Zerubbabel: God's Chosen Signet

“The Jews sent to John and said to him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and said, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ They said to him, ‘Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘No.’ ” But our Lord called him Elijah, as Scripture attests. However, when they interrogated him, he said, “I am not Elijah.” But Scripture does not say that John came in the body of Elijah but “in the spirit and the power of Elijah.” Elijah, who was taken up into the heavens, did not return to them, just as it was not David who later became king but Zerubbabel. The Pharisees, however, did not ask John, “Have you come in the spirit of Elijah?” but “Are you Elijah himself?” That is why he said to them, “No.” Why should he have needed to be Elijah himself, if the actions of Elijah were to be found present in John? Elisha intervened and stood between John and Elijah, lest John be judged by them, since Elijah was taken up in a sacred chariot, whereas [John’s] head was carried away on a dish by a corrupt young girl.

Wherefore to Him alone is it mystically said, "I will take thee, O Zerubbabel, and will make thee as a signet, for I have chosen thee." When our mind shall have become peaceful so that it may be said to her, "Return, return, O Shulamite," which signifies 'peaceful,' or, to use your own name, Irenice, then shall she receive Christ like a signet on herself, that is, the Image of God, that she may be according to that Image, for "as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly." And it behoves us "to bear the image of the heavenly," that is, peace. And that we may know the truth of this, it is said in the Canticles to the soul now fully perfect, that which may the Lord Jesus say to you also, "Set me as a seal upon thine arm;" that peace may shine in your heart and Christ in your works, and that wisdom and righteousness and redemption may be formed in you.

(Verse 19, 20.) Set your hearts from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day on which the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, set it on your hearts. Is the seed still in the barn? And yet the fig tree, the vine, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. From this day on I will bless you. LXX: Set your hearts from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day on which the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, set it in your hearts: If more shall be known upon the earth, and if yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive trees do not bear fruit? So I will bless you from this day. I have told you what you have endured before you began to build my temple: now I will explain what prosperous things will come to you, because you have begun to build my temple. Therefore, on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, when the foundations of the temple were laid, consider the abundance of things that will come. The ninth month is what we call November or December. For the Hebrews, Nisan is the first month, which is called the month of new things: at the time when they celebrate Passover, that is, at the beginning of spring, which often falls in March and sometimes begins in April. Therefore, if we understand Nisan to mean April, the ninth month according to the Hebrews will be December. Therefore, the tenth month (also known as December) is the time when seeds lie hidden in the earth and their future fertility cannot be predicted. Is the seed already in the bud, as is better expressed in Hebrew as 'in the pod', to signify the husk of grain? Have the vine, fig tree, pomegranate, and olive tree given forth their blossoms? So it is not to be understood from the flowers and fruits. Indeed not; for in the month of December, as we have said, there are no signs of future crops. Therefore, do not say that I deduce this by prudent reasoning and speculate about the future fertility of trees, herbs, and crops from the flowers; behold, there are no signs; and yet I tell you that because you have started building my temple, for the blessing of all crops' fertility. This is what we have said according to the Hebrew. Moreover, according to the Septuagint, there is a very different meaning, which we must first explain literally, so that later the order of tropology can be discussed. Set your hearts from this day on, from the day on which the temple was founded, to the future, and you will see that there will be such great harvests in the future, and that so much grain will be carried from all the fields, that the threshing floor will not know its own produce, or that there are not individual threshing floors, but that one threshing floor is joined to another due to the multitude, and the separation of threshing floors is not known on the earth. Moreover, both the vine and the fig tree, and the pomegranate tree, and the olive tree, which previously did not bear fruit due to your vices, because you had not yet begun to build the temple, they will be bent down with such an abundance of grapes and fruits, that the evident fertility may indicate a manifest blessing. However, the ninth month is not to be taken in a good way, and the fourth book of the Kingdoms, and the story of Jeremiah, in which Jerusalem is said to be besieged (2 Kings 25, and Jer. 30 and 32). However, since the foundations of the temple are laid at the end of the ninth month, we can understand that the building of the Lord's temple is not begun unless evil works are finished. Therefore, on the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the foundation of the temple is laid, in which there are twelve dodekas and three octads, and four hexads, as discussed more fully above. Therefore, anyone who dedicates themselves to the worship of God and despises the negligent patron (who, in the book of Ezra according to the Septuagint interpreters, prohibits the building of God's temple), does not know the measure of their crops and wages. Certainly, because of what is said: 'If anyone still sows in the spirit and reaps eternal life from the spirit' (Galatians VI), he will by no means treasure on earth, but all his works and the rewards of his works will be gathered in heaven. And the vineyard, that is, the word of God, of which the Father is the farmer in each one; and the fig tree, the sweetest gifts of the Holy Spirit; and the pomegranate, the teachings of the Church and the knowledge of the Scriptures, which are compared to the cheeks of the bride in the Song of Songs (Canticles VIII); and the olive trees will give refreshment and enlightenment to the heart of the one who begins to build the temple of God. But as for the vineyard, fig tree, and olive tree (I will delay discussing the pomegranate for now), they are related to the person of the Savior, and of God the Father, and of the Holy Spirit, as is more fully explained in the book of Judges (Chapter 9). There, the unfruitful trees go to appoint a king over themselves, and in order, they say to the vine, fig tree, and olive tree, that they should reign over them. But both the vine, fig tree, and olive tree refuse such a rule, and do not deem it worthy to reign over unfruitful trees. Then they come to the tree of their barrenness, that is, the thorny tree of brambles, and the bush woven with prickles and hooks, which holds onto whatever it touches and wounds what it holds on to, and delights in the blood of the wounded: moreover, it emits fire from itself and consumes the ruled trees. But we refer the bramble to the devil, and according to the nature of the branch, we shall interpret its nature. Furthermore, there will be a vineyard, a fig tree, and an olive tree, where the pomegranate tree will be, which tree, on account of the excessive multitude of its seeds, and a certain geometric composition of interwoven membranes, and indeed diverse dwellings, yet all enclosed in one bark, is always set forth in the Scriptures as a representation of the Church.

(Verse 21 onwards) And the word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying: Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: I will shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overthrow chariots and their riders. Horses and their riders shall also fall, each by the sword of his brother. On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts. In the LXX version, (the following words) were added: 'sea and dry land,' and it has 'less' (text): 'I will overthrow the strength of the kingdoms of the nations,' which is understood in a more complete sense from the reading of the LXX. Furthermore, it should be noted that on the same day, that is, on the twenty-fourth of the ninth month, without the month number being mentioned, because they were prophesying about the coming of Christ and his kingdom, the second discourse of our Lord is addressed not to Haggai as before, and not even to the prophet Haggai as in the fourth vision, but only to Haggai, that is, to the one celebrating the feasts of the Lord, because (Christ) is not said to be coming, but to be about to come and to be seen. And how did Abraham see the day of Christ, and rejoice (John 8); and John pointed out the Lamb of God with his finger (John 1): so also, seeing the kingdom of the Son of God, he would have in himself all the solemnities. In this place, there are different opinions among many: For some suspect that the first coming is spoken of; others, the second, when He is to come in His majesty. We accept both, because He reigned when He came, and will reign afterwards. However, if we want to learn about the end of the world, we will say what the apostle speaks of to the Corinthians: 'To destroy all principality, and power, and virtue, that God may be all in all' (I Cor. XV). And because it is mystical and pertains to the end of things, the prophet is commanded to speak only to Zorobabel, whom we have shown to have come in the type of Christ because of the assumption of the body from the seed of David. Therefore, these things are said to happen in the end, that the figure of this world passes away, and a new heaven and a new earth are created, and the Lord shakes the heaven and the earth, and destroys every principality, power, and virtue, and scatters the kings of the kingdoms, as it is written in Hebrew, and annihilates every opposing strength, so that even those who reigned before and the nations under their rule will benefit from the destruction of their kingdom, and with every eagerness for battle abolished, peace will follow; for this is what is said: And I will overthrow the chariots, or chariots, and their riders, and the horses will go up and their riders will go down. And so that you may know concerning the overthrow of the chariots and the falling horsemen, this is what we mean: See how it is said about Christ in Zechariah that He comes as a gentle king, riding upon a foal of a donkey, and He will destroy the chariots from Ephraim (Zechariah 9), and the horse from Jerusalem, so that there may be one flock and one shepherd, and both the Gentiles and the Jews may be held under the peaceful shepherd. But in order for these things that are perverse to be destroyed, each person will rise up against his brother with a sword (which I believe to be the sharpest expression of doctrine, cutting off every perverse thing), cutting off everything that is contrary. But the end of all these things is the best. For after the destruction of the suns, and the strengths of the rulers, and the chariots, and the horses, and the horsemen, on that day, says the Lord Almighty: I will take you, Zerubbabel, the son of Salathiel, my servant. However, servant is called because of the human body, for then the Son himself will be subject to him who subjected all things to himself, and in all things subject, he himself will be seen. But when this is fulfilled, God will place him as a seal in his hand: For God the Father has sealed him (John VI, 27): and this is the image of the invisible God, and the form of his substance: so that whoever believes in God, will be sealed as it were with a ring.


I beg you, reader, to forgive the speaker's rapid discourse, and not to demand the elegance of speech which I have lost through many years of studying the Hebrew language: although Alecto always considers me to have been an infant and mute. To whom shall I say: The Lord will give the word to the one who evangelizes, with much power (Ps. LXVII, 12).

I was inflicting various forms of correction on you—sterility, wind, blight, hail—but in your insensitivity you were unaware of the correction. Be mindful of this, then, and take note of the great prosperity you will enjoy after the commencement of the rebuilding, such being the abundance of necessities I shall provide you, with the result that in the future even the actual measures will have no use on the threshing floor. I shall also supply you with soft fruits as a blessing and provide the crop of the fruit trees.