Isaiah 25 · The Lantern

Lord, thou art my God, Y schal enhaunse thee, and Y schal knouleche to thi name; for thou hast do marueils, thin elde feithful thouytis.

The "wonders" of Isaiah were the promises to the Gentiles, and not to Israel, of anointing with sweet-smelling oil and myrrh. They naturally received the name of Christian from this anointing. In addition he promises the "wine of joy" to the Gentiles, using a shadow to allude to the sacrament of the new covenant of Christ, which is now openly celebrated among the Gentiles.

(Chapter 25 — Verse 1 and following) O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for you have done marvelous things, faithful and true are your ancient thoughts. Amen. For you have made a city into a heap, a fortified city into ruins, a palace of foreigners, so that it is no longer a city and will never be rebuilt.

584. O Lord, you are my God. Here thanksgiving is set out; and first, for the exaltation of the people; second, for their justification: in that day (ch. 26); third, for paternal correction: in that day (ch. 27). The first of these is divided into two parts.

Amen. For thou hast set the citee in to a biriel, a strong citee in to fallyng, the hous of aliens, that it be not a citee, and be not bildid with outen ende.

For this thyng a strong puple schal herie thee, the citee of strong folkis schal drede thee.

For thou art maad strengthe to a pore man, strengthe to a nedi man in his tribulacioun, hope fro whirlwynd, a schadewyng place fro heete; for whi the spirit of stronge men is as a whirlewynd hurlynge the wal.

As bi heete in thirst, thou schalt make meke the noise of aliens; and as bi heete vndur a cloude brennynge, thou schalt make the siouns of stronge men to fade.

And the Lord of oostis schal make in this hil to alle puplis the feeste of fatte thingis, the feeste of vyndage of fatte thingis ful of merow, of vyndage wel fyned.

Having been counted worthy of this holy chrism, you are called Christians, verifying the name also by your new birth. For before you were deemed worthy of this grace, you had properly no right to this title but were advancing on your way toward being Christians.Moreover, you shall know that in the old Scripture there lies the symbol of this chrism.

Having said that the Lord will reign in Zion and Jerusalem, Isaiah leads us to the mystical meaning of the passage. Thus Zion is interpreted as a high place that is good for surveillance, and Jerusalem is the vision of the world. In fact, the church of Christ combines both: it is high and visible from everywhere, and is, so to speak, located on the mountain.

589. And the Lord of hosts shall make. Here he sets out those things that pertain to the exaltation of the good, and this is threefold.

And he schal caste doun in this hil the face of boond, boundun togidere on alle puplis, and the web which he weuyde on alle naciouns.

And he schal caste doun deth with outen ende, and the Lord God schal do awey ech teer fro ech face; and he schal do awei the schenschipe of his puple fro ech lond; for the Lord spak.

But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

In the Old Testament the jaw of death is bitter, since it is said, "Strong death is all devouring." In the New Testament the jaw of death is sweet, for it has swallowed death, as the apostle says: "Death is swallowed up in victory! O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

And since the holy Virgin brought forth as man God united personally to flesh, we say that she is the mother of God. [This is] not because the nature of the Word had a beginning of existence from the flesh, for "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"; he is the Creator of the ages, coeternal with the Father and Creator of all things.

And thei schulen seie in that dai, Lo! this is oure God; we abididen hym, and he schal saue vs; this is the Lord; we suffriden him, and we schulen make ful out ioie, and schulen be glad in his helthe.

(Verse 9 and following) And they will say on that day: Behold, our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord, we have endured him, we will rejoice and be glad in his salvation. For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain; and Moab shall be crushed under him, as straw is crushed on a threshing floor.

You recognize the one who gives you joy to drink and wine in addition, anointing those in spiritual Zion with myrrh. You recognize that he is true God and Son of God by nature, and although he appeared in the form of a servant, by becoming man he became the source of salvation and life for all, being in all things like those on earth though without sin.

And he sets out the thanksgiving, and they shall say, we have endured for him, patiently waiting: you that fear the Lord, endure for his mercy (Sir 2:7). And he sets out the reason: for the hand of the Lord, with which nothing evil can exist: this is my rest for ever and ever (Ps 131[132]:14). 591.

For whi the hond of the Lord schal reste in this hil, and Moab schal be threischid vndur hym, as chaffis ben stampid in a wayn.

And he schal stretche forth hise hondis vndur hym, as a swymmere stretchith forth to swymme; and he schal make low the glorye of him with hurtlyng doun of hise hondis.

And the strengthingis of thin hiy wallis schulen falle doun, and schulen be maad low, and schulen be drawun doun to the erthe, `til to the dust.

Isaiah25