John Chrysostom, On Isaiah

And some came, a few proselytes at one time, they too with much effort, and they were never called nations, but proselytes. For proselytes shall come over to you and shall be your servants, he says. But if the prophet persists in the metaphor, calling it a mountain and the house of the God of Jacob, do not be surprised. For as I have already said, now he slightly opens, now he overshadows the prophecy; the one, in order to provide the more intelligent with opportunities to understand what is said; the other, in order to restrain the disorderly rush of the ignorant; and from all sides he diversifies his discourse.

2.4 But if he said "of the God of Jacob," do not be troubled, beloved; for the only-begotten Son of God was the God of Jacob. For he both gave the law and worked all the wonders concerning them; and this can be seen especially from the Old Testament itself, since the Jews have no regard for the New. Therefore Jeremiah says: I will make a new covenant with you, not according to the covenant which I made with your fathers; showing that he himself was the lawgiver of both laws. And that he himself delivered them from Egypt, he added: In the day that I took them by their hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. But if he himself brought them out, he also himself performed all those wonders in Egypt and in the wilderness. And he will announce to us his way, and we will walk in it. Do you see that they are seeking another law? For Scripture is accustomed to call the commandments of God a "way"; but if it were speaking of the first Covenant, it would not have said: "He will announce to us"; for it was manifest and clear and known to all. And that we do not say these things by sophistry, the things that have been said are sufficient to persuade even the very shameless. For since he mentioned only a way, he also says what kind of way and sets forth its many distinctive marks. At any rate, he added, saying: For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. To these things even the very shameless children of the Jews will not be able to so much as open their mouth. For that these things were said about the New Covenant can be understood from the place and from the time and from those who received the law and from the event after the law, and simply from every angle. And first from the place, Mount Zion. For the law through Moses was given on Mount Sinai to their forefathers. How then does he say here, "Out of Zion"? And he was not content with this alone, but he also added the time. For he did not say, "A law went forth," but, "A law will go forth," which belongs to a future time and an event that has not yet happened. But when the prophet said these things, the law had been given many years before; but the law of the New was to be given many years later. For this reason he did not say, "It went forth," but, "It will go forth," that is, after these things. And again he has recourse to the place itself, saying: And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. With precision he sets for us here the distinctive mark of the New Covenant. For now sitting on the mountain, he legislated the lofty commands worthy of the heavens, and now spending time in Jerusalem. Having therefore mentioned both the place and the time, he also adds those who are to receive it, sewing up the mouths of those who contradict from every side. Who then are the ones who are to receive it? Is it the people of the Hebrews and the children of the Jews? By no means, but those from the nations. For which reason he also added. And he will judge among the nations. For this is especially the work of law, to judge those who fight against it. And that the word is not about the Old, is clear from the facts themselves. For we neither keep the Sabbath, nor did we receive circumcision, nor their feasts, nor anything else of the old things. For we have heard Paul saying, that If you are circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing; and; You observe days, and months, and seasons, and years? I am afraid that I have labored over you in vain. From which it is clear that the word is about the New, for that he judges among the nations, just as Paul also says: On the day when God will judge the secret things of men. How will he judge? Tell me; according to the Old Covenant? By no means, but: According to my gospel. You have seen that the words are different,

καί τινες προσῆλθον, ὀλίγοι ποτὲ προσήλυτοι, μετὰ πολλῆς καὶ αὐτοὶ τῆς πραγματείας καὶ οὐδέποτε ἔθνη ἐκλήθησαν, ἀλλὰ προσήλυτοι. Προσήλυτοι γὰρ ἐπὶ σὲ διελεύσονται καί σοι ἔσονται δοῦλοι, φησίν. Εἰ δὲ ἐπιμένει τῇ μεταφορᾷ ὁ προφήτης, ὄρος καλῶν καὶ οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰακώβ, μὴ θαυμάσῃς. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἔφθην εἰπών, νῦν μὲν παρανοίγει, νῦν δὲ συσκιάζει τὴν προφητείαν· τὸ μέν, ἵνα τοῖς συνετωτέροις ἀφορμὰς παράσχῃ τοῦ συνιδεῖν τὰ λεγόμενα· τὸ δέ, ἵνα τῶν ἀγνωμόνων κατάσχῃ τὴν ἄτακτον ῥύμην· καὶ πανταχόθεν ποικίλλει τὸν λόγον.

2.4 Εἰ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰακὼβ εἶπε, μὴ θορυβηθῇς, ἀγαπητέ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ Θεὸς Ἰακὼβ ἦν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ καὶ τὸν νόμον ἔδωκε καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς ἐθαυματούργησεν ἅπαντα· καὶ τοῦτο ἐκ τῆς Παλαιᾶς αὐτῆς μάλιστα ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, ἐπειδὴ τῆς Καινῆς οὐδὲ εἷς Ἰουδαίοις λόγος. Ὁ οὖν Ἱερεμίας φησί· ∆ιαθήσομαι ὑμῖνδιαθήκην καινήν, οὐ κατὰ τὴν διαθήκην, ἣν διεθέμην τοῖς πατράσιν ὑμῶν· δεικνὺς ὅτι ἑκατέρων τῶν νόμων αὐτὸς ὁ νομοθέτης ἦν. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ τῆς Αἰγύπτου αὐτὸς αὐτοὺς ἀπήλλαξεν, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπιλαβομένου μου τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν, ἐξαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου. Εἰ δὲ αὐτὸς ἐξήγαγε, καὶ πάντα ἐκεῖνα τὰ ἐν τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ αὐτὸς ἐποίησε θαύματα. Καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ ἡμῖν τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ πορευσόμεθα ἐν αὐτῇ. Ὁρᾷς ἕτερόν τινα ἐπιζητοῦντας νόμον; Ὁδὸν γὰρ ἡ Γραφὴ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ εἴωθε λέγειν· εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας ἔλεγε ∆ιαθήκης, οὐκ ἂν εἶπεν· Ἀναγγελεῖ ἡμῖν· δήλη γὰρ ἦν καὶ σαφὴς καὶ γνώριμος ἅπασι. Καὶ ὅτι οὐ σοφιζόμενοι ταῦτά φαμεν, τὰ μὲν εἰρημένα καὶ τοὺς σφόδρα ἀναισχυντοῦντας ἱκανὰ πεῖσαι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁδοῦ μόνον ἐμνήσθη, λέγει καὶ ποίας ὁδοῦ καὶ πολλὰ τίθησιν αὐτῆς τὰ παράσημα. Ἐπήγαγε γοῦν λέγων· Ἐκ γὰρ Σιὼν ἐξελεύσεται νόμος καὶ λόγος Κυρίου ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ. Πρὸς ταῦτα καὶ σφόδρα ἀναισχυντοῦντες Ἰουδαίων παῖδες οὐδὲ διᾶραι τὸ στόμα δυνήσονται. Ὅτι γὰρ περὶ τῆς Καινῆς ταῦτα εἴρηται ∆ιαθήκης, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ χρόνου καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν δεξαμένων τὸν νόμον καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πράγματος τοῦ μετὰ τὸν νόμον καὶ πάντοθεν ἁπλῶς ἔστι συνιδεῖν. Καὶ πρῶτον ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου, τοῦ Σιὼν ὄρους. Ὁ γὰρ διὰ Μωσέως νόμος ἐν τῷ Σιναίῳ ὄρει τοῖς προγόνοις αὐτῶν ἐδόθη. Πῶς οὖν ἐνταῦθα Ἐκ Σιών φησι; Καὶ οὐκ ἠρκέσθη τούτῳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν χρόνον προστέθεικεν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν· Ἐξῆλθε νόμος, ἀλλ', Ἐξελεύσεται νόμος, ὅπερ ἐστὶ μέλλοντος χρόνου καὶ πράγματος οὐδέπω γεγενημένου. Ὅτε δὲ ὁ προφήτης ταῦτα ἔλεγε, πρὸ πολλῶν ἐτῶν ἦν δεδομένος ὁ νόμος· ὁ δὲ τῆς Καινῆς ἔμελλε μετὰ ἔτη πλείονα δίδοσθαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ εἶπεν· Ἐξῆλθεν, ἀλλ', Ἐξελεύσεται, τουτέστι, μετὰ ταῦτα. Καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον αὐτὸν καταφεύγει λέγων· Καὶ λόγος Κυρίου ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ. Μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἡμῖν τὸ παράσημον τῆς Καινῆς ∆ιαθήκης ἐνταῦθα τίθησι. Καὶ γὰρ νῦν μὲν ἐν τῷ ὄρει καθήμενος, τὰ ὑψηλὰ καὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἄξια προστάγματα ἐνομοθέτει, νῦν δὲ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ διατρίβων. Εἰπὼν τοίνυν καὶ τὸν τόπον καὶ τὸν χρόνον, προστίθησι καὶ τοὺς ὑποδέχεσθαι αὐτὸν μέλλοντας, πάντοθεν ἀπορράπτων τῶν ἀντιλεγόντων τὰ στόματα. Τίνες οὖν οἱ μέλλοντες αὐτὸν ὑποδέχεσθαι; ἆρα τῶν Ἑβραίων ὁ δῆμος καὶ Ἰουδαίων παῖδες; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλ' οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε. Καὶ κρινεῖ ἀνάμεσον ἐθνῶν. Τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστα νόμου, τὸ δικάζειν τοῖς μαχομένοις αὐτόν. Ὅτι δὲ οὐ περὶ τῆς Παλαιᾶς ὁ λόγος, δῆλον ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν. Οὔτε γὰρ σαββατίζομεν, οὐ περιτομὴν ἐδεξάμεθα, οὐ τὰς ἑορτὰς ἐκείνων, οὐκ ἄλλο τῶν παλαιῶν οὐδέν. Ἠκούσαμεν γὰρ Παύλου λέγοντος, ὅτι Ἐὰν περιτέμνησθε, Χριστὸς ὑμᾶς οὐδὲν ὠφελήσει· καί· Ἡμέρας παρατηρεῖσθε, καὶ μῆνας, καὶ καιρούς, καὶ ἐνιαυτούς; Φοβοῦμαι μήπως εἰκῆ κεκοπίακα εἰς ὑμᾶς. Ὅθεν δῆλον ὅτι περὶ τῆς Καινῆς ὁ λόγος, ὅτι γὰρ ἀνάμεσον ἐθνῶν κρίνει, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, ὅτε κρινεῖ ὁ Θεὸς τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Πῶς κρινεῖ; εἰπέ μοι· κατὰ τὴν Παλαιὰν ∆ιαθήκην; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλά· Κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν μου. Εἶδες διάφορα μὲν τὰ ῥήματα,