Cyril of Jerusalem — Commentary on Scripture

Song of Solomon 8:7

Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

Though weak in body the women were courageous in spirit. “Many waters cannot quench charity, neither can floods drown it.” He whom they sought was dead, but their hope of the resurrection was not quenched.

Titus 2:11

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

For Paul has also shown us that there are these two comings, in his epistle to Titus where he says, “The grace of God our Savior has appeared unto all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” You note how he acknowledges with thanksgiving the first coming and that we look for a second.… So our Lord Jesus Christ comes from heaven and comes with glory at the last day to bring this world to its close.

Zechariah 2:10

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.

The Lord heard the prayer of the prophets. The Father did not despise our race, which was perishing; he sent from heaven his own Son the Lord as our physician. One of the prophets says, “The Lord whom you seek, comes; and he shall come suddenly.” Where will he come? “The Lord shall come to his temple,” where you took up stones against him. Another of the prophets, on hearing this, says to him, “In speaking of God’s salvation, do you speak softly? In announcing the good tidings of God’s coming for salvation, do you speak in secret?” “Go up onto a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; say to the cities of Judah”—what shall I say?—“Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord God.” Again the Lord himself has said, “ ‘Behold, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you,’ says the Lord. ‘And many nations shall be joined to the Lord.’ ” The Israelites rejected salvation through me; “I come to gather nations of every language,” for, “he came unto his own, and his own received him not.” You come, and what do you bestow upon the nations? “I come to gather nations of every language…

The Lord heard the prayer of the prophets. The Father did not despise our race, which was perishing; he sent from heaven his own Son the Lord as our physician. One of the prophets says, “The Lord whom you seek, comes; and he shall come suddenly.” Where will he come? “The Lord shall come to his temple,” where you took up stones against him. Another of the prophets, on hearing this, says to him, “In speaking of God’s salvation, do you speak softly? In announcing the good tidings of God’s coming for salvation, do you speak in secret?” “Go up onto a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; say to the cities of Judah”—what shall I say?—“Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord God.” Again the Lord himself has said, “ ‘Behold, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you,’ says the Lord. ‘And many nations shall be joined to the Lord.’ ” The Israelites rejected salvation through me; “I come to gather nations of every language,” for, “he came unto his own, and his own received him not.” You come, and what do you bestow upon the nations? “I come to gather nations of every language … I will set a sign among them.” For from my conflict on the cross I will give to each of my soldiers a royal sign to bear upon his forehead. Still another prophet said, “He inclined the heavens and came down, with dark clouds under his feet.” For his coming down from heaven was unknown to humanity.

Zechariah 9:11

As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.

The sun was darkened because of the Sun of justice. The rocks were rent because of “the spiritual rock.” Tombs were opened, and the dead arose, because of him who was “free among the dead.” He “sent forth his prisoners out of the pit, wherein there is no water.” Do not be ashamed, then, of the Crucified, but say with confidence, “He bears our sins and carries our sorrows, and by his bruises we are healed.” Let us not be ungrateful to our Benefactor. Again, “For the wickedness of my people was he led to death; and I shall give the ungodly for his burial, and the rich for his death.” And Paul says clearly “that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures.”

Zechariah 11:12

And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.

Hear now in regard to thirty pieces of silver: “And I will say to them, ‘If it seems good to you, give me my wages, or refuse.’ ” One recompense is due me for curing the blind and the lame, and I receive another; instead of thanksgiving, dishonor, and instead of worship, insult. Do you see how Scripture foresaw all this? “And they counted out my wages, thirty pieces of silver.” O prophetic accuracy! A great and unerring wisdom of the Holy Spirit! For he did not say ten or twenty but thirty, exactly the right amount. Tell also what happened to this payment, O prophet! Does he who received it keep it, or does he give it back? And after its return what becomes of it? The prophet says, “So I took thirty pieces of silver, and I cast them into the house of the Lord, into the foundry.” Compare with the prophecy of the Gospel, which says, “Judas repented and flung the pieces of silver into the temple and withdrew.”

Zechariah 12:1

The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

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.”

Zechariah 14:4

And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

But it might happen that he should sit upon a foal; give us rather a sign where the king who enters will stand. Give us a sign not far from the city, that it may not be unknown to us; give us a sign nearby and clearly visible, that being in the city we may behold the place. Again the prophet answers, saying, “That day his feet shall rest upon the Mount of Olives, which is opposite Jerusalem to the east.” Is it possible for anyone standing within the city not to behold the place?

Zechariah 14:5-6

And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

Christ, then, was crucified for us; he was judged in the night, when it was cold, and therefore a fire of coal was laid. He was crucified in the third hour, and “from the sixth hour there was darkness until the ninth hour,” but from the ninth hour there was light again. Are these details written down? Let us inquire. Zechariah says, “And it shall come to pass in that day, and there shall be no light but cold and frost through one day (the cold on account of which Peter warmed himself), and that day shall be known to the Lord.” (What? Did he not know the other days? There are many days, but “this is the day [of the Lord’s patience] the Lord has made.”)6 “And that day shall be known to the Lord, and not day nor night.” What dark saying does the prophet utter? That day is neither day nor night. What then shall we call it? The gospel interprets it, telling of the event. It was not day, for the sun did not shine without interruption from rising to setting, but from the sixth hour to the ninth there was darkness. The darkness was interposed, but God called the darkness night. Therefore it…

Christ, then, was crucified for us; he was judged in the night, when it was cold, and therefore a fire of coal was laid. He was crucified in the third hour, and “from the sixth hour there was darkness until the ninth hour,” but from the ninth hour there was light again. Are these details written down? Let us inquire. Zechariah says, “And it shall come to pass in that day, and there shall be no light but cold and frost through one day (the cold on account of which Peter warmed himself), and that day shall be known to the Lord.” (What? Did he not know the other days? There are many days, but “this is the day [of the Lord’s patience] the Lord has made.”)6 “And that day shall be known to the Lord, and not day nor night.” What dark saying does the prophet utter? That day is neither day nor night. What then shall we call it? The gospel interprets it, telling of the event. It was not day, for the sun did not shine without interruption from rising to setting, but from the sixth hour to the ninth there was darkness. The darkness was interposed, but God called the darkness night. Therefore it was neither all light, so as to be called day, nor all darkness, so as to be called night; but after the ninth hour the sun shone forth. This also the prophet foretells; for after saying “not day nor night,” he adds, “And in the time of the evening there shall be light.” Do you see the truth of the events foretold?

Zephaniah 3:14-15

Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

Take heart, O Jerusalem, the Lord will take away your iniquities. The Lord will wash away the filth of his sons and daughters by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning. He will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your sins. Choiring angels shall encircle you, chanting, “Who is it that comes up all white and leaning upon her beloved?” For the soul that was formerly a slave has now accounted its Lord as its kinsman, and he, acknowledging its sincere purpose, will answer, “Ah, you are beautiful, my beloved, ah, you are beautiful … your teeth are like a flock of ewes to be shorn”—a sincere confession is a spiritual shearing. And further: “all of them big with twins,” signifying the twofold grace, either that perfected by water and the Spirit or that announced in the Old and in the New Testament. God grant that all of you, your course of fasting finished, mindful of the teaching, fruitful in good works, standing blameless before the spiritual bridegroom, may obtain the remission of your sins from God, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory forev…

Take heart, O Jerusalem, the Lord will take away your iniquities. The Lord will wash away the filth of his sons and daughters by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning. He will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your sins. Choiring angels shall encircle you, chanting, “Who is it that comes up all white and leaning upon her beloved?” For the soul that was formerly a slave has now accounted its Lord as its kinsman, and he, acknowledging its sincere purpose, will answer, “Ah, you are beautiful, my beloved, ah, you are beautiful … your teeth are like a flock of ewes to be shorn”—a sincere confession is a spiritual shearing. And further: “all of them big with twins,” signifying the twofold grace, either that perfected by water and the Spirit or that announced in the Old and in the New Testament. God grant that all of you, your course of fasting finished, mindful of the teaching, fruitful in good works, standing blameless before the spiritual bridegroom, may obtain the remission of your sins from God, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.