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of the shameless, and not of Judah the pious! The children recognized the creator, and the disobedient fathers said, "Who is this?" The young age praised God, and those grown old in evil days asked. "Who is this?" The nursing infants theologize, and the elders blaspheme, children piously offer praise as a sacred rite, and unholy priests are impiously indignant? O you who are disobedient in the wisdom of the righteous, turn your hearts to your children, learn the mysteries of God. The very thing being done testifies that it is God who is thus praised by untaught tongues. Search the Scriptures, as you heard from the Lord, that these are they which testify of him, and you are not ignorant of the miracle. Hear, you ungrateful ones, what the prophet Zechariah proclaims as good news 59.706 to you. For he says: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; behold, your king comes to you, just and riding on the colt of a donkey.

Why do you shake off joy? why, when the sun is shining, do you love the darkness? why do you meditate war against unwarlike peace? If, then, you are sons of Zion, dance with your children; let the piety of the children be an occasion of joy for you. Learn from them who it was who taught, who it was who gathered, from where the teachings, what is the new theology, and the ancient prophecy. But if no one among men taught any of these things, but they sing praise spontaneously, know that it is the work of God, as it is written in the law: Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise. Therefore, double the joy, because you have become fathers of such ones, who have acclaimed, as taught by God, even those things which were unknown to the elders. Turn your hearts, therefore, to your children, and do not close your eyes to the truth. But if you are yourselves, and hearing you do not hear, and seeing you do not see, and you quarrel in vain against the infants, they themselves will be your judges according to the word of the Savior. Well indeed, along with the other things, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed this beforehand concerning you, saying: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now grow pale; but when they see their children, my works, for my sake they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. And they that err in spirit shall know understanding, and the murmurers shall learn to obey, and the stammering tongues shall learn to speak peace.

Do you see, O foolish Jew, how from the beginning of the discourse the prophet foretells shame to you on account of your disobedience? Learn at least from him, how he proclaims the hymnody of your children to be taught by God, as also the blessed David proclaimed beforehand, saying: Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise. Either, then, make the holiness of the children your own, as is fitting, or with their piety grant us the children also. Let us dance with them and celebrate with them, and with a new tongue let us sing together the God-taught song. For once Simeon the elder met the Savior, and in his arms received the Lord of the ages as an infant, and proclaimed him Lord and God; but now, instead of ungrateful elders, the children met the Savior as Simeon did, and they spread branches instead of arms, and they blessed as Lord and God him who was seated on a colt as upon the Cherubim, Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. With whom let us also cry out, Blessed is God from God, the King of glory, who became poor among his own un-poorly for our sake, that he might enrich us by his goodness; blessed is he who came in humility, and is coming again in glory; first, upon a colt, meek and acclaimed by infants, so that what was written might be fulfilled, Your processions were seen, O God, the processions of my God, the king who is in the holy place; second, awesome upon the clouds, and attended by angels and powers. Oh, the honey-flowing tongue of the children! oh, the

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ἀναιδοῦς, καὶ οὐκ Ἰούδα τοῦ εὐλαβοῦς! Τὰ τέκνα ἐπέγνωσαν τὸν κτίστην, καὶ οἱ ἀπειθεῖς πατέρες ἔλεγον, Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος; Ἡ νέα ἡλικία τὸν Θεὸν ἀνύμνησε, καὶ οἱ πεπαλαιωμένοι ἡμερῶν κακῶν ἐπυνθάνοντο. Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος; Οἱ θηλάζοντες θεο λογοῦσι, καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι βλασφημοῦσι, παῖδες εὐσεβῶς ἱερουργοῦσιν αἶνον, καὶ ἀνίεροι ἱερεῖς δυσσεβῶς ἀγαν ακτοῦσιν; Οἱ ἀπειθεῖς ἐν φρονήσει δικαίων, ἐπιστρέψατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν, μάθετε Θεοῦ μυστήρια. Αὐτὸ τὸ τελούμενον μαρτυρεῖ, ὅτι Θεός ἐστιν ὁ οὕτως ἀνυμνούμενος ὑπὸ ἀδιδάκτων γλωσσῶν. Ἐρευ νᾶτε τὰς Γραφὰς, καθὼς ἠκούσατε παρὰ τοῦ ∆εσπό του, ὅτι αὗταί εἰσιν αἱ μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἀγνοεῖτε τὸ θαῦμα. Ἀκούσατε, οἱ ἀχάριστοι, τί εὐαγγε 59.706 λίζεται ὑμῖν ὁ προφήτης Ζαχαρίας. Φησὶ γάρ· Χαῖρε σφόδρα, θύγατερ Σιών· ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί σοι δίκαιος καὶ ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ πῶλον ὄνου.

∆ιὰ τί τὴν χαρὰν ἀποσείεσθε; διὰ τί ἡλίου λάμποντος, τὸ σκό τος ἀγαπᾶτε; διὰ τί πρὸς τὴν ἀπολέμητον εἰρήνην μελε τᾶτε πόλεμον; Εἰ τοίνυν υἱοὶ Σιών ἐστε, συγχορεύσατε τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν· χαρᾶς ἀφορμὴ ἔστω ὑμῖν ἡ τῶν τέκνων θεοσέβεια. Μάθετε παρ' αὐτῶν, τίς ὁ διδάξας, τίς ὁ συναθροίσας, πόθεν τὰ διδάγματα, τίς ἡ καινὴ θεολογία, καὶ παλαιὰ προφητεία. Εἰ δὲ ἀνθρώ πων μὲν οὐδεὶς οὐδὲν τούτων ἐδίδαξεν, αὐτόματον δὲ τὸν αἶνον ἀναμέλπουσι, γνῶτε Θεοῦ εἶναι τὸ ἔργον, ὡς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ γέγραπται· Ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων κατηρτίσω αἶνον. ∆ιπλασιάσατε οὖν τὴν χαρὰν, ὅτι τοιούτων γεγόνατε πατέρες, οἵτινες καὶ τὰ τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις ἀγνοηθέντα θεοδιδάκτως ἀνευφήμη σαν. Ἐπιστρέψατε οὖν τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν, καὶ μὴ μύσητε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Εἰ δὲ αὐτοί ἐστε, καὶ ἀκούοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε, καὶ βλέποντες οὐ βλέπετε, καὶ μάτην διαφέρεσθε πρὸς τὰ νήπια, αὐτοὶ ὑμῶν κριταὶ ἔσονται κατὰ τὸν τοῦ Σωτῆρος λόγον. Καλῶς γοῦν καὶ τοῦτο μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων προανεφώνησε περὶ ὑμῶν ὁ προφήτης Ἡσαΐας λέγων· Οὐ νῦν αἰσχυνθήσεται Ἰακὼβ, οὐδὲ νῦν τὸ πρόσ ωπον μεταβαλεῖ· ἀλλ' ὅταν ἴδωσι τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν τὰ ἔργα μου, δι' ἐμὲ ἁγιάσουσι τὸν ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ φοβηθήσονται· καὶ γνώ σονται οἱ τῷ πνεύματι πλανώμενοι σύνεσιν, οἱ δὲ γογγύζοντες μαθήσονται ὑπακούειν, καὶ αἱ γλῶσσαι αἱ ψελλίζουσαι μαθήσονται λαλεῖν εἰρήνην.

Ὁρᾷς, ὦ ἀνόητε Ἰουδαῖε, πῶς ἐκ προοιμίων τοῦ λόγου αἰ σχύνην ὑμῖν προκαταγγέλλει ὁ προφήτης διὰ τὴν ἀπεί θειαν ὑμῶν; Μάθετε κἂν παρ' αὐτοῦ, πῶς θεοδίδακτον κηρύσσει τὴν τῶν τέκνων ὑμῶν ὑμνῳδίαν, ὡς καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ προανεφώνησε λέγων· Ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων κατηρτίσω αἶνον. Ἢ τοίνυν τὴν ὁσιότητα τῶν παίδων οἰκειώσασθε, ὡς χρεὼν, ἢ μετὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἡμῖν χαρίσασθε. Ἡμεῖς τούτοις συγχορεύσωμεν καὶ συνεορτάσωμεν, καὶ τῇ καινῇ γλώσσῃ τὸ θεοδίδακτον ᾆσμα συμψάλλω μεν. Ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ Συμεὼν ὁ πρεσβύτης ὑπήντησε τῷ Σωτῆρι, καὶ ταῖς ἀγκάλαις ὑπεδέξατο τὸν τῶν αἰώνων ∆εσπότην ὡς βρέφος, καὶ Κύριον καὶ Θεὸν ἐκήρυξε· νῦν δὲ ἀντὶ πρεσβυτέρων ἀγνωμόνων οἱ παῖδες τῷ Σω τῆρι ὑπήντησαν ὡς Συμεὼν, καὶ τὰ κλάδη ἀντὶ ἀγκα λῶν ὑπέστρωσαν, καὶ Κύριον καὶ Θεὸν ηὐλόγησαν τὸν ἐπὶ πώλου ὡς ἐπὶ Χερουβὶμ καθεζόμενον, Ὡσάννα τῷ υἱῷ ∆αυῒδ, εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Μεθ' ὧν βοήσωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς, Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐκ Θεοῦ Θεὸς, ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης, ὁ πτωχεύσας ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις αὐτοῦ ἀπτωχεύτως δι' ἡμᾶς, ἵνα ἡμᾶς πλου τίσῃ τῇ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητι· εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐλθὼν ἐν τα πεινώσει, καὶ πάλιν ἐρχόμενος ἐν δόξῃ· πρῶτον, ἐπὶ πώλου πραῢς καὶ ὑπὸ νηπίων ἀνευφημούμενος, ὅπως πληρωθῇ τὸ γεγραμμένον, Ἐθεωρήθησαν αἱ πορεῖαι σου, ὁ Θεὸς, αἱ πορεῖαι τοῦ Θεοῦ μου τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ· δεύτερον, φοβερὸς ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν, καὶ ὑπὸ ἀγγέλων καὶ δυνάμεων δορυφορούμε νος. Ὢ τῆς μελιῤῥύτου τῶν παίδων γλώττης! ὢ τῆς