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Since the prophetic [sayings] that were received have been clarified for the demonstration of the prophetic utterance of Zechariah, it is time also to consider it. 2.49 "Behold," it says, "his name is the Branch." In addition to what has been said that the incarnation is shown by the words, "Behold, his name is the Branch," consider whether the bridegroom who has the bride is here called a man. For the Apostle makes this clear, writing to the Corinthians: "I wish to betroth you all to one husband, a pure virgin." 2.50 It is the expectation for those who have been filled with the knowledge of the Son of God to attain to this man, as again the same Paul, speaking in Christ, inscribes: "Until we all attain to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness" of the Son of God. For concerning this perfect man, of whom John the Baptist, of whom "among those born of women none greater has arisen," says: "After me comes a man who was before me"; he indicates this man when he says: "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom rejoices with joy because of the bridegroom's voice." 2.51 This man, who is shown by the prophet, is called the Branch, that of which Zechariah, the father of the baptist, being filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaimed in the Gospel: "The Dayspring from on high," of the true light and of the sun of righteousness, "has appeared to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death," so that, the darkness having been dispelled and the shadow of death no longer existing, we might pass from death to life, and being enlightened, we might become light in the Lord, having cast off the darkness that comes from ignorance of God and from the rest of wickedness, we might become light in the Lord according to the teaching of him who wrote to some: "For you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord." 2.52 Concerning this Branch who arose from David, the father of the baptist, in addition to other things about God, says this also: "He has raised up a horn of salvation for us from the house of David," that is, a king of salvation. For in many places of scripture, and not least in the wise Daniel, kings and kingdoms are called horns. 2.53 Employing this one who arose in the house of David, the wise say to God: "In you we will push down our enemies." 2.54 "From beneath" the man who is shown, called the Branch, "will spring up" either a light, or a plant bearing fruits of salvation—for the verb "to spring up" is used in common for light and for a plant—which things spring up from beneath the great teacher, lawgiver, and king. 2.55 But what are the things beneath him, if not the rational beings subjected to divine laws 2.55 and congenital instruction? For how is not every man who is praiseworthily so called beneath him, with Christ being his head? And all the members of Christ, which complete the Church which is the body of Christ, happen to be beneath Christ, who is the head of the Church. 2.56 Thus also you will say that the subjects and disciples are beneath the king and teacher, from whom comes a dawning of the light of the knowledge of truth and of the tree that bears good fruit, to which God, conversing as a vinedresser, says: "I planted you a fruitful vine, wholly true"; but far be it from every God-fearing person to hear: "How have you turned to bitterness, the strange vine?" 2.57 But you will say that from beneath the spiritual husbandman there also spring up the specific virtues and their works, being the fruits of righteousness, concerning which the Apostle writes: "May God sanctify the fruits of your righteousness," and the prophet Hosea: "Seek the Lord until the fruits of righteousness come to you." These things "those who sow them in tears reap with joy," that is, with the toil and sweat for the sake of piety. 2.58 It is possible to understand "from beneath him will spring up" also in this way: the Word who became flesh, Jesus who was "born of a woman," sprang up from beneath "the Dayspring from on high" of the Word of God, who is the true light. 2.59 In abundance and

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Σαφηνισθέντων τῶν παραληφθέντων προφητικ̣ω῀̣ν πρὸς ἀπόδειξιν τῆς τοῦ Ζαχαρίου προφητικῆς λέξεως, καιρὸς καὶ αὐτὴν θεωρῆσαι. 2.49 «Ἰδού, φησίν, ἀνατολὴ ὄνομα αὐτῷ.» Πρὸς τοῖς εἰρημένοις τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν δηλοῦσθαι ἐκ τοῦ· «Ἰδοὺ ἀνατολὴ ὄνομα αὐτῷ», ἐπίστησον εἰ ἀνὴρ ἐνταῦθα καλεῖται ὁ νυμφίος ὁ τὴν νύμφην ἔχων. Τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ Ἀπόστολος φανεροῖ, γράφων Κορινθίοις· «Βούλομαι τοὺς πάντας ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ ἁρμόσαι, παρθένον ἁγνήν.» 2.50 Εἰς τοῦτον τὸν ἄνδρα καταν̣τῆσαι προσδοκία ἐστὶν τοὺς πεπληρωμένους τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς ἐν Χριστῷ λαλῶν Παῦλος χαράττει· «Μέχρι οὗ καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος» τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἰς τοῦτον γὰρ τὸν τέλειον ἄνδρα, τὸν περὶ οὗ ὁ βαπτιστὴς Ἰωάννης̣, οὗ «ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν οὐδεὶς μείζων ἐγήγερται», φησίν· «Ἔρχεται ὀπίσω μου ἀνὴρ ὃς ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν»· τοῦτον τὸν ἄνδρα σημαίνει φάσκων· «Ὁ ἔχων τὴν νύμφην νύμφιός ἐστιν· ὁ δὲ φίλος τοῦ νυμφίου χαρᾷ χαίρει διὰ τὴν λαλιὰν τοῦ νυμφίου.» 2.51 Οὗτος ὁ δεικνύμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου ἄνθρωπος ἀνατολὴ προσαγορεύεται, ἐκείνη περὶ ἧς ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ ὁ τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ πατὴρ Ζαχαρίας, πλησθεὶς Πνεύματος ἁγίου, ἀνεφθέγξατο· «Ἀνατολὴ ἐξ ὕψους», φωτὸς ἀληθινοῦ καὶ τοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἡλίου, «ἐπέφανεν τοῖς ἐν σκότει καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου καθημένοις», ἵνα, λυθέντος τοῦ σκότους καὶ μηκέθ' ὑπαρχούσης τῆς τοῦ θανάτου σκιᾶς, μεταβῶμεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν, καὶ καταυγασθέντες φῶς ἐν Κυρίῳ γενώμεθα, ἀποβαλόντες τὸ ἐξ ἀγνωσίας Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς λοιπῆς κακίας σκότος, φῶς ἐν Κυρίῳ γενώμεθα κατὰ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν τοῦ γράφοντός τισιν· «Ἦτε γὰρ σκότος, νῦν δὲ φῶς ἐν Κυρίῳ.» 2.52 Περὶ τῆς ἀνατολῆς ταύτης ἀναστάσης ἐκ τοῦ ∆αυίδ, ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ πρὸς ἑτέροις περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τόδε φησίν· «Ἤγειρεν κέρας σωτηρίας ἡμῖν ἐξ οἴκου ∆αυίδ», τοῦτ' ἔστιν βασιλέα σωτηρίας. Ἐν πολλοῖς γὰρ τόποις τῆς γραφῆς, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ ἐν τῷ σοφῷ ∆ανιήλ, βασιλεῖς καὶ βασιλεῖαι κέρατα καλοῦνται. 2.53 Τούτῳ τῷ ἀναστάντι ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ χρώμενοι, οἱ σοφοί φασιν τῷ Θεῷ· «Ἐν σοὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν κερατιοῦμεν.» 2.54 «Ὑποκάτωθεν» τοῦ δεικνυμένου ἀνδρὸς ἀνατολῆς καλουμένου, «ἀνατελεῖ» ἤτοι φῶς, ἢ φυτὸν σωτηρίους φέρον καρπούς-κοινῶς γὰρ κατὰ φωτὸς καὶ φυτοῦ τὸ ἀνατέλλειν ῥῆμα τέτακται, -ἅπερ ὑποκάτωθεν ἀνατελεῖ τοῦ μεγάλου διδασκάλου, νομοθέτου τε καὶ βασιλέως. 2.55 Τίνα δὲ τὰ ὑποκάτω αὐτοῦ, ἢ τὰ ὑποτεταγμένα νόμοις 2.55 θείοις καὶ συμφυεῖ παιδεύσει λογικά; Πῶς γὰρ οὐχ ὑποκάτω πᾶς ὁ ἐπαινετω῀̣ς καλούμενος ἀνήρ, τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὄντος αὐτοῦ κεφαλῆς; Καὶ πάντα δὲ τὰ μέλη Χριστοῦ συμπληρωτικὰ ὄντα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας οὔσ̣ης σῶμα Χριστοῦ, ὑποκάτω τοῦ Χριστοῦ τυγχάνει ὑπάρχοντος κεφαλῆς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. 2.56 Οὕτω καὶ βασιλέως καὶ διδασκάλου ὑποκάτω ἐρεῖς τοὺς ὑπηκόους καὶ μαθητάς, ἐξ ὧν ἀνατολὴ γίνεται φωτὸς τῆς γνώσεως τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ δένδρου τοῦ καλὸν καρπὸν φέροντος, πρὸς ὃ διαλεγόμενος οἷα φυτουργὸς ὁ Θεός φησιν· «Ἐγὼ ἐφύτευσά σε ἄμπελον καρποφόρον πᾶσαν ἀληθινήν»· ἀπέστω δὲ ἑκάστου θεοσεβοῦς τό· «Πῶς ἐστράφης εἰς πικρίαν, ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀλλοτρία;» 2.57 Ὑποκάτω δὲ τοῦ πνευματικοῦ γεωργοῦ ἀνατελεῖν ἐρεῖς καὶ τὰς κατ' εἶδος ἀρετὰς καὶ τὰ τούτων ἔργα, γενήματα δικαιοσύνης ὄντας, περὶ ὧν ὁ μὲν Ἀπόστολος γράφει· «Ὁ Θεὸς ἁγιάσαι τὰ γενήματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὑμῶν», ὁ δὲ προφήτης Ὠσῆε· «Ἐκζητήσατε τὸν Κύριον ἕως οὗ ἔλθῃ γενήματα δικαιοσύνης ὑμῖν.» Ταῦτα «ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει θερίζουσιν οἱ σπείροντες αὐτὰ ἐν δάκρυσιν», δηλαδὴ σὺν πόνῳ καὶ ἱδρῶτι τοῖς ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας. 2.58 ∆υνατὸν νοῆσαι τό· «Ὑποκάτωθεν αὐτοῦ ἀνατελεῖ» καὶ οὕτω· ὁ γενάμενος σὰρξ Λόγος, ὁ «ἐκ γυναικὸς γεν̣άμενος» Ἰησοῦς, ὑποκάτωθεν ἀνέτειλεν «τῆς ἐξ ὕψους ἀνατολῆς» τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου, ὑπάρχοντος ἀληθινοῦ φωτός. 2.59 Ἐκ περιουσίας καὶ