order. This is he who established in wisdom all the visible and intelligible world. This is he who with hands not made by hands formed and shaped man from clay. This is he who created us according to the image of God, and has now himself become man according to our image. Man, but indeed also God, the same one. man in what is seen, wholly as I myself am with what is mine, that having cleansed me he might save me, God in what is conceived, perfect from a perfect Father, having his being. Who, existing in the sovereign form of God, has now taken my servile form, not diminishing the dignity of his divinity, but sanctifying the leaven of my nature. Above whole and below whole the same one is known, begotten above without time and below without seed, maker of things above as God and a creature below as man. 11 Hear these things, all you nations; hear, O Israel. The Lord your God is he whom I, your priest Simeon, bearing in my arms, proclaim with a great voice to the people, testifying in the temple. Therefore, give heed, my people, to my word; incline your ear to the sayings of my mouth. This is the child about whom Isaiah proclaimed, saying, "For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, and his name is called Angel of great counsel (of the Father), wonderful, counselor, mighty God, ruler, O Israel, prince of peace, father of the age to come." If therefore this child is mighty God, it is clear that David spoke about him: The God of gods shall be seen in Zion. About this child Jeremiah cries out: that God appeared upon the earth and dwelt among men. 12 This is the child who long ago divided the sea for Israel and drowned Pharaoh, and gave the law to the Israelites, and rained down manna, and guided the race of the Hebrews by a pillar of fire, and split the rock, and kept the bush unburnt from the flame of fiery dew. This child made Moses a forty-year-old slayer of the Egyptian people and showed him to be a shepherd of sheep for forty years and appointed him as a guide to Israel for forty years, and strengthened him to fast for forty days, just as this child himself also fasted for forty days after his baptism, and after forty days from his resurrection from the dead he ascended to the Jerusalem above, and after forty days from his birth from the virgin he has now entered the earthly Jerusalem. 13 About this child Habakkuk proclaimed, saying: God will come from Teman, that is, from the south. For from the south of Jerusalem, from Bethlehem, he has now entered Zion. On account of this child Moses testified to you, saying that the Lord God will raise up for you a prophet from among your brothers, and everyone who does not listen to him, his soul shall be utterly destroyed. About this child the prophet David prayed, saying: O you who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth, stir up your power and come to save us. And again: Let your compassions speedily come to meet us, O Lord. And again: O Lord, bow your heavens and come down. And elsewhere: You, O Lord God of hosts, give heed to visit all the nations. Therefore know, O nations, and be vanquished. 14 See, O Jews, and be persuaded that this child angels hymn, to him archangels bow down, at him authorities tremble, him powers glorify, him the cherubim serve, him the seraphim proclaim as God. To him the sun is in bondage, to him the moon ministers, to him the elements are obedient, to him the springs are subject. Seeing this child the gates of Hades were shattered, and the heavenly gates were opened, and Hades, seeing, was terrified. This child abolished death, shamed the devil, loosed the curse, ended grief, crushed the serpent, broke down the middle wall, tore up the evil bond of sins, trampled on sin, destroyed error, raised up creation. This child saved Adam, refashioned Eve, called the nations, enlightened the world. 15 Therefore come, you also

διακόσμησιν. οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ πάντα τὸν ὁρώμενον καὶ νοούμενον κόσμον ἐν σοφίᾳ συστησάμενος. οὗτος ὁ χερσὶν ἀχειροπλάστοις ἐκ πηλοῦ διαπλάσας καὶ μορφώσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον. οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ δημιουργήσας ἡμᾶς, καὶ νῦν αὐτὸς κατ' εἰκόνα τὴν ἡμετέραν γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος. Ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ θεὸς ὁ αὐτός. ἄνθρωπος τὸ ὁρώμενον, ὅλως ὡς κἀγὼ αὐτὸς μετὰ τῶν ἐμῶν, ἵνα με καθα ρίσας σώσῃ, θεὸς τὸ νοούμενον, τέλειος ἐκ τελείου πατρὸς τὴν οὐσίαν ἔχων. ὃς ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων δεσποτικῇ νῦν τὴν ἐμὴν μορφὴν ἔλαβε τὴν δουλικήν, οὐ μειώσας τῆς θεότητος τὸ ἀξίωμα, ἀλλ' ἁγιάσας τῆς ἐμῆς φύσεως τὸ φύραμα. ἄνω ὅλος καὶ κάτω ὅλος ὁ αὐτὸς γνωριζόμενος, ἄνω γεννηθεὶς ἀχρόνως καὶ κάτω ἀσπόρως, τῶν ἄνω ποιητὴς ὡς θεὸς καὶ κάτω ποίημα ὡς ἄνθρωπος. 11 Ἀκούσατε ταῦτα, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ἄκουε, Ἰσραήλ. κύριος ὁ θεός σου οὗτός ἐστιν ὃν ἐγὼ ὁ σὸς ἱερεὺς Συμεὼν ἐν ἀγκάλαις βαστάζων μεγάλῃ κηρύττω τῇ φωνῇ τῷ λαῷ ἐν τῷ ναῷ διαμαρτυρόμενος. διὸ προσέχετε λαός μου τὸν λόγον μου, κλίνατε τὸ οὖς ὑμῶν εἰς τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ στόματός μου. τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον ἐστί, περὶ οὗ Ἰσαΐας προεκήρυξε λέγων, ὅτι παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν, καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μεγάλης βουλῆς (τῆς τοῦ πατρός) ἄγγελος, θαυμαστός, σύμβουλος, θεὸς ἰσχυρός, ἐξουσιαστής, ὦ Ἰσραήλ, ἄρχων εἰρήνης, πατὴρ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος. εἰ οὖν θεὸς ἰσχυρὸς τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον, περὶ αὐτοῦ δῆλον ὅτι εἴρηκε ∆αβίδ· ὀφθήσεται ὁ θεὸς τῶν θεῶν ἐν Σιών. περὶ τούτου παιδίου Ἱερεμίας βοᾷ· ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη. 12 Τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον ἐστὶν ὁ πάλαι τῷ Ἰσραὴλ τὴν θάλασσαν διαῤῥήξας καὶ τὸν φαραὼ βυθίσας καὶ τὸν νόμον δοὺς τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις καὶ τὸ μάννα ἐπομβρίσας καὶ στύλῳ πυρὸς τὸ γένος τῶν Ἑβραίων ὁδηγήσας καὶ πέτραν ῥήξας καὶ βάτον πυροδρόσου φλογὸς ἄφλεκτον φυλάξας. τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον τεσσαρακονταετῆ φονευτὴν Μωσέα τοῦ αἰγυπτιακοῦ λαοῦ πεποίηκε καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη ποιμένα προβάτων ἀνέδειξε καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη ὁδηγὸν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ κατέστησε, καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας νηστεῦσαι ἐδυνάμωσεν, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ παιδίον μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας ἐνήστευσε καὶ μετὰ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως εἰς τὴν ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀνελήλυθε καὶ μετὰ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας τῆς ἐκ παρθένου γεννήσεως νῦν εἰς τὴν ἐπίγειον Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἰσελήλυθε. 13 Περὶ τούτου τοῦ παιδίου Ἀμβακοὺμ προεκήρυξε λέγων· ὁ θεὸς ἀπὸ Θαιμὰν ἥξει, τουτέστιν ἐκ τοῦ νότου. ἐκ νότου γὰρ τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἐκ Βηθλεέμ, νῦν ἐν Σιὼν εἰσελήλυθε. διὰ τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον Μωυσῆς ὑμῖν διεμαρτύρετο λέγων ὅτι προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν, καὶ πᾶς ὁ μὴ ἀκούων αὐτοῦ ἐξολοθρευθήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ. Περὶ τούτου τοῦ παιδίου ὁ προφήτης ∆αβὶδ ηὔχετο λέγων· ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβὶμ ἐμφάνηθι, ἐξέγειρον τὴν δυναστείαν σου καὶ ἐλθὲ εἰς τὸ σῶσαι ἡμᾶς. καὶ πάλιν· ταχὺ προκαταλαμβανέτωσαν ἡμᾶς οἱ οἰκτιρμοί σου κύριε. καὶ πάλιν· κύριε κλῖνον τοὺς οὐρανούς σου καὶ κατάβηθι. καὶ ἄλλως· σὺ κύριε ὁ θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων πρόσσχες τοῦ ἐπισκέψασθαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. διὸ γνῶτε ἔθνη καὶ ἡττᾶσθε. 14 Ἴδετε Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ πείσθητε ὅτι τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον ὑμνοῦσιν ἄγγελοι, τούτῳ προσκυνοῦσιν ἀρχάγγελοι, τοῦτο τρέμουσιν ἐξουσίαι, τοῦτο δοξάζουσι δυνάμεις, τούτῳ δουλεύουσι τὰ χερουβίμ, τοῦτο θεολογεῖ τὰ σεραφίμ. τούτῳ δουλεύει ὁ ἥλιος, τούτῳ λειτουργεῖ σελήνη, τούτῳ ὑπακούει τὰ στοιχεῖα, τούτῳ ὑποτάσσονται αἱ πηγαί. τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον ἰδοῦσαι πύλαι ᾅδου συνετρίβησαν, πύλαι δὲ οὐράνιοι ἀνεπετάσθησαν, καὶ ᾅδης ἰδὼν ἐτρόμαξε. τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον θάνατον κατήργησε, τὸν διάβολον ᾔσχυνε, τὴν κατάραν ἔλυσε, τὴν λύπην κατέπαυσε, τὸν ὄφιν συνέτριψε, τὸ μεσότοιχον διέκοψε, τὸ πονηρὸν χειρόγραφον τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν διέῤῥηξε, τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐπάτησε, τὴν πλάνην κατέλυσε, τὴν κτίσιν ἀνέστησε. τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον τὸν Ἀδὰμ διέσωσε, τὴν Εὔαν ἀνέπλασε, τὰ ἔθνη ἐκάλεσε, τὸν κόσμον ἐφώτισε. 15 ∆ιὸ δεῦτε καὶ ὑμεῖς