Malachi 4
Commentary from 16 fathers
But to you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise, and healing [shall be] in his wings: and ye shall go forth, and bound as young calves let loose from bonds.
καὶ ἀνατελεῖ ὑμῖν τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸ ὄνομά μου ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἴασις ἐν ταῖς πτέρυξιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξελεύσεσθε καὶ σκιρτήσετε ὡς μοσχάρια ἐκ δεσμῶν ἀνειμένα.
И҆ возсїѧ́етъ ва́мъ боѧ́щымсѧ и҆́мене моегѡ̀ со́лнце пра́вды и҆ и҆сцѣле́нїе въ крилѣ́хъ є҆гѡ̀: и҆ и҆зы́дете и҆ взыгра́ете, ꙗ҆́коже тельцы̀ ѿ ᲂу҆́зъ разрѣше́ни:
When we begin to sing justice to the Lord, we shall bear away a reward for our work, because the Lord is merciful and just, compassionate and upright. And, … as your holiness teaches us, “We must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one of us may receive the proper things of the body, according as he has done, whether it be good or evil,” because the Lord shall come as a burning furnace and shall burn the wicked like stubble. And to those who fear the name of the Lord, the Sun of justice shall rise, when the wicked shall be punished with the judgment of justice.
Letter 216 (valentine to Augustine)
But do not take the statement that “he sprinkles to the east” as superfluous. From the east came atonement for you; for from there is the man whose name is “East,” who became “a mediator between God and humanity.” Therefore you are invited by this to always look “to the east” where “the Sun of Righteousness” arises for you, where a light is born for you; that you may never “walk in darkness” and that that last day does not seize you in darkness. [Therefore may] the night and fog of ignorance not come upon you unawares, but [may] you always be found in the light of knowledge, always have the day of faith and always preserve the light of love and peace.
Homilies on Leviticus 9:10.2
The elderly Elizabeth gave birth to the last of the prophets, and Mary, a young girl, to the Lord of the angels. The daughter of Aaron gave birth to “the voice in the desert” and the daughter of King David to the Word of the heavenly king. The wife of the priest gave birth to “the angel of his face” but the daughter of David to the strong God of the earth. The barren one gave birth to him who remits sins, but the Virgin gave birth to him who takes them away. Elizabeth gave birth to him who reconciled people through repentance, but Mary gave birth to him who purified the lands of uncleanness. The elder one lit a lamp in the house of Jacob, his father, for his [lamp] itself was John, while the younger one [lit] “the Sun of justice” for all the nations. The angel announced to Zechariah, so that the slain one would proclaim the crucified one and that the hated one [would proclaim] the envied one. He who was to baptize with water [would proclaim] him who would baptize “with fire and with the Holy Spirit,” and the light which was not obscure [would proclaim] “the Sun of justice.” [The one] filled with the Spirit [would proclaim] concerning him who gives the Spirit. The priest calling with the trumpet [would proclaim] concerning the one who is to come at the [sound of] the trumpet at the end. The voice [would proclaim] concerning the Word, and the one who saw the dove [would proclaim] concerning him upon whom the dove rested, like the lightning before the thunder.
Commentary on Tatian’s Diatessaron
But so that the testimony of your eyes may not seem insufficient, cleanse your ear, bring it close to the heavenly oracles. For every word stands with two or three witnesses. Hear the one saying: Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens for the illumination of the earth. Who says this? God says it. And to whom does He say it if not to the Son? Therefore, God the Father says: Let there be a sun; and the Son made the sun. For it was fitting that the Son of justice should make the sun of the world. So he led him into the light, he himself illuminated him, he himself granted him the power to create light. Therefore the sun was made; therefore it too serves, for it is said: You have founded the earth, and it remains: by your design the day remains, for all things serve you.
The Six Days of Creation
But when you see this, consider its author: when you marvel at this, praise first the creator himself. If the sun, a partner and sharer of creation, is so pleasing, how good is that sun of justice! If this one is so swift, to roam all things with swift courses day and night, how great is he who is everywhere always, and with his majesty fills all things? If the one who is commanded to go forth is admirable, how much more above admiration is he who speaks to the sun, and it does not rise, as we read? If someone is great who travels to different places every day by the hour, what can be said of someone who even when he empties himself so that we can see him, is the true light that enlightens every person coming into this world? If he is the most excellent one, who often suffers setbacks for the sake of the world; how majestic is he who says: 'Once more I will shake the earth'? The earth hides him; its motion cannot endure unless supported by the substance of his will. If it is a loss for a blind person to not see the grace of the sun; how much more is it a loss for a sinner, deprived of the gift of true light, to endure the darkness of perpetual night?
The Six Days of Creation
And because his faith and devotion were invincible, the Lord revealed to him secret mysteries, touching the width of his thigh; because from his seed the Lord Jesus was to descend from the Virgin, who was neither unequal nor unequal to God; the width of the thigh signified the cross of him who astoundedly died, because the forgiveness of sin, spread throughout the whole world, would be beneficial to all who, astonished by their own body and given sleep, would grant resurrection to the dead. Hence not undeservedly rose the sun of holy Jacob, upon whose race the saving cross of the Lord shone brightly; for he is the sun of justice, who beholds God; for he is the eternal light.
But Jacob limped from his hip: For this reason, the sons of Israel do not eat the tendon to this day. Oh, if they had eaten and believed! But because they were not going to do the will of God, they did not eat. There are also those who take it this way, that Jacob limped from one hip because, with two peoples flowing from his generation, the wonder of one was already declaring himself to be about to become about the grace of faith. He is therefore the people who limped in the astonishment of treachery.
On Jacob and the Blessed Life
A person who has no knowledge of the sea could not sail in full daylight with such confidence and ease as the helmsman sails in the middle of the night, when the sea shows itself in a more formidable mood. Why is this? The helmsman is wide-awake and quite calm as he puts to practice his skill in sailing. He keeps careful watch not only on the pathways of the sea and the courses of the stars but also on the assaults of the winds. The helmsman’s wisdom and knowledge are great. So it is that many a time when the blast of a more violent gale has struck his ship and is about to swamp it, he has the wisdom to make many a quick change in the angle of his sails. He runs before the wind and puts an end to all danger from the gale. By pitting his skill against the violence of the winds’ blasts, he snatches his vessel from the storm. Those sailors voyage over waters we can see and hear and feel. Although they are searching for this world’s goods, they continuously keep their minds watchful and alert. All the more must we keep ourselves prepared in the same way they do. Surely the careless person faces a greater danger, while the sober one is more secure. This ship of ours is not constructed of timbers but is joined fast together with the divine Scriptures. The stars in the sky do not guide us on our way, but the Sun of justice steers our ship on its course. As we sit at the tiller, we are not waiting for the blasts of wind. We are waiting for the gentle breath of the Spirit.
Against the Anomoeans, Homily 7:5-6
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.” The Lord has made all days, of course, but other days may belong as well to the Jews, and heretics too; they may even belong to the heathens. The Lord’s day, however, the day of the resurrection, the day of Christians, is our day. It is called the Lord’s day because on this day the Lord ascended to the Father as victor. But when the heathen call it the day of the sun, we are most happy to acknowledge their title, for today has risen “the Sun of justice with its healing wings.” Does the sun really have wings? Let the Jews answer, and those who, like them, accept only a literal interpretation of holy Writ. We say, whoever has been under the wings of this sun who has said in the Gospel, “How often would I have gathered the children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but thou would not,” shall be safe from the devil hawk, safe under the great wings of that mighty eagle in Ezekiel, and all the wounds of his sins shall be healed.
Homily (94) on Easter Sunday
(Verse 2) But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. LXX: But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. On the contrary, it is said what will happen to those who fear the name of God: And the sun of justice shall rise upon you, who ((elsewhere: because)) will judge all things truly: and neither good nor evil, neither virtues nor vices, shall be able to remain hidden. And health shall be in His wings, to carry the repentant on His shoulders, according to what is written in Deuteronomy: Spreading His wings, He has received them, and has carried them on His shoulders. (Deut. XXII, 11). Then those who are now included in the world as if in prison will go out, and they will leap like calves from the herd, or like calves freed from chains. Hence the Apostle says: I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ (Philippians 1:23), so that he may go out and leap like a calf freed from chains, and like a victim of the Lord.
Commentary on Malachi
This applies both to the first coming of our Savior and the second: in the first he rose like a kind of sun for us who were seated in darkness and shadow, freed us from sin, gave us a share in righteousness, covered us with spiritual gifts like wings, and provided healing for our souls. In the second coming for those worn out in the present life he will appear either in accord with their will or against it, and as a just judge he will judge justly and provide the promised good things. Just as the material sun in its rising awakens to work those in the grip of sleep, so in his coming he raises up those in the grip of the long sleep of death.
Commentary on Malachi 4:2
It is not without any reason or by any chance that we worship toward the east. On the contrary, since we are composed of a visible and an invisible nature, of an intellectual nature and a sensitive one, that is, we also offer a twofold worship to the Creator. It is just as we also sing both with our mind and our bodily lips, and as we are baptized both in water and in the spirit, and as we are united to the Lord in two ways when we receive the sacrament and the grace of the spirit. And so, since God is spiritual light and Christ in sacred Scripture is called “Sun of justice” and “Orient,” the east should be dedicated to his worship. For everything beautiful should be dedicated to God, from whom everything that is good receives its goodness. Also, the divine David says, “Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; sing you to the Lord, who mounts above the heaven of heavens, to the east.” And still again, Scripture says, “And the Lord had planted a paradise in Eden to the east; wherein he placed man whom he had formed,” and whom he cast out, when he had transgressed, “and made him to live over against the paradise of pleasure,” or in the west. Thus when we worship God, we long for our ancient homeland and gaze toward it. The tabernacle of Moses had the veil and the propitiatory altar to the east; and the tribe of Judah, as being the more honorable, pitched their tents on the east; and in the celebrated temple of Solomon the gate of the Lord was set to the east. As a matter of fact, when the Lord was crucified, he looked toward the west, and so we worship gazing toward him. And when he was taken up, he ascended to the east, and thus the apostles worshiped him. And thus he shall come in the same way as they had seen him going into heaven, as the Lord himself said: “As lightning comes out of the east and appears even into the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” And so, while we are awaiting him, we worship toward the east.
Orthodox Faith 4:12
Quite plainly, of course, the case was just the other way. The god was never a symbol or hieroglyph representing the sun. The sun was a hieroglyph representing the god. Primitive man (with whom my friend Dombey is no doubt well acquainted) went out with his head full of gods and heroes, because that is the chief use of having a head. Then he saw the sun in some glorious crisis of the dominance of noon on the distress of nightfall, and he said, “That is how the face of the god would shine when he had slain the dragon,” or “That is how the whole world would bleed to westward, if the god were slain at last.”
A Miscellany of Men, The Priest of Spring (1912)
When once a god is admitted, even a false god, the Cosmos begins to know its place: which is the second place. When once it is the real God the Cosmos falls down before Him, offering flowers in spring as flames in winter. “My love is like a red, red rose” does not mean that the poet is praising roses under the allegory of a young lady. “My love is an arbutus” does not mean that the author was a botanist so pleased with a particular arbutus tree that he said he loved it. “Who art the moon and regent of my sky” does not mean that Juliet invented Romeo to account for the roundness of the moon. “Christ is the Sun of Easter” does not mean that the worshipper is praising the sun under the emblem of Christ. Goddess or god can clothe themselves with the spring or summer; but the body is more than raiment. Religion takes almost disdainfully the dress of Nature; and indeed Christianity has done as well with the snows of Christmas as with the snow-drops of spring. And when I look across the sun-struck fields, I know in my inmost bones that my joy is not solely in the spring, for spring alone, being always returning, would be always sad. There is somebody or something walking there, to be crowned with flowers: and my pleasure is in some promise yet possible and in the resurrection of the dead.
A Miscellany of Men, The Priest of Spring (1912)
And ye shall trample the wicked; for they shall be ashes underneath your feet in the day which I appoint, saith the Lord Almighty.
καὶ καταπατήσετε ἀνόμους, διότι ἔσονται σποδὸς ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ᾗ ἐγὼ ποιῶ, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ.
и҆ поперетѐ беззако́нники, и҆ бꙋ́дꙋтъ пе́пелъ под̾ нога́ми ва́шими въ де́нь, во́ньже а҆́зъ сотворю̀, гл҃етъ гдⷭ҇ь Вседержи́тель.
(Verse 3) And you shall trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. LXX: And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. And he is not content with the end of this joy; but he will trample on the wicked when they become ashes. Hence, there is also an imprecation for the righteous: But the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet swiftly (Romans 16:20). Abraham spoke to the Lord, feeling himself to be like the ashes of divine majesty: 'I am dust and ashes' (Gen. XVIII, 27); and therefore he will see the sun of justice, and will rest among its chosen ones, and carried by him, he will be raised up to the heavens. But he, through pride, said: 'I will set my throne above the stars, I will be like the Most High' (Isai. XIV, 13); he will be cast down to the earth, and will be like ashes under the feet of the holy ones, when the day of the Lord of judgment comes.
Commentary on Malachi
And, behold, I will send to you Elias the Thesbite, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes;
καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστελῶ ὑμῖν ᾿Ηλίαν τὸν Θεσβίτην, πρὶν ἢ ἐλθεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν Κυρίου τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐπιφανῆ,
Помѧни́те зако́нъ мѡѷсе́а раба̀ моегѡ̀, ꙗ҆́коже повелѣ́хъ є҆мꙋ̀ въ хѡри́вѣ ко всемꙋ̀ і҆и҃лю повелѣ̑нїѧ и҆ ѡ҆правда̑нїѧ.
(Verse 4.) Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Likewise in the Septuagint. The just retribution in the future will be righteous, when the flame will devour and burn the root and offspring of the proud, and the sun of righteousness will rise for those who fear the Lord, with healing in its wings. Therefore remember the law of Moses my servant, which I gave him on Mount Horeb, which is Sinai, for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. But the Apostle says: We know that the law is spiritual (Rom. VII, 14); and blessed David: Open my eyes, and I will consider the wonders of your law (Ps. CXVIII, 18); and because all ate the heavenly manna in a spiritual manner, and the whole people of Israel drank from the same spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. (I Cor. X, 3, 4); those who believe in Christ must spiritually observe the precepts of the law, which were given in Horeb (which means dryness), through which the moisture of all vices is dried up, and to the rays of the sun of justice, the rheum of lust is dried. But the Lord spoke to all of Israel, who understands with their heart God, and of whom it is said in the Gospel: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matt. 5:8).
Commentary on Malachi
In addition to all that has been said I transmit this final command to you so that you may keep in mind my law that I gave to the whole of Israel through Moses, having clearly stated that they must observe it in detail. The first token of obedience you will provide, then, will be acceptance of the coming of Christ the Lord, who comes for the salvation of all people. He will bring the law to an end and make clear his own way of perfection. It would therefore be good for you immediately and at the outset to believe in him at his appearance and acknowledge him to be the one that Moses and all the prophets predicted as bringing an end to the law and revealing the salvation of all in common.
Commentary on Malachi 4:1-2
After the prophecy, Malachi says, “Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel,” and he makes a passing reference to “precepts and judgments.” This emphasizes the declaration he had just made about the immense difference there is to be between the observers and the breakers of the law. The prophet’s further purpose was that his readers might learn to give a spiritual interpretation to the law, finding in it Christ the judge who is to make the distinction between the good and the wicked. For it was not without reason that Christ said to the Jews, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me also, for he wrote of me.” It was, in fact, of their purely material interpretation of the law and of their failure to perceive that its temporal promises were but symbols of eternal rewards that they broke into such rebellious resentfulness as to say, “He labors in vain that serves God, and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinances and that we have walked sorrowful before the Lord of hosts? Wherefore now we call the proud people happy, for they that work wickedness are built up.” It was such complaints as these that compelled the prophet to anticipate, as it were, the last judgment in which the wicked will be so far from even a pretense of happiness that their misery will be apparent to all, whereas the good, untroubled by even transitory sorrow, will enjoy a manifest and unending beatitude. Malachi had already given a similar illustration of the kind of murmurings that wearied the Lord: “Every one that does evil is good in the sight of the Lord and such please him.” The only point I want to make is that such murmurings against God were the result of an unspiritual interpretation of the law.
City of God 20.28
who shall turn again the heart of the father to the son, and the heart of a man to his neighbour, lest I come and smite the earth grievously.
ὃς ἀποκαταστήσει καρδίαν πατρὸς πρὸς υἱὸν καὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ, μὴ ἐλθὼν πατάξω τὴν γῆν ἄρδην.
И҆ сѐ, а҆́зъ послю̀ ва́мъ и҆лїю̀ ѳесві́тѧнина, пре́жде прише́ствїѧ днѐ гдⷭ҇нѧ вели́кагѡ и҆ просвѣще́ннагѡ,
I fully expect these heretics to seize upon the example of Elijah as reincarnated in John the Baptist, and thus they would have become our Lord espousing the doctrine of reincarnation. “Elijah indeed has come, and they knew him not.” And again, “And if you are willing to receive it, here is Elijah who was to come.” Was the question of the Jews to John, “Are you Elijah?” to be understood in a Pythagorean sense and not in reference to the divine pronouncement: “Behold, I send you Elijah, the Tishbite”? But their theory of transmigration refers to the recall of a soul that had died long before and to its insertion in some other body. Elijah, however, is to return not after leaving this life by death, not to be returned to his body, since he never left it, but he will come back to the world from which he has been removed. He will return not to take up a life he had left off but for the fulfillment of a prophecy. He will come back as Elijah, with the same name. How, then, could John be Elijah? The voice of the angel tells us: “And he shall go before the people in the spirit and power of Elijah,” not in the soul or body of Elijah. These substances are the specific property of each man, while “spirit and power” are extrinsic gifts conferred by the grace of God, and so they may be transferred to another according to the will of God as happened long ago with respect to the spirit of Moses.
On the Soul 36:6
We must after all this turn our attention to those scriptures also which forbid our belief in such a resurrection as is held by your Animalists (for I will not call them Spiritualists), that it is either to be assumed as taking place now, as soon as men come to the knowledge of the truth, or else that it is accomplished immediately after their departure from this life... Who has yet beheld Jesus descending from heaven in like manner as the apostles saw Him ascend, according to the appointment of the two angels? [Acts 1:11] Up to the present moment they have not, tribe by tribe, smitten their breasts, looking on Him whom they pierced. [John 19:37; Zechariah 12:10] No one has as yet fallen in with Elias; [Malachi 4:5] no one has as yet escaped from Antichrist; [1 John 4:3] no one has as yet had to bewail the downfall of Babylon. [Revelation 18:2] And is there now anybody who has risen again, except the heretic? He, of course, has already quitted the grave of his own corpse — although he is even now liable to fevers and ulcers; he, too, has already trodden down his enemies — although he has even now to struggle with the powers of the world. And as a matter of course, he is already a king — although he even now owes to Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's. [Matthew 22:21]
On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Chapter 22
But since the Savior was the beginning of the resurrection of all people, it was fitting that the Lord alone should rise from the dead, by whom too the judgment is to enter the whole world, that they who have wrestled worthily may be also crowned worthily by him, by the illustrious Arbiter. [That is, he] himself first accomplished the course, and was received into the heavens, and was set down on the right hand of God the Father, and is to be manifested again at the end of the world as judge. It is a matter of course that his forerunners must appear first, as he says by Malachi and the angel, “I will send to you Elijah the Tishbite before the Day of the Lord, the great and notable day, comes; and he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, lest I come and smite the earth utterly.” These, then, shall come and proclaim the manifestation of Christ that is to be from heaven; and they shall also perform signs and wonders; in order that people may be put to shame and turned to repentance for their surpassing wickedness and impiety.
On the Antichrist 46
Who of those who hear Jesus say of John, “If you wish to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come,” would not inquire how John says to those who ask, “Are you Elijah?” “I am not”? Will he not also inquire how one ought to consider John himself to be Elijah who is to come, according to Malachi’s statement: … “And behold, I am sending you Elijah the Tishbite before the great and renewed Day of the Lord comes, who will restore the heart of the father to his son and the heart of a man to his neighbor, lest I come and smite the earth utterly”?
Commentary on the Gospel of John 6:62
And what is the source of your belief that Elijah who is to come will baptize? He did not even baptize the wood on the altar in the times of Ahab, when it needed a bath that it might be burned up when the Lord appeared in the fire. He commanded the priests to do this, and not only once, for he says, “Do it a second time, when also they did it for a second time.” And “Do it a third time, when also they did it a third time.” How, then, will he who did not baptize at that time but gave the task to others, baptize when he has come in fulfillment of things said by Malachi? Christ therefore does not baptize in water but his disciples. He reserves for himself the act of baptizing with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Commentary on the Gospel of John 6:125
"And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God" He speaks of Elias the prophet, who is the precursor of the times of Antichrist, for the restoration and establishment of the churches from the great and intolerable persecution. We read that these things are predicted in the opening of the Old and New Testament; for He says by Malachi: "Lo, I will send to you Elias the Tishbite, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, according to the time of calling, to recall the Jews to the faith of the people that succeed them." And to that end He shows, as we have said, that the number of those that shall believe, of the Jews and of the nations, is a great multitude which no man was able to number. Moreover, we read in the Gospel that the prayers of the Church are sent from heaven by an angel, and that they are received against wrath, and that the kingdom of Antichrist is cast out and extinguished by holy angels; for He says: "Pray that ye enter not into temptation: for there shall be a great affliction, such as has not been from the beginning of the world; and except the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved." Therefore He shall send these seven great archangels to smite the kingdom of Antichrist; for He Himself also thus said: "Then the Son of man shall send His messengers; and they shall gather together His elect from the four corners of the wind, from the one end of heaven even to the other end thereof." For, moreover, He previously says by the prophet: "Then shall there be peace for our land, when there shall arise in it seven shepherds and eight attacks of men; and they shall encircle Assur," that is, Antichrist, "in the trench of Nimrod," that is, in the nation of the devil, by the spirit of the Church. Similarly when the keepers of the house shall be moved. Moreover, the Lord Himself, in the parable to the apostles, when the labourers had come to Him and said, "Lord, did not we sow good seed in Thy field? whence, then, hath it tares? answered them, An enemy hath done this. And they said to Him, Lord, wilt Thou, then, that we go and root them up? And He said, Nay, but let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, that they gather the tares and make bundles of them, and burn them with fire everlasting, but that they gather the wheat into my barns." The Apocalypse here shows, therefore, that these reapers, and shepherds, and labourers, are the angels. And the trumpet is the word of power. And although the same thing recurs in the phials, still it is not said as if it occurred twice, but because what is decreed by the Lord to happen shall be once for all; for this cause it is said twice. What, therefore, He said too little in the trumpets, is here found in the phials. We must not regard the order of what is said, because frequently the Holy Spirit, when He has traversed even to the end of the last times, returns again to the same times, and fills up what He had before failed to say. Nor must we look for order in the Apocalypse; but we must follow the meaning of those things which are prophesied. Therefore in the trumpets and phials is signified either the desolation of the plagues that are sent upon the earth, or the madness of Antichrist himself, or the cutting off of the peoples, or the diversity of the plagues, or the hope in the kingdom of the saints, or the ruin of states, or the great overthrow of Babylon, that is, the Roman state.
Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John
5–6(Ver. 5, 6.) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes: and he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. LXX: Behold, I will send you Elijah the Tishbite, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes: he will turn the heart of the father to the son, and the heart of man to his neighbor; lest I come and strike the earth completely. After Moses (whose commands we have taught are to be observed spiritually), Jesus says that Elijah must be sent: in Moses, the Law, in Elijah, signifying prophecy, as Abraham said to a certain wealthy man dressed in purple: They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them (Luke 16:29). And the Lord and Savior, transfigured on the mountain, was speaking with Moses and Elijah in radiant clothing, who were also telling him what he would suffer in Jerusalem (Mark 9): for the Law and the chorus of all the prophets proclaim the passion of Christ. Therefore, before the day of judgment comes, and the Lord strikes the earth with a curse, either utterly or suddenly, as the LXX translated it (for this signifies ἀρδὴν), the Lord will send Elijah (who is interpreted as 'my God' and is from the city of Thesbi, which means 'conversion' and 'repentance') to convert the hearts of the fathers to the children, namely, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and all the patriarchs, so that their descendants may believe in the Lord and Savior, in whom they also believed. For Abraham saw the day of the Lord and rejoiced (John 8:56), that is, the heart of the father to the son, that is, the heart of God to every one who has received the spirit of adoption. And the heart of the children to their fathers, like the Jews and Christians, who now disagree among themselves, may they agree equally in the religion of Christ. Hence it is said to the apostles, who spread the seed of the Gospel throughout the whole world: For your fathers have begotten sons for you (Ps. 44:17). For if Elijah does not convert the heart of the fathers to the children beforehand, and the heart of the children to their fathers, when the great and terrible day comes (great for the saints, terrible for sinners), the true and just judge will strike, not the heavens, nor those who dwell in heaven, but the earth with a curse, those who perform earthly works. The Jews and the Judaizing heretics believe that Elijah will come before their own Messiah and will restore all things. Hence, in the Gospel, a question is posed to Christ: Why do the Pharisees say that Elijah will come? To which He responded: Elijah will indeed come, and if you believe, he has already come, referring to John the Baptist as Elijah.
Commentary on Malachi
Remember the law of my servant Moses, accordingly as I charged him [with it] in Choreb for all Israel, [even] the commandments and ordinances.
μνήσθητι νόμου Μωσῆ τοῦ δούλου μου, καθότι ἐνετειλάμην αὐτῷ ἐν Χωρὴβ πρὸς πάντα τὸν ᾿Ισραὴλ προστάγματα καὶ δικαιώματα.
и҆́же ᲂу҆стро́итъ се́рдце ѻ҆тца̀ къ сы́нꙋ и҆ се́рдце человѣ́ка ко и҆́скреннемꙋ є҆гѡ̀, да не прише́дъ поражꙋ̀ зе́млю въ коне́цъ.
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. [Malachi 4:6] And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
For, behold, a day comes burning as an oven, and it shall consume them; and all the aliens, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that is coming shall set them on fire, saith the Lord Almighty, and there shall not be left of them root or branch.
ΔΙΟΤΙ ἰδοὺ ἡμέρα Κυρίου ἔρχεται καιομένη ὡς κλίβανος καὶ φλέξει αὐτούς, καὶ ἔσονται πάντες οἱ ἀλλογενεῖς καὶ πάντες οἱ ποιοῦντες ἄνομα καλάμη, καὶ ἀνάψει αὐτοὺς ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ ἐρχομένη, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ, καὶ οὐ μὴ ὑπολειφθῇ ἐξ αὐτῶν ῥίζα οὐδὲ κλῆμα.
Ꙗ҆́кѡ сѐ, де́нь грѧде́тъ горѧ́щь ꙗ҆́кѡ пе́щь и҆ попали́тъ ѧ҆̀, и҆ бꙋ́дꙋтъ всѝ и҆ноплемє́нницы и҆ всѝ творѧ́щїи беззакѡ́ннаѧ ꙗ҆́кѡ сте́блїе: и҆ возжже́тъ ѧ҆̀ де́нь гдⷭ҇ень грѧды́й, гл҃етъ гдⷭ҇ь Вседержи́тель, и҆ не ѡ҆ста́нетсѧ ѿ ни́хъ ко́рень нижѐ вѣ́твь.