Micah 3

Indeed, the prophets repeatedly charged the people, saying, “Hear, you rulers of Sodom,” and “Your princes are faithless.” And again Micah: “Is it not for you to know justice?” In fact, everywhere they vehemently upbraided them. What, then? Will someone on that account find fault with God? Perish the thought! The fault, in truth, is with them. Moreover, what better proof could one offer that you do not know the law, than that of your failure to obey it?

Homilies on John 52

1–4

(Chapter III, verses 1 and following) And I said: Listen, leaders of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel. Is it not for you to know judgment, you who hate good and love evil, who violently take off their skin from them, and their flesh from their bones, who have eaten the flesh of my people, and have stripped off their skin from them, and have broken their bones and cut them up like meat in a pot. Then they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time, because they have acted wickedly in their deeds. Clearly, this speech is directed against the princes of Israel, and under the metaphor of lions or robbers, their cruelty is described: that they have plundered the poor, killed them, broken their flesh and bones, and afflicted the miserable people of Jerusalem as if in the midst of a pot. And because of these things, punishment will be brought upon them later on the day of captivity, either by Nebuchadnezzar or by Vespasian and Titus. And they cry out to the Lord, but He does not hear them, and He hides His face from them, because they have acted wickedly in their crimes.

LXX: And he will say: Listen to these things, leaders of the house of Jacob, and the rest of the house of Israel. The idea clings to what precedes. For he had said before: But the Lord will be a leader, and he will say: Listen, leaders of the house of Jacob, and the rest of the house of Israel. Regarding the rest of the house of Israel, except for the Seventy, all the leaders of the house of Israel have passed away. Therefore, the Lord who made a way for his people, and went before them, is the leader of the simpler journey of the people, whom he calls a flock: to those who do not want to follow the easier path, but act arrogantly, and do not follow the footsteps of that judge of the people, he threatens and says: Listen, leaders of the house of Jacob, and leaders of the house of Israel. But why is it that they are determined to hear? It is not your place, he says, to know judgment, you who hate good and seek evil: that is, you do not deserve to understand the judgment that is a bottomless pit; and the twisted mind of justice does not find the depths of his righteousness. Or how can you know the judgment of God, you who hate good, how can you know the judgment of God, you who hate good and seek evil, you who detest the holy poor, and honor sinful rich? At the same time, let us consider the significance of words: to not love good is a sin; how great a wickedness is it to even hate? And conversely, if one does not flee from evil, it is a fault; how great an impiety is it to even diligently inquire? After this, the cruelty of judges is described, and the cruelty towards those who are subject.

LXX: They will take their skins from them, and their flesh from their bones. Just as they devoured the flesh of my people, and peeled the skin from them, and broke their bones, and cut them up like meat in a kettle, so they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not listen to them, and he will turn his face away from them at that time, because they have acted wickedly in their inventions. It was not enough to plunder the helpless flock; they also afflicted their bodies with a harsh rule, and broke their bones, so that they would break and crush whatever happened to be in them. So how they plundered my people and stripped them of all beauty and adornment of skin, and put flesh and bones into a boiling pot, which the Assyrian king lit, delivering my flock to the devil and his angels: so they themselves, when the day of vengeance comes, will cry out to the Lord, and they will not be heard, because they did not hear those who were praying: and they will stretch out their hands to the Lord, and God will turn his face away from them, because they also turned their face away from those who were praying. And all these things suffer, because they acted very badly in their studies and pleasures: and they were not kings, but tyrants: not leaders, but lions: not masters of disciples, but wolves of sheep, and they satisfied themselves with flesh, and they became fat, and like the fattest victim of slaughter, and prepared for the punishments of the Lord. So far against evil rulers: but the following discourse is against false prophets and very bad teachers, who deceive the people of God with flattery, promising knowledge of the Scriptures.

Commentary on Micah

1–2

He delivers this address to the leaders: those entrusted with judgment trampled on justice; hence he puts it in the form of a question, Was it not you who had responsibility for judging, for punishing the guilty and letting the innocent go free without blame? How did you, then, who were entrusted with administering the laws, turn from the practice of good works and ardently support evil? You exercised such greed in regard to the needy as to strip them of all their possessions (suggesting this by saying “robbing people of their skins and the flesh from their bones”).

Commentary on Micah 3:1-4

5–6

“The sun will go down” upon those prophets who lead my people astray, dwelling in darkness. “It will be night for you, without vision, and it will be dark for you, without dawn.” “For, when [the spirit] goes out of a man, it goes about wandering.” It does this quite by nature. [The Lord] rendered this judgment with regard to [the people]: “Thus will it be for this generation.” That is, in the days of the prophets the evil spirit had gone out from them, [that spirit] that was sin itself.

Commentary of Tatian’s Diatessaron 11:8

5–8

(V. 5 seq.) This is what the Lord says about the prophets who deceive my people: they bite with their teeth and proclaim peace. But if someone does not give them something to eat, they declare war against him. Therefore, night will be for you instead of a vision and darkness instead of divination. The sun will go down on the prophets and the day will be darkened for them. Those who see visions will be put to shame, and the diviners will be confounded. They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God. However, I am filled with the power of the spirit of the Lord, with justice and strength, to proclaim Jacob's wickedness and Israel's sin. LXX: Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who deceive my people, who bite with their teeth and proclaim peace, but there is no word from their mouths. They have sanctified a battle against him. Therefore, night shall be to you instead of vision, and darkness instead of divination. The sun shall go down on the prophets, and the day shall be dark for them. Those who see dreams shall be confused, and the soothsayers shall be mocked. All these will speak against them because there is no one who listens to them. Only I will fill them with the power of the spirit of the Lord, with justice and strength, to proclaim Jacob's wickedness and Israel's sins. We read that there were false prophets in Israel, who, because they lacked the gift of peace, which was not given to them, preached, and if someone did not give gifts, even if he was holy, they would announce that the wrath of God would come upon him. Therefore, it is now said to them that they speak falsehoods, and their words are not prophecy, but false divination: they do not have light, but darkness and error. And when the opposite of what they promised is fulfilled, then they will be covered in confusion, because, it is said, there was no answer from God.

Now neither can the power of demons deceive, to deceive them by their own deceit. The oracles will be silent, the unclean spirit will be silent, and it will not dare to mock. This is about false prophets. Again, a speech is introduced about the prophet speaking of himself, while they falsely predict, and with confusion and disgrace hidden, I, who speak, speak from the Holy Spirit, and I speak the judgment of the Lord and the power of truth. And when false prophets bite with their teeth and proclaim peace, I fearlessly proclaim the wickedness of Jacob and the sin of Israel; for they have worshipped either idols or crucified the Son of God. But if we wish to follow the Septuagint, which is said concerning heretics who are truly false prophets and say, 'Thus says the Lord,' and the Lord did not send them, we will not be led astray. For they deceive the people of God by their former error, and they do this in order to consume them, either simply by accepting gifts or mystically in the slaughter of their souls, and they promise them peace and heavenly kingdoms and say, 'You do not need to live constantly and holy, have faith in what we teach and you will attain all the promises of the Lord.' Those who speak these things, rather than appeasing the wrath of the Lord, actually provoke it and sanctify the battle against them. Therefore, O heretics, who think you have prophecy, and you imitate the Church of God, where you deem there to be vision, there it will harm you; and where you boast of prophetic prediction, there the unclean spirit will speak. For the sun of justice will kill such prophets, and they will see their darkness and be confounded. And when they are shown to be more divine than prophets, they will laugh at their dreams, and the people who were previously deceived by them will speak against them. Then even the teachers themselves will repent, and no one will listen to them except me whom they have offended. And because I am merciful and do not desire the death of the sinner (Ezek. XVIII), but rather want them to turn back and live, when I hear them, I will give them the power of my spirit, and I will fill them with my judgment and strength, so that those who previously deceived the people with flattery will later deter them by proclaiming the truth and lead them back to the right path, and those who were the cause of error will begin to heal the wounds they have inflicted and become a source of healing. Take note, in the present place, that someone can be taught after sin, if indeed they have washed away their previous sins with worthy penance. Hence, even David speaks after adultery and murder in the psalm: You will sprinkle me with hyssop and I shall be cleansed; You will wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. He is not satisfied with his own purity alone, but adds: Restore to me the joy of your salvation and strengthen me with a generous spirit. And when you have done this, he says, I will teach the wicked your ways, and the impious will be converted to you (Psalm 50).

Commentary on Micah

If, further, one works through the twelve minor prophets, many testimonies to the Holy Spirit are to be found. Thus Micah speaks as God’s mouthpiece and says, “Truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord.” Joel cries, “ ‘And it shall come to pass afterwards,’ says God, ‘that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh’ ” and what follows. Haggai said, “ ‘For I am with you,’ says the Lord of hosts … ‘my Spirit remained among you.’ ” And in like manner Zechariah says, “Receive my words and my statutes which I commanded my servants the prophets.”

Catechetical Lecture 15:29

9–12

(Verse 9 onwards) Hear this, rulers of the house of Jacob, and judges of the house of Israel: you who abhor justice and pervert all that is right, who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity. Its rulers give judgment for a bribe, its priests teach for a fee, its prophets divine for money, yet they lean upon the Lord and say, 'Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us.' Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field, Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height. LXX: Hear this, you leaders (or judges) of the house of Jacob and the remnant of the house of Israel, who despise justice and pervert all that is right; who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity. Its leaders make judgments for a bribe, its priests teach for a price, and its prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the Lord and say, 'Is not the Lord in our midst? No disaster will come upon us.' Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem will be a watchman's hut, and the mountain of the Lord will be a wooded hill. No one doubts that Jerusalem, because of the crimes described in this chapter, was overthrown, and that a warning had preceded to either the judges or the false prophets: Listen, leaders of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel. And after a few verses: Thus says the Lord about the prophets who deceive my people, and the rest: now, generally and against the judges, and against the false prophets, and against the priests, and against those who promised themselves knowledge of God, the prophetic discourse is woven, and it accuses them that because of their crimes, Zion will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem will collapse like a heap of stones, and the mountain of the temple will become a high forest. We see the fulfillment of what was said: the eloquence of the lips is proven by the eyes; the testimony of prophecy is seen. This very testimony is also written in the volume of Jeremiah (Jer. 26), where mention is made of the prophet Micah and the devastation of Jerusalem. The judges and rulers of the house of Jacob, and the house of Israel, that is, the twelve tribes, not only did not administer justice, but they abhorred it and twisted everything that was right, so that not even a little justice remained in the city. Those who built Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity, plundering the poor, killing the innocent, and slaying the saints. And if any of the princes seemed to judge what was right, they would sell their verdict, and they would judge based on bribes. The priests also did not teach the people unless they received payment; and when it is said to the holy ones, 'You have received for free, give for free' (Matt. X, 8), they, bringing forth money as payment, sold the grace of the Lord for a greedy wage. And after these evils, not understanding their sin, they would pretend to redeem the love of God with their wickedness, saying that they were judges, priests, and prophets of God, and according to their unrepentant heart they would say: The Lord is among us, and no evils will come upon us. Therefore, because they did not repent, and the entire people followed the vices of the leaders, priests, and prophets, Zion will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem will become a heap of stones, and the temple, which once shone with gold and silver, will collapse into complete ruin. These things happened against the Jewish people, whose true captivity and extreme destruction, and not only because of previous crimes, but especially because of the shedding of the Lord's blood, were inflicted. Hence Zion was plowed like a field, and Jerusalem was turned into mounds of stones, and that once noble and towering temple was reduced to ashes. But if anyone applies these things that are said about Jerusalem and Zion to the Church (for it is indeed the house of Jacob and the house of Israel, according to what is written in Isaiah: 'Jacob, my servant, I will uphold him' - Isaiah 41:8), And that to Timothy: That you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church (1 Tim. 3:15), this will clearly see that the rulers of the house of Jacob, and the rest from the house of Israel (or, as it is better written in Hebrew) the judges of the house of Israel, are none other than bishops, presbyters, and deacons, who, unless they diligently keep their hearts guarded, abhor judgment and overturn all that is right: for when they judge according to the person, and in the dispute of a case the merit of the cause does not hold, but the power of the offenders, do they not abhor judgment and pervert all that is right? But it can also be understood in another way, that the leaders of the house of Jacob and the judges of the house of Israel detest and reject judgment, turning away from the judgment of God and distorting every rule of the Scriptures with evil interpretations. These people build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with wickedness. For when Scripture commands: 'Do not bring the wicked into the dwelling of the righteous' (Psalm 5), and the Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit: whoever ordains clerics from among their followers and exposes their way of life as a scandal to the people, they are guilty of the unfaithfulness of those who are scandalized (Matthew 18). Where it is said to be expedient for a man, that a millstone be tied around his neck and be thrown into the depth, so as to scandalize one of the least of the Church. And when the prophet Malachi calls the priests angels (Malachi 2), and their mouth is the oracle of the Lord (Deuteronomy 19), they judge without accepting bribes, reading: Gifts blind even the eyes of the wise, and like a bridle on the mouth turn away reproof (Ecclesiasticus 20); and when it is said to the apostles: Do not possess gold, or silver, or brass in your belts (Matthew 10, 9): and let money earned even through labor be cast out of the hands of a holy man, they sell the words of the Lord, and buy doves in the temple. But even the prophets of Jerusalem practiced divination for money, not realizing that prophecy and divination are two different things: for divination is never regarded favorably in the Scriptures. 'There is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel,' says the augur (Num. 23:23). The prophets thought they were prophesying, but because they accepted money, their prophecy became divination. The Apostle Peter declared, 'Silver and gold I do not have' (Acts 3:6). He could have sold what Simon Magus was seeking, or he could have pretended to sell it (for the Holy Spirit cannot be bought or sold), but Peter condemned the money offered to him along with the offerer (Acts 8). Now you see that the prophets of Jerusalem do not have prophecy in their mouths; but they rest in the Lord and say: No evil will come upon us. Their cause, which is God's watchtower, is divided by the hostile plow; and the once peaceful place is filled with ruins, and the temple of the Lord is turned into thorns and thistles, and it becomes a dwelling place for beasts. Let no one be moved by what we read in the first book of Kings, when Saul wanted to go to Samuel and said to his servant that he could not go because he did not have the price to offer for the prophecy. And the servant replied: Behold, I have found in my hand a quarter of a shekel of money, and I will give it to the man of God, and he will tell us our way. For it is not written that Samuel received, or that they offered him, but rather they are fed by the prophet and invited to a meal. But let him receive, the stakes of the tabernacle are more to be valued than the gifts of prophecy. For a shekel is worth twenty obols, and a quarter shekel is worth five obols. And therefore, if our priests want to sell prophecy and offer doves in their chairs, which the Lord overturned with a whip (John 2), let them receive five obols, not the prices of villas. This is also stated in the third book of the Kings, when the wife of Jeroboam, her son being sick, goes to the man of God Achias, and brings him bread and raisins, and a little jar of honey (3 Kings 14). For it is said what she carried with her, and yet it is not written that the prophet received it: for even though he rebuked her and predicted the coming sorrow, those who were accustomed to go to soothsayers (because there were many diviners and soothsayers in Israel) could have mistakenly assumed the same about the prophets, and wished to offer to holy men what they were accustomed to offer to the gods, and to only recount what the prophets desired, without actually bringing what they themselves were either daring to offer or the prophets to receive. The Apostle Paul: Those who serve the altar, he says, partake of the altar and live by it (1 Corinthians 9:13). It is permitted for you, O priest, to live by the altar, not to indulge in luxury. The mouth of the ox that treads out the grain is not muzzled (ibid., 9). We know these things, and yet the Apostle does not abuse this permission: he is content with food and clothing. He labors night and day with his own hands so as not to be a burden to anyone. And he swears in his letters that he has lived in a holy and unselfish manner in the gospel of Christ, and not only of himself, but also of his disciples. He asserts that he has not sent anyone to ask for anything from the churches, nor has he desired to receive anything (1 Thessalonians 3). But if he rejoices in certain Epistles, and calls the gifts of those who send them the kindness of God, he does not collect them so much for himself as for the poor of the saints, who were in Jerusalem. But the holy poor, these were in Jerusalem, who first believed in Christ from the Jews, and were driven out by their parents and relatives, as well as by their affinities, wasting both possessions and all the furnishings of the temple, and had lost everything. If they are such poor people, let them receive. But if a few houses become enriched under the guise of the poor, and we eat gold with glass and clay dishes, or exchange treasures and clothing, or if a poor person does not seek the riches of senators in their attire. What profit is there in not having a linen cloth around the neck to wipe away sweat? What good is it to be a monk and prefer poverty in dress, when our purse is envied by the entire crowd of the poor? Because of this, the reason for our existence, we who are such, who build Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity, who judge for bribes, who answer for rewards, who divine in money, and claiming a false sanctity for ourselves, we say: No evil will come upon us. Let us heed the judgment of the Lord that follows: Zion and Jerusalem, and the mountain of the temple, a watchtower, and a vision of peace, and the temple of Christ in its fulfillment, and in the end, when charity grows cold, and faith becomes rare, as if a field were plowed and turned into mounds, and it will become a high forest or a keeper of fruits: so that where once there were spacious houses and countless heaps of grain, there will scarcely be a small hut preserving the appearance of food, providing nourishment for those who have none.

Commentary on Micah

But when some of those accustomed “to pervert what is right” turn my words aside into what seems best to them, let your holiness not wonder at this. [Know] that those involved in every heresy collect from the divinely inspired Scripture as pretexts of their own divination whatever was spoken truly through the Holy Spirit, corrupting it by their own evil ideas and pouring unquenchable fire upon their very own heads. But since we have learned that some have published a corrupt text of the letter of our all-glorious father, Athanasius, to the blessed Epictetus, a letter which is itself orthodox, so that many are done harm from it, thinking that for this reason it would be something useful and necessary for our brothers, we have sent to your holiness copies of it made from the ancient copy which is with us and is genuine.

Letter 39:8

You are permitted, O priest, to “live,” not to luxuriate from the altar. “The mouth of the ox which treads out the corn is not muzzled.” Yet the apostle “abused not the liberty,” but “having food and raiment” was “thereby content,” laboring night and day that he “might not be chargeable to anybody.” And in his epistles he calls God to witness that he “lived reverently” and without avarice in the gospel of Christ. He asserts this too not of himself alone but of his disciples, that he had sent no one who would either ask or receive anything from the churches. But if in some epistles he expresses pleasure and calls the gifts of those who sent them the grace of God, he gathers not for himself but for the “poor saints at Jerusalem.” But these poor saints were those who of the Jews first believed in Christ and being cast out by parents, kinsmen and connections had lost their possessions and all their goods, the priests of the temple and the people destroying them. Let such poor receive. But if on plea of the poor a few houses are enriched and we eat in gold, glass and china, either let us with our wealth change our habit or let not the habit of poverty seek the riches of senators. What avails the habit of poverty while a whole crowd of poor longs for the contents of our purse? Wherefore, “for our sake” who are such, “who build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem by iniquity, who judge for gifts, give answers for rewards, divine for money,” and thereon claiming to ourselves a fictitious sanctity say, “Evil will not come upon us,” hear the sentence of the Lord which follows: “Zion and Jerusalem and the mountain of the temple”—that is, the temple of Christ—“shall” (in the consummation and the end, when “love shall grow cold” and the faith shall be rare) “be plowed as a field and become heaps as the high places of a forest,” so that where once were ample houses and countless ears of corn there should only be a poor cottage, keeping up the show of fruit which has no refreshment for the soul.

Commentary on Micah 1:3.11

Isaiah lived almost a thousand years ago and saw Zion in its primitive form. The city was still standing, beautified with public squares and clothed in honor; yet he says, “Zion shall be plowed like a field.” He was foretelling what has been fulfilled in our day. Observe the exactness of the prophecy; for he said, “Daughter Zion shall be left like a hut in a vineyard, like a shed in a cucumber patch.” Now the place is full of cucumber patches. Do you see how the Holy Spirit enlightens the saints? Therefore do not be distracted by a common term but hold fast to what is exactly true.

Catechetical Lecture 16:18

Hence again the divine Micah was unable to brook the building of Zion with blood, however you interpret the phrase, and of Jerusalem with iniquity. Meanwhile, these heads of the house of Jacob abhorred justice. The priests were teaching for hire. The prophets were prophesying for money! What does Micah say will be the result of this? “Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall be as a storehouse of fruit, and the mountain of the house shall be as the grove of the forest.” He bewails also the scarcity of the upright, there being scarcely a stalk or a gleaming grape left, since both the prince asks and the judge curries favor, so that his language is almost the same as the mighty David’s: “Save me, O Lord, for the godly man ceases.” Their blessings shall fail them, for “you consume like a moth what is dear to him.”

In Defense of His Flight to Pontus, Oration 2:58