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3 But oh, how shall I praise that ineffable and awesome birth? How shall I speak of the things beyond mind and reason? What tongue shall I take up that is adequate for these wonders? A strange pregnancy, painless birth-pangs, an uncultivated ear of corn, fruit without seed, a childbirth of a strange nature, an unknown conception, a child on earth having no father, truly an incomparable narrative for this life; a virgin gave birth and having given birth, remained a virgin again; the birth did not hinder her virginity, it did not injure the womb, it did not corrupt her who gave birth. Rightly did the one born also grant such privileges to his mother; for such things as he alone had, he also gave to her alone; he himself had no brother in his birth, nor indeed did he give to his mother a sister in this wonder. O the generosity of God toward men; of what gifts was our nature deemed worthy through the female? From where the war began, from there also the king awarded peace; for since a virgin is a mother and a mother a virgin, the groaning of 20Eve20 has ceased; the daughter has dissolved the maternal transgression; for through her the Master, having been made flesh, sojourned among us; and he came to change sorrowful things into joy; he came to alter the painful custom; he came to make peace between the things below and the things above; and how, listen.

There paradise was dishonored, here the cave was glorified; there the two, 20Adam20 and 20Eve,20 were driven out by sin, here the ends of the inhabited world are guided by joy; no longer do we suspect the reproach of exile, no longer do we dread the flaming sword, no longer do we fear the locks of the gates of paradise, no longer do we fear the bites of the serpent, no longer do we borrow leaves from a fig tree, no longer do we tremble at the sound of walking; for we have worshipped the coming forth from the virgin, we have beheld the physician of our nature. For who has seen, who has heard, who has ever known a physician to blossom from a weak root? Who has appeared as the mother of her own father? Who has given birth to the one who begot by divine power? Who has borne one seen indeed as a creature, but understood as the creator? Who has both gained the having of a son and has not suffered the loss of being a virgin?

4 What then do you say, O 20Jew,20 why do you seem to be childish in mind, while being covered with the gray hair of wickedness? Why do you read in vain the prophets that are yours, or rather, that are mine? For you hold the letters, but I hold the facts; you the covenant, I the inheritance; you boast in the law, but I am magnified in grace. Why then do you fight against the prophets? Why do you flee their divinely-inspired and unerring prophecies? Were you not reading how many generations ago the things that have now come to pass? Did you not know that God the Word comes among men? How then did the prophet 20Jeremiah20 say: “This is our God; no other shall be accounted of in comparison with him; he found out all the way of knowledge and gave it to 20Jacob20 his servant and to 20Israel20 his beloved. After this he was seen upon earth and conversed with men.” But do you disbelieve concerning the virgin, O 20Jew,20 that she gave birth? How then did you read the prophet 20Isaiah20 crying out: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son; and they shall call his name 20Emmanuel,20 which is interpreted, God with us.” But that after the birth she remained a virgin, this too you were taught beforehand by 20Ezekiel20 the prophet: “The angel, he says, brought me and set me at the gate of the east and said to me: Son of man, what do you see? And I said: I see a closed gate. And he said to me: This gate, no one shall ever enter through it nor shall ever go out, except the Lord Sabaoth alone; he shall enter and he shall go out; and the gate shall be closed.” But that the master of all creation was born in a humble place of 20Bethlehem,20 this too you learned beforehand from the prophet 20Micah20 saying: “And you, 20Bethlehem,20 land of 20Judah,20 are by no means least; for out of you shall come for me a governor who will shepherd my people 20Israel20.”.

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3 Ἀλλ' ὢ πῶς τὴν ἄρρητον ἐκείνην καὶ φρικτὴν ἀνευφημήσω γέννησιν; Πῶς τὰ ὑπὲρ νοῦν καὶ λόγον ἐξείπω; Ποίαν τοῖς θαύμασιν ἀρκοῦσαν ἀναλάβωμαι γλῶσσαν; Κυοφόρησις ξένη, ὠδῖνες ἀνώδινοι, ἀγεώργητος στάχυς, καρπὸς ἄνευ σπέρματος, λοχεία φύσεως ξένης, ἀγνοουμένη γονή, τέκνον ἐπὶ γῆς οὐκ ἔχον πατέρα, ὄντως ἀσύγκριτον τῷ βίῳ διήγημα· παρθένος ἔτεκεν καὶ τεκοῦσα παρθένος πάλιν ἔμεινεν· οὐκ ἐκώλυσεν τὴν παρθενίαν ὁ τόκος, οὐκ ἐλυμήνατο τὴν νηδύν, οὐ διέφθειρεν τὴν τεκοῦσαν. Εἰκότως καὶ ὁ τεχθεὶς τοιαῦτα τῇ μητρὶ παρέσχε προνόμια· ὧν γὰρ εἶχεν μόνος τοιαῦτα καὶ δέδωκεν μόνῃ· οὐκ εἶχεν αὐτὸς εἰς γέννησιν ἀδελφὸν οὔτε μὴν δέδωκεν τῇ μητρὶ τοῦ θαύματος ἀδελφήν. Ὢ φιλοτιμία εἰς ἀνθρώπους θεοῦ· ποίων ἠξιώθη διὰ τοῦ θήλεως χαρισμάτων ἡ φύσις; Ὅθεν ὁ πόλεμος ἤρξατο, ἐκεῖθεν καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν εἰρήνην ἐβράβευσεν· ἀφ' οὗ γὰρ παρθένος μήτηρ καὶ μήτηρ παρθένος, ὁ στεναγμὸς τῆς 20Εὔας20 ἐπαύσατο· ἡ θυγάτηρ τὸ μητρικὸν διέλυσεν ἔγκλημα· δι' αὐτῆς γὰρ ὁ δεσπότης σαρκωθεὶς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐπεδήμησεν· ἦλθεν δὲ τὰ λυπηρὰ μεταβαλεῖν εἰς χαράν· ἦλθεν τὴν κατώδυνον ἀλλάξαι συνήθειαν· ἦλθεν τὰ κάτω τοῖς ἄνω εἰρηνοποιῆσαι· καὶ ὅπως, ἄκουσον.

Ἐκεῖ ὑβρίσθη παράδεισος, ἐνταῦθα ἐδοξάσθη τὸ σπήλαιον· ἐκεῖ οἱ δύο, 20Ἀδὰμ20 καὶ 20Εὖα,20 ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐλαυνόμενοι, ἐνταῦθα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ πέρατα ὑπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς ὁδηγούμενα· οὐκέτι τὸν τῆς ἐξορίας ὀνειδισμὸν ὑποπτεύομεν, οὐκέτι δειλιῶμεν τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν, οὐκέτι τὰ κλεῖθρα τῶν θυρῶν τοῦ παραδείσου δεδοίκαμεν, οὐκέτι τὰ τοῦ ὄφεως φοβούμεθα δήγματα, οὐκέτι παρὰ συκῆς δανειζόμεθα φύλλα, οὐκέτι τρέμομεν τὸν τοῦ βαδίσματος κτύπον· τὴν γὰρ ἐκ τῆς παρθένου προσεκυνήσαμεν πρόοδον, τὸν ἰατρὸν τῆς φύσεως κατωπτεύσαμεν. Τίς γὰρ εἶδεν, τίς ἤκουσεν, τίς ἐξ ἀσθενοῦς ῥίζης ἰατρὸν ἐξανθήσαντα ἔγνω ποτέ; Τίς πατρὸς ἰδίου μήτηρ ἐφάνη; Τίς ἐγέννησεν τὸν δυνάμει γεννήσαντα θείᾳ; Τίς ἔτεκεν ὁρώμενον μὲν πλάσμα, νοούμενον δὲ πλάστην; Τίς καὶ τὸ ἔχειν υἱὸν ἐκέρδησεν καὶ τὸ εἶναι παρθένος οὐκ ἐζημίωται;

4 Τί οὖν λέγεις, ὦ 20Ἰουδαῖε,20 τί δοκεῖς νηπιάζειν τὴν φρένα, τῇ τῆς πονηρίας πολιᾷ καλυπτόμενος; Τί μάτην τοῖς προφήταις τοῖς σοῖς, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῖς ἐμοῖς, ἀναγινώσκεις; Σὺ μὲν γὰρ κατέχεις τὰ γράμματα, ἐγὼ δὲ τὰ πράγματα· σὺ τὴν διαθήκην, ἐγὼ τὴν κληρονομίαν· σὺ ἐν νόμῳ καυχᾶσαι, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐν τῇ χάριτι μεγαλύνομαι. Τί τοίνυν μάχῃ τοῖς προφήταις; Τί τὰς θεολήπτους καὶ ἀψευδεῖς αὐτῶν ἀποφεύγεις προρρήσεις; Ἆρα πρὸ πόσων γενεῶν ἀνεγίνωσκες τὰ νῦν ἀπαντήσαντα; Οὐκ ᾔδεις ὅτι παραγίνεται ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὁ θεὸς λόγος; Πῶς οὖν ἔλεγεν ὁ προφήτης 20Ἱερεμίας20· «Οὗτος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν· οὐ λογισθήσεται ἕτερος πρὸς αὐτόν· ἐξεῦρεν πᾶσαν ὁδὸν ἐπιστήμης καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν 20Ἰακὼβ20 τῷ παιδὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ 20Ἰσραὴλ20 τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη.» Ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς παρθένου ἀπιστεῖς, ὦ 20Ἰουδαῖε,20 ὅτι ἔτεκεν; Πῶς οὖν ἀνεγίνωσκες τὸν προφήτην 20Ἡσαΐαν20 βοῶντα· «Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν· καὶ καλέσουσι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ 20Ἐμμανουήλ,20 ὅ ἐστι μεθερμηνευόμενον μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ θεός.» Ἀλλ' ὅτι μετὰ τὸν τόκον ἔμεινε παρθένος, καὶ τοῦτο προεδιδάχθης παρὰ 20Ἰεζεκιὴλ20 τοῦ προφήτου· «Ἤγαγέν με, φησίν, ὁ ἄγγελος καὶ ἔστησέν με ἐπὶ τὴν πύλην τῆς ἀνατολῆς καὶ εἶπέν μοι· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, τί σὺ ὁρᾷς; Καὶ εἶπον· Ὁρῶ ἐγὼ πύλην κεκλεισμένην. Καὶ εἶπέν μοι· Αὕτη ἡ πύλη, οὐδεὶς οὐ μὴ εἰσελεύσεται δι' αὐτῆς οὐδὲ μὴ ἐξελεύσεται, εἰ μὴ κύριος σαβαὼθ μόνος· αὐτὸς εἰσελεύσεται καὶ ἐξελεύσεται· καὶ ἔσται ἡ πύλη κεκλεισμένη.» Ἀλλ' ὅτι ὁ τῆς πάσης κτίσεως δεσπότης ἐν εὐτελεῖ χωρίῳ ἐγεννήθη τῆς 20Βηθλεέμ,20 καὶ τοῦτο προεμάνθανες παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου 20Μιχαίου20 λέγοντος· «Καὶ σύ, 20Βηθλεὲμ20 γῆ 20Ἰούδα,20 οὐδαμῶς ἐλαχίστη εἶ· ἐκ σοῦ γάρ μοι ἐξελεύσεται ἡγούμενος ὅστις ποιμανεῖ τὸν λαόν μου τὸν 20Ἰσραήλ20.».