The Fall of Horses and Mules
Adorned and variegated with gold.
For the Holy Spirit does not teach regarding bodily pleasures to such an extent as to think so, but rather regarding garments that clothe and adorn the inner man, about which it is commanded in Ecclesiastes: 'Let your garments always be white' (Eccl 9:8), which God himself clothes and endows the soul that speaks thankfully: 'I will rejoice in the Lord; for he has clothed me with the garment of salvation and the robe of gladness' (Ps 30:5).
Toward this one swelling with worldly pleasures, the one providing her the same as a bridegroom says: 'I have clothed you in fine linen and purple' (Zech 14:8), fine linen being the beautiful and subtle thoughts and works woven out, and purple being the actions and words of the senses woven together, like the purple growing from the earth, so as to be compared to the sensible things.
Judah, being arrayed as a gathering, seeing the peace of the strong Jerusalem by intellect, gathered the spiritual treasures of the people which are gold, silver, and a great abundance of garments, clearly signifying the mind and the word according to the interpretations by allegory, and the provided clothing being gathered in great abundance. Sufficiently having become clear regarding the present word, we set forth the following to him.
And this shall be the fall of the horses and the mules and the camels and the donkeys and all the cattle that are in those encampments, according to this fall (Zech 14:15).
Just as nations that stood badly have fallen blessedly and risen praiseworthily, as it was correctly interpreted, so the horses, mules, camels, and donkeys according to allegory, having fallen from their current state, will rise salvationally upon a special good.
For the mares having become those that lust after the mates of their neighbors, they have fallen from the passion of the lover and the state of adultery, in order that they might rise in a praiseworthy resurrection, concerning which Jesus said to those being instructed: 'Arise, let us go from here' (Matt 20:22), and toward the Church having become his bride from the nations he cries: 'Arise, come, my beloved' (Song 2:10). The apostolic teaching possesses this understanding here: 'Arise, you who sleep, and rise from the dead' (Eph 5:14)...
"...seeing, and Christ will shine upon you." Similarly to the fall of horses, the mules will also fall, because of a sterility of soul, such as they are called. Concerning both of these animals, the divine Word says to men: "Do not become like the horse and the mule, which have no understanding." (Psalm 147:10). Just as the promiscuous and the many-partnered are called horses, so too a mule might be said allegorically of a virgin possessing an incorrupt body, though not necessarily being holy in the Spirit. Because of such a sterility, even the one who has been castrated is called a mule, not for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, but for the sake of pleasing men.
After the fall, the horses and mules, having been assigned that role, will rise up and will have the power to charge against those for whom the saints said: "Mount upon your horses, and your cavalry is salvation." (Psalm 147:8). Likewise, the mule will undergo the transformation interpreted by David, whom I call the Savior, riding and charging royally.
In the same manner, the camels and the donkeys and all the other cattle found in those encampments, as is clearly shown, will fall down and rise up. According to the fall of the horses and those called as such, men who study the divine law by rote, but without distinguishing what is to be practiced from what is not, are camels according to tropology.
For indeed, the students of the law, who lift up words by 'nibbling' and devouring 'as if chaff' the pre-laid food, do not break the weapon nor sharpen the claw; they are found to be unclean, not distinguishing the practice from the non-practice. Such are the Jews according to the flesh, who do not divide the Spirit from the letter, nor the truth from the shadow, nor even the things being clearly performed from those being acted out through wickedness, whence it is thus: They are considered a "sinful nation and a people full of sins," because there is not enough for purity from emptiness, that is, to study in vain, according to that which is said concerning them: "The people have studied in vain." (Jeremiah 2:8). For having been born outside the instruction of the one "who begot them and exalted them," all heard as one: "A son who abandons the keeping of his father's instruction will meditate on evil words." (Proverbs 28:7).
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Greek
χρυσοῖς περιβεβλημένη πεποικιλμένοις.» 5.138 Μὴ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἡ διάνοια τυφλωθείη ὡς νομίσαι περὶ ἐσθημάτων σωματικῶν διδάσκειν τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, ἀλλὰ περὶ ἱματίων ἐπόντων καὶ κοσμούντων τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον, περὶ ὧν ἐν Ἐκκλησιαστῇ γέγραπται προστακτικῶς· «Ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ λευκὰ ἔστωσαν τὰ ἱμάτιά σο̣υ», ἃ αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἀμφιέννυσιν καὶ ἐνδιδύσκει τὴν εὐχαριστητικῶς λέγουσαν ψυχήν· «Ἀγαλλιῶμαι ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ· ἐνέδυσεν γάρ με ἱματισμὸν σωτηρίου καὶ χιτῶνα εὐφροσύνης.» 5.139 Πρὸς τὴν οὕτω ἐναβρυνομένην ἐπὶ κόσμῳ ἐσθημάτων, ὁ παρασχὼν αὐτῇ αὐτὰ νυμφίος φησίν· «Ἐνέδυσά σε τρίχαπτα καὶ βύσσινα», τρίχαπτα καλῶν τ̣ὰ ἐξ ἰσχνοτ̣άτων̣ καὶ λεπτῶν νοημάτων καὶ ἔργων ὑφ̣ανθέντα ··· β̣ύσσινα δέ ἐστιν τὰ ἐκ τῶν αἰσθητῶν πράξεών τε καὶ λόγων συμπλακέντα, τῆς βύσσου ἐκ τῆς γῆς φυομένης, ὡς κατὰ τοῦτο το̣ῖς αἰσθ̣ητοῖς παραβάλλεσθαι. 5.140 Συναγαγὼν ὁ Ἰούδας παραταξόμενος ἐν τῇ ὁρώσῃ τὴν εἰρήνην νοητῇ Ἰερουσαλὴμ τὴν ἰσχὺν τῶν λαῶν κυκλόθεν, συνήγαγεν τὰ νοητὰ τῶν λαῶν κειμήλια ὑπάρχοντα χρυσίον, ἀργύριον, πλῆθος ἱματίων σφόδρα, νοῦν δηλονότι καὶ λόγον κατὰ τὰ ἡρμηνευμένα κατ' ἀναγωγὴν καὶ τὸν ἀποδοθέντα ἱματισμὸν εἰς πλῆθος σφόδρα συνηγμένον. Αὐτάρκως εἰς τὸ παρὸν ῥητὸν γεναμένης σαφηνείας, τὰ ἑξῆς αὐτῷ ἐκθώμεθα. 5.141 Zach. XIV, 15: Καὶ αὕτη ἔσται ἡ πτῶσις τῶν ἵππων καὶ τῶν ἡμιόνων καὶ τῶν καμήλ̣ων καὶ τῶν ὄνων καὶ πάντων τῶν κτηνῶν τῶν ὄντων ἐν ταῖς παρεμβολαῖς ἐκείναις κατὰ τὴν πτῶσιν ταύτην. 5.142 Ὥσπερ τὰ ἑστηκότα κακῶς ἔθνη πεσόντα μακαρίως 5.142 καὶ ἐπαινετῶς ἀνέστ̣η, ὡς ἀρτίως ἡρμηνεύθη, οὕτως οἱ κατ' ἀλληγορίαν ἵπποι, ἡμίονοι, κάμηλοι, ὄνοι, πεσόντες ἀπὸ τῆς στάσεως ἧς εἰσιν τοιοῦτοι, σωτηριωδῶς ἀν̣αστήσονται ἐπὶ ἰδίῳ καλῷ. 5.143 Οἱ γὰρ θηλυμανεῖς ἵπποι γενόμενοι τῷ χρεμετίζειν ἐπὶ τὰς τοῦ πλησίον γαμετάς, πεπτώκασιν ἀπὸ τοῦ φιληδ̣όνου πάθους καὶ μοιχικῆς καταστάσεως, ἵν' ἀναστῶσιν εἰς ἐπαινετὴν ἀνέγερσιν, περὶ ἧς Ἰησοῦς τοῖς παιδευομένοις εἶπεν· «Ἐγείρεσθε, ἄγωμεν ἐντεῦθεν», καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν̣ Ἐκκλησίαν γενομένην αὐτοῦ νύμφην βοᾷ· «Ἀνάστα ἐλθέ, ἡ πλησίον μου.» Τῆς νοήσεως ταύτης τυγχάνει τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἔχον ὧδε· «Ἔγειρε, ὁ καθεύδων καὶ ἀνάστα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, καὶ ἐπιφαύσει σοι ὁ Χριστός.» 161 5.144 Παραπλησίως τῇ πτώσει τῶν ἵππων καὶ οἱ ἡμίονοι πεσοῦνται, διὰ στείρωσιν ψυχῆς οὕτω κ̣αλούμενοι. Περὶ ἀμφοτέρων τούτων τῶν ζῴων, τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὁ θεῖός φησιν λόγος· «Μὴ γίνεσθε ὡς ἵππ̣ος καὶ ἡμίονος, οἷς οὐκ ἔστι σύνεσις.» Ὥσπερ δὲ ἵπποι καλοῦνται οἱ γ̣υναιμανεῖς καὶ πολύκοινοι, οὕτως ἡμίονος ῥηθείη ἂν ἀλληγορικῶς ἡ ἄφθορον ἔχουσα τὸ σῶμα παρθένος, μὴ μὴν ἁγία οὖσα τῷ πνεύματι. ∆ιὰ τὴν τοιαύτην στείρωσιν καὶ ὁ εὐνουχισθεὶς οὐ διὰ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐραν̣ῶν, ἀλλ' ἀρεσκείας τῆς πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἕνεκα, ἡμίονος κέκλητ̣αι. 5.145 Μετὰ τὴν πτῶσιν, οἱ ἀποδοθέντες ἵπποι καὶ ἡμίονοι ἀναστάντες ὀχούμενον ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἕξουσιν τὸν πρὸς ὃν εἶπον οἱ ἅγιοι· «Ἐπίβηθι ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους σου καὶ ἡ ἱππασία σ̣ου σωτηρία.» Ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ ἡμίονος τὴν ἑρμηνευθεῖσαν μεταβολὴν σχὼν ἕξει τὸν ∆αυίδ, τὸν Σωτῆρά φημι, ἐφεζόμενον καὶ ὀχούμενον βασιλικῶς. 5.146 Τῷ ἀποδοθέντι τρόπ̣ῳ ἐκπεσοῦνται καὶ ἀναστήσονται οἱ κάμ̣ηλοι καὶ οἱ ὄνοι καὶ πάντα τὰ ἄλλα κτήνη τυγχάνοντα ἐν ταῖς̣ π̣αρεμβολαῖς ἐκείναις, ταῖς καταλλήλοις δηλονότι. Κατὰ τὴν πτῶσιν τῶν ἵππων καὶ τῶν ἐφεξῆς λεγομένων, κάμηλοι τυγχάνουσιν κατὰ τροπολογίαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ μελετῶντες δῆθεν τὸν θεῖον νόμον, ἄνευ τοῦ δ̣ιαστε´̣λ̣λειν τὸ πρακτέον καὶ μὴ πρακτέον. 5.147 Ἠμὲν γὰρ ἀνάγουσιν μηρυκισμὸν «λεπτύνοντες» καὶ λεαίνοντες «ὡς χνοῦν» τὴν προκαταβεβλημένην τροφὴν μελετητικοὺς τοῦ νόμου αἴροντες λόγους, ἠδὲ οὐ διχηλοῦσιν ὁπλὴν οὐδὲ ὀνυχίζουσιν ὀνυχιστῆρα, ἀκάθαρτοι τυγχάνουσιν, οὐ διαστέλλοντες τὸ πρακτέον ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ τοιούτου. 5.148 Τοιοῦτοι τυγχάνουσιν οἱ κατὰ σάρκα Ἰουδαῖοι, οὐ διαιροῦντες ἀπὸ τοῦ γράμματος τὸ πνεῦμα, ἀπὸ τῆς σκιᾶς τὴν ἀλ̣ήθειαν, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἀπὸ τῶν ἐναρέτω̣ς τελουμένων καὶ κατὰ κακίαν ἐνεργούμενα, ὅθεν το´̣· Νομίζονται ὡς «ἁμαρ̣τωλὸν ἔθνος καὶ λαὸς πλήρης ἁμαρτιῶν», οὐκ αὐτάρκως ὄντος πρὸς καθαρότητα τοῦ κενῶς, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ματαίως μελετᾶν, κατὰ τὸ περὶ αὐτῶν εἰρημένον· «Λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά.» Ἔξω γὰρ γενάμενο̣ι τῆς μαθήσε̣ως τοῦ «γ̣εννήσαντος αὐτοὺς καὶ ὑψώσαντος», ἤκουσαν πάντες ὡς εἷς· «Υἱὸς ἀπολειπόμενος φυλάξαι παιδείαν πατρὸς μελετήσει ῥήσεις κακάς.» 5.149 Τῶν κατὰ
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
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