3

with the same yearly sacrifices, so to speak (which can never make perfect those who draw near), let them childishly think they are fulfilling such legislation. But for us, for whom in turning to God such a veil has been removed, who have believed that the great mystery of godliness was manifested once at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, the mystery of the present festival must be contemplated, worthily of the divine light of truth, by the torch-bearing of the Spirit, approaching the contemplation from a little higher, and having first opportunely indicated this: that according to the sequence of the examination, the proposed ordinance of the Law is seen to be fulfilled specifically and not coincidentally in another, in the incarnate God alone.

For He alone, ineffably conceived and unutterably born, opened the virginal womb not previously opened by marriage, having preserved the seals of virginity unviolated even after the wondrous birth, and He alone is believed to be spiritually male, contracting nothing of effeminate sin, whence also He is worthily called truly holy; just as Gabriel also, bringing to the Theotokos the good news of the life-giving birth, as if bringing to remembrance the legislation pre-ordained concerning this and looking to him alone; Therefore also that which is born will be called holy, he said, the Son of God; as the epithet 'holy' properly befits the one who opened the virgin womb by a divine miracle. And indeed in the case of the other firstborn, the evangelical precision, having carefully examined the depth of the Law, has declared that these will be called holy, as having obtained the right to be so called by dedication to God; but in the case of the firstborn of all creation, the angel has said that which is born is Holy, as being this in a proper sense, having shown true holiness in the rejection of evil and the choice of good at the very moment of being born, as the prophet says. But we must return to the sea of contemplation, as the divine voice commands the lawgiver, with the grace of the Spirit, as in a pillar of fire and cloud, going before the divinely inspired camp of the Church in the splendor of the Scriptures, so that with the rod of power sent from the Zion above, as the Psalmist says, by which the enemies are ruled, having crossed the sea of the letter 46.1160, divided on this side and that in the clear passage of the thoughts, we may escape the Egyptian mindset of those who disobey grace, they themselves being overwhelmed by the stream of truth; for whom it is a matter of eagerness to hinder for us the way to the spiritual land of the promise of the Gospel, and to wish for us to remain in the iron furnace of the letter (which is called Egypt), serving with clay and brick-making, that is, with the bodily observances of the Law. Therefore the God of all said to Moses in Egypt, having already appointed the plague against the firstborn of Egypt: Consecrate to me every firstborn that opens every womb among the sons of Israel, from man to beast; The blessed Moses, as if unfolding the condensed meaning of this divine legislation, declares in his discourse to the people: And it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and to your fathers; And I will give it to you, you shall set apart everything that opens the womb, the males, for the Lord; and everything that opens the womb from your herds, or among your cattle, as many as you shall have, the males, for the Lord; but every firstling of a donkey that opens the womb, you shall exchange for a sheep; and if you do not exchange it, you shall redeem it, and every firstborn of your sons you shall redeem, that is, you shall give a ransom for him.

For thus in the book of Numbers the divine oracle clarifies, speaking to the one who had obtained the high priesthood: And everything that opens the womb from all flesh which they offer to the Lord, from man to beast, shall be yours; but

3

ταῖς αὐταῖς κατ' ἐνιαυ τὸν θυσίαις, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω (αἳ οὐδέποτε δύνανται τοὺς προσερχομένους τελειῶσαι), νηπιοφρόνως τὴν τοιαύτην νομοθεσίαν νομιζέτωσαν πληροῦν. Ἡμῖν δὲ, οἷς ἐν τῇ πρὸς Θεὸν ἐπιστροφῇ τὸ τοιοῦτον περιῄρη ται κάλυμμα, ἅπαξ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος εἰς ἀθέτησιν ἁμαρτίας διὰ τῆς θυσίας αὐτοῦ πεφανερῶσθαι τὸ μέγα τῆς εὐσεβείας πεπιστευκόσι μυστήριον, ἐπαξίως τοῦ θείου τῆς ἀληθείας φωτὸς, τῇ δᾳδουχίᾳ τοῦ Πνεύματος τὸ τῆς παρούσης πανηγύρεως θεω ρητέον μυστήριον, μικρὸν ἄνωθεν προσβαλοῦσι τῷ θεωρήματι, κἀκεῖνό γε μὴν εὐκαίρως προσημηναμένοις· ὅτι κατὰ τὸ τῆς ἐξετάσεως ἀκόλουθον τὸ προτεθὲν τοῦ Νόμου θέσπισμα ἐπὶ μόνῳ τῷ σαρκωθέντι Θεῷ ὡρισμένως τε καὶ ἀνεπισυμβάτως ἑτέρῳ ὁρᾶται πληρούμενον.

Μόνος γὰρ αὐτὸς ἀῤῥήτως συλληφθεὶς, καὶ ἀφράστως κυηθεὶς, μὴ προδιηνοιγμένην τῷ γάμῳ τὴν παρθενικὴν μήτραν ἀνέῳξεν, τὰ σήμαντρα τῆς παρθενίας ἀπαράτρωτα καὶ μετὰ τὴν παράδοξον πρόοδον φυλαξάμενος, καὶ μόνος ἄῤῥην πνευματικῶς εἶναι πεπίστευται μηδὲν τῆς θηλυπρεποῦς ἁμαρτίας ἐπαγόμενος, ὅθεν καὶ ὄντως ἅγιος ἐπαξίως κέκληται· ὥσπερ καὶ Γαβριὴλ τὰ τοῦ ζωοποιοῦ τόκου τῇ Θεοτόκῳ φέρων εὐαγγέλια, οἱονεὶ τὴν περὶ τούτου προδιωρισμένην τε καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν μόνον ὁρῶσαν νομοθεσίαν ἐν ἀναμνήσει ποιούμενος· ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἅγιον, ἔλεγε, κληθήσεται Υἱὸς Θεοῦ· ὡς κυρίως τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου ἁρμοζούσης ἐπωνυμίας τῷ τὴν παρθένον μήτραν τῇ θείᾳ διανοίξαντι θαυματουργίᾳ. Καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων πρωτοτόκων, ἅγια ταῦτα κληθήσεσθαι, βεβασανισμένως τῷ βάθει τοῦ Νόμου ἐγκύψασα ἡ εὐαγγελικὴ ἀκρίβεια, διηγόρευσεν, ὡς τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀφιερώσει τὸ οὕτω καλεῖσθαι κληρωσαμένων· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ πρωτοτόκου πάσης κτίσεως, Ἅγιον τὸν γεννώμενον ὁ ἄγγελος εἴρηκεν, ὡς τοῦτο κυρίως ὑπάρχων, καὶ τὴν ὄντως ἁγιότητα ἐν τῇ ἀποπομπῇ τῆς κακίας, καὶ τῇ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἐκλογῇ, ἅμα τῷ γεννηθῆναι, ὥς φησιν ὁ προφήτης, ἐπιδειξάμενος. Ἀλλ' ἐπανακτέον ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς θεωρίας, ὡς ἡ θεία προστάσσει τῷ νομοθέτῃ φωνὴ, τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτος, ὡς ἐν στύλῳ πυρὸς καὶ νεφέλης, τῇ τῶν Γραφῶν λαμπρότητι τοῦ ἐνθέου τῆς Ἐκκλησίας στρατοπέδου προηγουμένης, ἵνα τῇ ῥάβδῳ τῆς δυνάμεως τῇ ἀποστελλομένῃ ἐκ τῆς ἄνω Σιὼν, ὡς Ψάλλων φησὶν, δι' ἧς οἱ ἐχθροὶ κυριεύονται, τὸ τοῦ γράμμα 46.1160 τος περάσαντες πέλαγος, ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα διῃρημένον ἐν τῇ εὐκρινεῖ διαβάσει τῶν νοημάτων, τὸ Αἰγύπτιον τῶν ἀπειθούντων τῇ χάριτι διαδράσωμεν φρόνημα, συγκλυσθέντων αὐτῶν τῆς ἀληθείας τῷ ῥείθρῳ· οἷς διὰ σπουδῆς ἐστιν, ἐμποδίζειν ἡμῖν τὴν ἐπὶ πνευματικὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ὁδὸν, ἐθέλειν τε ἐν τῇ σιδηρᾷ καμίνῳ τοῦ γράμματος (ὅπερ ἡ Αἴγυπτος ὠνόμασται) προσμένειν ἡμᾶς, τῷ πηλῷ καὶ τῇ πλινθείᾳ δουλεύοντας, τουτέστι ταῖς σωματι καῖς τοῦ Νόμου παρατηρήσεσιν. Ἔφη τοίνυν τῷ Μωϋσῇ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς ἤδη τὴν κατὰ τῶν πρωτοτόκων Αἰγύπτου διορισάμενος, πληγήν· Ἁγίασόν μοι πᾶν πρωτότοκον πρωτογενὲς διανοῖγον πᾶσαν μήτραν ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἕως κτήνους· ἧς τινος θείας νομοθεσίας τὸ συνεπτυγμένον ὥσπερ ἐξαπλώσας ὁ μακάριος Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῇ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν διαλέξει ἀποφαίνεται· Καὶ ἔσται ὡς ἂν εἰσαγάγῃ σε Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου εἰς τὴν γῆν τῶν Χαναναίων, ὃν τρόπον ὤμοσέ σοι καὶ τοῖς πατράσι σου· Καὶ δώσω σοι αὐτὴν, ἀφοριεῖς πᾶν διανοῖγον μήτραν, τὰ ἀῤῥενικὰ τῷ Κυρίῳ· καὶ πᾶν διανοῖγον μήτραν ἐκ τῶν βουκολίων, ἢ ἐν τοῖς κτήνεσί σου, ὅσα ἂν γένηταί σοι, τὰ ἀῤῥενικὰ τῷ Κυρίῳ· πᾶν δὲ διανοῖγον μήτραν ὄνου, ἀλλάξεις προβάτῳ· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀλλάξῃς, λυτρώσῃ αὐτὸ, καὶ πᾶν πρωτότοκον τῶν υἱῶν σου λυτρώσῃ, τουτέστιν, λύτρα δώσεις ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ.

Οὕτω γὰρ ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ τῶν Ἀριθμῶν ὁ θεῖος σαφηνίζει χρησμὸς, τῷ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἐπειλημμένῳ διαλεγόμενος· Καὶ πᾶν διανοῖγον μήτραν ἀπὸ πάσης σαρκὸς ἃ προσφέρουσι τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἕως κτήνους, σοὶ ἔσται· ἀλλ' ἢ