1

Commentary on Isaiah 1.1 The Spirit at times showed the prophet the things being revealed clearly, so as not to require methods of allegory in the interpretation of the words, but to use only the bare words themselves; at other times, however, it was through symbols of other things, with emphatic verbs and nouns suggesting another meaning, just as in the dreams of Joseph "eleven stars" seemed "to bow down," in this way "his brothers" being indicated, and at another time he saw "his brothers" gathering "sheaves," the famine being hinted at in this way. Thus also to the present prophet most of the things prophesied were seen through symbols, and most have also been said in a complex way, in the same passage some things being woven for the literal sense and others for the spiritual meaning, such as are also found in the teachings of the Savior, through which it is recorded that he said: "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Lift up your eyes and see the fields, for they are already white for harvest"; for of these things, one part is literal, but the other is spiritual, and you would find countless others, just as, therefore, also with the prophet at hand, with whom you would find words understood literally, such as these: "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I am full of burnt offerings" and what follows, but these only for the spiritual meaning: "A vineyard was made for my beloved on a horn in a fertile place" and what follows. 1.1 He does not speak of a common vision, nor one perceptible to bodily eyes, but a prophetic one, overseeing things that would happen long afterwards; for just as if someone were to see in a great painting an attack of enemies, and the ravaging of a country, and sieges and enslavements depicted with the brilliance of color, in the same way it seems he saw the vision while awake and not in dreams, as the divine Spirit illuminated his soul. 1.2 Isaiah did not come from schools, nor had he benefited from teachings, but having come from the country and a life, as it seems to many, obscure and unadorned, he partook of divine inspiration and wisdom. One must also call Isaiah an evangelist, as he performed the same ministry as the evangelists; for he pre-eminently proclaims the Son of God, sometimes speaking of his divinity, sometimes prophesying his passage into the heavens, and foretelling the birth of "Emmanuel" from a "virgin" and the resurrection, but also an apostle; for his own writing also establishes this, saying: "And the Lord said, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go to this people?' And I said, 'Behold, it is I; send me.'" 1.3 It teaches that the whole subject is against the nation of the Jews; for not only in the time of the first king mentioned, but also in the time of the second and third and the fourth. And you would find him, in each reign of the aforesaid, making reproofs of the nation of the Jews and prophecies against them until the very end of the kingdom, that is, of the nation of the Jews or of the country, and of Jerusalem the city. Why does he begin first against Judea, although he is about to speak also "against Babylon" and "the Egyptians"? Because he begins with those who seem to be dedicated to God, according to what is said elsewhere: "Begin from my holy ones" and "the mighty will be mightily tested." 1.4 He noted the time of the kings, since there was a different state of affairs among the Jews. And things that did not even enter the mind or suspicion of those then were destined to come to pass long afterwards. That this too must be observed: that while the whole book seems to be one continuous whole, it was spoken by the prophet in parts at different times and over long intervals, so that much and precise knowledge is needed for the one who is going to divide and to assign to times the of the

1

Commentarius in Isaiam 1.1 Τὸ πνεῦμα τῷ προφήτῃ ἐδείκνυ ποτὲ μὲν σαφῶς τὰ δηλούμενα ὡς μὴ δεῖσθαι τρόπων ἀλληγορίας ἐν τῇ τῶν φωνῶν ἑρμηνείᾳ, μόναις δὲ αὐταῖς κεχρῆσθαι ψιλαῖς ταῖς λέξεσιν, ποτὲ δὲ διὰ συμβόλων ἑτέρων πραγμάτων, ἐμφαντικοῖς ῥήμασί τε καὶ ὀνόμασιν ἑτέραν ὑποβαλλόντων διάνοιαν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὀνείρων «τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ προσκυνεῖν» ἐδόκουν «ἀστέρες» τὸν ἀριθμὸν «ἕνδεκα», ὧδέ πη «τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ» δηλουμένων, ἄλλοτε δὲ «στάχυς» ἀναλέγοντας «τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς» ἑώρα τῆς σιτοδείας ὧδέ πως ᾐνιγμένης. οὕτως καὶ τῷ παρόντι προφήτῃ τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν θεσπιζομένων διὰ συμβόλων ἑωρᾶτο, πλεῖστα δὲ καὶ συμπεπλεγμένως εἴρηται κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ τῶν μὲν πρὸς λέξιν τῶν δὲ πρὸς διάνοιαν ὑφασμένων, ὁποῖα καὶ ἐν ταῖς τοῦ σωτῆρος εὑρίσκεται διδασκαλίαις, δι' ὧν ἀναγέγραπται εἰπεῖν· «οὐχ ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι τετράμηνός ἐστι καὶ ὁ θερισμὸς ἔρχεται; ἐπάρατε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν καὶ ἴδετε τὰς χώρας, ὅτι λευκαί εἰσι πρὸς θερισμὸν ἤδη»· τούτων γὰρ τὸ μὲν ῥητόν ἐστι, τὸ δὲ διανοίᾳ καὶ ἄλλα ἂν εὕροις μυρία ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τῷ μετὰ χεῖρας προφήτῃ παρ' ᾧ ῥήματα μὲν αὐτολεξεὶ νοούμενα εὕροις ἂν τοιαῦτα· «τί μοι πλῆθος τῶν θυσιῶν ὑμῶν; λέγει κύριος· πλήρης εἰμὶ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, πρὸς δὲ μόνην διάνοιαν ταῦτα· «ἀμπελὼν ἐγενήθη τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ἐν κέρατι ἐν τόπῳ πίονι» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. 1.1 Ὅρασιν δὲ οὐ κοινὴν λέγει οὐδὲ σωματικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὑποπίπτουσαν, ἀλλὰ προφητικὴν τῶν μακροῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις συμβησομένων ἐποπτικήν· ὥσπερ γὰρ εἴ τις ἐν μεγάλῳ πίνακι θεῷτο πολεμίων ἔφοδον καὶ δῃώσεις χώρας πολιορκίας τε καὶ ἀνδραποδισμοὺς χρώματος ἄνθεσιν ἐξεικονισμένας, τὸν αὐτὸν δοκεῖ τρόπον ὕπαρ ἀλλ' οὐ καθ' ὕπνους τὴν ὅρασιν τεθεᾶσθαι τοῦ θείου πνεύματος καταλάμποντος αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχήν. 1.2 Ἠσαΐας οὐκ ἐκ διατριβῶν ὥρμητο οὐδ' ἐκ διδασκαλιῶν ὠφελημένος, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀγροῦ παρελθὼν καὶ βίου ὥς γε δοκεῖ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀφανοῦς καὶ ἀπεριμμένου τῆς θείας ἐμπνεύσεως καὶ σοφίας μετείληφεν. Ἠσαΐαν καὶ εὐαγγελιστὴν δεῖ λέγειν ὡς τὴν αὐτὴν διακονίαν τοῖς εὐαγγελισταῖς ποιήσαντα· διαφερόντως γὰρ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ κηρύττει, ποτὲ μὲν θεολογῶν ποτὲ δὲ τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς πάροδον αὐτοῦ θεσπίζων καὶ τὴν ἐκ «παρθένου» προαγορεύων τοῦ «Ἐμμανουὴλ» γέννησιν καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπόστολον· καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ παρίστησιν λέγουσα ἡ αὐτοῦ γραφή· «καὶ εἶπεν κύριος Τίνα ἀποστελῶ, καὶ τίς πορεύσεται πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον; καὶ εἶπον Ἰδοὺ ἐγώ εἰμι· ἀπόστειλόν με». 1.3 Τὴν πᾶσαν ὑπόθεσιν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους εἶναι διδάσκει· οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἐπὶ τοῦ πρώτου καταλεχθέντος βασιλέως, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ δευτέρου καὶ τρίτου καὶ τοῦ τετάρτου. καὶ εὕροις αὐτὸν ἐφ' ἑκάστῃ βασιλείᾳ τῶν προλεχθέντων ἐλέγχους τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους καὶ προρρήσεις κατ' αὐτῶν ποιούμενον μέχρις αὐτοῦ τέλους τῆς βασιλείας, ἤτοι τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους ἢ τῆς χώρας, Ἰερουσαλὴμ δὲ τῆς πόλεως. διὰ τί πρῶτον κατὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἄρχεται καίτοι μέλλων λέγειν καὶ «κατὰ Βαβυλῶνος» καὶ «Αἰγυπτίων»; ἐπειδὴ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄρχεται τῶν δοκούντων ἀνακεῖσθαι τῷ θεῷ κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον ἀλλαχόθι· «ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων μου ἄρξασθε» καὶ «δυνατοὶ δυνατῶς ἐτασθήσονται». 1.4 Ἐπεσημήνατο δὲ τὸν τῶν βασιλέων χρόνον, ἐπειδὴ ἄλλη τις ἦν κατάστασις παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις πραγμάτων. ἔμελλεν δὲ τὰ μηδ' εἰς νοῦν μηδ' εἰς ὑπόνοιαν ἐπιόντα τῶν τότε μακροῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις ἀποβήσεσθαι. ὅτι κἀκεῖνος τηρητέον ὡς μία μὲν συνημμένη εἶναι δοκεῖ ἡ πᾶσα βίβλος, λέλεκται δὲ τῷ προφήτῃ κατὰ μέρος ἐν διαφόροις καὶ μακρῶν καιρῶν διαστήμασιν ὡς πολλῆς δεῖσθαι καὶ ἀκριβοῦς ἐπιστήμης τῷ μέλλοντι διαιρεῖν καὶ εἰς χρόνους ἀφορίζειν τὴν τῶν