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Joseph found both, the pregnancy, and the cause, that it was from the Holy Spirit. Therefore, being afraid to be called the husband of such a woman, "he resolved to send her away secretly," not daring to make her situation public. But being a just man, he received the revelation of the mysteries. 31.1465 "For as he considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying: Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife." Nor should you consider that you will obscure the sin with improper suspicions. For you were called just; but it is not the part of a just man to cover up transgressions in silence. "Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife." It showed that he was not angry, nor was he disgusted, but he was afraid of her as one filled with the Holy Spirit. "For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." And from this it is clear that the Lord's constitution was not formed according to the common nature of the flesh. For that which was being carried in the womb was immediately perfect in the flesh, not formed by gradual developments, as the words show. For it is not said, "that which is conceived," but, "that which is begotten." Therefore the flesh, having been formed from holiness, was worthy to be united with the divinity of the Only-Begotten. "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus." We have observed that for those to whom names are given deliberately, it is an indication of their underlying nature, as with Abraham, and Isaac, and Israel. For the name of each of these indicated not so much the character of the body as the particular virtue perfected by them. For this reason also he is now called Jesus, that is, "Salvation of the people."

And now also the mystery ordained before the ages, and long proclaimed through the prophets, had its fulfillment. "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel; which is interpreted, God with us." Long ago that name also held the declaration of the whole mystery, that God is among men, since Emmanuel is interpreted, he says, "God with us." And let no one be perverted by the Jewish insults, who say that it was not a virgin but a young woman spoken of by the prophet. "For behold," he says, "the young woman shall conceive." For first of all, it is most illogical for that which was given by the Lord as a sign to seem to be something common and acknowledged by all of nature. For what does the prophet say? "And the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying: Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God, in depth or in height. And Ahaz said: I will not ask, nor will I tempt the Lord." Then a little later he says: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the Virgin shall conceive." For since Ahaz did not ask for the sign in depth or in height, that you may learn that he who descended into the lower parts of the earth is the same one who also ascended far above all the heavens, the Lord himself gave a sign; a sign both paradoxical and wondrous, and greatly different from common nature. The same woman is both 31.1468 virgin and mother, both remaining in the holiness of virginity and inheriting the blessing of childbearing. And if some of those who translated the Hebrew language have rendered "young woman" instead of "virgin," it does no harm to the argument. For we have found in the custom of Scripture that "young woman" is often used for "virgin," as it says in Deuteronomy: "If a man finds a virgin girl who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are discovered, the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty didrachmas." "And rising up, he took his wife." And considering her his wife in disposition, affection, and all the care befitting those who live together, he abstained from conjugal relations. "For he knew her not," it says, "until she had borne her firstborn son." This, however, already a suspicion

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Ἀμφότερα εὗρεν ὁ Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ τὴν κύησιν, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν, ὅτι ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου. ∆ιὸ, φοβηθεὶς τοιαύτης γυναικὸς ἀνὴρ ὀνομάζεσθαι, «Ἠβουλήθη λάθρα ἀπολῦσαι αὑ τὴν,» μὴ τολμήσας δημοσιεῦσαι τὰ κατ' αὐτήν. ∆ίκαιος δὲ ὢν, ἔτυχε τῆς ἀποκαλύψεως τῶν μυστη 31.1465 ρίων. «Ταῦτα γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἐνθυμηθέντος, ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἐφάνη αὐτῷ κατ' ὄναρ, λέγων· Μὴ φοβηθῇς παραλαβεῖν Μαριὰμ τὴν γυναῖκά σου.» Μηδ' ἐκεῖνο ἐνθυμηθῇς, ὅτι ὑπονοίαις ἀτόποις συσκιάσεις τὸ ἁμάρτημα. ∆ίκαιος γὰρ προσηγορεύθης· οὐ πρὸς δικαίου δὲ ἀνδρὸς σιωπῇ τὰς παρανομίας ἐπικα λύπτειν. «Μὴ φοβηθῇς παραλαβεῖν Μαριὰμ τὴν γυ ναῖκά σου.» Ἔδειξεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἠγανάκτει, οὐδὲ ἐβδε λύσσετο, ἀλλ' ἐφοβεῖτο αὐτὴν ὡς Πνεύματος ἁγίου πεπληρωμένην. «Τὸ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ γεννηθὲν ἐκ Πνεύμα τός ἐστιν ἁγίου.» Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δῆλον, ὅτι οὐ κατὰ τὴν κοινὴν φύσιν τῆς σαρκὸς ἡ σύστασις ἐγένετο τῷ Κυρίῳ. Εὐθὺς γὰρ τέλειον ἦν τῇ σαρκὶ τὸ κυοφο ρούμενον, οὐ ταῖς κατὰ μικρὸν διαπλάσεσι μορφω θὲν, ὡς δηλοῖ τὰ ῥήματα. Οὐ γὰρ εἴρηται, Τὸ κυηθὲν, ἀλλὰ, «Τὸ γεννηθέν.» Ἐξ ἁγιωσύνης οὖν ἡ σὰρξ συμπαγεῖσα, ἀξία ἦν τῇ θεότητι τοῦ Μονογενοῦς ἑνωθῆναι. «Τέξεται δὲ υἱὸν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν.» Τετηρήκαμεν, ὅτι οἷς ἐξεπίτηδες τίθενται τὰ ὀνόματα, ἔνδειξιν ἔχει τῆς ὑποκειμένης φύσεως, ὡς τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ τῷ Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ τῷ Ἰσραήλ. Τούτων γὰρ ἑκάστου ἡ προσηγορία οὐ μᾶλλον τὸν τοῦ σώματος χαρακτῆρα ἢ τὸ ἰδίωμα τῆς κατορθουμένης ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἀρετῆς παρεδήλου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ νῦν Ἰησοῦς προσαγορεύεται, τουτέστι «Σωτηρία λαοῦ.»

Ἤδη δὲ καὶ τὸ πρὸ αἰώνων διατε ταγμένον μυστήριον, καὶ πάλαι διὰ τῶν προφητῶν κηρυχθὲν, τὴν ἔκβασιν εἶχεν. «Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ λήψεται, καὶ τέξεται υἱὸν, καὶ καλέσουσι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ· ὅ ἐστι μεθερμηνευόμενον, Μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός.» Πάλαι κἀκείνη ἡ προσηγο ρία τοῦ παντὸς μυστηρίου τὴν δήλωσιν ἔχει, ὅτι Θεὸς ἐν ἀνθρώποις, ἐπειδὴ ἑρμηνεύεται, φησὶ, τὸ Ἐμμανουὴλ «Μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός.» Καὶ μηδεὶς περι τρεπέσθω ταῖς Ἰουδαϊκαῖς ἐπηρείαις, οἵ φασιν οὐχὶ παρθένον, ἀλλὰ νεᾶνιν εἰρῆσθαι παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου. «Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ νεᾶνις ἐν γαστρὶ λήψεται.» Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ πάντων ἐστὶν ἀλογώτατον τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἀντὶ σημείου δοθὲν, τοῦτο κοινὸν ὂν καὶ ὑπὸ πάσης τῆς φύσεως ὁμολογούμενον εἶναι δοκεῖν. Τί γάρ φησιν ὁ προφήτης; «Καὶ προσέθετο Κύριος λαλῆσαι τῷ Ἄχαζ, λέγων· Αἴτησαι σεαυτῷ σημεῖον παρὰ Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου εἰς βάθος ἢ εἰς ὕψος. Καὶ εἶπεν Ἄχαζ· Οὐ μὴ αἰτήσω, οὐδ' οὐ μὴ πειράσω Κύριον.» Εἶτα μετ' ὀλίγα φησίν· «∆ιὰ τοῦτο δώσει Κύριος αὐτὸς ὑμῖν σημεῖον. Ἰδοὺ ἡ Παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ λήψεται.» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ᾔτησε τὸ εἰς βάθος ἢ εἰς ὕψος σημεῖον ὁ Ἄχαζ, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι ὁ καταβὰς εἰς τὰ κατώτερα μέρη τῆς γῆς, αὐτός ἐστι καὶ ὁ ἀναβὰς ὑπεράνω πάντων τῶν οὐρανῶν, αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκε σημεῖον· σημεῖον δὲ παράδοξόν τι καὶ τεραστικὸν, καὶ παρὰ πολὺ τῆς κοινῆς παρηλλαγμένον φύσεως. Ἡ αὐτὴ γυνὴ καὶ 31.1468 παρθένος καὶ μήτηρ, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἁγιασμῷ τῆς παρ θενίας μένουσα, καὶ τὴν τῆς τεκνογονίας εὐλογίαν κληρονομοῦσα. Εἰ δέ τινες τῶν ἑρμηνευσάντων τὴν Ἑβραΐδα φωνὴν ἀντὶ τῆς παρθένου τὴν νεᾶνιν ἐκδεδώ κασιν, οὐδὲν τῷ λόγῳ διαλυμαίνεται. Εὑρήκαμεν γὰρ ἐν τῇ συνηθείᾳ τῆς Γραφῆς ἀντὶ τῆς παρθένου τὴν νεᾶνιν παραλαμβανομένην πολλάκις, ὡς ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ φησίν· «Ἐάν τις εὕρῃ τὴν παῖδα τὴν παρθένον, ἥτις οὐ μεμνήστευται, καὶ βιασάμενος κοιμηθῇ μετ' αὐτῆς, καὶ εὑρεθῇ, δώσει ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ κοιμηθεὶς μετ' αὐτῆς τῷ πατρὶ τῆς νεάνιδος πεν τήκοντα δίδραχμα.» «Καὶ ἐγερθεὶς παρέλαβε τὴν γυναῖκα αὑτοῦ.» Καὶ διαθέσει, καὶ στοργῇ, καὶ πάσῃ τῇ ἐπιβαλλούσῃ τοῖς συνοικοῦσιν ἐπιμελείᾳ γυναῖκα ἡγούμενος, τῶν γαμικῶν ἔργων ἀπείχετο. «Οὐκ ἐγίνωσκε γὰρ αὐ τὴν, φησὶν, ἕως οὗ ἔτεκε τὸν υἱὸν αὑτῆς τὸν πρω τότοκον.» Τοῦτο δὲ ἤδη ὑπόνοιαν