Thomas Aquinas

The vision of Isaiah, son of Amos. This book is divided into two parts: a preface, and the treatise, which begins at the words, Hear, O heavens. The preface is set forth as a kind of title, for the manifestation of the work that follows. Now it is manifested from four things. First, from the genre of the work; second, from the author, at the word, Isaiah; third, from the subject matter, at the words, which he saw; fourth, from the time, at the words, in the days.

The genre of the work is shown in that he says, vision; in which it differs from the historical books, because it is prophecy. Hosea 12: I have multiplied visions. And it follows: in the hands of the prophets I have been likened. Here three things must be seen. First, how vision relates to prophecy; second, concerning the modes of prophetic visions; third, concerning the difference of prophetic vision from other visions.

Concerning the first, it must be known that prophecy can have a twofold interpretation, according as it can come from phanos, which is appearance, or from for, faris. According to the first derivation, a prophet is called one having an appearance of those things that are far off; and according to this, prophecy differs from vision in mode, because appearance signifies the relation of the visible thing to the one seeing, but vision the contrary. Again, they stand in relation by way of addition: because vision is of whatever things, but prophecy is of those things that are far off. Now certain things are said to be far off from our knowledge in two ways: simply, and in a certain respect. Simply far off are future contingents open to either outcome, of which a determinate knowledge cannot be had either in themselves or in their causes; and prophecy is properly concerned with these. In a certain respect far off are those things whose knowledge escapes the one who knows, such as certain past things and certain present things: and of these there is not prophecy simply, but only with respect to those who do not know them. But according to the second derivation, a prophet is called, as it were, one speaking from afar. And thus prophecy adds, over and above vision, the act of exterior declaration, and vision will be material with respect to prophecy.

Concerning the second, it must be known that the modes of prophetic visions are distinguished according to the things in which the foreknowledge of a future contingent is received. Now that is either a species made in the sense, and it is called a bodily vision, because the sense receives species from the bodies present of which they are; or it is a species received in the imagination, and it is called a spiritual vision, because in it is first manifested the act and property of spirituality, which is to know a thing abstracted from matter; or it is a species existing only in the intellect, and it is called an intellectual vision. And it must be known that prophecy is preserved in these three as a potential whole is in its parts, whose nature is that according to its perfect power it is in one, and in the others a certain participation and a certain mode of it; just as it is in the soul, that its whole power is preserved perfectly in the rational soul; and the sensitive soul does not have the perfect power of the soul, and the vegetable soul still less. On account of which Gregory says that plants do not live by a soul, but by greenness. Likewise too, both bodily vision and spiritual or imaginary vision are something of prophecy; but they cannot be called true prophecy, unless intellectual vision is added, in which is the complete nature of prophecy. Daniel 10: for understanding is needed in vision; whence it precedes: and he understood the word, namely Daniel. Vision, however, is said first and properly of bodily vision. And because all our knowledge is from the senses, among which sight is more excellent both in subtlety and in universality, because it shows us more differences of things; therefore the name of vision is transferred to the other interior kinds of knowledge.

Concerning the third, it must be known that not every intellectual vision is a prophetic vision: for there is a certain vision for which the natural light of the intellect suffices, such as the contemplation of invisible things through the principles of reason; and in this contemplation the philosophers placed the highest happiness of man. There is again a certain contemplation to which man is sufficiently raised by the light of faith, such as that of the saints who are on the way. There is also a certain contemplation of the blessed in the homeland, to which the intellect is raised by the light of glory, seeing God through His essence, insofar as He is the object of beatitude; and this, fully and perfectly, exists only in the homeland: but sometimes someone is raised to it in rapture, even while existing in this mortal life, as was the case in the rapture of Paul. 2 Corinthians 12: I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago, whether in the body, etc., where the Gloss says that he saw as those do who are of the third hierarchy. But none of these is a prophetic vision, because for it neither the natural light nor the light of faith suffices; but the intellect of the prophet is raised to it by the light of grace freely given, which is the gift of prophecy: yet it does not attain to seeing God as He is the object of beatitude, but as He is the reason of those things which pertain to the disposition of men in the world. Likewise, not every bodily or imaginary vision is called prophetic, but only that which comes about through a species specially ordained to this by divine power, so that it may be a sign of some future thing, whether the one seeing, or another, receives the understanding of it.

The author is touched upon in that he says, Isaiah, son of Amos. And although this Amos was a prophet, who is placed in the title of the prophecy according to the rule of the Hebrews, nevertheless he is not the one who is among the number of the twelve prophets; because among the Hebrews each of the two is written with different letters.

The subject matter is touched upon in that he says, which he saw over Judah and Jerusalem, because it concerns those things which pertain to Judah and Jerusalem, so that the word super is taken to mean concerning, according to the translation of Symmachus, or to mean against, according to the Septuagint: so that Judah is taken for the land of the two tribes, and Jerusalem for the metropolis of that region. Or Judah for the lot of Judah, and Jerusalem for the lot of Benjamin, because it was within his lot as regards the body of the city, which was on the slope; although as regards the summit of the mountain, on which was the tower of David and the temple, it belonged to the house of God, as can be gathered from Joshua 15.

In the days. Here the work is made known from the time; and four kings are set down, in whose time Isaiah put forth this prophecy: whence some divide this book according to the times of the kings under whom he received the revelation. So that in the first part are set down those things which were seen in the time of Uzziah; in the second, those things which were seen in the time of Jotham, namely in chapter 6: in the year in which he died; in the third, those things which were seen in the time of Ahaz, from chapter 7 to the end of 14, where it is said: in the year in which King Ahaz died; and from there to the end, those things which were seen in the time of Hezekiah. But it is asked why he does not make mention of the kings of Israel, just as Hosea in his title makes mention of Jeroboam, son of Joash, since they were contemporaries. To which it must be said that this one prophesied principally against the two tribes; and therefore he has only their kings in the title; but that one against both. Again it is asked why no mention is made of Manasseh, king of Judah, under whom the prophet also lived, since it is established that he did not lose the spirit of prophecy. To which it must be said that all the things which are written in this book, he saw in the times of the prophets. But it was not fitting that a prophecy which is principally one of consolation should end in a threat; or that in the time of an evil king, who provoked the wrath of God, the consolation of God should be preached. Jeremiah 15: I will give them over to fury unto all the kingdoms of the earth.