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was full of sufferings and wonders, it was spoken against; for he was naked and hid the sun, he was pierced with nails and shook the rocks, his side was opened with a spear and he opened the tombs of the dead. Hence the sign was a sign that was spoken against; for the unbelievers, leaving these things, looked at those; but the faithful with the sufferings beheld the wonders. Thus the people of the Pharisees mocked him then as a deceiver, but the centurion called him the son of God and having said so, worshipped him.

11 The following is in agreement with these things; "And a sword shall pierce through your own soul also, that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed." "A sword your soul," the discernment, will pass through at the time of the cross; for you will marvel seeing hanging on a cross the one born without corruption, the one conceived without a man, the one who did not open the womb and accomplished his own birth impassibly and incorruptibly.

12 And what will happen from this? "That thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed"; perhaps of others, but much more of those discipled to the Lord, and who had seen the sufferings concerning him and the wonders from him, and who had endured a storm of thoughts from both sides, as Cleopas suffered <ἐξ> from what Christ revealed to him when he met him on the way to Emmaus; for when Cleopas was asked why they were sad and their hearts troubled, having spoken a little about Christ and as much as the time allowed, not knowing to whom he was speaking, he adds: "But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel," that is, things alien to our hope have happened to him. The thought of Mary Magdalene was also revealed to be weak; when Christ was crucified, she became weak, when she also said to him: "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."

13 Let the tongue of the gospel history run through the remaining things; "And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher; she was advanced in many days, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and she was a widow of about eighty-four years." Splendid is the wealth of Anna, from every side the treasure of good things is gathered for her, first that she was a prophetess; for having a weak vessel as a woman's she purified it, and drew the Spirit of God to her as a dwelling; then that she was an old woman and though aged in body, her mind did not grow old; third that she was a widow and not simply a widow, but having lived with her husband for seven years in number, and being advanced in many days and for so long a time bearing the yoke of widowhood, she did not give over her bed to a second bridegroom, for which reason, therefore, she reached the age of eighty years of her life.

14 But since she surely saw him who was clearly announced by the Spirit in the eighty-fourth psalm, she sought to say such things about him as David the psalmist, putting them forth, sang in melody: "Lord, you have favored your land; you have turned back the captivity of Jacob. You have forgiven the iniquities of your people; you have covered all their sins. You have withdrawn all your wrath; you have turned from your fierce anger. Truth has sprung up from the earth, and righteousness has looked down from heaven"; for in these things is "the redemption of Jerusalem," which the woman is next so recorded both to have proclaimed and to have prophesied; for it says: "who did not depart from the temple." Many indeed dwell in the temple, but in dwelling they dishonor it, all those who do not dwell in the same way as Anna happened to be dwelling, "worshiping with fastings and prayers night and day"; for with fastings she purified her body, and with prayers she gave wings to the thought of her soul and happened to be dwelling as a temple within the temple.

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μετὰ τῶν παθῶν ἔγεμε καὶ θαυμάτων, ἀντελέγετο· γυμνὸς γὰρ ὑπῆρχεν καὶ τὸν ἥλιον ἔκρυπτεν, τοῖς ἥλοις κατεπέπαρτο καὶ τὰς πέτρας ἐσάλευεν, ἠνοίγετο λόγχῃ τὴν πλευρὰν καὶ τὰ μνήματα τῶν τεθνηκότων ἤνοιγεν. Ἔνθεν τὸ σημεῖον ὑπῆρχεν ἀντιλεγόμενον· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄπιστοι ταῦτα καταλιπόντες ἐκεῖνα ἀπέβλεπον· οἱ πιστοὶ δὲ μετὰ τῶν παθῶν ἐθεώρουν τὰ θαύματα. Οὕτως πλάνον μὲν αὐτὸν τότε ὁ δῆμος τῶν Φαρισαίων ἀπέσκωπτον, υἱὸν δὲ θεοῦ ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος ἔλεγεν καὶ εἰπὼν προσεκύνησεν.

11 Τούτοις ἐστὶ τὰ ἑπόμενα σύμφωνα· «Καὶ σοῦ δὲ αὐτῆς τὴν ψυχὴν διελεύσεται ῥομφαία, ὅπως ἂν ἀποκαλυφθῶσιν ἐκ πολλῶν καρδιῶν διαλογισμοί». «Ῥομφαία σοῦ τὴν ψυχήν», ἡ διάκρισις, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ σταυροῦ διαβήσεται· θαυμάσεις γὰρ ὁρῶσα ἐπὶ σταυροῦ κρεμάμενον τὸν χωρὶς φθορᾶς τεχθέντα, τὸν χωρὶς ἀνδρὸς συλληφθέντα, τὸν οὐκ ἀνοίξαντα τὴν μήτραν καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν γέννησιν ἀπαθῶς ἀφθάρτως ἐνεργήσαντα.

12 Τί δὲ ἐντεῦθεν συμβήσεται; «Ὅπως ἂν ἀποκαλυφθῶσιν ἐκ πολλῶν καρδιῶν διαλογισμοί»· ἴσως μὲν καὶ ἑτέρων, πολὺ δὲ μᾶλλον τῶν μαθητευθέντων τῷ κυρίῳ, καὶ θεωρησάντων τὰ περὶ αὐτὸν πάθη καὶ τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ θαύματα, καὶ χειμῶνα ἐκ τῶν λογισμῶν ἑκατέρωθεν ὑπομεινάντων, οἷον Κλεόπας ἔπασχεν <ἐξ> ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς συναντήσας κατὰ τὴν Ἐμμαοῦς αὐτῷ ἀπεκάλυψεν· ἐρωτηθεὶς γὰρ ὁ Κλεόπας ἐπὶ τίνι σκυθρωπάζουσιν καὶ τὴν καρδίαν συγκέχυνται, μικρὰ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ὅσα ἐπέτρεπεν ὁ καιρός, οὐκ εἰδὼς πρὸς τίνα λέγει, φθεγξάμενος ἐπιφέρει· «Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἠλπίζομεν ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ μέλλων λυτροῦσθαι τὸν Ἰσραήλ», τουτέστιν ἀλλότρια ἐπ' αὐτῷ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐλπίδος ἐκβέβηκεν. Ἀνεκαλύφθη καὶ τῆς Μαγδαληνῆς Μαρίας ὁ λογισμὸς ἀσθενὴς ὤν· τοῦ Χριστοῦ σταυρωθέντος ἠσθένησεν, ὅτε καὶ αὐτὴ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔλεγεν· «Κύριε, εἰ σὺ ἐβάστασας αὐτόν, εἰπέ μοι ποῦ ἔθηκας αὐτόν, κἀγὼ αὐτὸν ἀρῶ.»

13 Τρεχέτω ἡ γλῶττα τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς ἱστορίας τὰ λείποντα· «Καὶ ἦν Ἅννα προφῆτις, θυγάτηρ Φανουήλ, ἐκ φυλῆς Ἀσήρ· αὕτη προβεβηκυῖα ἐν ἡμέραις πολλαῖς, ζήσασα μετὰ ἀνδρὸς ἔτη ἑπτὰ ἀπὸ τῆς παρθενίας αὐτῆς, καὶ αὐτὴ χήρα ὡς ἐτῶν ὀγδοήκοντα τεσσάρων.» Λαμπρὸς ὁ τῆς Ἅννης πλοῦτος, πανταχόθεν αὐτῇ ὁ τῶν ἀγαθῶν θησαυρὸς συνάγεται, πρῶτον ὅτι προφῆτις ἦν· σκεῦος γὰρ ἀσθενὲς ὡς γυναικεῖον ἔχουσα ἐκάθαιρεν αὐτό, καὶ τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ Πνεῦμα πρὸς αὐτὴν εἰς κατοικίαν εἵλκυσεν· ἔπειτα ὅτι πρεσβῦτις ὑπῆρχεν καὶ τὸ σῶμα γηράσασα οὐκ ἐγήρα τὸ φρόνημα· τρίτον ὅτι χήρα καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς χήρα, ἀλλ' ἔτη μὲν ἑπτὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῷ ἀνδρὶ συμβιώσασα, προβεβηκυῖα δὲ ἡμέραις πολλαῖς καὶ χρόνοις τοσούτοις τὸν ζυγὸν τῆς χηρείας ἕλκουσα, νυμφίῳ δευτέρῳ τὴν κοίτην οὐ προδέδωκεν, ἀνθ' ὅτου ἄρα εἰς ἔτος ὀγδοηκοστὸν τοῦ βίου τὴν ἡλικίαν ἤλαυνεν.

14 Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πάντως εἶδε τὸν ἐν τῷ ὀγδοηκοστῷ τετάρτῳ ψαλμῷ σαφῶς τῷ Πνεύματι καταγγελθέντα, ἐζήτησεν εἰπεῖν περὶ αὐτοῦ τοιαῦτα οἷα ∆αυὶδ προβάλλων ὁ ψαλμῳδὸς ἐμελῴδησεν· «Εὐδόκησας, κύριε, τὴν γῆν σου, ἀπέστρεψας τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Ἰακώβ· ἀφῆκας τὰς ἀνομίας τῷ λαῷ σου, ἐκάλυψας πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. Κατέπαυσας πᾶσαν τὴν ὀργήν σου, ἀπέστρεψας ἀπὸ ὀργῆς θυμοῦ σου. Ἀλήθεια ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἀνέτειλεν, καὶ δικαιοσύνη ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ διέκυψεν»· ἐν τούτοις γὰρ «τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἡ λύτρωσις», ἣν ἑξῆς οὕτως ἱστορεῖται καὶ κηρύξαι τὸ γύναιον καὶ προφητεῦσαι· φησὶ γάρ· «ἣ οὐκ ἀφίστατο τοῦ ἱεροῦ.» Πολλοὶ μὲν τὸ ἱερὸν οἰκοῦσιν, ἀλλ' οἰκοῦντες ὑβρίζουσιν, ὅσοι οὐχ οὕτως οἰκοῦσιν καθάπερ ἡ Ἅννα κατοικοῦσα ἐτύγχανεν, «νηστείαις καὶ δεήσεσιν λατρεύουσα νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν»· ταῖς μὲν γὰρ νηστείαις τὸ σῶμα ἐξεκάθαιρε, ταῖς δεήσεσιν δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀνεπτέρου τὸ φρόνημα καὶ ἱερὸν ἐν ἱερῷ κατοικοῦσα ἐτύγχανεν.