Fathers

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What the Fathers say

Isaiah 38:8

Eastern Fathers

Cyril of Jerusalem

For Hezekiah's sake the sun turned back, but for Christ the sun was eclipsed. The sun did not simply retrace its path for Christ but was completely eclipsed. This shows the difference between Hezekiah and Jesus. The former's prayer resulted in the canceling of God's decree. But does not Jesus forgive sins? Repent, shut your door, and pray to be forgiven. Pray that Christ may remove you from the burning flames, for confession has power even to quench fire, power even to tame lions.

Catechetical Lecture 2:15 ↗

Western Saints

Thomas Aquinas

With the sun, that is, through the movement of the sun; ten lines, by which ten hours were calculated according to the movement of the shadow; and the sun returned: if it did so right away, then that artificial day had twenty-two hours of daylight, nearly doubled according to the Gloss; but if it returned through the lines successively, so that it came through ten and returned through ten and again went through ten, then that day had thirty-two hours, nearly tripled, according to Dionysius. …

Commentary on Isaiah ↗

Hippolytus of Rome

We find in the commentaries, written by our predecessors, that day had thirty-two hours. For when the sun had run its course, and reached the tenth hour, and the shadow had gone down by the ten degrees in the house of the temple, the sun turned back again by the ten degrees, according to the word of the Lord, and there were thus twenty hours. And again, the sun accomplished its own proper course, according to the common law, and reached its setting. And thus there were thirty-two hours.

Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments ↗