kinds of buildings: the one good, founded upon the rock and upon the foundation of Christ; the other bad, which is both ridiculous and a cause of destruction. Fittingly, therefore, the Word laments those who attach the good house to the worse one, as if mixing things that cannot be mixed. But you should consider whether all people—whatever doctrines they may hold regarding the truth—possessing a beautiful house, made of healthy and true concepts already possessed by their common understanding and sown in them by the Creator, do in fact add an inferior house to a beautiful one when, deviating from the truth, they introduce things alien to divine teaching out of external deception. And let these things be said regarding the term "house."

^B 153. Since not only is the soul God's building, but it is also God's tilled field, as the blessed Paul says; and since the same soul is founded as a house and rooted as a plant ("rooted and founded in love," he says), let us also discuss the joining of field to field, for which those who act maliciously and erroneously become liable to the judgment that follows. Therefore, let us examine whatever has been said concerning agriculture, as it is related to what lies before us. ^C There is, indeed, a noble planting, in accordance with Solomon who says: "I planted for myself a vineyard, I made for myself gardens and parks, and I planted in them every kind of fruit-bearing tree." But there is also a planting which the heavenly Father did not plant, which is torn up by the roots according to the Lord’s threat. And this planting possesses a vine from the planting of Sodom, and a shoot from Gomorrah, and it cultivates a vintage of gall, and bears a cluster of bitterness for those who possess it. "The fury of dragons is their wine, and the fury of asps is incurable." He, therefore, who has planted his own governing faculty with every spiritual fruit-bearing and, into the natural faculties which were rooted in him by the Creator for the demonstration of fruits of righteousness, has cast in the seeds of a most wicked husbandman—this is the person who is lamented by the Word on account of the forbidden joining of field to field. For this reason, it also threatens him with barrenness, as he will not bring forth examples of fruits corresponding to the teaching given to him. "For where ten yokes of oxen are ploughing, he will produce one jar." The text speaks of the local custom of those in Phoenicia who plough a vineyard with oxen; but the spiritual meaning points toward those who are double-minded and who lay hold of contrary dogmas and connect them to one another, whose souls are unfruitful.

154. Woe to those who rise up early, and ^D

^A follow strong drink, those who wait until the evening; for wine shall burn them up. For with the lyre and the psaltery, and the drums and the pipes, they drink wine; but they do not look upon the works of the Lord, nor do they consider the works of his hands. This present part of the prophecy contains the explanation of the apostolic saying: for there it says, "Drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. vi, 10); but here, "Woe to those who rise up early and follow after strong drink." For it is customary for the Hebrews to call any drink that can produce drunkenness "strong drink." Those, therefore, who immediately at the beginning of the day, according to the Proverb (Prov. xxiii, 31), cast their eyes upon cups and bowls, and look about to see where drinking parties are being held, and scout out wine-shops and taverns, and take one another along to banquets, and consume all the concern of their souls on the care for such things—these are lamented by the prophet. They reserve no time for themselves to consider the wondrous works of God, and they do not afford their eyes any leisure to look up to heaven and its beauty, so that from the arrangement of these things they might conceive of the Creator, but they even decorate their banquet-place ^B with variegated rugs and floral tapestries, and they show a certain superfluous zeal and care in the preparation of drinking vessels, inventing and devising rhyta, bowls, ivy-cups, craters, and other such names and shapes for the sake of the apparatus of drunkenness: as if this variety of vessels would remove satiety from them, and the changing and diversity of cups would provide them with a suitable exercise for drinking. Then, pledging one another in turn and instituting a contest of drinking, what limit do they bypass in their own ignominy? The defeated, the victors, all are drunk. 155. Furthermore, there are those who preside over the banquets: there are masters of the wine and architriclini, and there is an order in disorder, and a certain composition in an uncomposed affair. The masters are overwhelmed with wine, the servants are drowned in wine: all things are filled with mockers and drunkards, a miserable spectacle for the eyes of Christians. Indeed, afterwards, just as in worldly lordships the gravity of the attendants increases the power: so also, by offering a kind of service to drunkenness as if it were a queen, they cover its disgrace with an over-zealous cult. ^D Crowns on these, and flowers strewn about the banquet, and ointments and incense, and myriad other delights applied from the outside

they prepare for those who are perishing, procuring for them an eternal punishment equal to the present merriment. ^A Then, as the drinking proceeds further, flutes and lyres and drums are prepared; truly these lament the lost, but according to the custom of the drunkards, they aim at being a delight, so that through this music all the pleasures of the soul may be aroused within them—as if the heat of the wine itself were not enough to stir up a swarm of desires in the miserable soul of the drinker. But in order that all their senses may be bewitched and held fast by pleasure: the ears are soothed by the piping, the sense of smell is filled with incense and fragrances, the mouth serves the passing wine, and the eyes see what is happening—or rather, they see it otherwise than as it is, since the sharpness of their senses has been taken away by drunkenness. Wherefore ^B it is said: "Woe to those who rise up early in the morning and pursue strong drink, who wait until evening," and who spend their whole days in these things, so that they allot no time to themselves to look upon the works of the Lord and to consider the works of his hands. For when could they be taught about God? In the morning? But immediately upon rising from sleep, they pursue strong drink. In the middle of the day? But then, most of all, the carousing increases and grows strong among them. In the evening? But they are still drinking, and the day fails them, yet drunkenness does not leave them. But most of all, they are addicted to carousing during the night, as if it belonged to them by a special right.

156. "Woe therefore to those who rise up early in the morning and pursue strong drink, who wait until evening." The prophet explains why they are able to linger at their drinking: "For the wine will burn them up." He brings forward ^C the reason why an insatiable desire to drink is inherent in them. For when a great deal of unmixed wine has been poured in, he says, it introduces greater heat into the body and scorches the drinker’s natural moisture. Then, I think, as the wine itself becomes a goad to itself, it prepares a larger space for what is entering. Just as the beds of torrents seem to be full when the water is flowing, but when it has passed by, they remain dry, stony, and arid; so too the bodies of the drunkards, having been hollowed out by the excess of wine, are scorched and draw the natural moisture to themselves. "Who wait until evening." For this reason, he says, they wait until evening: "For the wine will burn them up." But that fire which is excited by wine, once introduced into the flesh, ^D rises to meet the burning arrows of the enemy. For wine submerges reason and the mind, and it kindles desires and pleasures just as oil feeds a flame. Consequently, we do not take the words, "The wine will burn them up," solely in regard to an avidity for drinking, (Note: 78 Ephes. vi, 16)

^A but also in regard to the remaining inflammation of the body. Then the discourse advances, further increasing the absurdity: "For with harp," it says, "and psaltery, and drums, and flutes, they drink wine." For certain young harpists, having fallen into wickedness, intoxicate themselves with their eyes, and flute-girls and those who play the lyre, behaving lewdly at the time; and choirs and the discordant 36 sounds of certain wicked men, whose bodies have been broken and enervated by intemperance, softening the soul with that common modulation, incite those who are drunk to every shameful and unlawful pleasure.

What, then, comes of this? That they do not look upon the works of the Lord, and do not contemplate the works of His hands. Now, that word "to look upon" indicates the perception of visible things transmitted through the eyes, but "to contemplate" brings forward that intellectual vision which the mind attains. Since, therefore, "the invisible things of God from the creation of the world are understood by the things that are made" ^B (Rom. 1, 20), he who does not look upon the works is not led even to that understanding which can be obtained by the mind.

157. What, then, is the meaning of what is said? Namely, that drunkenness is the cause and origin of impiety, since it casts a shroud of darkness over the intellectual faculty by which God is best able to be known. But the "works of the hands" and the recompense expected in the future are that fire and the punishment prepared in Hades: a tongue parched dry, desiring the relief of a tiny drop; a flame surrounding from every side, which does not allow the heat ignited in the inward parts ^C to be cooled by the respiration of the air. (Matt. xxv, 41; Luc. xvi, 21). In place of the flute-players 37 who were present, there is groaning; in place of immoderate drunkenness, there is the desire for a drop; the flesh of those who are drunk is being roasted in the furnace; in place of lascivious spectacles, there is deep darkness; in place of the restless lust, the restless worm 38 (Mark ix, 43) approaches. Those, therefore, who have submerged their minds in drunkenness are unable to contemplate these "works of the hands"; and because they do not foresee the tortures that await them, the Scripture ^D rightly and justly laments them, as if they had already fallen into these evils. Let those who keep harps and lyres in their houses instead of the Gospels hear these things. For the prophet calls them back as if they had already perished, and laments their destruction and ruin through the commiseration born of charity.

153. "Woe," it says, "to those who with harp, and drums, and psalms, drink wine." But the lyre, adorned with gold and ivory, is placed by you upon some high altar like a statue or an idol of demons. And some miserable woman, when she ought to have learned to apply her hands to the spindle, because of the necessity of servitude...

^A to move them over the lyre, was taught by you—perhaps with your paying the wages, and perhaps even having handed her over to some procuress—who, after she has exhausted all lust in her own body, sits as head over the young girls, a mistress of similar works. On her account, a double penalty will await you on the day of judgment: both for the things you yourself indulge in lasciviously, and for those of an unhappy soul whom you have alienated from God through wicked teachings. Then she stands by the lyre and places her hands upon the strings; her arm is bare, her countenance is seen to be impudent. Then the entire banquet is turned around, and the eyes of all are cast there, and their ears fall silent for the melodies, and the clamor is hushed there, and the laughter is quieted, and the contention of lascivious words. All those who are in the house fall into silence, ^B charmed by the dissolute melody; yet he who is silent there does not keep silent in the Church of God, nor does he listen in silence to the voices of the Gospel. And rightly so. For the enemy who dictates silence there, that same one here suggests tumult and perturbation. It is a pitiful spectacle to chaste eyes, for a woman not to labor at weaving, but to perform on the lyre; not to be known by her own husband, but to be gazed upon by others; to be a common woman; not to sing a psalm of confession, but the songs of a harlot; not to supplicate God, but to hasten toward Gehenna; not to be eager for the Church of God, but to cast out others along with herself. Wool is hateful to her; nor does she know how, nor does she wish, ^C to draw down the warp or twist the woof. But mingling with the drunken, she pursues their interests. Thus they weave a spider’s web, as it were, placing their hands upon the tensioned nerves just like warp-threads, and, moving the plectrum—like a shuttle—frequently hither and thither, they show no end to their activity. For as regards those arts which are necessary for life, the end is set before the eyes, such as the bench for carpentry, the house for architecture, the ship for shipbuilding, the garment for weaving, the sword for smithery; but for the vain arts, such as the cithara-playing, or the dancing, or the flute-playing, or other such things, once the activity has ceased, the work ^D vanishes along with it; and truly,

according to the apostolic word, the end of these things is destruction. ^A We have necessarily inquired into these matters against those who, on account of their excessive softness in pursuing pleasure during dinner, or during times—as they suppose—of hilarity and joy, namely weddings or banquets, employ flutes, citharas, and dances; so that when you know these pursuits are reproved and censured by Holy Scripture, you might, for fear of the impending evils, certainly change your wicked custom of life for the better in the future. But if, on the other hand, we diligently examine the understanding of these words according to another interpretation, we can discover something else useful for our souls.

159. "Woe," it says, "to those who rise in the morning and pursue strong drink." That is, woe to those who, as soon as the darkness of ignorance has been dispelled for them by the introduction of the knowledge of God, and the Sun of Righteousness has risen for them, having previously been wicked and impious, are now heard as pious and religious, and are enrolled in the Church of God; yet they are so conquered by the passions of the flesh that they are cast down and unsettled from their reason, just like those who are blinded by drunkenness. The Word, therefore, laments such miserable people who, after the teaching of God, give themselves over to the drunkenness of the passions. For it knows that there are those who get drunk even without wine, since it says: "Woe to you who are drunk without wine." For just as wine, when consumed beyond necessity or the capacity of the drinker, is apt to bring darkness upon the reason, so too do the passions of lust, or grief, or anger, when they have gained dominion over the mind, render those who are subject to them senseless. ^C Miserable, therefore, and thrice miserable are those who not only immerse themselves in drunkenness at the beginning of life, but also wait for the evening; that is, those who deliver themselves over to lusts and vices right up until the setting of life. Now, the illumination arising in the heart from the knowledge of God is called "morning" in one way; but the same thing happens in another way, according to which, once reason is established and perfected, we begin a rational life. For in either way, the former life is darkness and night, whether reason is not yet complete and perfect, and the soul is immersed in dementia, or whether the mind, because of its alienation from God, is veiled and covered in deep darkness of understanding.

160. "Woe, therefore, to those who rise in the morning," that is, to those who, having just recently shed the folly of youth, ^D when they ought to vigorously oppose the turbulent motions of the soul with the power of reason, are on the contrary subverted by them, and pursue the passions as if they were a kind of drunkenness. These are surely most miserable who

at the beginning and the end of life, do not desist from such drunkenness. ^A For there are many types of those who are drunk. Some indeed cease from their drunkenness immediately after the sunrise, others continue a little while and then stop, while others prolong it further 54. It is profitable therefore, as soon as we awaken, to seek to live soberly and in a priestly manner, that we may be worthy of the entry into the holy places, not drinking wine and strong drink. For it is written: "And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: You and your sons with you shall not drink wine and strong drink, when you go into the tabernacle of the testimony" 85. But since it is difficult in human nature to be entirely without sin, he says, "The second navigation" 55 is to rise up from drunkenness immediately after the dawn. But for those who tarry in wine, and those who seek where drinking bouts are taking place, the mind is so occupied with the investigation of these things that it is unable ^B to look upon the works of the Lord or to consider the works of his hands. Rather, the lyre and the psalter—inventions of Jubal, who belonged to the genealogy of Cain—increase their drunkenness. For he says, "Lamech took to himself two wives; the name of one was Adah, and the name of the other Sella. And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father 56 of those dwelling in tents, who raise cattle. And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the one who 86 demonstrated the psalter and the lyre." Laban, who was of the kinsmen of this kind of music and lyre, wished to send Jacob away with it. "For if you had told me," he says, "I would have sent you away with joy, and with music, and with drums and the lyre" 87. But the patriarch ^C fled from it, as it was an obstacle to his looking at the works of the Lord and considering the works of his hands.

161. But even when the image of Nebuchadnezzar was being dedicated, with the trumpet, and the pipe, and the lyre, and the sambuca, and the psalter, and symphony, and every kind of music sounding together, the peoples, and the tribes, and the tongues fell down; but those who had long ago refused to drink the Babylonian wine 57, and who had abhorred the food of the royal table, did not fall down and worship, but despised every human dominion, and even extinguished the very power of the fire 88. If, therefore, it is a sin not to look at the works of the Lord, and not to consider the works of his hands, let us lift up the eyes of our ^D understanding, and 58 let us perceive the creative principles of the works of God, and the greatness of the beauty of the things created, in proportion

to the things created, ^A seeing therein the Creator of the works. And since "The invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made," the sensible perception of created things is perhaps called sight; but the intelligible comprehension of things above the world is called understanding. For this reason, he says, "They do not look upon the works of the Lord"—that is, they do not scan sensible things with their eyes. "Neither do they consider the works of his hands"—that is, they do not seek through the activity of the mind the comprehension of invisible things. And in order that the name of "morning" may be even more clarified for us, note that the return from darkness, whether it arises from the foolishness of childhood or from ignorance of God, the first entry into the truth is called morning.

Gather together the many places in the prophets concerning the morning or the dawn, so that by the comparison of many passages the proposed thought might shine forth. For example, "I sent ^B the prophets in the morning"; and, "In the morning you will hear my voice"; and, "In the morning I will stand before you and will look"; and (59), "My spirit rises early in the night unto you, O God"; and, "O God, my God, unto you I rise early"; and, "In the mornings I killed all the sinners of the land"; and, "At evening, weeping will tarry, but in the morning, joy." How, then, is it that the prophets are sent in the morning, fittingly for this benevolence of God toward men? Because every word coming from God comes to us who are able to listen to the Divine will, not attacking those who are held in childish ignorance, but those in whom there are already natural notions for discerning good and evil. Concerning these, therefore, the discourse speaks: that as soon as they have peered into understanding, and as it were lifted up the eyes of their soul from their former ignorance, and have received ^C some light into the eyes of their heart, the word of God falls into them, discerning what is to be done and what is precious (61). The same meaning is held also by the words of the Psalm: "In the morning you will hear my voice; in the morning I will stand before you."

162. For as long as our soul dwells in the night, and the sun has not yet risen, it cannot be heard by God. But after the soul has been purged of its ignorance of God and has offered prayers, being established in the splendor of the rational and spiritual day, then at last it has God as the hearer of its voice. Therefore he says: "In the morning I will stand before you, and will look." But if you intend to stand before God, do not stand before any evil ^D matter, but do those things which were prescribed to Moses: "But you, stand here before me, firm, unshakeable, and unmoved..."

standing before Him in faith, so that you may become worthy to behold the visions of truth. "I will stand," he says, "and I will look." For as long as someone is a contemplative of the beauty appearing in visible things, he is called a physical scientist or a natural philosopher; but when someone passes beyond these and stands before God Himself, after having known in what manner all things are very beautiful, and from the beauty in them has ascended to that which is truly beautiful and desirable—the vision of which is naturally accustomed to appear only to pure souls—then, progressing toward things higher than physical science, those things which by some are called ^A metaphysical, he can become an inspector and a speculator. Therefore, when, he says, I stand before you, and by the mind approach you for contemplation, then I shall receive that inspector’s faculty through the enlightenment of knowledge.

These words agree with this: "The heavens recount the glory of God," not because they send forth a sensible voice to our ears, but because one who has been trained in the principles by which the world is constituted, and has come to know the disposition of all things in the heaven, through these, as if they were emitting a voice, shall learn the magnificence of the glory of Him who created them. To this the prophet also urges us, saying: "Lift up your eyes and see who has shown all these things." For to contemplate on high is to look upward, and to be led through visible things to the notion of the Creator.

As for "rising in the night toward God," it means something of this sort: when the night has advanced and the day has drawn near, and we begin to walk decently as in the day, having cast off the works of darkness, riots and drunkennesses, bed-chamber revelries and lasciviousness, then we are able to say: "By night my spirit rises toward you, O God." Then he also shows through what follows what it is that produces the dawn in him. For, he says, "Your precepts are light upon the earth." For precepts are light, which shake off the darkness of ignorance; for this reason, "The commandment of the Lord is bright, enlightening the eyes."

163. Regarding what is said in the hundredth Psalm, that "In the mornings I killed all the sinners of the earth," it is clear to everyone that it is spoken in an enigmatic and veiled ^D manner. For the discourse does not mean that at the beginning of each day I was defiling my hands with the blood of men. For this, in addition to being execrable, also possesses absurdity and is incredible. For how would it be possible for one person to be the executioner of all the sinners of the earth every single morning? For it was not possible for one man to prevail over all, given that many...

are those who sin. And even if he had overcome them in war, he would certainly have slain them all at once at daybreak, but he would not have been their executioner every single morning. What, then, is the meaning of: "In the morning I destroyed all the sinners of the land, to destroy from the city of the Lord all who work iniquity"? Let us understand these words more wisely and more fittingly, so that we do not accuse the prophetic oracles, which is not permissible. The "City of the Lord" is the structure and constitution of the human frame; and the "sinners of the land" are none other than those concerning whom the Savior says: "From within, out of the heart, proceed evil thoughts, envies, murders, adulteries, thefts, false testimonies," and things similar to these. Whoever purges himself drives away and casts out from his own structure these "sinners of the land" who proceed from earthly flesh, through every ^B thought of God. Therefore, the early morning, or dawn, occurs in the soul with each rising of a saving doctrine, in which all thoughts that work iniquity must be made to disappear. For unless those first motions of the soul toward wickedness are cut off, the promptings must necessarily proceed to action. For example, the sinner of the land is the thought that suggests adultery, which causes a man to look at a woman to lust after her. If, therefore, it is not slain from the soul, as if by some sword—the cutting and vanishing word of the passions—and if this is not done at daybreak—that is, as soon as it reveals itself—it will push the man, after the adultery conceived in the heart, into a graver sin, driving him toward the act of the body itself.

164. We consider this to be consistent with the words of Jeremiah: "Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord ^C negligently, and withholds his sword from blood." For whoever wishes to avoid the bitterness of this curse must never restrain his spiritual sword from the shedding of the blood of such sinners. Such, then, is the meaning of what is now said about the morning. Woe to him who, although he has passed beyond the first age, and reason has dawned within him, has emerged from the darkness and the night of ignorance, yet as soon as he is awakened from sleep, pursues strong drink. As for those who have been defeated and cast down by turbulent passions, some have remained in the drunkenness of passion; others, with a cleansed mind, look upon the world and the adornment of visible things, and contemplate the things of the intelligible ^D realm.

^A For visible things require the keenness of the eyes; for this reason they "look upon." But intelligible things require discursive reasoning, and for this reason it is said, "they contemplate." Nevertheless, one must first look upon the works of the Lord, and then proceed toward the contemplation of them. Such was he who said of himself: "For He Himself gave me true knowledge of the things that exist, to know the constitution of the world and the operation of the elements; the beginning and the end and the middle of the times, the changes of the solstices and the variations of the seasons, the cycles of the years, and the positions of the stars, the natures of animals and the tempers of wild beasts, the force of the winds, and the reasonings of men, the differences of plants and the virtues of roots." 11

165. Therefore, "the people were made captive," because they did not know ^B the Lord, and "a multitude were made dead" because of a famine of bread and a thirst for water. These things, according to history, can be understood in the context of the times of the final siege of the Jews, when some were led away into captivity, and others perished by famine and thirst. And the cause for which they suffered these things is clear and manifest: because they did not recognize the Lord who was living among them. So that the exhortation contained in this text might also be applied to us, we say that those who pursue drunkenness, and drink wine accompanied by forbidden music, and occupy their eyes by gazing at shameful spectacles, and cannot bear to look upon the ^C works of the Lord, because they are lovers of pleasures and delights rather than lovers of God, become captives and fall under the power of their enemies. But also, a "multitude were made dead" among them through famine and the lack of water. For those who do not receive the food that is appropriate for their souls become dead through their transgressions, and those who are not nourished by the rest that comes from water, nor seek to drink from that water of which the Lord speaks to the Samaritan woman, that "whoever shall drink of the water that I shall give him will not thirst" 13 forever—these become dead. For hear that a "multitude of dead were made," not through famine ^D alone, but also through a thirst for water; because they were drinking from that water from which even the Samaritan woman had drunk—"For whoever shall drink," He says, "of that water, shall thirst again." They had not drunk of the water leaping up into eternal life. But this serves to incite us toward knowledge. For if, because they did not know the Lord, they were led away as captives, we must exert every effort to obtain the gift of knowledge and understanding. Perhaps, indeed, true death comes not because of a famine of bread, nor through a thirst for this sensible water, but because of a famine of hearing the word of the Lord in the souls of

those who do not listen. For, "Man shall ^A not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." For this reason, "The Lord shall not famish the souls of the righteous," and again, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." And, "Can the children of the bridechamber fast, as long as the bridegroom is with them?" But where there is famine and thirst, there also is death. Therefore, lest we perish from famine, let us seek the heavenly bread, and lest we be scorched by thirst, let us seek that water of which the Lord said: "If any man drink of the water that I shall give him, he shall never thirst."

166. VERS. 14, 15. And hell hath enlarged itself, and opened its mouth without measure. And their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled. ^B To set before our eyes the vast multitude of those perishing, He declared that hell enlarges its mouth. Just as is wont to happen with animals, which, because of intense hunger and starvation, greedily snatch at food and open their mouths wide as they yearn for nourishment, so, he says, hell is said to make its mouth larger and more capacious. Perhaps this discourse indicates to us a certain common place situated in the innermost bowels of the earth, dark and shadowy on every side, as the seat of hell; and it suggests perhaps a certain opening reaching down to the hollows of the earth, through which there is a descent for souls condemned to the most grievous ^C punishment; which opening, he says, has been made wider so that it can receive all those who are perishing, given their great number. For hell is by no means some living creature, nor some power set over the dead, according to the mythological inventions of the outsiders. These, therefore, because they have not known the Lord, having been led into captivity and wasting away from the famine and thirst for spiritual nourishment, descend into hell together with the glorious, the great, the wealthy, and the pestilent. Now there are three things that are threatened against those who sin: captivity, death, and the descent into hell. For captivity is the very fall from one's former life, through the deceit and fraud of the enemy, who thrust us out from the beatitude of paradise; death is the alienation from the commandment that bestows life; and finally, ^D the descent into hell is separation from God, which, on account of the vast accumulation of sins and affection, happens to one who opposes the supreme Good. For just as the righteous man has already risen together with Christ and has been made to sit together with Him in the heavenly places, so the unrighteous man is already a captive and dead, and descends into hell through the

^A lethal sins. Furthermore, the Word has enumerated the various ranks of those who descend into hell. First, He enumerates the illustrious; these are those who, having acquired a certain reputation, do not in any way possess a testimony of life corresponding to their outward appearance. Next are counted the great, who, established in a certain power and principate, hold sway over the multitude; then the rich, who have unjustly acquired a vast store of wealth, or who are possessed by an insatiable desire for greater riches; and finally, its pestilential ones, who, like a deadly disease spreading by contagion, corrupt those who approach them. Whether by evil doctrine or by the incitement to sin, they are rightly called pestilential; these are they who descend into hell.

And he who exults, he says, in it ^B. This refers to the Jew in the flesh, who exults in the earthly Jerusalem, but does not look toward the blessedness laid up for the saints of God. Observe, however, that the expression "in it" is used according to common custom. As is also the case with private houses, it is customary for those who occupy them to frequently call those who excel others "superiors" or "heads" of the house. Of this kind is also that passage: "His foundations are in the holy mountains" (Ps. LXXXVI, 1). Therefore, he who exults in it shall also descend into hell.

167. "And the man shall be humbled, and the vir shall be dishonored." It happens ^C that one is humbled not so much by place as by disposition. For the righteous man is exalted by a heavenly state of mind, but the ungodly is humbled through his sympathy for things below. The common human being, who is elated only by the common gifts of nature, yet does not live according to the power inherent in him from his first creation, is humbled; but he who has already made some progress, and is already worthy to be called a "man" (vir), if he becomes softened and broken by passions and vices and gives himself over to them, shall be dishonored. Therefore, "The man shall be humbled, and the vir shall be dishonored": because the former has not kept what is common, while the latter, having turned toward wickedness, is even deprived of the good he had gained ^D through practice and exercise. The man who—

^A is humbled: For the eyes of the Lord are high, but the man is lowly; the man is disgraced, as one who counts God for nothing through the transgression of the commandments. For those who despise Him shall be disgraced, as we heard in the first book of Kings the Lord saying: Those who glorify me I will glorify, and those who despise me shall be disgraced. A man shall therefore be disgraced by his own sin; for sin is a creator of disgrace. For these, he says, shall rise to eternal life, and these to reproach and eternal shame. For since honor is the reward of dignity, and dignity is the reward of virtue, both honor and dignity are bestowed upon the saints, while the opposite is bestowed upon the impious. For God honors those who are worthy. For He Himself is that which is truly to be honored, and is the provider of honor; because the one who is disgraced cannot attain honor. And the passions of shame disgrace each man, being uncovered before all creation. And the eyes, he says, that are lofty shall be humbled. All who, with an upwardly directed mind ^B have gazed upon the author of all these things, have eyes that are lofty, as they lift their mind above all bodies. But if, afterwards, because of false opinions and an immense preoccupation with earthly things, they are no longer able to contemplate any of those things which are great, but rather are entirely given over to bodily delights and pleasures, they are very rightly said to be humbled.

68. Vers. 16. And the Lord of Sabaoth shall be exalted in judgment. That is, through the just retribution of those things which were mentioned before, the Lord God is exalted in judgment; so that among the things which contribute to the glory and honor of God, this one is also included, namely the judgment which is brought forth by the Judge against the impious according to the reason and merit of their works. Wherefore, in the judgment itself, the height of the wisdom and power of the Lord is observed ^C. For just as those who contemplate the wisdom of the arrangement of heavenly things, seeing it shining forth in the position, motion, and mutual relation of the stars, understand the greatness of His wisdom, so that they are able to say: His wisdom is past counting; in the same way, those who look upon the reasons of the judgment will find the wisdom and prudence of this judgment no less admirable; as well as that equity by which He renders to each, even for the smallest and most minute things, a deserved reward. Perhaps, therefore, we exalt God in each of our good deeds; so that He is exalted by our temperance, and He is exalted also by our justice. But when these are accomplished with the help of God, when He has taken us up and raised us, supporting and strengthening us with His own aid, then we say: I will exalt thee, O Lord, for thou hast lifted me up. There are, however, many exaltations of God ^D, both that which is according to knowledge and understanding, and that which is according to the unfolding of His great works, and—

^A when we contemplate His judgments. Wherefore it is said of the righteous man: “The exaltations of God are in his throat” (Ps. CXLIX, 6). Next, since the strength and firmness of action are constituted by right contemplation, he adds: “And two-edged swords in their hands” (ibid.), that is, the words which cut away the desires of the soul and root out the passions. But because the Lord Sabaoth is called the Lord of hosts, then the hosts which minister to Him at the time of judgment shall exalt Him and glorify Him for His righteous and unerring judgment. We surmise something of this kind, that when the Lord descends to judgment with men (for the Lord Himself shall come to judgment with the people), the Lord alone shall be exalted, with no one being justified ^B before Him. For who, whose life is weighed against the benefits from our Creator and the various dispensations that generally extend to the whole human race, will be able to render that which is fair and worthy of the good things received from the Lord's gift? Wherefore the saints are at a loss and hesitate, saying: “What shall I return to the Lord for all that He has returned to me?” (Ps. CXV, 12).

169. “And the Lord holy shall be glorified in justice.” After He has been exalted in judgment, it is a consequence that the Holy One should be glorified in justice. Those who have beheld Him exalted in ^C judgments, these grasp the glory of His justice.

Ver. 17. “And they that are plundered shall feed as bulls, and lambs shall eat the deserts of them that were taken captive.” The people brought into captivity because they had not known the Lord, and had fallen into the sin of drunkenness, shall feed after the manner of herds. But these same ones who were plundered at the time they were taken captive are the ones in question. It is clear that when we have been defeated in war by opposing forces, and led into servitude by them, we are then, after the victory, plundered like spoils. And when we have been plundered, we no longer take for our nourishment the things proper to rational beings, but, carried away by irrational impulses as it may happen, we pass our time in the solitude of this life after the manner of bulls. And for this reason He did not say oxen, but bulls, because while oxen gather together ^D among themselves, bulls, because of a spirit prone to wrath, being irascible toward one another, graze separated and apart from each other. And since, after the captivity, it is likely that many places would be deserted, the inhabitants having been carried off by the enemies, for this reason He says: “And lambs shall eat the deserts of them that were taken captive.” For, as if according to history, the exiles from Judea, having been taken away, were detained in Babylon

^A by the expedition undertaken against them by Nebuchadnezzar. Therefore, the land pertaining to those who had been captured and detained by the necessity of war, having now been reduced to pasture for sheep, the lambs, he says, shall graze, because it preserves no remains of the ancient habitation, but fosters deep and tender grass from the lack of men. Perhaps, too, this discourse indicates in a prophetic sense that, since the violators of the divine commandments have been ejected and expelled from their ancient manner of life in the holy places, we, who have been arranged for salvation on account of their transgression, are called lambs of a sort because of our recent birth into the faith, and we graze in the places of those who were taken captive, enjoying the spiritual and rational nourishment of the oracles of God as if it were some tender grass. Moreover, the Lord called those who are newly born in the faith lambs, when He said to Peter: “Simon ^B Bar-Jona, lovest thou me? Feed my lambs.”

170. VERSE 18, 19. Woe to them that draw sins as with a long rope, and as it were a thong of the yoke of a heifer, iniquities, who say: Let him make speed, and let him come near that we may see: and let the counsel of the holy one of Israel come, that we may know. At such times we sin against ourselves, forging bonds and ropes by which we are bound; for according to the multitude or the magnitude of our sins, we weave for our souls larger or smaller cords, by which, according to Jeremiah, we are chained and bound. Whoever, therefore, are overcome by the sense of the flesh, these are constrained by earthly bonds; by which, when their hands and feet have been bound after the just sentence of the judge, they themselves, as being condemned, are cast into the outer darkness; the hands, indeed, on account of their practical activity, and the feet on account of their power of walking. For each individual is in reality tightened by the chains of his own sins, so that each of the members that has committed sin is punished and constrained by some own peculiar bond. Woe, therefore, he says, to those who draw their sins as with a long rope; that is, those who string together second and third ^C and subsequent impieties, injustices, and lasciviousnesses to their former offense. For it behooved those who were previously caught in their sins, instead of heaping up and attaching other evils to their present ones, to have wiped away their sins immediately after the first entanglement in vices, rather than adding and connecting other evils to them. Indeed, it is impossible for human nature not to sin: since there is not a just man upon earth, who shall do good, and shall not sin. It is possible, however, that when a sin has been committed through proneness to fall or through the impulse of our tempter, we should straightway change our purpose and perform penance, and not heap evils upon evils. For just as ^D those who weave the ropes, when what is being spun is about to be consumed, etc.

^A insert another, lengthening and extending it: so also those who immerse themselves in the deep of evils, before the first sin is finished, begin a second, and to that in turn they fasten another. And in this way their whole life proceeds through sins, resembling a certain long woven rope; having both what is past tied up, and what is always present attached in the likeness of that which precedes it. For this reason, Woe, he says, to those who draw sins as if with a long rope. Let us also understand what is said by an example. Let there be someone inclined toward the sin of debauchery. Consider through how many intermediate steps he draws the sin of impurity to himself: first of all, by composing his body in such a way, having his hair trimmed in such a way, and being clothed in such a garment, and that not a common one, but one fashioned for elegance and display, showing even to his belt and his footwear the fastidiousness of the refinement around him; then by procuring money so that with it he might purchase the bloom of his beloved; then by devising procurers for himself, preparing corrupting words, creating for himself opportunities for meetings, drinking bouts and banquets, and long conversations. By all these things, in the midst of which he is bringing upon himself the evil of fornication, he is the one who draws sin to himself as with a long rope; and every malice, simply to speak, committed against one’s neighbor, not performed by chance, but by design and ambush brought to completion through long preparations, is a long rope, through which men draw to themselves even sins lying far off. And these ropes, being so long, are difficult to untie, because of the intensity of the sinners in their evil, and because they forcefully and frequently twist together their offenses. ^{B C}

171. For this reason he says, And as the heifer's yoke-strap. For the fastenings of the yoke are not easily broken, even by the strongest teams pulling weights with violence. But ^D Scripture emphasizes the strength, when it says the yoke-strap is made from a heifer, that is, from a most powerful animal, not yet weakened by labors or by age. Woe, therefore, to those who prepare certain long

^A cords, and these zealously and strongly. It is possible, however, for one who has become a prisoner of sin to follow Christ, who says to those in bonds: "Come out," and to those in darkness: "Be revealed." And the prisoners coming out of the dungeon, and through repentance looking up from the darkness to the true light, follow Christ, confessing, yet bound in shackles, until by the transformation through good works they become worthy to be released by Him from the bonds that were previously thought to be inextricable. But these men, who draw sins to themselves and despise the divine judgment, often hasten the threatened punishments with their own words, as if they would suffer nothing from them, and they say: "Let the speed of the Holy One of Israel draw near, that we may see; and let the counsel come, that we may know." But this is a long cord, dragging along a sin that lies far off. For it is clear that those who do not believe in the age to come, and despise the things threatened, speak such things. For he who fears the judgment seat of Christ, and recalls to his memory the sins committed since youth, will not dare to hasten the judgment with contempt. On the contrary, he actually prays for a longer and more distant term, so that he may have a longer time to cleanse his own soul from the filth of sins. Proof of the ^B senseless rushing toward future things is Ahithophel and Judas, who, because they judged the present evils to be more grievous than those that follow, and the reproach of men to be more intolerable than the torment of hell, chose to end their life by hanging rather than by a death coming naturally of its own accord. For if they had believed in the age to come, they would not have hanged themselves; but even if they were dissatisfied with life, they would have added to their time here, judging the things to come to be more fearful than the present. Such was Job, who said: "I wish I were able to slay myself, or at least that I had begged another, and he would do this for me." For by these very words he showed the severity and bitterness of the affliction, and at the same time he guarded himself against the very snares he was weaving for himself. For a verdict of homicide hangs over those who violently remove themselves from the midst. And since we have found even in Paul's writings that it is said by some: "Let us do evil, that good ^C may come," we consider this manner of acting also to be a cord bringing on grave sin. For they say that such an opinion also took hold of the minds of the Jews, out of a great perversity of morals: for since destruction was expected by the multitude of sins and these things zealously and strongly. It is possible, however, for it to come to pass, they said: "Let us do evils, and let us fill up the final measure of iniquity, so that the change of the present things might come, and all things might come to be in a better state," ^D and these things zealously and strongly. It is possible, however, that the corruption is expected from the multitude of the sin and these things zealously and strongly. It is possible, however, [index: entries preserved]

... [p]eople, seeing that a multitude of sins was expected to bring destruction and ruin, said: "Come, let us do evil, and let us fill up the measure of our iniquity; so that the transformation of present things may come, and all things be established in a better state."

172. ^B VERSE 20. Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. It is the mark of a perfect man, whose senses are exercised by habit to discern the nature of good from evil; and of a skillful money-changer, to keep what is good, and to abstain from every form of evil; but for him who has a corrupted faculty of judgment, it belongs to produce unstable evidence regarding the merits of each thing. And there seems to be a great readiness in human nature to invent things contrary to the truth of each matter. And would that this disagreement had reached only those who are outside the faith according to the Scriptures! They, while saying that arguments held on any subject are of equal weight and importance, place all obvious evidence, as far as it depends on them, in doubt. They say, for instance, that silver is black because of the rust with which it is covered, and that the sun itself is black because the bodies on which it dwells for a longer time become black. And from such reasons they construct their doctrine of the suspension of judgment, as if the senses had paralogisms, and did not grasp things as they exist by nature, but that the eyes are deceived by painting; and, in the case of a dove's neck, that they take on different colors at different times according to the turnings of the animal, and the sense of sight is altered according to the relation to the ray and the object of light. ^C For this reason, those who have checked their grasp through their eyes neither agree that it is day, nor acknowledge it is night, and thence they fall into impiety, neither agreeing whether the universe is governed by the providence of God, nor whether it is borne along automatically and fortuitously. You might see even many of those who have believed the legal and prophetic Scriptures, arguing obstinately with a certain plausibility in each individual matter against obvious evidence, so that the truth in the doctrines is weakened and shaken. Indeed, some confess that they believe in Christ Jesus, but...

yet they are found ^A *not perfectly knit together in the same mind and in the same judgment, but rather split into the most contrary disagreements: some indeed through ignorance, and not a few also through love of power and vainglory, wishing to show off to the multitude as if they were wise, and that they possess knowledge above others. Because of this, everything is filled with people fighting against one another and asserting opposing doctrines; each one standing stubbornly by their own doctrine, and with most vehement tension forcing themselves to overthrow and refute those of the other. Would that those who boast that they have kept the apostolic teaching, and have received the proclamation of the Gospel by succession from them, would show through their concord regarding the doctrines that they are parts of the one Church of Christ.

173. Nor does this disturbance extend only to knowledge, but also to actions; for ^B *There are ways of a man that seem to be right, but the end thereof looks to the depths of hell; and, There is a just man that perishes in his justice, and an ungodly man who remains in his malice. Indeed, if there is anything difficult to discern, true justice belongs to that category. Therefore, Solomon also enumerates these things as being of equal value one to the other, saying: To understand parables and dark speech, the sayings of the wise and riddles; to understand true justice and to direct judgment. Many, therefore, pronounce judgments subject to change, rashly and in haste; ^C *for because they have not reached a position of understanding through suitable reasoning and deep investigation, they unthinkingly and with headlong precipitation throw out their assent to any given doctrine. Yet the nature of dialectic is believed to be especially capable of providing these things: to divide clearly the natures of things, both to recognize like things and to discern opposites. Wherefore he who was conscious to himself that he possessed divine dialectic said: May my speech be sweet to you. For the dialectic of those who excite quarrels and strife and approach matters with a contentious mind is not sweet, but is something that embitters. Since there are three pairings—light and darkness, good and evil, bitter and sweet—whether these are one in their subject, or whether they differ from each other in kind? As far, then, as concerns the simpler and clearer account, that which is evil is assigned to the depravity of habits, while the good is defined as the praiseworthy. Again, darkness ^D *is air deprived of light; but light is a substance. Again, sweetness is smoothness

of moisture or juice, which exhilarates the sense of taste; but bitter is that which, when tasted, exasperates the taste. According to the simpler understanding, therefore, these things are so far apart from one another. Who then is so deranged as to be situated in deep night, to call darkness light, and while his eyes are clouded in the darkness, to be affected as though illuminated by light? And who, pained in his taste by bitter things, is affected as if he were deriving pleasure from sweetness? Furthermore, who among those who have eyes cannot easily distinguish perceptible beauty? For beauty, through a certain mutual symmetry of parts ^B combined with a shining color, naturally and spontaneously conciliates those who encounter it; and conversely, ugliness by its very nature causes aversion in those who see it.

174. But it does not seem that the discourse is about things perceived by sense; rather, if the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes, and the word of God is a lamp to the feet of the just (Ps. XVIII, 9; Ps. CXVIII, 105), he who does not live according to virtue, but wallows in material passions, he would be the one embracing a life in wickedness as if it were a light, but turning away from the life according to the commandment of the Lord as if it were some kind of darkness. And he who—regarding the oracles of God, which are to the throat of the just sweeter than honey (ibid. 103) to his spiritual taste—turns away because of the laboriousness of the commandments, but assents to the smoothness of pleasure, he would call the bitter sweet, and the sweet bitter. In the same way, ^C indeed, judgment must also be made concerning the good, that the truly good is that which is symmetrical in the soul, disposed according to virtue. For virtue is a certain mean and symmetry; but the excesses and deficiencies that depart from virtue on either side are lack of measure and ugliness. For example, courage is a mean, while the excess regarding this is audacity, and the deficiency is cowardice. Therefore, the beauty of the soul is that which is symmetrical according to virtue; but ugliness is the lack of measure arising from wickedness. The Word, therefore, censures those who choose wickedness as good and shun virtue as wickedness. It must also be examined why, concerning the good, it is said "Who say," but concerning light and sweet, it is no longer "saying," but "placing." For woe unto those who call the beautiful evil, and woe unto those who place darkness as light.

^A Does Scripture then teach us that, in choosing the first principles of life, we go astray through reason alone: but that when we have arrived at the works themselves, and yet after experience have not receded from evil, we then set for ourselves, as it were, certain boundaries of works, and render the works of malice immovable? For whoever does not convert from intemperance and pleasure to temperance, sets for himself the bitter as sweet. And he who flees the life that should be established according to the Gospel, and rather chooses a bestial life void of reason, sets for himself darkness as light. Whoever, however, defends these things, and speaks boldly and impudently about inept and absurd actions, he is the one who calls the good evil, according to the Apostle, who rebukes not only those who do these things, but also those who assent to them who do them. And he sets darkness ^B as light who places a lamp under a bushel, or hides it with a vessel, and does not place it upon the lampstand. The one, therefore, to "call the good evil," is taken in reference to doctrinal teaching; but "to set darkness as light," in reference to habit acquired through actions.

175. VERS. 21. Woe unto those who are wise in themselves, and prudent before themselves. These things ^C touch not only those who go astray in their actions, but also those who are caught in unbelief and in the ignorance of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who does not believe in the true light, but makes himself a child of the devil, he calls light darkness, and darkness light. ^D Just as, therefore, the Lord is light, so also is He sweetness to those who intelligently taste Him; providing a delight that is pleasant and full of all joy of soul. Therefore, he who has tasted Him, and has had experience of this most sweet and pleasant delight, says: Taste and see that the Lord is gracious. Therefore, he who does not believe in the Lord Jesus calls the sweet bitter. Again, he who does not believe in the Lord, neither does he agree with the nature of true beauty, nor does he admit of its contemplation. For that beauty which is proper to the divine nature is perceived not in the harmonious proportion of parts, nor in some exceptional color that blossoms on the body to create delight, but in the mind alone, which, having been most thoroughly purged, is recognized according to the psalm that says: In your splendor, and in your beauty. Whoever, therefore, does not receive the splendors of divine beauty with his own eyes, this one calls the good evil; and in this denial and rejection, he surely assents to the contrary. For if the Lord is light, the adversary is darkness; if the nature is sweet...

a lie is without doubt bitter. Therefore, while God is denied, assent is given to His adversary. Since, then, there is no fellowship ^A of justice with injustice, nor communion of light with darkness, nor concord of Christ with Belial, these things must be separated from one another. There is need, therefore, of great and accurate attention, so that we may not, being deceived by false arguments, account him who transforms himself into an angel of light as light; nor, being delighted by the bitterness of vice, attribute the dignity of sweetness to a life of pleasure; nor, by enslaving the soul to bodily beauty, suppose that the nature of true beauty consists in this.

^B 176. Woe therefore to those who are intelligent in their own eyes, and learned before themselves. These things can be said concerning those who believe themselves to be wise and learned, while they are not such. But they can also be applied to those who truly possess the gift of understanding and knowledge, but do not share it with others. For wisdom that is hidden, and a treasure that does not appear, what usefulness is there in either case? Such persons, therefore, are learned in their own eyes, but not in the eyes of others; like him who kept his talent hidden ^C with himself. Moreover, he is not learned before God who has not used his knowledge for the glory of God. And there might be thought to be a third such classification of the prudent and learned. Some are such from God, those who are sensible of the gift from Him; but those who do not refer the cause of their understanding to God, but ascribe their successes to themselves, are prudent in themselves and learned before themselves. To whom it is opportune to say: What do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you glory as if you had not received it? And that: ^D Unless the Lord builds the house, they labored in vain who build it. Understanding, therefore, is called a sort of easy apprehension of the soul, quickly gathering into one the concepts of things; which is naturally formed according to the perfection of the rational seeds within us. Or, understanding is the alertness of the mind, easily finding out what is proper and fitting for each thing; while knowledge is a habit...

^A in itself stable and firm, and immutable by reason. He is a knower, then, who grasps the contemplations that lead to the attainment of blessedness, insofar as he now holds them firmly and habitually within himself. Wisdom, moreover, is said to be the knowledge of divine and human things, and their causes. Since Christ himself is wisdom 68, we shall call him wise who by participation in Christ, insofar as he is wisdom, already stands perfect. Someone is known to be understanding through the perfection of the seeds of intelligence remaining within us. And someone is a knower insofar as he grasps the contemplations relating to the acquisition of blessedness, since he now holds them habitually and stably within himself. We find, moreover, in Exodus an oracle which says concerning ^B the architects: "I will fill them with the divine Spirit of intelligence and knowledge 69." Therefore, woe to him who does not attribute the cause and origin of intelligence and knowledge to God. Let no one, therefore, claim such great things for himself, nor call himself a knower, nor understanding, nor wise: but since wisdom is the knowledge of divine and human things, let him attribute the cause of these to the Holy Spirit. "For there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise out of the root. And the Spirit of God shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding 70," etc.

177. Verse 22. Woe to them that are mighty among you, and that drink wine, and to the mighty that mix strong drink. The Law forbids priests, when they are about to enter the holy places, from using wine and strong drink 71; and likewise those who are called Nazirites, as has been said in the book of Numbers in this manner: "For the Lord spoke to Moses, ^C saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and you shall say to them: A man or woman, whoever shall solemnly make a vow to purify himself with a purity to the Lord, shall abstain from wine and from strong drink 72." And in Proverbs Solomon says: "The mighty are prone to anger, let them not drink wine, lest when they have drunk they forget wisdom 73." For it is proper for the ministers of the divine word, and for those to whom the care of men has been entrusted, to abstain entirely from those things which disturb the mind. For after much unmixed wine has entered, it ascends to the citadel like some tyrant, and ^D commanding nothing that is not inequitable, it excites restless tumults in the soul from the highest summit. Indeed, having first reduced reason itself to slavery, it confuses and disturbs all the harmony derived from discipline, and stirs up unseemly laughter, a turbulent voice, forward anger, unbridled desires, and a goad and fury provoking to every iniquitous pleasure.

^A For this reason, let not the rulers drink wine—whether those entrusted with any authority and the administration of public affairs, or those who are in bodily strength by reason of the prime of their age. For such persons, being by nature prone to anger, once they add the kindling of wine, they raise it to a great height, as if adding fuel in abundance to a burning flame. And since "the least are to be pitied with mercy, but the mighty shall be mightily tormented," therefore woe to those who are strong, because of the harm from wine and strong drink. For to whom much has been entrusted, of him they will demand more.

178. If, then, the dispensation of mysteries, the word of wisdom, and the power of knowledge have been committed to you, and yet you carry around a soul immersed in wine, is it not with the best right that the prophet laments over you? For when you possess spiritual strength, you make it weak through the intemperance of wine. ^B And whosoever succumbs to any passion of the soul, as if led into drunkenness by the alienation of mind produced in him by the passion, he is said to drink wine and to mix strong drink for himself; which, when interpreted, we know to mean "drunkenness." For the rational capacity being subject to vicious affections, in a similar way sadness, and fear, and pleasure, and desire produce folly and stupidity in the soul when the intellect is held captive by the passion. So we—the rulers, those entrusted with the protection of the people—even if we are held by passion to some extent, and even if we seem to be checking and bridling the vice through the intellect, we are nonetheless not exempt from being judged for such things. For ambition ^C and the love of power are a grievous drunkenness. A grievous intoxication is envy, a grievous one is hypocrisy and the slanderous talk against one's neighbor, by which the soul, being intoxicated, forgets wisdom. For nothing so confuses and disturbs the contemplations of wisdom as this passion and every sin. How then is the one who possesses wisdom irascible? Because he is not yet speaking of the one who is completely free from passions, but for the present he is discussing the one who is moderate in his passions. Just as he says in another place: "The foolish one declares his anger the same day; but the wise man keeps it in reserve for a while." He says, therefore, that he who keeps his anger in check through his intellect makes it known in portions, according to what has been said: "Be angry and do not sin." ^D But the Lord, ordaining more perfect things, says to cut off the passion entirely, not merely to discipline it. "Irascimini et nolite peccare" (Be angry and do not sin). But the Lord who commands greater things says that this vice must be cut off entirely, not merely tempered and corrected.

^A

179. Verse 23. "Woe to those who justify the wicked for the sake of bribes, and take away the justice of the just." This sentence is clear, condemning those who, sitting in judgment, corrupt righteous judgment for the sake of their passion for mammon, and favor anyone at all for bribes received; who likewise call the wicked just and condemn the just for injustice. For the mind, overmastered by the desire for wealth, is a balance that tips the scale toward the heavier weight of the regulation. Let us therefore give more diligent heed to ourselves, lest we should justify some wicked person, or word, through being led to approve them by some benefit conferred upon us, lest we fall into the threatened miseries. Verse 24. "Therefore, just as stubble will be consumed by the coal of fire, and burned by a kindled flame, their root will be as down, and their flower will go up like dust." For they did not desire the law of the Lord Sabaoth, but provoked the word of the holy One of Israel. This sentence threatens that the roots of sinners will be burned up and crushed into down, and their flower will go up like dust. Let us understand what is now inferred by the same reasoning as what was previously set forth. For after he has discoursed above concerning those who have used wine immoderately, and reproved those who receive bribes in judgments, he now affirms that their roots are to be burned up like stubble by the coal of fire. ^B Now the reed is a plant that stands on a weak root, having a smooth outer surface, but being empty and hollow within, and having an irregular growth, divided by frequent knots; because the power by which it grows, being weak, cannot cause the plant to grow in a level and equal way, but requires some rest in between; wherefore also the knot is formed by the resting ^C of the power. For when it has sprouted a little, it then stands still, and thus by the lingering for a longer time it forms the knot. Then again, the power, using the knot as a kind of base and foundation, puts forth again; and while it thus always rests, it completes the plant. Such are... ^D

^A those who become illustrious and conspicuous from the affairs of this world; for, resting upon a rotten foundation and being empty in their inner man, they pass their lives amidst the instability and inequality of worldly things. For this reason, just as stubble is burned by a coal of fire, so he says that their roots will be consumed by a kindled flame.

180. A coal of fire is something earthly and denser, which remains in the thicker matter after the passage of the flame. Since, therefore, those who live according to their passions possess their own peculiar fire of passions—just as that rich man had within him the cause that scorched him with thirst—for this reason he threatens those who drink wine with destruction by flame, as though they were drunkards. And because they pervert justice for the sake of bribes, he also says that their root will be consumed by a kindled flame, calling greed, quite clearly, the root, concerning which the Apostle also declared: ^B *The love of money is the root of all evils* (I Tim. vi, 10). But what kind of flower is it likely to send forth from such a root, if not one similar to dust, by nature unstable and scattered into the air? Or perhaps, just as dust, hindering our breathing, plots against our life, so also the flowers of greed—avarice, injustices, lies, false accusations, and all other things that are the offshoots of the wicked root—are destructive of our life, hindering the purity of the spirit. He spoke with great care, not saying, "And their fruit," but, "Their flower." For the offshoots of wickedness are incomplete, perishing at the very moment of their sprouting and first flowering. *I saw the wicked one being exalted, and I passed by, and lo, he was not* (Ps. xxxvi, 35, 36). For the just man indeed is like the tree planted by the streams of waters, watered by the constant influx of life ^C (Ps. i, 3), but the root of the sinner will be consumed, *and the flower shall go up as dust.* For they did not wish for the law of the Lord of Sabaoth, but they provoked the oracle of the holy One of Israel. He calls the designations of the Lord by the different names of Law and Oracle. For this reason, the prophet speaks of the oracle as if it were animate: *They provoked the oracle of the Lord.* For the living Law and the Word of God is the only-begotten Son (Joan. i, 3), through whom all things were made.

181. *And the Lord of Sabaoth was angered with wrath against his people, and he stretched out his hand against them, and smote them; and the mountains were provoked, and their dead bodies became as dung in the midst of the way. And for all this, his anger was not turned away, but his hand was still high.* The sin of the strong and of the powerful made a way for the anger moved by the Lord against the people. For this reason, first there is the "Woe to those of you who are strong, and the powerful"; then, "And the Lord was angered with wrath against his people."

^A For it is evident that he himself, in imitation of those who were set over him, was living in sins and was worthy to suffer the things from the fury and anger of the Lord. Now "fury" is a certain boiling of the blood around the heart, receiving its name from a certain swelling, as it were, which is formed around the heart by the exhalation of the humors; but "anger" is a desire for vengeance. ^B Thus, fury moves the affection swiftly, whereas anger indicates a firmer and more lasting fulfillment of sadness. It is, however, pious and religious to believe that neither of these is properly said of God, but that the expressions are figurative and metaphorical. For there is no perturbation in God, nor can any adventitious quality fall into his essence. But an action of this kind, which is excited in us, is called fury. And perhaps a severe and heavy correction is called anger; but a reproof which disturbs our thoughts is called fury. For God, when stimulated by fury, disturbs and confounds those with whom he is indignant, not yet deeming them worthy of any word, according to that saying, "In his fury he will disturb them." But those who are chastened in anger are deemed worthy of discipline, according to what is said, "Then he will speak to them in his anger." For he who is reproved for sins has not yet been disciplined, but he who is disciplined already gives evidence of some proximity to knowledge. ^C If, therefore, anger disciplines and fury reproves, anger is more efficacious than fury. For this reason also Jeremiah says: "Correct us, O Lord, yet in judgment and not in fury." For he did not say, "And not in anger," since a correction that proceeds from judgment is kinder and milder than that which is applied through fury and anger. For whoever is corrected in judgment, and is illuminated by the word, is about to receive benefit and utility from the judgments of God, since he does nothing without judgment, nay, he performs all things with sound judgment; so that his very thoughts are not devoid of judgment, according to that which is said: "The thoughts of the just are judgments." And indeed, at the time of judgment, when he has laid his hand upon the people, even the mountains are said to be embittered. ^D Scripture undoubtedly indicates that every creature simultaneously conspires to avenge itself upon sinners. For just as at the time of the Egyptian plagues war attacked them from every side—from the air, from the earth, from the water—so also now, when the Lord has laid his hand upon the people to strike them. Moreover, the mountains are embittered, and the corpses of the people were trampled underfoot like dung lying in the middle of the road through ignominy and disgrace. I would have you consider those who, established in sins, linger in the business of this life and are trampled by opposing powers: for their heart, since it is not led to repentance, the Lord's word affirms that his wrath is not to be averted from them, but that the hand still remains high—that is, raised to take vengeance. For he calls "hand" the vengeful power, that is to say, the power of punishment, according to Job: "For the hand of the Lord has touched me"; and in this, the hand of the devil as well.

182. ^A *Verses 26-30*. Therefore He will lift up a signal to the nations from far away, and will hiss for them from the end of the earth. And behold, they come quickly and lightly. According to the letter, the prophecy might seem to foretell the Roman army, which invaded Jerusalem during the final siege. For in that mobilization, military rolls were filled with men from both far-away nations and near-by ones, namely from those inhabiting the regions around Syria and Arabia; and other nations too, whatever ones were adjacent to Judea, were enlisted for military service by the Romans. That signal, therefore, was raised among the nations; that is, the sign of the cross that appeared. And indeed, the nations were called to the faith, but Jerusalem was handed over to ruin and destruction. Perhaps they came so quickly and lightly because of the desire for waging war that drove them, such that they forgot their provisions, would not wait for their military pay, nor seek respite or relief, nor ever take off their military attire. These were considered as solid rock, and their chariots as tempests; they were like lions in strength, and like lion cubs in their onset; their roar was like that of the surging sea, at which time the people who were being besieged saw nothing else but thick darkness spread over the earth.

CHAPTER VI

182*. *Verses 1, 6*. And it happened in the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. And one of the seraphim was sent to me. From the very foundation and origin of the world, divine powers are always sent to the saints, to repair the infirmity of human nature. Therefore, one was also sent to Isaiah, to take away his sins and purify him. Furthermore, he was sent after the Lord heard him lamenting his own miseries and confessing the sin hidden in his own mind. For [the prophet] said (Verse 5): "O wretched man that I am, for I am pricked; for because I am a man, and have unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people having unclean lips." Paul said these same things: "Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death?" Then, ^D as if he had already obtained divine help, he adds: "I give thanks to God through Jesus Christ." He said that "O wretched man that I am," after he came to the realization of the kingdom of God who sits upon the throne...

^A that is high and lifted up, and has filled the whole vast world with His glory, he had seen clearly in his mind. For before he perceived God with his mind, he is not found to have said, "O wretched man that I am." For even Abraham himself, when God showed Himself to him, is reported to have said, "I am but dust and ashes." Similarly also Moses, educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and, as is reasonable to believe, surpassing them all in dexterity of genius and intelligence, did not notice that he labored under a hesitation and slowness of tongue; but when he heard the Lord delivering the oracles, then he perceived the difficulty of his speech and the slowness of his tongue.

183. VERS. 6, 7. *And in his hand he had a coal, which he had taken with the tongs from the altar, and he touched my mouth.* He who interprets this passage in the Jewish way will say that the Lord was seen in some place of the city of Jerusalem, sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and that the seraphim stood in a circle around Him; and that the fire taken from the altar of burnt-offerings was brought by the seraph to the mouth of the prophet for the purification of his lips. But we, who believe that those things mentioned in the law are an image and shadow of heavenly things, say that the whole system of the intelligible and sensible creation is the house; we call the throne the sovereignty and dominion of God over all things, and the seraphim the super-celestial powers. For if, as some have imagined, the two hemispheres of the sky present themselves by turns to be seen over the earth, each of them using six parts as if they were wings for swift motion, how could one of these be sent, or how could it be torn away from the other, since the nature of the sky is continuous? But, as I began to say, the celestial powers, on account of their supreme holiness, are held worthy to stand near the throne, one of which came to the prophet. For just as God, the governor of all, does not disdain to look down from heaven to the care of humans, so neither do those particular powers deny their ministry for the bestowing of benefits upon humans. ^C The seraph therefore took the coal from the altar with the tongs. Consider with yourself how great that altar must have been, to which access was so difficult that the seraph dare not touch it even with his hand, but takes the fire into his hand by means of the tongs. And he took the coal. He takes the fire into his hand. What kind is this that expiates sins? Perhaps it has a kinship with that fire of which

it ^A was said: *He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire*? But because the coal is that fire which remains in matter that is now coarser and more earthly (for when the flower and strength of the flame have passed, those remnants which move about this thick material of fire are called coals), perhaps it signifies the future advent of the Lord in the flesh. For it is said: *The Word was made flesh*; and the flesh, having received the illumination from the divinity, was, according to its corporeal nature, sensible; but according to its union with God, it was pellucid and radiant. That flesh took away the sins of the world, and purged our iniquities; which the prophecy has set before us in an enigma. For Nadab and Abihu were burned, as having made use of strange fire; but that seraph took the coal from the holy fire, which was placed upon the spiritual altar of the true burnt offerings, not by himself, but with the tongs. And that he might show that heavenly fire does not burn, but purges, having received it in his hand, he thus brings it to his lips. Kin to this fire was also that which appeared in the bush, which Moses saw ^B resting upon the plant, yet not burning the bush. And perhaps the tongs indicate the capacity by which each one, being endowed with the good things granted by God, is able to receive them, in proportion to the habit for virtue that is in each one.

184. *And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go?* He does not ask Moses, but as if he already had him ready, he says: *And now come, I will send thee unto Pharaoh king of Egypt.* Yet to Isaiah he says: *Whom shall I send, and who will go?* What, then, is the cause? Because in the former case Moses was being sent for the good and benefit of the people, but here a ministry concerned with grievous matters is proposed. For this reason, in the case of the former, a command was given, but in the case of the latter, the power of undertaking the legation was left to his own will; for ^C we human beings are accustomed to sustain those things which we undertake to do willingly, even if they are arduous. For that reason, the Lord wishes this legation to be accepted by Isaiah voluntarily. And while He shows the necessity of the legation, He nevertheless wishes for it to be explored and discovered from the alacrity of his mind that he was a person suitable for the completion of the administration. Wherefore Moses, being called to a most splendid mode of life and to the governance of so great a people, declines and deprecates: *Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and that I should bring forth the people out of the land of Egypt?* And again: *I pray Thee, O Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant.* And again: *I beseech Thee, O Lord, appoint another that can send.* But Isaiah, [not even the Christ... ^D

^A although he had heard nothing of this kind, but had been instructed only in the necessity of the mission, offered himself willingly, and, by the abundance of his love, cast himself into the midst of dangers, taking no account of any of the evils that were to be brought upon him by the people. Observe, moreover, the accurate and circumspect manner of the prophet’s speech. For to two proposed statements he makes one reply: *Whom shall I send, and who will go?* Ecce ego sum, mitte me [Behold I am here, send me]. He did not add: And I will go. For to accept the mission is within our power, but to be strengthened for the journey is of Him who gives grace, that is, of the strengthening God. Thus, what was a matter of his own will, he said: *Behold I am here, send me*; but what was of grace, he left to the Lord. For he did not promise that he would go, being conscious of his own infirmity. ^B Yet he who is not physically struck in his faculty of hearing also hears the voice of the Lord, when the minds of those to whom God wishes to reveal His counsel are instructed by God. For those whose soul is instructed by a certain ineffable power, keeping their mind very attentive and pure, possess the Word of God as if producing a sound within themselves, even if the air does not receive any forms, nor transmit them to the ear. For as if in a book, God inscribes His own will in the soul of the prophet; and he who receives the divine thoughts into his soul is said to hear. For this reason, the prophet, having said, *Behold I am here, send me*, left the rest unspoken. For he did not say, "I will go," because that promise was too great and beyond him. But what he did not claim for himself, the Lord bestowed upon him. For He said to him (Ver. 9): *Go, and say to this people.* And indeed, when he says: *Behold I am here*, ^C already confident as one who has partaken of Him Who Is, he dares to number himself among those who have being; and he said this after his lips had been cleansed. But he who lies in iniquities, and is not endowed with the knowledge of Him Who Is, cannot render to himself that testimony: *Behold I am here.* And since God has placed first apostles, second prophets, for this reason Isaiah also receives the office of apostleship first. Nay, Moses also is numbered among the apostles. For, *Come,* He says, *I will send thee unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt.* And Jeremiah also hears: *Unto all to whom I shall send thee, thou shalt go.* 185. VER. 9, 10. *Go, and say to this people: Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. For the heart of this people is grown fat, and their ears have heard heavily, and they have closed their eyes, lest ^D at any time they should see with their eyes, and with their ears

^A they should hear, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I shall heal them. Luke recorded this utterance in the Acts. And there was sent to me one of the seraphim. Because there is a certain power above the world, a cleanser of iniquities, to whom a ministry has been entrusted, the seraphim represents the things written. These ministering spirits are therefore sent to us who are to inherit salvation. He does not, however, come to visit us by his own authority or by his own volition. For their primary and natural life consists in gazing upon the beauty of God with all attention, and in continuously giving glory to Him. But the concern and care applied toward us men is a certain adventitious duty. Wherefore he says: There was sent to me one from among the seraphim. It seems, however, that the prophet, when he beheld the service of the seraphim, who do nothing else but proclaim God to be holy, then came to a consciousness of the impurity dwelling upon his own lips, because he had spoken of human affairs, and had often defiled his own tongue with words relating to the vanity of the world. Therefore, being pricked by the comparison with them, and because they utter nothing other than the proclamation of the holiness of the Divinity, while his own voice had for the most part been occupied with human affairs; for this reason he said: "Woe is me, for I am pricked; for being a man and having unclean lips, I dwell in the midst of a people having unclean lips." In the same way, Moses also had not previously sensed that he was clumsy of speech and slow of tongue, who had nevertheless been instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was surpassing them all in aptitude and intelligence; but when he heard Him who was giving the oracle, then he saw his own weakness. And Abraham, when God appeared to him, then confessed himself to be earth and ashes. ^B Similarly, then, to these, Isaiah also, after seeing Him who sat upon a throne high and lifted up, and contemplating the glory filling the entire house of the world, and seeing the seraphim in circuit of the throne uttering that voice with trembling, then called himself miserable, then recognized the impurity in his own lips; wherefore he was also deemed worthy of the cleansing by the seraphim. But observe that his transgressions had not spread to every action and deed, but remained confined only as far as his lips and words.

^C 186. And he had in his hand a coal, which he took with tongs from the altar, and touched my mouth.

^A Regarding the letter of the text, the discourse seems to be about the altar of the temple, from which the seraph took the coal in his hand from the altar of burnt offerings. But according to the truth, because the Jewish cult served only as an image and shadow to express heavenly things, one must understand it as a certain heavenly altar; that is to say, a place suitable for the cleansing of souls, from which that purgative fire is sent forth to the powers that are being sanctified. With such fire, the heart of Cleopas and Simon was inflamed, when the Lord opened the Scriptures to them. Even so are the hearts of those who are fervent in spirit kindled by such a fire. Jeremiah received such fire, and therefore he said: And it became a fire in my inward parts, and I was dissolved on every side.

^B He shows that great honor and reverence is to be shown to this altar, from the fact that the seraph does not dare to touch it with his own hand, but uses tongs as a kind of mediating instrument. Let us therefore understand the coal to be the true word, which cleanses falsehood in an igneous and reproving manner from those to whom it is applied by the active power. For the hand of the seraph should be understood as the power that supplies good things. And he said (Verse 7): Behold, this has touched thy lips, and shall take away thine iniquities, and shall purge thy sins. It must not be thought that this was said to Isaiah alone, but also to all those whom the fiery and true word touches, which utterly abolishes what is committed beyond the divine law, and cleanses their sins. But let us also welcome the coming of the divine Word, so that, as if sitting in our mouths, and giving no place to falsehood, it may cleanse our lips and take away our iniquities. ^C It is not unbelievable that the coal should be changed into the nature of the word, according to the testimony of the psalm that says: Thy word is very much refined, and thy servant hath loved it.

187. VERSE 8. And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go to this people? And I said: Behold, I am here, send me. It may justly and deservedly be asked why Moses, when sent, refused, and why, having declined the mission, he complained so much; whereas Isaiah offers himself with such alacrity. For Moses is not asked, "Whom shall I send?" but receives the command in his own person: And now, he says, come: I will send thee to Pharaoh into Egypt, ^D and thou shalt lead forth my people, the children of Israel, from the land of Egypt. Isaiah, however, without specifically naming the word...

my people the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. ^A But Isaiah, when the speaker in the mission was demanding one indefinitely, offers himself. What then shall we say? The dispositions of the saints are not mutually contradictory regarding the same matter. But rather, because Moses knew the situation for which he was being sent, he hesitated, looking both at the unyielding heart of Pharaoh and at the again insubmissive and unruly nature of the people. For he had experience of the ingratitude of the Jews, in that even after receiving benefits they had exiled him. Therefore, not bearing their malice, he withdrew to the quiet of the desert, under the pretext of pasturing, fleeing the tumults of the cities and the multitude of men. For this reason he says: "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should lead the people forth from the land of Egypt?" For neither does Pharaoh send the people forth without great evils, nor is the people easy to manage, always resisting those who care for their salvation. The subsequent events reveal the mind of Moses. For when, after the making of the calf, God had granted grace to His servant regarding the pardon of the people's sin, He finally says: "Go, and lead this people, and I will send my angel before you." What then did Moses do? "I beseech You, Lord, if You Yourself do not go before us, do not lead us away from here." What then was the man's intent? That the people were sinful, and needed one who could remit sins—which is impossible for angels. Angels are indeed punishers of the sinful, but they are not the ones to forgive transgressions. For this reason he seeks for Him to come; that is, what he says even now, "Choose another whom You will send," meaning: let the true lawgiver come, the powerful Savior, the only One having the authority to remit sins. But since the fullness of times had not yet come, and it was necessary for humanity to be disciplined through types, for this reason the prophet's request was not granted. Isaiah, however, after his own sins had been remitted, since he had said, "I dwell in the midst of a people having unclean lips," when he heard, "Who shall go to this people?"—thinking that one was being sought to be sent to confer similar benefits upon them—out of exceeding joy offers himself, so that their sins might also be remitted. "Behold," he says, "I am here, send me." Thus, the refusal of the one and the eagerness of the other are reasonable. The reply of the saint, however, is secure, as one who had already received benefit from the purification by the coal. For when the Lord said, "Whom shall I send, and who will go?" ^B to the "Whom shall I send," he replied "Behold, I am here"; but to the "Who will go," he did not add, "And I will go." For he knew that with God as his fellow worker

^A in acting, this was what he offered; but that which stood in need of a perfecter, this he passed over in silence. It has been said exceedingly often, how one hears the voice of the Lord. For the mind of him who is deemed worthy of such a gift, by some ineffable power, fashions for itself the word of God, the divine power stirring within those who are worthy, not through the hearing of the body, but by impressing itself upon the very principle of those whose intellect is purified, and as it were inscribing ^B upon them the meanings in a silent way; just as hearing, filled by sensory speech, transmits these to the perception of the soul. He heard, therefore, a spiritual voice produced in his heart, just as happens to take place in dreams. For we seem to hear, though no one is speaking, yet no sensory voice is carried through the air to the passages of hearing. Thus, then, God speaks, and thus the saints hear.

188. VERSES 9, 10. *Go, he says, and say to this people: By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive.* For the heart of this people has been hardened, and they have heard heavily with their ears, and have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should turn, and I should heal them. The blessed Paul, while disputing at Rome with the Jews, clearly and evidently referring this sentence ^C to the times of the coming of the Lord, said in the Acts: *Well did the Holy Spirit speak through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying: Go, and say to this people*, and so forth. And this sentence, more than any other, shows the prophet speaking as if by divine inspiration; for the people heard the word of Jesus, yet they did not understand; and although they saw the miracles performed by him, they did not see. For this sentence, inasmuch as it inclines toward the future time, indicates that the prophecies look to later times; and from this the equity of the divine judgment is declared. For when Isaiah had said that he had unclean lips, and had subjoined also concerning the people, that "in the midst of a people having unclean lips I dwell," the gift of forgiveness was granted to him, and purification came to him by one of the Seraphim, but not likewise to the people: ^D since the prophet and the people were not moved by the same affection. For he saw the Lord of Sabaoth sitting upon a throne, and he gave credence to the things which he beheld: but they, although they saw the Lord dwelling with them,

^A did not believe. And the one, having heard the Seraphim, understood their doxology; but the others, hearing the words of the Savior, did not accept them. And the heart of the one, being pricked, felt his own sin; wherefore he said, "Woe is me, for I am pricked": but the heart of the others was thickened, so as to receive no perception of the things they were sinning, nor to draw near to Him who was able to forgive their sins. For this reason the one was cleansed, and the others were left in their sins; as also the Lord said to them, "You shall die in your sins."

189. Perhaps some one will oppose our interpretation because of what is said: "Say to this people," not admitting that these things were prophesied for the times of the Savior. For if the word "this" is demonstrative, and none of the people who were being pointed out were going to hear the Savior or behold his miracles, how does the phrase "to this people" ^B fit those who were to live at such a great interval after the prophet? But we shall devise an easy solution to the problem from other prophetic words. For it is said in one of the Twelve Prophets: "My people, what have I done to you, or wherein have I grieved you, or wherein have I troubled you? Answer me. For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, and I sent before you Moses, and Aaron, and Miriam." For just as then the people who lived in the age of the prophet did not see Egypt, nor were guided by the aforementioned men, and yet they are reproached as being ungrateful regarding these works; so also now, the system of the people according to the prophet is indeed ^C pointed out, but the things prophesied come to pass for them at the time of the Lord’s epiphany.

And it is natural for usage to employ such a mode of speech, which some are accustomed to call "variable." For example, when they conceive in their mind the same chorus consisting of a certain number of men: then, one having gone out, and another having filled his place, the chorus is said to remain the same. And if a second should go out, and a third, and this should happen frequently, and another be introduced in the place of each one, by little and little the chorus being changed—the individuals are exchanged one by one, yet the designation is preserved for the chorus as the same. Thus also a city is said to be the same, and an army the same; not because he who...

is individuals remain, but because the collective body preserves the same name. By parity of reason, nothing prohibits the people who were demonstratively observed in the time of Isaiah from being the same as the one that existed in the time of the Lord; not because the individuals remained, but because the common name of the nation persisted.

^A 190. And then: "Until cities are desolated by reason of their not being inhabited, and houses by reason of there being no men, and the land shall be left desolate. And after these things God will remove the men, and those who are left shall be multiplied upon the earth. And yet in it is the tenth; and again it shall be for a spoiling, as a terebinth, and as an acorn when it shall fall from its husk. A holy seed is its standing pillar." Since the things related by the Lord were grievous and distressing, considering that judgment to be inexorable and impossible to avoid—at least in relation to the time by which such a penalty would befall them—he asks to be taught.

But these things clearly refer ^B to the times of the Roman empire. For after they did not listen to the words of the Lord, and were unwilling to view with favorable eyes His miracles that were beyond human power, the cities were made desolate from lack of inhabitants, and the houses from lack of men, and the land was left desert, its inhabitants having been destroyed by famine, exile, and captivity.

The statement that follows, "And after these things God will remove the men," refers in my opinion to the alienation of the Jews from God, to whom occurred in part a hardening, so that the fullness of the nations might come in. "But," he says, "those who are left shall be multiplied." Who, then, are these? They are those about whom the Apostle said that ^C a remnant according to the election of grace has come to be; those who shall also be multiplied upon the earth, so that there may be found [those] who hereafter may learn the Gospel of Christ throughout the whole earth. For even if what all Israel seeks it has not attained, yet the election certainly attained [it], concerning whom He said to Elijah: "I have left for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." These, therefore, are they concerning whom it has been said: "And yet in it is the tenth."

But the [phrase], "And again it shall be for a spoiling, as a terebinth, and as an acorn when it shall fall from its husk," appears to me to signify ^D the gradual transformation from Judaic customs to the order according to the Gospel. For they are again to be gathered for population, just as the fruit of the terebinth is gathered, and as the acorn is already ripe for collection. For then it is released from the bond of its husk, being now ripened by the progress of time and brought to its own perfection. And perhaps also because they had fallen away from the Jewish region, and in the dis-

dispersion had become such that scarcely the tenth part of the people were saved; these shall again be multiplied, and shall again bear fruit, ^B resembling the terebinth and the acorn, bearing a holy seed, in that they have stood firm and unmoved, and have taken root in charity.

CHAPTER VII

1. And it came to pass in the days of Achaz the son of Joatham, the son of Ozias, king of Juda, that Rasin king of Aram, and Phacee the son of Romelia, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem, to war against it: and they could not prevail to besiege it. And it was told the house of David, saying: Aram hath conspired with Ephraim. And his soul was stupefied, and the soul of his people, as a tree in the wood is moved by the wind. The sense of this sentence is as follows: Two kings, one of Syria and the other of the Israelite people, went up against Jerusalem to wage war, and they could not besiege it. The name of the king of Syria was Rasin, but of the king of Israel, Phacee. Now messengers came to report to the royal household the conspiracy of the kings of Syria and Israel. For the Syrian is called Aram according to the propriety of the Hebrew language, but Israel is named Ephraim, because from that tribe had sprung Jeroboam, who first revolted. Therefore, upon hearing these things, both the king and all the people were struck with fear, and were so shaken and troubled that their commotion was likened to the wood of a forest which is agitated by the most vehement blowing of the winds. This, then, is the simple narration of the words. ^C But if anyone should more diligently examine this sentence, it will be discovered by him from the things mentioned that something of these pertains to us and to the edification of the Church. Who, therefore, these kings are who conspired together, we must inquire to the best of our ability. Indeed, the discourse which according to the wisdom of this age [is directed] against the ^D

^A knowledge of God I think is signified by ‘Aram.’ For if one interprets ‘Aram,’ it sounds like ‘sublime.’ Such is the discourse of the rulers of this age, when it occupies itself with astronomy, the movements of the stars, their conjunctions and figures, and asserts that the causes of human affairs depend upon these. It is ‘sublime,’ then, both because of the conceit conceived about itself and because of that proud arrogance which He alone, who is holy, knows how to overthrow and bring down with the words of truth, since by the power of the Spirit He casts down every height exalting itself against the knowledge of God.

But we consider that knowledge which is indeed drawn from the received divine Scriptures but has been twisted from the right meaning, and bears a false name, to be called ‘Ephraim.’ For from this tribe took its origin Jeroboam, who was the first to tear away the ten tribes from the seed of David, who also, having once become a fugitive from ^B Solomon, went away into Egypt and took in marriage the sister of Thecemina, the wife of Pharaoh. He also fashioned the golden calves and devised festivals from his own heart.

When, therefore, the pagan discourse, full of pride and arrogance on account of its dialectical arguments, enters into a partnership with a heretical and distorted discourse, then Aram is said to conspire with Ephraim: for it desires to demolish the houses and structures of David, and to devastate the place of true worship. Yet it does not attain its desire. For it will not be able to take Jerusalem, because the Lord protects and defends it. And perhaps these [foes] would not even be able to conspire among themselves, unless our sin had abounded. For even those who, according to history, had conspired in the days of Ahaz, manifested their mutual conspiracy on account of the sin of Ahaz, who did not do what was right before ^C the Lord, but made his son pass through the fire, and sacrificed in the high places.

Yet the attempt of the evil kings against the Churches troubles the house of David and strikes the soul of the people with dread, so that because of the shaking that arises from this disturbance, it is like a barren tree. But the kind God, healing their disturbance, sends a prophetic word which drives fear from the hearts of the people, while saying (VER. 4): *Fear not, and let not your soul grow weak because of these two smoking firebrands.*

192. Observe, moreover, if you are able, how from the interpretation of the names you may take a handle to see the things which pertain to this passage even more clearly. For Ahaz is interpreted...

as "retention"; Jotham as "consummation of Jao"; Uzziah as "strength of Jao"; Aram, as we have said before, as "sublime"; Pekah as "opening"; and Romaliah as "elated by circumcision." ^A Therefore, the "sublime" word and the word that promises to be an expounder of the divine Scriptures conspire together. For Pekah, being interpreted as "opening," indicates this: as if he promises that the hidden testimonies of the Scripture will be explained through his own work. Now, that the agreement of the two kings against Jerusalem—both of the one who prides himself on the wisdom of the world, and of the one who professes to expound the hidden places of Scripture—is set upon dogmas and doctrines that are at variance with one another, despite their expectation that they would take into their own power those instructed in the affairs of the Church, is evident from what follows. For Aram ^B and the son of Romaliah took evil counsel, saying (Vers. 6): "We will go up to Judea, and having conferred with them, we will turn them to ourselves." For the statement clearly sets forth that through the persuasiveness of their discourse they hope to turn the house of David toward themselves. They also promise to set up the son of Tabeel as king; and Tabeel is interpreted as "good God." Now, it is a characteristic of those who plot against the Church to promise that they will deliver things concerning the Son of God; and through such fair speech they deceive the more simple-minded. That these are enigmas, which through history bear upon the present state of the Churches, the sequence of the discourse clearly reveals as it proceeds, saying: "If you do not believe, ^C neither shall you understand."

193. Vers. 3-9. And the Lord said to Isaiah: "Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Jasub your son who is left, to the pool of the upper road of the fuller’s field. And you shall say to him: 'Observe, be silent, and do not fear; nor let your soul be weakened by these two pieces of smoking firewood. For when the wrath of my anger has arisen, again I shall heal.' And the son of Aram, and the son of Romaliah, because they have taken evil counsel against you, saying: 'We will go up to Judea, and having conferred with them, we will turn them to ourselves, and we will set up as king ^D of it the son of Tabeel.' Thus says the Lord: 'This counsel shall not remain, nor shall it be; but the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And yet sixty and five years, the kingdom of Ephraim shall fail from the people, and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and

the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. And if ye will not believe, surely ye shall not understand. ^A I believe, therefore, that the prophets did not perceive the word of God by sensitive hearing, through the percussion of the air; but since the spiritual soul is not without ears of its own, the knowledge of the things signified reached them without any sound. And this occurred to them by the splendor of the true light reaching their minds, and serving to illuminate the prophets. But those who had become exterior to the corruptible senses, and who were hastening toward their exodus from the body, grasped this voice. For when the soul is occupied in the contemplation of divine things—gathering itself away from the necessity and conjunction which it has with the body—it is said to depart; but when it is detained by human business, either by the necessity of the body’s service, or because it can no longer attend to more excellent things, it betakes itself as if from the external to the internal—just as if it were withdrawing into some house or city, about to participate in the affections of the body. ^B Since, then, it was fitting that the prophet should hear the words of God, for this reason it was said to him before all else: Go forth thou, and thy son. This is in some way similar to that which was said in Genesis, according to the first oracle delivered to Abraham: Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house. For the most perfect exodus is the ascent from all corporeal things—which are called "earth"—and it is a flight from the senses, which are called "kindred," and the turning of the mind away from a life obnoxious to sin, in which one had previously addicted oneself to contrary pursuits, which are called the "father's house." And a little later it is written concerning the same Abraham: ^C God led him forth out. For since He saw his desire to go forth, He Himself led him by the hand to the perfection of the work. For of himself he could not accomplish the work. Wherefore, in the first precept, if only he goes forth, he receives the promise of the goods to be enjoyed. But when God had led him forth, He then taught him to seek the things above, where Christ is.

194. And Moses, when he had removed himself from human affairs and had turned his mind to the contemplation of divine oracles, fixed his tabernacle far from the camp. Therefore, whoever sought the Lord went forth to the tabernacle. ^D So that he who had withdrawn himself most from human things, would fix his own tabernacle

^A far from human affairs, and fix his own shelter externally, so that his life, now being strengthened and established, may remain unshaken. Wherefore, the Lord also now commands Isaiah, who was about to prophesy and to speak the precepts of God, to go forth; and not Isaiah alone, but also his son Jasub, who had been left behind. It is evident, however, as far as can be gathered from these words, that he was the one son remaining to him out of many; whom also the Scripture did not wish to recede from his father’s customs, but to go forth together with his father, so that he might accomplish those things to which God was exhorting him. But because Jasub, if you interpret it, is the same as "returning," the Scripture shows to all of us who wish, through repentance, to depart from the turbulent affections of the flesh, that we can arrive at this outcome, if only we are with the prophet. He is commanded to take up the upper road which leads to the pool of the fuller's field. Moreover, this place is known and illustrious also through history. For it is written ^B that the king of the Assyrians sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem with a great force, and he stood at the aqueduct of the upper pool, in the road of the fuller's field. Perhaps, too, the Word contains something instructive for the discipline of character, that it is necessary to depart from low and groveling things, and to hasten toward things above; where, having arrived, water for cleansing, and the fuller’s field, which cleanses filth, will be found. This is useful to us for the precept of the Preacher, who says: "At all times let thy garments be white." Furthermore, the Lord also, when He was giving oracles to Moses, commanded that the people, about to hear God, should wash their garments. "Go down," He says, "bear witness to the people, and purify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; and let them be ready for the third day." But he who has reached that point will also have the wedding garment prepared, so that he may not, being bound hand and foot, be cast out from the bridal chamber into the outer darkness. Therefore, He says, tell Ahaz: "Take heed to be quiet." This is also useful for us, to keep our own heart with all watchfulness. For if a strong man guards his own courtyard ^C diligently, all things which he possesses are in peace; who also is quiet, shaking off the crowd and the noise, and not fearing the fear that comes from passion, no longer being weak in soul, but armed with the spirit of strength. 195. Do not be afraid of these two smoking faggots. The command to us is not to be afraid of the persuasions of the Greeks, and of the blasphemies from the heterodox, which are two sticks, or rather two firebrands, having lost the vital power of the plant and the strength of the wood. ^D

^A They possess not the brightness of the fire, but are smoking firebrands, which blacken and stain those who touch them, and cause the eyes of those who approach them to shed tears. And if you wish to understand the harm caused by smoking firebrands from the smoke that is in them, remember Solomon who says: *As a sour grape is hurtful to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, so is iniquity to those who use it.* For, in my opinion, sin located in acts of wickedness is called a "sour grape," but the harm arising from false knowledge, which confuses the visual power of our soul, is called "smoke." But, he says, *When the wrath of my anger shall have arisen, I will heal again.* That is to say, after the chastening blows have been inflicted, when I see a suitable and sufficient reformation, I will not allow them to be afflicted by heavier punishments; just as if a physician were to say to the sick: Where first I have operated and applied a cautery, I will not neglect either the parts that have been cut or the ulcers remaining from the burn of the cautery. For after that has been done, on account of which the discomforts arise, only then, introducing the remaining remedy, will I restore health. ^B

196. *And the son of Aram and the son of Romelia, because they have taken evil counsel, saying: Let us go up into Judea, and having conferred with them, we will turn them to us, and we will make the son of Tabeel king over it. Thus saith the Lord Sabaoth: This counsel shall not stand, nor shall it be.* For since two arguments that are outside the truth conspire against the Church—the son of Aram, that is, the haughty word which puffs itself up against the knowledge of God, ^C and the son of Romelia, the word of the proud circumcision, which, under the pretext of knowledge and the guise of a higher doctrine, calls [them] away from the truth of the Church of God—these, therefore, have taken evil counsel, in that they have addressed the people of Judea, that is, those whose soul is confessional. For the confession of God is renamed Judea, which, by the persuasive arguments of dialectic, we will turn to ourselves, promising that we will give no other king except the son of Tabeel, that is, the son of the good God; whom, indeed, they call the son of the good God, but do not call him good himself, wickedly misinterpreting this voice of the Gospel: *Why callest thou me good? None is good except one, God.* When, therefore, you see heretics promising knowledge, introducing the wisdom of the nations, and waging war against the Church of God, consider that the son of Aram and the son of Romelia are even now taking evil counsel. ^D Moreover, as we have related, against that wicked counsel of the son of Aram and the son of Romelia, the Lord declares this...

that whereas the counsel of God stands and remains, that of those who contend against the truth shall not stand, but shall lie fallen and overturned. Hence he says: ^A The head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rasin. That is to say, the head of those who are exalted is something defiled and full of blood (since Damascus is interpreted as "blood of sackcloth"). Now sackcloth is a symbol of repentance, but that which is stained with blood is by no means pure. It can therefore be taken for a merely apparent repentance, which is not true repentance because it is not performed according to sound doctrines. Again, the head of Damascus—or of that repentance which is not pure but is defiled by lethal sins—is called Rasin, since he himself is a symbol of nothing sound or pure in doctrine.

197. "But yet sixty and five years," he says, "the kingdom of Ephraim shall cease from being a people, and the head of Ephraim is Somora, and the head of Somora is the son of Romelia." The kingdom of Ephraim is, therefore, a certain dominion of heterodox persons, because he who split Israel away from Juda ^B was from that tribe. The head of Ephraim, therefore, is Somora, that is to say, Samaria. And Samaria is a region of certain enemies who corrupted sound doctrine, because the Samaritans have declined from Judaism. Just as Damascus was the head of Syria, and Rasin was the head of Damascus, so Samaria was the head of Ephraim, and the son of Romelia was the head of Samaria. A certain intensification and excess of evils is presented to us by Scripture, to such a degree that it is impossible for us to make the conspiracy of such men void, or to have any strength to defend ourselves against those whom they try to plot ^C against. "And if you will not believe, you shall not understand." It is necessary, however, to entrust faith to the Scriptures as containing a divine sense, and in this way to advance to the understanding of what is written. For it is necessary, having passed beyond the types, so to grasp the truth of those things that have been indicated to us. For first we must believe with a simple faith in the Scriptures, that they are divinely inspired and useful; then we must minutely and searchingly investigate the sense lying hidden within them.

198. And the Lord spoke further to Achaz, saying: "Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord in the depth or in the height." In the preceding [part], Achaz is taught by Isaiah what he ought to do, [namely] to remain silent and not to fear the two smoking firebrands. But now, as one who has ^D docily received the teaching through the prophet, he himself...

^A is deemed worthy of divine oracles. For the Lord added to speak to Ahaz. And perhaps we are taught that he who has been instructed by someone who serves the divine will, if he subsequently makes progress, will be able himself also to receive the answers of the Lord. There are, however, some who, not having been instructed by men beforehand, have been able from the beginning, as being pure, to receive the impressions of the Spirit. Such was Abraham, and Moses, and Elias, and Jeremias, and if any are similar to them. *And the Lord added to speak.* The addition connects the discourse with what preceded. And it was surely consistent that, after the prophecy had been issued declaring that Ephraim would fall—that is, the apostate Israel—it should then be prophesied in what manner Emmanuel would arrive through the undefiled Virgin. What, then, is the meaning that bids Ahaz: *Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God in the depth or in the height*? A sign, then, is a manifest thing, having within itself the manifestation of something hidden and obscure; just as the sign of Jonah sets before the eyes of those who can understand the mystical rationale of what is happening ^B the descent into Hades and, again, the ascent from the dead. But it is necessary that a sign always be present and be observed in the present, while the thing signified by it is often distributed across the three times. For there are present signs of present things; for example, smoke issuing from a house indicates that a fire is burning inside. There are also present signs of future events, as is the concourse of clouds visible to the eyes, which portends that rain will fall upon the earth. There are likewise present signs of past things, as are the remains of charcoal, which show that a funeral pyre has been burned there. Yet the Scripture calls those things "signs" that are marvelous and representative of some mystical discourse. And what could be more marvelous or more divine to be heard or seen than the birth of our God from the Virgin? For this reason, *Ask from the Lord your God* (since no one else is able to perform it) *a sign in the depth or in the height.* Therefore, in the arrangement of the world, that which naturally occupied the lowest place is the earth; and that which ^C is above all visible things is the heaven. Since, then, the Word became flesh, the prophecy, through the words *in the depth*, signifies the earth and the flesh assumed from it; but through the words *in the height*, it designates the celestial Word, superior to every principality and power, namely, He who in the beginning was with the Father, and the Word was God. Or perhaps *depth* signifies the lowest parts of Hades, and *height* the celestial region, as the Apostle sets forth for us, saying: *Say not in your heart, Who shall ascend into heaven?* that is, to bring Christ down. *Or, Who shall descend into the abyss?* that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. Since, therefore, He who descended is the very One who also ascended, the sign *in the depth and in the height* would be concerning the descent and

^A the saying of the Lord: *And He who ascended is the same one who is above all the heavens.*

199. And Achaz said: *I will not ask, nor will I tempt the Lord.* The gift of God indeed is great, and rich, and bountiful. But Achaz, as one not yet taught to ask for great and heavenly things, declines to seek a sign, as being something exceeding human nature, or as if he were about to act contrary to the commandment which says: *You shall not tempt the Lord your God.* It was necessary, however, that expressions concerning such great matters should be directed to the king who was then reigning, so that through him these prophecies might be proclaimed to all. For Isaiah would perhaps have been disbelieved, either on account of the envy of the men of his time, or because of his lowliness in the rest of his life, as if he had not received from the Lord the oracle about the coming of Emmanuel, but had fabricated the message from his own heart. Achaz, however, received the prophecy concerning future events just as Laban, Abimelech, Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, and, in the end, Caiaphas did—not because of the merit of his life, but because the credibility inherent in his office rendered him worthy of belief. For it was not out of any reverence or piety that Achaz shrank from asking for a sign. For if it were not advantageous for him, God would not have commanded it in the first place. ^B For this reason, the words that follow contain a rebuke directed at Achaz. For, turning the discourse toward David, he says (VERS. 13): *Hear now, O house of David. Is it a small thing for you to cause trouble for men, and how is it that you cause trouble for the Lord?* For by these words he seems to be expressing extreme indignation at the stubbornness of Achaz. A different edition expresses this thought more clearly by saying: *Is it a small thing for you to weary men, that you weary God as well?* But how does a man cause trouble for God, if such trouble is the fear of failure? But the prophet does not mean such an affliction in regard to God, but rather portrays the contrary disposition of those who resist His commandments through the use of the term "trouble."

200. *Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign.* Even to those who do not ask, He says, He will give it. Even if He does not find one worthy of receiving it, nevertheless, because of the preordained dispensation of the Lord’s birth in the flesh, He says, the Lord God Himself shall give a sign. For Achaz ought to have understood that human affairs do not admit of any other correction except through the sole coming of the Word of God to mankind, and he should have asked for a sign *in the depth or in the height.* But because he judged himself unworthy, lacking the training in how to ask for great and heavenly signs, for this reason...

he says: *The Lord himself shall give you a sign*; not through some servant, or deacon, or minister does he give it, but he gives it himself, that from this the magnitude of the gift might be made manifest. For the Law he ordained through angels, by the hand of a mediator, Moses; but the sign he gave himself to the house of David. And it is no longer given to Achaz alone, but to the whole house of David: for the Lord is of the seed of David according to the flesh; and for this reason the gospel concerning the coming of Christ pertained in every way to the kinship of David. ^B

201. *Behold, a Virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bear a son, and you shall call [87] his name Emmanuel.* The Jews object to the edition of the Seventy Interpreters, saying that in the Hebrew this word does not denote "Virgin," but rather "Girl," as if "girl" could refer to a woman in the flower of her youth, but not to a woman who is completely a stranger to the bridal chamber; to whom we respond easily and quickly. For if a sign is a demonstration of something stupendous and alien to the common custom of men, what would be wonderful if one woman among many, who had had intercourse with a man, were to become the mother of a child? And how could that which was born of the will of the flesh be called Emmanuel? Therefore, if that which is given is a sign, the very generation must be admirable and stupendous. But if the manner in which the boy was generated was common, let it neither be called a sign nor be entitled Emmanuel. Thus, if she who gave birth is not a virgin, what kind of sign is this? And if the birth is not more divine than that of the multitude, how is this the presence of Emmanuel? That, however, the term "girl" was used specifically for virgins is clear from those words in Deuteronomy spoken thus: *If in a field he finds a girl who is betrothed, and forcing her, lies with her, you shall put to death the man alone; but to the girl you shall do nothing, for there is no sin of death in the girl. For as if a man should rise against his neighbor and kill him, so is this matter. In the field he found her: the girl cried out, and there was no one to help.* She who cried out was, therefore, clearly a virgin before the corruption. These words, "the virgin cried out," carry the same weight as those, "the girl cried out." And in the third book of Kings, the Shunamite who warmed David, and who was a virgin and had never known a man, is called a girl. For they found, he says, Abisac, and they brought her to the king: and the girl was very fair, and she served the king, and the king did not know her. Emmanuel, therefore, is arisen from a holy Virgin, who had said: *How shall this be, since I do not know a man?* To whom the angel replied: *The Spirit of the Lord shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you.* This Virgin [was not subject] to the law of purification

For it is written in Deuteronomy [Leviticus], that a woman who conceives seed and bears a male, shall be unclean for seven days. But she, since she became the mother of Emmanuel without seeding, is pure and holy and undefiled; and after becoming a mother, she still remained a virgin ^B. For since the first Adam did not come into existence through the intercourse of man and woman, but was fashioned from the earth; and the last Adam, designed to renew that man’s corruption, assumed a body fashioned in a virginal womb, so that He might be in the likeness of sin through the flesh. But lest those who with great difficulty admit to the divine incarnation should deny all faith in this stupendous generation, the Creator of all things brought forth certain animals which are able to bring forth offspring by the female alone, without the coupling of males. For those who have busied themselves with the study of animals have recorded such things ^C about vultures.

202. *Butyrum et mel comedet: antequam sciat ipse, aut praeeligat mala, eliget bonum.* Emmanuel uses childish food on account of the flesh, namely butter and honey. And yet, though established in an infantile state, through the virtue of goodness dwelling within Him, before the attainment of mature age, just as He will reject wickedness, so He will choose the good. For our nature has an equal inclination toward both, and often leans toward the evil, and often toward the good, as on a scale, at one time the soul inclining toward vicious and turbulent affections ^D, and at another time, being drawn by reason toward the better. But the Lord is not so; rather, the intimacy He had with the good appeared immediately from His first birth. For what is written? *Before he knows or chooses evil, he shall choose the good.* But if you recur to those things written in Genesis concerning the knowledge of good and evil, you will find there the state in which Adam was placed before the sin, to be similar to the one now described, in that he was ignorant of evil, as he had not experienced it. Therefore, the Lord, while He still consisted in a childish habit, imitated that which had remained pure and incorrupt in Adam; but when He rejected wickedness, He corrected the transgression of the law brought about by disobedience.

203. *Sed, inquit, adducet Deus super te, et super populum tuum, et super domum patris tui dies, qui necdum venerunt, ex quo abstulit Ephraim a Juda, regem Assyriorum.* This sentence signifies

the last days, following the passion of the Lord, when Jerusalem was besieged by the Romans. ^A For after the advent of Emmanuel, the Lord will bring upon Achaz, and his people, and the house of his father, days that had not yet come from the time when Ephraim was separated from Juda, having been led away captive by the king of the Assyrians. Now Ephraim departed from Juda in the days of Jeroboam son of Nabat, who caused Israel to sin, and who first began the apostasy, saying: We have no part in David, nor any inheritance in the son of Jesse. Therefore, Ephraim drew the king of the Assyrians away from Juda towards himself, for he held him in contempt, and did not allow the siege of Jerusalem to be pressed hard by him.

VERS. 18, 19. And it shall be in that day: the Lord will hiss for the flies, that rule over the part of the river of Egypt; and for the bee, that is in the land of the Assyrians. And they shall come and rest, all of them, in the valleys of the country, and in the holes of the rocks, and into the caves, and in every cranny, and in every tree. My people, he says, went down into Egypt to dwell there; and they were led by force to the Assyrians. ^B Therefore he prophesies concerning the birth of Emmanuel, that those of the people, whether one be in Egypt or among the Assyrians, will go forth, and when they have already returned to the region of Judea, they will rest in their native and vacant shelters.

He says, however, that the flies have dominion over the part of the river of Egypt, and that the bees reside in the land of the Assyrians, in order to show the worthlessness of the opposing forces. For the fly is an animal which has its origin from dung, a species harmful and filthy to men, whose life is also troublesome and whose death is execrable. Then they shall have dominion over the part of the river of Egypt. For the Nile, beginning from the upper regions of the Ethiopians, ^C for a small part of itself, the one towards the mouths of the sea, has Egypt lying adjacent to it; in which place all quadrupeds, beasts, reptiles, and birds were considered as gods by the ancients.

^D (99) The edited version also reads "will rule over" (dominabitur). But the excellent arbiter of these matters, Combefis, noted two faults in this interpretation. The first is that Nobilius translated it as if he had read *hos* (ὃς); the second is that he falsely referred the word *h* (ὃ) to the Lord. I, for my part, would easily believe that this was said elliptically, and that some collective noun ought to be supplied, for example, "genus" or something similar; and so it will be: "Which genus of flies shall rule," etc. In this way, the meaning will be the same as the Roman edition, which—as Nobilius testifies—reads *ai* (αἱ) instead of *h* (ὃ), which [flies]. For as regards the sense, it matters nothing whether one says "which genus of flies shall rule," or "which flies shall rule." The little word *ai* (αὶ) is indeed found in Procopius and in Eusebius: but the latter wrote *kurieusousi* (κυριεύσουσι), "which shall rule," and the former *kurieuousi* (κυριεύουσι), "which do rule." We have followed our six codices, in which *ho kurieuei* (ὃ κυριεύει) is constantly read. In the same place, the edited version and the first Colbertine codex have *meros* (μέρος). Five other manuscripts have *merous* (μέρους). In the same manuscripts, *musaron, on* (μυσαρὸν, ὧν). (2) All our manuscripts agree with the printed editions; but in them the word *esti* (ἐστι) is missing. Hence we have suspected that the word *esti* is perhaps

the mouth of the sea, having Egypt as its inhabitant; in which place all the four-footed animals, both wild beasts, and reptiles, and birds are worshipped as gods. ^A These flies, therefore—the weakness of the opposing power—the Lord will destroy with his own hissing; that is, he will destroy them with the breath of his mouth. And in the land of the Assyrians, [he will destroy them] with the bee. For the bee is also a small and weak creature, which dies in the very act of defending itself. For no sooner has it inserted its sting than it dies with the wound; and it has harmed the one who was wounded but little, while it has deprived itself of life. Such is the nature of bitter men and those who fight against the Spirit, doing more harm to themselves through their wickedness than to all those who may encounter their anger.

^B “With a razor that is hired beyond the river, will the king of the Assyrians take away the head, and the hair of the feet, and the beard.” After the birth of Christ, every opposing power, having been scattered like flies and bees by the breath of the mouth of the Lord, the sons of Israel shall be gathered together, and shall rest in their native receptacles, in ravines, and in open lands, and in fissures, and in such like places. ^C But as to the [passage], “The Lord will shave with a razor that is hired from the king of the Assyrians the head, and the hair of the feet, and he will take away his beard,” the discourse seems to signify by the hired razor some mercenary force, which was about to demonstrate the scarcity of the Assyrian kingdom, and which was to take away its glory and splendor—that is, to dissipate the hairs of its head, and the great and common people, whom Scripture has figuratively handed down and taught to be the hairs of the feet. Then, indeed, it threatens that even the most precious things themselves, and the symbols of bravery, which it called the beard, shall be taken away by the hired razor. And perhaps those who attend to history will find that these things happened to the Assyrians by the Roman power, which comes at the birth of Emmanuel. “And it shall be in that day, a man will raise a calf of the kine, and two sheep. And it shall be that from the abundance of the milk which they shall produce, butter and honey shall every one eat that is left upon the earth.” ^D Since the rest for Israel, having been delivered from captivity, shall come to pass, and the king who was plotting against him shall have been marked with ignominy, and stripped by the hired razor; then, it says, so great a...

^A plenitude shall be in the region, that one cow and two sheep shall provide the possessor with such an abundance of milk that he will have a surplus of butter, because all the inhabitants of that land are to be nourished with butter and honey. Perhaps, however, it is more fitting to understand the teachings handed down concerning the animals in a more sublime sense. For in place of these words, “Everyone shall nourish a soul that is tolerant of labor and skilled in agriculture and diligent,” he said “a cow,” a beast, that is to say, which is suitable for agriculture and assists us; and for a nature that is gentle and mild and generous, he designated “sheep” by way of metaphor. For just as from this animal the material for our clothing is supplied, so too is the life of the virtuous accustomed to be adorned by the mantle of virtue. Since, therefore, it is nourished in a spiritual way, and is adorned, it will for this reason nourish a cow and two sheep. By “butter and honey” he refers to those teachings which introduce one to divine instruction. For butter and honey were conceived of as the first food of man; but when he has been sufficiently nourished by these, and has been imbued with the primary elements, then, having become superior to earthly things, he will be a participant in more solid food, both more ample and worthy of men, when he imparts his zeal to spiritual disciplines.

205. ^B VERSES 23-25. And it shall come to pass in that day, every place where there shall be a thousand vines, for a thousand shekels, they shall be for desert and for thorn. With arrow and bow they shall enter there, because all the land shall be desert and thorn, and every mountain that is plowed shall be plowed. Fear shall not come upon it. For there shall be from the desert and thorn the pasture of a sheep, and the trampling of an ox. As much as it was possible for us in places that are arduous and difficult to understand, we think that we have found an explanation that is not altogether discordant. See, therefore, if you can receive such a sense concerning these oracles, namely, that those who were of the circumcision are the thousand vines of a thousand shekels. For he transplanted a vine out of Egypt, and having cast out the ^C nations, he planted it; which, having first brought forth many fruits, was afterwards neglected, because it was turned into bitterness; and its hedge was destroyed, and it became a prey to those who pass by. Those fruitful vines, therefore, were turned into a desert land and one bristling with thorns, then, when a hostile army, by reason of the devastation brought upon them, invaded them with countless arrows and missiles. But the mountains that are plowed are those souls themselves which have embraced the faith of Christ, which, since they were previously desert and destitute of culture, lay ^D before the advent of Christ

^A uncultivated, and for that reason bore thorns and thistles; but because He 11 came for the fall and resurrection of many, 12 and called those things which are not, as though they were, to bring to nothing those things that are—for this reason, those who were of the circumcision, having lost their verdure and fruitfulness, degenerated into uncultivated land. That multitude, however, collected from the nations, which is called the plowed mountain, is now immune from all dread and is liberated from the fear of enemies, and is plowed. The mountain, therefore, is the soul raised on high by the teaching of Christ. Since, therefore, the Lord has come, Israel was broken off and the nations were grafted in, 13 so that through their transgression salvation might be dispensed to all, and both sheep and oxen, feeding securely on these mountains, might provide an abundance of benefit from themselves. Naturally, those of better character are signified by the name of sheep; those who are truly industrious and eager for accomplishing necessary things are designated by oxen.

CHAPTER VIII

206. ^B *Thus says the Lord to me: "Take for yourself a large new scroll, and write in it with the stylus of a man, that he may quickly make a plundering of spoils."* For it is present. *And take for yourself faithful witnesses, Uriah and Zechariah the son of Barachiah. And I approached the prophetess, and she conceived in her womb, and bore a son. And the Lord said to me: Call his name, "Quickly plunder, speedily despoil." For before the child knows how to call father or mother, he will take the power of Damascus, and the spoils of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians.* The prophet, ordered to perform one thing, will appear to have done another. For what does *Take for yourself a large new scroll* have in common with what follows: *And I approached the prophetess, and she conceived in her womb*? ^C Someone might say, therefore, that this following statement is not an explanation of the preceding thought; but, that being finished, the following statement is set forth, depending upon its own beginning. For although it is not added that he took a large new scroll, nevertheless, it is understood that he did what was commanded. But that which follows, *And I approached the prophetess, and she conceived in her womb*, is understood from a different starting point. For if the prophet had refused the command, this contradiction would certainly have been committed to writing, as happened in the case of Ezekiel, who refused to eat bread baked in human dung. 14 Indeed, in that place he denies that he will do it, saying: *By no means, Lord God of heaven: if my soul has not been polluted in uncleanness, nor has any ^D impure flesh entered into it.* 15 For that reason, it was conceded to him to bake his bread in the dung of oxen. Here, however, since no negation is found, the silence certainly indicates assent, even if it bears witness

^A to his having done the commanded thing. As in Osee: "Go," he says, "take for yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry"; then, the Word, bearing witness to him as having done what was commanded, adds: "And he went and took Gomer the daughter of Debelaim." Yet elsewhere we shall find commands pronounced, but the deed not witnessed as having occurred, yet understood by us due to the obedience of those commanded, as in Ezekiel: "And you shall sleep upon your left side"; and again, "You shall sleep upon your right side." For it is not subsequently added that he slept upon his right side, or ^B his left, but it is passed over in silence; yet the obedience of the prophet is understood by us. In this way, therefore, we can also answer here to the question raised by us, that he did not do one thing while being commanded another; but having performed that mandate, he discourses to us about the prophetess in accordance with another principle.

207. ^C Perhaps that volume of the new and great Testament is a figure and adumbration, described in the style of man, because the words of the Gospel were written in human speech, which can be heard by the many. In this volume it is written that the "plundering of the spoils" is to be done "speedily," since the teaching of the Gospel has been swift, and swifter than any lightning, reaching to the ends of the earth, and plundering the prince of this world, and bringing those who were enslaved to his service to the point of obeying Christ. The "plundering" of the spoils is the distribution which God entrusted to the angels, as provident guardians ^D of the human race, for the protection and salvation of men. For this reason it is written, "speedily to perform the plundering of spoils." For the Gospel is present, which announces to us that He who was long expected from heaven is now present. "Let Urias and Zacharias," he says, "be witnesses" of those things which are written in the Gospel. Now, Urias is a priest, symbolizing the law delivered through Moses; but Zacharias is a prophet. The Gospel is valid, as being confirmed by the testimony of the law and the prophets. Moreover, Urias, if you interpret it, signifies "the illumination of God"; Zacharias, however, "the memory of God"; and the son of Barachias, "of the blessing of God." What faithful men, then, was it fitting to be witnesses? He who is illuminated by God, and keeps a constant memory of God, this man will be that.

208. What, then, is meant by, "And I went to the

^A prophetess"? It means, I approached through the spirit, and through the foreknowledge of future things, to the prophetess. For I reached, and in a way drew near to, that prophetic understanding, and I saw her conception from afar, having gazed in advance with the gift of prophecy; for she brought forth a son, concerning whom the Lord said: "Call his name, 'Make haste to plunder, speed to the spoil.'" He made haste to plunder the strong one, the one who was guarding his own possessions—those who had been sold under sin, and were held in the bonds of death. He plundered that one, but He took the spoil with His own ^B powers; having dispensed the faithful for safekeeping and guardianship to the holy angels, concerning whom He Himself says: "Their angels always behold the face of My Father who is in heaven." This is He who quickly took the spoil, concerning whom it is written: "Ascending on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men." Now, that Mary is a prophetess, unto whom Isaiah approached by the approach of knowledge, no one will deny, if he keeps in memory her words, which she spoke prophetically. For what does she say? "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, because He has looked upon the lowliness of His handmaid. For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." And if you firmly attend to all her words, you will not hesitate to call her also a prophetess. Because the Spirit of the Lord came upon her, and the power of the Highest overshadowed her. Therefore, what he was commanded to write in this scroll, having approached the prophetess, he saw it accomplished. For it was said there: "Write with a man's stylus, to make a swift laying hold of spoils"; but here, after saying that she conceived in her womb, and brought forth a son, it is written: "And the Lord said: Call his name, 'Make haste to plunder, speed to the spoil.'" Thus, the same thing is expressed by different words and concepts: in the phrase, "Take to yourself a scroll," and in the phrase, "I approached the ^C prophetess"; and the deduction has nothing at all inconsistent with the preceding proposition. And He who was born of the prophetess took the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria. The power of Damascus are those who believe from among the nations; the spoils of Samaria are those who have believed from the circumcision. For just as Damascus is the metropolis of Syria, so is Samaria of the Israelites. ^D

^A But the commandments and the brave deeds of him who was born of the prophetess are imposed upon him by the Lord instead of names, just as the name Jesus was applied to the Lord for the sake of the salvation given to us by God. For, He says, you shall call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins. Because this people does not desire the water of Siloam, which flows quietly, but desires to have Rasin and the son of Romelias as king over you ^B, for this reason, behold, the Lord brings upon you the water of the river, strong and much, the king of the Assyrians and his glory; and it shall ascend over every valley of yours, and shall walk over every wall of yours, and shall take away from Judea a man who is able to lift up his head, or who is able to accomplish anything. And his camp shall be such as to fill the width of your land. What reason is there for the God of the universe to threaten the people with such things on account of the water of Siloam? And why does the people not desire the water of Siloam, since history does not record that it brings any disease or any other harm to those who use it? Furthermore, what is the connection ^C for the man who does not desire the water of Siloam to want Rasin and the son of Romelias? For what relationship or affinity exists between inanimate water and a king ruling and holding authority over his subjects? But Siloam must be understood tropically, the name being interpreted according to the teaching of the Gospel as "Sent." For indeed in the Gospel according to John, such an interpretation is found: "Go, wash in Siloam (which means Sent)." Who then is the "Sent One," the one flowing silently, if not He of whom it is said, "The Lord has sent me, and his Spirit"? And again: "He shall not strive, nor cry out, ^D nor shall his voice be heard in the streets." Those, therefore, who do not receive Him who was sent from heaven, rejecting His gentleness, but rather draw to themselves the son of Romelias—that is to say, a discourse that contains false doctrine, yet promises that it can be demonstrated according to the divine Scriptures—and Rasin (which, if you interpret it, means "sublime," and who also carries away the listener to something foreign to the divine Scriptures, puffs him up, and leads him away from the foundation of the faith, for Aram is interpreted as "sublime"), those who despise the firm word and do not accept what is stable and tranquil, but who combine doctrines taken from things foreign to the faith with testimonies drawn from divine Scripture—to them this judgment threatens that they shall...

be brought upon them water ^A much and strong: the king of the Assyrians, that is, the ruler of this age. For that Scripture often takes the Assyrian to signify the adversary is shown by what follows in this same prophet: *And it shall come to pass,* he says, *when the Lord shall have accomplished all things doing in mount Sion and in Jerusalem, He will bring upon the mind the great prince of the Assyrians, and upon the height of the glory of his eyes.* For he said: *In my strength I will do, and by the wisdom of my understanding I will remove the boundaries of nations, and I will plunder their strength, and I will shake the settled cities, and the whole world I will take in my hand as a nest, and as eggs that have been left I will take; and there is none who shall escape me or contradict me.*

210. ^B It seems, therefore, that he speaks of the prince of the Assyrians as water that is much, in the manner of a torrent, violently and impetuously sweeping away those who chance to be in its path; of which those who have been deemed worthy to pass through the temptations unharmed say: *Our soul hath passed through the torrent, the intolerable water.* And the Gospel also mentions the parable of this very water, when it compares the one who hears the words but does not do them to a man who builds his house without a foundation; and when a flood came, it says, it did not withstand, but the house fell, and the fall of that house was great. But this much water, he says, will ascend upon every valley of yours. Now, valleys are the hollows ^C of the earth. How then is the water said not to descend, but to ascend? Because all lowliness in men that arises from sin is loftier than the primary fountains and the so-called first principles of wickedness. However, when they are delivered to the opposing powers, they will walk upon every wall of those who have apostatized—that is, upon all their strong doctrines, and upon all things that seemed to be their safeguards. But because of the apostasy from Siloam, and the inclination toward the destructive kings, the Word threatens that there shall be taken away from Judea every man who is able to lift up his head and who is powerful in accomplishing something: that is, both him who is lofty in the contemplation ^D of the mind, and him who is powerfully accomplishing things according to practical virtue; but also that he will camp within the breadth of the land of those who do not accept the one who is able to camp against the adversaries, but rather, as though they were in some way lofty, if one compares them with the state of the demons, who are the leaders and architects of all wickedness—they are made worthy to be camps for the adverse—

not being condemned by necessity, but choosing for themselves the worse portion. For inasmuch as they did not approve of having God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting ^A (Rom. i, 28).

211. VERSE 9. *Know, O nations, and be overcome: hearken unto the ends of the earth.* That expression, *God is with us*, refers surely to the Savior. For so was He who is born of the Virgin called in the preceding passages—namely, Emmanuel, according to the unique character of the Hebrew language, which, if interpreted, signifies *God is with us* (Matth. i, 23). *Know, O nations, and be overcome.* I am inclined to believe that this utterance is referred to the joy of those who, having recognized the coming of Christ, have learned that the power of the cross is to be feared by the nations. For that reason, He says: *Know, O nations, and be overcome*, so that, being overcome, you may be led captive to the obedience of Christ through that noble and profitable victory for you, and through service to Christ, be set free from the law of sin. How, then, are the nations overcome? By recognizing God. For when light arrives, darkness is overcome, and disease is overcome by the arrival of health. Therefore, nations, recognize only the truth, and you will be immediately overcome by a salutary victory. *Hearken unto the ends of the earth.* Whom are you to hearken to? To those who announce the Gospel to you. For: *Into all the earth*, He says, *their sound hath gone forth, and unto the ends of the world their words* (Ps. xviii, 5). *Be strong, and be overcome;* put off bodily strength, assume the infirmity of the flesh, so that the power of God may be made perfect in infirmity ^B (II Cor. xii, 9). For if you prevail again, you will be overcome again. If ever the wantonness of the flesh rises up in you, strive to bring it into bondage, and to subdue and subject it to the spirit. VERSE 10. *And whatever counsel you undertake, the Lord shall destroy; and the word you speak shall not remain in you, for God is with us.* For He shall destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the prudence of the prudent He shall reject ^C (Isa. xxix, 14; I Cor. i, 19). Therefore, that Angel of great counsel makes the human counsel void, and God the Word destroys the speech of men. Of which, He says, nothing shall remain in you, because God is with us. It is useful, however, for the nations in the time of persecution to say confidently: *For if you prevail again, you will be overcome again.* For those who have often attacked the Church of Christ have not infrequently succumbed. For just as a flame is lifted higher and higher by the addition of combustible material, so ^D those who have attempted to overthrow the Church have always, through their persecutions, advanced it to greater glory and power.

212. VERSES 11-14. *Thus saith the Lord: They do not follow with the strong hand the journey of the way of this people, say-

-^Aing: Do not say it is hard. For whatever this people says is hard. But do not fear his fear, nor be disturbed. Sanctify the Lord himself, and he shall be your fear; and if you trust in him, he shall be for a sanctification for you; and you shall not meet him as a stumbling block of a stone, nor as a fall of a rock.* After the word has been preached concerning the coming of Emmanuel, and in a certain way, owing to the victory reported among the nations, that voice has been sent forth, "Know, O nations, and be conquered, for God is with us," the text adds, condemning the nations, "They do not follow with the strong hand." Now the strong hand is the creative power of all things, through which all visible creation, and that which transcends visible things, subsists. For there are two ways by which we can be led to the knowledge of God and to the care of ourselves: either by ascending from natural concepts through visible things to the Creator, or through the instruction given to us by the law. But these people seem not to follow even the strong hand—that is, they are not led through creatures to the understanding of Him who made them—nor the journey, that is, the Way. And the Way is the Lord himself, who said: "I am the way." The same is also the hand of God, and the right hand. For He says: "Thy right hand, O Lord, is glorified in strength," and, "I have established the heaven with my hand." Therefore, those who do not believe in the Lord are reproved. ^B Or perhaps He calls the journey the way of this life, which is prescribed for us by the law. For that doctrine is called a way is known and perceived from many places, since the Lord calls the teachers of the law "blind guides of the way." And, "I have taken pleasure in the way of your testimonies"; and, "I shall live in your way"; and, "Blessed are the undefiled in the way." And in a word, Scripture is full of such testimonies, in which it calls that progress, by which we strive through the law toward the perfection of the soul, a certain journey. And he added the cause of the disobedience. They do not accept, he says, the commandments of the way, which the word uses; but they disobey them, not bearing the hardness of the things commanded.

213. Even as in the Gospel the Jews, not enduring the teachings of the Lord, said: "This is a hard saying; who can hear it?" It is hard for the unchaste to be continent; temperance is hard for the drunkard; it is hard for the reviler to bless; and, in general, to every neck that desires liberty, the yoke of the law ^C seems hard. For this reason many perish because of the smoothness and breadth of the way; but few [arrive] at the kingdom, since they [are] unwilling to bear the roughness and toil of that life which is established according to the prescription of virtue.

^A For malice, indeed, lures [one] with the smoothness of pleasure; but virtue makes the life of those who practice it rugged through austerities and labors. "Because of the words of your lips, I have kept the hard ways" (Ps. XVI, 4). He calls "hard ways" the commandments given to us for the perfecting of our souls. What is harder than, having received a blow on the cheek, to turn the other one to him? Than for one who is being robbed, not to demand it back? Than for one being dragged to a tribunal, to strip off even his tunic? Than to bless those who revile one while being harassed? What is harder than to beseech the one who attacks with insults, to hate no one, and to pray for those who persecute? But that hard way of life prepares for us the soft bosom of our father Abraham for our rest. For "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matth. V, 4, 6). And almost every affliction of this life secures eternal goods. Wherefore, "Going, they went and wept, casting their seeds" (Ps. CXXV, 6). For the tribulations which now occur for the sake of the law of God will be the seed of future blessings. "But coming, they shall come with exultation, carrying their sheaves" (ibid.). Therefore, the nations do not follow the journey of the people, saying, "Lest you say 'hard'." For whatever this people speaks is [deemed] hard. Investigate, therefore, those who sit by the idols; for what reason do they not approach the doctrine of the preaching? For the more honest and sincere among them confess that they cannot bear its austerity.

214. Then he adds: "And do not be afraid of Him, nor tremble" (Is. VIII, 12). But this passage is understood in two ways. For he says to the nations: Do not fear the fear which they now ignorantly fear, because they do not commit themselves to the practice ^B of better things; as if he were saying: Do not fear temperance, do not fear fortitude, do not fear piety; do not be afraid of any of the virtues. They are gentle, easy to approach, providers of good things, and precursors of life. ^C Or, having turned his speech, he is directed toward the people: Since those men have suspected such things about you, refusing to be joined with you in the path of the law. But you, do not fear the snares prepared for you by the nations, but keeping the Lord in your mind, hallow Him, "And He shall be your fear" (Is. VIII, 13). This contributes most to perfection, wisely ^D known.

^A And know how to fear, and not to be terrified of everything, nor to be easily shaken, fearing things that cause no fear. For the Psalm condemns such people, saying: "There they will be in fear where there was no fear" (Ps. XIII, 5). Hallow the Lord, therefore, "And He shall be your fear." Await His advent, and fear His judgment. ^B Terrible is He who will render to everyone according to his works; terrible is He who is about to arrive from the heavens in the voice of a trumpet with the holy angels; terrible is He whose decision is eternal punishment. If, therefore, you are trusting in the Lord, you will not encounter Him as a stone to trip over, nor as a rock to fall upon. Plainly, the passage refers to the faith concerning our Lord Jesus. For it is said regarding this: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense" (Rom. IX, 33). The blind, and those unable to see what is at their feet, stumble against stones, and those who have not secured their foundation slide on the rocks. Therefore, he who has taken no care for the perceptive faculty of his soul, and has not through the teaching of the Scriptures recognized the Lord's advent, trips over the preaching of the Gospel; and he who is easily overturned in his faith suffers scandal on the rock, which is Christ. But you, He says, O people, if you are trusting and leaning with perfect faith upon the Lord, you will not encounter the discourse concerning Him as a stone of stumbling, nor will you slip upon it as a rock of falling. Perhaps the folly of the preaching is a scandal to the Greeks who seek wisdom, and a rock of offense to the Jews who seek signs. For this reason, Paul said that preaching is "to the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and to the Gentiles folly" (1 Cor. I, 23). But to those who trust in the Lord, and do not subject the simplicity of the preaching to logical demonstrations, nor put the truth to the test through signs, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

215. "Then they shall be manifest who seal the law, so as not to learn" (Is. VIII, 16). And He shall say: "I will wait for God, who turns away His face from the house of Jacob, and I will trust in Him." The discourse depends upon the sequence of what has gone before: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive in her womb, and bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which is translated, God with us" (cf. Is. VII, 14; Matth. I, 23). And again, speaking further down, He says: "With us is God: know, O nations, and be vanquished." Then He turns His speech to those who [have received] the law from Emma—

^Anuel, but who decline the laborious nature of what has been ordained by Him. Then, he says, those who seal up the law so as not to learn will be manifest. For when the word of doctrine is sown among all, some amend their hearts for the reception of the teachings and are like fertile and fruitful land, inasmuch as they embrace the word and, having struck root deeper, do not allow it to be choked by thorns, nor do they leave it unguarded so as to be easily snatched away by the devil, but they bring forth thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold fruit. But there are also those who altogether shut up their soul so as not to receive the word, but as it were bind themselves and seal themselves up, lest the word of truth enter in. They are said to be "sealed" who express in themselves the form and appearance of the adversary, and are unwilling that Christ be formed in them, and who, having corrupted the image of the heavenly [Man], take pleasure only in the image of the earthly. ^B Now the law is sealed by obscurity, and for the reason that it cannot be easily grasped by just anyone: for naturally, study of the law and exercise are required. Whoever, therefore, does not apply his mind to meditation, nor wishes to loosen the bond of ignorance, is said to "seal" the law, which will be manifest in the day of revelation. For they who seal the law so as not to learn will be manifest. How, then, do the Jews seal the law—they of whom it is said: "You have taken away the keys; and neither do you enter, and you hinder those who are able to enter"? He seals [it], so as not to learn, who, under the pretense and name of grammatical observation, does not uncover the mysteries hidden within. And consider what he says: for are these not openly Jewish voices? "I will wait for God, who turns His face away from the house of Jacob." The Jews say these things: "I do not believe in God; I do not admit Immanuel: although now I am considered forsaken, ^C yet I will sometime await the visitation of God who turns His face away from the house of Jacob." 216. *Verse 18. Behold I and the children whom God has given me. And there shall be signs and wonders in the house of Jacob, from the Lord of Sabaoth, who dwells in Mount Sion.* After the disobedient have been rebuked, then at last the Lord Himself speaks in His own person. Those, therefore, He says, do not obey with a strong hand and [with respect to] the journey of the way of this people; but they simulate waiting for the Lord, who turns His face away from the house of Jacob. But I [will treat] those who have believed in me, as recently regenerated, having put off the old man and put on the new, as though they were infants newly born, tender in character and void of evil, and at length moved from the first elements of the Scriptures as if from milk, and to a more perfect my-^D

meat of the mysteries, I take them up, and warming them in the bosom of compassion, I present them to the Father. For through me is the way of knowledge concerning Him. That these words are spoken in the person of Christ, no one familiar with the Epistle to the Hebrews will deny: ^A *For it became him,* he says, *for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren.* And again: *Behold I and the children which God hath given me.*

217. *And there shall be,* he says, *signs and wonders in the house of Jacob.* From these children who have been regenerated by Christ, powerful signs and wonders shall be accomplished in the house of Jacob. The apostles were children, being infants in malice; who, though at first they were men who spoke with tongues, though they were unlearned men and Galilaeans, yet they made the coming of the Holy Spirit ^B manifest to all, and showed that the division of gifts and the partition of tongues had been granted to them. Furthermore, a clear and known sign is that lame man sitting at the Beautiful gate, who, by the invocation of the name of Christ, was made sound of foot by Peter and John, his feet being strengthened and confirmed. By which sign that old prophecy was fulfilled, that *Then the lame man shall leap as an hart.* A sign was Dorcas, being raised from the dead. A sign were the iron gates of the prison, opening of their own accord for the departure of Peter; the chains loosened; and all other things which were done through the apostles for the declaration ^C of the divinity of the Only-Begotten. Moreover, all these signs and wonders are from God Sabaoth, who dwells in mount Sion. It is fitting to understand God Sabaoth as the God of hosts. And who else is the Lord of hosts, if not he who is called the Captain of the host of the power of God, from whom the signs were given to the children? And that those who have believed in Christ are called children is evident also from the Lord having said, concerning those who were praising him and saying, *Hosanna in the highest,* to the Jews who said to him, "Hearest thou what these say?" "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise." For he called those children there who were cutting down the branches ^D of palms and spreading their garments in the way, and those who were crying out and following him with glorious and honorable words.

^A But he says in another place: *I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto little ones* (Matt. xi, 25). He calls those "little ones" who have been instructed in the Word and have been deemed worthy of the revelation of the mysteries through the Spirit. *Behold, I and my children* (Isa. viii, 18), he says, indicating his elect; because *God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise* (1 Cor. i, 27). Every one, therefore, who puts off the old man, who is corrupted according to the desires of error, and puts on the new, who is renewed according to the image of his Creator, is a child according to the mystical teaching of Christ.

^B 218. VERSE 19-22. *And if they shall say unto you: Seek after the ventriloquists and those who speak from the ground, the vain talkers, who cry out from the belly: shall not a nation seek unto their God? Why do they seek the dead concerning the living? For he gave the law for a help, that they might say: It is not according to this word, concerning which there is no gift to be given for it. And there shall come upon you grievous famine; and it shall be, when you shall be hungry, you shall be distressed, and you shall speak evil of the prince, and of your ancestral laws: and they shall look up to heaven on high. And they shall look down to the earth below. And behold narrow distress, and darkness, affliction and straitness; and darkness, so that they see not. And he shall not fail who is in straitness until the time.* Those who do not receive the word of the Gospel, and who treat its preaching as foolishness, and ^C to whom the cross is an offense, when we counsel them to return to this knowledge, they in turn offer us advice drawn from their own error, saying: "Seek not the Lord, but the ventriloquists, and those who speak from the ground, the vain talkers." And experience is a witness to this. For those who are addicted to idols, being attentive to dreams, divinations, and the oracles of demons, make nothing of the truth, and persuade us to seek such things. For demons bring it about that those who experience them err to their own destruction. And indeed, they now stir up certain images of things everywhere in dreams, by which either a cure for bodily ^D sicknesses is suggested, or things to come are foretold. For demons can perceive things of this kind. As regards bodily diseases, they foresee them because they are endowed with a sharper faculty of intellect for recognizing the properties of matter, and they know the qualities of herbs and their virtue suitable for curing diseases. But as to what concerns future events, very often those things which are already happening...

^A in our time, but not yet known to us, they announce as though they were future events. Just as if someone, having heard from our people of the arrival of some person, should announce that arrival to someone expecting it as though it were yet to happen, in order that he might be thought to be a prophet and might reap glory for himself through fraud. In this same way, demons also, to those who can easily be led into error, often announce things that were already determined and published by the decree of God. Thus, that ventriloquist, by the aid of the demons, announced the coming slaughter to Saul. ^B For they were demons who had put on the person of Samuel; and they, having heard of the condemnatory judgment given against Saul, spoke of the sentence passed by God as if it were their own. Therefore, the nations often urge us to be led astray by the deceits of demons, saying: "Seek out the ventriloquists, who speak from the earth." For they do not dare to say that their words are brought from the heavens. As also that prophetess in the Books of Kings who was speaking with Saul said: "I see gods ascending out of the earth." For such is the device and fraud of ventriloquists: they profess to summon up the souls of the dead, so that the things which are sought may be revealed. Then the prophet adds his own opinion concerning such tricks and deceits, and declares them to be vain talkers, saying: "Speaking vainly, who cry out from the belly"; as if to say, they speak from their own will. For such a person does not speak because he has been taught by some other source, but, having fabricated a lie in his own heart and conjecturing the mind and intention of his spectators, he speaks those things ^C which are of use to him for the deceiving of the simple-minded.

219. Perhaps they speak from the belly, whose god is the belly, who perform all things for the sake of the pleasure that arises from food and drink. Wherefore he would not be in error who called them soothsayers and ventriloquists who, for the sake of filling their own belly, simulate doctrine and put on an appearance and form of piety; and because they do not bring forth their words from the heart, they speak vain things. And this is right and deserved. For anyone who does not do what he teaches, destroys in himself all credibility that might be useful. But the phrase, "Shall not a nation seek out its God?" must be understood in this way: that every nation proposes its inquiry to its own god concerning the matter about which it wishes to be instructed. And for the sake of clarifying the meaning, the reading must be made by way of interrogation: "Shall not a nation seek out its God?" Therefore, those who ^D turn away from the truth...

and are alien to our worship, consistently propose to the gods whom they have assumed to be gods, and put questions to them. ^A For they assume them to be dead gods, and yet they inquire of them concerning the living. But he calls "the dead" either the inanimate idols—stones, wood, bronze, and gold—or he calls those "dead" who have cast away the true life through apostasy. Or perhaps the entire practice of those called ventriloquists revolves around the tombs, and from there they derive the power of their witchcraft. Then, the Word, being indignant at the foolishness of those who worship idols, says: "Why do they seek the dead concerning the living?" Why do you who are animate worship a stone? Why do you, who are endowed with reason, interrogate the deaf? Do you implore help for a living child from one who has no life, who lacks life, who cannot even breathe? Even if you go to an oracle, even if you devise purifications, you have approached the dead, who have themselves lost life, and are about to bring forth death upon you through your disobedience. ^B

"He gave the law for help," so that they may say: "Not as this word, concerning which it is not possible to give gifts regarding it." Do not be overly anxious about the future; but manage the present for your own benefit, and make use of these. For what profit will you receive from having prior knowledge? If what is to come is good, it will arrive even if you do not know beforehand; but if it is troublesome, what is the profit in being consumed by grief and sadness in advance? You have received the Law for help. Great indeed was the aptitude for the good already existing within you by nature; but God, making this perfect, added to you the guidance of the Law as well. Do you wish to be certain about future events? Perform those things that are commanded by the Law, and wait for the enjoyment of good things. "Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you, and you shall be long-lived upon the earth, which the Lord your God gives you." ^C Do you desire good things? Observe what has been prescribed. Do not ask the seer about your health, but endure the physician who prescribes the remedies for reclaiming health, of which you yourself are the master and arbiter. Can you learn anything from another? No prophet confers immortality; no one leads you to heaven; no one presents you to the Judge with boldness, but the Law and the accurate keeping of it—by keeping which, do not be overly concerned about the future, but wait for the reward. The Law, therefore, he gave for help, so that they may say: "Not as this word, concerning which it is not possible to give gifts regarding it." But this Law is not like this word of the ventriloquist. For it was not devised for show, as those words of his; but it is the teacher of truth. And those men, indeed, prophesy for silver. For this is the ridiculous thing, that those who are deceived even pay money to them as a wage for their lie. ^D This word, however—that is, that of the Law—is not such,

so that gifts should be given for it. For no one is given the grace ^A of God in return for payment. Freely, He says, you received; freely give. Do you see how Peter was indignant at Simon, who brought money for the sake of the gift of the Spirit? For your money, he says, be with you for destruction, because you thought that the gift of God could be obtained through money. Therefore, the word of the Gospel is not like the words sold by ventriloquists. For what could anyone give [(95)] that is a worthy exchange for them? Listen to David, who is perplexed and says: What shall I render to the Lord for all that He has rendered unto me? There are, therefore, no gifts that one can give for this that are equal in value to the grace from Him. There is one worthy gift: the keeping of the thing given [(96)]. He who gave you the treasure does not demand a price for the thing given, but a keeping worthy of what has been bestowed.

221. And it shall be, He says, when you hunger, you will be grieved, and you will speak evil of the ruler and the ancestral customs. The Lord, who ^B arranges all things for salvation, sometimes brings upon people a famine for the benefit of those being disciplined. For I afflicted you, He says, and fed you with famine, that I might do you good [(97)]. He calls a "dire" famine, therefore, that which is inconsolable, that which is unimaginable [(98)]. For there are differences in famines. Some occur merely by a lack of grain; others happen also through the scarcity of other things that can be eaten. For this [(99)] is the dire famine which the word promises to bring on, so that through destitution it might produce grief, which is able to work a salvation without regret. But when they are grieved according to God, then they will speak evil of the ruler and the ancestral customs. Who is the ruler who is spoken evil of by those who are well grieved? ^C Is it not evidently the ruler of this world, whom they will speak evil of out of repentance, when they come to a realization of the harm from him? And they also speak evil of the ancestral customs. The ancestral customs of those living in sins are the businesses of life, in which all lovers of glory are entangled. To the sinner, his ancestral customs are the works of the flesh: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, passion, evil desire. Ancestral customs are deceit and falsehood, plots and intrigues, and hypocrisies. He, therefore, who has sobered up, as if from a kind of drunkenness caused by the things of the world, will speak evil of his ruler [(2)], who had led him toward the works of destruction. But he will also speak evil ^D of the ancestral customs with which, while living, he did not accept the law given to us by God for our help. You cannot, under the

^A king, be subject unless you have spoken evil to this prince. For this reason, the Church has taught you to say: "I renounce you, Satan." This is the curse which is cast upon the prince. But what is the curse that is applied against ancestral customs? It is this: "And I renounce your works." These ancestral rites are the works of the devil. Blessed is he who has rightly cursed this prince; for he now approaches Him who is true, and is enlightened. Blessed is he who has rejected the ancient ancestral customs, for he shall find a fatherland, the Jerusalem above, which is the mother of those who are like the blessed Paul. ^B Ancestral customs are also the wicked habits transmitted to us from our parents. Did your father leave you possessions gathered through avarice? Restore them to the one who has suffered wrong; do not claim them for yourself as if they were your own; it is an inheritance of sin. Did your father leave you a slave, unjustly reduced to servitude by him? Bestow freedom upon him, and you will make the torment of your father lighter, and you will secure true freedom for yourself. Then what does it say?

222. And they shall look up to heaven above, and they shall look down to the earth; and behold, narrow distress and darkness, so that they cannot see; and he who is in distress shall not be lacking ^B until a time. He speaks about these, who through distress have been led to repentance, because they shall look up towards heaven above. Those who formerly were stooped, and were not able to contemplate the high matters of divine theory, these, as though loosened from some bond—the sympathy towards earthly things—will turn the free gaze of their eyes toward heaven, contemplating the nature of invisible and intelligible things, and considering the place where one must store up treasure. Then ^C they shall look down to the earth. The lowly nature of their own existence they will comprehend, from their kinship with the earth, those who were previously exalted and thought highly of themselves. Marvel at how aptly the Scripture has used these words, since it has devised an expression appropriate for each thing. For heaven is set before us for contemplation, and earth. For concerning heaven it says: "They shall look up to heaven above"; but concerning the earth: "They shall look down to the earth." Then, at the wonder of such great things being understood, they are at a loss, and will be in distress, and their minds will be darkened, because the great shock of what they have grasped will excite this turmoil in them. ^D For when a man has finished, it says, then he begins; and when he has rested, then he shall be in suspense. No one knows how many and how great are the things he does not know, unless he has had a taste of this knowledge. But yet, blessed are they...

^A whose taste is of knowledge. Nevertheless, the good Lord promises them better things. For He says, He who is in distress shall not be wanting until the time. This ignorance shall not hold the human race forever, but he who now seeks the truth of knowledge, and labors to acquire it, shall then see face to face [1 Cor. xiii, 12]; and he shall obtain the perfection of knowledge when the time comes for all things to be restored. For this is what the expression, “Until the time,” means.

CHAPTER IX

^B 223. This first drink: make haste, land of Zabulon, land of Nephthalim, and the rest who are by the sea and beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people 14 who walked in darkness, see a great light; you who dwell in the region and shadow of death, light shall shine upon you. The greater part of the people, whom Thou didst lead in Thy joy, and they shall rejoice before Thee as those who rejoice in the harvest, and in the manner of those who divide the spoils; for the yoke that was laid upon them, and the rod upon their neck, has been taken away. For He has shattered the rod of the oppressors, as in the day that was upon Madian. For every garment gathered with deceit, and the robe with its exchange, they shall pay back, and they shall wish if only they had been burnt with fire. For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder; and his name is called, ^C Angel of Great Counsel. For I will bring peace upon the princes, peace and health to him. Great is his government, and of his peace there is no end. Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it and to support it 15 in judgment and in justice from henceforth and for ever. The zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth will perform these things. The Word, being about to bring good tidings 16 of the incarnation of the Lord, as if offering some preliminary taste of spiritual joy, thus greets him who is to receive the good tidings: This first drink. He who drinks first 17 receives the drink into himself, welcoming it with desire. For it is then especially that the ^D flavor of the draught spreads itself through him, when he suffers neither nausea nor vomiting, but rather desiring the relief and comfort of the drink due to excessive thirst, he is thoroughly imbued with the liquid. Therefore, even he who is, as it were,

^A announcing to the thirsty people the expected grace, says: Drink this first. Receive joy into your soul; store up in it the dogma of salvation. Do not think anything else is second, nor deem any other thing more preferable than this. It is before all things: nor can anything be conceived by you that might be prior to your Creator, or that by nature might be more precious than the firstborn of all creation. Drink first. Learn that in the beginning was the Word. Nothing is before the beginning; nothing is before Him who was in the beginning. Do not drink in an age beforehand; nor an interval; nor a place devoid of the existence of the Son; nor time; nor a moment of time; nor anything futile and vain that the mind might be able to imagine. Drink this first, do it quickly. Do not approach the acceptance of the work slothfully, sluggishly, carelessly, or languidly, but vigorously and studiously. Of such a kind was Paul, who as soon as he drank the faith, without any delay of time, ^B approached preaching; for he did not consult with flesh and blood, but like some runner, as soon as he heard the signal for the race, he hastened toward the end, straining toward the prize of the heavenly calling according to the goal set before him.

224. The Region of Zabulon

^A the person of the Lord the discourse passes. What does it declare? "Most of the people, whom Thou hast led in Thy gladness." For not all received the word, but the majority followed Him who calls to eternal gladness, who shall also be gladdened before God. "As those who are gladdened in the harvest." For whatever each one sows, that he shall also reap. Therefore in the day of retribution, those who received the word and have borne fruit according to the proportion of what was previously entrusted to them in this life, having received from the just Judge their rewards, which are not unequal to their deserts, they shall be gladdened; "As those who are gladdened in the harvest," and in the same way as those who are dividing spoils. Those who are gladdened in the harvest obtain the beginning of their joy from their own labors, but those who are enriched from spoils receive the occasion of acquiring wealth suddenly. For this reason, He mentioned both: both the good things that come from retribution, and those that are to be given as a gift by the most munificent Giver. For the yoke laid upon the nations has been removed; they shook off the heavy yoke of him who had subjected them to the servitude of sin, ^B and who was bending their neck with a rod, so that, by casting the apostolic preaching into their soul, they would no longer bow down to the servitude of sin.

225. "For the rod of the exactors He has shattered, as in the day that was upon Midian." A grievous exactor stands over human life, smiting with a rod and demanding one’s own will—this is our common enemy. Would you know the wounds of this rod? Hear Him who says: "My wounds have stunk and are corrupt." The wicked rod inflicts putrid wounds upon the one who is struck. Imagine to yourself someone who is caught in various desires, and is strongly inclined to the enjoyment of pleasures; he will appear in a certain way like one who has been struck by the rod and led away toward sin. Desire does not cease, inflicting stings and pains upon the profligate, until it has impressed upon the soul the shackle of sin, which exhales a foul and loathsome odor through the recollection of base things. Therefore, He shall shatter this rod, just as He shattered the rule and the dominion of the Midianites; of whom I think you remember the histories, whether that which is according to Numbers, or that which is in Judges. For in the Numbers record it says: "They waged war against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed every male, and they killed the kings of Midian along with their wounded." And in Judges: "Gideon returned to the, camp of Israel, and said: Rise up, because the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into our hands." But what is the meaning of, "Every garment gathered with deceit, and ^C garment with..."?

^A commutation? I think it is said because those who impose the heavy yoke of sin and crush with a rod, compelling [others] toward sin—these shall restore the garment gathered with deceit and the robe with reconciliation. Those who have stripped men and by deceit shown them naked of their coverings shall restore them with reconciliation. For when that common enemy has brought us under his own power, he takes from us the garments that imparted a certain beauty to our deformity. Now, the clothing of Christians, which covers the shame of our sin, is faith in Christ. For "as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." For that enemy of ours, before the faith which is in Christ, used to expose human shame, as one who would take away our thoughts—by which our life was adorned—and make our nakedness manifest. Since, therefore, he has despoiled ^B [us] deceitfully and fraudulently, for this reason he shall restore every garment gathered with deceit and every garment with reconciliation. For we not only receive back those things that have been taken from us, but we even become better through the addition of the knowledge of Christ. "For," he says, "he has clothed me with a garment of salvation and a robe of gladness." Therefore, every garment gathered with deceit, that is, [every garment] that has been secretly stolen away, they shall restore with reconciliation. And they shall wish, if they become ^C burned by fire, that a child was born to us. The evil powers, after the coming of the Lord, cried out: "What have we to do with you, O Son of God? Have you come here before the time to torment us?" Then they would rather choose to be burned by fire than to be condemned by the appearing of Christ in the flesh.

226. "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us, whose government has been placed upon his shoulder." And his name is called ^D the Angel of Great Counsel. How many names of the Lord have we already learned? We have heard [them] above. "Behold, a Virgin shall conceive in the womb and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel." Here his name is called the Angel of Great Counsel. This is he who made manifest the great counsel hidden from the ages, not declared to other generations. This is he who announced and revealed his own unsearchable riches among the nations, that the nations might be fellow-heirs and of the same body; for he is this one whose government is upon his shoulder; that is, the kingdom and the power [reside] in the cross. For when lifted up on the cross, he drew all men to himself. "I will bring peace upon the princes, peace and health to him." Great is his government, and of his peace there is no end. Hence it is plain that these things were spoken in the person of the Father.

^A For because He made peace through the blood of His cross, whether things on earth or things in heaven, it is said: "For I will bring peace upon the princes, and health to him." I think the mystery of the resurrection is shown by this word. For because He was crucified out of weakness, but lives by the power of God, for this reason it is said that health is brought to Him, for the healing of the weakness of the flesh which He took upon Himself for our sake. And of His peace there is no end. "Peace," He says, "I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you." Therefore, there is no end to His peace, because the gift is beyond the world. For if it were from the world, it would have come to an end with the constitution of the world. But now, he who has received His peace and kept it, will spend his life in the blessings of that peace for all time. The peace of Solomon was limited to certain fixed years; but the peace which is given by the Lord extends to all eternity, being limitless and without end. ^B For all things shall be made subject to Him, and all things shall acknowledge His sovereignty; and when God becomes all in all, those who were stirring up tumults by their defections having been hushed in silence, they shall praise God with peaceful consent. "Upon the throne of David and upon His kingdom, to order it." Because it has been said that a ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his loins, until those things which are laid up for him come, all with almost unanimous consent proclaim that the Lord according to the flesh is from the seed of David. He shall sit, therefore, upon the throne of David, and His kingdom, to order it, and to uphold it in judgment and in righteousness. "Thy judgments," He says, "are a great deep," and, "Thy righteousness is as the mountains of God." Therefore, neither can His judgments be comprehended, nor can His righteousness be attained by any contemplation according to the dignity of its height. And the zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth shall perform this. Having been zealous for us who were perishing in ignorance, He will receive the dispensation in human form ^C in order to claim us for His own kingdom. The zeal, therefore, of the Lord of Sabaoth, of the God of hosts, to whom all power is subject, He shall perform these things.

227. "And He came to Israel." And all the people of Ephraim shall know, and they who dwell in Samaria, in insolence and with an arrogant heart saying: "The bricks have fallen, but come, let us hew stones, and cut down sycamores and cedars, and let us build ourselves a tower." By the naming of Jacob and Israel, the Scripture seems to suggest to us the understanding of two things: first, the instruction of the imperfect, ^D and second, the arrival at perfection.

The manner in which the patriarch's name was changed presents us with this sense. For at his birth, because he had laid hold of his brother’s heel, he was called Jacob; but after the struggle, as a prize, another name is conferred upon him as a victor. ^A For your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name. Thus, the Word was sent to Jacob, and came to Israel. For the Word, out of mercy, first descends to the weaker ones; but the more perspicacious, recognizing His utility, as it were, snatch Him up, and outstrip the sloth of those to whom He had been sent. The Lord, therefore, sent the Word to Jacob. Do you know the Word who was in the beginning, who was with God? This is whom the Father sent to Jacob. But the true Israel, that is, those souls endowed with more perspicacious intelligence, recognized Him. And the whole people of Ephraim recognized Him, who formerly sat in Samaria in contumely and with an elated heart. This is Ephraim, from whom ^B went forth the apostate Jeroboam, who, having cut off and led away with him the ten tribes, and having molded golden calves, was the author for the people of their falling away from the worship of God and of their worshiping the idols of the Egyptians. Those, therefore, who sat in Samaria in contumely and with an elated heart, these, having come to an awareness of the truth, received the Word, just as the Acts relate that the apostles heard that Samaria had received the Word of God. The prophet then describes how great their contumely and pride were. For, despising the portion of David, as if his kingdom were easy to overthrow, they said in mockery: "The bricks have fallen, but come, let us hew stones." By "bricks" ^C they referred to the construction of the kingdom of the sons of Jesse; but their own power and their own concord in carrying out the affairs of life, they called the firmness of stones joined together. 228. And they say, "Let us cut down sycamores and cedars; and in place of the temple which Solomon built for Judah, let us build ourselves a tower." They were attempting the same things as those who, by the construction of a high tower, endeavored to make heaven accessible and open to themselves. Those men said: "Come, let us make bricks and burn them with fire." And again: "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower, the top of which will reach even to heaven." ^D The sycamore is a tree most prolific in fruits, in which there is no quality, unless someone, through diligent scarification, draws out a certain sap, which to the taste

^A brings sweetness and draws out its virtue. Whence we consider it to be a symbol of the assembly of the Gentiles, which indeed grows, but is as if stupefied due to the habit of gentile pursuits; if anyone can scarify this assembly through the Word, it, having gained sweetness by the change, is converted to usefulness. ^B Cedars are also sometimes taken as an image of great souls, having an illustrious loftiness because they are raised in their mindset and have their citizenship in heaven; just as we were taught in the Psalms, David sometimes taking them for the praise of God and saying: "Fruitful trees and all cedars;" again: "The trees of the plain shall be satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon which He planted." We have also known hardened and inflexible characters, which lift themselves up against the knowledge of God, to be called cedars. For this reason, "The Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon." Also those who are puffed up by false and adulterous knowledge, and imagine themselves to have understood the mysteries of the God most high, are called cedars. "For I saw the ungodly one exalted and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon," whose ruin is swift: "For I passed by, and behold, he was not." These cedars, therefore, those who sat in Samaria before the coming of the Word were taking ^C for the construction of a tower in arrogance, and mocking the worship offered to God by Judah, calling the fallen bricks the buildings grounded upon their dogmas.

229. And God shall break those who rise up against mount Sion against him, and shall scatter his enemies; Syria from the rising of the sun, and the Greeks from the setting of the sun, who devour Israel with their whole mouth. He promises, therefore, to break and cast down all who rise up against mount Sion, and to scatter their ungodly concord against the truth. The enemies are the Syrians and the Greeks; the former hold the lands toward the rising of the sun, the latter those toward the west. They shall be scattered, therefore, because they devoured Israel with their whole mouth. By "mouth" he now signifies the sophistical power of speech, which they had abused in its entirety for the trapping of those who believed in God with simplicity. ^D Verse 13. In all these things his anger did not turn away.

but his hand is still raised high. And the people did not turn back until they were struck; and they did not seek the Lord of hosts. In all these things, because the enemies of God were not yet pricked at heart even when being scourged, the anger has not yet turned away, but the hand—that is, the chastising power—is still raised high over those who do not repent of the wickedness and evil which they have committed. Since, therefore, this people is healed not by word but by the scourge, it is written: And all the people did not turn back until ^B they were struck. Wherefore, such scourges are necessary for such people. Let no one, therefore, too curiously investigate the causes of these afflictions and troubles: why there is drought, why there are excessive rains, why lightning, why hail? These things happen for our sake, whose hearts are not touched by repentance, and who do not turn back unless we are first struck. (Vers. 14, 15). And the Lord shall take away from Israel the head and the tail, the great and the small, in one day. After the Word that was sent reached them, he says that their whole evil order would be confounded, and that the princes and the inferior ones—those, namely, who are established in power and swell with pride, and those who are subject to them—would all be removed. The position of elders and of those who judge with respect of persons will be disgraced. But those also who hold no rank or degree among the people, but who are chosen only by their own ballots and falsely arrogate to themselves the prophetic gift which they did not receive from the Spirit, and who teach iniquitous things—such as was Ananias in the age of Jeremiah, and such as were the false prophets in the time of Micaiah, in whom there was a lying spirit ^C that deceived Ahab, urging him on to the war against the Syrians—these also, as if holding the tail of the people, shall be taken away.

230. Vers. 16, 17. But those who call this people blessed, and lead them into error, and through fraud devour their substance. For this reason the Lord will not rejoice over the young men, nor will he have mercy on their orphans and widows. For what is weak and destitute of help is worthy of mercy; but what is powerful in malice and iniquity deserves detestation and hatred. Then he adds that his anger is not yet turned away, but his hand is still stretched out high because of those who seduce and those who are seduced within the people, among whom all are lawless and wicked, and speak iniquitous things. Yet this threat carries with it a certain appearance of kindness, for ^D (Vers. 18) Iniquity shall be kindled as a fire. For the good Lord has provided in his providence for the sake of men that the material of iniquity, which had been prepared, should be removed from the midst so that it might be consumed. And as grass, he says, it shall be devoured by the fire, and it shall be burned up in the thickets of the forest. For as long as one is mired in earthly passions

as if by heaped-up earth, the soul is oppressed; its turbulent movements, emerging from the petulance of the flesh, creep like grass, with some having their origin from others, and others being born from those. For just as grass is the most fertile of plants, and its birth nowhere finds an end, but the end of the first birth always becomes the beginning of the next, such is the nature of sins: it succeeds itself. Indeed, fornication is born from fornication, and the habit of lying becomes the mother of a lie, and he who has practiced himself in thefts, easily dares the crime. For the preceding sin becomes ^A the occasion for sin. If, therefore, we bare our sin through confession, we have made it dry grass, worthy to be devoured by the purifying fire; and this is burned in the thickets of the forest. Observe what is said ^B regarding the forests in the first book of Kings. The people, harassed by war, entered into the forest and lacked food. But also Absalom, when oppressed, enters a forest. Therefore, if our sin does not become as dry grass, it will not be devoured by fire, nor will it be burned. By "thickets of the forest" he speaks of those who are deceitful and shadowed in their understanding, those who keep many evils hidden in the secret place of their heart.

231. Then he adds, that "By the wrath of the Lord of hosts the whole land is consumed." He shows that earthly things are delivered to the purgative fire for the benefit of the soul, just as the Lord also reveals, saying: "I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and I wished to see if it were already kindled." And the people shall be as a man burned by fire. He does not threaten annihilation, but suggests purification, according to what was said by the Apostle, that "If any man's work is burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire." Then he describes the wickedness in the people, and the strife among them, which now has no end, and has progressed to the point of being completely incurable. "For a man," he says, "shall not pity his brother; each shall turn aside to the right, even ^C as he who approaches for the sake of obtaining some help, [he will turn] aside to the right," ^D

that is to say, he becomes unskillful. ^A *For he shall hunger and eat from his left hand.* For he who does not work what is right and worthy of acceptance, this one shall be filled with the more crooked and forbidden things. What then is the meaning of, *He shall eat from his left hand*, he explains. *And he shall not be satisfied,* he says, *a man eating the flesh of his own arm.* He indicates a certain bestial state of soul, describing the mutual slaughter of brothers, dealing brutally with one another. For Manasseh shall eat Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh. For wickedness makes them savage and causes them to be likened to raw-flesh-eating beasts, not being satisfied from eating the flesh of one another’s arm, the end of which is total destruction, according to that which was said by the Apostle: *But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you are not consumed by one another.* ^B In the same manner, these, though otherwise hostilely disposed toward each other, will nevertheless conspire together to set snares for their neighbor. For he says: *Together they shall besiege Judah,* that is to say, those who confess God and remain in His worship. For Judah, if you interpret it, means confession. Yet vice, even if it does not agree with itself, nonetheless in opposing virtue manifests a certain consensus and conspiracy. For example, boldness and cowardice are opposed to one another; the one being an excess, the other a deficiency; but they fight equally against fortitude which stands in the middle, as if besieging it from both sides. For this reason, Ephraim and Manasseh are said to eat one another’s flesh, but are said to besiege Judah together once one has joined the other.

CHAPTER X

disdaining to follow the fathers and the doctrines handed down by them, desire themselves to be the authors of heresies. Therefore they devise certain innovations against the correct word, writing malice and impiety; for against these the "Woe" reaches—against the fathers of the false-named knowledge and the writers of godless doctrines. For such as these snatch away those who are impoverished in faith and tyrannize over souls widowed of the true bridegroom, the Word of God. And if they see anyone orphaned of God because of sin, they make him their own prey as well, promising them every license and proposing a life of pleasure, if only they consent to their doctrines that fight against the divinity. Of such a kind is the heresy of the Anomoeans that has now sprouted up; these grant the forgiveness of sins to fornicators, adulterers, those who lie with males, kidnappers, perjurers, and liars, ^B if only they receive them as companions in their blasphemy against the Only-Begotten. To whom the Word says: "What will you do in the day of visitation?" (Ps. LXXII, 8). By "day of visitation" it denotes the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ from heaven, in which he will visit the world, rendering to each according to his works; in which coming they will receive the tribulation coming upon them from afar, as those who write malice. "To whom will you flee for help?" For you have written against God, the judge of the living and the dead. By your own writings you shall be convicted.

233. And he says: "Where will you leave your glory?" ^C You who are led by empty ostentation, who grasp at human honors, and who desire to be heresiarchs in order to attain a name, and because of this have spoken iniquity on high; where then, in the day of judgment, will you leave your glory? "And beneath," he says, "such as these shall fall among the slain." Now you are the leader of the deceived, and you are an object of admiration to them, carrying about the name of teacher and guide, being glorified and called blessed by them; but then you shall be more dishonored than these very ones whom you have slain. For the admission of false doctrine is the killing of the soul. Therefore you shall have fallen beneath them, and the burden of those slain by you shall lie upon you. ^D Since each of us through our life writes, as it were, our own handbook, sealing the forms of things upon our memory, perhaps the Word taunts such people as those who write malice. For the heart of the righteous is written upon, not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God (II Cor. III, 3); but the heart of the unjust is not written upon by the Spirit of the living God, but with ink akin to darkness and an enemy of the light. Therefore, each one, either while practicing good...

^A or while creating chirographs against himself, records evils. There is, therefore, a certain chirograph against us, written by our own hands, whenever we commit worse deeds; and there is a chirograph for our benefit, whenever we do what is better. Yet there are also some who corrupt the letters in contracts ^B and falsify the characters of documents in the purchase of fields, and in testaments, and in pledges, and in various agreements—all that has its standing through the proof of writings—and these men write malice, subverting righteous judgment against the poor and despoiling the possessions of the needy people, so that the widow is for them a meal, and the orphan a profit. Such things occur in the spoils of war for the victors, whom the Scripture reminds, saying: *What will you do in the day of visitation?* ^C It called the day of judgment and of the retribution that will take place for each person according to the merit of his sins, the "day of visitation," which it threatens to those men in this way: *Your tribulation shall come from afar.*

Let us consider why it uses the expression "from afar." Our salvation is not from afar, but is present near us; for God says, *I am a God who draws near*; and, *I shall draw near to them more than the tunic of their own body*; and again: *This commandment that I command you today is not burdensome, nor is it far from you. It is not in heaven above, saying: Who will ascend into heaven, and bring it to us? Nor is it beyond the sea, saying: Who will cross over for us to the other side of the sea, and take it for us, and hearing it we will do it? But the word is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart.* Moreover, our Lord also says: *The kingdom of God is within you.*

Therefore, the goods—those by which salvation comes—are near us and within us; but the things that are contrary come to us from afar, since they are placed outside of us. For sin is not innate to our nature, but supervened ^D later. For this reason, the tribulation also, which is brought on to punish transgressions, is threatened by the prophet to come from afar.

234. *Woe to the Assyrians. The rod of my fury, and (81) there is anger in their hands. I will send my wrath against a lawless nation, and I will command my people to make plunder and spoilage, and to trample the cities, and

^A to put them into dust. But he has not so thought, and in his soul he has not so reasoned; but his mind is set on destroying not a few nations. And if they should say to him (82), “You alone are prince,” he will say: “I have not taken the region above Babylon, and Chalane, where the tower was built. And I have taken Arabia, and Damascus, and Samaria. As I took these, so will I take all the principalities.” Because of the multitude of the iniquities of the people, the Assyrians are brought against them; not because of their own justice, but because of the excessive iniquity of the people. But nevertheless, even these, not understanding that they are given as a corrective scourge against a people transgressing the divine ordinances (83), but magnifying themselves as if they possessed some inherent power, are pronounced wretched by the Word. “Woe to you, Assyrians, who are the rod of my fury; you are an instrument of punishment, you do not act by your own power, but by the energy of Him who moves you, you are brought against those worthy of being crushed.” And anger, he says, is in their hands. He clearly calls correction ^B by the name of anger here, just as the Psalmist also says: “Neither in your anger, rebuke me.” The correction, therefore (84), of Israel is in the hands of the Assyrians. “I will send my anger against a lawless nation.” I will bring the punishment upon a people that does not tolerate living in accordance with the law ordained for it. “And to my people,” he says, “I will command to make plunder.” Because of His philanthropy, the good God still calls the people who have transgressed “His own.” For because they did transgress, He sends the anger (85). But since He once chose them through the election of the fathers, He does not deny His relationship to them. “I command, therefore,” He says, “to make plunder and spoilage, and to trample the cities, and to put them into dust; that we may know that all the gloomy things we suffer, we endure by divine decree.” For He does not leave us consigned and handed over to the malignant and punishing powers, but He Himself determines the limits of the punishments (86), evaluating the strength of those who are being healed. Plunder, ^C then, consists of the things lying around those dead who have fallen in war, whether arms, or clothing, or any other ornament; but spoilage is the distribution of the spoils, divided according to the merit of those who have prevailed. The Assyrians were therefore commanded to plunder Israel, and to despoil, and to trample his cities, and to put them into dust.

235. But he has not so thought, and in his soul he has not so reasoned; but he was lifted up in his mind, not as though the people were delivered to him because of their sins, but lifted up in his mind, and ^D turned away from his own reflection, he thinks he is able to… 235. But he has not so thought, and in his soul he has not so reasoned; but he is lifted up in mind beyond measure, as though the people were not delivered to him because of his own sins; indeed, lifted up in soul, and having [turned away] true reason from his...

own mind, he thinks he is able to exterminate not a few nations. And because his subjects, flattering and cajoling him, say: “You alone are prince,” he replies to them as if ironically: “Have I not taken the region that is above Babylon, and Chalane?” ^A “Not yet,” he says, “have I become lord of all; the region above Babylon escapes my kingdom, and Chalane, where the tower was built.” By the tower, therefore, he means that ancient one which they built in the plain of Sennaar, saying: “Come, let us build for ourselves a city and a tower, before we are divided from one another, whose top will reach even up to heaven.” Now the name of Chalane is not commonly used or worn out in Scripture. We conjecture, however, that it is situated in some place neighboring to Babylon, since Babylon derives its name from the confusion of languages which the Lord confounded, when he was about to dissipate the conspiracy formed for the commission of evil. For the Scripture says that the name of that place was called Confusion, in Hebrew, Babel. ^B “But,” he says, “I have taken Arabia and Damascus and Samaria. Just as I have taken these, so may I take all principalities.” Since, therefore, it came into his mind that he could reduce all cities under his own power—yet he did not understand that he had gained the victory over men not by his own strength, but had prevailed through the dispensation of God, who punishes those who have sinned—for this reason the prophetic discourse holds him worthy of lamentation.

236. VERS. 11. *Wail, O graven things, in Jerusalem, and in Samaria.* As I have done to Samaria and its handiwork, so will I do to Jerusalem and its idols. In what way will graven things wail, being formed of wood, stone, or any other matter, when they receive from art the form and appearance of men or of brute animals, ^C quadrupeds, or birds, or reptiles, such as were the statues and images of the Egyptians? For wailing is a mournful sound, which indicates the pain of the heart by a certain inarticulate cry. How, then, will graven things wail? Because, upon woods having form and figure by human hands, or upon stones, or even upon gold and silver, or ivory, or other remaining idols—whatever else is made from precious or base material, and which are worshipped by the nations—certain demons lie in wait, standing by secretly, taking pleasure from the impure rites. ^D For just as in the places of the butchers, where gore and blood that is already corrupt is found, dogs addicted to delicacies linger; so also do the demons, serving their gluttony and catching pleasure from the blood and the savor of the sacrifices, loiter around the altars and the statues [index: entries preserved]

their secret thoughts. For perhaps their bodies, which are aerial or igneous, or composed of both elements, are nourished by these. Furthermore, the history of the Kings ^A declares that demonic power resides in the statues dedicated to it. For the foreigners, it says, took the ark of God and brought it in 559 beside Dagon; and the men of Azotus arose early on the morrow, and behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground. Therefore, the image that was seen was Dagon; but he who had fallen on his face was the demon, prostrated by the glory of the ark of God spread about him; and he himself fell on his face, but he also cast down with him the work of men's hands. Hence those who eat what is offered to idols are called participants of the table of demons. For when a victim is offered to an idol, ^B some portion is also destined for the demon presiding over it, since the demon takes for himself a certain share both from the blood, which is, as it were, turned into air, and from the fuming fat, and from the rest of the burnt offerings. And he who drinks from the cup that ministers to the libation drinks the cup of demons. 60 Therefore the sculpted images shall wail, that is, the demons who possess the same name as the sculptures. And when it is said that the Lord shall come into Egypt, and the manufactured things of Egypt shall be shaken, and their heart shall be defeated, we explain it with the same meaning. For the demons, who dwell in the neighboring place of the earth, shaken by being put to flight, shall be driven away into the place proper to them, the abyss, at the coming of the Lord. For this reason, cursed is everyone who shall make a graven or molten image, the work of the hands of a craftsman, and shall place it in secret, ^C because by means of the sculpture he provided for himself an evil treasure, having invited the demon that follows it, and has drawn upon himself a household curse through the demon.

237. And it shall be, when the Lord has finished doing all things in Mount Sion and in Jerusalem, He will visit the great mind, 96 the prince of the Assyrians, and the height of the glory of his eyes. After ordering the sculptures in Jerusalem and in Samaria to wail, and after threats have been leveled at them—as if Jerusalem were already purified and liberated from the defilement of the idols, and instructed and chastened by the retaliatory plagues ^D which it endured by being delivered to the Assyrians—only then does the Scripture threaten to transfer the plague to the prince of the Assyrians. For since he was puffed up in his mindset, and did not understand that their sin had become the cause and origin of so many and such great evils; indeed, because

he thought that he could, by his own skill and virtue, subdue Jerusalem; on account of this arrogance and the irrational height of the exaltation of his mind, ^A “He will bring,” he says, “upon the great mind, upon the prince of the Assyrians, and upon the height of the glory of his eyes.” One person is great by his own nature, but another by a certain opinion, and by the excellence and greatness of things that do not belong to him at all. But a mind is truly great if it contemplates great things, if it can aim its gaze at the causes of created things, and from them understand the beauty of the creator of the universe. He is great who can discern in his mind the administration of the things brought into being by God, and His providence that extends even to the smallest details, and from thence perceive His just judgments. A great mind is that which, through the angels and the powers and all the glory of the heavens, perceives the King of glory and Lord of hosts.—Ps. XXIV, 8, 10. Conversely, he who vaunts himself as blessed and is puffed up, is more justly called—according to his own foolish estimation—wise and an inventor of vain things, than one endowed with a great mind. ^B However, since it is the custom of Scripture to follow the estimation of the crowd in the naming of things, it has called it a “great” mind, not declaring that anything is great by nature, but naming it according to the thing attributed to it by opinion and reputation. For this reason, the Lord, punishing pride and humbling the elation of his mind, is said to be about to bring vengeance upon the “great mind” of the Assyrians. But since He refutes this weak opinion, He says that upon the height of the glory of his eyes He will bring punishment. Indeed, since “glory” is a term of varied meaning, some have defined it according to one of its significations, as a weak opinion.

238. A mind can also be called “great” and “prudent” when it is taken to mean wily and versatile in character. Thus, “the serpent was more prudent than the beasts upon the earth” (Gen. III, 1)—and the “steward of iniquity acted prudently” (Luc. XVI, 8). Furthermore, “the children of this world are more prudent than the children of light in their own generation.” But what the word “prudent” signifies, Paul has explained to us in his Epistle to the Corinthians, saying: “I fear, lest as the serpent seduced Eve by his subtlety” (I Cor. XI, 3). For he taught that the historical account attributed a blameworthy prudence to the serpent, since he transforms the word “prudence” into “subtlety.” Thus, therefore, a mind is also called “great,” not on account of anything ^D praiseworthy (just as those who carefully investigate the force and meaning of words among the Greeks have determined, so that they say a mind is prudence) but falsely so-called. Either it is because he admires himself, or he is so addressed by flatterers.

^A Now this great mind, since it knows that the eyes of the wise man—that is, him who is truly wise—are in his head (Eccl. 2:14), praises its own eyes, inasmuch as it does not look down or at earthly things, but scrutinizes the sublime things more diligently and dwells on heavenly matters. Such are they who are considered wise among the Greeks; their life is rolled in the most shameful sins of the flesh and appetites, yet when they dispute about the nature of the heavens, the stars, ethereal matters, and occurrences in the air, they clothe their eyes with a certain glory.

239. ^B Vers. 13, 14. *For he says: In my strength I will act, and by the wisdom of my prudence I will take away the borders of the nations, and I will plunder their strength. And I will shake the inhabited cities, and I will take hold of the whole world with my hand like a nest, or as if I take eggs that have been left behind. And there is no one who will escape me, or contradict me.* Now he clearly and plainly explains why he called him a great mind, and why he threatens to bring punishments upon the height of the glory of his eyes, namely, because of the boasting of the words which he used against the weak and the infirm; since with all bitterness he threatened them with every kind of destruction, and affirmed that his own powers were invincible and inexpugnable. For he boasted as if those things which he willed were in his own power, and as if he were absolutely going to accomplish whatever he had intended in his mind. *Since there is in me great cavalry and infantry power, and there is no one who opposes, and since an inaccessible wisdom in military matters is present to me, and my prudence is irreproachable; for this reason,* he says, *I will take away the borders of the nations, and I will plunder their strength.* For by forcing all the nations to bow to my own kingdom, I make one boundary for all, my own dominion. For4 ^C now each nation is divided and distinguished from another by its own proper borders. Therefore, having taken away their borders, I will force everything to come under the one scepter of my kingdom. *And I will plunder their strength.* The division of spoils taken from enemies, which is done by the victors, is called plunder, when the victors themselves divide among themselves either captive bodies, or some of the livestock, or other things necessary for life; and each one, according to the distinction he possesses, being deemed worthy of the distribution of the spoils, thus shares in those things acquired from the war. ^D *And now,* he says, *I will shake the cities currently firmly established, and I will unsettle them with my own power,*

^A and grasp the whole inhabited world with my hand like a nest. For what trouble would it be to take with one’s hand those unfledged nestlings, warmed in their nests by the birds that rear them, when they have no ability to use their wings or feet to escape? Then, further exaggerating the contempt with which he treats men, and extolling his own power beyond measure, he says that he will take not even as a nest, but, as he says, as eggs that have been abandoned, and *there is no one who will escape me, or say against me.*

240. Now as far as the literal and natural sense is concerned, the prince of the Assyrians ^B would say these things because, having been puffed up in his mind by his successes against Judea and Samaria, he supposed that he would destroy all nations at the first onset, and that there would be no one to raise their hands against him, but that all the boundaries of the nations would be thrown into confusion by his power, and that the whole world would be shaken by the fear of his arrival; and that he who fell into his hands would be caught more easily than the chicks of a bird, and it would be easier for them to be snatched away by his power, which sweeps through the whole world under the sun, than for someone to take eggs, which are deserted by the bird that warms and vitalizes them. But because such pride is greater than what human condition can bear, some have thought that these words are suitable for him who is truly proud, ^C who has stiffened his neck against the Almighty, who has rejected his dominion and revolted, and who has dragged along with him into his own wickedness and defection the evil spirits that followed him. For that one prides himself on having a great mind, and imagines that he contemplates high things, and threatens to bring the whole inhabited world under his own dominion; he who, in fact, did not fear to say even to the Lord, when He asked him where he was coming from: *After I have gone around that which is under the sun, and walked about all that is under the heaven, I am here.* This one dared to show even the Lord of all creation the kingdoms of the earth, ^D and to say: *All these things are mine; now therefore, if you will fall down and worship me, I will give them to you.* Perhaps, therefore, the scripture indicates by the king of the Assyrians the prince of this age. For the Lord calls him the prince of this age, saying: *Now the prince of this world shall be cast out.* And a little later: *I will no longer speak much with you; for the prince of this world comes, and in me he has nothing.* Since there are many princes, being certain heads of nations, appointed for the guardianship and preservation of each of the peoples under them, as Moses says in the Ode: *When the Most High divided the nations,*

when He dispersed the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God.* ^A And again the Apostle says, *But we speak wisdom, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age; but we speak the wisdom of God, which none of the rulers of this age knew.* And again in Daniel, a certain prince of the Persians and a prince of the Greeks are recorded. For the angel says to him, *And I came in your words. And the prince of the kingdom of the Persians stood against me; and behold, Michael, one of the primary princes, came to help me; and I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of the Persians.* And a little later, he says, *And I was going forth, and the prince of the Greeks was coming.* If, therefore, these things are spoken from the person of the devil, perhaps his pride is not directed against men, but against spiritual or exalted powers. ^B

241. *Shall the axe boast itself without the one hewing with it, or shall the saw be exalted without the one drawing it? Or if one should lift up a rod or a piece of wood.* This discourse is a rebuke and refutation of the arrogance of the prince of the Assyrians. Why do you vaunt yourself, as if you were the one who cuts down nations and destroys the powers of cities? For otherwise, the axe could boast with equal logic, as if it were the one that casts down huge and lofty trees to the ground, and the saw likewise, as if it were the one that splits apart solid and joined timber. But an axe neither cuts without hands, nor can a saw cut unless someone draws it and skillfully splits the wood for some use. Yet only he is worthy of praise and commendation who makes use of the axe and who draws the saw with skill. In the same way, the wood that has been fashioned into a sceptre ought not to enjoy the dignity of ruling and authority, but rather he who takes the sceptre in his hand as a sign of the sovereignty he possesses. ^C Thus, therefore, I too have taken you to punish the people who have sinned; using your cruelty as an axe and a saw, for the just instruction of the people, which is worked for their own benefit. Just as, therefore, in the courts of law, the executioners appointed to carry out punishments are not masters of the penalty, nor do they do anything by their own strength or authority, but only that which is permitted to them by the laws; so also the Assyrians are not a strong nation, nor able to perform anything of themselves, but they have used their energies for evil according to the measure given to them by the physician of those who have sinned, for the sake of inflicting punishment.

242. *And not so, but the Lord shall send ^D

^A Sabaoth in place of your honor, ignominy, and in place of your glory, a burning fire. And the light of Israel shall become fire, and it shall sanctify him in a burning fire, and it shall consume the matter like hay. This is the reward for foolish pride. Because you were boasting of yourself, calling yourself a great mind, and were elated by the height of the glory of your eyes, the Lord shall send ignominy in place of your honor, and fire in place of your glory. For since you were threatening to remove the boundaries of nations, and to shake occupied cities, and to seize the whole world like a bird’s nest, and to carry it off like abandoned eggs, with no one at all escaping or contradicting, therefore a burning fire shall be kindled, and the light of Israel shall become fire. He says the state of affairs shall be turned around, and the Israel who is now humbled, and who has been handed over to you to be punished on account of sin, is, he says, in splendor. Therefore, his splendor shall become destruction for you. For the light of Israel, he says, shall become fire. And since there are two properties in fire, one of illuminating and the other of burning, the sweetness and pleasantness of the fire shall remain with Israel, illumining him and shining around him; but that which is bitter and painful shall be allotted to the proud man, burning him and delivering him over to inconsolable pain through the burning. *And he shall sanctify him in a burning fire, and it shall consume the matter like hay.* He shows the nature of fire, that it is purgative. For he shall sanctify him as in a burning fire. But how does fire sanctify? By consuming the matter like hay. Since, therefore, our God is a consuming fire, he shall, clearly, consume the matter, and the passions that have come from the matter, in the soul that is not staying in the spirit, but in the flesh. It must be known that those who inquire accurately and diligently into the meanings of words distinguish glory from fame; and they say that glory is praise bestowed by the multitude, while fame is the praise that is bestowed by the good. In the same way they also differentiate honor, maintaining that one kind is honorable and falls to the man who is a student of virtue, when the ^B grandeur is a remuneration; and they establish remuneration as a certain reward for virtue: but another kind of honor is that which is bestowed by the common people for deeds not entirely approved.

243. *Vers. 18. In that day the mountains and the hills and the woods shall be quenched, and it shall consume from the soul even to the flesh.* After the Lord Sabaoth has sent ignominy in place of the honor of the prince of the Assyrians, and a burning fire in place ^C of his glory, and the light of Israel has been turned into fire for the Assyrian, so that he who was not sanctified ^D

^A by the light might be purified by the burning of the fire, which operates for purification and consumes like grass the material of sins that is present. Then, finally, when the material that kindles the punishing flame has been consumed, the mountains, he says, that are burning, and the hills, and the forests, will cease; and the fire of the conflagration will end, having devoured and grazed upon everything, taking its origin from the soul and reaching even to the flesh.

It is unknown to no one ^B that it is the custom of Scripture to call those who have attained to certain superior qualities, and who possess something beyond the many in terms of their structure, "mountains" and "hills." But those who are fruitless and confusedly mixed together with one another, having an automatic and immature life, and not being planted from the planting of the true farmer, it calls "forests." However, the fire touches all things, beginning from the soul and ending in the flesh. For sins that stop at mere thoughts—such as committing adultery in one's heart—are, in the soul, material worthy of being devoured by fire. But those that have reached even to deeds, the sins having been distributed into the activities through the flesh and action, these I consider to be sins. For having begun from the soul and ending in the heart, evil thoughts do not stop ^C even at it, but go out and, as it were, peek through, passing through the flesh and appearing outwardly. For if someone has conceived in their heart of committing murder but has not performed it, the murder has not gone out from the heart. And he who has looked at a woman to lust after her, but has not corrupted the temple of God, nor made the members of Christ members of a harlot, has made his heart, as it were, the boundary of his sin; so that the evil thought of such a person has not gone out from the heart. Thus also can one speak concerning theft, and concerning idolatry and sorcery, and whatever other types of sins there are, when they are not contained by the body, but, as if flowing from a porous vessel, they are carried toward the outside.

244. *And there shall be one who flees, as one fleeing ^D from a burning flame. And those who are left of them shall be a number, and a child shall write them.* After the conflagration caused by the fire that occurs to the mountains and the hills and the forests, he speaks of the ease of counting those who have been saved. And thus, he says, their number shall be reduced to a notable quantity, so that even a little child...

^A having no skill in counting or writing, might be able to register them. But perhaps he who flees from the conflagration flees from the wicked life through repentance, and through conversion escapes the flesh that punishes. For everyone who, after being caught in sins, is conscious that he is worthy of being turned by the rod and the lash, avoiding sin as the fuel of punishment, flees as if from a burning flame. And then those who have been left shall be a number, not only because they are easy to count, as we have explained, but also because, hereafter, they are worthy to be taken into that count. As we have found in the book of Numbers, children, women, and old men—all those whose age makes them useless for engaging in battles—and the mixed multitude, as foreigners to the people of Israel, were not placed in the count; but those were counted who were strong and ^B valiant in war, from twenty years old and upward. Furthermore, all the first-born of Israel from one month old and upward are counted. Likewise also the Levites from one month old and upward; and the serving priests up to fifty years of age are counted. What child shall write down such as these—not the man, nor the elder? No one will disagree: those who are set over the Church, because they live in guilelessness and integrity, and because they are trusted by those who have sinned with matters that are unspeakable, of which no one is a witness except He who examines the hidden things of each person. He will write down such men, as though they had been wiped out by sin; again He will write down those who have fled the conflagration and have received the purification brought about by repentance, ^C as it were a fire consuming the inherent fuel of evils—He writes down such as these. Or perhaps, since they are written in the book of life, and along with the righteous are inscribed those who are worthy to be counted by the right hand of the Most High, it is worth the effort to know this scribe of those who are saved, who brings aid to the righteous and inserts the names of those who repent of their wicked works into the book of heavens. For rejoice, he says, that your names are written in heaven. Who then is the child who can write the names of the righteous in heaven, if not He of whom it was said: A child has been born to us, a son has been given to us? That is the child whom the magi adored;

^A he who descended into Egypt, and returned again into the land of Israel. Therefore, while the notions regarding our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ are many, one of them is this: He is the child who writes down those who come to the knowledge of God through repentance.

245. ^B *Vers. 20, 21. And it shall be in that day, the remnant of Israel shall no more be added to them, and those who have been saved of Jacob shall no longer place their trust in those who wronged them, but shall have their trust in God the Holy One of Israel in truth. And the remnant of Jacob shall be upon God the Mighty.* These things clearly refer to those who withdraw themselves from evil works and transfer their hope to the living God. For truly, when we sin, we join ourselves to the enemies and place our trust in those who wrong us. A certain wicked host of demons goes about, overturning our souls with the allurements of pleasure. We join ourselves to these, just as foolish children join themselves to kidnappers, who, by frequently showing some childish trinkets, have deceived the children, and, having led them far from the eyes of their parents, have drawn them through some brief pleasure into bitter slavery. Therefore, just as those join themselves to those who wrong them, so we, too, turning our minds to the enticement of pleasure, distance ourselves from God, and subject ourselves to the heavy tyranny of the inexorable demon; who, since he is condemned to eternal fire, endeavors to have many companions in his punishment. Therefore, concerning those who are repenting, ^C he says that those who are left and saved will no longer be added, nor will they place their hope in those who wronged them, but shall be trusting in God the Holy One of Israel in truth. Blessed is he who, having removed from himself all hope of the things in this world, has his sole hope in God. For as it is written, *Cursed is the man who has his hope in man*, so blessed is he who relies on the Lord. But do not pass over the addition thoughtlessly. For they shall, he says, be trusting in God the Holy One of Israel in truth. For hope in God does not admit of wavering, nor does the Lord deign to provide His help in its fullness to him who, at one time, has set his hope in wealth and human glory and power according to the world, and at another time puts forward God as his hope; but one must truly rest in the help from God. And, he says, *the remnant of Jacob shall be upon God the Mighty.* ^D These things clearly refer to those remnants which the Apostle calls the remnant according to the election of grace, as the following words declare.

246. *But if the people of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them shall be saved. For he is concluding and abridging the word in righteousness: for the Lord shall make an abridged word in the whole world.* ^A Having changed a few words, the Apostle used this text in his Epistle to the Romans. If anyone should seek the reason why the Apostle omitted some things and changed others, let him know this: that being a Hebrew, he did not servilely bind himself to those editions which we use, but when he interpreted a passage, he rendered it as it came to his mind. And indeed, others also seem to agree with the apostolic interpretation. The meaning of this passage, however, is as follows. It was said above that a child shall write down those who have been saved and delivered from sin. Here, he says, let no one marvel if so great a number of the Israelite people ^B should be reduced to a few. Do not pay attention to the multitude of those who are called worshippers of God; since many are distinguished by the name of Christ, but in few is the appellation confirmed by the testimony of their works. *If the people of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them shall be saved.* It is said of the former people that salvation does not lie in the multitude, but in the remnant, which obtains salvation according to the election of grace. What, then, is the mode of salvation? "If," says he, "you conclude and abridge the word in righteousness." For he who circumscribes the entire legal scripture and the decrees of the prophets in the brevity of the Gospel, and fulfills the teachings delivered to him by the Lord, ^C this man shall be saved. *For you shall love the Lord your God, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.* He, therefore, who perfects the word, and brings it to action, and abridges it, and understands its breadth in a few precepts as if in a summary — he himself is the saved remnant. *All things,* he says, *whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them. For this is the law and the prophets.* You see in this natural notion the whole word concluded and abridged in righteousness: *For the Lord shall make an abridged word in the whole world.* The Apostle, indeed, said: *The Lord will make upon the earth*; with whom Symmachus and Theodotio agree: *In the midst of the whole earth.* ^D For whatever is difficult and arduous to observe in the Law—do not touch, nor taste, nor handle—those things which were established concerning festivals, days, holocausts, purgation, and propitiation; all are gathered together.

into one brief and easily observable summary, so that no excuse remains for those who do not live according to the Gospel.

EXPLANATION OF CERTAIN PASSAGES OF CHAPTERS XI AND XII OF ISAIAH

247. ^A *And it shall be in that day the root of Jesse, and he who rises to rule the Gentiles.* The Word proclaims to us Christ from the seed of David. For "in that day"—that is, in the times ordained of old—and in the time pre-appointed, *the root of Jesse shall be.* Elsewhere, indeed, He says that a rod shall sprout from the root, and a flower shall rise from the root of Jesse, taking the rod as for sovereignty, and the flower for His most loving and beloved coming to all; and because He was about to bestow the benefit of the incarnation at a near day, He shows the arrival to be swift, and as it were all but present: but here He says it shall be the root of Jesse. Mark well this word, "Shall be." He does not say, "It shall seem," nor "It shall seem to be," ^B but "It shall be," in truth. For He did not take on flesh in fancy or in opinion, but in very truth He assumed it. The root of Jesse, therefore, shall be—that is, the lump of flesh taken from Jesse shall be in truth, and shall subsist. And he who rises, He himself is both root and the rising one. The root of Jesse, because the God-bearing flesh was assumed from the royal succession. ^C But he rises to rule the Gentiles. For this reason the Gentiles have hoped in Him, as is evident from the Church of Christ among the Gentiles. For having risen from the dead, He ruled the Gentiles, having abandoned the former people. For to those He left death, but to the Gentiles He granted resurrection. For the former were crying out, "Let Him be crucified," and, "His blood be upon us and upon our children"; but the latter accepted the Crucified, and by His blood they were redeemed from death. And, He says, *his rest shall be honor.* ^D This is Christ’s rest: the honor of those who honor Him as the Word of God, and the wisdom of God, and the power. He who gives rest to Christ confesses His equal honor with Him who begat Him; the communion of His dignity; the existence of His nature from eternity. But those who are overly anxious, and think up certain words to cast dishonor upon Him, do not speak of those things that pertain to the rest of Christ. Furthermore, "rest" can be understood not only as that which He Himself receives from those who...

glorify Him, but also as that in which He will refresh those who love Him, according to what is written: "I will glorify those who glorify Me." For the rest which the Lord will bestow is a reward, which after the righteous judgment of God will be distributed according to the merit of one’s deeds. For He will honor some with greater honors, and others with lesser, since star differs from star in glory 39. And because there are many mansions with the Father 40, He will refresh some in more excellent and higher states, and others in lower ones. All, however, will enjoy rest in honor. ^A

248. (VERS. 11.) *And it shall come to pass in that day, the Lord shall add to show His hand.* The hand of the Lord has been displayed diversely in each generation through those capable of receiving the power of His miracles. First, He manifested wonders in Egypt; then in the wilderness; then again in the times of Jesus son of Nun; then in the time of the Judges and of the prophets, who served as ministers of great things. Now, however, the hand of the Lord is said to be shown at the advent of our Savior, who cures every disease and every infirmity of the people, and brings to pass those things which were preached in the Gospel. For the Lord added to show this power, because the previous signs had not appeared sufficient to bring the disobedient people to the knowledge of God. *To provoke the remnant of the people to zeal.* For this reason He will add to show His hand, that He may bring into zeal ^B the remnant of the people—which is to say, the remnant that has survived the enemies. And He recounts the multitude of those who waged war: Assyria, and Egypt, and Babylon, the Ethiopians, and the Elamites, and those dwelling in the region of the sunrise, and the Arabs. ^C The history is full of these things, saying indeed of the Ethiopians: "Zarai the Ethiopian came out in power, and in a thousand thousands, and three hundred chariots." And Asa went out to meet them, and cried to the Lord, and said: "Lord, it is not impossible for You to save with many or with few. Strengthen us, O Lord our God, for we have trusted in You, and in Your name have we come against this great multitude. O Lord our God, let not man prevail against You 41." The Assyrians were the ones who led them into captivity ^D; the Egyptians were those who had enslaved them from the beginning 43, and Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, led them away captive 44. The Elamites are the race of the Parthians, which with the inhabitants of Mesopotamia of Syria often invaded Israel. The Arabs, finally, were a warlike nation, at every time the enemies of Israel. Since, therefore, all these were making war against the noble seed, some are defeated, others conquer. And because they proved victorious, and having been exercised by no labors,

^A they receive it in the place of a certain reward as an addition, that they might behold the visible and manifest hand of God. Wherefore, even after deeds bravely done and labors endured, they shall be worthy of envy and emulation.

249. And He shall set up, he says, a sign for the nations, and shall gather the lost of Israel, and the dispersed of Judah shall He gather from the four corners of the earth. The Root of Jesse, therefore, having arisen to rule the nations, He it is who shall lift up a sign among the nations, that those who were lost from Israel might be gathered into one. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. And this is the sign which He lifted up among the nations, that which is mentioned in the Gospels: "They shall see the sign of the Son of Man"; ^B which you will say is the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world is crucified to the saints, and they to the world; in which also he declares the power and virtue of the sign. Why was the dispensation of the Incarnation accomplished through the Cross? That those who were to be gifted with salvation might be gathered from the four corners of the earth. For the parts of the Cross are divided fourfold, so that each inclines towards the four quarters of the world. Whether, therefore, so that all parts of the world might be led to salvation through the parts of the Cross, for this reason the death by the Cross was honored; or because, before that wooden Cross, an intelligible image and figure of a cross of some kind was held in the whole world, when the four parts of the universe met at the center, and the power of the center extended to the four parts. ^C When this sign, therefore, is raised, the lost of Israel shall be gathered, and the dispersed of Judah shall be gathered from the four corners of the earth. When this sign is raised, having the power to destroy principalities and powers, which He triumphed over on the wood, despoiling them, and as it were casting off the garment which they had woven for us, He stripped the principalities and powers, and displayed them openly, triumphing over them on the wood. For this reason Paul, although he was numbered among the lost of Israel and the dispersed of Judah, as soon as he understood the sign that had been raised among the nations by Jesus, ran to the Cross and said: "But far be it from me to glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." ^D And it follows upon the gathering of the lost of Israel, who were ruled by Ephraim, and the dispersed of Judah, who were governed by those from the seed of David, that there shall no longer be any zeal of Ephraim against Judah, nor shall those who are of Judah any longer show themselves enemies. For after the sign has been raised and the lost of Israel, who is called Ephraim, have been gathered, they shall be gathered likewise.

The jealousy of Ephraim shall be removed, and the enemies of Judah shall perish. 250. You should know that Israel is said to be lost, but Judah to have been dispersed. ^A Nevertheless, the disturbances that previously grew strong in life because of contention and sedition are removed by the concord brought by Christ, who causes peace for the things on earth and the things in heaven, and reconciles all things in Himself. For this reason, then, Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will no longer harass Ephraim, since the hatred with which they pursued one another will perish. For jealousy seems mostly to provide an occasion for many to bear enmity toward one another. But "jealousy" here in the Scripture is not spoken of as the emulation of good things, but as envy which arises because of the prosperity of others. Once they have therefore become in concord: (VERS. 14) *They shall fly in the ships of foreigners; they shall plunder the sea together.* By the name of "the sea" he has well represented those who sail quickly, comparing their motion to a wing; for when they are carried over the sea with a full sail, with the wind blowing harmoniously at the stern, they seem to fly. They "plunder the sea," becoming victors over the dragon and those subjected to him, whom the Apostles of Christ, having transferred them to the knowledge of the truth, ^B might justly be said to plunder, as if making their own the spoils previously held by him who had led man away captive. But by the name of the sea, it is proper to understand the place of affliction and miseries, which elsewhere we have learned is also called the valley of tears. Perhaps the "ships of foreigners" are our bodies, because they in no way agree with the constitution of the soul. For the flesh is not subject to the law of God, but lusts against the spirit. Furthermore, these are said to plunder Idumea—that is, to get possession of earthly things—and to "lay hands on Moab." Moab, if you interpret it, sounds "from a father." Therefore, the Lord said to them: *You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.* They lay their hands on them so that, through their own good deeds, they may make them subject to themselves. Then ^C *the sons of Ammon shall be the first to obey.* Ammon is interpreted as "a people with us." Perhaps those who have less malice will be the first to obey the Word, compared to those who have it greater and more widely spread. ^D

251. Then he adds: "And the Lord will lay waste the sea of Egypt." Just as Ezekiel says that there are rivers of Egypt, which Pharaoh boasts of having created, so Isaiah names the sea of Egypt, which the good God will lay waste. For the devastation brought about after wicked deeds in an acceptable time ^A is a benefit. And just as the Lord "will lay waste the sea of Egypt, and will cast his hand upon the river with a violent spirit," so he will also strike the seven channels of Egypt; and then anyone will cross the river of Egypt wearing sandals. The scarcity indicates the water that remains in the river water. For it will be so little, or so utterly dried up, that not even a trace of moisture will be left, for the sake of which one would be forced to take off one's sandals to enter the river.

Perhaps, however, since it was said to Moses and to Joshua ^B to remove the sandal from their foot because the ground on which they stood was holy, it might be that, since Egypt is not of this kind but is profane, they are ordered to trample the river while wearing sandals, and not to lay them aside. It is dried up by the violent spirit of God that keeps it in check. For this reason, the soil of Egypt is unworthy to receive the bare footprint of the saints passing through. Hence, even those eating the passover were ordered to have sandals on their feet. For where there is a stinging serpent and a scorpion, there must be sandals on the feet, protecting and shielding the feet to which they are bound. But when one has already ^C reached a holy place, then let him remove his sandals, like the apostles of Christ, to whom it was said not even to carry sandals. "And it shall be for Israel as the day when he went out of the land of Egypt." For even then he passed through the Red Sea with sandals, because the Mighty One rebuked it, and it dried up. And they crossed the Jordan on foot, keeping their tracks dry, because all the moisture retreated from beneath their soles.

252. Then the people will say: "I will bless you, O Lord, because you were angry with me, and you have turned away your anger, and you have had mercy on me." A man is often left alone and forsaken because he has once slipped into the evils of Egypt and enjoyed his own folly for a time, so that he may reap what he has sown badly; but when he is not utterly forsaken, but obtains some benefit, he will say: "I will bless you, O Lord, because you were angry with me, and you have turned away your anger, and you have had mercy on me." Similar to this is: "I will bear the wrath of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, so that he may justify my cause." And after this ^D

^A he will lead forth judgment unto the end. For he will not be angry unto the end, nor will he be wrathful for ever. But he who says, "I will bless you, O Lord, because you were angry with me, and you have had mercy on me," being sensible of the benefit of God, will boast in it, and says: "Behold, my God, my Savior; I will trust in him, and I will not fear, because the Lord is my glory and my praise." ^B Those who bestow alms before men will not say these things, nor those who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory which is from God alone, and in general those who transgress the commandment of him who says: "Let us not become vainglorious." Since the Lord promises, "Those who glorify me, I will glorify," it is evident that he who glorifies God rightly is himself glorified by him. Thus, even the face of Moses was made glorious, because he knew how to glorify God rightly. There is, moreover, a consistency between glory and praise, so that he who rightly offers glory, also rightly offers praise. And let no one of those who have formed false opinions about God think that his praises in the singing of psalms are acceptable; ^C for it is of the same heart to offer glory suitably, and to praise rightly. Since, therefore, the people who had been left behind in Egypt were saying: "I will bless you, O Lord, because you were angry with me, and you have turned away your wrath, and you have had mercy on me," these, having crossed through Egypt, are set to say: "I will not fear, because the Lord is my glory and my praise, and he has become my salvation."

253. Do you remember also the hymn which the people of Israel sang in the exodus from Egypt, when Mary began and said: "Let us sing to the Lord, for he has been gloriously glorified." So they now renew that ancient praise who say: "The Lord is my glory and my praise, and he has become my salvation." ^D Consistently, moreover, with the praise of the Lord, whoever worships him rightly draws water with joy from the fountains of the Savior. But if the people are rebuked for idolatry with these words: "They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water," surely he who believes in God, and through the faith which is in him waters his soul with saving dogmas, he draws water with joy from the fountains of the Savior. As to how great the joy is that those enjoy who have been deemed worthy to draw from thence, you will understand from the image taken by David, that "My soul has thirsted..."

[will perceive] ^A from the image taken by David, that "My soul has thirsted for God, the mighty, the living one." For an excessive desire creates a certain immense joy for those who attain what is most ardently sought. And he who meditates on the law of the Lord day and night, of whom it is said, "The mouth of the righteous shall meditate on wisdom," searching the Scriptures and finding the Lord through seeking aright, understanding the spiritual meaning of the Scriptures because of the joy at the finding, shall draw water with joy. When, therefore, we ourselves have been filled from the cups of the springs of salvation, then we also take on others, exhorting them and saying (VERS. 4): "Celebrate the Lord with hymns, call upon his name." Now a cry is a sound uttered with great tension, which is able to reach even to those who are far off ^B. "Call upon," therefore, instead of, "Do not think small things about God, but contemplating things concerning him with a great mind, theologize in such a way that your word may be able to be heard even by those who are far removed from salvation, on account of the clarity of your teaching." The following verses, moreover, exhibit this meaning. "For," he says, "proclaim his glorious works among the nations, tell of his wonders." Show to the senseless the arrangement of the world, so that they may be led to the love of God, the creator of all things. "Celebrate his name, for he has done exalted things." Or tell of the wonders in the world, that they are exalted and unapproachable; or of the powers in the heavens, that the Lord himself did the exalted things there; or of his kindness toward us, that he exalts those who are humble and contrite in heart. "For the Lord exalts the righteous." Him, therefore, who had been made high, and—having been humbled by sin—he raised up on high with his own glory ^C.

CHAPTER XIII.

254. "Vision against Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw." This vision does not fall under the senses, nor was it viewed by bodily eyes, but is understood by the mind, God illuminating him and granting him the power to see it. What is this Babylon, and what are the things to befall it? It is manifest that the prophets did not speak as if out of their minds. For those who are possessed by wicked spirits and are carried away in their mind do not see the phantasies generated in them by the demons, but rather overlook them. Just as those who are demonized see ^D rivers and mountains and wild beasts that are not there. And certain colors seem to them to be present, and the appearances of friends or of people unknown are seen.

^A of which there is no vision, but a derangement and an ecstasy of the mind that has been befogged and has lost its own proper activity. But in the case of the saints, the matter is not so. For God himself says: *I have multiplied visions* (Ose. XII, 10). When the Lord grants a vision, He does not blind the mind which He Himself framed; on the contrary, He illuminates it and makes it more sharp-sighted by the presence of the Holy Spirit. For this reason the prophets were called seers, because by the presence of the Spirit who illuminates them, the sharpness of their mind’s vision was, as it were, increased. Who, then, has made the seeing and the blind? The seeing, to be sure, is the prophet, because he is able, by the keenness of his intellect, to gaze in advance upon the future; the blind, however, is he who is blinded by his own wickedness, so that profane eyes may not look upon the spectacles of the blessed. Therefore the Lord also says: *For judgment I am come into this world, that they who see not, may see; and they who see, may become blind* (Joan. IX, 39). ^B

255. What, then, is this Babylon, against whom the vision is seen? Historically, that place is thought to have been called Babylon, in which the language of those who said: *Come, let us make us a city and a tower, whose head shall be even to heaven* (Gen. XI, 4), was confounded. The Lord, therefore, having descended thither, confounded the tongues; for this reason its name was called confusion (Gen. XI, 9). The place of Babylon, then, is a region of confusion—not of language alone, but of dogmas and thoughts, and of the mind which thinks it sees these things. This vision, therefore, against Babylon brings, as it were, a consolation to Israel, who was vexed by the Babylonians. ^C For in order that they might not be fainthearted, nor despair of the providence of God as if He had forsaken them, Isaias, in his prophecy, recounts in advance the calamities and troubles that were to befall Babylon, so that they might not be swallowed up by the sorrow of the present, but might become more cheerful by the expectation of things to come. For the vengeance that is expected shortly brings no small relief to the afflicted and oppressed. The name of the father is also added in this prophecy, not so that we might recognize the father who was the minister of the birth of this blessed one, but because he taught him to prophesy, having taken care that he be instructed and educated with a discipline holier and purer and more singular than the rest. For that reason Amos is also described ^D as if he were a partner in the prophecy.

256. (Vers. 2, 3.) *Upon the dark mountain lift up a signal,*

^A a sign for yourselves: exalt the voice for yourselves: console with the hand, open, O princes. I command, and I lead them. He shows how Babylon is to be overturned and destroyed, and how the empire of those who were the authors of confusion was to be led into captivity: namely, where one first ascends a mountain not steep, nor prominent, but level and flat, so that it might have altitude from the fact that it is raised upward and rises from the earth into the air, but might provide security to those who are placed upon it, because of its level surface. For that which is cut off and steep on every side makes the footing of those who climb it precarious. In order, therefore, that you may also understand the high things concerning God, and may recount these things safely, one must have ascended to the mountains because of their height; but because of their safety, he remains unwavering. Upon the level mountain, therefore, lift up a signal, and exalt the voice; console with the hand. He who proclaims the things concerning the cross with a loud voice ^B is the one who sets up the signal upon the level mountain. He who is able to magnify the discourse concerning the passion, this man fulfills the prophetic command; not dallying in dens and valleys, but ascending to the height of the discourse, and delivering the preaching to the very wisdom itself with smoothness and clarity of the things announced. But because we read according to another edition, *Upon a clouded mountain*, it clearly indicates the height by a different mode of expression. For "clouded" is whatever has a summit always covered by clouds. But that which is of such a kind is high, and towers above all things. *Exalt*, he says, *the voice for yourselves*; this is: take to yourselves a high and sustained voice. The capacity for glorifying God which is innate in you from common notions, stir this up. Do not look downward, nor contemplate earthly things. For the voice of those who cry out from the earth, and who speak vanity, becomes humble and lowly in this way. He who speaks from ^C despondency that casts down the soul, and from forbidden fear, does not exalt his own voice. And he who is overcome by the desires of the flesh in announcing the word, has a humble and low voice which is unable to look upward. How, then, is a voice exalted? If you are magnificent, rising up against the passions, and even at the very times of temptations, not yielding to them.

but if you preserve the haughtiness of the soul ^A in the temptations, then you exalt your voice. He comforts with the hand—that person who brings consolation to the afflicted through good works, and who completes almsgiving with cheerfulness. If you see someone heavily burdened by poverty, comfort the poor person with a generous, giving hand. For, in the eyes of a soul that is weak, the distribution of aid through works is able to comfort more than any exhortation by words to bear poverty nobly and without dejection.

257. And open, he says, you princes. The opening of the hand follows upon comforting with the hand, which the Scripture is accustomed to use for munificent and liberal action, as when it says: *When you open your hand, all things shall be filled with goodness* (Ps. CIV, 28). Open, therefore, your houses, and open the treasuries of your wealth to guests and to the needy. Do not hold back what is available to you for the relief of the oppressed. And do this first, you princes, so that by your example you may also entice the people. ^B It is also possible to understand this concerning the opening of the Scriptures, and the explanation of certain closed and obscure passages, lest anyone become liable to the judgment pronounced against the Pharisees and Scribes, who, having the keys of the kingdom, neither enter themselves, nor permit those who are able to enter to do so. Therefore, he addresses the princes who have been entrusted with the keys of knowledge. Paul, obeying this sentiment, said: *Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians* (II Cor. VI, 11).

258. (VERS. 3.) We must act as best we can. But the Lord is the one who leads them, and who arranges each one in the body of the Church according to his own dignity. *Giants come to fulfill my anger, rejoicing* ^C *at the same time and afflicting with insults.* The Word threatens that the wicked and enemies of God, those who are sent to take vengeance on sinners, will arrive. For this reason, providing for those who fear Him, He leads them to the safe height of a mountain, and secures them with the levelness of the summit. Moreover, He gives them a sign to guard them, in that He admonishes them to instruct themselves through good works, and to comfort the afflicted with the hand, and to open their mouths for the instruction of those being taught, so that they may escape the incursion of the giants. For giants, as a rule, ^D are understood in a negative sense (Gen. VI, 4; Sap. XIV, 6). Perhaps, however, the Psalm names these who are called giants here more clearly as evil angels, saying: *He sent among them the wrath of His indignation, indignation and wrath and tribulation* —

^A an infliction through evil angels. Therefore, such ministers were devised for those who have done things worthy of punishment, seeing that, since they have no sympathy from great cruelty toward those being punished, nor are they able to put on bowels of mercy, they exult over the men being scourged and insult them, making their own pleasure out of the pain and the suffering and the grief of those who are being scourged.

259. *The voice of many nations on the mountains, the voice of kings and nations gathered together.* Perhaps the voice of the many nations on the mountains is the voice of the Church. For this reason, a ^B level mountain was chosen for her, so that she might have spaciousness for the gathering of the multitude of those ascending to the height of the knowledge of God. He saw, therefore, on the level mountain, a great multitude gathered from many places, and emitting one voice of faith. And the Holy Spirit says through the prophet: *A voice of many nations upon the mountains, upon which the sign was raised, like many nations.* And one is the voice, and yet it is like the many voices of nations. One indeed, according to the agreement of faith; but it is like many voices because of the division by tongues of fire by the Holy Spirit upon each of the apostles who were about to sow the Gospel among the nations in the whole world. *A voice of kings,* he says, *and of nations gathered together.* Perhaps we must understand the nations to be us, who run together from everywhere at the calling; and the kings to be the chosen ones in the Church, whom the Lord also named *sons of the kingdom.* Or perhaps the multitude indicates the giants, because it is a voice of many nations, and a voice of kings. For because they run rejoicing and insulting to the fulfillment of the Lord's wrath, being appointed to the ministry, they imitate the sound of many nations, and of certain kings ^C elevated in mind, not knowing that they are ministers of punishment, tormentors of those who sin, and that they do not inflict these things upon those who deserve them with their own authority, or by any dignity belonging to them.

260. *The Lord Sabaoth has commanded a bellicose nation, to come from a land afar off, from the highest foundation of heaven, the Lord and his men of war, to destroy the whole world.* The Lord Sabaoth has commanded a bellicose nation. Do not fear the one who strikes, but entreat the one who commands. Let the idolaters be taught, those who say they offer sacrifices ^D to evil demons, soothing them so as to mitigate and calm their malice.

^A The Lord has commanded them. Whether you appease them with your services or not, the demon will perform what has been ordered: it is by no means permitted for him to overstep the limits prescribed for him. He neither remits any of his bitterness, nor adds anything of his own choosing, but inexorably employs the measure given to him. The Lord, therefore, has commanded a nation of combatants. Wicked demons possess weapons, contrary to the structure of the weapons of the righteous. For the just man holds the shield of faith; but the shield of the wicked one is the shield of unbelief [(20)]. The former has the sword of the Word; the latter, the sword of folly. The former is protected by the breastplate of righteousness; the latter is girded with the breastplate of injustice. The former’s head is encircled by the helmet of salvation; upon the latter is placed the helmet of perdition. The former has his feet ready for the Gospel of peace; the latter’s feet run towards the proclamation [(21)] of evils. The Lord, therefore, has commanded a nation of combatants armed with these weapons. And these are called from a land far away, so that you may know that they are strangers to this life. Indeed, those who work with us towards salvation are companions and neighbors, providing help from nearby—these are the angels of peace. But those who are summoned for the purpose of punishment are brought from far away, since the benevolent God uses their cruelty for our healing, just as a wise physician uses the poison of a viper for the healing of the sick. To such as these, it is not the spirit that is handed over, but the flesh, unto destruction, that the spirit might be saved. For this reason, Phygelus and Hermogenes [(89)] were indeed handed over by Paul to Satan, not for perdition, but that they might be taught not to blaspheme. How, then, does this combatant nation come from a land far away and from the highest point of heaven? From the land, because it chose the surrounding earthly place and is involved with earthly passions; from the highest point of heaven, because that is where its fall originally occurred [(91)].

^B

261. (Vers. 6, 7.) Wail. For the day of the Lord is near, and destruction will come from the Lord. For this reason every hand will be paralyzed, and every soul of man will fear.

^A If God did not desire the repentance of the sinner, why was the destruction in Nineveh proclaimed after three days? But as soon as the merciful One saw their contrition, he turned away his wrath and dissipated it like a cloud. Therefore, contrition shall come from the Lord himself, who usefully crushes things worthy of destruction, just as he crushes Satan under the feet of the righteous man, and crushes wars. For "The Lord is a crusher of wars, the Lord is his name." And "The Lord shall crush the cedars of Lebanon," calling those who are haughty, arrogant, and exalted against the truth the cedars of Lebanon. Since, therefore, contrition comes from the Lord, it is necessary to anticipate him by crushing our own proud heart, so that its humility may become a sacrifice and offering to God. Therefore, every hand, even the most industrious and active, if it is compared with God and his works, shall be loosened. Wherefore it says: "Be strengthened, you weak hands and paralyzed knees." Let no one trust in their power to fend off the invading warriors; let no one put their hope in the swiftness of their feet, as if they could escape the day of contrition, in which they are coming to destroy the whole earth.

262. For every human soul will tremble. ^B It is rightly added, "of man." For the soul of the angels is not subject to fear, as it is far superior to this passion, nor is the soul of irrational animals. For fear does not touch irrational animals, since it is a passion of the reasoning faculty and a deficiency of the principles of courage. Irrational animals are subject to alarm, but rational beings, when they are struck with fear by things not worthy of fear—due to the failure in them of the reason, which provides force to the soul against terrors—are seized by the passion of fear. A long time has passed since the day of the Lord was declared to be drawing near, with all the prophets ^C testifying to its nearness, so that no one, having become lax as if it were delayed, might be caught unprepared. Sophonias also testifies to this, saying: "Tremble before the face of the fear of the Lord, because the day of the Lord is near." And a little later: "The great day of the Lord is near; it is near, and very swift. The voice of the day of the Lord is bitter and hard; that day is a day of tribulation and necessity; a day of calamity and destruction; a day of darkness ^D and gloom, a day of cloud and shadow.

^A And if the day of the consummation of the entire world is still far off, nevertheless that personal day of departure for each one, which is the consummation for every individual man, is near at hand. Keeping this before our eyes, we must observe what is said by Isaiah: "Howl; for the day of the Lord is near." And we must have faith in Him who says: "Blessed are those who mourn; and, Blessed are those who weep." Many, being hard-pressed by the affairs of this life, hasten their own departure and call upon death. To them, it is not unfitting to say that which is in Amos: "Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord! And it is darkness, and not light; as if a man should flee from the face of a lion, and a bear should fall upon him; and he creeps into the house and leans his hand against the wall, and a serpent bites him." Is the day of the Lord darkness, and not light? And is it gloom, having no brightness? ^B Therefore, if anyone has not built upon the foundation of his own life wood, or hay, or stubble, he may desire the day of the Lord, in which the fire will test what sort of work each one’s is. But if no one is pure and free from forbidden deeds, let him fear that day. For He says: "If any man’s work remain which he has built thereon, he shall receive a reward: if any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

263. (VERS. 8.) "The ambassadors shall be troubled, and sorrows shall take hold upon them as a woman in travail. And they shall be amazed one at another; and their faces shall turn as a flame." Who are these ambassadors that shall be troubled when the day of the Lord arrives? No doubt they are those whom the Lord indicates in the parable which He told when He had approached Jerusalem, to those who thought that the kingdom of the Lord was about to be manifested immediately. ^C For He says, "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return." Then, speaking of the ten minas which he distributed to the ten servants to trade with, He added: "But his citizens hated him, and sent an embassy after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us." Now the nobleman is He whose lineage has nothing in common with any other, except with Him who is God over all. Just as we call those noble who are born of royal blood, so is he truly noble

who has his existence from the essence of the Father. And the Savior, according to the flesh, might also be called noble. For the Lord is not only understood as noble according to His divinity, because He possesses in Himself by His very nature a purity, sincerity, and simplicity free from all mixture; but He is altogether noble also according to His humanity, since He is descended from the seed of David according to the flesh. He goes, therefore, into a far country, one not so much distant in place as remote in the state of things. For God Himself is near to each one of us when good deeds procure for us a familiarity with Him; and He becomes far away when, by drawing near to destruction, we distance ourselves from Him. This Noble One, seeing the world ruled by sin and subject to the bitter tyranny of the enemy, had mercy on the anarchy and deigned to become their King. For He must reign until He has put ^B all His enemies under His feet. Since, therefore, He came into this earthly place, a region evidently far removed from God, in order to receive dominion over the nations, according to what was said in the Psalm: "Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance"; those who were positioned under the ruler of this world—not only men, but also the powers warring under him—did not accept His kingship. But when He had given commandments and the work to be done, and had ordered that these should not remain idle upon them, but was seeking their output, they sent ambassadors after Him, refusing His kingship. ^C

264. Who then are the ambassadors, if not those who were the authors of the Savior’s death? Who thought that by means of the cross they could destroy the dominion He has over the world, who said to Pilate: "Do not write [that He is] the King of the Jews, but that He said: 'I am the King of the Jews'." However, the wickedness of those who forbade it condemned them, but it did not hinder the divine plan. For when He had obtained the kingdom, and had distributed to the servants the businesses and duties to be performed according to the merit of each, He ordered them to be called, that He might know what profit they had made. And to the first, who had gained ten minas, He gave authority over ten cities; but to the second, who had acquired five minas, He says: "Be over five ^D cities." But he ordered the mina to be taken away from him who had bound it up idly in a handkerchief. When the things concerning the

^A Jews had been ordered (for it is time, He says [I Pet. iv, 17], that judgment should begin from the house of God), then He ordered also the enemies who had rejected His kingdom to be brought into the midst and slaughtered [Luke xix, 27]. There are certainly not a few who, in this life, do not wish Christ to reign over them. For those who are enslaved by impurity, and those controlled by anger, and those enslaved by greed, do not wish the Lord to reign over them, and as far as their own will is concerned, they reject His kingdom. Isaiah says concerning these that they shall be troubled. For when those who have lived in sins and have spurned the evangelical way of the kingdom see the Lord at His second coming, they shall ^B be troubled, of course, and pains shall take hold of them like a woman in labor. By birth pains, he indicated the bitterness of that pain which, through the conscience of sinners, pricks and wounds their heart. For birth pain is a certain sharp pain, which in the most vital parts seizes those giving birth at the time of delivery. And they shall change their countenance like a flame. It is peculiar to those who are suffused with shame and who fall into some unexpected danger to change the color of their face, inasmuch as they are suffused with redness on the surface, and indicate the affection of their soul through that manifest change.

^B

(Ver. 9.) Ecce enim dies Domini venit immedicabilis, furoris et iræ; ut ponat orbem terræ desertum, et peccatores disperdat ex eo.

^A within ourselves this prudent counsel of Scripture, which wishes to produce in us and strike into us the fear of God, and to instruct those who are to read these things to work while it is day. Night comes, when no one can work anymore. Whoever walks in the light of the commandments of Christ is in the day; whoever is given over to eternal darkness will be in the night. In that night there is no longer any work, no longer any confession, but the hands and feet will be bound with the chains of their own sins. For, "Binding him hand and foot, cast him" into the outer darkness. And the tongue will no longer utter any confession or praise of God, being occupied with the groaning arising from the pains that befall it. For this reason that day comes, in which there is no healing.

^B 266. "The stars of heaven and Orion, and all the host of heaven shall not give their light, and it shall grow dark while the sun is rising, and the moon shall not give her light. And I will command evils to the whole world, and their sins to the impious." The prophet openly describes the consummation and the transformation of the entire world. For then the solar light will fail, and the moon will be a body devoid of splendor, and Orion—the most brilliant of the stars—will not give its light. "The stars of heaven and Orion shall not give their light," not because they are to be darkened by being illuminated by the rising sun. For this happens even in the present day, and it is admitted by all who have studied the phenomena in the heavens that the stars situated in the hemisphere above the earth are by no means extinguished; but, as they are strongly illuminated by the rays of the sun, they are obscured. Which likewise happens in the nights when there is a full moon, with the brightness of the moon illuminating the stars on every side, and not allowing their rays to be seen. ^C The text, therefore, does not signify any of these things that happen by nature, but a total obscuration of the stars and a transformation of the entire world. It is clear that Scripture calls the collection of twenty-two stars "Orion," whom some call Bootes; those who are skilled in these matters divide them, and say that four are of the third magnitude, nine of them are of the fourth, and the remaining nine of the fifth. This cluster of stars is situated in the northern part, and Scripture, as if it were one body, has named it Orion. They say that these are "constellations" and not "stars," because the former indicate a collection of a multitude, whereas each one individually is called a "star." Furthermore, Scripture also mentions ^D Arcturus, which we see placed between the parts of Orion; it is a reddish star.

^A Similarly, the Pleiades are also named by Scripture, just as they are by the pagans who, of course, curiously sought these mysteries from the Hebrews. Moreover, in the Pleiades, seven stars appear, joined to one another and clustered together, not six, as some think; they are situated in a triangular shape. Therefore, just as we have found the name of Orion here, so we find the name of Arcturus, Hesperus, and the Pleiades in Job, who says: "He who makes the Pleiades, and Hesperus, and Arcturus, and the secret places of the South." He, therefore, who numbers the multitudes of the stars and calls them all by name, holds both the number and the appellations of them all. But only a few have received names, the use of which the pagans also admitted; and they have attached other names by their own ingenuity, and call both the fixed and wandering stars by countless names. And some they divide into twelve parts; but others, which adhere to the zodiacal circle through which the sun completes its course, and others, likewise, which are fixed in the northern and southern parts, they have named as it pleased them.

267. "And I will humble," he says, "the insolence of the proud." It is the work of a good God to eradicate evils, so that He may restore His own creation, rendering it pure from all malice, and, freed from every infirmity and vice, may lead it back to its natural state. Indeed, it is said in another place: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the prudence of the prudent," 20 because the wisdom of this world, while it deceives those who receive it, and is believed to be true, produces ignorance of the doctrines necessary for salvation. Therefore, this wisdom is destroyed when it is overturned by the truth, and its sophistries and plausible arguments are dissolved, so that he who was held captive by it might be liberated from deceit and false opinion. Wherefore, ^C just as a disease is driven away by a physician, and darkness is dispelled by the sun, so the injury of the wicked is destroyed by the good God, and the insolence of the proud is abased. For this reason, Jacob, when blessing his sons Simeon and Levi, says: "Cursed be their fury, because it is stubborn; and their wrath, because it is hardened." 21 He amputates that vicious habit through this curse, so that what remained in them might become worthy of the patriarch's blessing. In the same way, Noah, when he learned what his younger son had done to him, said: "Cursed be Canaan." 22 Even though Ham had shown

^A a disturbance, he does not curse him, but his offspring and his work, which symbolically is named Canaan; for Canaan, if you interpret it, signifies the same thing as a sort of commotion. Since, therefore, the habit that becomes embroiled in movement produces a vice, he does not curse the disposition, but the work that proceeds from it. For it is difficult for purity of heart to be preserved in human nature. It is clear, moreover, that in destroying the insolence ^B of the proud, he does not consume only one of the evils, but it is fitting to understand "insolence" as extending from a single sin to all kinds of wickedness. For the lawless commit insolence against the temple, and they commit insolence against their neighbor, and they commit insolence against that which is according to the image of the Creator, and through the image the insolence ascends to the Creator. For just as one who has insulted a royal image is judged ^C as having sinned against the king himself, so clearly he who insults that which has been made according to the image is liable to sin. But the fornicator insults himself before all others through corruption, the adulterer through the shamefulness of his deed, the thief through a base, foul, and slavish act, the liar through denying the truth, the perjurer through his alienation from God. Thus, every sin is an insolence, and is a sprout of insolence, first touching the one who ^D is insolent. He will also humble the insolence of the proud, because pride is the sister of iniquity. For the unrighteous man treats justice with pride and exalts himself against it; and the licentious speaks against temperance when he scorns the person who is precise in all things and keeps watch even over the movement of his eyes. The profligate man scorns the person who is moderate in his way of life; the foolish man mocks those who excel in wisdom and who laboriously gather knowledge from everywhere. The Lord, therefore, who resists the proud and humbles sinners to the ground, Himself promises that He will humble the insolence of the proud. He who therefore humbles the proud delivers them from that likeness which they have with the devil, who is the father of pride, and leads them to be disciples of Him who said: "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble in heart."

268. VERSE 12. And they that are left shall be honorable...

^A more than unrefined gold: and a man shall be more honorable than the stone that is in Suphir. After great temptations have been introduced, and the warriors have come who are to destroy the whole world, and after all pride has been humbled, then the men who are found at that time, having received no injury to their soul by their association with the wicked, but having been tested by countless trials and examinations, and having given a precise proof of their own character, shall be more honorable than any unrefined gold, and more honorable than any precious stone that is thought to be found in Suphir. ^B Now it seems that by the name "Suphir" he refers to a certain region situated in the Indian nation, in which the most precious of stones are accustomed to be born. And "unrefined" gold is that which contains within itself no admixture of strange matter, but which, as soon as it is seen, convinces the eyes of those who behold it that it is genuine and free from copper or any other mixture.

269. VERSE 13. For heaven shall be angered, and the earth shall be shaken from its foundations, because of the fury of the wrath of the Lord Sabaoth in the day when his fury shall come. Every creature is moved with the Lord to take vengeance upon those who have sinned against Him. For just as the heaven is amazed and shudders at the unexpected iniquities of the people when they forsake the Lord; ^C so, when the sins of those who have apostatized are complete, and the time of retribution comes, it is said to be angered and to rise up together with the wrath of God. And we must understand the "wrath of heaven" to be those fearful things which fall from it upon those being punished, when a darkening occurs of the stars, the sun is devoid of light, and the moon is no longer illuminated; when thunderbolts run through, and peals of thunder break forth fearfully; and when the air above one's head is obscured, so that the torture of those who have been handed over to wrath admits of no consolation or relief from any quarter. For creation, serving its Maker, is greatly exasperated in punishing the wicked, but is softened ^D and soothed in bestowing benefit upon those who have placed their hope in Him. These things happen because of the fury of the wrath of the Lord. And it is the custom of Scripture to call the "fury of wrath" a certain heat, and, as it were, an inflammation suitable for avenging punishments upon evil deeds.

270. The earth shall be shaken from its foundations. He declares that that movement will not be light or common, such that the shaking occurs only on the surface; but that the very foundation of the earth will be overturned, and that shaking will reach to all parts of the earth.

^A Foundations of human nature are unknown, as we have learned in Job, the Lord saying: Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me now, if thou hast understanding. Who set the measurements of it, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it? Upon what are its sockets fastened? Or who is it that cast a cornerstone upon it? ^B Or did the Lord according to the opinion of outsiders establish the earth in the center of the sphere encompassing the world, so that, because of its equilibrium, being equidistant from the heaven everywhere, it might stand securely and remain unmoved? But if the earth is thus firmly fixed, it will certainly be moved from the foundations and displaced from its existing base. Since, however, to be angry is a property of those endowed with reason and soul, some have already imagined that the heaven too is animate and uses reason, so that it could rise up in indignation along with the Master. But such a notion is a mythical fabrication. For the Scripture often calls the heavenly beings "heaven" by metonymy, just as it is our custom to say: "The whole city has gone out," and "The city requested this from the ruler," for we speak of the city in place of its inhabitants. In this way, then, the heaven also is angry, with the heavenly powers assenting to the just wrath of God. For as there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, so also there is indignation and sorrow over those who have defected from the Creator through sin. ^C 271. They shall be as an escaping doe, and as a wandering sheep, and there shall be none to gather them, so that man may turn back to his own people and man flee to his own country. For whoever is caught shall be overcome, and whoever are gathered shall fall by the sword. And their children shall be dashed in pieces before them, and their houses they shall plunder, and their wives they shall take. In the attack of the enemies, some, coming into their hands, shall fall on the very line of battle; but those who have escaped flee like a doe. This animal is very timid and fearful, and because of the speed of its feet, it flees afar and does not step. They shall be, therefore, as a doe and as a wandering sheep. For a sheep in no way knows how ^D of itself to [alt-version omitted]

themselves to hasten towards nourishing pastures, or to lodge in safer places, or to search out drink for itself, unless there be someone shepherding and leading it to these things. Those who are then to be—fleeing indeed like does, but helpless like wandering sheep because they have no ruler—shall be ^A dispersed by their pursuers. Neither will there be any to gather them together; those who remained shall be defeated and oppressed by the enemies; and even if they are able to assemble and find some form of mutual support, they shall nevertheless fall by the sword.

Then he sets forth the miserable sufferings of those who are to be enslaved: "They shall dash their children before the eyes of their parents, and their houses shall be plundered, and their wives shall be taken away unto defilement for themselves."

272. Vers. 17, 18. "Behold, I will stir up against you the Medes, who do not reckon silver, nor have need of gold. They shall shatter the bows of the young men, and they shall not have mercy on your children; nor shall their eyes spare your children." ^B Many years later, as history has handed down, the Medes attacked the empire of the Assyrians and razed Babylon. Now, the prophecy of Isaiah anticipated the captivity of the Israelite people by many generations. And again, many years after Israel had been led away, the Medes are seen to have waged war against the Assyrians.

Therefore, the consolation for the captive is the expectation of vengeance, which will not be long in overtaking the people who oppressed Israel. "I will stir up," he says, "against you the Medes, who shall not be persuaded by silver, nor by gold." You, O Babylonians, will not be able to buy off from them your immunity from evils with the abundance of your riches; for money is not a matter of admiration to them, because they themselves are also most wealthy. ^C For this reason, they are not distracted in battles by the spoils of the dead, nor are they occupied with taking plunder, and they deem it base and ignoble to receive anything from those who have been captured. But they shall shatter the archery of the young men among you, and they shall show no pity, nor shall they spare the infants.

Furthermore, the name of the Medes, when translated, signifies "from the sufficient." Therefore, He who is sufficient in all things and able to inflict retribution according to merit, He it is who moves the Medes. Or perhaps, since Madai is the founder of Media ^D (which, if you interpret it, sounds like "dimension"), there may be said to be

to be that the Medes should be brought in to punish those who have lived wickedly and perversely. For by the measure with which each of us has measured, whether in doing well or in doing evil, in this he shall receive the reward or the punishment. Such are the Medes; they will not pity the children of the Babylonians, nor will they consent to spare them ^A. Perhaps by "children" Scripture now signifies the fruits and offspring of the Babylonian soul. I think that those mentioned in the Psalm are children of this sort, in which the wife is wisdom, whom the Lord sought out and took as a bride and housemate, being smitten with love for her beauty; while the sons are the offspring of the mind and wisdom joined together. Concerning these children, I believe it is said in the 136th Psalm: "O daughter of Babylon, you who are desolate, blessed is he who shall pay you back your recompense which you have given to us. Blessed is he who shall seize and dash your little ones against the rock." For he foresees ^B that day of retribution, in which the Medes, having conquered the Babylonians, will not be moved by any mercy, nor will their eyes spare their children. Consider, however, that the Psalm pronounces blessed not the one who kills a Babylonian child in any way whatsoever, but rather, firstly, one who wishes their little ones to be destroyed while newborn, not permitted to reach maturity, so that they may not proceed to greater wickedness; and secondly, that they are not to be destroyed in any random fashion. For it pronounces blessed the one who has seized ^C and, by his own wisdom, has prevailed over the offspring of the confused mind, which is called "Babylonian," and then dashes them against the rock. And in this case, the rock is Christ. For whoever dashes evil dogmas against the word of truth, this is the one who dashes the Babylonian little ones against the rock. If, therefore, the children of Babylon signify the dogmas of the heretics, which confuse the soul of the one who receives them, then the Babylonian child is rightly seized and dashed against the rock.

273. "And Babylon shall be," and it is called glorious [or, and Babylon, which is called glorious] by the king of the Chaldeans, "as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah; it shall not be inhabited for an eternal time, nor shall they enter into it through many generations, nor shall the Arabians pass through it, nor shall shepherds ever rest ^D there. And wild beasts shall rest there, and the houses shall be filled with sound, and sirens shall rest there, and demons shall dance there; and the ono-

-^Acentauri shall dwell there, and the hedgehogs shall build nests in their houses. He comes quickly, and shall not tarry; and her days shall not be prolonged. By these words, he relates the abject condition of Babylon. And since the memory of former glory stirs and moves one more vehemently, he teaches from what state to what state it has fallen into change. And it shall be, he says, Babylon, which is called illustrious. This was as it were a proper cognomen, and by all it was called with that addition, Babylon the illustrious. Now the king of the Chaldeans had made it most famous, because, having overthrown and overcome many, he had transferred the powers of the captives into it, and had instructed the same with huge walls, and with a great force of soldiers had built it up with magnificent structures. This, therefore, shall be subverted in the manner in which God subverted Sodom and Gomorrah, and it shall not be inhabited for an eternal time. ^B Perhaps, however, he circumscribes its eversion and desolation by a certain time; wherefore he did not say absolutely: And it shall be subverted for ever; but added, For an eternal time. But even the things that follow indicate that a perfect and entire desolation is not being predicted. For it is said: Neither shall they enter into it for many generations; as if it were a solitude to remain for many generations, and afterwards to be frequented by inhabitants again.

274. Neither shall shepherds rest in it. The Word describes a mournful desolation in this sentence, implying that the solitude will be so great that not even shepherds would find shelter in it, nor are Arabs to be found who inhabit the desert. Those who devastate and plunder everything, and search out cities and villages, these shall not enter it, because of the hopelessness of it—in that there are neither inhabitants, nor is anything found that is necessary for life. ^C But it shall be, he says, a resting place for wild beasts, and the houses shall be filled with sound. "Sound" indicates the magnitude of the desolation. For sound is that voice which, having been thrown back by solid and hard bodies, returns again to him who sent it forth. This in desert places is indeed reflected sonorously; but in inhabited cities or villages it is not allowed to be returned; since, the air being disrupted and cut, it is broken on account of the implements moved here and there, and on account of the sound sliding across. There, therefore, shall the houses be filled with sound. Sound is a sign of solitude. Moreover, sirens shall rest there, and demons shall dance there, and onocentauri shall dwell there, and hedgehogs shall build nests in ^D their houses. And her days shall not be prolonged: this, together with "He comes quickly, and shall not tarry," is interpreted variously.

^A External discourse hands down that sirens were women who sang most sweetly; but here it seems the name refers to demons, which is why Aquila called the sirens "ostriches." That animal is a lover of solitude, and for the most part lurks in the most sterile sands. Thus, Scripture expresses the magnitude of the desolation through the habitation of ostriches. And those whom the Seventy called "onocentaurs," Aquila termed "hairy ones." He seems to be representing a certain kind of demon, filthy and dark in appearance, whose function is to be unstable, and to never use firm feet or a firm mind. ^B "And onocentaurs shall dwell there." And the Scripture seems to represent here another species of demon, which the others have called "Siim," transferring the Hebrew word itself here. "Moreover," he says, "hedgehogs shall make their houses." The passage describes all these as creatures that love solitude, as though they will be made at home in Babylon after the desolation.

275. "It shall come quickly, and shall not tarry, and her days shall not be prolonged." He calls the destruction of Babylon "hastened," and there will be no delay of the threatened things. And because it has been threatened that Babylon will be destroyed like Sodom, we must know that there are many interpretations of the name "Sodom." For the same name is interpreted as "blindness," and "sterility," and "standing silence," and "likeness," and "calling," and "their foundation." Gomorrah, however, is rendered as "measure" and "sedition." But I do not think that anyone who wishes to interpret how Babylon will be destroyed like Sodom has need of all these interpretations. ^C For God, when benefiting those who are being "overthrown," overturns them like a physician who treats blindness; and the overturning of blindness is the beginning of sight. And He overturns sterility, in order that, having driven out barrenness, He may grant them the fruit of works of righteousness. And He overturns "standing silence," so that He may instill speech into hearts for the glorification of God. And therefore, in overturning Gomorrah (since Gomorrah is interpreted as both "measure" and "sedition"), He suppresses the sedition and tumult within it, so that those who are seditious, being placed in the contrary state—namely, peace—might become better. Now, everyone who accepts the matters of birth, and pleads [the necessity of] both necessity and fate and destiny, ^D and to the extent that it depends on him, through this system of theirs, draws [men] away from faith in God.

^A He calls the affairs of the Babylonians glorious things. For astrology is the discovery of the Chaldeans, who say that existing things depend upon themselves and not upon God; and by subjecting human affairs to the movement of the stars, they cast away the providence that governs the affairs of men, so that neither prayer nor piety can avail anything—but even if these things appear to be done, they are, by the logic of fate, also subject to it.

276. He calls whosoever elevates with praise the riches of the world, and glories, and noble births according to the flesh, and whatever is similar to these, Babylon. ^B For all these things are subversive to the mind, and worthy to be called by the same name as Babylon. The Lord overturns this, and it becomes a dwelling-place of savage demons, whether you wish to take it as a city or as a confused and perturbed soul. For it is necessary that the soul abandoned from the fellowship of God should become a habitation of wicked spirits. For there, no shepherd lodges. For it is not for a good shepherd to dwell with a ruined flock. "But sirens," he says, "and demons, and onocentaurs, and hedgehogs." ^C When, therefore, you see a confused and perturbed soul, know that it is filled with clamor, because no word that is clear and distinctly pronounced is found in it; but rather a certain tumultuous noise, devoid of all meaning and rising up from turbulent passions, occupies the ruling part of that soul. It seems, therefore, that certain wicked powers, while by the solicitation and evocation of a voice they create pleasure for souls—which they soothe with their singing to their own destruction—hunt those who pass by. Whether it is through the voice that the pleasure arises, or through some other method that incitements and provocations to sin are brought about by those demons, is unclear; but this is certain, that those who are ensnared by pleasure forget their return to their true fatherland. But if you see anyone whose ears itch, and who turns them away from the truth and is turned aside to myths, and does not endure solid and effective discourse, nor bear severe objurgation and rebuke that leads the hearer to conversion; but who rather [seeks] a discourse composed to procure favor, and [seeks] ^D delights

[Note: The Latin text continues with commentary on verse 276; the Greek text aligns with the Latin content.]

her [seeks] a discourse composed to procure favor, and [seeks] delights through blandishments and flattery, you should think that this person is held fast, deceived by sirens. ^B But the demons which produce various sins in us are also said to dance, because dancing is a complete agitation of the limbs. And since dancers, having put on different roles one after another, take the stage, so too the demons, using us ourselves as masks, represent—sometimes the irascible man, sometimes the one who is lustful and panting after carnal pleasures, and at other times the liar—through their dancing. And in this way, we receive the various actions of demons, as we shift our heart and the limbs of our body according to their will. Therefore, when you see someone now overwhelmed by unbridled laughter, and now cast down by sorrow, torn apart by lamentations, tears, and wailing, consider that someone is dancing within him, taking on one shape after another. And now the drama of avarice enters in, now that of vainglory, at other times that of pride. In short, it leaps upon the human race, dancing and performing in souls that are easily swayed and prone to sin. The name of the onocentaurs signifies a certain composite and monstrous constitution of an animal; except that it is also a species of demon, which, as author and instigator, now makes us look toward human affairs, and now carries us away toward the passions of the brutes. The hedgehog, moreover, is a certain animal which, instead of hair, is clothed with spines, and which is difficult to catch and cunning. All these things will quickly come upon the confused and troubled soul, and there will be no delay in those days.

CHAPTER XIV

277. ^C *And the Lord will have mercy [upon Jacob], and will choose Israel.* I think it stands to reason that the word "He will have mercy" should be referred to Jacob, which was the name he held until the wrestling match that he himself endured; but the word "He will choose" should be understood of Israel, which was the name imposed upon the patriarch as a prize after the wrestling match. For he who is treated with mercy indicates a more humble condition, but he who is chosen, a more excellent one. Wherefore, the words, "The Lord will have mercy upon Jacob, but He will choose Israel," are like that which says: "Jacob my servant, I will take hold of him; Israel my elect, my soul has accepted him." For "Jacob" is taken to refer to the one still ^D dealing with the first elements and who is bodily; but "Israel" to the one who is superior and spiritual.

^A Indeed, both Jacob and Israel "shall rest in their own land," that is, in that land of which it is said: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." This land is not a portion of the earth which is subject to the curse, which he who tills it eats in sorrows all the days of his life. Moreover, to Jacob and Israel resting in their land there is added an "advena" (stranger). He who tills the land—this is the proselyte stranger. Perhaps this is the Gentile people, joined to Jacob, whom the Scripture calls a stranger and a proselyte. But when those who are of an inferior condition, and who do not know how to rule themselves, are subjected to leaders who possess the knowledge of ruling, it is to them a benefit. Wherefore in the blessings it is said to Esau: "And thou shalt serve thy brother." This clearly indicates what follows (Ver. 2): "And they shall be multiplied upon the earth of God into bondmen and bondwomen." Servitude is imposed upon them in place of a benefit. "And they shall be captives who had taken them captive." The former indeed used to drag them tyrannically into captivity, subjecting the conquered and oppressed to the servitude of the devil; but the latter benignly and humanely undergo servitude, being led from the tyranny of the devil to the servitude of Christ. But to Israel is promised the liberation from that harsh servitude which he had served among the Babylonians, and he is invited to mercy, that he might lament the king of Babylon, and not insult his ruin, but weep for him as one who is about to suffer punishments worthy of commiseration and mercy.

278. VERSE 19, 20. "As a garment stained with blood is not clean, so neither shalt thou be clean. Because thou hast destroyed my land, and slain my people: thou shalt not abide for all time." ^C These are still parts of the lamentation, in which both the prince of Babylon and his affairs are bewailed. For after Lucifer, having fallen from heaven, said in his heart: "I will ascend into heaven, I will be like the Most High," in order that it might be discovered and ascertained how much he who is contaminated with every defilement and slaughter is unlike the holy one, he is compared to a garment: which, as far as its own nature is concerned, is made for the adornment of men, but because it is stained with blood, it can no longer be adapted for any human use. From this it is evident that that wicked one is not unclean because of his equipment and wealth, but because he has been drenched with blood, inasmuch as he has destroyed the land of the Lord and slain the people through sin. ^D Now already in another place I have known—

^A that human nature was compared by the same prophet to a garment, when he says to those who have grown old by reason of wickedness: Behold, you shall all grow old as a garment, and the moth shall devour you. And the threat is terrible, that there shall not even be a future cleansing. For he who is defiled by some sin loses his present purity, but is not deprived of the cleansing hoped for in the future through repentance. But here the judgment is absolute, that he shall not be clean even in the future, since he is defiled with the blood of the people of God, whom he slew through disobedience, dragging him off to wickedness.

279. Perhaps, before man was created, some place for repentance was left even for the devil, and pride, even if it were a most ancient disease, could have been healed if he had cured himself through repentance, and restored himself to his original state. But after the creation of the world, and the planting of paradise, ^B and man within it, and the commandment of God, and the envy of the devil, and the murder of the one who was honored, the place of repentance was closed to him. For if Esau found no place of repentance, having sold his birthright, what place of repentance is left for him who killed the first-formed man, and brought death through him? They say also that the stain occurring on a garment from human gore can in no way be washed out, but that the alteration once produced by the tincture of blood grows old together with the garment; therefore it is not possible for him, having cast off the stain from the blood, to become pure. ^C But observe the word, which emphatically represents the filth coming from murder. For he did not say, "drenched in blood," but "defiled," so as to indicate he was wallowing in the slaughter of those who were destroyed. This one destroyed the land of God, and slew His people. Nebuchadnezzar, for his part, laid waste the land, cutting down its fruit-bearing plants, and delivering its villages to the annihilation of fire. He, too, either slew the people of Israel with the sword or led them captive into Babylon. Now, already, he who is mystically called the king of Babylon is the ruler of this world. For one could ^D aptly call the confusion of this world Babylon. For he made the people of God captive, moving them from life to death; and he laid waste the land, having corrupted the flesh of each one through sin, as it is written: All flesh had corrupted its way.

^A 280. Verse 21, 22. *Prepare thy children for slaughter for the sins of thy father, that they may not rise, and may not fill the earth with cities.* And I will rise up against them, saith the Lord Sabaoth, and I will destroy their name, and remnant, and seed. Not only will he himself not be clean, but the succession of that wicked man will also be destroyed along with him, through the goodness of the most merciful God, who permits the destruction of his children—not so much his carnal offspring, as the fruit of his works proceeding from an evil habit—to be removed from the midst. *Semen pravum* (Evil seed). Because he was not the father of malice, but received his origin from another who took the lead in malice, and imitated the wickedness of him who sowed him, he is therefore called evil seed. ^B *Prepare thy children for slaughter for the sins of thy father.* Sometimes the seed of someone is called evil, not because it proceeds directly from a preceding seed, but because it gives rise to another’s beginning, it receives the name of seed. For just as when the world was created, those things which first germinated were indeed the seeds of others, yet they themselves did not proceed from other seeds, since they were older than the things that derive their origin from a seed: so perhaps even now Scripture calls him "evil seed" who first gave an example of wickedness to others, and became, as it were, seed, offering himself to be imitated: not that he has this mode of existing from his predecessors, but because he led the way for his posterity. However, one can be of himself, as if the author and architect of wickedness, an evil seed; and again, he who has been taught by wicked masters can be designated by the same name. That sinner was called the *Seed of Chanaan, and not of Juda* ^C; not because he had a spurious race of flesh and commingled with Chanaan, but he is called the seed of Chanaan because he emulated Chanaan. Therefore, everyone by his own will can be either a holy seed or the opposite. For hear Paul saying: *For in Christ Jesus through the Gospel I have begotten you*; and that: *As many as received him, he gave them power to become the children of God*; and: *Everyone who commits sin is born of the devil*.

281. But what does Scripture mean when it commands the wicked seed to prepare his children for slaughter for the sins of the father? We have observed in many places that the works and the fruits of the soul of each one are called children. *She shall be saved*, he says, *through the generation of children, if they remain in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety*. ^D For the soul, as the wife of the bridegroom who was not deceived, is made safe,

^A when, under the guidance of reason, it has cared to bring forth children, that is to say, good deeds; if only it remains in a good habit and is not corrupted by certain subsequent sins. Thus, we too, who interpret according to the spiritual and divine law the blessing which says, *Blessed are the fruits of thy womb* (Deut. xxviii, 4), consider that nothing else is signified than the fruits of the soul. *For from thy fear, O Lord, we have received in the womb, and have been in pain, and have brought forth the spirit of salvation, which we have wrought upon the earth* (Isa. xxvi, 18). Therefore, the extirpation of wicked works is called the slaughter of children, which is perpetrated for the benefit of the father who begat them. In this place, therefore, that figurative manner of speaking carries with it a certain hidden kindness, while it commands the wicked seed to lay down, as far as it is able, the burden of its vices. For whosoever have proposed that wicked one as their model, and have become sons of malice, ought to slaughter all the fruits of their soul, in so far as they pertain to sins. *For if we do not die to sin, how shall we live to justice* (1 Pet. ii, 24)? *Lest, indeed*, he says, *they rise up and fill the earth with cities*. For the insurrection of vice is evil. Wherefore, it is necessary that it remain dead, and not be permitted to enter into a system and a multitude. For this is what a "city" is. It befits the Lord Sabaoth to destroy the name, and the remnant, and the seed of malice.

282. Blessed is that state, both of the soul and of human society, in which the name of wickedness is not pronounced, according to the Apostle who said: *But fornication, and all uncleanness, or lasciviousness* (Ephes. v, 3), *let it not so much as be named among you, as becometh saints*. But secondly, it is necessary that not even a remnant should exist. For there are many who, when they have turned away from evil works, as if holding onto the memories of their former deeds, frequently renew, through this recollection, the sin which had been dormant and quiet. Therefore, so that not even a remnant may exist—that is to say, that the final seed of wicked doctrine may not remain for those who follow to be left behind by the imitation of those who have preceded—*thus says the Lord: And I will place Babylon* (Vers. 23) *as a desert, so that hedgehogs may inhabit it, and it shall be for nothing; and I will place it as a chasm of mire for destruction*. The most benevolent Lord threatens that Babylon will be rendered...

^B such a desolation of evil dwelling and such a wiping out of a confused and perturbed life, that it is a thing much to be desired by those who have sense and mind. He threatens such a great desolation for Babylonia, that no Babylonian man shall dwell in it any longer, but that hedgehogs shall be brought in instead. Now, this animal is an creature fenced about with rigid and very sharp spines, and it draws its head and feet together when it so desires, and forms itself into the exact shape of a sphere, so that it is difficult to seize, with its head and feet retracted within the coil, and its surface bristling with spines on every side. For this is the only animal that, even while at rest, defends itself against those who plot against it. For whoever lays hands upon it is severely pricked, and the more one wishes to constrain it, the more grievously is one transfixed by its spines.

283. Perhaps, then, it secretly signifies that those inhabiting the city instead of the Babylonians are unsociable, estranged from the way of life of others, and delighting in a harsher mode of living. For we have been taught by the vision of Peter that the species of animals are taken to express the characters of men, since in the vessel descending from heaven there was every kind of animal, of reptiles, of birds, and of quadrupeds. For the Word signified those who were about to be brought to the faith from various sins: these are they who are likened either to quadrupeds because of their beastly nature; or to reptiles because of their venom; or to birds because of their fickleness and instability. And so the hedgehog in Scripture is perhaps tropologically designated for certain men, just as serpents denote the Sadducees and Pharisees; and the fox, Herod; and horses lusting after females, the voluptuous; sheep, those who are more simple; and kids, those who are hostile to society and avaricious. Wherefore it is fitting that the rich of this age—whom the Lord said choke the word with their own thorns ^C and render it unfruitful—should be compared to the hedgehog animal, which places its hope of safety in its own spines. Now, Babylon shall be brought to nothing, and shall be as a chasm of mire. As far as the perceptible matter is concerned, Scripture indicates that the river Euphrates, intersecting it through the middle and finding no exit through its channel, and flooding it, will demolish it to the foundations and convert it into a chasm, not of clear water, but filled with mud. For such is the end of the destruction of those who provoke the Lord. ^D

284. Thus says the Lord of Hosts: As I have spoken, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: to destroy the Assyrians upon my land, and upon my mountains; and they shall be for a trampling.

^A And their yoke shall be taken away from them, and their glory from their shoulders. Now Israel according to the flesh, because they suppose the land to be God’s and these earthly mountains to be in the sensible Judea, supposes that this word was spoken by the prophet, and that Israel would lead Assyria away into captivity, having imposed a yoke of servitude upon them. But we, who have risen with Christ, and make it our prayer to seek the things that are above, call the good heart "earth," just as we have been taught by the Lord Himself, who says: "He that is sown upon the good earth is he that hears the word and understands, who bears fruit, and yields, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." Therefore, the mountain of God upon which the Assyrians are to be trampled can also be called that person who makes progress in good works, and by speech and knowledge rises above the rest; in him the enemies shall be for a trampling. And all the yoke of the Assyrians shall be taken away by God. For they were quite proud, as though they were stepping upon the shoulders of those who were considered to be of God's portion, and bringing under their own yoke those who had been torn away from the service of God by their sins. Having, therefore, ^B the hope, according to what has been said, that our enemies shall be destroyed upon the land of God and shall be trampled upon His mountains, and that their yoke shall be taken away, and the glory in which they boasted, as though they were ruling over us and had mounted us, shall be broken in pieces, let us do everything to cast off their tyranny completely. For if we become mountains of God, His foundations shall be within us, with the word of truth sown in our hearts, and good works built up through faith. But we must renounce sin purely, so that our neck may be set free from the yoke of the Assyrians, and we may be able to become the yoke-fellow of Christ. For it is impossible for two yokes to be laid upon our neck: that of the Lord and that of the Assyrian. For what participation has righteousness with iniquity, or what fellowship has light with darkness?

285. This is the counsel that has been purposed regarding the whole world, and this is the hand that is lifted high upon all the nations of the world. For whom shall God the Holy One purpose to scatter? And His high hand, who shall turn it back? ^D He clearly shows that these things are said regarding those who are in the whole world, and among all nations: that no one is able to scatter what God the Holy One has purposed, and [regarding] the Lord over the whole world; and this is the hand that is lifted high upon all the nations of the whole earth. For whom shall God the Holy One purpose to scatter, and His high hand, who shall turn it back? He clearly shows that these things are said regarding those who are in the whole world, and among all nations: that no one is able to scatter what God the Holy One has determined, and no one is able to stay the hand of God.

^A Observe also how in this expression, as we have shown in many places, a meaning is signified that is not common or usual; as, for example, the passage: "Who is wise, and shall understand these things?" and the passage: "Who is a faithful and wise steward?" For in this place, the phrase "Who shall scatter?" is equivalent to "no one." For it is not permitted to think that there can be found anyone who is able to scatter the counsel of the Lord.

286. ^B VERS. 28-30. "In the year that King Ahaz died, this word came: Rejoice not, all ye foreigners; for the yoke of him who smites you is broken. For from the seed of serpents shall come forth the offspring of asps, and their offspring shall go forth as flying serpents. And the poor shall feed by him, and poor men shall rest in peace; but he shall kill thy seed with famine, and he shall destroy thy remnants." If all things that the prophets have written have been dictated by the Holy Spirit, certainly the very note of the time in which the prophecy was given is not inserted in vain. For what profit is there in learning that this word came to the foreigners in the year in which Ahaz, the King of Judah, died? ^C We consider, therefore, that just as it is written in Exodus: "The King of Egypt died, and the children of Israel groaned because of their works, and their cry went up, and God heard their groaning." For while that wicked king was living, they could not pour out their groans and complaints to God; for he compelled them to be intent upon arduous works, and did not allow them to lift their eyes to God. But after that wicked man was removed from the midst, then it would have been appropriate to applaud and to rejoice at the downfall of the enemy. Yet these people are reported, against expectation, to be groaning. ^D Unquestionably, Scripture shows that, while the mind, given to the body, held dominion, they did not even know that they should mourn because of the punishment inflicted upon them for their sin, due to their insensibility; but after their vices ceased, they began the beginning of their healing from groaning, being weighed down by gross and bodily works. For this reason, God, the lover of mankind, heard them. A similar thing is declared in relation to this account in the preceding words of Isaiah. For it came to pass, he says, "in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up." That King Uzziah was wicked, history has handed down; for "his heart was exalted to corrupt, and he acted unjustly against the Lord his God, and he entered into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar, and lepra

^A became his." When, therefore, this wicked prince was overthrown, and the worship according to the law was purified from its pollutions, the mysteries of the divine counsel were made manifest to the prophet. Here, then, the Word records that Ahaz, who was not a virtuous prince, is dying, so that it may be shown that when there is a withdrawal of the worse, the word comes from the beneficent God to the aliens. For we find in the fourth book of Kings that this Ahaz did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord; indeed, he even made his son pass through the fire according to the abominations of the nations, and he sacrificed and offered incense on the high places. He also sent gold and silver from the treasures of the house of the Lord to the king of the Assyrians, whereby the ^B impiety he had committed regarding the sacred funds is shown not to have been small. When, therefore, that wicked rule had fallen, the word against the aliens comes to pass. Now, "aliens" are properly called Philistines, whom the Greeks call Palæstinians.

287. It must be known that this comes to pass in our own life, when the sin that dominates in each one of us is dead in our mortal body, then the word of the Lord comes to be in us. For perhaps each sin has a certain analogy to each of the kings reproved in the Scriptures, who are altogether worthy of blame, and whose names are not infrequently revealed throughout the whole Scripture; just as, even now, the name Ahaz is interpreted as "detention," a symbol of a wicked doctrine that has preoccupied and holds fast our soul. When this is dead, our soul, being freed from that which held it, becomes capable of perceiving the word ^C against the aliens. The straightforward interpretation, then, is this: Rejoice not, all you aliens; for the yoke of him who struck you is broken. Do not think, O Philistines, that because Ahaz is dead, you will be free from the fear hanging over you from Israel; so do not rejoice at the death of the king. For even if the yoke, that is, the servitude which was placed upon you by those who trampled and whipped you by their power, is broken, nevertheless, out of the seed of serpents shall come forth the offspring of asps. He signifies the succession of Ahaz: that if he had the bitterness of a serpent, and because of this you rejoice at his death, out of the seed of this serpent an offspring of asps will arise against you, and again their progeny will come forth. By this, the Word indicates that the sequence of the kings who follow will be bitter. For, he says, they shall be ^D flying asps, having both the venom of creeping things and the swiftness of birds. Then, since the sequence of the genealogy leads to the Lord, the Word breaks off the continuity and moves on to

^A a good promise. For, he says, the poor shall be fed by him. Who is he who feeds the poor, if not the shepherd of the sheep? By poor, he does not mean those who lack money, but those who are diminished in their understanding. These, then, are the poor—they who are called blessed by the Lord himself (for, he says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit")—shall rest in peace, but hunger shall destroy your seed. The seed of the aliens shall be destroyed by famine, and their remnant shall be taken away from the midst. ^B 288. Those who are fed by evil words are delivered over to famine for the benefit of their souls. For the lack of a teacher who provides them with the means for wickedness becomes for them an occasion for the restoration and salvation of their souls. And this is how one can grasp the meaning of that passage: Let no one rejoice when he has broken the yoke that lies upon him, which was placed by him who strikes him. For often an occasion arises for someone to break the yoke of Christ—even when he has already been called to the salvation that is in Christ—by the blow that comes from the word, or the reproof from it which lashes and punishes the conscience of the transgressor for his sins. For if someone does not bear the pain from the reproof and the rebuke, and becomes restive, like a horse or a mule, and rebellious, and detaches himself from the service of God while subjugating himself to sin, he is unworthy of the joy to be enjoyed in God. Therefore, it is much better to bear a corrective word patiently than to break the yoke of him who strikes one, while bearing it indignantly. But those who have not broken it, but rather have endured the visitation suitable for training—those who, because of the humility of their heart, are named poor—shall be fed by him. For the end of good training is the promised pasture, concerning which the Savior says: "He shall come in, and shall go out, and shall find pasture." And the prophet also says: "I will feed them in a rich pasture." Consequently, poor men shall rest in peace, provided they do not neglect the discipline of the Lord, nor lose heart when corrected by him. But the seed of the aliens shall be destroyed by famine, suffering ^C the lack of food as a penalty for the broken yoke. 289. Vers. 31, 32. Howl, O gates of the city, cry out, all you aliens; for smoke comes from the north, and there is no one who can stand. And what shall the kings of the Gentiles answer? That the Lord has founded Sion, and through him the humble of the people shall be saved. Howl, ^D O cities that are troubled, all you aliens; for smoke comes from the north, and there is nowhere to be. And what shall the kings of the Gentiles answer? That the Lord has founded Sion, and through him 88

^A late, he says, you gates of the cities. This threat is directed at the aliens. Let the cities clamor, being troubled. Let them be filled, he says, with the cry arising from the confusion caused by fear among the inhabitants. Let the gates indeed wail, on account of the siege being brought against them. And let the cities cry out, that is, those who dwell within the cities. Yet, let not the aliens who are in the country remain at ease. For the smoke from the north will lay hold of all equally, both cities and those of the country. For smoke comes from the north. It sets before our eyes the weakness of the aliens: for they cannot endure even the eruption of smoke, much less sustain the fire that is kindled by the aliens. Smoke comes from the north, and it is not, so as to be. It has not, he says, a separate subsistence, nor is the nature of smoke substantial and corporeal. For it is an acrid vapor, which is sent up from the materials smoldering through the action of the fire. ^B If, then, the aliens are troubled by smoke, which is a nature that does not subsist, what will the kings of the nations say when they see the region of Israel in peace? What else, but that the Lord has founded Sion, and through Him the humble of the people will be saved? He himself laid the unshakable foundations of Sion; for God himself is the craftsman and builder of the city above. And those who will be saved in it are not those who are powerful in wealth, nor those who are strong in body, nor those who are experienced in the arts of war; but, he says, the humble of the people. Since God chose the weak things of the world, that He might establish the excellence of His power.

^C But that we may not leave this passage entirely unexplored and without contemplation, come, if it is possible to gain any guidance from the interpretation of names toward a deeper understanding of what is said, let us attempt it. The name Philistine, when translated, we found in the Greek language to mean "falling by drinking." Observe, then, if you are able, by using tropology, to call those drunkards and fornicators, who surrender their own soul to vials and cups, and afterward, according to the proverb, walk about "more naked than a pestle," those who "fall by drinking," that is, by immoderation of drink. These, then, fall by drink, because they are not able to ascend ^D to the height of the kingdom of God, as Paul

^A clearly says: "Drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of God." For the downfalls are many, and the causes various, because of which we fall from that height and do not attain to the prize of the upward calling; but one cause, and not the least, is the desire and zeal for drinking. The gates, therefore, of these drunkards are commanded to lament: the gates, I say, through which wine, being introduced, summons a troop of evils. Consequently, the Scripture commands that the ways by which sin is committed should turn to lamentation, so that the one who has committed the sin of drunkenness through his mouth may groan through his mouth. The cities of these gates are the very senses of the soul, in which congregations of evil thoughts, a multitude of desires, and revelries and drunkenness reside; which, being disturbed and confused by the phantasy excited in them by wine, do not have that peace which surpasses all understanding, but are always agitated and troubled. For this reason they have cried out. To these, now, ^B the North wind brings smoke, concerning which Solomon said: "The North wind is a harsh wind," but by name it is called the "right" wind; that is to say, the harsh spirit, he who behaved arrogantly before the Almighty and hardened his own heart—this one brings smoke to them, an occasion, that is, and a material for tears, which some also call "right." But who are these, if not those who have a corrupted judgment of the mind and pass sentence on things with an inverted order: who say that the bitter is sweet, and the sweet is bitter; who put light for darkness, and darkness for light? These, deceived and led astray by him who transforms himself into an angel of light, call this one "right," even though he is "left" and to be avoided. But that the North wind is used for the opposing power is plain from these words: "From the face ^C of the North, evils shall blaze forth," which was said in the vision of the boiling pot. But those who are of this sort have ceased to be. For since there is not in them Him who truly is, therefore it is said: "And he is not, that he might be."

291. And what shall the kings of the nations answer? That the Lord has founded Sion, and by him the humble of the people shall be saved. Since, therefore, there is no one of the foreigners who truly "are," but have become as though they were not because of their own malice: "For let sinners," he says, "perish from the earth, and the unjust, so that they may not be."

are ungodly, so that they do not cease to exist, not as if they were to go into annihilation, but so that they are separated from the oversight of God, who is He who truly is. What will their kings say, seeing such a great difference between the nations and Zion? It is clear that they will come to a realization: that those who walk according to the nations are in turmoil because of their own wickedness, but those who have their own mind purified—which is called ^A Zion, since from there is the vantage point of all nature. For just as from some peak of the loftiness of the mind the world is seen, and the order around it, and through these God; and there are seen the things of this life, and the vanity within them. As, therefore, the mind that is soaked with wine and other passions falls under the influence of drunkenness, so the pure mind has God as its foundation. And through Him the humble of the people shall be saved. For blessed are the poor, and woe to the rich, for they have received their consolation. ^B

CHAPTER XV

292. The oracle concerning Moab. Gather together those things which are written about Moab, so that you may be able to discern the understanding of the entire prophecy that is brought forward against him. From Genesis, indeed, the things that pertain to Lot, who from his elder daughter begot Moab, the father of the Moabites; and from the book of Numbers, things that happened after the brazen serpent. For the children of Israel set out and encamped in Oboth; and setting out from Oboth, they encamped in the desert, which is over against the face of Moab. ^C Furthermore, the things concerning Balak, who was the son of Zippor, king of Moab. Wishing to destroy Israel through a curse, he sent to Balaam, son of Beor, of Pethor, the augur, the counselor of the fornication and idolatry, by whom, he says, the people was defiled with the daughters of Moab, and they called them to the sacrifices of their idols. Examine also the things about Ruth, who was added to Israel from the Moabitish seed, and who was ennobled to such an extent that not only David, but even our Lord sprang from her. And strive to find everywhere the oracle of the Moabitess, in which the Word has shaped some things toward a threat, ^D and others toward a promise. But all things are spoken with a covering, so that the veil which lies upon the reading of the Old Testament, if we are truly grieved and turn to the Lord, might be taken away from us.

^A *Vers. 1. For at night the wall of Moab shall perish.* The punishment that is inflicted at night tends to be more bitter. For when something adverse happens to someone during the day, the very light is a comfort and relief for the things that occur; but night is in itself a sad and gloomy thing. And if it brings troubles and calamities along with it, it increases the grief and distress not a little. I would have you, therefore, conceive in your mind a nocturnal invasion of enemies, a sudden raid, the enslavement of women and children, the plundering of wealth, the slaughter of those who have fallen into the hands of the enemy, the destruction of walls, and the burning of a city. At night, therefore, the wall of Moab shall perish. For when the circuit of the walls is devastated, those who proposed for themselves a sense of security within them will necessarily perish together with them. ^B *Vers. 2. Grieve, therefore, he says, within yourselves: for Deebon shall perish, where your altar is: there you shall ascend to weep. Grieve within yourselves.* Blessed indeed is anyone who, having attained a pure soul, has no matter of grief that is his own; but since charity does not seek what is its own, when a member suffers, he himself also suffers at the same time, and is afflicted together, and weeps with those who weep, according to the Apostle, much more than those who had sinned before and had not repented. He who says again: *That I have great sadness, and continuous pain in my heart for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.* But if anyone is not of this kind, but wallows in his own sins, he should be sad on his own account, as one who has been defeated and overcome ^C by the enemy against whom the struggle is fought. The sadness of such a person brings joy to him who calls him to self-awareness with the words of doctrine. For just as medicines that burn and cause pain cleanse ulcers, the stench poured out from pus, and corrupted wounds, and make bodies more suitable for the healing that takes place in its own time: a not dissimilar meaning seems to me to be held by that saying, *Grieve within yourselves:* which is spoken against those who boast in the name of some wisdom, of the sort that the leaders of heresies are—who perish at night, because *Everyone who does evil, hates the light, and does not come to the light.* And since, being in the night, they shall perish at night, at night their wall also falls; that is, the sophistical fortifications, relying upon which they seemed to have projected for themselves a certain great security. For dialectic, like a wall, protects and preserves ^D heresies based on false knowledge; when this has fallen, those who have been captured and conquered must of necessity howl. Grieve, therefore, within yourselves, since they have perished.

^A Your temple had been built. We understand Deebon by paying attention to the interpretation. For Deebon is interpreted as *a flux of them*. Just as the word of truth is firm and steady, founded and unmoved, and he who is rooted in the faith is compared to a man building a foundation upon the rock, so also the manna is said to be like the *ice* of the earth, with the divine Word signifying its consistency and strength through its state of coagulation. Thus, contrary doctrines and the persuasions that support them are fluid and unstable, unable to stand, and the father of lies has not stood in the truth. Therefore, the instability of the lie is named a "flux." Let those, then, who build such things grieve—those who hold the doctrines concerning God to be unstable and unsteady. For this is the altar which has been condemned to destruction for Deebon, where the altar ^B had been built. Ascend, then, weeping; not sacrificing, but repenting for things you once prayed for evilly, because your prayer became a sin for you. For he who worships the creature instead of the Creator, and does not worship the Son, nor the Father through the Son, but establishes his own doctrines and offers the sacrifice of praise upon strange altars—let such a man weep, with the sorrow that is according to God, which brings about a salvation not to be repented of.

These things, however, are not spoken only to those who have received their opinion concerning God from the tenets of heretics; but also to all those who, accepting fluid things, place their hope in them, disobeying Him who says, "If wealth flows in, do not set your heart [upon it]"; and to those also who admire beyond measure the splendor of the flesh and its glory, which is grass, and whose glory is as the flower of grass. Such, too, is the beauty of flesh and blood, in which the foolish woman, who is compared ^C to a golden ring in her nose, exalts herself. And in summary, to all who fall into error, the name Deebon can be applied; so that one might not inappropriately say that those who err, whether in life or in word, have their altar in Deebon. Therefore, let those who formerly exalted themselves because of this now ascend weeping.

295. Upon Nabau ^D you shall howl. Upon every head there is baldness; all arms are cut. In its streets gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn upon its roofs, and in its lanes all howl with weeping. For the voice of Esebon and Eleale has cried out; as far as Jassa her voice was heard. On account of this, the loins of Moab...

^A know their soul; the heart of the Moabite cries out within itself as far as Segor. For a heifer of three years is upon the ascent of Luith (24). To you, weeping, they shall ascend by the road of Arunim; a cry of contrition and concussion resounds. The water of Nebrim shall be desert. For there shall be no green herb. Could it be that she is to be saved even thus? For I will bring the Araba upon the valley, and they shall take it. For the cry has reached the border of the Moabite of Gallim, and her howling. But the water of Deebon shall be filled with blood. For I will bring the Araba upon Deebon, and I will remove the seed of Moab, and Ariel, and the remnant of Adama I will send forth, as reptiles upon the earth. ^B By this, the Scripture invites to the sorrow which is according to God those who, through the inventions of the human mind (25), have fallen into errors, and have not committed themselves to the aid of the Spirit, so that with howling they should pursue the land of the pestilential teachers. For by "Nabay" it seems to me the word hints at these men, because "Nabay" is interpreted as "sitting" (26). For there are some who sit with deceitful and trick-painting sophisms, and through their depraved conversations sometimes corrupt good morals. It is necessary, therefore, that those who have been imbued with their perverse dogmas should repent and howl over that doctrine regarding which they were highly arrogant. For this is the meaning of "Upon every head baldness": that they should desert their teachers, despoil themselves of the adornment received from them, elevate their counsels regarding practical doctrine through a good method of life, and cut them away, as it were, with sound speech—so that all the arms may be cut off—that is, the practical precepts should be refuted by sound speech, being divided from their depraved teachings and examined part by part. And because they were led by the broad way by the wicked, for this reason it bids those who have embraced a proven way of life to lament in the streets, on account of the sweetness of the things by which they were enticed toward pleasure; as they perform penance, mourning indeed in the street, whilst truly seeking the narrow and restricted way, so that, with penance duly performed, they may wrap themselves in sackcloth, and having taken up a mournful habit (28), they may cause the loin to cry out through the very visible things themselves, leaving behind the vestiges of their repentance in those places where they wandered. Moreover, they were commanded to howl with weeping upon every roof and in all the lanes. For he called the high and empty teachings "roofs," but the, as it were, divisions of thoughts he called the "lanes" of the Moabite.

^A If anyone is puffed up against the knowledge of God, whether in some dialectical division of words and problems which appear to treat distinctly of each of the matters proposed, let him howl, having been led to repentance, so that he may fulfill what is written: in the streets, and upon the roofs, and in all the lanes, the Scripture commands one to cry out. And therefore these things must come to pass, because it has cried out. For Esebon, if one interprets it, signifies "reasoning"; Eleale, "God's ascent"; and Jassa, "a deed fulfilled." ^B Therefore Esebon has cried out, that is, it clearly testifies that the teachings of the Moabites are human reasonings and not revelations of divine mysteries. And Eleale. And this cries out by the very reality of things, because those who direct their minds to those disciplines behave impudently against God and exalt themselves against Him. For this is what "God's ascent" indicates: a mind raised to the heights of pride. And Jassa. Although it seems to have been a fulfilled precept, in truth it is not a precept; but it is a certain simulation of diligence regarding the way of life, by which the depraved teachings suggested by a depraved spirit might be persuaded and accepted. For this reason it was said above: "All arms are cut off," so that if any evil teacher has deceived the souls of his followers with false dogmas, yet appears to observe a more rigorous way of life, those who have repented of having attached themselves to such a teacher may cut off their own arms, that is, the practical mode of conduct. ^C But they shear off his hair, as it were, and will alienate it from their own body; for those who are set over the body of the Churches are in the place of the head. And now, therefore, Jassa cries out that the rigorous life displayed in conduct is a lure for the persuasion of the truth. This, then, is the cause of howling with weeping, because Esebon and Eleale have cried out even unto Jassa.

297. The loin ^D is in many places taken for the genital members: "For he was still in the loin of his father," (that is, Levi of Abraham), "when Melchizedek met him." And, "Let your loins be girded." We understand this to indicate that the appetites which serve generation must be restrained. Therefore, the mourning imminent upon the Moabite, which is the cause and origin of a continent and chaste life, cries out on account of the clamor of Esebon and Eleale and Jassa. "His soul," it says, "shall know." The discourse now reveals the progress of those who have fulfilled the aforementioned things through repentance. And the heart of the Moabite

^A cries out within itself as far as Segor. Now this Segor is the very place to which Lot, having departed from Sodom, was able to arrive. For the angels wished him to go up into the mountain, and said to him: "Save your own soul. Do not look behind you, nor stay in all the surrounding region. Flee to the mountain, lest you be caught at the same time." But he said: "I pray, O Lord, that these evils might not overtake me, and I die. Behold, this city is near, that I may flee there. Is it not small? And my soul shall live." For this reason, the name of the city was called Segor: that is, "small." The heart of the Moabite, therefore, cries out as far as Segor, which already lies on the borders of Palestine. ^B Therefore, the discourse, by setting before our eyes a vigorous and effective repentance, or a heavy mourning brought forth by the scourge of deeds done badly by her, reveals to us the extent to which the cry of the Moabite is heard. Now repentance invites one first to cry out in one’s own self, and to crush one’s own heart; then also to take care that the manner of one’s repentance is seen, and to make it known, so as to provide a good example for others. For the heifer is three years old, that is, it is perfect as far as age is concerned. For a three-year-old heifer is already able to beget and to submit its neck to the yoke. Therefore, to teach that it is proper for those who can be converted to be perfect in human age and to be adults, and to be endowed with reason, by which they may be able to submit themselves to the yoke of truth, He has spoken of a three-year-old heifer. For he who through age has not yet attained human perfection, and does not yet possess a perfect mind, but is imperfect because of his lesser age, is not required to perform the works of repentance. Wherefore also in Genesis, when Abraham was seeking a sign from God, and saying: "O Sovereign Lord, how shall I know that I shall inherit the land?" ^C God said: "Take for me a three-year-old heifer and a three-year-old ram"; for in three years He established the perfection of the animals and chose those fit for the capacity of begetting. But for the turtledove and the pigeon, He prescribed no span of time, because these animals begin to beget immediately.

298. "But in the ascent, they shall ascend weeping." Weeping is the good beginning of gladness; and the sadness that is according to God is the beginning of an ascent, and of the progress of him who is made for things above. Wherefore, also, the Apostle rejoices on account of those who had been saddened, ^D when he saw them, through his own words, having been brought to a consciousness of their own transgressions, and having been brought to that sadness which is according to God, namely

^A to repentance into salvation not to be repented of. For those who mourn for their wicked works and for their perverse thoughts shall no longer descend, nor shall they enter into the lowest parts of the earth; but they shall ascend, using as an aid the sadness that is according to God, by which they lift and exalt themselves upward. But ^B

contrition and concussion cry out

299. The water of Nebrim shall be desert. The water of false opinion, which previously flowed abundantly and copiously to the destruction of those who received it, will, he says, be abolished and shall be desert (Ps. XXII, 2). And if it were possible to know the power of the name, an opportunity could be taken from it to better grasp the meaning of the prophetic mind, and to apply the things signified by the names to the realities themselves. However, this water is contrary to the water of refreshing (Ps. XXII, 2), by which the Lord feeds those who are pastured by Him; and it is contrary to that water which the Lord gives to those who believe in Him, of which whoever is deemed worthy to drink has within himself a fountain of ^C water springing up into life eternal (Joan. IV, 14). But this water is so base and worthless that it nourishes nothing other than hay, which itself shall not be. That is to say, those souls that are schooled in this temporary and quickly fading glory of the world will quickly wither, now that the word that, as it were, watered them has been laid waste. Is it then to be saved in this way? The Scripture shows that the Moabitess, being destined for salvation, shall be saved through certain ways and modes of life, and shall be brought to salvation through more laborious disciplines. For the statement, *Moab shall perish*, and *By night it shall perish*, and all the other things that have been said, have their reference to this: that these things happen for her salvation. *For I will bring* Arabians *upon the valley*. For the former shall be saved through weeping, but those who possess an impenitent heart shall be saved through the scourge brought upon them by the Arabians. Now, Arabians are westerners. Or perhaps the powers that resemble darkness are designated as Arabians in this passage, by whom the chastening scourges are sent to those who possess an impenitent heart. For the cry has reached the border of the Moabitess of Gallim, and her howling. The border ^D of the Moabitess is called Gallim. But according to the name's

and princely animal. Since, therefore, the same thing can be both the end and the beginning of a region, the border of the Moabitess now has taken its name from the beginning. And her howling has filled everything. ^B

300. Again, he calls the water "doctrine," which he says is full of blood because those who lead ill become guilty of the death of those they teach. Therefore, when you speak of ruinous words that destroy souls, you aptly use the prophetic sentence which says: *But the water of Deebon shall be filled with blood; for I will bring the Arabians upon Deebon, and I will take away the seed of Moab*, which did not pass to better things, but remained among those who do not enter into the Church of the Lord. The "seed of Moab": for the Moabites shall not enter into the Church of the Lord even unto the tenth generation, and even forever. The word threatens to cut off that which it calls the "seed of Ariel." But "Ariel" is interpreted among the Hebrews as "lion." Therefore, the Lord himself also says that murderers are born of the devil, when he addresses the Jews, seeing their murderous disposition toward him: *You are of the father the devil, and you do the works of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning.* Thus, the seed of Moab are the deserters of the Church, but the seed of Ariel are those who breathe murder against their brothers, and by ruinous words bring death to their souls. ^C

After this he says: "The remainder of Adama," which signifies "virginal earth," from which the body of Adam was formed. "I will send them as reptiles upon the earth," that is, the rest of the men who savor of earthly things, because through their own malice and depravity they have become serpents and animals that ejaculate venom. They are indeed serpents, because they have lost that height in which they were established according to their first condition; and they are virulent animals, because they are to the destruction of those who encounter them. The Scripture says these are sent. Therefore, after those former Moabites, about whom better things were said, if anyone survives in the land and becomes like the serpent, about whom it was said, *Earth you shall eat all the days of your life*, this one is sent like the reptiles. But anyone who sows in the flesh eats the earth, and from the flesh reaps corruption. ^D

CAPUT XVI.

And then, O Arnon, deliberate more. Make a covering of mourning for her always. In the midday darkness they shall flee; they have been confounded. Do not be troubled; the fugitives of Moab shall dwell with you. They shall be a covering to you from the face of the pursuer, because your alliance has been taken away, and the ruler has perished, he who trampled upon the earth. And a throne shall be established with mercy, and one shall sit upon it with truth in the tabernacle of David, judging and seeking justice, and hastening righteousness.* The discourse still pertains to Moab. Is the mountain of the daughter of Zion a desert rock? ^A He rebukes her contempt, with which she treated Zion; for she supposed the mountain to be a desert rock, as if it possessed no splendor worth mentioning, nor could it receive the benefits of agriculture, so that it could nourish neither those who inhabited it nor those who grazed upon it. For as for you, who hold such opinions regarding this mountain and despise it, and who swell with arrogance and pride beyond measure, and exalt yourself with boasting and haughtiness, you shall be like a chick forsaken by the bird that fostered it, after she, being terrified, has flown from the nest, leaving her charge behind without protection. For when the bird flees, the chick is very easily captured by anyone who wishes to take it. The eagle, indeed, or any other of the great birds that are accustomed to soar far ^B from the earth, is safe and secure from those who attempt to cause harm; but you shall be as a chick, needing the assistance of another for your nourishment, having just now emerged from the egg, not yet clothed in your body with full-grown wings, but still needing shelter from elsewhere in order to be warmed at night and not scorched during the day. Therefore, her mother having fled, you shall be snatched from the nest, being weak for self-defense and impossible for flight. And the same being will be both he who casts you down from the nest and he who puts to flight the mother who was protecting you. It is evident, then, that souls nurtured by the evil and unstable spirit, when they happen upon someone who pursues them courageously through good works and through the invocation of the name of Christ, having been made desolate by that fine desolation, are more easily prepared for the nourishment in Christ, which leads to perfection. ^C You shall be, daughter of Moab, your weakness having been exposed, that which is left behind; what shall you be, daughter of Moab? What you are shall be discovered and perceived. For you have forgotten your own ignobility, namely, that you were born of a father who drew his origin from a surreptitious union.

your mother stealing the seed of your father by reason of the night and the wine. ^A 302. Furthermore, O Arnon, deliberate more. Since your previous plans have brought you nothing of benefit, nor has it profited you to have philosophized many philosophical questions concerning doctrines connected with all philosophy; add to these plans, if it seems good. It seems that He exhorts Arnon to take foolish plans through mockery and irony, so that, having had her fill of her own vain plans, and having learned the uselessness of them, she might thus approach sound doctrine. Now Arnon is a Moabite town, and by this one town, Scripture indicates for us the entire region of Arabia. The name Arnon was preferred because of the meaning brought to it by the interpreters; for Arnon, if you interpret it, signifies the illumination of them. Since, therefore, those who are especially puffed up because of their own estimation of wisdom think that their own soul dwells in light, even if in reality they are blinded in their mind and alienated from God, for this reason the prophet speaks against those who imagine that they remain in the light of knowledge and understanding.

303. Then He exhorts and warns: ^B Make a covering of mourning for her always. Nadab and Abiud were consumed, having offered strange fire at the altar. And those who have not received the true light, but rather receive him who transforms himself into an angel of light, if they understand that they had been occupied in a false opinion of knowledge and had wandered from the truth, will necessarily mourn for themselves. Because of this, the word transferred the exhortation to those who had the care of them, and says: Make a covering of mourning for her always. For those who create sorrow and distress because of the sins that are committed both in matters that pertain to life and in matters that pertain to doctrine, so that some arrive at blessed mourning—these provide a covering of mourning. I have seen some who, seized by immoderate grief, shut themselves in a small chamber, and having blocked every approach of light, as if they themselves were punishing themselves through such a life passed in darkness. Therefore, so that their customary estimation regarding their own wisdom—deceived in their mind, when it is in truth darkness and yet is thought to be light—does not trouble their senses, ^C He says: Make a covering of mourning for them. Naturally, so that with the errors of the heretics excluded, you may give place to the true light, by which He may illuminate the hearts of those who have believed in Him. Before, therefore, there comes the day of the Lord...

^A in which all the tribes of the earth shall wail, according to that which is said in Zechariah, "Great shall be the wailing in Jerusalem, as the wailing of Rimmon; and the land shall wail by tribes, the tribe of the house of David by itself, and their women by themselves; the tribe of the house of Nathan by itself, and their women by themselves; all the ^B remaining tribes, each tribe by itself, and their women by themselves." You who teach the people and bring back those who have sinned at every moment of life, Make a covering of mourning for her, so that by your word those who were formerly distressed by wickedness may be brought to a blessed mourning.

304. In the midday darkness they shall flee. The state of the day at midday seems to be clearer, and the light more manifest. Since, therefore, the truth can be perceived and understood from the creation of the world by those who skillfully apply their minds to the reasons of created things—those who dwell in the world and are illuminated on all sides by the wisdom of God, yet suffer from ignorance of God—these are they who exist in midday darkness; for while the things themselves possess the midday, ^C darkness exists in the souls of those who are ignorant. Such people, therefore, flee in midday darkness; they have become deranged, because their doctrines do not differ at all from the imagination which the insane conjure up for themselves. And the interpretation of midday darkness is madness (or alienation of the mind), since also those who have been carried away by some malady of reasoning think neither that the sun shines, nor that there is light in the air. Truly, then, it is an alienation of the mind, and manifest madness, while the power of Him who made us is thus clearly proclaimed by things, to pay heed to idols and fabrications, and to deify things that do not exist, and often, through heretical doctrines, to be carried away from the truth, and as it were, having left the light, to dwell in darkness. Do not be led away. The Word exhorts us not to be led by the persuasiveness of the heterodox; ^D for it is manifest madness to follow those who are deranged. Discern them, that they are deranged. They are outside the path that leads to God; do not use them as guides, lest you be led by them into a precipice and a pit. For if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a ditch.

305. The fugitives of Moab shall dwell with you. After these things, it is said to the daughter of Sion by the kind and philanthropic God concerning the Moabites who are repenting and about to dwell with her, who had formerly fled from God, but are to return to their own Master.

The fugitives of Moab shall dwell with you.

^A by you, suffering nothing from the face of the pursuer. For those who were once fellow-soldiers shall become persecutors, warring against him, because of their turning to the true God. Since, therefore, they have become like a fledgling taken from a flying bird, he was removed from the evil guardianship and liberated from the wicked ruler who perished for his pride and tyranny, trampling upon all: upon whose removal the prophecy introduces the good things that are to come. For the throne, he says, and the kingdom of David shall be established. Since, then, all are to be subjected to the kingdom of Christ according to the saying, that He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet, he said that the throne shall be restored, because whatever is being brought back into His dominion must be repaired and restored: which happens not at all through the merit of those who are to be subjected to His power and empire, but through the mercy and kindness of God. He says, therefore: David shall sit, that is, Christ Himself, capable by hand and power, with truth. And he shall reign in the tabernacle, until he executes judgment and brings forth judgment for all. And the session with truth indicates the abolition of falsehood. He shall reign ^B until he executes judgment. He sets forth His righteous judgment upon all, according to which He does not rashly pronounce sentence upon each individual, but inquiries into what is fitting and appropriate, so as to bring the judgment rendered upon each one to a good end: inasmuch as He quickly hastens and urges on justice, not remissly or with a slow pace, but performing it with all speed.

306. We have heard the pride of Moab; he is exceeding proud; his pride and his insolence and his wrath: not so is your divination, not so. Moab shall howl; for in the land of Moab all shall howl. Meditation for the inhabitants of Sedec, and you shall not be ashamed. The fields of Esebon shall mourn.

in the Psalmist: *The Lord is gracious to all* 30. And after having said many things concerning His goodness, that He upholds those who are falling, and gives food in due season, He does not stop with these things, but adds: *The Lord guards all those who love Him, and all sinners He will utterly destroy* 31. Accordingly, here too, having shown great goodness to those who repent ^A, the things said are turned again from another principle toward harsher themes. *We have heard the contumely of Moab.* These things are spoken against the prince of this world, who was the first to innovate in apostasy, who acted insolently toward the Creator, who acted insolently toward men, and trampled them down with contumely and arrogance. For this is he who treats those in the Church with contumely, treating them as if they were slaves and, through ignorance, differing in nothing from them. This is he who works reproach in each; this is he who persuades the leaders and prefects of certain heresies to speak wickedness on high 32; who, if they ever gather for the examination of a question, teaches them not to investigate the reason, but to pursue with contumely him who could refute the absurdities of their dogmas. Therefore, the Lord, applying a remedy to him, says: *I have removed his arrogance.* For when the worst vice of arrogance is taken away, it is as if a disease is removed; *but his contumely*, He says, *and his wrath*. Those vices pertain peculiarly to Moab himself. Moab is the master of wicked possessions—both of contumely, invented for the disgrace of one’s neighbor, and of wrath, that is, a lingering and long-standing anger.

^B 307. Then he adds: *Not so is your divination* 33. He reproaches the old plan of Moab, because the divination of Balaam could have inflicted no injury upon the Israelite people, since the Lord God had turned his mouth from a curse to a blessing. *Not so*, he says, *is your divination, not so*. For Balak, the son of Zippor, king of the Moabites, sent for Balaam the seer, in whose hands the divinations were, and said: *Curse this people for me* 34. The divinations did not turn out so, as Balaam himself replied: *How shall I curse whom the Lord does not curse? And what shall I imprecate upon whom God does not imprecate?* 35 Then he prophesies a wailing for the Moabite land; for he says: *Moab shall wail, for in the Moabite land all shall wail.*

Since the wail is a voice full of sorrow, emitted for the most part by women seized with the gravest mourning, it shows as much of the bitterness of the inflicted wound as it does of the weakness of those who are suffering, when it says: *Moab shall wail.* ^A

308. *Meditate, you who inhabit Sedec.* The other interpreters explain this voice, which is obscure. For Symmachus says: *Speak to those who rejoice in a clay wall.* There are some who think magnificently of themselves on account of dialectic, and surround their own dogmas with help sought from it as if it were an impregnable wall. These people, therefore, who rejoice, are found in a clay wall. And, in order that it might be shown what a clay wall is, he added: *Speak.* For what could be more easily captured than clay? Those who glory in base fables that are worth nothing, these are they who are delighted, speaking in a clay wall. This is what is meant by: *Meditate, you who inhabit Sedec.* And indeed, it is good meditation to meditate on the law of the Lord day and night; but the meditation of the Moabites is evil and depraved, because there shall be meditation for those who inhabit Sedec. Therefore, whoever meditates on fables worthy of ignominy will by no means be affected by shame. ^B Wherefore the fields of Esebon shall mourn. The punishment inflicted for impudence is the unfruitfulness of the fields of Esebon. Esebon is the name of a Moabite city, which has an ample field in the suburbs lying around it; these, on account of the shameful meditation of their inhabitants, will be unfruitful and unproductive, bringing no gain to their cultivators. But if one should wish to seize some opportunity from the very notion and understanding of the word: Esebon, if one interprets it, is equivalent to "thought." Accordingly, the multitude of vain and futile cogitations, which is designated by the name of fields, will mourn because the depravity of the impious dogmas will be of no benefit to it. ^C

309. *Vine of Sebama, you who intoxicate the nations, trample its vines even to Jazer; do not draw near; wander in the desert; those who were sent were abandoned, for they crossed the sea.* Vers. 9, 10. And therefore they shall weep as with the weeping of Jazer, for the vine of Sebama. *Esebon and Eleale cast down your trees, because I shall trample upon your harvest and your vintage, and all things shall fall.* And joy and exultation are taken away from the vines; and in your vines they shall not rejoice, nor shall they tread wine in the wine-presses, for it has ceased. It was said above: *The fields of Esebon shall mourn.* Now it is added: *And the vine of Sebama*: (one must understand: shall mourn). And thus every nation is said to possess some vine, just as is that of the Sodomites and ^D

^A that of the Gomorrahites is a peculiar vine. Wherefore it is written: *From the vine of Sodom is their vine, and their branch is from Gomorrah*. Thus also is the vine of the Egyptians, which God smites, according to that which is said: *He destroyed their vine with hail, and their mulberry trees with frost*. But there is a certain vine which the Lord planted: *I will sing to my beloved a song of my beloved concerning my vineyard. My vineyard was made for my beloved in a corner, in a fertile place*. Again, the Kingdom of God is called a vine, as the Lord ^B set forth through the parable of the husbandmen, who had indeed undertaken the care of the vineyard, but did not return the fruits. *For*, he says, *the kingdom of heaven shall be taken from you, and it shall be given to a nation producing its fruits*. As if he were to say: The divine oracles, the law and the prophets, shall be taken from you, because you did not conduct your lives according to their will; and the insights shall be given to a nation which, through its way of life, produces its fruits. As, therefore, the vine here is the word of truth, so the vine of Egypt is the false word dwelling among the Egyptians, which, by the prince of the darkness of this world, has been handed over to them for cultivation, and the vineyard planted in Sodom is that which, through the shameful custom of life, is cultivated by any wicked persons there who hire out their labor to the devil. Those, therefore, who have learned his ways and reject the doctrines of the Lord have torn themselves up by the roots from the vine of God, ^C the true vine, of Him who said: *I am the true vine*. They have brought the branch from Sodom and Gomorrah, and therefore they cultivate a grape of gall and a cluster of bitterness; *and their wine is the fury of dragons, and the fury of asps is incurable*.

310. It is added: *And the vine of Sebama*. Since Sebama is interpreted as "conversion," it is perhaps some disguised word, which pretends indeed to have some piety and a withdrawal from evil enticements, but in this disguise it draws many into its own perversion. You may find also many of the books of the ^D heterodox which look toward the improvement of morals and exhort people to lead their lives aright. If we have understood that these do not truly serve conversion, but are brought forward so that snares might be laid for the piety of the common people, rightly

^A have we called the cultivation of such people the vine of Sebama: that is to say, not a teaching concerning piety, nor concerning sound theology, but certain documents and precepts wherein are contained moral honesty, and social and liberal conduct. This is the vine of Sebama, cultivated by the Moabites, which, because it produces its own fruits in abundance, is said to swallow up the nations. For those who stand at the head of alien dogmas, through the dialectic in which they are practiced and through every skill of speech, defeating those who are unversed in philosophy and a great number of people, do, as it were, swallow up those whom they capture. Hence, this statement concerns them: *You who swallow up the nations.* Since you have despised such discourses, trample them underfoot. For you will not be able, being occupied in these things, to join yourselves and connect with Jazer, which, if you interpret it, is called "strength." It is therefore impossible for you to receive the strength which the Spirit confers upon those who walk uprightly, unless you trample the vines of Sebama. Forget your solitude, and no longer remain in it; but rather, departing from it and leaving it behind, dwell in more excellent places.

311. ^B *The emissaries have been forsaken.* There are certain pseudo-apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ, who have been forsaken by God. Beware, therefore, lest they deceive you, as if they really possessed strength; for they are destitute of all aid, and are forsaken. But these same individuals have even crossed the sea. What this signifies, however, must be understood—namely, that it is not without cause that some are forsaken, because they have done something worthy of reproach, that is to say, they have crossed the sea. In my judgment, ^C he takes the "sea" to represent bitter temptations which happen to those who are tempted. For such is that which is written: *I have come into the depths of the sea* (Ps. LXVIII, 3). Indeed, the athlete does not flee from calamities, nor does he cross the sea; rather, he confronts them, and engages in every temptation. But those who, so as not to be persecuted, accommodate themselves to the mindset of the nations, and so as not to contend and labor against the desires and appetites of the body, yield to the allurements of pleasures—these have crossed the sea. After this it is said: *Therefore I will weep as with the weeping of Jazer, the vine of Sebama* (Ps. LXXXIII, 3). I do not know, indeed, ^D whether the weeping of Jazer is the weeping of strength, which strong men weep laudably, lamenting their sojourn in this life, and grieving over it, and being carried away by the desire of the soul, and fainting for the courts of the Lord. Or perhaps, just as strength is wept for when it is consumed by disease, because it is lacking to him who once enjoyed it, so also the weeping of the vine of Sebama...

the vine of Sibmah will become like that which has withered, and is about to be delivered to the fire.

312. After this, it is said against the Moabite: "Your trees, Heshbon and Eleale, have cast down." Does not Heshbon and Eleale, therefore, cast down the trees of the Moabite? What is indicated by these words, let us endeavor to explain as well as we can. Heshbon is interpreted as "reasonings," and Eleale as "the ascent of God." An alien vine, therefore, and all trees which the heavenly Father has not planted, are cast down, and the planting of heterodox people is overturned by upright reasonings and by the ascent toward God, which elevates us through good works. "Blessed, therefore, is the man whose support ^A is from Thee, the ascents in his heart." Whoever, therefore, has the ascents of God in his heart, and exercises care over his own reasonings, will be able to overturn the dogmas of the heterodox, which are wrongly planted and produce fruit for destruction. Then He says: "Upon your harvest and upon your vintage I will trample, and all things shall fall." For since what one reaps as grain, and what one harvests as wine, are contrary to the bread that strengthens the heart of man, and to the wine that gladdens the heart of man; as God is good, He tramples them, not allowing them to become food or drink to those who, through ignorance of the harm that comes from them, would partake of them indiscriminately and rashly. "Upon your harvest, therefore, and upon your vintage I will trample, and all things shall fall." This can also instruct us on the literal level: that many who hold the collection of fruits in their hands have, by a sudden blow from hail or some other scourge, lost what was expected, because on account of the ^B ungrateful and greedy spirit of men, God does not allow them to enjoy them.

313. And joy and exultation will be taken away from the vineyards, and they will not rejoice, and they will not trample wine in the wine-vats; for it has ceased. For joy and exultation have indeed been removed from the vineyards. The kingdom of God was taken away from the people of Israel, and given to a nation producing its fruits. The statement can also be understood literally, in that all joy is taken from those who suddenly lose their hopes for the harvest they were gathering. Or, since we have said that "vine" signifies a false doctrine, it can be understood that the joy instilled into the minds of the deceived by every falsely-named knowledge is taken and carried away, because it proceeded from a vine that generates a semblance of joy, but not the truth, so that they might no longer be led into error. For those who previously admired these things will no longer rejoice in them once they have been refuted, nor will they cultivate ^C the Moabite grape, having learned what harm comes to those who drink of it. Perhaps, however, ^D

the wine-presses are the souls that receive this wicked teaching.

314. ^A *Vers. 11-14. Therefore my belly shall sound like a harp, and my inward parts like the wall which you have renewed, and it shall be for your confusion.* And Moab is wearied at the altars, and he shall enter into his manufactured objects, that he may pray; and he shall not be able (14) to deliver him. This is the word which the Lord spoke concerning Moab, when also he spoke. ^B The belly of the prophet, therefore, shall sound over Moab like a harp; that is, it shall produce a musical and well-tuned sound, according to the skill of him who strikes it artistically. By "belly," the Psalmist elsewhere designates what he called the "inward parts": for he says, *Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all my inward parts, his holy name* (15). For who commands those within himself to bless the name of the Lord, if not he who has authority over the nature of the thoughts issuing from his inner heart? The order of these is twofold: some are wicked—murders, adulteries, thefts, false testimonies, and an evil eye; others are noble and saving—philanthropic, temperate, communicative, and laudatory, along with testimonies according to God, a pure eye, and the like. He, therefore, in whom all the inner things are readied for the readiness of blessing the holy name of God (16), he rightly takes up his inner disposition for the thanksgiving of God. And so Isaiah (17) also had his inward parts like a wall that God had renewed. ^C For thus had he been prepared by the grace of the Word towards him, which renews the inner man, and his thoughts were like an impregnable wall, so as to give no entrance to evil reasonings, nor to the enemies sitting round about for an attack. It is good, therefore, for us, having pondered these things, to emulate them and in like manner to say with the prophet: *My belly shall sound like a harp, and my inward parts like the wall which you have renewed.* And it shall be, he says, *for your confusion* (18), because Moab is wearied at (19) the altars. ^D What, then, does it mean, *It shall be for your confusion*, about which it seems to have been spoken rashly? And so, according to the writer’s meaning, these words, etc., suggest a certain audacity and rashness. Therefore, it was necessary for this passage to be translated in such a way that the audacity and rashness could be perceived in the interpretation. We believed, however, that it could be interpreted thus: *And it shall be for your confusion.* For in this way, at first glance, something wonderful would appear, as if, namely, God could be confused and affected by shame. But the word *your* (tui), according to the writer's meaning, should not be taken passively—namely, for the shame by which God might be affected—but actively, for the shame which God strikes into his adversaries. Others [have produced] better [translations], if only they consider the matter of such importance that they deem it not unworthy of their care. The ancient interpreter had rendered it thus: *And it shall be that they revere you.* Ducæus, however: *And it shall be that you revere them*: which he himself explains thus, that it would come to pass that they would strike or impose shame upon you. On the contrary, according to the writer's meaning, God will strike shame into them.

^A For this reason, he says, you granted me strong inward reasonings, so that those who do not now turn toward you might be put to shame before you through the refutations brought against them, by the vigor of the reasonings given to me. The word "them" (οὐτούς) is therefore lacking, so that the meaning of the words may be correctly rendered: "And it shall be to put them to shame before you." ^B For just as those who stand face-to-face in battle, so long as they seem evenly matched, do not turn around or retreat; but when the other side prevails over them, they turn and flee: so too the soul, marshaled by shamelessness, stood without being put to shame, but, having been refuted by the Word laying hold of it, it turns toward shame. And because this turning takes place in the hidden part of the human, it is called "shame" (ἐντροπὴ). For this reason, therefore, the belly will sound, and the interior as a wall which God has renewed for the prophet, so that they might change and be put to shame, learning a reverence for God, those who were previously ignorant of profitable shame. ^C 315. "For Moab is weary on the high places, and he will enter into the hand-made things to pray; and they will not be able to deliver him." Isaiah now prophesies the final destruction of all idolatry from the appearing of the Word, that all labors expended in the construction of temples are vain, and the hope placed in hand-made things is fruitless. "For they will pray," he says, "and they will not be able to deliver him." This has now been fulfilled at the coming of Christ. For those once-famous temples are held to be mere crags; and the deceits of the demons persist no longer, that opposing power having been put to flight by the mystery of the cross, which has been proclaimed throughout the whole world. ^D "For this is the word which the Lord spoke concerning Moab, when he also spoke." It is like an epilogue to every word proclaimed against the Moabitess. "This is the word which the Lord spoke." For the phrasing had been set forth thus: "The word against the Moabitess"; but it is added to the whole part of the passage: "This is the word which the Lord spoke concerning Moab, when he also spoke." What is, "when he also spoke"? It shows the rarity of the voice of God occurring to the Moabites. For with Israel he speaks continuously, but to the nations he is for the most part silent, as being strangers to his own portion. He does not, however, wholly conceal his word, but offers even them a taste of his philanthropy, so that through the experience of a few things they might hasten toward the desire for the perfect ones. Since, then, he speaks rarely to the Moabites, for this reason it has been said that, "This is the word which the Lord spoke, when he also spoke."

^A 316. "And now I say: In three years of a hireling," the glory of Moab shall be dishonored in all its many riches, and he shall be left as a very few and not honored. By these words it seems to me that he limits the time of punishment for Moab, which he named "three years of a hireling." Since, therefore, the whole nature of time is divided into three parts, wishing to express a full and perfect time, he said "three years." Therefore, "In three years of a hireling, the glory of Moab shall be dishonored." Furthermore, in the Gospel, infamy is branded upon the hireling by the Savior, who says: "But the hireling, and he who is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming, and flees, because he is a hireling, and the sheep are no concern of his." Moreover, the lodger and the hireling of the priest shall not eat of the holy things according to the law. Moab, therefore, hired himself out, and became a hireling. For he did not love God; but because of the expectation of a reward and the hope of his own advantage, he did not work for the sake of the act to be done, but was doing what he did for gain. Therefore, for three years of the years of a hireling, he shall be affected with ignominy. Just as, therefore, a shepherd hired for wages is not a shepherd, so also42 anyone who gives alms to receive glory from men has received his reward, and is neither merciful nor munificent. Likewise, whoever is temperate to gain favor from men is not temperate, since he does not seek virtue, but hunts for the glory that will result from it. And so, those who do anything for the sake of ostentation are unhonored before God. Therefore, Moab also shall be dishonored in three years; that is, in every measure of time; and the dishonor of a hireling, because the work of virtue in him is not from intention, but is feigned. But he is dishonored "in all his many riches." ^C For as much as he possessed of estimation in this life, so much infamy and dishonor shall be repaid to him as a reward, when our secret things have been revealed. And he who gathers many vain and fruitless things with his hands has a greater harvest of dishonor to impress upon himself; but he who makes treasures with a lying tongue, he pursues vanities, and will come into the snares of death. "And he shall be left as a very few and not honored." The punishment here described is in the place of a gift and a benefit for those who conspire to nurture vice.

NOTICE ON THE BOOK ON TRUE VIRGINITY