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childbirth. The things seen are human, but the things believed are divine. "Who is this," he says, "the King of glory?" These things the super-cosmic powers were shouting. The one approaching is a stranger; for the one who has ascended is contrary to nature; for even the sight of the body was seen as light-like. For it had received the splendors of the divine rays. But he who assumed our nature led it up into the heavens, so that he might make heaven accessible to those on earth. A cloud is made a vehicle for his human vesture; and borne upon it, he transferred his own garment to heaven. Just as, therefore, the conception of the birth from a virgin was contrary to nature, so also the miracle of the ascent into the heavens is paradoxical. For how is it possible for a human body to fly above the celestial arches? But what nature did not admit, this grace has granted. "He has ascended," and the servant not into heaven, but "as into heaven." For great is the difference between the servant's existence according to grace and the Master's God-befitting authority. For the marvelous Elijah, the charioteer of the fiery chariot, did not fly above the celestial arches; but he who transferred our nature to the celestial realms has made heaven accessible to men.

Now the reconciliations with the heavenly king have reached their end, and he who was united to him in divinity, but who administered salvation in his human nature through his visitation to us, has reconciled to his own begetter the nature that was long at war with the Father. Now he who mediated between both natures has led up that which is of our same kind. "For there is one God," he says, "and one mediator between God and men." The one seen is man, but the one believed is God. Who will be able to represent in speech this marvelous ascent of the one who was paradoxically taken up? But what the tongue cannot reach, this faith teaches. For he who is veiled in the body has led up the firstfruits of our nature, as if bringing a sheaf to the Father from some thriving harvest.

This saving ascension, therefore, we now celebrate; this master's ascent we solemnize, singing of the magnitude of the Lord's ineffable gift and proclaiming the achievement of the economy for us, so that we too, shining through our good deeds and showing forth the fruits of righteousness; may hasten to run up to that which is of our same kind and reach the royal throne itself, where he who was clothed with it led up our kindred nature on our behalf, so that we may reign with the Lord and enjoy his gifts, having exchanged heaven for earth and preferred the heavenly to the earthly things, let us trade for heavenly wealth, so that we may receive the rewards from the Lord and enjoy the gifts of the Lord by the grace of the only-begotten Son of God; to him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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τόκον. Ἀνθρώπινα τὰ ὁρώμενα, ἀλλὰ θεῖα τὰ πιστευόμενα. «Τίς ἐστιν οὗτός φησιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης»; Ταῦτα ἐβόων αἱ ὑπερκόσμιοι δυνάμεις. Ξένος ὁ ὁρμώμενος· παρὰ φύσιν γὰρ ὁ ἀνεληλυθώς· φωτοειδὴς μὲν γὰρ ἑωρᾶτο καὶ ἡ τοῦ σώματος θέα. Τῶν γὰρ θείων ἀκτίνων ἐδέξατο τὰς λαμπηδόνας. Ἀνήγαγε δὲ αὐτὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ὁ τὴν ἡμετέραν φύσιν ὑπελθών, ἵνα τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς βατὸν ποιήσῃ τὸν οὐρανόν. Νεφέλη ὄχημα πεποίηται τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης αὐτοῦ περιβολῆς· κἀκείνης ἐποχούμενος πρὸς οὐρανὸν μετέστησε τὸ οἰκεῖον ἔνδυμα. Ὥσπερ τοίνυν τῆς ἐκ παρθένου γεννήσεως παρὰ φύσιν ἡ κύησις, οὕτω καὶ τῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνόδου παράδοξον τὸ θαῦμα. Πῶς γὰρ οἷόν τε ἀνθρωπίνῳ σώματι ὑπερπτῆναι τὰς οὐρανίας ἁψῖδας; Ἀλλ' ὅπερ οὐκ ἐπεδέ<χ>ετο ἡ φύσις, τοῦτο δεδώρηται ἡ χάρις. «Ἀνελήλυθε» καὶ ὁ δοῦλος οὐκ εἰς οὐρανὸν, ἀλλ' «ὡς εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν». Πολὺ γὰρ τὸ μέσον τῆς τοῦ δούλου ὑπαρξάσης κατὰ χάριν ὑποστάσεως καὶ τῆς τοῦ ∆εσπότου θεοπρεποῦς ἐξουσίας. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ θαυμάσιος Ἡλίας ὁ τοῦ πυρίνου ἅρματος ἡνίοχος οὐχ ὑπερέπτη τὰς οὐρανίας ἁψίδας· ὁ δέ γε πρὸς τὰ οὐράνια μεταστήσας τὴν ἡμετέραν φύσιν βατὸν πεποίηκε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὸν οὐρανόν.

Νῦν πέρας εἰλήφασιν αἱ πρὸς τὸν οὐράνιον βασιλέα καταλλαγαὶ καὶ τὴν πάλαι τῷ Πατρὶ ἐκπεπολεμωμένην φύσιν ἀπεκατήλλαξε τῷ οἰκείῳ γεννήτορι ὁ τῇ θεότητι μὲν αὐτῷ συνημμένος, τῇ δέ γε ἀνθρωπείᾳ φύσει τὴν σωτηρίαν οἰκονομήσας διὰ τῆς εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐπιφοιτήσεως. Νῦν ἀνήγαγε τὸ ἡμῖν ὁμογενὲς ὁ μεσιτεύσας ἑκατέρᾳ φύσει. «Εἷς γάρ φησιν Θεός, εἷς καὶ μεσίτης Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων». Ἄνθρωπος τὸ ὁρώμενον, Θεὸς δὲ τὸ πιστευόμενον. Τίς τὴν θαυμασίαν ταύτην ἄνοδον τοῦ παραδόξως ἀναληφθέντος λόγῳ παραστῆσαι δυνήσεται; Ἀλλ' ὅπερ οὐκ ἐφικνεῖται ἡ γλῶσσα, τοῦτο διδάσκει ἡ πίστις. Ἀνήγαγε γὰρ τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως τὴν ἀπαρχὴν ὁ τῷ σώματι καλυπτόμενος, ὥσπερ ἀπό τινος ληΐου εὐθαλοῦς δρᾶγμα τῷ Πατρὶ προσαγαγών.

Ταύτην τοίνυν τὴν σωτήριον ἀνάληψιν νῦν ἑορτάζομεν· ταύτην τὴν δεσποτικὴν ἄνοδον πανηγυρίζομεν ἀνυμνοῦντες τῆς ἀῤῥήτου δωρεᾶς τοῦ ∆εσπότου τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τῆς ἐφ' ἡμῖν οἰκονομίας ἀνακηρύττοντες τὸ κατόρθωμα, ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς λάμψαντες διὰ τῶν κατορθωμάτων καὶ τοὺς τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐπιδειξάμενοι καρπούς· πρὸς τὸ ἡμῖν ὁμογενὲς ἀναδραμεῖν σπουδάσωμεν καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν φθάσωμεν τὸν θρόνον τὸν βασιλικὸν, ὅπου ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀνήγαγε τὸ συγγενὲς ὁ ἐνδυσάμενος, ἵνα καὶ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ συμβασιλεύσωμεν καὶ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ δωρεῶν ἀπολαύσωμεν, τῆς γῆς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνταλλαξάμενοι καὶ τῶν ἐπιγείων τὰ οὐράνια προτιμήσαντες, τὸν οὐράνιον πλοῦτον ἐμπορευσώμεθα, ὅπως τὰς παρὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου ἀμοιβὰς κομισώμεθα καὶ τῶν τοῦ Κυρίου δωρεῶν ἀπολαύσωμεν χάριτι τοῦ μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ· αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.