43

2.t1Volume 2 1 2.1Zach. VI, 9-11: And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Take the things from the captivity from the rulers and from its useful men and from those who have known it. And you shall enter in that day into the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah who has come from Babylon. And you shall take silver and gold and you shall make crowns and you shall place them on the head of Jesus son of Jozadak, the great priest. 2.2 Just as it is not possible to speak or to transmit scientific learning without having knowledge, so it is not possible to foreknow truly and according to God or to prophesy a spiritual prophecy without the word of God coming to the one foreknowing and prophesying. For when the word of the Lord comes to such a one, it gives eyes and illuminates for the beholding of the beauties and mysteries of truth and of the wisdom of God. 2.3 But the word which comes to the prophet is not other than the Word of God, who comes indeed to holy men, and angels and principalities and powers and thrones and dominions, while always being with the Father who begot him. For concerning the Father it is said that the Word was with him: "For this one," it says, "was with God," being God the Word. 2.4 But he comes to be with, and not just is with, spirit-bearing men, being also with them then when he comes to be. For then indeed they will be gods, to whom he has come and has appeared, as the Savior himself says in the Gospel to those who were displeased that he called himself the Son of God. 2.5 The saying is thus: "If he called them gods to whom the word of God came, him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world"—that is, me who says these things—"you say that he blasphemes, because I said, 'I am the Son of God'." And since they are shown to be gods to whom the word of God has come, it is fitting to understand and interpret as words of God what the most blessed prophets, being God-borne, report. We must consider what Zechariah, to whom the word of the Lord came, is commanded to say. 2.6 "Take," he says, "the things from the captivity from the rulers and its useful men and those who have known" through experience "it." But what are the things that must be taken from the captivity, given by the rulers and useful men and those who have known it, other than the priestly vessels which the captors had taken from Jerusalem and the temple in it. For these also were taken captive with the people of the Hebrews to Babylon by the tyrannical men who ruled it. 2.7 But he is not commanded to take from just anyone, but from the rulers lawfully presiding and from the useful men for the captivity. These are those who were usefully and for the sake of benefit relocated from their own fatherland to a foreign land, not on account of sins which they themselves had not committed at all, but those of the impious people. 2.8 For just as in human warfare, along with the military force, physicians are also taken along to heal the wounded soldiers, so the wise who were usefully taken captive to help the people, by way of exhortation and admonition, have been called useful for the captivity, among whom are Daniel and Ezekiel, Haggai and many other inspired men. 2.9 In addition to these, also those who have known what the end of the captivity is, that is, to return to the land from which they were taken captive, so as to sing a hymn of thanksgiving: "For when the Lord turned the captivity of Zion, we became as those who are comforted; then our mouth was filled with joy and our tongue with gladness." 2.10 The rulers and the useful men named with them and those who have known it bring the things from the captivity not only the perceptible things

43

2.t1Τόμος Βʹ 1 2.1Zach. VI, 9-11: Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρός με λέγων· Λαβὲ τὰ ἐκ

τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ παρὰ τῶν χρησίμων αὐτῆς καὶ παρὰ τω῀̣ν̣ ἐπεγνωκότων αὐτήν. Καὶ εἰσελεύσῃ σὺ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ εἰς τὸν οἶκον Ἰωσίου τοῦ Σοφονίου τοῦ ἥκοντος ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος. Καὶ λήμψῃ ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον καὶ ποιήσεις στεφάνους καὶ ἐπιθήσεις ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ἰωσεδὲκ τοῦ ἱερέως τοῦ μεγάλου. 2.2 Ὡς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιστημονικὰ μαθήματα εἰπεῖν ἢ παραδοῦναι μὴ σχόντα ἐπιστήμην, οὕτω οὐκ ἔστι προγνῶναι ἀληθῶς καὶ κατὰ Θεὸν ἢ προφητεῦσαι πνευματικὴν προφητείαν ἄνευ τοῦ γενέσθαι τὸν Θεοῦ λόγον πρὸς τὸν προγινώσκοντα καὶ προφητεύοντα. Γινόμενος γὰρ πρὸς τὸν τοιοῦτον ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου λόγος ὀμματοῖ καὶ φωτίζει πρὸς τὸ θεάσασθαι τὰ κάλλη καὶ μυστήρια τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τῆς Θεοῦ σοφίας. 2.3 Οὐχ ἕτερος δ̣ὲ ὁ γινόμενος πρὸς τὸν προφήτην λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου ὑπάρχει, ὅστις γίνεται μὲν πρὸς τοὺς ἁγίους ἄνδρας, ἀγγέλους τε καὶ ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ θρόνους καὶ κυριότητας, πρὸς τὸν γεννήσαντα αὐτὸν Πατέρα ὢν ἀεί. Περὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ Πατρὸς λέγεται ὡς ἦν ὁ Λόγος πρὸς αὐτόν· «Οὗτος γάρ, φησίν, ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν», Θεὸς Λόγος ὤν. 2.4 Γίνεται δέ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν, πρὸς τοὺς πνευματοφόρους ἄνδρας, ὢν καὶ τότε πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὅταν γένηται. Τότε γὰρ τότε καὶ θεοὶ ἔσονται πρὸς οὓς ἐπεφοίτησεν καὶ γέγονεν, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ φησὶν πρὸς τοὺς δυσχεραίνοντας ὅτι Θεοῦ Υἱὸν ἑαυτὸν εἶπεν. 2.5 Ἔχει δ' οὕτως τὸ ῥητόν· «Εἰ ἐκείνους θεοὺς εἶπεν πρὸς οὓς ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγένετο, ὃν ὁ Πατὴρ ἡγίασεν καὶ ἀπέστειλεν εἰς τ̣ὸν κόσμον» -ἐμὲ τὸν ταῦτα λέγοντα δηλονότι, -»ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι βλασφημεῖ, ὅτι εἶπον· Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰμι». Καὶ ἐπεὶ θεοὶ ἀποδείκνυνται πρὸς οὓς γέγονεν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγος, Θεοῦ ῥήματα προσήκει νοεῖν καὶ ἐκλαμβάνειν ἃ ἀπαγγέλλουσιν θεοφορούμενοι οἱ μακαριώτατοι προφῆται. Τί προστάττεται εἰπεῖν πρὸς ὃν γέγονεν ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου λόγος Ζαχαρίας θεωρητέον. 2.6 «Λαβέ, φησίν, τὰ ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ τῶν χρησίμων αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπεγνωκότων» διὰ πεῖραν «αὐτήν». Τίνα δ' ἐστὶν ἃ δεῖ λαβεῖν παρὰ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας, διδόντων αὐτὰ παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ χρησίμων καὶ ἐπεγνωκότων αὐτήν, ἢ τὰ ἱερατικὰ σκεύη ἃ οἱ αἰχμαλωτίζοντες εἰλήφασιν ἐκ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ ἐν αὐτῇ. Καὶ ταῦτα γὰρ ᾐχμαλώτισται μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν Ἑβραίων εἰς τὴν Βαβυλῶνα παρὰ τῶν κρατούντων αὐτῆς τυραννικῶν ἀνδρῶν. 2.7 Οὐ παρὰ τῶν τυχόντων δὲ προστάττεται λαβεῖν, ἀλλ' ἢ παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων νομίμως ἐπιστατούντων καὶ τῶν χρησίμων τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ. Οὗτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ χρησίμως καὶ ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ μετοικισθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας πατρίδος εἰς τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν γῆν, οὐ δι' ἁμαρτίας ἃς ὅλως οὐ πεποιήκασιν αὐτοί, ἀλλὰ τὰς τοῦ ἀσεβήσαντος λαοῦ. 2.8 Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν ἀνθρωπίνῳ πολέμῳ, μετὰ τῆς στρατιωτικῆς δυνάμεως καὶ ἰατροὶ παραλαμβάνονται πρὸς τὸ θεραπεύειν τοὺς τιτρωσκομένους στρατιώτας, οὕτως οἱ χρησίμως αἰχμαλωτισθέντες σοφοὶ πρὸς τὸ βοηθεῖν τῷ λαῷ, προτροπῆς καὶ νουθεσίας τρόπῳ, χρήσιμοι τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας εἴρηνται, ὧν ∆ανιὴλ καὶ Ἰεζεκιήλ, Ἀγγαῖός τε καὶ ἕτεροι πλείονες θεοπρόποι ἄνδρες. 2.9 Πρὸς τούτοις, καὶ ἐπεγνωκότες τί τὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τέλος ἐστίν, τὸ κατελθεῖν εἰς τὴν γῆν ἀφ' ἧς αἰχμάλωτοι ἐλήμφθησαν, ὡς ψᾶλαι εὐχαριστίας ὕμνον· «Ἐν τῷ γὰρ ἐπιστρέψαι Κύριον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Σιὼν ἐγενήθημεν ὡς παρακεκλημένοι· τότε ἐπλήσθη χαρᾶς τὸ στόμα ἡμῶν καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα ἡμῶν ἀγαλλιάσεως.» 2.10 Φέρουσι τὰ ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας οἱ ἄρχοντες καὶ οἱ συνωνομασμένοι αὐτοῖς χρήσιμοι καὶ ε᾿̣πεγνωκότες αὐτὴν οὐ μόνον τὰ αἰσθητὰ