The many foolish children and the barrenness of the synagogue
Given naturally to the Word. Because so much has been managed for Gaza, which is being severely afflicted, and for Akko, which is being described as a barren woman, for thus it is interpreted: that her piercing hope will bring shame. And since the offspring is understood in two ways by way of ascent—one being that which comes from those able to speak to God: 'From your fear we conceived in the womb and labored and brought forth' (Psalm 139:13). And the other being the praiseworthy one, having the Bridegroom Word as her seed, being a pure one as opposed to one standing with adulteresses.
Concerning such a birth indeed, the Mother is spoken of by the Master of All: 'I will not have mercy on her children, because they are children of fornication; the mother fornicated, and they brought shame upon her who bore them' (Hosea 13:23). When the succession of children is thus divided in two, it is a blessed thing to undergo barrenness, she who was giving birth destructively from the invisible evil lovers; for this barrenness is for the sake of good, as she takes up the seed from God, from which a generation of offsprings shall be saving, as the result of the bride having been blessed and having become a many-child dwelling in the house of the husband, concerning whom it is said thus in the Psalms: 'To her who dwells barren in the house, a mother of children rejoicing' (Psalm 113:9); and in another scripture, after barrenness, being a child and many-child is brought forth: 'A barren woman has borne seven' (Isaiah 66:7). Concerning this, rather the prophet Isaiah cries out toward her: 'Cast away and cry out, she who did not labor, for the children of the wilderness are many more than those having a husband' (Isaiah 54:1).
The scriptures received are most pointedly alluding to the two calls, both the one from the circumcision and the one from the Gentiles. For the one had the law regarding the husband, bearing children from him; but the barren one was a desert of children, when, being godless, she had no hope at all in the world, according to what was written by Paul concerning idolaters (Romans 1:21). Having these things, when the true Bridegroom arrived, the barren one became a mother from him of divine offspring, seven named because incorruption and purity were coming forth, possessing these virtues of the mystical seven; nevertheless, the barren one having borne seven, she is settled by the husband, a mother of rejoicing children.
'She who was much in children grew weak' (Genesis 30:3), but many of her children having become...
Such a great number results in coarseness. For this is made clear also from the word, just as in the Gospel many are said to be those walking the wide road, having an end of destruction (Matt 7:13). In this same way also the sons of Israel, being led by the tyrant of the intellectual Egypt, many have become 'very foolish.'
Of these so-called many, the Apostle, setting himself apart and those who have believed in the same ministry as himself, writes: 'We are not as many who traffic in the word of the Lord' (2 Cor 4:2). By this view is also consistent that which is announced in the hymn by the Psalmist: 'Many will say to my soul' (Ps 51:11), and also: 'Many will stand against me' (Ps 55:23).
Because the synagogue of the circumcision has grown weak due to the coarseness of the children, although it has a man, the law, the one called mother from the Gentiles has become, although she was previously barren; the seven children having been made clear as 'reborn not from corrupt seed but incorruptible through the living and abiding word of God,' so as to be a multitude of children of the desert rather than of that living by law, to a man called allegorically. Through the showing of different children and their parentage according to the divine pedagogy, it will be for good that the soul having the readiness to give birth to children of destruction be made barren, it being a ruin and harmful to be made barren of the quick-grasping soul from the seeds of the God-Word. Therefore it is proper to avoid such a barrenness, so that a generation of heavenly and good children may exist.
These things have been observed in the interpretation of Accad regarding a barrenness being received, her being made barren as casting away the hope and expectation of a multitude of useless children. These things existing in Accad, her expectation passing away, 'the king was lost to Gaza.' And who this turns out to be has been said previously. For a king of her exists, the ruler of her, passion, that is, the word. And if the ruler before the better conduct and polity, the loss of this was slight; but if the ruler after the improvement and the one upon the flesh of the dragon, but also 'those biting and devouring one another' (Prov 6:27) 'have abominations in their paths and blood in their mouth' (Prov 6:28) to the...
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Greek
91 λόγου φυσικῶς αὐτῇ δεδομένην. 3.105 Τοσούτων οἰκονομηθέντων τῇ σφοδρῶς ὀδυνωμένῃ Γάζῃ, καὶ ἡ Ἀκκαρώ, στείρωσίς τις οὖσα, οὕτω γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται, αἰσχύνην ὀφλήσει διαπετούσης τῆς ἐλπίδος αὐτῆς. Καὶ ἐπεὶ διττῶς παιδοποιΐα νοεῖται κατ' ἀναγωγήν, ἣ μέν τις γινομένη ἀπὸ τῶν δυναμένων εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· «Ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου σου ἐν γαστρὶ ἐλάβομεν καὶ ὠδινήσαμεν καὶ ἐτέκαμεν.» Ἐπαινετὴ δὲ αὕτη σπορέα ἔχουσα τὸν νυμφίον Λόγον, ψεκτῆς οὔσης τῆς ἀπὸ μοιχῶν συνισταμένης. Περὶ τῆς τοιαύτης γοῦν γονῆς λέγεται καὶ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ δεσπότου τῶν ὅλων· «Τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς οὐκ ἐλεήσω διότι τέκνα πορνείας ἐστίν· ἐπόρνευσεν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτῶν, κατῄσχυνεν ἡ τεκοῦσα αὐτά.» 3.106 ∆ιχῶς διαιρεθείσης τῆς τέκνων διαδοχῆς, μακάριον ὑπάρχει στείρωσιν ὑπομεῖναι τὴν ὀλεθρίως τίκτουσαν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀοράτων πονηρῶν ἐραστῶν· πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ γὰρ γίνεται ἡ στέρησις αὕτη, ἀρχὴν λαμβανούσης τῆς ἐκ Θεοῦ σπορᾶς, ἐξ ἧς σωτηριωδῶν ἔσται γενημάτων γενεά, ὡς λοιπὸν τὴν εὐεργετηθεῖσαν νύμφην κατοικίζεσθαι πολύπαιδα γεγενημένην ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς περὶ οὗ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς εἴρηται οὕτως· «Τῷ κατοικίζοντι στεῖραν ἐν οἴκῳ, μητέρα τέκνων εὐφραινομένην»· καὶ ἐν ἄλλῃ γραφῇ μετὰ στείρωσιν εὐπαιδία καὶ πολυπαιδία φέρεται· «Στεῖρα ἔτεκεν ἑπτά.» Περὶ ταύτης, μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸς αὐτὴν ὁ προφήτης Ἠσαΐας βοᾷ· «Ῥῆξον καὶ βόησον ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα, ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα.» 3.107 Αἰνίττονται δὲ μάλιστα αἱ παραληφθεῖσαι γραφαὶ τὰς δύο κλήσεις, τήν τε ἐκ τῆς περιτομῆς καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἄνδρα τὸν νόμον εἶχεν, ἐξ αὐτοῦ τεκνοῦσα· ἡ δὲ στεῖρα καὶ παίδων ἔρημος ἐτύγχανεν, ὅτε, ἄθεος οὖσα, ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἐλπίδα οὐδ' ὅλως εἶχεν, κατὰ τὰ Παύλῳ γραφέντα περὶ τῶν εἰδωλολατρῶν. Τούτων ὧδε ἐχόντων, ἐπιδημήσαντος τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ νυμφίου, ἡ μὲν στεῖρα ἐξ αὐτοῦ μήτηρ γέγονεν θείων γενημάτων, ἑπτὰ ὠνομασμένων διὰ προσοῦσαν ἀφθαρσίαν τε καὶ ἁγνείαν, ταύτας τὰς ἀρετὰς ἐχούσης τῆς μυστικῆς ἑβδομάδος, ὅμως τῆς στείρας ἑπτὰ τεκούσης, κατοικισθείσης τε ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς εὐφραινομένων τέκνων μητρός. 3.108 «Ἡ πολλὴ ἐν τέκνοις ἠσθένησεν», πολλῶν τῶν τέκνων αὐτῆς γεγενημένων οὐ τοσοῦτον ἀριθμῷ ὅσον χυδαιότητι. ∆ηλοῦται γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἐκ τῆς λέξεως καθὼς ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ πολλοὶ εἶναι λέγονται οἱ τὴν εὐρύχωρον ὁδὸν ὁδεύοντες, τέλος ἔχουσαν ἀπώλειαν. Τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ καὶ οἱ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ υἱοὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ τυράννου τῆς νοητῆς Αἰγύπτου ἀρχόμενοι, πολλοὶ καὶ «χυδαῖοι σφόδρα» γεγένηνται. 3.109 Τῶν οὕτω λεγομένων πολλῶν ἀφορίζων ἑαυτὸν ὁ Ἀπόστολος καὶ τοὺς τὴν αὐτὴν αὐτῷ διακονίαν πεπιστευμένους, γράφει· «Οὐκ ἐσμὲν ὡς οἱ πολλοὶ καπηλεύοντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου.» Ταύτῃ τῇ θεωρίᾳ συνᾴδει καὶ τὸ ἐν ὕμν̣ῳ ἀπαγγελλόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ ψαλμῳδοῦ· «Πολλοὶ ἐροῦσιν τῇ ψυχῇ μου», καὶ ἔτι· «Πολλοὶ ἐπανίστανται ἐπ' ἐμέ.» 3.110 Τῆς τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς συναγωγῆς ἀσθενησάσης διὰ τὴν χυδαιότητα τῶν τέκνων, καίπερ ἐχούσης ἄνδρα τὸν νόμον, ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν κληθεῖσα μήτηρ γέγονεν, καίπερ οὖσα στεῖρα πρότερον, τῶν σαφηνισθέντων ἑπτὰ τέκνων «ἀναγεννηθέντων οὐκ ἐκ σπορᾶς φθαρτῆς ἀλλὰ ἀφθάρτου διὰ ζῶντος λόγου Θεοῦ καὶ μένοντος», ὡς λοιπὸν πλῆθος εἶναι τέκνων τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς συμβιούσης νόμῳ, ἀνδρὶ κατ' ἀλληγορίαν καλουμένῳ. 3.111 ∆ιαφόρων τέκνων καὶ γονῆς αὐτῶν φανείσης κατὰ τὴν θείαν παίδευσιν, πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ ἔσται στειρωθῆναι τὴν ἑτοίμως ἔχουσαν ψυχὴν πρὸς τὸ τίκτειν ἀπωλείας τέκνα, ὀλεθρίου καὶ ἐπιβλαβοῦς ὄντος τοῦ στειρωθῆναι τὴν εὐσύλληπτον ἀπὸ τῶν σπερμάτων τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγου. ∆ιὸ τὴν τοιαύτην στείρωσιν ἀπεύχεσθαι προσήκει, ἵνα ἀστείων καὶ ἀγαθῶν τέκνων ὑπαρχθῇ γενεά. 3.112 Ταῦτα τεθεώρηται εἰς τὴν ἑρμηνείαν τῆς Ἀκκαρὼ εἰς στείρωσιν μεταλαμβανομένης, στειρωθείσης αὐτῆς ὡς ἀποβαλεῖν τὴν ἐλπίδα καὶ 92 προσδοκίαν τὴν ἐπὶ πλήθει ἀχρήστων τέκνων. 3.113 Τούτων ὑπαρξάντων τῇ Ἀκκαρώ, διαπεσούσης τῆς προσδοκίας αὐτῆς, «ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπώλετο τῆς Γάζης». Τίς δ' αὕτη τυγχάνει εἴρηται ἐν τοῖς πρότερον. Βασιλεὺς δ' αὐτῆς ὑπάρχει ὁ ἡγούμενος αὐτὴν θυμὸς ἤτοι λόγος. Καὶ εἰ μὲν ὁ ἄρχων πρὸ τῆς κρείττονος ἀγωγῆς καὶ πολιτείας, ἡδίστη ἡ ἀπώλεια τούτου· εἰ δὲ ὁ μετὰ τὴν βελτίωσιν καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ κα 3.122 τὰς σάρκας τοῦ δράκοντος, ἀλλὰ καὶ «οἱ δάκνοντες καὶ κατεσθίοντες ἀλλήλους» «βδελύγματα ἔχουσιν ἐν τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν αὐτῶν καὶ αἷμα ἐν τῷ στόματι» τῷ
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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