The Downward Fall of the Sinner
weapons of light. 1.94 It is carried in the manuscripts instead of 'they brought down Israel,' as 'they led Israel down,' showing also by this word that the one sinning is brought from on high to below. And many are the writings that show this, such as: 'How has the morning star fallen from heaven, rising in the morning?' (Isa 14:12) and: 'They shall enter into the lowest parts of the earth' (Ps 18:6). And other myriad words are revealing that the diligent ascends and is elevated, but the lover of pleasure descends, having a material choice, as to become 'fleshly, having been shaped by sin.'
1.95 I read an explanation of someone having taken that the four builders are the four evangelists. Whether it is so, let those encountering the one who wrote thus judge. It is possible to say the four builders are 'to gather the sent angels to gather the elect of God from the four winds,' that is, from the four climates of the inhabited world. 1.96 In order that the four builders might be understood, they are shown and led by the Forethinker of all things, God, against those lifted up with audacity and arrogance, and against those having fallen by God's judgment, not lifting up the head, neither of the captor nor of the captives, the holy builders being set in opposition. It is also worn away in custom that those acting badly do not lift up the head.
1.97 And if the mind is sometimes signified by the name of the head, even this is not lifted up when someone 'is delivered to an unapproved mind, having not tested God to have in knowledge' (2 Tim 4:3). For how can he who has been held in an unapproved mind still think of the things above or split the heart in heaven, not having treasured in heaven? It corresponds to the scattering of Israel being recognized or being led away, that which is announced with full force by those having scattered against those having seized by force: 'Our bones have been scattered by the underworld' (Ps 142:10). 1.98 Since it seems the prophetic word is poured out from an unsuitability of composition, it should be changed thus—
geometric cord
Greek
ὅπλα φωτός.» 1.94 Φέρεται ἐν ἀντιγράφοις ἀντὶ τοῦ «τὸν Ἰσραὴλ κατέαξαν», τὸν Ἰσραὴλ κατῆξαν, δεικνυμένου καὶ διὰ ταύτης τῆς λέξεως ὡς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων ὑψόθεν κάτω φέρεται. Πολλαὶ δ' εἰσὶν γραφαὶ τοῦτο παριστᾶσαι, οἷαί εἰσιν καί· «Πῶς ἐξέπεσεν ὁ ἑωσφόρος ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὁ πρωῒ ἀνατέλλων;» καί· «Εἰσελεύσονται εἰς 9 τὰ κατώτατα τῆς γῆς.» Καὶ ἕτεραι μυρίαι λέξεις εἰσὶν φανεροῦσαι ὅτι ὁ σπουδαῖος ἀναβαίνει καὶ μετεωρίζεται, κάτω δὲ χωρεῖ ὁ φιλήδονος καὶ ὑλικὴν προαίρεσιν ἔχων, ὡς γενέσθαι «σάρκινον, πεπραμένον ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν». 1.95 Ἀνέγνων ἐξήγησίν τινος ἐκλαβόντος τέσσαρας τέκτονας εἶναι τοὺς τέσσαρας εὐαγγελιστάς. Πότερον δ' οὕτως ἔχει οἱ ἐντυχόντες τῷ οὕτω γράψαντι κρινέτωσαν. ∆υνατὸν εἰπεῖν τέκτονας τέσσαρας «τοὺς ἀποσταλέντας ἀγγέλους συναγαγεῖν τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ἀνέμων», τοῦτ' ἔστιν τῶν τεσσάρων κλιμάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης. 1.96 Ὅπως δ' ἂν ἐκλαμβάνοιντο οἱ τέσσαρες τέκτονες, ὑπὸ τοῦ προνοητοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ δείκνυνταί τε καὶ ἄγονται κατὰ τῶν ἐπαιρομένων θρασύτητι καὶ ἀλαζονείᾳ κατὰ τῶν ὑποπεσόντων αὐτοῖς Θεοῦ κρίσει, οὐκ αἴροντος κεφαλὴν οὐδὲ τοῦ αἰχμαλωτίζοντος οὐδὲ τῶν αἰχμαλωτιζομένων, τῶν ἱερῶν τεκτόνων ἀντιπαρατεταγμένων. Τέτριπται καὶ ἐν τῇ συνηθείᾳ ὡς οὐκ αἴρουσι κεφαλὴν οἱ δυσπραγοῦντες. 1.97 Εἰ δὲ σημαίνεταί ποτε ὀνόματι τῆς κεφαλῆς ὁ νοῦς, οὐδ' οὗτος ἐπαίρεται ὅταν τις «παραδοθῇ εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, μὴ δοκιμάσας τὸν Θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει». Πῶς γὰρ ἔτι ὁ κρατηθεὶς ἀδοκίμῳ νῷ τὰ ἄνω φρονήσοι ἢ ἐν οὐρανῷ σχοίη τὴν καρδίαν, μὴ θησαυρίσας ἐν οὐρανῷ; Συνᾴδει τῷ διασκορπίζεσθαι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καταγνύμενον ἢ καταγόμενον τὸ μετ' ὀλοφυρμοῦ ἀπαγγελλόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν σκεδασθέντων πρὸς τῶν βίᾳ κρατησάντων· «∆ιεσκορπίσθη τὰ ὀστᾶ ἡμῶν παρὰ τὸν ᾅδην.» 1.98 Ἐπεὶ δοκεῖ ἡ λέξις ἡ προφητικὴ συγκεχύσθαι ἐξ ἀκαταλληλίας τῆς συνθέσεως, μεταποιητέον αὐτὴν οὕτως· ἐν τῇ γῇ τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν οἴκησιν ὁ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδας εὖ διάγων εἶχεν·ἀνέντες δὲ τῆς τοῦ νόμου προσοχῆς καὶ τοῦ μελετᾶν αὐτὸν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός, εἰς κακίαν ἔρρεψαν ὡς ὑποπεσεῖν ψήφῳ τοῦ προνοουμένου ἔθνεσι τέσσαρσιν, διὰ τὸ τυραννικὸν κέρασιν καλουμένοις. 1.99 Ταῦτα τὰ εἰρημένα κέρατα δι' ὠμότητα καὶ ἀλαζονείαν ἐπῄροντο κατὰ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν καὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα, ὥστε καταγαγεῖν καὶ κατεάξαι τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ λαόν, μικρὰ μὲν Θεοῦ ὀργισθέντος, εἰς κακὰ συνεπιθεμένων τῶν δίκην σκευῶν ὀργῆς ὀξυνθέντων ὑπὸ τεκτόνων ἀγαθῶν τῶν ἤδη σαφηνισθέντων, ἵν' ἀσθενεῖς ἀποδειχθέντες καὶ μετὰ τὴν θηγάνην αὐτὴν ἡττηθέντες μηκέτ' ἰσχυρῶς κατέχωσιν τοὺς παραδοθέντας αὐτοῖς. 1.100 Τὰ ἡρμηνευμένα τέσσαρα κέρατα, ὁμοφρονήσαντα κατὰ τῶν ἑαλωκότων, ἓν κέρας ἐπαιρόμενον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν Κυρίου εἴρηνται. Πολλαὶ δ' εἰσὶν γραφαὶ τοὺς διὰ τῶν κεράτων βασιλεῖς καὶ βασιλείας σημαίνουσαι, καὶ μάλιστα ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ ∆ανιήλ, ὡς ἀναγνόντι σοι ἔσται σαφές. 1.101 Zach. II, 5®6: Καὶ ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου καὶ εἶδον· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ καὶ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ σχοινίον γεωμετρικόν. Καὶ εἶπα πρὸς αὐτόν· Ποῦ σὺ πορεύῃ; Καὶ εἶπεν πρός με· ∆ιαμετρῆσαι τὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ τοῦ ἰδεῖν πηλίκον τὸ πλάτος αὐτῆς ἐστιν, καὶ πηλίκον τὸ μῆκος. 1.102 Πολλάκις ἤδη ἀποδέδοται ὡς αἴρει τις τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου πρὸς κατανόησιν τῶν καταλλήλων θεαμάτων. Τῷ αὐτῷ τρόπῳ τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ νῦν ὁ προφήτης ἄρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς εἶδεν ἄνδρα ἐν τῇ χειρὶ σχοινίον κατέχοντα γεωμετρικόν, ἐπὶ τῷ, οἷα ἀρχιτέκτων ἄριστος, μετρῆσαι ἡλίκον τὸ πλάτος καὶ μῆκός ἐστιν τῆς Ἰερουσαλήμ, ὅπως τεθέντων τῶν θεμελίων ἀνοικοδομὴ αὐτῆς γένηται παθούσης ὑπὸ πολεμίων καθαίρεσιν. 1.103 Τίς δ' ἐστὶν ὁ ὀφθεὶς τῷ προφήτῃ ἀνὴρ καιρὸς ἰδεῖν. Καὶ ὅρα γε μὴ ὁ αὐτός ἐστιν «τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ ἵππον πυρρόν, ἑστηκότι ἀνὰ μέσον δύο ὀρέων κατασκίων». Ἔστιν δ' οὗτος κατὰ μίαν τῶν
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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