Isaiah 60

It is lifted up, so that it may see Jerusalem in a threefold way: as standing in heaven, coming down from heaven, and going up to heaven. In no other way can the soul be contemplative. Isaias speaks of the first: "Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem. No longer shall the sun be your light by day, nor the brightness of the moon shine upon you at night; the Lord shall be your light forever."

[Christ] made our poverty his own, and we see in Christ the strange and rare paradox of lordship in servant's form and divine glory in human abasement. That which was under the yoke in terms of the limitations of manhood was crowned with royal dignities, and that which was humble was raised to the most supreme excellence. The Only Begotten, however, did not become man only to remain in the limits of that emptying. The point was that he who was God by nature should, in the act of self-emptying, assume everything that went along with it. This was how he would be revealed as ennobling the nature of humanity in himself by making it participate in his own sacred and divine honors. We shall find that even the saints call the Son of God the "glory" of God the Father, and King, and Lord, even when he became a man. Isaiah, for example, says in one place … "Shine forth, Jerusalem, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen on you. Behold, darkness and gloom may cover the earth, but over you the Lord shall be made manifest, and his glory shall be seen on you."

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. [Isaiah 60:1] See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

Arise, be enlightened; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and thick gloom the peoples; but upon you the Lord will rise, and his glory will be seen in you. And the nations will walk in your light, and kings in the brightness of your rising. LXX: Be enlightened, be enlightened, ÷ Jerusalem ⁚ for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Behold, darkness will cover the earth, and thick gloom upon the nations. But upon you the Lord will appear, and his glory will be seen in you. And the nations will walk in your light, and kings in your brightness. What we thought about the restoration of Zion and Jerusalem, and about everything that is promised to her by the prophetic oracle, we said more fully at the end of the preceding book, where we explained what that little verse meant: The redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who return from iniquity in Jacob. Now we must touch briefly on what most people think of this passage, so that, once the error has been seen through, we may more easily take up the truth. The Jews and our half-Jews, who expect a golden and jewelled Jerusalem from heaven, contend that these things will come to pass in the kingdom of a thousand years, when all the nations are to serve Israel, and the camels of Midian and Ephah, coming from Sheba, will bring gold and incense, and all the sheep of Kedar will be gathered, and the rams of Nebaioth will come to be sacrificed upon the altar of the Temple that will have been built. They say too that from the islands, and above all in the ships of Tarshish, her daughters will fly like doves, bringing riches of gold and silver; that the walls of Jerusalem will be built by foreigners, with the kings of the nations set over them; that the gates of the city will always stand open, so that by day and by night the riches of Jerusalem and the victims may be brought in; and that everything that lies desolate will be rebuilt with cypress and pine and cedar cut in Lebanon, above all the Temple of the Lord, in which there will be everlasting gladness; so that she will suck the milk of the nations and eat the riches of kings, and there will be such an abundance of all things that they will have gold for bronze, silver for iron, bronze for wood, iron for stones. Her princes too, they say, will enjoy everlasting peace, and bishops will preside over the peoples in righteousness, and her gates will be carved in relief. And what is greater than these, instead of the sun and the moon the Lord himself will shine with everlasting light; and for one man she will have a thousand very strong men, and for little ones she will possess very mighty nations. So say those who desire earthly pleasures, and seek beauty in wives and a great number of children, whose god is their belly and whose glory is in their shame (Phil 3); and whoever follows their error confesses himself, under the Christian name, to be like the Jews. Others, however, assert that all these things were promised to the Jews in a carnal sense, if they had received him who says in the Gospel: I am the light of the world (John 8:12), which enlightens every man coming into the world; so that, just as victims were granted to the people of Israel, not because they were good in themselves, but so that they might not be offered to demons, so too the Lord promises these things to the gluttonous Jews, who seek nothing but the pleasures of the body, so that at least for the sake of their carnal desires and an abundance of wealth they might receive the Son of God; and since they did not receive him, the promises too, they say, became void. Thus to the Canaanite woman pleading for her daughter: I did not come, he says, except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt 15:24). And to his disciples: Do not go away into the way of the nations, and do not enter the cities of the Samaritans; go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt 10:5, 6). For this reason the Apostles too first proclaimed the Lord in the synagogues, and when these did not receive the Gospel they said to them: It was necessary that the word should be preached to you; but since you have not received salvation, behold, we turn to the nations (Acts 13:46). For the light came into the world, and the Jews loved darkness rather. Hence the Lord too, when he had wept over Jerusalem, added: If you also had known the things that make for your peace (Luke 19:42). And since she did not receive it, he went on: But now a day will come upon you, and your enemies will surround you with a rampart, and hem you in, and bring you down to the ground together with your children (ibid., 43). But let us, following the former sense, believe that all of this is said to the Church, which was first gathered from the Jewish people, and which through the Apostles passed on to the nations the light that had risen upon her. To her it is said: Arise, be enlightened, so that she who fell in the unbelievers may rise in the faithful; she who fell in the synagogues may rise in the churches; and, once she has risen, may be enlightened, so that she may have no darkness of error at all. For your light, he says, has come, the light that all the Prophets promised, which you were ever awaiting. And the glory of the Lord, which was once upon the tabernacle and his Temple, has risen upon you; of which it is said: Glorious things have been said of you, city of God (Ps 86 [87]:3).

Further, the name Jerusalem and of the nations, which the Seventy set down here, is not found in the Hebrew, and must be marked beforehand with an obelus, against those who assert that everything said here is said to Jerusalem.

He also cries out to Jerusalem in another place: Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem; for your light has come upon you, and the glory of your God has risen upon you. For behold, darkness and gloom shall cover the earth over the nations, but over you the Lord shall appear, and the glory of your God has risen upon you. And kings shall walk in your light, and the nations in your splendor. If gloom and darkness shall cover the earth over the nations, how in turn shall the nations walk in the splendor of the Lord? But those nations will be in darkness which the cold and frost have gripped; and those will walk in the light of the Lord which have followed the kings, the apostles and prophets, of whom it is written: The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord.

Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has shone on you. Rejoice and be glad, O Zion! And you, O immaculate, O Mother of God, exult with Job in the resurrection of your Son. Christ is risen, and he has crushed death and raised the dead: rejoice, therefore, O nations of the earth! Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen over you. Cry out now and rejoice, O Zion; and you, the pure one, the Mother of God, exult in the resurrection of the One to whom you gave birth. On this day, the whole creation rejoices and exults, for Christ is risen and hades despoiled.

Hail, thou heaven upon earth, Sion, the city that is for ever faithful unto the Lord. Hail, and shine thou Jerusalem, for thy light is come, the Light Eternal, the Light for ever enduring, the Light Supreme, the Light Immaterial, the Light of one substance with God and the Father, the Light which is in the Spirit, and in which is the Father; the Light which illumines the ages; the Light which gives light to mundane and supramundane things, Christ our very God. Hail, city sacred and elect of the Lord. Joyfully keep thy festal days, for they will not multiply so as to wax old and pass away.

And the Logos, exhorting us to come to this light, says, in the prophecies of Isaiah, "Enlighten yourself, enlighten yourself, O Jerusalem, for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen on you." Observe now the difference between the fine phrases of Plato respecting the chief good and the declarations of our prophets regarding the light of the blessed; and notice that the truth as it is contained in Plato concerning this subject did not at all help his readers to attain to a pure worship of God, or even himself, who could philosophize so grandly about the chief good, whereas the simple language of the Scriptures led to their honest readers being filled with a divine spirit; and this light is nourished within them by the oil, which as a certain parable is said to have preserved the light of the torches of the five wise virgins.

This prophecy has three subjects. One subject, presented as in a sketch, is the rebuilding of Jerusalem that took place at the time of Cyrus and Darius. Another is like an icon "written" or drawn with many colors as it shows more precisely the lines of truth—the shining brightness of the holy church. The third is the archetype of the icon, that is, the life to come and our citizenship in heaven. The divine Paul taught this distinction: "The law contained the shadow of things to come and not the image of the realities." And he calls the things to come the immortal and pain-free existence, the life unsullied by worry; whereas the image of the realities6 is the ecclesiastical commonwealth and its existence, which is like a model of the things to come.… For the painters have the reality that they copy to make their picture, drawing a sketch first before filling in the shadow with colors … the prophetic words apply to the church of God, which has received the light of the knowledge of God and is encircled by the glory of the Savior.

Arise, be enlightened. Here he begins to set out the promise of salvation.

And first, as to prosperity;

second, as to joyfulness: the spirit of the Lord (ch. 61);

third, as to the honor of glory: for Zion's sake (ch. 62).

Concerning the first, he does two things.

First, he sets out their consolation in general under the metaphor of light, setting out the dawn of light itself: arise, from your former misery; be enlightened, shine in the light of his consolation; the glory of the Lord, the benefits in which he appears glorious: walk in the way by its brightness, in the presence of the light thereof (Bar 4:2). Or Jerusalem, the Church; your light, the Son of God.

Note on the words, be enlightened, O Jerusalem (Isa 60:1), that the Church is enlightened by the light,

first, of sacred doctrine: the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light (Prov 6:23);

second, of spiritual understanding: God, who commanded the light to shine in the darkness, has shined in our hearts (2 Cor 4:6);

third, of grace: but if we walk in the light, as he also is in the light, we have fellowship one with another (1 John 1:7);

fourth, of glory: in your light we shall see light (Ps 35:10[36:9]);

fifth, of joy: what manner of joy shall be to me, who sit in darkness and see not the light of heaven? (Tob 5:12);

sixth, of the divine substance: who only has immortality and inhabits light inaccessible (1 Tim 6:16).

The truth, it may be repeated, is that what we really see, as distinct from what we may reasonably guess, in this earliest phase of history is darkness covering the earth and great darkness the peoples, with a light or two gleaming here and there on chance patches of humanity; and that two of these flames do burn upon two of these tall primeval towns; upon the high terraces of Babylon and the huge pyramids of the Nile.

For behold, darkness will cover the earth, that is, those who savor earthly things; and thick gloom the peoples, or, as we read in the Hebrew, the tribes: which refers properly to the Jews, of whom it is written in another psalm: For there the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord, the testimony of Israel (Ps 121 [122]:4). But upon you the Lord will rise, the sun of righteousness, and his glory will be seen in you, of which it is written: And we saw his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

And he sets out the judgment of discretion under the metaphor of perceiving by the light: for behold darkness, of tribulation; the peoples, of Babylon and their other enemies; but the Lord shall arise upon you, like the sun illuminating you: but over them only was spread a heavy night, an image of the darkness (Wis 17:20). Or darkness, of unbelief and sins, the people, the unbelievers; the Lord shall arise, like the sun of justice, or literally; his glory, his miracles.

Prophecy did not lie, then, when it said, "Kings shall walk in thy light." They shall walk openly, and especially Gratian and Theodosius before other princes, no longer protected by the weapons of their soldiers but by their own merits; clothed not in purple garments but in the mantle of glory. In this world they took delight in pardoning many. How much the more are they consoled in the other life by the remembrance of their goodness, recalling that they had spared many? They now enjoy radiant light.

And the nations will walk in your light. We all shall walk in the light of the Apostles, which shines in the world, and the darkness did not comprehend it. And kings, he says, in the brightness of your rising, when you were first born in Christ. This is fulfilled both spiritually and carnally: so that kings whose heart is in the hand of the Lord, and in whose mortal body sin does not reign (Prov 21), may walk in the brightness of the newborn Church, or in him who has risen in the Church, and may bow their necks to the faith of Christ, the true king (Rom 6). And we see this fulfilled daily, when the Roman princes, the error of idolatry and the fury of persecution being removed, pass over to the faith and tranquillity of Christ. There are some who await in a time to come all these things which we relate as partly fulfilled and wholly to be fulfilled from the first coming of the Savior until the consummation of the world, when, as the fullness of the nations comes in, all Israel is to be saved (Rom 11). Their opinion is by no means to be rejected, provided we know that these things are to be fulfilled spiritually and not carnally.

It is the church whose children shall come to it with all speed after the resurrection, running to it from all quarters. [The church] rejoices, receiving the light that never goes down and clothed with the brightness of the Word as with a robe. For with what other more precious or honorable ornament was it becoming that the queen should be adorned, to be led as a bride to the Lord, when she had received a garment of light and therefore was called by the Father? Come then, let us go forward in our discourse and look on this marvelous woman as on virgins prepared for a marriage, pure and undefiled, perfect and radiating a permanent beauty, lacking nothing of the brightness of light; and instead of a dress, clothed with light itself; and instead of precious stones, her head adorned with shining stars.

And he sets out the effect of the light: and the Gentiles shall walk, to knowledge of and devotion to God, seeing the benefits given to you by God; in the brightness of your rising, like the sunrise, glowing like a star: when the holy city (2 Macc 3:1). Or in your light, in the faith of Christ: the nations shall walk in the light of it (Rev 21:24).

"Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be carried in the arms. Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill and rejoice." He says these words with regard to the righteous ones of the synagogue, who gather from every land and come to it; however, in a figurative sense, these words signify the children of the holy church, the dispersed peoples, I mean, who were quite far away and distant from God. The gospel of Christ, preached to them by the holy apostles, gathered them, so that the apostles carried them as if in their arms and introduced them into the sheepfold of the church, their mother.

Lift up your eyes round about and see: all these have gathered and come to you. Your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will suck at your side. LXX: Lift up your eyes round about, and see all your sons gathered. All your sons have come from afar, and your daughters will be carried upon the shoulders. It is said to the Church, Zion, which was first gathered through the Apostles; of whom we also read in the Acts of the Apostles that devout men from the whole world were in Jerusalem, who received the word of God, and in the tongues of their own and of foreign nations either heard others speaking or themselves spoke to the rest (Acts 2). And they are commanded to lift up their eyes round about, which the Lord too commanded the Apostles, saying: Lift up your eyes and see, for the crops are already white for the harvest (John 4:35). For out of Zion, and by no means out of Mount Sinai, the law will go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And she is commanded to lift up her eyes and see her sons gathered, who come from afar. To her it is said in another place too: Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion, proclaim, daughter of Jerusalem: Behold, I come, and I will dwell in your midst, says the Lord (Zeph 3:17); and: Many nations will come to the Lord, and they will be my people, and I will be their God (Zech 2:11). Now we are the sons who come to the Lord from afar, once strangers to the Testament of God and to his promises, having no hope, and without God in the world. But what does the Apostle say? You who were once far off have now been brought near (Eph 2:13). And what follows, And your daughters will suck at your side, signifies that souls that are sucklings in Christ, and in the infancy of baptism, of whom the apostle Peter too speaks, Like newborn babes, desire the rational milk without guile (1 Pet 2:2), suck the milk of the apostles. To such babes and sucklings Paul also spoke: My little children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ be formed in you (Gal 4:19). And in another place: As a nurse cherishing her children, so, longing for you, we desire to impart to you not only the Gospel of Christ but our own souls as well (1 Thess 2:7, 8). But what is said instead of this in the Seventy, your daughters will be carried upon the shoulders, must be considered more carefully. For the sons, who are strong, come from afar by themselves and are gathered to the faith of the Lord. But the daughters, who are weaker and, through the frailty of their sex, have not yet come to the perfect man, are carried on the shoulders of the Apostles, so as to be brought into the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

This does not easily apply to the Jews. For those who were captives did not all return.… But the church of God gathers its children from all the nations. And [they are] to be seen running toward Jerusalem from all the world, not in order to worship God in the temple of the Jews but that they might see the well-known places of the cross and the resurrection and the ascension.…This does not apply to the Jews. Of what sort of nations and peoples are riches brought forth for them? But the church of God receives the gifts once offered to the demons, and the sea that was once bitter is now sweetened by the wood of the cross of the Savior, and having thus received a wonderful change it brings forth the church of God—it is especially to the city of Jerusalem they bring these, running from all lands.

Second, he describes their consolation by parts:

and first he promises manifold prosperity;

second, observation of justice: I will make your visitation peace (Isa 60:17).

Concerning the first, he does two things:

first, he sets out the state of prosperity;

second, the manner of restitution, by which, namely, they will be restored to prosperity: who are these? (Isa 60:8).

Concerning the first, he does three things.

First, he promises prosperity as to the gathering together of sons, who were first dispersed by captivity into different regions: lift up your eyes round about; from your side, from the regions neighboring your sides: arise, O Jerusalem, and stand on high: and look about towards the east, and behold your children gathered together from the rising to the setting sun (Bar 5:5). Or this may refer to the gathering together of different nations under the unity of the Church: your sons, those who are stronger in faith; your daughters, those who are weaker; from your side, the side of Christ, opened on the cross, from which the sacraments of salvation flowed out; or shall suck milk, of simpler teaching.

"Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow": in contemplation, there is admiration, expansion, a transference and restoration of one's self.

When the soul is lifted up, it must not be idle, but should look around. "Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow." Then, indeed, the soul must be fixed, and standing, and expecting. Then follows divine induction. When a worthy admission has come about together with a holy perception, then the soul is rapt in God, that is, in the beloved.

Then you will see and overflow, and your heart will marvel and be enlarged, when the multitude of the sea has been turned to you, and the strength of the nations has come to you. LXX: Then you will see, and you will fear, and you will be astonished in heart: because the riches of the sea, and of the nations, and of the peoples will be transferred to you. When you have lifted up your eyes and beheld your sons and daughters either coming swiftly by themselves or carried on the shoulders of the saints, then you will rejoice, and like rivers you will overflow with sudden waters, and your heart will marvel and be astonished, nay rather will be enlarged, as it hears the Apostle: My mouth is open to you, O Corinthians. And again: Be enlarged, and we too (2 Cor 6:11); lest through narrowness of heart you should be unable to have as your guest Christ, who says in the Gospel: I and the Father will come and will make our dwelling with him (John 14:23). But what is added in the Seventy, and you will fear, is not found in the Hebrew; unless perhaps, after the greatness of the joy, fear crept in, lest she lose so great a good. Or is it not joy to see riches, and the multitude of the sea being transferred and turned to oneself, and the strength of the nations coming to oneself, so that whatever is in the world and on the face of the earth is one's own; and, the faith of the nations being strengthened, to say: I can do all things in him who strengthens me, Jesus Christ (Phil 4:13)?

Second, as to the servitude of the peoples: then shall you see; when the multitude of the sea, namely, the traders of the sea, shall be converted to you, serving you in commerce; the strength, kings and princes, providing peace and tribute to you. Or, this refers to the conversion of the gentiles to the Church: then shall you abound in delights in the Almighty (Job 22:26).

And again I say to you: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. By this saying it is shown that it is not difficult but impossible. For if, as a camel cannot enter through the eye of a needle, so a rich man cannot enter the kingdom of heaven, none of the rich will be saved. But if we read in Isaiah how the camels of Midian and Ephah come to Jerusalem with gifts and offerings, and how those who were formerly bent and twisted by the perversity of vices enter the gates of Jerusalem, we shall see how these camels too, to which the rich are compared, when they have laid down the heavy burden of sins and the crookedness of the whole body, can enter by the narrow and strait way that leads to life.

A flood of camels will cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. All from Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense, and proclaiming praise to the Lord. All the flock of Kedar will be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth will minister to you; they will be offered upon my altar of propitiation, and I will glorify the house of my majesty. LXX: And herds of camels will come to you, and the camels of Midian and Gephar will cover you: all from Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense, and they will proclaim the salvation of the Lord. All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you, the rams of Nabaeoth will come, and they will be offered as propitiatory upon my altar; and the house of my prayer will be glorified. After the riches of the sea and the strength of the nations, herds of camels too, and the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah, are promised to Jerusalem, all of which will come from Sheba carrying gold and incense, and, what is greater than these, proclaiming the salvation of the Lord. All the sheep of Kedar too will be gathered to the Church, and the rams of Nebaioth will come, or, as is written in the Hebrew, will minister, and will be offered, or will offer victims upon the altar of the Lord, so that his house may become renowned. Midian and Ephah are regions beyond Arabia, fertile in camels, and the whole province is called Sheba, whence came also the queen of Sheba, who came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, she too bringing gold and incense, carrying much to the peaceable king and receiving greater things from him (1 Kgs 10). Kedar is the region of the Saracens, who in Scripture are called Ishmaelites. And Nebaioth is one of the sons of Ishmael, from whose names the desert is called, which, poor in crops, is full of flocks. Through the familiar names of barbarian nations, then, that are neighbors to Israel, the conversion of the whole world is proclaimed. For in this place Midian means iniquity; Ephah, loosed, or pouring out; Sheba, conversion, or captivity; Kedar, darkness; Nebaioth, prophecies. So herds of camels, loosed from the bonds of iniquity and pouring out their souls to God, will cover Jerusalem with gifts, and all will come from captivity and in their conversion, bringing the gold of faith and the incense of sacrifice. And through these gifts, by no means content with their own salvation, they will advance so far as to proclaim the salvation of God to others as well. That rich man in the Gospel who, like a camel, carried the burdens of riches, and was a camel, would not listen to the Lord's counsels nor be unloaded, so that, the pack cast off, he might fly to heaven on the wings of a dove; therefore he went away sad. And of a camel of this kind the Savior speaks: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man into the kingdom of heaven (Matt 19:24). He set forth the difficulty of the thing, not its impossibility. Indeed your mother Paula, of holy memory, and your brother Pammachius passed through the eye of a needle, that is, through the strait and narrow way that leads to life, into the kingdom of heaven, leaving behind with its burdens the broad way that leads to Tartarus. Nay, whatever they had they carried into the gifts of the Lord, fulfilling what is written: The ransom of a man's soul is his own riches (Prov 13:8). For the things that are impossible with men are possible with God (Matt 19). Having among their gifts the chief things, gold in understanding and incense of the sweetest odor, and saying: Let my prayer be directed as incense in your sight, and: We are the good odor of Christ in every place (2 Cor 2:15), they proclaim daily the salvation of the Lord by the example of their virtue, so that all the sheep of Kedar may be gathered in the Church and pass from the darkness of error to the light. And let the rams of the Prophets, of whom it is sung in the twenty-eighth psalm, Bring to the Lord, sons of God, bring to the Lord the young of rams, come and be offered, or, according to Theodotion, offer themselves as a sacrifice to the Lord, and become propitiatory victims, so that the Church of Christ may be glorified. Of sheep of this kind the Savior spoke to his disciples: Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt 10:6). And again: My sheep hear my voice (John 10:27). And more fully in Ezekiel: Behold, I will seek my sheep and visit them, as a shepherd seeks his flock. Thus says the Lord: I will seek the lost, and bring back the straying, and bind up the broken, and strengthen the weak, and guard the strong, and I will feed them with judgment (Ezek 34:11, 12). And so that we might know who the sheep were, he puts it more plainly: And they will know that I am the Lord their God, and they are my people, the house of Israel, says the Lord God; and you are my sheep, and you are all the sheep of my flock, and I am the Lord your God (ibid., 27, 28). If anyone among the nations is rich, then, let him be saved as a camel, not without gifts and offerings, with which he may proclaim the word of the Lord. If anyone is of the simplicity of sheep and of the authority of rams, let him go up, or be offered upon the altar of the Lord by those who have the power, so that his house may be glorified. But what we noted as written in the Hebrew, The rams of Nebaioth will minister to you, and they will offer upon my altar of propitiation, is properly understood of those who, chosen from the nations for the priesthood, are ministers of the Savior. And if anyone is contentious, and contends that these things were promised in a carnal sense, let us answer him: We have no such custom, nor has the Church of God (1 Cor 11:16). And let us say this too: that even if they were promised carnally to the Jews, still they were promised under a condition, namely that if they had received their light, which had been sent to them, then these things also would follow; that is, that through the desire of gold and an abundance of wealth and of carnal things, by whose allurements this nation was always captivated, they might receive the Son of God sent to them; and since they did not receive him, all was taken away, and the inheritance was given back spiritually to those who received him.

Third, as to abundance of riches.

And first, as to merchandise, he sets out beasts of burden: the flood, that is, an abundance like a flood of water, of camels, on which merchandise was carried; which signifies, mystically, the rich, turned to faith, who carry the burden of riches and the hump of sin, above: they carry their riches upon the shoulders of beasts (Isa 30:6); dromedaries, an animal smaller than a camel, but swifter; which signifies nations converted swiftly to the faith; Madian and Epha, regions beyond the sea which abound in these animals. And he sets out precious merchandise: all they from Saba, a city at the farthest end of Ethiopia. This was also fulfilled in the time of Christ (Matt 2) the kings of Tharsis and the islands shall offer presents (Ps 71[72]:10).

The text teaches that irrational beasts share in the light of the knowledge of God. And it is not thoughtless gifts that on the altar are offered, but acceptable ones that are pleasing. He says, "A sacrifice of praise will glorify me" and "Sacrifice an offering of praise to God."

Second, as to clean animals, inasmuch as they were granted to be used for food: all the flocks of Cedar, the son of Ismael, from whom a land, which abounds in sheep, has its name; the rams of Nabaioth, another son of Ismael; shall minister to you, be granted for your use, sold to the people who are in you; and inasmuch as they were granted for the use of sacrifices: they shall be offered upon my acceptable altar, that is, in which I am pleased. By the altar is signified faith; by the rams, the leaders of the flock, the apostles and the prelates of the Churches; by the flocks, the simple people: I will fill this house with glory (Hag 2:8).

For the soul has flights, as has been said, "Who are these that fly like clouds and like doves with their young?" You see, the soul has spiritual flights that, in a brief moment, circle the whole globe. For the thoughts of wise people are free and, insofar as they rise up from lower to higher shadows, so much and more they fly without the hindrance of any earthly weight, and they are the more carried along by the beating of spiritual wings onto that ethereal and rarefied place; [the soul] despises all worldly things. It soars above the world in its regard for eternal virtues; for justice is above the world, goodness is above the world, wisdom is above the world, even when it is found in the world, it is above the world nevertheless.

Thus, typically, under the leadership of the Law (for Moses was a type of the Law that was coming) Israel passes unwetted over that sea, while the Egyptian who crosses in her track is overwhelmed. Each fares according to the disposition which he carries with him; one walks lightly enough, the other is dragged into the deep water. For virtue is a light and buoyant thing, and all who live in her way "fly like clouds," as Isaiah says, "and as doves with their young ones"; but sin is a heavy affair, "sitting," as another of the prophets says, "upon a talent of lead." If, however, this reading of the history appears to any forced and inapplicable, and the miracle at the Red Sea does not present itself to him as written for our profit, let him listen to the Apostle: "Now all these things happened unto them for types, and they are written for our admonition."

For death indeed climbs in through the windows and enters houses, in that through the body's sense lust comes and enters the dwelling of the mind. Quite to the contrary is this which we have often cited from Isaiah concerning the righteous: "Who are they who fly like clouds and like doves come to their windows?" The righteous are said to be like clouds since they are raised above earthly contagions, just as doves go to their own windows, since each one does not pay much attention to their exterior senses, and fleshly lust does not catch them when they are far from home.… For the holy person who receiving the senses of his body like servants to help him is in control of them; and the fairest judge sees sins before they come and closes the windows to the plundering death of the body, saying, "I have made a covenant with my eyes, that I should not gaze at a young woman."

But this sacrifice of good will is never fully paid unless desire for this world is perfectly abandoned. For whatever we covet in it, we without doubt envy our neighbors. For it seems that what another obtains is lacking to us. And because envy always conflicts with good will, as soon as the former seizes the mind, the latter departs. Therefore the holy preachers, that they might perfectly love their neighbors, strove to love nothing in this age, never to desire anything, to possess nothing even without desire. Looking upon them well, Isaiah says: "Who are these that fly as clouds, and as doves to their windows?" For he saw them despise earthly things, draw near to heavenly things in mind, rain down words, flash forth miracles. And those whom holy preaching and sublime life had lifted up from earthly contagions, he calls both flying and clouds. Moreover our windows are our eyes, because through them the soul looks upon what it desires outwardly. But the dove is a simple animal, and free from the malice of gall. Therefore they are as doves to their windows who covet nothing in this world, who look upon all things simply, and are not drawn by the zeal of rapacity in what they see. But on the contrary, the kite and not the dove is at its windows, who pants with desire for plunder at what it considers with its eyes.

"Like doves to their windows." With these words he speaks of the return. As the doves, he says, know their nests, so the people hasten to Jerusalem and to their prosperity.

Who are these who fly like clouds, and like doves to their windows? For the islands wait for me, and the ships of the sea in the beginning, that I may bring your sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them, to the name of the Lord your God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you. LXX: Who are these who fly like clouds, and like doves with their young to me? The islands have waited for me, and the ships of Tarshish among the first, to bring your sons from afar, and their silver and gold with them, for the sake of the holy name of the Lord, and because the Holy One of Israel has been glorified. Since the Lord entered Egypt upon a light cloud, and commanded the clouds of the Prophets, to whom the truth of God has come, not to rain showers upon Israel, the Church, first gathered from the people of the Circumcision, marvels that a crowd of nations is flying to her from the whole world, and, having taken the wings of the Holy Spirit, is hastening, according to Symmachus and Theodotion, to their windows, according to Aquila to their floodgates, in order to enter the Church. Or that teachers with their disciples, that is, doves with their young, are flying to the Church from the islands of the nations, which, according to the oracles of the Prophets, will wait for the Lord. The ships of THARSIS (תרשיש) too, that is, of the sea, of which we spoke more fully in the vision of Tyre, will bring the sons of the Church in the beginning of faith, carrying gold and silver. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Rom 10:10). Of this gold and silver it is written in the sixty-seventh psalm: The wings of a dove covered with silver, and her hinder parts in the gleam of gold (Ps 67 [68]:14). And in the seventy-first psalm: The kings of Tarshish and the islands will offer gifts, and the kings of the Arabians and of Sheba will bring presents (Ps 71 [72]:10). All these things are brought to the name of the Lord God and to the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified him.

And what is more, they (Ethiopians, Midianites, Arabians) are also in the habit of offering these beasts as presents to the God of the universe, some, in gaining closeness to some apostle, offer them as gifts; others, in approaching a martyr, look for his intercession to reconcile themselves to God and lead [their beasts] by way of firstfruits of offerings that they have promised to make.… The text teaches therefore that even less intelligent people will share in the light of the knowledge of God. And indeed it did not say that irrational offerings would be made on the altar, but "acceptable" sacrifices, that is, "agreeable" sacrifices.…The church of God is therefore seized with amazement in contemplating the clouds of people who hasten towards it; they resemble doves flying in the company of their little ones. However, if one desires to understand this passage exactly, let him consider what happens during public feasts of the Lord or those of holy martyrs.

Who are these? Here he shows the manner in which they will come into this prosperity.

And first, as to the restoration of the city;

second, as to the subjection of foreign peoples: and the children of them that afflict you, shall come bowing down to you (Isa 60:14);

third, as to the multiplication of riches: for brass I will bring gold (Isa 60:17).

Concerning the first, he sets out two things.

First, he sets out the restoration of the city as to the uniting of its inhabitants, setting out the manner of arriving under admiration: as clouds, because they come swiftly, without impediment, and as doves to their windows, that is, to their holes, for the same reason. Or this refers to the nations that were swiftly converted to the faith: who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly and be at rest? (Ps 54:7[55:6]).

Note on the words, who are these, that fly as clouds, and as doves? (Isa 60:8), that the apostles are called clouds

first, because of the fertility of the earth, which comes from the rain: corn desires clouds (Job 37:11);

second, because of the diffusion of light: the clouds spread their light (Job 37:11);

third, because of the swiftness of their movement: which go round about (Job 37:12);

fourth, because they fulfill the divine will: whithersoever the will of him that governs them shall lead them (Job 37:12).

Likewise, they are called doves

first, because of their compunction of heart: mourning as doves (Nah 2:7);

second, because their simplicity of life: be therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves (Matt 10:16);

third, because of the height or swiftness of their contemplation: who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly and be at rest? (Ps 54:7[55:6]);

fourth, because of their purity of conscience: your eyes as doves (Song 5:12); your eyes are doves' eyes (Song 4:1).

It is possible to contemplate the fulfillment of the divine word when one sees, in consequence of the conversion of the nations, such souls dedicating themselves to the message of godliness and being diligently busy in the ministry of the altar of God. It is then especially on account of the conversion of such souls and their salvation that the church of God receives glory.

He calls the ships "from Tharsis," those that come from Tharsis in India, which is situated in the far east and puts us in mind of Jonah. These will come to Jerusalem not for its sake but for God, who wished to ratify the promise made to the ancestors through his great mercy. And next, "And strangers will build you walls." This can now be seen, for the Gentiles lead the churches and fence them round with their teachings, so that there is no place for a contrary word of counsel. "And their kings will minister to you." For even today the leaders of the Roman administration and the fear of kings restrain those plotting against the churches. Indeed, "minister" means their subordination. For they listen to the church's holy oracles and value the gospel message with all consideration.

We need to observe how the Lord, out of his benevolence, foretells all things before they happen. When he threatens doom, this is so that his servants, afraid of what might happen, will turn and repent and manage to deflect the terrible trials. Again, blessings are promised, and these promises strengthen the souls of those who act justly, providing them with hope before God. But there is never any necessity on God to carry out these things. For when people repent there is no need for anger, or, when they do not persevere in doing good, he will not [necessarily] bring to an end the promised blessings either, we ourselves being the ones who provide the reasons for God to execute the promised harm.And these events can be discovered if one looks, for instance, at when Cyrus and then Darius rebuilt Jerusalem. Also, no less a person than Alexander was impressed by the sacred vestment and turned anger into worship.

And he sets out the help in coming, which they had from the gentiles: the islands, the various nations by the sea, and even far off, wait for me, as though subject to the choice of my will; the ships of the sea from the beginning of the place in which they were held captive, for perhaps some returned through the sea, or the Lord was able to lead them back thus. Or, mystically, the islands, the various nations; the ships, the churches; in the beginning, of faith, above: the islands shall wait for his law (Isa 42:4).

And he sets out the treasure of those who come, which they carried with themselves: their silver; to the name, that is, to the glory and service of the name: he brought them out with silver and gold (Ps 104[105]:37). Mystically, silver, the eloquence; gold, the wisdom of converts to the faith.

And the sons of strangers will build your walls, and their kings will minister to you. For in my indignation I struck you, and in my reconciliation I have had mercy on you. And your gates will be open continually; they will not be shut by day or by night, so that the strength of the nations may be brought to you, and their kings be led in. For the nation and the kingdom that will not serve you will perish, and the nations will be laid waste with desolation. LXX: And foreigners will build your walls, and their kings will stand by you. For because of my wrath I struck you, and because of mercy I have loved you. And your gates will be open always; they will not be shut by day or by night, so that they may bring in to you the strength of the nations, and their kings who are to be led in. For the nations and the kings that will not serve you will perish; the nations will be made desolate with desolation. Among the other things with which the Church is enriched and the city of the Savior is built, foreigners too and the sons of strangers build her walls, so that the enemy cannot enter nor faithlessness find a place. Foreigners and strangers properly signify the people of the nations, who truly built up the Church of Christ, so much so that their kings and princes minister to her, or stand by her. This is taken either carnally or spiritually. If carnally, we see the Roman Caesars bow their necks to the yoke of Christ, build churches at public expense, and issue decrees of law against the persecutions of the heathen and the snares of heretics. If spiritually, whoever among them are princes in continence, eloquence and holiness, and subjugate the servitude of the flesh to the rule of the soul, these minister to her and stand by her, or give aid to her whom he often forsakes because of her negligence, or strikes with the rod of persecutors, so that he may again love her for his own mercy's sake.

Or certainly this must be said: that she who was once afflicted and handed over to captivity in the people of the Jews he reconciles to himself in the calling of the nations, so that her gates are always open, and are shut neither by day nor by night, and stand continually open to those who desire to be saved; that is, that entrance to her is not denied to those who wish to believe, whether in joy or in tribulation. And let the strength, or the riches, of the nations be brought in to her, and let their kings minister to her, or be led to her as captives. This you will understand when you see the most eloquent men led to the faith of Christ, and the wisdom of the wise made foolish, and the prudence of the prudent rejected (1 Cor 1), so that the foolishness of God is wiser than men.

Cyrus ordained the reconstruction of Jerusalem, but the work remained unfinished. Under Darius, the son of Hystapis, only the temple of God was reconstructed. Under Artaxerxes the Long-armed, Nehemiah—who was not a stranger but a Jew—was engaged in the reconstruction of the walls. The money that he possessed to cover the expense was not provided from royal riches, but he had gathered it as the result of a collection; and, after the conquest of the Jews, the Roman emperors rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. Whoever would wish, however, to understand [the text] more precisely will find that these are the teachers who have come from foreign nations who watch over it and guard it by their prayers and their instructions. "For by reason of my wrath I struck you, and by reason of mercy I loved you." That applies both to the ancient Jerusalem, which had been destroyed by reason of [their] sins, and to the reconstruction by reason of the singular [divine] benevolence, and to the church of God, which was formerly like a desert, since it did not benefit from divine solicitude but which has enjoyed the result of the Savior's providence.

Second, he sets out the restoration of the city as to the building of walls: and the children of strangers;

and first, as to the structures of the city;

second, as to the structures of the temple: the glory of Libanus (Isa 60:13).

Concerning the first, he does two things.

First, he sets out the rebuilding of the city: and the children of strangers shall build up your walls, by supplying help; and their kings, Cyrus and Darius, by supplying materials, and freedom to build. Mystically: the gentiles build churches of God, and their kings serve the Church, above: kings shall see (Isa 49:7).

And he adds the reason, from divine mercy: in my wrath have I struck you, I took you captive; and in my reconciliation have I had mercy upon you, liberating you. Mystically: I have struck, through the blinding of the Jews, or their tribulations; I have had mercy, through the conversion of the gentiles, or in peace restored to the Church, above: in a moment of indignation have I hid my face a little while (Isa 54:8).

Which power of the nations ran toward the former Jerusalem to worship? Which kings were led to worship the God of the universe? But the gates of the church of God are always open to receive the arrivals, and they receive also the godly kings drawn there by the teaching of the holy apostles.…The Babylonians hardly idolized Jerusalem, whereas the majority of the members of the Gentiles adore the church of God and that is particularly true of their offspring. When the parents have reached the end of their life, their children, having learned the truth from them, present worship to the Savior by carrying out their acts of worship in the houses of prayer.… For the earthly Jerusalem received another name, when the Roman kings called it Aelia. How then can the accuracy of the prophecy be shown unless one understand "Zion" more in a spiritual sense?… The church of God demonstrates the truth of this prediction. It continually receives royal gifts and welcomes that which is brought forth from the nations as it sings the praises of the One who is the cause of all these.

Second, he shows the security of the rebuilt city: and your gates shall be open continually, because the fear of their enemies has ceased, and out of necessity for those who come to worship in Jerusalem; and this is so that the strength of the Gentiles may be brought to you. Mystically: gates, ministers who lead others into the faith and the Church, prepared, in prosperity and adversity, to receive converts to the faith: the gates thereof shall not be shut (Rev 21:25).

But the nation and their kings who refuse to render the Church a good and profitable service, so as to pass over into apostolic dignity, will perish with the perdition that is prepared for the ungodly; and whatever was in them who refused to have God as their guest will be reduced to desolation.

And he assigns the reason: for the nation and the kingdom that will not serve you, shall perish. This does not seem to have been fulfilled literally, unless it is understood to have been those Jews who recognized his dominion, and therefore were venerated by the people of God; but mystically, the sense is plain: but the nation and kingdom (Jer 27:8).

The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the fir and the box and the pine together, to adorn the place of my sanctification; and I will glorify the place of my feet. And the sons of those who humbled you will come to you bowed down, and all who disparaged you will worship the footprints of your feet, and they will call you the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. LXX: The glory of Lebanon will come to you, in cypress and pine and cedar together, so that my holy place may be glorified, ÷|÷ and I will glorify the place of my feet ⁚ And the sons of those who humbled you will go to you in fear, ÷ and provoked you ⁚ and all who provoked you will worship the footprints of your feet; and you will be called the city of the Lord, Zion, of the Holy One of Israel. Much is lacking in the Seventy, which I have set down from the Hebrew under asterisks, and what they added I have marked beforehand with an obelus. Lebanon is a mountain of Phoenicia, planted with lofty trees, which the Psalmist describes when he says: I saw the ungodly exalted above measure and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon (Ps 36 [37]:35). And in another place: The Lord will break the cedars of Lebanon (Ps 28 [29]:5). And many other things which I pass over for the sake of brevity. From this mountain Hiram king of Tyre once sent timber to Solomon at Joppa, for building the Temple of God (1 Kgs 5). From it too Scripture now promises that the fir and the box and the pine, or, according to the Seventy, the cypress and the pine and the cedar, or, according to Aquila, the fir, thaadaor, and thaassur, or, according to Theodotion, Brais, Thadaar, and Theassur, are to be cut together, so that the temple of Zion may be built (2 Chr 2). If that is so, where will the golden and jewelled Jerusalem be? Where the wife of the Lamb? Where the twelve gates adorned with a variety of gems? Unless perhaps she will have jewelled walls and foundations, and the Temple, which ought to be more richly adorned, will be built of wood! For this reason we are compelled to take everything spiritually: that the fir, the cypress, the pine and the cedar, once lofty trees of Lebanon, have glorified the Temple of God and the place of his feet, and made it renowned. And not to draw out the sense in a long discourse: do not the holy man and most eloquent martyr Cyprian, and Hilary, the confessor of our own time, once lofty trees in the world, seem to you to have built the Church of God?

Scripture likes to compare the multitude of the saints with trees of this kind.… Paul calls us in one place "the plantation of God." Some interpreters say that Scripture calls the nations Lebanon (just as Carmel can mean Jerusalem, though it is a mountain in Samaria) on the grounds that it comes from another race. According to the historical sense it means those trees supplied for rebuilding. But according to the spiritual sense, it means the minds of the righteous ones. These are they who submitted themselves to those persecuting the church and with this transformation of mind worship God in it. Others think that it is Jerusalem that has been humbled and sings praises to Christ.

The glory of Libanus. Here he sets out the rebuilding of the structures of the temple: the glory of Libanus, which is the fir tree, and the box tree, and the pine tree; to beautify the place, namely, the temple, of my feet, in which adoration is given to me, as is given to kings at their feet: the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet (Ezek 43:7). Mystically, by the place is signified the Church, by the various trees, the various faithful of those converted to the faith.

And what follows, And the sons of those who humbled you will come to you bowed down, or returning, and all who had disparaged you will worship the footprints of your feet, we ought to understand of those who are Christians not by will but by necessity, and who bow with fearful minds through dread of offending those who reign. Or certainly that those who were formerly persecutors afterwards believed: such as was the apostle Paul too, who persecuted the Church of God and was afterwards called a vessel of election (Acts 9). When these things have been so fulfilled that the fullness of the nations enters in, then all Israel will be saved. And she will truly be called the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel, who stands upon the watchtower and has been gathered from both peoples.

And the children of them that afflict you, shall come bowing down to you. Here he shows the manner of acquiring prosperity as to the subjection of peoples.

And first, he sets out the subjection itself: and the children of them that afflict you, shall come bowing down to you, which was fulfilled in the time of the Maccabees, who subjugated many of their neighboring enemies. Mystically, this signifies the sons of tyrants that once persecuted the Church, who now serve her: until I make your enemies your footstool (Ps 109[110]:1), above: after this you shall be called the city of the just (Isa 1:26).

Because you were forsaken and hated, and there was none who passed through I will make you the pride of the ages, a joy from generation to generation; and you will suck the milk of the nations, and you will be suckled at the breast of kings. And you will know that I am the Lord who saves you, and your redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. LXX: Because you were forsaken and hated, and there was none who helped, I will make you an everlasting exultation, a joy of generations unto generations. And you will suck the milk of the nations, and you will eat the riches of kings. And you will know that I am the Lord who has saved you, and who has rescued you, the God of Jacob. She who before had been forsaken and hated, when the branches in you were broken off because they had not borne fruit, branches which were broken off for this reason, that there was no one who passed through and offered help there, of whom it is said in the psalms, And those who passed by did not say: The blessing of the Lord be upon you (Ps 128 [129]:8): therefore I will make you an everlasting pride, or an exultation and joy of two generations, other branches from the wild olive of the nations being grafted in place of the former branches, which contrary to the nature of the pattern will bear fruit, not of the former bitterness but of the sweetness which they have drawn from the root.

Those who are strangers to godliness are said to be cut off and hated and to have no help. But those from the wild olive branch come to take their place and are made to be joined into one people out of each. And in the Savior's power there is made the full number of those being saved, the one city out of both tribes that is called Zion, and to it is the following promise made. Some say that it has been humbled on account of its insubordination against Christ and that yet it will be saved through acknowledging this. And so the words that follow are, "I will place you in eternal gladness and joy for all ages." For this is the hope of immortality in the church of God, the everlasting life and glory and kingdom of heaven, and there is no place for shame. "And you will drink the milk of the nations." This means the ever-new sacramental mystery and the fundamental teaching of those being reborn through faith in Christ.

Second, he sets out the reason for their subjection: because you were forsaken, it is just that you should be comforted after your distress; into the pride, height, of ages, through many ages. This also mystically befits the Church; after a storm you make a calm (Tob 3:22).

Instead of "salvation," the Hebrew reading has "Jesus" in its marks and letters, by which our Savior is written there. This is the origin of the power of the name of our Savior Jesus, which serves as a partition or strong wall to those worthy of these things. Such is seen now in part, but with the new age it will come into being with the perfection of presence.… See how the message stops us from a more physical understanding and from falling into the obvious, literal Jewish understanding. For it calls the gates of this new Jerusalem hymn singing and praising. Thus we are instructed that the entries of the revered citizenship is to consist of those who enter singing hymns and praising God.

You will suck too the milk of the nations, and you will be suckled at the breast of kings. What sense this passage has we explained more fully above, when discussing the little verse, Your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will suck at your side. Or, according to the Seventy, you will eat the riches of kings. These riches, according to the Hebrew truth, are the breasts of kings and teachers, by which the infancy of those born in Christ is instructed and nourished. When you have sucked these and have come to solid food, so that you also eat the riches of such kings, then you will know that I am your Savior, who redeemed you with my blood, or the mighty God of Jacob.

And they will be called the city of the Lord, Zion of holy Israel. On account of your being trapped and despised when there was no help, I will give you eternal rejoicing and joy for ages to come. And though you desire the milk of the nations and to consume the riches of kings, so that you might know that I am the Lord who saved you and led you out of Israel, "I will render for you gold instead of brass, and silver instead of steel … and I will give you rulers in peace and your bishops in justice, and injustice will no longer be heard in your land."

Third, he sets out the utility of their subjection: and you shall suck, that is, the fat of the earth shall be brought to you in merchandise and offerings; and you shall be nursed with the breasts, the defense and aid, of kings, of Tyre (Dan 4). Mystically, by milk is signified teaching for the simple, by the kings, the apostles, above: and kings shall be your nursing fathers (Isa 49:23).

The apostles received the gospel for us from the Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus the Christ was sent forth from God. So then Christ is from God and the apostles are from Christ. Both, therefore, came of the will of God in good order. Having therefore received their orders and being fully assured by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and full of faith in the Word of God, they went forth with the firm assurance that the Holy Spirit gives, preaching the good news that the kingdom of God was about to come. So, preaching in the country and in the towns, they appointed their firstfruits, when they had tested them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons for the future believers. And this was no new thing they did, for indeed something had been written about bishops and deacons many years ago; for somewhere thus says the Scripture, "I will appoint their bishops in righteousness and their deacons in faith."

For bronze I will bring gold, for iron I will bring silver, and for wood bronze, and for stones iron; and I will make your visitation peace, and your overseers righteousness. Iniquity will no more be heard in your land, devastation and destruction in your borders; and salvation will occupy your walls, and praise your gates. LXX: For bronze I will bring you gold, and for iron I will give you silver, and for wood I will grant you bronze, and for stones iron. And I will give your princes in peace, and your bishops in righteousness; and iniquity will no more be heard in your land, nor destruction and misery in your borders; but your walls will be called salvation, and your gates carving. The same thing, according to the nature of its position, is a genus to one, a species to another. And so as not to seem to say anything about the arts of rhetoric and dialectic, I shall give common examples which can instruct the simple reader. My son, who in relation to me is a species and has me as his genus, is a genus to his own son. I shall give another: what is greater to one is smaller to another. A centurion is greater than a common soldier, smaller than a tribune. Five are few compared with ten, many compared with one. So in the restoration of the spiritual Jerusalem, wood will be turned into bronze, and stones will be changed into iron; that is, men once brutish and senseless will be changed into those materials which provide some use to the city. And the bronze and iron themselves, through the increase of virtues, will be changed into gold and silver, so that they have not merely the appearance of usefulness but value as well and beauty. What gold and silver signify in the holy Scriptures we have often said.

I will make, he says, your princes in peace, and your bishops in righteousness. For which it is written in the Hebrew: I will make your visitation peace, and your overseers righteousness. Here is the admirable majesty of holy Scripture, that it named the future princes of the Church bishops, all of whose visitation is in peace, and the title of whose dignity is in righteousness: so that they do not respect persons in judgment, and nothing unjust is heard in the land of the Church, nor destruction and unhappiness in her borders. For wherever there is iniquity, and righteousness is not kept, and peace is lost, all these things follow.

For brass. Here he sets out the manner of restoration as to the restoration of riches: for much greater things will be offered to the temple by kings than what would be taken by Nabuchodonosor. Mystically: those who formerly were base are made precious in the Church, above: instead of the shrub, shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the nettle, shall come up the myrtle tree (Isa 55:13).

And I will make your visitation peace. Here he promises the observance of justice.

And first, among the superiors;

second, among the subjects: and the days of your mourning shall be ended (Isa 60:20).

Concerning the first, he does two things.

First, he comforts them by the uprightness of the superiors, touching on their justice: visitation, visitors and correctors. Mystically, this concerns Christ and the apostles: I will give you pastors according to my own heart (Jer 3:15).

Some give the definition that a city is an established community, administered according to law. And the definition that has been handed down of the city is in harmony with the celestial city, Jerusalem above. For there it is a community of the firstborn who have been enrolled in heaven, and this is established because of the unchanging manner of life of the saints, and it is administered according to the heavenly law. Therefore, it is not the privilege of human nature to learn the arrangement of that city and all this adornment. Those are the things "eye has not seen or ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of humanity, what things God has prepared for those who love him." But there are myriads of angels there, and an assembly of saints and a church of the firstborn that are enrolled in heaven.… Therefore, having raised the eyes of your souls, seek, in a manner worthy of things above, what pertains to the city of God. What could anyone consider as deserving of the happiness in that city, which the river of God makes joyful and of which God is the craftsman and creator?

But instead of all these, he says, salvation will occupy your walls, or the Savior, which in the Hebrew reads JESUS, which properly sounds as the name of the Lord. For he himself is the strength of the walls of the Church, which has her gates in the praise of the Lord, so that those who enter her may first learn to praise the Lord and to confess his name. But as for the Seventy having translated γλύμμα, that is, carving, instead of praise, we can say this: that the gates of the Church, through which we enter her, ought to be engraved with all the virtues.

Everyone will see a truer fulfillment of these promises in the future life. That life is free from all injustice. That life is adorned with the highest justice. That life is in truth without sorrow and exempt from troubles. However, one also finds, as it were, a prefigurement of a similar state of affairs even now in the church of God. It has been freed from the error of idols, it continually extols the God of the universe in hymns and its leaders watch (insofar as it is in their power) over the interests of those who are victims of injustice.

And he also sets out the effect of justice as to the absence of wickedness: iniquity shall no more be heard in your land, because for some time the laws will be well observed (2 Macc 3:1); or iniquity, of idolatry. Mystically, this refers to the state of future beatitude: as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our iniquities from us (Ps 102[103]:12).

And as to the absence of misery: wasting, as to their fields; destruction, as to men thus crushed by their enemies; your gates, in which the people assembled for judgments.

It is lifted up, so that it may see Jerusalem in a threefold way: as standing in heaven, coming down from heaven, and going up to heaven. In no other way can the soul be contemplative. Isaias speaks of the first: "Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem. No longer shall the sun be your light by day, nor the brightness of the moon shine upon you at night; the Lord shall be your light forever."

According to the word of blessing to the one receiving illumination, "The Lord will be your everlasting light." … When this economy was reconstituted, God opened his eyes on the house of Judah, that is, the living church of God, with the Savior sent from the house of Judah to rule over it.

You will no longer have the sun to give light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon illumine you; but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will no more go down, and your moon will not wane, for the Lord will be an everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will be ended. LXX: And you will no longer have the sun for the light of day, nor will the rising of the moon give you light by night; but the Lord will be to you an eternal light, and God your glory. For the sun will not go down for you, and the moon will not fail you. And the Lord will be an everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will be ended. From this passage we are compelled to refer everything that has been said and is still to be said to the last time, when, as heaven and earth pass away, the office of the sun and the moon will cease, and the Lord himself will be a perpetual light; so that what the χιλιασταὶ assert is to be fulfilled carnally, we believe will come to pass spiritually, differing from them in the nature of the promises, not in the time. To them this must briefly be answered: if for false prophets and sinners the sun goes down at noon, and on the contrary for those who fear the Lord the sun of righteousness rises, why should he not always rise for the saints who says, I am the light of the world (John 8:12), who shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend him (John 1)? For the sun will not burn us by day, nor the moon by night (Ps 120 [121]:6), because we have the Lord as a perpetual light, and the days of our mourning will be ended; we shall by no means be lamenting over the overthrow of Jerusalem, but rejoicing at the building up of the Church. For blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are those who weep, for they shall laugh. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled (Matt 5). So that, once they have been filled with the flesh of the Lord, they may pour forth the word of the Lord and tell their works to the king (Ps 44 [45]).

We must keep in mind, however, that the Word promises to the righteous through the mouth of Isaiah that days will come when not the sun but the Lord will be to them an everlasting light, and God will be their glory. And it is from misunderstanding, I think, some pestilent heresy that gave an interpretation to the words "let there be light," as if they were the expression of a wish merely on the part of the Creator, that Celsus made the remark, "The Creator did not borrow light from above, like those persons who kindle lamps at those of their neighbors."

This is exactly what the future life possesses. It will need neither moon nor sun, since it has the ineffable light of God. But those who believe can take advantage of it in a provisional form. Nevertheless, in a figurative sense, believers enjoy this light even now. When they are illuminated by this light, they take the road that is free from error.… And this is what is announced about the life to come. It will have immutability of thought. It will be arrayed in righteousness forever. It will have freedom from sin. It will not have an excess of either youth or age. Instead, it will have a life without end. And in that life those who are worthy will inherit the land of the living.

This also pertains mystically to the state of future beatitude, when, although the sun may be much brighter than it is now and the moon also, nevertheless, not for the saints, for they have no need of their brightness: and the city has no need of the sun, nor of the moon, to shine in it. For the glory of God has enlightened it: and the lamb is the lamp thereof (Rev 21:23).

And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. [Isaiah 60:20-21] And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

He also sets out the eternity of its governor: your sun, which is God, shall go down no more: but you are always the selfsame, and your years shall not fail (Ps 101:28[102:27]).

And the days of your mourning shall be ended. This as to the state of their subjects.

And first, he sets out the ending of their sadness: and the days of your mourning, their captivity. Mystically, in future beatitude: God shall wipe away all tears from the eyes of the saints (Rev 21:4), above: the Lord God shall wipe away tears (Isa 25:8).

And your people will all be righteous; they will inherit the land for ever, the shoot of my planting, the work of my hand, for glorifying. The least will become a thousand, and the little one a very mighty nation. I the Lord will do this suddenly in its time. LXX: Your people, all righteous, will possess the land for ever, keeping the planting, the works of their hands, for glory. He who is small will become thousands, and he who is least a great nation. I the Lord will gather them in time. When the days of mourning are finished and completed, when sorrow will be turned into joy, the people of Zion will be all righteous, not for a short time but for ever; and because it is righteous, it will possess the land of the gentle. Nor is it to be wondered at if, to receive the good things of the promise, it holds the land of the meek and of the living, for which the Prophet sighs, saying: I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living (Ps 26 [27]:13), since it is the shoot of the Lord's planting and the work of his hands for glorifying God. For every planting, he says, which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up (Matt 15). Or, according to the Seventy, the people that keeps the planting of God and the works of the Lord's hands will be preserved in the glory of the Creator. Of the good planting God speaks through Jeremiah: I planted you a good vine, wholly true, which in Isaiah is called the vine of Sorek (Isa 5). And because Paul, conscious of the virtues of Christ speaking in him, could say, Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ (1 Cor 11:1), he therefore said to the Corinthians: I planted, Apollos watered, but the Lord gave the increase (1 Cor 3:6). For those planted in the house of the Lord will flourish in his courts (Ps 91 [92]).

From the various translations and the Septuagint we find that the author of these words, and so to speak, the gardener, is the God of the universe. For it is he who has planted his church. It is he who watches over it now. It is he who has made it grow and he who receives the glory that proceeds from it.

Second, he sets out the observance of justice: and your people shall be all just; to glorify me, above: every one that calls upon my name, I have created him for my glory (Isa 43:7). They shall inherit the land for ever, as long as they remain in justice; but mystically, this clearly refers to the blessed saints.

Then he who was a little one will become thousands, hearing from the Lord: Have authority over five or ten cities (Luke 19:17, 19), so that he is called a χιλίαρχος. And he who had said with the Apostle, To me, the least of all the saints, this grace was given (Eph 3:8), will be prince of a great nation in the heavens, when at the appointed time the Lord sends his angels, and they gather to him all the saints from the height of heaven to its summit (Matt 24): not only from Israel but also from the people of the nations, signifying whom he said: And I have other sheep which are not of this fold, and them also I must gather, that there may be one flock and one shepherd (John 10:16). And he will do this suddenly, so that when everything has been despaired of, then they may be gathered into a very mighty nation. And although we see these things being fulfilled in part daily in the Church, yet they will be more fully fulfilled at the consummation of the world and at the second coming of the Savior.

Third, the multiplication of their descendants: the least shall become a thousand, that is, from one man, so many shall be born successively, just as one nation came from Abraham. Mystically, one person from the Church will be put in charge as superior over a nation, Psalm: the saints shall judge nations. In its time, that is, the time of Christ, or at the time foreordained; suddenly, as though all this that has been said shall happen was not foreseen.