2

For this reason also, when he was about to be born, he did not seek a splendid house, nor a rich and distinguished mother, but a poor one who had a carpenter for a betrothed. And he is born in a hut and is placed in a manger, and choosing disciples, he selected not orators and wise men, nor the wealthy and noble, but poor men, and from the poor, and from every quarter obscure. And setting a table, sometimes he sets out barley loaves, and at other times commanding his disciples to buy from the market at the very moment. And making couches from grass, he also puts on simple garments, differing in no way from those of the many. And he did not even have a house, and if he had to move from place to place, traveling so as to grow weary, and when sitting he needs no throne nor pillow, but sits on the ground, sometimes on the mountain, sometimes by the spring; and not only by a spring, but also alone he converses with a Samaritan woman.

Again, setting measures for grief, when it was necessary to mourn, he weeps gently, everywhere establishing rules, as I said, and boundaries, how far one must go and no further. For this very reason now also, since it happened that some, being weaker, needed beasts of burden, here too he set a measure, showing that one must not be carried by yoked horses or mules, but must use a donkey and not go further, and in all things stick to what is necessary. Let us see also the prophecy through the words. What then is the prophecy? behold, your king comes to you, meek and mounted on a beast of burden and a young colt, not driving chariots like other kings, not demanding 312 tributes, not proceeding pompously and leading about bodyguards, but displaying great gentleness even in this. Ask the Jew, therefore, what king riding on a donkey entered into Jerusalem? but you would not be able to say, except this one alone. And he was doing these things, as I said, showing beforehand the things to come. For here the Church is signified by the colt, and the new people, once unclean, but becoming clean after Jesus sat upon it. And see the image being preserved throughout. For the disciples untie the beasts of burden; for through the apostles both they and we were called, through the apostles we were brought near.

And since our good repute provoked them to jealousy, for this reason a donkey appears following the colt. For after Christ has sat upon the nations, then they also will come, being provoked to jealousy. And Paul, showing this, said: that a hardening in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and then all Israel will be saved. For that it was a prophecy is clear from what has been said; for the prophet would not have cared to speak of the age of the donkey with such precision, if this were not so. Not only are these things signified by what has been said, but also that the apostles claim them with ease. For just as here no one spoke against taking them, so also in the case of the nations no one of those who possessed them before was able to hinder. And he does not sit on the bare colt, but on the garments of the apostles. For when they received the colt, they then give up everything, as Paul also said: I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. But consider the docility of the colt, how being untamed and unused to a bridle, it did not leap about but was carried in an orderly manner, which was itself also a kind of prophecy, signifying the obedience of the nations and their sudden change to good order. For the spoken word accomplished all things: Untie them and bring them to me; so that the disorderly became orderly, and the unclean became henceforth clean. But see the lowliness of the Jews. He worked so many miracles and they were never so astonished at him. But when they saw a crowd running together, then they marvel.

For the whole city was shaken, saying. Who is this? and the crowds said. This is the prophet, from Nazareth of Galilee. and when they seemed to be saying something great, then their opinion was groveling and lowly and creeping. 313 But these things

2

∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡνίκα τίκτεσθαι ἔμελλεν, οὐκ ἐπεζήτησε λαμπρὰν οἰκίαν οὐδὲ μητέρα πλουσίαν καὶ περιφανῆ ἀλλὰ πτωχὴν καὶ μνηστῆρα τέκτονα ἔχουσαν. Καὶ ἐν καλύβῃ γεννᾶται καὶ ἐν φάτνῃ τίθεται καὶ μαθητὰς ἐκλέγων οὐ ῥήτορας καὶ σοφοὺς οὐδὲ εὐπόρους καὶ εὐγενεῖς ἀλλὰ πένητας καὶ ἐκ πενήτων καὶ πάντοθεν ἀσήμους ἐξέλεξε. Καὶ τράπεζαν παρατιθέμενος ποτὲ μὲν κριθίνους ἄρτους παρατίθεται ποτὲ δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν και-ρὸν ἐξ ἀγορᾶς τοὺς μαθητὰς ὠνήσασθαι κελεύων. Καὶ στιβάδας ποιῶν ἀπὸ χόρτου καὶ ἱμάτια ἀμφιεννύμενος εὐτελῆ καὶ τῶν πολλῶν οὐδὲν διαφέροντα περιβάλλεται. Οἰκίαν δὲ οὐδὲ ἔσχεν, εἰ δὲ καὶ μεταβῆναι ἐκ τόπων ἔδει ὁδοιπορῶν ὡς καὶ κοπιᾶν καὶ καθήμενος οὐ θρόνου δεῖται οὐδὲ προσκεφαλαίου, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐδάφους ποτὲ μὲν ἐν τῷ ὄρει ποτὲ δὲ παρὰ τὴν πηγὴν καὶ οὐ παρὰ πηγὴν μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ μόνος καὶ σαμαρείτιδι διαλέγεται.

Πάλιν λύπης μέτρα τιθείς, ἡνίκα θρηνῆσαι ἔδει, δακρύει ἠρέμα, πανταχοῦ κανόνας, ὅπερ ἔφην, καὶ ὅρους πηγνὺς μέχρι ποῦ προβαίνειν δεῖ καὶ περαιτέρω μηκέτι. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ νῦν, ἐπειδὴ συνέβαινέ τινας ἀσθενεστέρους ὄντας ὑποζυγίων δεῖσθαι, κἀνταῦθα μέτρον ἔθηκε δεικνύς, ὅτι οὐχ ἵππους οὐδὲ ἡμιόνους ζεύξαντας φέρεσθαι δεῖ, ἀλλ' ὄνῳ κεχρῆσθαι καὶ περαιτέρω μὴ προβαίνειν καὶ πανταχοῦ τῆς χρείας εἶναι. Ἴδωμεν καὶ τὴν προφητείαν τὴν διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων. Τίς οὖν ἡ προφητεία; ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί σοι πρᾷος καὶ ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὑποζύγιον καὶ πῶλον νέον, οὐχ ἅρματα ἐλαύνων ὡς οἱ λοιποὶ βασιλεῖς, οὐ φόρους 312 ἀπαιτῶν, οὐ σοβῶν καὶ δορυφόρους περιάγων, ἀλλὰ πολλὴν ἐπιείκειαν κἀντεῦθεν ἐπιδεικνύμενος Ἐρώτησον τοίνυν τὸν Ἰουδαῖον ποῖος βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ ὄνου ὀχούμενος εἰσῆλθεν εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ; ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔχοις εἰπεῖν, ἀλλ' ἢ τοῦτο μόνον· Ἐποίει δὲ ταῦτα, ὅπερ ἔφην, τὰ μέλλοντα προδηλῶν. Ἐνταῦθα γὰρ ἡ Ἐκκλησία δηλοῦται διὰ τοῦ πώλου καὶ ὁ λαὸς ὁ νέος καί ποτε ἀκάθαρτος μετὰ δὲ τὸ καθίσαι τὸν Ἰησοῦν καθαρὸς γενόμενος. Καὶ ὅρα διόλου τὴν εἰκόνα σωζομένην. Οἱ γὰρ μαθηταὶ λύουσι τὰ ὑποζύγια· διὰ γὰρ τῶν ἀποστόλων κἀκεῖνοι καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐκλήθημεν, διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων προσήχθημεν.

Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἡ ἡμετέρα εὐδοκίμησις ἐκείνους παρεζήλωσε, διὰ τοῦτο φαίνεται ὄνος ἀκολουθοῦσα τῷ πώλῳ. Μετὰ γὰρ τὸ καθίσαι τὸν Χριστὸν ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη, τότε ἥξουσι κἀκεῖνοι παραζηλοῦντες. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· ὅτι πώρωσις ἀπὸ μέρους τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ γέγονεν ἄχρις οὗ τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ, καὶ τότε πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται. Ὅτι γὰρ προφητεία ἦν δῆλον ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐμέλησε τῷ προφήτῃ μετὰ τοσαύτης ἀκριβείας ὄνου τὴν ἡλικίαν εἰπεῖν, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν. Οὐ ταῦτα δὲ μόνον δηλοῦται διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ μετ' εὐκολίας αὐτοὺς ἀξιοῦσιν οἱ ἀπόστολοι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα οὐδεὶς ἀντεῖπεν εἰς τὸ κατασχεῖν, οὕτως οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν οὐδεὶς ἠδυνήθη διακωλῦσαι τῶν κατεχόντων αὐτοὺς ἔμπροσθεν. Οὐ κάθηται δὲ ἐπὶ γυμνὸν τὸν πῶλον, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὰ ἱμάτια τῶν ἀποστόλων. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸν πῶλον ἔλαβον, ἅπαντα λοιπὸν προΐενται, καθὼς καὶ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· ἐγὼ δὲ ἥδιστα δαπανήσω καὶ δαπανηθήσομαι ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν. Σκόπει δὲ τὸ εὐήνιον τοῦ πώλου, πῶς ἀδάμαστος ὢν καὶ χαλινοῦ ἄπειρος οὐκ ἐσκίρτησεν ἀλλ' εὐτάκτως ἐφέρετο, ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ προφητειῶν τις ἦν, δηλοῦσα τὸ καταπειθὲς τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ τὴν ἀθρόαν εἰς εὐταξίαν μεταβολήν. Καὶ γὰρ πάντα τὸ ῥῆμα εἰργάσατο λέγον· λύσαντες ἀγάγετέ μοι· ὥστε τὰ ἄτακτα εὔτακτα καὶ τὰ ἀκάθαρτα γενέσθαι λοιπὸν καθαρά. Ἀλλ' ὅρα τὸ ταπεινὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Το-σαῦτα θαύματα εἰργάσατο καὶ οὐδέποτε αὐτὸν οὕτως ἐξεπλάγησαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἶδον ὄχλον συντρέχοντα, τότε θαυμάζουσι.

Ἐσείσθη γὰρ πᾶσα ἡ πόλις λέγουσα. Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος, οἱ δὲ ὄχλοι ἔλεγον. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ προφήτης, ὁ ἀπὸ Ναζαρὲτ τῆς Γαλιλαίας· καὶ ὅτε ἔδοξάν τι μέγα λαλεῖν, τότε χαμαίζηλος αὐτῶν ἡ γνώμη καὶ ταπεινὴ καὶ σεσυρμένη. 313 Ταῦτα δὲ