The Bronze Mountains and the Measure in Babylon
Following the vision of a man riding a red horse, those satisfied with such things do not consider the things now spoken regarding the things mentioned. It is said there are two bronze mountains from the midst of which the chariots went forth. And see if the phrase 'surpassing the bronze' is shown to have much pouring out. The sophists and heretical teachers use this, becoming 'a resounding bronze and a sounding cymbal' (1 Cor 13:1), because the divine love toward the lawlessness mentioned at 1.398, says to the angel speaking in it: 'Where do these carry the measure?'
And the angel answering says: 'To build him a house in the land of Babylon, and they shall set him there upon his preparation.' For what other fitting place is there for the one having lawlessness by measure, except the confusion, so that he may be found ready for those approaching him? Therefore, one must turn away and flee from Babylon because the measure is placed there to be found ready for those willing. Thus the divine word cries like a herald to one wanting to be diligent: 'Come out from Babylon, fleeing from the land of the Chaldeans' (Rev 18:4).
Having understood the vision of the prophet to be such a thing, let us hate having wings once, having been flown by the Holy Spirit; for thus it is most easy to cross into the heavenly things. And I turned and lifted my eyes and saw; and behold, four chariots going forth from the midst of two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze (Zech 6:1). In the first chariot red horses, and in the second chariot black horses, and in the third chariot white horses, and in the fourth chariot variegated horses (Zech 6:2). And I answered and said to the angel speaking in me: 'What are these, Lord?' And the angel speaking in me answered and said: 'These are the four winds of heaven, going forth to stand by the Lord of all the earth' (Zech 6:5).
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Greek
ὀπτασίᾳ ἑπόμενοι τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ ἵππον πυρρὸν ἀνδρί· διό, ἐκείνοις ἀρκούμενοι, τὰ περὶ τῶν εἰρημένων νῦν οὐ φερόμενα ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ θεωρίᾳ θεωρητέον. 1.407 ∆ύο χαλκᾶ ὄρη εἴρηται ἀφ' ὧν ἐκ τοῦ μέσου τὰ ἅρματα ἐξεπορεύθη. Καὶ ὅρα εἰ διὰ τοῦ χαλκοῦ δηλοῦται ἡ περίτρανος φράσις πολὺ τὸ ἐξηχεῖν ἔχουσα. Ταύτη δὲ χρῶνται οἱ σοφιστικοὶ κα̣ι`̣ αἱρετικοὶ διδάσκαλοι, γινόμενοι «χαλκὸς ἠχῶν καὶ κύμβαλον ἀλαλάζον», διὰ τὸ στέρεσθαι τῆς θείας ἀγάπης τῆς πρὸς τὸν 1.398 ἡ ἀνομία, φησὶν τῷ ἐν αὐτῷ λαλοῦντι ἀγγέλῳ· «Ποῦ αὗται ἀποφέρουσιν τὸ μέτρον;» 1.399 Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἄγγελος λέγει· «Οἰκοδομῆσαι αὐτῷ οἰκίαν ἐν γῇ Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ θήσουσιν αὐτὸ ἐκεῖ ἐπὶ τὴν ἑτοιμασίαν αὐτοῦ.» 1.400 Ποῖος γὰρ ἄλλος ἥρμοζεν τόπος τῷ ἔχοντι τὴν ἀνομίαν μέτρῳ, ἢ ἡ σύγχυσις, ἵν' ἕτοιμον εὑρίσκηται τοῖς ἐφιεμένοις αὐτοῦ; ∆ιὸ ἐκκλιτέον καὶ ἐκφευκτέον τὴν Βαβυλῶνα διὰ τὸ ἐκεῖ τεθεῖσθαι τὸ μέτρον πρὸς τὸ ἕτοιμον εὑρίσκεσθαι τοῖς ἐθέλουσιν. Κηρυκάδην οὖν ὁ θεῖος λόγος βοᾷ πρὸς τ̣ο`̣ν εἶναι σπουδαῖον θέλοντα· «Ἔξελθε ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος φεύγων ἐκ γῆς Χαλδαίων.» 1.401 Ἐπιστήσαντες τῇ ὀπτασίᾳ τοῦ προφήτου τοῖόν τε, μισήσωμεν πτέρυγας ἔχειν ἔποπος, πτερωθ̣έντες κατὰ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· οὕτω γὰρ ῥᾷστα εἰς τὰ ὑπερουράν̣ια διαβῆναι δυνατόν. 1.402 Zach. VI, 1®8: Καὶ ἐπέστρεψα καὶ ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου καὶ εἶδον· καὶ ἰδοὺ τέσσερα ἅρμ̣ατα ἐκπορευόμενα ἐκ μέσου δύο ὀρέων, καὶ τὰ ὄρη ἦν ὄρη χαλκᾶ. Ἐν τῷ ἅρματι τῷ πρώτῳ ἵπποι πυρροί, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἅρματι τῷ δευτέρῳ ἵπποι μέλανες, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἅρματι τῷ τρίτῳ ἵπποι λευκοί, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἅρματι τῷ τετάρτῳ ἵπποι ποικίλοι ψαροί. Καὶ ἀπεκρίθην καὶ εἶπα πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον τὸν λαλοῦντα ἐν ἐμοί· Τί ἐστιν ταῦτα, Κύριε; Κ̣αὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ λαλῶν ἐν ἐμοὶ καὶ εἶπεν· Ταῦτά εἰσιν οἱ τέσσαρες ἄνεμοι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἐκπορεύονται παραστῆναι τῷ Κυρίῳ πάσης τῆς γῆς· 1.403 ἐν ᾧ ἦσαν οἱ ἵπποι οἱ μέλανες, ἐξεπορεύοντο ἐπὶ γῆν βορρᾶ, καὶ οἱ λευκοὶ ἐξεπορεύοντο κατόπισθεν αὐτῶν, καὶ οἱ ποικίλοι ἐξεπορεύοντο ἐπὶ γῆν νότου, καὶ οἱ ψαροὶ ἐξεπορεύοντο καὶ ἐπέβλεπον τοῦ πορεύεσθαι καὶ περιοδεῦσαι τὴν γῆν. Καὶ περιώδευσαν τὴν γῆν. Καὶ ἀνεβόησεν καὶ ἐλάλησεν πρός με λέγων· Ἰδοὺ οἱ ἐκπορευόμενοι ἐπὶ γῆς βορρᾶ ἔπαυσαν τὸν θυμόν μου ἐν γῇ βορρᾶ. 1.404 Ἐπιστρέψας ὁ προφήτης εἰς τὸ καὶ ἑτέραν ἀποκάλυψιν δέξασθαι, εἶδεν τέσσαρα ἅρματα ἐκ μέσου δύο ὀρέων χαλκῶν. Τὸ πρῶτον ἅρμα ὑπεζευγμένους εἶχεν πυρροὺς ἵππους, τὸ δεύτερον μέλανας, τὸ τρίτον λευκούς, τὸ τέταρτον ποικίλους ψαρούς. 1.405 Θεασάμενος τὰ τέσσαρα ἅρματα, μαθεῖν τὰ περὶ αὐτῶν βουλόμενος, πυνθάνεται τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ λαλοῦντος ἀγγέλου τίνα ἐστὶ τὰ ὀφθέντα. Ὃ δὲ ἀποκρίνεται λέγων εἶναι αὐτὰ τοὺς τέσσαρας ἀνέμους τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, τὰ κλίματα δηλονότι τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ τέσσερα. Ὤφθησαν δὲ οἱ μέλανες ἐκπορευόμενοι ἀπὸ γῆς βορρᾶ, τῶν λευκῶν ἐκπορευομένων ὄπισθεν αὐτῶν· ἤρχοντο δὲ ἐκ τοῦ νότου οἱ ψαροὶ καὶ ποικίλοι. 1.406 Ἐλέχθη περὶ πάντων τῶν ἵππων ὡς δυνατὸν ἐμοὶ ὅτε ὤφθησαν ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ 41 ὀπτασίᾳ ἑπόμενοι τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ ἵππον πυρρὸν ἀνδρί· διό, ἐκείνοις ἀρκούμενοι, τὰ περὶ τῶν εἰρημένων νῦν οὐ φερόμενα ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ θεωρίᾳ θεωρητέον. 1.407 ∆ύο χαλκᾶ ὄρη εἴρηται ἀφ' ὧν ἐκ τοῦ μέσου τὰ ἅρματα ἐξεπορεύθη. Καὶ ὅρα εἰ διὰ τοῦ χαλκοῦ δηλοῦται ἡ περίτρανος φράσις πολὺ τὸ ἐξηχεῖν ἔχουσα. Ταύτη δὲ χρῶνται οἱ σοφιστικοὶ κα̣ι`̣ αἱρετικοὶ διδάσκαλοι, γινόμενοι «χαλκὸς ἠχῶν καὶ κύμβαλον ἀλαλάζον», διὰ τὸ στέρεσθαι τῆς θείας ἀγάπης τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Ὅπερ ὑπειδόμενος ὁ θεσπέσιος Ἀπόστολος γράφει·»Ἐὰν ταῖς γλώσσαις τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων λαλῶ, ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, γέγονα χαλκὸς ἠχῶν ἢ κύμβαλον ἀλαλάζον.» 1.408 ∆ηλοῖ δὲ ἡ ὕλη αὕτη καὶ τὴν ἀναίδειαν, ὡς καὶ τὸ ἀνυπότακτον καὶ ἀκαμπὲς ὁ
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
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