Isaiah's multifaceted ministry and the indwelling Christ
It has been viewed theologically. And those following him come behind him; for Moses, the great theophany, not yet being able to see his face knowningly, has been set to see those behind him, that is, those with him, and not other things existing of the creation of God. For having neglected to show those after God, which are called behind him, he wrote down the Creation, beginning from: 'In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth' (Gen 1:1).
A different color of the horses behind the one appearing is written down, since some of them are men, and others are divine 'spirits, being sent for service for those about to inherit salvation.' For those who have handed over the human things of the Word's appearing and becoming flesh, are red, especially since even he, behind whom they exist, says 'a garment of red from Bozrah,' as it was said to him by those who saw: 'Why are your garments red?' saying his garments which surround the flesh and the blood sprinkled upon it. These things have been made more clear in the commentaries of the prophet Isaiah.
After the red horses behind the one being praised, various and dappled and white horses appeared. And perhaps the various and dappled ones are those who lead the teaching in many ways concerning the sensible and the intelligible, which the divine words say are 'visible and invisible,' while the white ones are those announcing the theological things apart from all matter. It must be said according to another thought that the various and dappled ones are those fitting in teaching to the various condition of those being instructed. Or was not Paul a various horse, being a follower of the Christ speaking in him, when to the Jews he became a Jew to win these, and to the lawless as lawless, to turn them from the lawless disposition, and to those under law as under law, so that he might win them also, persuading them to transcend 'the law of shadow' (Heb 10:1)? After having said these things, he says: 'I have become all things to all, so that I might save all' (1 Cor 9:22).
And not only those after the appearing, but also those before it had this variety, participating in 'the manifold wisdom of God' (Eph 3:10), of which it is enough to mention two, so that the discourse may not become long, d...
Having been present and having moved to the others by thought. 1.28 Isaiah, having received all the kinds of helpful words from God through divine visions, possessed them all at once. For as a prophet, seeing the things that were to come with a prophetic eye (Isa 7:14), he said: 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive in her womb, and shall bear a son.' As a lawgiver, he commanded and forbade, saying: 'Cease from your evils, learn to do good' (Isa 1:16). But he also wrote history concerning King Sennacherib of the Assyrians and Hezekiah, who held sway over the Hebrews. Along with these was song, where he says: 'I will sing indeed to the beloved a song of the beloved to my vineyard' (Isa 12:5), and where: 'On that day they shall sing this new song: Behold, a strong city, and our salvation' (Isa 25:1).
1.29 Likewise David, as a singer, said: 'O God, a new song we will sing to you'; as a lawgiver: 'Turn away from evil and do good' (Ps 17:14); as one foretelling the future, he cried out: 'The God of gods shall be seen in Zion' (Ps 50:5). Nor did the historical narrative fail, having detailed many things that happened sensuously against the Egyptians and Pharaoh for the sake of the Israelites in many psalms. 1.30 What then are the spiritual horses that worked behind the man mounted on a red horse? In the following words of the prophet at hand, let us see.
1.31 Zach. I, 9: 'And I said, What are these, Lord? And the angel speaking in me said to me, I will show you what these are.' 1.32 The prophet himself says to the angel speaking in him: 'What are these, Lord?' And the angel speaking in him—that is, the angel standing by the prophecy—is he, or according to another thought, is it the Savior himself, about whom the prophet says: 'His name shall be called Angel of Great Counsel' (Isa 9:6). And the teacher speaks in the listener when he participates in him or is by disposition in him.
1.33 The testimony of the former is: 'But Christ lives in me,' and also: 'Of the Christ speaking in me.' By this understanding also the singer said: 'I will listen to what the Lord God will speak in me,' and Habakkuk: 'I will stand watching to see what the Lord will speak in me' (Hab 2:1). And of the latter: 'Priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem,' not of every teacher speaking to the heart of those listening, but of the one directing his mind to the...
Greek
θεολογικῶς τεθέαται. Ὀπίσω δ' αὐτοῦ ἔρχονται οἱ ἑπόμενοι αὐτῷ· καὶ Μωϋσῆς γοῦν, ὁ μέγας ἱεροφάντης, οὔπω τέως τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ γνωστῶς ἰδεῖν δυνάμενος, τέθειται ἰδεῖν τὰ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τὰ μετ' αὐτόν, οὐχ ἕτερα ὄντα τῆς δημιουργίας τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἀμέλει γοῦν δειχθέντων αὐτῷ τῶν μετὰ τὸν Θεόν, ἃ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ καλεῖται, Κοσμοποιίαν ἀνέγραψεν, ἀρχομένην ἀπὸ τοῦ· «Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν.» 1.24 ∆ιάφορος δὲ χροιὰ τῶν ὀπίσω τοῦ φανέντος ἵππων ἀναγέγραπται, ἐπείπερ οἳ μὲν αὐτῶν ἄνθρωποι, οἳ δὲ θεῖα «πνεύματα τυγχάνουσιν, εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν». Ὅσοι γὰρ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα τοῦ ἐπιδημήσαντος καὶ γεναμένου σαρκὸς Λόγου παραδεδώκασιν, πυρροί εἰσιν, μάλιστα ὅτι καὶ αὐτός, οὗ ὀπίσω ὑπάρχουσιν, «ἐρύθημα ἱματίων ἐκ Βοσὸρ» φέρει, ὡς λεχθῆναι πρὸς αὐτὸν πρὸς τῶν θεασαμένων· «∆ιὰ τί τὰ ἱμάτιά σου ἐρυθρά;» ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ λέγοντες ἣν περίκειται σάρκα καὶ τὸ παρεσπαρμένον αὐτῇ αἷμα. Ἐντελέστερον σεσαφήνισται ταῦτα ἐν τοῖς ὑπομνήμασιν Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου. 1.25 Μετὰ τοὺς πυρροὺς ἵππους ὀπίσω το̣ῦ ὑμνουμένου, ποικίλοι καὶ ψαροὶ καὶ λευκοὶ ὤφθησαν ἵπποι. Καὶ τάχα μὲν ποικίλοι καὶ ψαροὶ τυγχάνουσιν οἱ πολυτρόπως ἄγοντες τὴν διδασκαλίαν περὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν καὶ νοητῶν, ἅπερ «ὁρατὰ καὶ ἀόρατα» εἶναί φασιν οἱ θεῖοι λόγοι, λευκῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἵππων τῶν τὰ θεολογικὰ χωρὶς πάσης ὕλης ἀπαγγελλόντων. 1.26 Ῥητέον κατὰ διάνοιαν ἄλλην ποικίλους καὶ ψαροὺς εἶναι τοὺς ἁρμοζομένους ἐν τῷ διδάσκειν πρὸς τὴν ποικίλην ἕξιν τῶν παιδευομένων. Ἢ οὐ ποικίλος ἵππος ἦν Παῦλος, ὀπαδὸς ὢν τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ λαλοῦντος Χριστοῦ, ὅτε τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις Ἰουδαῖος ἐγίνετο ἵνα κερδήσῃ τούτους, καὶ τοῖς ἀνόμοις ὡς ἄνομος, ἵνα ἀποστήσῃ αὐτοὺς τῆς τῶν ἀνόμων προαιρέσεως, καὶ τοῖς ὑπὸ νόμον ὡς ὑπὸ νόμον, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὺς κερδάνῃ, πείθων ὑπερβαίνειν «τὸν τῆς σκιᾶς νόμον»; Μετὰ τὸ ταῦτα γοῦν εἰπεῖν λέγει· «Τοῖς πᾶσιν γέγονα πάντα, ἵνα πάντας σώσω». 1.27 Οὐ μόνοι δὲ οἱ μετὰ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ πρὸ αὐτῆς εἶχον τὸ ποικίλον τοῦτο, μετέχοντες «τῆς πολυποικίλου σοφίας τοῦ Θεοῦ», ἀφ' ὧν ἀρκεῖ δύο μνημονεῦσαι, ἵνα μὴ μακρὸς ὁ λόγος γένηται, δυνατοῦ ὄντος καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τῇ νοήσει μεταβῆναι. 1.28 Ἠσαΐας ὁ θείας ὁράσεις θεόθεν λαβὼν πάνθ' ὁμοῦ τὰ εἴδη τῶν ὠφελούντων λόγων εἶχεν. Ἠμὲν γὰρ προφήτης καὶ ὁρῶν τὰ ἐσόμενα ὀφθαλμῷ προφητικῷ, ἔφασκεν· «Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει, καὶ τέξεται υἱόν.» Ἠδὲ νομοθέτης προσέταττεν καὶ ἀπηγόρευεν φάσκων· «Παύσασθε ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν ὑμῶν, μάθετε καλὸν ποιεῖν.» Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἱστορίας ἀνέγραφεν περὶ τοῦ Σενναχηρεὶμ βασιλέως τῶν Ἀσσυρίων καὶ Ἐζεχίου τοῦ κρατοῦντος τῶν Ἑβραίων. Πρὸς τούτοις καὶ ᾠδός, ὅπου μὲν λέγων· «Ἄισω δὴ τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ᾆσμα τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ τῷ ἀμπελῶνί μου», ὅπου δέ· «Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ᾄσονται τὸ ᾆσμα τοῦτο καινόν· Ἰδοὺ πόλις ὀχυρά, καὶ σωτήριον ἡμῶν.» 1.29 3 Ὡσαύτως ὁ ∆αυὶδ ὡς μελῳδὸς ἔφασκεν· «Ὁ Θεός, ᾠδὴν καινὴν ᾄσωμέν σοι»· ὡς νομοθέτης· «Ἔκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν»· ὡς προθεσπίζων τὰ μέλλοντα ἐβόα· «Ὀφθήσεται ὁ Θεὸς τῶν θεῶν ἐν Σιών.» Οὐ παρῆκεν δὲ οὐδὲ τὸ ἱστορικὸν διήγημα, πολλὰ τῶν αἰσθητῶς γεναμένων ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν καὶ κατὰ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων καὶ τοῦ Φαραὼ διεξεληλυθὼς ἐν πλείοσιν ψαλμοῖς. 1.30 Τί δὲ οἱ ὀπίσω τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τοῦ ἐπιβεβηκότος ἐπὶ ἵππον πυρρὸν οἱ πνευματικοὶ ἵπποι εἰργάσαντο, ἐν ταῖς ἑξῆς λέξεσιν τοῦ ἐκκειμένου προφήτου ἴδωμεν. 1.31 Zach. I, 9: Καὶ εἶπα· Τί οὗτοι, Κύριε; καὶ εἶπεν πρός με ἄγγελος ὁ λαλῶν ἐν ἐμοί· Ἐγὼ δείξω σοι τί ἐστιν ταῦτα. 1.32 Φησὶν αὐτὸς ὁ προφήτης τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῷ ἐν αὐτῷ λαλοῦντι· «Τί οὗτοι, Κύριε;» Ἄγγελος δὲ ὁ ἐν αὐτῷ λαλῶν ἤτοι ὁ ἐφεστὼς τῇ προφητείᾳ ἄγγελός ἐστιν, ἢ κατὰ ἄλλην ἐπίνοιαν αὐτὸς ὁ Σωτήρ, περὶ οὗ ὁ προφήτης φησίν· «Καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος.» Λαλεῖ δὲ ἐν τῷ ἀκροατῇ ὁ διδάσκαλος ὅτε μετέχεται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἢ κατὰ διάθεσίν ἐστιν ἐν αὐτῷ. 1.33 Μαρτύριον τοῦ προτέρου τό· «Ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός», καὶ ἔτι· «Τοῦ ἐν ἐμοὶ λαλοῦντος Χριστοῦ.» Ταύτῃ τῇ νοήσει καὶ ὁ ὑμνῳδὸς ἔφη· «Ἀκούσομαι τί λαλήσει ἐν ἐμοὶ Κύριος ὁ Θεός», καὶ ὁ Ἁμβακούμ· «Ἀποσκοπεύσω τοῦ ἰδεῖντί λαλήσει Κύριος ἐν ἐμοί.» Τοῦ δ' ὑστέρου· «Ἱερείς, λαλήσατε εἰς τὴν καρδίαν Ἰερουσαλήμ», οὐ παντὸς διδασκάλου εἰς τὴν καρδίαν λαλοῦντος τῶν ἀκροωμένων, ἀλλὰ τοῦ διατιθέντος τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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