in persecutions, in slanders and necessities, sometimes migrating from Galilee to Judea, sometimes being driven from Judea to Caesarea; in these circumstances he truly had no form nor beauty. But since he has conquered these things and coming through them showed his divinity uninsulted, since in his sufferings he remained impassible and in his insults uninsulted and in 130 hunger the nourisher of all and in persecutions the savior of all and in necessities the liberator of all, since taking the crown of thorns from us he has placed upon the head of the faithful a crown of precious stone, all those shameful things having been trodden underfoot, with glory returning to Adam, the angelic powers say: beautiful in a mighty robe.

And let no one blame me for what reason I now come forth speaking this prophetic saying; for was this not proclaimed now, was this not read now, did we not hear Isaiah now. Let no one blame me, beloved; let no one appear abusive, for if I had dragged in a narrative outside the festival and sung another theme; you should blame me as untimely and nonsensical, but if I opportunely brought to you a prophetic narrative fitting for this festival. Receive it persuasively and accept it benevolently and give me a little time and I will show you even angels learning who has ascended and Christ again condescending to his servants and recounting the mystery of our salvation. What then does the prophet say? Who is this that comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, beautiful in a mighty robe?. These things are from the angels, from the powers above; but to these Christ—for he is not contemptuous, he knows how to condescend to servants, he knows how to answer questioning household slaves—Who is this that comes from Edom? answers in turn and says: I that speak in righteousness with might, and a judgment of salvation. O the beautiful and masterful voice! O the truth fitting to him alone! With might, he says, I that speak in righteousness and a judgment of salvation. Do you wish to learn of his might? Being crucified, he conquered; behold, might. Being bound, he enslaved; behold, might. He is held as a man; behold, might. But if you also wish to learn of righteousness, learn. 131 The devil took you, though you were not his, he drove you for a long time though he did not create you over mountains and glens, he terrified you, he placed a yoke on you though he was not your master; the true shepherd came, he snatched you from the wolf, he enacted righteousness with you and henceforth it is fulfilled: I that speak in righteousness with might and a judgment of salvation.

It is not so much our own achievements, for we did not, by our good deeds, persuade God to become man. It was not our righteousness that brought him down to earth, but the lawlessness of the tyrant, so that the tyrant might learn not to bind the sheep of another. With might, he says, I that speak in righteousness and a judgment of salvation. He speaks of the deed, he is silent about his worth. For when asked Who is this, he does not say that I am your master, but he was silent about this, wishing to be known by his works. With might I that speak in righteousness and a judgment of salvation. And for the time being, having said these things, he is silent and the choir of angels answers again and says to him: Why are your garments red, and your clothes like from a trodden winepress, full and trampled down. And lest anyone think our words are fabricated or that we have collected voices from many prophecies, one will find these things connected on one page. For this reason also it has one sequence like a well-fitted body in Isaiah the prophet. And what will he say? Read to the end, you lover of learning and diligent one, and you will find that we have not collected these from many prophecies, but having taken one sequence we have clarified it. Then to him, as I said, the angels: Why are your garments red, and your clothes like from a trodden winepress, full and trampled down. We see the red garments, we wish to learn the reason.

ἐν διωγμοῖς, ἐν συκοφαντίαις καὶ ἀνάγκαις, ποτε μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν μετανιστάμενος, ποτε δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας εἰς τὴν Καισαρίαν διωκόμενος· ἐν τούτοις ὢν ἀληθῶς οὐκ εἶχεν εἶδος οὔτε κάλλος. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ταῦτα νενίκηκεν καὶ διὰ τούτων ἐξελθὼν ἔδειξεν αὐτοῦ τὴν θεότητα ἀνύβριστον, ἐπειδὴ ἐν τοῖς πάθεσιν ἔμεινεν ἀπαθὴς καὶ ἐν ταῖς ὕβρεσιν ἀνύβριστος καὶ ἐν τῇ 130 πείνῃ πάντων τροφεὺς καὶ ἐν τοῖς διωγμοῖς πάντων σωτὴρ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀνάγκαις πάντων ἐλευθερωτὴς, ἐπειδὴ τὸν ἀκανθώδη στέφανον περιελὼν ἐξ ἡμῶν τέθηκεν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν πιστῶν κεφαλὴν στέφανον ἐκ λίθου τιμίου πάντων τῶν αἰσχρῶν ἐκείνων πεπατημένων, τῆς δόξης ἀναδραμούσης ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀδάμ, φασὶν αἱ ἀγγελικαὶ δυνάμεις· ὡραῖος ἐν στολῇ βιαίᾳ.

Καὶ μή μοι τις μέμψηται τίνος ἕνεκεν τὴν προφητικὴν ταύτην ἐξέρχομαι νῦν ῥῆσιν λέγων· μὴ γὰρ τοῦτο προανηγόρευται νῦν, μὴ γὰρ τοῦτο ἀναγνώσθη νῦν, μὴ γὰρ Ἠσαΐου ἐπηκούσαμεν νῦν. Μηδεὶς μέμψηται, ἀγαπητοί· μηδεὶς φιλολοίδορος φάνῃ, εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἔξω τῆς πανηγύρεως εἱλκύσατο διήγημα καὶ ἄλλην ὑπόθεσιν μελῳδῷ· μέμψασθαι ὡς ἄκαιρον καὶ φλύαρον, εἰ δὲ διήγημα προφητικὸν εἰς ταύτην ἁρμόττον τὴν πανήγυριν εὐκαίρως ὑμῖν παρήγαγον. ∆έξασθε πειθανῶς καὶ προσδέξασθε εὐμενῶς καὶ ἐγχρονίσατέ μοι μικρὸν καὶ δείξω ὑμῖν καὶ ἀγγέλους μανθάνοντας τίς ὁ ἀνελθὼν καὶ Χριστὸν πάλιν συμπεριφερόμενον δούλοις καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας σωτηρίας διηγούμενον τὸ μυστήριον. Τί οὖν φησιν ὁ προφήτης; Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ, ἐρύθημα ἱματίων αὐτοῦ ἐκ Βοσόρ, ὡραῖος ἐν στολῇ βιαίᾳ;. Ταῦτα μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων, ὑπὸ τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων· πρὸς δὲ ταῦτα ὁ Χριστός οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστιν ὑπερόπτης, οἶδεν καὶ δούλοις συμπεριφέρεσθαι, οἶδεν καὶ οἰκέταις ἐρωτῶσιν ἀποκρίνεσθαι Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ; ἀποκρίνεται ἐφεξῆς καὶ λέγει· Μετὰ ἰσχύος ἐγὼ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίσιν σωτηρίου. Ὢ τῆς καλῆς καὶ δεσποτικῆς φωνῆς ὢ τῆς ἀληθείας τῆς ἐκείνῳ μόνῳ πρεπούσης Μετὰ ἰσχύος, φησίν, ἐγὼ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίσιν σωτηρίου. Θέλεις μαθεῖν ἰσχύν; Σταυρούμενος ἐνίκα· ἰδού, ἰσχύς. ∆εδεμένος ἐδουλαγώγει· ἰδού, ἰσχύς. Κρατεῖται ὡς ἄνθρωπος· ἰδού, ἰσχύς. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην θέλεις μαθεῖν, μάθε. 131 Ἔλαβέν σε ὁ διάβολος οὐκ ὄντα αὐτοῦ, ἤλασέν σε πολὺν χρόνον οὐ πλάσας σε περὶ ὄρη καὶ νάπας, ἐπτόησέν σε, ζυγόν σοι ἐπέθηκεν οὐκ ὤν σου δεσπότης· ἦλθεν ὁ ἀληθινὸς ποιμήν, ἀπέσπασέν σε ἀπὸ τοῦ λύκου, ἐποίησεν μετά σου δικαιοσύνην καὶ λοιπὸν πεπλήρωται· Μετὰ ἰσχύος ἐγὼ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίσιν σωτηρίου.

Οὐχ ὅσον δὲ τὰ ἡμέτερα κατορθώματα, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡμεῖς εὐπραγήσαντες ἐπείσαμεν ἐνανθρωπῆσαι τὸν Θεόν. Οὐχ ἡμετέρα δικαιοσύνη κατήγαγεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ γῆς, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ τυράννου παρανομία, ἵνα μάθῃ ὁ τύραννος τὰ ἀλλότρια μὴ δεσμεύειν πρόβατα. Μετὰ ἰσχύος, φησίν, ἐγὼ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίσιν σωτηρίου. Τὴν πρᾶξιν λέγει, τὴν ἀξίαν σιωπᾷ. Ἐρωτηθεὶς γὰρ Τίς οὗτος οὐ λέγει ὅτι ἐγὼ εἰμὶ ὁ δεσπότης ὑμῶν, ἀλλὰ ἐσιώπησεν τοῦτο ἐκ τῶν ἔργων θέλων γνωρίζεσθαι. Μετὰ ἰσχύος ἐγὼ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίσιν σωτηρίου. Καὶ σιωπᾷ τέως ταῦτα εἰρηκὼς καὶ ἀντιφθέγγεται πάλιν ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων χορὸς καί φησιν πρὸς αὐτόν· ∆ιὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ τὰ ἐνδύματά σου ὡς ἀπὸ πατητοῦ ληνοῦ πλήρους καταπεπατημένης. Καὶ ἵνα μή τις νομίσῃ τὰ ἡμέτερα ῥήματα πεπλάσθαι ἢ ἐκ πολλῶν προφητειῶν συνειλῆφθαι ἡμῖν φωνάς, ἐν μίᾳ σελίδι εὑρήσει ταῦτα ἠρτημένα. ∆ιὸ καὶ μίαν ἔχει τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ὡς ἡρμοσμένον σῶμα παρὰ Ἠσαΐᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ. Καὶ τί ἐρεῖ; Τὰ τέλη ἀνάγνωθι, ὁ φιλομαθὴς καὶ σπουδαῖος, καὶ εὑρήσεις ὡς οὐκ ἀπὸ πολλῶν προφητειῶν ταῦτα συνελέξαμεν, ἀλλὰ μίαν ἀκολουθίαν λαβόντες διεσαφηνίσαμεν. Εἶτα πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὡς ἔφην, οἱ ἄγγελοι· ∆ιὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ τὰ ἐνδύματά σου ὡς ἀπὸ πατητοῦ ληνοῦ πλήρους καταπεπατημένης. Ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια βλέπομεν, βουλόμεθα τὴν αἰτίαν μαθεῖν.