The Nature of Prophetic Word and Divine Wrath
The preceding text for the clarification of Zechariah, who is the eleventh of the Twelve Prophets, with his mind enlightened, having been made god-like by the word that came to him, saw a great vision and announced a prophetic word in many ways and in many forms. Since we are eager to understand this, let us begin with the clarification concerning him, entreating that a word may be given in the opening of the mouth, with you all running together in prayer, we are confident that the one who strives will succeed.
Zechariah 1:1: In the eighth month of the second year, during the reign of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying.
In the second year of the reign of Darius the Persian king, in the eighth month of the second year of the beginning of the one ruling, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, declaring how a great wrath has come upon the fathers of those being reproved, with God being indignant against those being accused.
And Zechariah, to whom the word of God came, is called by the voice of the Hebrews, but to the memory of the Greeks he is being interpreted as God. For how is it not a memory of God the one who is not missing text of God missing text having? And of that same missing text both Berechiah is and missing text being named after the memory of missing text, the father of Zechariah, missing text Iddo.
A tradition came to us then, to remember the bearers of prophets when they themselves also happen to be healers of God. And it is shown especially how the preceding prophet and his fathers, being of the priestly race and according to the Gospel of Luke: for the father of the Baptist John, Zechariah, and Berechiah, the parent of this one, were given these names. For as the later ones encounter the same kind as those who preceded, especially when they are saints, they possess the same callings.
And they become memories in the prefaces.
Regarding the prophecies of the ancestors called by God to prophesy and the time of their prophecy. And it is stated for the sake of security, so that it does not become a deception through homonymy or pseudonymity.
1.7 The word of God becomes toward someone when he participates in it, just as virtue and knowledge become in a diligent and knowledgeable man. But what the word of God implies and argues against the one established by prophetic word will be clear from the following.
1.8 'These,' he says, 'says the Lord of hosts: The Lord was angry with your fathers, a great anger' (Zechariah 1:3).
1.9 A great anger comes upon those sinning greatly and being impious; for God, giving judgment 'to each according to his works' (Romans 2:6) and according to the practice of the one transgressing the divine laws, does not threaten the same punishment to all, but one proportionate and corresponding to those who have sinned. And the threat breathes much goodness; for if God were to punish defensively those cast into this, he would not foretell, but would bring the punishment upon them without delay.
1.10 The possessor of the divine word stands as a protector to urge the captured toward repentance, saying: 'Thus says the Lord of hosts: Turn to me,' keeping my commandments and coming to know my truth; for thus you will find me having turned to you. For I, being unmoved and unchangeable, always being the same and likewise, seem to turn away from you and to distance myself from you when you endure this.
1.11 He speaks, indeed, to those being reproved as to one to all: 'Because you know, I will cast you away and I will cast you away from serving me; remember the law of your God, and I will remember your children.' And regarding certain sensible things such a thing appears; for the earth, while being motionless upon its own seat, those departing from it by ships, they themselves, distancing themselves, receive the sensation as if it were distancing.
1.12 The greatness of the goodness
Greek
Commentarii in Zacchariam Εἰς τ̣ο`̣ν̣ Ζα̣χαρίαν 1.1 Ὁ προκείμενος εἰς σαφήνειαν Ζαχαρίας, τῶν ∆ώδεκα Προφητῶν ἑνδέκατος ὑπάρχ̣ων, ὄμμα διανοίας πεφωτισμένον ἔχων, θεοποι̣η̣θ̣εὶς̣ ·α̣· ὑπὸ λόγου τοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν γεγενημένου, ὀπτασίας μεγάλας εἶδεν καὶ προφητικὸν λόγον πολυτρόπως καὶ πολυειδῶς ἀπήγγειλεν, ἅπερ νοῆσαι προθυμούμενοι ἀπαρξώμεθα τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν σαφηνείας, παρακαλέσαντες «δοθῆναι λόγον ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματος», συντρεχόντων καὶ ὑμῶν τῇ προσευχῇ, θαρροῦντες οὕτω τεύξεσθαι τοῦ σπουδαζομένου. 1.2 Zach. I, 1: Ἐν τῷ ὀγδόῳ μηνὶ ἔτους δευτέρου ἐπὶ ∆αρείου ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς Ζαχαρίαν τὸν τοῦ Βαραχίου υἱὸν Ἀδδὼ τὸν προφήτην λέγων. 1.3 ∆ευτέρο̣υ̣ ἐνιαυτοῦ ὄντος τῆς βασιλείας ∆αρείου τοῦ Περσῶν βασιλέως, ἐν τῷ ὀγδόῳ μηνὶ τοῦ δευτέρου ἔτους τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ κρατ̣ο̣ῦντος, πρὸς τὸν προφήτην Ζαχαρίαν ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου λόγος γέγονεν, διαγορεύων ὡς ὀργὴ μεγάλη ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας τῶν ἐλεγχομένων γέγονεν, ἀγαν̣α̣κ̣τ̣οῦντ̣ος Θεου῀̣ κατὰ τῶν ἐγκαλουμένων̣. 1.4 Κ̣α̣λ̣εῖτα̣ι δὲ πρὸς ὃν ο῾̣ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ γέγονεν Ζαχαρ̣ίας ῾Ε̣βρα̣ίων φωνῃ῀̣, Ἑλ̣λήνων δὲ μνήμη Θεοῦ ἑρμηνευόμεν̣ος. Πῶς̣ γ̣α`̣ρ̣ ο̣ὐ μνήμη Θεοῦ τυγχάνει ὁ μὴ αλ······α τοῦ Θ̣εοῦ ε̣···ε̣··οις̣ ἐ´̣χων; Τῆς̣ δ' αὐτῆς κατ········οτητος̣ καὶ ὁ Βα̣ρ̣αχίας ἐστὶν καὶ αὐτ·· τη·····ς̣ μνήμης ἐπ̣ω´̣νυμος ὢν̣ πατὴρ τοῦ Ζαχαρίου ··τον̣···· Ἀδδώ. 1.5 Ἦλθεν εἰς ἡμᾶς παράδοσις τότε μνημονεύεσθαι τοὺς τοκέας τῶν προφητῶν ὅταν καὶ αὐτοὶ θεραπευταὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τυγχάνωσιν. ∆είκνυται δὲ μάλιστα ὡς ὁ προκείμενος προφήτης καὶ οἱ τούτου πατέρες ἐκ τοῦ ἱερατικοῦ γένους ὄντες καὶ ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ Λουκᾶν Εὐαγγελίου· ὁ γὰρ πατὴρ τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ Ἰωάννου Ζαχαρίας καὶ Βαραχίας ὁ τούτου γονεὺς προσηγορεύοντο. Ὡς ἐπίπαν γὰρ οἱ ὕστεροι ὁμόφυλοι τῶν προλαβόντων, μάλιστα ὅταν ἅγιοι ὦσιν, τὰς κλήσεις ἔχουσιν. 1.6 Μνῆμαι δὲ γίνονται ἐν ταῖς προγραφαῖς τῶν προφητειῶν τῶν προγόνων τῶν εἰς τὸ προφητεύειν κληθέντων ὑπὸ Θεοῦ καὶ χρόνου τῆς προφητείας αὐτῶν. Ἔστιν δὲ ὅτε καὶ πατρίδος ὑπὲρ ἀσφαλείας, ὅπως μὴ ἀπατὴ γένηται ἐξ ὁμωνυμίας ἢ ψευδωνυμίας. 1.7 Γίνεται λόγος Θεοῦ πρός τινα ὅταν μετάσχῃ αὐτοῦ, ὡς γίνεται ἀρετὴ καὶ ἐπιστήμη ἐν σπουδαίῳ ἀνδρὶ καὶ ἐπιστήμονι. Τί δὲ ὑπηχεῖ καὶ διαγορεύει ὁ Θεοῦ λόγος τῷ κατὰ προφητικὸν λόγον πεποιωμένῳ, ἐκ τῶν ἑξῆς ἔσται σαφές. 1.8 Zach. I, 3.2: Τάδε, φησίν, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ· ὠργίσθη Κύριος ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν ὀργὴν μεγάλην. 1.9 Ὀργὴ μεγάλη γίνεται ἐπὶ τοὺς μεγάλα ἁμαρτάνοντας καὶ ἀσεβοῦντας· διδόντος γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ κριτοῦ «ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ» καὶ κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν τῷ παραβαίνοντι τοὺς θείους νόμους, οὐχ ἡ αὐτὴ πᾶσιν ἀπειλεῖται κόλασις, ἀλλὰ σύμμετρος καὶ ἀναλογοῦσα τοῖς ἡμαρτημένοις. Πνεῖ δὲ πολλῆς ἀγαθότητος ἡ ἀπειλή· εἰ γὰρ ἀμυντικῶς ὁ Θεὸς ἐκόλαζεν τοὺς ὑποβεβλημένους τῷ τοῦτο παθεῖν, οὐ προαπήγγελλεν, ἀλλ' ἀμελλητὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπῆγεν. 1.10 Προστάττεται ὁ κάτοχος τοῦ θείου λόγου εἰς μετάνοιαν προτρέψασθαι τοὺς ἑαλωκότας, φάσκων· «Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ· ἐπιστράφητε πρός με», τὰς ἐντολάς μου φυλάσσοντες καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν μου ἐπιγιγνώσκοντες· οὕτω γὰρ εὑρήσετέ με ἐπιστραφέντα πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ἄτρεπτος καὶ ἀναλλοίωτος ὤν, ἀεὶ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ ὡσαύτως ὑπάρχων, δοκῶ ἀποστρέφεσθαι ὑμᾶς καὶ μακρύνεσθαι ὑμῶν ὅταν ὑμεῖς τοῦθ' ὑπομένητε. 1.11 Λέγει γοῦν πρὸς τοὺς ἐλεγχομένους ὡς πρὸς ἕνα πάντας· «Ὅτι σὺ ἐπίγνωσιν ἀπώσω καὶ ἐγὼ ἀπώσομαί σε 1 τοῦ ἱερατεύειν μοι· ἐπελάθου νόμου Θεοῦ σου, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐπιλήσομαι τέκνων σου.» Καὶ ἐπὶ αἰσθητῶν δέ τινων φαίνεται τὸ τοιοῦτον· τῆς γὰρ γῆς ἐπὶ τῆς ἑαυτῆς ἕδρας ἀκινήτου μὲν οὔσης, οἱ ἐξαναχωροῦντες αὐτῆς διὰ πλοίων, αὐτοὶ μακρυνόμενοι αὐτῆς αἴσθησιν λαμβάνουσιν ὡς μ̣α̣κρυνομένης. 1.12 Τὸ μέγεθος τῆς ἀγαθότητος
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.