The Eternal Day of the Lord
And that day is known to the Lord. And it shall not be day nor night, and towards evening there shall be light.
The present voice is able to signify a second and glorious appearance of the Savior, concerning which John in Revelation spoke highly and God-appropriately thus: 'Behold, he comes with the clouds, and every eye shall see him, and those who pierced him' (Rev 1:7). This understanding is based on what the Savior said concerning himself: 'Clouds shall see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with much power and glory' (Matt 24:30). For how could he who comes royally not shine with much glory? And he comes also with much power, with the saints coming with him, not of men alone but also of angels. For it follows that 'those having become his attendants and servants' and 'the ministering spirits sent for service' shall shine with him, so that he himself may be known as their king and they as his powers, that is, an army.
On the day in which the Lord God shall come, there shall not be perceptible light, because of the true and eternal light making him bright, according to what was pre-proclaimed in Isaiah concerning the perfect illumination, having it here: 'The sun shall not be your light by day, nor the rising of the moon shall light your night, but the Lord shall be to you an eternal light, and your God shall be your glory' (Isa 60:19-20). It must also be said thus: those not possessing light need that which shines upon them, not needing this when they themselves have become light.
Since therefore in the future age, called allegorically 'day', 'the righteous shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of their own Father', having been made light and shining themselves, they pass through the day not needing an external light. And indeed in this life, having enlightened themselves with the light of knowledge as having heard from the Savior: 'You are the light of the world' (Matt 5:14), they pass through in a bright state not from another, but from light of themselves and of a day being present, concerning which the choir of the saints sings: 'Let the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us' (Ps 33:3). Toward this spiritual Jerusalem having much holiness, the prophet says, being seized by God and having the Holy Spirit: 'Be enlightened...'
“Shine, Jerusalem, for your light has come upon you, and the glory of your God has risen upon you. Behold, darkness and gloom will cover the earth upon the nations; but upon you the Lord will appear, and the glory of your God will rise upon you. And kings will go to your light, and nations to your brightness” (Isa 60:1-3).
How is it not that it exists bright and illuminated, since this is being announced—the light having come to be from having been illuminated, as if divine brightness were being revealed? Understand, if possible, how so to impose upon the coming prophetic voice.
When the Lord Pantokrator comes with His saints, the state of those being judged will be such that each one who is ignorant of his own deeds will not have light, so as to need “the one illuminating the secrets of darkness and revealing the purposes of hearts” (Heb 4:13), so that, “having been revealed before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Cor 5:10), they may receive what is worthy of what they did through the body, both good and evil.
And since there will be confusion and turmoil for those being judged, being gathered together and being tossed about, on a single day there will happen heat and ice to the souls of men, in the expectation of those being liberated from the gloomy and the oppressive, as the Gospel proclaims.
The day of the Lord, being continuous and not being interrupted by a night intervening, will be known to God, “since the existing light has no darkness at all” (Rev 22:5), and for this reason, being neither day nor night, but the day being eternal, the sun no longer making the day, nor the moon illuminating the night, according to the prophet, as it was said nearby, the Lord being eternal light. Even if ever indeed some should enjoy the day, toward evening there will be light, as God illuminates all things.
This day, being thus understood and occurring, will be known to the Lord, being worthy of His knowledge, according to what is signified and written: “The Lord knew those who were His” (2 Tim 2:19). This voice does not contradict the Gospel voice which says: “Concerning that hour and that day no one knew, nor the angels, nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Matt 24:36). Many things concerning the Gospel have been observed in the notes to Matthew according to a previous arrangement, which the lover of beauty will encounter, only being said now that the
Greek
Καὶ ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη γνωστὴ τῷ Κυρίῳ. Καὶ οὐχ ἡμέρα καὶ οὐ νύξ, καὶ πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἔσται φῶς. 5.69 Ἡ προκειμένη φωνὴ σημαίνειν δύναται δευτέραν καὶ ἐπίδοξον παρουσίαν τοῦ Σωτῆρος, περὶ ἧς ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐν Ἀποκαλύψει ὑψηλῶς καὶ θεοπρεπῶς εἶπεν οὕτως· «Ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται μετὰ τῶν νεφελῶν, καὶ ὄψεται αὐτὸν πᾶς ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ οἵτινες αὐτὸν ἐξεκέντησαν.» 5.70 Ἡ νόησις αὕτη ὑποβάλλε̣ται ἐξ οὗ εἶπεν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Σωτήρ· «Φυλαὶ ὄψονται τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ μετὰ δυνάμεως καὶ δόξης πολλῆς.» Πῶς γὰρ οὐ μετὰ δόξης πολλῆς ἐπιλάμψει ὁ βασιλικῶς ἐλευσόμενος; ῎Ε̣ρχεται δὲ καὶ μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆς, τῶν ἁγίων μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐλευσομένων, οὐκ ἀνδρῶν μόνων ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀγγέλων. Ἀκόλουθον γὰρ ὑπάρχει «τοὺς αὐτόπτας κ̣αὶ ὑπηρέτας αὐτοῦ γεναμένους» καὶ «τὰ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα εἰς διακονίαν ἀποσταλέντα» ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐπιλάμπειν σὺν αὐτῷ, ὅπως καὶ αὐτὸς γνωσθῇ βασιλεὺς αὐτῶν καὶ αὐτοὶ δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν στρατιά. 5.71 Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐν ᾗ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἥξει οὐκ ἔσται φῶς αἰσθητόν, τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ καὶ ἀϊδίου φωτὸς ποιοῦντος αὐτήν, κατὰ τὰ ἐν Ἠσαΐᾳ προαναφωνηθέντα περὶ τοῦ τελείου φωτισμοῦ ὧδε ἔχοντα· «Οὐκ ἔσται σοι ὁ ἥλιος εἰς φῶς τῆς ἡμέρας, 153 οὐδὲ ἡ ἀνατολὴ τῆς σελήνης φωτιεῖ σοι τὴν νύκτα, ἀλλ' ἔσται σοι Κύριος φῶς αἰώνιον καὶ ὁ Θεός σου δόξα σου.» 5.72 Ῥητέον καὶ οὕτως· οἱ μὴ τυγχάνοντες φῶς χρῄζουσι τοῦ καταυγάζοντος αὐτούς, οὐ δεόμενοι τούτου ὅταν αὐτοὶ φῶς γένωνται. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι, ἡμέρᾳ ἀλληγορικῶς καλουμένῳ, «οἱ δίκαιοι ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἑαυτῶν», φῶς ἀναδειχθέντες ἑαυτοὺς καταλάμποντες, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ διάγουσιν οὐ τοῦ ἔξωθεν φωτὸς δεόμενοι. Καὶ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ γοῦν ταύτῃ οἱ γνώσεως φῶς φωτίσαντες ἑαυτοῖς ὡς παρὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀκοῦσαι· «Ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου», ἐν λαμπρᾷ καταστάσει διάγουσιν οὐκ̣ ἄλλ̣οθεν ἀλλ' ἐξ ἑαυτῆς φωτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας̣ οὔσης, περ̣ὶ ἧς ὁ χορὸς τῶν ἁγίων κελαδῶν φησιν· «Ἔστω ἡ λαμπρότης Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς.» 5.73 Πρὸς τὴν πνευματικὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ ταύτην τὴν ἁγιότητ̣α̣ ἔχουσαν πολλὴν ὁ προφήτης φησίν, θεολημπτούμενος καὶ Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἔχων· «Φωτίζου, φωτίζου, Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἥκει γὰρ τὸ φῶς σου ἐπὶ σέ, καὶ ἡ δόξα τοῦ Θεοῦ σου ἐπὶ σὲ ἀνατέταλκεν. Ἰδοὺ σκότος καὶ γνόφος καλύψει γῆν ἐπ' ἔθνη· ἐπὶ δὲ σὲ φανήσεται Κύριος καὶ ἡ δόξα τοῦ Θεοῦ σου ἐπὶ σὲ ἀνατέταλκεν. Καὶ πορεύσονται βασιλεῖς τῷ φωτί σου καὶ ἔθνη τῇ λαμπρότητί σου.» 5.74 Πῶς γὰρ οὐ λαμπρὰ καὶ πεφωτισμένη ὑπάρχει ᾗ ἀπαγγέλλεται ταῦτα ἡ φῶς ἐκ τοῦ πεφωτίσθαι γεγενημένη, ὡς καὶ λαμπρότητα θείαν ἀναδείκνυσθαι; 5.75 Ἐπίστησον εἰ δυνατὸν καὶ οὕτως ἐπιβαλεῖν τῇ προκειμένῃ προφητικῇ φωνῇ. Ἥξαντος Κυρίου παντοκράτορος μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ, κατάστασις ἔσται τῶν κρινομένων τοιαύτη ὡς μὴ ἔχειν φῶς τῷ ἀγνοεῖν ἕκαστον τὰ καθ' ἑαυτόν, ὥστε χρῄζειν «τοῦ φωτίζοντος τὰ κρυπτὰ τοῦ σκότους καὶ φανεροῦντος τὰς βουλὰς τῶν καρδιῶν», ἵνα, «φανερωθέντες ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ», λάβωσιν ἀντάξια ὧν ἔπραξαν διὰ τοῦ σώματος, ἀγαθῶν τε καὶ κακῶν. 5.76 Καὶ ἐπεὶ κλόνος καὶ ταραχὴ ὑπάρξεται τοῖς κρινομένοις, συγχεομένοις καὶ χειμαζομένοις, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ συμβήσεται ψύχη καὶ πάγος ἀποψυχόντων τω῀̣ν ἀνθρώπων προσδοκίᾳ τῶν ἐλευσομένων σκυθρωπῶν τε καὶ ἐπιπόνων, ὡς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον διαγορεύει. 5.77 Ἡ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμέρα ἀδι̣άστατος οὖσα καὶ οὐ διακοπτομένη ὑπὸ νυκτὸς μεσολαβούσης γνωστὴ τῷ Θεῷ ἔσται, «ὄντι φωτὶ σκοτίαν οὐδεμίαν ἔχοντι», ὡς διὰ τοῦτο μήτε ἡμέραν μήτε νύκτα, ἀλλ' αἰώνιον τὴν ἡμέραν εἶναι, οὐ ποιοῦντος ἔτι τοῦ ἡλίου ἡμέραν, οὐδὲ σελήνης φωτιζούσης τὴν νύκτα, κατὰ τὸν προφήτην, ὡς ἔναγχος ἐλέχθη, ὄντος τοῦ Κυρίου φωτὸς αἰωνίου. Κἄν ποτε γοῦν δόξῃ τισὶν τέλος ἀπολαμβάνειν τὴν ἡμέραν, πρὸς τῇ ἑσπέρᾳ φῶς ἔσται, καταυγάζοντος τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ πάντα. 5.78 Ἡ οὕτως νοουμένη καὶ τυγχάνουσα ἡμέρα γνωστὴ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔσται, ἀξία οὖσα τῆς αὐτοῦ γνώσεως, καθ' ὃ σημαινόμενον γέγραπται τὸ εἰρημένον· «Ἔγνω Κύριος τοὺς ὄντας αὐτοῦ.» Οὐκ ἀντίκειται ἡ φωνὴ αὕτη τῇ εὐαγγελικῇ οὕτως ἐχούσῃ· «Περὶ τῆς ὥρας καὶ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, οὔτε οἱ ἄγγελοι οὔτε ὁ Υἱός, εἰ μὴ ὁ Πατὴρ μόνος.» Πολλὰ περὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ ἐν τοῖς εἰς τὸν Μαθθαῖον ὑπομνήμασιν κατὰ προηγουμένην σύνταξιν τεθεώρηται, ἅπερ ἐντυχὼν ὁ φιλόκαλος εἴσεται, μόνου λεγομένου νῦν ὅτι τὸ
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.