Bible Verses and Early Church Commentary | Historical Christian Faith

[AD 420] Jerome on Ezekiel 8:1

Chapter 8, Verse 1. And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me. In the fifth year of the exile of Jehoiachin, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, we read about a previous vision to the prophet. But now, in the sixth year of the same king, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, a new vision is mentioned. From this, it is clear that these events, which are written, occurred after a year and two months, and either the prophecy was interrupted for a year and two months, or it spanned the entire fourteen months that the previous discourse covers. But in the sixth year and the sixth month, and on the fifth day of the month, which are numbers that refer to the creation of the world, and (( Al. ad)) the carnal senses, which perceive earthly things and do not yet contemplate heavenly things, the prophecy will not astonish one who understands that the word is directed to the elders of Judah. Among them, seventy held censers, and twenty-five worshiped the sun in the temple, and the prophet sat in his house, fleeing the crowd. And the elders of Judah sat before him, either desiring to hear the prophet's words or plotting against him. And those who are called elders of Judah are said to refer not to Israel, that is, to the ten tribes that were previously captured, but to those who were taken into captivity from the tribe of Judah with Jechoniah, let us understand.

Source: Commentary on Ezekiel

[AD 420] Jerome on Ezekiel 8:2

(Version 2.) And there fell upon me the hand of the Lord God there. And I saw, and behold, a likeness as the appearance of fire from the appearance of his loins, and downward fire: and from his loins and upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the sight of lightning. LXX: And the hand of Adonai the Lord came upon me: and I saw and behold, a likeness as the form of a man from his loins, and downward fire, and from his loins, and upward as the sight of the aura, like the sight of lightning. The Hebrew language does not include the word “man.” However, we have added the mention of the vision of the divine presence, which is not found in the Septuagint, from Theodotion. And because of what we have said, the hand of the Lord fell upon me. Symmachus translated it as 'the hand of the Lord came upon me,' which in Hebrew is Tephphol (). However, the word manus signifies 'power' or 'works,' so that one may understand the mysteries of the vision. And it should be noted that he does not see the truths themselves, but a likeness of fire, for fire appeared from the loins downwards; and from the loins upwards, it appeared as a radiant appearance, like the vision of lightning. For the splendor, which in Hebrew is called Zor, transferred the aura to Theodotus, in order to reveal the refreshing presence of God in the heavens. Finally, in the book of Kings, the blessed Elijah does not contemplate the coming of the Lord in a storm and whirlwind, nor in the burning fires, but in the sight of a thin and gentle breeze, to attest to the gentleness of Almighty God. However, the works of the body, symbolized in the loins, are purified by fire from top to bottom. And the works of virtues, which rise from the loins to the upper parts, have splendor and brightness, and yet neither fire is said to reach to the feet, nor the brightness of lightning to the head, but downwards and upwards, so that, according to the diversity of merits, one reaches to this and that member, another to those members. And just as those who hold the perfection of holiness reach to the summit, so those who are in the depths of sin are believed to hold the feet of the fiery ones.

Source: Commentary on Ezekiel

[AD 420] Jerome on Ezekiel 8:3

(Verse 3) And a reaching out likeness of a hand seized me by the lock of my head. LXX: And the likeness of a hand extended and took hold of me by the fringe of my crown. And this likeness of a hand, the hand itself does not extend, for there is nothing corporeal in God. And the hand appears as a member of the human body and familiar, it does not frighten the one who is being assumed and grasped. For if it had touched the prophet in the likeness of a serpent or any other beast, the dissimilarity of the limbs would have frightened the one assumed. And a part of the hair is included, because the human nature cannot bear the apprehension of the whole head. For a headband, the Seventy translated κράσπεδον, which means fringe: one of which is usually taken in the hair, the other in the clothes.

And the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the sky. At first, he is grasped by the hand in a likeness; then he is lifted up by the spirit, which does not immediately raise him to the sky, but between the earth and the sky, so that, leaving the earthly things for a while, he hurries to the sky. And we can also say this, that because of good works, the prophet is grasped by the hand of God in a likeness, and because of knowledge of spiritual things, he is lifted up by the spirit.

Source: Commentary on Ezekiel

[AD 420] Jerome on Ezekiel 8:4

(Verse 4) And he brought me to Jerusalem in a vision of God, near the inner gate that faces north, where the idol of jealousy was set up to provoke jealousy. And behold, there the glory of the God of Israel was, as the vision that I had seen in the field. LXX: And he brought me to Jerusalem in a vision of God to the entrance of the gate that faces north, where the statue of the possessor was. And behold, the glory of the Lord God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the field. However, what is found in some codices. And in the statue is added the image of Zel, from Theodotion. The rest is similar. When he says 'he brought me to Jerusalem in a vision of God,' he shows that he was not transported in the body, but in the spirit. According to this vision, we can see both the heavens and the depths of the sea and the underworld, while we grasp the reasoning of each through contemplation. First, however, he comes to the vestibule that faces the North, so that he may see the statue of the idol Zel and provoke emulation; so that from that place he can penetrate the inner areas and see the rest, which are described afterwards. But the story tells of a statue of the idol Baal placed in the temple of God. It is beautifully called the idol of Zeal because it provokes emulation and zeal for the Lord, according to what is said in Deuteronomy: 'They have provoked me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will provoke them to jealousy with those which are not a people' (Deut. 32). Moreover, because zeal and possession, which are called 'Cena' in Hebrew, are also called by the same name, the Seventy interpreters translated the statue of Zeal as the statue of the Possessor. Finally, when Cain was born, his parent said that he possessed a man through God (Gen. IV, 1), referring to the possession of a human being, giving Cain his name. And there was the glory of the God of Israel, not because he delighted in such proximity, but in order to destroy the idol of Zeal and its temple with his presence. Hence, the destruction of the city and temple followed shortly after. And in Isaiah it is written that a narrow bed cannot accommodate two, and a short cloak cannot cover both (Isa. XXVIII), with Scripture indicating what the Apostle said: What agreement is there between Christ and Belial? Temple of God and idol (2 Cor. 7:25)

Source: Commentary on Ezekiel

[AD 420] Jerome on Ezekiel 8:5

(Verse 5) And he said to me: Son of man, lift up your eyes toward the north. So I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, north of the altar gate was the idol of jealousy in the entrance. Because we have set up the idol of jealousy north of the altar gate, the seventy translators have translated it as: From the north to the east gate, which is not found in Hebrew; leaving out the rest of what is written there. He said, he said to me, either the glory of God, which I had seen in the field, or the spirit that lifted me up between heaven and earth. And he spoke to me, after he had transported me to Jerusalem, and made me see either the city or the temple, and commanded me to lift up my eyes towards the way of the North. For there a statue of Baal was placed, which he calls the idol of Zeal, at the very entrance of the gate. But those who attribute the idol of Zeal, either to the possession or to the glory of God or the spirit, do impious things, by changing the persona of the idol, altering the majesty of God.

Source: Commentary on Ezekiel

[AD 420] Jerome on Ezekiel 8:6

(Verse 6.) And he said to me, Son of man, do you see what they are doing? The great abominations that the house of Israel is committing here, to make me go far away from my sanctuary? Yet again, you will see even greater abominations. Do not think, he said, that I am unjustly abandoning the temple and leaving the city to be destroyed. Look at what they are doing in the temple. And when you see that, do not think that their wickedness will end, you will still see even greater things. Indeed, this can also be understood about our Jerusalem and our temple, when we commit the crimes of idols in the house of God, following the example of Ophni and Phinees (2 Kings 2); and we fornicate with those who have vowed themselves to the service and ministry of God; and we seize the choice offerings of His sacrifices, giving them to clients and servants for their own use, and we do everything for the sake of profit. But if these things that we see are so great, how much greater must be the things that escape human conscience?

Source: Commentary on Ezekiel

[AD 420] Jerome on Ezekiel 8:7-9

(Verse 7 and following) And He brought me to the entrance of the courtyard, and I saw, and behold, there was a hole in the wall. And He said to me, Son of man, dig through the wall. So I dug through the wall, and there was a doorway. And He said to me, Go in and see the wicked abominations that they are committing here. This is what I have translated: And I saw, and behold, there was a hole in the wall. This is not found in the Septuagint. And because everything is shown as if in a picture, he says that he saw a hole in the wall and was commanded to dig through it and make it wider, so that he could enter and see what was outside that he could not see before. By which it is shown that, both in the Church and in each of us, greater sins are shown through small vices, and as if through certain holes, one can reach great abominations. For from the fruits the tree is known (Matthew 12:33, 34); and from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Words bursting forth are a sign of the interior man: just as lustful language sometimes reveals cunningly hidden vices; and a hidden greed signifies a desire for small things on the inside. For greater things are revealed to the lesser, and conscience cannot be disguised by expression and eyes, while a luxurious and wanton mind shines forth in the face; and the secrets of the heart are revealed by bodily movement and gestures.

Source: Commentary on Ezekiel

[AD 420] Jerome on Ezekiel 8:10

(Verse 10) And I entered and saw: and behold, every likeness of creeping things and abomination of animals: and all the idols of the house of Israel were depicted on the wall all around. Not only did the idol of Zele stand at the entrance of the northern gate, but also all the walls of the Temple were painted with various images of idols: so that there was no animal that the painting on the wall did not show. This we see so far in the temples of idols and the shrines of the Gentiles, because foolish religion worships all kinds of beasts. And Virgil says:

Omnigenumque deum monstra, et latrator Anubis, Quasi non et illa sint monstra quae laudat

Against Neptune and Venus, and against Minerva. We are able to show idols depicted on the walls of our temples, when we are subject to all vices, and we depict in our hearts the conscience of sins, and various images. Concerning which it is said in the Psalm: Lord, in your city you will scatter their image (Psalm 72:20). And in another place: Nevertheless, in image man walks around (Psalm 38:7). That is to say, there is no man who does not have some image, either of sanctity or of sin. Therefore, it is said to the furious and the irascible: Fury is to them according to the likeness of a serpent: as of the deaf adder that stoppeth her ears, which will not hear the voice of the charmers (Psalm 57:5). And concerning wicked men: Generation of vipers, who hath shewed you to flee from the wrath to come (Matthew 3:7)? And concerning the sly and deceitful: Go and say to that fox (Luke 13:32). And concerning lovers of women: The horses went insane for the women: each one neighed at his neighbor's wife (Jer. 5:8). Even about beasts and the foolish: Do not be like horses and mules, which have no understanding. And again: Put a bit and bridle on their mouths, those who do not come near you (Ps. 32:9). And many such things. However, what we have set down: And behold, every likeness of creeping things and animals is not found in the Septuagint.

Source: Commentary on Ezekiel

[AD 420] Jerome on Ezekiel 8:11

(Verse 11.) And seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and Jezoniah the son of Saphan stood among them who were standing before the paintings, and each one had a censer in his hand, and the smoke of incense rose from the censers. When it says that seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel held censers in their hands, it shows that there were many other priests who did not do this, but perhaps were held back by other sins. And it mentions specifically that Jezoniah the son of Saphan stood among them, as if he were the chief of their wickedness and sacrilege, who, having abandoned the religion of God, worshipped idols, and in the temple, did not worship the God whose temple it was, but the paintings on the walls. And it is rightly said: Jezonias, son of Saphan, stood in the midst of the standing elders, as a symbol of his judgment and condemnation, because he, as well as those whom he was the leader of, stood firmly in their sins and did not waver in wickedness; rather, they persisted strongly. And the steam of incense, the fog of confusion, and the whirlwind that rose from the offering of sacrilege demonstrated this. This event happened at that time, according to the letter of the law. Furthermore, we must pray that the elders of the house of Israel, by multiplying the sacred number, which is seven, by seven decades, do not stand in their errors and worship the images of idols, and that the sacrilegious vapor does not rise up against God. When we see the worst people gathered, of whom it is written: 'I hate the assembly of evildoers' (Psalm 26:6); and worse than the people are their leaders, and the leader who is in charge of the people and the elders, let us say that Jezoniah stands before the images and each one holds a censer in their hands, worshiping not the majesty of God, but their own opinions, and not offering a pleasing fragrance to God, but a foul odor to idols.

Source: Commentary on Ezekiel

[AD 420] Jerome on Ezekiel 8:12

(Verse 12) And he said to me: Surely you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel do in darkness, each one in the secrecy of his room. For they say: The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land. From this, he says, it is shown what each one does in his own room when they gather together in the temple. But according to the anagogy, it can be better understood that some leaders of the Churches do in darkness things that are even shameful to speak of. This is a hidden person of the heart, of whom it is said: Enter into your inner chamber (Mich. VI, 4). And again: He who sees in secret will repay you. Let each one examine his own conscience, and let him remember the works of darkness in the darkness, and let him know the scripture: Everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest he be accused by the light (John III, 20; I Thess. V). And in themselves they will understand it to be fulfilled: He who is drunk, is drunk at night (Prov. II, 25). For what cannot stand according to the letter. For how many are intoxicated with feasts and banquets of days? But because the drunkenness of the heart offends God, it belongs to darkness, and not to light, therefore whoever is intoxicated, is intoxicated at night. But when the elders of the house of Israel have done evil in the darkness and in the hiddenness of their chambers, and have thought that they can hide from God, then consequently they will say: The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the earth. There are many sinners who walk according to their own thoughts, who do not believe that God cares about mortal things or that our vices concern Him. Certainly, if we were to think that God sees and is present when we sin, we would never do what displeases Him. Furthermore, it follows that the Lord has abandoned the earth, as is the opinion of some philosophers who, from the movement and constancy of the stars, suspect that there is providence in the heavens and that earthly things are despised, since nothing good or in accordance with order takes place on earth.

Source: Commentary on Ezekiel

[AD 420] Jerome on Ezekiel 8:13-14

(Verse 13, 14). And he said to me: You will still see greater abominations that they (or these) do. And he brought me through the entrance of the gate of the house of the Lord, which faced north; and behold, there were women sitting there, mourning for Adonis. Whom we interpret as Adonis, and in the Hebrew and Syriac languages is called Thamuz. Therefore, because according to the Gentile fable, in the month of June the lover of Venus and the most beautiful young man is killed, and it is narrated that he then revived, they also call the same month by the same name and celebrate an annual commemoration for him, in which he is mourned by women as if dead, and then praised and honored when he revives. And afterwards, when the leaders and elders of the house of Israel saw what had been done in the temple and in the dark chambers, even the vices of women are described, who lament in private the loss of their lovers and rejoice if they are able to obtain them. And because the same Gentile people subtly interpret such fables of poets, which have obscenity, as the killing and resurrection of Adonis, accompanied by lamentation and joy: the former of which he thinks is shown in the seeds that die in the earth, and the latter in the crops in which the dead seeds are reborn; we also call those women who are saddened or excited by the good and evil of the world, with a soft and effeminate spirit: and we say that they lament for Thammuz, namely, those things which are considered the most beautiful in worldly matters.

Source: Commentary on Ezekiel

[AD 420] Jerome on Ezekiel 8:15-16

(Verse 15, 16.) And he said to me: Surely you have seen, son of man: yet you will see even greater abominations than these. And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and behold, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, between the vestibule and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun in the east. We interpreted this vestibule to be near Symmachus, who placed the πρόπυλον, because the LXX and Theodotion translated the Hebrew word for it as Aelam (): Aquila's first edition, προστάδα: second edition, was interpreted as the Aelam of the temple, which we can express as the portico of the temple: or the covered courtyard that was between the temple and the altar. And as we read above, after the idol of Zeal, which appeared at the Northern Gate: You will still see even greater abominations; and the pictures of all the beasts that the seventy priests and Jezonias, son of Saphan, were worshiping were shown on the wall, with the censers in their hands. It is said a second time: You will still see even greater abominations, which these people do, because the women were sitting and mourning for Adonis; and after the third sin, it is said: You will still see even greater abominations than these. But what is the greatest abomination of the three previous sins? Namely, the fourth that follows: Behold, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, between the vestibule and the altar, there were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, and they worshipped the rising sun. They did this because they despised the Lord, that is, the Creator, and worshipped the sun, that is, the creature of the Lord, as the Lord Himself commanded through Moses (Deut. XII), that they should not worship God against the east in the manner of the Gentiles: but wherever they were in the world, whether to the east, or to the west, or to the south, or to the north, they should worship toward the temple, where it was believed the Lord dwelled in the Holy of Holies. Indeed, we read in Daniel (Dan. VI) that he did this in Babylon, who, with the windows of his upper room open, worshipped the Lord opposite the temple, which was in Jerusalem. That this was sacrilege according to the letter, no one doubts. According to allegory, he will be able to know that all heretics are worse than their predecessors, that is, the idol of Zeal and the painted figures of animals on the wall, and the lamentation for Adonis, through which idolatry and pleasures are demonstrated, he who understands the prophet saying: But you hate discipline, and you have cast my words behind you (Ps. XLIX, 17). And in another place: They turned against me the back and not the face (Jer. II, 27). Do we not know Marcion and the other heretics, who tear apart the old Testament, despising the Creator, that is, the just God, and worship and adore another false good God, whom they have invented from their own imagination? And all the heretics of our time, who preach that the Son of God is a creature, and yet adore him, confess with their own words that they adore a creature, having deserted the temple of divinity and turned their backs to it. But we worship the sun of righteousness in such a way that we worship God in the temple of the old Testament, where the Law and the Prophets, where the Cherubim and the mercy seat are. These twenty-five men we have translated, the seventy placed twenty, and in some copies, five from Theodotion were added.

Source: Commentary on Ezekiel

[AD 420] Jerome on Ezekiel 8:17

91 (Ver. 17.) And he said to me: Surely you have seen, O son of man: Is it a light thing to the house of Judah, that they commit the abominations which they have committed here, because they have filled the land with wickedness and turned to provoke me? And behold, they put the branch to their nose. For we have said: And behold, they put the branch to their nose, the LXX translated: and behold, they are like mockers, to whom Theodotion added: They stretch out the branch; so that it is all together: And behold, they stretch out the branch as if mocking. About this, Symmachus interprets it as if they emit a sound like a song through their nostrils. However, it signifies twenty-five men who are positioned firmly in a square formation and, through their five senses, create a square shape. They not only have a temple behind them, but they also attach a branch to their nostrils, resembling idols. Undoubtedly, this signifies that they worship idols, which in Greek are called βαΐα. Finally, Job says among the other virtues that he has also had this, that he has never looked at the sky and the sun, and the moon, and the shining stars, and kissed his hand (Job. XXXI), that is, worshipped creatures. However, Symmachus' interpretation means a foul and hoarse sound coming from the nostrils in contempt of God. And all heretics, who have filled the earth with injustice, and turned to the knowledge of false names, in order to provoke the Lord to anger, are to be regarded: when they wanted to praise God, they would blaspheme with an ugly sound, or consider the God of the Old Testament of little importance, mock, and despise Him.

Source: Commentary on Ezekiel

[AD 420] Jerome on Ezekiel 8:18

(Verse 18.) Therefore, I will also act in fury: My eye will not spare, nor will I have compassion. And when they cry out to my ears with a loud voice, I will not listen to them. Moreover, the following phrase, 'And when they cry out to my ears with a loud voice, I will not listen to them,' is not found in the Septuagint. For all the things they have done, I will act in fury and my eye will not spare, nor will I have compassion,' says the Lord. When the ancient heretics heard this, they falsely accused the Creator of being cruel and bloodthirsty; and they did not consider the Apostle Paul, who is certainly an apostle of the good God (as they claim), writing to the Corinthians, 'If I come again, I will not spare' (2 Corinthians 12:2), in order to discipline the wrongdoers with a rod and bring the wanderers back to salvation. For those who do not understand what is beneficial for themselves, and frequently pray for the opposite, it is expedient that they are not heard by the Lord. Hence, in the Lord's Prayer, we say: Thy will be done (Matt. VI, 10). Not our own will, which is accustomed to err: but Thy will, which knows the future. And sometimes it is of great happiness to not deserve mercy in the present. Therefore, the Lord will not spare those who are from the house of Judah and have departed from the confession of the Church. And when they cry out with a loud voice, about which the Lord has said: Their cry has come to me (Genesis XVIII): yet the Lord will not hear them, so that, being compelled by their evils, they may understand what they have done.

Source: Commentary on Ezekiel