John Chrysostom, On Isaiah

religion, he added: Of the works of their own hands. For what could be more ridiculous than when a human is the creator of a god? Scripture is accustomed to call idols an abomination; hence also the statue standing upon the temple is called the abomination of desolation. For when you see, it says, the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place; let the reader understand. For since he led them away from being terrified by sensible things, he forbade them to make any image; and he called this an abomination, restraining them from afar from impiety; for "to abominate" is to hate with excess, as something unclean, as something accursed. Therefore, an abomination is called in Scripture that which is hateful and worthy of aversion. And every idol is such a thing. And they worshipped what their own fingers had made. And a human bowed down, and a man was humbled. For just as the worship of God leads to a height, so that of those idols humbles and brings down. For what is more humble than a human who has fallen from salvation and has made the God of all an enemy [and] bowing to lifeless things and serving stones? For God led us up to such an honor as to make us even higher than the heavens; but the devil was eager to bring down those who obey to such worthlessness, as to make them even more insensible than insensible things. Therefore, indeed, the prophet says: And a human bowed down, and a man was humbled. This accusation alone was sufficient to lead one who has a mind away from the disease. But since many people do not fear sins as much as punishments, he also brought on the chastisement, saying: I will not forgive them. I will not pardon, he says, I will not let go, I will not overlook, but I will demand justice and accountability for the things that have been transgressed. And now, enter into the rocks and hide yourselves in the earth from the face of the fear of the Lord. Having sufficiently ridiculed the folly of those who worship idols and having shown, from the manner of their creation, both their madness and the weakness of the idols, he again contends with his word, entrusting the examination of what has been said to the experience of the facts, and says: it was sufficient that they were made by men to show the folly of those being deceived; but since, as if stupefied by some drunkenness of impiety, they have been blinded to the manifest and clear facts, such evils will befall the city, so as to teach even the extremely insensible, how great is their weakness and how great is the power of God.

2.8 For this very reason, before speaking of the war, he tells the things that will happen from it, commanding them to enter into rocks and to sink under the earth itself, not so that they should do this, but so that from these things they might learn how unbearable is the wrath then brought by God. For hide yourselves, he says, in the earth from the face of the fear of the Lord and from the glory of his strength, when he arises to shatter the earth. He did not say simply "from his strength," but: From the glory of his strength. For such are his accomplishments, such are his trophies, having much conspicuousness and splendor. Here it seems to me to signify the victory in the time of Hezekiah, calling the multitude of people "earth" and their downfall "shattering," and his "arising" the going forth for assistance. Since David also says thus: Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered; and again: Arise, O God, judge the earth; characterizing the actions of God by human forms. For the eyes of the Lord are lofty, but man is humble. Then, so that none of those hearing at that time should disbelieve what was said (for what was about to happen was far beyond hopes and superior to all expectation), he took refuge in the power of the one who acts and the worthlessness of those who suffer. For neither is anything higher than God, he says, nor more worthless than men. Do not, therefore, be at a loss, if this great and strong one will be able so suddenly to humble the worthless. And he said well: The eyes of the Lord are lofty. Not

θρησκείαν, ἐπήγαγε· Τῶν ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν. Τί γὰρ ἂν γένοιτο καταγελαστότερον ἄλλο ἢ ὅταν ἄνθρωπος δημιουργὸς ᾖ θεοῦ; Βδέλυγμα δὲ εἴωθεν ἡ Γραφὴ καλεῖν τὰ εἴδωλα· ἐντεῦθεν καὶ βδέλυγμα ἐρημώσεως λέγεται ὁ ἀνδριάς, ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ναοῦ ἑστώς. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδητε, φησί, τὸ βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως ἑστὼς ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ· ὁ ἀναγινώσκων νοείτω. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἀπήγαγε τοῦ πρὸς τὰ αἰσθητὰ ἐπτοῆσθαι, ἀπηγόρευσεν αὐτοῖς πᾶν ἐξεικόνισμα ποιῆσαι· καὶ βδέλυγμα τοῦτο ἐκάλεσε, πόρρωθεν αὐτοὺς ἀναστέλλων τῆς ἀσεβείας· τὸ γὰρ βδελύττεσθαι τὸ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ἐστι μισεῖν, ὡς ἀκάθαρτον, ὡς ἐναγές. Τὸ τοίνυν βδέλυγμα τὸ μισητὸν καὶ ἀποστροφῆς ἄξιον ἐν τῇ Γραφῇ λέγεται. Πᾶν δὲ εἴδωλον τοιοῦτον. Καὶ προσεκύνησαν οἷς ἐποίησαν οἱ δάκτυλοι αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἔκυψεν ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἐταπεινώθη ἀνήρ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ προσκύνησις εἰς ὕψος ἀνάγει, οὕτως ἡ ἐκείνων τῶν εἰδώλων ταπεινοῖ καὶ κατάγει. Τί γὰρ ταπεινότερον ἀνθρώπου σωτηρίας ἐκπεπτωκότος καὶ τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν ἐσχηκότος ἐχθρὸν [καὶ] τοῖς ἀψύχοις ὑποκύπτοντος καὶ λίθους θεραπεύοντος; Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Θεὸς εἰς τοσαύτην ἡμᾶς ἀνήγαγε τιμήν, ὡς καὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν ὑψηλοτέρους ποιῆσαι· ὁ δὲ διάβολος εἰς τοσαύτην ἐσπούδασε καταγαγεῖν εὐτέλειαν τοὺς πειθομένους, ὡς καὶ τῶν ἀναισθήτων ἀναισθητοτέρους ἐργάσασθαι. ∆ιὸ δή φησιν ὁ προφήτης· Καὶ ἔκυψεν ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἐταπεινώθη ἀνήρ. Ἤρκει μὲν καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ κατηγορία τὸν νοῦν ἔχοντα ἀπαγαγεῖν τοῦ νοσήματος. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐχ οὕτω τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὡς τὰς τιμωρίας δεδοίκασιν, ἐπήγαγε καὶ τὴν κόλασιν, λέγων· Οὐ μὴ ἀνήσω αὐτοῖς. Οὐ συγχωρήσω, φησίν, οὐκ ἀφήσω, οὐ παρόψομαι, ἀλλὰ ἀπαιτήσω δίκας καὶ εὐθύνας τῶν πεπλημμελημένων. Καὶ νῦν εἰσέλθετε εἰς τὰς πέτρας καὶ κρύπτεσθε εἰς τὴν γῆν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ φόβου Κυρίου. Κωμῳδήσας ἱκανῶς τὴν ἄνοιαν τῶν τὰ εἴδωλα προσκυνούντων καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τρόπου τῆς δημιουργίας δείξας κἀκείνων τὴν παραπληξίαν καὶ τῶν εἰδώλων τὴν ἀσθένειαν, ἐπαγωνίζεται τῷ λόγῳ πάλιν, τῇ πείρᾳ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπιτρέπων τῶν εἰρημένων τὴν ἐξέτασιν καί φησιν· ἤρκει μὲν καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ παρὰ ἀνθρώπων αὐτὰ γενέσθαι δεῖξαι τὴν ἄνοιαν τῶν ἀπατωμένων· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὥσπερ τινὶ μέθῃ τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ κεκαρωμένοι πρὸς τὰ φανερὰ καὶ σαφῆ τῶν πραγμάτων πεπήρωνται, τοιαῦτα καταλήψονται τὴν πόλιν κακά, ὡς καὶ τοὺς σφόδρα ἀναισθήτους διδάξαι, πόση ἡ ἐκείνων ἀσθένεια καὶ πόση ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμις.

2.8 ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο πρὶν ἢ τὸν πόλεμον εἰπεῖν, τὰ ἐξ αὐτοῦ συμβησόμενα λέγει, κελεύων εἰς πέτρας εἰσιέναι καὶ ὑπ' αὐτὴν καταδῦναι τὴν γῆν, οὐχ ἵνα τοῦτο ποιήσωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἐκ τούτων μάθωσιν, ὡς ἀφόρητός ἐστιν ἡ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τότε φερομένη ὀργή. Κρύπτεσθε γάρ, φησίν, εἰς τὴν γῆν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ φόβου Κυρίου καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ, ὅταν ἀναστῇ θραῦσαι τὴν γῆν. Οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς ἀπὸ τῆς ἰσχύος, ἀλλά· Ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰ κατορθώματα, τοιαῦτα τὰ τρόπαια, πολλὴν ἔχοντα τὴν περιφάνειαν καὶ τὴν λαμπρότητα. Ἐνταῦθά μοι δοκεῖ τὴν νίκην τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἐζεχίου σημαίνειν, γῆν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀνθρώπων καλῶν καὶ θραῦσιν τὴν κατάπτωσιν, ἀνάστασιν δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀντίληψιν ἔξοδον. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ οὕτω φησίν· Ἀναστήτω ὁ Θεός, καὶ διασκορπισθήτωσαν οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ· καὶ πάλιν· Ἀνάστα, ὁ Θεός, κρῖνον τὴν γῆν· ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων σχημάτων τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς ἐνεργείας χαρακτηρίζων. Οἱ γὰρ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ὑψηλοί, ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ταπεινός. Εἶτα ἵνα μηδεὶς τῶν ἀκουόντων τότε ἀπιστῇ τοῖς λεγομένοις (πολὺ γὰρ παρ' ἐλπίδας τὸ συμβησόμενον καὶ προσδοκίας ἁπάσης ἀνώτερον), κατέφυγεν ἐπὶ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ποιοῦντος καὶ τὴν εὐτέλειαν τῶν πασχόντων. Οὔτε γὰρ Θεοῦ, φησίν, ὑψηλότερόν τί ἐστιν, οὔτε ἀνθρώπων εὐτελέστερον. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀπόρει, εἰ ὁ μέγας οὗτος καὶ ἰσχυρὸς τοὺς εὐτελεῖς ἀθρόον οὕτω ταπεινῶσαι δυνήσεται. Καὶ καλῶς εἶπεν· Οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ὑψηλοί. Οὐκ