Isaiah 54:11

We should understand all these things of which Isaiah speaks as worthy and precious souls, with whom God commits himself to build the heavenly citizenry. He compares them with sapphire on the grounds of its likeness to the color of heaven. Their intercourse is heavenly and angelic, as Paul teaches, saying, “Our citizenship is in heaven.” In Ezekiel the place under the throne of God is said to be like sapphire.… And the parapets of this new Jerusalem would be of jasper or, in Symmachus’s translation, karchēdonion, a special, shining stone. This means those who belong to the church, whom in a spiritual manner strengthen their faith and are like the battlements of the heavenly citizenry, destroy “every obstacle raised against the knowledge of God” and refute any false opinion contrary to the truth. Since parapets are designed to resist the enemy, those who in the church are equipped with wisdom may be rightly called “parapets.” Alongside these others is a comparison drawn with crystals, with which he foretells that the gates of the city will be built and denotes the clarity and purity of sure faith of those who believed the foundational and elementary doctrine. Isaiah also declares that the wall of the new city of God will be made from special stone. Such are they who through their prayers surround and confirm, just like an enclosure, the city’s edifice and its great, precious and worthy building.

(Verse 11, 12.) The poor thing, torn apart by the storm without consolation. Behold, I will lay your stones in order: and I will lay your foundations in sapphires. And I will make your battlements of jasper, and your gates of carved stones, and all your boundaries of desirable stones. I will make all your children taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. And you shall be founded in righteousness. LXX: Humble and unstable without consolation. Behold, I will prepare for you your carbuncle gem and your foundations sapphire. And I will set your battlements with jasper, and your gates with crystal stones, and your walls with chosen stones. And all your children shall be disciples of God, and there shall be much peace for your sons, and you shall be built in righteousness. When we said: I will lay your stones in order, it is written in Hebrew, 'Baphphuch,' which all others translated similarly to 'I will lay your stones in stibium,' in the likeness of a adorned woman, who paints her eyes with stibium, to symbolize the beauty of the city. And when we said above that the jasper, following the LXX, has the Hebrew word Chodchod (), which only Symmachus translated as χαλκηδόνιον (chalcedony). For the crystal too, in the place where it is read among the Hebrews as Ecda (), Symmachus and Theodotion put sculpting, that is, γλυφῆς (glyphēs), and Aquila put τρυπανισμοῦ (trupanismou) which means the sense of bore and engraving of gemstones. We have spoken about the diversity of translations, let us come to the meaning. Still speaking to the Church, previously humble and poor, which did not have the Law, nor the Prophets, nor the word of God, and was convulsed or unstable by the storm, which had endured many whirlwinds of ages and fluctuated among various errors of idols, which had no comforter, and in vain lost all its substance in physicians; He Himself should come, should descend, and should build in the earth the heavenly Jerusalem, which is called bride and wife of the Lamb in the Apocalypse of John, having a light similar to a precious stone, such as jasper and crystal, and a great wall, and twelve gates inscribed with the names of the tribes of Israel, of which three were from the East, and three from the North, and three from the South, and three from the West of the sun (Apoc. XXI): and the wall supported by twelve foundations, and its entire construction of jasper stone, and each foundation of the walls had individual stones, the first jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius ((Al. sardius)), the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst; which as we read, we exclaim and say: O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? (Romans 11:33-34) And again: Who is wise and will understand these things, prudent and will know them? (Hosea 14:10) Let the lovers of western letters answer, those who prepare exquisite foods for their gluttony and luxury in a thousand years, whose god is their belly and whose glory is in their shame. (Philippians 3) They hope for marriage after the second coming of the Savior, and for children of one hundred years, and for the injury of circumcision, and for the blood of sacrifices, and for the perpetual Sabbath. They say with Israel in a perverse way: Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall reign. What is this heavenly Jerusalem, to which it is now said: Behold, I will lay your stones in order, or according to the Septuagint Version: Behold, I will prepare a carbuncle for you, your stone, so that the whole city will be filled with carbuncles, and will have sapphire foundations and jasper ramparts, or chalcedony, and crystal gates, or engravings, and a wall encircling it with precious stones. And all its children will not have human teachers, but God, and they will be called disciples of God. And let there be in it everlasting peace, and the building up of justice. From this it is clear that under the occasion of justice, which is the name of virtue, we ought to seek the other virtues for the building up of the Church and not to follow Jewish delusions. For let them explain what is meant by that which is said in Proverbs about wisdom: 'She is more precious than all precious things' (Prov. 3:15). For if Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24), it is foolish to compare Christ to insensible stones. And again we read about the judgments of God: The judgments of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: more to be desired than gold and much precious stone (Psalm 19:10-11). From which it is clear that this stone is compared to other stones, about which it is said earlier in the same Psalm, speaking in the person of God: Behold, I will lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste (Isaiah 28:16). The builders rejected this stone (Psalm 118), namely, the scribes, Pharisees, and Jewish leaders, which has become the cornerstone (Matthew 21). Concerning this, the Apostle Peter says: Therefore, to us who believe, it is an honor, a precious and chosen stone. But to those who do not believe, it is a stumbling stone and a rock of offense (1 Peter 2:7-8). He also speaks to the chief priests in the Acts of the Apostles, saying: This is the chosen, precious stone which you rejected (Acts 4:18), which has become the cornerstone and embraces two peoples, the Gentiles and Israel. He built a city, of which God is the architect and creator. Concerning this, the Apostle writes to the Corinthians: You are God's building. And: Like a wise architect, I have laid the foundation, and another builds upon it. But let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:9-10). Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done (I Corinthians 3:12-13). Concerning this foundation, he also speaks in another letter: built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20); and again: You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (I Peter 2:5). Concerning these stones, it is said mystically: Holy stones roll upon the earth (Zech. IX, 16), by which Christ builds the Church upon the rock, saying in the Gospel: Upon this rock I will build my Church (Matt. XVI, 18). The one who is worthy to enter this city speaks joyfully to the Lord: As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God has established it forever (Ps. XLVII, 9). The great builder of this city, and in another place it is said: 'He shall build my city and bring back the captivity of my people' (Isaiah 45:13). But it is not for this time to speak of the nature of twelve stones and gems, since many Greeks and Latins have written about it. Of these, I will mention only two: the man of holy and venerable memory, the bishop Epiphanius, who left us a remarkable volume of his genius and erudition, which he titled 'On Stones'; and also Pliny the Elder, the same esteemed as an orator and philosopher among the Latins, who completed in his most beautiful work of natural history the thirty-seventh book, which is also the last, with a discussion on stones and gems. Hello, twelve stones are written in order in Exodus and in Ezekiel, that is in the treasury of the high priest, and in the crown and diadem of the prince of Tyre. Let's first talk about Exodus: Four woven orders of stones were there (Exod. XXVIII). The first order had the stone sardius, topaz, emerald. The second order, carbuncle, sapphire, jasper. The third order, ligure, agate, amethyst. The fourth order, chrysolite, beryl, onyx, surrounded by gold; and they were inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. In which it should be noted that the second order of stones is also mentioned in the present Scripture, carbuncle, sapphire, and jasper. For we have not yet attained perfection, nor have we reached the beginning, because now we see through a glass, darkly. Moreover, in Ezekiel it is written as follows: You are the seal of semblance and the crown of beauty, in the delights of God's paradise you were. You were adorned with every first stone, sardius, topaz, and emerald, carbuncle and sapphire and jasper, also with silver, gold and onyx, and agate, and amethyst, and chrysolite, and beryl, and chrysoprase, and onyx; and you filled your treasures and your vaults with gold as well. From the day you were created, when I placed you with the cherubim on my holy mountain, you were in the midst of fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until iniquity was found in you. (Ezekiel 28:12 et seqq.). For who is so foolish and of such a dull mind to think that in the paradise of God, the prince of Tyre, whoever he may be, was placed, and conversed among the cherubim and the fiery stones (which undoubtedly we understand to be the celestial angels and virtues), and that he was made with earthly stones and had resemblance and sign? Therefore, it is not the time to speak about the nature of all stones and each part of them; for not everything must always be said. Now let us discuss only about the carbuncle, sapphire, and jasper. The carbuncle, which is obtained or placed in order, appears to me as the fiery speech of doctrine, which, by dispelling the darkness of error, illuminates the hearts of believers. This is the one that was taken by one of the Seraphim with a pair of tongs, to purify Isaiah's lips (Isa. VI): who is born, according to the faith of Genesis, in the land of Havilah, where the finest gold (Gen. II) and the carbuncle and the emerald are. Moreover, the sapphire, which is placed in the foundations, has a resemblance to the sky, and is above the air: such that it can say that Aristophanic phrase with Socrates: Ἀεροβατῶ καὶ περιφρονῶ τὸν ἥλιον; which we can translate into Latin as: Scando aerem, solemque despicio (See Suidas in περιφρονεῖν). Or as Paul the Apostle said: Nostra autem conversatio in coelis est (Philipp. III, 20). The Scripture of Ezekiel also mentions that the place where the throne of God is located has a resemblance to sapphires, and the glory of the Lord is in this color, which carries the image of the heavenly above us. But even the fortresses of the city of God, that is, the walls, are strengthened with jasper, which can destroy and prove false every height that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and subject falsehood to truth (Ezekiel 1; 1 Corinthians 15). Therefore, the strongest in disputing and bolstered by the testimonies of the Holy Scriptures, is the fortress of the Church. There are many kinds of jasper: for there is another kind called emerald, which is found in the springs of the river Thermodon, and is called 'Grammarian,' by which they believe that all phantasms are driven away. Another greener man, and tinted as if with flowers; it is said to be born on Mount Ida in Phrygia, and in its deepest caves. Another, however, is found near the Iberians, the Hyrcanians, and the Caspian Sea, and especially near the lake Neusin. There is also another jasper that is similar to snow and the foam of sea waves, and it sparkles like mixed blood. We have said this so that we may recognize all spiritual graces in the defenses of the Church; whoever has them drives away vain fears and can say with the bride: 'My brother is white and ruddy' (Song of Songs 5:10). But the gates of this city are made of crystal stone, which is carved in various ways, and with this stone nothing is purer. Finally, they say that water freezes into crystal in the strongest cold of the Alps and in inaccessible caves: and the touch is stone, but the sight is water. By this it is shown that those who are at the gates of the Church should not be stained by any impurity, but should have the purest faith and say with the prophet: From your commandments I have gained understanding (Ps. 119:104). And this to hear: Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God (Matt. V, 8). But the walls of the city, or the boundaries and enclosure, are built with chosen stones, which we can understand as the remaining stones, and all his children are taught, or disciples of God: which testimony the Lord uses in the Gospel of John, saying: No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him, and everyone who hears and learns from the Father, comes to me (John VI, 44, 45). And after a little while, it is written in the prophets: They will all be taught by God. He also speaks through Jeremiah, saying: I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. And they will no longer teach each other, saying: Know the Lord. For they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more (Jeremiah 31:33-34). But the doctrine of the disciples of God has a multitude of peace, which has been abandoned by the Lord: and the building up of the most beautiful city is completed through justice; so that God may not be of one nation, but of the entire world, calling His servants and children, Greeks and Barbarians, the rich and the poor, the noble and the lowly, men and women, children and the elderly, and all things that appear to be contrary in the world (John XIV). We have exceeded the limit of brevity, which is useful in everything that needs to be said: by no means are we seeking the city of God on earth, as the Hebrews and our Semijudaeos (( Al. by seeking)), but rather in heaven, which cannot be hidden on the mountain of Christ.

“I will place you as a carbon stone.” It is fitting to want to signify Jesus through this stone that was set, the Scriptures say, as the foundation of Zion. If anyone trusts in this foundation, he will not be ashamed. He calls him a foundation stone among them. And he is also mentioned by the holy prophets. For he says through the voice of Amos, “Look, I am setting a diamond in the middle of my people Israel.” And through the voice of Zechariah, “Behold, I will bring my servant the sunrise.” “I have placed a stone before the face of Jesus; on the one stone there are seven eyes.” For the all-seeing one is Christ who is able to survey all things everywhere. For the carbon is placed to be a stone and a fixed foundation of the holy city. On it are the stones of sapphire, which perhaps signify the ranks of the apostles who are set. For they were very close to Christ, and when they followed him they became foundations in the earthly realm.

Some think that Jesus is here called “coal” since he was placed as a foundation in Zion and those who believe in him will not be ashamed. Similarly Amos calls him “adamantine” in these words, “I will place adamantine in the middle of the people of Israel.” And Zachariah, “Look, I will give the dawn over my servant. And the stone that I will give before the face of Joshua, on that stone there are seven eyes.” For Christ is the all-seeing one. This coal, he says, is also the support and the foundation stone, to which, since they approximate to it, the apostles, too, are here called “foundations” and are spoken of as marked out by the name of sapphire, as in the seventeenth psalm, which says, “The springs of waters are uncovered and the foundations of the earth are revealed at your chastisement and from the breath of your Spirit, O Lord.” For those in Israel were shaken by what the apostles dared to do through Christ, when purification through water first appeared. The disciples of the Savior receive this title, but the prophets are also called foundation, as Paul says, “building on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” Sapphire is the color of heaven, and again Paul tells us that this denotes the citizenship of heaven. … But “anthracite” [coal], according to another interpretation that has been handed down, refers to stones that adorn, just as the sainted martyrs who have been tested by fire adorn with stimei [a type of eyeliner] the eyes of the bridegroom of Christ.

“Behold, I will transform your stones into beryl,” that is, the place is stony, and God will transform the ordinary stones into beryl, both in reality and for the fact that this is imagined as a consequence of their great joy.