The Spiritual Gold and Silver of Salvation

bearing God

As if there are virtues and wise thoughts there. For having been benefited from the shameless and painful state, they acquired the good things about which it is said in the first song of the ascents toward the one blessed by the Lord: 'See the good things, Jerusalem' (Ps 122:2), and also: 'You shall trust in the Lord and He will bring you up to the good things of the earth', which is the inheritance given to those who learn from Jesus 'that He is gentle and humble in heart' (Matt 11:29). Concerning which the hymnist has cried out: 'I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living' (Ps 27:13). Similarly, also the blessed prophet Isaiah exhorts to take a desire for the interpreted good things: 'For if, he says, you wish and you listen to me, you may eat the good things of the earth' (Isa 1:19).

Having received the command from the captivity regarding this, having received it through the Word of the Lord having come to him, he is commanded to enter into the house of Josiah, who is receiving the name 'saving'. For it is fitting for the one being saved by the Lord, about whom it is written: 'Our God is a God of saving', having come 'to seek and to save the lost' (Luke 19:10), to be a son of Zephaniah, interpreted as 'Jehovah is timing'. For a timing is being approached by God for the one having been saved with eternal salvation, of which the Savior is the cause, concerning which the Apostle writes concerning the Savior: 'Having been perfected, He became to all those obeying Him the cause of eternal salvation' (1 John 5:20).

To the one commanded to enter into the house of the one having come from Babylon into the holy city Jerusalem, a command is given to take silver and gold and to make crowns so that they may be placed on the head of the high priest, and this is Jesus, of the true Jesus being the salvation of God, receiving the name 'Salvation is Jehovah', meaning that of God; for one of the names of God is Jehovah in the Hebrew voice. Let us observe more of the gold and the silver from which crowns are constructed by the one having received the command. Silver is the word and gold is the mind, they are taken up by the law of allegory. For it is said in the Song of Songs concerning these being spiritual treasures for the bride by the friends of her bridegroom, the king being: 'I will make you likenesses of gold after a moment of silver, until the king reclines on his couch' (Song 1:11). It is probable that the likenesses of the spiritual gold...

Greek

φησὶν πρὸς τοὺς δυσχεραίνοντας ὅτι Θεοῦ Υἱὸν ἑαυτὸν εἶπεν. 2.5 Ἔχει δ' οὕτως τὸ ῥητόν· «Εἰ ἐκείνους θεοὺς εἶπεν πρὸς οὓς ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγένετο, ὃν ὁ Πατὴρ ἡγίασεν καὶ ἀπέστειλεν εἰς τ̣ὸν κόσμον» –ἐμὲ τὸν ταῦτα λέγοντα δηλονότι, –»ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι βλασφημεῖ, ὅτι εἶπον· Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰμι». Καὶ ἐπεὶ θεοὶ ἀποδείκνυνται πρὸς οὓς γέγονεν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγος, Θεοῦ ῥήματα προσήκει νοεῖν καὶ ἐκλαμβάνειν ἃ ἀπαγγέλλουσιν θεοφορούμενοι οἱ μακαριώτατοι προφῆται. Τί προστάττεται εἰπεῖν πρὸς ὃν γέγονεν ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου λόγος Ζαχαρίας θεωρητέον. 2.6 «Λαβέ, φησίν, τὰ ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ τῶν χρησίμων αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπεγνωκότων» διὰ πεῖραν «αὐτήν». Τίνα δ' ἐστὶν ἃ δεῖ λαβεῖν παρὰ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας, διδόντων αὐτὰ παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ χρησίμων καὶ ἐπεγνωκότων αὐτήν, ἢ τὰ ἱερατικὰ σκεύη ἃ οἱ αἰχμαλωτίζοντες εἰλήφασιν ἐκ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ ἐν αὐτῇ. Καὶ ταῦτα γὰρ ᾐχμαλώτισται μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν Ἑβραίων εἰς τὴν Βαβυλῶνα παρὰ τῶν κρατούντων αὐτῆς τυραννικῶν ἀνδρῶν. 2.7 Οὐ παρὰ τῶν τυχόντων δὲ προστάττεται λαβεῖν, ἀλλ' ἢ παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων νομίμως ἐπιστατούντων καὶ τῶν χρησίμων τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ. Οὗτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ χρησίμως καὶ ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ μετοικισθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας πατρίδος εἰς τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν γῆν, οὐ δι' ἁμαρτίας ἃς ὅλως οὐ πεποιήκασιν αὐτοί, ἀλλὰ τὰς τοῦ ἀσεβήσαντος λαοῦ. 2.8 Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν ἀνθρωπίνῳ πολέμῳ, μετὰ τῆς στρατιωτικῆς δυνάμεως καὶ ἰατροὶ παραλαμβάνονται πρὸς τὸ θεραπεύειν τοὺς τιτρωσκομένους στρατιώτας, οὕτως οἱ χρησίμως αἰχμαλωτισθέντες σοφοὶ πρὸς τὸ βοηθεῖν τῷ λαῷ, προτροπῆς καὶ νουθεσίας τρόπῳ, χρήσιμοι τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας εἴρηνται, ὧν ∆ανιὴλ καὶ Ἰεζεκιήλ, Ἀγγαῖός τε καὶ ἕτεροι πλείονες θεοπρόποι ἄνδρες. 2.9 Πρὸς τούτοις, καὶ ἐπεγνωκότες τί τὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τέλος ἐστίν, τὸ κατελθεῖν εἰς τὴν γῆν ἀφ' ἧς αἰχμάλωτοι ἐλήμφθησαν, ὡς ψᾶλαι εὐχαριστίας ὕμνον· «Ἐν τῷ γὰρ ἐπιστρέψαι Κύριον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Σιὼν ἐγενήθημεν ὡς παρακεκλημένοι· τότε ἐπλήσθη χαρᾶς τὸ στόμα ἡμῶν καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα ἡμῶν ἀγαλλιάσεως.» 2.10 Φέρουσι τὰ ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας οἱ ἄρχοντες καὶ οἱ συνωνομασμένοι αὐτοῖς χρήσιμοι καὶ ε᾿̣πεγνωκότες αὐτὴν οὐ μόνον τὰ αἰσθητὰ 43 σκεύη τοῦ ἱεροῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἃς ἐκτήσαντο ἐκεῖ ἀρετὰς καὶ τὰ σοφὰ νοήματα. ᾿Ω̣φεληθέντες γὰρ ἐκ τῆς ἀηδοῦς καὶ ἐπιπόνου καταστάσεως, ἐκτήσαντο τὰ ἀγαθὰ περὶ ὧν εἴρηται ἐν ᾠδῇ μιᾷ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν πρὸς τὸν εὐλογούμενον παρὰ Κυρίου· «Ἴδοις τὰ ἀγαθὰ Ἰερουσαλήμ», 2.11 καὶ ἔτι· «Πεποιθὼς ἔσει ἐπὶ Κύριον καὶ ἀναβιβάσῃ σε ἐπὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς», ἥτις κληρονομία δίδοται τοῖς μαθοῦσι παρὰ Ἰησοῦ «ὅτι πραῢς καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ ἐστίν». Περὶ ἧς ὁ ὑμνῳδὸς κέκραγεν· «Πιστεύω τοῦ ἰδεῖν τὰ ἀγαθὰ Κυρίου ἐν γῇ ζώντων.» Συμφώνως καὶ ὁ μακάριος π̣ροφήτης Ἠσαΐας προτρέπει πόθον λαβεῖν τῶν ἡρμηνευμένων ἀγαθῶν· «Ἐὰν γάρ, φησίν, θέλητε καὶ εἰσακούσητέ μου, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε.» 2.12 Λαβόντος τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τοῦ πρόσταξιν περὶ τούτου εἰληφότος πρὸς τοῦ γενομένου Κυρίου λόγου πρὸς αὐτόν, κελεύεται εἰσιέναι εἰς τὸν οἶκον Ἰωσίου, τοῦ μεταλαμβανομένου εἰς «σῳζόμενον». 2.13 Προσήκει γὰρ τὸν σῳζόμενον ὑπὸ Κυρίου, περὶ οὗ γέγραπται· «Ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν Θεὸς τοῦ σῴζειν», ἐληλυθότος «ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός», υἱὸν εἶναι Σοφονίου τοῦ ἑρμηνευομένου «χρονισμὸς Ἰαώ». Χρονισμὸς γὰρ ἐγγίνεται ὑπὸ Θεοῦ τῷ σωθέντι σωτηρίαν αἰώνιον, ἧς αἴτιος ὁ Σωτὴρ ὑπάρχει, περὶ ἧς γράφει ὁ Ἀπόστολος λέγων περὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος· «Τελειωθείς, ἐγένετο πᾶσιν τοῖς ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ αἴτιος σωτηρίας αἰωνίου.» 2.14 Τῷ προσταχθέντι εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ ἥκοντος ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος εἰς τὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν πρόσταξις δίδοται λαβεῖν ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον καὶ ποιῆσαι στεφάνους ἵν' ἐπιτεθῶσιν τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ μεγάλου ἱερέως, Ἰησοῦς δ' ἐστὶν οὗτος, τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Ἰησοῦ ὄντ̣ος σωτηρίας Θεοῦ, μεταλαμβανομένου εἰς τὸ «σωτηρία Ἰαώ», δηλὸν δ' ὅτι τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἓν δὲ τῶν ὀνομάτων τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ Ἰαὼ Ἑβραίων φωνῇ. 2.15 Τί τὸ χρυσίον καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον ἀφ' ὧν κατασκευάζονται στέφανοι πλείονες ὑπὸ τοῦ τὴν ἐντολὴν εἰληφότος θεασώμεθα. Ἄργυρος ὁ λόγος καὶ χρυσὸς ὁ νοῦς ἀλληγορίας νόμῳ ἐκλαμβάνονται. Λέγεται γοῦν ἐν τῷ Ἄισματι τῶν Ἀισμάτων περὶ τούτων ὄντων νοητῶν κειμηλίων πρὸς τὴν νύμφην ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων το̣ῦ νυμφίου αὐτῆς βασιλέως ὄντος· «Ὁμοιώματα χρυσο̣ῦ ποιήσομέν σοι μετὰ στιγμάτων τοῦ ἀργυρίου, ἕως οὗ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν ἀνακλίσει αὐτοῦ.» 2.16 Εἰκὸς δὲ ὁμοιώματα τοῦ πνευματικοῦ χρ̣υσοῦ

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Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.

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