The Two Rods and the One Kingdom
And one ruler shall be over all of them as king, and they shall no longer be for two nations, nor shall they be divided again into two kingdoms (Ezekiel 37:24).
And with other things: 'And I will cleanse them, and they shall be to me as a people, and I will be to them as God. And my servant David shall be ruler in the midst of them, and he shall be one shepherd to all, because they shall walk in my commands and my judgments shall be kept and they shall do them. And they shall dwell upon their land, which I gave to my servant Jacob' (Ezekiel 37:23).
And with a little more: 'And David my servant shall be their ruler forever. And I will make for them a covenant of peace, an eternal covenant shall be with them; and I will place my holy things in the midst of them forever. And my dwelling shall be in them, and I will be to them God, and they shall be to me a people. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them by the being of my holy things in the midst of them forever' (Ezekiel 37:25, 27-28).
When the harmony of the prophetic enigma has appeared regarding the division of the one rule into two kingdoms and the restoration of these into one rule according to the prophecy of Hosea, it follows, having been read through the history, to understand the things concerning the two rods which the Son of Man took for himself.
For it must be understood through them the callings of the two peoples, both from the nations and from the circumcision, joined into one scepter of kingship, according to the meaning of the apostolic writing, which says: 'He is our peace, who makes both the two one and having broken down the middle wall of the partition, so that he might create the two in himself as one new man' (Ephesians 2:14), the Greek and the Jew.
For when one was Judaizing and the other was Hellenizing, two rods and two men existed, divided by the difference of religion, as if they were not under one king. But when the true leader shone forth, to whom the saints say: 'Your kingdom is a kingdom...'
Regarding those who are 'of the ages', the victorious one is shown to be one people, all of whom are men, having been called under one God and King, 'having preached peace to those far off and peace to those near' (Eph 2:17), so that both sides might be constructed into one kingdom in the Spirit, existing under the one God and King.
4.144 And the one called from the Gentiles is a rod upon which Judah the confessing was written, while the one from the circumcision is the scepter lying to Joseph. Each of the two in the enigma of the two rods should be clarified in detail and according to themselves in the commentary on Ezekiel, if God would call upon His own goodness to speak of them; but as for the present need, we say they are for allegory.
4.145 Of the two having become one rod of rule, one was raised by the Father, the one according to the flesh who was raised by God from David, who having become an eternal shepherd and king according to humanity, having been shown to be the leader of a peaceful and eternal covenant, will rule steadfastly and peacefully for ever unto the ages, his kingdom never ceasing.
4.146 It is fitting to this thus peaceful state, in the midst of those beginning, that the holy mysteries of the kingdom of God be given to be dwelt in by him, the generous one, in the midst of those being both saved and sanctified, of so great and far-reaching good, to be fulfilled according to the time of the incarnation, just as the Word having become flesh dwelt among his own (John 1:14), so that having advanced even more, they might behold 'his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth' (John 1:14).
4.147 Not unseasonably, as it were, has it been clarified, despite a digression, concerning the two scepters which the Son of Man took for himself (Zech 11:7), so that having joined and bound them together, he might show them as one rod.
4.148 And this good thing will exist perfectly when 'the fullness of the Gentiles having entered' (Rom 11:25), into the highest blessedness, 'all Israel shall be saved' (Rom 11:26).
Greek
καὶ ἄρχων εἷς ἔσται πάντων αὐτῶν εἰς βασιλέα, καὶ οὐκ ἔσονται ἔτι εἰς δύο ἔθνη οὐδὲ μὴ διαιρεθῶσιν οὐκέτι εἰς δύο βασιλείας.» 4.139 Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· «Καὶ καθαριῶ αὐτούς, καὶ ἔσονταί μοι εἰς λαόν, καὶ ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς εἰς Θεόν. Καὶ ὁ δοῦλός μου ∆αυὶδ ἄρχων ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν, καὶ ποιμὴν εἷς ἔσται πάντων, ὅτι ἐν τοῖς προστάγμασίν μου πορεύσονται καὶ τὰ κρίματά μου φυλάξονται καὶ ποιήσουσιν αὐτά. Καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αὐτῶν, ἣν ἐγὼ ἔδωκα τῷ δούλῳ μου Ἰακώβ.» 4.140 Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· «Καὶ ∆αυὶδ ὁ δοῦλός μου ἄρχων αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Καὶ διαθήσομαι αὐτοῖς διαθήκην εἰρήνης, διαθήκη αἰωνία ἔσται μετ' αὐτῶν· καὶ θήσω τὰ ἅγιά μου ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Καὶ ἔσται ἡ κατασκήνωσίς μου ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς Θεός, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔσονταί μου λαός. Καὶ γνώσονται τὰ ἔθνη ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι Κύριος ὁ ἁγιάζων αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ εἶναι τὰ ἅγιά μου ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.» 4.141 Φανείσης τῆς συμφωνίας τοῦ προφητικοῦ αἰνίγματος πρὸς τὴν διαίρεσιν τῆς μιᾶς ἀρχῆς εἰς δύο βασιλείας καὶ τῆς τούτων εἰς μίαν ἀρχὴν ἀποκαταστάσεως κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Ὠσῆε προφητείαν, ἀκόλουθον μετὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν ἀνηγμένως νοῆσαι τὰ περὶ τῶν δύο ῥάβδων ὧν ἔλαβεν ἑαυτῷ ὁ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου υἱός. 4.142 Σημαίνεσθαι γὰρ δι' αὐτῶν ἡγητέον τὰς κλήσεις τῶν δύο λαῶν, τοῦ τε ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς, συνδεθεισῶν εἰς ἓν σκῆπτρον βασιλείας, κατὰ τὴν διάνοιαν τῆς ἀποστολικῆς γραφῆς, οὕτως ἐχούσης· «Αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν, ὁ ποιῶν τὰ ἀμφότερα ἓν καὶ τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ λύσας, ἵνα τοὺς δύο κτίσῃ ἐν αὐτῷ εἰς ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον», τὸν ἕλληνα καὶ ἰουδαῖον. 4.143 Ὅτε μὲν γὰρ ὃ μὲν ἰουδάϊζεν ὃ δὲ ἡλλήνιζεν, δύο ῥάβδοι καὶ δύο ἄνθρωποι ὑπῆρχον ἐκ τῆς διαφόρου θρησκείας διῃρημένοι, ὡς μὴ ὑπὸ ἕνα βασιλέα εἶναι. Ἡνίκα δὲ ἐπέλαμψεν ὁ ἀληθινὸς ἡγούμενος πρὸς ὃν οἱ ἅγιοί φασιν· «Ἡ βασιλεία σου βασιλεία πάντων τῶν αἰώνων», τὸ τηνικάδε εἷς λαὸς οἱ πάντες ἄνθρωποι ἀπεδείχθησαν, ὑπὸ ἕνα Θεὸν καὶ βασιλέα κληθέντες «εὐαγγελισάμενον εἰρήνην τοῖς μακρὰν καὶ εἰρήνην τοῖς ἐγγύς», ἵν' ἐν πνεύματι ἀμφότεροι μία βασιλεία κατασκευασθῶσιν ὑπὸ τὸν ἕνα Θεὸν καὶ βασιλέα ὑπάρχοντες. 4.144 Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν κληθεὶς λαὸς ῥάβδος ἐστὶν ἐφ' ᾗ ἐγράφη Ἰούδας ὁ ἐξομολογούμενος, ὁ δὲ ἐκ περιτομῆς τὸ σκῆπτρόν ἐστιν τὸ τῷ Ἰωσὴφ ἀνακείμενον. Ἕκαστα τῶν ἐν τῷ αἰνίγματι τῶν δύο ῥάβδων λεπτομερῶς καὶ καθ' αὑτὰ σαφηνισθείη ἐν τοῖς εἰς τὸν Ἰεζεκιήλ, εἰ καλέσοι Θεὸς ἀγαθότητι τῇ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὰ εἰπεῖν, ὡς δὲ πρὸς τὴν παροῦσαν χρείαν φαμὲν πρὸς ἀλληγορίαν. 4.145 Τῶν δύο γεναμένων εἰς μίαν ῥάβδον ἀρχῶν, εἷς ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἠγέρθη ὁ κατὰ σάρκα ἐκ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ ὑπὸ Θεοῦ ἐγερθείς, ὅστις αἰώνιος ποιμὴν καὶ βασιλεὺς κατὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν γεγονώς, διαθήκης εἰρηνικῆς καὶ αἰωνίου πρύτανις ὀφθείς, εὐσταθῶς καὶ εἰρηνικῶς ἀτελευτήτως ἄρξει εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, οὐ τελευτώσης ποτὲ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ. 4.146 Ἁρμόζει τῇ οὕτως εἰρηνικῇ καταστάσει ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἀρχομένων δοθῆναι τὰ ἅγια τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείας ὄντα μυστήρια ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ μεγαλοδώρου κατασκηνοῦντος ἐν μέσῳ τῶν σῳζομένων τε καὶ ἁγιαζομένων, τοῦ τοσούτου καὶ τηλικούτου ἀγαθοῦ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως καιρὸν πληρωθησομένου, ὁπηνίκα ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ γεγονὼς ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις γνωρίμοις, ἵν' ἔτι μᾶλλον προκόψαντες θεάσωνται «τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ Πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας». 4.147 Οὐκ ἀκαίρως ὡς οἷόν τε σεσαφήνισται μετὰ παρεκβάσεως τὰ περὶ τῶν δύο σκήπτρων ὧν ἔλαβεν ἑαυτῷ ὁ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου υἱός, ἵνα συνδήσας καὶ συσφίγξας αὐτὰ μίαν ῥάβδον ἀποδείξῃ. 4.148 Τελείως δὲ τοῦτο τὸ ἀγαθὸν ὑπάρξεται ὅταν «εἰσελθόντος τοῦ πληρώματος τῶν ἐθνῶν» εἰς τὴν ἀκροτάτην μακαριότητα «ὁ πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθῇ». 4.149 Zach. XΙ, 15–16:
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)
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