Isaiah 45
Commentary from 24 fathers
I will go before thee, and will level mountains: I will break to pieces brazen doors, and burst iron bars.
ἐγὼ ἔμπροσθέν σου πορεύσομαι καὶ ὄρη ὁμαλιῶ, θύρας χαλκᾶς συντρίψω καὶ μοχλοὺς σιδηροῦς συγκλάσω
а҆́зъ пред̾ тобо́ю пойдꙋ̀ и҆ го́ры ᲂу҆равню̀, врата̀ мѣ̑дѧнаѧ сокрꙋшꙋ̀ и҆ верєѝ желѣ̑зныѧ сломлю̀,
Nevertheless, I assert according to the Scriptures that He was able to spread out lowly places and open fields, just as He Himself says: 'I will walk before you and make mountains plain.' The force of the water itself could also make deeper things, which had settled, more turbulent: with such a movement of waves and such a surge of a more agitated element, which daily twists the depths of the sea and turns the sands out of the deep.
The Six Days of Creation, 3.15
Let us not fear punishment. By this faith we shall escape punishment.… This is the correct attitude of the servants of God to be. For if those who were brought up under the old dispensation, when death was not yet slain, or his “brazen gates broken down” or his “iron bars cut into pieces” so nobly encountered their end, how destitute of all defense or excuse shall we be, if, after having had the benefit of such great grace, we attain not even to the same measure of virtue as they did, now when death is only a name, devoid of reality. For death is nothing more than a sleep, a journey, a migration, a rest, a tranquil haven, an escape from trouble and a freedom from the cares of this present life!
Homilies Concerning the Statues 7:1
By all that is about to be said, he has taught that he has invested Cyrus as king, he has given him the necessary sovereignty to direct his empire with good will and so that the disposition of difficult matters is mitigated and facilitated. This is what the phrase means: “I will level mountains, and I will break to pieces brazen doors.”
Commentary on Isaiah 14:45.2
Or because of strength, and as to this he says: I will go before you, preparing the place of your victory, by sending terror of you among your adversaries, the great ones, powerful above others, like the Babylonians; the gates of brass, the most powerful cities: he has broken gates of brass, and burst iron bars (Ps 107:16).
Commentary on Isaiah
And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, I will open to thee hidden, unseen [treasures], that thou mayest know that I, the Lord thy God, that call thee by name, am the God of Israel.
καὶ δώσω σοι θησαυροὺς σκοτεινούς, ἀποκρύφους, ἀοράτους ἀνοίξω σοι, ἵνα γνῷς, ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου ὁ καλῶν τὸ ὄνομά σου, ὁ Θεὸς ᾿Ισραήλ.
и҆ да́мъ тѝ сокрѡ́вища тє́мнаѧ сокровє́ннаѧ: неви̑димаѧ ѿве́рзꙋ тебѣ̀, да ᲂу҆вѣ́си, ꙗ҆́кѡ а҆́зъ гдⷭ҇ь бг҃ъ тво́й прозыва́ѧ и҆́мѧ твоѐ, бг҃ъ і҆и҃левъ.
The higher and profounder spiritual meaning is the “hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” which the Holy Spirit speaking through Isaiah calls “dark and unseen and concealed treasures.” These treasures require for their discovery the help of God, who alone is able to “break in pieces the gates of brass” by which they are shut in and concealed and to burst the iron bolts and bars that prevent us from entering in and reaching all those truths written in veiled language in Genesis concerning the various races of souls and the seeds and generations named there, whether closely akin to Israel or widely separated from his posterity.
On First Principles 4:3.11
To one who believes, a promise is given by God: “I will give you hidden treasures, unseen ones.” When we have been deemed worthy of knowledge face to face, we shall see also the depth in the storehouses of God.
Homilies on the Psalms 15:5 (psalm 32)
Who is the person whose heart has never been made to burn, as the Scriptures have been opened, with the pure words of God that have been tried in a furnace;16 who has not, by a triple inscription of them on the breadth of his heart, attained the mind of Christ, or been admitted to the treasures that to most people remain hidden, secret and dark, to gaze on the riches therein and become able to enrich others, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
In Defense of His Flight to Pontus, Oration 2:96
“I will give you the treasures of darkness.” … This is the way [Isaiah] referred to hell. Even if it was hell, it still preserved the sacred souls and precious vessels, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is why Isaiah called it a place of treasures, even if in darkness, because the Sun of justice had not yet penetrated there with its rays or with any message on the resurrection.
Demonstration Against the Pagans 4:14-15
(Verse 3) I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. Therefore, God addresses Cyrus himself: I have given you treasures and hidden riches of all cities, so that you, who previously worshipped idols, would acknowledge one God through my blessings, especially since you know that your name was foretold long before you were born. Which indeed Josephus also relates in the eleventh book of Jewish Antiquities, that Cyrus read of himself prophesied by name by Isaiah, and therefore the Jews loved him greatly as if he were one of God's own familiar ones.
Commentary on Isaiah
Then the word of God will precede us and first humble the powerful of our earth—that is, these same harmful passions that we wish to subdue and that claim dominion for themselves and a most cruel tyranny in our mortal body—and it will make them submit to our investigation and our exposure. And, breaking open the gates of ignorance and smashing the bolts of the vices that shut us out from true knowledge, it will lead us to our concealed secrets and, according to the apostle, it will, once we have been enlightened, reveal to us “the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of hearts.”
Institutes 5:2.2
Or because of hiding, and as to this, he says: and I will give you hidden treasures, of various kings, whose cities he took: he discovers deep things out of darkness (Job 12:22).
859. Second, he sets out the fruit of this benefit.
And first, in himself,
second, in others: that they may know who are from the rising of the sun (Isa 45:6).
Concerning the first, he does two things.
First, he sets out the fruit of power sought by God in Cyrus, namely, knowledge of him: that you may know that I am the Lord: he calls those things that are not (Rom 4:17).
Commentary on Isaiah
For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel mine elect, I will call thee by thy name, and accept thee: but thou hast not known me.
ἕνεκεν τοῦ παιδός μου ᾿Ιακὼβ καὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ τοῦ ἐκλεκτοῦ μου, ἐγὼ καλέσω σε τῷ ὀνόματί σου καὶ προσδέξομαί σε, σὺ δὲ οὐκ ἔγνως με
Ра́ди раба̀ моегѡ̀ і҆а́кѡва и҆ і҆и҃лѧ и҆збра́ннагѡ моегѡ̀, а҆́зъ прозовꙋ̀ тѧ̀ и҆́менемъ твои́мъ и҆ прїимꙋ́ тѧ:
(Verse 4) Because of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen one, I have called you by your name: I have likened you to myself, and you have not known me. These things, he says, I attribute to you because of my servant Jacob, and my chosen Israel, and I called you by your name, just as I called Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and long before, I foretold you, Isaac and Josiah, so that you would not think that he is the Christ, to whom you are compared, and in whose type and image you have preceded. But you did not know me, that is, you worshiped idols, not God.
Commentary on Isaiah
And the liberation of his people: for the sake of my servant Jacob, namely, that you should liberate him from captivity: who knows whether you are not therefore come to the kingdom (Esth 4:14).
Second, he shows that this benefit is partly frustrated on the part of Cyrus himself: I have even called you by your name, foretelling your name, I have made you like, other holy men in this, whose names were previously foretold by the Lord; you have not known me, to be the only true God, as you remain in idolatry.
Commentary on Isaiah
For I am the Lord God, and there is no other God beside me; I strengthened thee, and thou hast not known me.
ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεός, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι πλὴν ἐμοῦ Θεός, ἐνίσχυσά σε καὶ οὐκ ᾔδεις με,
ты́ же не позна́лъ є҆сѝ менѐ, ꙗ҆́кѡ а҆́зъ гдⷭ҇ь бг҃ъ, и҆ нѣ́сть ра́звѣ менє̀ є҆щѐ бг҃а: ᲂу҆крѣпи́хъ тѧ̀, и҆ не позна́лъ є҆сѝ менѐ,
(Verse 5) I am the Lord, and there is no other: besides me there is no God: I have girded you, and you have not known me. I have equipped you with strength; I have made you conquer many nations, and you did not know your helper. In this respect, I cannot help but be amazed at the foolishness of the readers; that they would refer these things to Christ, through whom the world is reconciled to God. I, says the Lord, and there is no one besides me. Besides my word, reason, power, and wisdom, which are in me, there is no other God.
Commentary on Isaiah
[Cyrus] also was a slave to the error of idolatry. Even though he had received kingship from the God of the universe and obtained such great assistance from him, he had not known the dispenser of these benefits. God had nevertheless deemed him worthy, despite his error, of all these benefits. He had appointed him as an instrument of chastisement to the Babylonians and of the liberation of Israel. However, I have found some copies that bear this text: “Meanwhile, Israel, you have not known me.” But I have not found the presence of the word Israel, either in the Hebrew text or with the other interpreters or in the Hexapla version [Origen’s compilation] of the Septuagint. And it is justifiably so, for it is not Israel that he is accusing of scorning him, but Cyrus. Then he also indicates the cause of the liberation of the Jews.
Commentary on Isaiah 14:45.5
“I have called you by name, I have surnamed you, though you do not know me.” God addresses these words to Cyrus, so as to say, I have honored you to such an extent that, even before you were born, I had made your name illustrious and made you a part of my design to give freedom, through your hands, back to my people who are so dear to me. Even though I have honored you so much through my prophets, you were never interested in knowing me. Even though I acted, so that every nation might know me through you, you did not want to recognize me as the master and the creator of universe, but you have given the name of gods to others instead of me.
Commentary on Isaiah 45:4-6
I girded you, with strength: I called, and you refused (Prov 1:24).
Commentary on Isaiah
That they that [come] from the east and they that [come] from the west may know that there is no God but me. I am the Lord God, and there is none beside.
ἵνα γνῶσι οἱ ἀπ᾿ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι Θεὸς πλὴν ἐμοῦ· ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεός, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι·
да бы́ша ᲂу҆вѣ́дѣли, и҆̀же ѿ востѡ́къ со́лнечныхъ и҆ и҆̀же ѿ за̑падъ, ꙗ҆́кѡ нѣ́сть бг҃ъ ра́звѣ менє̀: а҆́зъ гдⷭ҇ь бг҃ъ, и҆ нѣ́сть є҆щѐ.
And inasmuch as this Son is undivided and inseparable from the Father, so is he to be reckoned as being in the Father, even when he is not named. The fact is, if he had named him expressly, he would have separated him, saying in so many words, “Beside me there is none else, except my Son.” In short, he would have made his Son actually another, after excepting him from others.
Against Praxeas 18
The prophets were not denying the Son (God forbid!), but they wished to cure the Jews of their weakness and, meanwhile, to persuade them to give up their belief in the many gods that did not exist.
Against the Anomoeans, Homily 5:23
(Verse 6) So that they may know, from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is no one besides me ((Previously it was added: God)). I am the Lord, and there is no other. And I have done these things so that from the East and the West the whole world may recognize that there is no other God besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. For the Father is in the Son, and the Son is in the Father. He who speaks in the Gospel: I and the Father are one (John 10:30). And it is written in the book of Ezra that Cyrus wrote to all nations that there is no God except the God of Israel. Or it is to be understood in this way, that the release of captives and the mercy of God towards his people has made God known to all nations.
Commentary on Isaiah
860. That they may know. Here he shows the fruit in others.
And first, he shows that in others he seeks the fruit of knowledge of him: who are from the rising of the sun, that is, living throughout the entire world; and this was fulfilled in that, in his epistles, Cyrus wrote the praise of God everywhere; or because everyone praised God together seeing the liberation of the Jews: and let them know that the Lord is your name: you alone are the most High over all the earth (Ps 83:18).
Commentary on Isaiah
I am he that prepared light, and formed darkness; who make peace, and create evil; I am the Lord God, that does all these things.
ἐγὼ ὁ κατασκευάσας φῶς καὶ ποιήσας σκότος, ὁ ποιῶν εἰρήνην καὶ κτίζων κακά· ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιῶν πάντα ταῦτα.
А҆́зъ ᲂу҆стро́ивый свѣ́тъ и҆ сотвори́вый тьмꙋ̀, творѧ́й ми́ръ и҆ зи́ждѧй ѕла̑ѧ, а҆́зъ гдⷭ҇ь бг҃ъ, творѧ́й сїѧ̑ всѧ̑.
Now (like many other persons nowadays, especially those who have a heretical proclivity), while morbidly brooding over the question of the origin of evil, Marcion’s perception became blunted by the very irregularity of his researches. When he found the Creator declaring, “I am he that creates evil,” Marcion had already concluded from other arguments that satisfy only twisted minds that God is the author of evil. So Marcion now applied to the Creator the figure of the corrupt tree bringing forth evil fruit, that is, moral evil, and then presumed that there ought to be another god, after the analogy of the good tree producing its good fruit. Accordingly, finding in Christ a different disposition—one of a simple and pure benevolence, differing from the Creator—Marcion readily argued that in his Christ had been revealed a new and strange divinity; and then with a little leaven he leavened the whole lump of the faith, flavoring it with the acidity of his own heresy.
Against Marcion 1.2
In the same way also we explain the expressions, “I, who make peace and create evil”; for he calls into existence “corporeal” or “external” evils, while purifying and training those who would not be disciplined by the word and sound doctrine. This, then, is our answer to the question, “How is it that God created evil?”
Against Celsus 6:56
Ever desiring to become more completely known to us and to incite our minds to his worship, he said, “I am the Lord who made the light and created the darkness,” that we may not think that some other unknown One was the artificer of those alternations whereby the nights and days are regulated; but rather, and with greater truth, we may acknowledge God as their Creator.
On the Trinity 3:5
“From my works they will learn; for when I needed to inflict pain on my people for their repentance and discipline, I gave them up to warfare as if handing them over to darkness and wrath on account of their wickedness.” Once they have turned and received help, [God] will deem it right to restore them, and it follows that the light of peace and of all good things will rise on them, but in my judgment also the things of wrath. So learn this lesson from me. As I am the creator of light and the leader of peace, likewise am I of dark things and those things considered painful. The evil things have been reckoned to the many whose creator inflicts evil on them. He does so whenever his righteous judgment appoints such, according to the various ways they deserve evil as judgment on their sins.
Commentary on Isaiah 2:27
For since we are accustomed to use the word evil to speak of calamities, and not only of thefts and adulteries, so the prophet allows this usage. On this basis the prophet can say, “There is no evil in the city that the Lord has not done.” This too, by means of Isaiah, God has made clear, when he said, “I am God who makes peace and creates evil,” again naming calamities evils. This evil also Christ hints at, thus saying to the disciples, “Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof,” that is to say, the affliction, the misery. It is manifest then on all sides that he here calls punishment an evil, even as we commonly do, affirming at the same time that God brings these on us. This affords us the greatest view of his providence. For the physician is not only to be commended when he leads forth the patient into gardens and meadows, nor even into baths and pools of water, nor yet when he sets before him a well-furnished table, but when he orders him to remain without food, when he oppresses him with hunger and lays him low with thirst, confines him to his bed, making his house a prison, depriving him of the very light and shadowing his room on all sides with curtains. When he cuts, and when he cauterizes and when he brings his bitter medicines, he is equally a physician.
Concerning the Power of Demons 1:5
These things have thus been clearly shown to you to be in some cases bad, some good and some in between, … the inspired author is saying the in-between things are not really bad but are thought to be by the general run of people—things like captivity, servitude and exile. Now, it is necessary to explain the reason for this statement. Loving as [God] is and quick to show mercy, while slow in exercising retribution and punishment, God sent prophets so as to avoid consigning the Jews to punishment, intending to frighten them in word, so as not to punish them in deed.…Observing this and wishing to undermine the reform that was the result of such a threat, the devil sent down false prophets, and in contradiction of the prophets’ threats of captivity, servitude and famine, false prophets preached the opposite—peace, prosperity and enjoyment of countless good things. Hence, the genuine prophets also mocked the false by saying, “Peace, peace—and where is peace?” This every scholar knows, that everything happened just as the prophets had foretold against the false prophets, who were undermining the people’s zeal. So when they undermined the people in this way and corrupted them, God said through the prophets, “I, God, am making peace and creating evils.” What sort of evils? Those mentioned—captivity, servitude and the like. Not fornication, licentiousness, avarice and anything else like that.… Do not let the false prophets undermine you; God can give you peace and consign you to captivity, which is the meaning of “making peace and creating evils.” For you to learn that this is true, let us make a precise examination of the individual expressions. After saying before, “I am the one who brought light and darkness into being,” he then went on to say, “making peace and creating evils.” He cited two opposites first, and two opposites after that, for you to learn that he is referring not to fornication but to calamities. I mean, what is set as the opposite of peace? Clearly captivity, not licentiousness or fornication or avarice. So just as he cited two opposites first, so too in this case; the opposite of peace is not fornication, or adultery, or licentiousness or the other vices, but captivity and servitude.
Homilies on Isaiah 45:6-7
(Verse 7) Forming light and creating darkness: making peace and creating evil. I am the Lord who does all these things. Therefore, I, the only God, give you strength. I myself create opposing things, light and darkness, that is, day and night; peace and evil, that is, calm and war, through which I indicate that I was angry with my people when they endured the darkness of captivity and the evils of slavery. And again, I showed mercy when I released them to their homeland and they received peace and joy. Just as light is opposed to darkness, so war is opposed to peace. In order to combat heresy, which considers God, the creator of all things, as evil, it must be noted that this evil is not opposed to good, but rather serves as a means of affliction and struggle, as it is written in the Gospel: 'Sufficient for the day is its own evil' (Matthew 6:34).
Commentary on Isaiah
“I make good things and ‘create’ evil things.” For to “create” means to order and arrange. And so in most manuscripts it is written, “I make good things and order evil things.” To make is to give being to something that did not exist at all, but to order is to arrange something that already exists in such a way that it becomes greater and better. Thus, when God says, “I order evil things,” he means those things that fall away, that tend to non-being, and not those that have attained their end. For it has been said that, owing to the divine providence, nothing is permitted to reach a state of non-being.
The Catholic and Manichaean Ways of Life 2:7.9
He calls “light” here the happy events—the cessation of slavery, the liberation and the return—and “darkness” the sad happenings—the siege, the subjection, the enslavement. It is I, he says, who am the author of these two series of events, of these and of those. It is I who made use of Nebuchadnezzar to inflict the chastisement and who have chosen Cyrus as the instrument for the liberation. And just as I am the creator of the light and of darkness, and [just as] I have produced each of them so that they are used for humankind, I have inflicted bondage on Israel in its interest, and I have made the gift of freedom by reason of my benevolence. “Who make peace and create evil.” He has clearly taught what he has meant under the name of darkness and of light: it is peace that he has called “light” and the events that seem bad “darkness.” So [God] has called them evil, not because they are evil by nature but because people considered them thus. For we have the habit of saying, “Today is a bad day for me,” not because the day itself is changed to some other nature but because in the course of that day some events happened that produced sorrow.
Commentary on Isaiah 14:45.7
Second, he sets out the proof of his divinity, which can be known from the fact that he can afflict and liberate: I am the Lord, etc. I form the light, the day or consolation; I create evil, of punishment: is there evil in a city, which the Lord has not done? (Amos 3:6); the Lord made all things double, one against another (Sir 42:24).
Commentary on Isaiah
Let the heaven rejoice from above, and let the clouds rain righteousness: let the earth bring forth, and blossom [with] mercy, and bring forth righteousness likewise: I am the Lord that created thee.
εὐφρανθήτω ὁ οὐρανὸς ἄνωθεν, καὶ αἱ νεφέλαι ῥανάτωσαν δικαιοσύνην· ἀνατειλάτω ἡ γῆ καὶ βλαστησάτω ἔλεος, καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἀνατειλάτω ἅμα· ἐγώ εἰμι Κύριος ὁ κτίσας σε.
Да возра́дꙋетсѧ не́бо свы́ше, и҆ ѡ҆́блацы да кропѧ́тъ пра́вдꙋ: да прозѧ́бнетъ землѧ̀, и҆ да прорасти́тъ ми́лость, и҆ пра́вдꙋ да прозѧ́бнетъ вкꙋ́пѣ: а҆́зъ є҆́смь гдⷭ҇ь созда́вый тѧ̀.
“Rejoice, O heavens, from above,” that is, rejoice over the salvation of the nations. The angels are delighted at the repentance of a single sinner. “And the clouds will rain down righteousness.” The clouds, which rain down righteousness, are the apostles and the priests who justify through the absolution, which they give by means of baptism. “Let the earth open, that salvation may be multiplied.” Justice, symbolized through the earth, is poured on the mind of the nations, and salvation shall multiply in every region. “And let it cause righteousness to spring up also.” In the salvation of the nations also their justice is multiplied, and salvation and justice spring up and grow at the same time.
Commentary on Isaiah 45:8
(Chapter 45, Verse 8) Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened, and bud forth the saviour, and let justice spring up together: I the Lord have created him. Septuagint: Let the heavens above rejoice, and let the clouds rain down righteousness: let the earth bring forth salvation, and let mercy spring up, and let justice bud together: I the Lord have created thee. There is a double interpretation of this passage. For some believe that it refers to the previous statements, and that when Cyrus the king releases the captives, heaven and earth rejoice: metaphorically, this signifies those who dwell in heaven and on earth. Others separate it from what has gone before, and consider this chapter to be the beginning of its own section, and to prophesy concerning the coming of the Lord, which is commanded to come with clouds, about which it was written above (in ch. V, 6): 'I will command the clouds that they rain not upon it,' that is, upon the vineyard of Israel; and concerning those to whom the truth of God has come, so that they may rain righteousness upon the world or righteousness; and let the earth open, and let it bring forth a Savior. Concerning whom it is sung in the Psalms: 'Truth has sprung from the earth, and righteousness has looked down from heaven' (Ps. LXXXIV, 12); or, according to the Septuagint: 'The earth has brought forth mercy and righteousness together,' so that both sinners may obtain mercy and the righteous may receive rewards. And furthermore, I, the Lord, who created him, or, I, the Lord who created you, shall not be scandalized by the name of the creature, who has read him to be a worm, a servant, and a plant sprung from the earth.
Commentary on Isaiah
“And let the clouds rain righteousness.” On the occasion of making previous threats, he has said, “I will command the clouds to rain no rain on it,” and … it was the prophets who were referred to in this way. Here, therefore, the text invites the prophets to present, as a kind of rain, the discourse dealing with righteousness. In fact, those recognized as prophets after the return from exile were Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. “And let the earth bring forth and blossom with mercy, and bring forth righteousness likewise.” For it is fitting likewise that the people who benefit from such watering offer fruits in consonance with the watering. Thus, the rain provides discourse regarding righteousness; therefore, he demands from them the fruits of righteousness and mercy. For he has called the people who inhabit the earth “the earth.” “I am the Lord who created you.” It is I who likewise from the beginning have brought you into existence.
Commentary on Isaiah 14:45.8
861. Drop down dew. Here he describes the birth of Cyrus under the metaphor of the fruit of a tree, for whose generation the moisture of the earth and rain and dew from heaven are required; so in the birth of Cyrus, divine mercy, intending to liberate God's people through him, coincides with lower nature, which is signified. Thus he does three things:
he describes his springing up: drop down;
the fruit of his birth, and let justice spring up;
and the first principle of his birth, I the Lord.
Let the clouds rain the just, neuter or masculine. Or by heaven and the clouds is signified the prophets and the other just ones who by foretelling him and begging God for him with tears, in a certain manner rained him: he shall come down like rain (Ps 72:6).
869. Mystically, drop down dew (Isa 45:8), concerns the birth of Christ. In which he sets out three things: the principle of the birth, the birth of the infant, and the fruit of the birth. The principle is threefold.
First, heaven dropping down dew, as the effective principle, namely, the operation of the three persons, because of which the plural, you heavens, is used: the Father, in sending the Son: but when the fullness of the time was come, God sent his Son (Gal 4:4); the Son, in taking flesh: he humbled himself (Phil 2:8); the Holy Spirit, in causing his conception: that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Spirit (Matt 1:20).
The second principle is the clouds raining, which is the preparative principle, in which is understood the office of the angel who announces the birth: the clouds spread their light (Job 37:11-12); the prophecy of the prophets (Luke 1:11, 26): dark waters in the clouds of the air (Ps 18:11); which he had promised before, by his prophets (Rom 1:2); the desire of the just: who makes the clouds your chariot (Ps 104:3); presently the Lord, whom you seek, and the angel of the testament, whom you desire, shall come to his temple (Mal 3:1).
The third principle is the earth budding forth, which is the receptive principle, namely, the Blessed Virgin, about whom it says in Psalm 85:12: our earth shall yield her fruit; whose affections are opened to find the privilege of grace: fear not, Mary (Luke 1:30); many daughters have gathered together riches: you have surpassed them all (Prov 31:29); whose intellect is opened to believe the word of the angel: blessed are you that have believed (Luke 1:45); whose womb is opened to conceive the Son of God, behold you shall conceive in your womb and shall bring forth a son (Luke 1:31).
870. But his birth is compared to the dew, the rain, and the bud, because Christ is the dew for refreshing, above: as a cloud of dew in the day of harvest (Isa 18:4); the rain for making fertile: he shall come down like rain (Ps 72:6), below: as the rain and the snow come down from heaven (Isa 55:10); the bud for bearing fruit: I will raise up to David a just branch (Jer 23:5).
871. The fruit is justice, which is born with him in three ways:
that which he fulfilled in his works: so it becomes us to fulfill all justice (Matt 3:15);
that which he taught in his words, below: I, that speak justice (Isa 63:1);
that which he gave as a gift: he is made unto us wisdom and justice (1 Cor 1:30).
Commentary on Isaiah
What excellent thing have I prepared as clay of the potter? Will the ploughman plough the earth all day? shall the clay say to the potter, What art thou doing that thou dost not work, nor hast hands? shall the thing formed answer him that formed it?
Ποῖον βέλτιον κατεσκεύασα ὡς πηλὸν κεραμέως; μὴ ὁ ἀροτριῶν ἀροτριάσει τὴν γῆν ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν; μὴ ἐρεῖ ὁ πηλὸς τῷ κεραμεῖ· τί ποιεῖς, ὅτι οὐκ ἐργάζῃ οὐδὲ ἔχεις χεῖρας;
Что̀ лꙋ́чшее ᲂу҆стро́ихъ ꙗ҆́кѡ гли́нꙋ скꙋде́льничꙋ; є҆да̀ ѡ҆рѧ́й ѡ҆ра́ти бꙋ́детъ зе́млю ве́сь де́нь; є҆да̀ рече́тъ бре́нїе скꙋде́льникꙋ: что̀ твори́ши, ꙗ҆́кѡ не дѣ́лаеши, нижѐ и҆́маши рꙋ́къ; є҆да̀ ѿвѣща́етъ зда́нїе созда́вшемꙋ є҆̀;
And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? [Isaiah 45:9] Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
9–10For we, who do not know at all what the future has in store and see merely our present circumstances, misjudge what will profit us. God … sees what is to come as if it were present. These prophecies are addressed, however, to those who make themselves God’s judges. To them may also fittingly be cited those words of Scripture, “shall the clay say to the potter” and so forth.How shall we not shun a person who legislates in opposition to the laws of God and issues decrees in opposition to the works of providence, whereas he dares not breathe a word against human laws? Therefore, leaving such exaggerations, or, to speak more truly, blasphemies, on one side, let us demonstrate the error of denying particular providence while acknowledging universal and general providence.
On the Nature of Man 44:66
9–13(Verse 9 and following) Woe to those who contradict their maker, a pot made of clay, and say to the one who formed them, 'What are you making?' or 'Your work has no hands.' Woe to those who say to their father, 'What are you begetting?' or to their mother, 'What are you in labor with?' This is what the Lord says, the Holy One of Israel, and its maker: Ask me about the things to come, concerning my children, and about the work of my hands, give me orders. I made the earth and created humans on it, I stretched out the heavens with my hands, and I command all their host. I have raised him up to righteousness, and I will direct all his ways. He will build my city, and he will release my captivity, not for a price or with gifts, says the Lord of hosts. LXX: What better have I done than clay to a potter? Will the plowman plow the earth? Will the clay say to the potter, what are you doing, since you do not work and do not have hands? Woe to him who says to his father, what do you beget, and to his mother, what do you give birth? For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, who created what is to come. Ask me about my sons and command me concerning the work of my hands. I made the earth and created man upon it. I, with my own hand, stretched out the heavens; I commanded all the stars. I raised him up with righteousness as a king; all his ways are straight. He himself will build my city and will turn the captivity of my people, not with price nor with gifts, says the Lord God of hosts. Those who want to apply what was said to the character of Cyrus interpret this place as follows: With me promising great things, because of the return of my people to Judea, I will subjugate all the kingdoms to Cyrus: Woe to him who is incredulous and does not believe what I say will come to pass, as if clay and broken pottery were to criticize its potter why it was made or why it was made in that way; and a work should speak against its artist's hands; and a son should criticize his father and mother, why he was poured out onto the earth by the law of nature. Since I am the Holy Lord of Israel who formed Cyrus and caused him to be born by my command, it is pointless for you to doubt the future. Rather, you should know that my sons, the people of Israel, and the work of my hands are not subject to your control, but to my will. I, who created darkness and evil for them in the past, will now give them light and peace. For I am the God who did not create the earth in vain, but for the purpose of habitation by humans. I have extended and established the heavens as the dwelling place of the angels. I have adorned them with the diversity of the stars, and I have commanded each one to run its course in order, and to fill the different spaces of days, months, and years. Therefore, if I have made the heavens and the earth, what is it of great significance if I create one king who will obey my commands and direct all his ways? For he will be commanded to build my city, Jerusalem, and to bring the captives back to Judah. Not for reward or gifts, but for my own willingness, says the Lord God of hosts. But whoever brings understanding to Christ refers to his explanation in the following words: Woe to those who contradict God and do not believe that Christ will come; as if clay and a vessel were to contradict its potter. Woe to him who says to the Almighty Father, why do you beget a son, and to the holy woman Mary, what are you giving birth to? Of whom the Apostle also writes (Galatians 4): That Christ was made from a woman, made under the law. Therefore, the Holy Lord of Israel, who formed the Savior in a virgin womb, says, speaking through Gabriel: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you (Luke 1:35). And what will be born in you, holy, will be called the Son of God. Let the earthen vessel ask me, and let it seek the secrets of the future. And let it command me how I should regenerate the adopted children who will believe in my Son. And the evangelist John says: Whoever received him, he gave them the power to become children of God (John 1:12). But if I made the earth to be inhabited by men, and stretched out the heavens above, and adorned them with the variety of stars, so that the worshipers of God might dwell on earth: why is it surprising that I sent my Son, the righteous king, into the world, or raised him from the dead, whose ways are all straight? For he did not commit sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth (1 Peter 2:22). Whoever builds my city upon a rock, against which the gates of Hell shall not prevail (Matth. XVI); and which, when placed on a mountain, cannot be hidden (Ibid., V): and who first binds the possessed with chains, and sets all the children free, not for a price or reward: for we have been saved freely, both those who listen and those who act: You have received freely, freely give (Matth. X, 8). Some attribute these words to Zorobabel, who led the captives out of Babylon, and built the city, and constructed the temple, as prophesied by Haggai and Zechariah, who said: The hands of Zorobabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands shall complete it (Zach. IV, 9). But we say more correctly and truly, neither did Cyrus build the city that was later built under Nehemiah, nor were all its roads straight. To whom it was said above: I have taken you, and girded you: and you have not known me; and Zerubbabel, who was under the authority and power of the Medes and Persians, exceeds all that is said. For Zerubbabel did not build the city, nor did he release the captivity, nor can he be called a king, who, living under other kings, lacked this title. But what do the Seventy mean, who translated at the beginning of this chapter: What have I done better than the clay of the potter? Will the one who tills, till the earth? I do not know: unless perhaps I follow the edition of Theodotion, who put instead: Woe to him who contends against his maker, the one who tills tilling the earth: because he would wound the hearts of mortals in repentance, and in the manner of plows, he would undermine and overthrow it. But even this interpretation is frivolous. Furthermore, because a potter, that is, our Creator and Maker, is called God, and the apostle Paul speaks in his Epistle to the Romans: Does the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why have you made me like this? Does not the potter have power over the clay, to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? (Romans 9:20) And in Jeremiah it is written in more detail, where he narrates among other things: I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was making a work on the wheel, and the vessel that he made was marred in his hands. And again he made another vessel from the same clay, as it pleased him in his sight. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Cannot I do with you, as this potter, O house of Israel, saith the Lord? Behold as clay is in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel (Jeremiah 18:3-4). And that which is written: I have commanded the stars to all, and I have given opportunity to some, so that the stars may have reason and soul and sense. For they say that He would not have commanded [these things] unless they were intelligible: not remembering [what is] written in Jonah: 'The Lord commanded a burning wind' (Jonah 4:8). And again: 'The Lord commanded the morning worm' (Ibid., 7). And that in the Gospel the Savior rebuked the winds and the sea (Luke 8), in which it is clear that there is no sense or reason.
Commentary on Isaiah
9–10Likewise, the common Jewish people rejected the grace that was given them and found it unacceptable; for they resisted, as I have said, the teachings of Christ.… “For I desire to refashion you,” he says, “into something better, to remake you into something superior through a spiritual birth which, of course, is the one through water and the Spirit; but you foolishly resist my plans. Did the clay,” he says, “ever reproach the potter for not having a skillful hand, or for not knowing how to give shape to what he holds in his hands? Nor,” he says, “does the one who is about to be born put a question to his own father, ‘Will you give birth?’ How is it, then, that you, who are like clay in the potter’s hands, and do not know at all how your spiritual rebirth will take place, are not afraid of being cantankerous? And why do you not realize you ought to leave it to me, as to a craftsman and father, how to do these things?” … Therefore, it is necessary to [yield] to what God says. He himself knows the way of his own works, and what he fashioned is not subject to prying, and what transcends our understanding should be given the honor of unquestioning faith.One must also understand that the prophet Jeremiah was sent to the house of the potter to see him at work. When the clay collapsed and was reshaped into a different vessel, God said to him: “Can I not do with you as this potter has done, O house of Israel? Behold, just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.” Paul, also, explains that we are transformed spiritually into a holy and utterly good life, when he says: “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed in to the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit”8; through whom we are also born again, not any longer of corruptible seed, but through the word of the living God who endures forever.
Commentary on Isaiah 4:2.45:9-10
Though this saying is deep and shrouded in much obscurity, you will nonetheless come to understand how true and useful it is. I think it is necessary first to explain briefly the thrust of the ideas. This way it will become more accessible to my listeners and easier to understand. Therefore, the God of all redeemed Israel from Egypt and rescued them from the errors of polytheism and the deceit of the demons, and brought them through the law of Moses to the dawn of the true knowledge of God. He taught them to worship one God and adore one Lord. Then, by means of types and shadows, he wanted to raise them to those things that are still better and more perfect, namely, the things that are in Christ. The law was a tutor, and it stayed until the time of correction, that is, the time of the coming of our savior Jesus Christ when he set aside the shadow of the commandments of the law and the types found in the text, and introduced the people on earth to the beauty of worship in spirit and truth openly and without disguise.But the Jews were quite vexed by this, and because they were still clinging to the types, they resisted Christ, accusing him of transgressing the Mosaic legislation. … Accordingly, since they deemed as unacceptable the benefit that comes from the preaching of the Gospel, although it would have brought them from the inane shadows to spiritual fruitfulness, it says to them: “Will the plowman plow the earth all day?” “O foolish people,” he is saying, “the farmer furrows the soil with the plow, but he does not do so forever, nor does he spend the whole time of farming doing the work of the plow. He furrows the soil not simply for the sake of doing so, but that it may be ready to receive the seed when it is sown in it, and thus be productive. Therefore, previously I worked all your hearts, overgrown with thickets and dry as a wasteland as they were, using the law of Moses like a plow; and like a farmer who furrows the land, I prepared them to receive the sowing of good seeds. Now, the sower of every good thing is my Son. Accept, therefore, what comes from him, and cease from your constant love and affection for the plow, which is the law.” You see, his purpose in plowing, as I said, was not for you to have that (for what profit would there be in that?) but so that you may produce the fruits of truth. Since we have been refashioned spiritually in Christ, that is to say, we have been transformed, some from the [pagan] error to the knowledge of the truth and to a holy life that comes form Christ, who is the Savior of us all, others from circumcision to adoption of the gospel teachings and into a newness of worship that is no longer marked by the dreariness of types but instead is resplendent with the striking beauty of spiritual worship. Both we and they have been enriched with rebirth in Christ through water and the Spirit.
Commentary on Isaiah 4:2.45:9
9–10Just as the potter models anew the vase of broken clay, [God] says, for my part, I will make you better than at first. “Will the plowman plow the earth all day?” This comes back to saying it is not effective to use chastisement continually, for the cultivator does not keep tearing up the soil without ceasing. “Woe to him who disputes with the One who formed him!” “Shall the clay say to the potter, What are you doing that you do not work, nor have hands? Shall the thing formed answer him that formed it?” Since there were many in that epoch, and now likewise, who concern themselves ill-advisedly with divine providence and who attempt to study inquisitively the cause for the occurrence of wars, of periods of sterility of the soil, of premature deaths and of all the things of this nature, it is understandable that he should first of all deplore those who demand an accounting from the Creator of the universe. He, then, has skillfully closed their mouth by the image of the clay and the potter: the clay does not demand an accounting from the one who worked it regarding his rest or his work. In the same way is it no more fitting to occupy yourself rudely with divine matters, for you are precisely the clay. But there is between me and the potter the greatest difference there could be: the potter, though he is the creator of the utensil of clay, is nevertheless, on his part, the firstborn of the clay, whereas I possess an uncreated nature. Yet the clay does not say a word but supports the modeling that the potter wishes to impose on it, while you pay no attention to my providence.
Commentary on Isaiah 14:45.9
862. Woe to him that gainsays. Here he excludes the contradiction of the unbelievers.
And first, under the metaphor of a craftsman who fashions clay; for as clay does not contradict the one who fashions it, so the Jews ought not contradict God, by not believing that anyone could arise who would conquer the Babylonians; earthen pots or samia, earthen vessels, so-called because this art was invented in Samos; your work is without hands, as if to say: without the proper working of the hands, or as jugs have hands, above: as if the clay should think against the potter (Isa 29:16); shall the thing formed say to him that formed it: why have you made me thus? (Rom 9:20).
Commentary on Isaiah
As though one should say to [his] father, What wilt thou beget me? and to his mother, What art thou bringing forth?
μὴ ἀποκριθήσεται τὸ πλάσμα πρὸς τὸν πλάσαντα αὐτό; ὁ λέγων τῷ πατρί· τί γεννήσεις; καὶ τῇ μητρί· τί ὠδίνεις;
є҆да̀ глаго́летъ ѻ҆тцꙋ̀: что̀ роди́ши; и҆ ма́тери: что̀ чревоболи́ши;
Second, under the metaphor of a father who begets: woe to him that says to his father, as if to say: I am a father begetting Cyrus and like a mother conceiving him in intention, and therefore you ought not contradict me in this, just as you ought not contradict the mother who gave birth to you, below: shall not I that make others to bring forth children, myself bring forth, says the Lord? Shall I, that give generation to others, be barren? (Isa 66:9);
or he speaks against those diviners who foretold that many bad things would come from the birth of Cyrus, saying it would have been better if he had not been born; or against those of the Jews who were saying: why should we beget children to be born in captivity?
Commentary on Isaiah
For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, who has formed the things that are to come, Enquire of me concerning my sons, and concerning the works of my hands command me.
ὅτι οὕτω λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἅγιος ᾿Ισραὴλ ὁ ποιήσας τὰ ἐπερχόμενα· ἐρωτήσατέ με περὶ τῶν υἱῶν μου καὶ περὶ τῶν θυγατέρων μου καὶ περὶ τῶν ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν μου ἐντείλασθέ μοι.
Ꙗ҆́кѡ та́кѡ гл҃етъ гдⷭ҇ь бг҃ъ, ст҃ы́й і҆и҃левъ, сотвори́вый грѧдꙋ̑щаѧ: вопроси́те менѐ ѡ҆ сынѣ́хъ мои́хъ и҆ ѡ҆ дще́рехъ мои́хъ, и҆ ѡ҆ дѣ́лѣхъ рꙋкꙋ̀ моє́ю заповѣ́дите мнѣ̀.
There is no doubt that human wills cannot resist the will of God, "who has done whatsoever he pleased in heaven and on earth," and who has even "formed the things that are to come." Nor can the human will prevent [God] from doing what he wills, seeing that even with human wills, he does what he wills, when he wills to do it.
Admonition and Grace 14:45
How do we think, except as in the way that the prophet also foretells of God, that he has done the things that are going to be? For he does not say, "Who will do the things that are going to be, but "who did the things that are going to be." Therefore, [God] both did them and is going to do them. For neither have they been done if he did not do them, nor are they going to be done if he will not do them. Therefore, [God] did them by predestining them; he is going to do them by working.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 68:1.2
By predestination God indeed foreknew that which he himself was going to do. Thus it was said, "He has made that which shall be." Furthermore, [God] can foreknow even those things that he himself does not do, such as whatever sins there may be. There are certain things that are sins and at the same time punishment for sins, so that it is written, "God delivered them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting." This is not the sin of God, however, but the judgment of God.
Predestination of the Saints 10
“He who made the things that will be,” therefore, the things that were to be done, he willed them to be spoken of as if done, because these things which come about changeably in time, he has made firm with the unchangeable eternity of his plan. Therefore, in those things as well, in which the effect of the work has not yet come to be, the plan of the Creator remains firm from eternity.
Letter 9:8.7
863. Thus says the Lord. Here he sets out the utility of the liberator.
And first, as to the liberation of the Jews;
second, as to the conversion of the gentiles: for thus says the Lord (Isa 45:18).
Concerning the first, he does three things.
First, he shows his authority to foretell future things: his, namely Cyrus's, maker (plastes); concerning my children, the Jews, to be liberated, or whatever others I will to be born, and not the idols, above: should not the people seek of their God? (Isa 8:19). But the Gloss reads this ironically.
Commentary on Isaiah
I have made the earth, and man upon it: I with my hand have established the heaven; I have given commandment to all the stars.
ἐγὼ ἐποίησα γῆν καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἐπ᾿ αὐτῆς, ἐγὼ τῇ χειρί μου ἐστερέωσα τὸν οὐρανόν, ἐγὼ πᾶσι τοῖς ἄστροις ἐνετειλάμην.
А҆́зъ сотвори́хъ зе́млю и҆ человѣ́ка на не́й, а҆́зъ рꙋко́ю мое́ю ᲂу҆тверди́хъ не́бо, а҆́зъ всѣ̑мъ ѕвѣзда́мъ заповѣ́дахъ.
864. Second, he foretells their liberation, showing his power, who promises it: I made the earth; all their, namely, the heavens', host, I have commanded, fixing for each its office and nature, above: who brings out their host by number (Isa 40:26).
Commentary on Isaiah
I have raised him up [to be] a king with righteousness, and all his ways are right: he shall build my city, and shall turn the captivity of my people, not for ransoms, nor for rewards, saith the Lord of hosts.
ἐγὼ ἤγειρα αὐτὸν μετὰ δικαιοσύνης βασιλέα, καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ εὐθεῖαι. οὗτος οἰκοδομήσει τὴν πόλιν μου καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἐπιστρέψει οὐ μετὰ λύτρων, οὐδὲ μετὰ δώρων, εἶπε Κύριος σαβαώθ.
А҆́зъ возста́вихъ є҆го̀ со пра́вдою царѧ̀, и҆ всѝ пꙋтїѐ є҆гѡ̀ пра̑вы: се́й сози́ждетъ гра́дъ мо́й и҆ плѣне́нїе люді́й мои́хъ возврати́тъ, не по мздѣ̀, ни по дарѡ́мъ, речѐ гдⷭ҇ь саваѡ́ѳъ.
[The Septuagint reads], “You are God, and we knew it not.” The words “we knew it not,” spoken in the person of those of old who did not know him, occur only in the Septuagint. The Hebrew is different and is rendered by Aquila, “God then is strong and hidden, God that saves Israel,” and by Theodotion, “Therefore a strong secret God preserves Israel.” It is remarkable how [Isaiah] calls Christ a hidden God and gives the reason clearly as to why he calls him God alone among the ones begotten after the First and Unbegotten, namely, the dwelling of the Father in him.…According to this, then, the true and only God must be One and alone owning the name in full right. The Second, by sharing in the being of the true God, is thought worthy to share his name, not being God in himself or existing apart from the Father, but altogether being, living and existing as God, through the presence of the Father in him. [He is] one in being with the Father, and constituted God from him and through him, holding his being as well as his divinity not from himself but from the Father.
Proof of the Gospel 5:4
And the direction of its execution: I have raised, to worthiness, him, Cyrus, using the past tense for the future, to carry out justice concerning the Chaldeans: in all your ways think on him, and he will direct your steps (Prov 3:6); and he promises the liberation: he, namely, Cyrus, shall build, promising and paying the expenses for building, below: you were sold gratis, and you shall be redeemed, without money (Isa 52:3).
Commentary on Isaiah
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Egypt has laboured [for thee]; and the merchandise of the Ethiopians, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall pass over to thee, and shall be thy servants; and they shall follow after thee bound in fetters, and shall pass over to thee, and shall do obeisance to thee, and make supplication to thee: because God is in thee; and there is no God beside thee, [O Lord].
Οὕτω λέγει Κύριος σαβαώθ· ἐκοπίασεν Αἴγυπτος καὶ ἐμπορία Αἰθιόπων, καὶ οἱ Σεβωεὶμ ἄνδρες ὑψηλοὶ ἐπὶ σὲ διαβήσονται καὶ σοὶ ἔσονται δοῦλοι καὶ ὀπίσω σου ἀκολουθήσουσι δεδεμένοι χειροπέδαις καὶ διαβήσονται πρός σε, καὶ προσκυνήσουσί σοι καὶ ἐν σοὶ προσεύξονται, ὅτι ἐν σοὶ ὁ Θεός ἐστι καὶ οὐκ ἐστι Θεὸς πλὴν σοῦ·
Та́кѡ гл҃етъ гдⷭ҇ь саваѡ́ѳъ: ᲂу҆трꙋди́сѧ є҆гѵ́петъ и҆ кꙋ̑пли є҆ѳїѡ́пскїѧ, и҆ саваі́мстїи мꙋ́жїе высо́цыи къ тебѣ̀ пре́йдꙋтъ и҆ тебѣ̀ бꙋ́дꙋтъ рабѝ, и҆ в̾слѣ́дъ тебє̀ по́йдꙋтъ свѧ́зани ᲂу҆́зами рꙋчны́ми, и҆ пре́йдꙋтъ къ тебѣ̀ и҆ покло́нѧтсѧ тебѣ̀, и҆ въ тебѣ̀ помо́лѧтсѧ, ꙗ҆́кѡ въ тебѣ̀ бг҃ъ є҆́сть, и҆ рекꙋ́тъ: нѣ́сть бг҃а ра́звѣ тебє̀:
But consider this also in relation to the homoousion [that the Son is of the same essence as the Father], how the Spirit says to Isaiah, “God is in you, and there is no God outside of you.”
Against Arius 1A.27
Would you receive yet a third testimony to Christ’s godhead? Hear Isaiah saying, “Egypt has labored, and the merchandise of Ethiopia,” and soon after, “In you shall they make supplication, because God is in you, and there is no God except you. For you are God, and we knew it not, the God of Israel, the Savior.” You see that the Son is God, having in himself God the Father, saying almost the very same which he has said in the Gospels. … And again he has not said, “I and the Father am one” but “I and the Father are one,” that we should neither separate them nor make a confusion of Son-Father.
Catechetical Lecture 11:16
14–17(Verse 14 onwards) Thus says the Lord: The labor of Egypt and the trade of Ethiopia and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you and be yours; they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. They will plead with you, saying: Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides you. Truly you are a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior. All of them are put to shame and are confounded; the makers of idols go in confusion together. Israel has been saved by the Lord with eternal salvation: you will not be confounded, and you will not be ashamed forever. LXX: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Egypt has labored, and the merchandise of Ethiopia and the Sabaeans: men of stature shall come over to you, and they shall be yours, they shall follow you in chains, and they shall come over to you, and they shall adore you, and they shall pray to you: for in you is God, and there is no other God beside you. You are indeed God, and we did not know it: the God of Israel, the Savior: let all his adversaries be confounded and ashamed, and let them walk in confusion. In this place, those who follow the story say that Egypt and the nations of Ethiopia and the Sabaeans, who are beyond Ethiopia, served Cyrus and were subject to him. And they understood by a marvelous victory that the Lord was in him, and there was no other God besides him who dwelt in him. But this that follows, 'Truly you are a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior,' how can it apply to the person of Cyrus, I do not understand. Unless, perhaps, they use the edition of Theodotion, who translated, 'In you is strength, and there is no other God besides you: therefore you are a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior.' Whatever way they twist it, they will not be able to escape the snares of truth. For if they make God to be in Cyrus, and there is no other besides him who is God in Cyrus, how can it be said of the person of Cyrus, 'Truly you are a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior?' Therefore, God in whom God is, our Lord Jesus Christ is understood more rightly and truly, who speaks in the Gospel: I and the Father are one (John 10:30). He who is called God, hidden because of the sacrament of assumed body, and the God of Israel the Savior, which is interpreted as Jesus. For it is he who, according to the Angel Gabriel, will save his people (Luke 1). Indeed, all were confused and ashamed together. Specifically, the scribes and the Pharisees. And the fabricators of error went away in confusion, who spread lies throughout the whole world, saying that it was stolen from the Apostles. But Israel, saved in the Lord with eternal salvation, refers to the chorus of the Apostles and those who believed through the Apostles. Therefore it is said to them: You will not be confused or ashamed, not only in this present age, but also in the future. It is not doubted that Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Sabaeans, great and lofty men, served him, when they see the world subjected to him, and from the names of a few nations dwelling at the ends of the earth, they see that all the corners of the heavens and all the shores of the earth will believe in him. From where 'Cessarelabor of Egypt' is called, elegantly as if to those who are laboring in the error of idolatry. For no other nation was so dedicated to idolatry and worshipped so many countless wonders as Egypt, of which we read above (19:1): 'Behold, the Lord will ascend on a light cloud, and will enter Egypt, and the idols of Egypt will be moved from his presence, and the heart of Egypt will waste away within it.' Moreover, what is added in the Septuagint: 'Be renewed to me, O islands,' we can explain in this way, that the churches gathered from the Gentiles are renewed in Christ, and are called islands because they endure the madness of persecutors and the storms, and, being founded upon the rock, are not shaken by the mass of whirlwinds. The Hebrews foolishly strive to assert, up to the point where it is read: There is only in you, God, and there is no God outside of you, God, neither to Jerusalem, nor to Cyrus to be called. However, what follows: Truly you are a hidden God, the God of Israel the Savior, suddenly turns into an apostrophe to the omnipotent God, even though it is clear to the foolish that there is one connected context of the discourse, and that the meaning cannot be divided, which is linked in the very order and reason of the narration.
Commentary on Isaiah
865. Third, where it says, thus says the Lord, he promises the exaltation of the liberated as to three things.
First, as to the adherence of foreigners, setting out their adherence: the labor of Egypt, their riches, and they themselves, as to the many who had followed them: ten men of all languages of the Gentiles shall take hold (Zech 8:23); or he says this of those who adhered to Christ; labor, in idolatry will cease, the earthly business; and the subjection of the adherents: they shall walk after you, subject to you, with hands bound with manacles, that is, chains for binding hands, as if to say: so humiliated before you like those who are bound in such a manner; or with the chains of the precepts of Christ, below: they shall come bowing down to you (Isa 60:14); and he sets out the confession of truth: only in you, namely, they will say this.
Commentary on Isaiah
For thou art God, yet we knew [it] not, the God of Israel, the Saviour.
σὺ γὰρ εἶ Θεός, καὶ οὐκ ᾔδειμεν, ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ ᾿Ισραὴλ σωτήρ.
ты́ бо є҆сѝ бг҃ъ, и҆ не вѣ́дѣхомъ, бг҃ъ і҆и҃левъ сп҃съ.
Hidden, not visible like our gods; the savior, not weak: he made darkness his covert (Ps 18:11).
Commentary on Isaiah
All that are opposed to him shall be ashamed and confounded, and shall walk in shame: ye isles, keep a feast to me.
αἰσχυνθήσονται καὶ ἐντραπήσονται πάντες οἱ ἀντικείμενοι αὐτῷ καὶ πορεύσονται ἐν αἰσχύνῃ. ἐγκαινίζεσθε πρός με, νῆσοι.
Постыдѧ́тсѧ и҆ посра́мѧтсѧ всѝ проти́вѧщїисѧ є҆мꙋ̀ и҆ по́йдꙋтъ въ стꙋдѣ̀: ѡ҆бновлѧ́йтесѧ ко мнѣ̀, ѻ҆́строви.
Second, he shows their exaltation as to the confusion of their enemies: they are all confounded: the nations shall see, and shall be confounded at all their strength (Mic 7:16).
Commentary on Isaiah
Israel is saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation: they shall not be ashamed nor confounded for evermore.
᾿Ισραὴλ σώζεται ὑπὸ Κυρίου σωτηρίαν αἰώνιον· οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσονται οὐδὲ μὴ ἐντραπῶσιν ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος ἔτι.
І҆и҃ль спаса́етсѧ ѿ гдⷭ҇а спⷭ҇нїемъ вѣ́чнымъ: не постыдѧ́тсѧ, ни посра́мѧтсѧ да́же до вѣ́ка ктомꙋ̀.
Third, as to the perpetual salvation of the Jews: Israel is saved for ever, unless he should sin, or of the spiritual Israel: the king of Israel, the Lord, is in the midst of you, you shall fear evil no more (Zeph 3:15).
Commentary on Isaiah
Thus saith the Lord that made the heaven, this God that created the earth, and made it; he marked it out, he made it not in vain, but formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord, and there is none beside.
Οὕτως λέγει Κύριος ὁ ποιήσας τὸν οὐρανόν, οὗτος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ καταδείξας τὴν γῆν καὶ ποιήσας αὐτήν, αὐτὸς διώρισεν αὐτήν, οὐκ εἰς κενὸν ἐποίησεν αὐτήν, ἀλλὰ κατοικεῖσθαι ἔπλασεν αὐτὴν - ἐγώ εἰμι Κύριος, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι.
Занѐ та́кѡ гл҃етъ гдⷭ҇ь сотвори́вый не́бо, се́й бг҃ъ показа́вый зе́млю и҆ сотвори́вый ю҆̀, то́й раздѣлѝ ю҆̀, не вотщѐ сотворѝ ю҆̀, но на вселе́нїе созда̀ ю҆̀: а҆́зъ є҆́смь гдⷭ҇ь, и҆ нѣ́сть ктомꙋ̀.
For in reality God did not establish the universe in vain or to no purpose but destruction, as those weak-minded people say, but to exist and be inhabited and continue. Therefore the earth and the heaven must exist again after the conflagration and shaking of all things.
On the Resurrection 1:8
18–25(Vers. 18 seqq.) Because this is what the Lord says, the one who created the heavens, the one who formed the earth and made it, the one who established it; he did not create it in vain, but formed it to be inhabited. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I did not speak in secret, in a dark place on the earth. I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek me in vain.' I am the Lord, speaking truth, declaring what is right. Gather together and come, draw near, you who have been saved from the nations. They have no knowledge, those who carry about their wooden idols and pray to a god who cannot save. Announce, and come, and counsel together: Who has declared this from the beginning, and from then on predicted it? Is it not I, the Lord? There is no other God besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return: 'To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.' Therefore, in the Lord, it is said: My justice and power belong to me; they will come to him, and all who oppose him will be put to shame. In the Lord, all the descendants of Israel will be justified and praised. LXX: Thus says the Lord who made the heavens: this is the God who revealed the earth and made it, he prepared it: he did not make it empty, but formed it to be inhabited. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, nor in a dark place on the earth. I have not spoken in secret, in a place of a land of darkness: I have not said to the seed of Jacob: Seek me in vain. I am the Lord that speak justice, that declare right things. Assemble yourselves, and come, and draw near together, ye that are saved of the Gentiles: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven work, and pray to a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and come, and consult together: who hath declared this from the beginning, who hath foretold this from that time? Have not I the Lord, and there is no God else besides me? A just God and a saviour, there is none besides me. Turn to me and you will be saved from the ends of the earth. I am God, and there is no other. By myself I swear: righteousness will go out of my mouth, my words will not be turned away, for every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will swear and confess to God, saying: Righteousness and glory will come to him, and all who separate themselves from the Lord will be put to shame. Every descendant of Israel will be justified and glorified in God. He calls Egypt, and Ethiopia, and the Sabaeans with their exalted men, through whom the salvation of all barbarian nations and the conversion of the whole world to God is shown, God shows His justice; so that the Lord is not only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles. For He is the maker of heaven and earth equally the God of all, and He created the earth for no other reason than that it should be the habitation of mankind who would worship and understand their Creator, and despise all idols. For on Mount Sinai, from its lofty summit, he spoke these words to the listening people: You shall have no other gods before me, nor shall you make for yourself an idol (Exod. XX, 3, 4). But it is better to believe this saying about the preaching of the Gospel: For Moses spoke to the people in the hidden solitude alone. But the sound of the Apostles went forth into the whole world, and their words reached to the ends of the earth (Psal. XVIII). I did not say, he said, that I am seeking the seed of Jacob in vain. For I have promised them the kingdom of heaven, and I spoke first to them: I have come only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matth. XXV, 24). And for this reason I spoke of justice and proclaimed what is right, or the truth, so that, with the images of the Law and the ceremonies set aside, they would follow the truth of the Gospel. But because they did not want to believe and judged themselves unworthy of salvation, therefore I say to the Gentiles: Gather from all over the world; and come and join me, all of you who have been saved from the Gentiles. By which he shows that not all nations will believe immediately, but gradually and in part. Finally, he rebukes those who remained in their former error, saying: They did not know those who lift up the wood of their carved image, and they pray to a God who does not save. And the meaning is: They did not understand my words, burdened by the weight of their idols, and hoping in them, in which there is no salvation. Therefore, the Apostles are commanded to proclaim the truth opportune and importune (2 Timothy 4), and to devise a plan for the salvation of the nations. But, that is, in order that many might be saved, God spoke from the beginning that they should be gathered and come from the nations, and the mouths of all the prophets proclaimed those who spoke the word of the Lord, except for whom there is no other. For the Son is not without Him, but in Him is God. And elegantly He joins together: God is just, not of one nation alone, but of the whole world, to whom He speaks: Turn to me and you shall be saved, all the ends of the earth; this having been fulfilled which the Father promised to the Son: Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as your possession (Psalm 2:8). And He swore by Himself, since His word and judgment are unchangeable, that the declaration which He uttered once concerning the salvation of the nations might not in any way be voided, but that His promise might be fulfilled by His work, saying above: Turn to Me, and you will be saved, all the ends of the earth. He also swore by the Apostle (Heb. 6) that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong consolation; and He also swore that every knee should bow to Him, heavenly, earthly, and infernal, and every tongue should swear by Him among mortal men (Phil. 2). In which it is clearly stated that the Christian people are signified. It is the custom of the Church to bow the knee to Christ: which the Jews, demonstrating the pride of their minds, absolutely do not do. But also every tongue of all barbarian nations, not in synagogues but in the Churches of Christ, confesses God. Moreover, every tongue confessing Christ will speak in the Lord, and will say: 'Mine are righteousness and mine is dominion, not the people of the Jews.' To him all nations will come, and those who previously resisted his Gospel will be put to shame; and all the descendants of Israel will be justified and praised, whose preaching and most fruitful sowing has brought abundant fruit throughout the whole world. Whether according to the Seventy or in every language, swearing and confessing God, it will be said that the righteousness and glory of the whole world come to him, and the Jews who separate themselves from him will be confounded. But those who are descended from the children of Israel and have sprung from the seed of the Apostles, and have believed in Christ, may they have eternal righteousness and glory.
Commentary on Isaiah
(Vers. 18) Because this is what the Lord says, the one who created the heavens, the one who formed the earth and made it, the one who established it; he did not create it in vain, but formed it to be inhabited. I am the Lord, and there is no other. LXX: Thus says the Lord who made the heavens: this is the God who revealed the earth and made it, he prepared it: he did not make it empty, but formed it to be inhabited. I am the Lord, and there is no other. He calls Egypt, and Ethiopia, and the Sabaeans with their exalted men, through whom the salvation of all barbarian nations and the conversion of the whole world to God is shown, God shows His justice; so that the Lord is not only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles. For He is the maker of heaven and earth equally the God of all, and He created the earth for no other reason than that it should be the habitation of mankind who would worship and understand their Creator, and despise all idols.
Commentary on Isaiah
For it says, “thus says the Lord” and not simply an earthly “lord,” for there are many in heaven and earth that ruin this name [the Lord] by overusing it. But he is the one who by nature and in truth is just—he is what he is said to be and derives no false glory from what he has ordained.… For if he who made heaven and earth did not make it in vain but to be inhabited, … then who else other than him can be considered God?
Commentary on Isaiah 4:3.45:18-19
866. For thus says the Lord. Here he sets out the other utility as to the conversion of the gentiles. And concerning this he does three things.
First, he introduces five reasons leading to conversion, the first of which is taken from the creation of things: God himself that formed the earth: who made heaven and earth (Ps 146:6); second, from his love for men, for he gave them the earth as a dwelling place: he did not create it in vain: the heaven of heaven is the Lord's: but the earth he has given to the children of men (Ps 115:16).
Commentary on Isaiah
I have not spoken in secret, nor in a dark place of the earth: I said not to the seed of Jacob, Seek vanity: I, even I, am the Lord, speaking righteousness, and proclaiming truth.
οὐκ ἐν κρυφῇ λελάληκα, οὐδὲ ἐν τόπῳ γῆς σκοτεινῷ· οὐκ εἶπα τῷ σπέρματι ᾿Ιακώβ· μάταιον ζητήσατε. ἐγώ εἰμι ἐγώ εἰμι Κύριος ὁ λαλῶν δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀναγγέλλων ἀλήθειαν.
Не ѡ҆́тай гл҃ахъ, ни въ те́мнѣ мѣ́стѣ землѝ: не реко́хъ пле́мени і҆а́кѡвлю: сꙋ́етнагѡ взыщи́те. А҆́зъ є҆́смь, а҆́зъ є҆́смь гдⷭ҇ь гл҃ѧй пра́вдꙋ и҆ возвѣща́ѧй и҆́стинꙋ.
(Vers. 19) I did not speak in secret, in a dark place on the earth. I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek me in vain.' I am the Lord, speaking truth, declaring what is right. LXX: I have not spoken in secret, nor in a dark place on the earth. I have not spoken in secret, in a place of a land of darkness: I have not said to the seed of Jacob: Seek me in vain. I am the Lord that speak justice, that declare right things. For on Mount Sinai, from its lofty summit, he spoke these words to the listening people: You shall have no other gods before me, nor shall you make for yourself an idol (Exod. XX, 3, 4). But it is better to believe this saying about the preaching of the Gospel: For Moses spoke to the people in the hidden solitude alone. But the sound of the Apostles went forth into the whole world, and their words reached to the ends of the earth (Psal. XVIII). I did not say, he said, that I am seeking the seed of Jacob in vain. For I have promised them the kingdom of heaven, and I spoke first to them: I have come only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matth. XXV, 24). And for this reason I spoke of justice and proclaimed what is right, or the truth, so that, with the images of the Law and the ceremonies set aside, they would follow the truth of the Gospel.
Commentary on Isaiah
I drew up laws about these things for them and did not speak in riddles, nor did I speak in a weighty tone but lightly and clearly. As a result, the Lord came down on Mount Sinai in the form of fire. There were darkness, storms, smoke and the piercing sound of trumpets.
Commentary on Isaiah 4:3.45:18-19
“I speak righteousness and proclaim truth.” Righteousness, as I take it, means the law, for the law is the arbitrator of righteousness. And truth is the discipline of Christ. For there is a form of truth in the law, and the mystery of Christ lies concealed in its shadows, for Moses wrote about this. So, in speaking of righteousness, truth and power are proclaimed along with it, since it is true that the law is a shadow—and yet in it there remains a form of the truth.
Commentary on Isaiah 4:3.45:18-19
[Isaiah] has said this to mock the delusion of idols. For their votaries used certain practices of sorcery. They took darkness as an auxiliary for deceit and, from the bottom of some secluded and obscure place, they said whatever they wished and deceived their listeners, all the while saying that it was the idols who uttered that voice. As for me, on the contrary, he says, when I gave the law, as whenever I prophesied, I have spoken openly.
Commentary on Isaiah 14:45.19
Third, from the manifestation of truth foretold: I have not spoken in secret, as if to say, the things that natural reason prescribes are to be done, or of the preaching of the Christian faith: I have spoken openly to the world (John 18:20); fourth, from the utility of his precepts: I have not said to the seed of Jacob: seek me in vain: in keeping them there is a great reward (Ps 19:11); fifth, from the equity of his precepts: I am the Lord that speak justice, below: I, that speak justice (Isa 63:1).
Commentary on Isaiah
Assemble yourselves and come; take counsel together, ye that escape of the nations: they that set up wood, [even] their graven image, have no knowledge, nor they who pray to gods that do not save.
συνάχθητε καὶ ἥκετε, βουλεύσασθε ἅμα οἱ σωζόμενοι ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν, οὐκ ἔγνωσαν οἱ αἴροντες τὸ ξύλον γλύμμα αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ προσευχόμενοι ὡς πρὸς θεούς, οἳ οὐ σῴζουσι.
Собери́тесѧ и҆ прїиди́те, совѣща́йтесѧ вкꙋ́пѣ, спаса́емїи ѿ ꙗ҆зы̑къ. Не разꙋмѣ́ша воздви́жꙋщїи дре́во и҆зваѧ́нїе своѐ и҆ молѧ́щесѧ богѡ́мъ, и҆̀же не спаса́ютъ.
(Vers. 20) Gather together and come, draw near, you who have been saved from the nations. They have no knowledge, those who carry about their wooden idols and pray to a god who cannot save. LXX: Assemble yourselves, and come, and draw near together, ye that are saved of the Gentiles: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven work, and pray to a god that cannot save. But because they did not want to believe and judged themselves unworthy of salvation, therefore I say to the Gentiles: Gather from all over the world; and come and join me, all of you who have been saved from the Gentiles. By which he shows that not all nations will believe immediately, but gradually and in part. Finally, he rebukes those who remained in their former error, saying: They did not know those who lift up the wood of their carved image, and they pray to a God who does not save. And the meaning is: They did not understand my words, burdened by the weight of their idols, and hoping in them, in which there is no salvation.
Commentary on Isaiah
But Emmanuel appeared who led with courage those who were snared. He endured for us the death of the flesh so that as Isaiah says in an evangelical way, the scattered children of God would be gathered into one … to gather, that is, to be bound together in one faith and like-mindedness. [They are] gathered by God the ruler of all through holiness and righteousness … and “brought near through the blood of Christ.” … For it is through faith that understanding grows so that it is not in doubt. Even though faith might be undermined by deceit of ill counsel or led astray into ruin by ancient wickedness, we can quickly return to God and receive the light of the true divine knowledge and with a deliberation that comes from an upright mind constantly pursue the better things. Consider then and take counsel, all who have been saved from among the nations.
Commentary on Isaiah 4:3.45:20
867. Second, where it says, assemble yourselves, he enjoins upon the Jews the calling of the gentiles, recalling their salvation: assemble yourselves, as though to hear my precept, you that are saved, liberated from the captivity to the gentiles, below: I will send of them that shall be saved, to the Gentiles (Isa 66:19); he also sets out the necessity of the calling, namely, the error of the gentiles, they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven work: you shall see in Babylon gods of gold, and of silver, and of stone, and of wood borne upon shoulders, causing fear to the Gentiles (Bar 6:3).
Commentary on Isaiah
If they will declare, let them draw nigh, that they may know together, who has caused these things to be heard from the beginning: then was it told you. I am God, and there is not another beside me; a just [God] and a Saviour; there is none but me.
εἰ ἀναγγελοῦσιν, ἐγγισάτωσαν, ἵνα γνῶσιν ἅμα τίς ἀκουστὰ ἐποίησε ταῦτα ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς· τότε ἀνηγγέλη ὑμῖν· ἐγὼ ὁ Θεός, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλος πλὴν ἐμοῦ· δίκαιος καὶ σωτὴρ οὐκ ἔστιν πάρεξ ἐμοῦ.
А҆́ще возвѣстѧ́тъ, да прибли́жатсѧ, да ᲂу҆вѣ́дѧтъ вкꙋ́пѣ, кто̀ слы̑шана сотворѝ сїѧ̑ и҆спе́рва; Тогда̀ возвѣсти́сѧ ва́мъ: а҆́зъ бг҃ъ, и҆ нѣ́сть и҆но́гѡ ра́звѣ менє̀, првⷣнъ и҆ сп҃си́тель, нѣ́сть кромѣ̀ менє̀.
(Vers. 21) Announce, and come, and counsel together: Who has declared this from the beginning, and from then on predicted it? Is it not I, the Lord? There is no other God besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. LXX: Tell ye, and come, and consult together: who hath declared this from the beginning, who hath foretold this from that time? Have not I the Lord, and there is no God else besides me? A just God and a saviour, there is none besides me. Therefore, the Apostles are commanded to proclaim the truth opportune and importune (2 Timothy 4), and to devise a plan for the salvation of the nations. But, that is, in order that many might be saved, God spoke from the beginning that they should be gathered and come from the nations, and the mouths of all the prophets proclaimed those who spoke the word of the Lord, except for whom there is no other. For the Son is not without Him, but in Him is God.
Commentary on Isaiah
21–22There is among them no true knowledge of the things to come, but rather they prophesy falsely, and with clownish talk and deception and trickery and nothing else. The God of the universe responds: If they prophesy rightly, they will come close and will know at the same time. For if they are able to prophesy rightly, then they will all be brought together as one. For their oracles came from many places. But some worked others into a frenzy and honored the unclean demons who were speaking falsehood. If they had been able to prophesy rightly, they would all be aware of what is to come and who from the very start made these things to be heard.
Commentary on Isaiah 4:3.45:21-22
With these and innumerable other texts of the same kind, in which the Lord our God is proclaimed as merciful and just, is shown how much his mercy must be loved and how much his justice must be feared.… Therefore, if there are those whom the pious goodness of God does not free from the domination of sin in this present world, his just severity condemns them in the future. From this it comes about that the evil ones are tirelessly admonished for their salvation by the divine words lest they remain in the servitude of sin, but they are exhorted rather to seek the mercy of a just God while they are in this life.… Therefore, his mercy must be loved and his justice feared by both the good and the wicked, lest either the good, loving the mercy of God, do not fear his justice and fall into the traps of the devil who seduces, or the wicked, considering only the severity of his justice, do not seek the blessing of his mercy when they can find it in their life, and so hardened, not only reject the forgiveness of sins but also do not cease to multiply sins.
On the Forgiveness of Sins 1:8.1-9:1
He enjoins the declaration of his praise: tell, in which he enjoins the office, consult together, how you ought to convert others: declare his glory among the Gentiles (Ps 96:3); who has declared, in which he teaches them the proof of his divinity for converting others, namely from his foreknowledge of future things. And he sets out the reasoning and the conclusion, where it says, have not I, therefore, etc.; he declares the things that are past, and the things that are to come (Sir 42:19).
Commentary on Isaiah
Turn ye to me, and ye shall be saved, ye that [come] from the end of the earth: I am God, and there is none other.
ἐπιστράφητε ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ καὶ σωθήσεσθε, οἱ ἀπ᾿ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεός, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλος.
Ѡ҆брати́тесѧ ко мнѣ̀ и҆ спасе́тесѧ, и҆̀же ѿ кра́ѧ земна́гѡ: а҆́зъ є҆́смь бг҃ъ, и҆ нѣ́сть и҆но́гѡ.
Or as Symmachus puts it: “Run to me and be saved, all the extremities of the earth.” You see how he proclaims the catholic gospel to all the nations.
Commentary on Isaiah 2:29
(Vers. 22) Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. LXX: Turn to me and you will be saved from the ends of the earth. I am God, and there is no other. And elegantly He joins together: God is just, not of one nation alone, but of the whole world, to whom He speaks: Turn to me and you shall be saved, all the ends of the earth; this having been fulfilled which the Father promised to the Son: Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as your possession (Psalm 2:8).
Commentary on Isaiah
868. Third, he invites the gentiles to conversion.
And first, the invitation is set out: be converted: be converted to me (Zech 1:3).
Commentary on Isaiah
By myself I swear, righteousness shall surely proceed out of my mouth; my words shall not be frustrated; that to me every knee shall bend, and every tongue shall swear by God,
κατ᾿ ἐμαυτοῦ ὀμνύω, ἦ μὴν ἐξελεύσεται ἐκ τοῦ στόματός μου δικαιοσύνη, οἱ λόγοι μου οὐκ ἀποστραφήσονται, ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ καὶ ἐξομολογήσεται πᾶσα γλῶσσα τῷ Θεῷ
Кленꙋ́сѧ мно́ю сами́мъ, а҆́ще не и҆зы́детъ и҆зо ᲂу҆́стъ мои́хъ пра́вда, словеса̀ моѧ̑ не возвратѧ́тсѧ: ꙗ҆́кѡ мнѣ̀ покло́нитсѧ всѧ́ко колѣ́но, и҆ и҆сповѣ́стсѧ всѧ́къ ѧ҆зы́къ бг҃ови, глаго́лѧ:
Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. [Isaiah 45:23] So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [Isaiah 45:23]
The coming of our Savior Jesus Christ fulfilled the goal of this prophecy, after which, in his church, all people, who have been brought together from throughout the world, have been taught to bend their knee to God in prayer.
Commentary on Isaiah 2:29
(Vers. 23) By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return: 'To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.' LXX: By myself I swear: righteousness will go out of my mouth, my words will not be turned away, for every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will swear and confess to God, saying. And He swore by Himself, since His word and judgment are unchangeable, that the declaration which He uttered once concerning the salvation of the nations might not in any way be voided, but that His promise might be fulfilled by His work, saying above: Turn to Me, and you will be saved, all the ends of the earth. He also swore by the Apostle (Heb. 6) that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong consolation; and He also swore that every knee should bow to Him, heavenly, earthly, and infernal, and every tongue should swear by Him among mortal men (Phil. 2). In which it is clearly stated that the Christian people are signified. It is the custom of the Church to bow the knee to Christ: which the Jews, demonstrating the pride of their minds, absolutely do not do. But also every tongue of all barbarian nations, not in synagogues but in the Churches of Christ, confesses God.
Commentary on Isaiah
For it is written, “As I live,” says the Lord, “every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not, therefore, judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no one put a stumbling block, or occasion to fall, in his brother’s way.
The Catholic and Manichaean Ways of Life 14:32
“I am God, and there is no other God apart from me, the righteous one and savior. There is none beside me.” These words clearly teach us the homoousion. For if the Father is God as the Son is God, the Father savior as the Son is savior, the prophetic text applies these things univocally; it makes extremely clear that their essence is identical.… If the Father is speaking these things, the Son is excluded from these titles and is not homoousios. Or the Son is the one speaking and the Father does not have them. But if God is the Father and God is the Son and the Father is savior and the Son savior, that is why it is said in the singular that there is no other God and savior beside him.
Commentary on Isaiah 14:45.20-21
“They will be justified in the Lord, and all the seed of the sons of Israel will be glorified in God.” It does not say all the seed of Israel but “all the seed of the sons of Israel.” The “sons of Israel” are those who are descended from Israel. Their seed is those judged worthy of salvation from among the nations. It is, indeed, thanks to those among the Jews who believed that their descendants received the seed of the teaching and harvested the fruit of salvation.
Commentary on Isaiah 14:45.25
Second, he foretells their conversion, setting out the sign of adoration: I have sworn by myself, for I have nothing greater by which I might swear (Heb 6:13); it shall not return, without effect, below: so shall my word be, which shall go forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me void (Isa 55:11). Every knee shall be bowed to me, by Christians, for this is the manner of adoring the Redeemer, according to John Damascene, in the name of Jesus every knee should bow (Phil 2:10); he also sets out the sign of swearing, every tongue shall swear, for everyone swears by his god: all they shall be praised that swear by him (Ps 63:11).
Commentary on Isaiah
saying, Righteousness and glory shall come to him: and all that remove them from their borders shall be ashamed.
λέγων· δικαιοσύνη καὶ δόξα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἥξουσι καὶ αἰσχυνθήσονται πάντες οἱ ἀφορίζοντες ἑαυτούς·
пра́вда и҆ сла́ва къ немꙋ̀ прїи́детъ: и҆ посра́мѧтсѧ всѝ ѿлꙋча́ющїисѧ.
(Vers. 24) Therefore, in the Lord, it is said: My justice and power belong to me; they will come to him, and all who oppose him will be put to shame. LXX: Righteousness and glory will come to him, and all who separate themselves from the Lord will be put to shame. Moreover, every tongue confessing Christ will speak in the Lord, and will say: 'Mine are righteousness and mine is dominion, not the people of the Jews.' To him all nations will come, and those who previously resisted his Gospel will be put to shame.
Commentary on Isaiah
He also sets out the sign of true confession: therefore shall he say: in the Lord, that is, in the person of the Lord; my, namely, God's, justices and empire: to him be glory and empire (Rev 1:6); or my, namely, the Church's, justices, the figures of the law of the Jews.
Third, he foretells the confusion of the unbelievers: they shall come to him, as if to be judged, who will not come as believers, in the day of judgment.
Commentary on Isaiah
By the Lord shall they be justified, and in God shall all the seed of the children of Israel be glorified.
ἀπὸ Κυρίου δικαιωθήσονται καὶ ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ἐνδοξασθήσονται πᾶν τὸ σπέρμα τῶν υἱῶν ᾿Ισραήλ.
Ѿ гдⷭ҇а ѡ҆правдѧ́тсѧ, и҆ ѡ҆ бз҃ѣ просла́витсѧ всѐ сѣ́мѧ сынѡ́въ і҆и҃левыхъ.
(Vers. 25) In the Lord, all the descendants of Israel will be justified and praised. LXX: Every descendant of Israel will be justified and glorified in God. And all the descendants of Israel will be justified and praised, whose preaching and most fruitful sowing has brought abundant fruit throughout the whole world. Whether according to the Seventy or in every language, swearing and confessing God, it will be said that the righteousness and glory of the whole world come to him, and the Jews who separate themselves from him will be confounded. But those who are descended from the children of Israel and have sprung from the seed of the Apostles, and have believed in Christ, may they have eternal righteousness and glory.
Commentary on Isaiah
Fourth, the salvation of the believers: in the Lord shall all the seed of Israel, not only according to the flesh, but according to faith, be justified: let them that rise up against me be confounded (Ps 109:28).
Commentary on Isaiah
Thus saith the Lord God to my anointed Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, that nations might be obedient before him; and I will break through the strength of kings; I will open doors before him, and cities shall not be closed.
ΟΥΤΩ λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῷ χριστῷ μου Κύρῳ, οὗ ἐκράτησα τῆς δεξιᾶς ἐπακοῦσαι ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ ἔθνη, καὶ ἰσχὺν βασιλέων διαρρήξω, ἀνοίξω ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ θύρας, καὶ πόλεις οὐ συγκλεισθήσονται.
Си́це гл҃етъ гдⷭ҇ь бг҃ъ пома́занномꙋ моемꙋ̀ кѵ́рꙋ, є҆го́же ᲂу҆держа́хъ за десни́цꙋ, повинꙋ́ти пред̾ ни́мъ ꙗ҆зы́ки, и҆ крѣ́пость царе́й разрꙋшꙋ̀, ѿве́рзꙋ пред̾ ни́мъ врата̀, и҆ гра́ди не затворѧ́тсѧ: