Глава 8

1. “And the Lord said to me: take yourself a large scroll and write on it in human writing: Mager-shelal-hash-baz. And I took faithful witnesses for myself: Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Barachi, and I approached the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said to me: call his name Mager-shelal-hash-baz. For before the child can say: my father, my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria will be brought before the king of Assyria" ("And the Lord said to me: take for yourself a book scroll 103 new great, and write in it in writing for men, who will soon create captivity for selfish gain; and make witnesses for Me, faithful men, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Barachiah. And he came to the prophetess, and conceived in her womb, and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said to me: Narcis is his name: quickly captivate, brazenly plunder, before you know how to call a father or mother, he will receive the power of Damascus and the gain of Samaria before the king of Assyria" (Is. 8: 1-4). These two commands are literally, apparently, different and have nothing in common with each other; but whoever carefully examines the power of thoughts will see that they are very similar and have the same goal. However, we must first say why prophecies were introduced into human life. So, we need to say: why were they introduced? God usually delays and is slow to punish sinners, while He is quick and quick to do good to the virtuous. This, i.e. The fact that punishment does not follow directly after crimes tends to cause more careless people to fall. Therefore, God, in order to show His long-suffering and so that people do not become more careless from this, uses the medicine of prophecy, teaching sinners not with the punishments themselves, but for the time being only with predictions about them, so that if, after listening to the threats, they become better, they will reject the actual punishment from themselves; and if they remain insensitive, He will punish them. The devil, seeing this and understanding how great the benefit comes from this, sent false prophets who spoke against the prophets who threatened famine, plagues, wars, invasions of foreigners, and proclaimed favorable things. Just as God wanted to ward off punishment with terrible words, so the devil did the opposite: relaxing people with favorable words and making people careless, he made punishment necessary in reality. Then, when those who believed the false prophets and did not care at all about virtue, but remained in their sins, incurred punishment, and the end of the matter showed the truth of the prophets and exposed the falsity of the false prophets, the devil again used another means for the destruction of those who surrendered to him. He convinced people who were easily deceived that the disasters that happened were due to the wrath of demons, whom they neglected and despised. Therefore, in order to destroy such deception, God foretells to people many years in advance what will happen later, especially the disasters that will occur, so that those who deceive them cannot attribute what happened to the wrath of demons. And that I am not saying this out of conjecture, listen to Isaiah, who said: “We know that you are cruel, and your neck is iron, and your forehead is copper. And I told you, even of old... but not when you spoke, that you have created these idols for me 104, and have created these idols 105 for me... below you understood, below you were heard 106 “(Is. 48: 4-6, 8). Since they, as I said and as can be seen from the evidence given, attributed disasters to demons, the prophecy first destroys this deception by predicting them many years in advance. But since even after that the ungrateful could say: you did not predict, we did not hear before, you now invented it after the events, you did not know the future, how can it be seen that this has already been said? - then look how clearly and irrefutably God denounces them, stopping their shameless lips. He not only allows the prophet to speak, but also commands him to write what was said on a scroll, and not just write it, so that they cannot say that the prophet made it up after the events, but to call witnesses to the writings and trustworthy men, both in their rank and in their way of life. “And I took for myself,” he says, “faithful witnesses: Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Barachias” (“and witnesses,” he says, “Make men faithful to Me, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Barachias”), so that when this is fulfilled and they begin to say that this has not been said for many years, the presented scroll and the present witnesses will block the lips of the shameless. That’s why he says: “Take the scroll new,” so that it does not perish due to old age, but so that it remains for a long time and denounces them with its writings. “And write... in human writing,” i.e. cane, what has to happen. What happened? War, victory of foreigners, capture, theft of booty. All this says, you write it down. “Mager-shelal-khash-baz” (“even soon the captivity will create self-interest, come in hand”). What does it mean: “come in time”? This word expresses the following two thoughts: the one that the importance of their sins then already required punishment and the punishment was already at the door, but God hesitated, wanting with His long-suffering to correct them and reject the punishment - and the one that it is easy and convenient for Him to use only a wave and bring everything to fruition. Since we were talking about foreigners who were about to attack, he says: do not think that the distance of the road and the large number of troops can slow things down in any way, as is usually the case with people. 2. He who is afar off stands before God. Therefore, it is easy and convenient for God in one moment and in one instant of time to immediately bring and present enemies from the extreme reaches of the earth, even if these enemies were numerous. “And I took for myself faithful witnesses: Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Barakhiin” (“and make faithful men witnesses for Me, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Barakhiin”). Witnesses of what? Time, so that if the writings are subject to censure, then living people who were present when it was written, and who clearly knew the time when it was said, could block the lips of those who decide to be shameless. The following words are of the same content, producing the clearest denunciation. How and in what way? Let's listen to the words themselves. He approached, says the prophet, “to the prophetess.” This is what he called his wife, perhaps because she too was awarded the prophetic Spirit. The gifts of grace extended not only to husbands, but also to the female sex. In spiritual matters it is not the same as in everyday needs, in which the types of occupations are divided, and some of them belong to men and others to women, so that they cannot change among themselves: in spiritual matters there are equal feats and common crowns. This can be seen clearly in the New Testament and throughout human life. So, having copulated with his wife according to the law of marriage, the prophet made her pregnant, and when the baby was born, he gave him a new and unusual name, containing the history of future events. What exactly did the Lord say? “Give him a name: Mager-shelal-khash-baz” (“Nars his name: quickly capture, brazenly plunder”) so that if they do not believe the writings contained in the scroll, then the name of the baby, containing the history of future events, given before their fulfillment and constantly repeated at all times, will block the lips of the most shameless. Even the most ungrateful opponents could be convinced that the prophet did not invent this after the fulfillment of the events, but foresaw them from above, seeing the baby himself, who, even before the fulfillment of the events, received a name that foreshadowed future disasters. Therefore, he explains the power of the prophecy and accurately determines the time in the following words: “for before the child can say: my father, my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria will be brought before the king of Assyria” (“before you know how to call the child father or mother, he will receive the power of Damascus, and the gain of Samaria before the king of Assyria”). The meaning of these words is as follows: during his immature age, when he is not yet able to speak, deeds of victory and trophies will be accomplished, not in the sense that the baby himself will be able to enter into battle and defeat the enemies, but in the sense that during this age, i.e. Before the baby begins to speak, everything will be handed over to the enemies. “And the Lord continued to speak to me and said again: because this people despises the waters of Siloam, flowing quietly, and admires Rezin and the son of Remali, the Lord will bring upon them the waters of the river, stormy and great - the king of Assyria” (“And the Lord added to me to say again 107: because the people did not desire these waters of Siloam that flowed this way, but wanted to have Rasson and the son of the king of Romeli over you, for this reason the Lord is raising up against you the water of the river, strong and abundant, the king of Assyria” (Is. 8: 5-7). the reason for the war. What is the reason? The ingratitude of the city's inhabitants. Since they, he says, having a friendly, meek and quiet king, abandoned him and desired oppressors and decided to come under alien power, not observing their own well-being, then I will fulfill their desire with great abundance, bringing to them a rude and cruel man. He uses figurative expressions to signify both the character of the native king and the strength of the foreigner, and does this in order, as I have always said, to give his words more expressiveness. That is why he says: “he neglects the waters of Siloam,” meaning not water, but since this source flows slowly and quietly, He compares the quiet and meek disposition of the then king with the quiet flow of water, and calls him Siloam because of his gentleness and meekness. And this serves as the greatest accusation for the subordinates, that they, being under a not heavy yoke, sought novelty and wanted to surrender to foreign kings. Since they, he says, do not want a meek and quiet king, but want Rezin and the son of Remali, then I will bring the king of Babylon against them; and the rapid attack of his army calls the water of the river “stormy and big.” 3. Then, explaining the figurative expression, the prophet says: “the king of Assyria.” Do you see how undoubted is the remark we made earlier that in figurative expressions Scripture usually explains itself? He does exactly the same here. Having spoken about the river, he did not stop at this figurative expression, but said which river he was talking about, namely: “the king of Assyria with all his glory; and it will rise in all its channels and come out from all its banks; and it will go through Judea, flood it and rise high - it will reach the neck; and the spread of her wings shall be in all the breadth of Thy land" ("the king of Assyria and all his glory: and he shall ascend into all your wilds, and shall go over every wall of yours, and shall take away from Judah the man who is able to raise up a head, or who is mighty to do anything: and his army shall be able to fill the breadth of your country") (Isa. 8:7, 8). Wanting to show that what was said will be accomplished not by human force, but by God’s wrath, the prophet describes the king of Assyria not as an enemy attacking with war, but as if going for ready prey. He will not stop, he says, and will not take up arms, but with a multitude of people he will cover the face of the earth and occupy it easily. However, there is a lot of philanthropy in this anger. The prophet does not threaten the destruction of their city, but predicts some captivity and removal, wishing to punish those taken away to make those remaining more prudent. “And he will take away,” he says, “from Judea the man who is able to raise a head,” i.e. He will make people who have power, who lead and manage everything, who corrupt the people, captives and slaves, so that the lower ones will then have some rest, and both from the terrible fate of those averted and from the security of their own freedom, they will become better. That’s why he says: “the one who is able to do what”, i.e. strong, able to act, able to do anything. And even before the withdrawal, he says, the foreigner with his very appearance will sufficiently amaze you, filling the entire earth with the bodies of the enemies. That’s why he adds: “and the spread of her wings will be throughout the entire breadth of Your land... Enmity, O peoples, but tremble, and listen, all distant lands! Arm yourself, but tremble; arm yourself, but tremble! Make plans, but they fail; speak the word, but it will not come true: for God is with us!” ("And his army will be able to fill the width of your country, God is with us! Understand the Gentiles, and repent, hear even to the last of the earth: you who are able, repent: if you are able, if you are able to overcome, and whoever you counsel, the Lord will destroy, and the word that you speak will not abide in you, for God is with us") (Isa. 8:8–10). Here, it seems to me, the prophet predicts the victory of Hezekiah, this glorious trophy, and the reason for the victory. Although the enemies, he says, have weapons, and countless troops, and military experience, but with us the help is strongest, i.e. God. And indeed, the foreigner came, as the prophet had threatened before, and, taking many cities, withdrew; but when he attacked after that, he experienced the opposite. This is what the prophet predicts, announcing the culprit of the victory and addressing the foreigners themselves. Do not rely, he says, on your previous victory; during the present attack great help came to us; Find out this and retreat, like those attempting the impossible. Further, pointing to the Author of this victory and to the fact that the fame of such deeds spreads to the extremes of the earth, he says: “You will hear even to the last of the earth.” And indeed, there was no one who had not heard about the then events in Jerusalem. That’s why he says: “You will hear even to the last of the earth: you who are able, repent.” This foreigner then acquired very great fame for his power. However, here he calls “mighty” not only those who are strong in physical strength, but also those distinguished by the abundance of wealth and the splendor of glory. “Even if you are able again, you will be defeated, and even if you take counsel, the Lord will destroy you, and the word that you speak will not abide in you, for God is with us.” Since their plans were vicious, and they hoped to destroy the city itself to the ground, and thus return home, the prophet reveals their plans and says that all this will be limited only to words. Further, since he announced deeds that exceed human nature, then, wanting to make his words reliable, he constantly turns to the dignity of the One who performs them and says: “for God is with us”; He himself will destroy all these intrigues; Glory to him... 11–12. 109 “Thus said... the Lord to those who do not submit to the strength of (His) hand” (Is. 8:11–12) i.e. to the unbelieving Jews who disobeyed His laws. “You do not speak the way of these people, and not when you speak false or blasphemous or cruel: everything that these people say is cruel,” - or, as another translator, Symmachus, puts it, “rebellion” (άνταρσις), - i.e.: do words only bring an end to a dispute? The foreigner said in a similar way: “Does food by advice and words by word of mouth fight?” (Isa. 36:5). Do not address them with threatening words, so that they do not think that they are able to do anything, since it is common for foreigners to speak angrily. “Do not be afraid of their fear.” I forbid you to threaten them not because you should be afraid of them; Without uttering threatening words, you, however, do not be afraid of them, “become indignant.” 13. “Honor the Lord... holy, and He is your fear” (“Sanctify the Lord... and he will be your fear”) (Is.8:13). What does it mean: “Honor the Lord... holy”? ("Sanctify the Lord... him") (To sanctify the Lord) means to have hope only in Him, to glorify Him, to be mainly glorified by Him, to fear Him, so that, while giving honor to Him, you will not be afraid of others. “And He will be a sanctification, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense” (“And if you trust in Him, it will be for you to sanctify, and not as you stumble at a stone of stumbling, but as at a stone of falling”): future events may not easily expose you to sorrow. 14–15. “The houses of Israel, a snare and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (“And the house of Jacob is in turmoil, and he who sits in a place in Jerusalem”) (Is. 8:14–15). With these words he prophesies about the organizers of the siege, who intended to surround them. “For this reason many will faint in it, and will fall and be crushed... will draw near, and men will be led into slavery”; they will be brought into slavery because they took the outer cities. Do not think, he says, that everyone will be saved, because if there is anything better in the city, it is not because of the church, but because of the inhabitants. And so that anyone does not think that death or salvation will be common, he adds the following words: 16. “Then,” he says, “the manifestations will be imprinted, even if you do not learn the law from” (Is. 8:16), - i.e. those who rebel against the laws will be found: just as in the (Babylonian) furnace those who were outside were scorched, but those who were inside were not harmed, the same thing will happen there. 17. “Therefore I trust in the Lord, who hid His face from the house of Jacob, and I trust in Him” (“And I said: I will wait for God, who has hidden His face from the house of Jacob, and I will trust.”) (Is. 8:17). What are you saying? Will you wait for the One who led others into captivity? Of course, he says, His, and he says correctly, so that others learn patience, otherwise they too will be subject to the same punishment. This very word teaches them patience in afflictions, so that they become wiser. “I will wait,” he says, patiently for the One who crushed me and subjected me to punishment. After all, when we are in a quarrel with our father or mother, we do not look for another father or another mother, but try to be reconciled with them; all the more, when God is angry with us, we should strive for the One who was angry, and not for the one who was not angry. Precisely when He is angry, then He is more merciful to you: if blows from friends are better than caresses from enemies, then how much better is admonition from God? “The reproaches of one who loves are sincere, but the kisses of one who hates are deceitful” (Prov. 27:6). Listen to what David said: “bring back the ark of God to the city... If I find mercy in the eyes of the Lord, then He will return me and let me see him... And if he does not desire me, then here I am; Let him do to me whatever pleases Him” (2 Samuel 15:25–26). Let us not, he says, lay down laws for Him, and ask Him for reasons regarding what is happening to us; but there is only one thing we must do: when He admonishes us, accept the admonition with gratitude. 18. “Here I am,” he says, “and my children whom the Lord has given me” (Is. 8:18), and not nature: if He gave them, He will keep them. And not only, he says, “here I am,” but together with the children, “here I am,” as David said: “here I am; Let him do to me whatever pleases Him” (2 Samuel 15:26). Similar to him was this servant of the Lord, who surrendered himself to Him and said: here I am; is this mine? It is God's nature to protect those whom He has given me; and behold, I offer myself and those whom He has given me to Him. And in misfortunes we will say as Job said: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away” (Job 1:21). Whether disasters befall or anything else, he, proving his obedience to God, says: “Here I am and the children whom the Lord gave me.” And there will be “indications and omens in Israel from the Lord of Hosts, who lives on Mount Zion.” It is correctly said: “from the Lord of Hosts”; but why: “living on Mount Zion”? – To reveal things that have to be, and to provide an indication for help. “Behold, I and my children, and there will be signs and omens” (“Behold, I and my children, and there will be signs and wonders”). Do you see what the fruit of patience is? “And there will be,” he says, “signs and wonders.” He predicts not only salvation, but also his glory. Just as a master, seeing his slave willingly accepting blows and punishment, abandons his anger, so does God. The Lord of hosts himself has descended and dwells on Mount Zion; and your unrighteousness is the reason why He does not help (you): after all, if He did not want to help you, He would not dwell on this mountain. The prophets not only predict, but also explain the thoughts of what was said, as well as of the One who spoke (through them): God does not force, but wants people to appease His anger voluntarily. 19. “And when they say to you: turn to the callers of the dead and to the sorcerers, to the whisperers and ventriloquists, then answer: should not the people turn to their God? Do they ask the dead about the living? ("And if they say to you, Seek out the magicians of gluttons, and those who shout from the earth, those who speak vaingloriously, who speak from the belly, will not the tongue seek its God? What do the dead feel about the living?") (Is. 8:19). Do not voluntarily decide to resort to fortune-telling, but if you were attracted to it by others, then do not agree. When a war broke out or some calamity befell, it was the custom to ask fortune-tellers about the future. Human nature always desires, seeks and makes careful efforts to know the invisible, especially wants to know in advance about its misfortunes, so as not to fall into confusion as a result of the unexpected. So, listen to what he says: I, he says, predicted in advance the signs and wonders that would happen to you, so that you would not need other predictions, even if you were attracted and deceived. Therefore, if you listen to the advice of others, you will be unworthy of God's favor and mercy, you who prepare disasters for yourselves. What consolation will you, O man, receive from exorcists when disasters befall you? If for the sake of lost wealth you spend other money by asking soothsayers, then what good will it do you if you find good things? Along with your wealth, you will be taken into slavery, you will destroy your soul, and no one will help you. But it must be said what a fortuneteller is: he is an evil demon who speaks from the womb of women, and with this strange action tries to make the false reliable; he speaks not naturally, but from the belly, and by this he plunges ignorant people into amazement, showing that he speaks the truth, and that the art “from the earth of those who proclaim and from the belly of those who speak vainly” is reliable. Aquila calls them augurs and voice-makers; Symmachus - soothsayers who whisper and hiss; Theodotion - squeaky soothsayers, i.e. like chickens. But it seems to me that necromancy is also meant here, and that with this strange voice the devil plunges people into amazement, as other translators have explained. Demons usually chirp and make the voice of birds - which the LXX interpreters called “vanity” (κ ενολογία) - in order to affirm lies from everywhere with unusual cries. Although the demon has the art of convincing (people) that he can summon the souls of the dead, we assert that the soul, upon leaving the body, enters a certain dwelling and remains there - it cannot leave there. The demon tries to show that she not only lives in the bones (of dead people), but walks here and there, wandering in vain, that she is not subject to any authority, not even to Divine providence, and will not be subject to any punishment for the crimes she has committed. Thus he does what many believe that after death souls constantly wander. But these are fables of children and old women, and beware of believing them when you are attracted by such fictions. The sorceress (of Endor) once, by God's permission, showed Samuel to Saul in order to depict the resurrection for him, although it was not a resurrection, and so that on the basis of this he would believe that God is the Lord of the living and the dead. Although the one he saw was not Samuel, he did not dare turn him away from God. “But like the pagans, they sought their God from them.” Those who say or do this are far from God, just like Saul, who was punished. Having retreated from God, he questioned the soothsayer, and this did not bring him any benefit, but he was subject to the most severe punishment: his evil death came before the (appointed) time. Look how he ridicules them: “Do they ask,” he says, “the dead about the living?” (“What do the dead feel about the living?”) He calls either demons or the dead themselves dead. And this is more than enough to discover a lie. If the living do not know anything, then all the more should this be said about the dead and buried in the earth, who do not even know what we know. 20. “Seek the law and revelation. If they do not speak like this word, then there is no light in them" ("The law is for the help of God... not like this word, gifts should not be given years in advance") (Is. 8:20). He does not say: this word, but: “like this word.” Often others, abstaining from the magical art, are disposed to some other delusion. And so, the law (in one word) puts forward a (known) position: do not give any reason. When God forbids us, we must obey and observe without pronouncing our judgment on what God forbids. He said well: “the law is to help dad.” Considerations excite, deceive people, there is much in them that confuses the mind, and all this leads to sadness, to sorrow. The law is not content with merely prohibiting, but also shows that this kind of crime is not worthy of mercy. Are these really the kinds of faults that could be propitiated with gifts? These are sins without healing, guilt without consolation. They, he says, not only should not be allowed, but should not even be started regarding their speech. It is sinful not only to allow them, but also to talk about them - God wanted to uproot them. Therefore, He commanded that one part of sins should be atoned for by sacrifices, and declared the other to have no such treatment. But why? Because the latter are terrible and should be avoided. It is enough for you to hear that they are prohibited by God for you to restrain the desire of your mind. 21. And he predicts disasters like this: “And they will wander the earth, cruelly oppressed and hungry; and during the famine they will be angry and blaspheme their king and their God" ("And a severe famine will come upon you, and when you are hungry, you will have sorrow and speak evil to the prince and the fatherland") (Is. 8:21), i.e. idols Do you see why the famine came? He fully predicts and wants to show that idols are evil and powerless: those who cannot stop the famine, how will they delay the war outside? “And during the famine they will be angry and blaspheme their king and their God” (“and when you are hungry, you will mourn and speak evil to the prince and the fatherland”). Do you see, along with impotence, the accusation of idols? They could not prevent both blasphemy against themselves and starvation. 22. “And they will look up and look at the earth” (Is. 8:22) Do you see how they blasphemed God? And they were tormented and tormented by remorse. “And they will look,” he says, “at the ground,” so that, as a result of the sins they committed, they became timid. “And behold, poverty is cramped from a and darkness and contrition, as if one cannot see.” But Aquila does not say: “as one cannot see,” but “depraved morals”; other translators say that they will see darkness with open eyes, i.e. their darkened eyes will be unable to see. “But there will not always be darkness where it has now thickened,” i.e. these disasters are meant to last for a certain period of time so that you will know the worthlessness of idols. χάρτου, lowered into vat. t. and complete. polyglot, so I left it. without translation and in ts.-sl. Next further in Greek. sp. words: x αί μή είπης “and not rtsy” St. I. Zl. I haven't read it. Instead of έποίησεν, in al. and wat. code. read ένετείλατο, why in the central word: “commandment” The words: ούτε ά x ουστά σοι έγένετο are not read in Greek. sp., and therefore not translated. and in ts.-sl. According to ts.-sl. followed by the word: “verb” λέγων, in accordance with the complete. polygl. and some gr. sp. The word πάσαν “all”, in al. code. and wat. t. is not readable, therefore it is not translated. and in ts.-sl. Explanation of St. John Chrysostom on subsequent chapters of the book of the prophet Isaiah, starting from the 11th art. Chapter VIII to LXIV chapter. inclusive, were not preserved in Greek, at least not found by learned patrolologists, but were preserved in Armenian and were published in Venice in 1887 by the Mekitarists in a Latin translation. Based on the translation and publication of the Mekitarists, our translation of this part of the explanation of St. John Chrysostom on the book of the prophet Isaiah. The corresponding pages of the Mekitarist Latin translation are indicated in the margin. You might be interested in: