Глава 8

Zechariah 8:1–2. And the word of the Lord Almighty came to me, saying: Herein saith the Lord Almighty: I was zealous for Jerusalem and Zion with great zeal, and with great rage I was zealous for it. Having sufficiently exposed the disobedience and unbridledness of the ancients and, as a result, the disasters that befell them and having understood what was the cause of the suffering that befell them, He turns his speech to the blessings of mercy (divine) and finally promises them times of prosperity and abundant enjoyment of the desired benefits, as people who have already undergone righteous punishment for their wicked deeds and, as it were, cleansed from the crimes of ancient uncleanness through punishment by the hand of enemies and as a result of enduring the yoke of slavery. He seems to be crying out against the cruelty of the Babylonians, who, having stepped beyond the limits of all insolence, did to them what the angry God Himself did not want: for He clearly said: “I was angry a little, but they are guilty of evil.” Therefore, “I was zealous for Jerusalem,” that is, I showed zeal for it, “and I was zealous for it with great wrath,” as if to say: more severe disasters will happen to the Babylonians than what they caused (to others), and on such (cruel) devastators I will send My wrath. Christ fulfilled this; for grieving for us, who perished in a pitiful manner, and as if jealous of the church, He took away dominion over us from the hordes of the demons themselves and the leader of their madness and freed the assembly of those who worship Him from its cruelty. Zechariah 8:3. Thus says the Lord: I will turn to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem will be called the true city, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty, the holy mountain. God fills everything and everything is filled with His ineffable power. However, sometimes it is said that He withdraws from sinners; but this must be understood not in the sense of spatial distance from them (for it is unreasonable to understand this way), but in the sense that He no longer wants to take care of them and honor them with His love and care. We affirm that His anger must be understood in precisely this sense. So, Israel fell into idolatry and Jerusalem committed adultery, and the God of all things withdrew from him and subjected him to disasters - the consequences of His turning away from him. When he shows his mercy, he says: “I will return,” that is, I will stop being angry and will honor him with my care and make him My home again. Just as at the time when He turned away, the holy mountain, that is, the temple located in Jerusalem, no longer seemed glorious to those who saw it devoted to the flame: so again, when it is erected and God is pleased to dwell in it, reverence for it will be renewed, and Jerusalem will be called the true city, no longer serving man-made gods and false likenesses (deities), as was the case in of antiquity, but honoring the one and actual true God by good behavior, by the determination to live according to the law, and by obedience in all things. It is not without reason that you can attribute these sayings to the Word, which for our sake became like us. It, being the image of the One who gave birth and having equality with Him in everything, humbled itself, taking on the form of a servant, and became man (Phil. 2:7) and “for our sake we were poor, that we through His poverty might be rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). So, Who of old, for the sake of Adam’s crime and for the sake of the fact that “the thought of evil is set upon man from his youth” (Gen. 8:21) rightly turned away, He now, out of His characteristic goodness, finally turned to us and settled in the church and made the sanctified a city and a holy dwelling; for He said somewhere about the obviously chosen church: “Here I will dwell as I will” (Ps. 131:14); and blessed David sings: “glorious words were spoken about you, the city of God” (Ps. 86:3). The prophet Isaiah also pointed to it, saying: “In the last days the mountain of the Lord will be revealed, and the house of God will be on the top of the mountains, and will be exalted above the hills: and all the nations will come to it” (Is. 2:2); for the Church of Christ is wondrous and, being as if on a mountain, is known to everyone; and she is called true not as serving in images and shadows, on the contrary, as having accepted the truth, which is Christ, and serving in spirit and truth. Zechariah 8:4–5. The Lord Almighty says to this: The elders and old women will yet sit on the paths of Jerusalem, each holding his staff in his hand for many days: and the paths of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing on its paths. When the war destroyed the Jewish people, the necessary consequence of this was that the cities lost their inhabitants and the houses were destroyed with the beautiful rooms in them. But God promises that after the enemies are removed from them, a long-lasting peace will be granted, which the Hellenes very rightly call the educator of children (κουροτροφον) for it gives the emerging generation the opportunity to achieve youth, and in some way equalizes the path to old age for the young men, because no one devastates the country, war does not crush and the sword does not destroy. So, it is quite fair to think that cities during peace, even if they were wide and long, turn out to be cramped and cannot accommodate many inhabitants. The words being explained inspire us with a similar thought; for it is said that “the elders and old women will sit on the paths of Jerusalem,” with the help of rods, although slightly alleviating their old age’s infirmity, and having a staff instead of a guide. This serves as praise for those times and for the deep peace that gives the opportunity to children to reach youth and reach manhood and spend the entire time of their lives without war - to live to old age. If boys dance in the city and girls dance in circles among its streets, then this will serve as clear proof that no heavy worries will disturb them: for all entertainment would cease if there were a time of sadness. And for us, Christ became peace, Who, having destroyed all war, filled the church with saints. And in it there is an innumerable multitude of people, excellent in the inner mood of the soul, to whom the wise John writes, saying: “I write to you, fathers, as I have known him from the beginning” (1 John 2:14). Children and little girls who have not yet reached maturity are a very young multitude of newly believers, who, as if with spiritual leaps of delight, adorn the truly holy city, that is, the church. The words are quite applicable to them: “Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, let us shout to God our Savior” (Ps. 94:1). If it is said that the elders lean on the rod; then you can understand this in the sense that the small and the great are supported by Christ, called the rod of the root of Jesse and the rod of strength (Is. 11:1; Ps. 109:2), Whom God and the Father sent to us from Zion on High, so that rejoicing in Him we say: “thy rod and thy club, that comforteth me” (Ps. 23:4). Zechariah 8:6. To this day the Lord Almighty says: If he faints before the remains of these people in these days, will food also faint before me? says the Lord Almighty. Great and extraordinary deeds usually arouse distrust in themselves and, when carried out, cause amazement. So Sarah, out of unbelief, laughs at the promise of the birth of Isaac from her, meaning her old age (Gen. 18:12) and imagining the impossibility of this according to the laws of mankind. However, beyond expectation, she gave birth to a son, because God made it possible. So, in all likelihood, those delivered from captivity wavered with doubts and were not very sure that they would achieve such great prosperity, that Jerusalem would be filled with elders, and that there would be round dances of boys and dances of girls and the blessings of lasting peace would come; for they saw that the walls were destroyed, the houses were burned, all the surrounding cities became the dwellings of wild animals, because they were completely devoid of inhabitants, that the fields, once very fruitful and flowering, were now overgrown with thorns, had nothing ripening on them, and the class of farmers was completely destroyed. As a result of all this, probably, as I said, doubt arose as to how what he had promised could be fulfilled. That is why God does not allow doubt, but commands them to hope and supports their faith, saying: “If he faints before the remains of people in these days, will food also faint before me?” For what is impossible for you; then, without a doubt, it is convenient for Almighty God; He is the Lord of powers, who by His will, without difficulty, brings to pass what is pleasing to Him, even the completely supernatural. God and the Father, foretelling the glorious deeds of the time of the coming of our Savior, nowhere said to the Jews: “You see with contempt, and look and wonder: because I have done the work in your days, you will not believe it, if anyone confesses it to you” (Hab. 1:5). As for our words, the very mystery of the incarnation is beyond surprise and words, as well as the benefits that flow from it for us. In fact, is it not capable of arousing unbelief that the Word born of God was united with flesh and became in the form of a slave and endured the cross and was subjected to insults and beatings and the insane fury of the Jews? Or would not everyone be amazed at the fulfillment of the economy of salvation, when sin is crushed, death is weakened and corruption is removed, and man, who was of old a runaway slave, turns out to be glorified by the grace of sonhood? Therefore, may Christ speak about this like this: “If he faints before the remnant of these people in these days, will food also faint before me?” For for Him everything is easy and convenient, and if He wants to do what is necessary, then nothing, I think, can hinder Him. Zechariah 8:7–8. To this the Lord Almighty says: Behold, I will save my people from the land of the east and from the land of the west, and I will bring them in and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and they will become my people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness. In ancient times, God saved the descendants of Israel, scattered by war, gathering them to Jerusalem and dwelling among them, when they erected a divine church, and again received the opportunity to propitiate Him with the sacrifices established by the law, perform prayers and celebrate holidays. But to say that he will save his people from the east and from the west in justice is only fitting for Emmanuel, who called the whole universe, catching by faith those who live at the ends of the earth and gathering the whole host of peoples into a truly holy and glorious city. which is the living church of God, the heavenly Jerusalem. And that He moved among her, how can one doubt it? for He became like us - “lived like men” in the flesh (Bar.3:38); and God foretold this to us through another prophet, saying: “Be of good cheer in Zion, lest thy hands faint. The Lord your God is in you, the mighty one will save you: he will bring joy to you, and will renew you in his love” (Zeph. 3:16-17). But He also remains with us, for He did not leave us orphans, but sent the Comforter in His place and through Him remains with those who love Him (John 14:16-18), as evidenced by saying: “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). So, His people became those who were once not a people and worshiped stones, but who abhorred the ancient and unclean error - we recognized Him as God and, moreover, in truth and righteousness, for we are not attached to images and shadows, like adherents of the letter, but having accepted the light of the Gospel preaching into our minds and hearts, we perform true service and, firmly devoted to the truth pleasing to Him, we worship in spirit; for “the spirit is God, as the Son Himself says, and whoever bows down to him is worthy to bow down in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Zechariah 8:9. To this day the Lord Almighty says: May the hands of you who hear in these days these words from the lips of the prophets be strengthened, from the same day the church 98 of the Lord Almighty was founded, and the church 99 was created from the same day. The God of all people often promises those who love Him what exceeds expectations, and never speaks a lie, but with His strength and ineffable power He fulfills in good time and without hindrance what He wants. We should, without weakening in faith, constantly testify of Him that He can do everything very easily, courageously decide on such deeds through which we will become glorious and acquire a glorious crown of virtue, obey His words and try to follow such leaders who were once the most faithful heralds of divine revelations to us. Our Lord Jesus Christ, through the Holy Prophets, promised the blessings of the incarnation, and as for human minds, by telling about the greatness of the gifts of grace, He, as I recently said, aroused unbelief in them. But we, willingly and humbly bowing the neck of our minds before the leaders of piety, by faith also accomplished something that is beyond the mind of man. The appropriate time for the bestowal of blessings and for our obedience is the time of revelation (announcement of the founding) of the church. Look how the God of all commanded us to strengthen ourselves in our responsibilities and do good deeds and obey the words of the prophets “from the same day the church of the Lord Almighty was founded and the church was created from the same day.” Zechariah 8:10. Before these days 100 there will be no bribe for man 101 for success and there will be no bribe for cattle 102 and for him who goes out and in 103 there will be no peace from sorrow, and I will send all men for 104 his sincere sake. The Jewish edition does not talk about the future tense, but speaks about what happened before these days, it says, the reward of men is not for success, and the reward for cattle is not for success, and again: there is no peace for the one who goes out and the one who enters. This turn of phrase is fully consistent with the train of thought and its truth is confirmed by the narration of historical events 105. This is what the (prophetic) speech wants to point out. The Israelites came from Babylon to the holy city: but they had no shrine in place, after their ancient church was destroyed - there was no sacrifice and libation, because there was no altar. Then the God of all things urged them to take the most ardent care of what was most necessary - to build a church and build a divine altar in it, so that they would have the opportunity to honorably perform what was established by the law and propitiate the God of all. But they postponed this matter under various pretexts; either they imagined that they did not have enough money for this, or they pointed out the anger of the people who were preventing them from building. Offending God by this, they were struck by frequent, successive blows, crop failures, I say, droughts, attacks and raids by neighboring peoples. The God of all accused them of laziness, thus speaking through the mouth of the prophet Haggai: “This people say: the time has not come to build the church of the Lord. As long as you live in broken houses, the church of the Lord will not be built” (Hag. 1:2, 4). Because they indulged in: as I said, laziness, they were constantly struck by poverty in the most necessary things and wars with their neighbors. When they erected the church, the effects of the divine wrath ceased; they had contentment in everything and enjoyed great prosperity. That’s why he says: before those days, that is, before the restoration of the church, there was no reward for people in success, and there was no reward for cattle; for the farmers were left without reward for their work and, having not collected any fruit at all, left the fields together with their tired oxen. But there was no peace among those going out or coming. By those entering and leaving the city he means those who come to the city either for the sake of trading activities, or for the sake of other matters. So, he says, they had no peace, because the neighboring nations, as I said, upset Israel and each looked on a close relative, or brother, or neighbor, as one of the cruel enemies. It is appropriate to know that before the incarnation of the Only Begotten and before the emergence of the church, there was no benefit to either people or animals; for those who were considered the most intelligent in this life and were famous for their wisdom, who could really be considered people, performed vain and useless work on the sciences, being unable to either write, understand or tell others anything necessary. In the same way, those who lead a rude and bestial life lived a life without compensation; for they could do nothing praiseworthy in the sight of God. But there was no peace at all on earth, because the horde of demons threw everything into confusion and filled the earth with confusion, so that the deeds and thoughts of everyone seemed to be in confusion and hesitation and had nothing solid in themselves. Zechariah 8:11–12. And now, not according to the days 106 of the past, I will create for the remains of this people, says the Lord Almighty, but 107 I will show peace: the grapes will give their fruit and the earth will give its life 108, and the sky will give its dew and I will create 109 inheritance for the remains 110 of these people of mine, all these 111 . Along with his anger at them, he also stops the consequences of this and says that along with the times of sins, the punishments will also disappear. With the cessation of sin and after Israel suffered punishment for it, he said that disasters would cease (and quite rightly) and nothing sorrowful would befall them; for a determination was made regarding them, unlike what was before, but full of mercy, namely: they will enjoy the world, they will receive in abundance all that is best for them, so that the vineyard will be abundant, the cultivation of the land will reward the labors of the farmers with very rich harvests, and the sky will, as it were, favor (the harvest) and water the fields and what is on them with dew; for heaven and earth and creation in general obey the commands of the Lord unquestioningly. This is the lot of Israel when God sends it prosperity and frees it from all sorrow. These words can be attributed to the Savior of us all, Christ. Until the time of His coming, each of us acted according to our own discretion, leading a bestial and most unreasonable life and submitting to the seductions of demons. When the Father had mercy on us, as if we had fallen and been thrown to the ground and trampled under the feet of enemies, then he did not create for us “according to the former days”; for He no longer neglected us, oppressed and living under the dominion of a cruel tyrant, who leads us to everything most shameful; on the contrary, he gave us peace from heaven, that is, Christ, who gave us all spiritual fertility; we are filled with life and wine, and the true vine, that is, Christ (John 15:5) gave us his fruit, which gladdens the heart of man, according to what is written. He is the “grain of wheat” (John 12:24) and the sacred sheaf. He himself became life for us and made us very flourishing, watering us with heavenly dew, obviously rational and spiritual, which the divine David also mentions, saying: “like the dew of Aermon, descending on the mountains of Zion” (Ps. 133:3). This is God’s lot, a good lot, prepared for us after we became Israel, that is, the mind that sees God 112: for in the Son we saw the Father. Zechariah 8:13. And as the house of Judah and the house of Israel were cursed among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be blessed: take courage and be strong with your hands. The Israelites became captives and, subjected to the cruelty of the victors, they also found themselves cursed, because some rightly said: let them not be like Israel. When the merciful God saved them and returned to them their former benefits, then, along with the cessation of disasters, they ceased to be considered damned; for they were blessed and became happy just as before, because God made them glad with the highest blessings and gave them the opportunity to participate in every joy. The same thing is truly seen in relation to ourselves; for we were under a curse and under the yoke of hordes of demons, and by their malice we were drawn towards all kinds of evil. When we knew God the Creator of all things and were known by Christ; Then we learned to sing about ourselves: “Blessed are we to the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Ps. 113:23). since we are called to such honor and glory; then we must strive and courageously overcome passions, turn away from sin, conform our lives to the Gospel laws and try to do what is pleasing to God; for we have heard him calling to us: “Be of good courage and be strong with your hands.” We received from Christ the opportunity to dare, because for us He conquered the world and trampled down our enemies and made our own church inaccessible to death and stopped the mouth of iniquity, so that through Him we too might be glorified in this; for He conquered, as I said, not for His own sake, but for the sake of us who were weak; preparing for us the benefits flowing from this victory. Zechariah 8:14–15. The Lord Almighty says to yourselves: Because your fathers always provoked Me to anger, says the Lord Almighty, and did not repent: so we were determined, and in these days we planned to do good to Jerusalem and the house of Judah: be of good cheer. And from these words it again makes it possible to understand that nothing can resist the divine definitions; for what God has determined and decided to fulfill will certainly be accomplished. So through the mouth of Isaiah he speaks, revealing the omnipotence of His nature: “all my counsel will be, and all the tree of councils I will create” (Is. 46:10). So, from the fact that they had to suffer as a result of the divine wrath directed against them, from this itself one can very clearly understand that a wide path to well-being is open to them, since He wants and allows the possibility of well-being and, out of His love for mankind, strives for them to enjoy every good thing. How nothing, he says, could prevent Me from fulfilling My desire to subject you to disaster for many sins; so there will be no obstacle for Me when I wish to show kindness and decide to show mercy to those who have suffered enough. “I have determined to do good to Jerusalem and the house of Judah”; the speech is very expressive, because he did not just say that he had set his mind and “premeditated” 113, but came to such a mood and goodwill towards you that he had already “tired” 114; and this is a clear indication of a decisive intention. Then he certifies the truth of the promises, adding: “dare.” Likewise, Christ certifies us, who are called through faith, regarding the knowledge of the truth. As before the calling he gave over those who had fallen into every form of uncleanness into an “unskilled mind” (Rom. 1:28); so in these days he intended and determined, as he says, to do good to the church and to the house of Judah, that is, to you who confess and glorify Him as Lord, as Savior and Redeemer; for Judas is interpreted as praise. By the house of Judah one can understand the church in another sense; it is called the house of Christ, who came from Judas; This is how it is called in divinely inspired Scripture. Therefore, the patriarch Jacob mentioned him in this way, saying: “Judo, your brethren will praise you” (Gen. 49:8). And again: “My son came up from the growth” (Gen. 49:9); for Christ also ascended from the root of Jesse and, as it were from the young sprout of the holy Virgin, a branch and a rod of power, according to the word of the Prophet (Ps. 109:2). Therefore, we are also told, and quite rightly: “Be of good cheer”; for the Father, through Christ, “has crowned us with weapons of favor—salvation and grace” (Ps. 5:13). Zechariah 8:16–17. These are the words that you have uttered: speak the truth to everyone who is sincere, 115 and judge peaceable judgment in your gates, and do not entertain every one of your sincere evil in your hearts and do not love lying oaths: for this reason you have hated all 116, says the Lord Almighty. To those who decided to avoid disobedience and avoid a frivolous lifestyle, on the contrary, they loved to walk the right path, God promises that He will give them the benefits of His mercy and that He has decided to do good to them in the future. He commanded that they never appear to be speaking lies, but on the contrary, utter words of truth, love the truth in courts, and pronounce a just and blameless verdict on every case, not succumbing to shameful gains and not being seduced by shameful self-interest and not betraying the mercy of the righteous for the sake of money; but striving only for what is pleasing to God, so that they forgive their brothers if they sin in anything, either in deed or in word, and, moreover, especially avoid taking a false oath; for He affirms that He hated these sins. Look how he commands not to do anything in shadows and images: he does not command to sacrifice oxen and to honor Him by burning incense; but he wants them to practice a more spiritual, sublime and evangelical lifestyle. for a brief indication is here made of the time of the coming of our Savior; then, in accordance with this, the commandment setting out His teaching is introduced here at the same time. And indeed, if we, the followers of the divine words, are to speak the truth, then we will have to think according to the teachings of Christ, for Christ is the truth. Therefore, the wise Peter commanded us to always be ready “to give an answer to everyone who asks us a question concerning the hope that we have” (1 Pet. 3:15). If they get into the habit of speaking Christ and will always have Him not only on their tongue, but also take care of their mind and heart; then they will certainly be righteous and adorned with all kinds of righteousness, peacemakers and meek, not only not using a false oath, but also not swearing at all, because they remember His words: “Let your word be, hers, neither nor nor” (Matthew 5:37). Zechariah 8:18–19. And the word of the Lord Almighty came to me, saying: herein says the Lord Almighty: the fourth fast, and the fifth fast, and the seventh fast, and the tenth fast will be joy and gladness for the house of Judah, and good feasts, and be glad, and love truth and peace. For those who are curious, I think it is necessary to first state the reasons for the origin of the fasts mentioned here, and explain what the fourth and fifth fasts are and the seventh and tenth ones that follow them, and then in a timely manner, and where we should add a speech about the meaning of the regulations. So, after the capture of the holy city and the burning of the church and the taking of Israel into captivity along with the sacred vessels, those who escaped and remained in Judea - the days in which they had to undergo these disasters - were considered unhappy and terrible and, having gathered in large numbers, they wept and wept, abstaining from food, as during fasts. Now let's talk about what exactly happened on each of the days we just mentioned. So blessed Jeremiah said: “And it came to pass in the ninth year of his kingdom (obviously Zedekiah) in the tenth month on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came, and all his strength, against Jerusalem, and laid hold of it, and built a fort around it with square stones. And the city came under siege, even until the first tenth year of the kingdom of Zedekiah, the fourth month, on the ninth day. And there was a famine in the city, and there was no more bread for the people of the land. And they cut through the hail, and all the men of the army went out at night by the way of the hail, which was between the two walls and the fortification, which was right before the Tsar’s helicopter city.” Then, having mentioned the beating of the sons of Zedekiah and his blinding, he again says: “In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, Novuzardan the archmagir, standing before the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem, and burned the church of the Lord and the house of the kings, and all the houses of the city, and every great house, he burned with fire, and every wall around Jerusalem was destroyed by the power of the Chaldeans, who with the archmagir” (Jer. 52:4–7, 12–14 cf. 2 Kings 25:1–10). Do you hear how in the tenth month of the ninth year, Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. Then in the fourth month of the tenth year, he says, the city was destroyed, and in the fifth month, he claims, both the church itself and the entire city were burned by the archmagir 117. So, I gave the reasons why they considered the fourth, fifth and tenth days unhappy. But it is also necessary to say what the seventh day is. When the archmagir took Jerusalem; then he made Gedaliah ruler over the remains of the Jews in Jerusalem. Having made such an order, he retired to Babylon. When did the surviving Jews learn about such incidents; then they gathered for Jerusalem and hoped to settle there. But in the seventh month, as it is written (2 Kings 25:25, etc. Jer. 41), Ishmael killed Gedaliah. And then all the people were scattered and fled to the land of Egypt and died there. For this reason, they considered both the seventh day and the month itself unlucky. This was the reason for establishing posts. since after the disasters had passed, after Israel had returned to Jerusalem and after the days of sorrow, there was no longer any need to fast and mourn; then he commands them to change their crying to joy and rejoice in what they received from God, or to remember what they were once punished for, when they sinned uncontrollably and shamelessly indulged in everything unnatural. Christ also did this in relation to us; for He “turns our weeping into joy, tearing sackcloth and girdles with joy” (Ps. 29:12), according to the word of the Psalmist. After all, we are by no means exposed to the accusation that once, not knowing God and worshiping the creature instead of the Creator, we fell under the feet of our enemies and were betrayed into an unskilled mind; on the contrary, we give thanks for the fact that we have been pardoned and saved and delivered from the hand of our enemies and live in the holy city, that is, the church, and have finally been worthy to express reverence for Him through prayers and spiritual sacrifices - and we have love and are taught from the divine Scripture to consider this as peace, truth and the source of the highest pleasure, for “He is our peace” (Eph. 2:14): He, as I said, is also the Truth. Through Him we have good hopes and, after all despondency is removed, we should rejoice. Zechariah 8:20–22. The Lord Almighty says to this: Many people will come and those who live in many cities, and those who live in five cities will dream of becoming one city, saying: We are coming to pray to the face of the Lord, and to seek the face of the Lord Almighty, I come and I. And many people and many nations will come to seek the face of the Lord Almighty in Jerusalem and to implore the face of the Lord. When Christ turned our crying into joy and into a holiday and into good cheer and changed our sorrows into a joyful mood of spirit; then, he says, those called to salvation will already come through faith and have communion with God through sanctification, not one at a time, but entire cities will encourage each other to this and all nations will come in crowds and those who follow will always say to those who have previously achieved this: “I am going and I”; for it is written: “Iron sharpens iron: a man encourages his fellow man” (Prov. 27:17). After all, the jealousy of some almost always turns out to be an incentive for others to do good. What purpose do cities or nations have in mind? Pray and seek the face of the Lord, that is, Christ, Who is the most perfect image of God and the Father and “the image of His hypostasis, according to what is written, and the radiance of glory” (Heb. 1:3). About Him, the divine David says: “make your face shine on your servant” (Ps. 119:135); for the peace and face, as I said, of God the Father has shone upon us, having His favor and mercy, and we will be delivered from the harmful consequences of sin, “justified by faith, not by righteous works which we have done, but by His great mercy” (Titus 3:5). Truly, He is merciful and good and forgives the sins of those who come to Him; seeking Him through the fulfillment of what is established by the law, we certainly find Him and through Him we are united with God and the Father: “for this is our peace,” according to Scripture (Eph. 2:14). Zechariah 8:23. To this day the Lord Almighty says: In these days there are ten men from all the tribes of the pagans, and they are taken for the robe of a Judean man, saying: Let us go with you, even though we have not heard, for God is with you. Again we explain how the coming of those who seek the face of the Lord will take place for entire cities and nations. It will be, he says, “in these days, that is, in that time, that ten men will be married to one Judean, saying: Let us go with you.” By ten you can understand the perfect number of those coming; for the decimal number is a symbol. And that the pagans who joined the Holy Apostles began to walk the same path with them, being justified by faith in Christ, this is clearly demonstrated using a beautifully composed comparison. Little children, when they decide to follow their parents, they walk by grasping the edges of their clothes and, as if finding protection and support in their clothes, they make their way unmistakably and safely. In exactly the same way, I think, those who served creatures instead of the Creator of all things, recognizing the teachers of the Gospel dogmas as their true fathers and joining them through like-mindedness, follow them, being still babies in thoughts, and walk the same road with them, being perfect imitators of their way of life and constant striving for the best, growing “into a perfect man and to the measure of the age of the fulfillment of Christ” ( Eph.4:13). For what reason do they follow them? Because they are confident that God is with them, that is, Emmanuel, which means: God is with us. And that then not only the descendants of Israel will be called, but also all the nations living throughout the entire universe, he indicated this by saying that those who grabbed the hem of the garment will be from all nations. When were the pagans called to the knowledge of the truth and when did they decide to seek the face of the Lord and implore Him and, as it were, to walk the same path with the holy apostles, if not at the time when the Only Begotten became like us? He is “the desire of tongues” (Gen. 49:10). The divine David sings to him: “all the nations that you have created will come and worship before you, O Lord” (Ps. 85:9): for through Him the great multitude of the pagans also received salvation. τουτων, but Slav. onekh – εκεινων, as in all Greek. and to the point. St. Kirill. ουκ εσται, ουκ υπαρξει – so is Vat. Syn. etc. But Slavs. and many more etc. (between Ave. Hieron. Theodore.) ουκ ην, ουκ ησαν, ουκ υπηρχεν, not be, not byashe (nek: ουκ υπαρχει), resp. Heb. At St. Cyrus. and some (between Ave. and Theodoret): προς τον... but Sin. Wat. and many others επι τον... Wed. similar with Hieron. 1469.V. Greek κατακληρονομήσω. In Greek here and previously there is a plural. number: τοις καταλοιποις. So Sin. Wat. etc. But Slav. all this, like Alex. and some etc. This is the meaning of the name Israel. διανενοημαι - thought, reasoned. πκρατεταγμαι - decided to Himself, ordered Himself. So Alex. and some But kudos. approx. truth – ἀλὴθειαν, like Sin. Wat. and many more etc. So Wat. Syn. others: But Alex. like Slav. All this. The head of the cooks is Jewish. head of the bodyguards. You might be interested in: