The Standing and the Turning
The Lord's 'distinguishing his house and guarding his divine court.' One must not understand 'house' in these matters as a place or a building, but the sum of those completing it, as the Apostle says: 'But Christ, as a son, upon his house, of which we are the house' (Galatians 4:9). And to Timothy he writes: 'In case I delay, so that you may know how you ought to behave in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and foundation of the truth' (1 Timothy 3:15).
And this house is distinguished by Jesus, placing in the Church 'apostles, prophets, shepherds, teachers, for the equipping of the saints' (Ephesians 4:11). For it is not as it happens, but with much distinction and arrangement, so that one is placed in the rank of an apostle, another in the place of a prophet, and others to tend the flock of Christ and to exert the divine instruction for other saints who are well-disposed toward learning. Similar to this is that which has in the Psalms thus: 'God has stood in the congregation of gods, and in the midst he distinguishes gods' (Psalm 82:1).
The house of God, thus utilizing members according to another thought, becomes the body of Christ, composed and being equipped from many members; his eyes, indeed, are those seeking the contemplative life, just as his hands are the practical ones, working the works of virtue, and the ears are called the prudent listeners of this body, of whom each one says: 'The instruction of the Lord opens my ears' (Psalm 119:66). Appropriately, the feet of the body of Christ would be said to be 'those not sluggish in haste.'
Consequently, regarding the distinguishing of the Lord's house, it is also the distinguishing of the divine body, so that one may be an eye as previously mentioned, and another a vigorous hand, of whom it is good to work and to be useful. Harmoniously, regarding the other members, it shall be said. Similarly, regarding the distinguishing of the house of God, and the guarding of his divine court, concerning which the Holy Spirit cries out to those hurrying...
...to rub within it: 'Worship the Lord in his holy court.' (Ps 99:2). What is the contest of the one distinguishing God's house and guarding his court shown in: 'And I will give you those turning among these standing ones'? (Acts 14:22). For 'standing' shows those firmly established according to holiness, having received a permanent position according to faith, to whom the Apostle writes speaking: 'For in faith you have stood' (Acts 14:22). The Savior says in the Gospel, signifying those 'founded and rooted' perfectly 'in love': 'There are some of those standing here.'
Among those thus standing, those turning according to a divine manner of life and a contemplation of the truth are given by Jesus through God. Among those humans who truly become according to the image and likeness of God, Jesus, having received them from the Father, turned about among them, 'having appeared on the earth in order that he might turn about with humans,' providing a pattern and a model for those previously mentioned to imitate him.
By a second meaning, say that 'standing' shows the dancing angels being gathered according to 'thousands of thousands and myriads of myriads,' praising the All-King Savior and ministering to him. These, who are shown turning among their own Creator, are given to become equal-angels after the resurrection, no longer marrying or being married, no longer able to die, the succession of marriage and child-rearing having ceased, since 'their corruptible put on incorruption and their mortal immortality' (1 Cor 15:53-54).
For how does he who perfects celibacy not turn about among the standing immortal angels and the other divine powers, always being 'mindful of the things of the Lord, without distraction' (Col 3:2), desiring to serve him priestically and to serve him nobly, being 'a fellow-worker,' so to phrase it, having set this before him. Similarly, also 'the virgin, being holy in spirit and body,' is without distraction pleasing to the divine bridegroom.
Greek
Κυρίου τὸ «διακρίνειν τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ καὶ διαφυλάσσειν τὴν θείαν αὐλὴν αὐτοῦ». 1.227 Οἶκον ἐν τούτοις ἐκλημπτέον οὐ τόπον καὶ οἰκοδόμημα, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἄθροισμα τῶν συμπληρούντων αὐτόν, καθὸ σημαίνων ὁ Ἀπόστολός φησιν· «Χριστὸς δὲ ὡς υἱὸς ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, οὗ οἶκός ἐσμεν ἡμεῖς.» Καὶ πρὸς Τιμόθεον ἐπιστέλλει· «Ἂν βραδύνω, ἵν' εἰδῇς πῶς δεῖ σε ἐν οἴκῳ Θεοῦ ἀναστρέφεσθαι, ἥτις ἐστὶν Ἐκκλησία Θεοῦ ζῶντος, στῦλος καὶ ἑδραίωμα τῆς ἀληθείας.» 1.228 ∆ιακρίνεται δὲ οὗτος ὁ οἶκος ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ, τιθέντος ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ «ἀποστόλους, προφήτας, ποιμένας, διδασκάλους, πρὸς τὸν καταρτισμὸν τῶν ἁγίων». Οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς διακρίσεως καὶ διαστολῆς, ὃ μέν τις τίθεται εἰς ἀποστόλου βαθμόν, ὃ δὲ εἰς προφήτου τόπον, ἕτεροι δὲ εἰς τὸ νέμειν τὴν Χριστοῦ ποίμνην καὶ ἄλλων τὴν θείαν παίδευσιν ἐκπονεῖν τοῖς πρὸς τὸ μανθάνειν ηὐτρεπισμένοις ἁγίοις τυγχάνουσιν. Τούτοις ὅμοιόν ἐστιν τὸ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς ὧδε ἔχον· «Ὁ Θεὸς ἔστη ἐν συναγωγῇ θεῶν, ἐν μέσῳ δὲ θεοὺς διακρίνει.» 1.229 Ὁ οὕτω χρηματίζων Θεοῦ οἶκος κατ' ἄλλην νόησιν σῶμα Χριστοῦ τυγχάνει ἐκ πολλῶν μελῶν συγκείμενον καὶ καταρτιζόμενον· ὀφθαλμοὶ γοῦν αὐτοῦ τυγχάνουσιν οἱ θεωρητικὸν βίον ἑλόμενοι, ὡς αὖ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ εἰσιν οἱ πρακτικοί, ἐργαζόμενοι τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔργα, ὤτων καλουμένων τούτου τοῦ σώματος τῶν συνετῶν ἀκροατῶν ὧν ἕκαστος ἐρεῖ· «Ἡ παιδεία Κυρίου ἀνοίγει μου τὰ ὦτα.» Καταλλήλως πόδες τοῦ Χριστοῦ σώματος λεχθεῖεν «οἱ τῇ σπουδῇ μὴ ὀκνηροί». 1.230 Ἑπομένως τῷ διακρίνειν τὸν οἶκον Κυρίου, καὶ τὸ θεῖον σῶμα διακρίνειν, ἵν' ὃ μέν τις ὡς προείρηται ὀφθαλμὸς ᾖ, ὃ δὲ χεὶρ δραστήριος ὧν καλὸν ἐνεργεῖν καὶ ἀποτελεῖν ἐργαζόμενον. Ἁρμονίως καὶ περὶ τῶν λοιπῶν μελῶν λεχθήσεται. 1.231 Παραπλησίως τῷ διακρίνειν τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὴν θείαν αὐλὴν αὐτοῦ διαφυλάσσει, περὶ ἧς τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα βοᾷ τοῖς σπεύδουσιν ἐν αὐτῇ διατρίβειν· «Προσκυνήσατε τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν αὐλῇ ἁγίᾳ αὐτοῦ.» 1.232 Τί δὲ τὸ ἆθλον τοῦ διακρίνοντος τὸν Θεοῦ οἶκον καὶ διαφυλάσσοντος τὴν αὐλὴν αὐτοῦ παρίσταται ἐν τῷ· «Καὶ δώσω σοι ἀναστρεφομένους ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἑστηκότων τούτων.» Ἑστηκότες δὲ δείκνυνται οἱ βεβαίως κατὰ ἁγιότητα ἱδρύμενοι, στάσιν μόνιμον κατὰ πίστιν ἀπειληφότες, οἷς προφωνῶν ὁ Ἀπόστολος γράφει· «Καὶ γὰρ τῇ πίστει ἑστήκατε.» Τοὺς οὕτω «τεθεμελιωμένους καὶ ῥεριζομένους» τελείως «ἐν ἀγάπῃ» σημαίνων ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ φησίν· «Εἰσίν τινες τῶν ὧδε ἑστηκότων.» 1.233 Ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν οὕτως ἑστηκότων τῷ Ἰησοῦ ὑπὸ Θεοῦ δίδονται ἀναστρεφόμενοι κατὰ πολιτείαν 23 θείαν καὶ θεωρίαν τῆς ἀληθείας. Ἐν οἷς ἀνθρώποις, ἀληθῶς τυγχάνουσι κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ, συνανεστράφη ὁ λαβὼν αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς Ἰησοῦς, «ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὀφθεὶς ἵνα συναναστραφῇ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις», τύπον καὶ ὑπογραμμὸν παρέχων τοῖς προῃρημένοις μιμεῖσθαι αὐτόν. 1.234 Κατὰ δεύτερον λόγον ἐρεῖς ἑστηκότας δεικνυμένους τοὺς χορεύοντας ἀγγέλους συναγομένους κατὰ «χιλιάδας χιλιάδων καὶ μυριάδας μυριάδων» αἰνούντων τὸν παμβασιλέα Σωτῆρα καὶ λειτουργούντων αὐτῷ. Τούτων τῶν παραστατῶν τῷ αὐτῶν δημιουργῷ ἀνὰ μέσον ἀναστρεφόμενοι δίδονται οἱ μετὰ ἀνάστασιν ἰσάγγελοι γινόμενοι, οὐκέτι γαμοῦντες ἢ γαμιζόμενοι, οὐκέτι ἀποθανεῖν δυνάμενοι, παυσαμένης τῆς ἐγγάμων καὶ παιδοποιίας διαδοχῆς, ἐπείπερ «τὸ φθαρτὸν αὐτῶν ἀφθαρσίαν καὶ τὸ θνητὸν ἀθανασίαν ἐνεδύσατο». 1.235 Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἑστηκότων ἀθανάτων ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν ἑτέρων θείων δυνάμεων ἀναστρέφεται ὁ ἀγαμίαν κατορθῶν, «μεριμνῶν τὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀπερισπάστως» ἀεὶ ὢν «εὐπάρεδρος» τὸν θεραπεύειν ἱερατικῶς εἵλατο, εὐγενῶς δουλεύειν αὐτῷ, ἵν' οὕτω φράσω, προθέμενος. 1.236 Ὁμοίως καὶ «ἡ παρθένος, πνεύματι καὶ σώματι ἁγία» τυγχάνουσα, ἀπερισπάστως εὐαρεστεῖ τῷ θείῳ νυμφίῳ,
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
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.