John Chrysostom, On Isaiah

of mind, And having unclean lips. He called his lips unclean, as I at least think, in comparison to those fiery mouths of those pure powers, of that most exact liturgy. And he did not stop there, but also confesses on behalf of all the people, adding and saying: In the midst of a people having unclean lips I dwell. And for what reason does he blame the lips here? Showing the lack of boldness. Since the three youths also said almost this very thing, being in the furnace: It is not for us to open our mouths. And now, since it was a time for hymnody and praise and he saw the powers above doing this, he fittingly turns his word to the lips, which are especially called to such a ministry. But he called his own unclean for this reason, but those of the people not so, but because they were filled with much lawlessness. And I saw the King, the Lord, with my eyes. For this I groan and lament, he says, because being unworthy I was deemed worthy of such honor, surpassing my worth, transcending my nature. But when he says: I saw, do not think it the precise comprehension, but what was possible for him. And consider how great is the gain of confession. He accused himself and was immediately cleansed. For when he said these words: There was sent to me, he says, one of the Seraphim, and in his hand he had a coal, which he took with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: Behold, this has touched your lips, and it will take away your iniquities, and will cleanse away your sins. Some say that these are symbols of the future mysteries: the altar, the fire upon it, the ministering power, the giving into the mouth, the cleansing of sins; but we for now hold to the literal account and say for what reason this happened. He is about to be sent to the Jewish people, announcing certain dreadful and unbearable things. Therefore the Seraphim are sent, so as to <deliver> him from fear and fill him with boldness. And so that he might not make excuses, like Moses, saying he was of a feeble voice, and Jeremiah, that he was too young, so this one too, that he had unclean lips and could not minister in the things being said, the Seraphim come cleansing his sins, not by their own power (for this belongs to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit alone), but by the command and the gift of the coals. For it did not say: Behold, I take away, but: Behold, this takes away your iniquities, and it will cleanse your sins through the command of the one who sent it. And for what reason did the Seraphim take the coal with the tongs? For surely the incorporeal power was not going to be burned by the coals. For what reason did these things happen? For the sake of great condescension. For this reason indeed he also takes it from the altar, where the sacrifices and the purifications for sins were offered. But if you should say: How was the prophet's mouth not burned? In the first place, the fire that appeared was not even perceptible; but otherwise, whenever God does something, do not be over-curious, nor meddlesome. 6.5 For even an active and perceptible fire, when it came into contact with bodies, did not display the properties of fire. But if, where there were vine-branches and pitch, the flame forgot its own nature, why do you marvel if now, when such a wonder-working took place, this fire cleansed but did not burn? And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go to this people? Do you see how much the vision accomplished, how much the fear achieved? And yet something of this sort also happened in the case of Moses; for though no Seraphim appeared, nor he himself sitting on a throne, yet nevertheless another wondrous sight was then shown to the prophet, and such a one that no one was able to look upon what appeared. For the bush was burning, it says, and was not consumed. But nevertheless, even after those things and the great exhortation of God, the great Moses shrinks back and makes excuses and devises countless pretexts for refusal, saying: I am of a feeble voice and a slow tongue, and: Appoint another, whom you will send. And Jeremiah makes his age an excuse. And Ezekiel after the

γνώμης, Καὶ ἀκάθαρτα χείλη ἔχων. Ἀκάθαρτα αὐτοῦ τὰ χείλη ἐκάλεσεν, ὡς ἔγωγε οἶμαι, πρὸς τὴν παράθεσιν τῶν ἐμπύρων στομάτων ἐκείνων τῶν καθαρῶν δυνάμεων, τῆς ἀκριβεστάτης λειτουργίας ἐκείνης. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἔστη, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ παντὸς ἐξομολογεῖται, ἐπάγων καὶ λέγων· Ἐν μέσῳ λαοῦ ἀκάθαρτα χείλη ἔχοντος ἐγὼ οἰκῶ. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν χείλη ἐνταῦθα αἰτιᾶται; Τὸ ἀπαρρησίαστον ἐμφαίνων. Ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ παῖδες οἱ τρεῖς τοῦτο αὐτὸ ἔλεγον σχεδόν, ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ ὄντες· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἀνοῖξαι τὸ στόμα. Καὶ νῦν, ἐπειδὴ ὑμνῳδίας ἦν καιρὸς καὶ εὐφημίας καὶ τὰς ἄνω δυνάμεις ἑώρα τοῦτο ποιούσας, εἰκότως ἐπὶ τὰ χείλη τρέπει τὸν λόγον, τὰ μάλιστα πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην διακονίαν καλούμενα. Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν αὐτοῦ διὰ τοῦτο ἀκάθαρτα ἐκάλεσε, τὰ δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πολλῆς ἀνομίας ἦσαν ἐμπεπλησμένοι. Καὶ τὸν βασιλέα Κύριον εἶδον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο στένω καὶ θρηνῶ, φησίν, ὅτι τοσαύτης ἠξιώθην τιμῆς ἀνάξιος ὢν ὑπερβαινούσης μου τὴν ἀξίαν, ἀναβεβηκυίας μου τὴν φύσιν. Ὅταν δὲ λέγῃ· Εἶδον, μὴ τὴν ἀκριβῆ κατανόησιν νόμιζε, ἀλλὰ τὴν αὐτῷ δυνατήν. Καὶ σκόπει πόσον τῆς ἐξομολογήσεως τὸ κέρδος. Κατηγόρησεν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ εὐθέως ἐκαθάρθη. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ταῦτα εἶπε τὰ ῥήματα· Ἀπεστάλη πρός με, φησίν, ἓν τῶν Σεραφὶμ καὶ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ εἶχεν ἄνθρακα, ὃν τῇ λαβίδι ἔλαβεν ἀπὸ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου. Καὶ ἥψατο τοῦ στόματός μου καὶ εἶπεν· Ἰδοὺ ἥψατο τοῦτο τῶν χειλέων σου καὶ ἀφελεῖ τὰς ἀνομίας σου καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου περικαθαριεῖ. Τινὲς μὲν καὶ τῶν μυστηρίων τῶν μελλόντων σύμβολα ταῦτα εἶναί φασι, τὸ θυσιαστήριον, τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἐπικείμενον, τὴν διακονουμένην δύναμιν, τὸ ἐν τῷ στόματι δίδοσθαι, τὸ καθαίρειν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα· ἡμεῖς δὲ τέως τῆς ἱστορίας ἐχόμεθα καὶ λέγομεν τίνος ἕνεκεν τοῦτο γεγένηται. Μέλλει πέμπεσθαι πρὸς τὸν δῆμον τὸν Ἰουδαϊκόν, φοβερά τινα ἀπαγγέλλων καὶ ἀφόρητα. Πέμπεται τοίνυν τὰ Σεραφίμ, ὥστε <ἀπαλλάξαι> φόβου καὶ παρρησίας αὐτὸν ἐμπλῆσαι. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ προβάλληται, καθάπερ Μωϋσῆς, λέγων ἰσχνόφωνος εἶναι καὶ Ἱερεμίας, νεώτερος εἶναι, οὕτω καὶ οὗτος ἀκάθαρτα χείλη ἔχειν καὶ μὴ δύνασθαι διακονῆσαι τοῖς λεγομένοις, ἔρχεται τὰ Σεραφὶμ ἐκκαθαίροντα αὐτοῦ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, οὐκ οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει (τοῦτο γὰρ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου Πνεύματος μόνον), ἀλλ' ἐπιτάγματι καὶ δόσει τῶν ἀνθράκων. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν· Ἰδοὺ ἀφαιρῶ ἐγώ, ἀλλ' Ἰδοὺ τοῦτο ἀφαιρεῖται τὰς ἀνομίας σου, καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου περικαθαριεῖ διὰ τὸ ἐπίταγμα τοῦ πέμψαντος. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ἐν τῇ λαβίδι τὰ Σεραφὶμ ἔλαβε τὸν ἄνθρακα; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἡ ἀσώματος δύναμις ἐγκατακαίεσθαι ἔμελλεν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθράκων. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ταῦτα γεγένηται; ∆ιὰ πολλὴν συγκατάβασιν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου λαμβάνει, ἔνθα αἱ θυσίαι προσεφέροντο καὶ οἱ καθαρμοὶ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων. Εἰ δὲ λέγοις· Πῶς τὸ στόμα οὐ κατεκάη τοῦ προφήτου; Μάλιστα μὲν οὐδὲ πῦρ αἰσθητὸν ἦν τὸ φαινόμενον· ἄλλως δέ, ὅταν ὁ Θεὸς ἐργάζηταί τι, μὴ πολυπραγμόνει, μηδὲ περιεργάζου. 6.5 Καὶ γὰρ ἐνεργοῦν καὶ αἰσθητὸν πῦρ σώμασιν ὁμιλῆσαν, τὰ τοῦ πυρὸς οὐκ ἐπεδείξατο. Εἰ δὲ ἔνθα κληματίδες καὶ πίσσα, τῆς οἰκείας ἐπελάθετο φύσεως ἡ φλόξ, τί θαυμά ζεις, εἰ νῦν τοσαύτης παραδοξοποιίας γενομένης ἐκάθηρεν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔκαυσε τουτὶ τὸ πῦρ; Καὶ ἤκουσα τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου λέγοντος· Τίνα ἀποστελῶ καὶ τίς πορεύσεται πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον; Ὁρᾷς πόσον ἤνυσεν ἡ ὄψις, πόσον κατώρθωσεν ὁ φόβος; Καίτοι γε καὶ ἐπὶ Μωϋσέως τοιοῦτόν τι γέγονεν· εἰ γὰρ μὴ Σεραφὶμ ἐφάνη, μηδὲ αὐτὸς ἐπὶ θρόνου καθήμενος, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἕτερον παράδοξον θέαμα τότε ἐδείχθη τῷ προφήτῃ καὶ τοιοῦτον, ὡς μηδένα ἀντιβλέψαι δυνηθῆναι τῷ φαινομένῳ. Ὁ γὰρ βάτος ἐκαίετο, φησί, καὶ οὐ κατεκαίετο. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνα καὶ τὴν πολλὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ παραίνεσιν ὁ μέγας ἀναδύεται Μωϋσῆς καὶ σκήπτεται καὶ μυρίας ἐπινοεῖ προφάσεις παραιτήσεως, λέγων· Ἰσχνόφωνός εἰμι καὶ βραδύγλωσσος καί· Προχείρισαι σὺ ἄλλον, ὃν ἐξαποστελεῖς. Καὶ Ἱερεμίας δὲ τὴν ἡλικίαν προβάλλεται. Καὶ Ἰεζεκιὴλ δὲ μετὰ τὸ