Before we delve into the current passage, we must first discuss the Hebrew tradition and accurately interpret the truth of Scripture. In the scroll attributed to Ezra, it is recorded that the leaders approached him, saying, 'The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have failed to distance themselves from the foreign nations and their abominable practices, namely the Canaanites, Hittites, Perezites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. They have intermarried, taking daughters for themselves and giving their daughters to these foreign peoples, thereby mingling the holy lineage with the nations.' Both the rulers and the populace were complicit in this transgression. Upon hearing these words, I tore my garments, pulled out my hair, and sat down in deep sorrow (1 Ezra 9:1-3).
Then it is noted: among the sons of the priests, there were those who had taken foreign wives, specifically of the lineage of Jehoshua son of Josedech, and his brothers Maaziah, Eleazar, Jarib, and Gedaliah. They declared their intention to send away their wives and for their sin, to offer a ram as a sacrifice (1 Ezra 10:18, 19). At the conclusion of the chapter, after listing all those who had married foreign women, Scripture states, 'All these took women from foreign tribes, and some bore children' (1 Ezra 10:43, 44).
Those who returned from Babylonian captivity included princes, priests, Levites, and other people. They repudiated their Israelite wives, who due to poverty, the tribulations of the long journey, and their physical frailty, could not endure the hardships of their situation; instead, they chose to marry foreign women, young and beautiful or notable for their nobility and wealth. Ezra thus had the task of reforming these men, urging them to dissolve their new unions and reinstate the wives they had forsaken.
The prophet reminds us: Is not Abraham the father of us all? Isaiah also states, 'Look to your father Abraham and to Sarah who bore you, for he was but one when I called him' (Isaiah 51:2). Was it not God alone who created us, choosing our lineage from Abraham? Why then do we dishonor our former wives and reject our brothers' daughters, thus forsaking our forefathers' covenant, and choosing wives outside of the law? Judah breached the covenant—it was this tribe that returned from Babylon alongside the priests and Levites. An abominable act was committed not only by the tribes who were held captive by the Assyrians, but among those returning from Babylon under Cyrus, led by Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah.
Judah scorned the holy dwelling of the Lord that he cherished, choosing the daughters of strange gods, thus mingling the seed of Israel with foreign women and taking as wives those from tribes that worship idols. The prophet's charge is leveled against them, and they are unmasked from their sins through the threat of judgment. The Lord will bring ruin upon the man who does this. In astonishing mercy, He does not outright reject the hope of repentance, nor does He proclaim an immediate curse, delaying the sentence to encourage sinners to return to Him. The teacher and the student, whether priest or layman, will face the same fate; there will be no distinction in the punishment for those united in their wrongdoing.
Anyone who presents a gift to the Lord of Hosts—meaning that the Lord will condemn him who seeks to offer a gift on behalf of such a person at the altar—will find that the only remedy lies in their decision not to follow such paths. Some, failing to grasp this context and unaware of past events, interpret the words: 'Is there not one Father for all of us?' to signify that Abraham is a father to the Gentiles, as articulated in Scripture: 'The Lord is able even from these stones to raise up children for Abraham' (Matthew 3:9). Others claim that the one Father is God, as stated in Deuteronomy: 'Is He not your Father who bought you, created you' (Deuteronomy 32:6), and again: 'The God who made you, you have forsaken' (v. 18).
Scripture also declares: 'I have begotten children and raised them, yet they have turned away from Me' (Isaiah 1:2). In the Psalms, it says, 'The sons of strangers have lied concerning Me; the sons of strangers have become desolate and strayed from their paths' (Ps. 17:46). Those who sin, departing from this singular Father, create many 'fathers' for their vices; 'for whoever commits sin is of the devil' (John 3:8). Yet the subsequent inquiry: 'Why does each despise his brother, breaking the covenant of our fathers?' suggests we, being born of one Father, ought to be united and have one voice in our faith. Yet, due to pride and in defiance against God—the building of the tower of Babel resulted in our division into many nations, both in language and spirit (Genesis 11:8).
They also relate this to the giving of alms, asserting that we forsake our brethren when we fail to share what God has provided us for sustenance. In fact, they regard the Lord as our Brother, as evidenced by His command to Mary Magdalene to proclaim to His brethren that He has risen (John 20:17) and stated in the Psalm, 'I will declare Thy name unto my brethren; in the congregation, I will praise Thee' (Psalm 21:23). Consequently, the Jews abandoned their brethren and the covenant set forth by their forefathers with God—made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—that in their seed, understood to be Christ, all nations would find blessings.
They conjecture various explanations for this because they struggle to grasp it fully. The further words of the LXX: 'Judah was forsaken, and a detestable act was committed in Israel and in Jerusalem' are interpreted as follows: The Jews were abandoned for having blasphemed the Lord Savior and have brought upon themselves what is written: 'Cast them out according to the multitude of their evils, for they have provoked You, O Lord!' (Psalms 5:2), resulting in their dispersion as fugitives throughout the lands. They defiled the sanctuary of the Lord, forsaking the Son of God and creating for themselves foreign idols; for whoever does not accept the Son does not know the Father who sent Him (John 15:23).
Since they have acted thus, let them be pursued until they are brought low either through the calamities of captivity or by recognizing their sins, resulting in their expulsion from the tents of Judah; after the destruction of the temple and altar, may no more sacrifices be offered there. For those unsatisfied with this interpretation—Judah (יהודה), meaning the acknowledgment of the Lord rather than mere repentance—reflects a mindset wherein one, after having sinned, confesses the Lord, yet commits an abomination in Israel and Jerusalem by treating the divine in a profane manner. Indeed, he has defiled the sacred mystery of Christ through unworthy participation in His body and blood (1 Cor. 11:27); loving vices and crafting foreign gods for himself, imitating the multitude of his sins, as articulated by the Apostle Paul who noted that for the gluttonous, their belly is their god (Philippians 3:19).
As stated in the writings of Peter or James: 'For whoever is overcome by something is enslaved by it' (2 Peter 2:19). Thus, one such as this shall be excluded from the Church and from the tents of James, fostering vices and sins until he humbles himself for his own benefit and until a sacrifice is made on his behalf to the Lord Almighty."
THEOSIS