Глава 11

1. “And a branch shall come forth from the root of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his root” (Isa. 11:1). Other translators: “from the stump”, and the Hebrew text says: “from the stem” (in modern Masoric Hebrew: “from the trunk”). Do you see something wonderful? Do you see the prophecy? “And it will happen,” he says, “from the root,” showing that this is a matter of the future. Some pass this on as being said about King Hezekiah, but Hezekiah reigned before the time when this was said. The Prophet claims that this "branch" comes from the roots of the ancestors. Well said: “from the root” i.e. from Abraham and even before him, revealing birth without marriage, as others say; "from the stump." The “branch,” he says, “will arise” not from the seed or from the earth, but from the roots; “it will arise,” as if not passing through the roots, but from the roots themselves, i.e. He took flesh not from any body that passed through another body, but from the body of the Virgin, not bringing a body from heaven, nor receiving another body through a new creation, and Himself not changing in the flesh, but receiving a true body from the Virgin, together with spirit and mind, His body, the Word of God, and not the body of any man outside himself, as Paul says: “he came and was made of a woman” (cf. Gal. 4:4), denoting at the same time, the body is without marriage, from the flesh of the wife. The prophet also calls the kingdom a branch, since Scripture everywhere calls the branches and honor of the kingdom a rod, kings (according to it) hold a golden rod in their hand, so the rod serves as the name of the kingdom, fear and excitement. Let's see how the prophet speaks here about the bodily coming of the One whom he above called the Youth, who would be born of the Virgin. “And a branch will grow from its root.” Do you see that this also means growth? Since the words “will occur” and “grow” mean prosperous and law-consistent growth, he does not say: it will grow from you, but from the “branch” itself, so that the color of the “branch” will never wither. And so that they do not understand the material branches here, the prophet well added: “Jesse,” as the evangelists do, admonishing that God did not disdain anyone. 2–3. “And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding” (Isa. 11:2). Let the heretics be ashamed who want to interpret Scripture in a Jewish way. “The spirit,” he says, “of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and piety.” And others also add: “fear”, i.e. “He will be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord.” Aquila: “The fragrance of the fear of God will be upon him.” Symmachus and Theodotion: “He himself will be fragrant with the fear of God.” Why would He, God, be filled with the Spirit? If He fears the Father, as you blaspheme, then why did He need the Spirit, whom you consider inferior to Him? Further, for us He, in His spirit and body, receives the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, knowledge and piety, presenting to us an example in Himself that we need such gifts of the Spirit of God. Being Lord, He does not need this reception of the Spirit, but the Spirit appears in Him so that His benefits may be revealed to us. He incarnated and became man not out of any need of his own, but only in order to make people sons of God. In the same way, He did not receive the Spirit out of any poverty, but only in order to give the Spirit in abundance to those in need. Since, if anything belongs to the Father, also belongs to Him (the Son), as it is said in the Gospel: “And all that is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine” (John 17:10), then it is clear that the Spirit, co-essential with the Father, is co-essential with Him, and just as He laid Himself down for the flock, so He bestowed the Spirit co-existent with Himself, with the permission of the Father and the Holy Spirit, to revive the world, which was dead. The Prophet claims that He did not receive the Spirit in moderation, but was completely filled with the Spirit of God. Nothing is akin to the Father except the one person of the Son, and nothing is akin to the Son except the bosom of the Father, and nothing is filled with the Holy Spirit except the Son co-essential with Him. “The spirit,” he says, “of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, knowledge and piety and the fear of the Lord” (Isa. 11: 2, 3), because where the fear of the Lord is, there everything is. He shows the Spirit in himself with all His gifts in order to lead us to the fear of piety, and therefore does not say about Himself: “I feared You,” but: “I loved You” (cf. John 14:31). It was possible for the son to love without being afraid. Those who interpret what was said about another person who was filled with the Holy. Spirit, let them indicate one who was capable of receiving the whole Spirit. Are you thinking about Hezekiah or Zerubbabel? Don’t bring others, I’ll talk about them in my place, but now I’ll talk about these two, i.e. about Hezekiah and Zerubbabel. Which of them could receive the fullness of the Spirit? If you insist that they were capable of this, then why don’t you admit the same about Christ? What could Hezekiah do? Although by his prayer he kept the city unharmed, he did all this with the help of the power of God; and what powers did Christ reveal? Listen to the prophet who says: “The government is on His shoulder” (Is.9:6). This is not enough - I will rebuke the shameless with the following words: “and He will not judge by the look of His eyes.” Do you see a sign of His divinity? Aquila: “He will not judge by the sight of eyes, nor will he reprove by speech.” Others: “He will reprove not according to the hearing of ears.” Such deeds are not according to human image, but according to God, as it is said: “The hidden things belong to the Lord our God” (Deut. 29:29), “man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). It is in the nature of God alone to judge not by suspicion, but it is in our nature to often deviate from justice. Do you see? Everything that the prophets everywhere attribute to divine power, this prophet (Isaiah) also attributes to Him - He does not say: sometimes by suspicion, and sometimes not by suspicion, He will judge, but: He will never judge by suspicion. If He had only been a prophet, then He too could have been mistaken, like Samuel and Elisha, who did not know much in advance, and only found out when the grace of the Holy Spirit desired. Again, showing strict judgment, the prophet adds: “and do not decide matters by the hearing of His ears.” You see, what kind of Judge he calls, who will not only convict in words, but will also declare the secrets of the heart, and thus carry out judgment. Earthly judges judge only what is obvious, and, due to ignorance, often act against the law; but God also examines the secrets of the heart, everything is open before Him, according to what was said: “the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword: it pierces to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12): it not only separates the spirit from the body, but also the soul, i.e. the grace of the Spirit, from the soul, and does not need speeches and letters, as it is said: “the books of the living will be opened and judgment will be rendered” (cf. Dan. 7:10). 4. “He will judge the poor with righteousness, and decide the affairs of the afflicted of the earth with truth; and with the rod of his mouth he will smite the earth, and with the breath of his mouth he will slay the wicked” (Isaiah 11:4). There the prophet shows knowledge, here - the severity of the judgment, just as He pronounced judgment on Lazarus and the rich man, and - in another place: “It does not depend on Me, but on whom My Father has prepared” (Matthew 20:23), namely, it is not from Me that the obstacle (to this) comes when they (the sons of Zebedee) consider themselves worthy. Well He called the earth glorious, since they were not glorious heaven. See how He, through Abraham, condemned the rich man without using His power, since His judgment seat is righteous. 5. “And with the breath of his mouth he will slay the wicked. And righteousness will be the girdle of His loins, and truth will be the girdle of His thighs” (Isa. 11:4, 5). Paul said this clearly about the Antichrist, whom “the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the revelation of His coming” (2 Thess. 2:8), and will have no need for weapons or military equipment: it is enough only to appear in the light for the darkness to disappear. Do you want to know how He will strike? Just as He saw those preparing to seize Him and said, “Who are you looking for?” And they immediately “stepped back and fell to the ground” (John 18:4, 6). “He will smite the earth, and with the breath of His mouth,” as it is said about the Father: “By the Word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the Spirit of His mouth all their power” (Ps. 33:6). He threatens the sea and dries up, dries up all the rivers. He says to the sun, “Do not rise,” and it does not rise. Just as it happens to us that we can destroy with the same hands with which we do something, so it is with God: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were established” (Ps. 32:6). “And righteousness will be the girdle of His loins, and truth will be the girdle of His thighs.” Symmachus and Theodotion: “His breast will be surrounded by faith,” so that we too may be clothed in this clothing. What kind of person appeared to have eternal clothing befitting God alone, about which at the end of this prophecy it is said: “he will be clothed in armor - in righteousness” (Wis. 5:18; Is. 59:17) and in the clothing of God? “Then the wolf will live with the lamb” (Is. 11:6). And again: “He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,” and in another place: “He spoke and the earth was wounded.” Whether (with these words) you understand the body whose sins have been struck by the rod, or which is about to be defeated on earth at the end of the world, you will not fall into error. 6. “Then the wolf will live with the lamb” (Isa. 11:6). Aquila translates: “the wolf will wander to the lamb”; Symmachus: “they will dwell together”; Theodotion: “they will wander.” Wolves are called cruel human morals, and lambs are prudent ones. If anyone claims that this is not what is being said here, but only about beasts, let him explain which rod came from the root of Jesse? What is said here about evil and good people, among other things, is clear from the fact that other translators state this even more precisely. One says: “he will wander,” the other: “they will dwell together.” It is impossible to understand this about animals, while the benefits of wandering are observed in people. By wolves grazing with lambs and not harming each other, we mean soldiers, wild-minded, cruel, centurions and generals, who, due to piety and love for Christ, having come to their senses, will not show anger towards humble and simple people. “And the leopard will lie down with the kid”: and this God can easily do, and we can too, when we wish. “And the calf, and the young lion, and the ox will be together, and a little child will lead them.” 7. “And the cow shall feed with the she-bear, and their cubs shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (Isa. 11:7). The Prophet says that they not only walk in the same place, but are together in the same pasture when the food is ready, not so that the nature is changed, but the morals of life: according to him, the wolf will not change into a lamb, but, remaining in a wild state and having dominance by courage, he will nevertheless not harm the humble. And in another place the Holy Scripture calls fierce leaders Arab wolves. “And the leopard will lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the ox will be together.” Each of the animals will leave its wild disposition; this means the same thing as said above: “he will expose many nations.” It is not so surprising that He will pronounce judgment and convict the glorious of the earth, but what is more surprising is that He will put such virtues into people that they will become imitators of heavenly travelers, and subject both great and small to the same law, so that no one can offend the poor. These are the works of the Creator God. “And a little child will lead them.” They will be so in agreement that they will not need laws or anything else like that, but each will govern only himself, as it is said: “The law is not made for the righteous” (1 Tim. 1:9). If someone comes to rule a Christian city, where everyone follows Christ, then, even if he knew very little and even was a small youth, nevertheless, promising to direct life according to Christian morals, he will immediately lead everyone easily, and they will never cause any trouble to their appearing leader. “And the cow will graze with the she-bear, and their cubs will lie down together.” These words mean the same for us as the previous ones, i.e. the cruel and the reasonable will dwell together, and, due to piety, will not offend each other. See how he reduces speech to little youths, whom we now see demonstrating such a virtue of piety in adolescence. “And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.” If you have seen any general who prepared his rich meal from the loot, ate and drank in this way, like a raging lion, devoured the bodies and crushed the bones of others, filled his meal with blood and meat, and then you see him, under the influence of piety, either fasting or eating moderately, then remember the words of the prophet who said: “He will eat straw like an ox.” since he changed his savagery and rudeness, not only in relation to society, but also in relation to the meal, so that it is no longer possible to find the properties of savagery and rudeness in him. 8–10. “And the child will play over the asp’s hole, and the child will stretch out his hand into the snake’s nest. They will not do evil or harm in all My holy mountain” (Isa. 11:8, 9). Symmachus: “And the child will go to the caves of the asps, and the child feeding on milk, seeing the basilisks, will take them with his hands, and they will not offend him, and will not harm him throughout all My holy mountain.” The weak who live among the wicked will not be harmed by their malice. God has given us such strength that their malice cannot harm us. If the injections of sorcerers and the false spells they use can make the bodies of evil animals unharmed from poisons, then much more, as a result of the anointing of the Spirit and the spiritual spells with which our minds are cursed, we will be free from evil whenever we wish. In this way, we will not only be distracted from evil, but we will also be so strong that we will not be able to be harmed by the malice of others. How will this be fulfilled? “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” All this creates the knowledge of God, by which not only we, but also the whole earth are renewed and changed. Do not think that when he says that the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of God, the prophet is speaking only about Palestine: the prophetic words of this book do not allow for such poverty, even are completely inconsistent with it. “As waters fill the sea.” It is not without reason that the prophet says: seas, and not: sea. How can the good deeds or piety of Christians be discovered? Do we not see strife and litigation between Christians? They envy each other, fight among themselves out of a desire for dominance, love glory and peace, wallow in vengeance and judgment, travel the land and sea for profit and trade. Do you not see Christian leaders and rulers devouring living people? Finally, how were those words fulfilled among Christians, or was the whole earth filled with the knowledge of the Lord? Why did so many peoples who heard the Christian religion not retreat from their wild morals? Thus, they will say, show us where these are, in any case, good laws. To speak as it seems to me means to think and say a lot of empty things, to be indignant and indignant, and to try to reveal empty prophecies and false words. They think that we are not able to confirm the truth. Don't be afraid! By the grace of God, when we talk about this, we will say everything that the grace of the Spirit will give, since for the sake of His glory we work and for Him we wage war. I'll show you how many wars are over. Was nature at war with itself? Did they not worship trees and stones and sprinkle blood on all the altars? How were they different from wolves? They were even worse than wolves. The latter care and feel sorry for their young; on the contrary, people, instead of the mercy that nature required, turned out to be cruel. Why should we try to prove this on the basis of the pagans? Listen to the prophet speaking: “and they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons” (Ps. 105:37), or, as it is written in the book of kings: King Amon 110, when he was waging war, offered his son as a burnt offering before everyone (see 2 Kings 3:27). Does this really seem like a sign of minor cruelty? Why doesn't anyone do this now, not even a pagan? Adolescents live freely with their fathers and mothers, and have care and love for their parents. Then fathers behaved towards their sons like executioners, but now they provide them with food, life and honor. Do you want to understand how “a child will play in the asp’s hole, and a child will stretch out his hand into the viper’s nest, and they will not do evil”? All this is revealed in Christians. Although during martyrdom they were thrown to the beasts, the extreme strength of the latter could not harm them, and often even infants in these battles received crowns, some left their estates, others gave them away. Don't you see how many hospitals have been established for the paralytic, how much assistance has been provided to orphans, how much care has been given to widows? Why do we need to list the external? Enter the church and you will see these institutions with your own eyes, and the one who wrote all this against us will himself testify that in the church the poor and the rich, the noble and the servants, enjoy equal honor. Do you not see that they all leave the same meal (use the same meal)? But it's impossible for you to see. How will lynxes lie with goats, a cruel and brave warrior with the humble and meek? If they did not all fall in love with virtues together, this is not surprising; but what is more surprising is that some indulged in many virtues, while others, being not completely perfect, nevertheless renounced their cruel nature. But when was the whole earth filled with the knowledge of the Lord? When “their message went out into all the land” (Ps. 18:5). 11. “And it shall come to pass in that day” (Isa. 11:11). Do you see when all this was to be fulfilled? Then the prophet says: “The pagans will turn to the root of Jesse, which will become like a banner for the nations, and its rest will be glory.” Who trusted in Zerubbabel or Hezekiah? "And his rest shall be the glory." Whom? We do not know that this has been fulfilled on anyone else; but in Christ, of course, it was fulfilled: “and his rest will be glory,” i.e. the tomb in which He was buried, which is always revered and glorified. “And it will come to pass in that day that the Lord will again stretch out His hand; on that day" (Isa. 11:11), i.e. at the coming of Christ, this will be fulfilled when He, prompted by jealousy, again gathers the remnant of the rest of the people, “which will remain with Assur.” Do you see that it is the zeal of God that will accomplish all this? 12–13. “And he will raise up the standard of the Gentiles, and will gather together the exiles of Israel, and will gather together the scattered Jews from the four corners of the earth. And the envy of Ephraim will cease, and those who are hostile to Judah will be destroyed. Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will not oppress Ephraim” (Isa. 11:12–13). Although Judah was not great and contained only two tribes, the kingdom passed to him. Then the defeat of the Egyptians is pointed out, which occurred after returning from captivity, when some were defeated and others were conquered. 16. “Then there will be a high road for the remnant of His people who will remain with Asshur, just as it was for Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt” (Isa. 11:16): previous incidents that happened to them are mentioned. St. I. Chrysostom probably has in mind here the story of 2 Kings regarding Mesha, the king of Moab, who, during the war against him by Joram and Jehoshaphat, offered his son as a burnt offering on the walls of the city. About Ammon, the king of Judah, who abandoned the Lord and served idols, the book of Kings does not contain such evidence (see 2 Kings 21:19–26). You might be interested in: