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Your youth will be renewed like an eagle's. There the shadow, here the truth, there the unleavened bread, here the bread, there the circumcision, here the seal, there the ark, here the virgin, there the tablets, here the gospels, there the jar, here the altar, there the rod of Aaron that budded with nuts, here the staff of the cross that bore the fruit of the thief into paradise, there the desert, here paradise, there the promised land, here the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven. Therefore the present things also imitate the order of heaven by the star-like radiance of the newly-illuminated; and stars above and stars below. Today for us the earth is heaven, not by the location having been changed but by the former blessing having been spread. No longer does the middle wall of enmity hold sway, but the pledge of friendship is favorably received; no longer do we hear: You are earth and to earth you will return, but Our citizenship is in heaven.

Truly then it is fitting now to say, chanting softly: This is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Let us rejoice because the statues of idols have been shattered and the holy of holies has been given; let us be glad because the grief of Eve has been extinguished and the joy of the virgin has been kindled. This is the day which the Lord has made. What did he make it? Queen of the other days. Wherefore David also cried out concerning it to Christ the king, saying: The queen stood at your right hand, in clothing of woven gold, arrayed, adorned. And what is the golden clothing? The garment of faith, for faith is gold because of the unalterable character of baptism. The queen stood at your right hand, arrayed, adorned. How arrayed? With the unworn summer garment of piety. How adorned? With the many-tongued beauty of doctrines. This is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it; not with intoxicating wine but with a word leading to compunction. Being rational, let us accept a word of gladness. And what is the gladdening word?

The Word of God himself, who gladdens us but scourges heretics. You have just heard John crying out: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. What will the children of heretics say, those whose religion is irrational? In the beginning was the Word; not in any way a creature, not in any way a created thing, not in any way subordinate, not in any way powerless, not in any way "he was not." John says "was" and Arius "was not." Whom shall I believe? John who reclined on the breast of the Lord, or Arius who suddenly expired in a foul place because of his blasphemy against the Son of God. In the beginning was the Word; he did not say "became," lest he introduce a generation of divinity; for the existence of the divinity is uncreated, having neither a beginning of days nor an end of life, but it remains the same and is in the same state; for the divine nature does not admit of change. What then does David say? I long to say again with you: This is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Truly the present day is full of gladness. Why is it full of gladness? Because on this day He locked up Hades and opened heaven, He plundered Hades and made life blossom, He bound the devil and released Adam, He moved away the flaming sword and led the soul of the believing thief into paradise by the life-giving wood, He put the rams and the gods to flight and prepared the rational lamb to be dismembered. And who is witness to this? Paul crying out: Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. We were commanded to celebrate the passion that tastes of Christ, but not with the unleavened bread of Jewish wickedness.

Since the Jews practice some things, and we others; they wickedness, we the blessing. They did other things concerning the Lord Christ; they slaughtered, we feasted upon, they pierced the side, we the mystical milk

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Ἀνακαινισθήσεται ὡς ἀετοῦ ἡ νεότης σου. Ἐκεῖ ἡ σκιὰ ὧδε ἡ ἀλήθεια, ἐκεῖ τὰ ἄζυμα ὧδε ὁ ἄρτος, ἐκεῖ ἡ περιτομὴ ὧδε ἡ σφραγίς, ἐκεῖ ἡ κιβωτὸς ὧδε ἡ παρθένος, ἐκεῖ αἱ πλάκες ὧδε τὰ εὐαγγέλια, ἐκεῖ ἡ στάμνος ὧδε τὸ θυσιαστήριον, ἐκεῖ ἡ ῥάβδος Ἀαρὼν ἀνθήσασα κάρυα ὧδε ἡ σταυρικὴ βακτηρία λῃστὴν εἰς παράδεισον καρποφορήσασα, ἐκεῖ ἡ ἔρημος ὧδε ὁ παράδεισος, ἐκεῖ ἡ γῆ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ὧδε ἡ κληρονομία τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας. ∆ιὸ καὶ οὐρανοῦ τάξιν τὰ παρόντα μιμεῖται τῇ τῶν νεοφωτίστων ἀστρολαμψίᾳ· καὶ ἄνω ἀστέρες καὶ κάτω ἀστέρες. Οὐρανὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον ἡ γῆ, οὐ τῆς τοποθεσίας ἀμειφθείσης ἀλλὰ τῆς προτέρας εὐλογίας διαδοθείσης. Οὐκέτι τὸ τῆς ἔχθρας μεσότοιχον κρατεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῆς φιλίας ἐνέχυρον δεξιοδεκτεῖ· οὐκέτι ἀκούομεν· Γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ, ἀλλ' Ἡμῶν τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει.

Ὄντως οὖν εὔκαιρον εἰπεῖν ἀρτίως ὑποψάλλοντας· Αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν ἐν αὐτῇ. Ἀγαλλιασώμεθα ὅτι τὰ ἀγάλματα τῶν εἰδώλων συνετρίβη καὶ τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων ἐδόθη· εὐφρανθῶμεν ὅτι ἡ λύπη τῆς Εὔας ἐσβέσθη καὶ ἡ χαρὰ τῆς παρθένου ἀνήφθη. Αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος. Τί αὐτὴν ἐποίησεν; Βασίλισσαν τῶν ἄλλων ἡμερῶν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ ∆αβὶδ περὶ αὐτῆς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Χριστὸν κέκραγε λέγων· Παρέστη ἡ βασίλισσα ἐκ δεξιῶν σου ἐν ἱματισμῷ διαχρύσῳ περιβεβλημένη πεποικιλμένη. Καὶ τί διάχρυσον ἱμάτιον; Τὸ τῆς πίστεως ἔνδυμα, χρυσὸς γὰρ ἡ πίστις διὰ τὸ ἀπαραχάρακτον τοῦ βαπτίσματος. Παρέστη ἡ βασίλισσα ἐκ δεξιῶν σου περι-βεβλημένη πεποικιλμένη. Τί περιβεβλημένη; Τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀπαλαίωτον θέριστρον. Τί πεποικιλμένη; Τὴν τῶν δογμάτων ποικιλόγλωττον εὐπρέπειαν. Αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν ἐν αὐτῇ· οὐκ οἴνῳ μεθύσκοντι ἀλλὰ λόγῳ πρὸς κατάνυξιν ἄγοντι. Λογικοὶ τυγχάνοντες λόγον εὐφροσύνης προσδεξώμεθα. Καὶ τίς ὁ εὐφραντικὸς λόγος;

Αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς λόγος, ὁ ἡμᾶς μὲν εὐφραίνων αἱρετικοὺς δὲ μαστίζων. Ἤκουσας ἀρτίως Ἰωάννου βοῶντος· Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. Τί ἐροῦσιν αἱρετικῶν παῖδες, οἱ ἄλογοι τὴν θρησκείαν; Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος· μή που κτίσμα, μή που ποίημα, μή που ὑπεξούσιον, μή που ἄτονον, μή που τὸ οὐκ ἦν. Ἰωάννης τὸ ἦν καὶ Ἄρειος τὸ οὐκ ἦν. Τίνι πεισθῶ; Ἰωάννῃ τῷ ἀνακλιθέντι ἐπὶ τὸ στῆθος τοῦ κυρίου ἢ Ἀρείῳ τῷ ἀθρῶον εἰς κοπρώδεις ἀποψύξαντι τόπους διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ βλασφημίαν. Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος· οὐκ εἶπεν ἐγένετο, ἵνα μὴ γένεσιν θεότητος εἰσαγάγῃ· ἀγενεσιούργητος γὰρ τῆς θεότητος ἡ ὕπαρξις οὐδὲ ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν ἔχουσα οὐδὲ ζωῆς τέλος, μένει δὲ κατὰ ταὐτὰ καὶ ὡσαύτως ἔχουσα· μεταβολὴν γὰρ ἡ θεία φύσις οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται. Τί οὖν ὁ ∆αβίδ; Ποθῶ μεθ' ὑμῶν πάλιν εἰπεῖν· Αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν ἐν αὐτῇ. Ὄντως εὐφροσύνης ἀνάμεστος ἡ παροῦσα ἡμέρα. ∆ιὰ τί εὐφροσύνης ἀνάμεστος; Ὅτι ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τὸν ᾅδην ἔφραξε καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνέῳξεν, τὸν ᾅδην ἐσκύλευσε καὶ ζωὴν ἀνέθαλεν, τὸν διάβολον ἔδησε καὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἀπέλυσεν, τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν μετέστησε καὶ τοῦ πιστεύσαντος λῃστοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν τῷ ζωοποιῷ ξύλῳ εἰς τὸν παράδεισον εἰσήγαγεν, τοὺς κριοὺς καὶ τοὺς θεοὺς ἐφυγάδευσε καὶ τὸν λογικὸν ἀμνὸν μελίζεσθαι παρεσκεύασεν. Καὶ τίς τούτου μάρτυς; Ὁ Παῦλος βοῶν· Τὸ πάσχα ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐτύθη Χριστός. Ὥστε ἑορτάζομεν μὴ ἐν ζύμῃ παλαιᾷ μηδὲ ἐν ζύμῃ κακίας καὶ πονηρίας, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καὶ ἀληθείας. Τὸ χριστόγευστον πάθος ἑορτάζειν προσετάχθημεν, οὐχὶ δὲ ἐν ἀζύμοις ἰουδαϊκῆς πονηρίας.

Ἐπειδὴ ἄλλα μὲν Ἰουδαῖοι μετέρχονται, ἄλλα δὲ ἡμεῖς· ἐκεῖνοι τὴν πονηρίαν ἡμεῖς τὴν εὐλογίαν. Ἄλλα ἐκεῖνοι περὶ τὸν δεσπότην Χριστόν· ἐκεῖνοι ἔσφαξαν ἡμεῖς ὀψωνήσαμεν, ἐκεῖνοι τὴν πλευρὰν διώρυξαν ἡμεῖς τὸ μυστικὸν γάλα