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3 Therefore they learned and were assured of the resurrection of Adam, seeing the Lord raising the widow’s son; for the earth became like a widow when her first-formed son died. And seeing him again raise the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, they were made wise that he would also raise Eve with Adam. Again, when <he> raised the son of the foreign centurion, they were also taught in this, that he would also raise the foreign nations. Behold, three different kinds of the dead. But when he raised Lazarus, the four-days-dead, from the tomb, the one constituted of four elements, the one who stank, the one who was decayed, the one who was overcome by worms, it was made known to the principalities and powers, the heavenly and the earthly, that he would raise all humanity which is constituted from the four elements, even if it stank in the sin of transgression, even if it decayed in the impiety of idolatry, even if, as by worms, it was overcome and taken captive by demons to do their will. Therefore, seeing these things, the angels secretly and men openly were astounded, and were amazed, and began to cry out and say: “Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, hosanna in the highest.” And they praised him not only as a sign-bearer, but also as a king who took captive all the captivity that had been captured from eternity by the devil and by death. For these and such reasons the divine prophets proclaim him king.

4 Since the aforementioned prophets are hosts for rational souls, and just as the months of the year nourish human bodies in their turn, so too do they, in turn, or rather, in common, nourish at a feast and always the souls of the faithful, and they make Christians drunk with divine teachings, as one of them somewhere says: “They shall be drunk with the fatness of your house.” Come, let us listen, and they will recount to us, all who love the kingdom of the Lord, what the great Zacharias, the glorious among prophets, prophesies to us concerning it. Let us understand what the herald proclaims, running ahead of the kingdom a long time before. Come, let us enjoy, as rational feasters, the words proceeding through the mouth of God through the spiritual host Zacharias; for it fell to his lot to feed us in this feast, as the Lord says that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds through the mouth of God.” For since sorrow happens to be hateful among men, but joy is desired, he begins to cry out from joy, saying: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.” “Rejoice greatly,” cries the prophet to the captivity. “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God.” Why “Rejoice”? And why “greatly” “be glad and rejoice”? Because he who returns you has come, as the father of the king who returns you announced beforehand, saying: “When the Lord turned back the captivity of Zion, we became as men comforted; then our mouth was filled with joy, and our tongue with gladness.”

5 “Rejoice,” he says, because you are returning from the captivity of demons and the exile of this age to the Jerusalem above, which your father Abraham awaited, as somewhere the blessed apostle Paul says: But you “have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge, who is God of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.” Whence “pain, sorrow, and sighing have fled away,” where the dwelling of all the rejoicing righteous is. Then “be glad and rejoice” and “rejoice greatly, O daughter” of this Zion, clearly. “And why,” she says, “shall I rejoice greatly, O prophet?” “Rejoice,” because that terrible one will no longer take you captive, “greatly,” however, because not as the others

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3 Ἔμαθον οὖν καὶ ἐβεβαιώθησαν τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦ Ἀδάμ, θεωρήσαντες τὸν κύριον ἐγείραντα τὸν υἱὸν τῆς χήρας· ὡς χήρα γὰρ ἐγένετο ἡ γῆ, ἀποθανόντος τοῦ πρωτοπλάστου αὐτῆς υἱοῦ. Ἰδόντες δὲ αὐτὸν πάλιν ἐγείραντα τὴν θυγατέρα τοῦ ἀρχισυναγώ γου, κατεσοφίσθησαν ὅτι καὶ τὴν Εὔαν μετὰ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἐγερεῖ. Πάλιν ἀναστήσαντος <αὐτοῦ> τὸν παῖδα τοῦ ἀλλοφύλου ἑκατον τάρχου, ἐδιδάχθησαν καὶ εἰς τοῦτο ὅτι καὶ τὰ ξένα ἔθνη ἐγερεῖ. Ἰδοὺ τρεῖς διαφοραὶ τῶν νεκρῶν. Ἐγείραντος δὲ τὸν Λάζαρον τὸν τεταρταῖον νεκρὸν ἐκ τοῦ μνημείου, τὸν ὑπὸ τεσσάρων στοι χείων συσταθέντα, τὸν ὀζέσαντα, τὸν σαπέντα, τὸν ὑπὸ σκωλή κων κυριευθέντα, ἐγνωρίσθη ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις ταῖς ἐπουρανίοις καὶ τοῖς ἐπιγείοις, ὅτι πᾶσαν τὴν ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων συσταθεῖσαν ἀνθρωπότητα ἐγερεῖ, κἂν ὤζεσεν ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ τῆς παραβάσεως, κἂν ἐσάπη ἐν τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας, κἂν ὡς ὑπὸ σκωλήκων, ὑπὸ δαιμόνων κατεκυριεύθη καὶ ἐζωγρεύθη εἰς τὸ ἐκείνων θέλημα. Ταῦτα οὖν ἰδόντες οἱ ἄγγελοι κρυπτῶς καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι φανερῶς ἐξέστησαν, καὶ ἐξεθαμβήθησαν, καὶ ἤρ ξαντο βοᾶν καὶ λέγειν· «Ὠσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις, εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου, ὠσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις.» Οὐχ ὡς σημειοφόρον δὲ μόνον ἐπῄνουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς βασιλέα τὸν αἰχμαλωτίσαντα πᾶσαν τὴν ἀπ' αἰῶνος ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ τοῦ θανάτου αἰχμαλωτισθεῖσαν αἰχμαλωσίαν. Ἕνεκεν τούτων καὶ τῶν τοιούτων βασιλέα αὐτὸν κηρύττουσιν οἱ θεῖοι προφῆται.

4 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οἱ προειρημένοι προφῆται ἑστιάτορες τῶν λογι κῶν ψυχῶν ὑπάρχουσι καὶ ὥσπερ οἱ μῆνες τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ κατὰ μέρος τρέφουσι τὰ ἀνθρώπινα σώματα, οὕτως καὶ αὐτοὶ κατὰ μέρος ἢ μᾶλλον κοινῶς τρέφουσι κατὰ ἑορτὴν καὶ πάντοτε τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν πιστῶν, καὶ μεθύσκουσι ταῖς θεϊκαῖς διδασκαλίαις χρι στιανούς, καθώς που εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν φησι· «Μεθυσθήσονται ἀπὸ πιότητος οἴκου σου.» ∆εῦτε ἀκούσωμεν καὶ διηγήσονται ἡμῖν, πάντες οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ κυρίου, τί περὶ αὐτῆς ἡμῖν προφητεύει ὁ μέγας Ζαχαρίας, ὁ ἔνδοξος ἐν προφήταις. Συνίωμεν τί ὁ κῆρυξ εὐαγγελίζεται, προτρέχων τῆς βασιλείας πρὸ πολλοῦ τοῦ χρόνου. ∆εῦτε ἀπολαύσωμεν, ὡς λογικοὶ δαι τύμονες, τὰ διὰ στόματος θεοῦ ἐκπορευόμενα ῥήματα διὰ τοῦ πνευματικοῦ ἑστιάτορος Ζαχαρίου· αὐτῷ γὰρ ἔλαχε θρέψαι ἡμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ ταύτῃ, καθώς φησι ὁ κύριος ὅτι «οὐκ ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ παντὶ ῥήματι ἐκπορευομένῳ διὰ στό ματος θεοῦ.» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ λύπη παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μισητὴ τυγχάνει, ποθητὴ δὲ ἡ χαρά, ἀπὸ χαρᾶς ἄρχεται βοᾶν λέγων· «Χαῖρε σφόδρα, θύγατερ Σιών». «Χαῖρε σφόδρα», βοᾷ ὁ προ φήτης πρὸς τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν. «Ὦ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως θεοῦ.» ∆ιὰ τί «Χαῖρε»; Καὶ διὰ τί «σφόδρα» «τέρπου καὶ εὐφραίνου»; Ὅτι ἥκει ὁ ἐπιστρέφων σε, καθὼς προανεφώνησεν ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ ἐπιστρέφοντός σε βασιλέως λέγων· «Ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέψαι κύριον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Σιών, ἐγενήθημεν ὡς παρακεκλημένοι· τότε ἐπλήσθη χαρᾶς τὸ στόμα ἡμῶν καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα ἡμῶν ἀγαλλιάσεως.»

5 «Χαῖρε,» φησίν, ὅτι ὑποστρέφεις ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῶν δαιμόνων καὶ τῆς ἐξορίας τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου εἰς τὴν ἄνω Ἰε ρουσαλήμ, ἣν ἐξεδέχετο ὁ πατήρ σου Ἀβραάμ, καθώς που ὁ μα κάριος ἀπόστολος Παῦλός φησιν· Ὑμεῖς δὲ «προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει καὶ πόλει θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ καὶ μυριάσιν ἀγγέλων, πανηγύρει καὶ ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ κριτῇ θεῷ πάντων καὶ πνεύμασι δικαίων τετε λειωμένων.» Ὅθεν «ἀπέδρα ὀδύνη, λύπη καὶ στεναγμός», ἔνθα πάντων τῶν δικαίων εὐφραινομένων ἐστὶν ἡ κατοικία. Τότε «τέρπου καὶ εὐφραίνου» καὶ «χαῖρε σφόδρα, θύγατερ» ταύτης τῆς Σιὼν δῆλον. «Καὶ διὰ τί», φησίν, «σφόδρα χαρῶ, ὦ προφῆτα»; «Χαῖρε», διότι οὐκέτι ὁ δεινὸς ἐκεῖνος σε αἰχμαλωτεύσει, «σφόδρα» δέ, διότι οὐχ ὡς οἱ λοιποὶ