The Savior King and the Prophetic Fulfillment
Providing for those clarifying the Gospels, about which we too have spoken as far as possible in the commentaries on Matthew. Therefore, now along with those, the things of the prophet must be contemplated.
He commands the daughter of Zion to rejoice quickly and intensely, and the daughter of Jerusalem to proclaim that the King Savior is coming justly and saving, gentle and having established himself upon a colt and a new foal (cf. Zech 9:9), so that the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem may be destroyed, and he adds a war bow, a multitude of nations, and peace. When these things are accomplished, the one coming will be for the casting out of waters until the sea and the driving out of rivers of the land.
What each of these intends, I will proceed to say. The daughter of Zion is the contemplative soul of good things, observing the unseen eternal things; for Zion is interpreted as a place of observation, and a settled commandment. For how could the contemplative soul of truth not perform the divine commandment, taking hold of it for works, as it has been emboldened to say: 'The commandment of the Lord is bright, enlightening the eyes' (Ps 118:105); and again: 'Your commandment is very wide' (Ps 118:97) 'and your servant loved it.' Just as such a soul is the daughter of Zion in the said manner, so might someone also be the daughter of Jerusalem, a soul seeing 'the peace which surpasses all understanding' (Phil 4:7).
The word commands both, the one to rejoice intensely at the arrival of the true King, the other, as having ascended above, to proclaim the coming All-King. For Jerusalem precedes Zion, and therefore the daughter of Jerusalem precedes the daughter of Zion, as the one is commanded only to rejoice, the other also to proclaim. For one can rejoice having only accomplished a practical life, whereas the one rejoicing and proclaiming has contemplation, because the Word of wisdom and knowledge has received the superabundant gift of the Holy Spirit. But to rejoice intensely...
Prophecy commands that at the arrival of a king, one must proclaim him, who is simultaneously saving and found to be just, being no one other than Jesus. For who is so saving and a savior of the world as 'God with us, Emmanuel,' born from the experience of a woman not having a man, fulfilling the prophecy that says: 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son' (Isa 7:14). The angel named the child Jesus, marking this mode of the virgin bearing without a man, and giving the reason for this designation thus. For this, he says, he shall be called Jesus, 'for he will save his people from their sins' (Matt 1:21).
Immediately after Mary gave birth in Bethlehem, a great angel appeared: 'A savior has been born to you today,' he said, 'who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David' (Luke 2:10-11). Those proclaiming his descent here were arranging themselves around the born Christ, according to Isaiah: 'Say to the daughter of Zion: Behold, a savior is coming to you' (Isa 60:1); and this is no other than he who announced about himself, Jesus: 'The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost' (Luke 19:10); and again: 'Just and saving, there is none beside me' (Isa 45:21).
For how could he not be saving, the one raised up by the Father as a horn of salvation in the house of David, according to the fulfillment of Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, saying: 'Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who visited and made redemption; he raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David' (Luke 1:68-69).
Regarding the coming king being just and saving, he also stands gentle, mounted upon a colt and a foal; for he himself says about himself in the Gospel: 'Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls; for my yoke is kind and my burden is light' (Matt 11:29-30). Everyone who carries the kind yoke becomes a subject of him upon whom the gentle king has mounted.
Greek
παρέχοντος τοῖς σαφηνίζουσιν τὰ Εὐαγγέλια, περὶ ὧν καὶ ἡμεῖς ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν εἰρήκαμεν ἐν τοῖς ὑπομνήμασιν τοῦ κατὰ Μαθθαῖον. ∆ιὸ νῦν πρὸς ἐκείνοις καὶ τὰ τοῦ προφήτου θεωρητέον. 3.134 Προστάττει τῇ θυγατρὶ Σιὼν συντόνως καὶ σφοδρῶς χαίρειν, καὶ τῇ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ θυγατρὶ κηρύττειν ἐπὶ τῷ τὸν βασιλέα Σωτῆρα ἔρχεσθαι δίκαιον καὶ σῴζοντα, πραΰν τε καὶ ἐπιβεβηκότα ἐπὶ ὑποζυγίου καὶ νέου πώλου, ἵν' ἐξολεθρευθῇ ἅρματα ἐκ τοῦ Ἐφράιμ καὶ ἐκ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἵππος, καὶ προσέτι πολεμικὸν τόξον, πλῆθός τε ἐθνῶν καὶ εἰρήνη. Τούτων δὲ κατορθωθέντων κατάρξει ὁ ἐλευσόμενος ὑδάτων ἕως θαλάσσης καὶ ποταμῶν διεκβολὰς ἐχόντων γῆς. 3.135 Τί δ' ἕκαστον τούτων βούλεται ἀκόλουθον εἰπεῖν. 3.136 Θυγάτηρ τῆς Σιών ἐστιν ἡ σκοπευτικὴ τῶν καλῶν ψυχή, σκοποῦσα τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα ὄντα αἰώνια· σκοπευτήριον γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται ἡ Σιών, καὶ ἐντολὴ πεποιημένη. Πῶς γὰρ ἡ σκοπευτικὴ τῆς ἀληθείας ψυχὴ οὐ ποιεῖ τὴν θείαν ἐντολήν, εἰς ἔργα αὐτὴν μεταλαμβάνουσα, ὡς τεθαρσηκότως εἰπεῖν· «Ἡ ἐντολὴ Κυρίου τηλαυγής, φωτίζουσα ὀφθαλμούς»· καὶ πάλιν· «Πλατεῖα ἡ ἐντολή σου σφόδρα» «καὶ ὁ δοῦλός σου ἠγάπησεν αὐτήν.» Ὥσπερ οὖν ἡ τοιάδε ψυχὴ τῆς Σιὼν θυγάτηρ ἐστὶν τῷ εἰρημένῳ τρόπῳ, οὕτως εἴη τις καὶ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ θυγάτηρ, ψυχὴ ὁρῶσα «τὴν πάντα νοῦν ὑπερέχουσαν εἰρήνην». 3.137 Ἀμφοτέραις δηλαδὴ προστάττει ὁ λόγος, τῇ μὲν σφοδρῶς χαίρειν ἐπὶ τῇ ἐπιδημίᾳ τοῦ ἀληθῶς βασιλέως, τῇ δέ, ὡς ὑπεραναβεβηκυίᾳ, καὶ κηρύττειν τὸν ε᾿̣ρχόμενον παμβασιλέα. Προὔχει γὰρ ἡ Ἰερουσαλὴμ τῆς Σιών, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ θυγάτηρ τῆς θυγατρός, ὡς τὴν μὲν χαίρειν μόνον προστάττεσθαι, τὴν δὲ καὶ κηρύττειν̣. Χαίρειν μὲν γὰρ δύναται ὁ μόνον πρακτικὸν κατο̣ρθώσας βίον, πρὸς τῷ χαίρειν καὶ κηρύττοντος τοῦ θεωρίαν ἔχοντος, διὰ τὸ ἐσχηκέναι τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τὸ ὑπερφυὲς χάρισμα, τὸν τῆς σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως λόγον. 3.138 Χαίρειν δὲ σφόδρα καὶ κηρύττειν ἐντέλλεται προφητεία ἐπὶ παρουσίᾳ βασιλέως, σῴζοντος ἅμα καὶ δικαίου τυγχάνοντος, οὐχ ἑτέρου ὄντος παρὰ τὸν Ἰησοῦν. Τίς γὰρ οὕτω σῴζων καὶ σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου ἢ «ὁ μεθ' ἡμῶν Θεὸς Ἐμμανουήλ», τεχθεὶς ἐκ πεῖραν ἀνδρὸς οὐκ ἐχούσης παρθένου, πληρουμένης τῆς προφητείας τῆς ἐχούσης οὕτω· «Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει, καὶ τέξεται υἱόν.» Τοῦτον τὸν τόκον τῆς ἄνευ ἀνδρὸς τεκούσης παρθένου ἄγγελος ὠνόμασεν Ἰησοῦν, ἀποδοὺς καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς οὕτως ἐχούσης προσηγορίας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γάρ, φησίν, κληθήσεται Ἰησοῦς, «ὅτι αὐτὸς σώσει τὸν λαὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτοῦ». 3.139 Αὐτίκα γοῦν τεκούσης τῆς Μαρίας 94 ἐν τῇ Βηθλεέμ, ἐπιστὰς ἄγγελος μέγας· «Ἐτέχθη ὑμῖν σήμερον σωτήρ, ἔφη, ὅς ἐστιν Χριστὸς Κύριος, ἐν πόλει ∆αυίδ.» Περὶ τοῦ τεχθέντος Χριστοῦ προσετάττοντο οἱ προαναφωνοῦντες αὐτοῦ τὴν δεῦρο κάθοδον, κατὰ τὸν ἐν Ἠσαΐᾳ· «Εἴπατε τῇ θυγατρὶ Σιών· Ἰδού σοι σωτὴρ παραγίνεται»· οὐχ ἕτερος δ' οὗτος ὑπάρχει τοῦ ἀπαγγείλαντος περὶ ἑαυτοῦ Ἰησοῦ· «Ἦλθεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός»· καὶ ἔτι· «∆ίκαιος καὶ σῴζων οὐκ ἔστιν πάρεξ ἐμοῦ.» 3.140 Πῶς γὰρ οὐ σῴζων ὁ ἐγερθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς κέρας σωτηρίας ἐν οἴκῳ ∆αυίδ, κατὰ τὸν πληρωθέντα ἁγίου Πνεύματος Ζαχαρίαν, πατέρα τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ Ἰωάννου, λέγοντα· «Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ, ὃς ἐπεσκέψατο καὶ ἐποίησεν λύτρωσιν· ἤγειρεν κέρας σωτηρίας ἡμῖν ἐν οἴκῳ ∆αυίδ.» 3.141 Πρὸς τῷ δίκαιον καὶ σῴζοντα ὑπάρχειν τὸν ἐρχόμενον βασιλέα, ἔστι καὶ πρᾷος ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὑποζυγίου καὶ πώλου· αὐτὸς γοῦν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ φησίν· «Ἄρατε τὸ ζυγόν μου ἐφ' ὑμᾶς καὶ μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὅτι πραΰς εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν· ὁ γὰρ ζυγός μου χρηστὸς καὶ τὸ φορτίον μου ἐλαφρόν ἐστιν.» Ἕκαστος τῶν φερόντων τὸν χρηστὸν ζυγὸν ὑποζύγιον τυγχάνει, ᾧ ἐπιβέβηκεν ὁ πρᾷος βασιλεύς·
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
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Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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