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LXX Isaiah

Septuagint

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Chapter 60

1 Be enlightened, be enlightened, Jerusalem, for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. 2 Look, darkness shall cover the earth, and there shall be gross darkness on the nations: but the Lord shall appear upon you, and his glory shall be seen upon you. 3 And kings shall walk in your light, and nations in your brightness. 4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see your children gathered: all your sons have come from far, and your daughters shall be borne on men's shoulders. 5 Then you will see, and fear, and be amazed in your heart; for the wealth of the sea shall come round to you, and of nations and peoples; and they shall come to you, 6 herds of camels, and the camels of Midian and Ephah shall cover you: all from Sheba shall come bearing gold, and shall bring frankincense, and they shall publish the salvation of the Lord. 7 And all the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, and the rams of Nebaioth shall come to you; and acceptable sacrifices shall be offered on my altar, and my house of prayer shall be glorified. 8 Who are these that fly as clouds, and as doves with young ones to me? 9 The isles have waited for me, and the ships of Tarshish among the first, to bring your children from afar, and their silver and their gold with them, and that for the sake of the holy name of the Lord, and because the Holy One of Israel is glorified. 10 And strangers shall build your walls, and their kings shall wait upon you: for by reason of my fierce anger I struck you, and by reason of mercy I loved you. 11 And your gates shall be opened continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; to bring in to you the power of the Gentiles, and their kings as captives. 12 For the nations and the kings which will not serve you shall perish; and those nations shall be made utterly desolate. 13 And the glory of Lebanon shall come to you, with the cypress, and pine, and cedar together, to glorify my holy place. 14 And the sons of those who afflicted you, and of those who provoked you, shall come to you in fear; and you shall be called the city of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.⁠ 15 Because you have become desolate and hated, and there was no helper, therefore I will make you a perpetual gladness, a joy of many generations. 16 And you shall suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shall eat the wealth of kings:⁠ and shall know that I am the Lord that saves you and delivers you, the God of Israel. 17 And for brass I will bring you gold, and for iron I will bring you silver, and instead of wood I will bring you brass, and instead of stones, iron; and I will appoint your rulers in peace, and your overseers in righteousness.⁠ 18 And injustice shall no more be heard in your land, nor destruction nor misery in your coasts; but your walls shall be called Salvation, and your gates Sculptured Work. 19 And you shall no more have the sun for a light by day, nor shall the rising of the moon lighten your night; but the Lord shall be your everlasting light, and God your glory. 20 For the sun shall no more set, nor shall the moon be eclipsed; for the Lord shall be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be completed. 21 Your people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, preserving that which they have planted, even the works of their hands, for glory. 22 The little one shall become thousands, and the least a great nation; I the Lord will gather them in due time.

Texts in conversation

Compare LXX Isaiah 60:17 and Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 42:5

Septuagint · Early Christian

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Summary

In 1 Clement, the author claims scripture long ago spoke of bishops and deacons, quoting Isaiah 60 in a form unlike the Greek Septuagint translation, which has rulers and overseers. Clement adds deacons to give the offices of his church an ancient basis.

Passages

LXX Isaiah 60:17

Septuagint
15 Because you have become desolate and hated, and there was no helper, therefore I will make you a perpetual gladness, a joy of many generations. 16 And you shall suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shall eat the wealth of kings: and shall know that I am the Lord that saves you and delivers you, the God of Israel. 17 And for brass I will bring you gold, and for iron I will bring you silver, and instead of wood I will bring you brass, and instead of stones, iron; and I will appoint your rulers in peace, and your overseers in righteousness.
100–1 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Isaiah

Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 42:5

Early Christian · First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
3 So, having received their orders, and having been fully assured through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and confirmed in the word of God with the full assurance of the Holy Spirit, they went out with the good news that the kingdom of God was about to come. 4 So preaching everywhere in country and town, they appointed their firstfruits, when they had tested them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons for those who would believe. 5 And this was nothing new; for indeed it had been written about bishops and deacons from very ancient times; for the scripture says somewhere, “I will appoint their bishops in righteousness and their deacons in faith.”
90–100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Clement of Rome, 1 Clement

References

“... Scholars often identify this as a quotation from Isa 60:17. However, there are quite a few differences between Isa 60:17 and the text quoted here. The question arises as to this reference: is it really a quotation? Another question is why Clement introduces in this allusion—in a quite unexpected way—a reference to diakonoi? [...] This reference shows that for Clement the ministry of Israel, as reflected in the Scriptures, constitutes a model for the ministry of the ekklesia. Clement does not adduce a verbatim quotation, but while paraphrasing Isa 60:17 he presents the readers with a suggestive reference to a more or less biblical model. Introducing to the reference the combination episkopoi and diakonoi as a stock phrase from the nascent Christian community he anchors the two-fold ministry in Biblical tradition. ...”
Bart J. Koet, “Isaiah 60:17 as a Key for Understanding the Two-fold Ministry of Episkopoi and Diakonoi according to First Clement (1 Clem 42:5),” in The Scriptures of Israel in Jewish and Christian Tradition: Essays in Honour of Maarten J. J. Menken, ed. Bart Koet, Steven Moyise, and Joseph Verheyden, NovTSup 148 (Leiden: Brill, 2013), 346, 361.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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LXX Isaiah 60:17 and Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 42:5

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