Didymus the Blind, On the Trinity

they are clothed with the gift of new grace, and enjoy the participation and adoption of the saving Spirit. It seems well to me, that the same one, foretelling the most ineffable richness and propitiation of the Holy Spirit upon the baptismal waters, and that the spiritual providence over all extends to all who turn back and to all human lives, so that no one who is unwilling is found rejected, sent Naaman the Syrian, the leper, the foreigner, who had requested of him a visit, to be baptized seven times in the Jordan; so that by the voice of the Lord upon the waters the affliction might be loosed from him, and his whole self might return to the pure and holy form of the soul. And he said to be baptized seven times, either that the foreigner might know that on the seventh day God rested from his works, and blessed what he had made in the six; whence the seven-branched candlestick was one of the treasures for the synagogue, and that the number seven is fulfilling and perfect; or rather, because it enigmatically signified the divine Spirit. For Isaiah, having contemplatively seen in faith the perfect and unchangeable nature of his Son, enumerated seven significations concerning him 39.701 in words such as these: "A rod shall come forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise from it; and upon him shall rest a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and might, a Spirit of knowledge and piety, a Spirit of the fear of God." And one might rightly refer to these things also the hidden meanings of Zechariah's thought, which speak thus: "For behold, I bring my servant the Dayspring; for the stone which I have set before the face of Jesus upon the one stone, there are seven eyes." These things God said to Jesus the high priest: I bring, he says, my servant Zerubbabel to the authority of the kingdom, from which he will be as a bright 39.704 Dayspring; calling the name from the reality; and from there making his word continuous and undivided, he names Zerubbabel a stone, upon which the face of Jesus was fixed, providing him help from prayers, and receiving from him peace from the kingdom. And having said in the midst: "I am digging a trench, says the Lord Almighty, and I will search out all the iniquity of that land in one day; and each one will call his neighbor under his vine, and under his fig tree;" that is, I bring death to the enemies through the generalship of Zerubbabel; so that all, being freed from all disturbance, and living in abundant prosperity, might invite one another to feasts; and having mentioned also a golden lampstand, that is of the purest faith, which begins from us, but is exalted even to the things above us; for through gold the pure and precious is understood; for gold is not by nature subject to rust; and having said that there is upon it also a lamp, that is the divine grace illuminating all things from above, and seven lamps, meaning the abundance and perfection of the spiritual gift; in addition to these, above them seven funnels, that is the unquenchable and perpetual influx from thence, and two olive trees; which are understood, either as priesthood and kingship, or two peoples, or houses of God, that of the Israelites once and that of the Christians; and having roused the prophet, and having prepared him to be more watchful and composed for a more accurate understanding of the things to be shown, he again adds: "Not by great power, nor by might, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty. Who are you, O great mountain, before the face of Zerubbabel, to set aright and bring forth the stone of the inheritance, an equality of grace?" Here he calls the enemy a mountain, with whom he discourses, that the stone, he says, of the inheritance, Zerubbabel, against whom you rush as an adversary and opponent, such great spiritual grace will surround him as he sets the battles aright, that he will seem to be grace itself. And shortly after, still confirming these things, he prophesies thus: 39.705 "And they will rejoice, and they will see the tin stone

νέας χάριτος ἐνδύονται τὴν δωρεὰν, καὶ ἀπολαύουσι τῆς τοῦ σωτηρίου Πνεύματος μετουσίας καὶ υἱοθεσίας. ∆οκεῖ μοι καλῶς, ὅτι τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς βαπτιστικοῖς ὕδασιν ἀῤῥητότατον πλοῦτον καὶ ἰλασμὸν προδιδάσκων ὁ αὐτὸς, καὶ ὅτι εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἐπιστρέφοντας καὶ εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους βίους διατείνει ἡ ἐπὶ πάντων πνευματικὴ πρόνοια, ὡς μηδένα τῶν οὐ θελόντων ἀπόβλητον εὑρίσκεσθαι, Νεεμὰν τὸν Σύρον τὸν λεπρὸν, τὸν ἀλλόφυλον, δεηθέντα αὐτοῦ τῆς περιοδίας, εἰς τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἑπτάκις καταβαπτισθῆναι ἔπεμψεν· ὥστε τῇ ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων τοῦ Κυρίου φωνῇ τὸ πάθος ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἐξαναλῦσαι, καὶ ὅλον αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ καθαρὸν καὶ ὅσιον εἶδος τῆς ψυχῆς ἀναδραμεῖν. Ἑπτάκις δὲ εἶπε βαπτίσασθαι, ἢ ἵνα εἰδέναι ἔχοι ὁ ἀλλοεθνὴς, ὡς ἐν τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἡμέρᾳ ὁ Θεὸς τῶν ἔργων κατέπαυσε, καὶ εὐλόγησεν ἅπερ ἐν ταῖς ἓξ ἐποίησεν ὅθεν ἑπτάμυξον τῇ συναγωγῇ ἓν ἦν τῶν κειμηλίων, καὶ ὡς πληρωματικός ἐστι καὶ τέλειος ὁ ἀριθμὸς ὁ ἑπτά· ἢ μᾶλλον, ὅτι τὸ θεϊκὸν Πνεῦμα ᾐνίξατο. Ἡσαΐας γὰρ τὸ παντελὲς καὶ πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν ἀπαράλλακτον τῆς φύσεως αὐτοῦ τῇ πίστει ἐγχωρούντως θεωρήσας, ἑπτὰ σημασίας περὶ αὐτοῦ 39.701 κατέλεξεν ἐν ῥητοῖς τοιοῖσδε· "Ἐξελεύσεται ῥάβδος ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ, καὶ ἄνθος ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀναβήσεται· καὶ ἐπαναπαύσεται ἐπ' αὐτὸν Πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ συνέσεως, Πνεῦμα βουλῆς καὶ ἰσχύος. Πνεῦμα γνώσεως καὶ εὐσεβείας, Πνεῦμα φόβου Θεοῦ" Ἀναφέροι δέ τις ἂν ὀρθῶς εἰς ταῦτα καὶ τὰ ἀποκεκρυμμένα τῆς Ζαχαρίου διανοίας, τὰ τῇδε λέγοντα "∆ιότι ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἄγω τὸν δοῦλόν μου Ἀνατολήν· διότι ὁ λίθος, ὃν ἔδωκα προσώπου Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν λίθον τὸν ἕνα, ἑπτὰ ὀφθαλμοί εἰσιν." Ταῦτα ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς Ἰησοῦν τὸν ἱερέα τὸν μέγαν ἔφη· Ἄγω,φησὶ, τὸν δοῦλόν μου τὸν Ζοροβάβελ εἰς τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῆς βασιλείας, ἀφ' ἧς ἔσται ὡς Ἀνατολὴ λαμ 39.704 πρός· ἐκ τοῦ πράγματος τὸ ὄνομα καλέσας· ἐντευθέν τε συνεχῆ τὸν λόγον καὶ ἀδιάστατον ποιούμενος, λίθον τὸν Ζοροβάβελ ὀνομάζει, ἐφ' ὃν τὸ πρόσωπον Ἰησοῦ ἐστήρικτο, παρέχον αὐτῷ τὴν ἐκ τῶν εὐχῶν ἐπικουρίαν, καὶ ἀντιλαμβάνον παρ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς βασιλείας εἰρήνην. Εἰπὼν δὲ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ· "Ὀρύσσω βόθρον, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ, καὶ ψηλαφήσω πᾶσαν τὴν ἀδικίαν τῆς γῆς ἐκείνης ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ· καὶ συγκαλέσεται ἕκαστος τὸν πλησίον αὑτοῦ ὑποκάτω ἀμπέλου αὑτοῦ, καὶ ὑποκάτω συκῆς αὑτοῦ·" ἀντὶ τοῦ, Θάνατον ἐπάγω διὰ τῆς στρατηγίας τοῦ Ζοροβάβελ τοῖς πολεμίοις· ὥστε πάντας πάσης ἀπαλλαγέντας ταραχῆς, καὶ ἐν ἀφθόνῳ διάγοντας εὐθηνίᾳ, πρὸς ἑστιάσεις ἀλλήλους προτρέπεσθαι· μνημονεύσας δὲ καὶ λυχνίας χρυσῆς, τοῦτ' ἔστι τῆς καθαροτάτης πίστεως, τῆς ἀρχομένης μὲν ἐξ ἡμῶν, ὑψουμένης δὲ καὶ μέχρι τῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς πραγμάτων διὰ γὰρ τοῦ χρυσοῦ τὸ καθαρὸν καὶ τίμιον παραλαμβάνεται· οὐ γὰρ πέφυκεν ἰοῦσθαι χρυσός· εἰπὼν δὲ εἶναι ἐπάνω αὐτῆς καὶ λαμπάδιον, τοῦτ' ἔστι τὴν ὑψόθεν πάντα καταφαίνουσαν θείαν χάριν, καὶ ἑπτὰ λύχνους, ἀντὶ τοῦ τῆς πνευματικῆς δωρεᾶς τὴν ἀφθονίαν καὶ τελειότητα· πρὸς τούτοις ὕπερθεν ἑπτὰ ἐπαρυστρίδας, τοῦτ' ἔστι τὸ ἄσβεστον καὶ διαρκὲς τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἐπιῤῥοῆς, καὶ δύο ἐλαίας· αἳ νοοῦνται, ἤτοι ἱερωσύνη καὶ βασιλεία, ἤτοι δύο λαοὶ, ἢ οἶκοι Θεοῦ, ὁ Ἰσραηλιτῶν ποτε καὶ ὁ Χριστιανῶν· καὶ διαναστήσας τὸν προφήτην, καὶ πρὸς ἀκριβεστέραν τῶν δειχθησομένων κατανόησιν ἐγρηγορέναι καὶ συντετάσθαι πλέον πως παρασκευάσας, πάλιν ἐπιφέρει· "Οὐκ ἐν δυνάμει μεγάλῃ, οὐδὲ ἐν ἰσχύϊ, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν Πνεύματί μου, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ. Τίς εἶ σὺ, τὸ ὄρος τὸ μέγα, πρὸ προσώπου Ζοροβάβελ, τοῦ κατορθῶσαι καὶ ἐξοῖσαι τὸν λίθον τῆς κληρονομίας ἰσότητα χάριτος;" Ὄρος ἐνταῦθα τὸν πολέμιον καλεῖ, ᾧ διαλέγεται, ὅτι Τὸν λίθον, φησὶ, τῆς κληρονομίας τὸν Ζοροβάβελ, καθ' οὗ ἀντιπρόσωπος καὶ ἐναντίος ὀρμᾷς, τοσαύτη πνευματικὴ χάρις, κατορθοῦντα τὰς μάχας, περιβαλεῖ, ὡς ὅλον αὐτὸν δοκεῖν αὐτόχρημα χάριν ὑπάρχειν. Καὶ μετὰ βραχὺ βεβαιῶν ἔτι ταῦτα, προφητεύει οὕτως· 39.705 "Καὶ χαρήσονται, καὶ ὄψονται τὸν λίθον τὸν κασσιτέρινον