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For he who says, "Who shall rouse him up?" knows him clearly. And he adds with wonder, "Who then is the one who will do this and raise him up?", stirring us up to seek who it might be that would raise from the dead our Lord, who took upon himself death for our sake. 8.1.67 Who else could it be but the God of all and his Father, to whom alone must be ascribed the resurrection of our Savior, according to the scripture that says: "whom" the Father "raised from the dead?" But instead of "A lion’s cub, Judah; from a shoot, my son, you have gone up; crouching you have lain down to sleep," Aquila most expressively says: "A lion’s whelp, Judah, from the prey, my son, you have gone up; bowing, you lay down," 8.1.68 And Symmachus says: "A lion’s cub, Judah, from the capture by a beast, my son, you have gone up; crouching, you were made fast," through which the resurrection from the dead is clearly represented, and the escape of our Savior from Hades, as from a kind of capture by a beast. 8.1.69 But the "crouching" and "being made fast," but not falling down, showed at once his death through the "crouching," and through "being made fast," his not being dragged down like the souls of other men. All these things, therefore, were laid up beforehand for Christ. But until it reached its fulfillment, the nation of the Jews was established, and their rulers and leaders, and those who carefully examined the divine prophecies concerning Christ with understanding, were eminent among them. 8.1.70 But when "the things stored up" for Judah came, and he who was prophesied appeared on earth, having become of the seed and shoot of the one who had uttered these oracles, and having lain down and slept, or "crouched," according to Symmachus, he was made fast and was raised, laying his hands upon the back of the invisible and spiritual enemies, and his brothers and disciples, at first praising him and marveling, later also confessed him to be God and worshiped him as God, then "the things stored up for him" were fulfilled, so that for this reason the phrase "until the things stored up for him should come" was taken away. 8.1.71 For from that time to this, since the things stored up for him came to their conclusion, the rulers and leaders of the Jewish nation have ceased, and rulers of the gentiles were set at their head; and conversely the gentiles, having recognized the Christ of God, have claimed him as their savior and expectation. 8.1.72 After all these things it is added: "Binding his colt to the vine, and to the vine-tendril the foal of his ass; he will wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape. His eyes shall be gladdening from wine, and his teeth whiter than milk." 8.1.73 And I think that through these things he hints: at the colt as the very company of the apostles and disciples of our Savior, and at the vine to which he bound the colt as his divine and invisible power, which he himself, representing, taught saying: "I am the true vine, my Father is the husbandman." And the tendril of the aforementioned vine would be the teaching of the word of God, on which he bound the colt of the ass, the new people from the gentiles, being the offspring of his apostles. 8.1.74 And one might say that these things were also fulfilled literally, when according to Matthew the Lord said to his disciples: "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt; untie them and bring them to me." 8.1.75 And it is truly possible for one who has attended to the word to marvel at the prediction of the prophet, who foresaw by the divine Spirit, that the one prophesied would not, like some renowned king among men, ride upon chariots and horses, but upon a donkey and a colt, like some common and poor man of the multitude. 8.1.76 For another of the prophets also marveled at this, saying: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; behold, your king comes to you, meek, and riding upon a beast of burden and a new colt." But as for "he will wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape," consider for yourself whether it might not be hinting, as if in secret, at his mystical passion, in which his robe and his garment
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γὰρ αὐτὸν σαφῶς οἶδεν ὁ φάσκων «τίς ἐγερεῖ αὐτόν». θαυμαστικῶς δὲ ἐπιλέγει τὸ τίς ἄρα ὁ τοῦτο ποιήσων καὶ ἀναστήσων αὐτόν, ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὸ ζητεῖν διεγείρων, τίς ἂν εἴη ὁ τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν θάνατον ἀναδεξάμενον ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστήσων. 8.1.67 τίς δ' ἂν εἴη ἄλλος ἢ ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ, ᾧ μόνῳ ἀναθετέον τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀνάστασιν, κατὰ τὴν λέγουσαν γραφήν· «ὃν» ὁ πατὴρ «ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν;» ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ «σκύμνος λέοντος, Ἰούδα· ἐκ βλαστοῦ, υἱέ μου, ἀνέβης· ἀναπεσὼν ἐκοιμήθης» ἐμφαντικώτατα ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας φησίν· «σκύλαξ λέοντος, Ἰούδα, ἀπὸ ἁλώσεως, υἱέ μου, ἀνέβης· κάμψας κατεκλίθης», 8.1.68 ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχός φησιν· «σκύμνος λέοντος, Ἰούδα, ἐκ θηριαλώσεως, υἱέ μου, ἀνέβης· ὀκλάσας ἡδράσθης», δι' ὧν σαφῶς παρίσταται ἡ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ἐξ ᾅδου, ὥσπερ ἔκ τινος θηριαλώσεως, τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀποφυγή. 8.1.69 τὸ δὲ «ὀκλάσαι» καὶ «ἑδρασθῆναι», ἀλλὰ μὴ καταπεσεῖν, ὁμοῦ τὸν θάνατον ἔδειξεν διὰ τοῦ ὀκλάσαι, καὶ τὸ μὴ ὑποσυρῆναι ὁμοίως ταῖς τῶν λοιπῶν ἀνθρώπων ψυχαῖς διὰ τοῦ ἡδράσθαι. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν πάντα προαπέκειτο τῷ Χριστῷ. πλὴν ἕως οὐδέπω τέλους ἐτύγχανεν, τὸ Ἰουδαίων συνεστήκει ἔθνος, καὶ οἱ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄρχοντες καὶ ἡγούμενοι οἵ τε ἐξακριβαζόμενοι τὰς θείας συνετῶς περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προφητείας διέπρεπον ἐν αὐτοῖς. 8.1.70 ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐλήλυθεν «τὰ ἀποκείμενα» τῷ Ἰούδᾳ, ἐφάνη τε ἐπὶ γῆς ὁ προφητευόμενος ἐκ σπέρματος καὶ βλαστοῦ γενόμενος τοῦ ταῦτα τεθεσπι κότος, ἀναπεσών τε καὶ κοιμηθείς, ἢ ὀκλάσας, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, ἡδράσθη καὶ ἀνηγέρθη, τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ κατὰ νώτου τῶν ἀοράτων καὶ νοητῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐπιβαλών, οἵ τε ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ μαθηταί, πρότερον ἐπαινοῦντες αὐτὸν καὶ θαυμάζοντες, ὕστερον καὶ ὡς θεὸν ὡμολόγησαν εἶναι καὶ ὡς θεὸν προσεκύνησαν, τηνικαῦτα ἐπληροῦτο «τὰ ἀποκείμενα αὐτῷ», ὡς διὰ τοῦτο ἀνειρῆσθαι τὸ «ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀποκείμενα αὐτῷ». 8.1.71 ἐξ ἐκείνου γάρ τοι καὶ εἰς δεῦρο εἰς πέρας ἐλθόντων τῶν ἀποκειμένων αὐτῷ, διαλελοίπασι μὲν οἱ ἄρχοντες καὶ ἡγούμενοι τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, κατέστησάν τε ἐπὶ κεφαλῆς αὐτῶν ἄρχοντες ἐθνῶν, ἔμπαλιν δὲ τὰ ἔθνη, τὸν Χριστὸν ἐπιγνόντα τοῦ θεοῦ, αὐτὸν ἐπεγράψαντο σωτῆρα καὶ προσδοκίαν. 8.1.72 Μετὰ ταῦτα πάντα ἐπιλέγεται· «δεσμεύων πρὸς ἄμπελον τὸν πῶλον αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῇ ἕλικι τὸ ὑποζύγιον τῆς ὄνου αὐτοῦ· πλυνεῖ ἐν οἴνῳ τὴν στολὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν αἵματι σταφυλῆς τὴν περιβολὴν αὐτοῦ. χαροποιοὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ οἴνου, καὶ λευκοὶ οἱ ὀδόντες αὐτοῦ ἢ γάλα». 8.1.73 αἰνίττεσθαι δὲ ἡγοῦμαι διὰ τούτων· τὸν μὲν πῶλον αὐτὸν τὸν τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ μαθητῶν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν χορόν, τὴν δὲ ἄμπελον ἐν ᾗ τὸν πῶλον προσέδησεν τὴν ἔνθεον καὶ ἀόρατον αὐτοῦ δύναμιν, ἣν αὐτὸς παριστὰς ἐδίδασκε λέγων· «ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή, ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ γεωργός ἐστιν». ἕλιξ δὲ τῆς ἀμπέλου τῆς ἀποδοθείσης εἴη ἂν ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου διδασκαλία, ἐν ᾗ τὸν πῶλον τῆς ὄνου κατεδήσατο, τὸν νέον ἐξ ἐθνῶν λαόν, γέννημα τυγχάνοντα τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ. 8.1.74 εἴποι δ' ἄν τις καὶ πρὸς λέξιν ταῦτα τέλους τετυχηκέναι, ὅτε κατὰ τὸν Ματθαῖον εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς· «πορεύεσθε εἰς τὴν κατέναντι ὑμῶν κώμην, καὶ εὐθέως εὑρήσετε ὄνον δεδεμένον, καὶ πῶλον· λύσαντες ἀγάγετέ μοι». 8.1.75 καὶ ἔστιν γε ἀληθῶς τῷ λόγῳ ἐπιστήσαντα ἀποθαυμάσαι τὴν τοῦ προφήτου πρόρρησιν, τῷ θείῳ πνεύματι προτεθεωρηκότος, ὅτι δὴ μελλήσει ὁ προφητευόμενος οὐχ οἷά τις ἐπίδοξος ἐν ἀνθρώποις βασιλεὺς ἐφ' ἁρμάτων καὶ ἵππων ὀχήσεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ὄνου καὶ πώλου, οἷά τις τῶν πολλῶν κοινὸς ἀνὴρ καὶ πένης. 8.1.76 τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἄλλος προφητῶν ἐθαύμασεν φήσας· «χαῖρε σφόδρα, θύγατερ Σιών· ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί σοι πρᾶος, ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὑποζύγιον καὶ πῶλον νέον». τὸ δὲ «πλυνεῖ ἐν οἴνῳ τὴν στολὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν αἵματι σταφυλῆς τὴν περιβολὴν αὐτοῦ» σκέψαι καὶ αὐτὸς μήποτε ὡς ἐν ἀπορρήτοις τὸ μυστικὸν αἰνίττεται πάθος αὐτοῦ, ἐν ᾧ τὴν στολὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ περιβόλαιον