30

of a lampstand and of seven bowls and equal lamps, and of two olive trees, of which one was on the right and the other on the left of the lampstand. 1.293 To the question about the sight of these things, since they were not perceptible, the one questioned immediately answered that they are the word of God from the presence of Zerubbabel, from which it is presented that the things shown were intelligible sights and that this is true. The showing of the revealed things happened to the prophet while he was still in Babylon, in which neither the house of God had been built, nor the vessels in it, among which are the lampstand and the things upon it. Since these things are seen thus, one must abide by the interpretation spoken concerning them or seek a greater one. 1.294 The word which ······· to the prophet the angel has been spoken and made manifest not in great power nor in the strength of a human or any other created being, but in the Spirit of the Lord. 1.295 The holy Spirit of the Lord is continually spoken of in the scriptures, as also in other scriptures besides the one before us. Concerning it, then, the passage in Isaiah is also proclaimed thus: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me." In agreement with these things the apostle Paul also, writing to the Corinthians, says: "For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the things of God no one knows, save the Spirit of God, which searches even the mystical depths of God." And again in Isaiah, he himself, the originator and provider of all things, says: "A spirit shall go forth from me." 1.296 In this Spirit the things shown before the presence of Zerubbabel have been made manifest, but not in the great power or strength of any created being. For another is the power which is supplied with the Spirit to the worthy, concerning which the Savior, in the Acts of the Apostles, says to his disciples, as he was finally being taken up into heaven and to his Father: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." Similarly, at the end of the Gospel according to Luke, the Savior, ascending to where he had come from, having given the Holy Spirit to the apostles, says: "But you shall sit in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high." 1.297 And this is not another power of Christ, he being "the wisdom and power of God," from which the evangelical proclamation has existed for the apostles, of whom Paul, being one, writes: "My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power," which is at times imparted from God who has them and bestows them, as has been said concerning John in the Gospel, "having gone before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah." 1.298 Consider carefully if what was announced to Mary by the holy angel Gabriel has the same meaning: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." 1.299 In the aforementioned Spirit of God in the quoted sayings and in many others the declaration was made before the presence of Zerubbabel and of the power coupled with him, "and not in another great power and strength." For this latter is inferior, even if it be divine and most excellent. 1.300Zechariah 4:7: Who are you, O great mountain before the presence of Zerubbabel to set it right? And I will bring forth the cornerstone of the inheritance, the equality of grace, its grace. 1.301 As to a rational being who perceives the divine voice, either the far-seeing prophet or the angel speaking in him introduces it through a question. And what is it that he says to him? Who are you, O mountain, being before the presence of Zerubbabel to set it right, and who is the stone which I will bring forth from the inheritance, the equality of grace, its grace? To these things someone will say that the two appellations are placed in parallel concerning the Savior who appeared. For many scriptures name him both mountain and stone. 1.302 For in: "The mountain of the Lord shall be manifest in the last days," it is the Son of God, in whom he has spoken in the last days after having spoken in Moses and the prophets. Of the

30

λαμπαδίου τε καὶ ἑπτὰ ἐπαρυστρίδων καὶ λύχνων ἴσων, καὶ ἐλαιῶν δύο, ὧν ἣ μὲν ἐκ δεξιῶν ἣ δὲ ἐξ εὐωνύμων τοῦ λαμπαδίου ὑπῆρχον. 1.293 Πρὸς τὴν περὶ τῆς θέας τούτων ἐρώτησιν, οὐκ αἰσθητῶν ὄντων, εὐθὺς ὁ ἐρωτηθεὶς ἀπεκρίνατο ὅτι λόγος Θεοῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου Ζοροβάβελ εἰσίν, ἐξ οὗ παρίσταται ὡς νοητὰ θ̣εάματα τὰ δειχθέντα ὑπῆρχεν καὶ ὅτι ἀληθὲς τοῦτο. Ἡ δεῖξις τῶν ἀποκαλυφθέντων γέγονε τῷ προφήτῃ ἔτι ἐν τῇ Βαβυλῶνι τυγχάνοντι, ἐν ᾗ οὔτε ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Θεοῦ ᾠκοδόμητο, οὐδὲ τὰ σκεύη τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ, ὧν ε᾿̣στιν καὶ ἡ λυχνία καὶ τὰ ἐπάνω αὐτῆς. Τούτων οὕτω θεωρουμένων, ἐμμενετέον τῇ περὶ αὐτῶν λεχθείσῃ ἑρμηνείᾳ ἢ μείζονα αὐτῆς ζητητέον. 1.294 Ὁ λόγος ὃν ······· τῷ προφήτῃ ὁ ἄγγελος οὐκ ἐν δυνάμει μεγάλῃ οὐδ' ἐν ἰσχύϊ ἀνθρώπου ἢ ἄλλου τινὸς γενητοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐν Πνεύματι Κυρίου εἴρηται καὶ πεφανέρωται. 1.295 Πνεῦμα δὲ Κυρίου τὸ ἅγιον συνεχῶς ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς λέγεται, ὡς καὶ ἐν ἑτέραις γραφαῖς παρὰ τὴν προκειμένην. Περὶ αὐτοῦ γο̣υ῀̣ν̣ καὶ τὸ ἐν Ἠσαίᾳ ἀπαγγέλλεται ὧδε· «Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμέ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέν με.» Τούτοις ὁμοψήφοις καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος Παῦλος Κορινθίοις ἐπιστέλλων γράφει· «Τίς γὰρ ἀνθρώπων οἶδεν τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ; οὕτω καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐδεὶς οἶδεν εἰ μὴ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅπερ ἐραυνᾷ καὶ τὰ μυστικὰ βάθη τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Καὶ ἔτι ἐν Ἠσαΐᾳ αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν πάντων γενεσιάρχης καὶ προνοητής φησιν· «Πνεῦμα παρ' ἐμοῦ ἐξελεύσεται.» 1.296 Ἐν τούτῳ τῷ Πνεύματι τὰ δειχθέντα πρὸ προσώπου Ζοροβάβελ πεφανέρωται, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν μεγάλῃ δυνάμ̣ει ἢ ἰσχύϊ γενητοῦ τινος. Ἑτέρα γάρ ἐστιν δύναμις ἡ σὺν τῷ Πνεύματι χορηγουμένη τοῖς ἀξίοις περὶ ἧς ὁ Σωτήρ, ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν τῶν Ἀποστόλων, λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἑαυτοῦ, ἀναλαμβανόμενος λοιπὸν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὸν Πατέρα αὐτοῦ· «Λήμψεσθε δύναμιν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐπελθόντος ἐφ' ὑμᾶς.» Συμφώνως, ἐπὶ τέλει τοῦ κατὰ Λουκᾶν Εὐαγγελίου, ἀνιὼν ὁ Σωτὴρ ὅθεν ἐλήλυθεν, δοὺς τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, φησίν· «Ὑμεῖς δὲ καθήσεσθε ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἕως ἐνδύσησθε ἐξ ὕψους δύναμιν.» 1.297 Οὐχ ἑτέρα δὲ δύναμις αὕτη τοῦ Χριστοῦ τυγχάνει, ὄντος «σοφίας καὶ δυνάμεως Θεοῦ», ἐξ ἧς τὸ κήρυγμα τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν ὑπῆρκται τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, ὧν εἷς ὁ Παῦλος τυγχάνων γράφει· «Ὁ λόγος μου καὶ τὸ κήρυγμά μου οὐκ ἐν πειθοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγοις, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀποδείξει Πνεύματος καὶ δυνάμεως», ἅπερ χρηματίζει ποτὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔχοντος αὐτὰ ὀρέξαντος Θεοῦ, ὡς περὶ τοῦ Ἰωάννου εἴρηται ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ «προεληλυθότος ἐνώπιον Κυρίου ἐν πνεύματι καὶ δυνάμει Ἠλίου». 1.298 Ἐπίστησον ἀκριβῶς εἰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει νόησιν τὸ ἀπαγγελθὲν τῇ Μαρίᾳ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου ἀγγέλου Γαβριήλ· «Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σέ, καὶ δύναμις ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι.» 1.299 Ἐν τῷ μνημονευθέντι Πνεύματι Θεοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἐκτεθεῖσιν ῥητοῖς καὶ ἑτέροις πλείοσιν ἡ ἀπαγγελία γέγονεν πρὸ προσώπου Ζοροβάβελ καὶ τῆς συνεζευγμένης αὐτῷ δυνάμεως, «καὶ οὐκ ἐν ἄλλῃ μεγάλῃ δυνάμει καὶ ἰσχύϊ». Ὑποδεεστέρα γὰρ αὕτη τυγχάνει, κἂν θεία καὶ περισπούδαστος ᾖ. 1.300Zach. IV, 7: Τίς εἶ σύ, τὸ ὄρος τὸ μέγα τὸ πρὸ προσώπου Ζοροβάβελ τοῦ κατορθῶσαι; καὶ ἐξοίσω τὸν λίθον τῆς κληρονομίας ἰσότητα χάριτος χάριτα αὐτῆς. 1.301 Ὡς πρὸς λογικὸν καὶ ἀντιλαμβανόμενον φωνῆς θείας διὰ πεῦσιν προσάγει ἤτοι ὁ διορατικὸς προφήτης ἢ ὁ λαλῶν ἐν αὐτῷ ἄγγελος. Τί δ' ἐστὶν ἅ φησιν αὐτῷ; Τίς εἶ σύ, ὦ ὄρος πρὸ προσώπου τυγχάνον τοῦ Ζοροβάβελ τοῦ κατορθῶσαι, καὶ τίς ὁ λίθος ὃν ἐξοίσω τῆς κληρονομίας ἰσότητα χάριτος χάριτα αὐτῆς; Πρὸς ταῦτα ὃ μέν τις ἐρεῖ τὰς δύο προσηγορίας ἐκ παραλλήλου κεῖσθαι κατὰ τοῦ ἐπιδημήσαντος Σωτῆρος. Πολλαὶ γὰρ γραφαὶ καὶ ὄρος καὶ λίθον αὐτὸν ὀνομάζουσιν. 1.302 Ἐν γὰρ τῷ· «Ἔσται ἐμφανὲς τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν», ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν, ἐν ᾧ ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐλάλησεν μετὰ τὸ λαλῆσαι ἐν Μωϋσεῖ καὶ τοῖς προφήταις. Τοῦ