Bible Verses and Early Church Commentary | Historical Christian Faith

[AD 220] Tertullian on Isaiah 45:1

“Thus says the Lord God to my Christ [the] Lord, whose right hand I have held, that the nations may hear him, ‘the powers of kings will I burst asunder; I will open before him the gates, and the cities shall not be closed to him.’ ” This very thing we see now fulfilled. For whose right hand does God the Father hold but Christ’s, his Son? All nations have heard of him, that is, people of all nations have believed. Their preachers, the apostles, are pointed to in the psalms of David: “Into the entire earth,” he says, “is gone out their sound, and to the ends of the earth their words.” For on whom else have nations the world over believed but on the Christ who has now already come?… In all these places the name of the Christ has already come to reign. He is the one before whom the gates of all cities have been opened and to whom none are closed, before whom iron bars have been crumbled and brazen gates opened. There is a spiritual sense affixed to these expressions. The hearts of individuals, having been blockaded in various ways by the devil, are now unbarred by the faith of Christ. This promise has already been evidently fulfilled, inasmuch as in all these places there are people who live believing in the name of Christ.

Source: AN ANSWER TO THE JEWS 7

[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 45:1-7

(Chapter 45, Verses 1 onwards) Thus says the Lord to Cyrus, his anointed one, whom he has taken by the right hand to subdue nations before him and strip the loins of kings, to force gateways before him that their gates be closed no more:I will go before you, and level the mountains; I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. Because of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen one, I have called you by your name: I have likened you to myself, and you have not known me. I am the Lord, and there is no other: besides me there is no God: I have girded you, and you have not known me. So that they may know, from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is no one besides me ((Previously it was added: God)). I am the Lord, and there is no other. Forming light and creating darkness: making peace and creating evil. I am the Lord who does all these things. I know that in this chapter not only many Latin but also Greek people greatly err, thinking that it is written: Thus says the Lord to my Christ, the Lord; so that it is understood, according to what we read elsewhere: The Lord rains from the Lord (Gen. II). And: The Lord said to my Lord (Ps. CIX, 1). For it is not κυρίῳ, which means Lord, but it is said to Cyrus, who is called Chores in Hebrew, the king of the Persians, who overcame Babylon and the Chaldeans. And with the Medes joined together, the charioteer of the chariot, that is, of the camel and the donkey, is read above. This one is called Christ, that is, the anointed of the Lord, which was a sign among the Hebrews of royal power, just as with us the emperor is given a diadem and purple robe: so among the Hebrews those who were to reign were anointed with oil. Hence Saul is also called the anointed of the Lord (1 Samuel 24). And in the Psalms we read: 'Do not touch my anointed ones, and do no harm to my prophets' (Psalm 105:15). He grasped and held the right hand of this man, so that no one could resist his strength. Let us read the history of Cyrus the Great, consisting of eight books by Xenophon, and we will see the prophecy of Isaiah fulfilled. What city did not yield to him? What king did not submit to him? What walls, before impregnable, were not brought down by his siege? Therefore, God addresses Cyrus himself: I have given you treasures and hidden riches of all cities, so that you, who previously worshipped idols, would acknowledge one God through my blessings, especially since you know that your name was foretold long before you were born. Which indeed Josephus also relates in the eleventh book of Jewish Antiquities, that Cyrus read of himself prophesied by name by Isaiah, and therefore the Jews loved him greatly as if he were one of God's own familiar ones. These things, he says, I attribute to you because of my servant Jacob, and my chosen Israel, and I called you by your name, just as I called Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and long before, I foretold you, Isaac and Josiah, so that you would not think that he is the Christ, to whom you are compared, and in whose type and image you have preceded. But you did not know me, that is, you worshiped idols, not God. I have equipped you with strength; I have made you conquer many nations, and you did not know your helper. In this respect, I cannot help but be amazed at the foolishness of the readers; that they would refer these things to Christ, through whom the world is reconciled to God. I, says the Lord, and there is no one besides me. Besides my word, reason, power, and wisdom, which are in me, there is no other God. And I have done these things so that from the East and the West the whole world may recognize that there is no other God besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. For the Father is in the Son, and the Son is in the Father. He who speaks in the Gospel: I and the Father are one (John 10:30). And it is written in the book of Ezra that Cyrus wrote to all nations that there is no God except the God of Israel. Or it is to be understood in this way, that the release of captives and the mercy of God towards his people has made God known to all nations. Therefore, I, the only God, give you strength. I myself create opposing things, light and darkness, that is, day and night; peace and evil, that is, calm and war, through which I indicate that I was angry with my people when they endured the darkness of captivity and the evils of slavery. And again, I showed mercy when I released them to their homeland and they received peace and joy. Just as light is opposed to darkness, so war is opposed to peace. In order to combat heresy, which considers God, the creator of all things, as evil, it must be noted that this evil is not opposed to good, but rather serves as a means of affliction and struggle, as it is written in the Gospel: 'Sufficient for the day is its own evil' (Matthew 6:34). We can apply this understanding to a wise man of the Church, to whom God has granted speech and wisdom, so that through his arguments he may undermine all sects that are contrary to the truth. Just as the Holy Scripture also mentions about Stephen (Acts 6), that no one was able to resist his wisdom, and so that he may subject kings, that is, the leaders of each heresy, to his authority, and open and break down what previously seemed to be concluded by the art of dialectic, and bring forth the secrets of the heretics, surpassing and convincing them, so that they may know the secrets of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2). God calls this man by His own name because he is the defender of His servant Jacob and His chosen one Israel. God accepts him and conforms him to His word, which he must be careful not to think that what he speaks is his own, but rather he should attribute all glory to the giver; lest he himself deserves to hear: 'I have called you, and you have not known me.' For when, equipped with the armor of an Apostle, he teaches everyone that there is no other God but one, who is the God of Jacob and Israel, Marcion will be confounded, for he understands two gods, one good and the other just; one the creator of the invisible, the other of the visible. From these, the first makes light, the second darkness; the former brings peace, the latter brings evil: and yet the same God created both, according to their different merits.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah

[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 45:1

What is most clear is the power of the prophecy or the prophetic preaching. We should look at each of the lines to see clearly what seems obscure. For it calls Cyrus “Christ” and not as if he were one of the saints, who could bear this name, but it functions to mean that he bears the name as anointed by God, in that God was in the habit of anointing those called to the kingdom even if they were not saints or worshipers. For we find the holy prophets saying to those who have received this, “The Lord has anointed you king over Israel.” So Cyrus is the anointed one, anticipating Christ as king. Only through God has he triumphed and been brought to this triumphal song so as to reflect that since he is called “anointed,” that is, by chrism and selection, he is called by God to the kingdom … so that you might know.… “I am the Lord God who calls your name, the God of Israel, for the sake of Jacob my servant/son and Jacob my chosen. I, God alone, have called you for this, and I have honored you with radiance, that you will be civil to my servant Israel. I have called you and have crowned you with glory, even though you do not know that I am the Lord and that there is no God other than me.”

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 4:2.45:1

[AD 458] Theodoret of Cyrus on Isaiah 45:1

The divine Scripture designates under the name “anointed” not only those who are brought forward for unction but also those whom the God of the universe has singled out with a view toward [fulfilling] a required function. Thus, referring to the patriarchs who lived before the law, he has said, “Touch not my anointed ones.” Here, in any case, he has given to Cyrus the title “anointed,” in order to announce that it is [God] who has chosen him as king in such a way as to defeat the empire of the Babylonians, to make an end to the captivity of the Jews and to [re]construct the temple of God.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 14:45.1

[AD 397] Ambrose of Milan on Isaiah 45:2

I maintain in accord with the Scriptures that God can extend the low-lying regions and the open plains, as he has said, “I will go before you and make level the mountains.” The very force of water can also make its bed deeper by the violent movements of the waves and by the impact of the surf of that wild element that day by day stirs up the bottom of the sea, drawing forth sands from its very depths.

Source: SIX DAYS OF CREATION 3:3.15:45.1-7

[AD 407] John Chrysostom on Isaiah 45:2

Let us not fear punishment. By this faith we shall escape punishment.… This is the correct attitude of the servants of God to be. For if those who were brought up under the old dispensation, when death was not yet slain, or his “brazen gates broken down” or his “iron bars cut into pieces” so nobly encountered their end, how destitute of all defense or excuse shall we be, if, after having had the benefit of such great grace, we attain not even to the same measure of virtue as they did, now when death is only a name, devoid of reality. For death is nothing more than a sleep, a journey, a migration, a rest, a tranquil haven, an escape from trouble and a freedom from the cares of this present life!

Source: HOMILIES CONCERNING THE STATUES 7:1

[AD 458] Theodoret of Cyrus on Isaiah 45:2

By all that is about to be said, he has taught that he has invested Cyrus as king, he has given him the necessary sovereignty to direct his empire with good will and so that the disposition of difficult matters is mitigated and facilitated. This is what the phrase means: “I will level mountains, and I will break to pieces brazen doors.”

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 14:45.2

[AD 253] Origen of Alexandria on Isaiah 45:3

The higher and profounder spiritual meaning is the “hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” which the Holy Spirit speaking through Isaiah calls “dark and unseen and concealed treasures.” These treasures require for their discovery the help of God, who alone is able to “break in pieces the gates of brass” by which they are shut in and concealed and to burst the iron bolts and bars that prevent us from entering in and reaching all those truths written in veiled language in Genesis concerning the various races of souls and the seeds and generations named there, whether closely akin to Israel or widely separated from his posterity.

Source: ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 4:3.11

[AD 379] Basil of Caesarea on Isaiah 45:3

To one who believes, a promise is given by God: “I will give you hidden treasures, unseen ones.” When we have been deemed worthy of knowledge face to face, we shall see also the depth in the storehouses of God.

Source: HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 15:5 (PSALM 32)

[AD 390] Gregory of Nazianzus on Isaiah 45:3

Who is the person whose heart has never been made to burn, as the Scriptures have been opened, with the pure words of God that have been tried in a furnace;16 who has not, by a triple inscription of them on the breadth of his heart, attained the mind of Christ, or been admitted to the treasures that to most people remain hidden, secret and dark, to gaze on the riches therein and become able to enrich others, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Source: IN DEFENSE OF HIS FLIGHT TO PONTUS, ORATION 2:96

[AD 407] John Chrysostom on Isaiah 45:3

“I will give you the treasures of darkness.” … This is the way [Isaiah] referred to hell. Even if it was hell, it still preserved the sacred souls and precious vessels, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is why Isaiah called it a place of treasures, even if in darkness, because the Sun of justice had not yet penetrated there with its rays or with any message on the resurrection.

Source: DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE PAGANS 4:14-15

[AD 435] John Cassian on Isaiah 45:3

Then the word of God will precede us and first humble the powerful of our earth—that is, these same harmful passions that we wish to subdue and that claim dominion for themselves and a most cruel tyranny in our mortal body—and it will make them submit to our investigation and our exposure. And, breaking open the gates of ignorance and smashing the bolts of the vices that shut us out from true knowledge, it will lead us to our concealed secrets and, according to the apostle, it will, once we have been enlightened, reveal to us “the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of hearts.”

Source: INSTITUTES 5:2.2

[AD 458] Theodoret of Cyrus on Isaiah 45:5

[Cyrus] also was a slave to the error of idolatry. Even though he had received kingship from the God of the universe and obtained such great assistance from him, he had not known the dispenser of these benefits. God had nevertheless deemed him worthy, despite his error, of all these benefits. He had appointed him as an instrument of chastisement to the Babylonians and of the liberation of Israel. However, I have found some copies that bear this text: “Meanwhile, Israel, you have not known me.” But I have not found the presence of the word Israel, either in the Hebrew text or with the other interpreters or in the Hexapla version [Origen’s compilation] of the Septuagint. And it is justifiably so, for it is not Israel that he is accusing of scorning him, but Cyrus. Then he also indicates the cause of the liberation of the Jews.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 14:45.5

[AD 850] Ishodad of Merv on Isaiah 45:5

“I have called you by name, I have surnamed you, though you do not know me.” God addresses these words to Cyrus, so as to say, I have honored you to such an extent that, even before you were born, I had made your name illustrious and made you a part of my design to give freedom, through your hands, back to my people who are so dear to me. Even though I have honored you so much through my prophets, you were never interested in knowing me. Even though I acted, so that every nation might know me through you, you did not want to recognize me as the master and the creator of universe, but you have given the name of gods to others instead of me.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 45:4-6

[AD 220] Tertullian on Isaiah 45:6

And inasmuch as this Son is undivided and inseparable from the Father, so is he to be reckoned as being in the Father, even when he is not named. The fact is, if he had named him expressly, he would have separated him, saying in so many words, “Beside me there is none else, except my Son.” In short, he would have made his Son actually another, after excepting him from others.

Source: AGAINST PRAXEAS 18

[AD 407] John Chrysostom on Isaiah 45:6

The prophets were not denying the Son (God forbid!), but they wished to cure the Jews of their weakness and, meanwhile, to persuade them to give up their belief in the many gods that did not exist.

Source: AGAINST THE ANOMOEANS, HOMILY 5:23

[AD 220] Tertullian on Isaiah 45:7

Now (like many other persons nowadays, especially those who have a heretical proclivity), while morbidly brooding over the question of the origin of evil, Marcion’s perception became blunted by the very irregularity of his researches. When he found the Creator declaring, “I am he that creates evil,” Marcion had already concluded from other arguments that satisfy only twisted minds that God is the author of evil. So Marcion now applied to the Creator the figure of the corrupt tree bringing forth evil fruit, that is, moral evil, and then presumed that there ought to be another god, after the analogy of the good tree producing its good fruit. Accordingly, finding in Christ a different disposition—one of a simple and pure benevolence, differing from the Creator—Marcion readily argued that in his Christ had been revealed a new and strange divinity; and then with a little leaven he leavened the whole lump of the faith, flavoring it with the acidity of his own heresy.

Source: AGAINST MARCION 1.2

[AD 253] Origen of Alexandria on Isaiah 45:7

In the same way also we explain the expressions, “I, who make peace and create evil”; for he calls into existence “corporeal” or “external” evils, while purifying and training those who would not be disciplined by the word and sound doctrine. This, then, is our answer to the question, “How is it that God created evil?”

Source: AGAINST CELSUS 6:56

[AD 258] Novatian on Isaiah 45:7

Ever desiring to become more completely known to us and to incite our minds to his worship, he said, “I am the Lord who made the light and created the darkness,” that we may not think that some other unknown One was the artificer of those alternations whereby the nights and days are regulated; but rather, and with greater truth, we may acknowledge God as their Creator.

Source: ON THE TRINITY 3:5

[AD 339] Eusebius of Caesarea on Isaiah 45:7

“From my works they will learn; for when I needed to inflict pain on my people for their repentance and discipline, I gave them up to warfare as if handing them over to darkness and wrath on account of their wickedness.” Once they have turned and received help, [God] will deem it right to restore them, and it follows that the light of peace and of all good things will rise on them, but in my judgment also the things of wrath. So learn this lesson from me. As I am the creator of light and the leader of peace, likewise am I of dark things and those things considered painful. The evil things have been reckoned to the many whose creator inflicts evil on them. He does so whenever his righteous judgment appoints such, according to the various ways they deserve evil as judgment on their sins.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 2:27

[AD 407] John Chrysostom on Isaiah 45:7

For since we are accustomed to use the word evil to speak of calamities, and not only of thefts and adulteries, so the prophet allows this usage. On this basis the prophet can say, “There is no evil in the city that the Lord has not done.” This too, by means of Isaiah, God has made clear, when he said, “I am God who makes peace and creates evil,” again naming calamities evils. This evil also Christ hints at, thus saying to the disciples, “Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof,” that is to say, the affliction, the misery. It is manifest then on all sides that he here calls punishment an evil, even as we commonly do, affirming at the same time that God brings these on us. This affords us the greatest view of his providence. For the physician is not only to be commended when he leads forth the patient into gardens and meadows, nor even into baths and pools of water, nor yet when he sets before him a well-furnished table, but when he orders him to remain without food, when he oppresses him with hunger and lays him low with thirst, confines him to his bed, making his house a prison, depriving him of the very light and shadowing his room on all sides with curtains. When he cuts, and when he cauterizes and when he brings his bitter medicines, he is equally a physician.

Source: CONCERNING THE POWER OF DEMONS 1:5

[AD 407] John Chrysostom on Isaiah 45:7

These things have thus been clearly shown to you to be in some cases bad, some good and some in between, … the inspired author is saying the in-between things are not really bad but are thought to be by the general run of people—things like captivity, servitude and exile. Now, it is necessary to explain the reason for this statement. Loving as [God] is and quick to show mercy, while slow in exercising retribution and punishment, God sent prophets so as to avoid consigning the Jews to punishment, intending to frighten them in word, so as not to punish them in deed.…Observing this and wishing to undermine the reform that was the result of such a threat, the devil sent down false prophets, and in contradiction of the prophets’ threats of captivity, servitude and famine, false prophets preached the opposite—peace, prosperity and enjoyment of countless good things. Hence, the genuine prophets also mocked the false by saying, “Peace, peace—and where is peace?” This every scholar knows, that everything happened just as the prophets had foretold against the false prophets, who were undermining the people’s zeal. So when they undermined the people in this way and corrupted them, God said through the prophets, “I, God, am making peace and creating evils.” What sort of evils? Those mentioned—captivity, servitude and the like. Not fornication, licentiousness, avarice and anything else like that.…
Do not let the false prophets undermine you; God can give you peace and consign you to captivity, which is the meaning of “making peace and creating evils.” For you to learn that this is true, let us make a precise examination of the individual expressions. After saying before, “I am the one who brought light and darkness into being,” he then went on to say, “making peace and creating evils.” He cited two opposites first, and two opposites after that, for you to learn that he is referring not to fornication but to calamities. I mean, what is set as the opposite of peace? Clearly captivity, not licentiousness or fornication or avarice. So just as he cited two opposites first, so too in this case; the opposite of peace is not fornication, or adultery, or licentiousness or the other vices, but captivity and servitude.

Source: HOMILIES ON ISAIAH 45:6-7

[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Isaiah 45:7

“I make good things and ‘create’ evil things.” For to “create” means to order and arrange. And so in most manuscripts it is written, “I make good things and order evil things.” To make is to give being to something that did not exist at all, but to order is to arrange something that already exists in such a way that it becomes greater and better. Thus, when God says, “I order evil things,” he means those things that fall away, that tend to non-being, and not those that have attained their end. For it has been said that, owing to the divine providence, nothing is permitted to reach a state of non-being.

Source: THE CATHOLIC AND MANICHAEAN WAYS OF LIFE 2:7.9

[AD 458] Theodoret of Cyrus on Isaiah 45:7

He calls “light” here the happy events—the cessation of slavery, the liberation and the return—and “darkness” the sad happenings—the siege, the subjection, the enslavement. It is I, he says, who am the author of these two series of events, of these and of those. It is I who made use of Nebuchadnezzar to inflict the chastisement and who have chosen Cyrus as the instrument for the liberation. And just as I am the creator of the light and of darkness, and [just as] I have produced each of them so that they are used for humankind, I have inflicted bondage on Israel in its interest, and I have made the gift of freedom by reason of my benevolence. “Who make peace and create evil.” He has clearly taught what he has meant under the name of darkness and of light: it is peace that he has called “light” and the events that seem bad “darkness.” So [God] has called them evil, not because they are evil by nature but because people considered them thus. For we have the habit of saying, “Today is a bad day for me,” not because the day itself is changed to some other nature but because in the course of that day some events happened that produced sorrow.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 14:45.7

[AD 373] Ephrem the Syrian on Isaiah 45:8

“Rejoice, O heavens, from above,” that is, rejoice over the salvation of the nations. The angels are delighted at the repentance of a single sinner. “And the clouds will rain down righteousness.” The clouds, which rain down righteousness, are the apostles and the priests who justify through the absolution, which they give by means of baptism. “Let the earth open, that salvation may be multiplied.” Justice, symbolized through the earth, is poured on the mind of the nations, and salvation shall multiply in every region. “And let it cause righteousness to spring up also.” In the salvation of the nations also their justice is multiplied, and salvation and justice spring up and grow at the same time.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 45:8

[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 45:8

(Chapter 45, Verse 8) Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened, and bud forth the saviour, and let justice spring up together: I the Lord have created him. Septuagint: Let the heavens above rejoice, and let the clouds rain down righteousness: let the earth bring forth salvation, and let mercy spring up, and let justice bud together: I the Lord have created thee. There is a double interpretation of this passage. For some believe that it refers to the previous statements, and that when Cyrus the king releases the captives, heaven and earth rejoice: metaphorically, this signifies those who dwell in heaven and on earth. Others separate it from what has gone before, and consider this chapter to be the beginning of its own section, and to prophesy concerning the coming of the Lord, which is commanded to come with clouds, about which it was written above (in ch. V, 6): 'I will command the clouds that they rain not upon it,' that is, upon the vineyard of Israel; and concerning those to whom the truth of God has come, so that they may rain righteousness upon the world or righteousness; and let the earth open, and let it bring forth a Savior. Concerning whom it is sung in the Psalms: 'Truth has sprung from the earth, and righteousness has looked down from heaven' (Ps. LXXXIV, 12); or, according to the Septuagint: 'The earth has brought forth mercy and righteousness together,' so that both sinners may obtain mercy and the righteous may receive rewards. And furthermore, I, the Lord, who created him, or, I, the Lord who created you, shall not be scandalized by the name of the creature, who has read him to be a worm, a servant, and a plant sprung from the earth.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah

[AD 458] Theodoret of Cyrus on Isaiah 45:8

“And let the clouds rain righteousness.” On the occasion of making previous threats, he has said, “I will command the clouds to rain no rain on it,” and … it was the prophets who were referred to in this way. Here, therefore, the text invites the prophets to present, as a kind of rain, the discourse dealing with righteousness. In fact, those recognized as prophets after the return from exile were Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. “And let the earth bring forth and blossom with mercy, and bring forth righteousness likewise.” For it is fitting likewise that the people who benefit from such watering offer fruits in consonance with the watering. Thus, the rain provides discourse regarding righteousness; therefore, he demands from them the fruits of righteousness and mercy. For he has called the people who inhabit the earth “the earth.” “I am the Lord who created you.” It is I who likewise from the beginning have brought you into existence.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 14:45.8

[AD 56] Romans on Isaiah 45:9

And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? [Isaiah 45:9] Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

[AD 390] Nemesius of Emesa on Isaiah 45:9-10

For we, who do not know at all what the future has in store and see merely our present circumstances, misjudge what will profit us. God … sees what is to come as if it were present. These prophecies are addressed, however, to those who make themselves God’s judges. To them may also fittingly be cited those words of Scripture, “shall the clay say to the potter” and so forth.How shall we not shun a person who legislates in opposition to the laws of God and issues decrees in opposition to the works of providence, whereas he dares not breathe a word against human laws? Therefore, leaving such exaggerations, or, to speak more truly, blasphemies, on one side, let us demonstrate the error of denying particular providence while acknowledging universal and general providence.

Source: ON THE NATURE OF MAN 44:66

[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 45:9-13

(Verse 9 and following) Woe to those who contradict their maker, a pot made of clay, and say to the one who formed them, 'What are you making?' or 'Your work has no hands.' Woe to those who say to their father, 'What are you begetting?' or to their mother, 'What are you in labor with?' This is what the Lord says, the Holy One of Israel, and its maker: Ask me about the things to come, concerning my children, and about the work of my hands, give me orders. I made the earth and created humans on it, I stretched out the heavens with my hands, and I command all their host. I have raised him up to righteousness, and I will direct all his ways. He will build my city, and he will release my captivity, not for a price or with gifts, says the Lord of hosts. LXX: What better have I done than clay to a potter? Will the plowman plow the earth? Will the clay say to the potter, what are you doing, since you do not work and do not have hands? Woe to him who says to his father, what do you beget, and to his mother, what do you give birth? For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, who created what is to come. Ask me about my sons and command me concerning the work of my hands. I made the earth and created man upon it. I, with my own hand, stretched out the heavens; I commanded all the stars. I raised him up with righteousness as a king; all his ways are straight. He himself will build my city and will turn the captivity of my people, not with price nor with gifts, says the Lord God of hosts. Those who want to apply what was said to the character of Cyrus interpret this place as follows: With me promising great things, because of the return of my people to Judea, I will subjugate all the kingdoms to Cyrus: Woe to him who is incredulous and does not believe what I say will come to pass, as if clay and broken pottery were to criticize its potter why it was made or why it was made in that way; and a work should speak against its artist's hands; and a son should criticize his father and mother, why he was poured out onto the earth by the law of nature. Since I am the Holy Lord of Israel who formed Cyrus and caused him to be born by my command, it is pointless for you to doubt the future. Rather, you should know that my sons, the people of Israel, and the work of my hands are not subject to your control, but to my will. I, who created darkness and evil for them in the past, will now give them light and peace. For I am the God who did not create the earth in vain, but for the purpose of habitation by humans. I have extended and established the heavens as the dwelling place of the angels. I have adorned them with the diversity of the stars, and I have commanded each one to run its course in order, and to fill the different spaces of days, months, and years. Therefore, if I have made the heavens and the earth, what is it of great significance if I create one king who will obey my commands and direct all his ways? For he will be commanded to build my city, Jerusalem, and to bring the captives back to Judah. Not for reward or gifts, but for my own willingness, says the Lord God of hosts. But whoever brings understanding to Christ refers to his explanation in the following words: Woe to those who contradict God and do not believe that Christ will come; as if clay and a vessel were to contradict its potter. Woe to him who says to the Almighty Father, why do you beget a son, and to the holy woman Mary, what are you giving birth to? Of whom the Apostle also writes (Galatians 4): That Christ was made from a woman, made under the law. Therefore, the Holy Lord of Israel, who formed the Savior in a virgin womb, says, speaking through Gabriel: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you (Luke 1:35). And what will be born in you, holy, will be called the Son of God. Let the earthen vessel ask me, and let it seek the secrets of the future. And let it command me how I should regenerate the adopted children who will believe in my Son. And the evangelist John says: Whoever received him, he gave them the power to become children of God (John 1:12). But if I made the earth to be inhabited by men, and stretched out the heavens above, and adorned them with the variety of stars, so that the worshipers of God might dwell on earth: why is it surprising that I sent my Son, the righteous king, into the world, or raised him from the dead, whose ways are all straight? For he did not commit sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth (1 Peter 2:22). Whoever builds my city upon a rock, against which the gates of Hell shall not prevail (Matth. XVI); and which, when placed on a mountain, cannot be hidden (Ibid., V): and who first binds the possessed with chains, and sets all the children free, not for a price or reward: for we have been saved freely, both those who listen and those who act: You have received freely, freely give (Matth. X, 8). Some attribute these words to Zorobabel, who led the captives out of Babylon, and built the city, and constructed the temple, as prophesied by Haggai and Zechariah, who said: The hands of Zorobabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands shall complete it (Zach. IV, 9). But we say more correctly and truly, neither did Cyrus build the city that was later built under Nehemiah, nor were all its roads straight. To whom it was said above: I have taken you, and girded you: and you have not known me; and Zerubbabel, who was under the authority and power of the Medes and Persians, exceeds all that is said. For Zerubbabel did not build the city, nor did he release the captivity, nor can he be called a king, who, living under other kings, lacked this title. But what do the Seventy mean, who translated at the beginning of this chapter: What have I done better than the clay of the potter? Will the one who tills, till the earth? I do not know: unless perhaps I follow the edition of Theodotion, who put instead: Woe to him who contends against his maker, the one who tills tilling the earth: because he would wound the hearts of mortals in repentance, and in the manner of plows, he would undermine and overthrow it. But even this interpretation is frivolous. Furthermore, because a potter, that is, our Creator and Maker, is called God, and the apostle Paul speaks in his Epistle to the Romans: Does the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why have you made me like this? Does not the potter have power over the clay, to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? (Romans 9:20) And in Jeremiah it is written in more detail, where he narrates among other things: I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was making a work on the wheel, and the vessel that he made was marred in his hands. And again he made another vessel from the same clay, as it pleased him in his sight. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Cannot I do with you, as this potter, O house of Israel, saith the Lord? Behold as clay is in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel (Jeremiah 18:3-4). And that which is written: I have commanded the stars to all, and I have given opportunity to some, so that the stars may have reason and soul and sense. For they say that He would not have commanded [these things] unless they were intelligible: not remembering [what is] written in Jonah: 'The Lord commanded a burning wind' (Jonah 4:8). And again: 'The Lord commanded the morning worm' (Ibid., 7). And that in the Gospel the Savior rebuked the winds and the sea (Luke 8), in which it is clear that there is no sense or reason.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah

[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Isaiah 45:9-10

How do we think, except as in the way that the prophet also foretells of God, that he has done the things that are going to be? For he does not say, “Who will do the things that are going to be, but “who did the things that are going to be.” Therefore, [God] both did them and is going to do them. For neither have they been done if he did not do them, nor are they going to be done if he will not do them. Therefore, [God] did them by predestining them; he is going to do them by working.

Source: TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 68:1.2

[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Isaiah 45:9-10

By predestination God indeed foreknew that which he himself was going to do. Thus it was said, “He has made that which shall be.” Furthermore, [God] can foreknow even those things that he himself does not do, such as whatever sins there may be. There are certain things that are sins and at the same time punishment for sins, so that it is written, “God delivered them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting.” This is not the sin of God, however, but the judgment of God.

Source: PREDESTINATION OF THE SAINTS 10

[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 45:9

This is a deep saying, veiled in much obscurity, yet at the same time very useful and true. I think I ought to make a brief preliminary exposition of what it is driving at. In this way my readers will find it more accessible and easier to understand. Thus the God of all things freed Israel from Egypt, rescued them from the error of polytheism and brought them by the law of Moses from the chicanery of the demons to the dawn of the true knowledge of God. He taught them to worship a single God and bow down before a single Lord. Then by means of types and shadows he wanted to raise them up to what was still better and more perfect, that is, to the things that are in Christ. For the law was a preliminary instructor and was laid down until the time of setting aright. This came with the advent of our Savior Jesus Christ, when he set aside the shadow of the commandments of the law and the types found in the letter and introduced to those on earth the beauty of worship in spirit and in truth openly and without disguise.
But the Jews found this hard to bear, and as they were still complying with the types, they took action against Christ and accused him of breaking the Mosaic commandments. … Therefore, since they found the benefit resulting from the preaching of the gospel unacceptable, although it was advancing them from the unprofitable shadow to spiritual fruitfulness, the prophet says to them, “Will the plowman plow the earth all day?” “O foolish people,” he is saying, “a cultivator turns over the soil with the plow, but he does not go on doing it forever, nor is the whole business of cultivation taken up with plowing. For he turns over the soil not simply for the sake of doing so but in order that it might be made ready to receive the seed when he sows it and prove to be productive. Therefore I gave the hearts of all of you, which were once overgrown like wastelands, a preliminary working over, using the law of Moses as a plow, and, turning them over like a farmer, I made them suitable for sowing with good seed. Therefore accept what he offers and do not remain permanently attached to your beloved plow, which is the law.” For he plowed, as I have said, not so that you should hold fast to plowing (for what would be the use of that?) but so that you should produce the fruits of truth. Since we have been spiritually refashioned in Christ, that is to say, we have been transformed, some of us from pagan error into the knowledge of the truth, and to a holy life through Christ the Savior of us all, others from Judaism into the acquisition of evangelical teachings and into a newness of worship that no longer cleaves to the dreariness of the types but instead is resplendent with the striking beauty of spiritual worship, both we and they have been enriched with rebirth in Christ through water and the Spirit. - "Commentary on Isaiah 4.2.45.9-10"

[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 45:9

Though this saying is deep and shrouded in much obscurity, you will nonetheless come to understand how true and useful it is. I think it is necessary first to explain briefly the thrust of the ideas. This way it will become more accessible to my listeners and easier to understand. Therefore, the God of all redeemed Israel from Egypt and rescued them from the errors of polytheism and the deceit of the demons, and brought them through the law of Moses to the dawn of the true knowledge of God. He taught them to worship one God and adore one Lord. Then, by means of types and shadows, he wanted to raise them to those things that are still better and more perfect, namely, the things that are in Christ. The law was a tutor, and it stayed until the time of correction, that is, the time of the coming of our savior Jesus Christ when he set aside the shadow of the commandments of the law and the types found in the text, and introduced the people on earth to the beauty of worship in spirit and truth openly and without disguise.But the Jews were quite vexed by this, and because they were still clinging to the types, they resisted Christ, accusing him of transgressing the Mosaic legislation. … Accordingly, since they deemed as unacceptable the benefit that comes from the preaching of the Gospel, although it would have brought them from the inane shadows to spiritual fruitfulness, it says to them: “Will the plowman plow the earth all day?” “O foolish people,” he is saying, “the farmer furrows the soil with the plow, but he does not do so forever, nor does he spend the whole time of farming doing the work of the plow. He furrows the soil not simply for the sake of doing so, but that it may be ready to receive the seed when it is sown in it, and thus be productive. Therefore, previously I worked all your hearts, overgrown with thickets and dry as a wasteland as they were, using the law of Moses like a plow; and like a farmer who furrows the land, I prepared them to receive the sowing of good seeds. Now, the sower of every good thing is my Son. Accept, therefore, what comes from him, and cease from your constant love and affection for the plow, which is the law.” You see, his purpose in plowing, as I said, was not for you to have that (for what profit would there be in that?) but so that you may produce the fruits of truth. Since we have been refashioned spiritually in Christ, that is to say, we have been transformed, some from the [pagan] error to the knowledge of the truth and to a holy life that comes form Christ, who is the Savior of us all, others from circumcision to adoption of the gospel teachings and into a newness of worship that is no longer marked by the dreariness of types but instead is resplendent with the striking beauty of spiritual worship. Both we and they have been enriched with rebirth in Christ through water and the Spirit.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 4:2.45:9

[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 45:9-10

Likewise, the common Jewish people rejected the grace that was given them and found it unacceptable; for they resisted, as I have said, the teachings of Christ.… “For I desire to refashion you,” he says, “into something better, to remake you into something superior through a spiritual birth which, of course, is the one through water and the Spirit; but you foolishly resist my plans. Did the clay,” he says, “ever reproach the potter for not having a skillful hand, or for not knowing how to give shape to what he holds in his hands? Nor,” he says, “does the one who is about to be born put a question to his own father, ‘Will you give birth?’ How is it, then, that you, who are like clay in the potter’s hands, and do not know at all how your spiritual rebirth will take place, are not afraid of being cantankerous? And why do you not realize you ought to leave it to me, as to a craftsman and father, how to do these things?” … Therefore, it is necessary to [yield] to what God says. He himself knows the way of his own works, and what he fashioned is not subject to prying, and what transcends our understanding should be given the honor of unquestioning faith.One must also understand that the prophet Jeremiah was sent to the house of the potter to see him at work. When the clay collapsed and was reshaped into a different vessel, God said to him: “Can I not do with you as this potter has done, O house of Israel? Behold, just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.” Paul, also, explains that we are transformed spiritually into a holy and utterly good life, when he says: “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed in to the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit”8; through whom we are also born again, not any longer of corruptible seed, but through the word of the living God who endures forever.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 4:2.45:9-10

[AD 458] Theodoret of Cyrus on Isaiah 45:9-10

Just as the potter models anew the vase of broken clay, [God] says, for my part, I will make you better than at first. “Will the plowman plow the earth all day?” This comes back to saying it is not effective to use chastisement continually, for the cultivator does not keep tearing up the soil without ceasing. “Woe to him who disputes with the One who formed him!” “Shall the clay say to the potter, What are you doing that you do not work, nor have hands? Shall the thing formed answer him that formed it?” Since there were many in that epoch, and now likewise, who concern themselves ill-advisedly with divine providence and who attempt to study inquisitively the cause for the occurrence of wars, of periods of sterility of the soil, of premature deaths and of all the things of this nature, it is understandable that he should first of all deplore those who demand an accounting from the Creator of the universe. He, then, has skillfully closed their mouth by the image of the clay and the potter: the clay does not demand an accounting from the one who worked it regarding his rest or his work. In the same way is it no more fitting to occupy yourself rudely with divine matters, for you are precisely the clay. But there is between me and the potter the greatest difference there could be: the potter, though he is the creator of the utensil of clay, is nevertheless, on his part, the firstborn of the clay, whereas I possess an uncreated nature. Yet the clay does not say a word but supports the modeling that the potter wishes to impose on it, while you pay no attention to my providence.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 14:45.9

[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 45:10

Conversely, the grace that descended on these was rejected and not accepted by the Jewish people. For they resisted, as I have said, the teachings of Christ.… But “I desire to refashion you,” Christ is saying, “into something better, to remodel you into something finer through a spiritual birth (meaning, of course, through water and the Spirit). But you resisted my plans without understanding.” Therefore, the prophet says, does the clay reproach the potter for not having an artisan’s hand or for not knowing how to shape what was in his hands? Or does someone who is about to be begotten put the question to his own father, “Why are you begetting?” How do you, then, who are like clay in the potter’s hands and have not knowledge at all of how your spiritual rebirth will take place, have the audacity to enter into argument? And why do you not rather understand that you should cede to the artisan and father the knowledge of how to do these things? … It is therefore necessary to give way to what God says. He himself knows the way of his own works, and what he has fashioned is not to be curiously inquired into. It belongs to someone like ourselves to honor what transcends the human mind with an unquestioning faith.
You should also know that the prophet Jeremiah was sent to the house of the potter to watch him at work. When the pot turned out badly and the potter refashioned the clay into a new vessel, God said to him, “Can I not do with you as this potter has done, O house of Israel? Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.” That we are transformed spiritually and brought to a holy and utterly good life is explained by Paul when he says, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” Through him we are also reborn, for we no longer contain a corruptible seed but that which is sown by the word of the living God who endures forever. - "Commentary on Isaiah 4.2.45.9-10"

[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Isaiah 45:11

There is no doubt that human wills cannot resist the will of God, “who has done whatsoever he pleased in heaven and on earth,” and who has even “formed the things that are to come.” Nor can the human will prevent [God] from doing what he wills, seeing that even with human wills, he does what he wills, when he wills to do it.

Source: ADMONITION AND GRACE 14:45

[AD 533] Fulgentius of Ruspe on Isaiah 45:11

“He who made the things that will be,” therefore, the things that were to be done, he willed them to be spoken of as if done, because these things which come about changeably in time, he has made firm with the unchangeable eternity of his plan. Therefore, in those things as well, in which the effect of the work has not yet come to be, the plan of the Creator remains firm from eternity.

Source: LETTER 9:8.7

[AD 339] Eusebius of Caesarea on Isaiah 45:13

[The Septuagint reads], “You are God, and we knew it not.” The words “we knew it not,” spoken in the person of those of old who did not know him, occur only in the Septuagint. The Hebrew is different and is rendered by Aquila, “God then is strong and hidden, God that saves Israel,” and by Theodotion, “Therefore a strong secret God preserves Israel.” It is remarkable how [Isaiah] calls Christ a hidden God and gives the reason clearly as to why he calls him God alone among the ones begotten after the First and Unbegotten, namely, the dwelling of the Father in him.…According to this, then, the true and only God must be One and alone owning the name in full right. The Second, by sharing in the being of the true God, is thought worthy to share his name, not being God in himself or existing apart from the Father, but altogether being, living and existing as God, through the presence of the Father in him. [He is] one in being with the Father, and constituted God from him and through him, holding his being as well as his divinity not from himself but from the Father.

Source: PROOF OF THE GOSPEL 5:4

[AD 370] Gaius Marius Victorinus on Isaiah 45:14

But consider this also in relation to the homoousion [that the Son is of the same essence as the Father], how the Spirit says to Isaiah, “God is in you, and there is no God outside of you.”

Source: AGAINST ARIUS 1A.27

[AD 386] Cyril of Jerusalem on Isaiah 45:14

Would you receive yet a third testimony to Christ’s godhead? Hear Isaiah saying, “Egypt has labored, and the merchandise of Ethiopia,” and soon after, “In you shall they make supplication, because God is in you, and there is no God except you. For you are God, and we knew it not, the God of Israel, the Savior.” You see that the Son is God, having in himself God the Father, saying almost the very same which he has said in the Gospels. … And again he has not said, “I and the Father am one” but “I and the Father are one,” that we should neither separate them nor make a confusion of Son-Father.

Source: Catechetical Lecture 11:16

[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 45:14-17

(Verse 14 onwards) Thus says the Lord: The labor of Egypt and the trade of Ethiopia and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you and be yours; they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. They will plead with you, saying: Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides you. Truly you are a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior. All of them are put to shame and are confounded; the makers of idols go in confusion together. Israel has been saved by the Lord with eternal salvation: you will not be confounded, and you will not be ashamed forever. LXX: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Egypt has labored, and the merchandise of Ethiopia and the Sabaeans: men of stature shall come over to you, and they shall be yours, they shall follow you in chains, and they shall come over to you, and they shall adore you, and they shall pray to you: for in you is God, and there is no other God beside you. You are indeed God, and we did not know it: the God of Israel, the Savior: let all his adversaries be confounded and ashamed, and let them walk in confusion. In this place, those who follow the story say that Egypt and the nations of Ethiopia and the Sabaeans, who are beyond Ethiopia, served Cyrus and were subject to him. And they understood by a marvelous victory that the Lord was in him, and there was no other God besides him who dwelt in him. But this that follows, 'Truly you are a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior,' how can it apply to the person of Cyrus, I do not understand. Unless, perhaps, they use the edition of Theodotion, who translated, 'In you is strength, and there is no other God besides you: therefore you are a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior.' Whatever way they twist it, they will not be able to escape the snares of truth. For if they make God to be in Cyrus, and there is no other besides him who is God in Cyrus, how can it be said of the person of Cyrus, 'Truly you are a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior?' Therefore, God in whom God is, our Lord Jesus Christ is understood more rightly and truly, who speaks in the Gospel: I and the Father are one (John 10:30). He who is called God, hidden because of the sacrament of assumed body, and the God of Israel the Savior, which is interpreted as Jesus. For it is he who, according to the Angel Gabriel, will save his people (Luke 1). Indeed, all were confused and ashamed together. Specifically, the scribes and the Pharisees. And the fabricators of error went away in confusion, who spread lies throughout the whole world, saying that it was stolen from the Apostles. But Israel, saved in the Lord with eternal salvation, refers to the chorus of the Apostles and those who believed through the Apostles. Therefore it is said to them: You will not be confused or ashamed, not only in this present age, but also in the future. It is not doubted that Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Sabaeans, great and lofty men, served him, when they see the world subjected to him, and from the names of a few nations dwelling at the ends of the earth, they see that all the corners of the heavens and all the shores of the earth will believe in him. From where 'Cessarelabor of Egypt' is called, elegantly as if to those who are laboring in the error of idolatry. For no other nation was so dedicated to idolatry and worshipped so many countless wonders as Egypt, of which we read above (19:1): 'Behold, the Lord will ascend on a light cloud, and will enter Egypt, and the idols of Egypt will be moved from his presence, and the heart of Egypt will waste away within it.' Moreover, what is added in the Septuagint: 'Be renewed to me, O islands,' we can explain in this way, that the churches gathered from the Gentiles are renewed in Christ, and are called islands because they endure the madness of persecutors and the storms, and, being founded upon the rock, are not shaken by the mass of whirlwinds. The Hebrews foolishly strive to assert, up to the point where it is read: There is only in you, God, and there is no God outside of you, God, neither to Jerusalem, nor to Cyrus to be called. However, what follows: Truly you are a hidden God, the God of Israel the Savior, suddenly turns into an apostrophe to the omnipotent God, even though it is clear to the foolish that there is one connected context of the discourse, and that the meaning cannot be divided, which is linked in the very order and reason of the narration.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah

[AD 311] Methodius of Olympus on Isaiah 45:18

For in reality God did not establish the universe in vain or to no purpose but destruction, as those weak-minded people say, but to exist and be inhabited and continue. Therefore the earth and the heaven must exist again after the conflagration and shaking of all things.

Source: ON THE RESURRECTION 1:8

[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 45:18-25

(Vers. 18 seqq.) Because this is what the Lord says, the one who created the heavens, the one who formed the earth and made it, the one who established it; he did not create it in vain, but formed it to be inhabited. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I did not speak in secret, in a dark place on the earth. I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek me in vain.' I am the Lord, speaking truth, declaring what is right. Gather together and come, draw near, you who have been saved from the nations. They have no knowledge, those who carry about their wooden idols and pray to a god who cannot save. Announce, and come, and counsel together: Who has declared this from the beginning, and from then on predicted it? Is it not I, the Lord? There is no other God besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return: 'To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.' Therefore, in the Lord, it is said: My justice and power belong to me; they will come to him, and all who oppose him will be put to shame. In the Lord, all the descendants of Israel will be justified and praised. LXX: Thus says the Lord who made the heavens: this is the God who revealed the earth and made it, he prepared it: he did not make it empty, but formed it to be inhabited. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, nor in a dark place on the earth. I have not spoken in secret, in a place of a land of darkness: I have not said to the seed of Jacob: Seek me in vain. I am the Lord that speak justice, that declare right things. Assemble yourselves, and come, and draw near together, ye that are saved of the Gentiles: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven work, and pray to a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and come, and consult together: who hath declared this from the beginning, who hath foretold this from that time? Have not I the Lord, and there is no God else besides me? A just God and a saviour, there is none besides me. Turn to me and you will be saved from the ends of the earth. I am God, and there is no other. By myself I swear: righteousness will go out of my mouth, my words will not be turned away, for every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will swear and confess to God, saying: Righteousness and glory will come to him, and all who separate themselves from the Lord will be put to shame. Every descendant of Israel will be justified and glorified in God. He calls Egypt, and Ethiopia, and the Sabaeans with their exalted men, through whom the salvation of all barbarian nations and the conversion of the whole world to God is shown, God shows His justice; so that the Lord is not only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles. For He is the maker of heaven and earth equally the God of all, and He created the earth for no other reason than that it should be the habitation of mankind who would worship and understand their Creator, and despise all idols. For on Mount Sinai, from its lofty summit, he spoke these words to the listening people: You shall have no other gods before me, nor shall you make for yourself an idol (Exod. XX, 3, 4). But it is better to believe this saying about the preaching of the Gospel: For Moses spoke to the people in the hidden solitude alone. But the sound of the Apostles went forth into the whole world, and their words reached to the ends of the earth (Psal. XVIII). I did not say, he said, that I am seeking the seed of Jacob in vain. For I have promised them the kingdom of heaven, and I spoke first to them: I have come only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matth. XXV, 24). And for this reason I spoke of justice and proclaimed what is right, or the truth, so that, with the images of the Law and the ceremonies set aside, they would follow the truth of the Gospel. But because they did not want to believe and judged themselves unworthy of salvation, therefore I say to the Gentiles: Gather from all over the world; and come and join me, all of you who have been saved from the Gentiles. By which he shows that not all nations will believe immediately, but gradually and in part. Finally, he rebukes those who remained in their former error, saying: They did not know those who lift up the wood of their carved image, and they pray to a God who does not save. And the meaning is: They did not understand my words, burdened by the weight of their idols, and hoping in them, in which there is no salvation. Therefore, the Apostles are commanded to proclaim the truth opportune and importune (2 Timothy 4), and to devise a plan for the salvation of the nations. But, that is, in order that many might be saved, God spoke from the beginning that they should be gathered and come from the nations, and the mouths of all the prophets proclaimed those who spoke the word of the Lord, except for whom there is no other. For the Son is not without Him, but in Him is God. And elegantly He joins together: God is just, not of one nation alone, but of the whole world, to whom He speaks: Turn to me and you shall be saved, all the ends of the earth; this having been fulfilled which the Father promised to the Son: Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as your possession (Psalm 2:8). And He swore by Himself, since His word and judgment are unchangeable, that the declaration which He uttered once concerning the salvation of the nations might not in any way be voided, but that His promise might be fulfilled by His work, saying above: Turn to Me, and you will be saved, all the ends of the earth. He also swore by the Apostle (Heb. 6) that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong consolation; and He also swore that every knee should bow to Him, heavenly, earthly, and infernal, and every tongue should swear by Him among mortal men (Phil. 2). In which it is clearly stated that the Christian people are signified. It is the custom of the Church to bow the knee to Christ: which the Jews, demonstrating the pride of their minds, absolutely do not do. But also every tongue of all barbarian nations, not in synagogues but in the Churches of Christ, confesses God. Moreover, every tongue confessing Christ will speak in the Lord, and will say: 'Mine are righteousness and mine is dominion, not the people of the Jews.' To him all nations will come, and those who previously resisted his Gospel will be put to shame; and all the descendants of Israel will be justified and praised, whose preaching and most fruitful sowing has brought abundant fruit throughout the whole world. Whether according to the Seventy or in every language, swearing and confessing God, it will be said that the righteousness and glory of the whole world come to him, and the Jews who separate themselves from him will be confounded. But those who are descended from the children of Israel and have sprung from the seed of the Apostles, and have believed in Christ, may they have eternal righteousness and glory.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah

[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 45:18

For it says, “thus says the Lord” and not simply an earthly “lord,” for there are many in heaven and earth that ruin this name [the Lord] by overusing it. But he is the one who by nature and in truth is just—he is what he is said to be and derives no false glory from what he has ordained.… For if he who made heaven and earth did not make it in vain but to be inhabited, … then who else other than him can be considered God?

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 4:3.45:18-19

[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 45:19

I drew up laws about these things for them and did not speak in riddles, nor did I speak in a weighty tone but lightly and clearly. As a result, the Lord came down on Mount Sinai in the form of fire. There were darkness, storms, smoke and the piercing sound of trumpets.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 4:3.45:18-19

[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 45:19

“I speak righteousness and proclaim truth.” Righteousness, as I take it, means the law, for the law is the arbitrator of righteousness. And truth is the discipline of Christ. For there is a form of truth in the law, and the mystery of Christ lies concealed in its shadows, for Moses wrote about this. So, in speaking of righteousness, truth and power are proclaimed along with it, since it is true that the law is a shadow—and yet in it there remains a form of the truth.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 4:3.45:18-19

[AD 458] Theodoret of Cyrus on Isaiah 45:19

[Isaiah] has said this to mock the delusion of idols. For their votaries used certain practices of sorcery. They took darkness as an auxiliary for deceit and, from the bottom of some secluded and obscure place, they said whatever they wished and deceived their listeners, all the while saying that it was the idols who uttered that voice. As for me, on the contrary, he says, when I gave the law, as whenever I prophesied, I have spoken openly.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 14:45.19

[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 45:20

But Emmanuel appeared who led with courage those who were snared. He endured for us the death of the flesh so that as Isaiah says in an evangelical way, the scattered children of God would be gathered into one … to gather, that is, to be bound together in one faith and like-mindedness. [They are] gathered by God the ruler of all through holiness and righteousness … and “brought near through the blood of Christ.” … For it is through faith that understanding grows so that it is not in doubt. Even though faith might be undermined by deceit of ill counsel or led astray into ruin by ancient wickedness, we can quickly return to God and receive the light of the true divine knowledge and with a deliberation that comes from an upright mind constantly pursue the better things. Consider then and take counsel, all who have been saved from among the nations.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 4:3.45:20

[AD 533] Fulgentius of Ruspe on Isaiah 45:21

With these and innumerable other texts of the same kind, in which the Lord our God is proclaimed as merciful and just, is shown how much his mercy must be loved and how much his justice must be feared.… Therefore, if there are those whom the pious goodness of God does not free from the domination of sin in this present world, his just severity condemns them in the future. From this it comes about that the evil ones are tirelessly admonished for their salvation by the divine words lest they remain in the servitude of sin, but they are exhorted rather to seek the mercy of a just God while they are in this life.… Therefore, his mercy must be loved and his justice feared by both the good and the wicked, lest either the good, loving the mercy of God, do not fear his justice and fall into the traps of the devil who seduces, or the wicked, considering only the severity of his justice, do not seek the blessing of his mercy when they can find it in their life, and so hardened, not only reject the forgiveness of sins but also do not cease to multiply sins.

Source: ON THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS 1:8.1-9:1

[AD 339] Eusebius of Caesarea on Isaiah 45:22

Or as Symmachus puts it: “Run to me and be saved, all the extremities of the earth.” You see how he proclaims the catholic gospel to all the nations.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 2:29

[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 45:22

There is among them no true knowledge of the things to come, but rather they prophesy falsely, and with clownish talk and deception and trickery and nothing else. The God of the universe responds: If they prophesy rightly, they will come close and will know at the same time. For if they are able to prophesy rightly, then they will all be brought together as one. For their oracles came from many places. But some worked others into a frenzy and honored the unclean demons who were speaking falsehood. If they had been able to prophesy rightly, they would all be aware of what is to come and who from the very start made these things to be heard.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 4:3.45:21-22

[AD 56] Romans on Isaiah 45:23

Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. [Isaiah 45:23] So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

[AD 62] Philippians on Isaiah 45:23

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [Isaiah 45:23]

[AD 339] Eusebius of Caesarea on Isaiah 45:23

The coming of our Savior Jesus Christ fulfilled the goal of this prophecy, after which, in his church, all people, who have been brought together from throughout the world, have been taught to bend their knee to God in prayer.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 2:29

[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Isaiah 45:23

For it is written, “As I live,” says the Lord, “every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not, therefore, judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no one put a stumbling block, or occasion to fall, in his brother’s way.

Source: THE CATHOLIC AND MANICHAEAN WAYS OF LIFE 14:32

[AD 458] Theodoret of Cyrus on Isaiah 45:23

“I am God, and there is no other God apart from me, the righteous one and savior. There is none beside me.” These words clearly teach us the homoousion. For if the Father is God as the Son is God, the Father savior as the Son is savior, the prophetic text applies these things univocally; it makes extremely clear that their essence is identical.… If the Father is speaking these things, the Son is excluded from these titles and is not homoousios. Or the Son is the one speaking and the Father does not have them. But if God is the Father and God is the Son and the Father is savior and the Son savior, that is why it is said in the singular that there is no other God and savior beside him.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 14:45.20-21

[AD 458] Theodoret of Cyrus on Isaiah 45:23

“They will be justified in the Lord, and all the seed of the sons of Israel will be glorified in God.” It does not say all the seed of Israel but “all the seed of the sons of Israel.” The “sons of Israel” are those who are descended from Israel. Their seed is those judged worthy of salvation from among the nations. It is, indeed, thanks to those among the Jews who believed that their descendants received the seed of the teaching and harvested the fruit of salvation.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 14:45.25