Prophetic books of the Old Testament

St. Filaret of Moscow (Drozdov) prepared in 1817–1821. a study of all the prophetic books of the Old Testament. The work is divided into 6 sections. In the first section, the author defines the concepts of “prophet” and “prophecy”, proves their divine origin and the inspiration of prophetic books. What follows is a detailed analysis of each book: separate sections are devoted to the prophets Isaiah (five central prophecies, their messianic interpretation), Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. The last section examines the books of the 12 minor prophets. For each book, chronological context, syllable analysis, theme and purpose of the prophecy, and arguments for its authenticity are given. Special attention to St. Filaret pays attention to the prophet Isaiah, due to the fact that in his prophecies: “1) the connection, as well as the end of one and the beginning of another ... is lost in the continuity of the text..; 2) persons and objects..., sometimes contained in private inscriptions, are often hidden in the content of the properties of the prophecies themselves; 3) the same objects and persons...in other places of Holy Scripture...should either be understood mysteriously, or attributed to another time, other cases, other circumstances; 4) ...some clarity will spill over into other prophecies.” The work represents the first complete systematization of the Old Testament prophetic texts, combining theological apologetics, historical context and philological analysis. Delivered to the editorial office by the mentor of the Bethany Theological Seminary, Andrei Grigorievich Polotebnov, the grandson of a student of Metropolitan Philaret’s lessons at the St. Petersburg Academy, the former cathedral archpriest of the Ryazan Cathedral and inspector of the Ryazan Seminary, Yegor Sidorovich Polotebnov, now deceased. The manuscript dates back to 1817–1821. About the books of the prophets. Preliminary Concepts about the Prophets and Prophecies of the Old Testament In addition to two less common names דוֹאה and חוֹוה 1, which we do not, however, completely replace with one name of the prophet, there is a third, more often found in the Holy Scriptures נביא. It means: 1) an interpreter of God’s mysterious will in relation to people 2. The first concept is extracted from the context of speech, the second from the explanation of God himself 3. 2) Close to God or simply a friend of God, in what sense is this word used about Abraham 4. For α) if this sign is accepted here exclusively in front of others: then it will be explained why God commands that Abimelech return his wife Sarah to Abraham, and why (in case of disobedience to this command), He threatens the royal family with death; since, that is, a friend imputes the insult caused to his friend to himself and, if he does not punish the offender for it; perhaps at the request of an offended friend. β) Ap. James, it seems, precisely pointing to the given place (for there is no other), says that Abraham was called the friend of God: Abraham believed in God, and it was imputed to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God 5 . He is called by the same name in Isaiah: But you are to Israel, my servant Jacob, whom you have chosen, the seed of Abraham, whom you have loved, (in the original, my friend) 6 . 3) A divine hymnist or such a person who sings sacred hymns for the glorification of God. In this sense, this word is used by Samuel, where he speaks to Saul: when you went into the city there, you saw the face of the prophets coming from Bama (in the original - from the hill) and before them pipes and timbrels, and sniffles, and harps and those who prophesied 7. 4) Foretolding the future, as in Jeremiah: and Jeremiah came, and the Lord sent him, and prophesied, and spoke to all the people: This saith the Lord God of Israel, I will bring upon this city, and upon all its villages, all evil. And in another place: when the word comes, the Lord will recognize the prophet who sent it to them 8 . However, such a private sign became known not before the time of Samuel 9. Finally, 5) κατ αντιφρασιν means furious; in this sense it is said about false prophets 10. As for the Greek name προφήτης, in ancient times it fully corresponded to the Hebrew. So, in the New Testament it means: - an interpreter of the Divine will, for, of course, not in a different sense the writers of V.Z. are called προφηται 11. – Devoted to God, in what sense is called the prophetess Anna 12. – Harbinger of the future 13 . – Poet singers 14. After such consideration of the various meanings of the Hebrew word, which refers to a prophet, in fact, one can call him an interpreter of the mysteries of God, for all other meanings of נביא are combined in this main concept. And first of all, α) It sometimes means a friend of God, since no one can be an interpreter of the mysteries of God except a person to whom God comes in some hidden way and reveals them to him, and God promises to come and reveal his mysterious will only to his friends or those devoted to himself. The first thought is confirmed by Jesus Christ: if anyone loves me, my Father will love him and we will come to him 15. The latter is the example of Lydia: the Lord opened her heart to listen to his word spoken by Paul 16; and again the words of Jesus Christ: I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have told you 17. β) It also means the Divine singer, since the prophets actually sang such unheard songs and so unlike the general image of psalmody that the listeners could not attribute this to their natural talents, without lying before the judgment seat of their conscience, they attributed them to the special inspiration of God. Why was the prophet called a hymnist not because of his songs, but because during the glorification of God he was, apparently, completely embraced by an incomprehensible being, and this is characteristic only of God’s messengers or interpreters of his unsearchable advice. γ) Further, the word נביא was used to designate a predictor of the future or a person about whom they thought that he knew their fate and could reveal the future fate of nations, again not because he prophesied about the future, but because they were sure that such an ability does not belong to anyone else, except the interpreter of the Divine will, who has close communication with the Omniscient Being. δ) since the messengers of God, at the revelation of His will, felt in themselves the special presence of God, which, of course, was always associated with a certain frenzy of mind and an unusual position of their body, therefore נביא combined in itself the concept of a frenzied person or a person, which was revealed in the unheard-of pronunciation of a sermon and extraordinary body movements. Therefore, such a person was called by such a name not because he actually entered the boundaries of madness, but because they believed that in his supernatural state he was embraced by his highest being. Saul is spoken of in exactly this way. The evil spirit attacked Saul and the prophet in the midst of his house 18. That the concept we have chosen should especially and predominantly connect with the same name of the prophet; this can be seen from this 1) that Haggai, to whom the name נביא is often attributed 19 in the same sense is clearly called םלאךְ יהוֹה (messenger of the Lord sent to people) 20 . 2) that נביא in another case is replaced by the word צפה, meaning a spy guard, who from some elevated place looks at the movements of the enemies and, anticipating his fellow citizens about them, provides means against the secret enemy tricks. So, God to Ezekiel 21. 3) That this sign is, for the most part, accepted by Jewish teachers, such as Cimchius and Philo, according to whom the prophet is the interpreter of God himself, who utters his speeches within him. 4) Why isn’t Dionysius the Areopagite of the prophets V.Z. calls theologians, which name the reason Pachymer explains in this way: Sanctos prophetas ϑεολόγους vocat, quod illi sermones “Dei nobis annuntiunt.” And in another place: prophetam “theologum vocat, vel doctorem rerum occultarum, velut Dei sermones proferentem.” Philo uses the same name when speaking of Moses. To refute those who by the name of a prophet mean only a predictor of future events, it is enough that all the writings of the Old Testament, with the exception of the Pentateuch of Moses, are called prophets not only by Jews, but also by the writers of the New Testament: if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, and if someone rises from the dead, they do not have faith 22. Since many received their revelations not from a pure source and κατ ἀντίφρασιν are only called prophets 23; some, being instructed by God himself, for example, Abimelech, Laban, Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, etc., cannot, however, be called prophets, because they received private instructions from God, little related to people: then the present subject should be limited to the concepts of those especially prophets, who were more clearly illuminated by the light of prophecies and turned it mainly to the glory of God and the creation of the church, or the concepts of the prophets actually so-called. V. Definition of prophets, actually so-called So, prophets, in the proper sense, are not feigned interpreters of the Divine will or extraordinary teachers of the Old Testament. churches, the right of teaching and action of which was not based either on the right of succession and law 24, or on their own enlightenment 25, or the free election of their position, but on the command of God, which prompted them, in a certain way, to teach and act. VI. Divine origin of prophecies proven by reason It is known that the prophets, among other instructions, prophesied future, completely random events, which subsequently came true exactly as they were predicted. As an example, let's take the prophecy of Moses about the rebellious Jews 26, the prophecy of Isaiah about Cyrus 27 and Daniel about the death of Jesus Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem 28. The prediction of such distant free and, in relation to the prophets, foreign events is not possible for anyone except the one God: for every being (except God) endowed with cognitive abilities has only a limited power of knowledge, which from itself and in its essence cannot know everything knowable, but requires some higher principle, as a sufficient reason from which it could draw that which cannot be known at all. But accidental future events are not revealed by any signs in such a way that they can be accurately predicted by a limited mind; for if by chance they are somehow foreknown, then they come from a free and known cause that can change their definite state; Moreover, their execution may be hindered by other extraneous circumstances. From this we conclude that the predictions of such events cannot be attributed to the prophets themselves, but to the one omniscient God, who used them as an instrument of his predictions. The same is proved by the universal answer, the consciousness of all sages and even pagan philosophers. Plato says: non est homo, qui possit de occultis futuris quid scire si Deus non dirigat. Likewise Celsus the Epicurean: Si spiritus Divinus de coelo descendit, res divinos praenunciat, hicest, quo homines antiqvi multas, bonaseque res pradixerunt. VII. Divine origin of prophecies, proven from Holy Scripture But, if in this case we turn to Holy Scripture, then it clearly states that the true prophets were called to their office by God himself and were instructed by him alone what to teach others and how to act. This includes those places where the prophets talk about their embassy. Yes 1) God says to Moses: Now go, and I will open your mouth, and I will teach you how to speak. 2) When Moses refuses this assignment due to his weaknesses, God gives him the prophet Aaron as an assistant, and repeats the same words about both: I will open your mouth and his mouth and teach you what to do. He says the same thing at the embassy of Jeremiah: do not say that I am a child; for I will send you to them all, go, (but go) and all the trees I will command you to say (verbs) 30 . Behold, I put my words in your mouth! These particular passages are sufficient to attribute Divine dignity to other prophets, since they are all called by the same name of prophet; however, there are also universal passages that completely confirm the real subject. So 1) Ap. Paul assures that God himself spoke in all the prophets, 31 that is, he used them as interpreters of his will. A similar expression, and in exactly the same sense, is found in 32. God has spoken the mouth of all his prophets since the ages. 2) The prophet Amos says that God did not create any work in his time, that is, so that he did not reveal his punishment to his servants the prophets 33. VIII. Defense of the inspiration of the prophets against naturalists Despite, however, these assurances, which we draw from our own minds and Holy Scripture, there were and are still people who reject the inspiration of the prophets. Their hostile opinions can be attributed to three principles. For they assert that the prophets were: א astute politicians, or נ knew the secrets of magic, or ג had a natural ability to predict the future. א. It is in vain that opponents wish to see insightful politicians in our prophets, because: 1) many of them were completely inexperienced in public affairs. Moses and Aaron were called to prophecy by the shepherd's staff 34. Elisha from the plow 35. Jeremiah was sent to teach others in his adolescence, when he himself did not yet know how to speak well. I century 2) They predicted such distant objects that are not befitting people who know all the depths of politics (§ VI). 3) They predicted supernatural events (miracles), which cannot be seen in natural causes, from which politicians draw conclusions about the future, since they are above the natural order; nor in the Divine will, the determination of which cannot be known except by the revelation of God himself. נ It is in vain that the prophets are credited with knowledge of secret magic, since: 1) they often spoke of her with contempt. Thus, Isaiah exposes the Babylonians, who relied on their astrologers and sorcerers: now stand with your magicians and with your many spells, which you learned from your youth, if they can help you. Let the astrologers of the heavens looking at the stars now stand and save you, and let them tell you what to come to you 36. 2) since they always tried to keep the Jewish religion from any admixture of pagan sacraments, and the superstitious art of divination was prohibited under the death penalty 37, and for this 3) sometimes they mention unclean visions, so that everyone should beware of them, and they are distinguished by such features by which it is not difficult to recognize their origin 38. Moreover 4) with the duty of prophecy, they did not have their own will. (§ VII). ג Without good reason, they also think that the ability of prophecy is hidden in a natural person; for such an opinion contradicts both universal experience and the meaning of Holy Scripture, which says: there is no one who sees the future 39 . However, it is protected α) by the fact that many prophesy at death; β) that people often have premonitions of the future; γ) that prophecy depends on the most vivid imagination; δ) that the Jewish prophets, depending on the composition of their temperaments, predict either joyful or sad things, therefore, according to their natural ability. But α) must, firstly, prove whether future actions predicted by some of the dying are not based on sufficient present or past causes. Secondly, the predictions of some pious people approaching death only show that the human soul, leaving the body, is more capable of recognizing what befits a pure mind, or that it is closer to God and from Him receives the hitherto extraordinary light of knowledge. β) Sometimes we have premonitions, the basis of which, however, we can hardly attribute to anything else, like either God, who appears to those who do not seek Him and is found by those who do not ask about Him, 40 or to spiritual possessions sent to serve from Him for those who want to inherit salvation 41 . γ) Those who claim that prophecy can depend on a more vivid imagination do not know the properties of imagination. It is possible, through this ability, to imagine certain future objects, but no one can have such confidence about their material existence as the prophets had about their predictions, especially since the power of imagination is fickle. δ) Finally, those who think that the prophets, due to the difference in their temperaments, foretold joyful or sad events, do not know that there is no prophet who, during the course of his life, would not predict joyful and sad events together, and sometimes, at the same time, so Joseph, in the same mood, predicted death to one of the royal servants imprisoned with him, and to another his former dignity; and at the same time he predicted opposite events to Pharaoh. The subject of the prophecies, excluding Moses, whose office was to establish the image of the church, is partly 1) in the interpretation of a previously known teaching 42; part 2) in reproof for violating it 43, which was associated with terrible threats for the disobedient and sweet consolation for people beginning to improve 44, partly 3) in notices concerning the entire Jewish society (why God denounces the Jews for the fact that, without asking him to intercede against their enemies, they sought help for themselves from the Egyptians 45 and, in particular, private people 46, finally, 4) in predictions of the fate of the church and the whole world, especially the kingdom of the coming Messiah and the prosperity of nations associated with him 47. From this it follows that God’s intention in raising up the prophets was that 1) the teaching taught by God was preserved unharmed and was carried out in all purity by the members of the church, which is clear from Jeremiah 48, as well as from the fact that the prophets were sent especially in corrupt times. 2) so that the Jewish people, when their needs become apparent, do not resort to superstitious pagan soothsayers, as Isaiah says. Seek out the belly - the magicians and those who proclaim from the earth - will not the tongue cry out to its God 49 so that, finally, 3) the church was confident that it was under the rule of one, righteous, omnipotent, omniscient God, by whose wave everything is arranged on earth 50. Divine revelations were communicated to the prophets in various forms, which, since they received either through external or internal senses, can be divided into 1. Inner revelation was accomplished in two forms: that is, through sleep and vision. If the Lord be a prophet among you, I will be known to him in a vision, and I will speak to him in a dream 51. a) A dream is an image of revelation in which God either himself, or through his angels, revealed his will to the sleeping: 1) presentation of symbolic objects without interpretation of them. Joseph had such a dream 52, and 2) through one voice without symbolic representations. This happened to Abimelech 53. 3) through symbolic rituals with the addition of explanations thereof, as can be seen from 54. b) When God pressed something into the minds of the prophets, who were in a waking state, with such force that their external senses were deprived of their use, then this revelation is called a vision. It was done 1) or through some symbols, as this happened with Ezekiel Eze.1:11, or 2) through the voice of the internal, however, and spiritual 55, or 3) through the symbols explained later. This happened to Jeremiah I l. sl. The Divine image of revelation, which was accomplished through some inner voice, should include revelation, which is almost mentioned everywhere in the New Testament. This image of revelation, without completely destroying external feelings, encouraged the prophets to instruct others, like the Apostles 56, to prophesy, like David 57, to sacred singing, like Deborah 58 and to all possible virtues 59. 2. External revelation, as can be seen from Holy Scripture, could be accomplished primarily in three ways, i.e. 1) or through mysterious symbols. So Jacob, after leaving Laban, saw the army of God taking up arms 60. 2) through Angels who appeared in human form. We find an obvious example of such a revelation in Daniel, where the unannounced Gabriel says to him: Daniel, now I have expired to build your mind 61 . 3) or by voice a) loud, like the ear-splitting thunder that was heard over Jesus Christ 62, b) quiet, allowing for intelligible words, as during the baptism of Jesus Christ a voice was heard: This is my beloved son, c) ordinary human, with which advantage Moses was especially honored over other prophets: for this is what God says about him to Aaron and Miriam: If the Lord be a prophet in you, I am known to him in a vision - not like my servant Moses, (who) is faithful throughout my house, mouth to mouth, I will speak to him, even in reality and not by fortune telling 63 . Although the gift of prophecy is not acquired by any natural art; for God, by His sole will, sends it down to people 64; however, some of the prophets prepared themselves for it by some natural means. The means that facilitate the gift of prophecy are: b) singing sacred songs in a simple voice or on musical instruments and The beginning of prophetic schools is usually attributed to Samuel, based on a very guess, borrowed from 65, d) and their place is believed to be in Bethel and Jericho: And the sons of prophecy who were in Bethel 66 and Jericho 67 came to Elisha and said to him, “You have understood that the Lord will take away your master this day from the top of your head.” The disciples of the prophets in the Holy Scriptures are called the sons of the prophets as above 68, and the prophets in relation to them are their fathers. So Elisha calls to Elijah: Father, Father, the chariot of Israel and his horses 69. There were a considerable number of disciples of this kind, as can be seen from the fact that 1) their gathering is called a choir. And when you go into the city there, you hide the face of the prophets 70, so it will be that 2) during the time of Ahab, a certain Obadiah hid one hundred of these prophetic pupils in two caves from persecution by Jezebel 71 . The subject of their education is not so well known to us; we only know that people came to the prophets especially to teach them the law of God. So, some of the captive Jews, intending to go to Ezekiel, say: let us gather together and hear what proceeds from the mouth of the Lord 72. Whatever, however, the subject of their education was, it was truly pleasing to God; for from among the prophetic disciples God chose the most worthy to become actual prophets. This is evident from the fact that many of them foreknew Elijah’s ascension to heaven. The reason for this election of God was that they were capable of receiving the prophetic spirit and, as sons of the prophets, had greater power of attorney with the people than other people. b) Singing sacred songs through the natural voice or musical instruments is very effective 1) to the elevation of the spirit from sensory objects to spiritual ones; 2) to calm down the violence of passions that remove gentle suggestions of grace from a person. This is confirmed by the example of Elisha, who called himself a singer (prophet) in order to calm his spirit with the help of artificial singing, righteously, but perhaps more appropriately, kindled against the unfaithful Joram, king of Israel, and thus prepare himself to accept the prophetic spirit 73. A similar example to this is presented to us by this council of psalm-singing prophets, over which he was the abbot and into which Saul’s envoys and Saul himself entered, a complete change (received?) in their spirit 74 . c) Prayers, while facilitating the acquisition of all spiritual blessings, contribute, in particular, to the acquisition of prophetic meaning. Why does God command Jeremiah to ask for it in prayer: Cry to me, he says, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and strong (hidden) things you did not understand 75, and Daniel was explained the mystery presented to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream, after he and his three friends asked the God of heaven for its interpretation 76. Before the prophets revealed the will of God to people, they were convinced by two particular signs that the revelation communicated to them came precisely from God. The first sign lies in the very content of revelation: for revelation, if only it is Divine, has God as its subject, guides to God, befits God, prescribes what is holy, teaches what is true, comforts piety, and terrifies evil deeds. So, if the prophets heard instructions of such content, instructions that were absolutely necessary for the salvation of their fellow men; Moreover, they still agreed with the revelations revealed to the former prophets, they could no longer doubt their Divine origin. The second most convincing sign is some inexplicable inner impression that the revealed secret definitely comes from God, and not from some other source; for God, at His revelation, so clearly and strongly imprinted the traces of His presence in the hearts of the prophets that they most of all knew His communications with them, and after this they were no longer able to think or say anything else. We find an example of this in Jeremiah, who was imprisoned by the priest Paschor for predicting the destruction of Jerusalem, and intended to leave his prophecy: I will not remember the name of the Lord, so he said to himself, below I will speak to him in the name of the Lord. But with such thoughts, he says that something like a scorching fire flared up in his heart and bones, that he weakened on all sides to the point that he could no longer conceal the commandments of the Lord in his heart 77 . This includes the words of the same Jeremiah 78. He was like a drunken man, and like a man overcome by wine, from the presence of the Lord, and from the presence of the splendor of his glory for the sake of the Lord and the words of his holiness. The most common way of communicating prophecies to people was in ordinary human speech. In this regard, God says to Isaiah: Cry loudly, do not spare (that is, do not withhold what has been shown to you), lift up your voice like a trumpet and tell my people their sins 79 . Moreover, he often commanded that his will be proclaimed through symbolic actions. Why did Isaiah, walking naked for a whole three years, foreshadow the exposure of the Egyptians and Ethiopians in the Assyrian captivity 80. Jeremiah, wearing chains and pincers on his neck, typified the Babylonian captivity 81. Ezekiel, by lying on one side for 399 days and cooking bread with cattle dung, foreshadowed the siege and famine of Jerusalem. In addition to the fact that this way of expressing thoughts and feelings was common in ancient times, it pleased God to express his will through it also because it is more capable of striking the minds and hearts of spectators than simple speech, which Horace noted in his time: Segnius irritant animos demissa per aerem Quam quae sunt oculis subjecta fidelibus. The Old Testament prophets can be divided into two classes. The first includes those whose prophecies are not written or, at least, are not contained in special books; to the second - the prophecies of which are made up of the Old Testament books. And these are again divided into previous and subsequent ones; By the name of the previous ones we mean those prophets who served in their ministry from the time of the establishment of kings among the Jewish people and who are called prophets. All other Old Testament books are called subsequent, with the exception of the psalms and the Pentateuch of Moses. For 1) there is an ancient tradition among the Jews that they never allowed anyone to write the history of their people except the prophets. Moreover 2) it is known that the whole composition of the writings of the Old Testament, although we do not have completely sufficient information about the writers of some of them, are generally called prophets in the New Testament, as in Luke 82. It is fitting that all the prophets and psalms written in the law of Moses concerning me should pass away. XVI. The books of the prophets, by excellence so-called combined together It is impossible to accept with confidence that the books of the prophets, due to the superiority of the so-called ones, were successively added to the composition of the Holy Scriptures, for not only kings, priests and people trusted the prophets little, but they also tried to inflict all sorts of insults on them, as can be seen from St. history. Why can one think that, with the possible exception of one reception of St. books together, which happened during the time of Hezekiah, 83 prophetic books were added to other holy ones. books of Ezra, after the captivity of Babylon 84, at least because after that there was no longer any doubt about their dignity. Before the captivity of Babylon and during it, they could remain unharmed in the hands of the prophetic disciples. The reason for the darkness of the prophetic books is partly a) in the imperfection of knowledge of ancient languages, partly b) in ignorance of history, since we do not know in what circumstances famous persons and deeds were at the time when some prophet gave out his prophecies, partly c) in the very manner of their revelation; for to some they were communicated through mental knowledge, and to others through similarities taken from objects of visible nature, and especially d) in frequent deviations and sudden transitions from the image to the imaged, from material and temporary objects to completely spiritual objects to the sacraments of the church and kingdom of Jesus Christ, and e) in inconspicuous changes in the persons speaking in a well-known prophecy. With this veil of darkness, God closed his prophecies, among others, because a) in order to promote the integrity of both the prophets and the prophecies themselves, so that, i.e., lawless kings and peoples, hearing unpleasant predictions for themselves, would not kill the prophets or, in insane despair, would not burn the books of the prophets themselves, b) so that listeners and readers of prophecies, in order to fully understand themselves, begin to pray to God, the only creator and interpreter of them. XVIII. The time of the final event of the predictions contained in these Until what time do prophetic predictions extend, there are three different opinions about this 1) Others believe that all the prophecies were fulfilled before the birth of John the Baptist or the final events that happened to him. 2) Others think that they ended with the calling of the pagans to the Church of Christ, that is, at least with the death of Constantine the Great. 3) Most of the scholars of Scripture claim that the Old Testament prophecies contain all the main events of the New Testament Church, when Jesus Christ gives up his kingdom to God and the Father 85 and when He, according to the word of the prophet 86, makes his enemies his footstool. 1. The first affirm their opinion on the words of Jesus Christ: All the prophets and the law before John prophesied 87 . But they are extremely mistaken, since Jesus Christ, the evangelists and the apostles applied many prophecies to the events of the New Testament Church that happened after the death of John the Baptist. Yes a) the risen Savior proves the necessity of his sufferings and their happy ending from the writings of Moses and other prophetic books 88. b) Evangelist Matthew says that the humble and at the same time solemn ascension of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem before His suffering came true according to the prophecy of Zechariah. All this has come to pass, that what was spoken by the prophet saying: Shout, O daughter of Zion, a gentle king will come to you 89. c) The Apostle Peter teaches that the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles happened as Joel predicted 90. As for the above words: All the prophets and the law before John prophesied: they mean that all the prophets and the law, even before the days of John, prophesied only about that person and about those glorious events about which John had no need to prophesy, since he pointed to them as real. This explanation of these words is clear from the purpose for which they were spoken by Jesus Christ. 2. Others say that everything said in the prophecies relates only to the decrees of the law and to the abolition of it, and that there was no need for the prophets to predict the events of the New Testament church, when the intentions of Providence were to include them in the writings of the New Testament and, especially, in the Apocalypse. But he refutes such speculators a) the Apostle Paul in the place where he is the last conversion of the Jews, which has no time to be completed, proves from various prophecies of the Second Testament 91 92. b) The Apostle Peter, who, long before the writing of the Apocalypse, said that the limit of time until which Jesus Christ will remain in heaven is the fulfillment of all the events predicted by the prophets 93. But Jesus Christ has not yet come another time and, therefore, not all prophecies have yet been fulfilled. 3. Why, without any fear, should we accept the latter opinion, especially since the New Testament writers borrow descriptions of some future events of the New Testament church from the prophets. So, for example, ap. Paul, speaking about the Antichrist 94, expresses himself in the words of the prophet Daniel, who says that this man will exalt himself and exalt himself above all Gods and will speak grievously against the God of Gods 95. And John the Theologian, speaking in his Apocalypse about the fall of the mysterious Babylon 96 and about its overthrow into the sea 97, borrows his words from Isaiah 98, which says: fall, fall Babylon and all her idols and will come upon you (i.e. Babylon) destruction, and weightlessness, an abyss and fall into darkness 99. The last of the prophets is Malachi. The light of prophecy faded under him until, on the horizon of the New Testament, it shone again in John the Baptist. Therefore, the last prophecy of the Old Testament points to him as the herald of the mysteries of God closest to the prophet Malachi Mal.4:5–6. The Talmudists also affirm this truth when they say: after the subsequent prophets died: Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, the Holy Spirit was taken away from Israel, and in another place: in the second church there was no prophet. The same can be concluded from 1 Macc. 9:17. So, although some Jews, in order to maintain the glory of their people, talk about people to whom revelations were communicated even after this time, in this case, either one should not believe them at all, or the men whom they consider to be inspired should not be counted among the true prophets of God. The so-called prophets, according to their superiority, are usually divided into greater (וךוֹלים) and lesser (קטנּים), of which the first are: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel. Christians also add Daniel to them; and the last name is called the remaining 12,100. Preparation for a systematic and, at the same time, theological knowledge of the prophecies of Isaiah All prophets, both in their spirit and in their outward appearance in scripture, are very similar to one another. But the Holy Spirit, it seems, abundantly imparted the gift of prophecy to Isaiah, making him, according to the assurance of the son of Sirach, a great prophet 101 and his writings the most excellent repository of his secrets. Hence, what happens is that other prophets sometimes indicate the agreement of their teaching with him, 102 and the New Testament teachers cite him in their writings more often than other prophets in confirmation of their truths. But since 1) the connection, as well as the end of one and the beginning of another in his prophecies, is lost in the continuity of the text, because the usual delimitation of it, for the most part, does not correspond to the essence of the subject; 2) the persons and objects of his prophecies, sometimes contained in private inscriptions, are often hidden in the content of the properties of the prophecies themselves; 3) the same objects and persons, according to their explanation in other places of Holy Scripture and for other sufficient reasons, should either be understood mysteriously, or attributed to another time, other cases, other circumstances; 4) the space and abundance of his prophecies prevent the mind from extracting the spirit of them for itself, and all this obscures the very basic understanding of the prophet Isaiah: then it is necessary to pay special attention to the consideration of these prophecies. Through this, some clarity will spill over into other prophecies. By the very order of the prophetic books, Isaiah is the beginning of the other prophets. It cannot be denied that Jeremiah and Ezekiel preceded him in ancient times; but the present disposition of the prophets, which originated from the Mazarets, and following the example of which Isaiah in all Jewish and Christian lists precedes other prophecies, can be approved by taking into account 1) the sermon of Isaiah, as the predecessor of the sermons of Jeremiah and Ezekiel; 2) greater clarity of all his prophecies and 3) the abundance of his gospel about Jesus Christ. Having assimilated to the prophet Isaiah the visions that God revealed to him, some take away from him the work of describing them. But against justice, because a) God wanted him to convey revelations to his future posterity through writing. Now he is gray-haired, God says to him, write this (i.e., the vision) on a board and in a book, that this may be done in the days of times, and even to the ages 103. b) Descriptions of some visions reveal to us Isaiah not only as an eyewitness, but also as a writer of them 104. Features of Isaiah's face are drawn from 2) from Jewish traditions. a) his name is ישעיה, which means the salvation of Jehovah. It probably came from the feeling of the parents, who at the birth of their son confessed their faith and trust in Him before God, a feeling that was familiar to pious souls 105 . However, not without a special inspiration from God; for Isaiah fully lived up to his name, when it can be said that he remembered it in communication with God. Behold, God is my salvation, I trust in You 106 and the believing church: Behold, your salvation is coming 107, and when he foretold the Creator of this salvation in the most vivid, clear and convincing way. b) His miraculous preparation for the ministry of prophecy. Having been purified and awakened to it by the burning coals of the heavenly seraphim 108, he himself turned into an earthly seraphim, melting hearts cold for faith and law with his fiery preaching. c) Its importance among the Jewish people. The proof of this is that in the sad and at the same time decisive moments of Sennacherib’s invasion of Judea, he alone was present with King Ezekiah 109. 2. Legend tells about his a. The Jews descend his family from Amos, the brother of Amaziah king of Judah, and b. his life is cut off with the saw of Manasseh, who, as they say, condemned him to this death for his zealous denunciation of his kings and, in particular, for calling them princes of Sodom 110 together and for predicting the final rejection of the Jewish tribe. Why, according to the ap. Paul to the Romans 111 Isaiah dares and says: He was revealed to those who did not seek me, etc. Origen, and after him the other fathers say: he dares even at a time when he is sure that for this boldness he will receive a martyr’s death, and Jerome: “many of ours have suffered what was said 112”, refer to the suffering of Isaiah. The time of Isaiah's preaching is indicated by the inscription of his book. He prophesied into the kingdom of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah 1 l. But for some it seems incredible that during the entire reign of all of them, Isaiah served his ministry, no doubt already at a perfect age, called to it; for in this way it is necessary to extend his life much further than 130 years. Why you can put: 1) that Isaiah began to prophesy in the last years of the fifty-two-year reign of Uzziah, for a) Holy history, describing the beginning of his reign, does not yet mention Isaiah, but only tells about a certain prophet or teacher Zechariah, for whose advice Uzziah opened his ears 113 . At the same time b) in the prophecies of Isaiah there are very few such items that relate to his times. 2) That the death of Hezekiah was the end of his prophecy, and the beginning of the reign of Manasseh, according to the testimony of Josephus, marked by his inhumanity and the murder of the prophets, was the end of his righteous life. We see the same Isaiah in two ways in the mirror of his prophecies. On the one hand, his holy will, carried away by the painful sadness of universal depravity, was entirely directed towards the defeat of the wicked. She, moved by the strongest love for their humanity, was completely exhausted in alleviating their wounds. The twofold, inner power of his will was imprinted on his sermons, which is why their character is twofold: a) accusatory, by the power of which he mercilessly cuts off the exalted head of all uncleanness and all vice; b) comforting, he pours lively joy into the sorrowful hearts of the Jews, foreshadowing to them the imminent destruction of their enemies and the opening on earth of the blessed kingdom of the future Messiah - Christ. In the first case, Isaiah is the second fiery Elijah, in the latter, the fifth peaceful evangelist. The syllable features that depict the prophecies of Isaiah are the same 1) common to other prophets, and others 2) special and more belonging only to Isaiah. 1. In accordance with other prophets, Isaiah loves: a) figurative speech; for example, about the attack of the Assyrians and Egyptians on Judea, he explains it this way: on that day the Lord will gather with a whistle the flies that lived on the borders of the rivers of Egypt and the bees that are in Assyria, and they will hasten and lie down in the valleys and in the clefts of stones, etc. 114. b) Frequent unisons (παρονομασία), which, however, are lost in all translations. An example of these can be seen in Is.24:3: הכּוֹק תבּוֹק הארץ והנוֹז תנו. c) Poetic measure. Every tester of St. can be convinced of the truth of this. the language of his sermons, to which the first of them is not inferior to all of them. 2. The features of language that are more characteristic of Isaiah are: a) its purity, removed from the common people’s image of expression. Many believe the reason for this is the famous origin of Isaiah. b) Sublimity and the resulting greatness, which perfectly corresponds to the greatness of the objects described. c) The power to excite passions, in which, by everyone’s consent, he has no equal. It is especially revealed in his threats, with which he intimidates and strikes down wickedness, in the likeness of the Sinai thunder. In order to facilitate the memory of readers and to somewhat delimit the scope of the subjects contained in the prophecies of Isaiah, they can be divided into five main parts. 1. The first of them contains prophetic sermons relating to the Jews and Israelites, whom the prophet teaches, denounces, and consoles in various ways 115. 2. In the second, the fate of the pagans with whom the Jewish people had contact is revealed 116. 3. The third describes God's judgment on the disobedient Jews and other enemies of the church 117. 4. The fourth part is actually historical. It tells of some remarkable incidents that happened during the reign of Ezekiah 118. 5. The fifth contains prophecies about the liberation of the Jews from the captivity of Babylon and the appearance of the Messiah on earth, the fate of His person and the events of His kingdom. IX. Indication of sermons consisting of 1 part The first part contains five separate sermons. The first of these is separated by the inscription of the second chapter 119, the second ends with the fourth chapter; since the third chapter is a continuation of the content of the second and is connected with it by the particle כי For with the Lord is the Lord of hosts, etc. 120; and the fourth chapter continues the subject of the third, that is, it continues the description of the execution of the female sex, which will take place, through his widowhood 121. The third is contained in Chapter V and is separated from the previous one by a special composition of speech, which is called a song: now I will sing to my beloved the song of my beloved about his grapes 122 (and which is written in the so-called bucolic tone). The fourth is contained in Chapter VI and is separated from the previous one by the peculiarity of the vision described in it 123. The fifth extends to Chapter XIII. and differs from others both in its main inscription 124 and in the unity of its content. X. Contents of the first sermon, exposing the hypocrisy and ingratitude of the Jews to God Isaiah's opening sermon is a denunciation of the hypocrisy and ingratitude of the Jews towards God. The Prophet, at the beginning of it, represents God complaining about the Jews in front of all inanimate nature. After which, he himself explains the essence of the Divine complaint. All fortunes, he says, have become corrupted from the last to the first member of the church - from the feet to the head, no one is whole, but only rotting wounds that are neither squeezed out, nor bandaged, nor relieved with a healing plaster 125. The judgment of God raised the sword of foreigners to the areas surrounding the daughter of Zion (Jerusalem). She was the only one who had not yet been touched by the vengeful truth of God. But it also remains as a bush of the field and as a city under siege 126. However, these punishments do not diminish debauchery. Why does everyone need to repent and combine the internal correction of their hearts with external sacrifices to God 127. For those who do not obey this advice will face a special punishment from God, meanwhile, better times await the pious performers of it. The Faithful Son will be redeemed by righteousness and his captives by justice 128. XI. An assumption for the correct explanation of this sermon Everyone agrees that the personal subject to which this sermon is directed is the Jews, but at what time the Jews were, many do not agree. More correctly, however, it is attributed to the Jews who lived during the time of Hezekiah, who, although he cleansed the Jewish religion from idolatry, could not, however, completely change the hearts of his subjects, who, according to the knowledge of the prophet, were enveloped in superstitious prejudices and were content with only external worship. Through this assumption, the entire sermon receives light and explains why it does not mention the ten tribes of Israel, why idolatry is not considered among the vices of the Jewish people, but on the contrary, the exact fulfillment of the ritual law 129 is presented, which does not constitute the character of the time of Ahaz and the kings preceding him, why, finally, the kingdom of Judah is described alone in its integrity, and the other borders of the land of Canaan are devastated 130 . For the kingdom of Ephraim was completely destroyed by the Assyrians around the 6th year of Hezekiah. XII. Defending this assumption This assumption is countered by: 1. The present sermon ranks first among the prophecies of Isaiah, which is why it was probably written under Hosea. a) when collecting prophecies, the order of time is not always maintained 131, b) the present sermon, being of general content, constitutes some essence of further prophetic teaching, which is why it was probably put at the beginning. 2. Holy history tells that Hezekiah restored the church that had fallen under Ahaz, 132 and therefore it is incredible that his people were as depraved as they appear here. But a) the same story testifies to the restoration of the church through the mediation of King Josiah 133, however, Jeremiah, who prophesied in 13 l. him, attacks with equal force the vices of the people of his time 134. b) The Prophet Micah, who prophesied into the kingdom of Hezekiah, describes the damage to the then church in the same terms 135. This can be explained by the fact that history describes the more external state of the church, and the prophets describe the internal state, known to the one God. XIII. Contents of 2 sermons, about the mountain of the house of God In order to convict the Jewish people of neglect of the law of God and devotion to vain, worldly education, the prophet describes a vision of a certain glorious mountain on which the supreme teacher God dwells and to which a great multitude of pagans is rushing for their teaching. Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will tell us his way, and we will walk in it 136. Here he stops and, contemplating the treachery of his people, evading the law and religion, he turns to God, and with a complaint to Him about the corrupt state of the Jewish church, mixes up accusatory admonitions, and with these, as it were, convinces her to follow in the footsteps of the pagans 137. But, foreseeing the stubbornness and inattention of the Jews, he brings before their eyes the judgment of God for all their vices 138. Further, having refuted their hope for all human help, leaving a person in whose nostrils there is a soul, for for what reason does he deserve respect 139 . Explains the definition of the execution of God, which is precisely to be carried out on the entire people, for their pride and untruth, on the leaders for their bribery, and on the female sex for the luxury and splendor of their clothes 140. Finally, the prophet, softening the severity of his sermon, foretells that the pious remnant of Israel will prosper under the protection of a certain famous person called the branch of Jehovah. On that day there will be a branch of Jehovah for honor and glory, and the fruit of the land for splendor and adornment for the remnant of Israel. Isa.4. Theodoret and after him some of the newest parts of the second sermon exclusively apply to the state of the Jews who lived around the time of Christ. But a) some vices, such as idolatry and sorcery 141, do not correspond to the Jews of the time they supposed. b) The very speech with which the prophet begins his denunciations makes it clear that it belongs to the present time. For you are leaving (speaking of God) your people, the house of Jacob 142. And it is incredible that the prophet did not mention here the first immediate abandonment of the Jews by God, which they experienced in the captivity of Babylon, and suddenly began to prophesy about their subsequent final rejection, which happened around the time of Christ. Why c) This sermon can more correctly be attributed to the Jews who lived during the reign of Uzziah and Jotham; since the description of the external prosperity of the Jews: the land was filled with silver and gold, etc. 143, exclusively befits the time of the reign of these two kings 144. XV. Signs of its mysterious meaning This idea, however, must be accepted with limitations, because in some parts of this sermon there are indeed signs of its highest mysterious meaning. Thus, it contains a description of the mountain of the house of God, rising above other mountains, the pagans gathering on it, the universal peace, during which all military weapons will be abolished 145. the day of judgment, on which idolaters and all the wicked will be put to shame, the branch of the Lord, which will one day appear on earth 146, makes us look for in it the sacraments of the Messiah and the events of his spiritual kingdom. This is confirmed by St. John, when describing the Last Judgment, expresses himself in expressions borrowed from the middle of this sermon 147. XVI. Contents 3 Sermons on Grapes The content of the third sermon is similar to the content of the accusatory part of the second. The Prophet proposed to describe here the guarding of the Jews by God and at the same time denounce their ingratitude for his protection. He achieves this goal by first presenting the fate of the ill-fated people under the guise of grapes, God, as a vinedresser, chosen, planted and fenced, but who, because in bearing fruit, did not correspond to God’s expectations; then God was forced to deprive him of his care for him 148. Suddenly, after this, the prophet explains the real parable in his own words 149 and, in particular, counts the six wild fruits of the rejected grapes, that is, the six main Jewish vices: covetousness 150, intemperance 151, cumulative malice 152, turning the true principles of reason and religion into false 153, arrogance 154, drunkenness, combined with injustice 155, at the beginning of the reproof of everyone, foreshadows the grief of those who betrayed them. The whole sermon is that God will once stir up a cruel people against the Jews, who will exactly fulfill the definition of heavenly judgment over them 156. XVII. Her attitude towards the devastation of the Jews by the Babylonians and Romans This sermon, by its close purpose, of course, refers to the captivity of the Jews by the Babylonians. But the Spirit of God, to whom all deeds were revealed from the beginning to the end of the ages, proportioned the thoughts and style of the prophet so that his preaching in all the power of its words fell on the final devastation of the kingdom of Judah, which was about to be accomplished through the Romans. It is known that the heralds of some imminent disasters for the Jews console them with the hope of future prosperity; here their sad state is presented without any change for the better, darkness is introduced without any ray of light. So, for example: I will leave my grapes and they will not be pruned, they will dig below, and thistles and thorns will come up on them: and the commandment is not to rain with a cloud 157. On top of that a) Christ directs a similar parable about the grapes to the final devastation of Judea by the Romans 158. b) It is called a song (V l.) and is written in the same content as the song of Moses; 159, and this last one speaks of the final affirmation of the Jews, which happened after the preaching of the Gospel 160. XVIII. Essence 4 of Sermon Describing the Symbolic Vision of God In the fourth sermon, the prophet describes a symbolic vision of God, which was revealed to him after the death of King Uzziah 161. The Lord appeared to him in his glory, which only man is capable of contemplating. He sat on a throne, high and exalted. The edges of his clothing spread throughout the church. Seraphim surrounded Him and brought praise to His greatness. During this wonderful vision, when the prophet turned to himself, he was afraid of his unworthiness. The feeling of this came from the fact that he did not yet have completely cleansed lips, lived among unclean people and therefore was unable, together with the seraphim, to worthily glorify the Lord he contemplated and serve Him with them. For this purpose, one of the seraphim is sent to him, who cleanses his lips with the touch of a burning coal. Then he receives the command to announce God’s sad decree for the Jews about their blindness and hardening: Go and speak to this people: with hearing you will hear and do not understand: and with seeing you will see and will not see; the hearts of these people are clothed, etc. 162. It will be followed by the final dispersion and abolition of their society, but in the small remnant of the seed of the saint, the hope of their future restoration will remain. XIX. The meaning of this vision St. John says that during this vision Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus Christ 163 . From this it is not difficult to understand the meaning of it. It foreshadowed the future spread of the glorious kingdom of Christ, preached by the fiery, purified lips of God-inspired men, whose faces sometimes appeared like the faces of angels 164; but at the same time it also depicted the bitterness of the Jews, who closed their eyes, ears and hearts to this kingdom. However, this hardening, continuing through the rest of the Old Testament economy in the carnal Jews, as punishment for whom God did not give hearts to understand, and eyes to see and ears to hear, 165 was revealed only in greater strength at the advent of the New Testament, when the pagans, joined to the kingdom of grace, saw both their blindness and the glory of God, revealed in righteousness and judgment 166. This is confirmed by Ap. Paul, saying that God gave the Jews a spirit of insensibility (from the time of the prediction about their hardness; for he points to this place) even to this day 167. XX. Contents of sermon 5, describing the fate of the Jews in relation to the kingdoms of Israel, Syria and Assyria The fifth sermon contains various kinds of consolation, denunciation and prophecy, which all, however, serve to explain the fate of the Jews in relation to the kingdoms of Israel, Syria and Assyria. The kings of the first two kingdoms, Racine and Pekah, agreed to overthrow Ahaz from the throne of Judah and erect another in his place. Ahaz, struck by the unexpectedness of the sad news, was already thinking of seeking protection from the Assyrians. But the prophet, taught by God, announces to him the futility of the enemy’s intentions and the imminent fall of themselves and, for greater confidence in his prediction, commands him to ask God for a sign. But since Ahaz, who probably had little faith in the promise of God, refused to ask for this sign from God, the prophet assures him that he who has provided for the salvation of everyone from eternal slavery by those who are born of a virgin by Immanuel, cannot help but free him from the temporary, and at the same time announces to him a disaster from the side of those very Assyrians on whom he hoped: the Lord will bring upon you and your people the days of the king of Assyria 168; however, for the consolation of the pious, he predicts that the Assyrian power will be crushed by the invisible power of Emmanuel: And those who take counsel (addressed to Assyria) the Lord will destroy: for God is with us 169. At this prediction, the prophet, delighted beyond himself, sees this Emmanuel on earth, as a national teacher among his disciples: Behold, and the children whom God hath given unto me, 170 denouncing the Jews who reject His teaching, and who instead have chosen for themselves other false teachers. He says that there will be no morning light in these people 171. But the Zebulunians and Nephalimites, poor, humiliated in the thoughts of the other tribes of Israel, will be the first to see this light: People who sit in darkness have seen a great light - as if we were born as a child, etc. 172 . The prophet, somewhat removed from his subject, with a burst of Divine inspiration, he turns to him and, denouncing the Ephraimites, says that they will be worthily punished for their alliance with the Assyrians by the king of Assyria, who will not only destroy Damascus and Samaria, but will spread his hostile plans to Jerusalem itself 173. On this occasion, he predicts the fate of this arrogant executor of God's judgment: You, he says, turning to him, think with your own power to shake inhabited cities and embrace the entire universe with your hand, like a nest, plunder its property, like eggs left by a bird; but your troops, these high and fortified trees of your grove will remain forever cut off 174; meanwhile, from the root of the house of David, which you cut, a branch will emerge - a certain famous King, under whose protection the Jews will prosper 175. Chapter XII is a song of thanksgiving by the Jews to God for this blessing bestowed upon them. XXI. Its especially significant places Particularly significant passages, by which, by the way, one should look in this sermon for events concerning the person of the Messiah, are I. Ch. VII. For this reason, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a virgin will conceive in her womb and give birth to a son, and they will call his name Immanuel 176. The newest Jews and Judaizing Christians think that the prophet, to console Ahaz, seems to say here: Prosperity will come for the Jews, and the sign of this is that if a virgin (someone, however, married) gave birth to a son, then at his birth one could say: God is with us, i.e. there will be abundance for everything. But α) If the prophet were speaking here about the birth of an ordinary wife, then what would be the amazing sign that he wanted to foretell? a) עלמה in ten places of Holy Scripture constantly means a virgin who has not known her husband, which has long been proven by the fathers and the newest testers of St. language 177; b) Jews have and use other words to mean a young bride: כתוּלה נצרה. γ) He who was to be born Immanuel was to be a king 178 the spread of his wings (that is, the king of Assyria) will fill your land Immanuel! but this cannot be attributed to Hezekiah, who at the time of this prophecy was already in his ninth year. For Hezekiah ascended the throne 25 years ago. 179, and Ahaz reigned only 16 years ago. 180. δ) Evangelist Matthew claims that the birth of Jesus Christ from a virgin came true according to this prophecy 181. ε) Those who object that the sign must precede the thing signified a) have no idea about the strong delight of the prophets, in the state of which they represented the future as the present 182 . b) they do not know that all freedom, temporal and eternal, is based on one sign of the Son of God - one salvation, provided from all eternity in the Savior of the world, moreover c) a sign does not always mean a sign of a future thing, but also the thing itself 183. ζ) Verse 16 does not complicate our explanation. The Prophet, presenting Emmanuel as born, already says: Before this youth is able to reject evil and choose good, the land will be devastated, for the sake of which two kings are deplorable to you, that is, no more time will pass from this prediction to the devastation of the Israeli and Syrian country, as much as is necessary from the birth of Emmanuel to a more perfect revelation of cognitive abilities in Him. With these vague words, the prophet sets an equal time limit necessary both for the revelation of the cognitive powers of Emmanuel and for the execution of God’s judgment over two kingdoms hostile to the Jews, probably three years, during which Felgathelassar, the king of Assyria, destroyed Syria, captured the flourishing regions of the kingdom of Israel and when the very king of it, Pekah, was killed 184. II. Ch. VIII. Behold, and the children who gave God 185. This place (as well as the entire department in which it is located) must exclusively explain about the Messiah: For α) Ap. Paul cites this as proof that the redeemer had to be of equal nature with the redeemed: holy and sanctified, from one and all, for the sake of guilt he is not ashamed to call them by the brethren: I will proclaim your name, etc., etc.: Behold, and the children 186. β) This appeal to God by a person unknown in the prophecy is better explained about Christ than about someone else, in relation to the previous words, for when the prophet said above that the Lord will be for Israel for sanctification and, together for some, for a stumbling block 187: then after this God the Father is introduced, who appointed disciples for the Messiah, while the rest of the Israelites are hardened by his teaching. Seal the covenant, seal the law on my disciples 188. The Messiah answers that he is content with this property determined for him. I will wait for God, who has turned his face away from the house of Jacob, and I will trust. Meanwhile, I have followers: Behold the children that God gave me! γ) The ancient Jews, as can be seen from the book of Sanhedrin, attributed this place to the Messiah. III. Ch. XI. The last section of the fifth sermon is all a prophecy about Jesus Christ. The predicates encountered here do not befit Hezekiah and Zerubbabel, as Grotius, Jungmann and other modern people think. This describes b) the most perfect kingdom: a. The king will come from the truncated root (tribe) of Jesse. 1) He will be filled with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit; 2) will never be mistaken in distinguishing the innocent from the guilty, but according to the action of the Holy Spirit in him, he will distinguish the inner goodness of everyone from hypocrisy. He will not judge by his glory, he will reprove below by the verb 189, he will punish his enemies not with a weapon, but with the spirit of his lips; he will be girded with truth about his loins, and entwined with truth about his sides 190 . b. His kingdom will be a kingdom of perfect peace 191; all violence will be excluded from it 192. Such prosperity will come from correct knowledge of God; for the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord 193. 1) The scattered Jews will be gathered into it, having been aroused to this by the converted pagans 194. 2) Ap. Paul, explaining the acceptance of the Gentiles into the kingdom of Christ by grace, cites part of the prophecy in confirmation. And again Isaiah says: there will be a root of Jesse, and rise up to rule over the tongues, in him the nations will trust 195. and, speaking about the Antichrist, he describes his death in words taken from here: the Lord Jesus will kill him with the spirit of his mouth 196. XXII. Indication of the sermons contained in the 2nd part of the prophecies of Isaiah The second part of the prophecies of Isaiah contains nine sermons announcing the future fate of foreign nations, such as the Babylonians, Philistines, Moabites, inhabitants of Damascus, Egyptians, Edomites and Tyrians, excluding one, which refers to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. All of them are separated from one another by special inscriptions. XXIII. The inscriptions above these prophecies The inscriptions above these prophecies show: a) Their properties. The word משׁה used to express this means burden, and according to the translation of some it is a painful definition. b) Their personal item. Such a painful definition about Babylon 197. However, this part of the inscription does not always correspond to the content of the sermons. So, for example, the sixth sermon, according to the inscription, refers only to the Egyptians 198. But at the end of it, the deplorable fate of the Ethiopians is announced 199, and the fourth word (definition) is inscribed on Damascus 200. Meanwhile, in the sermon itself, judgment is also pronounced against the Ephraimites 201 and other enemies of the church 202 . From these signs of incorrectness, many conclude that the inscriptions of real prophecies were added by their collectors. The general (material) subject of these prophecies is to explain the most severe punishment with which God will determine to persecute the enemies of his church. About the fierceness of the many languages ​​of many 203; in some parts, however, consolations are revealed. For the prophet foretells that the misfortunes of the pagans will one day cease, and they will be preserved for the gracious kingdom of God, just as the Egyptians will see the Lord - and the Lord will strike the Egyptians with a great plague and heal them with healing 204 . XXV. Sermons are special because of the visions they contain. The peculiarity of the visions differs from the others in two sermons preached about Babylon. 1. The first of these is found in Isaiah 13–14. Here the Prophet announces to the Jews that he saw God, who commands to erect a sign on a high mountain and, upon the confluence of a large Persian army, examines and leaves with himself warriors capable of fighting against Babylon. After this, he describes their desire for the corrupt city, the cruelty of treatment of its inhabitants and the freedom of the Jews following the fall of the arrogant king of Babylon, who, having been cast into the depths of hell, suffers reproach from all the criminals imprisoned there: “And you are captive,” they tell him, “as we are, and you are imputed to us (like us). Your glory has gone down to hell, and your great joy has gone down; rottenness is spread under you, and the worm is your covering. How did the rising morning star come down from heaven?” The conclusion of the sermon consists of confirming what was said: As the verb will be, etc. 205. 2) The second is in Isaiah 21. Its content is as follows: God, seeing the Babylonians like menacing clouds with devastation rushing to the nearby regions, as well as to Judea, calls the Elamites (Persians) and the Medes to stop the raids by the Babylonians and their consumption. But since it was apparently a long time to wait for this incredible event, sad for the Babylonians, and at the same time comforting for the Jews, God commands the prophet to place a guard in a high place, who, contemplating all the movements of the world, would notify the impatient Jewish society about the extermination of the Babylonians. This guard, observing the state of Babylon day and night, finally saw that military guns were approaching its walls and a terrible multitude of enemies were hurrying. At this amazing vision, he cried out like a lion. Fall, fall Babylon and all her idols and everything made with her hands are crushed to the ground. XXVI. The Mysterious Meaning of the Sermons on Babylon St. John the Theologian, borrowing the last words in Apocalypse 206 after the destruction of the already material Babylon, makes it clear that the entire prophecy about Babylon is mysterious and representative. The name of Babylon is opposed to the name of Jerusalem, and just as this latter is called the bride of the lamb, so, on the contrary, the former is called the mother of fornicators and abominations of the earth 207 . From this it is clear that Babylon signifies the church of the Antichrist, just as Jerusalem signifies the church of Christ. Where is the whole of spiritual Babylon? Mystery 208. But parts of it extend and sensually reveal themselves in every visible society, which is assembled from carnal people, strives for universal dominion, through universal fornication with passions and vices, obeys the invisible proud leader of darkness, who patronizes its superstition and unbelief; but which, being punished in actions, will now be completely destroyed with the fall and abolition of the whole Babylon, when the Son of God appears on earth like lightning flashing from one end of the sky to the other 209. They ask why the prophet living in Judea cries out so loudly against the pagans in his sermons, when his voice could not reach them? Why does he walk naked and barefoot 210 when the Egyptians and Ethiopians, to whom this symbolic prophecy applied, did not know about him? But a) it cannot be affirmatively assumed that foreign peoples who had a close relationship with the Jews did not hear these sad foreshadowings for themselves. b) The purpose of these prophecies was limited for the most part A) The consolation of the Jews, who, in case of oppression from the pagans, needed to be shown α) that every people attacking a believing church is nothing more than a scourge in the hands of God, with which, having punished her for lawlessness, he is able to dissolve and trample on himself. β) that Jerusalem, as the prophet Zechariah explains, was a sharp stone 211, which no one hits will remain undamaged. γ) that the Jews, struck by punishments from above, should not have grumbled against God, Who for a long time left other nations without punishment. Judgment is inflicted from the house of God, continues in a foreign court - the cup of God's wrath is poured out on the faithful church, but its trembling is left for the wicked persecutors 212. δ) that they, hearing about their future captivity, should not have lamented its longevity and said in despair: Let us, like the pagans, serve wood and stone 213. The prophet announces that God will put a measure on their misfortune. C) By denouncing the Jews, who, when attacked by one people, resorted to the help of another, forgetting God, their protector. Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who trust in horses and chariots - and do not trust in the Holy One of Israel and do not seek God 214. (See also about the personal purpose of prophecy. preliminary concepts about the prophet. § X). XXVIII. Boundaries of Sermons Found in Part III of Isaiah's Prophecies The third part of Isaiah's prophecies contains three sermons. The middle of them 215, distinguished by a special composition of speech (for all its smaller parts begin with the word grief), separates from itself the previous 216 and the subsequent one, the limit of which is set when the part is already historical. The first and last foreshadow God's judgment on the pagans, the middle on the Jews and Ephraimites. To the pagans who are arrogant in their own strength and persecuting the Church of God, the prophet announces the day on which the Lord will consume them. And it will be on that day that the Lord will bring his hand against the kings of the earth 217 . The wrath of the Lord is on all tongues - consume them and deliver them to the slaughter 218. He denounces the Jews and Israelis for their distance from God, and informs them that the cruel punishments that follow will turn into spiritual benefits for some of them. On that day the Lord will be a crown of hope, and a weave for the people left behind 219. From this it is clear that preaching to the Israelites and Jews combines reproof and consolation; and sermons to the pagans are directly accusatory. XXX. The sermons are especially entertaining and the most common subject of them Of these sermons, the first and second are especially entertaining. In them we must look for the events of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. The main idea of ​​the first is that the pagans will oppress the once Jewish church for its religion, and that in such a disaster its chosen ones will have to glorify their God in caves and other secret places. These (i.e., enemies) will lift up their voices and will triumph: on the heights of Jehovah they will cry out from the sea. Why praise Jehovah in the caves: on the islands of the sea is the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel 220 . The essence of the second consists in denouncing the Jews and Israelites for the fact that they reject the predicted disasters with reckless and at the same time daring speculations, and generally reject the word of the revelation of God. This is how in despair they think: Rekoste, the prophet denounces them, we have made a council with hell, and with death the agreement is carried by a storm (flooding), if it passes by, it will not come to us, put another hope on us, etc. 221. XXXI. Signs according to which 1 sermon relates to the future persecution of Christians From the main idea of ​​the first sermon it is not difficult to understand that the entire sermon foreshadows the state of the church in the time of the Maccabees. Many of its other properties are especially appropriate for this time 222. But some of the descriptions found in it are the essence of a veil under which the predestination of the persecution of Christians that will follow in the evening of the New Testament is hidden. So: α) The words of the prophecy: the sun will be put to shame and the moon will be ashamed 223 are similar to the words of Jesus Christ: after the tribulation of those days, the sun will darken and the moon will not give its light 224, words that describe the consequences of the future, terrible persecution of Christians. β) Words: on that day (when, i.e., the Lord destroys the persecutors of his church) they will sound a great trumpet and those who are destroyed will come and worship the Lord on the Holy Mountain in Jerusalem - with some change, Jesus Christ refers to the final fate of his kingdom 225. γ) Prophecy: The sacrifice will be death as a victory - ap. Paul transfers the state of general resurrection to the blessed one 226. XXXII. Prophecy II Sermon Although the subsequent sermon does not clearly say to what time and to what persons it belongs: the following beliefs force it to be attributed to the Jews who lived around or at the very time of Jesus Christ: a) The persons denounced here are similar to the Jews of the time of Jesus Christ. So, for example, these wines are the essence of seduction: having been seduced by strong drink, the priest and the prophet were driven out of their minds by strong drink 227 . This wine is not material wine, as the prophet himself further explains. They drink neither strong drink nor wine (that is, ordinary wine). But the Lord gave you a spirit of humiliation (hardness) and closed (closed) the eyes of their prophets and their princes who see the hidden things 228 and further, speaking about the same persons: they worship me in vain, teaching the commandments of men and teachings 229. So, these are the Pharisaical Jews, filled with false, worldly teaching, dozing over human traditions, blind to the grace of God given to them by Jesus Christ. b) It promises the restoration of the church, which is in decline from false teachers. For this reason, I lay as the foundation of Zion a stone of great value, chosen, a cornerstone, honorable - and believing in it, he will not be ashamed 230, and this stone is Jesus Christ 231. Why are the punishments described here given to the builders of salvation who did not lay that stone as their foundation 232 . c) The definition of God: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and hide the understanding of the prudent 233, - according to the explanation of the apostle. Paul, is the lot of people who have already heard the word of the cross and rejected it as foolishness 234. d) By virtue of this prophecy, the blinding of the wise Jews about themselves should be followed by an appeal to the God of the pagans: Isn’t it a little while that Lebanon 235 will be added, like Mount Hermel, and Hermel will be counted as an oak tree! 236 i.e., there is not a little time before the event when the vast, dense, high, but barren forest of paganism will turn into a garden, watered by God, protected, filled with fruits favorable to Him? 237 ΧΧΧΙII. The source from which the historical part was drawn The historical part 238 for the most part, word by word agrees with the history of the fourth book of Kings 239 in a few differs from it. Thus, in the book of Kings there is no prayer of Ezekiah, in which he glorified God after his miraculous healing from his illness 240. On the contrary, Isaiah does not have Hezekiah's reconciliation with Sennacherib, through 300 talents of silver and 30 gold 241 . The narrative of 2 Kings 20:7–8 about Hezekiah’s healing with a plaster made from figs is placed out of place in Isaiah 38:20–22; for it should be placed after verse 6. There are also some very small differences, from which it is clear that the text of these two places is so different and so much in agreement with each other that both seem to be drawn from one common source, i.e., the vast history of the reign of Hezekiah 242, however, the speeches of the ambassadors Sennacherib, Hezekiah, Isaiah, placed here, and the description of the most detailed and, apparently, not so important subjects, force us to admit that the entire narrative this came from a modern witness and writer, such as Isaiah, who participated in the incidents described here. XXXIV. The purpose for which the story of Hezekiah is placed between the prophecies of Isaiah The purpose for which this story is placed among the prophecies of Isaiah is derived from the very arrangement of his prophecies. since in the previous prophecies there is often mention of Sennacherib’s attack on Judah, and Hezekiah’s deliverance from his numerous forces; then it seemed necessary to the collector of prophecies to include his story, as necessary for understanding the previous predictions, into the book of Isaiah and put it in this particular place, and not in another, since the prophecies dating back to the times of Hezekiah end here. Likewise, and for the same reason, the story of the devastation of Jerusalem and the captivity of Judah under their king Zedekiah 243 was added to the prophecies of Jeremiah. XXXV. Division of the last part into two main sections The last part of the prophecies of Isaiah has neither an inscription nor any particularly clear signs by which it could be unmistakably divided into smaller sermons. Its division into nine sermons, as seen among some of the interpreters, is a guess that does not have sufficient basis. However, it is certain that 49 ch. Isaiah prophesies more clearly about Jesus Christ than in previous chapters; Therefore, this part can be divided into two main sections. First 40-49, last 49 to go. XXXVI. Subject of the first section The main subject of the first section is the prediction of the kingdom of Jesus Christ on earth and the signs of his imminent coming. since among these signs there were mainly: the liberation of the Jewish people from Babylonian captivity and the conviction of the pagans in the vanity of idolatry; then with these two items, for the most part, real prophecies end. Moreover, the prophet everywhere adds consoling exhortations to God’s elect, who, after a long wait, despair of seeing the Messiah on earth. XXXVII. Prophecies in them Clearer prophecies about Christ are found in chapters XL and XLII. I Ch. XL. Here the prophet reveals the beginning of the kingdom of Christ and the establishment of it through the Gospel preaching, proving both by the unsearchable wisdom of God and the weakness of the peoples who support idolatry. Some attribute this prophecy to the return of the Jews from Babylon, and therefore a) represent their stay in a barren desert; b) the voice heard in it about preparing the way 244 refers to the convenience of returning them to the borders of Canaan. But 1. The image of this prophecy does not represent to us a people returning to their own borders, but God coming with glory to his people. Why a) it does not say prepare the way for the people, but for the Lord 245. b) The command to prepare the way does not apply to the pagans, who should prepare it for the Jews, but to the Jews, who should meet the Lord. Why c) the Jewish people are represented here not outside their fatherland, but in Jerusalem itself: speak in your heart to Jerusalem. 2) And further the evangelist is commanded by the city of Judah, who have already been restored and are awaiting a miraculous phenomenon 246. 2. The writers of the New Testament explain this prophecy about the beginnings of the kingdom of Christ as follows: a) the words: the voice of one crying in the wilderness, etc., the evangelists attribute to John the Baptist, whose position was to prepare the hearts of God’s people for the acceptance of Christ 247; b) Ap. Peter, mentioned here, calls the word of the Lord, which abides forever 248, the Gospel: this is the word preached in you 249. II. Ch. XLII. On the calling of the pagans through the meek gospel of Christ. Here the calling of the pagans to the kingdom of grace is foreshadowed, through the true servant of God, the meek teacher, who has to illuminate them with his Divine teaching: I will accept Jacob as my child, O my chosen Israel, my soul will receive him, let my spirit come and proclaim judgment with his tongue 250. Those who attribute this prophecy to Cyrus make him, instead of a warlike conqueror of peaceful nations, a teacher of them. Applying this to the Jewish people is attributed the indecent position of teaching the nations; the Jewish people themselves had to learn from that Teacher who is described here: Is.42:9. Isaiah, a wise and meek man, could not speak of himself as grandly as some think; after his preaching there was no conversion of the pagans; God did not bring it into the light with tongues 251. So, when reading this prophecy, you should direct your gaze from these objects to the only, great and meek Teacher - Jesus Christ. They are forced to admit this truth a) Prophecies similar to this, which speak of the calling of the pagans through the gospel of Christ, such as: You are my servant to Israel, and in you I will be glorified; I have given you for a covenant of generations, for the light of the tongues 252, and: Listen to me, my people, and bring a king to me, for the law will come from me and my judgment into the light of the tongue 253. b) Ev. Matthew cites the words of this prophecy as proof of the modesty that Jesus Christ showed when healing the sick. Heal them all, and forbid them to do it in reality. As if what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet may be fulfilled, this my lad, who willed him, shall neither contradict nor cry out, let anyone at the crossroads hear his voice - and in his name the pagans will trust 254. XXXVIII. Subject of the second section In the second section the prophet more clearly describes the face of the Messiah, His distinctive features, His kingdom, the spread among the Gentiles and the rejection of the majority of the Jewish people. In these descriptions, he often confuses prototypes with the objects being formed, and when he truly speaks about the redemption of people through the Messiah and the prosperous or ill-fated fate of the New Testament church, he borrows his expressions from the oppression of the church in the captivity of Babylon, the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes and from its prosperity after these sad times. XXXIX. Prophecies in it In this section, the most remarkable prophecies are: Ch. LIII. About the suffering of Jesus Christ. It describes a special suffering person and the fruits of his suffering for the human race. It is Jesus Christ; for a) entire verses from this prophecy are given in the books of the New Testament and are set out about Christ 255; b) In the book. Acts specifically says that this prophecy is to be understood about Jesus. So, when the eunuch of the Ethiopian queen asked Philip: about whom the prophet says this (i.e., like a sheep being led to the slaughter, etc.), he opened his mouth and began from this scripture to preach Jesus to him 256; c) Everything that is assimilated to the main person in this prophecy clearly belongs to the Messiah, for example, the Lord gave away His sin for our sakes; d) The ancient Jewish teachers expounded this prophetic word about the Messiah, as can be seen from the vengeance, borrowed from this prophecy and assimilated by the Messiah in their Talmud of mystical and allegorical interpretations of the word of God 257 . XXXX. On the multiplication of the children of the inner church In LIV ch. many children are foretold to a certain barren woman. Those who, when considering this prophecy, stop at the external New Testament Jerusalem, do not notice the promises that cannot be learned by it, for example, And all your sons are taught by God 258. Why should the name of this wife be understood as the inner church, which believes the gracious promises offered to Abraham and other forefathers, living for God and forming one body with her, and which will bear to its Lord many spiritual sons of the kingdom. This is confirmed by Ap. Paul, when he calls the barren wife mentioned here the highest (in another place heavenly) 259 Jerusalem, who is free, the mother of us all. For it is written, he says, that the barren one who bears no fruit rejoices, breaketh forth, and cryeth without pain, for many are more empty children than she that hath a husband 260 . Ch. LI. About the Future Triumph of the Church of Christ In ch. LX, whose beginning: shining, shining, Jerusalem, etc., the church appears in such triumph and perfection, which should be expected even at the end of the New Testament economy of God; when all false Christianity will be abolished. For a) Many features of this prophecy cannot be adapted to any state of the church in which it was hitherto, etc. I will place you in eternal joy, more joyfully with the birth of generations 261. b) A sign of such prosperity of spiritual Jerusalem is the appeal of all the main nations, who will bring treasures and their labors to decorate and spread it 262. c) The New Testament prophet, at the end of his predictions, speaking about the beautifully adorned bride of Christ, who, having shaken off all uncleanness, will appear in all her beauty in the new Jerusalem 263, describes it with the words of this prophecy: the Gentiles will be saved in its light and the kings of the earth will bring glory and honor into it 264 also: And there will be no night there and they will not require light from lamp, for the Lord God enlightens me 265. d) The defense of the oppressed church, which precedes the state of its glory, will be followed by the conversion of the Jews. He who delivers will come from Zion and turn away wickedness from Jacob 266; But the apostle postpones this appeal until the fulfillment of tongues comes 267. XLII. LXI ch. about Jesus Christ as God's anointed and miracle worker In this part of the prophecy, Jesus Christ is announced as the anointed one of God, a miracle worker and a distributor of grace-filled gifts to his chosen ones. This meaning of the prophecy was revealed by Jesus Christ himself 268. XLIII. LXIII. Ch. 1–6. About Jesus Christ as the conqueror of his enemies Here appears the conqueror, coming from the enemy's land of Edom, in which he defeated his enemies. The Church, not knowing this strange warrior, asks Him who He is and, when He revealed to her some of His properties: I speak the truth and the judgment of salvation 269, the question is repeated - why are His clothes covered in blood. The winner replies that He alone was recently in the midst of a fierce battle, in which the blood of slain enemies stained His vestments. The same deliverer, and described in the same way, appears in the Apocalypse of John, and there is no doubt that, according to his explanation, He is the Word of God 270 , for the same person who in Isaiah is called one who speaks the truth 271 , a man whose garments are scarlet, as from the trampling of a winepress 272 , who trampled down his enemies with his wrath 273 , the Evangelist John describes as true, just and warlike 274 and clothed in a robe scarlet with blood 275 , with the sword of his mouth, beating tongues and crushing the wine of the wrath of God 276 , but on whose clothes it is written: King by King and Lord by Lord 277 . One might think that this vision of the prophet embraces the battle and victory of Jesus Christ, from the defeat of the serpent and his seed on Golgotha, to his consumption from the heavenly Eleon. XLIV. LXV-LXVI. On the calling of the Gentiles and the rejection of the Jews Here the acceptance of pagans into the Church of God and the rejection of Jews from it with the exclusion of the most worthy of them is described: The imam does not destroy everyone for his sake 278, that is, for the sake of a lawless people, for the words that constitute the essence of this prophecy are explained in precisely this sense by the apostle. Paul: Not all have heard the gospel. And further: Isaiah dares and says: I was found to those who did not seek me, I was revealed to those who did not ask about me: all day long I lifted up my hands to people who were disobedient and prophesying. And further: Thus, even in the present time, there is a remnant according to the election of grace 279. About the prophecies and the lament of Jeremiah I. The totality of the prophecies and lamentations of Jeremiah in ancient times Even in ancient times, the name Jeremiah meant not only prophecies, but also his lament; why both these books were combined into one and the latter was considered a complement to the first. However, the Jews added the lamentation of Jeremiah to five more holiday books or Meshlot. II. Note about the person of Jeremiah and the time of his prophetic ministry Jeremiah (from ירמיה Jehovah will cast down or forsake) was a priest from the city of Anathoth, where he first prophesied 280. But when the inhabitants of Anathoth began to plot against his life, then he moved to Jerusalem, where he endured chains and imprisonment for the word of God and was repeatedly in danger of his life. Starting from the year 23 before the beginning of the captivity of Babylon, he prophesied until the time after the burning of Jerusalem; after the murder of Gedaliah, he was forced to move to Egypt, where he died, in which year is unknown. The main things that Jeremiah was told to foretell are: 1. The overthrow of the kingdom of Judah, the burning of Jerusalem, the expulsion of citizens from it and their return to their homeland after 70 years of captivity 281, the age of the Maccabees and the appearance on earth of the son of David or the Messiah 282. 2. Devastation of the kingdoms adjacent to Judea by Nebuchadnezzar. 3. Jeremiah 1:11. The ruin of Babylon, which, however, was supposed to fall successively over the course of many years. 4. Some close and private incidents, such as the fate of Joachim, king of Judah 283. Jeremiah's expression is simple 284, partly mixed with Chaldean sayings and phrases. He often uses the same words, especially פּקר, and repeats the same opinions. V. The order of the prophecies in the original and the ancient Alexandrian translation In the arrangement of Jeremiah's prophecies there is little noticeable order of time in which they occurred; and in the ancient Alexandrian translation, the order of these from XXV.15 to the end of the book is completely different than in the current original, for the prophecies against the pagans, which in the Hebrew text occupy the last place XVI. II, in the Alexandrian translation read after XXV. III, with some minor changes. Moreover, this translation lacks not only many words and opinions, but also entire rather short passages. Such differences were noticed by Origen and, therefore, they are very ancient. Others attribute their reason partly to the negligence of the scribes, and partly to the disposition of special collectors, of whom we find the list in the hands of seventy; however, it is impossible to find a completely satisfactory explanation of this subject in such ancient antiquity, without the evidence of history. That the lament, which is inscribed איכה, is the work of Jeremiah, this is evidenced by the most ancient, constant and universal tradition, which is confirmed A. What, as about the future, Jeremiah predicted in his prophecies, in his lament he describes as present, for example, the extermination of the inhabitants of Jerusalem: My eyes have poured out water, because you have departed from me to comfort me - my sons perished 285 , the flattering deceptions of false prophets: Your prophets saw vain things and did not reveal your iniquity 286 , favor towards him God in times of oppression from ungrateful fellow citizens: Do not forsake the Lord’s mercy to me, for his generosity will not expire 287 . b. Language in the book. Lamentations, as well as in the prophecy of Jeremiah, are mixed with Chaldean. The ancients thought that Jeremiah's sad poem generally mourned the destruction of Jerusalem. The newest, without rejecting this opinion, find in it some more specific objects, such as: Ch. I. II – the first two migrations of the Jews to Babylon, Ch. III - the disasters suffered by Jeremiah, Ch. IV – the final destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of Zedekiah 20, Ch. V – the unhappy state of the Jews after the destruction of Jerusalem and their prayerful appeal to God. VIII. The order and syllable of it The Book of Lamentations presents to us the feelings of the prophet, in the order in which they were inspired by the Spirit of God in his heart; why one should not look for a special location in it. Its syllable is more sublime than the syllable of Jeremiah’s prophecies. In the first four chapters, the verses are arranged in alphabetical order, however, in the third chapter, three whole verses begin with the same letter. Chapter five consists of a number of verses equal to the number of Hebrew letters, but the order of the letters itself is not visible. Ezekiel (יחזק־אל) son of Buz, priest (Ezek. 1:3) with King Jehoiachin and other famous Jews 288 captive to Mesopotamia, on the banks of the river Chebar, where in the fifth year of his captivity, in the seventh before the final destruction of Jerusalem 289 after the opening of the heavens over him, he was called to prophecy, and there he finally died, at least after 27 years. captivity for 29 years. 290 The year of his calling is called the thirtieth 291, as is generally thought, from the glorious Nabonassar era, or from the great Chaldean monarchy, which began in the 18th year of Josiah, remarkable for the discovery then of the ancient copy of the Mosaic Law. So, Ezekiel was partly a contemporary of Jeremiah, with whom he was very similar in the subjects of his prophecies. II. Main subjects of prophecies What is especially remarkable about Ezekiel's prophecies is: 1) That he, while in captivity in Babylon, saw the day of the siege of Jerusalem by Novudnezzar 292. 2) He foresaw that King Zedekiah, during the invasion of enemies, would flee Jerusalem at night, but, caught and blinded, would be presented in Babylon 293. 3) That the Jews, after a long-term exile, will return to their fatherland, restore the fallen worship and occupy the borders of Idumea 294. 4) That Tire 295, destroyed to the ground, will never rise from its ruins 296. 5) That, despite the generation of David, deprived of royal dignity, the great shepherd of Israel or the Messiah will come from it. And my servant David will be a prince among them, and will be the shepherd of all 297. The prophecies of Ezekiel surpass all other writings of the prophets in their abundance of visions, symbols and parables. From this comes the darkness in his writing, about which the most skilled interpreters of Scripture in their knowledge of Eastern languages ​​complain. The language is often mixed with Chaldean expressions, which are characteristic of the prophet who lived in Mesopotamia. The prophecies directly related to the Jews, as evidenced by the inscriptions 299, are listed in order of the time at which they were revealed to the prophet. Why should those of them that do not have inscriptions be attributed to the time indicated in the previous inscription? Only prophecies against the pagans, although connected 300; however, they were not written at the same time and are not arranged in time order. This can hardly be explained in any other way than by supposing that the collectors, looking at 301, where Ezekiel somehow falls silent, added the prophecies on the pagans to the previous ones, in the order in which they found them (which is why they did not maintain the correct arrangement between them and forgot about the prophecies on Idumean 302 and on Gog and Magog 303). V. Defense that Ezekiel wrote the last chapters Many do not recognize Ezekiel as the writer of the last 9 chapters 40–48; but for weak reasons. For 1. The darkness of these chapters is fitting for Ezekiel, who did not describe many other subjects as clearly as others would like; descriptions of buildings can hardly be presented in greater clarity without a drawing of them. 2. Those who find in these chapters commands that the Jews did not satisfy because they did not know about them or, at least, did not recognize the one who wrote them as inspired, are mistaken: for there are no such commands here, but only a description of the city and the church, which confirms the future restoration of Divine services and the return of the Jews to their land. 3. The objection that the prophet could not retain in his memory so many dimensions as were presented to him in the vision is almost not worth refuting; for, not to mention that there are simple people who conveniently notice a multitude of measures and numbers, the inspired man could not fail to remember them, especially when the visions revealed by God are strongly impressed on the mind and heart. 4. If Josephus, in one place, attributes to Ezekiel two books about the captivity of Babylon 304, and in another mentions only one 305, then, of course, he combines the last nine chapters, which in ancient times constituted a special book, into one. How does it follow that they did not come from the hand of Ezekiel? 5. An insignificant guess of some 306 that some unknown Jew, who returned from captivity later than others, gave out these chapters under the name of Ezekiel, in order to induce the Jews to a new division of the kingdom and in it to accept their lot, for such a deceiver, having written about the division of land between the tribes in general, would, of course, not forget to write about the provision of a plot to him in particular. Moreover, we find in these prophecies private emblematic visions, care in describing details, a certain quality of language - all this so clearly distinguishes the character of Ezekiel's writing that no one else could imitate. VI. General judgment about the first and last vision of Ezekiel The initial Ezekiel vision of the four living creatures 307, and the last of a certain city and church 308 the Jews forbade reading to people who had not reached the age of manhood 309. Even their interpreters did not dare to penetrate into the depths of these secrets 310. Jerome, explaining Ezekiel, stopped at his last vision due to the difficulty of the objects described here, until he was asked to continue by lovers of the word of God 311. Without calculating in detail the opinions that are more or less close to the essence of the mentioned visions, we will note a general and more correct judgment about them. 1) As for the vision of the four animals, from the incident in which it was revealed to the prophet, one can understand that the four animals mean the four main properties of the teachers of the church, i.e., the meekness that they should show when dealing with those who are weak in the faith 312; fearlessness in the danger of preaching, 313; readiness for work and tireless enduring of it 314; the sublimity of revealed teaching, surpassing the concepts of created beings 315. The church fathers especially apply the turning of the faces of animals to the four countries of the world to the apostles, whose verbs were announced to all the ends of the universe 316. 2) The Jews in vain think about the church described in Ezekiel 317, that it will be created at the coming of the Messiah 318, which they in vain expected. Many Christians attribute this prophecy to the church of either Solomon or Zerubbabel. That this church is not a real church can be seen from the following signs: 1) The city in which the place is designated for the church יחוֹה שׁםּה is called Lord Tamo 319. 2) from the sanctuary of the church, water will flow into the dead sea and sweeten its waters (Heb. 43:25). 3) the door of the church, after the passing of the Lord, will remain closed forever 320. Besides this 4) A new and unprecedented division of the earth 321, a changed and partly multiplied, partly reduced composition of the Divine Service 322, the extraordinary vastness of the city, the creation of it by 12 tribes 323 - all this makes us contemplate here the future state and glory of the new spiritual Jerusalem 324. I. When and where Daniel prophesied Daniel רניאל judge or protector of my God, if not of the royal, at least of the noble generation, a young man, in the third year of the reign of Joachim (606 BC) captured by Nebuchadnezzar, with his three friends kept the Mosaic Law and led a most pious life; why Ezekiel in 13 is almost the summer of captivity, compares him with Noah and Job 325. The Lord of Reasons glorified him with wisdom and insight into the future more than all his contemporaries 326. He was called to the court, where he repeatedly experienced changes in happiness, and through the envy of the courtiers he was relegated to the lions' den and emerged from there unharmed - he lived at least until the third year of King Cyrus, i.e. 534 years. before R.X. 327. The first six chapters contain the incidents of Daniel, the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dreams, and the miraculous writing on the wall of Belshazzar's dining room. In the last six chapters, Daniel reveals his visions about the destruction of the Persian kingdom, Alexander V., the end of the captivity and the Messiah. The dreams and visions through which revelations are taught in this book represent majestic symbols that are easily understood; those of them that are darker are explained, however, not by God himself, as in Ezekiel, but sometimes by an angel 328, sometimes by the guardian of the country 329. The style here is prosaic - the language is rich in Chaldean and other foreign expressions, and part of book 330 is written in the Chaldean dialect itself. V. Internal signs by which it belongs to Daniel Among the newest freethinkers, there are many who, following Porphyry, attribute the book of Daniel to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, in which an unknown writer supposedly described events that had already happened in the form of prophecies and in his book presented Daniel as prophesying about them. But 1. The very nature of the book shows that it came from a certain pious and wise man, which Ezekiel calls Daniel, who knew the Hebrew and Chaldean dialect and from dealing with the Babylonians, Chaldeans and other strangers flocking to the capital from everywhere, got used to foreign words, learned many foreign customs; who lived during the Chaldean monarchy in Babylon and perfectly knew the names of the various ranks of the court and kingdom 331; who himself participated in civil affairs, repeatedly thought about the future fate of events, and for this he tested the writings of the prophets 332, asked God to reveal them to himself; whose Chaldean language, just like in the book of Ezra, Judaizes 333, and the Hebrew language is not entirely pure - but purer than which cannot be expected from a man educated and living among the Chaldeans. 2. If someone else had written this book in the century of Anthony Epiphanes (after 163 BC), then in Palestine, where he was supposed to write it, he would not have known the last king of the Chaldeans, Belshazzar, unknown to historians, would not have written that the walls of the royal house were destroyed 334, would not have known the history of Alexander, Egypt and Syria 335, would not have mixed up two dialects, but would have carefully guarded against everything that could give rise to any suspicion, he would say little about Alexander, and a lot about the Maccabees, he would not say in 336 that their prophecies cannot be understood until they are fulfilled, and that the prophecy of Daniel 11 was understood by Daniel, for this clearly contradicts the transformation of history into prophecy. IV. Historical evidence that it does not belong to the time of A. Epifan If this is not enough, then it is impossible, however, to understand: 1. How could a book written during the time of the Maccabees (in which the Jews were so zealous for the holy books) be accepted into the canon? - especially if at that time there were many Jews who imitated the Greeks in the education of their minds and were therefore experienced in distinguishing books. At that time, the establishment of the canon was so sacred that even the slightly older book of Jesus son of Sirach, although it was written in Hebrew and is the most edifying, was not accepted into it. On top of that 2. The book, which had recently appeared among the Jews, who at that time were scattered everywhere, could not be accepted without any disputes arising between them, about which, at least, something would have been mentioned in the Maccabees books or later writings. But there are no hints of this anywhere. Against, 3. All the ancients attribute this book to Daniel. Josephus 337 says that Alexander V. saw the book of Daniel. The writer of the first book of Maccabees, touching on the history of Ananias, Azariah and Mishael 338, the expression: the abomination of desolation 339 borrows from Daniel 11:31 and, moreover, according to the Alexandrian translation; from which it is clear that Daniel had long been translated into Greek at that time. VI. Defense of the Book of Daniel in General The whole book of Daniel is objected to, 1. That the Jews placed her among the apographs, from which they conclude that she became known already in modern times, for if she had appeared earlier, she would have deserved a place among the prophets. But the placement of Daniel between the apographs occurred in modern times, 340 in which the Jews demanded of the prophets (as well as the Greeks, whom they imitated, of their philosophers) that they should not live at court; For this empty reason, but which was then the most important, they, according to the testimony of Jerome 341, excluded the prophets from the order. Add: 2. That Jesus, the son of Sirach, in Sir.49 does not classify Daniel as a prophet. But he only glorifies those prophets 342 who prophesied more and more clearly about the very captivity of Babylon; why Isaiah also skips and mentions him only on the occasion of Hezekiah 343. 3. Capturing the Visions Daniel 8:2 c. Vol. XIII does not prove the news of the book, as some think; but only the prophet, as can be seen from Daniel 7:9–10, is commanded here to announce that these prophecies, even before the time of their events, will be closed and inaccessible to the understanding of sensual people. For it is known that the prophets, predicting certain future events, express themselves as if they were commanded to fulfill them 344. Finally, 4. The idea that a book so favorable to the Maccabees could have been conveniently included in the canon when, by order of Antiochus Epiphanes, the saints were burned, is also false. books and it became unknown which of them were inspired by God: for in no way could all the copies of both this and other books be burned; since many of them were located in the countries of western Egypt, Cyrene and Asia Minor. And in Palestine itself, of course, many of them were saved from the flames: since such rarities are preserved with greater care than with great effort they are sought for destruction. The Maccabees, who defended their fatherly traditions with particular zeal, knew St. books that they read in their youth, and for which even then they had great respect - and they were not so gullible that a book, barely emerging from its obscurity, was attributed to Daniel and included in the composition of St. books. VII. The Truth of the Objects Described in the First Chapters of Daniel Objections to the six chapters of Daniel mostly fall on many surprising objects encountered here. 1. It is true that Nebuchadnezzar adores Daniel or throws himself at his feet, but this humiliation after Daniel announced and interpreted the forgotten dream to him, according to the superstition of that time, does not exceed the probability so much as to consider it suspicious 345. 2. No one is forced to believe that a golden statue, 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide, could be composed of pure gold and preserved from thieves; let it be gilded 346 . 3. Daniel, who may have been ill at the time of the deification of the statue or was not in Babylon, was not called to worship it; and so in vain they ask why only Daniil’s friends were thrown into the cave. The silence in this case about Daniel shows that the readers of St. history knew then why he avoided this danger. 4. Regarding the story of Nebuchadnezzar's madness 347, the difficulty lies in resolving the question: how was his kingdom governed for seven years? But if עדּז, which, in fact, means some indefinite time, is understood, as it should be, about the parts of the year, of which the eastern ones counted six: 348 then the difficulty disappears; for the courtiers, who doubted their fate under the successor, of course, used all their strength to preserve his kingdom for fourteen months, and 5. There should be no fear that a madman could die from feeding himself on grass or be torn to pieces by animals. There are very few animals around the capital, and herbs, while weakening the stomach, could still lead the mind to recovery. 6. Civil history says little about Nebuchadnezzar, so it is not surprising if there are no traces of his madness in it; however, there is something about this in Megasthenes and Berosus 349. 7. An empty question, why would Nebuchadnezzar tell the people about his madness? 350 Through this he wanted to announce to the people that he had again accepted the scepter. 8. No history mentions the king of the Chaldeans, Belshazzar, 351, but this does not prevent us from recognizing the existence of a king called by this name; for the eastern ones, and especially the kings, often had several names. Belshazzar is the last Chaldean king, who is otherwise called Nabonned and Libinet, these names are more corrupted and, as experts in Eastern languages ​​note, less characteristic of the Chaldean dialect than the name Belshazzar. 9 . But why is there such a miracle on the wall in the last minutes of the Chaldean kingdom? 352 In order to give Daniel an opportunity to again prove his embassy from God and through this to glorify him in the opinion of the victors of the Persians and Medes, and especially Cyrus, from whom he was supposed to ask him for freedom for the Jews. VIII. Defense of the last 6 chapters. Daniel It is objected to the last six chapters of Daniel, 1. That they too clearly predict future, distant events; however, they do not extend beyond Antiochus Epiphanes, so they were apparently written at this time, after their event. But certain predictions found here are hardly clearer than those found in other prophecies that preceded distant events 353, however, if they had the supposed clarity, then there would not be such different interpretations. That these incidents could not have been written during the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, see § V of the article, and that the subjects of these prophecies do not extend beyond the time of Antiochus Epiphanes is false. See Daniel 7:13ff. Dan.9:25 ff. (in both places there are clear predictions about Jesus Christ). 2. If the angels in Daniel 10:13 are exactly as they are described by the rabbis: then, of course, the rabbis, who did not always correctly explain St. Scripture, took their descriptions from Daniel. 3. There are no traces of a new teaching, as others think, here, for the expression Son of God 354 is used about angels in Job.38: parts 1, 6, 11 1 Heb. Three times daily prayer 355 can be seen in Ps.54:18, the custom of turning to Jerusalem during prayer was also in ancient times 1 Samuel 8:44, 48; 2 Chronicles 17, 34, 98, the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead 356 are also found in other places in the Second Testament 357. The first six chapters of Daniel, besides the beginning or introduction of I, contain four separate writings, for chapter V is closely connected with VII. There are the same number of them in the other six chapters, for the last three chapters contain one vision. About the Twelve Minor Prophets The inscription shows Hosea, the son of Beri, as a contemporary of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahab and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, as well as Jeroboam, king of Israel, whose successors, contemporary to Uzziah, Jotham, Ahab and Hezekiah, are not mentioned. Throughout the entire continuation of 126 liters. Hosea, of course, could not prophesy about their reign. If he began his ministry in the last years of Jeroboam, and ended in the first Hezekiah, then he prophesied for 55–60 years. II. Personal subject of his prophecies Hosea, for the most part, prophesies about the kingdom of Israel and says nothing about the fate of neighboring nations; often, however, he mentions the kingdom of Judah 358. From this they conclude that he was sent to prophesy to the Israelites. In the first chapter, Hosea presents four symbols, which he explains in the next chapter, about the increasing lawlessness, the destruction of the kingdom of Israel, the captivity and return from captivity of its citizens and the prosperity in which the faithful Israelites will turn to true worship. The second symbol predicts a long-term exile, after which the Israelites will seek the Lord God and David their king, or the Messiah 359. In the following chapters, 360 openly denounces idolatry, popular indignation and all the vices produced during it. The fate of the Israelites is predicted here in the same way as in previous chapters. Characters 1 and 3 are described in prose; everything else is written in the language of St. poetry. The syllable is often strong, but, as Jerome 361 observes, commaticus et per sententias loquens; why is it sometimes dark? When Joel, the son of Bethuel, prophesied is completely unknown: however, the possible purity of the language serves as proof that his prophecies do not belong to the century following the reign of Manasseh; and there are no more signs by which they could be attributed to this time, except the remoteness of the predicted events, from which, however, nothing definite can be deduced. VI. Personal subject of his prophecy His prophecies belonged only to the Jews, since they do not clearly mention the ten tribes; on the contrary, they speak specifically about the house of God 362, about Zion 363, also the Jerusalemites and Jews 364. VII. An occasion for prophecy His predictions began on the occasion of insects being brought to the Jewish country, destroying its fruitful harvest, and foreshadowing the attack of cruel enemies. Joel turns this particular incident to the correction of the reprehensible life of the Jewish people. VIII. Item of Prophecy So, Joel first describes the devastation of the earth by quadruped insects 365, which, as can be seen, threaten the future age 366; encourages the people to repentance and prayers, which he himself initiates 367. God answers him that the smooth locusts will pass, that the fruitfulness of the earth will come, and adds that the gift of prophecy will one day be shared more abundantly for everyone 368, but that a once terrible war will break out, which, like some great day of judgment, will take place in the valley of Jehoshaphat יהוֹשפט or God judges; but this disaster will be followed again by the desired transformation of things. The predicted devastation of Judea through insects is not 1) the infertility of the land that occurred during the time of Elisha, 2) nor the lack of rain about which Jeremiah prophesied; but 3) the famine that occurred during the Maccabees 369. For 1. the prophet does not mention the king, but only the elders and priests. 2. He is silent about idolatry, which never completely ceased before the captivity. 3. He does not speak about the kingdom of Israel, he speaks only about Judea and Jerusalem. 4. He calls all Jews Israel, according to the custom of the prophets who preached after the captivity 370. 5. Even the captivity, the dispersion of the people and their return to their country assumes that it has already happened long ago. 6. To the enemies of the Jews he adds the Tyrians and Sidonians, who betray them to the Greeks 371. 7. All this obviously opens the age of the Maccabees 372. The prophecy of Joel.2:28 about the sending down of the gifts of the Holy Spirit on people of various states can be adapted to the time of the Maccabees, if only we understand it about one knowledge of God, but by all the power of words, it belongs to the event of Acts.2:14–21. The following Joel.2:30-32 refers to the last war of the Jews with the Romans, but in Joel.3:1 the prophet again returns to the time of the Maccabees. Joel's language is pure, the style is pleasant and the expression is high, closely matching the expression of Hosea and Micah. The description of numerous locusts, universal lamentation and the golden age is amazing. No less majestic are the pictures of the vale of Jehoshaphat and the source emanating from the church 373. XI. The time of the prophecies of Amos Amos prophesied under King Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel. This shows 1. the inscription of the book: “The words of Amos, which were seen in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel.” 2. The very content of it, for it represents the kingdom of Israel, multiplied by Jeroboam II 374; vices are exposed that boldly arose in the midst of a calm civil state, such as idolatry, fornication, oppression, deception and other untruths of this kind 375. From such corruption of morals it is clear that the prophet rebelled at a time following the victorious arms of Jeroboam. It can be assumed that he prophesied in the last fourteen years of his reign, after the division of 177-191 before Christ. 798–784. For whom Amos prophesied primarily, he himself proves 376, that is, especially for the edification of the ten tribes of Israel. However, it also says something about the kingdom of Judah 377. XIII. The main items of these His predictions are especially remarkable: 1. that the Syrians will be captured on the banks of the river Cyrus I. 5. Heb. (which flows from the west into the Caspian Sea), what happened after 50–60 years. 378. 2. That Jerusalem will be burned with fire, which happened after the prophet 200 years later. 379. 3. That the Israelis will be expelled to the northern countries, above Damascus 380, which came true after 60–80 years. 381. All this was predicted during the flourishing time of the kingdom of Israel. 4. That the captives and scattered Israelis will return to their homeland 382. This happened after 300 years. or even later. 5. Much further than this reaches the prediction about the Messiah and the conversion of the pagans 383. It is in vain that Jerome 384 calls Amos imperitum sermone. It is true that its descriptions are often borrowed from pastoral subjects, but they, however, have all their dignity 385. Geographical and historical knowledge 386 and physical 387 found in his prophecies, wherever they came from, show that he was a wise and enlightened shepherd of sheep. Words of little use, such as ברל 388, םרף פרט םרה 389, רמשׁק 390, כּוֹשׁככם 391, כלם 392 and some proverbs, for example, for the three wickednesses of Damascus, and for four I will not turn away from him (I will not turn away from this, i.e. punishment 393 and others probably come from Tekua, the place of his origin. There are many men in the Holy Scriptures known under the name Obadiah 394. Whether any of them was a prophet, and whether it was the one who was appointed by King Josiah over the church artists restoring the Church 395, is unknown. Because of this, his life is doubtful. It is known only from Obd.1:20 that Jerusalem was then under the rule of the Chaldeans, and that many of its citizens were captured; why can one think that Obadiah prophesied after the imprisonment of Jehoiachin in Babylon or after the seventh captivity 396. But that he prophesied before the destruction of Jerusalem, this is clear from Ob.1:12-14, where he admonishes the Edomites so that they do not again renew hostility against the Jews. XVI. The people to whom the prophet wrote The people to whom Obadiah's preaching was directed are called the Edomites, who, in relation to the holy land, lived in the south, near Mount Seir 397. The oppressed descendants of Jacob suffered great temptation when the sons of Esau, hostile to them, enjoying prosperity, despised and mocked them. This humiliation of the Jews by the Edomites gave Obadiah the opportunity to direct his verbal sword against the latter. XVIII. The prophecy itself and its event Why does Obadiah, like Amos 398, Jeremiah 399, Ezekiel 400 and the writer of Psalm 401, denounce the Edomites for their enmity against the Jews and admonish them not to further increase the sorrows of their brothers, because they themselves will experience a similar fate; and to console the Jews, he predicts that Zion will one day be delivered, and the Jews, even the ten tribes of Israel, having received back the regions that belonged to them, will also occupy Idumea itself and the borders of the Philistines, which happened in 125 years. BC under John Hyrcanus. XIX. The expression of this prophet The expression of this prophet is brilliant and pleasant, but inferior, however, to his previous prophets. It is especially distinguished by frequent questioning 402. Jonah, the son of Amathiah, who came from Hathhepher 403, prophesied that the ancient borders of the kingdom of Israel would be restored, 404 which happened under Jeroboam II. So he lived before Amos, about 825 B.C. after the division 150. At this time, in the city of Nineveh, where Jonah was sent, Phul, the first king of the new Assyrian monarchy 405 406, reigned. XXI. Contents of the Book of Jonah When God commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh, he goes to Joppa and there boards a ship sailing to Tarshish 407 in Spain. God sends a terrible storm that threatens the ship with the destruction of everyone on the ship. Each of them called on his God for help; Jonah alone, who had gone to a secluded place on the ship, slept until he was awakened by others to pray. Finally, they cast lots to find out for whose sake they are enduring such a calamity; the lot falls on Jonah. The Prophet, being asked who he was and what he had done, replied that he was a Jew and a servant of the God of heaven, but was now fleeing from His face, and that after he was cast into the sea, the excitement would subside. The shipbuilders, fearing to destroy God's servant, attempt to return to the shore, but being emboldened by the opposing wind, they ask God not to impute Jonah's death to them and throw him into the sea. God prepared a great fish that swallowed him up. In the belly of this animal, Jonah says a prayer and, finally, on the third day, it spews him onto the shore. Then God again commands him to preach to Nineveh, and he, having arrived there one day, proclaims that the city will be destroyed after forty days. Its inhabitants turn to repentance, and God spares them. Jonah, in anger, asks for death and argues with God. Despite this, however, he goes outside the city and, having built a tent there, awaits the fate of the city. God prepares a tree that provides Jonah with the most pleasant shade. But when, by the command of God, it was damaged by a worm and dried up, and Jonah was indignant at this: then God denounces him that he was so upset by the destruction of the tree, and meanwhile, he wanted God not to regret the repentant city, in which there were more than 120,000 innocent babies and many livestock. XXII. The difficulty of narrating it Many people find some difficulties in this story. They are: 1) preservation of Jonah in the belly of the fish, so that for three days and three nights, he could neither decay from the natural heat located inside the fish, nor suffocate from lack of clean air. 2) The property of Jonah, who runs away from serving God when threatened with the danger of shipwreck and asking everyone for help from above, sleeps peacefully, and then prescribes death for himself and, finally, constantly reproaches his Lord. 3) The silence of certain circumstances that should have been mentioned in history, namely: into what country was Jonah cast out, what was the crime of the Ninevites - which the prophets mention in such cases - as well as what execution the lawless city had to perish and at its repentance was idolatry destroyed? 4) The most general repentance, accomplished at the first word of one unknown person, fasting and putting on sackcloth for everyone, even infants and livestock. XXIII. Opinion about it as a parable Interpreters at all times felt these difficulties and tried to solve them. Others thought that a dream was being described here; but there is no trace of it in the whole history. Why do many of the newest say that this is a parable, the purpose of which is to teach that the pagans can easily be converted to repentance, and are not so much worthy of punishment as the Jews would think of them; but, on the contrary, the Jews are always stubborn and outrageous, and, despite the countless blessings of God, they often remain bitter. Some add that the parable means the once-future conversion of the pagans to God. XXIV. The truth of her story Of course, one cannot rest on such an arbitrary explanation: for if the book of Jonah were nothing more than a parable: then 1. Thus, many of the incidents narrated in St. stories that exceed the laws of nature would have to be turned into parables. 2. This would be mentioned in the book itself, as well as in other places of Holy Scripture, where the writer conveniently recognizes the parable, either from its clear name, or from the application of moral truth to it, or from other signs contained in the very composition of the speech. 3. There would then be no need to mention the place, persons and other certain circumstances or details of the imaginary incidents 408. 4. The character of Jonah, the servant and prophet of God 409, could not have been as disfigured as he appears here. 5. In addition to many ancient Jews, the writer of the book of Tobit recognizes this story as true 410. 6. Jesus Christ himself points to the main incident that happened to Jonah as the perfect truth 411, thereby removing any suspicion from other parts of the narrative. Why is Jonah’s harmless stay in the belly of the whale, since it cannot be explained by natural causes (since the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the tomb in which He was for three days cannot be explained by them), should, without assigning limits to the omnipotence of God, be recognized as a true miracle. The other difficulties found in this book are not such that, in relation to them, it is necessary to look at real history as a parable or to suspect truth in untruth. XXV. The time of its production In the original of this book, Chaldean and other words of the later century are noted, such as שׁלּמי I.l. כּאשׁרלמי I.3. כּשלי I.l.2. words מּלּחים shipbuilders or rowers I.5. חבל captain of the ship is found in Ezekiel 412, the words: םכיכה instead of אני ship I.5. יתעשּׁה think I.6. and טעם in the sense of command III.7. are Chaldean. Also the sayings: Nineveh was a great city, where היתה III.3. cannot be translated, hints that the city was already destroyed at the time of the writer. From this they conclude that Jonah himself could not be the writer of his incidents, but that they were described by another later prophet, who lived after the destruction of Nineveh and the captivity of Babylon, when the Jews more strongly desired God's punishment for the pagans - which, however, is exposed by the very story of Jonah 413. XXVI. How he differs from another prophet of the same name Micaiah 414 is called Morasfitin, in contrast to Micaiah the son of Iamlaaml, who prophesied in the kingdom of Israel, and foretold the death of its king Ahab in the war with Syria 415. The name Morasfitina is not pagan, but comes from the birthplace of Maren 416, a city that belonged to the tribe of Judah 417. XXVII. The time of his prophecy The inscription, closely connected with the beginning of the book, shows that Micah prophesied under Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah; therefore he was a contemporary of Hosea and Isaiah. His book of prophecies corresponds exactly to these times and, as it seems, occurred before the 6th year of King Hezekiah 418, when the kingdom of Israel had not yet been destroyed; for the prophet everywhere speaks of this incident as about the future. XXVIII. Testimony of the Book of Jeremiah on the Authenticity of His Prophecies The authenticity of his prophecies is confirmed by the testimony of the book of prophecy of Jeremiah 419. It is narrated here that when the priests and false prophets condemned Jeremiah to death for prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem, some of the elders of the people justified him with a similar prediction, borrowed from the book of Micah: Micah prophesied: “Zion will be cut down like a field, and Jerusalem will be like a path impassable, and the mountain of the church will be an oak meadow.” Despite this, they said: Hezekiah did not kill him, but all the people of Judah feared the Lord and prayed to the face of the Lord, the Lord at night from the evil he spoke against them (i.e. through the prophet Micah). This testimony also rejects the opinion according to which some of the newest, not finding in the time of Hezekiah the vices exposed by Micah, attribute his prophetic ministry to the reign of Manasseh. In addition to the denunciations that the prophet directs at the vices of the kingdom of Israel and Judah, he predicts: 1) the imminent death of the first and the distant disasters of the last 420. 2) Exile of the Jews to Babylon and their return to their native land 421. 3) The defeat of their enemies, probably in the time of the Maccabees 422. 4) The Eternal King from Bethlehem 423. The manner of expression in which the prophecies of Micah are presented closely approaches the style of the prophecies of Isaiah. His denunciations are zealous and strong. Unit endings, which make up the special pleasantness of eastern languages, are frequent 424. Much is written in the form of conversations in which the characters are hidden 425. It was revealed to the Prophet Nahum that the Assyrian monarchy, especially its capital Nineveh, in which debauchery nested and evil intentions were organized against the chosen people, would be devastated. Why does he describe the omnipotence of God 426, which will punish the enemies of Judea and thereby alleviate its illnesses 427. XXXII. Nahum prophesies about the first or last destruction Nineveh, as Diodorus Siculus narrates 428, was devastated under Sardanapalus by Arbaces, king of the Media 429. Some time later, having been renewed and made the capital of the second kingdom of Assyria, it was again destroyed under Hiniladan by Cyaxir I 430, and never rebelled again. Hence the question: what destruction of Nineveh does Nahum prophesy about? They think that Nahum, in the first two chapters, speaks about the first, and in the third (where the ruin of Nineveh is described somewhat more strongly), about its final ruin, but the evidence found to confirm this opinion does not prove it. Nahum speaks everywhere about one thing, and namely about the final devastation of Nineveh. This is clear from the fact that a) that the Jews seem to be oppressed already by the Assyrians 431; b) that the invasion of Sennacherib is mentioned as past: out of you (Nineveh) came one who thought evil against the Lord, who deliberated against the enemy 432, and c) that by the words: your hearing (i.e. Nineveh) will not be heard, 433 clearly means final ruin. Nahum's expression is the best of the lesser prophets. In some places he has opinions that are not entirely complete, forcing the reader to add something 434 that is unique to him 435. The language is pure and there is nothing foreign, except טפםרים 436 the names of some Assyrian leaders. XXXIV. Opinion about the time of his prophecy Nowhere in Holy Scripture is there a clear indication of the age of the prophet Nahum. It remains to extract evidence of this subject from the very contents of his book. From Nahum.2:2 it is clear that the ten tribes had already been taken into captivity; from Nahum.1:11 that the invasion of Sennacherib passed away; from Nahum.2:1 that a little more time passed from his invasion; finally, from Nahum.2:2, that the kingdom of Judah was already humiliated, but again had to defeat its enemies, which happened under Josiah. So, Nahum, although he prophesied before Josiah, suddenly after the invasion of Sennacherib and, consequently, in the last years of Hezekiah. Habakkuk complains 437 that God does not hear his cry against the unrighteousness of the Jewish people, and receives a Divine answer 438 that the Chaldeans will avenge the iniquities of the Jews. After 5 this, contemplating in a vision their future defeat from the Chaldeans, he prays 439 that these enemies will soften their cruelty, and again receives the Divine promise 440 that the Chaldeans themselves will face destruction. Chapter III is a song in which the prophet glorifies God’s help, as if already sent down to the Jewish people. In word expression, he has something in common with other prophets of the first times, like: 11, 12 fn. Micah 3:1, 2:14 n. Isa. XI. 9, but even then it becomes property in a special way. The song that completes his prophecy surpasses the entire prophecy in its syllable. XXXVII. Opinion about the time of prophetic ministry There are different opinions about the time of Habakkuk’s life and prophecy, again because it is not mentioned in Scripture. But what he prophesied in the first years of Manasseh is somewhat shown by the beginning of his prophecy 441, in which the state of the initial reign of Manasseh is presented. This supposed time is favored by the height of the prophetic syllable, which cannot be found in the prophets of subsequent times, and by the ancient tradition of the Jewish teachers 442. Zephaniah is from the noble generation, however, not the son of King Hezekiah 443. He prophesied during the reign of Josiah 444, when this young king was still under tutelage 445 after the first transformation of the fallen worship in Judah, see 446, for significant remnants of the service to Baal are still visible 447, which of course were not after the second transformation, which took place in the 18th year of the king. Josiah. From this it is clear that Zephaniah prophesied around the 12th year of Josiah, when the nobles still had power over him 448. This purpose of time is confirmed by Zeph 2:13, which predicts the destruction of Nineveh, which occurred in 18 years. king Josiah. In the first two chapters of his prophecies, the devastation of the kingdom of Judah and the captivity of all its inhabitants are predicted, as well as the slaughter of the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, and Assyrians. In Chapter III the prophet denounces the vices of the Jews, with which they attracted the wrath of God on their country, and after their return from captivity, predicts the spread of the true religion, their constancy in worship and the days of their temporary prosperity. The style of Zephaniah is not low and cannot, however, be equal to the style of the former prophets. His Hebrew language is mixed with several foreign expressions. Haggai prophesied under Darius Hystaspes. The Jews were already returning from captivity, renewing Jerusalem and beginning the construction of the church itself; but, being crucified by the Samaritans, who asked Artaxerxes for a ban on this, they could not continue it. Meanwhile, they built magnificent houses and thought that the 70 years of captivity predicted by Jeremiah dated back to the time of the construction of the church, the destruction of which then continued for 68 years. So, after the murder of Artaxerxes and, consequently, the destruction of his decree, when the Jews again waited for the fulfillment of 70 years, then Haggai began his prophecies, in the second year of Darius 520 BC. LXII. Essence of Prophecy The essence of his prophecy consists of the following items: 1. He encourages the Jews to continue building the church 449. 2. The elders, who in their youth saw the temple of Solomon and were now saddened by the less greatness of the new church, are consoled by the promise that it will be even more magnificent, due to the appearance of the Messiah in it 450. 3. He predicts that after they stop their negligence about building the church, general prosperity will come 451. 4. Prophecies the destruction of the Persian monarchy 452. Haggai's speech in reproof is strong and in those places where future events are predicted, somewhat more sublime. The language approaches the Chaldean dialect and is insufficient in words. Haggai was a contemporary of Zechariah, the son of Barachi, the son of Adda, who in his first chapters bears some resemblance to him; which is why it is mentioned together with Haggai 453. In these places, with the omission of his father, he was called only the son of Adda, which is a common truncation of genealogy among the East, showing that his grandfather was more famous than his father. The first part of the book almost all concerns close incidents, that is, the restoration of the church 454; to which was added the instruction on the abolition of fasts, which were stopped among previous disasters 455. The second contains two main prophecies of which the first 456 preaches about the Messiah 457 and the state of the Jews during the time of the Maccabees; the second is about the war of the Jews, as it seems, with the Romans and the spread of true religion 458. In the first part of Zechariah's prophecy, for the most part, visions are presented that are explained not by God himself, as in Ezekiel, but, in the likeness of Daniel's visions, by an angel who answers not before being asked, and even then little, leaving something to be completed by the contemplator himself 459. These visions are described in simple prose, but in chapters 6 and 7, where there are no visions or symbols, the speech becomes somewhat more elevated. In the second part the poetic syllable is more noticeable; but in chapter 9, where the visions begin again, the speech is again without decoration. The language, throughout the entire continuation of the book, is little mixed with Chaldaism; they also notice, however, something that is not particularly characteristic of the Hebrew language 460 . XLVII. Rejection of the opinion according to which some take away the last part from Zechariah The last 6 chapters have recently begun to be taken away from Zechariah, and some consider them to be the most ancient, and others to be the latest, of the times of Zechariah. The first ones, except the syllable, indicate 1) on Zechariah 9:13, 10:6, where (as before the captivity) Judah and Jerusalem are contrasted with Ephraim and Joseph; but the same thing is found in Zech.8:13, Jer.30:4. Zechariah could not avoid such a contrast, since he predicts that many of the ten tribes will one day return to Palestine and in Zechariah 10:6 adds that in the time of the Maccabees the descendants of the ten tribes will be protected by the tribe of Judah, will find homes for themselves and, finally, will themselves become courageous warriors. 2) If Zechariah 8:2–6, 10:2 mentions idolatry and false prophets, which did not exist after the captivity, then the prophet, however, does not denounce idolatry and sorcery of his age, but predicts that in the future there will be no such superstitions, since he often repeats that then there will be constant worship. The very next place Zechariah 13:2–6, where the expression רוּה טםּאה unclean spirit means soul, was not known in ancient times, and therefore opens the new century. In addition, here is the newest spelling, like רּויר instead of רּור 461 and the inscription: the prophecy against Israel 462 is similar to this and for the same reason we find it in Hosea, see this hand. about the 12th prophet § IV. The latter say that in the last part objects that are too distant are predicted; but no less distant in the first 463. If in the last part the syllable is different from that of the first part, it is because the description of the visions and near incidents found in the first part does not accept a different syllable; - on the contrary, in the last part, where more distant events are prophesied, and even then without visions, a more sublime syllable was needed. Constant ancient tradition recognizes the prophet Malachi as a contemporary of Nehemiah. This is confirmed by the very contents of the book, which presents the state of events that existed during the time of Nehemiah. The construction of the temple has already been completed, the Jews complain about their ill-fated fate, they are denounced for appropriating pagan wives, whom Nehemiah also removed from the people 464, and for withholding the tithes, which Nehemiah also tried to return to the priesthood 465. From all this it is clear that Malachi prophesied at the time when Nehemiah, returning to Judea another time (408 BC) destroyed the above-mentioned abuses. 1. To the complaint of the Jews that they do not receive special favor from God, the prophet replies that their region is inhabited, while the region of the Edomites is devastated and will continue to be devastated 466. 2. He denounces the priests who complained about hard work and the scarcity of income, meanwhile they ruined the law and decided to make illegal sacrifices 467. 3. Attacks the Jews, who arbitrarily left their wives and married pagans 468. 4. To the complaints of the Jews that the pagans remain unpunished and that the great messenger (Messiah) does not come, he answers that he will not hesitate to come, however, not to punish the pagans, but the Jews and, especially the Levites, and that another messenger will still precede him, who will prepare the way for him 469. 5. To the complaint about infertility and the invasion of locusts, he replies that it will remain futile as long as they withhold or conceal the tithes 470. 6. He teaches that pious people think differently about the truth of God, which is slow to punish the pagans, that they will be spared the disasters that await the rest of the Jews. The messenger, the forerunner of the Messiah, who will have to try for a universal correction of morals, is called Elijah; finally, he foretells that if the Jews do not correct themselves, their region will be cursed; it signifies its devastation by the Romans 471. Malachi denounces vices with force. First he expresses his opinion, then he adds the people’s question and, finally, he answers it. The style is prosaic. Tropes and allegories shared with other prophets. The news is that the Messiah is called the Lord of the church and the messenger of the covenant (that is, the Messenger who once made a covenant with the Jews), and His forerunner Elijah 472. 1 Samuel 10:5. Also 2 Kings 3:5; 1 Chronicles 25:2–3. Jer.28:9–6. Also Jer.37:19; Amos.7:14–15. Luke 16:31, also Matthew 22:40. Am.7:14–15; 1 Kings 19:19. Isa.1:2, 3; Jeremiah 2:12–13. Numbers 12:6–8, n. Exodus 32:1. The order of the prophets in ancient times was different from the present one; but neither one nor the other corresponds to the order of the time in which they lived. The Talmudists give first place to Jeremiah, after him to Ezekiel, and after him to Isaiah; and this is because at the end of the royal books, with which the previous prophets ended, the destruction of Jerusalem is described, and that Jeremiah and Ezekiel begin their prophecies with the same subject. They are called large because of the space of prophecies. Smaller, because their prophecies are contained in smaller books. Although Hosea and Zechariah exceed the number of chapters of Daniel; since, however, the chapters of Hosea and Zechariah are shorter than Daniel's, therefore the book of Hosea, as well as Zechariah, is shorter than the book of Daniel. Mic.4. sl. n. Isa.2:2. sl. Rev. 6:16, n. Isa.2:19. Deut.32:21, n. Rom.10:19. See Ravanell. Bibl. T. II. fa. Hoornbeli deconuinc. Jud. p. 225. Anima Antiq Bibl. p. 593. Uitr. in. cap. VIII. 14. pag. 185. See 2 Kings 15:29 – 2 Kings 16:9. Lebanon was a vast, elevated, often snow-covered mountain, on which grew tall but barren trees. Carmel was not so high, but a fat and fruitful mountain. Hien ad Ies. W 26. This explanation is certain; forˆ1) the actions of transforming this Lebanon to Hermel are spiritual, as can be seen from the words immediately following these Is.29:18. Hear silent words, and the eyes of the glorious ones will see in darkness; but actions are equal to their cause. 2) The Prophet in a parallel place to this says that the change of the barren desert to Hermel will occur from the breath of the Holy Spirit Is. 32:15. 3) And in other prophecies of Isaiah this emblematic expression has the same sign Is. 35: 1, 8, n. 6. See Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; John 1:23. See Matthew 12:15–21; Isa.52:1–4. Matthew 8:17; John 12:38; 1 Peter 2:22, 24. See Grabias nat. ad spicil. patr. I.p. 362. Raymund pugio fidei pag. 430, 433, 526, 646. Rev. 22:24, n. Isa.40:3. Rev. 22:5, n. Isa.40:19. Jer.25:11, 12; Jer.29:10. Or like Jerome prof in Ier. T. IV. orr. f. II is explained: sermo rusticior. Lamentations 1:16. n. Jer.9:1, 18. Lamentations 3:22; Jeremiah 16:19. Also Lamentations 1:2; Jer.13:17 etc. It came to pass in the twenty-seventh year, on the first day of the first month, that the word of the Lord came to me. Ezek.1:1. And be in the thirtieth summer. Ezek.20:33. sl. Ezek.25:14, etc. This prophecy came true during the time of Alexander the Great, when, after the complete destruction of ancient Tire, a new one was built on the island. Hieron. Ad Evstoch. T.V. opp. f. 176. Aggredior, he says, Ezechie prophetam, cuius difficultatem Hebraorum quoque probat tradition etc. Ioseph, contr. Apion. 1. 1. Corrady Dolmustump das Bibelcanons. T. I, p. 165. See Classic. Manager about the Song of Songs § IX. Hier. prof. in. Ezech. T. V, opp. f. 259. As, for example, הקטל instead of אקטל, אהקטל instead of אקטל (Aor. 2 cf. III) and מהקטל instead of מקטל, which is rarely found in the Targumim. The ancient Jews considered Daniel a prophet. Juseph cohtr. App. Lib. 1. § 8. Hieron comment in Dan 1. III. Iahn intr. libr. sacr. p. 367. Ioseph contr. Appion lib 1 § 20 et Areh I.X. c. 11 et Evseb. praep. Evang LIX c. 41. Jeremiah 50–51; Ezek.27–28; Zechariah 9:1–8, 9:11, 10:12. Job 19:25; Ex.3:6, n. Matthew 22:32. Hos.4:15, 5:5, 10:12, 13. These 11 chapters should be divided into 9, because 5 with 6, and 13 with 14 are connected in their content. Hieron profin. XII, prof. t. IV. opp. f. 12, 6. 1Macc.9:23–27, 5:14, 15. (Ioseph. Archeol. XIII. 1. 1. seq.). Joel.3:2, 12, 18–21, n. Ezek.47:8, 9, 14:8. 2 Kings 14:23–28, n. Am.6:13, 14. Am.2:6, 3:10, 14, 4:5,10, 20–21, 6:4, ff. Am.8:5–6. Hier. Prof. comment in Amos. Am.1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13, 2:1. 1 Chronicles 3:21, 9:16; 2 Chronicles 17:4, 34:12; 1 Kings 17:9. 2 Kings 24:8–17 (376 after the division, 599 before AD). In the tribe of Nephalim 2 Kings 14:28. If Phulus, according to some, came to the throne in 774 BC, and 201 after the division, then Jonah was sent to Nineveh already in old age. John 1:3. And Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. This signifies deviation from the preaching entrusted to him. The reason for this deviation was Jonah’s excessive partiality for his people; for he foresaw that the Assyrians were being preserved to punish the Israelites. See Nazian. in Apol. Hieron, Hugo, Mercerus, Aben Ezra and Abell dana to this place. Matthew 12:39–47, 16:4; Luke 11:23–32. Isa.15:14. 2 Chronicles 11:8, 14:9–10. In 722 BC. 253 under sec. Micah 2:6, 1:5–14, 4:14 Heb. 877–867 BC 99–108 according to section. 625 before R.X. 350 under Sec. Nahum.1:10, 3:17, 4:9 Heb. Av.1:2–4. About the Chaldeans, as some think, this cannot be explained, for about these latter it is said in Av.1:5-11 that they will have to punish those mentioned in Av.1:2-4. And the prophet would not have prayed for the Chaldeans Hab.1:12–17 Abarb. R.David. Ganz in emach. David p. 21. Zech.1:8–10 (Zech.2:1–2, 3:1–4, 4:1–14). Zechariah 1:7–8, 2:12, 5:11, 7:2–9, 8:16–16, 9:8–9, 12:6. Mal.3:1 n. Exodus 23:20–23, 4:5.