John Chrysostom, On Isaiah

Uriah the priest, and Zachariah the son of Barachiah. Witnesses of what? Of the time; so that, even if the writings are slandered, the living men who were present when it was written and clearly knew the time when these things were spoken, might be able to silence those attempting to be shameless. What follows also pertains to the same subject, bringing the refutation more clearly. How and in what way? Let us hear their own words. For he went in, it says, to the prophetess. He perhaps called his own wife thus, because she too had been deemed worthy of a prophetic spirit; for the charismatic gifts did not stand among men only, but also passed over to the female gender. For it is not as in the needs of this life, where the sexes are divided and some pursuits are for men, and others for women, and they would not be able to exchange their respective roles; so it is also in spiritual matters; but the contests are equal and the crowns are common. And one might see this happening precisely both in the Old and in the New Testament and throughout all of life. Therefore, having intercourse with her according to the law of marriage, he caused her to conceive. And when the child was born, he gives him a new and strange name, one that contained the story of things to come. For what does it say? Call his name, "Spoil quickly, Prey swiftly;" so that even if the writings lying in the scroll are disbelieved, the name of the child, containing the story of the things that would come to pass, and given before the outcome of events, and being continually called by that name for all time, might sew up the mouths of those attempting to be exceedingly shameless. For that the prophet did not invent these things after the outcome, but knew them beforehand, even those attempting to be exceedingly ungrateful were able to be persuaded, seeing the child himself being so called before the outcome of the events and proclaiming the teaching of the misfortunes to come. For this very reason he also interprets the power of the prophecy and marks the time with precision, saying thus: "Because before the child knows how to call 'father' or 'mother,' the power of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of the Assyrians." And what he says is this. In the time, he says, of his tender age, not yet able to speak, there will be victory and trophies, not as though the child were able to fight and overthrow the enemies, but as that age, that is, the time before the child could speak, delivering all things to the enemies. And the Lord added to speak to me yet again: "Because this people does not desire the water of Shiloah that flows gently, but desires to have Rezin and the son of Remaliah as king over you, for this reason behold, the Lord brings up over you the mighty and many waters of the river, the king of the Assyrians." What is a custom for God, not only to foretell the punishments, but also to set down the causes, so as to instruct the hearers by this also, this he also does here. For having spoken of the dividing of the foreigners and the spoils and foretelling the assault of the barbarians, he also states the cause of the war. And what is this? The ingratitude of those inhabiting the city. For since, he says, having a king who was gentle and mild and tame, they broke away and desired tyrants and hastened to desert to a foreign rule, not bearing their own prosperity, with greater abundance I will fulfill their desire, bringing a certain barbaric and savage man. And he uses the words metaphorically, showing both the character of the native king and the power of the barbarian; and he does this, as I have always said, making the discourse more expressive. For this reason he says: "Because they do not desire the water of Shiloah;" not speaking about water, but because the spring comes forth gently and without noise, he compares the untroubled and gentle character of the then-reigning king to the quiet course of the waters and calls him Shiloah, because of his unoppressive and tame nature; which brings the greatest accusation against the subjects, that though they did not have a heavy yoke, they attempted to make innovations

τὸν Οὐρίαν τὸν ἱερέα, καὶ Ζαχαρίαν τὸν υἱὸν Βαραχίου. Μάρτυρας τίνος; Τοῦ χρόνου· ἵνα, κἂν τὰ γράμματα συκοφαντῆται, οἱ ζῶντες ἄνθρωποι καὶ παρόντες ἡνίκα ἐγράφετο καὶ τὸν χρόνον σαφῶς εἰδότες πότε ταῦτα ἐλέγετο, δυνηθῶσιν ἐπιστομίζειν τοὺς ἀναισχυντεῖν ἐπιχειροῦντας. Τῆς αὐτῆς ὑποθέσεως ἔχεται καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς, σαφέστερον ἐπάγον τὸν ἔλεγχον. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Τῶν ῥημάτων αὐτῶν ἀκούσωμεν. Προσῆλθε γάρ, φησί, πρὸς τὴν προφῆτιν. Τὴν γυναῖκα τὴν ἰδίαν οὕτως ἐκάλεσεν ἴσως, διὰ τὸ καὶ αὐτὴν πνεύματος ἠξιῶσθαι προφητικοῦ· οὐ γὰρ ἐν ἀνδράσι τὰ τῶν χαρισμάτων εἱστήκει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὸ γυναικεῖον διέβαινε φῦλον. Οὐ γὰρ ὥσπερ ἐν ταῖς βιωτικαῖς χρείαις διῄρηται τὰ γένη καὶ ἄλλα μὲν ἀνδρῶν, ἄλλα δὲ γυναικῶν τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα, καὶ οὐκ ἂν δυνηθεῖεν τὰ ἀλλήλων ἀνταλλάξασθαι· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πνευματικῶν· ἀλλ' ἴσοι οἱ ἀγῶνες καὶ κοινοὶ οἱ στέφανοι. Καὶ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ καὶ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἴδοι τις ἂν καὶ παρὰ πάντα τὸν βίον συμβαῖνον. Ταύτῃ τοίνυν ὁμιλήσας νόμῳ γάμου, κύειν παρεσκεύασε. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὸ παιδίον ἐτέχθη, ἐπιτίθησιν αὐτῷ ὄνομα καινὸν καὶ παράδοξον, τὴν ἱστορίαν τῶν ἐσομένων ἔχον. Τί γάρ φησι; Κάλεσον τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, Ταχέως σκύλευσον, Ὀξέως προνόμευσον· ἵνα κἂν τὰ γράμματα ἀπιστηθῇ τὰ ἐν τῷ τόμῳ κείμενα, ἡ προσηγορία τοῦ παιδίου τὴν ἱστορίαν τῶν ἐκβησομένων ἔχουσα καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἐκβάσεως τῶν γενομένων τεθεῖσα καὶ συνεχῶς παρὰ πάντα καλουμένη τὸν χρόνον, καὶ τῶν σφόδρα ἀναισχυντεῖν ἐπιχειρούντων ἀπορράψῃ τὰ στόματα. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ μετὰ τὴν ἔκβασιν ἔπλασε ταῦτα ὁ προφήτης, ἀλλ' ἄνωθεν αὐτὰ προῄδει, καὶ οἱ σφόδρα ἀγνωμονεῖν ἐπιχειροῦντες ἠδύναντο πείθεσθαι, οἱ πρὸ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκβάσεως αὐτὸ τὸ παιδίον ὁρῶντες καλούμενον καὶ τὴν διδασκαλίαν τῶν ἐσομένων συμφορῶν ἀνακηρύττον. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ἑρμηνεύει τῆς προφητείας τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὸν χρόνον ἐπισημαίνεται μετὰ ἀκριβείας, οὕτω λέγων· ∆ιότι πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα, λήψεται δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ καὶ τὰ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας ἔναντι βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν. Ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ, φησί, τῆς ἡλικίας τῆς ἀώρου καὶ μηδέπω φθέγγεσθαι δυναμένης, τὰ τῆς νίκης ἔσται καὶ τῶν τροπαίων, οὐχ ὡς τοῦ παιδίου δυναμένου παρατάξασθαι καὶ καθελεῖν τοὺς πολεμίους, ἀλλ' ὡς τῆς ἡλικίας ἐκείνης, τουτέστι, τοῦ χρόνου τοῦ πρὸ τῆς τοῦ παιδίου διαλέξεως παραδιδόντος ἅπαντα τοῖς πολεμίοις. Καὶ προσέθετο Κύριος λαλῆσαί μοι ἔτι· ∆ιὰ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ Σιλωὰμ τὸ πορευόμενον ἡσυχῆ, ἀλλὰ βούλεσθαι ἔχειν τὸν Ῥασὴν καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Ῥωμελίου βασιλέα ἐφ' ὑμῶν, διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἀνάγει Κύριος ἐφ' ὑμᾶς τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ τὸ πολύ, τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων. Ὅπερ ἔθος ἐστὶ τῷ Θεῷ μὴ μόνον τὰς τιμωρίας προλέγειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς αἰτίας τιθέναι, ὥστε καὶ ταύτῃ παιδεῦσαι τοὺς ἀκούοντας, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖ. Εἰπὼν γὰρ τὴν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων διανομὴν καὶ τὰ σκῦλα καὶ προλέγων τὴν τῶν βαρβάρων ἔφοδον, λέγει καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ πολέμου. Τίς δέ ἐστιν αὕτη; Ἡ ἀγνωμοσύνη τῶν τὴν πόλιν οἰκούντων. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ βασιλέα, φησίν, ἔχοντες, ἐπιεικῆ καὶ πρᾶον καὶ ἥμερον, ἀπεσκίρτησαν καὶ τυράννων ἐπεθύμησαν καὶ πρὸς ἀλλοτρίαν ἀρχὴν αὐτομολῆσαι ἠπείχθησαν, τὴν οἰκείαν εὐπραγίαν οὐ φέροντες, μετὰ πλείονος τῆς περιουσίας πληρώσω τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν αὐτῶν, βάρβαρόν τινα καὶ ἀνήμερον ἄγων ἄνθρωπον. Κέχρηται δὲ μεταφορικῶς ταῖς λέξεσι, τό τε ἦθος τοῦ ἐγχωρίου δηλῶν βασιλέως καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ βαρβάρου· ποιεῖ δὲ αὐτό, ὅπερ ἔφην ἀεί, τὸν λόγον ἐμφαντικώτερον κατασκευάζων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι· ∆ιὰ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι αὐτοὺς τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ Σιλωάμ· οὐ περὶ ὕδατος λέγων, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἡ πηγὴ ἠρέμα καὶ ἀψοφητὶ πρόεισι, τὸ ἀτάρακτον καὶ ἐπιεικὲς τὸν τρόπον τοῦ τότε βασιλεύοντος τῇ ἠρεμαίᾳ τῶν ὑδάτων διεξόδῳ παραβάλλει καὶ Σιλωὰμ αὐτὸν καλεῖ, διὰ τὸ ἀνεπαχθὲς καὶ ἥμερον· ὃ μεγίστην φέρει τοῖς ἀρχομένοις κατηγορίαν, ὅτι μὴ βαρὺν ἔχοντες ζυγόν, νεωτερίζειν ἐπεχείρουν