Commentary on Isaiah 1 part 61/65

For the grace that comes from Him shall never fail us, at no time or in any way.

'Keep judgement, do righteousness.'

'For My salvation is near to come, and My mercy to be revealed.' Concerning the calling of the nations through faith — that is, the faith which is in Christ — he has made long discourses a little above; and having brought this to a conclusion, he passes again to the necessity of admonishing those who are of the blood of Israel.

For being good by nature, He wills that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

But since it was their custom to raise their brow and think highly of themselves on account of the nobility of their fathers — on this very thing, and this alone — and to suppose that these things would suffice for them, even if the boast of a virtuous life were seen not to belong to them, he attempts to persuade them fully that their pride over this will be altogether vain, and rather declares that those attain a glory befitting God who choose to fulfil what has been ordained, and who love to lay claim to splendour in works.

'Therefore keep,' he says, 'judgement' — that is, right judgement, or the divine ordinances, and plainly the commandments.

For it will not suffice merely to be willing to hold fast to the divine laws, while departing from the necessity of carrying them out;

but one must be seen to be a guardian of the sacred ordinances, and moreover to be distinguished by every good work.

But lest anyone of our own number should suppose that by these words those of Israel are being incited to the observance of the Law — the Law, I mean, as consisting in shadows and types —

for no one is justified in the Law before God, as the most excellent Paul has written to certain people;

he says that the salvation is near, and that His mercy is to be revealed.

And by 'mercy' and 'salvation' he names Christ;

for we have obtained mercy through Him, gaining the remission and salvation that come through faith.

We say that what was spoken is like to this —

(variant: 'this is like to what was spoken') — by God to the blessed Habakkuk:

'Yet a little while, He that comes shall come, and shall not tarry.' And by 'to be revealed' he means 'to be made manifest';

for the blessed prophets foretold beforehand the coming of the Saviour;

but He became manifest to those upon the earth in the times in which the Sovereign willed;

'The Lord has made known His salvation, before the nations He has revealed His righteousness.' For Christ has been made manifest to the nations, who is salvation and righteousness; for as I said just now, God the Father has both saved and justified us in Him.

'Blessed is the man that does these things, and the son of man that holds fast to them, and keeps My Sabbaths so as not to profane them, and keeps his hands from doing any unrighteousness.' These things also are akin to what has just now been said by us, and proceed by the like manner; yet the word contains much watchful attention.

For consider how he says that blessed is not, by any means, the one who is of the seed of Abraham, nor indeed the one who boasts in flesh and noble descent and holds a vain conceit over this, but rather that one in whom there is seen to inhere excellence in good things, and the bright and conspicuous dignity of an undefiled life.

Something of this kind, too, the blessed Baptist John is seen to have cried aloud to the crowds of the Jews;

for they came to him honouring the baptism that was from him — but it was a baptism of repentance — and being exceedingly bitter, he sharply reproved them, saying:

'Offspring of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say within yourselves:

We have Abraham as our father.' And He says:

'If you had Abraham as your father, you would do the works of Abraham.' Blessed, therefore, he says, is not whoever is a son of Abraham, but the one who keeps these things;

and what are these things? Judgement and righteousness; and beyond this, keeping and rightly accomplishing them, and holding fast to them — that is, not proceeding to them carelessly or slackly, but as it were with all zeal and vigour, so as even to cling strongly to them, and to keep the Sabbaths so as not to profane them.

Now this rather ought to have been a ceasing from work, since the divine Law so commanded; yet even while resting they offered to God the lawful sacrifices — the letter of the Law hinting enigmatically that those who abstain from fleshly care ought sensibly to offer to God spiritual sacrifices, and those that ascend for a fragrant odour of the spiritual kind.

The observance according to the Sabbath, therefore, in its power fulfilled the type of a ceasing from sins and fleshly desires;

in this manner it behoves us also to guard against profaning the Sabbaths;

for having ceased, as I said, from every earthly and fleshly care, we keep Sabbath spiritually, not performing the sacrifices offered through blood and smoke, but gladdening Him with sacred endeavours, and offering ourselves up for a fragrant odour.

For with such sacrifices God is well pleased, as it is written;

and in what manner, He Himself taught, saying:

'So as not to do any unrighteousness'; for it is not possible to be able to keep judgement and to do righteousness for those who are willing to act unjustly and to defile their hand with the pollutions of sin.

And by 'hand' you will understand not, by any means, that of the body, but in place of the hand the practical activity, according to which we approach each of our affairs.

'Let not the foreigner who has attached himself to the Lord say:

The Lord will surely separate me from this people.'

'And let not the eunuch say, I am a dry tree.'

'Thus says the Lord to the eunuchs:

As many as keep My Sabbaths, and choose the things that I will, and hold fast to My covenant, I will give them in My house and within My wall a place of renown, better than sons and daughters; an everlasting name will I give them, and it shall not fail.' Another haughty brow of those who are of the blood of Israel — that is, an occasion of arrogance, rotten and stale — God pulls down;

for they thought highly of themselves, as I said, saying, 'We have Abraham as our father,' and moreover, 'We are a holy, chosen people, and we have been appointed also unto the inheritance of God.'

And they also fled from childlessness, inasmuch as their forefather Abraham had received from God, in the rank of a blessing, that his seed should be extended into an immeasurable multitude;

for God promised to make it equal in number to the stars.

And it had been said to them also through the all-wise Moses:

'There shall not be among you one that is barren or sterile.' And that fruitfulness in children was reckoned among them a great and choice thing, one of the holy prophets will convince you, saying:

'Their glories are from births and pangs and conceptions.' And that seven women shall lay hold of one man, the prophet Isaiah says;

and they said, 'We will eat our own bread, and wear our own garments; only let your name be called upon us, take away our reproach.' For they did not wish, as I said, to be reproached as childless and barren.

Therefore, since those of Israel were wont to think highly of themselves on account of fleshly nobility, and moreover on account of fruitfulness in children, He of necessity delivers them also from this ignorance, saying:

'Let not the foreigner who has attached himself to the Lord say, The Lord will surely separate me from His people.'

For it is not the case that, because he is a foreigner — that is, not of the blood of Israel — he is on this account also without part in the gifts of grace that come from Him, or in the intimacy with Him, which is plainly spiritual;

but if he attaches himself to the Lord, he shall by all means be ranked among the household and the acknowledged ones, and unto a holy nation, and unto a royal priesthood, and unto the inheritance of God;

and he shall attain his end also among the children of Abraham.

For not all these who are of Israel are Israel, as the all-wise Paul says, neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children; but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed.

for thus was Abraham justified.

Therefore to those who walk in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham it shall by all means be granted to attain their end among the children.

But if anyone is a eunuch, He says — that is, childless or barren — let him not say within himself, 'I am a dry tree'; that is, let him not grieve on account of his childlessness.

For this counts as nothing in God's sight, nor does He declare it a thing to be rejected.

For what manner of virtue is it, or the splendour of what noble deeds, to have many children? These are works of the flesh, far removed from either blame or praise.

For even if to some this gift is granted in the order of a blessing, when the occasion calls for it, yet it would do no wrong to those who have not obtained it.

For what manner of reproach could there be for those who die before their time, or before marriage and union, departing from our affairs before any begetting of children came to them? Yet in a certain way it will profit those who love sin in this life, though they be fathers of many sons and daughters. Let not the one who has no children say, He says, 'I am a dry tree.'

It grieves me not at all — rather I say it is necessary — even now to call to mind those who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven, according to the word of the Saviour, to whom one might most fittingly apply the word given by God in these matters.

By 'a house and a wall' — that is, an enclosure and a security — He seems to call the Church: perhaps the Church above and in the heavens, or else that upon the earth, in which men distinguish themselves who are nurtured together in purity and dignity, who bind upon themselves the boast of continence, who esteem the glory arising from this to be better than many children, and who, as far as concerns the dignity of their manner of life, in no way differ from eunuchs.

These receive from God eternal glory;

and this the name signifies, and the grace that is from Him would not fail in them;

for the rewards of continence are surpassing; only He does not promise the bestowal of such splendid dignities to eunuchs simply, but to those who keep His Sabbaths — that is, Christ's, plainly.

But His Sabbaths, as I said, are other than those of the Law.

For the latter were in types, but the former are made radiant with the beauty of truth.

And since to those who have chosen [the things] which He Himself wills, and who hold fast to His covenant —

For Christ wills, not the things that are in shadows and letters after the manner of the Law, but the things that are in His own covenant;

and it is plain that this means the new and evangelical covenant.

'And to the strangers who cleave to the Lord, to serve Him and to love the name of the Lord, to be His menservants and maidservants, and all who keep My Sabbaths so as not to profane them, and who hold fast to My covenant — I will bring them into My holy mountain, and I will make them glad in the house of My prayer.'

'Their whole burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be acceptable upon My altar.'

'For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations, said the Lord who gathers the scattered of Israel.' And these words too must be joined to the foregoing, that the meaning may be as follows:

'Thus says the Lord to the eunuchs, and to the strangers who cleave to the Lord, to serve Him.'

Therefore He speaks to those from the nations, and by no means only to those of the blood of Israel, who, arching their brow on high, would puff themselves up over the strangers, naming themselves God's portion and inheritance and a holy people;

saying, 'We are blessed, O Israel, for the things pleasing to the Lord are known to us.' It is therefore evident that it is not the power of fleshly nobility that joins a man to God;

for it is not because they were born of Abraham that they remained God's inheritance; but those who cleave to Him would be reckoned into His people through spiritual union — even if some of them be strangers, yet cleaving through faith, and counting the servitude under Him as a boast, and loving His name;

having an unshaken mind, and so keeping His Sabbaths as not to profane them — that is, Christ's, plainly.

For the Jews keep the Sabbath according to the Law, sparing the flesh from all toil and practising an idleness such as pertains to bodily works.

But such a keeping of the Sabbath was rejected in God's sight;

but he who has entered into the rest of Christ, and who keeps the Sabbath spiritually, has rested from his own works.

The all-wise Paul, then, writes thus.

He promises to bring in those who are now strangers into His holy mountain, and to make them glad in the house of His prayer.

Here behold for me the shadow of the Law overthrown, and the oldness of the letter now in some way rendered ineffectual.

For all things have become new in Christ; the old things have passed away.

The Law forbade that strangers should enter into the house of God;

'An Ammonite and a Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord.' But the Saviour and Lord of all, transferring our affairs into spiritual newness, promises to bring the strangers into His own holy house.

For He says the holy mountain is nothing other than His own Church, into which those who have entered are made glad by the gifts of grace from Him, luxuriating plainly therein, and being enriched with the hope of the saints;

and that they shall live as citizens in purity, and shall have the God of all gracious and merciful, He has made clear by saying that 'Their whole burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be acceptable upon My altar.'

But the discourse has been made as from an example and type of the worship according to the Law.

For of old it was the custom of those of Israel to offer up rams and bulls as whole burnt offerings, and to bring sacrifices.

But since, as I said, the shadow has passed away, those called from the nations do not make their approach through blood, but as it were offer themselves in sacrifice to God, dying to the world but living to righteousness, as it is written.

And they shall be acceptable, and for a savour of a sweet smell — some presenting their whole life as it were sacred, so as to be understood in the order of whole burnt offerings;

and others as a partial sacrifice, such as is the life of those who have married in the Lord, who are in a certain manner divided between God and the world.

For the animals brought for sacrifices were not placed whole upon the altars, but rather in half, that is, in part.

And that the divine temple — that is, the house of prayer of the God who is over all — has not been apportioned only to those of Israel, but is rather praised by those throughout all the earth who are called, through conversion and faith, to the knowledge of Him, He establishes plainly by saying, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations.'

Who then is it that thus promises these things beforehand? Is it the divinely-inspired prophet Isaiah, as from his own judgment? By no means.

'For the Lord said it,' He says, 'who gathers the scattered of Israel.'

These, therefore, are the words, and the utterances of Him who has compassion;

for being good by nature, He wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Only, that the greatness of His gentleness was seen not upon those from the nations alone, when Christ shone upon the world, but also upon those of the blood of Israel, would become clear from His declaring plainly, 'The Lord said it, who gathers the scattered of Israel.'

They too, then, had been scattered abroad — and not so much bodily, that is, carried away somewhere outside Judea and being in other cities or lands, but rather as having deserted the lawful commonwealth, and having sprung away from the love toward God;

for they did not keep the commandment that was given;

and we shall find them in very many places even inclining toward the services of idols, honouring God with their lips but having their mind separated far off, and worshipping Him in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

Let not, therefore, the hard-to-guide Israel boast over the strangers;

for they too have been shown mercy from God in like manner;

for they were caught out, not having their genuineness unshaken, nor indeed their moral condition altogether blameless, but rather scattered abroad and dispersed, as I said just now.

'That I will gather against him an assembly.'

'All the wild beasts, come, eat, all the beasts of the forest.'

'See that they are all blinded, and they did not know how to understand.'

For either He calls those from the nations wild and untamed beasts, inasmuch as they had been reared under such a tyrant — the devil, I mean — and were as it were made bestial, and did not live in a human manner;

or else He seems to call 'beasts' those who ravaged Israel and devoured him with their whole mouth, on account of their impiety toward Christ.

And this signifies that all abundance of the sacred gifts has been given to them by Him, and that the life-giving table has been set before them;

for they too have eaten the bread of life, for they have become partakers of Christ, and fellow-members of the body with the saints, so that they even say with joy:

'The Lord shepherds me, and I shall lack nothing; in a place of green pasture, there He has made me dwell; by the water of rest He has nourished me; He has restored my soul.'

'You have prepared a table before me.' And He said also through one of the holy prophets:

'Eat, drink, and be filled, O neighbours.' For those who were far off from God have become near through faith, and they who once wandered astray are filled with the sacred food;

for they killed the Author of life, not receiving the faith, and those who were near became far off, and no longer a people of God, but rather held in abhorrence as slayers of the Lord.

But that God might not appear to be punishing without cause, and demanding penalties for no reason, He immediately sets forth the causes, being guilty of which they were given over to destruction by their enemies — that is, to the beasts for devouring.

'For see,' He says, 'that they are all blinded; they did not know how to understand.'

For truly blind are those of Israel, and above all the rest the Scribes and the Pharisees, and those who obtained the leadership of the Synagogue.

For they did not receive the true light, nor were they willing to know Christ, though He plainly cried out at one time, 'I am the light of the world,' and at another again, 'I have come as light into this world;

he who follows Me shall by no means walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.' Though it was therefore possible to grow rich with the light by receiving faith, this they did not do; but, as the prophet says, 'When they waited for light, it became darkness to them; awaiting the dawn, they walked in gloom.'

And the Saviour Himself also said concerning both them and the peoples under their hand, that 'They are blind and leaders of the blind.' All, therefore, are blinded, He says, and they did not know how to understand.

For in truth it belonged to prudent and understanding men to lay hold quickly of the present opportunity of salvation.

But in respect of their being blind, he says, they were also dumb dogs, unable to bark, dreaming of the bed, loving to slumber.

He frames his discourse concerning them with vivid clarity.

For the dogs that follow the flocks, ever ranging round about in a circle, are stronger than both sleep and slumber.

For if anywhere one of the wild beasts should appear, they bark at it vigorously, and with all their strength they hasten to drive it away from the flocks, and this is their task.

To these it behoves that those who preside over the rational flocks should be like — that is to say, the leaders and teachers — so as to care for those set under them, and to drive away those who in any manner whatsoever wish to do harm, and who carry them off from the love of God, persuading them to make light of the reverence due to Him, and snatching them away to what seems good to themselves.

But those who presided over the Synagogue of the Jews were unwilling to be such.

For rather they were dumb dogs, loving to slumber, and dreaming of the bed.

And although it behoved them to instruct the peoples under their hand in what was profitable, and to drive off the inroads of those accustomed to teach strange doctrines, this they did not do; rather they themselves cast those very peoples into the pits of destruction.

And this the God of all shall teach, saying:

Thy priests said not:

Where is the Lord? And they that held to the Law knew Me not, and the shepherds acted impiously against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal. Therefore, like dogs, they were unwilling to bark at those who assailed the flocks, but they imitated the shamelessness of the dogs, and their not knowing satiety.

For being lovers of wealth, and overcome by shameful gains, and delighting in bribes, they transgressed the law; who even, being ashamed, at times brought down an unjust verdict against those who had done no wrong, while justifying the ungodly — for they knew no satiety, that is to say, no surfeit of shameful gains.

And on these grounds the Saviour Himself also accused them, saying:

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe the mint and the anise and the cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the Law, judgment and mercy and faith. And concerning them the inspired prophet Isaiah also spoke:

How is the faithful city Zion, that was full of judgment, become a harlot! Righteousness lodged in her, but now they are murderers. Thy silver is base; thy vintners mingle the wine with water; thy princes are disobedient, companions of thieves, loving gifts, pursuing recompense, not judging for the orphans, and not attending to the cause of the widows. Yea, and the inspired Habakkuk too, on this very account, all but with tears, cried out to God:

How long, O Lord, O Lord, shall I cry, and Thou wilt not hear? Shall I cry out to Thee, being wronged, and Thou wilt not save? Why hast Thou shown me troubles and pains, to look upon misery and impiety? Judgment has gone forth against me, and the judge takes bribes.

For this cause judgment goes forth perverted. Therefore they were unwilling to emulate the wakefulness of the dogs in the flocks, but only imitated them in this — in being despisers of all reverence, and in cleaving insatiably to the amassing of gains.

And in addition to this, he says that they were wicked, and knew no understanding.

Therefore the wicked man is without understanding;

for understanding would most fittingly belong to those who are accustomed to do good, but let wickedness be far from a good mind.

For it is the same to see the itch and the sore in the body, and wickedness in the mind;

for it shows him to be without understanding, dragging him down to perversity, and rendering him ill-natured.

And since they had become wicked and without understanding, for this cause, he says, they all followed after, each in his own ways, according to the same;

for having abandoned, as it were, the straightforward pursuit of every good, and the duty of following what was divinely ordained, they let go, as it were, all the reins to their own wills, and did what was pleasurable — and not each one alone, but indeed all together, that is, in common and in a multitude.

as they took counsel and did these things.

For thus they fell even into the charges of the Lord's murder, and each turned aside in yet other ways to his own path.

For they were lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, and delighted rather in the distractions of the present life, having utterly neglected the lawful and most excellent way of living.

See how the righteous perished, and no one lays it to heart; and just men are taken away, and no one considers it.

For from before the face of injustice the righteous man has been taken away; his burial shall be in peace; he has been taken away out of the midst. Having declared that they were dumb dogs, and insatiable for love of gain, he further shows in these words that they were slothful and contemptuous, so as to be unmoved even at the utmost of their transgressions, and unwilling even to bring to mind the need to repent.

For the righteous perished, he says, and no one lays it to heart; and just men are taken away, and no one considers.

And by these words he seems to intimate the outrages of the Jewish flock against Christ, and all that they did against the holy apostles;

for they slew Jesus, all but crying out that prophetic word, and saying:

for it was not on reasonable grounds that they slew Him, and men that were righteous — those who conveyed to them the divine and evangelical word, and called them to repentance from the cruelty within them — them they mercilessly contrived to bring to trial.

At all events, the inspired Stephen was put to death by them, after he had drawn out a long discourse to them; and by the very things through which it was likely they would be caught as in a net unto repentance, by these very things they were whetted to hostility.

Just men, then, are taken away, he says, and no one lays it to heart — that is, none deigns to bring to mind the magnitude of the impiety;

the wicked prevailed against the righteous, and got the mastery over Him who knew not how to transgress.

His burial then shall be in peace;

Consider again for me the form of the saying;

for it sets forth the aim of those who slew Him, and by no means altogether the outcome of the matter as being just as it is said.

For Christ has not been taken away out of the midst, nor indeed those who convey His message, being themselves also righteous, as being justified by Him;

yet they became, as it were, taken out of the midst — I mean, according to the design of those who slew them;

and that the accusation runs down against all who slew them, and there was no one among the Jews who would lie outside the charge, he intimated by saying:

His burial shall be in peace.

And he names death as burial; but by adding the phrase in peace, he intimated that there was absolutely no one among the ranks of the Jews who withstood their unholy counsels, or set himself in opposition, and rebuked those who wished to do unholy deeds;

for out of one counsel and one purpose they all dared against Christ, and being at peace with one another they slew Him.

But draw near hither, ye lawless sons, seed of adulterers and of a harlot.

Wherein did ye take your delight? And against whom did ye open your mouth? And against whom did ye let loose your tongue? Are ye not children of perdition, a lawless seed? Out of very great love of God the inspired prophet leaps upon the loose-tongued railings of the Jews, and is exceedingly grieved at their unholy utterances, which they spoke against Christ.

For of what monstrous things would they not be convicted of having spoken against Him? They called Him a Samaritan, and a wine-bibber, and one born of fornication, and they said that He was possessed by a demon — He who rebuked the demons — and that He wrought the divine signs by Beelzebul — He who crushed Beelzebul.

Then at last they brought Him before Pilate, and accused Him — of nothing true, but rather employing lying speeches and false charges.

For they said that This man stirs up the crowds, and forbids to give tribute to Caesar;

with these charges, which shall pour down upon their own head an unquenchable flame.

For these things the Saviour Himself also accused them, speaking through the voice of Hosea:

Woe unto them, for they have started away from Me;

wretched are they, for they have acted impiously against Me.

But I redeemed them, yet they spoke lies against Me. And through the voice of Jeremiah:

I have forsaken My house, I have abandoned Mine inheritance, I have given the beloved of My soul into the hands of her enemies.

Mine inheritance is become to Me as a lion in the forest;

she has uttered her voice against Me, therefore I have hated her. For in addition to the other false charges which they made against Him, they very often dared to say, when bringing Him before Pilate:

For although they knew that He was the heir, they said among themselves: