Isaiah 41:27Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Although He possessed sovereignty over all as God, He, for the benefit of God’s household, received what was rightfully His as God, even in His humanity. Following His reign, He appointed leaders among us, the holy apostles, who began to guide us with truth and justice. Thus, He declares, "I will give to Zion, namely, the church or assembly of believers, the foundational Savior, Christ, and I will console Jerusalem, the gateway to the church." In Christ, we find comfort and strength, and we are instructed on the firm path that leads to life. The prophet states, "Of the tongue, saith he, there is none, and of their idols there is none that proclaimeth." The Greeks boasted many philosophers and eloquent speakers, yet none could show the way to piety; their temples teemed with idols, yet these false deities failed to reveal the proper path or direct one towards truth. But consider this: if someone were to inquire of them, "From whence are you?" they would be unable to respond. If they lack self-knowledge and are devoid of perception, how could they possibly instruct others? And if they are aware of their own emptiness, being without substance and understanding, how could they guide others or illuminate the way to goodness?

As they remain in error, he declares that he himself has raised up from the north a multitude of nations. For calamities arise from the north upon all the inhabitants of the earth, and it is said to Jeremiah, ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ He replied, ‘I see a boiling pot, its face directed from the north’ (Jeremiah 1:13). But they are raised from the north so that they may believe in Him who comes from the rising sun. Of Him it is written above, Who has risen, the righteous one from the east, and in another passage, Behold, a man, whose name is the east (Zech. 6:12). He will call them by my name, so that, abandoning idols, they may honor one God. For He himself states in the Gospel, ‘I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me; but if another comes in his own name, you will accept him’ (John 5:43). He will conquer rulers and potentates and worldly pride, and they will yield to him like clay in the hands of a potter, shaping a vessel for honor or for dishonor (Rom. 9:21). What I, in the tradition of the prophets, describe as completed by Me, as if it were in the past, or, according to Symmachus, promised as though it has already happened, none of the demons or idols can predict. Thus, all the oracles have gone silent, for there is no one to proclaim, no one to listen; the hearts of the Gentiles, previously unaware, have recognized their error and turned away from false prophecies. And the first Lord will address Zion, that is, His Church, and declare, ‘These are your children, whom I have granted you through my faith.’ He refers to the apostles who preached the Gospel to all nations. While Zion and Jerusalem differ in name, as the city is one, so too is the Church one. Therefore, let us challenge all the nations ensnared by the deception of idolatry to explain their origins. The unanimous response will reveal that all follow vanity and emptiness, worshipping the products of their own hands. Everything spoken regarding idols and nations equally applies to erroneous doctrines and their leaders, the heretics, for while Christ proclaims peace to the Church and reveals the path of truth, they pursue falsehood and are like the fleeting wind. The Hebrews, referring to what was raised from the north and arrived from the rising sun, signify the Assyrians and Persians, who came to Jerusalem and trampled upon all its leaders, while none of the idols they honored foresaw this event, except the Lord alone, who rendered judgment upon them for their sins.