44

He persists in the metaphor and employs many tropes. And from there he brings the discourse to the sea, saying that the clamor will be so great, the confusion so great, as would arise from a raging sea raising up waves; and he employs every trope, increasing the fear, so that they might not need the experience of the events themselves. And what is more grievous, he says, is that there will be no one to stand by them, not from the earth, not from the heavens; but bereft both of alliance from above and of help from below, they will be given over to their enemies. And here he speaks of darkness as that which arises in them from the calamity, not as the sun's ray disappearing, but from the disposition of those who suffer, seeing darkness instead of light in the middle of the day; which is wont to happen to those who are in pain and affliction. And so that you may learn that the darkness was not from the nature of the air, but from their disposition, he added: Hard darkness in their distress.

6. CHAPTER 6

6.1 And it came to pass in the year that king Uzziah died. Why is it that the prophet now marks other times by the life of kings, but this one by the death? For he did not say: It came to pass in the days of Uzziah, nor, in the reign of Uzziah, but It came to pass when he died. Why does he do this in this case? Not simply, nor at random, but he hints at some secret to us. And what is this? This Uzziah, drunk with the good fortune of his accomplishments and puffed up by prosperity, became prouder than his station deserved. And since he was king, he thought it fitting for him to perform priestly duties and he rushed into the temple and entered the holy of holies, and when the priest forbade him and prohibited his entry there, he did not tolerate it, but persisted in his madness, making little account of the priest. Because of this shamelessness, God inflicted leprosy upon his forehead. For wishing to receive honor greater than he possessed, he also fell from that which he had. For not only did he not obtain the priesthood, but having become unclean, he was cast out of the royal palace and for the entire time dwelt hidden in a certain house, unable to bear the shame. And all the people also shared in such wrath, because they neglected the laws of God and did not avenge the priesthood when it was insulted. How then did they share in the wrath? By the suspension of prophecy; for God, being angry with them, gave them no answer about anything. But He did not do this forever, but He also set a measure for the punishment by the measure of the king's life. Therefore, as soon as he ended his life, God also ended His wrath and opened the doors of prophecy again. Hinting at this, therefore, the prophet reminded us of the time of the king's death; wherefore he thus begins the prophecy, saying: It came to pass in the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting. And yet Christ says: No one has ever seen God. The only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. And again: Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. And to Moses He himself says: No one shall see my face and live. How then does this one say that he has seen the Lord? For I saw, he says, the Lord; not saying things contrary to Christ, but indeed in very great harmony. For Christ speaks of the precise comprehension, which no one has seen; for no one has beheld the bare divinity and the unmixed essence, except the Only-begotten; but the prophet reports what was possible for him to see. For not even he was able to see what God is, but he beholds Him having taken form, and having condescended as much as the weakness of the one beholding could ascend. For that not in bare form

44

ἐπιμένει τῇ μεταφορᾷ καὶ πολλὴν ποιεῖται τὴν τροπήν. Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἐπὶ θάλατταν ἐξάγει τὸν λόγον, λέγων ὅτι τοσοῦτος ἔσται ὁ θόρυβος, τοσαύτη ἡ ταραχή, ὅση ἂν γένοιτο μαινομένης θαλάσσης καὶ κύματα διεγειρούσης· καὶ πάντα κινεῖ τρόπον, αὔξων τὸν φόβον, ὥστε μὴ δεηθῆναι αὐτοὺς τῆς διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων πείρας. Καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι οὐδὲ ὁ παραστησόμενος ἔσται, φησίν, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν οὐρανῶν· ἀλλ' ἔρημοι καὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν συμμαχίας καὶ τῆς κάτωθεν βοηθείας, ἐκδοθήσονται τοῖς πολεμίοις. Σκότος δὲ ἐνταῦθά φησι τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς συμφορᾶς αὐτοῖς ἐγγινόμενον, οὐχ ὡς τῆς ἀκτῖνος ἀφανιζομένης, ἀλλὰ τῆς διαθέσεως τῶν πασχόντων ἐν μέσῃ τῇ μεσημβρίᾳ ἀντὶ φωτὸς σκότος ὁρώντων· ὅπερ τοῖς ὀδυνωμένοις καὶ θλιβομένοις συμβαίνειν εἴωθε. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι οὐ τῆς φύσεως τοῦ ἀέρος τὸ σκότος ἦν, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐκείνων διαθέσεως, ἐπήγαγε· Σκληρὸν σκότος ἐν τῇ ἀπορίᾳ αὐτῶν.

6.τ ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΣΤ ʹ

6.1 Καὶ ἐγένετο τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, οὗ ἀπέθανεν Ὀζίας ὁ βασιλεύς. Τί δήποτε τοὺς

μὲν ἄλλους χρόνους ἀπὸ τῆς ζωῆς τῶν βασιλέων, τοῦτον δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς τελευτῆς χαρακτηρίζει νῦν ὁ προφήτης; Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν· Ἐγένετο ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ὀζίου, οὐδέ, ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ Ὀζίου, ἀλλ' Ἐγένετο ἡνίκαἀπέθανε. Τί δήποτε ἐν τούτῳ ποιεῖ; Οὐχ ἁπλῶς, οὐδὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλά τι ἀπόρρητον ἡμῖν αἰνίττεται. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν; Ὀζίας οὗτος τῇ τῶν γεγενημένων εὐπραγίᾳ μεθύων καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς εὐημερίας ὀγκούμενος, μεῖζον τῆς ἀξίας ἐφρόνησε. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ βασιλεὺς ἦν, ἐνόμισεν αὑτῷ προσήκειν ἱερᾶσθαι καὶ ἐπεπήδησε τῷ ναῷ καὶ εἰς τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων εἰσῆλθε καὶ τοῦ ἱερέως κωλύοντος καὶ ἀπαγορεύοντος αὐτῷ τὴν ἐκεῖσε εἴσοδον, οὐκ ἠνέσχετο, ἀλλ' ἐπέμεινε τῇ μανίᾳ, ὀλίγον τοῦ ἱερέως ποιούμενος λόγον. Ταύτης ἕνεκεν τῆς ἀναισχυντίας ἐπαφῆκεν αὐτῷ λέπραν ὁ Θεὸς κατὰ τοῦ μετώπου. Βουληθεὶς γὰρ πλείονα τῆς οὔσης τιμὴν λαβεῖν, καὶ ἧς εἶχεν ἐξέπεσεν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον ἱερωσύνην οὐ προσέλαβεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ γενόμενος ἀκάθαρτος, τῶν βασιλείων ἐξεβάλλετο καὶ τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἐν οἴκῳ τινὶ κεκρυμμένος κατῴκει, τὴν αἰσχύνην οὐ φέρων. Καὶ ὁ λαὸς δὲ συναπήλαυσεν ἅπας τῆς τοιαύτης ὀργῆς, ὅτι τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμους περιεῖδον καὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην ὑβριζομένην οὐκ ἐξεδίκησαν. Πῶς οὖν συναπήλαυσε τῆς ὀργῆς; Τῷ τὴν προφητείαν ἀναστα λῆναι· ὀργιζόμενος γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεὸς περὶ οὐδενὸς οὐδὲν ἀπεκρίνατο. Ἀλλ' οὐ μέχρι παντὸς τοῦτο ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ τῷ μέτρῳ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ μέτρον τῆς τιμωρίας ὥρισεν. Ὁμοῦ γοῦν ἐκείνου καταλύσαντος τὴν ζωήν, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ὀργὴν κατέλυσε καὶ τὰς θύρας πάλιν τῆς προφητείας ἀνέῳξε. Τοῦτο γοῦν αἰνιττόμενος ὁ προφήτης ἀνέμνησεν ἡμᾶς τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς τελευτῆς τοῦ βασιλέως· διόπερ οὕτως ἄρχεται τῆς προφητείας, λέγων· Ἐγένετο τοῦ ἔτους, οὗ ἀπέθανεν Ὀζίας ὁ βασιλεύς, εἶδον τὸν Κύριον καθήμενον. Καίτοι γε ὁ Χριστός φησι· Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε. Ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱός, ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Πατρός, ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο. Καὶ πάλιν· Οὐχ ὅτι τὸν Πατέρα τις ἑώρακεν, εἰ μὴ ὁ ὢν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ· οὗτος ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα. Καὶ πρὸς τὸν Μωϋσέα δὲ αὐτός φησιν· Οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸ πρόσωπόν μου καὶ ζήσεται. Πῶς οὖν οὗτός φησιν ἑωρακέναι τὸν Κύριον; Εἶδον γάρ, φησί, τὸν Κύριον· οὐκ ἐναντία τοῖς τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγων, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα συνῳδά. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Χριστὸς τὴν ἀκριβῆ κατανόησίν φησιν, ἣν οὐδεὶς εἶδε· γυμνὴν γὰρ τὴν θεότητα καὶ ἀκραιφνῆ τὴν οὐσίαν οὐδεὶς ἐθεάσατο, πλὴν τοῦ Μονογενοῦς· ὁ δὲ προφήτης τὴν αὐτῷ δυνατὴν ἰδεῖν ἀπαγγέλλει. Οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸς ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὁ Θεὸς ἰδεῖν ἠδυνήθη, ἀλλὰ σχηματισθέντα αὐτὸν θεωρεῖ, καὶ τοσοῦτον καταβάντα, ὅσον ἀναβῆναι ἡ τοῦ θεωροῦντος ἀσθένεια ἐχώρει. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ γυμνὴν