The False and True Riders
Having confidence in themselves, they will line up against those against whom they have the fight and the war, as each one might say thankfully: 'The Lord is my light and my savior; whom shall I fear? (Ps 27:1) The Lord is the defender of my life; from whom shall I shrink in cowardice? (Ps 27:2) In the approaching of those who do evil to eat my flesh, those who afflict me, and my enemies have grown weak and fallen; (Ps 27:3) if an encampment is lined up against me, my heart shall not fear; (Ps 27:3) if a war rises up against me, in this I hope.' (Ps 27:5).
Having the same courage, he who sings the third Psalm also was emboldened to say: 'I will not fear from ten thousands of people surrounding me.' (Ps 3:6). To those thus arrayed, the word, encouraging them, says: 'One of you shall pursue a thousand, and two shall put ten thousand to flight' (Lk 10:19), not of men alone as warriors, but also of the invisible.
To those having the struggle, those fighting for Christ and having clothed themselves in His good fortune say: 'Our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers and powers and the cosmic dictators of this darkness and the spiritual things of wickedness.' (Eph 6:12). For, having been surrounded by all these warriors, he who, by the designation of God, is like an unassailable shield, full of courage, says: 'Encompassing, they have surrounded me, and by the name of the Lord I defended myself against them.' (Ps 18:4). The same thing this one also cries out triumphantly: 'Behold, the Lord helps me; who shall harm me?' (Ps 27:7).
And the riders of horses shall be put to shame. (Zech 10:5) And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will let them dwell, for I have loved them, and in no way will I turn them away, because I am the Lord their God, and I will listen to them. (Zech 10:6) And they shall be as warriors of Ephraim, and their heart shall rejoice as if in wine; and their children shall be seen and shall be glad, and their heart shall rejoice in the Lord. (Zech 10:7)
Those greatly trusting in a cavalry line, when the requirements of war arise from a purpose, are shame...
They are being deceived, having learned through experience that 'a false horse is for salvation.' Concerning those fighting in this way, the choir of the saints says: 'These are in chariots and these are on horses, but we shall rejoice in the name of the Lord; they themselves were overthrown and fell, but we have risen and been set upright' (Ps 20:6). Similarly to these, the tyrant of Egypt and all those marshaled with him were dejected when they were crushed in the Red Sea, as a victory hymn began to be sung against them from: 'I will sing to the Lord, for he has been gloriously honored; he has thrown horse and rider into the sea' (Ex 15:1). Concerning these riders, it is also said in one of the Psalms: 'From your rebuke, O God of Jacob, those standing on horses have been unseated' (Ps 68:17).
Who, then, are these who are being overseen? If horses are understood to be human bodies, because they are skittish and unruly, souls are found to be riders who are not disciplined, not skillfully subduing the horses upon which they ride; therefore they also endure shame, being tossed about, as the prophetic word says: 'The riders of horses shall be put to shame' (Ps 68:25). According to another understanding, the pompous and sophistical men were understood to be horses, upon whom evil powers ride in a disorderly manner, not knowing how to guide with reins but being carried by a disorderly force, who, because they approach the four-footed passions unskillfully, shall be put to shame; they fall into pits because they doze and slumber, not enduring the things of those who ride salvationally. For the soul that subdues and leads the body surrounding it is not a mere passenger, nor a rider, but a horseman, skillfully controlling the hooves.
Likewise, certain divine powers, riding with equestrian skill, are carried among the best of men, being carried by the force of divine teaching, having as leader and first-fruit the one whose horsemanship is salvation, concerning whom it is said: 'Mount upon your horses and your horsemanship...'
Greek
ἑαυτῶν ἔχοντες πεποιθότως παρατάξονται πρὸς οὓς ἔχουσι τὴν μάχην καὶ πόλεμον, ὡς ἕκαστον εὐχαριστικῶς φάναι· «Κύριος φωτισμός μου καὶ σωτήρ μου· τίνα φοβηθήσομαι; Κύριος ὑπερασπιστὴς τῆς ζωῆς μου· ἀπὸ τίνος δειλιάσω; Ἐν τῷ ἐγγίζειν ἐπ' ἐμὲ κακοῦντας τοῦ φαγεῖν τὰς σάρκας μου οἱ θλίβοντές με καὶ οἱ ἐχθροί μου αὐτοὶ ἠσθένησαν καὶ ἔπεσαν· ἐὰν παρατάξηται ἐπ' ἐμὲ παρεμβολή, οὐ φοβηθήσεται ἡ καρδία μου· ἐὰν ἐπαναστῇ ἐπ' ἐμὲ πόλεμος, ἐν ταύτῃ ἐγὼ ἐλπίζω.» 3.267 Τὴν αὐτὴν ἀνδρείαν ἔχων καὶ ὁ τὸν τρίτον Ψαλμὸν ᾄδων ἐθάρρησεν εἰπεῖν· «Οὐ φοβηθήσομαι ἀπὸ μυριάδων λαοῦ τῶν κύκλῳ συνεπιτιθεμένων μοι.» Πρὸς τοὺς οὕτω παρατεταγμένους ὁ λόγος εὐθυμοποιῶν λέγει· «Εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν διώξεται χιλίους καὶ δύο μετακινήσουσιν μυριάδας» οὐκ ἀνθρώπων μόνων πολεμιστῶν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀοράτων. Πρὸς οὓς ἔχοντες τὴν πάλην οἱ τῷ Χριστῷ στρατευόμενοι καὶ τὴν παντευχίαν αὐτοῦ ἐνδυσάμενοί φασιν· «Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας τούς τε κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου καὶ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας.» Περιεστηκότων γὰρ πάντων τούτων τῶν πολεμιστῶν, ὁ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ προσηγορίᾳ οἷα ἀσπίδι ἀκαταμαχήτῳ θαρρῶν λέγει· «Κυκλοῦντες ἐκύκλωσάν με, καὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου ἠμυνάμην αὐτούς.» Τὰ αὐτὰ τούτῳ καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἐπινικίως βοᾷ· «Ἰδοὺ Κύριος βοηθεῖ μοι· τίς κακώσει με;» 3.268 Zach. X, 5– 7: Καὶ καταισχυνθήσονται ἀναβάται ἵππων. Καὶ κατισχύσω τὸν οἶκον Ἰούδα καὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰωσὴφ σώσω καὶ κατοικιῶ αὐτούς, ὅτι ἠγάπηκα αὐτούς, καὶ ἔσται ὃν τρόπον οὐκ ἀπεστρεψάμην αὐτούς, διότι ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπακούσομαι αὐτοῖς. Καὶ ἔσονται ὡς μαχηταὶ τοῦ Ἐφράιμ, καὶ χαρήσεται ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν ὡς ἐν οἴνῳ· καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν ὄψεται καὶ εὐφρανθήσεται, καὶ χαρεῖται ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ. 3.269 Οἱ μέγα πεποιθότες ἐπὶ παρατάξει ἱππικῇ, ὅταν παρὰ πρόθεσιν γένηται τὰ τοῦ πολέμου, αἰσχύνην ὀφλισκάνουσιν, πείρᾳ μαθόντες ὅτι «ψευδὴς ἵππος εἰς σωτηρίαν» ἐστίν. Περὶ τῶν οὕτω πολεμούντων ὁ τῶν ἁγίων χορός φησιν· «Οὗτοι ἐν ἅρμασιν καὶ οὗτοι ἐν ἵπποις, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου ἀγαλλιασώμεθα· αὐτοὶ συνεποδίσθησαν καὶ ἔπεσαν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀνέστημεν καὶ ἀνωρθώθημεν.» Παραπλησίως τούτοις ὁ τῆς Αἰγύπτου τύραννος καὶ πάντες οἱ συστρατευόμενοι αὐτῷ 107 κατῃσχύνθησαν ὅτε κατεποντώθησαν ἐν τῇ Ἐρυθρᾷ θαλάσσῃ, ὡς ἐφύμνιον ᾄδεσθαι κατ' αὐτῶν ἀρχόμενον ἀπὸ τοῦ· «Ἄισωμεν τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἐνδόξως γὰρ δεδόξασται· ἵππον καὶ ἀναβάτην ἔρριψεν εἰς θάλασσαν.» Περὶ τῶν ἀναβατῶν τούτων καὶ ἐν ἑνὶ τῶν Ψαλμῶν φέρεται· «Ἀπὸ ἐπιτιμήσεώς σου, ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακώβ, ἐνύσταξαν οἱ ἐπιβεβηκότες τοὺς ἵππους.» 3.270 Τίνες δὲ οὗτοι τυγχάνουσιν ἐπιστατέον. Ἵππων νοουμένων τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων σωμάτων διὰ τὸ σκιρτητικὸν καὶ ἀφηνιάζον, ἐπιβάται αἱ ψυχαὶ τυγχάνουσιν οὐ τεταγμένως, οὐκ ἐπιστημονικῶς δαμάζουσαι τοὺς οἷς̣ ε᾿̣πιβαίνουσιν ἵππους· διὸ καὶ αἰσχύνην ὑπομένουσιν οἰστρηλατούμεναι, ὡς τὸ προφητικὸν ῥητόν φησιν· «Καταισχυνθήσονται ἀναβάται ἵππων.» 3.271 Καθ' ἑτέραν νόησιν ἵπποι νοείσθωσαν οἱ κομπώδεις καὶ σοφισταὶ ἄνθρωποι, ὧν ἐπιβαίνουσιν πονηραὶ δυνάμεις ἀτάκτως φερόμεναι οὐκ εἰδυῖαι χαλιναγωγεῖν ἀλλ' ἀτάκτῳ ῥύμῃ φέρεσθαι, αἵτινες διὰ τὸ ἀτέχνως ἐπισπέρχειν τὰ τετρασκελῆ πάθη καταισχυνθήσονται· κατὰ βαράθρων χωροῦσιν διὰ τὸ νυστάζειν καὶ ὑπνώττειν, τ̣ῶν σωτηριωδῶς ἱππαζομένων οὐχ ὑπομενόντων τ̣ὰ τ̣ῶν καταισχυνομένων· ἡ γὰρ ὑπωπιάζουσα ψυχὴ καὶ δουλαγωγοῦσα ὃ περίκειται σῶμα, οὐκ ἐπιβάτης, οὐκ ἀναβάτης, ἀλλ' ἱππεύς ἐστιν ἐπιστημονικῶς πωλοδαμνοῦσα. 3.272 Ὡσαύτως ἱππικῇ τέχνῃ ἐπιβαίνουσαι θεῖαί τινες δυνάμεις ἀνδράσιν ἀρίστοις ἱππικῶς φέρονται, ῥύμῃ θείας διδασκαλίας φερόμεναι, ἡγεμόνα καὶ ἔξαρχον ἔχουσαι τὸν οὗ ἡ ἱππασία σωτηρία ἐστίν, πρὸς ὃν εἴρηται· «Ἐπίβηθι ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους σου καὶ ἡ ἱππασία σου
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
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.