The Wealth of Judah and the Garments of the Church

My eyes are always toward the Lord.

Similarly, according to the theory applied, one should attempt to take what was said in the Gospel by our Savior, as previously brought forward: 'I came into the world for judgment, so that those not seeing might see and those seeing might become blind' (John 12:47). For the eyes of those seeing sinfully, having hardened their vision, there will be a dimming regarding seeing rightly and holily.

It is possible also to apply another understanding to the Gospel. Since the Jews, blaspheming the Lord impiously while unfaithfully denying Him, it was fitting that they be blinded, according to what was said in a prophet: 'The servants of God were blinded' (Isa 53:7), those falsely promising to serve Him; and when this happened, those called from the Gentiles into faith rose up, since it had come to pass that he said: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me, having sent me to preach to the poor, to proclaim release to captives and sight to the blind' (Luke 4:18), having enlightened them with His own wisdom, according to what is written: 'The wisdom of a man lights up his face' (Prov 15:30).

One should also take up what was proclaimed in the Psalms: 'The Lord makes the wise blind' (Ps 146:8), so that they might no longer be shown as blind but as seeing sharply, once the eyes of those seeing wickedly have been hindered and have fallen away from their own pupils—and these are the natural meanings—the eyes that see God. Man raises these eyes toward Him just as he says: 'To You I lifted up my eyes, You who dwell in heaven' (Ps 123:1).

After the flesh has been subdued, whose mindset is enmity toward God, and of those seeing impiously with eyes flowing from the interpreted pupils, so that those seeing sharply may be shown, concerning whom the Apostle writes the word having this expression: 'The eyes of the heart having been enlightened' (Eph 1:18), it is said in harmony that the tongue should also be ordered in the mouth of those having a harmful and material-matter-centered speech, so that what is said by the wise to the Master of all may exist: 'My tongue shall meditate on Your righteousness alone' (Ps 103:2). [Zechariah 14:13-14: And it shall be in that day a great confusion of the Lord upon them, and each will take hold of the hand of his neighbor. And his hand will be joined to the hand of his neighbor...]

Not his. And Judah will array himself in Jerusalem and will gather the strength of all the peoples around him, gold and silver and clothing in a very great multitude.

In the day of the Lord, what the prophet taught was accomplished: a great ecstasy of the Lord upon them, the Lord granting it, the ecstasy here declaring a wonder through negligence and thoughtlessness. For in the prophet Hosea, what is written: 'The sons of Israel shall turn and shall seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they shall stand astonished at the Lord and at His good things' (Hosea 14:2), declares a wonder, or, as some have said, a marvel. Of the same thought exists also that which is written by Habakkuk: 'I have understood your works and was astonished' (Habakkuk 3:2). The prophet says that the ecstasy thus interpreted having come from the Lord upon those being benefited, has become enlarged.

When this happens, 'Judah will array himself in Jerusalem,' concerning which it was said: 'Judah, your brothers praised you,' the Judah who confesses above all. But the receiving Judah arrays himself, confessing in the true Jerusalem, in which 'he who dwells shall not be shaken for ever,' in order to gather around him the strength of all the peoples, gold and silver and a multitude of garments, which is very great.

Often it has been made clear also in other divinely inspired writings, and to the prophet who is set forth for examination, to signify the mind enlightened by the sign of gold and the prudent and exact word by the analogy of silver. Therefore it is appropriate to apply fittingly the gold and the silver and the garments, the great multitude of which the holy Judah has gathered around him from all the peoples, that is, from all those having believed from the nations.

For clothing and garments, according to divine analogy, are the virtues according to kind and the actions performed according to them, and the doctrines of piety and the mysteries of the truth. With these garments she is covered: the bride of Christ, being the Church, and a queen, as it is sung in the forty-fourth and fourth Psalm: 'The queen stood at your right hand, arrayed and adorned in gold' (Psalm 45:13), and adds: 'In embroideries...'

Greek

ὀφθαλμοί μου διὰ παντὸς πρὸς τὸν Κύριον.» 5.128 Καταλλήλως τῇ ἀποδοθείσῃ θεωρίᾳ ἐκλαβεῖν πειρατέον τὸ λεχθὲν ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, οὕτω προενεχθέν· «Εἰς κρίμα ἐγὼ ἦλθον εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ἵνα οἱ μὴ βλέπ̣οντες βλέψωσιν καὶ οἱ βλέποντες τ̣υφλοὶ γένωνται.» Τῶν γὰρ ἁμαρτητικῶς ὁρώντων ὀφθαλμῶν στερεθέντω̣ν̣ τοῦ κακῶς βλέπ̣ειν, ὀμμ̣άτω̣σις ἔσται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀρθῶς καὶ ὁσίως ὁρᾶν. 5.129 ∆υνατὸν καὶ ἑτέρᾳ νοήσει ἐπιβαλεῖν τῷ Εὐαγγελι´̣ῳ. Ἐπεὶ ἀπιστοῦντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀσεβῶς ἐβλ̣ασφήμουν̣, ἥρμοζεν τυφλωθῆναι αὐτούς, κατὰ τὸ ἐν προφήτῃ λεχθέν· «Ἐτυφλώθησαν οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ», οἱ ψευδῶς ἐπαγγελλόμενοι δουλεύειν αὐτῷ· οὗ συμβάντος, ἀνέβλεψαν οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰς πίστιν κληθέντες, ἐληλυθότος τοῦ φήσαντος· «Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμέ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέν με, εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοὺς ἀπέστ̣αλκέν με, κηρῦξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν», φωτίσας αὐτοὺς σοφίᾳ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· «Σοφία ἀνθρώπου φωτιεῖ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ.» 5.130 Ἐπ' αὐτὸ ληπτέον καὶ τὸ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς ἀπαγγελθέν· «Κύριος σοφοῖ τυφλούς», ἵνα μηκέτι τυφλοὶ ἀλλ' ὀξὺ κα̣θορῶντες ἀποδειχθῶσιν, ἐμποδισθέντων τῶν πονηρῶς ὁρώντων ὀφθαλμῶν ἐκπεπτωκότων ἐκ τῶν ὀπῶν ἑαυτῶν, ἵν' ἀντεισαχθῶσιν ἀντίοι εἰς τὰς αὐτὰς ὄπας– αὗται δ' εἰσὶν αἱ φυσικαὶ ἔννοιαι–οἱ τὸν Θεὸν ὁρῶντες ὀφθαλμοί. Τούτους τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς πρὸς αὐτὸν αἴρει ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὡσαύτως τῷ λέγοντι· «Πρὸς σὲ ἦρα τ̣οὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου τὸν κατοικοῦντα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ.» 5.131 Τακεισῶν τῶν σαρκῶν ὧν τὸ φρόνημα ἔχθρα εἰς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ τῶν ἀσεβῶς ὁρώντων τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ῥυέντων ἐκ τῶν ἡρμηνευμένων ὀπῶν, ἐπὶ τὸ ἀποδειχθῆναι τοὺς ὀξὺ καθορῶντας, περὶ ὧν ὁ Ἀπόστολος γράφει τὴν ἔχουσαν λέξιν οὕτως· «Πεφωτισμένοι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας», ἁρμονίως εἴρηται καὶ τὴν γλῶσσαν τακῆναι ἐν τῷ στόματι τῶν ἐχόντων δολερὸν καὶ περὶ ὑλικῶν πραγμάτων λόγον, ἵνα ὑπαρχθῇ τὸ λεγόμ̣ενον ὑπὸ τοῦ σοφοῦ τῷ δεσπ̣ότῃ τῶν ὅλων· «Ἡ γλῶσσά μου μελετήσει τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου μόνου.» 5.132 Zach. XIV, 13–14: Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔκστασις Κυρίου ἐπ' αὐτοὺς μεγάλη, καὶ ἐπιλήμψεται ἕκαστος τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ. Καὶ συμπλακήσεται ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ πρὸς χεῖρα τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ὁ Ἰούδας παρατάξεται ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ συνάξει τὴν ἰσχὺν πάντων τῶν λαῶν κυκλόθεν, χρυσίον καὶ ἀργύριον καὶ ἱματισμὸν εἰς πλῆθος σ̣φόδρα. 5.133 Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐν ᾑ῀̣ κατωρθώθη ἃ ἐδίδαξεν ὁ προφήτης, ἔκστασις Κυρίου ἐπ' αὐτοὺς μεγάλη, τοῦ Κυρίου παρασχόντος αὐτήν, τῆς ἐκστάσεως ἐνταῦθα τὸν θαυμασμὸν δη̣λούσης διὰ τὴν παρακοπὴν καὶ παραφροσύνην. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῷ προφήτῃ Ὠσῆε τὸ γεγραμμένον· «Ἐπιστρέψουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἐπιζητήσουσιν Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν αὐτῶν καὶ ∆αυὶδ τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐκστήσονται ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς αὐτοῦ», θαυ̣μασμὸν δηλοῖ, ἤ, ὥς τινες εἶπον, θαυμασιότητα. 5.134 Τῆς αὐτῆς νοήσεως 160 ὑπάρχει καὶ τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἁμβακοὺμ γεγραμμένον· «Κατενόησα τὰ ἔργα σου καὶ ἐξέστην.» Τὴν οὕτω ἡρμηνευμένην ἔκστασιν γεγονέναι παρὰ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τοὺς εὐεργετουμένους̣ μεμεγεθυσμένην ὁ προφήτης φησίν. 5.135 Οὗ συμβάντος, «παρατάξεται ὁ Ἰούδας ἐν τῇ Ἰερουσαλήμ», περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· «Ἰούδα, σὲ αἰνέσαισαν οἱ ἀδελφοί σου», ὁ ὑπὲρ πάντων ἐξομολογούμενος Ἰούδας. Παρατάσσεται δὲ ὁ μεταλαμβανόμενος Ἰούδας ἐξομολογούμενος ἐν τῇ ἀληθινῇ Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἐν ᾗ «ὁ κατοικῶν οὐ σαλεύεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα», ἵνα συναγάγῃ κυκλόθεν τὴν ἰσχὺν πάντων τῶν λαῶν, χρυσίον καὶ ἀργύριον καὶ πλῆθος ἱματίων, οὖσαν σφόδρα. 5.136 Πολλάκις σεσαφήνισται καὶ ἐν ἄλλαις θεοπνεύστοις γραφαῖς καὶ τῷ εἰς ἐξέτασιν προκειμένῳ προ̣φήτῃ σημαίνεσθαι τὸν νοῦν τὸν πεφωτισμένον τῇ σημασίᾳ τοῦ χρυσοῦ καὶ τὸν συνετὸν καὶ ἠκριβωμένον λόγον τῇ τοῦ ἀργυρίου προσηγορίᾳ. Ὅθεν προσήκει καταλλήλως τῷ χρυ̣σῷ καὶ ἀργυρίῳ καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ἐφαρμόσαι, ὧν μέγα τὸ πλ̣ῆθος ὁ ἁ´̣γιος Ἰούδας συνῆξεν κυκλόθεν ἀπὸ πάντων̣ τῶν λαῶν̣, του῀̣τ' ἔστιν πάντων τῶν πεπιστευκότων ἐξ ἐθνῶν. 5.137 Ἱματισμὸς δὲ καὶ ἱμάτια κατὰ θείαν ἀναγωγη`̣ν̣ αἱ κατ' εἰ῀̣δ̣ος ἀρετ̣αὶ τυγχάνουσιν καὶ αἱ κατ' αὐτὰς ἐπιτελούμεναι πράξεις, καὶ τὰ δόγματα τῆς εὐσεβείας καὶ τὰ τη῀̣ς ἀληθείας μυστήρια. Τούτοις τοῖς ἀμφίοις ἐγκαλύπτεται ···· η῾̣ Χριστοῦ νύμφη, Ἐκκλησία οὖσα, καὶ βασιλίς, ὡς ἐν τετταρακοστῷ καὶ τετάρτῳ Ψαλμῷ ᾄδεται· «Παρέστη ἡ βασίλισσα ἐκ δεξιῶν σου ἐν ἱματισμῷ διαχρύσῳ περιβεβλημένη πεποικιλμένη», καὶ προσέτι· «Ἐν κροσσωτοῖς

About this text

Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.

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Witnesses

Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)

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