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He who is seated on high is placed in a manger, He who is intangible, and simple, and uncompounded, and incorporeal is wrapped by human hands, He who breaks the bonds of sin is entangled in swaddling clothes, because this He wills. For He wills to make dishonor honor, to clothe dishonor with glory, to show the definition of hubris as a way of virtue. Therefore He puts on my body, that I might receive His Word; and having taken my flesh, He gives me His Spirit, so that by giving and receiving He might trade for me a treasury of life. He takes my flesh, that He might sanctify me; He gives me His Spirit, that He might save me. But what shall I say, and what shall I speak? Behold, the virgin shall be with child. It is no longer spoken of as something that will be, but is marveled at as something accomplished. It was accomplished among the Jews, among whom it was also spoken, but it is believed by us, among whom it was not even named. Behold, the virgin shall be with child. The letter belongs to the synagogue, but the possession to the Church. The one found the tablet, the other discovered the pearl; the one dyed the wool, the other put on the purple robe. For Judea bore Him, and the world received Him. The synagogue nourished and nursed Him, and the Church has possessed and reaped the fruit of Him. With her is the vine-branch, and with me the cluster of truth. She harvested the cluster, and the nations drink the mystical potion. She sowed the grain of wheat in Judea, and the nations with the sickle of faith harvested the ear of corn.

The nations piously plucked the rose, and for the Jews the thorn of unbelief remained; the fledgling has flown away, and the foolish sit by the nest; the Jews interpret the foliage of the letter, and the nations gather the fruit of the Spirit; Behold, a virgin shall conceive in her womb. Tell me, O Jew, tell me then, whom did she bear? Be bold with me, even as with Herod. But you are not bold. I know why: because of the plot. For you told him, that he might destroy Him; but you do not tell me, lest I worship Him. But whom did she bear? Whom? The Master of nature. For even if you are silent, nature cries out; for she bore, as He who was born willed to be born. For He was not permitted by nature, but as Master of nature He introduced a strange manner of birth, to show that, though He became man, He is not born as a man, but is begotten as God. From a virgin, therefore, today He came forth, conquering nature, transcending marriage. For it was fitting for the Author of holiness to come forth from a pure and holy birth. For He it is who long ago formed Adam from virgin earth, and from Adam formed woman without a woman. For just as Adam without a woman brought forth a woman, so also today the virgin without a man bore a man. For He is a man, it says, and who shall know Him?

For since the female race owed a debt to men, as Adam had brought forth a woman without a woman, for this reason 56.390 today the virgin bore without a man, paying the debt for Eve to men. For lest Adam should think highly of himself, having brought forth a woman without a woman, for this reason also the virgin without a man bore a man, that by the commonality of the miracle she might show the equality of nature. For just as He took the rib from Adam, and did not diminish Adam at all; so also in the virgin He both formed a living temple, and did not destroy her virginity. Adam remained whole even after the removal of the rib; the virgin also remained incorrupt after the coming forth of the infant. For this reason He did not fashion a temple for Himself from elsewhere, nor did He form and put on another body, lest He should seem to dishonor the clay of Adam. For since man, having been deceived, became an instrument of the devil, for this reason He took up that very one who was tripped up as a living temple, so that through the connection to his Maker He might draw him away from his familiarity with the devil. Nevertheless, though becoming man, He is not born as a man, but is begotten as God. For if He had come forth from a common marriage, like me, a lie to the

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ἐπηρμένου καθήμενος ἐν φάτνῃ τίθεται, ὁ ἀναφὴς, καὶ ἁπλοῦς, καὶ ἀσύνθετος, καὶ ἀσώματος χερσὶν ἀνθρωπίναις ἑλίσσεται, ὁ τὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας διασπῶν δεσμὰ σπαργάνοις ἐμπλέκεται, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο θέλει. Θέλει γὰρ τὴν ἀτιμίαν ποιῆσαι τιμὴν, τὴν ἀδοξίαν ἐνδῦσαι δόξαν, τὸν τῆς ὕβρεως ὅρον, ἀρετῆς δεῖξαι τρόπον. Ὅθεν ὑπέρχεται τὸ ἐμὸν σῶμα, ἵνα ἐγὼ χωρήσω τὸν αὐτοῦ Λόγον· καὶ λαβὼν τὴν ἐμὴν σάρκα, δίδωσί μοι τὸ ἑαυτοῦ Πνεῦμα, ἵνα διδοὺς καὶ λαμβάνων θησαυρόν μοι ζωῆς ἐμπορεύσηται. Λαμβάνει μου τὴν σάρκα, ἵνα με ἁγιάσῃ· δίδωσί μοι τὸ Πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ, ἵνα με διασώσῃ. Ἀλλὰ τί εἴπω, καὶ τί λαλήσω; Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει. Οὐκέτι λέγεται ὡς γενησόμενον, ἀλλὰ θαυμάζεται ὡς πεπραγμένον. Παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις ἐπέπρακτο, παρ' οἷς καὶ ἐλέγετο, ὑφ' ἡμῶν δὲ πιστεύεται, παρ' οἷς οὐδὲ ὠνομάζετο. Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει. Τὸ μὲν γράμμα τῆς συναγωγῆς, τὸ δὲ κτῆμα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Ἐκείνη τὸ δίπτυχον εὗρεν, αὕτη τὸν μαργαρίτην ἐφεῦρεν· ἐκείνη τὸ ἔριον ἔβαψεν, αὕτη τὴν ἁλουργίδα ἐνεδύσατο. Ἡ Ἰουδαία γὰρ αὐτὸν ἔτεκε, καὶ ἡ οἰκουμένη αὐτὸν ὑπεδέξατο. Ἡ συναγωγὴ αὐτὸν ἔθρεψε, καὶ ἐτιθηνήσατο, καὶ ἡ Ἐκκλησία κατέσχε καὶ ἐκαρπώσατο. Παρ' ἐκείνῃ τὸ κλῆμα τῆς ἀμπέλου, καὶ παρ' ἐμοὶ ὁ βότρυς τῆς ἀληθείας. Ἐκείνη τὸν βότρυν ἐτρύγησε, καὶ τὰ ἔθνη τὸ μυστικὸν πίνει πόμα. Ἐκείνη τὸν κόκκον τοῦ σίτου ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ ἔσπειρε, καὶ τὰ ἔθνη τῇ δρεπάνῃ τῆς πίστεως τὸν ἄσταχυν ἐθέρισε.

Τὰ ἔθνη τὸ ῥόδον εὐσεβῶς ἀπέκειρε, καὶ Ἰουδαίοις ἡ ἄκανθα τῆς ἀπιστίας ἀπέμεινεν· ὁ νεοττὸς ἀπέπτη, καὶ παρακάθηνται οἱ ἄφρονες τῇ καλιᾷ· τὴν φυλλάδα τοῦ γράμματος οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἑρμηνεύουσι, καὶ τὸν καρπὸν τοῦ Πνεύματος τὰ ἔθνη δρέπονται· Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ λήψεται. Εἰπέ μοι, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, εἰπέ μοι λοιπὸν, τίνα ἔτεκε; Θάῤῥησόν μοι, κἂν ὡς τῷ Ἡρώδῃ. Ἀλλ' οὐ θαῤῥεῖς. Οἶδα διὰ τί· διὰ τὴν ἐπιβουλήν. Ἐκείνῳ γὰρ εἶπας, ἵνα αὐτὸν ἀνέλῃ· ἐμοὶ δὲ οὐ λέγεις, ἵνα μὴ αὐτὸν προσκυνήσω. Τίνα δὲ ἔτεκε; Τίνα; Τὸν ∆εσπότην τῆς φύσεως. Κἂν γὰρ σὺ σιωπᾷς, ἡ φύσις βοᾷ· ἔτεκε γὰρ, ὡς ὁ τεχθεὶς τεχθῆναι ἠθέλησεν. Οὐ γὰρ ὑπὸ τῆς φύσεως ἐπετρέπετο, ἀλλ' ὡς ∆εσπότης τῆς φύσεως ξένον τῆς γεννήσεως εἰσήγαγε τρόπον, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι καὶ ἄνθρωπος γενόμενος οὐχ ὡς ἄνθρωπος τίκτεται, ἀλλ' ὡς Θεὸς γεννᾶται. Ἐκ παρθένου οὖν σήμερον προῆλθε νικησάσης φύσιν, ὑπερβάσης γάμον. Ἔπρεπε γὰρ τῷ τῆς ἁγιοσύνης πρυτάνει ἐκ καθαρῶν καὶ ἁγίων προελθεῖν τόκων. Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ πάλαι ἐκ παρθένου γῆς τὸν Ἀδὰμ πλάσας, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἄνευ γυναικὸς γυναῖκα μορφώσας. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Ἀδὰμ ἄνευ γυναικὸς γυναῖκα ἤνεγκεν, οὕτω καὶ σήμερον ἡ παρθένος ἄνευ ἀνδρὸς ἄνδρα ἔτεκεν. Ἄνθρωπος γάρ ἐστι, φησὶ, καὶ τίς γνώσεται αὐτόν;

Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐχρεώστει τὸ γυναικεῖον γένος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὴν χάριν, ὡς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἄνευ γυναικὸς γυναῖκα βλαστήσαντος, διὰ 56.390 τοῦτο σήμερον ἔτεκεν ἡ παρθένος ἄνευ ἀνδρὸς, ὑπὲρ τῆς Εὔας ἐκτιννύουσα τοῖς ἀνδράσι τὸ χρέος. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ μέγα φρονήσῃ ὁ Ἀδὰμ, ἄνευ γυναικὸς γυναῖκα βλαστήσας, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ παρθένος ἄνευ ἀνδρὸς ἄνδρα ἔτεκεν, ἵνα τῷ κοινῷ τοῦ θαύματος τὸ ὁμότιμον δείξῃ τῆς φύσεως. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ τὴν πλευρὰν ἀφεῖλε, καὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ οὐκ ἐμείωσεν οὐδέν· οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῇ παρθένῳ καὶ τὸν ἔμψυχον ἔπλασε ναὸν, καὶ τὴν παρθενίαν οὐκ ἔλυσεν. Σῶος ἔμεινεν ὁ Ἀδὰμ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀφαίρεσιν τῆς πλευρᾶς· ἄφθορος ἔμεινε καὶ ἡ παρθένος μετὰ τὴν πρόοδον τοῦ βρέφους. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἀλλαχόθεν ἑαυτῷ ναὸν κατεσκευάσατο, οὐδὲ ἄλλο σῶμα πλάσας ἐνεδύσατο, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ τὸ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἐνυβρίζειν φύραμα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀπατηθεὶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὄργανον γέγονε τοῦ διαβόλου, διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν τὸν ὑποσκελισθέντα ἔμψυχον ἀνελάμβανε ναὸν, ἵνα διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν πεποιηκότα συνάφειαν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου αὐτὸν ἀποστήσῃ συνηθείας. Ὅμως καὶ ἄνθρωπος γινόμενος οὐχ ὡς ἄνθρωπος τίκτεται, ἀλλ' ὡς Θεὸς γεννᾶται. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκ κοινῶν γάμων προῆλθεν, ὥσπερ ἐγὼ, ψεῦδος τοῖς