1

Interpretatio in xii prophetas minores

OF THE BLESSED THEODORET, BISHOP OF CYRUS, A COMMENTARY ON THE TWELVE PROPHETS.

PROLOGUE. Perhaps some will think we are doing something superfluous and unnecessary in daring to interpret the prophets, seeing that certain others have already completed this labor; but there are those who hold divine things in high regard, and have been accurately instructed in Holy Scripture, who will not only not be indignant with us, nor blame us in like manner with those fault-finders, but will even accept and, as is likely, praise us, even if they find nothing noble in our writings. For in the eyes of just judges, zeal alone is enough to reap praise; for so also our Savior and Lord, in the holy Gospels, extolled that widow with praises for two small coins, decreeing the praise for the quality of her intention, not for the quantity of the gift. And in the law, having urged the wealthy to bring gold and silver and precious stones for the construction of the tabernacle, he did not deprive even those living in poverty of the blessing from this; but commanded some to offer skins, others hair; and those who lacked even these offered their strength and skill instead, spinning the hair and weaving it. Besides these things we know not only Moses the great 81.1548 who was called a prophet, but also Joshua the son of Nun, and Samuel, and David, and Nathan, and Gad, and Ahijah, and Elijah, and Elisha, and countless others besides these; and the evangelical proclamation was conveyed to all people not only by Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, and the whole choir of the apostles, nor by Paul and Barnabas, who were ordained after them, but also by Silas, and Titus, and Timothy, and Apollos, the disciples of those great men. But the grace of teaching did not stop with these, but it also enlightened their successors, and those after them. And even until now in the holy Churches the fount of the all-holy Spirit gushes forth, and distributes the God-given gifts to men. Therefore we shall seem to do nothing unfitting to those who use right and just judgment, if, like some goat's hair, we should offer the birth-pangs of our own mind for the construction of the new tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. And if anyone should say that we are following the thoughts of others, even so he will find us contributing what we can. For just like those women who spun and wove the hair offered by others, and made the coverings of the tabernacle, so we too, having collected from here and there the things that have been well said, will, with God's help, weave one treatise from them all, making the meaning of the twelve prophets clear to those who read it. And it is likely that we too, using the divine word as a kind of lamp, shall find an interpretation that holds to the truth. For the grace of divine generosity has not been extinguished, but it springs forth and bestows the greatest gifts, not only to the worthy, but also to those who fall short of perfection. And we see the visible sun sending forth its own rays not only to the most ancient people, but also to those after them and to us, their late-born descendants, and similarly illuminating all the earth and sea. Therefore, much more does its creator, who made it for goodness' sake alone, also illuminate the mind of those who choose in this way to look up to him. Borne upon this hope, and taking no account of the fault-finders, we shall venture upon the interpretation of the prophets,

1

Interpretatio in xii prophetas minores

ΤΟΥ ΜΑΚΑΡΙΟΥ ΘΕΟ∆ΩΡΗΤΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΚΥΡΟΥ ΥΠΟΜΝΗΜΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΣ ∆Ω∆ΕΚΑ ΠΡΟΦΗΤΑΣ.

ΠΡΟΛΟΓΟΣ. Ἴσως μέν τινες περιττόν τι ποιεῖν καὶ παρέλκον νομιοῦσιν ἡμᾶς τῆς

προφητικῆς ἑρμηνείας κατατολ μῶντας, ἅτε δὴ καὶ ἄλλων τινῶν τοῦτον διηνυκότων τὸν πόνον· ἀλλ' εἰσὶν οἱ τὰ θεῖα περὶ πολλοῦ ποιού μενοι, καὶ τὴν ἱερὰν ἀκριβῶς πεπαιδευμένοι Γραφὴν, οἳ οὐ μόνον ἡμῖν οὐ νεμεσήσουσιν, οὐδὲ τοῖς φιλαι τίοις ἐκείνοις παραπλησίως ἐπιμέμψονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀποδέξονται, ὡς εἰκὸς, καὶ ἐπαινέσονται, κἂν μή τι γενναῖον ἐν τοῖς συγγράμμασιν εὕρωσιν. Ἀπόχρη γὰρ παρὰ τοῖς δικαίοις κριταῖς, καὶ μόνη ἡ προθυμία δρέψασθαι τὴν εὐφημίαν· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν, ἐν τοῖς μὲν ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ἀντ' ὀβολῶν δύο τὴν χήραν ἐκείνην ἐπαινίωσεν ἐγκωμίοις, τῇ ποιότητι τῆς γνώμης, οὐ τῇ τοῦ δώρου ποσότητι τὸν ἔπαινον ψηφισάμενος. Ἐν δὲ τῷ νόμῳ, τοῖς εὐπό ροις παρεγγυήσας χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον καὶ λίθους τιμίους εἰς τὴν κατασκευὴν προσενεγκεῖν τῆς σκη νῆς, οὐδὲ τοὺς πενίᾳ συζῶντας τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ἐστέ ρησεν εὐλογίας· ἀλλὰ προσέταξε τοὺς μὲν δέρματα, τοὺς δὲ τρίχας προσφέρειν· αἱ δὲ καὶ τούτων σπανί ζουσαι, τὴν ἰσχὺν καὶ τὴν τέχνην ἀντὶ τούτων προσ έφερον, νήθουσαι τὰς τρίχας, καὶ ἐξυφαίνουσαι. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἴσμεν οὐ μόνον Μωσέα τὸν μέγαν 81.1548 χρηματίσαντα προφήτην, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἰησοῦν τὸν τοῦ Ναυῆ, καὶ Σαμουὴλ, καὶ ∆αβὶδ, καὶ Νάθαν, καὶ Γὰδ, καὶ Ἀχιὰ, καὶ Ἠλίαν, καὶ Ἐλισσαῖον, καιμυρίους πρὸς τούτοις ἑτέρους· καὶ τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν δὲ κήρυγμα οὐ μόνον Πέτρος, καὶ Ἰάκωβος, καὶ Ἰωάννης, καὶ Ἀνδρέας, καὶ ἅπας ὁ τῶν ἀποστόλων χορὸς, οὐδὲ Παῦλος καὶ Βαρνάβας, οἱ μετὰ τούτους χειροτονηθέντες, εἰς ἅπαντας διεπόρθμευον ἀνθρώ πους, ἀλλὰ καὶ Σίλας, καὶ Τῖτος, καὶ Τιμόθεος, καὶ Ἀπολλὼς, οἱ τῶν μεγάλων ἐκείνων ἀνδρῶν μαθηταί. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ μέχρι τούτων ἔστη τῆς διδασκαλίας ἡ χάρις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς τούτων ἐφώτισε διαδόχους, καὶ τοὺς μετ' ἐκείνους. Καὶ μέχρι δὲ νῦν ἐν ταῖς θείαις Ἐκκλησίαις ἡ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος ἀναβλύζει πηγὴ, καὶ διανέμει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ θεόσδοτα δῶρα. Οὐδὲν οὖν ἀπεικὸς τοῖς ὀρθῇ ψήφῳ καὶ δικαίᾳ κεχρημένοις ποιήσειν δόξομεν, εἰ καθάπερ τινὰς τρίχας, τὰς τῆς ἡμετέρας διανοίας ὠδῖνας εἰς τὴν τῆς νέας σκηνῆς κατασκευὴν προσενέγκαιμεν, ἣν ἔπηξεν ὁ Κύριος καὶ οὐκ ἄνθρωπος. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἑτέρων ἐνθυμήμασί τις ἀκολουθεῖν ἡμᾶς φήσειε, καὶ οὕτως εὑρήσει τὸν δυνατὸν ἡμῖν ἔρανον συνεισφέρον τας. Ὁμοίως γὰρ ἐκείναις, αἳ τὰς ὑπ' ἄλλων προσ ενεχθείσας ἔνησαν καὶ ἐξύφαναν τρίχας, καὶ τὰς τῆς σκηνῆς κατεσκεύασαν δέῤῥεις, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἔνθεν κἀκεῖθεν τὰ καλῶς εἰρημένα συλλέξαντες, ἓν ἐκ πάν των ἐξυφανοῦμεν σὺν Θεῷ φάναι σύγγραμμα, τῶν δυοκαίδεκα προφητῶν δήλην ποιοῦντες τοῖς ἐντυγ χάνουσι τὴν διάνοιαν. Εἰκὸς δὲ, ὅτι καὶ ἡμεῖς οἷόν τινι λύχνῳ τῷ θείῳ κεχρημένοι λόγῳ, εὑρήσομεν ἑρμηνείαν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχομένην. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπέσβη τῆς θείας φιλοτιμίας ἡ χάρις, ἀλλὰ πηγάζει καὶ χορηγεῖ τὰς μεγίστας δωρεὰς, οὐ τοῖς ἀξίοις μόνοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς τῆς τελειότητος ἀποδέουσιν. Ὁρῶμεν δὲ καὶ τὸν αἰσθητὸν ἥλιον οὐ μόνον τοῖς παλαιοτάτοις ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς μετ' ἐκείνους καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς, ὀψιγόνοις, τὰς οἰκείας ἀκτῖνας ἐκπέμποντα, καὶ ὁμοίως ἅπασαν γῆν καὶ θάλατταν καταυγάζοντα. Τοιγάρτοι πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ τούτου δημιουργὸς, ὁ καὶ τοῦτον διὰ μόνην ἀγαθότητα κτίσας, καὶ τῶν οὕτω πως πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀναβλέπειν προαιρουμένων κατα φωτίζει τὸν νοῦν. Ἐπὶ ταύτης τῆς ἐλπίδος ὀχούμενοι, καὶ τῶν φιλαιτίων οὐδένα λόγον ποιούμενοι, τῆς προ φητικῆς ἑρμηνείας καταθαῤῥήσομεν,