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a hymnodist somewhere says to him who rises up against the enemies: "You shall tread upon the asp and the basilisk, and you shall trample the lion and the dragon." And since each of the aforementioned evil ones is tyrannically exalted, he says that it reigns unlawfully. 1.86 The prophet saw these horns, proclaimed enigmatically, having lifted the eyes of his mind, so that from having contemplated their preparation and their power he might put on the unconquerable panoply of God. And who are the craftsmen who sharpen the aforementioned horns, it is possible to learn from what follows, which is thus. 1.87 Zach. II, 2: And he said to me: These are the horns that scattered Judah and shattered Israel. 1.88 The answering angel, showing the prophet the four horns that had been clarified, showing their work and the purpose for which they were brought on to the one being enlightened, says that the horns were brought on for no other reason than to scatter Israel and Judah from the holy city, so that having been scattered into captivity, they might together become devoid of unity and concord. It has been said before that Judah is "one who confesses"; but he who sees God with the mind is called Israel. 1.89 Zach. II, 3-4: And the Lord showed me four craftsmen. And I said: What are these coming to do? And he said to me: These are the horns that scattered Judah and shattered Israel, and none of them raised his head; and these have come in to sharpen them into their hands, the four horns, the nations that are raising a horn against the land of the Lord to scatter it. 1.90 Encouraging the one who had seen the multitude of the coming enemies, he shows him those who are called for help, equal in number to the adversaries, being craftsmen in a praiseworthy sense; for not all who craft works appropriate to them are praiseworthy, but some are also blameworthy, whom the proverbial oracle distinguishes from one another, saying: "Good men devise mercy and truth; but craftsmen of evil do not understand mercy and truth." 1.91 This most evil workshop of craftsmen is none other than the four horns, being active in all faithlessness and cruelty. The craftsmen whom God shows coming are artisans of mercy and faith, through mercy accomplishing practical virtue towards their neighbors, loving their neighbors as themselves, crafting faith through pious and scientific contemplation. No other leads and shows these to him who has raised the eyes of his soul than the God who calls for beneficence those who are able to help the afflicted. 1.92 Having seen those shown to him and coming from God, he asks the one who showed them what they will do, having come, and God answers him that they are coming to sharpen the four nations that are rising up against the land of God in order to take those delivered into captivity, so that they may scatter Judah and shatter Israel, so that none of the afflicted would be able to raise his head to look against and oppose the opinion of the enemies set against them. But the word represents a greater weakness of the horns, that even after being sharpened they were not able to tear down those delivered to them in the presence of the craftsmen who sharpened them. 1.93 The word makes clear that he who is scattered is shattered, suffering a crushing similar to that which the one descending from Jerusalem endured when he encountered spiritual robbers, so that he was left half-dead by them, especially when they stripped him of the divine garment which he had while dwelling in the holy city, which was equivalent to armor; concerning which the Apostle writes to those roused for battle: "Put on the armor of light." 1.94 It is found in copies, instead of "they shattered Israel," "they brought down Israel," it being shown also through this word how the one who sins is brought down from on high. And there are many scriptures representing this, such as: "How has the morning star, that rises early, fallen from heaven?" and: "They will enter into

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ὑμνῳδός πού φησιν πρὸς τὸν κατεξανιστάμενον τῶν πολεμίων· «Ἐπ' ἀσπίδα καὶ βασιλίσκον ἐπιβήσῃ, καὶ καταπατήσεις λέοντα καὶ δράκοντα.» Καὶ ἐπεὶ ἕκαστον τῶν εἰρημένων πονηρῶν τυραννικῶς ἐπαίρεται, παρανόμως βασιλεύειν αὐτό φησιν. 1.86 Ταῦτα τὰ μετ' αἰνιγμοῦ ἐπαγγελθέντα κέρατα εἶδεν ὁ προφήτης ἄρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ τῆς διανοίας, ἵν' ἐκ τοῦ τεθεωρηκέναι τὴν παρασκευὴν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῶν ἐνδύσηται τὴν Θεοῦ ἀκαταμάχητον πανοπλίαν. Τίνες δ' εἰσὶν οἱ ὀξύνοντες τὰ προκείμενα κέρατα τέκτονες, ἐκ τῶν ἑξῆς ἔστι μαθεῖν οὕτως ἐχόντων. 1.87 Zach. II, 2: Καὶ εἶπεν πρός με· Ταῦτα τὰ κέρατα τὰ διασκορπίσαντα τὸν Ἰούδαν καὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ κατέαξαν. 1.88 Ὁ ἀποκρινόμενος ἄγγελος δεικνὺς τῷ προφήτῃ τὰ σαφηνισθέντα τέσσαρα κέρατα, τὸ ἔργον καὶ τὴν χρείαν δι' ἣν ἐπήχθησαν δεικνὺς τῷ φωτιζομένῳ φησὶν δι' οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἐπῆχθαι τὰ κέρατα ἢ ἕνεκα τοῦ σκορπίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως τῆς ἁγίας τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδα, ἵνα σκεδασθέντες εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν, ὁμοῦ ἑνότητος καὶ συμφωνίας ἐκτὸς γένωνται. Εἴρηται πρότερον ὡς ἐξομολογούμενος Ἰούδας· ὁ δὲ νῷ Θεὸν ὁρῶν Ἰσραὴλ καλεῖται. 1.89 Zach. II, 3-4: Καὶ ἔδειξέν μοι Κύριος τέσσαρας τέκτονας. Καὶ εἶπα· Τί οὗτοι ἔρχονται ποιῆσαι; Καὶ εἶπεν πρός με· Ταῦτα τὰ κέρατα τὰ διασκορπίσαντα τὸν Ἰούδαν καὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ κατέαξαν, καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν ἦρεν κεφαλήν· καὶ εἰσῆλθον οὗτοι τοῦ ὀξῦναι αὐτὰ εἰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν τὰ τέσσαρα κέρατα, τὰ ἔθνη τὰ ἐπαιρόμενα κέρας ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν Κυρίου τοῦ διασκορπίσαι αὐτήν. 1.90 Εὐθυμοποιῶν τὸν θεασάμενον τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πολεμίων τὸ ἐρχόμενον, ἰσαρίθμους τοῖς ἀντιπάλοις τοὺς ἐπὶ βοήθειαν καλουμένους δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ, τέκτονας ἐπαινετῶς τυγχάνοντας· οὐ πάντες γὰρ τεκταίνοντες τὰ κατάλληλα αὐτοῖς ἔργα ἐπαινετοί, ἀλλὰ καὶ ψεκτοί εἰσίν τινες, οὓς διαστέλλον ἀπ' ἀλλήλων τὸ παροιμιῶδες θέσπισμά φησιν· «Ἐλεημοσύνην καὶ πίστιν τεκταίνουσιν ἀγαθοί· οὐκ ἐπίστανται ἔλεον καὶ πίστιν τέκτονες κακῶν.» 1.91 Τὸ κάκιστον τοῦτο τῶν τεκτόνων ἐργαστήριον οὐχ ἕτερον τῶν τεσσάρων κεράτων ἐστίν, δραστήριον ὂν πάσης ἀπιστίας καὶ ὠμότητος. Οὓς δείκνυσιν Θεὸς ἐρχομένους τέκτονας ἐλεημοσύνης καὶ πίστεώς εἰσι τεχνῖται, δι' ἐλεημοσύνης τὴν πρακτικὴν ἀρετὴν πρὸς τοὺς πέλας ἐκτελοῦντες, ἀγαπῶντες ὡς ἑαυτοὺς τοὺς πλησίον, πίστιν τεκταίνοντες δι' εὐσεβοῦς καὶ ἐπιστημονικῆς θεωρίας. Τούτους οὐκ ἄλλος ἄγει καὶ δείκνυσιν τῷ ἄραντι τοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἢ ὁ ἐπ' εὐεργεσίᾳ καλῶν Θεὸς τοὺς δυναμένους βοηθεῖν τοῖς καταπονουμένοις. 1.92 Ἑωρακὼς τοὺς δειχθέντας αὐτῷ καὶ ἐρχομένους ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐρωτᾷ τὸν δείξαντα τί ποιήσουσιν ἐληλυθότες, καὶ ἀποκρίνεται αὐτῷ Θεὸς ὡς ἔρχονται ὀξῦναι τὰ ἐπαιρόμενα ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔθνη τέσσερα ἐπὶ τῷ παραλαβεῖν τοὺς παραδιδομένους εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν, ἵνα διασκορπίσωσιν τὸν Ἰούδα καὶ κατεάξωσιν τὸν Ἰσραήλ, ὡς μηδένα τῶν κακουμένων ἄραι κεφαλὴν ἀντιβλέψαι καὶ ἀντιδοξῆσαι δυνάμενον τοῖς ἐπικειμένοις ἐχθροῖς. Ἀσθένειαν δὲ πλείονα παρίστησιν ὁ λόγος τῶν κεράτων, ὅτι καὶ μετὰ τὸ ὀξυνθῆναι οὐχ οἷά τε γέγονεν κατασπάσαι τοὺς παραδοθέντας αὐτοῖς παρόντων τῶν τεκτόνων τῶν ὀξυνόντων αὐτά. 1.93 Φανεροῖ ὁ λόγος ὡς κατάγνυται ὁ σκορπιζόμενος, συντριβὴν ὑφιστάμενος παραπλησίαν ᾗ ὑπέμεινεν ὁ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ καταβὰς περιτυχὼν λῃσταῖς πνευματικοῖς ὥσθ' ἡμιθανὴν αὐτὸν ὑπ' αὐτῶν γενέσθαι, μάλιστα ὅτε ἐξέδυσαν αὐτὸν τὴν ἐσθῆτα ἣν εἶχεν θείαν ἐν τῇ ἱερᾷ πόλει διάγων ὅπλοις ἰσοδυναμοῦσαν· περὶ αὐτῆς γράφει ὁ Ἀπόστολος τοῖς εἰς τὸ πολεμεῖν διεγειρομένοις· «Ἐνδύσασθε ὅπλα φωτός.» 1.94 Φέρεται ἐν ἀντιγράφοις ἀντὶ τοῦ «τὸν Ἰσραὴλ κατέαξαν», τὸν Ἰσραὴλ κατῆξαν, δεικνυμένου καὶ διὰ ταύτης τῆς λέξεως ὡς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων ὑψόθεν κάτω φέρεται. Πολλαὶ δ' εἰσὶν γραφαὶ τοῦτο παριστᾶσαι, οἷαί εἰσιν καί· «Πῶς ἐξέπεσεν ὁ ἑωσφόρος ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὁ πρωῒ ἀνατέλλων;» καί· «Εἰσελεύσονται εἰς