Would you tell us, O blessed one, how the unformed is formed, how the immovable from the heavenly thrones is again transferred to the earth? And this divine man, answering them, might say, “Since through other oracles you have heard the manner of his coming, why do you needlessly question this oracle here? Or has it escaped you what was said, that ‘The virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,’ which is interpreted, ‘God with us’? Or have you not heard what is written, that ‘A child is born to us, a son is given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder, and his name is called Angel of great counsel, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Potentate, Prince of peace, Father of the age to come’? From these words you have known the manner of his coming. For an incorruptible virgin will corporeally bring forth the incorruptible lamp, for the all-venerable Word of God must condescend to us even unto the flesh, so that He might renew through incarnation those created by him in incorporeal divinity, grown old through sin, and make them incorruptible through likeness to corruption. When the prophet had said these things to them, we too shall say: O child older than heaven! O thrice-blessed son, who comes bearing his own authority upon his shoulders and not seeking to receive it from another! For it is innate for the Word to rule all things as a son, and not acquired as for a creature; for ‘The government,’ it says, ‘is upon his shoulder.’ O great-named offspring! For ‘Angel of great counsel,’ it says, ‘and mighty God’ he is named. O all-powerful authority! For he is a ‘Wonderful Counselor and Prince of peace.’ How then shall we glorify today's feast? How shall we bless the most mystical festival at hand? For who will trace out the immortal wealth of this day? With what great-sounding and most lofty words shall we proclaim this all-hymned and victorious mystery of incorruptibility? O day worthy of ten thousand hymns, on which the star from Jacob rose for us and the heavenly man who appeared from Israel, and the mighty God visited us and the sun of righteousness shone, and the treasury of divine virtues has been opened, and the plant of eternal life has sprouted for men, and the dayspring from on high has shone, and the Lord of heavenly and earthly things has come from a virgin's womb for the redemption of the world into a corruptible world. For to us is born today a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, who is a light for the Gentiles and the salvation of the house of Israel. O the wonder! He who is not contained by the heavens lodged in a manger as a child, and he who established all things with a brief word was warmed in a woman's arms, and he who bestowed being on all the super-cosmic powers was nourished by the undefiled breasts of the holy virgin. For it came to pass, it says, as the gospel testifies, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth, and she bore her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. What is this new and paradoxical mystery? What is this all-powerful and corruption-making benevolence of divine providence? What is this awesome and all-wise stratagem against the devil? The world is freed through a virgin, the world which formerly fell into sin through her. Through a virginal birth, so many and so great systems of unseen demons have been cast into Tartarus. The master has become conformed to the servants, so that the servants might again become conformed to God. O Bethlehem, sanctified city and allotted to men! O manger, O manger, partaker with the cherubim and equal in honor with the seraphim! For he who is eternally borne divinely upon those thrones, now lodges in you bodily again. O Mary, O Mary, who the... of all

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Λέγῃς ἂν ἡμῖν, ὦ μακάριε, πῶς ὁ ἀσχημάτιστος σχηματίζεται, ὁ ἀκίνητος ἀπὸ τῶν οὐρανίων θρόνων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς πάλιν ἀντιμεθίσταται; Εἴπῃ δ' ἂν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀπαντῶν ὁ θεῖος οὗτος ἀνήρ, ὅτι δι' ἑτέρων λογίων τὸν τρόπον ἠκούσατε τῆς παρουσίας, τί περισσῶς πολυπραγμονεῖτε ἐνταῦθα τὸ λόγιον. Ἢ λέληθεν ὑμᾶς τὸ εἰρημένον ὅτι Ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱὸν καὶ καλέσουσι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ, ὅ ἐστι μεθερμηνευόμενον Μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ θεός; Ἢ οὐκ ἀκηκόατε τὸ γεγραμμένον ὅτι Παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν, οὗ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὤμου αὐτοῦ καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος, θαυμαστὸς σύμβουλος, θεὸς ἰσχυρός, ἐξουσιαστής, ἄρχων εἰρήνης, πατὴρ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος; Ἐκ τούτων τῶν λόγων τὸν τρόπον τῆς παρουσίας ἐπέγνωτε. Παρθένος γὰρ ἄφθαρτος ἀποκυήσει σωματικῶς τὸν λύχνον τὸν ἄφθαρτον, μέχρι γὰρ σαρκὸς δεῖ συγκαταβῆναι πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὸν πανσεβάσμιον τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον, ἵνα δὴ τοὺς ἀσωμάτῳ θεότητι παρ' αὐτοῦ δεδημιουργημέ νους ἀνακαινίσῃ διὰ σαρκώσεως, παλαιωθέντας διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ ἀφθάρτους κατασκευάσῃ διὰ τῆς ὁμοιότητος τῆς πρὸς τὴν φθοράν. Ταῦτα τοῦ προφήτου πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἰρηκότος ἐροῦμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς. Ὦ παιδίον οὐρανοῦ παλαιότερον! Ὦ τρισόλβιος υἱός, ὅστις ἐπ' ὤμων ἥκει τὴν ἑαυτοῦ βαστάζων ἀρχὴν καὶ οὐ παρ' ἑτέ ρου ζητῶν αὐτὴν κομίσασθαι! Ἔμφυτον γὰρ τῷ λόγῳ τῶν πάντων ἄρχειν ὡς υἱῷ καὶ οὐκ ἐπείσακτον ὡς ποιήματι· Ἡ ἀρχὴ γάρ, φησίν, ἐπὶ τοῦ ὤμου αὐτοῦ. Ὦ μεγαλώνυμον γέννημα! Μεγάλης γὰρ βουλῆς, φησίν, ἄγγελος καὶ θεὸς ἰσχυρὸς ὀνομάζεται. Ὦ παντοδύναμος ἐξουσία! Θαυμαστὸς γὰρ σύμβουλος καὶ ἄρχων εἰρήνης ἐστίν. Πῶς τοίνυν δοξάσωμεν τὴν σήμερον ἑορτήν; Πῶς μακαρίσωμεν τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος μυστικωτάτην πανήγυριν; Τίς γὰρ ἐξιχνιάσει τὸν ταύτης τῆς ἡμέρας πλοῦτον ἀθάνατον; Ποίοις μεγαλήχοις καὶ ὑψηλοτάτοις ῥήμασιν ἀνακηρύξωμεν τὸ πανύμνητον τοῦτο καὶ τροπαιοῦχον τῆς ἀφθαρσίας μυστήριον; Ὦ ἡμέρα μυρίων ὕμνων ἀξία, ἐν ᾗ ἀνέτειλεν ἡμῖν τὸ ἄστρον τὸ ἐξ Ἰακὼβ καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ οὐράνιος, ὃς ὤφθη ἐξ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ἐπεδήμησεν ἡμῖν ὁ ἰσχυρὸς θεὸς καὶ ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐπεσκίασεν ἥλιος καὶ ὁ τῶν θείων ἀρετῶν ἠνέῳκται θησαυρὸς καὶ τὸ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς φυτὸν ἀνθρώποις ἐβλάστησεν καὶ ἡ ἀνατολὴ ἐκ τοῦ ὕψους ἐπέλαμψεν καὶ ὁ τῶν οὐρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων δεσπότης ἐκ παρθενικῶν λαγόνων ὑπὲρ κόσμου λυτρώσεως εἰς κόσμον φθαρτὸν ἐλήλυθεν. Ἐγεννήθη γὰρ ἡμῖν σήμερον σωτήρ, ὅς ἐστιν Χριστὸς κύριος, ὅστις φῶς ὑπάρχει ἐθνῶν καὶ σωτηρία οἴκου Ἰσραήλ. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος! Ἐπὶ φάτνης ὡς παιδίον ηὐλίζετο ὁ ὑπὸ τῶν οὐρανῶν μὴ περιγραφόμενος, καὶ γυναικείαις ἀγκάλαις ἐθάλπετο ὁ λόγῳ βραχεῖ τὰ πάντα συστησάμενος, καὶ ἐγαλουχεῖ το ὑπὸ τῶν ἀμιάντων τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου μασθῶν ὁ πάσαις ταῖς ὑπερκοσμίαις δυνάμεσιν τὸ εἶναι κεχαρισμένος. Ἐγένετο γάρ, φησίν, καθὼς μαρτυρεῖ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖ ἐπλήσθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ τεκεῖν αὐτὴν καὶ ἔτεκε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον καὶ ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀνέκλινεν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ, διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι. Τίς ἡ καινὴ καὶ παράδοξος αὕτη μυσταγωγία; Τίς ἡ παντοδύναμος καὶ φθαρτοποιὸς τῆς θείας προνοίας εὐμένεια; Τί τὸ δεινὸν καὶ πάνσοφον κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου στρατήγημα; Ἠλευθέρωται κόσμος διὰ παρθένου, ὁ διὰ ταύτης τὸ πρὶν ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν πεσών. ∆ιὰ παρθενικοῦ τοκετοῦ τεταρτάρωται δαι μόνων ἀοράτων τὰ τοσαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα συστήματα. Σύμμορ φος τοῖς δούλοις ὁ δεσπότης γέγονεν, ἵνα οἱ δοῦλοι γένωνται σύμμορφοι πάλιν θεοῦ. Ὦ Βεθλεέμ, πόλις ἡγιασμένη καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συγκεκληρωμένη! Ὦ φάτνη, ὦ φάτνη συμμέτοχε τῶν χερουβὶμ καὶ ὁμότιμε τῶν σεραφίμ! Ὁ γὰρ αἰωνίως ὑπ' ἐκείνων τῶν θρόνων ἐποχούμενος θεϊκῶς, νῦν ἐν σοὶ σωματικῶς πάλιν αὐλίζεται. Ὦ Μαρία, ὦ Μαρία, ἡ τὸν τῶν ἁπάντων

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