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himself being inflamed, not cooling down the flame. So also the human flesh of the Lord, it itself partook of the divinity, it did not impart its own weakness to the divinity. Or do you not even grant the divinity to act equally with this perceptible fire, but you imagine a passion concerning the impassible One from human weakness, and you are at a loss how the corruptible nature through communion with God possessed the incorruptible? Learn then the mystery. For this reason God was in the flesh, that he might kill the death lurking within. For just as antidotes among medicines overcome destructive things, having been assimilated by the body, and as the darkness existing in the house is dispelled by the introduction of light, so the death that held sway over human nature was made to disappear by the presence of the divinity. And as ice in water, as long as it is night and shadow, prevails over the liquids, but when the sun shines it is melted by the ray; so death reigned until the coming of Christ; but when the grace of God that brings salvation appeared, and the sun of righteousness arose, death was swallowed up in victory, not enduring the arrival of the true life. O depth of the goodness and loving-kindness of God! Through an excess of loving-kindness we rebel against servitude. Why is God among men, men ask the reason, when they ought to worship his goodness. What shall we do for you, O man?

You did not seek God remaining on high, you do not receive him condescending to you and speaking through the flesh; but 31.1464 how you may be reconciled to God, you seek the reason. Learn that for this reason God was in the flesh, because it was necessary for this cursed flesh to be sanctified, for the weakened flesh to be strengthened, for the flesh estranged from God to be reconciled to him, for the flesh that had fallen from paradise to be brought up to heaven. And what was the workshop of this economy? The body of a holy virgin. And what were the beginnings of the birth? The Holy Spirit, and the power of the Most High overshadowing. Rather, listen to the words of the Gospel themselves. "For when his mother Mary," he says, "was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit." Both a virgin, and betrothed to a man, she was judged fit for the service of the economy, so that virginity might be honored, and marriage not be despised. For virginity was chosen as suitable for sanctification; but through the betrothal the principles of marriage were included. And at the same time, so that Joseph might be a suitable witness to Mary's purity, and she might not be exposed to slanderers as having defiled her virginity, she had a betrothed as a guardian of her life. I have another reason to mention, no less honorable than those already stated, that the fitting time for the incarnation of the Lord, long ago predestined and preordained before the foundation of the world, had then arrived, at which it was necessary for the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High to form that God-bearing flesh. And since the generation of men at that time had none of equal purity with Mary, so as to receive the energy of the Spirit, and she was already taken by betrothal, the blessed Virgin was chosen, her virginity being in no way harmed by the betrothal. Another reason has also been given by one of the ancients, that the betrothal to Joseph was devised in order to conceal Mary's virginity from the ruler of this age. For the appearance of betrothal concerning the Virgin was devised as a distraction, as it were, for the evil one who had long been watching virgins, ever since he heard the prophet say: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive in her womb, and shall bring forth a son." The plotter against virginity was therefore deceived by the betrothal. For he knew that the manifestation of the Lord in the flesh would be the destruction of his own dominion. "Before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit."

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αὐτὸς ἐκφλογούμενος, οὐ κατα ψύχων τὴν φλόγα. Οὕτω καὶ ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη τοῦ Κυρίου σὰρξ, αὐτὴ μετέσχε τῆς θεότητος, οὐ τῇ θεότητι μετέδωκε τῆς οἰκείας ἀσθενείας. Ἢ οὐδὲ τῷ αἰσθητῷ τούτῳ πυρὶ ἴσον δίδως ἐνεργεῖν τὴν θεότητα, ἀλλὰ πάθος περὶ τὸν ἀπαθῆ ἐκ τῆς ἀνθρω πίνης ἀσθενείας φαντάζῃ, καὶ ἀπορεῖς πῶς ἡ φθαρτὴ φύσις τῇ πρὸς Θεὸν κοινωνίᾳ ἔσχε τὸ ἀκήρατον; Μάθε δὴ τὸ μυστήριον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Θεὸς ἐν σαρκὶ, ἵν' ἐναποκτείνῃ τὸν ἐμφωλεύοντα θάνατον. Ὡς γὰρ τῶν φαρμάκων τὰ ἀλεξητήρια κατακρατεῖ τῶν φθαρ τικῶν, οἰκειωθέντα τῷ σώματι, καὶ ὡς τὸ ἐνυπάρχον τῷ οἴκῳ σκότος τῇ ἐπεισαγωγῇ τοῦ φωτὸς λύεται οὕτως ὁ ἐνδυναστεύων τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει θά νατος τῇ παρουσίᾳ τῆς θεότητος ἠφανίσθη. Καὶ ὡς ἐν ὕδατι πάγος, ὅσον μὲν χρόνον νύξ ἐστι καὶ σκιὰ, κατακρατεῖ τῶν ὑγρῶν, ἡλίου δὲ θάλποντος ὑποτή κεται τῇ ἀκτῖνι· οὕτως ἐβασίλευσε μὲν ὁ θάνατος μέχρι παρουσίας Χριστοῦ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐφάνη ἡ χάρις τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ σωτήριος, καὶ ἀνέτειλεν ὁ ἥλιος τῆς δι καιοσύνης, κατεπόθη ὁ θάνατος εἰς νῖκος, τῆς ἀληθι νῆς ζωῆς τὴν ἐπιδημίαν οὐκ ἐνεγκών. Ὢ βάθος ἀγα θότητος καὶ φιλανθρωπίας Θεοῦ! ∆ι' ὑπερβολὴν φιλ ανθρωπίας πρὸς τὴν δουλείαν ἀφηνιάζομεν. ∆ιὰ τί Θεὸς ἐν ἀνθρώποις, τὸν λόγον ἐπιζητοῦσιν ἄνθρω ποι, δέον προσκυνεῖν τὴν χρηστότητα. Τί σοι ποιήσομεν, ἄνθρωπε;

Μένοντα ἐν τῷ ὕψει τὸν Θεὸν οὐκ ἐπεζήτησας, συγκαταβαίνοντά σοι καὶ διὰ σαρκὸς ὁμιλοῦντα οὐχ ὑποδέχῃ· ἀλλὰ 31.1464 πῶς οἰκειωθῇς τῷ Θεῷ, ἐπιζητεῖς τὴν αἰτίαν. Μάν θανε, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο Θεὸς ἐν σαρκὶ, ἐπειδὴ ἔδει τὴν καταραθεῖσαν σάρκα ταύτην ἁγιασθῆναι, τὴν ἀσθε νήσασαν ἐνδυναμωθῆναι, τὴν ἀλλοτριωθεῖσαν Θεοῦ, ταύτην οἰκειωθῆναι αὐτῷ, τὴν ἐκπεσοῦσαν τοῦ πα ραδείσου, ταύτην εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀναχθῆναι. Καὶ τί τὸ ἐργαστήριον τῆς οἰκονομίας ταύτης; Παρθένου ἁγίας σῶμα. Τίνες δὲ ἀρχαὶ τῆς γεννήσεως; Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, καὶ δύναμις Ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάζουσα. Μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτῶν ἄκουε τῶν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ῥημάτων. «Μνηστευθείσης γὰρ, φησὶ, τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ Μαρίας τῷ Ἰωσὴφ, πρὶν ἢ συνελθεῖν αὐτοὺς, εὑρέθη ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου.» Καὶ παρθένος, καὶ μεμνηστευμένη ἀνδρὶ, ἐπιτηδεία πρὸς τὴν τῆς οἰκονομίας διακονίαν ἐκρίθη, ἵνα καὶ ἡ παρθενία τιμηθῇ, καὶ ὁ γάμος μὴ φαυλισθῇ. Ἡ παρθενία μὲν γὰρ ὡς ἐπιτηδεία πρὸς ἁγιασμὸν ἐξ ελέγη· διὰ δὲ τῆς μνηστείας αἱ ἀρχαὶ τοῦ γάμου συμπαρελήφθησαν. Ὁμοῦ δὲ, ἵνα καὶ μάρτυς οἰκεῖος ᾖ τῆς καθαρότητος Μαρίας ὁ Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ μὴ ἔκδοτος εἴη τοῖς συκοφάνταις ὡς τὴν παρθενίαν βεβηλώσασα, μνηστῆρα εἶχε τοῦ βίου φύλακα. Ἔχω τινὰ καὶ ἄλ λον λόγον εἰπεῖν οὐδὲν ἀτιμότερον τῶν εἰρημένων, ὅτι ὁ ἐπιτήδειος πρὸς τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν τοῦ Κυρίου καιρὸς, πάλαι προωρισμένος καὶ προδιατεταγμένος πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου, τότε ἐνειστήκει, καθ' ὃν ἔδει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ Ὑψίστου τὴν θεοφόρον ἐκείνην συστήσασθαι σάρκα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁμότιμον τῆς καθαρότητος Μαρίας οὐκ εἶχεν ἡ κατ' ἐκείνην γενεὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὥστε ἐνέργειαν τοῦ Πνεύματος ὑποδέξασθαι, προκατεί ληπτο δὲ διὰ τῆς μνηστείας, ἐξελέγη ἡ μακαρία Παρθένος, οὐδὲν τῆς παρθενίας ἐκ τῆς μνηστείας παραβλαβείσης. Εἴρηται δὲ τῶν παλαιῶν τινι καὶ ἕτερος λόγος, ὅτι ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαθεῖν τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τὴν παρθενίαν τῆς Μαρίας ἡ τοῦ Ἰω σὴφ ἐπενοήθη μνηστεία. Οἱονεὶ γὰρ μετεωρισμὸς τῷ πονηρῷ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς μνηστείας περὶ τὴν Παρ θένον ἐπενοήθη πάλαι ἐπιτηροῦντι τὰς παρθένους, ἀφ' οὗ ἤκουσε τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· «Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ λήψεται, καὶ τέξεται υἱόν.» Ἀπεβουκολήθη οὖν διὰ τῆς μνηστείας ὁ ἐπίβουλος τῆς παρθενίας. Ἤδει γὰρ κατάλυσιν τῆς ἰδίας ἀρ χῆς τὴν διὰ σαρκὸς ἐπιφάνειαν τοῦ Κυρίου γενησο μένην. «Πρὶν ἢ συνελθεῖν αὐτοὺς, εὑρέθη ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου.»