The Incorruptible Crown of Glory
He is not a shadowy God-healer, but truly and according to the Spirit, he will be at the right hand of the one sitting and beginning upon his throne. Being made like the Son of God, and remaining a priest forever, he has a peaceful will toward the one whom he was made like; and likewise the Son of God is making peace toward the king of Salem, that is, the king of righteousness, who is this Melchizedek. For how does he not have a peaceful will toward the one to whom he is a priest according to the order, remaining for an age?
And the true and divine crown is given to those who endure with greatness of soul, according to what was said, of which we also briefly remembered: 'Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for having been proven, he shall receive the crown of life which God promised to those loving him' (James 1:12). How great is the desire to attain this, as his head being lifted up, he achieved endurance, concerning which James writes: 'Count it all joy, brothers, when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing works endurance' (James 1:2-3), as to praise those who achieved it with joy, where as one all of them, having through harmony one soul and one heart: 'Waiting, I waited for the Lord and attended to him and he heard my prayer' (Psalm 40:1); and where: 'And now what is my endurance? Is it not the Lord? And my subsistence is with you' (Psalm 73:26).
And this holy and beautiful crown exists not only for those enduring, but also for 'the useful and those having known it.' Of the present vision of the prophet or the previously mentioned virtue, what is this crown, pre-eminently named by those previously mentioned, having come from silver and gold? The Lord of Sabaoth himself, as it is brought forth in the prophet Isaiah: 'On that day the Lord of Sabaoth will be a crown of glory' (Isaiah 62:5).
For this is a contest of glory, to be given to those who glorify God in their own bodies; and the pious hold a conception, and of those who are prudent, rather of the pious dogmas. For according to this we are called orthodox, those having ecclesiastical knowledge.
And this crown is woven not of gold and costly stones, but of the right glory concerning the truth. And this same is the incorruptible, about which the Apostle writes literally: 'He who struggles exercises self-control in all things' (1 Cor 9:25), but one who, having run the lower and human contests, competes 'so that he may receive a corruptible crown' (1 Cor 9:25), 'but we receive an incorruptible' (1 Cor 9:25), which has also been called unfading by the most supreme Apostle Peter (1 Pet 5:4).
2.77 For he is writing to those who shepherd the true flock under the shepherd, concerning which things God promises to give to his spiritual sheep, saying: 'I will give you shepherds according to my heart, and they shall shepherd you with knowledge' (Jer 3:15), and the word of Peter has it thus: 2.78 'I exhort the elders among you to shepherd the flock that is among you, not by compulsion but willingly, so that, when the Chief Shepherd appears (1 Pet 5:4), you may receive the unfading crown of glory' (1 Pet 5:4), to be yielded to those having guarded the faith orthodoxly and to those leading to the end, the command saying: 'Then give glory to our God' (Ps 67:5), and again: 'Give glory and honor to the Lord' (Ps 29:3).
2.79 This crown is given 'for a song of Zephaniah and a psalm in the house of the Lord' (Zeph 3:4), about which the hymn-writer says: 'Take a psalm and give a timbrel, a pleasing harp with lyres' (Ps 150:4). And it is a psalm which it is necessary to take, the word concerning those doing and thinking well, to which it is fitting to give a timbrel, a pleasing harp, and a lyre.
2.80 And he who has received a word concerning temperance gives a timbrel, 'dead are the members upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire' (Rom 8:13), 'carrying the death of Jesus in the body' (Rom 8:13), by which
Greek
οὐ σκιωδῶς ἐστιν Θεοῦ θεραπευτής, ἀλλὰ ἀληθῶς καὶ κατὰ πνεῦμα, ἐκ δεξιῶν ἔσται τοῦ καθημένου καὶ κατάρχοντος ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου αὐτοῦ. 2.71 ∆εξιὸς δὲ τυγχάνων ὁ ἀφωμοιωμένος τῷ Θεοῦ Υἱῷ, μένων ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκές, βουλὴν εἰρηνικὴν ἔχει πρὸς τὸν ᾧ ἀφωμοιώθη, καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὡσαύτως εἰρηνεύοντος πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τῆς Σαλήμ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τῆς εἰρήνης, καὶ τὸν βασιλέα τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ὁ Μελχισεδέκ ἐστιν οὗτος. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἔχει βουλὴν εἰρηνικὴν πρὸς τὸν οὗ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν ἱερεύς ἐστιν, μένων εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα; 2.72 Ὁ δὲ ἀληθὴς καὶ θεῖος στέφανος τοῖς ὑπομενητικῶς καὶ μεγαλοψύχως ἐνέγκασι τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν δίδοται, κατὰ τὸ λεχθὲν οὗ καὶ μικρῷ πρόσθεν ἐμνημονεύσαμεν· «Μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὃς ὑπομένει πειρασμόν, ὅτι δόκιμος γενόμενος λήμψεται τὸν στέφανον τῆς ζωῆς ὃν ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν.» 2.73 Ὧι πόθος εἰσέρχεται τούτου τυχεῖν, ἀναδουμένης τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ, κατωρθώσατο τὴν ὑπομονήν, περὶ ἧς Ἰάκωβος γράφει· «Πᾶσαν χαρὰν ἡγήσατε, ἀδελφοί, ὅταν πειρασμοῖς περιπέσητε ποικίλοις, ἐπιστάμενοι ὅτι τὸ δοκίμιον κατεργάζεται ὑπομονήν», ὡς τοὺς κατορθώσαντας αὐτὴν χαριστηρίως ἀνυμνεῖν, ὅπου μὲν ὡς εἷς πάντες, διὰ συμφωνίας ψυχὴν μίαν καὶ καρδίαν μίαν ἔχοντες· «Ὑπομένων ὑπέμεινα τὸν Κύριον καὶ προσέσχεν μοι καὶ εἰσήκουσεν τῆς δεήσεώς μου»· ὅπου δέ· «Καὶ νῦν τίς ἡ ὑπομονή μου; οὐχὶ ὁ Κύριος; καὶ ἡ ὑπόστασίς μου παρὰ σοῦ ἐστιν.» 2.74 Ὑπάρχει δὲ τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦτο καὶ περικαλλὲς στέφος οὐ μόνοις τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ «τοῖς χρησίμοις καὶ τοῖς ἐπεγνωκόσιν αὐτήν». 2.75 Τῆς ἐκκειμένης θεωρίας τοῦ προφήτου ἢ τῆς προμνημονευθείσης ἀρετῆς τίς δ' οὗτος ὁ στέφανος κατ' ἐξοχὴν ὠνομασμένος παρὰ τοὺς πρότερον εἰρημένους ἐξ ἀργύρου καὶ χρυσοῦ γεναμένους; Αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος σαβαώθ, ὡς ἐν Ἠσαίᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ φέρεται· «Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσται Κύριος σαβαὼθ ὁ στέφανος τῆς δόξης.» ∆όξης γὰρ ἆθλον οὗτος ὑπάρχει, δοθησόμενος τοῖς δοξάσασι τὸν Θεὸν ἐν τῷ σώματι ἑαυτῶν καὶ τοῖς εὐσεβῆ ὑπόλημψιν ἔχουσιν καὶ τῶν φρονητέων, μᾶλλον δὲ τῶν εὐσεβῶν δογμάτων. Κατὰ ταύτην γὰρ ὀρθόδοξοι λεγόμεθα οἱ ἐκκλησιαστικὴν γνῶσιν ἔχοντες. 2.76 Πλέκεται δὲ ὁ στέφανος οὗτος οὐκ ἐκ χρυσοῦ καὶ λίθων πολυτελῶν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς ὀρθῆς περὶ τῆς ἀληθείας δόξης. Ὁ αὐτὸς δ' οὗτός ἐστιν τῷ ἀφθάρτῳ περὶ οὗ ὁ Ἀπόστολος γράφει κατὰ λέξιν ὧδε· «Ὁ ἀγωνιζόμενος πάντα ἐγκρατεύεται», ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν τοὺς κάτω ἀγῶνας καὶ ἀνθρωπίνους διαθλῶν, «ἵνα φθαρτὸν στέφανον λάβῃ» ἀθλεῖ, «ἡμεῖς δὲ ἄφθαρτον», ὅστις καὶ ἀμαράντινος εἴρηται πρὸς τοῦ κορυφαιοτάτου ἀποστόλου Πέτρου. 2.77 Γράφων γὰρ τοῖς ὑπὸ τὸν ποιμένα τὸν ἀληθινὸν νομεῦσιν, περὶ ὧν ἐπαγγέλλεται δώσειν Θεὸς τοῖς πνευματικοῖς αὐτοῦ προβάτοις φάσκων· «∆ώσω ὑμῖν ποιμένας κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου, καὶ ποιμανοῦσιν ὑμᾶς μετ' ἐπιστήμης», ἔχει δὲ ὧδε ἡ τοῦ Πέτρου λέξις· 2.78 «Πρεσβυτέρους τοὺς ἐν ὑμῖν παρακαλῶ ποιμαίνειν τὸ ἐν ὑμῖν ποίμνιον, μὴ ἀναγκαστῶς ἀλλ' ἑκουσίως, ἵνα, φανερωθέντος τοῦ ἀρχιποίμενος, κομίσησθε τὸν ἀμαράντινον τῆς δόξης στέφανον», ἀποδοθησόμενον τοῖς ὀρθοδόξως τὴν πίστιν φυλάξασιν καὶ τοῖς εἰς πέρας ἀγαγοῦσιν πρόσταξιν τὴν λέγουσαν· «∆̣ότε δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν», καὶ πάλιν· «Ἐνέγκατε τῷ 50 Κυρίῳ δόξαν καὶ τίμην.» 2.79 Οὗτος ὁ στέφανος δίδοται «εἰς χάριτα Σοφονίου καὶ ψα̣λμὸν ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου», περὶ οὗ ὁ μελογράφος φησίν· «Λάβετε ψαλμ̣ὸν καὶ δότε τύμπανον, ψαλτήριον τερπνὸν μετὰ κιθάρ̣ας.» Ἔστι δὲ ψαλμὸς ὃν δεῖ λαβεῖν ὁ περὶ τῶν πραττομένων καὶ φρονουμένων καλῶς λόγος, πρὸς ὃν δοῦναι τύμπανον, ψαλτήριόν τε τερπνὸν καὶ κιθάραν προσήκει. 2.80 ∆ίδωσι δὲ τύμπαν̣ον ὁ δεξάμενος περὶ σωφροσύνης λόγον, «νεκρῶν τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς μέλη, πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθος, ἐπιθυμίαν κακήν», «τὴν νέκρωσιν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ περιφέρων ἐν σώματι», ᾧ
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
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