John Chrysostom, On Isaiah

provides great confirmation for what happened then. For what could the unbeliever say? That the leper was not cleansed? Let him see the truth of the prophecy, and from this let him also believe in the sign. And what could the Jews of that time say? That what he foretells is not true? Let them see the leper being cleansed and from the things that happened to him, let them not disbelieve concerning the things to come, receiving as the greatest pledge—those of that time, the sign for the prophecy; and those of today, the prophecy for the sign. Do you see how one is established through the other? One might see this happening also in the Old Testament. For when Jeroboam raged with that harsh madness and set up golden calves, the prophet came and announced beforehand the things to come and immediately gave a sign. For so that no one might disbelieve the things that would happen after three hundred years, he tore down the altar and poured out the fat and withered the king's hand, providing from the things happening before their eyes clear proof of the things that would happen after a long time. And one might see many such things happening both in the New and in the Old Testament, as God variously manages our salvation. Which indeed has happened here also and with greater abundance; for indeed he wove together not only a sign, but both a prophecy and a sign at the same time. But so that what is said may become clearer, let us go through the history itself with precision. And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but could not besiege it. And it was told to the house of David, saying: Syria has allied with Ephraim. What has been said is a history and a narrative of events; but he who has understanding and sees sharply, will reap great profit even from this, learning God's great wisdom and his care for the Jews. For he neither checked the war from the beginning, nor did he permit it, when it came, to conquer the city, but allowing the threat through words to occur, he prevented the attempt, at once awakening them and delivering them from their indolence, and at the same time demonstrating his own power, that it is possible for him, even when they have come to the very end of their troubles, as if they had not even made a beginning, so to preserve unharmed those who fall into them. It is possible to see him doing this in many places; for example in the case of the Babylonian furnace and of the lions' den and in countless other matters. For these men came and laid siege, and having touched the walls and shaken the minds of those living inside, they had no further strength.

7.2 And from this one can also see the lawlessness of the ten tribes, that they not only undertook a civil war, nor that they rebelled against their brothers, but that they also joined themselves to foreigners and aliens, and those who were not even permitted to associate with them at all, they both called allies, and conspired with, and stood against the city. For they stirred up Rezin, who was a foreigner, against the mother city. And the circumstances of the battle were unequal. For on their side there was an infinite multitude and cities and nations and peoples; but here there was none of these things, but one city, the mother city, so that the strength of God might be shown in abundance. For with no one moving arms, nor going out and drawing up for battle, they fell from these evil undertakings. For they were not able, it says, to besiege it. And yet what was hindering them? Nothing other than the hand of God invisibly repelling them. However, as I said, he repelled the war, but did not immediately remove the fear. For it was reported, it says, to the house of David, that Syria has allied with Ephraim. And his soul and the soul of his people were dismayed. Whenever God is about to do something extraordinary, he does not bring on the miracle immediately, but first he allows those who are about to benefit to become aware of the dangers, so that after the deliverance from the dangers, no ingratitude

τῷ τότε γενομένῳ πολλὴν παρέχει τὴν βεβαίωσιν. Τί γὰρ ἂν εἴποι ὁ ἄπιστος; ὅτι οὐκ ἐκαθάρθη ὁ λεπρός; Βλεπέτω τῆς προφητείας τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ἀπὸ ταύτης καὶ τῷ σημείῳ πιστευέτω. Τί δὲ ἂν εἴποιεν οἱ τότε Ἰουδαῖοι; ὅτι ἃ προλέγει οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθῆ; Ὁράτωσαν τὸν λεπρὸν καθαιρόμενον καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπ' ἐκείνου γενομένων καὶ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων μὴ ἀπιστείτωσαν, μέγιστον λαμβάνοντες ἐνέχυρον ἐκεῖνοι μὲν τῆς προφητείας τὸ σημεῖον, οἱ δὲ νῦν τοῦ σημείου τὴν προφητείαν. Εἶδες πῶς θάτερον διὰ θατέρου κατασκευάζεται; Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Παλαιᾶς γινόμενον ἴδοι τις ἄν. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἱεροβοὰμ τὴν χαλεπὴν ἐκείνην ἐμάνη μανίαν καὶ δαμάλεις ἔστησε χρυσᾶς, ἐλθὼν ὁ προφήτης τά τε μέλλοντα προανεφώνησεν καὶ σημεῖον εὐθέως ἔδωκεν. Ἵνα γὰρ μηδεὶς ἀπιστῇ τοῖς μετὰ τριακόσια συμβησομένοις ἔτη, τὸν βωμὸν ἔρρηξε καὶ τὴν πιότητα ἐξέχεε καὶ τὴν χεῖρα τοῦ βασιλέως ἐξήρανεν, ἀπὸ τῶν πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν γινομένων τῶν μετὰ πολὺν χρόνον συμβησομένων σαφῆ παρεχόμενος τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. Καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἴδοι τις ἂν καὶ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ γινόμενα, τοῦ Θεοῦ διαφόρως τὴν ἡμετέραν οἰκονομοῦντος σωτηρίαν. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα γέγονε καὶ μετὰ πλείονος τῆς περιουσίας· οὐ γὰρ δὴ σημεῖον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ προφητείαν ὁμοῦ καὶ σημεῖον συνέπλεξεν. Ἀλλ' ὥστε σαφέστερα γενέσθαι τὰ λεγόμενα, αὐτὴν μετὰ ἀκριβείας τὴν ἱστορίαν ἐπέλθωμεν. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἄχαζ τοῦ Ἰωαθὰν τοῦὈζίου βασιλέως Ἰούδα, ἀνέβη Ῥασὴν βασιλεὺς Ἀρὰμ και Φακὲς υἱὸς Ῥωμελίου βασιλεὺς Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλὴπολεμῆσαι αὐτὴν καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν πολιορκῆσαι αὐτήν. Καὶ ἀνηγγέλη εἰς τὸν οἶκον ∆αυῒδ, λεγόντων· συνεφώνησεν Ἀρὰμ πρὸς τὸν Ἐφραΐμ. Ἔστι μὲν ἱστορία τὰεἰρημένα καὶ πραγμάτων διήγησις· ἀλλ' ὁ νοῦν ἔχων καὶ ὀξὺ βλέπων, πολὺ καὶ ἐντεῦθεν καρπώσεται τὸ κέρδος, τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν πολλὴν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἰουδαίων κηδεμονίαν καταμανθάνων. Οὔτε γὰρ ἐκ προοιμίων τὸν πόλεμον ἀνεχαίτισεν, οὔτε ἐπελθόντα κρατῆσαι τῆς πόλεως συνεχώρησεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀπειλὴν ἀφεὶς γενέσθαι τὴν διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων, τὴν πεῖραν ἐκώλυσεν, ὁμοῦ μὲν ἐκείνους ἀφυπνίζων καὶ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας ἀπαλλάττων, ὁμοῦ δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν ἐνδεικνύμενος, ὅτι δυνατὸν αὐτῷ καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸ τῶν δεινῶν τὸ τέλος ἐλθόντων, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ἀρχὴν εἰληφότων, οὕτω τοὺς ἐμπίπτοντας ἀκεραίους διατηρῆσαι. Ὃ πολλαχοῦ ποιοῦντα αὐτὸν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν· οἷον ἐπὶ τῆς καμίνου τῆς Βαβυλωνίας καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ λάκκου τῶν λεόντων καὶ ἐφ' ἑτέρων μυρίων πραγμάτων. Καὶ γὰρ ἦλθον οὗτοι καὶ ἐπολιόρκησαν, καὶ τῶν τειχῶν ἁψάμενοι καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν ἔνδον οἰκούντων κατασείσαντες, οὐδὲν ἴσχυσαν περαιτέρω.

7.2 Ἔστι δὲ κἀντεῦθεν ἰδεῖν τῶν δέκα φυλῶν τὴν παρανομίαν, ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἐμφύλιον ἀνείλοντο πόλεμον, οὐδ' ὅτι πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἐστασίασαν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἀλλοφύλοις καὶ ἀλλογενέσιν ἑαυτοὺς συνῆψαν καὶ οἱ μηδὲ ἁπλῶς κοινωνεῖν αὐτοῖς ἐπιτραπέντες καὶ συμμάχους ἐκάλουν, καὶ συνεφράττοντο καὶ κατὰ τῆς πόλεως ἵσταντο. Τὸν γὰρ Ῥασὴν ἀλλόφυλον ὄντα κατὰ τῆς μητροπόλεως ἤγειρον. Καὶ ἦν τὰ τῆς μάχης ἀνώμαλα. Παρὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐκείνοις πλῆθος ἄπειρον καὶ πόλεις καὶ ἔθνη καὶ δῆμοι· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τούτων οὐδέν, ἀλλὰ πόλις μία ἡ μητρόπολις, ὥστε ἐκ περιουσίας φανῆναι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἰσχύν. Οὐδενὸς γὰρ ὅπλα κινοῦντος, οὐδὲ ἐξιόντος καὶ παραταττομένου, ἐξέπιπτον ἐκεῖνοι τῶν πονηρῶν τούτων ἐγχειρημάτων. Οὐ γὰρ ἠδυνήθησαν, φησί, πολιορκῆσαι αὐτήν. Καίτοι τί τὸ κωλῦον ἦν; Οὐδὲν ἕτερον, ἀλλ' ἢ τοῦ Θεοῦ χεὶρ ἀοράτως αὐτοὺς ἀποκρουομένη. Πλὴν ἀλλ', ὅπερ εἶπον, τὸν μὲν πόλεμον ἀπεκρούσατο, τὸν δὲ φόβον οὐκ εὐθέως ἀνεῖλεν. Ἀνηγγέλη γάρ, φησίν, εἰς τὸν οἶκον ∆αυΐδ, ὅτι συνεφώνησεν Ἀρὰμ πρὸς τὸν Ἐφραΐμ. Καὶ ἐξέστη ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ὅταν μέλλῃ τι παράδοξον ὁ Θεὸς ποιεῖν, οὐκ εὐθέως ἐπάγει τὸ θαῦμα, ἀλλὰ πρότερον τοὺς μέλλοντας ἀπολαύειν ἐν αἰσθήσει τῶν δεινῶν ἀφίησι γενέσθαι, ἵνα μετὰ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τῶν δεινῶν μηδεμίαν ἀγνωμοσύνην