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If you should doubt that the virgin did not in every way act according to the law, listen to what the evangelist says: "When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought the 60 child up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: that every male opening a womb shall be called holy to the Lord." See then, the evangelist himself persuades us; she completed the forty days according to the law of Moses. And then "they brought the child up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord," that is to the Father, him who was not yet separated from the Father; "they brought him up to present to the Lord" the Lord of all ages; "they brought him up to present" the one enthroned with the Father, before whom the Cherubim stand with fear; "they brought him up," says the evangelist, "to present to the Lord as it is written in the law of the Lord, that every male opening a womb shall be called holy to the Lord." Why then, having come, does the Lord do what the law requires? That he might bring the law to its conclusion, for this is characteristic of the wisdom and foreknowledge of God. For he was shutting off their evil thoughts both by the letter and by his words, saying "I came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it." For the Jews did not hesitate to invent accusations against the Lord, for which reason, even though he was doing the commandments of the law, he was thus dishonored by them. But if he did not do what the law required, who then would have shut their shameless mouths, as they were about to say such things as: that out of some weakness, not being strong enough to do the commands of the law, he invents some other easy law to preach, not being able himself to do or practice the things of the law? Nevertheless, he does not follow their words, since he performs many mysteries for the sake of our salvation and economy; nevertheless he was hastening to draw them also to salvation and to fulfill toward us the mystery of the economy. For his practicing the things of the law is nothing other than that he might give fulfillment to the law, and that he might begin to give the gifts of grace. †But not this only† to be a type and a shadow of the true realities of grace. And God the Word took upon himself in his own flesh 62 the things of the law and, having closed the law, he opened through his own compassion the free gifts of grace. Therefore let us marvel at Paul crying out: " Ω O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" And Christ cries out: "I came not to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfill." For truly the Son of God and the Father came to take up in his own flesh the things of the law, not bringing the flesh down from somewhere above, but entering into the womb of the virgin and being enfleshed from her; not with a pre-existing infant, but after entering into her belly, he was then enfleshed from the members of the virgin without seed. And the all-holy virgin, having conceived him by the Holy Spirit, whom the universe was not able to contain, gave birth to him enfleshed. O the wonder of the fearful and awesome mystery! Who, having heard, is not astonished? Who, having conceived of it, would not marvel? That he whom the universe did not contain, a virgin's womb contained. Since, therefore, the law requires the woman who gives birth to offer a year-old lamb for a whole burnt offering, and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, she did not bring the lamb, because she did not have it to hand. For indeed the law also says: "But if her hand cannot afford it, they shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons."

Have you seen where God, the only rich one, dwelt? Do you see to what poverty and destitution he came down? and such poverty that the virgin could not even afford a lamb? Know then where God dwells, not in a very wealthy woman drowned in riches, but in the wealth of a virtuous soul. But parents among us, when they are about to join their own sons to a woman, search for where there is a wealthy girl who has heaps of money, then if she is fair to look upon 64 and very beautiful, and they do not investigate if she is chaste or anything else of that sort, but wealth that always

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ἀμφιβάλλῃς ὅτι οὐ πάντως κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἡ παρθένος ἐποίησεν, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής· "Ὅτε ἐπληρώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ καθαρισμοῦ αὐτῶν κατὰ τὸν νόμον Μωσέως, ἀνήγαγον τὸ 60 παιδίον εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα παραστῆσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ, καθὼς γέγραπται ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου· ὅτι πᾶν ἄρσεν διανοῖγον μήτραν ἅγιον τῷ Κυρίῳ κληθήσεται". Ἴδε οὖν αὐτὸς πείθει ἡμᾶς ὁ εὐαγγελιστής· ἐτέλεσε τὰς τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας κατὰ τὸν νόμον Μωυσέως. Καὶ τότε "ἀνήγαγον τὸ παιδίον εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα παραστῆσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ", τουτέστι τῷ πατρί, τὸν μηδέπω χωρισθέντα τοῦ πατρός· "ἀνήγαγον παραστῆσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ" τὸν Κύριον πάντων τῶν αἰώνων· "ἀνήγαγον παραστῆσαι" τὸν σύνθρονον τοῦ πατρός, ᾧ τὰ Χερουβὶμ παρίστανται μετὰ φόβου· "ἀνήγαγόν" φησιν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς "παραστῆσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ καθὼς γέγραπται ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου, ὅτι πᾶν ἄρσεν διανοῖγον μήτραν ἅγιον τῷ Κυρίῳ κληθήσεται". ∆ιατί δὲ ἄρα τὸ τοῦ νόμου ἐποιεῖ ὁ Κύριος ἐλθών; ἵνα παραγάγῃ τὸν νόμον, ἴδιον γὰρ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίας καὶ προγνώσεως τοῦτο. Ἀπέκλειε γὰρ διά τε τῶν γραμμάτων, διά τε τῶν λόγων, τὰς αὐτῶν κακονοίας, λέγων "Οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι τοῦτον". Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὤκνησαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι κατηγορίας ἐφευρίσκειν κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, διὸ καὶ τὰ τοῦ νόμου ἐντάλματα ποιῶν, καὶ οὕτως ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἠτιμάζετο. Εἰ δὲ τὰ τοῦ νόμου μὴ ἐποίει, τίς ἄρα ἐπέκλειεν αὐτῶν τὰ ἀναίσχυντα στόματα τοιαῦτα μελλόντων λέγειν, ὅτι ἐξ ἀτονίας τινὸς μὴ ἰσχύων τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιεῖν κελεύσματα, ἄλλον τινὰ ἐφευρίσκει ἐλαφρὸν νόμον κηρύττειν, μὴ ἰσχύων αὐτὸς τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιεῖν ἢ πράττειν; Ὅμως μέντοι οὐκ ἐξακολουθεῖ τοῖς λόγοις αὐτῶν, ἐπειδὴ πολλὰ τῆς σωτηρίας καὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας ἡμῶν ἕνεκεν ἐποιεῖ μυστήρια· ὅμως ἔσπευδε κἀκείνων τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐπισπάσασθαι καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐκπληρῶσαι τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον. Τὸ γὰρ πράττειν αὐτὸν τὰ τοῦ νόμου οὐδὲν ἑτερόν ἐστιν ἢ ἵνα πλήρωμα δῷ τῷ νόμῳ, τῆς δὲ χάριτος ἄρξηται διδόναι τὰς δωρεάς. †Οὐ μὴν δὲ τοῦτο μόνον† τύπον καὶ σκιὰν εἶναι τῶν ἀληθινῶν πραγμάτων τῆς χάριτος. Καὶ ἀνέλαβεν ὁ θεὸς λόγος ἐν τῇ οἰκείᾳ σαρκὶ 62 τὰ τοῦ νόμου καὶ κλείσας νόμον ἤνοιξε διὰ τῆς οἰκείας εὐσπλαγχνίας τὰ τῆς δωρεᾶς χαρίσματα. Τοίνυν θαυμάσωμεν τοῦ Παύλου βοῶντος· "Ω βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως θεοῦ, ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνεξιχνιάστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ". Καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς βοᾷ· "Οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον ἢ τοὺς προφήτας, ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι". Ἀληθῶς γὰρ ἦλθεν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς υἱὸς ἀναδέξασθαι ἐν τῇ οἰκείᾳ σαρκὶ τὰ τοῦ νόμου, οὐκ ἄνωθέν ποθεν κατενέγκας τὴν σάρκα, ἀλλ' εἰσελθὼν ἐν τῇ μήτρᾳ τῆς παρθένου καὶ σαρκωθεὶς ἐξ αὐτῆς· οὐ προϋπάρξαντος βρέφους, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὸ εἰσελθεῖν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ αὐτῆς τότε ἐκ τῶν τῆς παρθένου μελῶν σαρκωθεὶς ἄνευ σπορᾶς. Ἡ δὲ παναγία παρθένος ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου συλλαβοῦσα τοῦτον, ὃν τὰ σύμπαντα χωρῆσαι οὐκ ἠδύναντο, ἔτεκεν αὐτὸν σαρκωθέντα. Ὢ τοῦ φοβεροῦ καὶ φρικτοῦ μυστηρίου τὸ θαῦμα· τίς ἀκούσας οὐκ ἐκπλάγει; τίς ἐννοήσας οὐ θαυμάσειεν; ὅτι ὃν τὰ σύμπαντα οὐκ ἐχώρησε μήτρα παρθενικὴ ἐχώρησεν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἔχει ὁ νόμος ἀμνὸν ἐνιαύσιον συνεισφέρειν τὴν τικτοῦσαν εἰς ὁλοκαύτωσιν, καὶ δύο τρυγόνας ἢ δύο νεοσσοὺς περιστερῶν, τὸν μὲν ἀμνὸν οὐ συνεισήγαγε, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν κατὰ χεῖρας. Ὄντως γὰρ καὶ ὁ νόμος λέγει· "Ἐὰν δὲ μὴ εὐπορῇ ἡ χεὶρ αὐτῶν, συνοίσουσι δύο τρυγόνας ἢ τοὺς δύο νεοσσοὺς τῶν περιστερῶν".

Εἶδες ποῦ θεὸς ἐνῴκησεν ὁ μόνος πλούσιος; ὁρᾷς εἰς ποίαν πενίαν καὶ πτωχείαν κατῆλθε; καὶ τοιαύτην πενίαν ὥστε μηδὲ ἑὼς ἀμνοῦ εὐπορεῖν τὴν παρθένον; γνῶθι οὖν ποῦ θεὸς ἐνοικεῖ, οὐκ εἰς πολύπλουτον γυναῖκα χρήμασι βεβυθισμένην, ἀλλ' εἰς πλοῦτον ἐναρέτου ψυχῆς. Οἱ γονεῖς δὲ οἱ καθ' ἡμᾶς, ἡνίκα ἂν μέλλωσι τοὺς ἰδίους παῖδας γυναικὶ συζεῦξαι, ἐρευνῶσι ποῦ τίς κόρη ἐστὶ πλουσία ἔχουσα χρημάτων ὄγχους, εἶτα εἰ ἔστιν εὔοπτος 64 καὶ περικαλλής, καὶ οὐκ ἐξερευνῶσιν εἰ ἔστι σώφρων ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων, ἀλλὰ πλοῦτον τὸν ἀεὶ