Commentary on Zechariah

Commentary on Zechariah 6

COMMENTARY ON ZECHARIAH 6 turned around, lifted up my eyes, and saw, and, lo, four chariots coming out between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. In the first chariot were red horses, in the second chariot black horses, in the third chariot white horses, and in the fourth chariot piebald horses of dapple-grey. I asked in reply to the angel speaking in me, What are they, Lord? In reply the angel speaking in me said, They are the four winds of heaven issuing forth to attend on the Lord of all the earth. The chariot with the black horses issued forth to the north country, the white issued forth after them, the piebald issued forth to the south country, the dapple-grey issued forth and searched where to journey and roam the earth. And they roamed the earth. He cried out and spoke to me thus: Lo, those issuing forth to the north country have set at rest my anger with the north country (Zec 6.1–8). The prophet turned around to be given even a further revelation, and saw four chariots emerging between two bronze mountains. The first chariot was drawn by red horses, the second by black, the third by white, the fourth by piebald horses of dapple-grey. On perceiving the four chariots he wanted to learn their meaning, and asked the angel speaking in him what the visions meant. He replied that they were the four winds of heaven, that is, the four quarters of the world. The black ones were seen to issue forth from the north land, the white coming behind them, and the dapple-grey and piebald came from the south.1 I spoke about all the horses to 1. Didymus, pace Doutreleau, is not concerned about textual discrepancies in these verses. Our Heb. text has only three lots of horses going on errands; the LXX in vv.6–7 also loses sight of the errand of the red horses from v.2 and instead divides the fourth group of piebald and dapple-grey into two (a discrepancy Cyril will note; see Pusey ed., vol. 2, 363). Furthermore, against the text (unless he is reading a different text from the lemma) Didymus sees the horses coming from, not moving to, the points of the compass, which alters Zechariah ’s thought in his historical context considerably. 112 the extent of my ability when they appeared in the first vision following the man mounted upon a red horse;2 content with that, therefore, let us see what is now said that was not conveyed in the first vision. There is mention of two bronze mountains, between which the chariots emerged. Note that by bronze there is reference to clear utterance with a loud report. Those who teach with sophistry and peddle heretical views employ this style, becoming “echoing bronze and a clanging cymbal” through being bereft of divinely inspired love for God. Suspicious of this, the inspired apostle writes, “If I speak the language of human beings and angels but do not have love, I have become echoing bronze and a clanging cymbal.” This material implies also brazen behavior, as iron also suggests lack of submission and flexibility, such that God censures in the harshest terms the impudent person with deportment of a courtesan, shameless in everyone’s sight and resistant to the kindly yoke of Jesus: “I know that you are obstinate, your forehead of bronze and the sinew of your neck of iron.” Now, there is mention of two bronze mountains on account of the double obstacles raised against the knowledge of God: it is possible to have false views regarding both the practice and the theory of virtue, the latter being simply the knowledge of truth. People are ungodly when under the influence of heresies regarding both forms of virtue.3 The horses that were black on account of their being instruments of wrath issued forth from the north, “whence will be enkindled troubles for all the earth’s inhabitants.”4 Behind them were shown the white horses coming, these being productive of joyful events and happiness, and ministers of beneficial developments. Since, you see, chastisements are inflicted for the improvement of those consigned to them, it was appropriate that they should come behind them—that is, after them— COMMENTARY ON ZECHARIAH 6 113 2. Cf. Zec 1.8. 3. 1 Cor 13.1; Jer 3.3; Is 48.4. 4. Jer 1.14. Is it this...