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the narrative of the prophet, I have compiled the things that were said. FIRST CHAPTER. aʹ. 9A vision, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw, which he saw against Judea and against Jerusalem, in the reign of Uzziah, and Jotham, and Ahaz, and Hezekiah, who reigned over Judea9. Vision is a more accurate of the senses for the apprehension of truth. For hearing and vision do not perceive fearful or pleasant things in the same way. For this reason the contemplation of true things, because it is clear and indubitable, has been called vision. For this reason the prophet was also called a seer, and one who looks forward, as were Amos and Samuel; the one, as seeing the future; the other, as a contemplator of the divine will. It is our part, to be purified for seeing; but it is God's, to illuminate the mind for the revelation of secret things. And having set forth a vision, he brought on a promise of words. For he did not receive it through hearing, but he proclaims a thought impressed upon his mind. There is a need, therefore, for words to declare the things that have been seen. And God impresses these things by touching the ruling part of the worthy. And showing the prophecy to be paternal, he also added the father. And the word "saw" is twofold: the one, to show the commonality of the vision; the other, indicative of the specific one. And he shows the words to be visible, according to the passage in Exodus: "And all the people saw the voice." But of the other prophets, some set forth a vision, others a word of prophecy. A vision, indeed, Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk; but a word, Hosea, Amos, Micah, Jonah, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah. And Malachi says, "The burden of the word of the Lord." And Nahum, "The burden of Nineveh." And Habakkuk, "The burden which Habakkuk saw;" indicating that they do not have the power of prophecy from themselves, as 1825 the burden is equal to the gift from God; and, "By the hand of Haggai," can have the same meaning as the burden." Therefore Isaiah, having set forth the vision, brought forth the words; but Amos, having set forth the words, brought forth, "Which he saw;" and some define the times, but others wrote without reference to time. And some wrote of the kings of the race; but others, perhaps of the Barbarians, because they were then ruling as more notable rulers. And some included their own fathers, while others omitted them. And perhaps they say, some were from notable fathers, for the sake of easy acceptance (for the more well-known are more trustworthy); while those from obscure fathers were silent about them. And they say that the father of Isaiah was not one of the twelve; for that one is called Amos with a smooth breathing, and is interpreted as a harsh word. But that of Isaiah has a rough breathing, and signifies completion, and power, and strength. And Uzziah was also called Azariah. For in the second book of Chronicles, he is called Uzziah; but in the second book of Kings, Azariah, and of the same father and mother. For the mother was Hannah; and the father Amaziah. And the time of the reign was the same, fifty-two years. And under Uzziah, who was also Azariah, Isaiah, Hosea, Amos prophesied. But since the beginning of the word of the Lord was to Hosea, did he perhaps begin to prophesy first? and since Amos, two years before the earthquake, perhaps before the Vision of Isaiah, in which he says, The lintel was raised? Bʹ. 9Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken9. He astounds the hearers, as if even the insensible things perceived the words of God, which they, being rational, had rejected. And perhaps not seeking trustworthy hearers of words, but intending them as judges, before whom he was about to accuse the people, he quietly summons the powers in heaven, and the nations on earth, foreshadowing those whom God has called in place of the ungrateful Jews, who also condemn their ingratitude. That is, since the things being prophesied were to happen after long periods of time, and none of the hearers would have remained alive for their fulfillment, he calls the divine powers and the everlasting parts of the world also for a testimony of the things that would later come to pass. Perhaps also, as the nation of the Jews was no longer worthy of a divine voice, he calls upon those of the gentiles who have a heavenly mind, and those who are more earthly? Therefore to the first, as being intelligent, he assigned hearing; but to the second, the
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διήγησιν τοῦ προφήτου, τὰ λεχθέντα συνέταττον. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΠΡΩΤΟΝ. αʹ. 9Ὅρασις, ἣν εἶδεν Ἡσαΐας υἱὸς Ἀμὼς, ἣνεἶδε κατὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ κατὰ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἐν βασιλείᾳ Ὀζίου, καὶ Ἰωαθὰμ, καὶ Ἄχαζ,καὶ Ἐζεκίου, οἳ ἐβασίλευσαν τῆς Ἰουδαίασ9. Ἀκριβεστέρα τῶν αἰσθήσεων ὅρασις πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας κατάληψιν. Οὐχ ὁμοίως γὰρ ἀκοή τε καὶ ὅρασις, φοβερῶν, ἢ τῶν ἡδέων ἀντιλαμβάνονται. ∆ι' ὅπερ τῶν ἀληθῶν ἡ θεωρία, διὰ τὸ ἐναργὲς καὶ ἀναμφίβολον, ὅρασις προσηγόρευται. ∆ι' ὃ καὶ ὁρῶν ὁ προφήτης ἐλέγετο, καὶ ἔμπροσθεν βλέπων, ὡς Ἀμώς τε καὶ Σαμουήλ· τὸ μὲν, ὡς τὸ μέλλον ὁρῶν· τὸ δὲ, ὡς θεωρητικὸς τοῦ θείου βουλήματος. Ἔστι δὲ ἡμέτερον μὲν, τὸ πρὸς τὸ βλέπειν καθαίρεσθαι· Θεοῦ δὲ, καταυγᾶσαι τὸν νοῦν τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων πρὸς ἀποκάλυψιν. Ὅρασιν δὲ προτάξας, λόγων ἐπαγγελίαν ἐπήγαγεν. Οὐ γὰρ δι' ἀκοῆς ἐδέξατο, τῷ δὲ νῷ τυπωθεῖσαν ἐξαγγέλλει διάνοιαν. Λόγων μὲν οὖν χρεία τῶν ἑωραμένων πρὸς δήλωσιν. Ταῦτα δὲ Θεὸς ἐντυποῖ τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ τῶν ἀξίων ἁπτόμενος. Πατρικὴν δὲ τὴν προφητείαν δεικνὺς, καὶ τὸν πατέρα προσέθηκεν. ∆ιττὸν δὲ τὸ εἶδεν· τὸ μὲν, ἵνα δείξῃ τὸ κοινὸν τῆς ὁράσεως· τὸ δὲ, τοῦ ἰδικοῦ παραστατικόν. Λόγους δὲ δείκνυσιν ὁρατοὺς, κατὰ τὸ ἐν Ἐξόδῳ· "Καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἑώρα τὴν φωνήν." Τῶν δὲ ἄλλων προφητῶν, οἱ μὲν ὅρασιν, οἱ δὲ λόγον τῆς προφητείας προέταξαν. Ὅρασιν μὲν, Ἀβδιοῦ, Ναοὺμ, Ἀββακούμ· Λόγον δὲ, Ὠσηὲ, Ἀμὼς, Μχαίας, Ἰωνᾶς, Σοφονίας, Ἀγγαῖος, Ζαχαρίας. Ὁ Μαλαχίας δὲ, "Λῆμμα λόγου Κυρίου," φησί. Καὶ ὁ Ναοὺμ, "Λῆμα Νινευῆ." Καὶ Ἀββακοὺμ, "Τὸ λῆμμα ὃ εἶδεν Ἀββακούμ·" δηλοῦντες, ὅτι οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἔχουσι τῆς προφητείας τὴν δύναμιν, ὡς 1825 τὸ λῆμμα ἴσον εἶναι τὸ δόμα παρὰ Θεοῦ· τὸ δὲ, "Ἐν χειρὶ Ἀγγαίου," ταυτὸν τῷ λήμματι δύναται." Ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἡσαΐας προτάξας τὴν ὅρασιν, τοὺς λόγους ἐπήνεγκεν· ὁ δὲ Ἀμὼς λόγους προτάξας, τὸ, "Οὓς ἴδεν ἐπήγαγεν·" καὶ οἱ μὲν χρόνους ὁρίζουσιν, οἱ δὲ ἀχρόνως συνέγραψαν. Καὶ οἱ μὲν τοῦ γένους βασιλέας προέγραψαν· οἱ δὲ τῶν Βαρβάρων ἴσως, διὰ τὸ τότε κρατεῖν ὡς ἐπισημοτέρους ἄρχοντας. Καὶ τοὺς ἑαυτῶν πατέρας οἱ μὲν ἐνέθηκαν, οἱ δὲ παρέλιπον. Καὶ τάχα φασὶν, οἱ μὲν ἐξ ἐπισήμων πατέρων, διὰ τὸ εὐπαράδεκτον· (πιστότεροι γὰρ οἱ γνωριμώτεροι)· οἱ δὲ τῶν ἀσήμων παρεσιώπησαν. Λέγουσι δὲ μὴ τὸν ἕνα τῶν δώδεκα τοῦ Ἡσαΐου τὸν πατέρα τυγχάνειν· ἐκεῖνος γὰρ Ἀμὼς ψιλῶς λέγεται, καὶ ἑρμηνεύεται λόγος σκληρός. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου δασύνεται, καὶ σημαίνει τελέωσιν, καὶ δύναμιν, καὶ ἰσχύν. Ὀζίας δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ Ἀζαρίας ἐλέγετο. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ δευτέρᾳ τῶν Παραλειπομένων, Ὀζίας εἴρηται· ἐν δὲ τῇ δευτέρᾳ τῶν Βασιλειῶν, Ἀζαρίας, καὶ πατρὸς τοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ μητρός. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ μήτηρ Χανᾶ· ὁ δὲ πατὴρ Ἀμασίας. Καὶ χρόνος τῆς βασιλείας ὁ αὐτὸς, πεντήκοντα δύο ἔτη. Ἐπὶ Ὀζίου δὲ τοῦ καὶ Ἀζαρίουἐπροφήτευσεν Ἡσαΐας, Ὠσηὲ, Ἀμώς. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴἀρχὴ λόγου Κυρίου πρὸς Ὠσηὲ, μήποτε πρῶτος ἤρξατο προφητεύειν; καὶ ἐπειδὴ ὁ Ἀμὼς, πρὸ δύο ἐτῶν τοῦ σεισμοῦ, μήποτε πρὸ τῆς Ὁράσεως Ἡσαΐου, ἐν ᾗ φησιν, Ἐπήρθη τὸ ὑπέρθυρον; Βʹ. 9Ἄκουε, οὐρανὲ, καὶ ἐνωτίζου, γῆ, ὅτι Κύριος ἐλάλησεν9. Καταπλήττει τοὺς ἀκούοντας, ὡς καὶ τῶν ἀναισθήτων αἰσθανομένων Θεοῦ λόγων, οὓς αὐτοὶ λογικοὶ ὄντες ἀπώσαντο. Ἴσως δὲ οὐ λόγων ἀκροατὰς ἀξιοπίστους ζητῶν, μέλλων δὲ δικαστὰς, ἐφ' ὧν ἤμελλε κατηγορεῖν τοῦ λαοῦ, τὰς ἐν οὐρανῷ δυνάμεις, καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς ἦκα συγκαλεῖ τὰ ἔθνη προαινιττόμενος, ἅπερ ἀντ' Ἰουδαίων τῶν ἀγνωμόνων κέκληκεν ὁ Θεὸς, οἳ καὶ τῆς ἐκείνων ἀγνωμοσύνης καταδικάζουσιν. Ἤγουν ἐπιδὴ μετὰ μακροὺς ἤμελλε γενέσθαι τὰ θεσπιζόμενα χρόνους, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἔκβασιν οὐδεὶς ἂν τῶν ἀκουόντων διετέλεσε ζῶν, τὰς θείας δυνάμεις, καὶ τὰ διαιωνίζοντα μέρη τοῦ κόσμου καλεῖ καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἐκβησομένων ἐς ὕστερον μαρτυρίαν. Μήποτε δὲ, ὡς τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους μηκέτι φωνῆς ἀξίου θείας ὑπάρχοντος, τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπικαλεῖται τοὺς οὐράνιον ἔχοντας φρόνημα, καὶ τοὺς γεωδεστέρους; ∆ιὸ τοῖς μὲν πρώτοις, ὡς συνετοῖς, τὸ ἀκούειν ἀπένειμεν· τοῖς δὲ δευτέροις, τὸ