Homilies on the book of the prophet Isaiah

“Homilies on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah” (9 homilies) were written by Origen in 239-242. and cover the interpretation of the 6th chapter of the Book of the prophet Isaiah (Is. 6: 1-10). Origen argued that there were two seraphim represented in Isaiah 6:2-3, and that they covered their faces and feet not for themselves, but for God. Origen identified the two seraphim in an allegorical interpretation with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Subsequently, the essay “Treatise against Origen on the Vision of Isaiah” appeared, the author of which sharply criticized Origen’s interpretation of the 6th chapter of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah; the work has been preserved in a Latin translation. Most modern researchers believe that it was written by Theophilus I, Archbishop of Alexandria. In “Homilies on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah”, along with triadological ones, other theologically important reasonings of Origen are presented: - about the relationship between divinity and humanity in Jesus Christ; - about the saving meaning of the coming of the Logos into the earthly world; - about becoming like Jesus Christ and about union with the Logos as the goal of success in virtue; - about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, etc. *The title of the work in Latin is In Isaiam commentarii. Contents Preface 1. Exegesis 2. Theology 3. Abbreviations Homilia first. First vision. “And it came to pass in the year of the death of King Uzziah: I saw the Lord sitting on a high throne.” Homilia 2. “Behold, the virgin shall conceive with womb.” Homilia 3. About seven women Homilia 4. Homilia 5. About what is written: “Who raised up righteousness from the east,” and again about the vision differently Homilia 6. About what is written: “Whomever will I send, and who will go...”, even to that places where it is said: “...and they will be converted, and I will heal them” Homilia seventh. About what is written: “Here am I and my children whom God has given me,” etc. Homilia eighth. About what is written: “Wail, O idols of Jerusalem and Samaria,” up to the place where it is said: “And I will shake the inhabited cities.” I will send, and who will go to this people? "" And, skipping a little, he comes to the place where it is written: “Ask yourself a sign from the Lord your God in the depths or in the heights.” Origen's homilies on the book of the prophet Isaiah 1 have been preserved exclusively in the Latin translation of the blj. Jerome of Stridon 2 (not a single Greek fragment of homilies was found). The text of homilies 8 has been preserved completely, homilies 9 is broken off, and several variants of the ending of this homily are known from the manuscript tradition, including those based on other texts of Origen 4. Jerome translated only part of the homilies, and in different places he names a different number of homilies on the book of the prophet Isaiah, written by Origen 5: 25 (in the preface to his commentary on the book of the prophet Isaiah, Es. I 1 6) or 32 (in the list of works of Origen, Ep. 33. 4 7). Yasnykh The text does not provide any basis for dating 8 . The standard critical edition of Origen's homilies on the book of the prophet Isaiah remains the publication by W. A. ​​Baerens in the series “Die Griechischen Christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten drei Jahrhunderte” 9 . Baerens' text was republished (without the critical apparatus) in 2009 with a German translation and a detailed introduction and commentary 10 . Below is a brief overview of the main themes addressed in the homily on Isaiah. In Hom. 2 Origen gracefully combines an allegorical approach with purely textual research, which itself is of great importance for understanding the state of the NT text available to Origen 11 . Origen draws attention to the change in the text of the prophet Isaiah in the Gospel of Matthew. According to Matt. 1, 23, the prophecy of Isaiah contains the words “...and they will call His name...”. In Isa. 7, 14 the verb “to name” has the form 2 l. units h. both in the Hebrew text and in the Septuagint 12. This discrepancy could not fail to attract the attention of Origen not only as an exegete, but also as a textual critic and polemicist. According to Origen, the version of the text found in Matthew arose due to a copyist's error, and Origen, in his characteristic manner, argues that this error is associated with a desire for an easier understanding of the text, an unwillingness to see the deep meaning behind it. In the case of Isaiah's prophecy, the supposed scribe was unable to understand to whom the prophet's words were addressed. If Isaiah said “thou shalt name,” and the prophecy was spoken before Ahaz, how could Ahaz name the Child born 8 centuries after him? (The messianic meaning of this prophecy is taken for granted.) Not understanding this, a certain scribe, according to Origen, replaced the 2nd form, which clearly indicated the interlocutor, with the vaguely personal form 3rd. pl. h. Meanwhile, a more careful reading would have made it possible to discern the true interlocutor of the prophet: “Hear, house of David!” - this is how the prophecy begins. The House of David must give the name of the Messiah - and Origen can only show, on the basis of the well-known topos, that the House of David is the Church 13. Here Origen turns to a characteristic hermeneutic device that we will encounter several times in his homilies. We will call this technique the search for the non-obvious permissible. This technique is as follows: the exegete chooses a variant of reading the text that does not formally contradict its grammatical structure, but is not obvious to the reader, and builds on the basis of this variant an interpretation of the text that claims to reveal the inner meaning of Scripture. In the case of the text of Isaiah, such “non-obviously acceptable” is the “house of David” as the addressee of the prophecy. Despite the fact that “house” as a collective name acts as a source of agreement in the plural. ch. (“Listen, house of David! Is it not enough for you to make it difficult that you want to make it difficult...”), formally Origen has reason to consider the form “you will name” to be consistent with the noun unit. h. "house". This sets the field for allegorical interpretation. A more striking example of the use of this technique is the interpretation in Hom. 4 descriptions of the seraphim in Isa. 6, 2–3. Firstly, according to Origen, there are two seraphim, secondly, they covered not their faces and legs, but God’s (Origen further explains how he understands this image), and thirdly (this conclusion is made on the basis of the two previous statements), these two seraphim are Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Let us consider on what basis Origen formulates these non-trivial statements, which as a result acquire fundamental significance for his triadology. In the Hebrew text, the idea that each seraphim had 6 wings is expressed through repetition: “six wings, six wings for each.” In the Septuagint this repetition is preserved, but the expression lǝ-ʔeḥāḏ (“to each,” lit. “one”) is translated twice, again to indicate the repetition of the attribute, and not the number of carriers of this attribute: “One has six wings (τῷ ἑνί), and six wings the other (τῷ ἑνί)” 14 However, without reference to the context, the expression of the Septuagint can be understood in the sense that there were only two seraphim. The explanation of the seraphim as symbols of the heavenly hemispheres, which is mentioned by Pseudo-Basily the Great in the Commentary on Isaiah, going back to Philo, indicates that such an understanding of Is. 6, 4 LXX was quite widespread. And Origen accepts this non-obvious acceptable reading. to move on to the next step in his argument. “And with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his legs, and with two he flew” 15. In the Hebrew text, the words “face” and “legs” are used with associated possessive pronouns, the source of agreement of which is the numeral ʔeḥāḏ (lit. “one”, z. – “each”). In the Septuagint these possessive pronouns are left without translation 16 . Origen finds the opportunity to assert that these face and legs are God's. Of course, this statement immediately receives an explanation that allows one to avoid anthropomorphism: the face of God is the mystery of the creation of the world, the feet of God are the mystery of the end of the world, and both are inaccessible to human knowledge. It is significant that Origen deliberately increases the number of stages of argumentation: first he offers an anthropomorphic interpretation, which contradicts the very essence of his method, and then seeks to resolve the contradiction he himself created, obtaining additional grounds for presenting his theological views. Origen's interpretation of Isaiah's vision reaches its ultimate development in triadology: two seraphim who act as intermediaries between people and the incomprehensible divine mysteries are Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Origen's triadological views receive in Scripture a language for their expression and at the same time “proof” of their truth. It is significant that in all this reasoning, Origen does not just start from the literal meaning - he needs it. Origen's argumentation cannot take place without exaggerated, one might say mythological, literalism: a concrete object image has a concrete object as its meaning. Origen repeatedly turns to this peculiar literalism. In Hom. 5. 1, explaining the words “raised up truth from the east and called it to His feet” 17, Origen argues this way: “It is clear that it is animate, since it goes, being called.” Origen refuses to see a simple metaphor in Scripture. He does not reduce the literal meaning to absurdity in order to reject it (how can truth be “called to his feet?”), but accepts this meaning as a given: truth is real “goes,” but in this case it should be considered hypostatic, and a Christian can do this only if he identifies the truth with Christ. The Christological interpretation turns out to be a literal explanation, which was carried to the extreme by an author who has certain theological presuppositions. And this interpretation, apparently, cannot be any other: we expect that “symbolic” literalism in Origen always has a Christological dimension - in any case, this is true for the homilies we have considered. As a striking example of Christological literalism beyond the homilies on Isaiah, one can cite Origen’s reasoning in the treatise “On the Beginnings.” Explaining the anthropomorphistic expressions of Holy Scripture in a way that has become quite traditional for subsequent Christian theology (the various parts of the body that the language of the Bible assimilates to God are symbols of divine actions), Origen approaches the most difficult - the least crude - anthropomorphism: in what sense is it said that God has a soul? And here the appeal to Divine powers seems insufficient to Origen: “But perhaps someone will object to us on the basis of our own provisions and say: in what sense is it said about the soul of God? We will answer him as follows: just as everything that is said about God in the bodily sense <...> we understand not as human members, but as certain forces, <...> so, we must think, the name of the soul of God denotes something else (in comparison with the soul of man). And if we can dare to say a little more about this subject, then perhaps by the soul of God we can understand the Only Begotten Son of God. In fact, just as the soul, diffused throughout the whole body, moves and puts everything into action, so the Only Begotten Son of God, Who is His Word and Wisdom, touches and reaches all the power of God, abiding in it. And, perhaps, to indicate this mystery, God is called a body in the Holy Scriptures or is described as corporeal” 18. Thus, not only the expression “soul of God,” but in general the entire set of biblical anthropomorphisms receives an explanation through the identification of the “denotation” of the problematic image with Christ. However, Origen does not always find such an exegetical move possible. A text that does not speak directly about God is more difficult to interpret Christologically, and Origen, while still explaining the text through a non-obvious permissible reading of it, takes the path of denying the literal meaning as such. Many interpretations are introduced by general arguments about the inadmissibility of a literal understanding of Scripture. In Hom. 2. 2 Origen expresses a thought that became a topos for him: could the Holy Spirit take care of perishable food? – and concludes that references to food must be understood in a spiritual sense (i.e., moves from general theological considerations to an exegetical template). This conclusion receives additional justification in an attempt to reduce the literal understanding of the sacred text to absurdity: Do you suppose that it is the Holy Spirit who says: “Eat honey, which is wholesome, for it is good”? 19 I do not hear any speech about the Holy Spirit commanding me anything about bodily honey in the words “Eat honey.” I don’t have [honey] or, let’s say, by nature I cannot eat honey: for what reason does He say to me: “Eat honey and do not eat meat, but eat honey, O son, for it is good (bonum est enim).” At the same time, Origen ignores the genre motivation of this statement: from the context it is clear that the entire phrase 20 is an extended comparison. Knowing wisdom is like tasting honey. In order to understand the allegorical meaning of this phrase, it is not necessary to reduce its first part to absurdity. In fact, Origen again accepts a non-obvious acceptable reading here: out of context, the sentence “My son, eat honey” is understood by the exegete as a mandatory commandment, and from this position it becomes possible to reduce this text to absurdity (not every person is physically able to fulfill this “commandment” about eating honey) and theoretically substantiate the need for a spiritual understanding of the Holy Scriptures. In Hom. 6. 3 Origen applies this technique even in relation to the Savior’s commandment to wash one another’s feet 21 . Here the reference point for Origen is real church practice: none of the clergy ever washes the feet of the laity, and in this sense, no one fulfills the commandment. If we take the words of Jesus Christ literally, then all clerics turn out to be unworthy of His followers. For Origen’s listeners, such an option is unthinkable, and the exegete receives an irrefutable argument in favor of the need for a spiritual understanding of Scripture: if we understand the hidden meaning of the Savior’s words, then the bishops are truly blessed, for they “send down water from the Scriptures into the vessel of the soul, which is in accordance with the Scriptures, and touch the uncleanness of the disciples’ feet [in order] to wash [it], and cleanse it, and cast it away” (Hom. 6. 3). Proposing this interpretation, Origen interprets his own activities in its light: “Oh, that I too would now receive the water that can wash the feet of your souls!” However, Origen does not deny the historical reality of the episode of washing the feet, 22 but believes that it was this spiritual meaning revealed by him that was the real reason for the event itself: “They clearly saw how the Teacher washed the feet of the disciples ... but only what happened, and not why it happened.” The most interesting example of the use of this technique is the reduction of the literal meaning to the absurd - Hom. 6.5–6. Origen explains the words “and their ears are hard to hear” 23. Revealing and justifying the symbolic meaning of this saying, Origen starts from the self-evident and even banal (the prophet is not talking about hearing problems) and moves on to a complex system of parallel passages interconnected in a diverse interweaving of meanings: “Sin, according to Scripture, is heavy. For this reason, someone, feeling his sins, says: “It’s like a burden weighed down on me” 24. And because [this] weight was heavy, [the woman] sat down on the talent of lead, as it is written in Zechariah 25. The Egyptians were not because they had heavy bodies, immersed like lead in violent water, 26 but because their souls became heavier with the talent of the lead on which the weight sat; because of this they are immersed, like lead, in passionate water.” Moreover, in both cases, Origen uses common terminology: his thought revolves around the same concepts of “coarsening” and “exhaustion,” whether he is talking about banal things or complex mystical speculations, and we do not notice how these concepts change their meaning; before our eyes, an inconspicuous substitution of meanings occurs, while the mind continues to follow the beaten path of acquired and apparently unchanged symbols. So, the search for the non-obvious permissible can take 2 different directions from Origen: 1) based on the non-obvious permissible reading of the text, the interpreter proves that the text speaks about God anthropomorphistically, and the need to eliminate anthropomorphism obliges the exegete to present his theological views; 2) based on the non-obvious acceptable reading of the text, the interpreter exaggerates the problems associated with its literal interpretation and argues that a literal understanding of the text is in principle impossible. In the first case, interpretation becomes a way of expressing the dogmatic ideas of the exegete, in the second case - hermeneutic ones. Another method of Origen, which has a parallel in midrash 27, is associated with the search for the non-obvious permissible - the establishment of additional semantic relationships between words within a sentence or verse. Interpreting the phrase: “In the year of the death of King Uzziah I saw the Lord” 28, Origen concludes that the death of Uzziah was a necessary condition for the vision of God (further on Uzziah is related to the pharaoh and is explained in accordance with the exegetical topos “spiritual pharaoh the devil”) (Hom. 1. 1). In Hom. 5. 3 circumstances of the life of Uzziah himself are interpreted through the same technique: while the high priest Zechariah was alive (for Origen this is a symbol of understanding), Uzziah did righteousness in the eyes of the Lord. Here the connection between the death of Uzziah and the vision of Isaiah receives a more detailed explanation, and the verse Rom. 7, 8–9. An important technique of Origen was the explanation of Hebrew words given in the Septuagint and New Testament, especially personal names and place names. However, in the homilies on Isaiah this technique never sets the interpretation of 29 and plays rather an illustrative role: in Hom. 4. 1 Origen explains the divine name "Sabaoth" (Heb. ṣǝḇāʔōṯ), referring to Aquila's translation; in Hom. 6. 3 Origen explains the toponym “Siloam” as “sent” and, based on this interpretation, concludes that Siloam are the apostles. The second paragraph of the first homily is of great importance for understanding Origen's triadology. The explanation proposed by Origen: the two seraphim symbolize Christ and the Holy Spirit, revealing God and keeping the Divine secrets, borders on subordinationism, and the more strange seems the pious remark that completes the interpretation: “And do not think that the nature of the Trinity is heterogeneous, if the names speak of the ministry [of the Son and the Spirit].” Origen makes no attempt to explain why his interpretation should not lead the reader to the conclusion of the subordinate position of the Son and Spirit in relation to the Father, and in the very next sentence he reinforces the implicit opposition between “God” and “seraphim”, saying that the seraphim covered the face and feet of God. This circumstance made it possible to consider Origen’s warning remark as an interpolation of the blj. Jerome. This is probably the only place where Jerome deviated from the text he was translating. It is significant that this same interpretation is presented in a less detailed version in the treatise “On the Beginnings.” In the homily on Isaiah, questions related to Christology are raised several times. In Hom. 5. 1 Origen makes an important Christological statement: “The flesh of the Lord receives the honor of the Divinity.” This statement is not developed; Origen’s goal in this case is exegetical: if Christ is the hypostatic Truth and it is precisely this truth that is discussed in Isa. 41:2, then they require an explanation of the word “at His feet.” Origen offers the following interpretation: “feet” is a symbol of the Incarnation, God called Truth to the feet, i.e. He favored the Incarnation of the Son. Thus, Origen avoids a dangerous turn of thought: if Truth is the Logos, then the calling of Truth at the feet of God should indicate the official position of the Logos in relation to the Father. Origen gives a parallel passage that also talks about the “footstool.” This is the verse of Ps. 98.5. Origen gives the interpretation: the footstool of God should be worshiped, for the flesh of the Savior receives the honor of the Divine. “The Father called the Son, or rather, God - man, called the Truth at His feet, that is, the incarnation of His Son. That is why we worship His footstool, according to which it is written: “Worship His footstool, for it is holy” 30. For the flesh of the Lord receives the honor of the Divinity (deitatis).” It is significant that the anthropomorphistic image of the “feet of God” receives two different interpretations from Origen, both times Christological, and these two interpretations are in no way connected with each other. The theme of incarnation is also raised in Hom. 4. 1. Origen gives a Christological interpretation of Heb. 2:11: “For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from One. He who sanctifies is the Savior, who by human nature (juxta hoc quod homo est) becomes sanctified by God the Father (a Deo Patre accipiens sanctitatem).” Thus, Origen is not talking about the relationship between Christ and people, but about the relationship between the divine and human natures in Christ. Origen returns to this same issue at the end of Hom. 4.2, likening the flesh of Christ to the door, and the Word to “the door” (interpreting the words of Is. 6: “and the door was lifted up...”), however, this image remains unrevealed. In Hom. 3. 2 Ps. 23 is explained as a prophecy of the rapture, and the words of Ps. 23, 8 - like the exclamations of the angels meeting the ascending Christ: “Therefore He is the Messenger of the great council; therefore He became stronger and, having become stronger, He ascended; and the powers [heavenly] are amazed that He is lifted up, and they say about Him: “He is the Lord, mighty and mighty in battle.” Subsequently, this interpretation became a common exegetical topos. Of great interest is the statement about the multiple comings of Jesus Christ to earth. Origen gives a somewhat provocative formulation of this statement, but in content it has parallels with the doctrine of the revelation of God in the OT through Logos 31: “That coming of my Lord Jesus Christ, in which He descended to earth, is not the only one: He came to Isaiah, He came to Moses, He came to the people, He came to each of the prophets; and do not be afraid if He comes again, although He has already ascended into heaven.” When indicating discrepancies in the manuscript tradition, the following abbreviations are used 32: c-cod. Atrebat. 303, XIII century. l – code. Laudun. 299, 9th century m-cod. Paris. Mazarin. 556, XII century. p-cod. Pragensis V B 16, XIV-XV centuries. v – code. Vindobon. 3925, XV century w – code. Vatican. 212, XII century. Del. – edition Delarue 33 + word added in one manuscript or another >word omitted from one manuscript or another * (in the apparatus of discrepancies) means that the original is correct the reading in the manuscript was subsequently corrected by a copyist * (when referring to Scripture) indicates allusions not recognized in the GCS 8 edition The reconciliation and editing of the translation according to the GCS edition (with the use of text from PL/PG) was carried out by A. G. Dunaev, and a number of notes also belong to him (without specifying the boundaries of responsibility of the editor and translator). Homily first. First vision. “And it came to pass in the year of the death of King Uzziah: I saw the Lord sitting on a high throne.” 34 [And it came to pass in the year of the death of King Uzziah: I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the house was full of His glory. And the seraphim stood around Him; The one had six wings and the other six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they 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! And the door was lifted up by the voice of those shouting, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: oh, I am accursed, I am grieved, because I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people also of unclean lips, and with my eyes I have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts! 35 ] 36 I. While King Uzziah was alive, the prophet Isaiah could not see the vision. After all, Uzziah was a sinner, he committed evil in the eyes of the Lord 37 and transgressed the command of the divine law. He entered the church 38 and the Holy of Holies, but he was driven out of there into the courtyard because of this leprosy, so that he had to leave the city and find himself among the unclean. This means that such a ruler of the soul must die so that we can see the vision of God - after all, it is not for nothing that it is written: “In the year of the death of King Uzziah 39, I saw the Lord” 40. Uzziah, aka Pharaoh, lives in each of us, and we cannot breathe a [peaceful] sigh while working in Egyptian labor 41. When he dies, then let us breathe a sigh of peace, as it is written in Exodus. While Uzziah lives, we will not see the glory of God, 42 but with the death of Uzziah we will see it - as soon as he dies. This is precisely what is needed in order for His Word to reign in us, saying: “He has made me king,” 43, and wrath not reign. After all, there is also a king of sin. 44 Knowing this, the apostle said: “Therefore, let not sin reign in your mortal body.” 45 Unhappy is the man who is ruled by sin, the man who betrays himself to such a king, despising the kingdom of God and subordinating himself to pleasure. Therefore, the lover of pleasure does not love God, and the apostle says about such people: “They are more lovers of pleasure than lovers of God.” Moreover, this is not said about completely unbelievers, but about those who, although they are inside [the Church] (intrinsecus commorantur), “are more lovers of pleasure than lovers of God 46 , having a form of piety, but denying its power” 47 . All this is said in view of the death of King Uzziah, after which the prophet saw a vision, as he himself says. So what is the vision? "I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted" 48. Not everyone who sees the Lord sees Him sitting on a high and exalted throne. I know that another prophet also saw the Lord, and sitting on a throne - but not on a high and exalted one. Explaining Scripture 49, Daniel says: “Thrones are set” 50 - and that throne was not high. "I will come and sit in the valley of Jehoshaphat to judge the people" 51. So He sits in the valley, and it is in the valley that He will judge and condemn 52. It is another to see Him sitting on a high and exalted throne. And in Micah God comes out and descends 53. He also descends to see Sodom: “I will go down and see whether they have done exactly as they did, for what is their cry that ascends to Me.” 54 Thus, God is seen once above, and sometimes below, in accordance with the significance of the circumstances. So, Isaiah says: “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted.” If God appears to me as the Ruler of this world, I do not see Him on a throne, high and exalted. If He appears to me as the King of the heavenly powers, then I see Him as [Sitting] on a throne, high and exalted. full 58 of His glory." This glory fills the church on high where His throne is exalted. I believe that this is not the same glory that fills the earth 59, 60. "The Lord's earth and the fullness thereof" 61. However, you will not find the fullness of the glory of God in the present, but if someone builds a church for God, then the glory of God will be seen 62, and if someone creates the word 63, then the church will be full of the glory of God. But I don’t know if the church is filled with glory. If God permits, the next meeting will read a passage from the book of Leviticus that is relevant to our study: God has determined that something must happen in order to see the glory of the Lord 64 . If this does not happen, then the glory of God will not appear. But we will know this when [the relevant Scripture] is read. II. "And the seraphim stood around Him, six wings on one and six wings on the other" 65. I see two seraphim, and each of them has six wings. Immediately - [about] the location of the wings. Namely, with two wings they covered the face, not their own, but God’s; with the other two they covered their feet, not their own, but God's 66; the other two flew. According to what is written, [Scripture] seems to contradict itself: if they stood, they could not fly. In fact, it is written: “...They stood around Him, six wings on one, and six wings on the other: with two they covered their face, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew, and they called out to each other” 67 . But these seraphim, who are around God, who only with their minds (sola cognitione) say: “Holy, Holy, Holy” 68 - through this they keep the secret 69 of the Trinity, for they themselves are holy. After all, there is nothing more holy than They, Who are in everything. And it is not in vain (leviter) that they say to each other: “Holy, Holy, Holy,” but with a cry they proclaim the confession that saves everyone. Who are these two seraphim? My Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And do not think that the nature of the Trinity is heterogeneous, if the names speak of the ministries [of the Son and the Spirit] 70. They hid the face of God, because the beginning of God is unknown. But also the legs: what is the last thing perceptible in our God? Apparently only average. What happened before that, I don’t know. I perceive God from what is [in the present]. I don’t know what will come after this and what will come after. “Who told him?” - said Ecclesiastes 71 “Tell me what the first and last are, and I will say that you are gods,” said Isaiah 72. From this it follows that the one who will tell the past and be able to announce the future is God. So, who can proclaim this except [these two] Seraphim? Who can say: “Holy, Holy, Holy,” except the Seraphim? They discovered a certain part of God, so to speak, the middle of Him, and called out to each other, standing before God and saying: “Holy, Holy, Holy.” So They stand and They move, stand with God, move, revealing God 73 . Understand that They cover their faces, cover their feet, what is covered is motionless, those who fly and say: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” The coming of my Lord Jesus Christ is announced, and now, indeed, the whole earth is full of His glory. Or, probably, it is not yet full, but in the future it will be filled when the prayer is fulfilled, which the Lord Himself commanded us to pray to the Father, saying: “When you pray, say: “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.” Let Your kingdom come. Thy will be done both in heaven and on earth"" 74. Now the will of the Father abides in heaven, on earth His will has not yet been fulfilled, as Jesus Himself said, in accordance with the dispensation [in] the flesh (iuxta dispensationem carnis) 75 assumed by Him: “He has given Me all power, both in heaven [so] and on earth” 76 - not because He who had it in heaven had no power on earth, and [not because] He received something from the world [He] who came to his own 77, but so that they would believe in God on earth as they believe in Him in heaven - for this reason the man Christ assumed power, which he did not have before; and even to this day He does not yet have all power on earth. After all, He, of course, does not yet rule in those who sin; but when He is given power over them too, when everything is subjugated to Him, then power will reach its fullness 78 and He will pass on, subduing everything to Himself 79 . But some are still unwilling to submit to Him, yet they still submit to His enemies. We, in turn, will say: “Will not my soul submit (subdita erit 80) to God? For with Him is my salvation" 81. III. “And the two flew and cried to each other: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord 82 God of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.” And the upper lintel of the door (superliminare) was lifted up because of the voice with which they cried” 83: the voice of Jesus Christ and the voice of the Holy Spirit. If any of us hears the voice of those calling upon Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, the upper lintel of the door will be lifted, and it will be higher than it was then (when it was raised [in the vision of Isaiah]), for it is said: “Lift up the gates, your princes (principes vestri), 84 and be lifted up, O everlasting gates, and the King of glory will come in.”85 IV. "And the house was filled with smoke." seraphim, who was sent to take away his sins 89. One of the seraphim is my Lord Jesus Christ, who was sent by the Father for the forgiveness of our sins, and He says: “Behold, I have taken away your iniquities and cleansed your sins.” [from Scripture] Christ alone forgives sins, although it is clear that sins are forgiven by the Trinity. For he who believes in One believes in All. So let the tongs be brought to me from the heavenly altar, and let the tongs of the Lord touch my lips; if they touch my lips, they will cleanse them. And if they cleanse them and in every possible way remove (circumciderit) from vices, as we recently said, then I will open my mouth with the Word of God 90 and no alien and unclean preaching will come out of my mouth. For, being a man, I have unclean lips and dwell among a people who also have unclean lips. The Seraphim who was sent cleansed the mouth of the prophet, but did not cleanse the mouth of the people. [The Prophet] confessed that he himself had unclean lips and lived among a people who had unclean lips. But the seraphim who was sent did not consider the lips of those from the people worthy of cleansing; and that is why they still act wickedly, that is why they still deny my Lord Jesus Christ, they still curse Him with unclean lips. But I beg that the seraphim who has come will cleanse my lips. V. “And with mine eyes I saw the King, the Lord of Hosts.” Why don't we now tell a certain Jewish tradition - something plausible, although untrue - and reveal its explanation? Because of this [tradition], they say that Isaiah separated himself from the people as a man bending the law and proclaiming [something] contrary to the Scriptures. The Scripture says: “No one will see My face and live.” 91 And he [Isaiah] affirms: “I have seen the Lord of hosts.” “Moses,” they say, “I did not see, but did you see?” And because of this they rejected him and condemned him as wicked. After all, they did not know that the seraphim covered the face of God with two wings. "I saw the Lord." If Isaiah saw the face, then Moses saw it too 92 . Moses, as it is written, saw [God] from behind. So, he saw the Lord, although he did not see His face. And this [Isaiah] saw, although he did not see the face [of God]. So they judged the prophet unjustly. “And with my eyes I saw the King, the Lord of hosts, and one of the seraphim was sent to me.” That coming of my Lord Jesus Christ, in which He descended to earth, is not the only one: He came to Isaiah, He came to Moses, He came to the people, He came to each of the prophets; and do not be afraid if He comes again, although He has already ascended [to heaven]. That He came to people even before the present incarnation, listen to the Witness Himself, Who proclaims: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to you! how often have I wanted to gather your children together” 93. “How many times have I wanted to.” He does not say: “I have not seen you except at that coming,” but says: “How many times have I wanted to.” And speaking through each of the prophets, He says: “I, Christ, was the one who spoke through the prophets.” He said. And don't be afraid 94! Jesus Christ is being sent now. He doesn't lie. “I am with you,” says the Lord, “always, even to the end of the age” 95. He doesn't lie. “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them” 96. Therefore, since Jesus Christ is present here and the High Priest is ready and girded, [in order] to present our petitions to the Father (interpellationes 97), let us rise and offer sacrifices to the Father through Him. For He Himself is the propitiation for our sins 98 To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Homily two. “Behold, the Virgin shall conceive with womb” 99 [And the Lord continued to speak to Ahaz and said: Ask yourself a sign from the Lord your God in the depths or in the heights. And Ahaz said, I will not ask or tempt the Lord. And Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David: is it too little for you to trouble people, and how do you give labor to the Lord? Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Immanuel. He will eat butter and honey before he can discern the bad and choose the good 100] I. As for the speech, Ahaz acted timidly, having received the command to ask for a sign in the depths or in the heights, 101 and he stated the reason why he did not want to ask. After all, he said: “I will not ask or tempt the Lord” 102. For this timidity he was accused, and he was told: “Listen, house of David: is it not enough for you to trouble people, and how do you give labor to the Lord?” 103. Then this promise is pronounced: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and you will call His name Immanuel” 104 . Let this be explained, and we will turn to the rest, needing here also the grace of God to discover [the meaning]. [Ahaz] is commanded not only to ask for a sign, but for himself. For the word says: “Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God, whether in the depths or in the heights.” The promised sign is my Lord Jesus Christ. This is the sign that [Ahaz] is ordered to claim for himself in depth or in height. In the depths - because He is the One who came down. In height - because He is the One who ascended above all the heavens 105, 106. But this proposed sign will not bring me any benefit - my Lord Jesus Christ in depth and in height - if a mystery does not arise for me from His depth and height. When from the depth and height I perceive the mystery of Christ Jesus, then I will also receive a sign according to the command of the Lord, and it will be said to me 107 as having depth and height in myself: Do not say in your heart: who ascended 108 into heaven? that is, to bring Christ together. Or who descended 109 into the abyss? that is, to raise Christ from the dead. Your powerful word is near in your mouth and in your heart 110. So, we are all commanded to ask for this sign for ourselves, to benefit from the sign that the Lord gives in depth and in height. But if there is one who is capable of knowing through mental contemplation (rationabili contemplatione) 111, then he will comprehend that what is said: “In depth and in height,” is not said with opposition (non disjunctive), but means that He can do both. “Ask the Lord for a sign in the depths and in the heights.” The Apostle made a promise: “Let us comprehend what there is depth and height, and longitude and breadth 112, 113. “And Ahaz said: “I will not ask”” 114. He became an unbeliever; after all, [the prophet] said: “Ask for yourself 115.” 116. The people, up to this day, do not ask for a sign, therefore they do not have one, and give labor to God to the people who do not accept my Lord Jesus Christ. Another question immediately follows. Namely, when [Ahaz] says: “I will not ask or tempt the Lord,” - regarding the request for a sign as a temptation, then [the prophet] says: “Listen, house of David: Is it really not enough for you to trouble people, and how do you give labor to the Lord?” - but I believe that he who asks for a sign in depth or in height does not give labor to either God or people. After all, God’s work is the salvation of man. So, he who strives for salvation does not give labor to God. Of course, the one who - when the Lord bothers to save people - runs away from salvation and turns back from the Lord, gives labor to God. “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Immanuel.” The original (veritas exemplariorum) of this prophecy says: “You will name” 117. We know that Matthew then reads: “And they will call His name Immanuel” 118 . We cannot say that the prophet deserves less attention. How did this writing appear in the Gospel? Is it because someone did not understand [the meaning] and rushed to an easier [understanding] (as was done in many other cases) - or was the Gospel published with such a reading from the beginning (as, perhaps, someone will object)? Whoever wishes, let him judge. The prophet clearly writes: “And you will call His name Immanuel.” I know that someone, having read at the beginning of the Gospel scriptures: “And you will call His name Immanuel,” thought: “What does “you will call” mean? Who will name it? Ahaz. And how can Ahaz hear about the Savior, who came many generations later: “You will call His name Immanuel”? - and instead, that is, “you will name,” he wrote “they will name.” But look: it is not said to Ahaz: “And you shall call His name Immanuel,” but notice that this is clearly said to the house of David: “Hear, O house of David: is it not enough for you to trouble people, and how do you give labor to the Lord? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Immanuel.” But if we do not understand what has been said, we will not belittle any of this and we will not strive for an easier [understanding], but we will wait for the grace of God to give us an explanation of the issue through the enlightenment of knowledge; or, rather, the grace of God will enlighten us through whomever it pleases, so that we do not search further, and our question is resolved: after all, if we are rewarded with understanding from the Lord 120, then it will more likely 121 convict ourselves 122. So what is the house of David like? If Christ is David, as I have repeatedly demonstrated, then we, the Church of God, are the house of David; and it is said to us, the Church, that we should not give the Lord the 123 work mentioned above, but accept a sign when the Lord gives it. This is said to us, and not to the [earthly] house of David. And it is proclaimed that he who is the house of David shall call his name Immanuel; and in fact, at the coming of Christ, our Church alone says about Christ: “God is with us.” Now that this, by the grace of God, has been explained, we turn to other mysteries (aenigmata). II. “He will eat oil and honey.” 124 How is it foreshadowed that Christ will eat oil and honey? And if the Lord gives us an explanation of this [passage], then what follows will again bring us other questions 125. Oh, that we would all do what is written: “Search the Scriptures” 126! Much of the bodily food is named in the Scriptures instead of spiritual food. “Like newborn babes, love the things of words.” pure milk" 127. So, without a doubt, there is verbal milk, and we should look for milk of this kind. On the other hand, in Proverbs it is written about honey: “If you find honey, eat as much as you need, so as not to be full of it and not vomit with it.” 128. Did the Holy Spirit take care of the very honey about which it was determined whether we would be full of it? On the contrary, knowing the spiritual honey, the Holy Spirit says: “You have found honey, eat as much as you need.” But what did the Holy Spirit mean when he warned us that if we find honey (since it can be found), then we need to eat it as much as we need? “Go,” He says, “to the bee and learn how she creates.” 129 And we find that bees are prophets. They produce wax and make honey, and - if it behooves me to speak [so] boldly - their writings are the honeycombs that they left behind. And you go willingly 130 to the Scriptures, and you will find honey. But [it is said]: “Eat honey,” and Proverbs also says: “The honeycomb is good to sweeten your throat” 131. Do you think that this is the Holy Spirit saying: “Eat honey that is wholesome, for it is good”? 132 I dare not say that the Holy Spirit commands me something about bodily honey [in the words] "eat honey." I don’t have [honey] or, let’s say, by nature I cannot eat honey: for what reason does He say to me: “Eat honey and do not eat meat, but eat honey, O son, for it is good (bonum est enim)”? If someone ponders the divine sayings and feeds on the words of the Scriptures, then he fulfills the divine commandment, commanding 133: “Eat honey, O son”; and by fulfilling the commandment, he achieves (potitur) the following word: “for this is good (bonum est enim),” for the honey that is found in the Scriptures is good. The saying “go to the bee” is about the same thing. There is a certain, so to speak, Bee above the bees; and just as among the bees there is a certain king, about whom they say that he is a king (rex), so the Lord Jesus Christ is the King (princeps) of the bees, to whom the Holy Spirit sends me so that I may eat honey, for it is good, and so that His honeycombs will sweeten my larynx. And, perhaps, subtle letters are honeycombs, but honey is truly the meaning that is in them. Moreover, that Immanuel, who was born of the Virgin, eats butter and honey and asks Himself oil from each of us to eat. How exactly does He ask for oil and honey from each of us - [this] the word will teach. Our sweet labors, our most pleasant and useful conversations are the honey that Immanuel, who is the One born of the Virgin, tastes. Truly, if our conversations are full of bitterness, anger, insolence, despondency, foul language, vices, and argumentation, then poison appears in my mouth, and the Savior does not feed on these speeches. But the Savior eats from the speeches inherent in people, if their speech becomes honey. Let us confirm this from the Scriptures. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if anyone opens the door for Me, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” 134. So, He Himself promises that He will be our table companion, but it is true that we will also eat with Him if we taste Him. After all, He who partakes of our good speeches, deeds and understanding will, in His turn, feed us with His spiritual dishes, divine and best. Because it is good to receive the Savior through the open main gates of our heart, let us prepare honey for Him and His entire meal, so that He will lead us to the great table of the Father in the Kingdom of Heaven, which is in Christ Jesus, to Whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen 135. Homily three. About seven women [And seven women will take hold of one man and say: we will eat our own bread and put on our own clothes, only let us be called by your name, take away the shame from us 136. And a Branch will come out of the root of Jesse, and a flower will come from its root. And the Spirit of God will rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and piety. The Spirit of the fear of God will fill Him 137 ] I. Seven women suffer shame and surround, asking for marriage, the one who is able to remove the shame from them. These seven wives promise that they will eat their own bread and wear their own clothes. They do not need his bread, but his name, which can remove their shame 138. They do not need the clothes of the person they claim. They have more clothes than [this] person can provide them with. Their food is more refined than what human nature can afford. So, it is worthy to find out who these seven wives belong to and what is their shame. The seven wives represent one - the Spirit of God 139. And this one is seven. For the Spirit of God is “the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength 140, the spirit of knowledge and piety, the spirit of the fear of the Lord” 141, 142. This wisdom suffers shame from many wise men who are puffed up in themselves. This true understanding endures shame from [people] who understand falsely. This great advice is insulted by many unwholesome advice. This fortress is slandered by some [other] who swears that it is a fortress without being one. This knowledge suffers shame from some false knowledge 143 that steals its name. This piety is reproached by those who, calling themselves piety, are wickedness and instruct the wicked. This fear suffers shame from fear that only imagines itself as such. Many claim that they have the fear of God, but this fear is not rational 144, 145. Let us therefore consider how these seven suffer shame. Look at the wisdom of this age, look at the wisdom of the rulers of this world 146, [look] how they reproach the wisdom of my Christ and insult the wisdom of true Judaism 147, according to which we are spiritually circumcised, and they are cut off 148. Therefore, understand how the wisdom of this age and the rulers of this world speak evil of [true] wisdom; and because of this, a person is sought who will remain with these seven spiritual women 149 in order to remove their reproach. In reality, [only] one person 150 , 151 removes the shame from them. Who is this man? Jesus, who was made according to the flesh 152 from the root of Jesse 153 , was born 154 of the seed of David according to the flesh, the predestinated Son of God with power 155 according to the Spirit of justification 156 . For the rod 157 came out of the root of Jesse 158 . The rod is not the Firstborn of all creation 159, the rod is not the One who in the beginning was God the Word to God 160; but this is the rod of the root of Jesse, of whom He was a descendant according to the flesh. A rod came out of the root of Jesse, and a flower came up from his root. Who is the flower and who is the root? Both refer to the same thing, but there is a difference in the circumstances. For if you are a sinner, then you have no flower, and you will not see the flower of the root of Jesse. But the rod will also come to you, as the disciple of the rod and the flower says. Here he announces the rod: “What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod..." 161. And about the flower: “...or with the love of God and the spirit of meekness?” 162. So, from the root of Jesse came a rod 163 for the one who is subject to punishment, for the one who should be rebuked, a rod for the one who needs admonishment; and the flower is for one who is already experienced and certainly does not need harsh correction or punishment, but for one who is already capable of blooming and bearing perfect fruit 164 . For first comes the flower, and after the flower comes the pistil (virga) and the fruit. A rod came out from the root of Jesse, and a flower came up from his root 165. And the seven women will rest (requiescent), the Spirit of God, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding will rest 166 on Him 167, 168. For the Spirit of wisdom did not rest on Moses, the Spirit of understanding did not rest on Joshua, the Spirit of wisdom did not rest on any of the prophets, on Isaiah, on Jeremiah. II. And may you not stone me as a blasphemer, while I want to glorify my Lord Jesus Christ, but carefully follow what is said, and you will see that the Spirit did not rest on any of the prophets - not because He did not come to any of them, but because He did not rest on anyone. He came upon Moses, but Moses did not believe [God] after the Spirit of Wisdom came to him. “Listen,” he said, “you stubborn ones: will I really bring water out of this stone for you?” 169. [The Spirit] came upon all the righteous, and came upon Isaiah, but what does [the prophet] say? “I have unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips” 170. The Spirit of wisdom came after those tongs 171 and the fire, came to him who had unclean lips, but did not rest. Having used the prophet as a servant, He still did not rest. He has obstacles (tribulatur) in coming to any of the people. For every person sins, and there is no righteous person on earth who does good and does not sin 172 . No one is free 173 from uncleanness, and if his life is not one day, then his months 174 are numbered. So He does not rest on anyone. We can prove from the Gospel that the Spirit descended on many [people], but did not rest (requiescit) on them. Quite shortly before this, it was read: “My Spirit will not remain (non permanebit 175) in these people forever” 176. He doesn’t say “he won’t,” but “he won’t stay.” John saw the only one in whom the Spirit remained, and the following sign was [revealed]: “On whom you will see the Spirit descending and resting (manentem) on Him, he is the Son of God.” Here [for example, someone] served the Word of God when the Spirit descended; but after a little [time] he [already] sins, a little later he speaks wicked words; Yes, I don’t even know if he would have remained without sin. Do you think it is possible to sin when the Spirit is present? So, the Spirit of God did not remain on anyone [else], according to what is written: “A rod went out from the root of Jesse, and a flower came up from its root, and the Spirit of God rested on it, the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength.” Therefore He is the Angel of great counsel; therefore He was strengthened, and being strengthened, He ascended; and the powers [heavenly] are amazed that He is lifted up, and say about Him: “He is the Lord, mighty and mighty in battle” 177 . So, I will still speak about Him who ascended into heaven, or about His power: “And the spirit of counsel and strength rests on Him”; “The Lord is my strength and my glory, and He has appeared to me for salvation.” So, the Spirit of God rested on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and piety, and the Spirit of the fear of God will fill Him 178 . III. So, [these] women ask for the person they claim and surround him with seven. First of all, it is important for us to find out when seven women will take up (recipiant) for one man. - When the strongholds of Jerusalem are humiliated 179, when their caskets weep for the ornaments of 180 daughters of Zion 181, when [Jerusalem] is left alone, when she is thrown to the ground 182, then seven women will take hold of one man, saying: “We will eat our own bread and put on our own clothes, only let us be called by your name” 183. Thus the seven wives of the One Man, Jesus Christ our Lord, will seize Him and truly hold Him: in accordance with this the man is interpreted, in accordance with this He was born, in accordance with this He took on a body. Seven women will take hold of one man, saying: “We will eat our own bread.” Many men pass by, and none of them are held back by [these] women, not a single person is pleasing to them. After all, they do not seize one man because of a lack of men; it is not because the man they desire is rare that they ask for such a thing; They are looking for one and only Man, Whom they seized in order to say to Him: “We will eat our own bread and put on our own clothes.” There is a certain food of wisdom and, in a similar way, a certain food of reason and other spirits. What food is this? I am not afraid to say that there is other food besides [that which] these [spirits] have; Of course, my food is the word (sermo) of God, which says: “I am the living Bread that came down from heaven 184 and I give life to the world” 185. Thus, the Bread of wisdom is the Father Himself, [we affirm this] on the basis of these [words]: “My bread is [that] I should do the will of Him who sent Me, that I might complete His work” 186 . And one should not think that wisdom and understanding, as well as other spirits, lack anything because they have other food, since every good gift has one common food - the nature of God 187 . “We will eat our own bread and put on our own clothing.” There is a certain beautiful vestment (ornatus) of Wisdom 188 with which we adorn ourselves. Wisdom is clothed in word (ornata est sermone). These women each wear their own jewelry 189. “Let us only be called by your name 190, remove the shame from us.” What is the name of wisdom? - Jesus. What does it mean: “Let us be called by your name”? – “I am wisdom, I want to be called by Your Name, so that I, wisdom, may be called Jesus, just as wisdom, and great counsel, and strength, and knowledge, and piety, and the fear of God, may be called Jesus, so that Your name may become all in all 191. Let us be called by your name, remove the shame from us.” And indeed Jesus took away the shame. Therefore, having risen, let us pray to God, who sent this Man - and the spirit of the seven women rested on Him 192 - that this Man would give us fellowship with those women, so that, claiming them, we would become wise, understanding in God and men, 193 equipping our souls with virtues in Christ Jesus, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen! 194 [ And the seraphim stood around Him; The one had six wings and the other six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they 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! And the door was lifted up by the voice of those shouting, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: oh, I am accursed, I repent, because I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people also of unclean lips, and with my eyes I have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts! And one of the seraphim was sent to me, and in his hand he had a burning coal, which he took with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: Behold, this has touched your mouth, and will take away your iniquities and cleanse your sins 196] I. It is impossible to have a beginning with God. You will not grasp the beginning of divine actions (principium motus 197 Dei), and I do not say “you,” but neither does anyone else, nor anything else that exists. Only the Savior and the Holy Spirit, Who have always been with God, see the face of Ero 198; and, perhaps, the angels, who always see the face of the Heavenly Father 199, also see the beginnings of things. But the seraphim also hide [God’s] feet from people, for people are not able to tell what the final [destiny of the world] is. “Who will announce the last one?” 200 - says Scripture 201. What we can see (if only we were allowed to see something!) is the average. We don’t know what happened before the world, but there was something before the world! We certainly will not comprehend what comes after this world, but after this world there will be something else. So, what is written: “In the beginning God created heaven and earth, but the earth was invisible and disordered, and darkness was over the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters” 202 is understandable (apprehenduntur 203): these were the world’s 204 ˒ 205 waters, which were enlivened by the Spirit of God. But the darkness that was over the abyss was also not without beginning. Both were created out of nothing 206. Listen to what the Lord says in [the book of] Isaiah: “I am God, who made the light and created darkness” 207. Listen to Wisdom, who proclaims in Proverbs: “I was born before all the deeps” 208. These [darkness and abyss] were not 209 uncreated, but when or how they were generated (nata sint), I do not know. The beginnings of the works of God, that is, the face of God, are hidden by the seraphim; in the same way, the feet. Who can tell what will endure forever after the final age? Promising to give an understanding of these things is typical of talkative and ignorant people, for a person can only grasp what is in the middle. And what will happen after the world until the end at the Judgment, [knowledge] about punishments, about retribution - much of this is also hidden from us, as Scripture says about it: “With two [wings] they covered the face.” But they not only covered, but also covered, that is, they covered in such a way that neither the “First” was visible in the slightest degree - I mean the face - nor anything of the “Last” was known - I mean His feet. "Two flew." The average is open to contemplation. “And they called upon one another,” not one to many (alter ad plures), but to one another (alter ad alterum). For no one can truly hear about the holiness (sanctitudinem) of God proclaimed by the Savior except the Holy Spirit; and about the indwelling [in the world] holiness (sanctimoniam) of God, proclaimed by the Holy Spirit, no one can [hear] except the Savior alone. Because of this, they called out to each other and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” It is not enough for them to cry “Holy” neither once 210 nor twice, but they accept the perfect number of the Trinity in order to reveal the multitude of the holiness of God, which is the repeated community of triple holiness: with the holiness of the Father is united 211 the holiness of the Son and the Holy Spirit. For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from One 212. He who sanctifies is the Savior, who by human nature (juxta hoc quod homo est) receives holiness from God the Father. Thus they say: “Holy, Holy, Holy 213 is the Lord of Hosts,” - [the name] “Hostes” is translated (as Aquila translated) “Lord of hosts.” II. “The whole earth is full of His glory.” Previously, the church was full of glory 214, but now the seraphim proclaim to those on earth that [the time] is coming when Christ will fill the whole earth with the glory of God 215. Of course, in all who glorify God in the way they live, His glory abides, and thus the whole earth is full of the glory of God. Previously, not the whole earth was full of the glory of God, but only a single corner of the earth, when it was said: “God is known in Judea, His great name is in Israel” 216. Glory to God, who sent His Son 217 to make the whole earth full of His glory. But what will it give you if the earth is full of the glory of God for the sake of the blessed churches [of people] that are everywhere, and you are not a partaker of the glory of the fullness of God 218? So, you too, work and try in everything, seeking the glory of God, so that it may settle and find a place in you, so that you, along with the whole earth in which the glory of God abides, become full of His glory. How is the fullness of God's glory revealed through each of us? If what I do, what I say, will be done for the glory of God, then my speech and action become the glory of God. If both my exit and my entrance are for the glory of God, if my food, if my drink, if everything I do is accomplished for the glory of God, then I too am a partaker of what is said: “The earth is full of His glory.” So, when I have done all this, the door will rise from the voice 219 with which they cried 220. Therefore, it is good for each of us to work in such a way as to become a partaker of the door and above the door, that is, in the meaning (juxta intellectum), of Christ God 221. And I do not consider it obscene 222 for the flesh to be called a “door” 223 and the Word “above the door.” III. “The door was lifted up by the voice of those shouting, and the house was filled with smoke,” 224 that good smoke 225 from the glory of God. “And I said: “Oh, I am damned, for I repent”" 226. Before you saw the vision, did you not recognize yourself as a damned person, O Isaiah? Doesn't he say: “While Uzziah lived, [then] I did not feel that I was damned. I begin to know that I am cursed when I see a vision, when the leper King Uzziah died for me, and I say: “Oh, I am cursed!” Now I begin to confess to the Lord and say about myself: “Oh, I’m damned!” - just like Isaiah says: “Oh, I am accursed!” In almost the same way the apostle says: “Poor man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?” 227. So, it’s good for me to admit that I’m unhappy. If I humble myself and cry in repentance for my sins, then God will listen to me and give me a Liberator, and I will proclaim thanksgiving to God through Jesus Christ our Lord 228. Let us tell the truth from [their] heart: “I am a damned one.” Let everyone remember the reasons for their misfortunes and [their] mistakes, and let us say, standing up for prayer - remembering [sins] as confessed, and forgetting as no longer committing - and let us say: “I am wretched, I repent.” He did not repent before he saw the vision, before Uzziah died; when he begins to lament, he immediately says: “I repent.” If someone does not feel in his inner man that he is a sinner, he does not repent; but just as, let’s say, you thrust a goad into the bodily (exteriora 229) members - and the dead body does not feel it - the same thing [will happen] if you apply divine words to a sinner who has been killed by sin and does not show repentance, who does not grieve, and does not repent, and does not have the sorrow that makes confession 230 [sins], the sorrow that is according to God 231. But if someone who wants to be saved hears the words of someone who denounces and accuses him, he immediately says: “Oh, I’m damned.” It is not enough to say “I am damned”: to this one should add “for I repent.” Oh, that we would repent longer! For the more we repent, the more the shackles of sins will be loosened for us. Because of this, that Ahab did not gain much benefit, for he did not repent much, but he repented, moreover, only once. That is why it is said: “See how Ahab repented!” 232. And the one who does not stop repenting will say, like the apostle: “I am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” 233. And [more]: “To me, the least of all saints, this grace was given” 234. And [more]: “God is faithful that Jesus Christ 235 came into this world to save sinners, of whom I am the first” 236. You see how he repents a lot - and not just once, but constantly - and writes, and speaks, and shows in deeds that he repents, just like Isaiah in this [case], who says: “Oh, I am accursed, I repent, because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people also of unclean lips.” Notice 237 something else: Isaiah’s sins were not in deeds, but only in words (sermonibus). So he says, “Because I am a man of unclean lips.” For there was also a people of unclean lips; It was not proper for him to accuse the people and name their many sins besides uncleanness of lips. IV. “And with my eyes I saw the King, the Lord of Hosts.” 238 Thinking about God, but still remaining sinners, we say the same thing that the prophet is now saying: “And one of the seraphim was sent to me.” How good God is! For,” He says, “I hear Isaiah confessing, because he said: “Oh, wretched am I,” - for I hear the repentant one, he says: “I I repent,” since he announced his own mistakes, saying: “I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people also of unclean lips.” And while he is still speaking, I say: “Here I am” 239.” "And one of the seraphim was sent to me, and in his hand he held a coal." A coal was sent down to the prophet, so that through cauterization with fire his lips, which had previously sinned, would be cleansed. Who is this one of the seraphim? My Lord Jesus Christ: He was sent according to the dispensation [in] the flesh, having a coal in His hand and saying: “I came to bring down fire on the earth, and if it had already been kindled!” 240 V. “And one of the seraphim was sent to me, and in his hand he had a coal, which he took with tongs from the altar” 241. The prophet is not cleansed by every fire, not simply and not by chance, but by what is from the altar of God. If you are not purified by fire from the altar, then that [fire] about which it is said: “Depart from Me into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil (Zabulo) and his angels” will remain for you. This is not the fire from the altar. All must be consigned to fire, but not all to one fire: for some the fire awaits from the altar, for others the fire prepared for the devil and his angels. So, let the convicting word touch the lips of our mind and soul, so that we say: “And he touched my lips.” If I cleanse my mouth so that nothing idle, nothing stupid, nothing shameful, nothing buffoonish, or - to put it all in one name - say nothing forbidden, then we can say: “He touched my lips.” And the longer my lips are unclean, and because of sinful words and my deeds are unclean, the longer the fire from the altar will not touch my lips and one of the seraphim will not be sent to me. VI. And he said: “Behold, this has touched your mouth, and taken away your iniquities, and cleansed your sins 243 244.” Let the divine word (sermo) sting us, let us make our souls burn. Let us say, having heard [this word]: “Did not our heart burn within us?” 245. So that our iniquities, and sins, and the actions of this world may be taken away, with clean lips, a pure heart, and a pure conscience, let us give thanks to Almighty God in Christ Jesus, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Homily fifth. About what is written: “Who raised up truth from the east” 246 - and again about seeing differently [Who raised up righteousness from the east, called it to His feet, and it will go? Will he give (it) before the nations, and amaze kings, and cast down their swords and their bows to the ground like stalks blown by the wind? 247 And it came to pass in the year of the death of king Uzziah: I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the house was full of his glory. And the seraphim stood around Him; The one had six wings and the other six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they 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! And the door was lifted up by the voice of those shouting, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: oh, I am accursed, I am grieved, because I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people also of unclean lips, and with my eyes I have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts! 248] I. The Prophet says that [Christ] is living Righteousness, and we believed that the Apostle alone said that Christ is Righteousness Sanctification, Redemption and Wisdom 249 - but perhaps the Apostle himself, thanks to prophetic instruction, learned that Righteousness is animated and living. Who is this Righteousness? – The Only Begotten Son of God 250. For [the teaching] that Christ is Righteousness, and a living, hypostatic (subsistentem) Righteousness, does not originate from the Apostle. You will find in the prophetic sayings that this mystery is already revealed to us there. This [follows] reliably from the chapter on which the reading now stops: “Who,” says [the prophet], “raised up righteousness from the east and called it to his feet?” 252 “Called the truth.” It is clear that she is animated if she walks while being summoned. The Father called Christ, therefore, for the sake of our salvation, He made the journey to us and came down from heaven to us. No one has ascended to heaven except the Son of Man who descended from heaven 253. [The Father] called Him from the east: not from this sensible [east], but from the east of the true light 254. That is why it is written: “Who raised up righteousness from the east and called it to his feet?” The Father called the Son, or more precisely, God, the man, called the Truth at His feet, that is, the incarnation of His Son. That is why we worship His footstool, according to what is written: “Worship His footstool, for it is holy.”255 After all, the flesh of the Lord receives the honor of the Divine. But since the beginning of the reading needs a more sublime interpretation, let us pray to the highest King that the word, which, having been called, left 256, will return to us again, so that we, according to our capabilities, may expound in detail. II. “And it came to pass in the year of the death of King Uzziah: I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the house was full of His glory. And the seraphim stood around Him; The one had six wings and the other six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they 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!” – and so on. But in order for us to see the vision of Isaiah, let us call on Jesus, who gave eyes to the blind. After all, He can now come and make us look closely with open eyes at what was said during the reading of the sacrament 257; We promise Him no longer to make the body of Christ the body of a harlot 258 and not to do deeds worthy of mourning. Let each of us turn to the Lord from the heart in this way, and let us pray that His coming will take place now. Unless Jesus comes, we will not be able to consider these [words]. I cry for the seraphim to be sent to me and cleanse my mouth with the coal taken by the tongs; Why do I say “mouth”? – Isaiah was holy, and only his lips were cleansed, since he was guilty only with his lips, that is, in his word. I am not such a person that I can say that [only] my lips are unclean, but I am afraid that I might also have an unclean heart, unclean eyes, unclean ears, and an unclean face. As long as I sin in all this, I am completely unclean. If I look at a woman with lust, then I am already committing adultery with her in my heart 259: these are unclean eyes. If evil thoughts, adultery, fornication, false witness 260 emanate from my chest, then that is an unclean heart. “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news, who bring good news!” 261 But I am afraid that my feet are unclean, because I am running towards evil. I stretch out my hands to the Lord 262, and He, perhaps turning away His face, says: “If you stretch out your hands, I will turn My face away from you” 263. So who will cleanse me? Who will wash my feet? Come, O Jesus, my feet are unclean, become a servant for my sake, pour Your water into Your laver, come, wash my feet 264. I know that I speak rashly, but I am afraid of the threat of the Speaker: “If I do not wash your feet, you have no part with Me” 265. Therefore wash my feet, that I may have a part with You. But why do I say “wash my feet”? So Peter can say - he did not need anything except washing his feet, because he was completely clean 266. And I, having already been washed once, need that baptism about which the Lord speaks: “I have another baptism to baptize” 267 . Why did we say this? I am preparing both myself and my listeners for great mysteries, if only the word (sermo) of God will come to us. For I am afraid that it will avoid me and reject my blessing. Once upon a time the word left the people because of one [only] sinner, Achar; yea, because of one [only] Achar the sinner, the son of Zimri, the son of Zara, from the tribe of Judah, who ceased to obey God and was excommunicated for this 268 . And since today there are many people because of Friday 269 (and especially [there are many people] on the Day of the Lord 270), which is the remembrance of the suffering of Christ (after all, the resurrection of the Lord is celebrated more than once a year and not always after eight days), then pray to Almighty God that His word will come to us. Pray to the Lord, even if you are sinners. God listens to sinners. Or are you afraid of what is said in the Gospel: “We know that God does not listen to sinners” 271? – Don’t be afraid, don’t believe! The man who said this was blind 272. But trust more in the One who says and does not lie: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as wool; and if you are willing and obey Me, you will eat the good things of the land” 273. If even now you want to obey, then let us pray together to the Lord, so that at least now, with the coming of the Word, we will be able to pay [attention] to the prophetic sayings 274. III. “And it came to pass in the year of the death of King Uzziah: I saw the Lord sitting on a high throne” 275 . Inscribed: "Vision" 276. Why is the time of the king 277 noted? Notice the timing of the vision: when King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the Lord of hosts sitting on a high throne. If any of us knows who Uzziah was and what he did, then he can know what the prophet taught in the Spirit, which reveals to us the divine word. I will turn to the life of King Uzziah and try to find his story in the books of Kings 278 and Chronicles, and there I will see what is necessary - if it happens that I see the Lord of Hosts sitting on a high throne - for King Uzziah to die for me. This Uzziah came from the seed of David and reigned among the people of Judah; and while Zechariah, who understood 279, lived (as it is written in the Second Book of Chronicles), Uzziah did what was right in the sight of the Lord 280. Moreover, he made great lamps for the Lord and rebuilt the church of God, and his virtues in religion were numerous. But when Zechariah, who understood, died, then he did evil. Do you want to know what the evil did? He was a king, not a priest. Another rank is royal, and another rank is priestly. He wanted to enter the church, take the place of the priest and do a deed that was not allowed to him. He entered ahead of the priests and took the libation vessel. And the high priest, who was present at that time, entered in, and the eighty priests with him; the high priest turned to him: “Are you not Uzziah, and not the priest?” But he remained adamant in his violence, and leprosy arose on his forehead; the dead man was thrown out, taken out of the church, the Lord brought him out 282. So he became a leper because of breaking the law. Everyone is under the power of either sin or righteousness 283. If I am ruled by sin, then I am one of the kings of Israel who forcibly entered the church. If I am righteous to the extent of my age 284 ˒ 285 and do what is right and constant in the sight of the Lord, then righteousness rules me. Truly, while the leper lived, Isaiah had unclean lips; While the enemy lived, Isaiah could not see the Lord of hosts, and his lips were unclean, for he was under the [power of] a hostile king. When did he begin to contemplate the vision of God? In the year of Uzziah's death. You will be able to say similar things about many [other] Scriptures, if God permits. In Exodus, in the same way, something is written: “After those days [those] the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed, and their cry went up to God” 286 . While Pharaoh lived, the children of Israel did not sigh and, given over to punishment, could not even groan 287, because there lived a king who ordered them to make bricks and chaff 288. While Pharaoh lived, they did not sigh to God; when Pharaoh died, then they gained the strength to lift their faces, wet with sobs. The evil king lives in our heart (pectore) while the devil Pharaoh (Pharao Zabulus) lives. Then we labor over bricks and chaff, and then we silently swallow our tears and commit the first acts of iniquity. When he dies - when the Lord visits us - then we will sigh to the Lord. Therefore, let us pray that the kingdom of sin, which resides in our mortal body 289, perishes. After all, “sin,” says [the apostle], “died, but I came to life,” and vice versa: “Sin came to life, but I died” 290. When Uzziah, who controls the kingdom of sin, dies, then Pharaoh dies. When the worst king dies, I lift up my eyes to heaven 291, and God listens to my voice 292 like Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and I see the Lord of hosts, sitting and reigning on a high throne, whom the people do not see. After all, [to the people] Uzziah is not yet dead. I want to show something similar from the opposite, good side: this same Uzziah, while Zechariah lived who understood, did not sin in the eyes of God 293, 294. When Zechariah died, he turned away from the Lord 295 as soon as he took possession of the people and began to rule the city 296. Reading this day and night and hearing the Lord say: “You should have put My silver into circulation, and I, having come, would have received it with profit” 297 - let us not tie the received mina 298 into a scarf and we will not give the silver into circulation 299, but we will lend it to the people. And when we entrust you with the divine meaning, then it will be seen how you will return what you have entrusted in abundance. Amen! Homily sixth. About what is written: “Whomever I will send, and whoever will go...”, right down to the place where it is said: “... and they will be converted, and I will heal them.” [And I said: oh, I am accursed, I am grieved, because I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people also of unclean lips, and with my eyes I have seen the King, the Lord of hosts! And one of the seraphim was sent to me, and in his hand he had a burning coal, which he took with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said, Behold, this has touched your mouth, and it will take away your iniquities and cleanse your sins. And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Whom will I send, and who will go to this people? And I said: here I am, send me. And He said, Go and tell this people: You will hear with your ears and not understand, and you will look with your eyes and not see. For the heart of this people is hardened, and they hear with difficulty with their ears, and they close 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 300] I. Isaiah, seeing the Lord of hosts seated on a throne, high and exalted, and seeing also the seraphim standing around him, and receiving the remission of sins through the fire brought from the altar and cleansing his lips with a touch, says that he heard the voice of the Lord, who did not command, but urged and said: “Whom will I send, and who will go to this people?” Then [the prophet] says that he answered the Lord: “Here am I, send me.” 301 Having stopped at this point and delving into what is written, I find that Moses and Isaiah acted differently. After all, Moses, having been chosen for the exodus of the people from the land of Egypt, said: “Look for another whom You would send” 302 - and he seems to contradict the Lord. Isaiah, not being chosen, but hearing: “Whom will I send, and who will go,” he says: “Here am I, send me.” So, it is appropriate to compare the spiritual with the spiritual 303 and find out which of the two did better: Moses, who, after being chosen, objected; or Isaiah, who, not being chosen, himself came to be sent to the people. After all, I don’t know whether anyone, noticing the contrast in actions observed in both, can say that Moses did the same thing as Isaiah. So, I venture to compare two holy and blessed men, passing judgment and saying that Moses acted with more honor than Isaiah. After all, Moses, having taken into account the greatness of leading the people in order to bring them out of the land of Egypt and to counteract the spells 304 and the atrocities of the Egyptians, therefore says: “Look for another whom You would send.” But this [Isaiah], without waiting to hear what he would be ordered to say, as if he had already been chosen, says: “Here,” he says, “I am, send me.” For not knowing what would be ordered to him, he said: “Here I am, send me,” and he was ordered to say something that was not favorable to the speaker. Wasn’t it unfavorable to immediately prophesy according to the command, starting with reproof: “You will hear by hearing and will not understand, and you will look with your eyes and will not see. For the heart of this people has grown coarse,” and the rest 305. Consequently (if it is permissible to express it directly), he received payment for his rashness and courage - the command to say what he did not want to prophesy. But since we compared Isaiah and Moses, we will make another, most appropriate, comparison of Isaiah and Jonah. Jonah is sent to preach about the overthrow of Nineveh in three days, and he, who does not want to [become] the cause of misfortune for the city, is ashamed to go [there] 306. The same one, without waiting for him to be ordered to speak, said: “Here I am, send me.” It is good not to strive for what is from God: virtues, primaries and church ministries 307. Let us be like Moses and say with him: “Look for another whom You would send.” After all, the one who wants to be saved came to the Church not to dominate her (even if he is in charge), but to serve her; if it is necessary to say [in words] from the Gospel: “The rulers of the nations rule over them, and those who have power among them are called dignitaries. But let it not be so among you, and let no rulers rule among you, but whoever wants to be greatest among you will be least of all. He who wants to be first will be the very last among all 308 "309. Consequently, the one called to the episcopate is not called to leadership, but to the service of the entire Church. If you want to be convinced from the Scriptures that in the Church the one who is in front should be the slave of everyone, then let the Savior and Lord Himself convince you, who was like that and only like that among the disciples - not as a reclining, but as a servant 310. Taking a towel, after After taking off His clothes, He girded Himself and, pouring water into a basin, began to wash the feet of the disciples and dry them with the towel with which He was girded. 311 And instructing what leaders should be like servants, He said: “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and say well, for [such am I] then, if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, then you also. should wash each other's feet" 312. So, the head of the Church is called to serve, so that from this service he can come to the heavenly throne, as it is written: “You will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” 313. Truly, listen to Paul, such a brilliant man, who says that he became a slave of all believers: “For I,” he says, “the least of the apostles, am not worthy to be called an apostle, for I persecuted the Church of God” 314. If this seems to confirm only his humility, but not his service, then listen to what he says next: “We were quiet among you, like a nurse cherishes her children, although we could have been important as the apostles of Christ.” So, it is useful for us to be imitators of the humble words and deeds of the Lord Himself and His apostles and to act like Moses, so that if someone is called to leadership, he would say: “Look for another one to send You.” [Moses] says to God: “I am not worthy [of this] either yesterday or the third day. I have a weak voice and tongue-tied.” And since he humbly said to God: “I am weak in voice and tongue-tied,” he heard from God: “Who gave a mouth to man, and who makes him deaf and dumb, seeing and blind? Am I not the Lord God? 316 Believe in God, devote yourself to Him. Even if you have a weak voice and a slow tongue, surrender to the word of God. Afterwards you will say: “I opened my mouth and attracted the spirit” 317. All this is about what Isaiah said: “Here am I, send me.” II. Let us, however, [look] from [the prophet] and with him. When he had already received grace from God, he did not want to take it in vain, but to use it when necessary. Seeing the seraphim, seeing the Lord of Hosts sitting on a high and ascended throne, he said: “Oh, I am accursed, I am grieved, because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people also of unclean lips, and with my eyes I have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts!” Saying this and lamenting, he deserves help, since God accepted his humility. What kind of help is this? “One of the seraphim was sent,” he says, “to me, and in his tongs was the coal that he had brought from the altar, and he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, I have taken away your iniquities and cleansed your sins.”318 As a result of a good deed, it was erected pure and accepting remission of sins. When he heard: “Whom will I send to this people 319, and who will go for Us?”, he dared to say: “Here am I, send me,” not because of his original [clear] conscience, but because he heard: “Behold, I have taken away your iniquities.” Therefore, since the saints lament 320 [over their shortcomings] and the [comparison] between Moses and Isaiah is examined, let us be content [with a decision] in favor of both Moses and Isaiah, giving each of the Scriptures its own portion. Moses did not receive remission of sins to say, as [a man] already conscious of himself as purified: “Send me,” - instead of which he says: “Look for another whom You would send” (after all, he had on his conscience the murder of an Egyptian 321); on the other hand, perhaps he realized that as a person he also had some other sins, because of which he refused. The same [Isaiah] asks for service not as one who is righteous by nature, but as one who has acquired grace. So Moses, if he had first received such grace and heard: “Behold, I have taken away your iniquities,” and this: “I have cleansed your sins,” then probably he would never have said: “Look for another whom You would send.” So, it is not without reason that Moses refuses [the call], and Isaiah says: “Here am I, send me.” III. Let us, however, also consider what exactly the Lord commanded to say to the people: “Go and tell the people: You will hear with your ears and will not understand, and you will see with your eyes and will not see. For the heart of this people is hardened, and they hear with difficulty with their ears, and they close their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return, that I may heal them." 322 Knowing that the words 323 [should] be perceived in two ways, 324 and realizing that there are two institutions in them, that is, one bodily and the other spiritual, [Isaiah] addresses the people, preaching about the future events of the coming of Christ, since the time will come when they [the Jews] will hear and will not understand this, for when they heard my Lord Jesus Christ, they heard only the sound of the words, but did not [understand their] meaning. This is clear from the fact that outwardly He spoke to the people in parables, but secretly explained them to the disciples. He prophesies what has come true: “You will hear by hearing, but will not understand.” Subsequently, the Savior Himself says that this was foretold to the people about the Coming of the Lord: “Isaiah prophesied well about you, saying: “You will hear by hearing and will not understand.” 325 Therefore, let us admit that the listening people were not able to recognize the words of the Lord spoken to them. But let's see what comes next: "And you will see with your eyes and will not understand." When someone saw what the Savior did, he could not immediately understand the meaning of what was happening. Let's look at an example. He washed the feet of the disciples, and they clearly saw how the Teacher washed the feet of the disciples. Others present also saw [this], but only what was happening, and not why it was happening 326, for [this] was like the washing of feet 327 with which the Word of God washed the feet of the disciples. Therefore, the Savior said to Peter, who refused and said: “You will not wash my feet,” what did he say? 328 “What I do, you do not know now, but you will understand later” 329. “But what are you doing now? - says Peter. “I see You washing our feet, and [I see] a vessel set up, You girded with a towel, and serving us, and wiping our feet.” This action was not genuine 330, but in fact the Savior, having unmasked himself, poured spiritual water into a vessel according to the Scriptures and washed the feet of His disciples, so that they, having been cleansed, would ascend to Him who said: “I am the way” 331, and would not become full of dust, which He wished to shake off on the unworthy, and those who do not accept the world, 332, and the unworthy of what was said. And since this was precisely what was foreshadowed, He said: “What I do, you do not know now, but you will understand later.” This is precisely what is said in the remaining [words]: “For you call Me Teacher and Lord, and rightly say, for [such] I am.” So, if I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, then you should also wash one another’s feet” 333. So, He says that the bishop, pouring water into a vessel, undressed and girded with a towel, while I lie down, should wash my feet, since He said: “You should wash each other’s feet”? If this is exactly what is said, then none of us 334 will fulfill the commandments. After all, not a single deacon, nor presbyter, nor bishop washes feet, taking a towel, no matter who comes. But if you understand what is written, how truly blessed are the bishops who serve the Church, they send down the water from the Scriptures into the vessel of the soul, in accordance with the Scriptures, and touch the uncleanness of the disciples' feet in order to wash it, cleanse it and throw it away. And so the bishops keep the commandment, imitating Jesus, and so do the elders. Oh, that I too would now receive water that could wash the feet of your souls, so that each of you would say when he becomes clean: “I have washed my feet; How can I get them dirty? 335. After all, this is what the bride says in the Song of Songs, not showing her bodily feet clean, but [meaning] feet that do not stumble, about which Solomon says: “Your foot will not stumble” 336; about which it is written in the psalms: “My feet were almost shaken” 337. But also about what is prescribed for widows 338 in the Churches, [the apostle] says: “If you have washed the feet of the saints.” If you want to hear more clearly how a widow washes the feet of the saints, listen to Paul, who in another place instructs widows and says: “Teaching well, so that you can build up the virgins chaste, washing away the dirt from the feet of the virgins.”339 And these widows are worthy of church honor - all who wash the feet of the saints with the word of spiritual teaching. The saints [are] truly not men, but women, because “I do not allow a woman to teach, nor do I allow a man to rule over a man” 340. He [the apostle] wants women to teach well, in order to encourage virgins, not young men, to chastity: after all, it is indecent for a woman to become a man’s teacher, but [it is necessary] for [widows] to advise virgins to chastity and [convince] them to love their husbands and children 341. Let us therefore learn to wash the feet of the disciples. This is said in relation to the following: “You will see with your eyes and will not understand.” For, if something was done by the Savior, then those who did not understand [it] saw it bodily, not in accordance with the meaning; those who understood saw it both with their eyes and with their understanding, so that what was said: “You will see with your eyes and will not understand” was fulfilled not for those who see blessedly, but for sinners. But let us pray that, seeing, we will see in two ways all the Gospels, how they were arranged in accordance with the body when our Savior came to earth: after all, everything that happened in the body was a likeness and image of what was to come. For example, I don’t know which man born blind regained his sight; but truly these people, blind from birth, were the people of the pagans, to whom the Savior restored their sight, anointing their eyes with His saliva and sending them to Siloam, which is translated “sent” 342. For He sent those whom He had anointed with the Spirit, so that they would believe, to Siloam, that is, to the apostles and teachers, which is why it is written about Siloam that he is translated “sent” 343 . And every time we begin to be visited by Jesus in order to again perceive the eyes of the soul, He sends us to Siloam, who is “the one sent.” And, therefore, each of us, reading [about] what was accomplished in the Gospels, let us pray that it will not be fulfilled: “You will look with your eyes and will not understand.” IV. But if, as the simpler ones believe, what happened did not happen for our sake, but in itself was not an example of another event, then let them explain the meaning of what was said: “You will see with your eyes and will not understand.” Indeed, if what was visible did not have some sacred meaning, so that it could also be observed spiritually along with the bodily eyes, then [the prophet] would never have said: “You will see with your eyes and will not understand.” To confirm this, we will provide evidence of another quotation from the Gospel, which, following only the letter, appears to be a deception. Our Savior and Lord addresses the disciples in the Gospel of John: “If you believe, you will do not only what I do, but even greater things than this.”344 So, let's see if the disciples did anything more? What is higher than raising the dead? Who—I don’t say one of us, but one of the apostles—raised the dead? History records that Paul raised Eutychus 345 from the dead and Peter raised Tabitha, which is translated “Chamois” 346. You can find [in Scripture] these [examples] and others of the same kind; but where are the bigger ones? The Savior also made the blind - moreover, those who were born that way - sighted again. Let them show those born blind whom they saw healed by the hands of the apostles. And the one who examines can find in the Gospels countless other [confirmations] that neither the apostles nor their successors did anything more than [what Christ did]. But in fact the word of Scripture said 347 something like this: “You will do greater things than the physical works that I have done. I raised from the dead physically, you will raise from the dead spiritually. I poured this sensual light into the blind, you will give spiritual light to the blind.” And I see that even to this day these signs—greater than the physical signs that Jesus did—are being performed through Jesus’ most faithful disciples. Do not the blind now see, and the lame do not walk, and the lepers are not cleansed, 348 and [all] the rest [is] not accomplished, if the one who yesterday was deprived of sight, approaching idols as to God, today called on the living God, leaving behind the former things? If the one who yesterday was lame because of sin, now, thanks to the teaching of the disciples, instructed in the true path, walks with an established foot? [And the one] who yesterday had a dry and idle hand for doing good, today, having received [from God] a hand, finds it alive 349? If you see that someone defiled, with a soul suffering from leprosy, suddenly repents, wounded by the word of the teaching, then do not be ashamed to tell you that the cleansing of a spiritual leper is greater than that of a bodily leper. And the word generously showed this to us, wanting to reveal the meaning of what was said: “You will look with your eyes and will not understand.” V. But what is the reason [that] the one who hears does not understand and the one who sees does not see? “The heart of this people has become hardened,” He says, “350.” Since it is also necessary to understand why this [happens], it is worth noting that physical and spiritual coarseness are not the same thing, just as material subtlety and spiritual subtlety are not the same thing. After all, bodily obesity occurs in the flesh, and the carnal heart does not bother me at all if it has become fat, and does not bring any benefit if it has become light due to exhaustion or for any reason. I believe that such a carnal heart appears in those who are kept in obedience by fear 351. After all, just as everyone is wasting away from illness, so, they say, the “rudeness” and obesity 352 around their heart decreases. So, what harm will it do to me if my physical heart hardens? Even if my heart finds lightness, what good does it do me? But in a figurative sense, the “bodily heart” refers to the sovereign [beginning] of our soul, which is clear from what is said in the Gospel: “Blessed are the pure in heart” 353. And those who are not pure in heart are those who have no blood or anything of bodily matter inside them. “Blessed are the pure in heart” is said instead of the following: blessed are those who have a pure heart, where “heart” refers to the sovereign [beginning] of the soul. For the sovereign [principle] of our soul, which is said to be in the bodily heart, is either pure or unclean; and our heart is unclean when the worst thoughts come from it: murder, adultery, theft, false witness, blasphemy 354; It is pure when the thoughts are holy, and the meanings are divine, and the mind is pure. Therefore, it must be assumed, the one who is saved is called “thinned” from his subtle and holy Spirit, and the one who sins is “coarse” and suffocated from his malice. After all, it is said about the Holy Spirit, Who follows Wisdom, that He is the only begotten, many-parted, subtle, mobile 355, and that the righteous receives this subtle Spirit. After all, this Spirit is different from all rational, pure, subtle spirits. So, there is, in fact, a subtle sovereign [beginning] of the soul, spiritual, but at the same time fat, which is condensed 356 due to the vice of bodily matter, full of bodily thoughts worthy of blame. This is what it says: “The heart of this people has become hardened” 357. Understand: the heart has become coarse because there is nothing in it 358 except human and carnal concerns. After all, just as the matter of the body is fat, in the same way the mind and thoughts are corporeal. Therefore, there are two possibilities: the heart becomes coarsened by worldly cares, or it becomes refined by spiritual care, when someone thinks the things of the Lord, throwing away fatness from the heart and knowing that if his heart becomes hardened, he will not accept the words of God and will not see the mystery of salvation. Let us also put aside coarseness and accept what is called subtlety, so that we too can say, like the prophet: “My soul has thirsted for You, just as my flesh has longed for You! In a deserted, impassable and waterless land - so in a shrine I appeared to You” 359 - not as if I turned out to be holy by nature, but if carnal knowledge decreases and the wisdom of the flesh is exhausted - then in a shrine I will appear to You. This is in explanation of what was said: “The heart of this people has become hardened.” VI. Then follows: “And with their ears they hear with difficulty” 360. It does not harm me at all if I have difficulty hearing physically, and this is no reason for me not to hear the words of God. In the same way, bodily blindness will not harm me in any way if my soul is not blinded: thus, neither the lightness nor the heaviness of bodily hearing hinders me. There is some other burden of hearing that harms a person’s soul. What is this heaviness that is in the hearing of the soul? Sin, according to Scripture, is serious. Because of this, someone, feeling his sins, says: “How heavy the burden is on me.” 361 And because the untruth is heavy, it sits on the talent of lead, as it is written in Zechariah 362. The Egyptians, not because they had heavy bodies, were immersed like lead in stormy water 363 364, but because their souls were weighed down by the talent of lead, on which heaviness sat; because of this they are immersed, like lead, in stormy water. So, the heaviness of the ears comes from sin, and lightness from righteousness. What can make a word heard not with difficulty, but with lightness? For the feathers of words bring a lot of lightness: “Who will give me feathers like a dove, and I will calm down?” 365 Thus says the prophet, praying that he would receive the feathers not of a material dove, but the feathers of the dove of the Holy Spirit 366 . But on the contrary, Solomon says about the rich: “He sets his feathers like an eagle, and circles in his house, which protects him” 367. So, if we accept the feathers, we will easily hear. But if we sin and neglect our wings, and our feathers fall off, then we will become heavy and have difficulty hearing. So, sinners heard with their ears hard. For their part, all the Jews who then listened to the Savior heard Him with difficulty, and therefore did not believe. But even to this day, no matter how much they listened to the Scriptures, they did not hear the spiritual word, which is easy, but hard to listen to the letter, which is heavy and kills 368. This is how Scripture is obeyed in two ways. For those who do not understand what is being said, it is difficult to listen to; for those who understand the Scripture, it is not only not difficult to listen to, but, better to say, subtly - that’s why the listener becomes understanding. VII. There is another prophecy about the Jewish people and about all of us if we sin: “And they have closed their eyes, lest they should ever see with their eyes, or hear with their ears, or understand with their hearts” 369 . Of those who do not see, some [people] are blind and because of their blindness they do not see; some are in the darkness and because of this they do not see; others are not in darkness, and are not blind, but do not see, for they have closed their eyes. And divine Scripture knows these differences inherent in the sovereign [beginning] of our heart. After all, the Savior says to those who are in prison: “Come out,” and to those who are in darkness, so that it may be revealed to them 370. “And to them that sat in the land and shadow of death the light hath dawned” 371. Some did not see because they were in darkness until the light arose for them. “Deaf, listen, and blind, see” 372. Others had not seen before because they were naturally blind. Besides this, there are those who, in comparison with the blind and those in darkness, turn out to be much worse: these are those who do not see because they have closed their eyes voluntarily. Evidence that the situation is as we said will be the words of the Savior to me: “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But [since] now you say what you see, your sin remains” 373. And He says well: “You say that you see,” for they actually claim 374 that they see and have the ability to see, but, having closed their eyes, they do not see. And if you ever see a soul capable of knowledge, and impetuous and cheerful, [but] not reflecting on the divine sayings, then know that it is not because of blindness that it does not see what is contained in the Scriptures, not because it is in darkness, but because it has closed its eyes. So, if you hear the divine Scripture saying to those who close their eyes: “Open your eyes and look straight,” 375 open your eyes, lest they see. But it does not assert that it is useless to sometimes close the eyes of the soul. [Sometimes] it is useful, as Isaiah showed when he further said: “Who will tell you the eternal place? “He who walks in righteousness, who proclaims the right and straight path, who stops his ears so as not to hear about the bloody judgment, who closes his eyes so as not to see iniquity” 376. If it happens that, having opened the eyes of my soul, I hear and perceive obscene speech, then it is better to close my ears than to listen and understand what is harmful. So, when do I close [vision and hearing]? When evil is said, so that I do not know it. When is it appropriate to see divine utterances? – When we turn, and God heals us 377, sending a healing word to those who want to be healed in Christ Jesus, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen 378. Homily seventh. About what is written: “Here I am and my children whom God gave me,” 379, etc. [Here I am and the children God gave me. And there will be signs and wonders in the house of Israel from the Lord of hosts who dwells in Mount Zion. And if they say to you, look for ventriloquists and soothsayers from the land, empty talkers, who speak from their bellies, then should not the people seek their God? What do the dead ask about the living? For He gave the law to help, so that they would not speak like this word, for which gifts should not be given 380] I. “Give the wise a reason, and he will be wiser,” 381 said the divine 382 word. Having received from the most sacred Apostle a reason for understanding the prophetic sayings, let us pray to God that we receive the wisdom of the apostles and can become wiser thanks to the reason for explaining the Prophets. The Apostle, recalling this saying: “Here am I and the children whom God has given me,” then concludes and explains: “And how children share in the flesh and blood, then He also directly became a partaker of them [flesh and blood], in order through death to abolish him who had the power of death, that is, the devil (Zabulum), and to deliver those who were subject to slavery from the fear of death throughout their lives.” 383 So, since the children became partakers of blood and flesh, then our Savior also partook of flesh and blood; alien to Him, He accepted us, who had become strangers through sin, to make us His household members. And so the apostle stated this, saying: “And since the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also immediately became partaker of them [flesh and blood].” I would say that just as children partake of blood and flesh, and He directly became a partaker of them, so, since children cannot hear more effective words, however, children need to hear the utterances of God, for this purpose He received blood because of the children who partook of flesh and blood, speaking as if to infants, uttering not the divine and inexpressible, but only what infants can understand. And babies are all people compared to the perfection of the Word. Let you call Moses; Maybe you’ll mention one of the prophets, maybe John, who is greater among those born of women 384 ; Perhaps you will go to the apostles: to Peter, whom the gates of the underworld will not overpower 385, or to Paul, who was caught up to the third heaven and heard the unspeakable words 386 - you do not take away their glory, saying that they, in what they have comprehended - in comparison with what remains incomprehensible to them - are taught the infant education that is transmitted to people. After all, the Savior speaks not about those whom Paul calls babes in Christ and admits that [they] need to drink milk and [eat] not solid food 387, but about all people together: “Behold I and my little children whom God has given me” 388. But just as among children some are quicker than others and more quickly understand what is taught to them, so, I say, Moses and the prophets, as well as the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, became like gifted children. Feeling themselves, realizing that even as they advanced, they advanced with a child's step, they said: “We know in part and we prophesy in part.” And they did not look at the works of truth, but at the shadows of works, not at the fullness of the light, but at a dark image. And so they repeated: “Now we see as if through a [dull] glass, fortune-telling, but then face to face” 390. Who, reading and understanding this, will be filled with arrogance and will be arrogant because of [their] knowledge or any of the gifts 391 [of God]? Everything that is lower for children is much lower than what is destined for husbands. So, those who among children seem to be the most playful and quick in their abilities should not be proud and exalted. And these children are all the people to whom the Savior pointed: “Behold,” He says, “I and the children whom God has given Me.” Even the Savior accepted a gift from God. After all, no one can come to Him unless He who sent Him draws him who comes to the Savior, as we are taught in the Gospel, which is from John 392. And since He accepted as a gift from the Father those who believe, the prophet says about them: “Here am I and the children whom God has given me.” But one should not assume that the One who received them did not have them - until that time, the One who gave them possessed them. II. Then the Savior prophesies in the rest of [the words of the book], speaking on behalf of the prophet [Isaiah], declaring that the [time] will come when signs and wonders will appear in Israel as soon as He receives the children. He says this: “And there will be signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who lives on Mount Zion” 393. He who lives in the Place of Watch 394 and sees the truth in every soul works signs and wonders through the Savior, and after the Savior - through the apostles. Wherever a soul is found ready for the service of the signs and wonders of God, God, who then performed the signs and wonders, is not inactive in order to create them now, either in accordance with spiritual care, or in a visible way to encourage those who see [it] to faith. “And if they say to you: look for ventriloquists and soothsayers from the earth, empty talkers, who speak from [their] belly 396 - then should not the people seek their God? What do the dead ask about the living? 397 Think about it, for what has been said is unclear, and the meaning [of the saying], if God Himself grants and reveals it, must correspond to the previous one. So, he teaches us not to become students of alien speech, but only of heavenly and good things. Indeed, among the preachers who promise true teaching, there are those who speak not heavenly, but earthly. “He who is from the earth speaks from the earth; He who comes from heaven is above all; and what He saw and heard, He testifies to.”398. If anyone, He says, says to the children who believe in Me: “Look for the ventriloquists and the soothsayers from the earth, the empty talkers, who speak from [their] belly” (in other words, “ask the demons”: after all, through one type of demon of ventriloquism, He figuratively named all the demons); If they say to you: “Look for the ventriloquists,” that is, ask the demons about foreknowledge, or about truth, or about sacred contemplation, answer them what I say. Who teaches this? The prophet further answers [this question]. There are some people who send you to ventriloquists, and especially the catechumens, as far as they can be found among you. Those who want you to go 400 to idols, about which it is written: “All the gods of the nations are demons” 401, want you to go not only to ventriloquists, but to every kind of demons in general. However, our God, who in heaven and on earth does whatever He wants 402, 403, may he pluck us from demons and make Him friends (familiares) 404 through our Savior Jesus Christ. So, be careful that no one among you is deceived one day and reaches such doubt and confusion when he hears from this or that person: “The demon [located] in that idol healed 405 that disease, and he prophesies [for the dead] both of these things.” All these idols belong to demons and people who do not know the truth. God, who is the Creator of all things, and compare this piety with any that only proclaims itself to be such, but is not piety, and see how blessed you are, for “who is like you, O people saved by the Lord?” 406 And “blessed is the people whose Lord is their God, the people whom He has chosen as an inheritance for Himself” 407. Once upon a time this blessed people was the Jewish people, but they lost their blessedness and were expelled from their land, for He who was sent and had the testimony of the Father - not only through the Law and the Prophets, but also in signs and wonders - he waylaid and killed. Bliss passed on to us, the disciples of Jesus Christ, and we believe in Him unshakably and firmly, living as we were taught. III. “And if they say to you: “Look for ventriloquists and soothsayers from the earth, empty talkers, who speak from their bellies”” 408. [The Prophet] called them idle talkers. Every spoken word is either empty or full of truth. Every false word is empty. The word is full of truth, having the knowledge of the God of all and teaching to believe God, who promised the kingdoms of heaven to His saints. So, look at what those who were not slanderers and who were never found empty in the sight of God say: “We have all received Him from His fullness” 409. All empty talkers have nothing of completeness, but are empty of truth, empty of virtue, empty of Christ. “If they say to you, ‘Seek out of the land those who soothsay, those who talk in vain, who speak from their own bellies.’” I want to give the reason why the word referred specifically to ventriloquist demons, so that it says: “If they tell you: “Look for the ventriloquists.” You will find that all those who promise the truth, but do not have it, serve their own belly and, to a certain extent, do everything for the sake of their own pleasure and prosperity. Not only among the pagans, but also among those who promise faith in Christ, being heretics, and not only among these latter, but also among us, church people, you will find those who do everything for the sake of filling the belly, for the sake of honor and for the sake of gifts brought to the Church. Such a one preaches from the womb, and the source of his speech is in the womb. After all, the source of his speeches does not come 411 from the 412 heart, not from good thoughts, not from the Holy Spirit. If anyone ever promises to teach [you], be careful whether his speech comes from the womb or not. But I myself will give an objection that can be made to me, lest any of you, when he hears it from someone, consider the Scripture to contradict itself, or that we did not pay attention to properly support the speech denouncing ventriloquists. So what is this objection? It is said: if anyone believes in Me, rivers will flow from his heart, a fountain of water flowing into eternal life 413. Some of the objectors will perhaps say: if the Savior promised from the womb a source of water flowing into eternal life, coming out of the righteous, then the righteous is a ventriloquist (de ventre clamat), since the source of water that the Savior promises is in his belly. But it must be said [to this] whether we could not have two wombs: one bodily and the other spiritual, as well as other parts that are apparently named in relation to the body, for example eyes, but in fact some [eyes] are bodily, and the other spiritual. And if it is said about the eyes: “The commandment of the Lord is bright, it enlightens the eyes” 414, then I do not attribute this to the bodily eyes. And if it is said: “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear” 415, then you should not think that this is said about bodily ears: [we are talking about] the ears of the soul, which the pure have in spiritual hearing. And if it is said in promise: “Your foot will not stumble” 416, then one should not assume that this is said about the bodily foot. For there is a foot of the heart that steps towards Him who said: “I am the way” 417. So, like the bodily womb, there is a womb of the soul, about which the righteous says: “By Thy fear, O Lord, we were conceived in the womb, and experienced the pangs [of birth], and gave birth to the spirit of Thy salvation, which Thou didst create on earth” 418, 419. Whoever fills the belly with empty 420 words that are from the earth 421 has a belly consisting of earth, about which it is written: “God will destroy both” 422 ˒ 423. The righteous have a belly in which they have received the fear of the Lord 424, and their belly is full of springs of water flowing into eternal life 425. He [Elihu] speaks about this belly: “And my belly is like a sealed bottle full of new wine” 426 . He did not say this about a bodily belly, and it was not his bodily belly that was filled with divine wine and similar things, sealed in wineskin. This is to clarify the objection. IV. Let's now go back to where we started. So, “if they say to you: “Seek out the ventriloquists and the soothsayers from the land, the empty talkers, who speak from their bellies,” answer them like this: [is] not the people to their God” 427? However, this phrase is incomplete. “Answer them this way: “Should not a people seek their God?” 428 Every people, when they inquire 429, surrender to their God, Whom they inquire. So answer them. You are Israelis, having the true God, who is above all 430. When you seek, do not look for ventriloquists, neither those of the earth who prophesy, nor those who talk idle talk, but [seek only] your God. “What do the dead ask about the living?” The demons are dead, deprived of true Life, Which says: “I am Life” 431. So, do not dare to disturb the dead regarding the affairs of the living [people], because you have received the Law. O you, whom [the prophet] could not convince, so that you ask about this from ventriloquists and idle talkers from the earth, listen to the law and the word of truth, accepting it to help your law! It is written in your law 432: do not follow idols 433; When acting according to the law, do not turn to ventriloquists and soothsayers from the earth. “For He gave the law to help, so that they should not speak as this word, for which gifts should not be given” 434. He who received the Law and knew that the Law was given to help, and especially the spiritual law 435, which prohibits questioning ventriloquists and fortune-tellers, he who understood the Law must exclaim, delighted with it: there is not a single word in the world among the Hellenes and barbarians, similar to the word of the Law 436! The law that God gave us is different from any word, from any teaching that promises truth. “For He gave the law to help, that they should not speak according to this word.” What does “not like this word” mean? There are many words, but “not like this word” 437. After all, there is no word after the word of Moses, after the word of the prophets, much less after the word of Jesus Christ and His apostles. Look, did not the mind (sensus) of God cry out when it was said: “For He gave the Law to help, so that those who received the Law to help should say: “Not as this word”,” as Moses spoke in the Law, taught through the Angels, by the hand of a mediator 438. And the Church with much greater right can say this: “Not like this Word,” which became flesh, which dwelt among us, whose glory we have seen 439 “—not like the glory of Moses covered with a robe 440, but the glory as the Only Begotten of the Father, [the Word] full 441 of grace and truth 442 . There is no one like this Word, which the Church has received, in which she believes, in which she is saved, 443 the Word, which in the beginning was to God, God the Word, 444 to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen! 445 Homily eighth. About what is written: “Wail, O graven images of Jerusalem and Samaria” 446 - right up to the place where it says: “And I will shake the inhabited cities” 447. [As I took these (countries) 448, so I will take all the kingdoms. Weep, O statues of Jerusalem and Samaria! As I did to Samaria and her idols, so I will do to Jerusalem and her idols. And when the Lord has finished all His work on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, He will bring (wrath) upon the great mind, upon the king of Assyria, and upon the arrogance of his eyes. For he said: with the strength of my hand I will do it, and with the wisdom of my understanding I will take away the borders of the nations and their strength into captivity. And I will shake the inhabited cities and the whole world with my hand, like a nest, and like abandoned eggs, I will take them, and no one will run away from me or speak against me, or open their mouth or squeak 449] I. Formerly, when the people first sinned, they departed from [their] religion, and Judah made graven images in Jerusalem, and in Samaria he who was called Israel. If even now someone considers the whole multitude of sinners in totality, he will not be ashamed to say that everyone who makes God what he considers good is cursed, and who serves sin by making an idol, minting handicrafts and placing them in a hiding place. For in the secret place of the heart we create numerous idols if we sin. Therefore, the word teaches us to repent and weep over the graven images and idols that are in Jerusalem and Samaria. And if we sin—for whom it is desirable to remain in the Church—then we make graven images in Jerusalem. Truly, if those who are placed outside the Church have sinned as heretics, then they are making idols in Samaria. However, God 450 in His goodness calls everyone to repentance, saying: “Wail, O graven images of Jerusalem and Samaria! As I did to Samaria and her idols, 451 so I will do to Jerusalem and her idols.” He threatens those who belong to the Church to do to them everything that he did to the Samaritans. “And when the Lord has finished all His work on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he will bring [wrath] upon the great mind, upon the king of Assyria, and upon the arrogance of his eyes 452 " 453. We know what will happen in the future to our enemy the devil, whom the prophet called a certain “great mind.” For just as the serpent was the wisest among all the beasts on earth 454, and the sons of the age this is wiser than the sons of light in his generation 455; and the unjust ruler acted wisely in wisdom not good 456 - in the same way, the one who is figuratively called the king of Assyria is a great mind, and one would marvel at the greatness of this mind, which he abused for the instruction of the wise men of this world, who reveal their false teachings (sectarum), fabricated with all credibility and with all energy. So, “when the Lord has finished all His work on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem” and has rewarded what is promised to the righteous, then He “will bring [wrath] upon the great mind, upon the king of Assyria, and upon the arrogance of his eyes” 457 . The Word recognized his arrogance 458 and pride 459 as the very beginning of his fall. Therefore, if we also turn out to be pompous, we will fall under the condemnation of the devil (diaboli) 460, to which the devil himself (zabulus) fell. II. So, let's see what his pride is, so that we can beware of it, and we will not allow his words regarding us to turn out to be true. So what is he saying? “By [my] strength I will do it and by the wisdom of [my] understanding I will take away the borders of the nations” 461. He believes that with his strength he can do whatever he wants in us. And if we really are defeated and sin after these words 462, if after the Church we go back to the circus, and to the races, and to the meeting of the pagans - what else will this be, if not the possession of us, whom he has surpassed? And what the devil said: “I will do it with my strength,” his threats are fulfilled in us when we sin. But even if we were to indulge in depravity after long-term purity, after much holiness, what would this be if not proof for us of the truth of his words, who said: “I will do it with [my] strength”? But let's see what else this pompous braggart promises. “And by the wisdom of [my] understanding I will take away the borders of the nations.” I do not know the wisdom that he promises, about which the prophet says: “A certain 463 wisdom is foreign to them” 464. There is, after all, some kind of wisdom external to the truth that God destroys. Having it, [the devil] believes that he is wise, and says: “With the wisdom 465 of [my] understanding I will take away the borders of the nations and absorb 466 their strength.” After all, his influence reached all nations 467; but the Savior, sending His words to all nations, rescued those who were held captive by the devil in all nations. “And I will consume their power.” He threatens that he will go to plunder our forces and hand over [the spoils] to those fighting against us. And indeed, one can see that he does this to some. After all, when someone is conquered by the devil and given over to demons - the worst spirits, hostile to virtues, what else happens but what is not said: “And I will consume their power”? Having received our powers, he devours us. “And I will shake the inhabited cities” 468. And this is what the devil threatens: he notices that the cities are inhabited - the Churches of God, built in Christ the Lord - and loudly proclaims that he will move them. And so he often shakes populated cities with persecutions, and often shakes them with temptations. But we, having a foundation on the rock 469 , will try to be such that the one who says: “I will shake the inhabited cities,” cannot shake us either with his onslaught or with opposing spirits, but we will remain in relation to everything that happens in firmness and constancy, having a building built on the rock 470 Jesus Christ 471 , “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" 472! Homily ninth. About what is written: “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom will I send, and who will go to this people?” And, skipping a little, he comes to the place where it is written: “Ask yourself a sign from the Lord God 473 of yours in depth or in height.” [And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Whom will I send, and who will go to this people? And I said: here I am, send me. And He said, Go and tell this people: You will hear with your ears and not understand, and you will look with your eyes and not see. For the heart of this people is hardened, and they hear with difficulty with their ears, and they close their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return, that I may heal them 474] “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom will I send, and who will go to this people?” And I 475 said: “Here I am, send me.” And He said: “Go and tell this people: You will hear by hearing, but will not understand,” 476, and so on. For the sake of these words of the prophet Isaiah, now read, let us pray to God that grace will be abundantly given to us and that we will be able to interpret worthy of the prophetic spirit. “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom will I send?” After the prophet’s mouth was cleansed, he readily accepted God’s ministry and said: “Here am I, send me.” But to become even more prepared for this service, he remembered the words of Moses. After all, Moses, using the same words “send me” 477 ˒ 478, became the leader among the people 479, and a judge 480, and was called the servant of God 481. But [once] I heard an explanation of this passage from a certain Jew, who said that the prophet accepted the prophetic ministry to the people willingly and with a sense of readiness, not knowing what exactly he would have to say to him. Having then heard the sorrowful [words] that should have been announced to the people, that is, “you will hear by hearing and will not understand,” 482 and so on, he becomes further indecisive. When the voice of God says to him: “Proclaim,” he asks in response: “What will I proclaim?” 483 But I believe that this is foreshadowed about the Savior, for this was just about to happen, so that when they heard they would not hear and when they saw they would not see 484 . This will become more obvious from the following words if we take into account a small passage [from Scripture]: “With your eyes you will see and will not see” 485 . This is what we are talking about. The Jews then saw the blind receiving their sight, but did not know the meaning of the vision. They heard the parables that the Savior revealed to the disciples secretly 486. They really didn't hear, not knowing what was being said. Therefore He said, calling them as witnesses: “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!” 487 And they were not deprived of these [bodily] ears so as not to hear, but their inner ears were hard of hearing. Therefore, the future is predicted for them and the future is foreshadowed through the prophet: “You will hear by hearing and will not understand, and you will look with your eyes and will not see. For the heart of this people has become hardened" 488. Let's see what these words mean: “The heart of this people has become hardened.” Anyone who is surrounded by worries in this life has a hardened heart; it is not otherwise that those who linger in worldly things have their hearts hardened, as if drowned by thorns 489 . This causes the heart to become white, and it cannot perceive the meanings of a more subtle spirit. Let us avoid such worries so that our thinned heart becomes acceptable to God. Let us avoid earthly troubles. After all, these [troubles] are from why the heart grows rough. Therefore, the speech of Moses 490 was light 491, as it is written about it in Exodus 492 and it confirms that all who, for the sake of “subtlety” of this kind, become pure in heart, will see God 493. After all, with such eyes God is contemplated. There are three things that are said [in the prophecy]: “For the heart of this people is hardened, and they are hard of hearing with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.” But what is said in this passage can be understood in another, more explicit way. After all, many people, peering into creations and contemplating this world, believe that they see them. And why do I say “people”? Birds and four-legged creatures see the sun and the moon, and the whole sky at one time, along with the choir of stars, but they do not understand their meaning. Truly, only [only] the righteous and saints peer into them, perceiving the meaning through the Wisdom of God 494. Likewise, in the eighth Psalm, David says: “For I will see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have founded.”495 Well, can’t the prophet now see the sky and the moon? But what he says “I will see”, if we looked at it, we could understand 496. On the extent of Jerome's possible influence on Origen's text, see: Fürst A., Hengstermann Ch. Einleitung // Origenes. Die Homilien zum Buch Jesaja/Hrsg. v. A. Furst, Ch. Markschies. B.; N. Y.; Freiburg; Basel; W., 2009. (Origenes: Werke mit deutscher Übersetzung; 10). S. 171–176; with the exception of a number of points related to Origen’s triadology, the translation of the bl. Jerome can be considered correct; It is noteworthy that the biblical quotations in the Latin translation of Origen's homilies differ from the corresponding texts in the Vulgate. For doubts about its authenticity, see: Fürst A., Hengstermann Ch. Op. cit. S. 23–27. Origenes Werke. Bd. 8. Homilien zu Samuel I, zum Hohelied und zu den Propheten. Kommentar zum Hohelied: In Rufins und Hieronymus’ Übersetzungen / Hrsg. v. W. A. ​​Baehrens. Lpz., 1925. S. 298. (Further in the preface and comments - GCS 8.) Fürst A., Hengstermann Ch . Op. cit. S. 20. Gryson R., Deproost P.-A. Commentaires de Jérôme sur le prophète Isaïe. Livres I-IV. Freiburg, 1993. (Vetus Latina. Aus der Geschichte der Lateinischen Bibel; 23). P. 138 Sancti Eusebii Hieronymi Epistulae. Pars 1: Epistulae 1–70/Ed. I. Hilberg. Vindobonae; Lipsiae, 1910. (CSEL; 54). P. 257 For criticism of the hypothesis of P. Nautin, who dated the homilies to the period between 238–241 or 239–242, see: Fürst A., Hengstermann Ch. Op. cit. S. 20–23. Origenes. Die Homilien zum Buch Jesaja... S. 171–176. For Origen's textual remarks, see Young F. M. Biblical Exegesis and the Formation of Christian Culture. Camb., 1997. P. 82–84. In the Synodal translation, the text is brought into line with the Gospel. For other examples of Origen's exegetical solutions to textual problems, see: Young F. M. Op. cit. P. 84, with references to literature. See the reading suggested in the Göttingen edition (Septuagintä Vetus Testamentum Graecum Auctoritate Societatis Litterarum Gottingensis editum. Vol. 14: Isaias. Göttingen, 1939. S. 142). On the technique of midrash and its parallels with Origen's exegetical methods, see M. Hirschman, Jewish and Christian Interpretations of the Bible in Late Antiquity. M.; Jerusalem, 2002. Wed. the explanation given by Origen for the route of the Exodus: each toponym turns out to be a symbol for the interpreter of a certain stage of spiritual ascent, in this case the translation of place names becomes the basis of exegesis. See: Fürst A., Hengstermann Ch. Op. cit. S. 103–112 (with lit.). Baerens W. A. ​​Einleitung // GCS 8. S. XXVIII-XXX, LVIII. Charles Delarue (Charles de la Rue, 1643–1725). In “Patrologies” J.-P. Minya (PL. 24. Col. 901–936; PG. 13. Col. 219–254) reproduced an earlier edition by J. Génébrard (Gilbert, Génébrard 1535–1597). Some readings found in the Patrologies are not recorded in the GCS (only individual cases are noted in the footnotes below). For the convenience of the reader, we place at the inscription of each homily a fragment of text that will be analyzed by Origen. These fragments are quoted (with minor changes if necessary) from the edition: Books of the Old Testament translated by P. A. Yungerov. Great prophets. M., 2006. Wed: 2 Par. 26, 16, Wed. also 2 Kings. 13, 2. 1 Lit.: “And it came to pass: in the year that he died...” The expression et factum est (LXX καὶ ἐγένετο) regularly conveys the Hebrew “inverted imperfect” that structures the narrative text, and from the point of view of linguistic pragmatics does not need translation. "sinner" A (peccatrix from peccati rex). In lat. text of letters. “loving pleasure more than God.” Based on the context of the book of Daniel (see: Dan. 7:1–2), it would be more accurate to translate “explaining what he wrote,” for it is said that Daniel wrote down the visions that had happened to him and stated the essence of the matter. In PG: “...it is in the valley that He has to judge the one He has to accuse,” that is, the valley symbolizes the action of God as Judge and Accuser. That is, in the above quotation from Holy Scripture. Lit. “I do not believe that the church is full of the same glory as on earth.” The critical edition does not relate this "land" to the one named in Isa. 6, 3, however, in our opinion, such a correlation is the most natural explanation of the opposition between the church and the earth as having a basis in the biblical text itself, for in Is. 6 LXX actually speaks twice about being “filled” with glory: “the church was full of His glory” (v. 1), “the whole earth was full of His glory” (v. 3). Wed: * 3 Kings 8, 11, * Ref. 40, 33–34, * Lev. 9, 23. Lit. “if the ministries of names are preserved” (Nec putes Trinitatis dissidere naturam, si nominum servantur officia). That is, for Origen, the indication that the seraphim flew is only a symbol of the fact that Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit reveal God. Therefore, Origen, starting the interpretation, immediately noted that a literal understanding of the text leads to a contradiction: “If they stood, they could not fly.” The word dispensatio “management, distribution” probably conveys the Greek. οἰκονομία (this is how the word οἰκονομία is rendered in the Vulgate, see: Eph. 1:10; 3:2; Col. 1:25). The expression dispensatio carnis is also found in Hom. 4. 4. attollite portas principes vestras (“lift up your gates” or “raise up your gates, princes”) B w, Del. Wed: Prem. 7, 25, glory. “steam of the power of God” (Origen uses this image in the treatise “On Principles”, discussing the birth of the Son, see: De princ. 1. 2. 9). "Isaiah saw not, and Moses saw not" In, Del. “I told you not to be afraid either” A, PG. On the meanings of interpellatio in the corpus of Latin-language Christian authors, see: Blaise A. Dictionnaire Latin-Franô95;ais des Auteurs Chretiens. Turnhout, 1954, p. 466. The GCS provides a less obvious reference to In. 6, 33, although in Origen’s text the words relating to John are highlighted. 3, 13. “and it is said to me” w, “and He said to me” B. Translated by the bl. Jerome - perfectum, in the Greek text of the New Testament - futurum. Wed: Rome. 10, 6–8; * Deut. 30, 14. “to know and comprehend through mental contemplation” A, Del. (et instead of uti). The best manuscripts of the New Testament have a different word order: πλάτος καὶ μῆκος καὶ ὕ ψος καὶ βάθος (“latitude and longitude, and height and depth”); in the Byzantine text - “latitude and longitude, and depth and height.” “to the unknown” (ad non intellectum from a domino intellectum) w. “let us rush” (prorumpimus instead of promptius) A, Del “we will bring guilt upon ourselves” (causabimur instead of causabitur) e, Del. The PG presents an interesting version of the text that combines all these discrepancies: “If we rush recklessly into the unknown, we will bring guilt upon ourselves” (si autem temere ad non intellecta prorumpimus, nos ipsos causabimur). The word virtus means “valor, courage”; in patristic literature it came to be used as a technical term for the concept of “virtue”, corresponding to the Greek ἀρετ ή. However, in this case the word renders ἰσχύς of the Septuagint (the Vulgate uses fortitudo in Is. 11:2), so we translate virtus as “fortress,” contrary to the literal meaning of the Latin word. The Septuagint (through the Vulgate and, accordingly, the Hebrew text) is consistent with the manuscript c: fortitudinis. Origen quotes the missing text: "The spirit of knowledge and piety, the spirit of the fear of God" “not according to conscience” A (conscientia from cum scientia). In PG “spiritalibus velut mulieribus” – “spiritual women, as it were” (col. 1111–1112). GCS 8 contains an allusion to Isa. 11, 1: probably a typo. A more accurate translation of the Latin factus est would be “became”, “received being.” In our context, the form factus est conveys the Greek. γενόμενος to Rome. 1, 3 – a form that is usually translated both as “born” (in particular, in the Synodal translation) and as “became”. In virtute corresponds in this place to ἐν δυνάμει of the Epistle to the Romans. The Latin text builds an additional connection between Rom. 1, 4 and Isa. 11, 2 LXX (in which the concept of “strength/strength” is expressed in different words), reinforcing the meanings found by Origen. The Latin virga allows for the translation of both “branch” and “rod”, but the corresponding ῥ άβδος LXX assumes only the second translation. We depart here from Jungerov's translation (“branch”) in order to convey the play of meanings that Origen introduces into his homily: the rod is needed by those who have not yet received punishment and admonition. The word flos (like the Greek avGoc.) can mean both a branch and a flower. The first meaning is remarkably consistent with Origen’s thought that flos is intended for successful Christians who do not need harsh correction (a soft escape, unlike a stick “rod”, cannot be an instrument of punishment). However, the adjacent discussion about the “flowering” of the righteous leaves no doubt about the choice of the second meaning. “rests” l, “rests” w. In PG: “and seven women will rest on him, and the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, will rest on him.” Οὐ μὴ καταμε ί ν ῃ (LXX). The Latin text again introduces additional semantic relationships that strengthen Origen’s thought: the Greek verb ἀναπαύω - “to rest, calm down” - is conveyed by the Latin verb requiesco, one of the meanings of which is “to remain”; in this regard, requiesco is a synonym for permaneo, while there is no such synonymy between the Greek words ἀναπαύω and καταμένω. This idea can be understood as follows: wives eat their own bread, that is, they have special food. Just as wives, differing from each other, participate in the same bread (“we will eat our own bread”), so the seven spirits, having different gifts, participate in the One and the same Divine Nature, being gifts (dispensatio, “distribution, distribution”) of the Holy Spirit (as Origen says above, “the seven wives are one, they are the Spirit of God”). Food here should be understood as an indication of the source of existence. Lit. “each of these women has jewelry”; in A the words “has decorations” are missing. This logical series is parallel to the reasoning about bread: the wives each wear their own clothes and jewelry, but in essence these clothes turn out to be one and the same Word, and the wives are called by the same Name of Jesus, which will be “all in all.” Likewise, the seven spirits each have their own properties, but they are the actions of one and the same Holy Spirit. In PG: ut septem mulierum spiritus in eo requiesceret - “so that the spirit of the seven women may rest.” “On the vision of God and the seraphim (“about the seraphim” p) (+ “and so on” p)” e, “The vision of two (lit.: “about two”) seraphim in a different way” b, “Again about the vision in a different way” A. In PG: ortus - probably a typo, since the GCS does not indicate the discrepancies. The book of Isaiah, in both the Masoretic and Septuagint editions, says the exact opposite: “Who will proclaim from the beginning?” "clean" e w, Del. (mundae from mundi). In the different readings, mundus turns from an inconsistent definition of “the world” into an agreed definition of “pure things”. With this understanding, an additional contrast between “clean” waters and the dark abyss is introduced into the text: “These waters were pure, they were enlivened by the Spirit of God. But the darkness that is above the abyss is also not without beginning.” It cannot be completely ruled out that such a contrast could have taken place in the system of Origen, who, in particular, understood “the waters above the firmament” and “the waters below the firmament” as a opposition between higher and fallen forces (this opinion is mentioned in the “Conversations on the Six Days” of St. Basil the Great). “she was not uncreated” A (erat from erant). iungitur in GCS (no variations): unigeniti (“only begotten”) in PG. Another translation is possible: “Once upon a time the church was full of the glory of God, but now Christ will fill the whole earth with the glory of God.” This slight change in the thematic-rhematic relationship significantly affects the understanding of the exegetical principles reflected in this homily. In the first case, the church means either heavenly powers (in accordance with the principle derived in the first homily: the high and ascended throne in the church symbolizes the reign of God among the heavenly powers), or the divine presence, the divine economy (in this case, the word olim itself is understood figuratively as an indication of pre-eternity, cf. the discussion about the “beginning of the works of God” in the first paragraph of this homily). In the second case, the church is understood literally - as the temple in Jerusalem - and we are dealing with the opposition of two situations: 1. Glory resides in the church, but not on earth (i.e., the knowledge of God belongs only to Israel); and 2. The glory of God abides throughout the earth, but (?) not in Israel (the second position is not directly expressed by Origen, but it is implied if the noted antithesis takes place). It was the second version of interpretation that was later expounded at length by St. Theodore the Studite: when the earth is filled with glory, then the church is filled with smoke, i.e. Israel loses knowledge. It is remarkable that, like Origen (see below in this homily), St. Theodore even recalls the saying of Ps. 75, 1 (PG. 99. Col. 736–737). In the first homily on Isaiah there are the words: “Smoke is the weakening of fire.” These words are left by Origen without comment. Accepting the first exegetical model (and also based on the fact that by seraphim Origen understands Christ, and the image of the seraphim itself is associated with the idea of ​​fire, flame, Heb. שׂרף), the “weakening of the fire” can be understood as an indication of the kenosis of Christ, who brought glory to the whole earth. Based on the second model, this expression can be understood in the direction developed by prp. Theodore: the fire of spiritual life has weakened, and smoke is a symbol of this weakening. Ps. 75, 1. Numbering according to the Septuagint (in the synodal translation of Ps. 75: 2). “and above the door (superliminare ostii), that is, in the meaning, Christ God” A. “missing” A (indigens from indecens). Origen could have gleaned the basis for calling Christ a “door” by human nature from the famous saying in the Gospel of John: “I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7). “this is good smoke from the glory of God” (or: “this good smoke is from the glory of God”) l, “this smoke is good from the glory of God” A. That is, in contrast to the “inner man.” In the New Testament - μετάνοια. In the Nestlé-Åland edition, the word order is reversed - “Christ Jesus”. “…from your mouth everywhere (circum) has taken away your iniquities and your sins everywhere (circum)” c. “I deleted... I cleared” e. This reading corresponds to the quotation from Isa. 6, 7 in Hom. 1. 4; 6. 2. The reading "it touched... removed... purified" is consistent with the Septuagint. Wed: Isa. 44, 2 + Isa. 55, 11. Delarue typed "sacramenta" ("looked closely at the sacraments") instead of "sacramenti", but this conjecture is incorrect. Wed. already at St. Melito of Sardis: “The verbs of the sacrament are explained” (“On Easter”, 1). Rome. 10, 15; Is. 52, 7. Like the day before Saturday, which was a day off for the Jews. In Origen's sermons, however, there are complaints about the small number of people not only on weekdays, see, for example: In Gen. hom. 10, 1; In Ios. hom. 1, 7. Perhaps Origen combined the images of Uzziah and Solomon (cf. 1 Kings 6, 4, 35; 2 Chronicles 3, 1; 4, 7) (note in GCS 8, S. 266). Juxta mensuram profectus. In the Vulgate for the word "age" in the given place in Ephesians there is aetas. Lit. “had no free opportunity to moan”; “to go out” with (nec emendi from ne gemendi). Thus, we are dealing with a “mirror” but “inverted” reflection: while Uzziah is alive, Isaiah is not able to have vision; when Uzziah dies, the prophet is cleansed of evil; While Zechariah lives, Uzziah does not sin; when Zechariah dies, Uzziah begins to do evil. “world” A (orbem from urbem). Matt. 25, 27 + Luke. 19, 23. Wed: Ref. 7, 22. See also: Ref. 7, 11–12; 8, 7; 8, 18–19; 9, 11. ministeriä mysteria (“sacraments”) PG. Wed: Matt. 20, 25–27; Mk. 10, 42–44. Matt. 19, 28; OK. 22, 30. See: Isa. 6, 6–7 LXX. Latin circumpurgo corresponds to περικαθαίρω of the Septuagint. Here we again deviate from Yungerov’s translation (“distressed”) for stylistic reasons. The word bifariam apparently renders the Greek διχῶς, a term used by Origen relatively often (23 times in Origen's extant texts) in various senses; Thus, in the homily on Ezekiel, this term expresses a twofold cleansing from sin - through the spirit and through fire. It is not entirely clear which “others present” we are talking about. U In. 13, besides the faithful disciples, only Judas and Satan are mentioned. Perhaps Origen has them in mind, since already, according to Irenaeus of Lyons, Christ deceived the devil, that is, the latter did not understand the meaning of what was happening. “Washing the feet was like” PG. “Of course (verum), this action was not bodily, but spiritual” PG (verum is understood adverbially, as a result of which conjectures were required), in GCS without discrepancies. Widows (χῆραι, viduae) as a special category in the early Christian community. Edition GCS 8 (S. 273) cites Titus as the source of the allusion. 2, 2–4, however, there is no exact correspondence to the quotation given by Origen in Scripture. A hint of a Greek connection. ἀπεσταλμένος (John 9:7) and ἀπόστολος. The expression “the word spoke” can be considered as Semitism (via the Septuagint) (cf. Ezek. 6:1: , lit. “and the word of the Lord came to me, saying”). Concretum. A possible translation is “frozen,” which perhaps correlates with Origen’s teaching about the origin of souls. “there is nothing pure in it” c e. One of the meanings of the word vehemens is “passionate,” which corresponds to the general symbolic plane of reasoning. See: Matt. 3, 16; Mk. 1, 10; OK. 3, 22; In. 1, 32. Wed: Isa. 9, 1 LXX; Matt. 4, 16. “...for He truly affirms” PG. There is no corresponding quotation in Scripture. GCS edition 8 (S. 278) indicates a composite citation of Var. 2, 17 and Proverbs. 4, 25. Isa 33, 14-15 LXX with some omissions in verse 15. That is, He who dwells in Zion. As Origen explains in his Commentary on the Gospel of John, Σιών, ὅ περ ἐστὶν σκοπευτήριον (note in GCS 8, S. 281). “announce” l p (nuncupari from nunc operari). Quae – 3 l form. pl. h. Wed. r., clearly hinting at daemonia, which will be discussed below. “Our God, who creates everything in heaven and on earth...” A, Del. (universa facit vm. facit quae vult). “in the demonic idol (in idolo daemonum) healed” A (daemonum from daemonium). + sensus w (“no sense”). In the Göttingen edition of the Septuagint the following reading is accepted: “By Thy fear, O Lord, we were conceived in the womb, and experienced the pangs [of birth], and gave birth; We have created the spirit of Your salvation on earth.” The Slavic text gives a reading that agrees with Origen, but with a very significant change in the meaning of the grammatical entity: “... By the birth of the spirit of Thy salvation, which I created on earth.” vanis (“vain”) Del. (vm. vacuis). The context of this phrase is: “Food is for the belly, and the belly is for food; but God will destroy both.” Origen expands his reading of the LXX from a more extensive text. + “Jupiter” w, Del.; + “John” (sic!) l c p. "as pure as the word of the Law" Cod. Abrinc. 52, Del. (ita mundum vm. in mundo). In interpreting this expression, Origen seems to forget the just quoted ending of the phrase according to the Septuagint: “... for which gifts should not be given” (that is, the words “not like this word” refer to false prophecies that are not worth the money asked for them) and seems to be interpreting a different text, which is in the synodal translation from the Hebrew (for different understandings of the original, see the 2009 edition, note 156 on pp. 292–293) reads: “Address the law and revelation. If they do not speak like this word, then there is no light in them” (“this word” is not understood in malam, but in bonam partem). A phrase on behalf of the Assyrian king. Lit.: “works of hands.” Lit. "the height of the glory of his eyes." On the meanings of inflatio in the corpus of Latin-language Christian authors, see: Blaise A. Op. cit. P. 442. What is meant, most likely, are the words spoken during worship and during the reading of Scripture, as well as during a sermon. The pronoun τίς, which appears as an interrogative in the Septuagint (“What kind of wisdom do they have?”), becomes vague in Origen. Thus, despite the literal citation of the biblical text, a change in the grammatical structure occurs. "wisdom" A, Del. (accusative v. ablative). Here we depart from Yungerov’s translation in order to convey Lat. depascar. The word gens also means “pagan.” Moses nowhere says “send me,” on the contrary, he asks to send another, more worthy one. This circumstance was very important for Origen; a significant part of the sixth homily is devoted to it. The exact opposite opinion expressed in the ninth homily gave reason to doubt its authenticity. However, this contradiction can be understood taking into account Origen’s statement that the refusal of Moses and the boldness of Isaiah do not essentially contradict each other (see: Hom. 6. 1–2). The GCS edition notes an indirect allusion to Ex. 22, 28. Subtilis renders the Greek here. ἰσχν ό ς (cf. ἰσχν ό φωνος, Ex. 4:10), although in the Bible this epithet has a rather negative connotation. + “that is, I will see that the saints, by the gift of Your Spirit, will rise from earthly things and to a certain extent become heavenly, so that those raised to the pinnacle of virtues will be able to say with the Apostle: “Our citizenship is in heaven” (*cf. Phil. 3:20)” v. The following fragment is in A B, given in PG. 24. Col. 936, is actually an excerpt from Origen's homily on Jeremiah IX, 4 (CPG. 1438) (in Jerome's Latin translation - homilia VI), which has survived in the original Greek. You might be interested in: