The Divine Descent and Motion
Joseph, his name, wrote truly and with precision the misfortunes, famines, and other much more distressing evils that were coming upon the nation, which the beauty-loving reader, rejoicing in reading, is drawn toward a love of learning and a fear of suffering the same.
He says that they are not being driven out of the city by the cruel tyrants, whom God tests in fire as silver and gold are tested, in order that their vainglory and condemnation might be known. [Zechariah 14:3-4: The Lord will arise and line up against those nations as on a day of battle. And his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, half of it toward the east and half toward the sea, a very great chaos.]
God, being incorporeal, rather exceeding all spiritual substance, is without reception of those things pertaining to bodies—colors, forms, and magnitudes—I say, whence he is invisible. For every visible substance must exist under forms, magnitudes, colors, and their adjacents, but God is invisible, as many words of the Scriptures testify, being a spiritual substance, nor does he move transitionally, nor does the whole exist in a place.
It is sufficient to receive the testimony having such characteristics: 'Who is the image of the invisible God' Colossians 1:15, and again: 'To the King of the ages, the incorruptible invisible God' 1 Timothy 6:16. The apostolic words and the evangelical ones declare the same: she the Scripture having thus: 'No one has seen God at any time; the only-begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father has made him known' John 1:18, and again: 'Not that anyone has seen God, except the one who is from the Father' John 6:46.
Since, therefore, these things are rightly said and thought concerning God, the more bodily things concerning him announced economically in the divine Scriptures must be understood spiritually and appropriately. For the manner of him being said in the prophet: 'I have not changed' Malachi 3:6, and of the theologians saying similarly, the one hymnographer to the one being glorified saying: 'But you are the same,' and: 'But you remain,' and of Jacob writing about the...
Suffering and unchangeable. 'Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from above from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change or shadow of turning' (James 1:17). And just as we grasp and understand the words concerning his repentance and his wrath and those of the neighbors, so, since he is incorporeal, we receive the words concerning ascending and descending, and going out and coming in, in harmony with the thought concerning him.
Therefore, in the present prophecy where it is written: 'The Lord will go forth' (Zephaniah 1:15), we do not imagine a changing motion; for such motions belong to bodies. 5.36 Since, therefore, it does not fit to confess these things concerning an invisible essence, yet they are carried in the divinely inspired oracles, it is necessary to oversee how they must be understood piously. 5.37 Being a fountain of goodness and 'full of grace and truth' (John 1:14), the cause of all things, descending in sympathy with those being managed by him, becomes outside himself as if he were among them. For the Lord and our Savior says in the Gospels concerning himself: 'I went out from God and I have come; for I did not come from myself, but he sent me' (John 16:28). With the same thought the prophet Habakkuk spoke toward him: 'You went out for the salvation of your people, to save your anointed ones' (Habakkuk 3:3). 5.38 And just as he goes out and comes to those being saved, so much more when he is wroth or wars. For it is written concerning Michael: 'Behold, the Lord goes forth from his house, and he shall be among us for a witness and shall descend' (Jude 1:9), and in Isaiah: 'The Lord of powers will go forth and will crush war, and he will arouse zeal and will cry out against his enemies with strength' (Isaiah 63:3). 5.39 Considering these things in a God-befitting manner, God is said to go out 'upon the nations, that he may array himself against them as in a day of war' (Zephaniah 1:15) when 'his feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives toward the east' (Zechariah 14:4); for where must his feet stand, since he is no longer moving in indignation, according to what was already previously said: 'And the Lord will sound the trumpet and will go forth in the threat of his wrath' (Zephaniah 1:16)? In this way, Adam heard the voice of the feet of God, the fearful one, having received the sensation of him leaving and walking away from him who previously was with him and conversing with him. 5.40 The Savior said by this thought in...
Greek
Ἰώσιππος ὄνομα αὐτῷ, ἀνέγραψεν ἀληθῶς καὶ κατὰ ἀκρίβειαν τὰς ἐπελθούσας τῷ ἔθνει συμφοράς τε καὶ λιμοὺς καὶ ἄλλας πολὺ τούτων ἀνιαρωτάτας κακοπραγίας, ἃ θεωρῆσαι ἔστιν τὸν φιλόκαλον ἀναγνώσμασιν χαίροντα συντείνουσιν πρὸς φιλομάθειαν καὶ φόβον τοῦ μὴ παθεῖν τὰ αὐτά. 5.30 Καταλοίπους λέγει μὴ ἀποσπωμένους ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ὑπὸ τῶν ὠμῶν τυράννων, οὓς διάγων ὁ Θεὸς ἐν πυρὶ πυροῖ, ὡς τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ ὡς τὸ χρυσίον δοκιμάζει, ὑπὲρ τοῦ γνωσθῆναι τὸ ἐπίδοξον καὶ ἐπίτιμον αὐτῶν. 5.31 Zach. XIV, 3–4: Και`̣ ἐξελεύσεται Κύριος καὶ παρατάξεται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐκείνοις καθὼς ἡμέρα παρατάξεως αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πολέμου. Καὶ στήσονται οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τῶν ἐλαιῶν τὸ κατέναντι Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐξ ἀνατολῶν· καὶ σχισθήσεται τὸ ὄρος τῶν ἐλαιῶν, τὸ ἥμισυ αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἀνατολὰς καὶ τὸ ἥμισυ α̣ὐτοῦ πρὸς θάλασσαν, χ̣άος μέγα σφόδρα. 5.32 Ἀσώματος ὢν ὁ Θεός, μᾶλλον δὲ ὑπε̣ρέκεινα πάσης νοερᾶς οὐσίας, ἀνεπίδεκτός ἐστιν τῶν προσ̣όντων τοῖς σώμασιν, χρωμ̣άτων καὶ σχημ̣άτων καὶ μεγεθῶν φημι, ὅθεν ἀόρατος ὑπάρχει. Πᾶσα γὰρ ἀνάγκη τὴν ὁρατὴν οὐσίαν ὑπὸ σχήματα και`̣ μ̣εγέθη, χρώματά τε καὶ τὰ παραπλήσια ὑπάρχειν, ἀλλὰ ἀόρατος ὁ Θεός, ὡς πολλαὶ λέξεις τῶν γραφῶν μαρτυροῦσιν, νοερὰ οὐσία τυγχάνων, οὐδὲ μεταβατικῶς κινεῖται, οὐδ' ἐν τόπῳ τὸ σύνολον ὑπάρχει. 5.33 Ἀρκεῖ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος μαρτυρίας παραλαβεῖν τὰς οὕτως ἐχούσας· «Ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου», καὶ πάλιν· «Τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων, ἀφθάρτῳ ἀοράτῳ Θεῷ.» Ταῖς ἀποστολικαῖς λέξεσιν καὶ αἱ εὐαγγελικαὶ τὸ αὐτὸ δηλοῦσιν· ἥ τε οὕτως ἔχουσα· «Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε· μονογενὴς Θεὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐξηγήσατο», καὶ πάλιν· «Οὐχ ὅτι τὸν Θεὸν ἑώρακέν τις, εἰ μὴ ὁ ὢν παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός.» 5.34 Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ταῦτα ὀρθῶς περὶ Θεοῦ λέγεται καὶ φρονεῖται, τὰ σωματικώτερον περὶ αὐτοῦ οἰκονομικῶς ἐν ταῖς θείαις γραφαῖς ἀναγγελλόμενα νοητῶς καὶ θεοπρεπῶς ἐκλημπτέον. 5.35 Ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον λέγοντος αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ προφήτ̣ῃ· «Οὐκ ἠλλοίωμαι», καὶ τῶν θεολόγων ὁμοδόξως λεγόντων, τοῦ μὲν ὑμνῳδοῦ πρὸς τὸν δοξολογούμενον λέγοντος· «Σὺ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς εἶ», καὶ τό· «Σὺ δὲ διαμενεῖς», τοῦ δὲ Ἰακώβου γράφοντος περὶ τοῦ ἀπαθοῦς καὶ ἀναλλοιώτου· «Πᾶσα δόσις ἀγαθὴ καὶ πᾶν δώρημα τέλειον ἄνωθέν ἐστιν καταβαῖνον παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς τῶν φωτῶν, παρ' ᾧ οὐκ ἔνι παραλλαγὴ ἢ τροπῆς ἀποσκίασμα», καὶ καθὼς ἐκλαμβάνομεν καὶ διανοούμεθα τὰς περὶ μετανοίας̣ καὶ ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν παραπλησίων λέξεις, οὕτω, ἀσ̣ωμάτου ὑπάρχοντος, τὰς περὶ τοῦ ἀναβαίνειν καὶ καταβαίνειν, ἐξιέναι τε καὶ εἰσιέναι φωνὰς ἁρμονίως τῇ περὶ αὐτοῦ νοήσει ἐκδεχόμεθα. Ὅθεν ἐν τῇ ἐκκειμένῃ προφητείᾳ κ̣ειμε´̣νου· «Ἐξελεύσεται Κύριος», οὐ μεταβατικὴν κίνησιν φανταζόμεθα· σωμάτων γὰρ αἱ τοιαῦται κινήσεις. 5.36 Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν μὴ ἁρμόζει περὶ ἀοράτου οὐσίας ὁμολογεῖν ταῦτα, φέρονται δὲ ἐν τοῖς θεοπνεύστοις λογίοις, ἐπιστατέον πῶς εὐσεβῶς αὐτὰ δεῖ 149 νοῆσαι. 5.37 Πηγὴ ἀγαθότητος καὶ «πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας» τυγχάνων, ὁ πάντων αἴτιος συγκαταβαίνων τοῖς οἰκονομουμένοις ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἔξω πως ἑαυτοῦ γίνεται. Ἀμέλει γοῦν ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ὁ Κύριος καὶ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ φησιν· «Ἐγὼ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξῆλθον καὶ ἥκω· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ ἐλήλυθα, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνός με ἀπέστειλεν.» Τῇ αὐτῇ νοήσει πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ προφήτης Ἁμβακοὺμ ἀνεφθέγξατο· «Ἐξῆλθας εἰς σωτηρίαν τοῦ λαοῦ σου τοῦ σῶσαι τοὺς χριστούς σου.» 5.38 Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐξέρχεται καὶ ἥκει πρὸς τοὺς σῳζομένους, οὕτω πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὅτε ὀργίζεται ἢ πολεμεῖ. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῷ Μιχαίᾳ γέγραπται· «Ἰδοὺ Κύριος ἐκπορεύεται ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσται ἐν ἡμῖν εἰς μαρτύριον καὶ καταβήσεται», καὶ ἐν Ἠσαΐᾳ· «Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων ἐξελεύσεται καὶ συντρίψει πόλεμον, καὶ ἐπεγερεῖ ζῆλον καὶ βοήσεται ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ μετὰ ἰσχύος.» 5.39 Θεοπρεπῶς τούτων θεωρουμένων, ἐξέρχεσθαι Θεὸς λέγεται «ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη, ἵνα παρατάξηται ἐπ' αὐτῶν ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πολέμου» ὅτε «καὶ στήσονται οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ τῶν ἐλαιῶν ὄρος τὸ κατ' ἀνατολάς»· ποῦ γὰρ δεῖ στῆναι τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ οὐκέτι κινουμένου ἀγανακτητικῶς κατὰ τὸν̣ ἤδη πρότερον εἰρημένον· «Καὶ Κύριος σαλπιεῖ καὶ πορεύσεται ἐν ἀπειλῇ ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ»; Τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ παραβὰς ὁ Ἀδὰμ ἤκουσεν τὴν φωνὴν τῶν ποδῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ δειλινόν, αἴσθησιν λ̣αβὼν ἐγκαταλιπόντος καὶ βαδίσαντος ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ συ̣νόντος πρότερον καὶ συνομιλοῦντος. 5.40 Ταύτῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ εἶπεν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
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