Augustine of Hippo : "Woe unto them that call evil good." For this text is to be understood to refer not to humans but to those things that make humans evil, and the prophet's accusation is rightly applied to one who calls adultery good. But if someone should call another good whom he believes chaste, not knowing that he is an adulterer, he is deceived not in his understanding of good and evil but through the secrets of human conduct. He is calling a person good whom he believes to possess that which indubitably is good. The adulterer he would call evil, the chaste person good, and he calls the person in question good simply through not knowing that he is an adulterer and not chaste. — Enchiridion 6:19 Caesarius of Arles : Some accept little gifts and presents and endeavor to corrupt just cases, as the prophet says: "Putting darkness for light, and light for darkness: saying what is sweet is bitter, and what is bitter, sweet." Therefore, they hear cases and decide them unjustly. They accept earthly gifts and lose eternal rewards; gaining money, they lose eternity. O miserable fellow, if you have done this or do it or attempt it, you pay attention to what you are acquiring but do not notice what you lose. By acquiring gold, you offend God, for while your money coffer is filled your conscience is weakened. In a few days or years your soul will leave your body; then the gold will remain in the coffer, but your unfortunate soul will descend into hell. However, if you had judged justly, refusing happily to serve avarice or dissipation, your soul would be lifted up to the kingdom full of God and your moneybox would stay in the world without gold. Therefore I beseech you, brothers, and I adjure you by him who redeemed you with his precious blood, observe justice in every case with all your strength, and think more carefully of the salvation of your soul. — SERMON 55:3 Jerome : (Verse 20) Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil: who put darkness for light, and light for darkness: who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. It is of the same crime to call good, light, and sweet by the opposite names, as to call evil, darkness, and bitter by the names of virtues. This is what the Jews do, who consider good evil, and light darkness, and sweet bitter, welcoming Barabbas, the author of robbery and sedition, and crucifying Jesus, who had come only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel, to save what was lost. Let us understand Barabbas as the devil, who, although he is darkness and night, is transformed into an angel of light (Matthew XXVII). Therefore, the Apostle also speaks: What sharing of righteousness with iniquity? What fellowship does light have with darkness? What agreement is there between Christ and Belial (2 Corinthians VI, 14, 15)? For a lamp is not to be taken away and put under a bushel, or under a bed, but to be placed on a lampstand, so that it may give light to everyone. Nor is a tree that bears evil fruit to be called a good tree (Matthew V). And in the mystical language of Genesis, it is narrated that God separated light from darkness, which were hovering over the abyss in the beginning (Gen. I). And He Himself, being called the Good Shepherd, speaks in the Gospel: The Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep (John X, 11). He also says that He is the light: I am the light of the world (John VIII, 12), and we, who are nourished by the heavenly bread every day, say: Taste and see how sweet the Lord is (Ps. XXIII, 9). On the contrary, when we say: Deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13); and: The world is set in wickedness (1 John 5:19), we desire to be freed from the snares of the devil. Moreover, we frequently read that he himself is signified by names of darkness and bitterness. But we can also say that all contrary doctrines are bitter to the truth, and only the sweet truth. Therefore, we must be careful not to follow falsehood in place of truth, nor darkness in place of light. For there are many paths that appear straight to men, and their last ends lead into the depths of Hell. Also, the just man perishes in his justice, of whom it is said: Do not be excessively righteous (Eccl. VII, 17). For these reasons, Israel promises to walk in the royal way, not deviating to the left or to the right (Deut. V). And to speak what I feel: it is difficult to escape this curse, since we often flatter the wicked because of their power, and despise the good because of their poverty. Aquila interprets this saying as follows: Woe to those who say that good is evil and evil is good (Prov. XVII, 13). This meaning is also in accordance with what Solomon says in Proverbs: He who judges the just as unjust and the unjust as just, both are abominable before God. The scribes and Pharisees, who do not accept the words of the Savior but instead follow human traditions and old wives' tales, have made good into evil and evil into good. — Commentary on Isaiah Salvian the Presbyter : Must we be servile to the whim of those who are wicked? If they wish valueless praise conferred upon them, is it becoming that we, too, heap valueless and laughable praise on them? And this especially since they who wish to be ridiculous should not be laughed at by those who are honorable, just as they who desire to be decorated even with the label of false praise should not be praised in a lying manner. Our prime consideration should be not so much what they wish to hear as what it is fitting for us to say, especially since the prophet says, "Woe to them who speak sweet for bitter things and bitter for sweet things." — THE GOVERNANCE OF GOD 8 Tertullian : For, in like manner, they also who oppose martyrdoms, representing salvation to be destruction, transmute sweet into bitter, as well as light into darkness. Thus, by preferring this very wretched life to that most blessed one, they put bitter for sweet, as well as darkness for light. — SCORPIACE 1