Книга пророка Иезекииля, Глава 11, стих 18. Толкования стиха

A HEART OF TRUE UNDERSTANDING. AUGUSTINE: For by the heart of flesh and the fleshy tables is not meant a carnal understanding: but as flesh feels, whereas a stone cannot, the insensibility of stone signifies an unintelligent heart, and the sensibility of flesh signifies an intelligent heart. AGAINST FAUSTUS, A MANICHAEAN 15.4.

A STONY HEART OBSTRUCTS GOD. AUGUSTINE: If God is not able to remove from the human heart even its obstinacy and hardness, he would not say, through the prophet, “I will take from them their heart of stone and will give them a heart of flesh.”… Now can we possibly, without extreme absurdity, maintain that there previously existed in any person the good merit of a good will, to entitle him to the removal of his stony heart, when all the while this very heart of stone signifies nothing else than a will of the hardest kind and such as is absolutely inflexible against God? ON GRACE AND FREE WILL 29.

GOD’S PREVENIENT GRACE WORKS WITHOUT FREE WILL. AUGUSTINE: Those and other divine testimonies, which it would take too long to enumerate, show that God by his grace takes away the stony heart from unbelievers and forestalls merit in people of good will in such a way that their will is prepared by prevenient grace, but not that grace is given through prevenient merit of the will. This is shown both by thanksgiving and by prayer: prayer for unbelievers; thanksgiving for believers. Prayer is to be made to him that he may do what we ask; thanksgiving is to be offered when he has done it. LETTER 217.

NOT CARNAL IN DESIRE. AUGUSTINE: Flesh is not mentioned in this passage in order to signify carnal desire but rather in the way in which the prophet says that a heart of stone is taken away from the people and a heart of flesh is given them. ON GENESIS AGAINST THE MANICHAEANS 2.12.17.

GRACE CAN BE POWERFUL. AUGUSTINE: This grace, which from divine generosity is bestowed secretly in human hearts, is rejected by no one, no matter how hard-hearted he may be. For it is given so that hardness of the heart may first be taken away. Therefore, when the Father is heard within and teaches, so that one may come to the Son, he takes away the heart of stone and bestows a heart of flesh, as he promised by the word of the prophet. For it is thus that he makes them children of the promise and vessels of mercy that he has prepared for glory. PREDESTINATION OF THE SAINTS 8.13.

THE LORD’S DOING. JOHN CASSIAN: Quite obviously all this teaches us that the first good stirring of the will in us comes under the Lord’s inspiration. He brings us along the road to salvation, either himself or by way of the exhortation of some person or through necessity. And our virtues are perfected also as a gift from him. Our task is, whether laxly or zealously, to play a role that corresponds to his grace, and our reward or our punishment will depend on whether we strove or neglected to be at one, attentive and obedient, with the kindly dispensation of his providence toward us. Conference 3.19.

THE SPIRIT SOFTENS THE HARDNESS OF OUR HEARTS. SAHDONA: Truly great and mighty is the power of God’s word. For the word of God has changed the “offspring of vipers” into children of God. So let us constantly sow it within the hard soil of our heart, waiting for the word to soften our heart so that the wheat ear of life may sprout up in it. For the word of God is at the same time the seed and the water; and even though we have a “heart like stone,” it will be softened and split up by the water of the Spirit, so that it can bring forth holy fruit that is pleasing to God.

Therefore let no one neglect meditation on the divine words or the labor of reading the appointed measure. As our honored teacher said, from such meditation the soul acquires great benefit and finds salvation. BOOK OF PERFECTION 53-54.

GOD REMOVES THE HEART OF STONE. ORIGEN: This might lead one to suppose that it was God who gave the power to walk in his commandments and to keep his judgments, if it was he who removed the stony heart, which hindered them from keeping the commandments, and who implanted in them the better and more sensitive one, which is here called a heart of flesh. ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 3.1.7.

TO COMMIT OURSELVES TO GOD. ORIGEN: Now this is what is said by those who wish to prove by the authority of Scripture that nothing lies within our own power. We shall reply to them that these words must not be understood in that sense but as follows. It is as if an uneducated and uninstructed person becoming conscious of the disgrace of his condition, whether by being stirred at the exhortation of another or by a desire to rival those who are wise, should entrust himself to one by whom he is confident that he can be carefully trained and competently instructed. If then he, who had formerly hardened himself in ignorance, entrusts himself, as we have said, with full purpose of mind to a master and promises to obey him in everything, the master, on seeing clearly his purpose and determination, will on his part undertake to take away from him his lack of education and to implant in him education, not promising, however, to do this if the disciple withholds his assent and cooperation but only if he offers and pledges himself to entire obedience. ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 3.1.15.

THE HEART OF FLESH IS MANIFEST IN CHRIST. EPISTLE OF BARNABAS: God says in another prophet, “I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh” (that is, from those whom the spirit of the law foresaw) … because Christ himself was going to be manifested in the flesh and dwell among us. EPISTLE OF BARNABAS 6.14.