Глава 6.

1. “In the year of the death of King Uzziah I saw the Lord” (“And it came to pass in the summer that King Uzziah died”) (Isa. 6:1). Why does the prophet in other cases mean the time (of prophecy) by the life of kings, but here by death? He did not say: it was in the days of Uzziah, or during the reign of Uzziah, but: it was when he died. Why is he doing this? Not simply and not by chance, but here he inspires us with something mysterious. What exactly? This Uzziah, intoxicated by the success of his affairs and proud of his prosperity, began to exalt himself above his dignity. Being a king, he thought that he was allowed to perform sacred acts, invaded the church, entered the Holy of Holies, and when the priest prevented and forbade him to enter there, he did not stop, but continued to go crazy, neglecting the words of the priest. For such shamelessness, God struck him with leprosy on his forehead, so that he, desiring more honor than due, lost even what he had; not only did he not receive the priesthood, but, having become unclean, he lost his kingdom, and out of shame he lived secretly all the time in a certain house (see 2 Chronicles 26). Together with him, the entire people experienced the wrath of God for despising the laws of God and not defending the insulted priesthood. How did he experience this anger? That the prophecies were shortened; the angry God did not give them any answer about anything. However, He did not do this forever, but He limited the continuation of the punishment to the continuation of the king’s life. When this king ended his life, then God ceased His wrath, and again opened the gates of prophecy. By pointing out this, the prophet reminded us of the time of the king's death. That’s why the prophecy begins like this: “In the year of the death of King Uzziah I saw the Lord sitting” (“And it came to pass in the summer when King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting”). Meanwhile, Christ says: “No one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed” (John 1:18); and again: “It is not that anyone has seen the Father except He who is from God; He saw the Father" (John 6:46); and God himself said to Moses: “He cannot see Me and live” (Ex. 33:20). How does the prophet say that he saw the Lord? “I saw,” he says, “the Lord.” He speaks not contrary to the words of Christ, but very much in agreement with them. Christ speaks of an exact knowledge of God, which no one has; no one has seen His real Divinity and pure being except the Only Begotten; and the prophet tells of a vision possible for him. He could not see what God is, but he saw Him appearing in form and descending as far as the infirmity of the beholder could rise. And that neither he nor anyone else really saw the pure Divinity is obvious from the narrative itself. “I saw,” he says, “the Lord sitting”; but God does not sit; this is a bodily position. Moreover, he says not just “sitting”, but: “on the throne”; but God is not supported by anything; how can one say this about the One who exists everywhere and fills everything, “in His hand are the depths of the earth” (Ps. 94:4)? Obviously, this vision was God's condescension. Expressing the same thing, another prophet said on behalf of God: “I... multiplied the visions” (Hos. 12:10), i.e. appeared in different ways. But if the pure being of God itself were to appear, it would not appear in a different way; and since, by condescension, God revealed Himself to the prophets, now in one way, now in another, taking on forms corresponding to different times, he says: “I multiplied the visions, and in the hands of the prophets we became like”, i.e. did not appear as it is, but took on the image that those who contemplated could see. So, you see Him now sitting, now armed, now having gray hair, now in a quiet wind, now in fire, now showing His “backside,” now on cherubim and in an image similar to metallic substances, brightly shining. However, why He appears sometimes armed and bloody, sometimes in fire, sometimes showing “the back,” sometimes in heaven, sometimes on a throne, sometimes on cherubim—now is not the time to talk about this, lest a secondary subject occupy us more than the main one. Now it is necessary to talk about the real vision. Why does God appear here sitting on a throne and, moreover, surrounded by seraphim? He adapts to human custom, since His speech is addressed to people; He intends to pronounce a decree about great deeds and about the entire universe, as well as about Jerusalem, and pronounces a twofold sentence, both bringing punishment to the city and all the people, and proclaiming the blessings of the universe, great hopes and immortal honors. 2. Judges have the custom of doing this not secretly, but sitting on an elevated place, in the presence of everyone, with their veils raised. Like them, God commands the seraphim to stand before Him, sits on a high throne and thus pronounces the decree. And so that you are convinced that this is not a guess, but this is usually the way of His actions, I will try to explain this from another prophet. So in Daniel, when it was also necessary to pronounce a great decree about the disasters and punishments of the Jews and about the blessings prepared for the universe, a bright and glorious throne also appears, and a multitude of angels and a host of archangels are coming, and the Only Begotten sits together (with the Most High), and books are opened, and rivers of fire flow, and in general a semblance of a judgment seat appears (see Dan. 7). All this is similar to what is said here, or even the prophet (Daniel) proclaims it even more clearly, since his times were closer and the prophecy had already reached the very doors (fulfillment). However, leaving it to the hardworking to compare and contrast this and study the commonality of both prophecies, we will diligently deal with, as I said, the proposed prophecy, explaining as much as possible every word. Then what has been said will be clearer for both us and you. What does the prophet say? “I saw the Lord sitting.” Sitting on the throne always serves as a sign of judgment, as David says: “You are seated on the throne, O righteous Judge” (“thou sitt on the throne, judge righteousness”) (Ps. 9:5); and Daniel: “thrones were set up... the judges sat down” (Dan. 7:9, 10). And simple sitting, in the words of the prophet, serves as a sign of another. What exactly? Hardness, constancy, strength, immutability, immortality, endless life. That’s why he says: You sit “forever,” and we are perishing “forever.” 83 You, he says, remain, exist, live, always remain the same. And that he did not say this about sitting on the throne is clearly evident from the contrast; He did not say: we are standing, but: we are perishing. To sit on the throne means to judge. That is why the prophet saw Him sitting on a “high and exalted throne”; or this means one thing, and this means another. His throne was “high,” i.e. great and extremely vast, “exalted”, i.e. seemed at an inexpressible height and above him. "And fill the house of His glory." What, tell me, is “house”? Church; since enmity began from there, it is fair that in this wonderful vision God appears sitting there. “Glory oh,” the prophet here calls brilliance, an unapproachable light, which he could not express in words, and therefore called it glory, and not just glory, but the glory of God. “Seraphim stood around Him” (Is. 6:2). Who does he call seraphim? The ethereal forces of mountain creatures, whose virtue and bliss can be seen from their very name; In Hebrew, “seraphim” means “mouth of fire.” What do we learn from this? About the purity of their being, vigilance, vigilance, swiftness, activity, immaculateness. So the prophet David, wanting to show us the unhindered service, the speed of execution and the great activity of the mountain forces, said: “You make Your angels spirits, Your servants a blazing fire” (Ps. 103:4), expressing the name of these elements speed, lightness, activity. Such are these forces, praising the Lord with pure lips, having this as their constant occupation - lifting up praises as an unceasing service. Their dignity is indicated by their proximity to the throne of God. Just as among earthly kings those who are distinguished by greater virtues stand before the very royal throne, so these powers, in their excellent virtue, surround the mountain throne, constantly enjoying ineffable bliss and admiring the blissful lot of this service. “Each of them had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And they called to each other and said: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts! the whole earth is full of His glory!” ("six kril to one, and six kril to another: and two were the coverings of their feet, and two were the coverings of their faces, 84 and two were the flyers...") (Is.6:2, 3). What do these feathers mean and what do these wings express? Incorporeal forces, of course, have no such wings; but with these sensual images the prophet again means something mysterious, condescending to the weakness of the listeners of that time, however, through this condescension as if revealing to us thoughts that surpass all understanding. 3. So, what do wings mean? The height and superiority of these forces. So Gabriel appears to be flying and descending from heaven, so that you may know his speed and lightness. And is it surprising that Scripture uses such expressions about ministerial powers, when even in speaking about the God of all it does not shy away from such adaptations? So David, wanting to depict either His incorporeality, or the speed of His appearance everywhere, says: “You walk on the wings of the wind” (Ps. 104:3), although, of course, neither the winds have wings, nor He Himself walks on wings; How can this really be with Him Who is present everywhere? But, as I said above, He, condescending to the weakness of the listeners, elevates their minds with such ideas as are accessible to them. And in another place, wanting to show God’s help and the security that comes from it, he uses the same expressions, saying: “Hide me in the shadow of Your wings” (Ps. 16:8). And here, through the wings, the prophet shows us not only sublimity and lightness, but also something else amazing. He shows that, although this vision was a condescension, which it really was, the most mountainous forces could not bear it to this extent. To close their legs and cover their spines is characteristic of those who tremble, are horrified by the brilliance, and cannot stand the lightning that came from the throne. Therefore, with a fence of wings, like a kind of wall, they covered their faces; and what we usually experience when a thunderstorm breaks out and lightning flashes, causing us to bow to the ground, they also experienced. If the seraphim, these great and wondrous powers, could not look without fear at the seated God, sitting precisely on the throne, but covered both their faces and legs, then what word will express the madness of those who say that they clearly know God himself and are exploring His incorruptible being? 85 “And he flew with two. And they called out." What does “fly” mean, and what does he want to express with this? The fact that they are constantly close to God and do not deviate from Him, but this is what their life consists of, that they constantly sing before Him, always glorify the Creator. He did not say: they called, but: “they called,” i.e. they do this incessantly. “They said to each other: Holy, Holy, Holy.” This expresses their harmonious singing and praise, performed with great harmony. This contains not only a doxology, but also a prophecy about the good things awaiting the universe, and precise instructions regarding dogmas. Why did they not say this word once, and then fall silent, and not twice, and then stop, but also add it a third time? Is it not obvious that they did this while singing a hymn to the Trinity? That is why John refers these words to the Son, Luke to the Spirit, and the prophet to the Father. And the following words reveal the same thought to us. After such a song they added: “The whole earth is full of His glory!” It was the property of an accurate prophecy that they foretell a future knowledge through which the universe would be filled with the glory of God, since before and at the time when these words were uttered, not only the other parts of the universe, but also the country of Judea itself was filled with wickedness, and no one then glorified God. The prophet himself testifies to this when he says: “Every day my name is dishonored” (“for your sake 86 my name is blasphemed among the nations”) (Is. 52:5). When was the earth filled with His glory? Then, when this song was brought to earth, when earthly people joined the face of the mountain forces, and began to lift up one song and perform a common praise. If the Jew shamelessly rejects this, then let him show when the whole earth was filled with His glory, the glory that comes from the knowledge of God? He cannot show this, even if he persists in his shamelessness a thousand times. “And the tops of the gates shook at the voice of those who shouted” (“And the door was taken hold of at the voice of them,” (Is. 6:4). Do you see how easily in prophecy some objects are combined with others? After this song and the filling of the earth with His glory, there is talk of the cessation of everything Jewish, which the prophet expressed with the concept of “the top of the gates” (“the door”). 4. This was a sign of the devastation and destruction of the church; and when the church was destroyed, then everything else stopped. And so that you can be convinced that the Old Testament is terminated by the New, he says: “The top of the gates shook at the voice” (“And the door was taken away at the voice”), i.e. the shadow dissipated from the fact that such praise had arrived, grace shone forth and the glory of God spread throughout the entire universe. “And the house was filled with incense.” This, it seems to me, signifies the ruin that awaits him, the flames of foreigners and the most terrible burning. “And I said: Woe is me! I'm dead! for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people also of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts" ("And I said: O accursed me, for I was moved, as a man of unclean lips, among men who have unclean lips I live: and I have seen the King of the Lord of Hosts before my eyes") (Is. 6:5). The vision amazed the prophet, amazed him, brought him into great fear, inspired him to confession, and made him more fully aware of the poverty of his own nature. All saints are like this: when they receive greater honor, then they humble themselves more. So Abraham, talking with God, called himself “dust and ashes” (Gen. 18:27); So Paul, when he received a famous vision, called himself “a monster” (1 Cor. 15:8); So this prophet also calls himself “cursed,” first from the side of his nature, saying: “Oh, accursed man, as if he were moved, like a human being,” and then from the side of his spiritual state: “with unclean lips.” He called his lips unclean, as I think, in contrast to those fiery lips of pure forces, with their most perfect service. Without stopping there, he pronounces a confession for the whole people, adding: “and I live among the people also with unclean lips.” Why does he condemn his lips here? He expresses his indecisiveness. So the three youths, being in the cave, said almost the same thing: “There is no need for us to answer you to this” (Dan. 3:16) 87. And now, when there was a time of singing and praise, and when the prophet saw the powers of the mountains doing this, he rightly turns the word to the lips that are especially called to such service. For this reason, he called his lips unclean, but the lips of the people - not because of this, but because the Jews were filled with iniquity. “And mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.” Therefore, he says, I grieve and cry because, being unworthy, I was awarded such an honor that exceeds my dignity, surpasses my nature. However, when he says: “saw,” he does not mean exact knowledge here, but what is possible for him. And look how useful confession is: he condemned himself, and was immediately cleansed. He goes on to say: “Then one of the Seraphim flew to me, and in his hand he had a burning coal, which he had taken with tongs from the altar, and he touched my mouth and said: Behold, this has touched your mouth, and your iniquity is taken away from you, and your sin is purged” (Is. 6:6, 7). Some say that these are prototypes of future sacraments: this altar, and the spread of fire, and ministering power, and touching the lips, and the cleansing of sins; but for now we will stick to history and say why this happened. The prophet is to be sent to the Jewish people to announce something terrible and unbearable. Therefore, seraphim are sent to fill him with fear and boldness. And so that he does not refer, just as Moses referred to his rottenness and Jeremiah to his youth, that he has unclean lips and cannot preach, the seraphim come, cleansing his sins not by their own power - after all, this belongs only to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit - but by the command of God and the touch of a coal. That’s why he didn’t say, “Behold, I will cleanse you,” but, “your iniquity is taken away from you, and your sin is cleansed,” according to the command of the One who sent it. But why did the seraphim take the coal with tongs? The incorporeal force, of course, should not have been burned by coals. Why was this so? By great condescension. That’s why he took it from the altar, where sacrifices were made and atonement for sins was made. If you ask why the prophet’s lips were not burned, then, mainly, because in this phenomenon there was no sensual fire; and on the other hand, when God does something, do not investigate and do not be curious. 5. However, sometimes both real and sensory fire, touching bodies, did not reveal the effects of fire. If, where there were brushwood and resin, the flame forgot its own nature, is it surprising that in this miraculous event this fire purified, but did not burn? “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Whom shall I send? and who will go for Us? (“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Whom will I send, and who will go to this people?”) (Is. 6:8). Do you see how successful the vision is, how much fear has accomplished? Something similar happened with Moses; This prophet, although neither the seraphim nor the Lord himself sitting on the throne appeared, was then shown a wonderful vision, a phenomenon that no one could look at. “The bush,” says the Scripture, “burned and was not consumed” (Ex. 3:2). But even after this vision and after many admonitions of God, the great Moses declined, refused and presented many reasons for the refusal, saying: “I speak hard and am tongue-tied”; and: “send another whom you can send” (“choose 88 another whom you have followed”) (Ex. 4:10, 13). And Jeremiah referred to his age (Jer. 1:6). And Ezekiel, having received the command of God, remained seven days at the river, evading and delaying; That’s why God added a parable to it, saying: “I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel” (“I have given you a guard to the house of Israel”) (Ezek. 3:17); and also: “I will require his blood from your hands” (“I will require their soul from your hand 89”) (Ezek. 3:18). But Jonah not only refused, but also fled (Jon. 1:3). What then? Was Isaiah really bolder than everyone, and even the great Moses? Who can say this? Why did he shirk, having received a command, but this one, without receiving a direct command, expressed your readiness? After all, it was not said: go; but when God said: “Whom should I send?” – he immediately accepted the command. Some say that since he sinned by not denouncing Uzziah, who dared to enter the sanctuary, then, wanting to atone for that sin with subsequent diligent obedience, he immediately expressed consent in order to propitiate God; That is why he called his lips unclean, because he did not speak boldly. But I cannot agree with those who say so, because Paul is more reliable than them, who calls Isaiah bold and says: “But Isaiah speaks boldly” (Rom. 10:20). Therefore, as they say, he did not end his life with an ordinary death, but suffered the most severe torture, since the Jews could not stand his bold speech. Moreover, Scripture nowhere says that he was present at Uzziah’s act and was silent while present, but those who say this invent it on their own. What needs to be said? That Moses' position was not the same as Isaiah's. He was sent to a foreign and barbaric country, to a frantic and cruel tyrant; and this one to his countrymen, who often listened and were taught for a long time. And therefore, here and there it was necessary not the same courage to obey. And some say that something else was the reason for his readiness, namely: when he made a confession for himself and for the people and saw the seraphim sent and cleansing his lips, then, hoping that the same would happen to the people and that he would go to tell them about it, he readily accepted the command. The saints were both lovers of God and lovers of humanity more than all people. Thus, hoping to herald some kind of deliverance from disaster, he immediately expressed his consent and said: “Here am I, send me.” On the other hand, he had a very determined soul in the face of danger, as can be seen from his entire prophecy. So, when he agreed to go and no longer dared to refuse, then he heard regrettable words. God dealt with him wisely. He did not say from the very beginning: go and speak; but first he expressed the command vaguely and did not reveal the image of the embassy. When Isaiah immediately expressed agreement, then God expresses the evil that will befall the Jews. Which one exactly? “And He said: Go and tell this people: You will hear with your ears and will not understand, and with your eyes you will see and will not see. For the heart of this people is hardened, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn, that I may heal them” (Isaiah 6:9, 10). This, I think, does not require explanation, since it was already explained long ago by those who completely knew these words - John the son of thunder and Paul, who definitely knew both the ancient and the new. Preaching in Rome to those who had gathered to him, and then to those who left and did not believe what was said, he said: “The Holy Spirit has spoken well... you will hear by hearing, but will not understand” (Acts 28:25, 26). And the son of thunder, since the Jews saw the miracles of Christ and did not believe, heard the teaching and did not heed it (Christ raised Lazarus, and they sought to kill Him; He cast out demons, and they called Him mad; He led them to the Father, and they called Him a deceiver, and held false opinions), mentions this prophecy, saying: well said Isaiah the prophet, that you “will hear by hearing, and you will not understand, and you will look with your eyes and will not see” (cf. Matthew 13:14). 6. Since their inner eyes of the mind were darkened, there was no benefit for them from the outer eyes, if their rational judgment was damaged. Therefore, seeing they did not see and hearing they did not hear; and the reason for this, the prophet adds, was not damage to external feelings, not a disorder of their nature, but blindness of the heart. “The heart of this people has become coarse,” he says. And the coarsening of the mind comes from sins and worldly desires. Paul also spoke about such coarseness in the words: “And I could not speak to you... as to spiritual... for you were not yet able, and even now you are not able,” adding the reason for this in the following: “For if there is envy, disputes and disagreements among you, are you not carnal?” (1 Cor. 3:1-3). So those, tormented by great envy and hatred and besieged by other countless passions, made their mental eye rough and could no longer see clearly; and therefore they accepted different and false opinions about what they saw. Seeing all this exactly, the prophet predicted the cause of the disease. But, notice, of the two prophecies found here, one concerning the Church and the blessings prepared for the universe was received and spoken by the seraphim in the words: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts! the whole earth is full of His glory!” ; and the other, concerning the captivity and punishment of the Jews, was given to the prophet, so that from here you would know the superiority of the Church. “And I said: How long, Lord?” (Isa.6:11). Do you see that we did not present a false and unfounded guess about the obedience of the prophet, rendered with great readiness? Having heard the opposite of what he expected, namely about desolation and destruction, he now asks to know the measure of punishment; he no longer dared to ask for complete deliverance from their anger, since God had previously shown that they were sinning unforgivably. Their daring actions were the result not of complicity or an insolent mood, but of a soul that makes disobedience its occupation, a fervent mind, as if deliberately and strenuously opposing the works of God. God points to this in the words: “Let them not see with their eyes, 90 and understand with their hearts, and be converted, so that I may heal them.” They, he says, as if afraid, so as not to learn something necessary, with great diligence blinded their minds. Therefore, since the accusation was very serious, and punishment is inevitable, the prophet wants to know what remains: however, under the guise of a desire to know, he makes a request. But since he did not dare to ask about this directly, he offers his desire to find out in the form of a question, saying: “How long, Lord? He said: until the cities are desolate, and there are no inhabitants, and the houses are left without people, and until this land is completely desolate. And the Lord will remove the people, and there will be great desolation on this earth. And if a tenth still remains on it and returns, and it will be ruined again; But as from terebinth and as from an oak, when they are cut down, their root remains, so the holy seed will be its root" ("How long, Lord? And he says: until the cities will be desolate, from which they were not inhabited, and the houses, from which they were not inhabited, and the earth will remain empty. And therefore God will continue to mankind, and those who remain on the earth will multiply. And there is also a tithe on it, and again it will be spoiled, like the terebinoth and like the acorn, when it falls from its plush: its seed is a holy standing" (Is. 6:11-13). Having finished the prophecy, he again turns his speech to history, predicting both the captivity of the ten tribes, and for the sake of this captivity, God’s long-suffering towards the two tribes; further predicts the taking of these latter into captivity because they did not use long-suffering as they should; and then again - prosperity, which will be given to the remnant of them. So, when he says: “until the cities are desolate and left without inhabitants” (“until the cities are desolate, from being inhabited”), he points to the captivity of the ten tribes; indeed, they were all completely upset, taken with great violence and all taken to a foreign country, so that all their cities stood without people, and the land lost its cultivators for the benefit of those who remained. Thus, when he says: “until the cities are desolate, and are left without inhabitants, and the houses without people” (“until the cities are desolate from not being inhabited, and houses from not being human”), he means captivity. And when he says: “And therefore God will continue to men,” he indicates either the complete well-being of everyone, or the prosperity that will be given to two tribes after the assignment of ten tribes. And indeed, having freed themselves from Sennacherib and the army of foreigners and taking advantage of the unexpected victory, they again multiplied and lived for a long time, because no war bothered them. When He says: “will continue,” he means either the number of people or the length of years. And so that you know that this is said about two tribes, He adds: “a tenth part will remain on it” (“there is a tithe on it”), calling tithe that which is over ten, remaining after ten, which is what the two tribes were. Paul uses the same expression when he says: “more than five hundred brethren,” i.e. over five hundred (1 Cor. 15:6). “And again it will be plundered like the Terebinoth,” i.e. two knees, and like an acorn, when it falls from its plush.” Just as this fruit is unpleasant when it falls out of its shell, so they will be ridiculed and despised when they are driven out of the city and everyone is deprived of their glory. "The seed is holy is his standing." However, their disasters, he says, will not be incurable and not endless, but their “seed” will be “holy” and “standing,” i.e. firmly, firmly, motionless, waiting for a change in circumstances. They will be deprived of prosperity, but they themselves will not undergo complete destruction, but will remain and “stand” until they again receive their former way of life and return to their former holiness. Σύ κ αθήμενος είς τόν αίώνα , κ αί ήμεϊς άπολλύμενοι είς τόν αίώνα : these words in famous texts book Ave. Daniel was not found. The expression “covering” τούς πόδας έαυτών “one’s feet” St. I. Zl. here reads first expressions; “veil” τά πρόσωπα έαυτων “one’s face”, whereas in the famous Greek sp. trans. LXX, and therefore in c.-seq., they are read in reverse order. Instead of τά πρόσωπα “face”, in al. and wat. code: τά πρόσωπον “face”. But in the 2nd conversation on (Ps. 6:1) St. I. Zl. reads this passage the way it is read in a friend. Izv. Greek sp. lane LXX. In Greek sp. per LXX the following word follows: διά παντός in the c.-word: “ever.” at St. I. Zl. - “We cannot open our mouths” (Dan. 3:33). In the central word: “powerful” δυνάμενον (cf. Vat. code). τήν ψυχήν αύτών έ κ χειρός σου έ x ζητήσω, but in all known. Greek sp. trans. LXX: τό αϊμα αύτοϋ έ x χ . σ. έ x ζ avg. ts.-sl.: “I will exact his blood from your hand.” The following then, according to Izv. gr. sp. lane LXX, the words κ αί τοιώοί άκ ούσωσιν in the central word: “and ushima to hear” from St. I. Zl. are not readable. You might be interested in: