Zechariah 12

Therefore he referred the thunders to the words of the Lord, the sound of which went out into all the earth. And we understand the word spirit in this place of the soul, which he took endowed with potential reason and perfection. For the Scripture often designates the soul of humankind by the word spirit, as you read: "Who creates the spirit of man within him." So too the Lord signified his soul by the word spirit, when he said, "Into your hands I commend my spirit."

I do not want anyone to tell me that this view [that God condemns innocent souls] should be supported by the passage "who formed the spirit of man in him" and "who made the heart of every one of them." Something supremely strong and invincible is needed to force me to believe that God condemns any souls without any guilt of theirs. It is either as great a thing, or it is, perhaps greater, to create as to form, yet it is written, "Create a clean heart in me, O God." This is no argument for thinking that the soul in this passage prays to be made before it had any being. As, therefore, while now existing, it is created by renewal of its justice, so, while now existing, it is formed by the shaping force of doctrine.

Hence we ought to understand this passage so that we do not take the words "he breathed into him the breath of life, and he became a living soul" to mean that a part, as it were, of the nature of God was turned into the soul of man. Thus we are not forced to say that the nature of God is mutable. It is especially in this error that the truth weighs down upon these Manichaeans. For as pride is the mother of all the heretics, they dared to say that the soul is the nature of God. And thus they are under pressure from us when we say to them, "Then the nature of God errs and is unhappy and is corrupted by the stain of vices and sins, or is, as you say, soiled by the filth of the opposing nature," and other such things that it is wicked to believe about the nature of God. For in another passage Scripture clearly says that the soul was made by almighty God and that it is therefore not a part of God or the nature of God. There the prophet says, "He who formed the spirit for all men made all things," and in another place it says, "He who formed the spirit of man is in him." These testimonies clearly prove that the spirit of man was made. In Scripture the rational part of man's soul by which he differs from the beasts and rules over them by the law of nature is called the spirit of man. On this the apostle says, "No one knows what pertains to man except the spirit of man which is within him." If these testimonies were not clear proof that the soul of man was made, there would be no lack of those who would say that the spirit of man was not made and who would think that it is the nature of God and say that part of God was changed into it, when there took place that breathing forth by God. Healthy doctrine likewise rejects this, because the spirit of man itself is at times in error and at times thinks wisely; thus it proclaims that it is mutable, and it is in no way permissible to believe this of the nature of God. But there cannot be a greater sign of pride than that the human soul says that it is what God is, while it still groans under such great burdens of vice and unhappiness.

There are many statements of spirit in general in the sacred Scriptures, and a person could easily become confused from ignorance, if he did not know to what sort of spirit the particular text refers; therefore we must be sure of the nature of the Holy Spirit according to Scripture. For example, Aaron is called Christ (anointed), and David also, and Saul and others are called christs, yet there is only one true Christ; similarly, since the name of spirit has been given to many things, we must determine what in particular is called the Holy Spirit. Many things are called spirits; our soul is called spirit; this wind, which is blowing, is called spirit; great valor is called spirit; impure action is called spirit; and a hostile devil is called spirit. Take care, therefore, when you hear such things, not to mistake one for another because of the similarity of the name. Scripture says of the soul, "When his spirit departs, he returns to the earth"; and again of the soul: "Who forms the spirit of man within him."

The burden of the word of the Lord upon Israel. The Lord said, stretching out the heaven and founding the earth and forming the spirit of man within him: Behold, I will make Jerusalem a lintel of drunkenness for all the peoples round about; but Judah too shall be in the siege against Jerusalem. And it shall be: on that day: I will make Jerusalem a stone of burden for all the peoples; all who have lifted it shall be torn with gashing, and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered against her. LXX: The taking up of the word of the Lord upon Israel. The Lord says, stretching out the heaven and founding the earth, and forming the spirit of man within him: Behold, I will make Jerusalem like lintels that are shaken for all the peoples round about, and in Judea. And there shall be a siege around Jerusalem, and it shall be on that day, I will make Jerusalem a stone that is trodden down by all the nations; everyone who treads her down, mocking shall mock, and I will gather against her all the nations of the earth. There is a threefold interpretation from the place in which we read: Behold, I will make Jerusalem a lintel of drunkenness for all the peoples round about, as far as the place where it is written: Sword, awake against my shepherd, and against the man who is my companion, says the Lord of hosts. Strike the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered. For some of the Jews think that these things have already been partly fulfilled, from Zerubbabel down to Gaius Pompey, who was the first of the Romans to take Judea and the temple, a history which Josephus writes. Others, however, think that they are to be fulfilled at the end of the world, when Jerusalem shall have been restored, which the wretched Jewish nation promises itself with its ἠλειμμένῳ (anointed one), whom we read of above as the foolish shepherd. But others, that is, we who are reckoned by the name of Christ, declare that they are daily being fulfilled, and are to be fulfilled, in the Church until the end of the world. And so as not to stretch the measure of the volume by going through every point, setting it out thus: Those men say this, others suppose so, we think thus, we have set down three opinions, so that from the variety of interpretation the prudent reader may understand what is to be fitted to what. The Lord, then, who stretched out the heaven like a skin, and made the earth firm with a lofty mass, and formed the spirit of man within him, is likewise the Creator of all souls, so that out of the two substances of soul and body he might put together one living being. For spirit is frequently taken for soul, as there: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit, and: You will take away their spirit and they will fail, and they will return to their dust.

This Creator, then, and Lord of the universe testifies that he will make Jerusalem a lintel of drunkenness for all the peoples round about, so that whoever touches its threshold may be made drunk and fall, or else the lintel itself may fall upon the one by whom it is touched. But Judah too, when Jerusalem is besieged, is captured by the nations, and passing into their fellowship he will be compelled to besiege his own mother city.

Concerning the Church it can be interpreted thus: that all the persecutors who have fought against the house of the Lord are made drunk with that cup which Jeremiah gives to all the nations to drink, so that they drink and are drunk, and fall, and vomit, and go mad. I know that in the time of persecution many of our own were compelled to fight against the Church; but whoever wishes to lift this weight will indeed lift it, and will bear it up in his hands for the wrath of the Lord by which he chastises sinners; yet he himself will not go unpunished, since the sword of God fights against him. For the stone of burden, which we have rendered as best we could, the Seventy translated: A stone trodden down by all the nations. Everyone who treads it down — or her, that is, Jerusalem —, mocking shall mock. Its sense is plain: that in both ways Jerusalem is to be trodden down both by hostile nations and by persecutors, and is to be mocked at the pleasure of those who mock. But the former sense is better and truer. We expound each point briefly, so that we may at last come to the end, lest, if we write at greater length, the reader's mind be confused both by the obscurity of the matters and by the length of the discourse.

And not only will the Lord make Jerusalem like a lintel of drunkenness for all the peoples; he will also make her like a stone of burden for all the peoples, and whoever tries to lift it will be torn with gashing. For all the kingdoms of the earth will be gathered against Jerusalem. It is the custom in the cities of Palestine, and to this day the old practice is kept throughout all Judea, that in villages, towns and forts round stones of very great weight are set, on which young men are accustomed to exercise themselves; and they lift them according to the variety of their strength, some up to the knees, some up to the navel, others to the shoulders and the head, some above the crown of the head, with arms held straight and hands joined, raising the weight and showing the greatness of their strength. On the citadel of the Athenians, beside the statue of Minerva, I saw a bronze sphere of very great weight, which I, because of the weakness of my poor body, could scarcely move. And when I asked what it meant, the answer was given by the inhabitants of that city that the strength of athletes was proved by that mass, and that no one went down to a contest until it was known, from his lifting of the weight, with whom he ought to be matched. So the sense is this: I will make Jerusalem for all the nations like a very heavy stone to be lifted. They will indeed lift her, and lay her waste according to the variety of their strength; but it must be that, while she is being lifted, in the very straining and raising of the weight, the very heavy stone leaves some gash or scrape on the bodies of those who lift it.

On that day, says the Lord, I will strike every horse with astonishment, and its rider with madness; and upon the house of Judah I will open my eyes, and every horse of the peoples I will strike with blindness. LXX: On that day, says the Lord Almighty, I will strike every horse with astonishment, and its rider with madness; but upon the house of Judah I will open my eyes, and all the horses of the peoples I will strike with blindness. At that time — for this is what 'day' signifies —, when Jerusalem shall have been besieged, so that Judah too is compelled to besiege her, the Lord will strike, both carnally and spiritually, all the horses of the adversaries with astonishment, so that all who see that they have been struck are astonished, and their riders, under the pressure of the greatness of their ills, will be turned to madness; and upon the house of Judah, who were being compelled to do something against their mother city, the Lord will open his eyes, to have mercy on them, and to make them worthy of his gaze, and to illumine them with the light of his eyes; but all the horses of the peoples he will strike with eternal blindness. What horses are to be understood spiritually we have said above: A horse is deceptive for safety, and: These in chariots, and those in horses, and other things like these. Their riders too we said were either demons or false teachers, who will all be turned to astonishment and madness, so that they are convicted of knowing nothing, but darkness that can be felt overwhelms them, such as there was when the firstborn of the Egyptians were struck. But upon the house of Judah, that is, the people that confesses God and that, broken by the straits of persecution and terrified by fear, seems to be in the number of the persecutors, the Lord will open his eyes, so as to look back upon many who say to him: Look upon me, and have mercy on me; and they may deserve to hear: And the Lord shall be to you an everlasting light. This is the tearing by the very heavy stone, which the Lord threatens against his adversaries, who tried to lift and harass Jerusalem.

And the chiefs of Judah shall say in their heart: Let the inhabitants of Jerusalem be strengthened for me in the Lord of hosts, their God. LXX: And the tribunes — that is, οἱ χιλίαρχοι —, of Judah shall say in their hearts: We shall find for ourselves those who dwell in Jerusalem in the Lord Almighty, their God. When the Lord has opened his eyes upon Judah, and has struck all the horses of the nations with blindness, the chiefs of Judah, of whom it was said above: But Judah too shall be in the siege against Jerusalem, will make vows in their hearts, since they will not dare to speak freely, that Jerusalem may conquer, and that Judah, conquered along with the enemies, may conquer along with his fellow citizens. Where we said: Let them be strengthened for me, and the LXX translated εὑρήσομεν ἑαυτοῖς, that is: we shall find for ourselves, in the Hebrew is written emsa li, which Aquila translated καρτέρησόν μοι, that is, strengthen for me, so that the sense is: The chiliarchs and tribunes, and the chiefs of Judah, will wish, and will make vows in the hidden secret place of their minds, that God may strengthen the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the Lord their God, and that they may conquer their adversaries. According to tropology, the chiefs and tribunes are the apostles, and all apostolic men and teachers who have been set over the army of Christ, who would wish to find for themselves no others but those who dwell in Jerusalem, the vision of peace, and who dwell in the Lord Almighty, their God. Of these chiefs was Paul the apostle, who found Titus and Timothy, Luke and Silvanus; Peter too, who instructed Mark, the writer of the Gospel; and the rest of the apostles, who filled the whole world with their teaching and learning, so as to have as disciples inhabitants of Jerusalem.

On that day I will make the chiefs of Judah like a furnace of fire among wood, and like a torch of fire in hay; and they shall devour to the right and to the left all the peoples round about; and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, in Jerusalem. And the Lord shall save the tents of Judah, as in the beginning, so that the house of David may not glory magnificently, and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem against Judah. LXX: On that day I will make the tribunes of Judah like a firebrand among wood, and like hay of fire in stubble; and they shall devour on the right and on the left all the peoples of the Lord round about, and Jerusalem shall be inhabited still in herself; and the Lord shall save the tents of Judah, as from the beginning, so that the glory of the house of David may not be magnified, and the exaltation of the inhabitants of Jerusalem over Judah. When the chiefs of Judah have said in their hearts: Strengthen for me, O Lord, the besieged of Jerusalem, so that those who have been conquered through their own weakness may prevail by your help, then I, the Lord Almighty, their God, will make the princes of Judah like a furnace of fire among wood, and like a torch in stubble, so that they may devour the adversaries to whom they were joined in feigned friendship. And let them devour on the right and on the left, and slay all the peoples round about, so that Jerusalem may again be inhabited in her own place and may in no way fear hostile assaults.

Let us say that, in the time of the Church's persecution, the chiefs and tribunes of the Christian name, of whom we spoke above, when the Lord has restored peace to Jerusalem and has slain the adversary with the spirit of his mouth, will be like a furnace of fire among wood, to devour the unfruitful trees, and like torches in stubble, so that whatever has no grain, and is carried about by every wind of doctrine, may be given over to burning. And the chiefs of Judah and the tribunes, he says, shall devour to the right and to the left those who were unwilling to walk in the middle of the road, who do not know that ὑπερβολὰς (excesses) belong to κακίας (vice); whence the people of God promises: we will turn aside neither to the right nor to the left, we will walk in the straight way. The right way is stinginess, which the Greeks call φειδολίαν; the left, extravagance; the middle and straight way, frugality.

All, then, who are on the right way, to whom it is said: Do not be overly just, and on the left, who hear: The ways that are on the left are perverse, the devouring flame shall consume; and when the adversaries have been destroyed and removed, Jerusalem, that is, the Church, will again receive her former glory; and she will be in her own state, and the tents of Judah will be saved, the gatherings of Christians scattered throughout the whole world, from which, as from tents and tabernacles, we long to go to the house that is not made with hands, and to the heavenly Jerusalem. And it is for this reason that the tents of the common people, and of all who are reckoned by the Christian name and are counted among the crowd, receive peace first, while the princes of the churches are besieged and put to flight, so that the masters and teachers may in no way think that peace was restored to the Churches by their own teaching and wisdom, but by the help of the Lord.

Let them restore too the cities and towns, and the farms and villages of the tribe of Judah, which had been plundered and laid waste, as they had been before they were laid waste; and let the royal house, and the renowned and magnificent men of the tribe of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem in no way glory against the tribe of Judah, that it is ruled by their command and governed by their counsel; but let them know that the victory on both sides is the Lord's. Whether these things according to the history have been done or are yet to come, we leave the truth of the matter to the judgment of the Lord, and to his saints, who have received from him the spirit of wisdom and truth.

On that day the Lord shall shield the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and he who has stumbled among them on that day shall be as David. And the house of David as God, as the angel of the Lord in their sight. LXX: And it shall be on that day, the Lord shall shield the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he who is weak among them on that day shall be as the house of David; and the house of David as the house of God, and the angel of the Lord in their sight. When Judah obtains the victory, and the Lord restores its tents as they had been from the beginning, so that the royal house may in no way glory against the people, on that day and at that time the Lord — by whose help Judah shall devour its adversaries on the right and on the left — shall shield also the besieged of Jerusalem, and all things shall be changed into such great happiness and blessedness that he who was thought the most worthless shall be as the royal house; and he who was of the royal house shall be as of the house of God, that is, as a messenger of the Lord and of angelic dignity in the sight of those who shall have been saved again at that time. According to anagogy: the Lord shall shield the inhabitants of the Church, when the peace of the churches has been restored after a most grievous persecution, when she shall also be adorned by the interpretation of her own name. For Jerusalem is rendered as vision of peace. And those who have fought as soldiers for the Church and have confessed the Lord in persecution shall be so blessed that he who was least, and who, as a man, has stumbled in some sin and word, shall be placed in the rank of the teachers; and the teachers who have kept their own station shall be as the house of God and as the angel of the Lord, because this is what we labor for with all zeal, set on earth and sweating in varied toil: that we may be transformed into angelic glory.

And it shall be on that day: I will seek to crush all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of prayers. LXX: And it shall be on that day: I will seek to take away all the nations that come against Jerusalem; and I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of mercy. On that day when the Lord shall shield the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Lord will seek to crush all the nations that come against Jerusalem. But he will crush them not unto perdition but unto amendment, so that they may cease to wage war against Jerusalem and begin to be of Jerusalem. For if he created all things out of nothing, he did not make them in order to destroy what he had created, but so that the things that were created might be saved by his mercy. Hence also in the Wisdom that bears the name of Solomon — if, however, anyone is pleased to accept the book — we find it written: He created all things that they might be, and the generations of the world are healthful; and there shall be no deadly poison in them. For just as the Lord came to seek what had perished, and saved the human race, so too he destroyed the nations in this respect, that they were hostile nations.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be moved. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn (24, 29—30ᵃ). Since we consider that greater themes here come under discussion than lie within the grasp of human understanding — even of those who have advanced in wisdom far beyond others — let us come and examine the passage: first inquiring into those things which can readily be admitted for an exposition of the Gospel text, as though the Lord Himself were prophesying in it; and afterward we shall look for what the truth of these words may be according to those who judge that there is something deeper and more subtle in the words, keeping to the sequence of the moral traditions in these matters as well, in the same manner as above.

Someone, then, will say: just as when great fires begin to be kindled a darkness seems to be raised up out of the abundant smoke, so at the consummation of the world, by the fire which is to be set alight, even the "great lights" shall be darkened, so that, the sun being darkened, and in consequence of the darkening of the sun, the moon too, hindered by the sun from receiving light, is not permitted even to give its own light. And thus of necessity a great darkness must first take hold of the nature of the world. And so, when the light of the stars has thus withered away, the remaining body of them, having become grosser, since it cannot be borne aloft as at first when it was lifted up carried by the light itself, will fall from heaven. And when these things happen, it follows that the rational powers of the heavens, suffering amazement, undergo a certain commotion and are troubled, being, that is, removed from their former functions. So he who understands these things to be thus will add that the sign of the Son of man, in whom "the things that were in the heavens and the things that were on earth" were made heavenly, shall then appear: namely, the power which the Son of man wrought when He was hung upon the tree; and in heaven above all shall His sign shine forth. And men out of all the tribes, who formerly did not believe in the Christianity that was proclaimed but even spoke evil of it, then, recognizing it through that sign made manifest, shall mourn and lament because of their ignorance and their sins, in that they did not receive the word of the Lord.

But another will judge otherwise concerning these words, holding that (as these words themselves show) the destruction of the world will not come about by fire, but by its own failing. And he will make use of such an illustration: that just as, when the light of a lamp fails, the light is little by little diminished, so, when the nourishment of the heavenly lights fails, the sun shall be darkened, no longer having the breaths that come to it from them coming upon it. And when the greater light suffers this, all the more will the moon too be unable to display that fiery splendor which appears according to its own phases. When, therefore, these things befall the sun, the light of the stars too will fail, so that what has remained in them, being as it were earthy, falls from heaven, and, these things happening, all the powers of the heavens shall be moved. For just as, in the dispensation of the cross, "when the sun failed, darkness came over all the earth", so also, when the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven, the light of the sun and of the moon shall fail, and yet more that of the stars, as though consumed by the great power of that sign; and when it appears, the tribes that shall then have remained on the earth shall mourn.

For these things he will use the illustration of the prophet Isaiah, who speaks in this manner: "For behold, the incurable day of the Lord comes, of wrath and fury, to make the circle of the earth a desert and to destroy sinners out of it. For the stars of heaven and Orion and all the ornaments of heaven shall not give their light, and the sun shall be darkened in the east, and the moon shall not give her brightness. And I will command evils upon the circle of the earth, and their sins upon the ungodly." Likewise also such things from Joel: "Before His face the earth shall be confounded and the heaven shall be moved, the sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall not give their light. And the Lord shall utter His voice before the face of His power, for exceeding strong is His camp, since mighty are the works of His words." Likewise: "And I will give portents in the heaven above, and on the earth blood and fire and vapor; the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and illustrious day of the Lord comes."

And many things like these you will find in the Scriptures, if you are willing to look at nothing else in the Gospel passages beyond the plain words. For according to this too, that it says, then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, as though needing no interpretation, you will receive from the prophet Zechariah such words as these: "And it shall be in that day that I will seek to take away all the nations that shall come against Jerusalem, and I will pour out upon the house of David and upon all the inhabitants in Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of compassion; and they shall look upon me because they danced, and they shall mourn over themselves with a mourning as over a beloved one, and they shall grieve with grief as over a firstborn. In that day the mourning shall be magnified over Jerusalem like the mourning of a pomegranate cut down in the plain, and the land shall mourn by tribes: the tribe of the house of David apart and their women apart, the tribe of the house of Nathan apart and their women apart, the tribe of the house of Levi apart and their women apart, the tribe of the house of Shimei apart and their women apart, all the tribes that are left remaining apart and their women apart." It will seem, then, to some that one ought to carry the interpretation this far and to examine nothing beyond the text.

Nevertheless, when these things have thus been done, there shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then the tribes of the earth shall mourn. For these things it is not absurd to use the examples of the prophet Zechariah, which run thus: "and it shall be in that day that I will seek to take away all the nations that come against Jerusalem, and I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants in Jerusalem a spirit of grace and of compassion; and they shall look upon me because they danced, and they shall mourn over themselves a mourning as over a beloved one, and they shall grieve with grief as over a firstborn. And in that day the mourning shall be magnified in Jerusalem like the mourning of a pomegranate cut down in the field, and the earth shall mourn by tribes: the tribe of the house of David apart by itself and their women apart by themselves; the tribe of the house of Nathan apart by itself and their women apart by themselves; the tribe of the house of Levi apart by itself and their women apart by themselves; the tribe of the house of Shimei apart by itself and their women apart by themselves; and all the remaining tribes apart by themselves and their women apart by themselves". Therefore every earthly company, since it is a tribe of the earth — which rank they attributed to themselves — will mourn together with those like itself, especially if in some category of sinners it must mourn more abundantly.

But I think that through these things there are shown the differences of those who seem to have been in the faith and in their own company, yet did not please God. There is, therefore, a house of David that mourns — those who, set up from among the people, did deeds worthy of mourning, or [those drawn] from among kings and magnates. But those from among the teachers who lived badly are the tribe of Nathan that mourns, since Nathan was a prophet; and to teach is to prophesy. So those who are sinners from among those who were set over the Church and had the priesthood enjoined upon them and did not administer their office well, are the tribe of the house of Levi that mourns. And to speak the truth, whether concerning those tribes which we have mentioned or concerning the tribe of Shimei, belongs to God alone. But we, for the present, think that all who were catechized and instructed in the divine mystery, and were not ordained in any of the tribes which we mentioned above, and committed grave sins (such as are very many of the laity), are the tribe of Shimei; while the remaining men are those he called the 'remaining' tribes, which he did not name specifically. But it is no trifling task to speak also concerning the women of the individual tribes, who mourn apart by themselves. And see whether you can, in each and every class, call those who were more bodily and more worldly the 'women', but say that those who by comparison with them were better were the 'men'.

"For the Lord shall build up Zion." This work is going on now. O you living stones, run to the work of the building, not to ruin. Zion is building; beware of the ruined walls. The tower is building, the ark is in building; remember the deluge. This work is in progress now, but when Zion is built, what will happen? "And he will appear in his glory." That he might build up Zion, that he might be a foundation in Zion, he was seen in Zion, but not in his glory: "We have seen him, and he had no form or comeliness." But truly when he shall have come with his angels to judge, shall they not then look upon him whom they have pierced? And too late they shall [be] put to confusion, who refused confusion in early and healthful repentance.

And perhaps it is then that the words "all flesh" will become more perfectly fulfilled. Now I mean to say, flesh has seen him, but not all flesh. Then, however, at the judgment, as he comes with his angels to judge the living and the dead, "when all who are in tombs hear his voice and come forth, some to the resurrection of life, others to the resurrection of judgment," it is not only the just but also the wicked, those on the right, these on the left, who will see that form which he pleased to take on for us. Even those who killed him "will look on the one whom they have pierced." So "all flesh shall see the salvation of God." Body will be seen by body, because he will come to judge him in his real body. But to those placed on the right and sent on into the kingdom of heaven, he is going to show himself in the same way as he could already be seen in the body; and yet he had said, "Whoever loves me shall be loved by my Father; and I will love him, and manifest myself to him."

Now, indeed, that body is worthy of a heavenly dwelling place, not subject to death, not changeable through the ages [of life]. For as he had grown to that age from infancy, so he does not decline to old age from the age which was young adulthood. He remains as he ascended; he is going to come to those to whom, before he comes, he wanted his word to be preached. So therefore he will come in a human form. The ungodly too will see this; those placed to the right will see it too; those separate to the left will see it too, as it was written, "They shall see him whom they have pierced." If they will see him whom they have pierced, they will see the same body that they thrust through with a spear, [for] the Word is not struck by a spear.

He commanded them, among other things, to pray as follows: "And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." Or [it may be that] he calls his disciples "evil" because in comparison with the divine goodness, every creature is judged to be evil, as the Lord says, "No one is good except God alone." It is only by participation in the divine goodness that a rational creature is recognized as being capable of becoming good. Hence the Lord also bears witness by a benevolent promise that your heavenly Father will "give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him." This is to the point that those who of themselves are evil can become good through receiving the gift of the Spirit. He pledged that his good Spirit would be given by the Father to those asking for him, because whether we desire to secure faith, hope and charity, or any other heavenly goods at all, they are not bestowed upon us otherwise than by the gift of the Holy Spirit. So it is that the same spirit, in Isaiah, is named the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety, the spirit of the fear of the Lord; and in another place, the spirit of love and peace, [and] the spirit of grace and prayer. Undoubtedly whatever good we truly have, whatever we do well, this we receive from the lavishness of the same Spirit. When a prophet who understood this was seeking purity of heart, saying, "Create a pure heart in me, O Lord," he immediately added, "Renew an upright spirit in my inmost parts." If the upright spirit of the Lord does not fill our innermost being, we have no pure heart where he may abide. When in his eager longing for and advance in good for his work he had said, "Lord, I have had recourse to you, teach me to do your will," he at once showed in what way he had to secure this when he went on, "Let your good spirit lead me into the right way."

Then shall the son of perdition be brought forward as the accuser, with his demons and with his servants, by angels stern and inexorable. And they shall be given over to the fire that is never quenched, and to the worm that never sleeps, and to the outer darkness. For the crucifiers shall see him in human form, as he appeared to them "when he came" by the holy virgin in the flesh and as they crucified him. And he will show them the "prints of the" nails in his hands and feet, and his side pierced with the spear, and his head crowned with thorns, and his honorable cross. And once for all shall the people of the Hebrews see all these things, and they shall mourn and weep, as the prophet exclaims, "They shall look on him whom they have pierced."

In short, there follows: I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of mercy. Of this grace the apostle Paul also writes: The charity of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. And in the above-mentioned volume it is contained: The things that are in heaven, who has searched out? Except that you gave wisdom and sent your Holy Spirit from on high; and so the paths of those who dwell on earth were corrected; and men were taught the things that please you. And in Isaiah the Lord says: I have given my spirit upon you. And again Scripture records of the same: I have given my Spirit upon him. But the word of pouring out shows the sense of largess, as is plain in what we have said: The charity of God has been poured out in your hearts. And in another place, in the person of God: I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh. And what the spirit of grace is, the same Apostle tells the Hebrews: How much worse punishments do you think he deserves who has trampled upon the Son of God, and has counted polluted the blood of the covenant in which he was sanctified, and has done outrage to the spirit of grace. Hence also the graces of the Holy Spirit are said to be diverse. And the greeting of the Apostle: Grace, he says, and peace be multiplied to you, so that after he has forgiven us our sins, then peace may follow through mercy. The Jews record these things as already done in part, and to come more fully at the consummation of the world. But we understand and prove that they are fulfilled daily since the coming of Christ.

And they shall look upon me whom they pierced; and they shall mourn him with a mourning as over an only-begotten, and they shall grieve over him, as one is wont to grieve at the death of a firstborn. LXX: And they shall look upon me, because they mocked; and they shall mourn over him a mourning, as over one most dear. And they shall grieve with grief, as over a firstborn. The Hebrew letters daleth and res, that is, d and r, are alike and are distinguished only by a small stroke. From this it comes about that those who read the same word differently translate it now one way, now another. For the sake of understanding let us give one example: And Samuel, it says, was clothed in an ephod bad, that is, in a linen garment; for linen is called bad; hence also linens are called baddim. In place of this Hebrew and Latin expression some wrongly read ephod bar; for bar means either a son, or a sheaf of grain, or chosen, or οὖλος, that is, curly. What happened there by an error of interpretation we detect has happened here too. For if dacaru is read, it is taken as ἐξεκέντησαν, that is, they pricked or they pierced; but if, in the reverse order, with the letters exchanged, racadu, it is understood as ὠρχήσαντο, that is, they danced. And the error was born from the likeness of the letters. But John the evangelist, who drew wisdom from the breast of the Lord, a Hebrew of the Hebrews whom the Savior loved most, did not greatly care what the Greek letters contained, but rendered word from word, as he had read it in the Hebrew, and said that it was fulfilled at the time of the Lord's passion. But if anyone does not accept this, let him bring evidence from what passage of the holy Scriptures John brought forth these words, and when he has not found it, he will be forced against his will to accept the truth. And the Jews shall mourn as over an only-begotten and a firstborn, the same thing being signified in the Lord Savior, both only-begotten and firstborn. He is called Only-begotten on account of the property of his nature; Firstborn, according to the Apostle, of those who rise from the dead. For only-begotten the Seventy translated most dear, of whom we read in the Gospel: This is my most dear Son, in whom I am well pleased. Then they shall grieve that he was crucified by them, when they see him reigning in glory. The word κατωρχήσαντο (they danced over), among the Greeks, is compounded not from mockery but from dancing, namely because they danced against the Lord as if in sport, when, mocking and laughing, they said: Vah, you who destroy the temple and in three days build it, save yourself, coming down from the cross. These and other things they spoke as they mocked, dancing in a kind of frenzied leaping.

The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. [Zechariah 12:10]

And in what kind of sensation and punishment the wicked are to be, hear from what was said in like manner with reference to this; it is as follows: "Their worm shall not rest, and their fire shall not be quenched;" and then shall they repent, when it profits them not. And what the people of the Jews shall say and do, when they see Him coming in glory, has been thus predicted by Zechariah the prophet: "I will command the four winds to gather the scattered children; I will command the north wind to bring them, and the south wind, that it keep not back. And then in Jerusalem there shall be great lamentation, not the lamentation of mouths or of lips, but the lamentation of the heart; and they shall rend not their garments, but their hearts. Tribe by tribe they shall mourn, and then they shall look on Him whom they have pierced; and they shall say, Why, O Lord, hast Thou made us to err from Thy way? The glory which our fathers blessed, has for us been turned into shame."

We must after all this turn our attention to those scriptures also which forbid our belief in such a resurrection as is held by your Animalists (for I will not call them Spiritualists), that it is either to be assumed as taking place now, as soon as men come to the knowledge of the truth, or else that it is accomplished immediately after their departure from this life... Who has yet beheld Jesus descending from heaven in like manner as the apostles saw Him ascend, according to the appointment of the two angels? [Acts 1:11] Up to the present moment they have not, tribe by tribe, smitten their breasts, looking on Him whom they pierced. [John 19:37; Zechariah 12:10] No one has as yet fallen in with Elias; [Malachi 4:5] no one has as yet escaped from Antichrist; [1 John 4:3] no one has as yet had to bewail the downfall of Babylon. [Revelation 18:2] And is there now anybody who has risen again, except the heretic? He, of course, has already quitted the grave of his own corpse — although he is even now liable to fevers and ulcers; he, too, has already trodden down his enemies — although he has even now to struggle with the powers of the world. And as a matter of course, he is already a king — although he even now owes to Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's. [Matthew 22:21]

On that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Adadremmon in the plain of Megiddo. And the land shall mourn, families and families apart; the families of the house of David apart, and the women — or wives —, of them apart — for the Hebrew word nese, that is, γυναῖκες, signifies both —, the families of the house of Nathan apart, and their women apart, the families of the house of Levi apart and their women apart, the families of Shimei apart and their women apart. All the remaining families, families and families apart and their women apart. LXX: On that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning for the pomegranate that is cut down in the plain, and the land shall mourn by tribes and tribes; the tribe of David apart and their women apart, the tribe of the house of Judah apart and their women apart, the tribe of the house of Nathan apart and their women apart, the tribe of the house of Levi apart and their women apart, the tribe of Simeon apart and their women apart; all the remaining tribes apart and their women apart. Adadremmon, for which the LXX translated ῥοῶνος (of the pomegranate grove), is a city near Jezreel which was once called by this name, and today is called Maximianopolis, in the plain of Megiddo, in which Josiah, the just king, was wounded by the Pharaoh surnamed Necho; over him Jeremiah wrote Lamentations, which are read in the Church, and that he wrote them the book of Chronicles testifies. Just as, therefore, at that time, after the sinful kings, all the hope of the people was in Josiah, and when he was slain a great mourning was stirred up in the city, as we read in the Hebrew: The spirit of our mouth, Christ the Lord, was taken in our sins, to whom we said: In your shadow we shall live among the nations. Although others, according to the spiritual understanding, refer this to the Lord Jesus; so, when the Savior has been crucified, the mourning shall be renewed in Jerusalem, as once it was in the city of Adadremmon, in the plain of Megiddo.

Let us say also that according to the LXX it is called ῥοῶν, not a single tree of pomegranates, that is, of the Punic apple, but a place planted with these trees, of which, according to the spiritual understanding, the bridegroom says in the Song of Songs: I went down to see in the produce of the torrent whether the vine had flowered, whether the pomegranates had flowered. For the Savior went down to the torrent of this world and its turbid waters, from which Elijah too, in a type of him, is described as having drunk, so that after the flowers of the vine and of the pomegranate he might receive the fruit of both, and, making his Church drunk, might hear from her: You shall give me to drink of the perfumer's wine, of the wine of my pomegranates. A drink of this kind not only drives away the heats of the stomach, but is also said to heal a corrupted belly and to benefit the other inner organs. For nothing is more beautiful than this fruit; in its redness it signifies the modesty of the Church, in the order of its seeds the ranks and members of the whole body distributed through their several offices. When the Savior has not found fruit in a vine and pomegranates of this kind, he will say: Every branch that does not bear fruit the Father will take away; and every one that bears fruit he will prune, that it may bring more fruit. And in another place John the Baptist cries out: Already the axe is laid to the roots of the trees. Every tree that does not make good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire. At the cutting down of the vines or of the pomegranates, when on the day of judgment all titles of dignity shall be laid down and that which is written shall have been fulfilled: Behold the man and his works; and when the chaff has been separated from the wheat, there shall be a great mourning not in another place but in Jerusalem. For the blow and the judgment shall begin from the saints, and kings and priests and prophets and teachers shall beat their breasts with their hands when they see that the most beautiful pomegranates have been cut down, and him whom they had pierced reigning in the majesty of the Father and his own.

And what follows: The families and families shall mourn, or tribes and tribes, apart: the families of the house of David apart, and the wives or the women of them apart; this signifies that in a time of tribulation and grief we ought not to be given over to marriage and the work of wedlock. Hence also in Joel, when the captivity was near, it is said to the Jews: Let the bridegroom go forth from his chamber, and the bride from her bridal room. And when the flood was impending, Noah is commanded: Enter into the ark, you and your sons, and your wife, and the wives of your sons. And afterwards, when the flood was over, it is said to him: Go out, you and your wife, and your sons, and their wives, so that those who had been separated in the ark while the peril hung over them, once restored to the world, might devote themselves to begetting and to children. And this is done not only in a time of distress but also in a time of prayer, when we wish to entreat the Lord, as the Apostle says to the Corinthians: Do not defraud one another, except perhaps by consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to prayer. Therefore now too the tribe of the house of David, and the tribe of the house of Nathan, and the tribe of the house of Levi, and the tribe of the house of Shimei are separated from their wives, so that they may mourn the only-begotten and firstborn Lord Jesus, of whom it had been said: His blood be upon us and upon our children. In David the royal tribe is understood, that is, Judah. In Nathan the prophetic order is described. Levi refers to the priests, from whom the priesthood arose. In Shimei the teachers are understood, for from this tribe the hosts of the masters sprang up.

And as they kept silence, I went on: "[The Scripture], speaking by David about this Christ, my friends, said no longer that 'in His seed' the nations should be blessed, but 'in Him.' So it is here: 'His name shall rise up for ever above the sun; and in Him shall all nations be blessed.' But if all nations are blessed in Christ, and we of all nations believe in Him, then He is indeed the Christ, and we are those blessed by Him. God formerly gave the sun as an object of worship, as it is written, but no one ever was seen to endure death on account of his faith in the sun; but for the name of Jesus you may see men of every nation who have endured and do endure all sufferings, rather than deny Him. For the word of His truth and wisdom is more ardent and more light-giving than the rays of the sun, and sinks down into the depths of heart and mind. Hence also the Scripture said, 'His name shall rise up above the sun.' And again, Zechariah says, 'His name is the East.' And speaking of the same, he says that 'each tribe shall mourn.'"

He was silent about the remaining tribes, which have no privilege of dignity. But in saying: All the remaining tribes, tribes and tribes apart, and their wives apart, he includes them all without a name.