Chapter LIII.—Jacob predicted that Christ would ride on an ass, and Zechariah confirms it.

“And that expression, ‘binding his foal to the vine, and the ass’s foal to the vine tendril,’ was a declaring beforehand both of the works wrought by Him at His first advent, and also of that belief in Him which the nations would repose. For they were like an unharnessed foal, which was not bearing a yoke on its neck, until this Christ came, and sent His disciples to instruct them; and they bore the yoke of His word, and yielded the neck to endure all [hardships], for the sake of the good things promised by Himself, and expected by them. And truly our Lord Jesus Christ, when He intended to go into Jerusalem, requested His disciples to bring Him a certain ass, along with its foal, which was bound in an entrance of a village called Bethphage; and having seated Himself on it, He entered into Jerusalem. And as this was done by Him in the manner in which it was prophesied in precise terms that it would be done by the Christ, and as the fulfilment was recognised, it became a clear proof that He was the Christ. And though all this happened and is proved from Scripture, you are still hard-hearted. Nay, it was prophesied by Zechariah, one of the twelve [prophets], that such would take place, in the following words: ‘Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; shout, and declare, daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King shall come to thee, righteous, bringing salvation, meek, and lowly, riding on an ass, and the foal of an ass.’169    Zech. ix. 9. Now, that the Spirit of prophecy, as well as the patriarch Jacob, mentioned both an ass and its foal, which would be used by Him; and, further, that He, as I previously said, requested His disciples to bring both beasts; [this fact] was a prediction that you of the synagogue, along with the Gentiles, would believe in Him. For as the unharnessed colt was a symbol of the Gentiles even so the harnessed ass was a symbol of your nation. For you possess the law which was imposed [upon you] by the prophets. Moreover, the prophet Zechariah foretold that this same Christ would be smitten, and His disciples scattered: which also took place. For after His crucifixion, the disciples that accompanied Him were dispersed, until He rose from the dead, and persuaded them that so it had been prophesied concerning Him, that He would suffer; and being thus persuaded, they went into all the world, and taught these truths. Hence also we are strong in His faith and doctrine, since we have [this our] persuasion both from the prophets, and from those who throughout the world are seen to be worshippers of God in the name of that crucified One. The following is said, too, by Zechariah: ‘O sword, rise up against My Shepherd, and against the man of My people, saith the Lord of hosts. Smite the Shepherd, and His flock shall be scattered.’170    Zech. xiii. 7.

[53] Καὶ τὸ Δεσμεύων πρὸς ἄμπελον τὸν πῶλον αὐτοῦ καὶ τῇ ἕλικι τὸν πῶλον τῆς ὄνου καὶ τῶν ἔργων, τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς πρώτης αὐτοῦ παρουσίας γενομένων ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν ὁμοίως, τῶν μελλόντων πιστεύειν αὐτῷ, προδήλωσις ἦν. οὗτοι γὰρ ὡς πῶλος ἀσαγὴς καὶ ζυγὸν ἐπὶ αὐχένα μὴ ἔχων τὸν ἑαυτοῦ, μέχρις ὁ Χριστὸς οὗτος ἐλθὼν διὰ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ πέμψας ἐμαθήτευσεν αὐτούς, καὶ τὸν ζυγὸν τοῦ λόγου αὐτοῦ βαστάσαντες τὸν νῶτον ὑπέθηκαν πρὸς τὸ πάντα ὑπομένειν διὰ τὰ προσδοκώμενα καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κατηγγελμένα ἀγαθά. καὶ ὄνον δέ τινα ἀληθῶς σὺν πώλῳ αὐτῆς προσδεδεμένην ἔν τινι εἰσόδῳ κώμης Βηθσφαγῆς λεγομένης, ὅτε ἔμελλεν εἰσέρχεσθαι εἰς τὰ Ἰεροσόλυμα ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, ἐκέλευσε τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἀγαγεῖν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐπικαθίσας ἐπεισελήλυθεν εἰς τὰ Ἰεροσόλυμα: ὅπερ ὡς ἐπεπροφήτευτο διαρρήδην γενήσεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, γενόμενον ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ γνωσθέν, τὸν Χριστὸν ὄντα αὐτὸν φανερὸν ἐποίει. καί, τούτων ἁπάντων γενομένων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν ἀποδεικνυμένων, ὑμεῖς ἔτι σκληροκάρδιοί ἐστε. προεφητεύθη δὲ ὑπὸ Ζαχαρίου, ἑνὸς τῶν δώδεκα, τοῦτο μέλλειν γίνεσθαι οὕτως: Χαῖρε σφόδρα, θύγατερ Σιών, ἀλάλαξον, κήρυσσε, θύγατερ Ἰερουσαλήμ: ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἥξει σοι δίκαιος καὶ σώζων αὐτὸς καὶ πραῢς καὶ πτωχός, ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὑποζύγιον καὶ πῶλον ὄνου. τὸ δὲ καὶ ὄνον ὑποζύγιον ἤδη μετὰ τοῦ πώλου αὐτῆς ὀνομάζειν τὸ προφητικὸν πνεῦμα μετὰ τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἰακὼβ ἐν τῇ κτήσει αὐτὸν ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ, ὡς προέφην, ἀμφότερα τὰ ζῶα κελεῦσαι ἀγαγεῖν, προαγγελία ἦν καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς συναγωγῆς ὑμῶν ἅμα τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν πιστεύειν ἐπ' αὐτὸν μέλλουσιν. ὡς γὰρ τῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν σύμβολον ἦν ὁ ἀσαγὴς πῶλος, οὕτως καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑμετέρου λαοῦ ἡ ὑποσαγὴς ὄνος: τὸν γὰρ διὰ τῶν προφητῶν νόμον ἐπικείμενον ἔχετε. ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ζαχαρίου, ὅτι παταχθήσεται αὐτὸς οὗτος ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ διασκορπισθήσονται οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, προεφητεύθη: ὅπερ καὶ γέγονε. μετὰ γὰρ τὸ σταυρωθῆναι αὐτὸν οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ ὄντες μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ διεσκεδάσθησαν, μέχρις ὅτου ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ πέπεικεν αὐτοὺς ὅτι οὕτως προεπεφήτευτο περὶ αὐτοῦ παθεῖν αὐτόν: καὶ οὕτω πεισθέντες καὶ εἰς τὴν πᾶσαν οἰκουμένην ἐξελθόντες ταῦτα ἐδίδαξαν. ὅθεν καὶ ἡμεῖς βέβαιοι ἐν τῇ πίστει καὶ μαθητείᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐσμεν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν προφητῶν καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην εἰς ὄνομα τοῦ ἐσταυρωμένου ἐκείνου ὁρωμένων καὶ γενομένων θεοσεβῶν τὴν πειθὼ ἔχομεν. ἔστι δὲ τὰ λεχθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ Ζαχαρίου ταῦτα: Ῥομφαία, ἐξεγέρθητι ἐπὶ τὸν ποιμένα μου καὶ ἐπ' ἄνδρα τοῦ λαοῦ μου, λέγει κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων: πάταξον τὸν ποιμένα, καὶ διασκορπισθήσονται τὰ πρόβατα αὐτοῦ.