Procopius of Gaza, Commentaries on Isaiah

or to the height, Symmachus says, Make it deep to Hades, or raise it up high. But Aquila, Make it deep to Hades, raise it up to the height. And Theodotion, make it deep to Hades, raise it up high. A sign is therefore a manifest thing of something hidden and unseen, having the declaration in itself; like the sign of Jonah, signifying the descent into Hades, and the return from there. But the sign must be observed in the present; while what is signified is sometimes divided into the three times: in the present, as the smoke coming out of a house is a sign of the fire inside; in the future, as the gathering of visible clouds of the rain that will be upon the earth; and in the past, as the remains of charcoal of the pyre previously burned on it. Scripture, however, calls signs things that are paradoxical and representative of some mystical word. But from the 1961 signs in Egypt, we will understand "to the height, or to the depth," concerning which it is said: "He sent forth signs and wonders in your midst, O Egypt." For from the earth were frogs, and locusts, and gnats and dog-flies; but from heaven hail, fire, three-day darkness, such as in the time of Hezekiah the turning back of the sun occurred, and they say that Samuel came up from Hades to rebuke Saul. And a sign from the depth was Jonah coming up from the belly of the sea monster. Ahaz therefore is commanded to ask for a sign from wherever he wished; or rather the most paradoxical and most divine of all, and containing both in itself. This only God could grant. Wherefore he says: Ask from the Lord your God. Now of creation, heaven is the highest, and earth the lowest. Since, therefore, the Word became flesh, the depth signifies the earth, from which the flesh was taken; but the height, him who is above every principality and power, the Word who was in the beginning with the Father and God. Perhaps depth signifies the lowest parts of Hades; and height the super-celestial region. According to that: Do not say in your heart: Who will ascend into heaven? that is, to bring Christ down; or, Who will descend into the abyss? that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. Since therefore he who descended is the same as he who ascended, the one signifies the Lord's descent, the other, his being above the heavens. And necessarily, they say, the words concerning such things are for the king then reigning, so that through him what is prophesied might be spoken to all; For Isaiah perhaps would have been disbelieved through the envy of the men of his time, or the remaining humility in his life, as having fashioned from his own heart the oracle concerning the coming of the Savior. But Ahaz received this just as Laban, as Abimelech, as Nebuchadnezzar, as Pharaoh, as Caiaphas; not because of the worthiness of his life, but because of the credibility that was his from his high office. Therefore, he turns the word to the house of David, whether the Lord or the prophet, and says: Is it a small thing for you to give men a contest? and how do you give the Lord a contest? which Aquila translated thus: Is it a small thing for a man to toil, that you toil also against God? And such is the meaning of the foregoing: Not only that by plotting against the men of God, the prophets, you do not cease to provide toils for your salvation, but also to God himself of all, by attending to idols, and not obeying him concerning what he has promised you? Now agony is the fear of failure. But it does not speak of such a passion concerning God, but through this signifies the contrary disposition of those who resist his commands. Nevertheless, he says, 1964 even if he does not find one worthy of the reception, he himself will give the sign, on account of the pre-ordained economy of the birth of Christ through flesh, that is, not through any intermediary or minister, but he himself through himself; signifying from this the greatness of what is given. For he ordained the law through angels in the hand of a mediator, Moses. But this he himself gives. But if you marvel hearing of God being born, believe that he will also use the food of infants like other babies; for he will not be seen as a man in appearance; this, then, is human. But what is representative of his divinity, is that he does not wait for a suitable age for the discernment of good and

ἢ εἰς ὕψος, ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχός φησιν, Βάθυνον εἰς ᾅδην, ἢ ὕψωσον ἄνω. Ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας, Βάθυνον εἰς ᾅδην, μετεώρισον εἰς ὕψος. Ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων, βάθυνον εἰς ᾅδην, ὕψωσον ἄνω. Ἔστι μὲν οὖν σημεῖον πρᾶγμα φανερὸν κεκρυμμένου τινὸς καὶ ἀφανοῦς ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν δήλωσιν ἔχον· ὡς τὸ σημεῖον Ἰωνᾶ, δηλοῦν τὴν εἰς ᾅδου κατάβασιν, καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἐπάνοδον. ∆εῖ δὲ τὸ μὲν σημεῖον κατὰ τὸ ἐνεστὼς θεωρεῖσθαι· τὸ δὲ δηλούμενον, τοῖς τρισὶν ἔσθ' ὅτε καταμερίζεσθαι χρόνοις· ἐνεστῶτι μὲν, ὡς ὁ ἐξιὼν ἐξ οἰκίας καπνὸς, τοῦ ἔνδον ἐστὶ σημεῖον πυρός· μέλλοντι δὲ, ὡς ἡ τῶν ὁρωμένων νεφῶν συνδρομὴ τοῦ γενησομένου ἐπὶ γῆς ὑετοῦ· παρεληλυθότι δὲ, ὡς τὰ τῆς ἀνθρακιᾶς λείψανα τῆς προκαυθείσης ἐπὶ ταύτῃ πυρᾶς. Ἡ μέντοι Γραφὴ, παράδοξα καὶ παραστατικά τινος μυστικοῦ λόγου σημεῖα καλεῖ. Ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ 1961 σημείων, τὸ εἰς ὕψος, ἢ εἰς βάθος, νοήσομεν, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· "Ἐξαπέστειλε σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ἐν μέσῳ σου, Αἴγυπτε." Ἀπὸ γῆς μὲν γὰρ ἦσαν βάτραχοι, καὶ ἀκρίδες, κνίπες τε καὶ κυνόμυια· ἐξ οὐρανοῦ δὲ χάλαζα, πῦρ, σκότος τριήμερον, οἷον ἐπ' Ἐζεκίου ὁ τοῦ ἡλίου γέγονεν ἀναποδισμὸς, καὶ τὸ ἀνελθεῖν φασιν ἐξ ᾅδου τὸν Σαμουὴλ εἰς ἔλεγχον τοῦ Σαούλ. Ἐκ δὲ βάθους σημεῖον ἦν Ἰωνᾶς ἐκ γαστρὸς τοῦ κήτους ἀναδραμών. Προστάττεται τοίνυν Ἄχαζ ὅθεν ἐθέλοι σημεῖον αἰτεῖν· μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ πάντων παραδοξότατον, καὶ θειότατον, καὶ ἄμφω συνειληφὸς ἐν αὐτῷ. Τοῦτο δὲ μόνου Θεοῦ παρασχεῖν. ∆ιό φησιν· Αἴτησαι παρὰ Κυρίου Θεοῦ σου. Τῆς μὲν οὖν κτίσεως οὐρανὸς μὲν ἀνώτατον, γῆ δὲ κατώτατον. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, τὸ μὲν βάθος τὴν γῆν, ἀφ' ἧς ἡ σὰρξ ἐλήφθη, δηλοῖ· τὸ δὲ ὕψος, τὸν ὑπεράνω πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας, τὸν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα καὶ Θεὸν ὄντα Λόγον. Μή ποτε δὲ βάθος μὲν σημαίνει τὰ κατώτατα τοῦ ᾅδου· ὕψος δὲ τὴν ὑπερουράνιον χώραν. Κατὰ τό· Μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; τουτέστιν Χριστὸν καταγαγεῖν· ἢ, Τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον; τοῦτ' ἔστιν Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ καταβὰς αὐτός ἐστι καὶ ὁ ἀναβὰς, τὸ μὲν σημαίνει τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν κάθοδον· τὸ δὲ, τὸ ὑπεράνω γενέσθαι τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἀναγκαίως δὲ, φασὶν, οἱ περὶ τηλικούτων λόγοι τῷ τότε κεκρατηκότι γίνονται βασιλεῖ, ὡς ἂν εἰς πάντας δι' αὐτοῦ λαληθῇ τὰ προφητευόμενα· Ἡσαΐας μὲν γὰρ ἴσως ἂν ἠπιστήθη φθόνῳ τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν ἀνθρώπων, ἢ τῇ λοιπῇ περὶ τὸν βίον ταπεινότητι, ὡς ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας ἀναπλάσας καρδίας τὸν περὶ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίας χρηματισμόν. Ὁ δὲ Ἄχαζ οὕτω τοῦτον ἐδέξατο, ὡς Λαβὰν, ὡς Ἀβιμέλεχ, ὡς Ναβουχοδονόσωρ, ὡς Φαραὼ, ὡς ὁ Καϊάφας· οὐ διὰ τὴν ἀξίαν τοῦ βίου, ὅσον διὰ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ ἀξιώματος προσοῦσαν αὐτῷ ἀξιοπιστίαν. Ἀποστρέφει δ' οὖν πρὸς τὸν οἶκον ∆αβὶδ τὸν λόγον εἴτε Κύριος, εἴτε ὁ προφήτης, καί φησιν· Μὴ μικρὸν ὑμῖν ἀγῶνα παρέχειν ἀνθρώποις; καὶ πῶς Κυρίῳ παρέχετε ἀγῶνα; ὅπερ Ἀκύλας οὕτως ἑρμήνευσεν· Μήτι ὀλίγον μοχθεῖν ἄνδρα, ὅτι μοχθεῖτε καί γε τὸν Θεόν; Τοιοῦτος δὲ τῶν προκειμένων ὁ νοῦς· Οὐ μόνον ὅτι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῖς προφήταις ἐπιβουλεύοντες οὐ παύεσθε μόχθους ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑμετέρας σωτηρίας παρέχοντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ πάντων Θεῷ, τοῖς μὲν εἰδώλοις προσέχοντες, αὐτῷ δὲ μὴ πειθόμενοι περὶ ὧν ὑμῖν ἐπηγγείλατο; Ἀγωνία μὲν οὖν φόβος ἐστὶ διαπτώσεως. Ἀλλὰ τοιοῦτο πάθος οὐ λέγει περὶ Θεὸν, δηλοῖ δὲ διὰ ταύτης τὴν ἀντιδιάθεσιν τῶν ἀνθισταμένων αὐτοῦ τοῖς προστάγμασιν. Ὅμως, φησὶ, 1964 κἂν μὴ τῆς ὑποδοχῆς εὑρίσκῃ τὸν ἄξιον, αὐτὸς δώσει τὸ σημεῖον, διὰ τὴν προωρισμένην οἰκονομίαν τῆς διὰ σαρκὸς γεννήσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τουτέστιν, οὐ διὰ μέσου καὶ διακόνου τινος, αὐτὸς δὲ δι' ἑαυτοῦ· δηλῶν ἐντεῦθεν τοῦ διδομένου τὸ μέγεθος. Τὸν μὲν γὰρ νόμον διετάξατο δι' ἀγγέλων ἐν χειρὶ μεσίτου Μωϋσέως. Τοῦτο δὲ αὐτὸς δίδωσιν. Εἰ δὲ θαυμάζεις Θεὸν γεννώμενον ἀκούων, πίστευσον ὅτι καὶ τρυφῇ νηπίων χρήσεται τοῖς ἄλλοις βρέφεσιν ὁμοίως· οὐ κατὰ φαντασίαν γὰρ ὀφθήσεται ἄνθρωπος· τοῦτο μὲν οὖν ἀνθρώπινον. Τὸ δὲ τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ παραστατικὸν, ὅτι μὴ περιμένει πρόσφορον ἡλικίαν πρὸς διάκρισιν ἀγαθοῦ καὶ