The Shepherd and the Warrior
Wherein the prophecy says: 'Like a sheep led to slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer being silent' (Isa 53:7), which the Baptist, having more pointedly as a prophet, said: 'Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world' (John 1:29). And once the sin of the world having been removed, the sheep having been benefited no longer have drought or kindred evils, nor the lambs whom the speaker visited: 'And my wrath was provoked against the shepherds' (Zech 11:6).
It is also necessary for us to become under the good chief shepherd, who dwells in the place of green pasture for those being shepherded by him, so that entering and going out, applying ourselves inwardly and outwardly to divine words, we may be experienced in blessedness and eternal life. And the Lord God the Pantokrator, being the one who after being angry heals beneficially those who fell by the indignation, will visit his flock, which happens to be the house of Judah, that is to say, of the one confessing; for Judah is interpreted as confessing. The Lord God Pantokrator, being, visits his own flock; concerning which it is also said in Micah: 'And he will stand and see and will shepherd his flock in strength, the Lord' (Micah 2:12), being Savior. And the Lord God the Pantokrator will visit his flock, the house of Judah, and will array them like his well-ordered horse in war (Zech 10:3). And from him he looked, and from him he arrayed, and from him the bow in wrath; from him will go out everyone departing in the same (Zech 10:4). And they shall be as warriors trampling clay in the roads in war and will be arrayed, because the Lord is with them (Zech 10:5).
That the Lord God Pantokrator is the Only-begotten Son of God, this has been demonstrated previously. For the Trinity being of one substance, the one being begotten being of one substance with the one who begotten, the Savior is Lord God Pantokrator from the Lord God Pantokrator. For how could he not be Lord God, 'who was in the beginning with God' (John 1:1)? And just as 'through him all things came to be' (John 1:3), so also he holds and reigns, as to be for this reason Pantokrator. This, then, is the one being theologized, having arrived to find and save the human race, which having fallen like a sheep from the hundred of the rational beings, like a best shepherd...
He set his own life as a ransom for which he came to save, as if to oversee his own flock, being the house of Judah, concerning which it is said: 'Judah, your brothers shall praise you' (Ps 105:15). And since a rapid change of progress occurs for those being benefited, he arranges those completing his flock, like a fine horse, 'all having been equipped with one mind and one purpose,' as if to become a best charioteer from a shepherd, riding salvationally.
This good has increased by having sent an embassy of those having longing for his arrival, saying: 'Mount the horses, and your riding shall be salvation' (Ps 44:3). From the house of Judah, from a flock having become a fine horse, he looked out and arranged from it a bow, from which he sends arrows, words concerning punishment and threat; concerning which he who arranged the bow said: 'I will satiate my arrows with blood' (Ps 18:14), and again: 'My arrows will complete them.' It was also said previously that punishments are called arrows for some profound reason. In the seventh Psalm, indeed, concerning the judge of all, living and dead, it is said: 'He has bent his bow and prepared it, and in it he has prepared instruments of death; he has worked his arrows for those being burned' (Ps 7:12-13).
What then will happen when the Lord God the Pantokrator looks out from Judah and arranges from it a war-bow, or when those having suffered well by him from the people of Judah become experienced warriors of war? He will go out in the same manner, the one going out prepared for war, so that to tread the mud of roads, many falling, as mud shall become from the blood. And this happens to those conquering, but not to those being defeated. For those having turned to flight are pursued and hasten, but those charging and hastening, showing their knees through fear, tread the mud of the blood of the slaughtered, returning like the one going out on horseback.
When these righteous ones exist, the Lord their God will be fighting for them and about them, as to say graciously: 'The Lord of strengths is with us, a defender is our God Jacob' (Ps 46:7), and again: 'In God we will do strength, and he will bring to nothing those crushing us' (Ps 46:10).' God with...
Greek
οὗ ἡ προφητεία· «Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείραντος αὐτὸν ἄφωνος», ὅνπερ δακτυλοδεικτῶν ὁ Βαπτιστὴς περισσότερον ἔχων προφήτου ἔφη· «Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου.» Ἀρθείσης δὲ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ἁμαρτίας, οὐκέτι ξηρασίαν ἢ συγγενῆ κάκωσιν ἔχει τὰ εὐεργετηθέντα πρόβατα, οὐδ' οἱ ἀμνοὶ οὓς ἐπεσκέψατο ὁ φάσκων· «Καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ποιμένας παρωξύνθη ὁ θυμός μου.» 3.259 Σπουδαστέον δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν ὑπὸ τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἀγελάρχην γενέσθαι, τὸν εἰς τόπον χλόης κατασκηνοῦντα τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτῷ ποιμαινομένους, ἵνα εἰσερχόμενοι καὶ ἐξερχόμενοι, εἰσωτερικῶς καὶ ἐξωτερικῶς τοῖς θείοις ἐπιβάλλοντες λόγοις, μακαρίας καὶ αἰωνίου πειραθῶμεν ζωῆς. 3.260 Zach. X, 3–5: Καὶ ἐπισκέψεται Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ τὸν οἶκον Ἰούδα, καὶ τάξει αὐτοὺς ὡς ἵππον εὐπρεπῆ αὐτοῦ ἐν πολέμῳ. Καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐπέβλεψεν, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔταξεν, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸ τόξον ἐν θυμῷ· ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐξελεύσεται πᾶς ὁ ἐξελαύνων ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ. Καὶ ἔσονται ὡς μαχηταὶ πατοῦντες πηλὸν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς ἐν πολέμῳ καὶ παρατάξονται, διότι Κύριος μετ' αὐτῶν. 3.261 Ὁ μετὰ τὸ ὀργισθῆναι συμφερόντως ἰώμενος τοὺς ὑποπεσόντας τῇ ἀγανακτήσει, Κύριος Θεὸς παντοκράτωρ ὑπάρχων, ἐπισκέψεται τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ, τυγχάνον οἶκον τοῦ Ἰούδα, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τοῦ ἐξομολογουμένου· ἐξομολογούμενος γὰρ ὁ Ἰούδας ἑρμηνεύεται. Ἐπισκέπτεται δὲ τὴν ἀγέλην ἑαυτοῦ Κύριος Θεὸς παντοκράτωρ ὑπάρχων· περὶ οὗ καὶ ἐν τῷ Μιχαίᾳ εἴρηται· «Καὶ στήσεται καὶ ὄψεται καὶ ποιμανεῖ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἰσχύϊ Κύριος», ὢν σωτήρ. Ὅτι δὲ Κύριος Θεὸς παντοκράτωρ ὁ Μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱός ἐστιν, ἐν τοῖς πρότερον ἀποδέδεικται. Ὁμοουσίου γὰρ ὑπαρχούσης τῆς Τριάδος, ὁμοούσιος ὁ γεννηθεὶς τῷ γεννήσαντι ὑπάρχων, ἐκ Κυρίου Θεοῦ παντοκράτορος Κύριος Θεὸς παντοκράτωρ ἐστὶν ὁ Σωτήρ. Πῶς γὰρ οὐ Κύριος Θεὸς «ὁ ὢν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν»; Καὶ ὥσπερ «δι' αὐτοῦ γέγονε τὰ πάντα», οὕτω καὶ κρατεῖται καὶ βασιλεύεται, ὡς εἶναι κατὰ τοῦτο παντοκράτωρ. 3.262 Οὗτος τοιγαροῦν ὁ θεολογούμε̣νος ἐπιδημήσας ἐπὶ τῷ εὑρεῖν καὶ σῶσαι τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος, ὂν ἀποσφαλὲν πρόβατον ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν λογικῶν ἑκατοντάδος, οἷα νομεὺς ἄριστος «τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἔθηκεν» ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐλήλυθεν σῶσαι προβάτων, ὡς λοιπὸν ἐπισκέπτεσθαι αὐτὸν τὸ ποίμνιον ἑαυτοῦ, ὄντα τοῦ Ἰούδα οἶκον, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· «Ἰούδα, σὲ αἰνέσαισαν οἱ ἀδελφοί σου.» Καὶ ἐπεὶ ταχεῖα ἐκ προκοπῆς μεταβολὴ γίνεται τοῖς εὐεργετουμένοις, τάξει τοὺς συμπληροῦντας τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ, οἷα εὐπρεπῆ ἵππον ἕνα, «κατηρτισμένων ἁπάντων ἑνὶ νῷ καὶ γνώμῃ μιᾷ», ὡς ἐκ ποιμένος ἡνίοχον ἄριστον γενέσθαι σωτηριωδῶς ἱππαζόμενον. 3.263 Ὑπῆρκται δὲ τοῦτο τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἀναπεμψάντων πρεσβείαν τῶν πόθον τῆς ἐπιδημίας αὐτοῦ ἐχόντων, φασκόντων· «Ἐπίβηθι ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους, καὶ ἡ ἱππασία σου σωτηρία.» 3.264 106 Ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Ἰούδα, ἐκ ποιμνίου ἵππου εὐπρεποῦς γεγενημένου, ἐπέβλεψεν καὶ ἔταξεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τόξον, ἀφ' οὗ πέμπει βέλη, λόγους τοὺς περὶ κολάσεως καὶ ἀπειλῆς· περὶ ὧν ὁ τάξας τὸ τόξον ἔφη· «Μεθύσω τὰ βέλη μου ἀφ' αἵματος», καὶ πάλιν· «Τὰ βέλη μου συντελέσει αὐτούς.» Εἴρηται καὶ ἐν τοῖς πρότερον ὅτι αἱ κολάσεις διά τινα βαθὺν λόγον προσαγορεύονται βέλη. Ἐν ἑβδόμῳ γοῦν Ψαλμῷ, περὶ τοῦ κριτοῦ τῶν ὅλων, ζώντων τε καὶ νεκρῶν, εἴρηται· «Τὸ τόξον αὐτοῦ ἐνέτεινεν καὶ ἡτοίμασεν αὐτό, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ἡτοίμασεν σκεύη θανάτου· τὰ βέλη αὐτοῦ τοῖς καιομένοις ἐξηργάσατο.» 3.265 Τί δ' ἔσται ὅταν ἐπιβλέψῃ ἐκ τοῦ Ἰούδα Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς 3.265 ὁ παντοκράτωρ καὶ τάξῃ ἐξ αὐτοῦ πολεμικὸν τόξον, ἢ τὸ ἐμπειροπολέμους μαχητὰς γενέσθαι τοὺς εὖ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ παθόντας ἐκ τῶν τοῦ Ἰούδα. Ἐξελεύσεται ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ ὁ ἐξελαύνων πρὸς πόλεμον παρεσκευασμένος, ὡς πατεῖν πηλὸν ὁδῶν, πιπτόντων πολλῶν ὡς πηλὸν ἐκ τῶν αἱμάτων γενέσθαι. Συμβαίνει δὲ τοῦτο τοῖς νικῶσιν, ἀλλ' οὐ τοῖς ἡττωμένοις. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ εἰς φυγὴν τραπέν̣τες διώκονται καὶ ἐπισπεύδονται, οἱ δὲ ἐπιτρέχοντες καὶ ἐπισπεύδοντες τοὺς διὰ δέος δείξαντας τὰ νῶτα πατοῦσι πηλοῦ δίκην τὸ αἷμα τῶν σφαγέντων, ἐπισπέρχοντες τὰ τοῦ ἐξελαύνειν ἱππέων δίκην. 3.266 Τούτων δὲ τῶν κατορθωμάτων ὑπαρξάντων, ἐπ' αὐτοὺς καὶ περὶ ἑαυτοὺς ὑπερμαχῶν ἔσται Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν, ὡς χαριστηρίως φάναι· «Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων μεθ' ἡμῶν, ἀντιλήμπτωρ ἡμῶν ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακώβ», καὶ ἔτι· «Ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ποιήσομεν δύναμιν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξουδενώσει τοὺς θλίβοντας ἡμᾶς.» Τὸν Θεὸν μεθ'
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
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Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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