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for it will not be able to be captured because of the Lord who defends her. Perhaps these cannot even agree, unless our sin should abound; since also those who agreed in the historical account, in the days of Ahaz, showed their agreement with each other on account of the sin of Ahaz, who did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord, but made his son pass through fire and offered incense on the high places. However, the undertaking of the wicked kings against the churches troubles the house of David and unnerves the soul of the people, so that it resembles a fruitless tree, because of the shaking born from the disturbance. But nevertheless the benevolent God, healing their disturbance, sends a prophetic word, driving out the fear from the hearts of the people, by saying: "Do not fear, nor let your soul be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of wood." 7.193 See if you can also take starting points from the interpretation of the names to see the matters of this passage yet more clearly. For Ahaz is interpreted as "possession"; Jonathan, "Yahweh's completion"; but Uzziah, "Yahweh's strength"; and Aram (as we said before), "exalted"; and Pekah, "opening"; and Remaliah, "exalted circumcision". The exalted word, therefore, agrees, and the word promising to be an explainer of the divine Scriptures. For this is what Pekah shows, interpreted as "opening," as if promising through himself an explanation of the closed testimonies of Scripture. But that the agreement against Jerusalem of the two kings (both the one who prides himself on the wisdom of the world and the one who promises to unfold the hidden things of Scripture) takes place in contrary doctrines and words, expecting to take captive those taught the things of the Church, is proven from what follows. For Aram and the son of Remaliah devised a wicked plan, saying: "Let us go up to Judea, and having conferred with them, we will turn them to ourselves." For the word clearly shows that through persuasiveness in debate they hope to turn the house of David to themselves. And they promise also to establish as king the son of Tabeel; and Tabeel is interpreted, "good God." It is characteristic of those who attack the Church to promise to deliver up the things concerning the Son of God, and through such plausible speech they deceive the more simple-minded. That these are riddles, brought through the historical account to the present state of the Churches, the word as it proceeds clearly lays bare, saying: "If you do not believe, you will not understand." 7.194 And the Lord said to Isaiah: "Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son who is left, to the pool of the upper road of the fuller's field, and you shall say to him: 'Take care to be quiet and do not fear, nor let your soul be faint because of these two smoldering firebrands.' For when the anger of my wrath has come, I will heal again. And the son of Aram and the son of Remaliah, because they have devised a wicked plan concerning you, saying: 'Let us go up into Judea, and having conferred with them, we will turn them to ourselves, and we will make the son of Tabeel king over it.' Thus says the Lord: 'This plan shall not stand, nor shall it be; but the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. But yet in sixty-five years, the kingdom of Ephraim will cease from the people; and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. And if you do not believe, you will not understand.'" I think, therefore, that the Prophets did not understand the word of God through sensible hearing as the air was struck; but since there are ears of the intelligible soul, the things signified reached them, bare of voice. And this happened to them, as the radiance of the true light reached their governing part, and ministered to the illumination of the Prophets. And they perceived this voice, who had become outside of the corruptible organs of sense, and those who

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γὰρ δυνήσεται ἐκπολιορκῆσαι διὰ τὸν ὑπερασπίζοντα αὐτῆς Κύριον. Τάχα δὲ οὐδὲ δύνανται συμφωνῆσαι οὗτοι, ἐὰν μὴ ἡ ἁμαρτία ἡμῶν πλεονάσῃ· ἐπειδὴ καὶ οἱ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν συμφωνήσαντες, ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τοῦ Ἀχὰζ, τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐπεδείκνυντο συμφωνίαν διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ Ἀχὰζ, ὃς οὐκ ἐποίησε τὸ εὐθὲς ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, ἀλλὰ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ διῆγεν ἐν πυρὶ καὶ ἐθυμία ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς. Ταράσσει μέντοι τὸν οἶκον ∆αβὶδ καὶ ἐξίστησι τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ λαοῦ, ὥστε καὶ ἀκάρπῳ ξύλῳ προ σεοικέναι, διὰ τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ταραχῆς ἐγγενόμενον κλόνον, ἡ τῶν πονηρῶν βασιλέων κατὰ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἐπιχείρησις. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Θεὸς, θεραπεύων αὐτῶν τὴν τα ραχὴν, πέμπει προφητικὸν λόγον, ἐξελαύνοντα τὸν φόβον τῶν καρδιῶν τοῦ λαοῦ, διὰ τοῦ λέγειν· Μὴ φοβοῦ, μηδὲ ἡ ψυχή σου ἀσθενείτω ἀπὸ τῶν δύο ξύλων τῶν καπνιζομένων τούτων. 7.193 Ὅρα δὲ εἰ δύνασαι καὶ ἐκ τῆς τῶν ὀνομάτων ἑρ μηνείας ἀφορμὰς λαβεῖν τοῦ ἔτι τρανότερον τὰ κατὰ τὸν τόπον ἰδεῖν. Ἑρμηνεύεται γὰρ ὁ Ἀχὰζ, κατάσχεσις· Ἰωά θαν, Ἰαῶ συντέλεια· ὁ δὲ Ὀζίας, ἰσχὺς Ἰαῶ· ὁ δὲ Ἀρὰ(ὡς προείπαμεν) μετέωρος· ὁ δὲ Φακεὲ, διάνοιξις· ὁ δὲ Ῥομελίας, μετέωρος περιτομῆς. Συμφωνεῖ οὖν ὁ μετέωρος λόγος, καὶ ὁ ἐπαγγελλόμενος σαφηνιστὴν εἶναι τῶν θείων Γραφῶν λόγος. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐμφαίνει ὁ Φακεὲ, ἑρμηνευό μενος διάνοιξις, οἱονεὶ σαφηνισμὸν τῶν ἀποκεκλεισμένων τῆς Γραφῆς μαρτυριῶν δι' ἑαυτοῦ ὑπισχνούμενος. Ὅτι δὲ ἡ κατὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ συμφωνία τῶν δύο βασιλέων (τοῦ τε ἐπὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ τοῦ κόσμου φρονοῦντος καὶ τοῦ ἐπαγγελ λομένου τὰ κεκαλυμμένα τῆς Γραφῆς ἀναπτύσσειν) ἐν δόγ μασι καὶ λόγοις ἐναντίοις γίνεται, προσδοκώντων ὑποχει ρίους λήψεσθαι τοὺς τὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας δεδιδαγμένους, ἐκ τῶν ἐφεξῆς ἀποδείκνυται. Ἐβουλεύσαντο γὰρ βουλὴν πονηρὰν ὁ Ἀρὰμ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Ῥομελίου, λέγοντες· Ἀναβησόμεθα εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, καὶσυλλαλήσαντες αὐτοῖς, ἀποστρέψομεν αὐτοὺς πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Σαφῶς γὰρ ὁ λόγος παρίστησιν, ὅτι διὰ τῆς ἐν τῷ διαλέγεσθαι πιθανότητος ἐλπίζουσι τὸν οἶκον ∆αβὶδ ἀποστρέψαι πρὸς ἑαυ τούς. Ἐπαγγέλλονται δὲ καὶ βασιλέα καταστήσειν τὸν υἱὸν Ταβεήλ· ἑρμηνεύεται δὲ ὁ Ταβεὴλ, ἀγαθὸς Θεός. Ἴδιον δὲ τῶν ἐπιτιθεμένων τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τὸ ὑπισχνεῖσθαι παραδώσειν τὰ περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης χρηστολο γίας ἐξαπατῶσι τοὺς ἀκεραιοτέρους. Ὅτι δὲ ταῦτα αἰνίγ ματά ἐστι, διὰ τῆς ἱστορίας πρὸς τὴν νῦν κατάστασιν τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν φέροντα, σαφῶς ὁ λόγος προϊὼν ἀπογυμνοῖ, λέγων· Ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύσητε, οὐδὲ μὴ συνῆτε. 7.194 Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Ἡσαΐαν· Ἔξελθε εἰς συνάντησιν Ἀχὰζ, σὺ καὶ ὁ καταλειφθεὶς Ἰασοὺβ, ὁ υἱός σου, εἰς τὴν κολυμβήθραν τῆς ἄνω ὁδοῦ τοῦ ἀγροῦ τοῦ γναφέως, καὶ ἐρεῖς αὐτῷ· Φύλαξαι τοῦ ὑσυχάσαι καὶ μὴ φοβοῦ, μηδὲ ἡ ψυχή σου ἀσθενείτω ἀπὸ τῶν δύο ξύλων τῶν δαλῶν τῶν καπνιζομένων τούτων. Ὅταν γὰρ ὀργὴ τοῦ θυμοῦ μου γένηται, πάλιν ἰάσομαι. Καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Ἀρὰμ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Ῥομελίου, ὅτι ἐβουλεύσαντο βουλὴν πονηρὰν περὶ σοῦ, λέγοντες· Ἀναβησόμεθα εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν καὶ συλλαλήσαντες αὐτοῖς ἀποστρέψομεν αὐτοὺς πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ βασιλεύσομεν αὐτῆς τὸν υἱὸν Ταβεήλ. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Οὐ μὴ μείνῃ ἡ βουλὴ αὕτη, οὐδὲ ἔσται· ἀλλ' ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ Ἀρὰμ, ∆αμασκός, καὶ ἡ κεφαλὴ ∆αμασκοῦ, Ῥασίν. Ἀλλ' ἔτιἑξήκοντα καὶ πέντε ἐτῶν, ἐκλείψει ἡ βασιλεία Ἐφραῒμ ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ· καὶ ἡ κεφαλὴ Ἐφραῒμ, Σομόρων, καὶ ἡ κεφαλὴ Σομόρων, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Ῥομελίου. Καὶ ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύσητε, οὐδὲ μὴ συνῆτε. Ἡγοῦμαι τοίνυν, ὅτι οὐ διὰ τῆς αἰσθητῆς ἀκοῆς πλησ σομένου τοῦ ἀέρος συνίεσαν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγον οἱ Προ φῆται· ἀλλ' ἐπειδή ἐστιν ὦτα νοητῆς ψυχῆς, ἐπ' ἐκεῖνα ἔφθανε, γυμνὰ φωνῆς, τὰ σημαινόμενα. Καὶ τοῦτο αὐτοῖς ἐγίνετο, τῆς αὐγῆς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς φθανούσης αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν, καὶ διακονούσης τῷ φωτισμῷ τῶν Προφη τῶν. Ταύτης δὲ ἀντελαμβάνοντο τῆς φωνῆς οἱ γενόμενοι ἔξω τῶν φθαρτῶν αἰσθητηρίων, καὶ οἱ