The Trumpet of Truth and the Armor of Light
What God gives is one trumpet and another flash of lightning.ightning. For since the things announced clearly, piercingly, and loudly are heard, they are likened to a trumpet; but since they enlighten the mind, the eye of the soulsemble lightning.
Just as all the divine things are bright and loud for those being benefited by free will and for ourselves, so a warning becomes against those turning back easily; whence it is appropriate to compare the one coming like a lightning bolt to the Lord Almighty blowing the trumpet, that the benefactor might be shaken in warning, with much goodness being presented by God walking in a storm of warning, so that he might not be completely cast out, the warning being at times corrected, as it happened regarding the Ninevites (Jonah 3:4).
For having said the one warning: 'In yet three days Nineveh shall be overturned' (Jonah 3:4), it seemed appropriate to shake them in warning and to cause them to turn, so that the place of repentance, offered outside the warning, might make those who had ceased from what they previously were doing to repent. In this way also Adam, as soon as he heard the voice of his wife being deceived by the serpent, received a sense of a branch of the Lawgiver, so to speak: 'I heard the voice of your feet walking' (Gen 3:11), before the transgression, being present and conversing.
And indeed, the Lord is not departing from the Jews when they sincerely kept the law and ministered to the one who gave it, nor has he entirely abandoned them to walk in a storm of warning, saying concerning them: 'I have left my house, I have abandoned my inheritance' (Jer 12:7). The abandonment is clearly shown, Jesus saying in the Gospel: 'Behold, your house is left to you' (Luke 19:42).
The purpose and the end are shown to be for the good of those being left, from the coming of: 'And the Lord Almighty will move in a storm of warning,' 'The Lord Almighty shall protect them.' For when it seemed to depart in warning, he helped just so, putting forward for them his invincible shield, concerning which it is said in the Hymns to the one being benefited: 'His truth shall surround you as a weapon' (Ps 5:12). Since it is said nearby how the Lord Almighty blows the blessings by him clearly and loudly, scriptural testimonies regarding this are gathered...
The Holy Spirit protects the herald of the truth, raising his voice like a trumpet, so that his teaching, which he brings to war, might rouse those fighting for God against those arrayed militarily against them, and also to call them to the festive assemblies. These things lie in the God-breathed oracles, sometimes with enigma, sometimes in historical narrative.
To show that blowing the trumpet means making things manifest, the words spoken by Jesus to those wishing to give gifts to the poor in the nearby region are sufficient: 'When you do alms, do not sound a trumpet before you.' For he wants this virtue to be practiced in secret, because vainglory is contrary to it and the praise-seeking is clearly performing it; but the command forbidding it is also transgressed: 'What you hate, do not do to another.' For to give gifts to those in need—so I phrase it—is, unfortunately, not to be a friend to the one being benefited, since the giver follows him and does that which he himself does not wish to suffer.
Therefore, when the Lord Almighty enlightens those being helped by him, making manifest what he grants, he blows in a trumpet, defending those well-disposed, so that they may remain unassailable and unharmed, surrounding them clothed in the invincible shield, having put on the whole armor of their ruler and king.
It would also be for us 'to put on the weapons of the light' and 'to take up the shield of faith,' so as to say with boldness: 'You are my help and my defender; my God, do not delay.' [Zach. IX, 15–16: And they shall devour them and subdue them with stones of the sling, and they shall pour out their blood like wine and fill as a bowl for the altar. And the Lord shall save them in that day, as a flock of his people, because the holy stones roll upon his earth.]
God, having set the Jew like a bow and having raised up the sons of Zion against the children of the Greeks, shall be their victory, as the Greek generations are consumed by those raised up against them, like archers straightly casting stones, so that the stone-throwers might be filled, drinking their blood very eagerly by the...
Greek
ἄλλην καὶ ἄλλην τὸ παρὰ Θεοῦ διδόμενον σάλπιγξ ἐστὶν καὶ ἀστραπή. Ἧι μὲν γὰρ ἀκουστὰ τυγχάνει τὰ σαφῶς καὶ διατόρως καὶ μεγαλοφώνως ἀπαγγελλόμενα, σάλπιγγι ὡμοίωνται, ᾗ δὲ φωτίζουσιν τὸν νοῦν, ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμὸν ὄντα, ἀστραπῇ ἐοίκασιν. 3.205 Ὥσπερ δὲ τοῖς εὐεργετουμένοις ἐκ προαιρέσεως καὶ τοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῖν φωτεινὰ καὶ μεγαλόφωνα ἅπαντα τὰ θεῖα, οὕτω ἀπειλὴ γίνεται κατὰ τῶν ῥᾳθύμως ἀναστρεφομένων, ὅθεν εἰκότως ἐπιφέρεται τῇ κατὰ τὴν ἀστραπὴν βολίδι ἐξερχομένῃ, καὶ τῷ σαλπίζειν τὸν Κύριον παντοκράτορα, σαλεύεσθαι τὸν εὐεργέτην ἐν ἀπειλῇ, ἀγαθότητος πολλῆς παρισταμένης ἐκ τοῦ ἐν ἀπειλῇ πορεύεσθαι ἐν σάλῳ τὸν Θεόν, ἵνα μὴ παντελῶς ἔξω γένηται, διορθουμένης ποτὲ τῆς ἀπειλῆς, ὡς ἐπὶ Νινευιτῶν γέγονεν. 3.206 Εἰπὼν γὰρ ὁ ἀπειλῶν· «Ἔτι τρεῖς ἡμέραι καὶ Νινευὴ 100 κατασκαφήσεται», οὐκ ἐν κολάσει, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀπειλῇ ἔδοξεν σαλεύεσθαι καὶ μετανίστασθαι αὐτῶν, ἵνα μετανοίας τόπος δοθεὶς ἔξω τῆς ἀπειλῆς ποιήσῃ τοὺς παυσαμένους ἀφ' ὧν πρότερον ἐνήργουν. Ταύτῃ τοι καὶ ὁ Ἀδάμ, ἅμα τῷ ἀκοῦσαι τῆς φωνῆς τῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ ὄφεως ἀπατηθείσης γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ, αἴσθησιν ἔλαβεν κλόνου τοῦ νομοθέτου, ὡς εἰπεῖν· «Τὴν φωνὴν» τῶν ποδῶν «σου ἤκουσα περιπατοῦντος», πρὸ τῆς παραβάσεως παρόντος καὶ διαλεγομένου ἀντιλαμβανόμενος. 3.207 Καὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων γοῦν οὐκ ἀφιστάμενος ὅτε γνησίως τὸν νόμον ἐφύλαττον καὶ τὸν δεδωκότα ἐθεράπευον, οὐδ' ὅλως ἀπολειπόμενος ἐν ἀπειλῇ ἐν σάλῳ πεπόρευται, φήσας περὶ αὐτῶν· «Ἐγκατέλιπα τὸν οἶκόν μου, ἀφῆκα τὴν κληρονομίαν μου.» Σαφῶς δὲ παρίσταται ἡ ἐγκατάλειψις, λέγοντος Ἰησοῦ ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ· «Ἰδοὺ ἀφίεται ὑμῖν ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν.» 3.208 ∆είκνυται ὁ σκοπὸς καὶ τὸ τέλος πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ τοῖς ἐγκαταλειπομένοις ὑπῆρχθαι, ἐκ τοῦ ἐπιφέρεσθαι τῷ· «Καὶ Κύριος παντοκράτωρ πορεύσεται ἐν ἀπειλῇ σάλου αὐτοῦ», «Κύριος παντοκράτωρ ὑπερασπιεῖ αὐτῶν.» Ὅτε γὰρ ἔδοξεν ἐν ἀπειλῇ ἀφίστασθαι, τὸ τηνικάδε ἐβοήθησεν, ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν προβαλὼν τὴν ἀκαταμάχητον ἀσπίδα αὐτοῦ, περὶ ἧς ἐν Ὕμνοις εἴρηται τῷ εὐεργετουμένῳ· «Ὅπλῳ κυκλώσει σε ἡ ἀλήθεια αὐτοῦ.» 3.209 Ἐπεὶ εἴρηται ἔναγχος ὡς σαλπίζων Κύριος παντοκράτωρ διατόρως καὶ μεγαλοφώνως ἄγει τὰς παρ' αὐτοῦ εὐεργεσίας, γραφικὰς περὶ τούτου μαρτυρίας συνακτέον. 3.210 Προστάττει τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα τῷ κήρυκι τῆς ἀληθείας ὑψῶσαι τὴν φωνὴν ἑαυτοῦ ὡς σάλπιγγα, ὅπως ἡ διδασκαλία ἣν προφέρει εἰς πόλεμον διεγείρῃ τοὺς Θεῷ στρατευομένους πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιπαρατεταγμένους πολεμικῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸ συγκαλεῖν εἰς τὰς ἑορτασίμους πανηγύρεις. 3.211 Κεῖται δὲ τὰ περὶ τούτων ἐν τοῖς θεοπνεύστοις λογίοις, ποτὲ μὲν μετ' αἰνιγμοῦ, ποτὲ δὲ ἱστορικῇ διηγήσει. 3.212 Ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ δειχθῆναι ὡς τὸ σαλπίζειν σημαίνει φανέρωσιν, αὔταρκες τὸ ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ λεχθὲν τοῖς ἐμπομπεύειν ἐθέλουσιν τῇ εἰς τοὺς πέλας εὐποιΐᾳ· «Σύ, φησίν, ποιῶν ἐλεημοσύνην, μὴ σαλπίσῃς ἔμπροσθέν σου.» Μάλιστα γὰρ ταύτην τὴν ἀρετὴν κεκρυμμένως βούλεται πράττεσθαι, διὰ τὸ παραφύεσθαι φιλοδοξίαν καὶ τὸ φιλέπαινον φανερῶς αὐτῆς τελουμένης, ἀλλὰ καὶ παραβαίνεται ἐντολὴ ἡ διαγορεύουσα· «Ὃ μισεῖς, ἑτέρῳ σου μὴ ποίει.» Τὸ γὰρ ἐμπομπεύειν τῇ τῶν δεομένων, ἵν' οὕτω φράσω, δυστυχίᾳ, οὐ φίλον τῷ εὐεργετουμένῳ, ᾧ ἕπεται καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν μεταδιδόντα πράττειν ὃ μὴ βούλεται παθεῖν. 3.213 Ὅταν τοίνυν Κύριος ὁ παντοκράτωρ φωτίζῃ τοὺς πρὸς αὐτοῦ ὠφελουμένους, φανερῶν ἃ χαρίζεται, ἐν σάλπιγγι σαλπίζει, ὑπερασπίζων τῶν εὖ διατεθέντων, ὥστ' αὐτοὺς ἀνεπιβουλεύτους καὶ ἀβλήτους διαμεῖναι, κυκλῶν αὐτοὺς τῇ ἀκαταμαχήτῳ ἀσπίδι ἐνδυσαμένους πᾶσαν τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ ἄρχοντος καὶ βασιλεύοντος αὐτῶν. 3.214 Εἴη δὲ καὶ ἡμᾶς «τοῦ φωτὸς ἐνδύσασθαι τὰ ὅπλα» καὶ «τῆς πίστεως ἀναλαβεῖν τὸν θυρεόν», ὡς μετὰ παρρησίας φάναι· «Βοηθὸς καὶ ὑπερασπιστής μου εἶ· ὁ Θεός μου, μὴ χρονίσῃς.» 3.215 Zach. IX, 15–16: Καὶ καταναλώσουσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ καταχώσουσιν αὐτοὺς ἐν λίθοις σφενδόνης καὶ ἐκπίονται τὸ αἷμα αὐτῶν ὡς οἶνον καὶ πλήσουσιν ὡς φιάλας θυσιαστήριον. Καὶ σώσει αὐτοὺς Κύριος ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, ὡς πρόβατα λαὸν αὐτοῦ, διότι λίθοι ἅγιοι κυλίονται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ. 3.216 Ἐντείναντος Θεοῦ οἷα τόξον τὸν Ἰούδαν, ἐπεγείραντός τε ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα τῶν Ἑλλήνων τοὺς τῆς Σιὼν υἱούς, νίκη αὐτῶν ἔσται, καταναλισκομένων τῶν ἑλληνικῶν γενημάτων πρὸς τῶν ἐπεγερθέντων ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, οἷα σφενδονιστῶν ἀρίστων εὐθυβόλως βαλλόντων τοὺς λίθους, ὡς καταχωσθῆναι τοὺς λιθολεγομένους, πινομένου τ̣οῦ αἵματος αὐτῶν πάνυ προθύμως ὑπὸ τῶν
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.