John Chrysostom, On Isaiah

to check and from so much audacity to cast them down into the utmost cowardice and agony. Which Moses indeed, foreseeing, having come down immediately, shattered the tablets, and said to Aaron: What did this people do to you, that you have made them a cause of rejoicing to their enemies?

3.6 This is what this prophet also does, imitating that holy one in a twofold manner. For Moses did not merely accuse then, but also, taking up the persona of one who sympathizes, he made that accusation in this way. Thus this one also imitated both, saying: My people, your exactors glean you. For he both accused them and said these things as one sympathizing with the people. Now here by "exactors" he seems to mean those who demand payment; but I think he is alluding to the robbers, their covetous ones; or if not this, then the tax-collectors. See his wisdom here also. For he does not condemn the practice, but the lack of moderation. For he did not say, "they demand," but "they glean," that is, they strip them of their possessions, they deprive them of everything under the pretext of demanding payment. He has used this word from the metaphor of those who glean. For "to glean" is said of gathering up the ears of corn that have fallen from the reapers after the harvest and leaving nothing at all in the field; which is indeed what these men were doing then, seizing whole possessions and leaving them naked. And your oppressors rule over you. And what is more grievous, is that they did not even stop here in their greed, but advanced their tyranny even further, making slaves of the free. My people, those who call you blessed, lead you astray. Here it seems to me that he is alluding to the false prophets or to those who speak to them to please them, which everywhere becomes the cause of the utmost corruption. Indeed, indicating the harm from this, he added: And they disturb the path of your feet; that is, they do not allow you to walk straight, perverting you, weakening you, making you more indolent. But now the Lord will stand for judgment and will set his people for judgment; the Lord himself will come to judgment with the elders of the people and with their rulers. He still persists in the same kind of correction, turning the rebuke from the people to the aged and the rulers, and handling the word in a more fearsome manner; and he introduces God himself as judging and condemning and accusing the rulers for the sins of the people. Therefore he also says: But now the Lord will stand for judgment. For since he has spent his discourse on accusations, and for those who are insensible, to be accused is not very grievous, but to be punished is terrifying, he says that matters will not stop at accusation, but justice will also follow upon the sins, with he who is about to condemn henceforth demanding an account and judging against those who have transgressed. This also shows the great condescension of God, in that he endures to be judged with them and makes the discourse reproachful, which is wont to cast those who have understanding into great agony. And not only for that reason which I mentioned before does he turn his discourse to the rulers and the aged, but also to teach everyone that the responsibilities of the rulers are heavier than those of the ruled. For the one gives an account for himself alone, but the other for himself and for the people, whose rule he happens to have been entrusted with; and it is not without reason that such exactness is required of the elders. For what rule is to the former, age is to the latter. For even a young man sinning grievously is worthy of rebuke; but he who has freedom from passion due to his age and is not besieged by so many waves of passions, but is able both to be temperate more easily and to endure the other things of life more readily and has acquired more understanding from experience of affairs, would rightly be condemned more than all, displaying in old age the deeds of intemperate youths. But why have you set my vineyard on fire, and the plunder of the

καταστεῖλαι καὶ ἀπὸ τοσαύτης θρασύτητος εἰς δειλίαν καὶ ἀγωνίαν κατενεγκεῖν τὴν ἐσχάτην. Ἃ δὴ προορῶν ὁ Μωϋσῆς, καταβὰς εὐθέως, τάς τε πλάκας συνέτριψε, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Ἀαρὼν ἔλεγε· Τί ἐποίησέ σοι ὁ λαὸς οὗτος, ὅτι ἐποίησας αὐτὸν ἐπίχαρμα τοῖς ἐχθροῖς·

3.6 Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφήτης οὗτος ποιεῖ, τὸν ἅγιον ἐκεῖνον μιμούμενος διπλῷ τῷ τρόπῳ. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον ἐνεκάλεσε τότε ὁ Μωϋσῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ συναλγοῦντος προσωπεῖον λαβών, οὕτως ἐποιεῖτο τὴν κατηγορίαν ἐκείνην. Οὕτω καὶ οὗτος ἀμφότερα ἐμιμήσατο λέγων· Λαός μου, οἱ πράκτορες ὑμῶν καλαμῶνται ὑμᾶς. Καὶ γὰρ κατηγόρησεν ἐκείνων, καὶ ὡς συναλγῶν τῷ δήμῳ ταῦτα ἔλεγε. Πράκτορας δὲ ἐνταῦθα δοκεῖ μὲν τοὺς ἀπαιτοῦντας λέγειν· ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι τοὺς ἅρπαγας, τοὺς πλεονέκτας αὐτῶν αἰνίττεσθαι· εἰ δὲ μὴ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ τοὺς φορολογοῦντας. Ὅρα αὐτοῦ κἀνταῦθα τὴν σύνεσιν. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐκβάλλει, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀμετρίαν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν· ἀπαιτοῦσιν, ἀλλά· Καλαμῶνται, τουτέστι, γυμνοῦσι τῶν ὄντων, ἀποστεροῦσιν ἁπάντων προσχήματι τῆς ἀπαιτήσεως. Ταύτην δὲ εἴρηκε τὴν λέξιν ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τῶν καλαμώντων. Καλαμᾶσθαι γὰρ λέγεται τὸ μετὰ τὸν ἀμητὸν τοὺς ἐκπεσόντας ἐκ τῶν θεριζόντων ἀστάχυας ἀναλέγεσθαι καὶ μηδὲν ὅλως ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρούρας ἀφιέναι· ὃ δὴ καὶ οὗτοι τότε ἐποίουν, ὁλόκληρα τὰ ὄντα ἁρπάζοντες καὶ γυμνοὺς ἀφιέντες αὐτούς. Καὶ οἱ ἀπαιτοῦντες κυριεύουσιν ὑμῶν. Καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα τῆς πλεονεξίας ἵσταντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ περαιτέρω προῆγον τὴν τυραννίδα, δούλους τοὺς ἐλευθέρους ποιοῦντες. Λαός μου, οἱ μακαρίζοντες ὑμᾶς, πλανῶσιν ὑμᾶς. Ἐνταῦθά μοι τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας αἰνίττεσθαι δοκεῖ ἢ τοὺς πρὸς χάριν αὐτοῖς διαλεγομένους, ὃ τῆς ἐσχάτης διαφθορᾶς αἴτιον γίνεται πανταχοῦ. Τὴν γοῦν ἐκ τούτου βλάβην δηλῶν ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ τὴν τρίβον τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ταράσσουσιν· τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἐῶσιν ὀρθὰ βαδίζειν, διαστρέφοντες, ἐκλύοντες, ῥᾳθυμοτέρους ποιοῦντες. Ἀλλὰ νῦν καταστήσεται εἰς κρίσιν Κύριος καὶ στήσει εἰς κρίσιν τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ· αὐτὸς Κύριος εἰς κρίσιν ἥξει μετὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων αὐτῶν. Ἔτι τῷ αὐτῷ εἴδει ἐπιμένει τῆς διορθώσεως, ἀπὸ τοῦ δήμου πρὸς τοὺς γεγηρακότας καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας τρέπων τὴν ἐπιτίμησιν, καὶ φοβερώτερον μεταχειρίζων τὸν λόγον· αὐτὸν δὲ εἰσάγει τὸν Θεὸν δικαζόμενον καὶ καταδικάζοντα καὶ τὰ τῶν δήμων ἁμαρτήματα ἐγκαλοῦντα τοῖς ἄρχουσιν. ∆ιὸ καὶ λέγει· Ἀλλὰ νῦν καταστήσεται εἰς κρίσιν Κύριος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰς ἐγκλήματα τὸν λόγον ἀνήλωσε, τοῖς δὲ ἀναισθήτως διακειμένοις τὸ μὲν ἐγκαλεῖσθαι οὐ σφόδρα βαρύ, τὸ δὲ κολάζεσθαι φοβερόν, φησίν, ὅτι οὐ μέχρι κατηγορίας τὰ πράγματα στήσεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ δίκη τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν ἕψεται, αὐτοῦ τοῦ μέλλοντος καταδικάζειν εὐθύνας λοιπὸν ἀπαιτοῦντος καὶ κρινομένου πρὸς τοὺς πεπλημμεληκότας. Ὃ καὶ τὴν συγκατάβασιν τοῦ Θεοῦ πολλὴν δείκνυσιν, ἀνεχομένου δικάζεσθαι μετ' ἐκείνων καὶ ἐντρεπτικὸν ποιεῖ τὸν λόγον, ὃ καὶ τοὺς νοῦν ἔχοντας εἰς μεγάλην ἀγωνίαν ἐμβαλεῖν εἴωθεν. Οὐκ ἐκείνης δὲ μόνον ἕνεκεν τῆς αἰτίας, ἧς ἔμπροσθεν εἶπον, πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ τοὺς γεγηρακότας τρέπει τὸν λόγον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διδάσκων ἅπαντας, ὅτι βαρύτεραι τῶν ἀρχομένων τοῖς ἄρχουσιν αἱ εὐθῦναι. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ μόνον, ὁ δὲ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τοῦ δήμου, οὗ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐγκεχειρισμένος τυγχάνει, παρέχει τὸν λόγον· καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι δὲ οὐκ ἀπεικότως τοιαύτην ἀπαιτοῦνται τὴν ἀκρίβειαν. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἐκείνοις ἡ ἀρχή, τοῦτο τούτοις ἡ ἡλικία. Ἄξιος μὲν γὰρ καὶ ὁ νέος ἐπιτιμήσεως δεινὰ ἁμαρτάνων· ὁ δὲ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἡλικίας ἀτέλειαν ἔχων καὶ μὴ τοσούτοις παθῶν πολιορκούμενος κύμασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σωφρονεῖν εὐκολώτερον καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνέχεσθαι τῶν βιωτικῶν ῥᾷον δυνάμενος καὶ πλείονα κεκτημένος σύνεσιν ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐμπειρίας, δικαίως ἂν μᾶλλον ἁπάντων καταδικάζοιτο, τὰ τῶν ἀκολάστων νέων ἐν γήρᾳ ἐπιδεικνύμενος. Ὑμεῖς δὲ τί ἐνεπυρίσατε τὸν ἀμπελῶνά μου καὶ ἡ ἁρπαγὴ τοῦ