John Chrysostom, On Isaiah

and he shall eat honey. This, however, would not be of the divinity, but of our nature. For on this account, He did not simply form a man and dwell in him, but He also endured conception, and a nine-month one at that, and birth-pangs and swaddling clothes and nourishment from his earliest age, so that through all these things He might stop the mouths of those who try to deny the economy. Foreseeing these things, therefore, from above, the prophet speaks not only of the birth-pangs and the wondrous birth, but also of the nourishment in his earliest age, in the swaddling clothes themselves, differing in nothing from other men, nor having anything strange in this regard. For not all things about him were different, nor were all things common. For to be born of a woman is common, but from a virgin is greater than our way. But to be nourished again by the common law of nature and the same as the many is common; but for that temple to be inaccessible to wickedness, and not even to come to the experience of wickedness, this is strange and paradoxical and his alone. Therefore, he has set down both that and this. For he did not abstain from evil after experiencing it, he says, but from above and from the very beginning he displayed every virtue. Which he himself also said: "Which of you convicts me of sin?" and, "The ruler of this world is coming and has nothing in me."

7.7 And this same prophet, proceeding, says that "He committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth." This, indeed, he also says here, that before he knew or chose evil things, from that age inexperienced in evil, from the very beginnings he would show virtue and would have nothing in common with evil. Because before the child knew good or evil, he disobeys wickedness, to choose the good. Again with the same words he hints at the same meaning and dwells on the subject. For since what was said was very lofty, he confirms it by the continuity of the narrative. For what he declared above, saying, "Before he knew or chose evil things," this he hinted at as he went on, saying, "Before the child knew"; and he used an explanation again, saying, "good or evil, he disobeys wickedness, to choose the good." For this extraordinary thing was his alone. Wherefore also Paul continually turns this over, and John, when he saw him, proclaimed this, saying, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." But he who takes away the sin of others was much more himself without sin. And Paul, as I said before, continually cries this out. For since he was about to die, lest any of the unbelievers should think that he was paying the penalty for his own sins, he continually brings forward his sinlessness, in order to show that his death was a ransom for our sin. Wherefore he also said, "Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more." For what he died, he died to sin. Nor did he die that death, he says, as being liable on account of sin, but for the common transgression of all. If, therefore, he was not liable in this respect to the former, it has been abundantly demonstrated that he will die no more. And the land which you fear shall be forsaken before the face of the two kings. What the prophet continually does, this he has also done here. After the prophecy, he leads his account to the history. We have clearly shown that he structured this also in the case of the Seraphim, which he has also done here. For having spoken of the good things that are to be for the world, he then turns his discourse to the king. Wherefore he also added, saying, "And the land shall be forsaken." What is <The> shall be forsaken? It will be untouched, it will be free, it will suffer nothing unpleasant, it will not endure the things of war. And the land which you fear, for which you are afraid, for which you tremble, shall be forsaken before the face of the two kings, both the one of Damascus and the one of Israel. Then, so that he may not become more listless because of the prophecy of good things, nor more complacent because of the peace, he again tightens his soul, saying: But God will bring upon you and upon your people and upon the house of your father days such as have not yet come, from the day that he took away

καὶ μέλι φάγεται. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἂν εἴη θεότητος, ἀλλὰ τῆς φύσεως τῆς ἡμετέρας. ∆ιὰ γάρ τοι τοῦτο οὐδὲ ἄνθρωπον ἁπλῶς πλάσας ἐνῴκησεν ἐν αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ κυήσεως ἠνέσχετο καὶ ταύτης ἐννεαμηνιαίου καὶ ὠδίνων καὶ σπαργάνων καὶ τῆς ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας τροφῆς, ἵνα διὰ πάντων ἐμφράξῃ τὰ στόματα τῶν ἀρνεῖσθαι τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἐπιχειρούντων. Ταῦτα οὖν ἄνωθεν προορῶν ὁ προφήτης οὐχὶ τὰς ὠδῖνας λέγει καὶ τὸν θαυμαστὸν τόκον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐν πρώτῃ ἡλικίᾳ τροφήν, τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς σπαργάνοις, οὐδὲν τῶν λοιπῶν ἐξαλλάττουσαν ἀνθρώπων, οὐδέ τι ξένον κατὰ τοῦτο ἔχουσαν. Οὔτε γὰρ ἅπαντα ἐξηλλαγμένα ἦν αὐτῷ, οὔτε πάντα κοινά. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ γυναικὸς τεχθῆναι κοινόν, τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ παρθένου μεῖζον ἢ καθ' ἡμᾶς. Τὸ δὲ τραφῆναι πάλιν τῷ κοινῷ τῆς φύσεως νόμῳ καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ τοῖς πολλοῖς κοινόν· τὸ δὲ ἄβατον γενέσθαι πονηρίᾳ τὸν ναὸν ἐκεῖνον, καὶ μηδὲ εἰς πεῖραν ἐλθεῖν πονηρίας, τοῦτο ξένον καὶ παράδοξον καὶ αὐτοῦ μόνου. ∆ιὸ δὴ κἀκεῖνο καὶ τοῦτο τέθεικεν. Οὐ γὰρ μετὰ τὴν πεῖραν τῆς κακίας ἀπέστη τῆς κακίας, φησίν, ἀλλὰ ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐκ προοιμίων αὐτῶν πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν ἐπεδείκνυτο. Ὃ καὶ αὐτὸς ἔλεγε· Τίς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐλέγχει με περὶ ἁμαρτίας; καί, Ἔρχεται ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου καὶ ἐν ἐμοὶ ἔχει οὐδέν.

7.7 Καὶ αὐτὸς οὗτος προϊὼν ὁ προφήτης λέγει ὅτι Ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθά φησιν, ὅτι πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι αὐτὸν ἢ προελέσθαι πονηρὰ ἀπὸ τῆς ἡλικίας ἐκείνης τῆς ἀπειροκάκου, ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν προοιμίων τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπιδείξεται καὶ οὐδὲν ἕξει πρὸς τὴν κακίαν κοινόν. ∆ιότι πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακόν, ἀπειθεῖ πονηρίᾳ, τοῦ ἐκλέξασθαι τὸ ἀγαθόν. Πάλιν ταῖς αὐταῖς λέξεσι τὸ αὐτὸ νόημα αἰνίττεται καὶ ἐνδιατρίβει τῷ λόγῳ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ σφόδρα ἦν ὑψηλὸν τὸ εἰρημένον, τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῆς διηγήσεως αὐτὸ πιστοῦται. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἀνωτέρω ἐδήλωσεν εἰπών· Πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι αὐτὸν ἢ προελέσθαι πονηρά, τοῦτο προϊὼν ᾐνίξατο εἰπών· Πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον· καὶ ἐπεξηγήσει κέχρηται πάλιν λέγων· Ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακόν, ἀπειθεῖ πονηρίᾳ, τοῦ ἐκλέξασθαι τὸ ἀγαθόν. Τούτου γὰρ αὐτοῦ μόνον ἦν τὸ ἐξαίρετον. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος αὐτὸ στρέφει συνεχῶς καὶ Ἰωάννης δὲ ἰδὼν αὐτόν, τοῦτο ἀνεκήρυξε λέγων· Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου. Ὁ δὲ τὴν ἑτέρων αἴρων, πολλῷ μᾶλλον αὐτὸς ἀναμάρτητος ἦν. Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος, ὅπερ ἔφθην εἰπών, συνεχῶς αὐτὸ ἀναβοᾷ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμελλεν ἀποθνήσκειν, ἵνα μή τις νομίσῃ τῶν ἀπίστων, ὅτι οἰκείας ἁμαρτίας τίνει δίκην, συνεχῶς αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀναμάρτητον εἰς μέσον ἄγει, ἵνα τὸν θάνατον αὐτοῦ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἁμαρτίας λυτήριον ὄντα δείξῃ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγε· Χριστὸς ἐγερθεὶς ἐκ νεκρῶν οὐκέτι ἀποθνήσκει. Καὶ γὰρ ὃ ἀπέθανε, τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀπέθανεν. Οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνον τὸν θάνατον, ὡς ὑπεύθυνος ὤν, φησί, κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας λόγον ἀπέθανεν, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῆς κοινῆς ἁπάντων πλημμελείας. Εἰ τοίνυν τῷ προτέρῳ κατὰ τοῦτο ὑπεύθυνος οὐκ ἦν, ἐκ περιουσίας ἀποδέδεικται, ὅτι οὐκέτι ἀποθανεῖται. Καὶ καταλειφθήσεται ἡ γῆ, ἢν σὺ φοβῇ, ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν δύο βασιλέων. Ὅπερ συνεχῶς ὁ προφήτης ποιεῖ, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα πεποίηκε. Μετὰ τὴν προφητείαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἱστορίαν ἐξάγει τὸν λόγον. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν Σεραφὶμ κατασκευάσαντα σαφῶς ἀπεδείξαμεν, ὃ καὶ ἐνταῦθα εἰργάσατο. Εἰπὼν γὰρ τὰ μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀγαθά, εἰς τὸν βασιλέα λοιπὸν τρέπει τὸν λόγον. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε λέγων· Καὶ καταλειφθήσεται ἡ γῆ. Τί ἐστι <Τὸ> καταλειφθήσεται; Ἀνέπαφος ἔσται, ἐλευθέρα ἔσται, οὐδὲν πείσεται ἀηδές, τὰ τοῦ πολέμου οὐχ ὑποστήσεται. Καὶ καταλειφθήσεται ἡ γῆ, ἣν σὺ φοβῇ, ὑπὲρ ἧς δέδοικας, ὑπὲρ ἧς τρέμεις, ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν δύο βασιλέων, τοῦ τε ∆αμασκηνοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραηλίτου. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ τῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν προφητείᾳ ῥᾳθυμότερος γένηται, μηδὲ ὑπὸ τῆς εἰρήνης χαυνότερος, ἐπισφίγγει πάλιν αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν λέγων· Ἀλλὰ ἐπάξει ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ σὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρός σου ἡμέρας, αἳ οὔπω ἥκασιν, ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ἀφεῖλεν