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Interpretation on Ezekiel

OF THE BLESSED THEODORET, BISHOP OF CYRUS, INTERPRETATION OF THE PROPHECY OF THE DIVINE EZEKIEL.

PREFACE.

The eyes of the body, indeed, were created as judges of shapes and colors; and when they are healthy, they judge rightly and very justly; but being in a weak state, they fail of what is proper, and greatly mar what is just; for either they do not see at all, or seeing some things instead of others, they do not rightly discern the nature of the things seen. But the eye of the soul supplies this very same operation to these as well; and it received another power from the Creator, through which it not only discerns the qualities of shapes, and colors, and vapors, and tastes, and other such things, but also judges words, and also thoughts, and of these it distinguishes the impious from the pious, and knows the difference between divine and human things, and, in a word, according to the wise Solomon, it understands a parable, and an obscure saying, the sayings of the wise and their riddles. But it discerns each of these things when it is well disposed and freed from unbelief; but when such a mist covers it, it endures the same thing as the eyes of the body, and sees some things instead of others, or does not see at all, the affliction having taken hold. Falling into this disease, some have undertaken to accuse the divine Scripture, and especially the prophetic oracles, as being covered in obscurity. To whom the divine Paul would have rightly said: "But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing; for we speak wisdom among those who are perfect." And in harmony with these things are also what was said by 81.809 our Lord and Savior to the holy apostles: "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom, but to them it has not been given;" and teaching the reason, He immediately adds, that "seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not understand." For they themselves, He says, willingly draw over themselves the cloud of ignorance; for if they turn to the Lord, as the divine Apostle says, the veil is taken away. Therefore, divine things are not obscure to all, but to those who are willingly blind; who ought to have considered and understood that none of the precious things are readily available to men. For the depth of the sea hides the pearl, and likewise also the flower of the royal purple dye; and the veins of gold and silver do not lie on the surface of the earth, but are covered by its depths; and in our houses we keep the more precious of our possessions inside in storerooms, putting bonds, and locks, and seals on the doors; and we are accustomed to reveal the more important of our counsels to the most genuine of our friends, but not simply to all. But divine things are more venerable than all these that have been mentioned, and so much better, by as much as the invisible are than the visible, and the intelligible than the sensible, and the permanent than the fleeting. Therefore it is fitting that these things be deemed worthy of greater protection, and, to speak in the Lord's words, that the pearls not be thrown before swine; for indeed the acquisition of things readily available is contemptible; but things acquired with labor are greatly desired, and very lovely. And in addition to these things, it is necessary to add another to what has been said, that the oracles of the divine prophets contain an accusation of the lawlessness of the Jews, but offer a promise of good things to the gentiles; and it was necessary for the prophecy to be veiled, so that the Jews, being habitually enslaved to envy and daring to plot against the good things of others, might not destroy the books signifying these things. That this also is a cause of the apparent obscurity

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Interpretatio in Ezechielem

ΤΟΥ ΜΑΚΑΡΙΟΥ ΘΕΟ∆ΩΡΗΤΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΚΥΡΟΥ ΕΡΜΗΝΕΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΠΡΟΦΗΤΕΙΑΣ ΤΟΥ ΘΕΙΟΥ ΙΕΖΕΚΙΗΛ.

ΥΠΟΘΕΣΙΣ.

Οἱ μὲν τοῦ σώματος ὀφθαλμοὶ, σχημάτων καὶ χρωμάτων ἐδημιουργήθησαν δικασταί· καὶ δικά ζουσιν ὑγιαίνοντες μὲν, ὀρθῶς καὶ μάλα δικαίως· ἀσθενῶς δὲ διατεθέντες, ἁμαρτάνουσι τοῦ προσήκον τος, καὶ σφόδρα τῷ δικαίῳ λυμαίνονται· ἢ γὰρ παν τελῶς οὐχ ὁρῶσιν, ἢ ἕτερα βλέποντες ἀνθ' ἑτέρων, οὐ διακρίνουσι δικαίως τῶν ὁρωμένων τὴν φύσιν. Τὸ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς ὀπτικὸν, χορηγεῖ μὲν καὶ τούτοις ταύ την αὐτὴν τὴν ἐνέργειαν· ἐδέξατο δὲ καὶ ἑτέραν παρὰ τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος δύναμιν, δι' ἧς οὐ μόνον σχημάτων, καὶ χρωμάτων, καὶ ἀτμῶν, καὶ γεύσεων, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων τὰς ποιότητας διακρί νει, ἀλλὰ καὶ λόγοις δικάζει, ἀλλὰ καὶ λογισμοῖς, καὶ τούτων τοὺς δυσσεβεῖς ἀπὸ τῶν εὐσεβῶν διακρί νει, καὶ θείων καὶ ἀνθρωπίνων γινώσκει διαφορὰν, καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς κατὰ τὸν σοφὸν Σολομῶντα νοεῖ παρα βολὴν, καὶ σκοτεινὸν λόγον, ῥήσεις τε σοφῶν καὶ αἰνίγματα. Ἀλλὰ τούτων ἕκαστον διακρίνει, εὖ δια κείμενον, καὶ ἀπιστίας ἀπηλλαγμένον· ἀχλύος δὲ τοιαύτης ἐπιπροσθούσης ταυτὸν ὑπομένει τοῖς τοῦ σώματος ὀφθαλμοῖς, καὶ ἕτερα ἀνθ' ἑτέρων ὁρᾷ, ἢ παντελῶς οὐχ ὁρᾷ, τοῦ πάθους ἐπικρατήσαντος. Ταύτῃ περιπεσόντες τῇ νόσῳ τινὲς τῆς θείας Γραφῆς κατ ηγορεῖν ἐπεχείρησαν, διαφερόντως δὲ τῶν προφητι κῶν θεσπισμάτων, ὡς ἀσαφείᾳ κεκαλυμμένων. Πρὸς οὓς ἂν εἰκότως ὁ θεσπέσιος εἴποι Παῦλος· "Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔστι κεκαλυμμένον τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν, ἐν τοῖς ἀπολ λυμένοις ἐστὶ κεκαλυμμμένον· σοφίαν γὰρ λαλοῦ μεν ἐν τοῖς τελείοις." Συμφωνεῖ δὲ τούτοις καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ 81.809 τοῦ ∆εσπότου καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἁγίους ἀποστόλους εἰρημένα· "Ὑμῖν δέδοται γνῶναι τὰ μυ στήρια τῆς βασιλείας, ἐκείνοις δὲ οὐ δέδοται·" καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκων εὐθὺς ἐπάγει, ὅτι "Βλέ ποντες οὐ βλέπουσι, καὶ ἀκούοντες οὐ συνιοῦσιν." Αὐτοὶ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἑκόντες ἐπισπῶνται τῆς ἀγνοίας τὸ νέφος· ἐὰν γὰρ ἐπιστρέψωσι πρὸς Κύριον, ᾗ φησιν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, περιαιρεῖται τὸ κάλυμμα. Οὐ τοίνυν πᾶσίν ἐστιν ἀσαφῆ τὰ θεῖα, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐθε λουσίως τυφλώττουσιν· οὓς ἐχρῆν σκοπῆσαι, καὶ συνιδεῖν, ὅτι τῶν τιμίων οὐδὲν πρόχειρον τοῖς ἀνθρώ ποις. Τὸν μὲν γὰρ μαργαρίτην ὁ θαλάσσιος κατα κρύπτει βυθὸς, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἁλουρ γίδος τὸ ἄνθος· αἱ δὲ χρυσίτιδες καὶ ἀργυρίτιδες φλέβες οὐκ ἐπιπολάζουσι τῇ γῇ, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῶν ταύτης συγκαλύ πτονται κόλπων· καὶ ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις δὲ τὰ τιμιώτερα τῶν χρημάτων ἔνδον ἐν ταμείοις φυλάττομεν, δεσμὰ, καὶ κλεῖθρα, καὶ σήμαντρα ταῖς θύραις περιτιθέντες· καὶ τῶν βουλευμάτων τὰ σπουδαιότερα τοῖς γνησιω τέροις τῶν φίλων, ἀλλ' οὐ πᾶσιν ἁπλῶς ἐκφαίνειν εἰώθαμεν. Τούτων δὲ πάντων τῶν εἰρημένων τὰ θεῖα σεβασμιώτερα, καὶ τοσούτῳ κρείττονα, ὅσῳ τῶν ὁρατῶν τὰ ἀόρατα, καὶ τὰ νοητὰ τῶν αἰσθητῶν, καὶ τῶν ῥεόντων τὰ μένοντα. Πλείονος τοίνυν προσήκει ταῦτα φυλακῆς ἀξιοῦσθαι, καὶ ∆εσποτικῶς εἰπεῖν, μὴ ῥίπτεσθαι τοὺς μαργαρίτας ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοί ρων· καὶ γὰρ εὐκαταφρόνητος τῷ ὄντι τῶν προχεί ρων ἡ κτῆσις· τὰ δὲ σὺν πόνῳ κτώμενα τριπόθητα, καὶ λίαν ἐράσμια. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ ἕτερον δεῖ προσθεῖναι τοῖς εἰρημένοις, ὅτι τῶν θείων προφητῶν οἱ χρησμοὶ κατηγορίαν μὲν ἔχουσι τῆς Ἰουδαίων παρανομίας, ἀγαθῶν δὲ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐπαγγελίαν προσφέρουσι· καὶ ἀναγκαίως ἔδει συνεσκιᾶσθαι τὴν προφητείαν, ἵνα μὴ τῷ φθόνῳ συνήθως δουλεύοντες Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἀγαθοῖς ἐπιβουλεύειν τολμῶντες, τὰς ταῦτα σημαινούσας ἀφανίσωσι βί βλους. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τῆς δοκούσης αἴτιον ἀσα