Entering the Mystical Court
Regarding the prophecy held here: 'The deliverer shall shine out from Zion,' or 'because of Zion,' as Paul, the speaker in Christ and vessel of election, writes. When, then, did the God of the gods call from the rising of the sun even unto the settings? Or was it when the people of the circumcision were cast off, having denied the Great King Savior, saying, 'We have no king but Caesar' (Matt 27:25), and 'His blood be on us and on our children' (Matt 27:25)? For having crucified the Savior, they pushed Him away, and the worship according to shadow and letter reached an end, as he says to them, 'It is not my will in you, and I will not accept a sacrifice from your hands, because from the rising of the sun and the settings incense is brought to my name in every place, and a pure sacrifice.'
What, then, is the incense and the pure sacrifice being brought in every place for the sake of glorifying God? The composer addresses the great king, saying, 'Let my prayer be directed as incense before you, the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice' (Ps 141:2). For in the past, when the shadowy worship had a place, it was in Jerusalem, 'the place where it was necessary to worship,' and to send up prayer, and to perform sacrifice.
But now, the shining of this true light having occurred and having enlightened the whole cosmos (John 1:9), the interpreted incense is brought in every place, and the sacrifice harmonious to it, with prayer-houses having been eagerly raised throughout the whole earth, so that the name of God might be glorified among all the nations, both the eastern and the western. According to another understanding, they glorify God in whom the sun of righteousness has risen (Mal 4:2), and in whom the light of the ungodly has set, concerning which it is brought forth in Proverbs: 'The light of the ungodly shall be quenched' (Prov 13:9). When this occurs, the Lord of All restores his people from the land of the risings and from the settings, in order that he might bring in the nations, not allowing them to remain outside like the crowds who hear the word in parables (Matt 13:10-15), so that...
Having entered into the mystical and spiritual court of Jesus, they become listeners to the clarity and knowledge of the parables, as the initiator says to them: 'To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven' (Matt 13:11).
Just as one existing outside, not in a place but in an external disposition, hears words, likewise the listener of the old covenant according to the letter and the shadow is to blame; for it is said concerning such ones who hear the law having been veiled: 'They read the law outside, and they called for confessions' (Lev 16:15), not reading the teaching of the life-giving Spirit while approaching.
This exceeds what is requested by a prayer sent back such as this: 'Open my eyes, and I will understand the wonders of yours out of your law' (Ps 119:18). That which is worthy of having the veil removed is the obscurity of the things read and the ignorance lying upon the intellect of the one encountering them as if it were not fitting. For there is a way to learn scientifically about these things from the writing Apostle: 'For until the present day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon the reading. But whenever he turns to the Lord, the veil is removed; and the Lord is the Spirit' (2 Cor 3:14-16).
What will exist, being granted by God, when the nations are brought in the said manner, or when the Lord dwells in Jerusalem, the temple in it being filled with the glory of the Lord God Almighty in truth and in righteousness; for not only there with the truth, but also in other writings is righteousness remembered; for indeed in the fourteenth Psalm, 'that one walking blameless to work righteousness' is said, 'and to speak truth in his heart' (Ps 15:2). And in another Psalm: 'Mercy and truth met, righteousness and peace kissed; truth rose up from the earth, righteousness shone down from heaven' (Ps 85:10-11). And observe whether the truth is the mystical and opened contemplation of the...
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Greek
προφητείας, τῆς ὧδε ἐχούσης· «Ἥξει ἐκ Σιὼν ὁ ῥυόμενος», ἢ «ἕνεκεν Σιών», ὡς γράφει τὸ τῆς ἐκλογῆς σκεῦος, ὁ ἐν Χριστῷ λαλῶν Παῦλος. 2.295 Πότε δὲ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου καὶ μέχρι δυσμῶν ἐκάλεσεν λαλήσας ὁ τῶν θεῶν Θεός, ἢ ὅτε ἀπεβλήθη ὁ ἐκ περιτομῆς λαός, ἀρνησάμενος τὸν παμβασιλέα Σωτῆρα εἰπών· «Οὐκ ἔχομεν β̣α̣σ̣ιλέα εἰ μὴ Καίσαρα»· «ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμ̣ῶν». Σταυρώσαντες γὰρ τὸν Σωτῆρα ἀπώσθησαν καὶ τέλ̣ος ἔσχεν ἡ κατὰ σκιὰν καὶ γράμμα λατρεία, ὡς Θεὸν λέγειν π̣ρὸς αὐτούς· «Οὐκ ἔστιν θέλημά μου ἐν ὑμῖν, καὶ θυσίαν οὐ προσδέξομαι ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ δυσμῶν θυμίαμα προσάγεται τῷ ὀνόματί μου ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, καὶ θυσία καθαρά.» 2.296 Τί δὲ τὸ θυμίαμα καὶ ἡ καθαρὰ θυσία ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ προσαγόμενα ὑπὲρ τοῦ δοξασθῆναι τὸν Θεόν, ὁ μελοποιὸς διαφ̣α̣ίνει πρὸς τὸν μέγαν βασιλέα φάσκων· «Κατευθυνθήτω̣ ἡ προσευχή μου ὡς θυμίαμα ἐνώπιόν σου, ἔπαρσις τῶν χειρῶν μου θυσία ἑσπερινή.» Πάλαι μὲν γὰρ ὅτε ἡ σκιώδης λατρεία χῶραν εἶχεν, ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἦν «ὁ τόπος ὅπ̣ο̣υ προσκυνεῖν ἔδει», καὶ προσευχὴν ἀναπέμπειν, καὶ θυσίαν ἱερουργεῖν. 2.297 Ἐπιλάμψαντος δὲ νῦν το̣υ῀̣ ἀλ̣ηθινοῦ φ̣ω̣τὸς καὶ φωτίσαντος τὸν σύμπαντα κόσμον, ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ τὸ ἑρμηνευθὲν θυμίαμα προσάγεται καὶ ἡ ἁρμόνιος αὐτῷ θυσία, προσευκτηρίων παντ̣α̣χοῦ γῆς διὰ σπουδῆς θείας ἐγηγερμένων, ἵνα δοξάζηται τ̣ὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν τοῖς ἀνατολικοῖς καὶ δυσμικοῖς. 2.298 Κατὰ διάνοιαν ἄλλην, δοξάζουσιν τὸν Θεὸν οἷς ὁ ἥλιος τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἀνέτειλεν, καὶ οἷς ἔδυ τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀσεβῶν περὶ οὗ ἐν Παροιμίαις φέρεται· «Φῶς ἀσεβῶν σβεσθήσεται.» Ὅταν δὲ τοῦθ' ὑπαρχθῇ, ἀνασῴζει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ Κύριος παντοκράτωρ ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἀνατολῶν γῆς καὶ τῆς τω῀̣ν δυσμῶν, ἵν' εἰσαγάγῃ τὰ ἔθνη, οὐκ ἐῶν αὐτὰ μένειν ἔξω κατὰ τοὺς ὄχλους τοὺς ἐν παραβολαῖς ἀκούοντας τὸν λόγον τέλειον, ἵν' εἰσελθόντα εἰς τὴν μυστικὴν καὶ πνευματικὴν αὐλὴν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ἀκροαταὶ γένωνται τῆς σαφηνείας καὶ ἐπιγνώσεως τῶν παραβολῶν, λέγοντος τοῦ μυσταγωγοῦ· «Ὑμῖν δέδοται γνῶναι τὰ μυστήρια τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν.» 2.299 Ὥσπερ δὲ ἔξω τις ὑπάρχων οὐ τόπῳ ἀλλὰ διαθέσει ἐξωτερικῶν ἀκου´̣ει λόγων, ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης κατὰ γράμμα καὶ σκιὰν ἀκροατὴς ὑπαίτιός ἐστιν· λέγεται γὰρ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων κεκαλυμμένως τοῦ νόμου ἀκουόντων· «Ἀνέγνωσαν ἔξω νόμον, καὶ ἐπεκαλέσαντο ὁμολογίας», οὐκ ἔξω ἀναγινώσκοντες τὴν διδασκαλίαν τοῦ ζωοπο̣ιοῦντος Πνεύματος προσηκαμένου. 2.300 Ὑπῆρκται δὲ τοῦτο ἀναπεμφθείσης εὐχῆς ὧδε ἐχούσης· «Ἀποκάλυψον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου, καὶ κατανοήσω τὰ θαυμάσιά σου ἐκ τοῦ νόμου σου.» Τοῦτο ὃ ἀξιοῖ περιαιρεθῆναι κάλυμμα, ἀσάφεια τῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων ἐστὶν καὶ ἄγνοια̣ τῇ νοήσει ἐπικειμένη τοῦ ἐντυγχάνοντος ὡς οὐ προσ̣ῆκεν. Ἔστιν γὰρ περὶ τούτων ἐπιστημονικῶς μ̣α̣θεῖν πρὸς τοῦ γράφοντος Ἀποστόλου· «Ἄχρ̣ι γὰρ τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας̣, ἡνίκα ἂν ἀναγινώσκηται Μωϋσῆς, κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναγνώσει κεῖται. Ἡνίκα δ' ἂν ἐπιστρέψ̣ει πρὸς Κύριον, περιαιρεῖται τὸ κάλυμμα· ὁ δὲ Κύριος τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστιν.» 2.301 Τί δὲ ὑπάρξεται, χαριζομένου Θεοῦ, ὅταν εἰσ̣αχ̣θῇ τὰ ἔθνη τῷ εἰρημένῳ τρόπῳ, ἢ ἐν τῇ Ἰερουσαλὴμ κατασκηνῶσαι τὸν Κύριον, πληρουμένου τοῦ ἐν αὐτῇ ναοῦ τῆς δόξης Κυρίου Θεοῦ παντοκράτορος ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ· οὐ μόνον γὰρ ἐνταῦθα σὺν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ε᾿̣ν̣ ἑτέραις γραφαῖς ἡ δικαιοσύνη μνημονεύεται· ἐν γοῦν τεσσερεσκαιδεκάτῳ Ψαλμῷ «ὃ πορευόμενος ἄμω̣μ̣ος ἐργάζεσθαι δικαιοσύνην» εἴρηται «καὶ λαλεῖν ἀλήθειαν̣ ἐν κα̣ρ̣δίᾳ αὐτοῦ». Καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ Ψαλμῷ· «Ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθεια συνήντησαν, δικαιοσύνη 72 καὶ εἰρήνη κατεφίλησαν· ἀλήθεια ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἀνέτειλεν, δικαιοσύνη ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ δ̣ιέκυψεν.» 2.302 Καὶ σκόπει εἰ ἡ ἀλήθεια τὴν μυστικὴν καὶ ἀνηγμένην θεωρίαν τῶν
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
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Khazarzar scan
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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