Cyril of Jerusalem

In his own words on Zechariah

• Zechariah 2:10

  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.

  Catechetical Lecture 12:8

• Zechariah 9:11

  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."

  Catechetical Lecture 13:34

• Zechariah 11:12

  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."

  Catechetical Lecture 13:10

• Zechariah 12:1

  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."

  Catechetical Lecture 16:13

• Zechariah 14:4

  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?

  Catechetical Lecture 12:11

• Zechariah 14:5-6

  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?

  Catechetical Lecture 13:24