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Commentaries on Isaiah

THE INTERPRETATION OF THEODORET, BISHOP OF CYRUS, ON THE PROPHET ISAIAH

PROLOGUE

If I were considering my own poverty, I would beg food from others; but since I know many poor people sharing from what they have, and the just judge praising their intent and measuring their reward by it, I too am attempting to go beyond the limits of my poverty and to share with my fellow believers the crumbs which I have received. For I have learned that the master demanded a return not only from the five and the two talents, but also brought forward the one who had received only one, and finding him idle, imposed the ultimate punishment. This frightens me especially; this fear drives out the fear of poverty and compels me to dare a task fitting for the wealthy. But I also take courage in the power and grace of my God; for so are all things most easy and extremely simple for him, as to grant for a short while a human voice to a donkey and to make a barren rock a spring of the sweetest and most abundant waters; so <also> generous is the giver of good things, as to not only bestow the grace of prophecy on the saints, but also to grant true oracles and prediction of things that will be after long ages to a tongue taught mantic falsehood. Knowing this ocean of loving-kindness, I open my mouth and await the streams. I will also imitate that widow who, receiving the prophetic blessing upon the oil, filled all the vessels she had gathered from the small drop and paid off her debt. For I too will cast the prophetic blessing into the vessel of my soul and I believe the interpretation will gush forth; for the most divine Isaiah will be able to do the <same> things as the inspired Elisha. For I will now attempt to interpret his prophecy; for of the other prophets, to speak with God's help, except for the wondrous Jeremiah, we have unfolded the meaning as we were able, having taken the greatest care for brevity and clarity. And certainly the Lover of mankind will now also impart to us an illuminating ray that lays bare the hidden things. For thus, having found the treasure of the all-holy Spirit, we will set it before those who love learning. But before all else, we will state the hypothesis of the prophecy; for in this way the interpretation of each part will be easy to survey.

HYPOTHESIS OF THE PROPHECY OF ISAIAH

All the inspired prophets not only the things that would happen to Israel

dictated, but also prophesied the salvation of the gentiles and foretold the master's epiphany; but most of all the most divine Isaiah was entrusted with this prediction. For he foretells all things clearly: both the blessing that sprang from Abraham and David, and the birth of the savior from a virgin, and the miracles of every kind and the springs of healing, and the envy and rage of the Jews, and the passion and the death and the revival from the dead, and the ascension into heaven, the election of the apostles, and the salvation of all the gentiles; and in addition to these things he also foretells the second epiphany of our God and savior, he predicts also the diaspora of the Jews and the complete desolation of the temple and the campaigns of the Assyrians and Romans against them, he also foretells the return from Babylon and the utter destruction of the Babylonians, he also foretells certain things for Egypt and for Tyre and for Damascus and indeed also for the Moabites and

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Commentaria in Isaiam

ΘΕΟ∆ΩΡΗΤΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΚΥΡΟΥ ΕΡΜΗΝΕΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΠΡΟΦΗΤΗΝ ΗΣΑΙΑΝ

ΠΡΟΛΟΓΟΣ

Εἰ μὲν τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ πτωχείαν ἐλογιζόμην, παρ' ἑτέρων ἠρανιζόμην τροφήν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ πτωχοὺς οἶδα πολλοὺς ἀφ' ὧν ἔχουσι μεταδιδόντας καὶ τὸν δίκαιον κριτὴν ἐπαι νοῦντα τὴν γνώμην καὶ ταύτῃ μετροῦντα τὴν ἀμοιβήν, ἐπιχειρῶ κἀγὼ τῆς πτωχείας ὑπερβῆναι τοὺς ὅρους καὶ ὧν ἔλαβον ψιχίων μεταδοῦναι τοῖς ὁμοπίστοις. Μεμάθηκα γὰρ ὡς οὐ μόνον τῶν πέντε καὶ τῶν δύο ταλάντων τὴν ἐργασίαν ὁ δεσπότης τοὺς οἰκέτας εἰσέπραξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἓν εἰληφότα μόνον εἰς μέσον ἤγαγε καὶ τὴν ἀργίαν εὑρὼν τιμωρίαν ἐσχάτην ἐπέθηκεν. Τοῦτό με διαφερόντως δεδίττεται, τοῦτο τὸ δέος ἐξελαύνει τῆς πενίας τὸ δέος καὶ κατατολμᾶν βιάζεται πράγματος τοῖς εὐπόροις ἁρμότ τοντος. Θαρρῶ δὲ καὶ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ μου δυνάμει καὶ χάριτι· οὕτω μὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ ῥᾷστα πάντα καὶ λίαν ἐστὶν εὐπετῆ, ὡς καὶ ὄνῳ φωνὴν ἀνθρωπείαν πρὸς ὀλίγον χαρίσασθαι καὶ πέτραν ἄγονον πηγὴν ἡδίστων τε καὶ πλείστων ἀποφῆναι ναμάτων· οὕτω <δὲ> φιλότιμός ἐστι τῶν ἀγαθῶν χορηγός, ὡς μὴ μόνον τοῖς ἁγίοις παρασχεῖν τῆς προφητείας τὴν χάριν, ἀλλὰ καὶ γλώττῃ μαντικὴν ψευδολογίαν δεδιδαγμένῃ ἀληθῆ δοῦναι χρησμολογίαν καὶ πρόρρησιν τῶν μετὰ χρόνους ἐσομένων μακρούς. Τοῦτο τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τὸ πέλαγος ἐπιστάμενος ἀνοίγω τὸ στόμα καὶ τοὺς κρουνοὺς ἀναμένω. Μιμήσομαι δὲ καὶ τὴν χήραν ἐκείνην ἣ τὴν προφητικὴν εὐλογίαν τῷ ἐλαίῳ κομίσασα ἐκ τῆς βραχείας λιβάδος ὅσα συνήθροισεν ἀγγεῖα πεπλήρωκε καὶ τὸ χρέος ἐξέτισεν. Ἐμβαλῶ γὰρ κἀγὼ τῷ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀγγείῳ τὴν προφητικὴν εὐλογίαν καὶ ἀναβλύσειν πιστεύω τὴν ἑρμηνείαν· τὰ <αὐτὰ> γὰρ Ἐλισσαίῳ τῷ θεσπεσίῳ καὶ ὁ θειότατος Ἡσαΐας δρᾶσαι δυνήσεται. Τούτου γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἑρμηνεῦσαι τὴν προφητείαν πειράσομαι· τῶν γὰρ ἄλλων προφητῶν σὺν θεῷ φάναι πλὴν Ἱερεμίου τοῦ θαυμασίου τὸν νοῦν ὡς ἐνῆν ἀνεπτύξαμεν, συντομίας ὅτι μάλιστα καὶ σαφηνείας πεφροντικότες. Μεταδώσει δὲ πάντως καὶ νῦν ἡμῖν ὁ φιλάνθρωπος φωτι ζούσης ἀκτῖνος καὶ τὰ κεκρυμμένα γυμνούσης. Οὕτως γὰρ τοῦ παναγίου πνεύματος εὑρόντες τὸν θησαυρὸν τοῖς φιλομαθέσι προθήσομεν. Πρὸ δὲ πάντων ἐροῦμεν τὴν τῆς προφητείας ὑπόθεσιν· οὕτω γὰρ εὐσύνοπτος ἡ κατὰ μέρος ἑρμηνεία γενήσεται.

ΥΠΟΘΕΣΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΗΣΑΙΟΥ ΠΡΟΦΗΤΕΙΑΣ Ἅπαντες οἱ θεσπέσιοι προφῆται οὐ μόνον τὰ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ συμβησόμενα

ὑπηγόρευσαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐθέσπισαν καὶ τὴν δεσποτικὴν προεμήνυσαν ἐπιφάνειαν· πάντων δὲ μάλιστα ὁ θειότατος Ἡσαΐας ταύτην ἐπιστεύθη τὴν πρόρρησιν. Σαφῶς γὰρ ἅπαντα προλέγει· καὶ τὴν ἐξ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ∆αυὶδ βλαστήσασαν εὐλογίαν καὶ τὴν ἐκ παρθένου γέννησιν τοῦ σωτῆρος καὶ τὰς παντοδαπὰς θαυματουργίας καὶ τῆς ἰάσεως τὰς πηγὰς καὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίων βασκανίαν καὶ λύτταν καὶ τὸ πάθος καὶ τὸν θάνατον καὶ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναβίωσιν καὶ τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἄνοδον τῶν τε ἀποστόλων τὴν ἐκλογὴν καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων τὴν σωτηρίαν· προλέγει δὲ πρὸς τούτοις καὶ τὴν δευτέραν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιφάνειαν, προαγορεύει καὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίων διασπο ρὰν καὶ τὴν παντελῆ τοῦ ναοῦ ἐρημίαν καὶ Ἀσσυρίων καὶ Ῥωμαίων τὰς κατ' αὐτῶν στρατείας, προλέγει καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον καὶ τὴν Βαβυλωνίων πανωλεθρίαν, προαγορεύει καὶ τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ τινὰ καὶ τῇ Τύρῳ καὶ τῇ ∆αμασκῷ καὶ μέντοι καὶ Μωαβίταις καὶ