And a spear shall pass through
thine own soul also, that the thoughts of the hearts of many may be revealed,
that is to say, Thou shalt know accurately also thyself that thou art much too
weak to know exactly the greatness of this [man], and to understand truly who
He is, and how great is His glory, for if that should be the probation and
examination of thy soul, and of the supposition about Him which is in thy mind,
thou, even thou, canst not believe in Him at all along with many; nor
understand the divine nature that is in Him. Mar Ephraim says that Thou
shalt make a spear pass through thy soul, that many thoughts of hearts may be
revealed, those who have doubted, that is to say, thou also shalt doubt
Him, because He shall be wonderful in His miracles, and thou shalt relate to
others, and they shall be relieved from doubts about Him by her word; again,
but because the Blessed One supposed about her Son, on account of the wonderful
things that were said and done about Him, that He was the Messiah the King, who
was about to come, and she had hoped about the Messiah, as also all the Jews,
that when He came, He would abide for ever, and subdue all the nations, etc.,
and they would be the princes of the world; and she also expected great honour
as the mother of a great King; afterwards the time was ready, that she should
hear and see the calling of the Gentiles, and the union with them; and His
being humiliated and despised, and what was enacted in His Passion, etc,. was
outside her expectation; therefore Simeon says, A spear shall pierce thy
soul, and doubt. When the time shall come that thou shalt see the things
that are contrary to thine own supposition, and that of the members of thy
family, the weakness also shall be reproved which is now considered when He is
believed to be the Lord and equal to God, and He is adored by every knee that
is in Heaven and on the earth. This of a spear, that is to say, just as
in the body when it is equal and like itself, it suffers a division from a blow
which it receives, thus also are these things which are in thy soul; for
when it was right that thou shouldest keep equality befitting the things that
had happened before, unequal things appeared from the blows of doubt; but the
time shall come, which will reveal the thoughts of many, and thine own; and the
weakness of the present shall be reproved, etc. Some say that through
thy soul, that is to say, through thy Child, a spear shall pass; and
the sword that turns round at Paradise, from the transgression of the commandment
onwards; so he calls her Child her soul. Others say, A little
time, and thou shalt see thy Son hanging on the wood, and transfixed by a
spear, which is again thy supposition about Him just now; for it is a custom
for those who are crucified, not to receive the completion with a sword, but
with a spear; therefore the Prophet, of all the things that happened at the
Crucifixion, mentions the last thing only, saying that this is important, that through
Him and thyself a spear shall pass, for Mothers are like this, but here not
only thyself, that also the thoughts of many may be revealed,
which other things were thought about Him; such as those who said, We hear from
the Law, that the Christ abideth for ever, and others also said other things. (The
Commentaries of Isho'dad of Merv, 3 vols. [trans. Margaret Dunlop Gibson;
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1911], 1:159-60)