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its handmade things, so as to pray, and he will not be able to deliver Him. This is the word, which the Lord spoke against Moab, whenever He spoke. The belly, therefore, of the Prophet for Moab will sound like a harp, that is, it will produce a harmonious and musical, rhythmical sound, from the skill of the one striking it artfully. And he says "belly" for what the Psalmist elsewhere has called "inward parts;" For (he says) "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, His holy name." For who commands the things within himself to bless the name of the Lord, if not the nature of the thoughts coming forth from within? of which the order is twofold: for some happen to be wicked: murders, adulteries, thefts, false testimonies, and an evil eye; but others are refined and salutary: philanthropy, self-control, fellowship and good report, and testimonies according to God, and a pure eye, and things similar to these. He, therefore, for whom all inward things have been set right into a readiness to bless the holy name of God, this man well employs his inner disposition for the thanksgiving of God. And Isaiah, therefore, had the things within himself like a wall, which God had renewed. For so it was constructed from the grace of the Word unto him, renewing the inner man; and his thoughts were like an indestructible wall, so as to give no entrance to worse reasonings, nor to the enemies sitting around in malice. It is good, therefore, having understood these things, to emulate and to say similarly to the Prophet, "My belly will sound like a harp, and my inward parts like a wall that You have renewed." And it shall be (he says) that you may be put to shame, because Moab has toiled upon the altars. The word is to the same one. What then is the meaning of what seems to have been said boldly, "It shall be that you may be put to shame"? For this reason (he says) You have graced me with strong thoughts from within, so that those now not turning to you may be put to shame by you through the refutations brought against them, from the vigor of the reasonings given to me. Therefore, "them" is missing, so that the meaning of the words may be rendered soundly: "And it will be for them to be put to shame by you." For just as those standing face to face in wars, as long as they seem to be equally matched, do not turn, nor give way, but when the other side prevails over them, turning, they flee, so also a soul arrayed in shamelessness stands, not being put to shame, but having been refuted by a word that lays hold of it, it turns to shame. And since the turning happens in the hidden part of man, it has been called being-put-to-shame. For this reason, therefore, the belly will sound, and the inward parts like a wall which God renewed for the Prophet, so that they may change and be put to shame, to revere God, not previously knowing beneficial shame. 16.316 Because Moab has toiled upon the altars, and will enter the handmade things, so as to pray, and they will not be able to deliver Him. The final destruction of all idolatry from the appearance of the Word Isaiah now prophesies, that all the labors on the construction of temples are vain, and the useless hopes in handmade things. For they will pray (he says) and they will not be able to deliver Him. This now has been fulfilled at the coming of Christ. For instead of reefs, the renowned temples stand; but the deceits from the demons are no more, the opposing power having been put to flight through the mystery of the cross, which has been preached throughout the whole world. For this is the word that the Lord spoke against Moab, whenever He spoke. It is like an epilogue of the whole word preached against Moabitis: "This is the word that the Lord spoke." For the phrase was placed before, having this form: "The word against Moabitis;" but it is added to the whole section of the pericope: "This is the word that the Lord spoke against Moab, whenever He spoke." What is "whenever He spoke"? It shows the rarity of the voice of God coming to the Moabites. For with Israel He speaks continually, but with the nations as the

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χειροποίητα αὐτῆς, ὥστε προσεύ ξασθαι, καὶ οὐ μὴ δύνηται ἐξελέσθαι Αὐτόν. Τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα, ὃ ἐλάλησε Κύριος ἐπὶ Μωὰβ, ὁπότε καὶ ἐλάλησεν. Ἡ κοιλία τοίνυν τοῦ Προφήτου ἐπὶ Μωὰβ, ὡς κιθάρα ἠχήσει, τουτέστιν εὐαρμόστως καὶ μουσικῶς ἦχον ἀποτελέσει εὔρυθμον, ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπιστήμης τοῦ κρούοντος αὐτὴν τεχνικῶς. Κοιλίαν δὲ λέγει, ὃ ἀλλαχοῦ ὁ Ψαλμῳδὸς ἐντὸς εἴρηκεν· Εὐλόγει γὰρ (φησὶν) ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐντός μου τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ. Τίς γὰρ τοῖς ἐντὸς ἑαυ τοῦ προστάσσει εὐλογεῖν τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, ἢ τῇ φύσει τῶν ἔσωθεν τῶν διαλογισμῶν ἐξερχομένων; ὧν διπλοῦν ἐστι τὸ τάγμα· οἱ μὲν γὰρ μοχθηροὶ τυγχάνουσι· φόνοι, μοιχεῖαι, κλοπαὶ, ψευδομαρτυρίαι, καὶ ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός· οἱ δὲ ἀστεῖοι καὶ σωτήριοι· φιλανθρωπία, σωφροσύνη, τὸ κοινωνικὸν καὶ εὔφημον, καὶ αἱ κατὰ Θεὸν μαρτυρίαι, καὶ ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς κα θαρὸς, καὶ τὰ ὅμοια τούτων. Ὧ τοίνυν πάντα τὰ ἐντὸς κατώρθωται εἰς ἑτοιμότητα τοῦ εὐλογεῖν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἅγιον, οὗτος καλῶς συμπαρα λαμβάνει τὴν ἔνδον διάθεσιν εἰς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐχαριστίαν. Καὶ Ἡσαΐας τοίνυν εἶχε τὰ ἐντὸς ἑαυτοῦ, ὡς τεῖχος, ὃ ἐνεκαίνισεν ὁ Θεός. Οὕτω γὰρ κατεσκεύαστο ἐκ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν τοῦ Λόγου χάριτος ἀνακαινιζούσης τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον· καὶ ἦσαν αὐτοῦ οἱ διαλογισμοὶ οἱονεὶ τεῖχος ἀκαθαίρετον, ὡς μηδεμίαν διδόναι παρείσδυσιν τοῖς χείροσι λογισμοῖς, μηδὲ τοῖς περι καθεζομένοις ἐχθροῖς εἰς ἐπήρειαν. Καλὸν οὖν ἐστι ταῦτα ἐννοήσαντας ζηλῶσαι καὶ ὁμοίως εἰπεῖν τῷ Προφήτῃ τὸ Ἡ κοιλία μου ὡς κιθάρα ἠχήσει, καὶ τὰ ἐντός μου ὡσεὶ τεῖχος ὃ ἐνεκαίνισας. Καὶ ἔσται (φησὶν) εἰς τὸ ἐντραπῆναί σε, ὅτι ἐκοπίασε Μωὰβ ἐπὶ τοῖς βωμοῖς. Πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν ὁ λόγος. Τί οὖν βούλεται τὸ τολμηρῶς δοκοῦν εἰρῆσθαι, τὸ Ἔσται εἰς τὸ ἐντραπῆναί σε; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μοι (φησὶν) ἰσχυροὺς ἐχαρίσω ἔνδοθεν τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς, ὥστε τοὺς νῦν μὴ ἐπιστρέφοντας ἐπὶ σὲ ἐν τραπῆναί σε διὰ τῶν ἐλέγχων τῶν προσαγομένων αὐτοῖς, ἐκ τῆς τῶν δεδομένων μοι λογισμῶν εὐτονίας. Λείπει οὖν τὸ αὐτούς, ἵνα ὑγιῶς τῶν ῥημάτων ὁ νοῦς ἀποδοθῇ· Καὶ ἔσται εἰς τὸ ἐντραπῆναι αὐτούς σε. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις ἀντιπρόσωποι ἑστῶτες, ἕως μὲν ἰσοπαλεῖς δοκοῦσιν εἶναι, οὐ τρέπονται, οὐδὲ ἐκκλίνουσιν, ἐπειδὰν δὲ ὑπερέχῃ αὐτῶν τὸ ἕτερον μέρος, τραπέντες φεύγουσιν, οὕτω καὶ ψυχὴ ὑπὸ ἀναιδείας παρατεταγμένη ἕστηκεν, οὐκ ἐντρεπομένη, ἐλεγχθεῖσα δὲ ὑπὸ λόγου καθαπτομένου αὐτῆς, τρέπεται πρὸς αἰσχύνην. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου γίνεται ἡ τροπὴ, ἐντροπὴ προσηγόρευται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὖν ἡ κοιλία ἠχήσει, καὶ τὰ ἐντὸς ὡσεὶ τεῖχος ὃ ἐνεκαίνισεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ Προφήτου, ἵνα μεταβάλωσι καὶ ἐντραπῶσι, τοῦ αἰδεῖσθαι Θεὸν, πρότερον οὐκ ἐπιστάμενοι τὴν ὠφέλιμον αἰσχύνην. 16.316 Ὅτι ἐκοπίασε Μωὰβ ἐπὶ τοῖς βωμοῖς, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὰ χειροποίητα, ὥστε προσεύξασθαι, καὶ οὐ μὴ δύνωνται ἐξελέσθαι Αὐτόν. Τὸν ἐπὶ τέλει ἀφανισμὸν πάσης εἰδωλολατρείας ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Λόγου ἐπιφανείας προφητεύει νῦν ὁ Ἡσαΐας, ὅτι μάταιοι πάντες οἱ ἐπὶ ταῖς κατασκευαῖς τῶν ναῶν μόχθοι, καὶ αἱ ἀνωφελεῖς εἰς τὰ χειροποίητα ἐλπίδες. Προσεύξονται γὰρ (φησὶ) καὶ οὐ μὴ δύνωνται ἐξελέσθαι Αὐτόν. Τοῦτο νῦν ἐπὶ τῆς Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημίας πεπλήρωται. Ἀντὶ σκοπέλων μὲν γὰρ ἑστήκασιν οἱ ναοὶ, οἱ περιβόητοι· οὐκέτι δὲ αἱ ἀπὸ τῶν δαιμόνων ἀπάται, φυγαδευθείσης τῆς ἀντικειμένης δυνάμεως διὰ τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ σταυροῦ, τοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην κεκηρυγμένου. Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ ῥῆμα, ὃ ἐλάλησε Κύριος ἐπὶ Μωὰβ, ὁπότε καὶ ἐλάλησεν. Οἷον ἐπίλογός ἐστι παντὸς τοῦ ῥήματος τοῦ κατὰ τῆς Μωαβίτιδος κεκηρυγμένου· Τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐλάλησε Κύριος. Προτέτακτο μὲν γὰρ ἡ λέξις οὕτως ἔχουσα· Τὸ ῥῆμα τὸ κατὰ τῆς Μωαβίτιδος· ἐπιλέγεται δὲ παντὶ τῷ μέρει τῆς περικοπῆς· Τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα, ὃ ἐλάλησε Κύριος ἐπὶ Μωὰβ, ὁπότε καὶ ἐλάλησε. Τί ἐστιν Ὁπότε καὶ ἐλάλησε; ∆είκνυσι τὸ σπάνιον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς τοὺς Μωαβίτας γινομένης φωνῆς. Τῷ μὲν γὰρ Ἰσραὴλ συνεχῶς διαλέγεται, τοῖς δὲ ἔθνεσιν ὡς τὰ