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has dwelling in his heart; there a fountain gushes forth good things, there is honey and honeycomb and a burning lamp, there is a hidden treasure of the Holy Trinity. Then the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit come, and make their abode with him, and then he is no longer a catechized man, but a God-bearing angel. Since, therefore, man has been deemed worthy of such grace, and David rejoiced in enjoying such gladness, let us too, enjoying the gladness of God, continually be mindful of God, so that we may enjoy his good things. Come, then, let us explore the virtues of the Savior's presence, and let us celebrate His earthly presence as a monument of all virtue; since I have heard from the tongue of the lawless Jews proofs of blasphemy, and since they disbelieve the Scriptures, which they unworthily read, and do not know the mystery. For that the Lord was born of a virgin, in this they are scandalized, he says, the wretched and all-wicked ones.

O the folly! O the unnatural law-breakers! what scripture, or what prophet does not trumpet these graces of the Lord? First, Solomon, the charioteer of great wisdom, blessed the Virgin, saying: Blessed is the barren one who is undefiled, who has not known a bed in transgression. For he calls her barren before the Holy Spirit overshadowed her, and before the sun blossomed. She has not known a bed in transgression, because she did not converse with a man. But when the honorable Isaiah heard about the undefiled barren one, he immediately wrapped the wise man's saying in swaddling clothes, and sang to him: You, he says, said "undefiled barren one"; and I say: "Rejoice, O barren one that does not bear." For until now you have not borne; from now on rejoice, because you have been deemed worthy to receive him whom the heavens cannot contain. And as the two witnesses proclaimed these things, they sought also to add another into the mystery, so that on the testimony of three witnesses the matter in question might be established securely. And as they were thinking these things, they both found David, the orator of melody, and they remind him of the future things of the economy. And when he heard the mystery, he answered with the voice of a trumpet 61.691; Behold, you have both spoken about the barren one; why have you not spoken about the glorious birth? At once Isaiah, understanding the prudent thing, replies with the words: Behold, the virgin shall conceive in her womb, and shall bear a son. And Solomon seconded: She will have fruit in the visitation of souls. Hearing these things, David said to them: Behold, you have said that she will bear; in what place? in a city, or in a desert, or in a country? They say to him: You interpret concerning the place and the city; for you have been deemed worthy of greater grace. Then David, the Spirit telling him the working, inscribed the mystery with a loud cry: You, he says, quiver in secret, I with a loud voice will sing of the birth; Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah, we found it in the fields of the wood.

And understanding from these doctrines that the riddle was deep, he depicted it: Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah, we found it in the fields of the wood; that is, in Bethlehem; for it is named Ephrathah. We heard of it in Ephrathah, that she is with child; for from there the report went out, that the Virgin is with child. Then we found it in the fields of the wood, in the cave, where the light appeared. Here we heard she was pregnant, here we received no report about a man; there we have found the mother of the Lord. Behold, from your own we have presented to you three witnesses proclaiming the glory of the Virgin; not that we have found only these; for all the prophets, having seen him, hope; but on three witnesses justice stands. But I do not negotiate on the three; but give me one most faithful witness saying that the mystery is false, or that the Virgin gave birth from a man; or prove this, and turning, worship her as Theotokos. Either show the Savior held in a tomb and coffin, or I will show you him seated at the right hand of the Father. For not

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ἔχει ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ φωλεύοντα· ἐκεῖ πηγὴ βρύουσα ἀγαθὰ, ἐκεῖ μέλι καὶ κηρίον καὶ λύχνος ἁπτόμενος, ἐκεῖ θησαυρὸς κρυπτόμενος τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος. Λοιπὸν ὁ Πατὴρ καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς καὶ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα ἔρχονται, καὶ μονὴν παρ' αὐτῷ λαμβάνουσι, καὶ λοιπὸν οὐκ ἔτι γίνεται ἄνθρωπος κατηχούμενος, ἀλλ' ἄγγελος θεοφορούμενος. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν τοιαύτης χάριτος κατηξίωται ὁ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ τοιαύτης εὐφρασίας ἀπολαύσας ηὐφραίνετο ὁ ∆αυῒδ, καὶ ἡμεῖς τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐφρασίας ἀπολαύοντες, συνεχῶς μνημονεύσωμεν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα τῶν αὐτοῦ ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσωμεν. Φέρε οὖν τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Σωτῆρος τὰς ἀρετὰς μεταλλεύσωμεν, καὶ τὴν ἐπίγειον αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν ὡς στήλην πανάρετον ἀνυμνήσωμεν· ἐπειδὴ ἤκουσα παρὰ τῆς γλώττης τῶν παρανόμων Ἰουδαίων βλασφημίας τεκμήρια, καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἀπιστοῦσι τὰς Γραφὰς, ἃς ἀναξίως ἀναγινώσκουσι, καὶ οὐ γινώσκουσι τὸ μυστήριον. Τὸ γὰρ ὅτι ἐκ παρθένου ἐτέχθη ὁ Κύριος, ἐν αὐτῷ σκανδαλίζονται, φησὶν, οἱ ἄθλιοι καὶ παμπόνηροι.

Ὢ τῆς ἀνοίας! ὢ τῶν παρὰ φύσιν παρανόμων! ποία γραφὴ, ἢ ποῖος προφήτης οὐ σαλπίζει τοῦ Κυρίου ταύτας τὰς χάριτας; Πρῶτος τὴν Παρθένον ὁ Σολομὼν ἐμακάρισεν, ὁ τῆς μεγάλης σοφίας ἡνίοχος, λέγων· Μακαρία ἡ στεῖρα ἡ ἀμίαντος, ἥτις οὐκ ἔγνω κοίτην ἐν παραπτώματι. Στεῖραν γὰρ λέγει πρὸ τοῦ ἐπισκηνῶσαι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ ἀνθῆσαι τὸν ἥλιον. Οὐκ ἔγνω κοίτην ἐν παραπτώματι, ὅτι μετὰ ἀνδρὸς οὐχ ὡμίλησεν. Ὅτε δὲ ἤκουσε περὶ τῆς ἀμιάντου στείρας Ἡσαΐας ὁ τίμιος, εὐθὺς τοῦ σοφοῦ τὸ ῥητὸν ἐσπαργάνωσε, καὶ τῷ αὐτῷ ἐμελῴδησε· Σὺ, φησὶν, εἶπας στεῖραν ἀμίαντον· κἀγὼ λέγω· Εὐφράνθητι, στεῖρα ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα. Ἕως γὰρ νῦν οὐκ ἔτεκες· ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν εὐφράνθητι, ὅτι ὃν οὐ χωροῦσιν οἱ οὐρανοὶ, δέξασθαι κατηξίωσαι. Ὡς δὲ οἱ δύο μάρτυρες ταῦτα ἐκήρυττον, ἐζήτουν καὶ ἄλλον ἕτερον μῖξαι εἰς τὸ μυστήριον, ἵνα ἐπὶ τριῶν μαρτύρων σταθῇ ἀσφαλὲς τὸ ζητούμενον. Ὡς δὲ ταῦτα διενοοῦντο, ἑκάτεροι εὗρον ∆αυῒδ τῆς μελῳδίας τὸν ῥήτορα, καὶ ὑπομιμνήσκουσιν αὐτὸν τῆς οἰκονομίας τὰ μέλλοντα. Ὡς δὲ ἤκουσε τὸ μυστήριον, σάλπιγγος φωνὴν ἀντεφώ 61.691 νησεν· Ἰδοὺ ἑκάτεροι περὶ τῆς στείρας εἰρήκατε· διὰ τί οὐκ εἰρήκατε περὶ τῆς ἐνδόξου κυήσεως; Εὐθέως νοήσας Ἡσαΐας τὸ φρόνιμον, ἀντιβάλλει τοῖς ῥήμασιν· Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ λήψεται, καὶ τέξεται· υἱόν. Καὶ ὁ Σολομὼν ἐδευτέρωσεν· Ἕξει καρπὸν ἐν ἐπισκοπῇ ψυχῶν. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ∆αυῒδ ἔφησε πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἰδοὺ εἰρήκατε ὅτι τέξεται· ἐν ποίῳ τόπῳ; ἐν πόλει, ἢ ἐν ἐρήμῳ ἢ ἐν χώρᾳ; Λέγουσι πρὸς αὐτόν· Σὺ περὶ τοῦ τόπου καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἑρμήνευσον· περισσοτέρας γὰρ χάριτος ἠξίωσαι. Τότε ∆αυῒδ, τοῦ Πνεύματος εἰπόντος αὐτῷ τὴν ἐνέργειαν, μεγαλοφώνῳ κραυγῇ ἐστηλίτευσε τὸ μυστήριον· Ὑμεῖς, φησὶν, ἐν κρυφῇ δονιτεύετε, ἐγὼ ὑψηλῇ τῇ φωνῇ ἀνυμνήσω τὴν κύησιν· Ἰδοὺ ἠκούσαμεν αὐτὴν ἐν Ἐφραθᾷ, ηὕραμεν αὐτὴν ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις τοῦ δρυμοῦ.

Καὶ συνεὶς ἐπὶ τούτοις τοῖς δόγμασιν, ὅτι βαθὺ τὸ αἴνιγμα, ἐζωγράφησεν· Ἰδοὺ ἠκούσαμεν αὐτὴν ἐν Ἐφραθᾷ, ηὕραμεν αὐτὴν ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις τοῦ δρυμοῦ· τουτέστιν, ἐν Βηθλεέμ· Ἐφραθὰ γὰρ ὀνομάζεται. Ἠκούσαμεν αὐτὴν ἐν Ἐφραθᾷ, ὅτι ἔγκυός ἐστιν· ἐκεῖ γὰρ ἐξῆλθεν ἡ ἀκοὴ, ὅτι ἔγκυός ἐστιν ἡ Παρθένος. Τότε δὲ ηὕραμεν αὐτὴν ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις τοῦ δρυμοῦ, εἰς τὸ σπήλαιον, ὅπου τὸ φῶς ἐφανέρωσεν. Ὧδε ἠκούσαμεν αὐτὴν ἔγκυον, ὧδε περὶ ἀνδρὸς ἀκοὴν ἐδεξάμεθα· ἐκεῖ μητέρα τοῦ Κυρίου ηὑρήκαμεν. Ἰδοὺ ἐκ τῶν σῶν τρεῖς σοι παρεστήσαμεν μάρτυρας τὴν δόξαν τῆς Παρθένου κηρύττοντας· οὐχ ὅτι μόνον τούτους εὑρήκαμεν· ἅπαντες γὰρ αὐτὸν οἱ προφῆται ἑωρακότες ἐλπίζουσιν· ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τριῶν μαρτύρων ἑστάναι τὸ δίκαιον. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν τριῶν οὐ τρακτεύω· ἀλλὰ δός μοι ἕνα πιστότατον μάρτυρα λέγοντα ψεύδεσθαι τὸ μυστήριον, ἢ ἐξ ἀνδρὸς ἀποκυῆσαι τὴν Παρθένον· ἢ τοῦτο ἀπόδειξον, ἐπιστρέψας ὡς Θεοτόκον προσκύνησον. Ἢ δεῖξον τὸν Σωτῆρα ἐν τάφῳ καὶ σορῷ κατεχόμενον, ἢ ἐγώ σοι δεικνύω ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Πατρὸς καθεζόμενον. Οὐ γὰρ