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stirring up the souls of the young, and the comeliness that is easily ensnared, which after a little while causes lamentation for the man. Let us therefore imitate the Lord and master who for our sake became poor, and did all things for our example and salvation. Therefore, the blessed Mary, the Theotokos, preserved her chastity beyond all human nature, and for this reason she conceived the Lord in her womb. For if there were any other virgin more adorned with chastity than this virgin, the Lord would surely have brought her forth and dwelt in her. Since, therefore, he himself was the lamb sacrificed for the life of the world, the unblemished lamb, as John also proclaimed him a lamb, there was no need of another lamb. For the words of Paul are true: "for it is impossible," he says, "for the blood of goats and bulls to take away sins." And concerning the slaughter of the lamb, Peter, the fellow-leader with Paul, cries out thus, saying: "By whose stripe we were healed." Since, therefore, he himself was the lamb whom the law prefigured through the writings, what need was there of another lamb when the true one was found? What then should one take the two †covenants† to be? For the law commands the one to be offered as a whole burnt offering, and the other for sins. But if you wish, let us transfer this to the mystery of the economy. For truly the Word of God was crucified, in his own flesh receiving the piercings of the nails and being sacrificed, but according to his divinity granting the remission of transgressions to all. But if anyone should doubt that I said, "God was crucified in the flesh," I know him who upon the cross darkened the sun, and raised the dead from 66 their tombs, and when he was being put to death, the veil was torn and his side was pierced, and when he bowed his head, death was destroyed, he who received the piercings of the nails, and the centurion crying out: "Truly this is the Son of God." Where are the heretics who say that the Son of God was not crucified? The unbeliever believes, and those who seem to believe disbelieve the economy concerning them, or rather they reject that which was for the whole world. Let us come then to Simeon, who was held by so great a longing for the love of the Lord, whose fervent faith the grace of the Spirit, having seen it, assured him that he would "not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ." For it seems to me that I see him sitting in Jerusalem and awaiting the Lord Jesus who was expected by him. And as the all-holy virgin and her Son and our God was †going up† to Jerusalem, Simeon, being prompted by the grace of the Spirit that the one whom he sought was in the temple, arose and ran to the temple. And behold him for me, beloved, stretching forth his hands and giving his whole self to the race. For one could see an old man struggling and his feet being forced to run and unable to keep up with the eagerness of his soul; and the saying was fulfilled in him that says, "Your youth shall be renewed like the eagle's," "And he came," it says, "in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought the child into the temple to do for †them† according to the custom of the law, he also" ran and took him, and "receiving him into his arms" he cried out, saying, "Now you are letting your servant depart, O Master, according to your word, in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." For I go from now on to evangelize to those in Hades that he who loosens death has been born.

And how did you dare, O Simeon, to carry God, whom the Cherubim tremble before? Rightly 68 he says: "For this reason he became man, not only that he might be carried by me, but also that he might be crucified for my sake. And I go to show to those in Hades my arms, which bear witness to my words through deeds and confirm the gospels as sure. I no longer fear death, for now I go with joy, my

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ἀναπτεροῦντα τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν νέων, καὶ τὴν εὐοψίαν τὴν εὐόλισθον, ἥτις μετὰ μικρὸν θρήνους τῷ ἀνδρὶ προξενεῖ. Μιμησώμεθα οὖν τὸν Κύριον καὶ δεσπότην τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς πτωχεύσαντα, καὶ πάντα ποιήσαντα εἰς τύπον καὶ σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν. Ἡ οὖν μακαρία Μαρία ἡ θεοτόκος ὑπὲρ πάσαν φύσιν ἀνθρωπίνην τὴν σωφροσύνην ἐφύλαξε, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸν Κύριον ἐν γαστρὶ συνέλαβεν. Εἰ δὲ ἦν που τίς ἄλλη παρθένος ὑπὲρ ταύτην τὴν παρθένον τῇ σωφροσύνῃ κεκοσμημένη, πάντως ἂν αὐτὴν παραγαγὼν ὁ Κύριος εἰς αὐτὴν ἐνῴκει. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ ἀμνὸς ὁ θυόμενος ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ζωῆς, ὁ ἀμνὸς ὁ ἄμωμος καθὼς καὶ Ἰωάννης ἀμνὸν αὐτὸν ἐκελάδει, οὐ χρεία ἦν ἀμνοῦ ἑτέρου. Ἀληθῆ γὰρ τὰ Παύλου ῥήματα· "ἀδύνατον γάρ", φησιν, "αἷμα τράγων καὶ ταύρων ἀφελεῖν ἁμαρτίας". Περὶ δὲ τῆς τοῦ ἀμνοῦ σφαγῆς οὕτως βοᾷ ὁ συγκορυφαῖος τοῦ Παύλου Πέτρος λέγων· "Οὗ τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἰάθημεν". Ἐπεὶ οὖν αὐτὸς ἦν ἀμνὸς ὃν διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων προετύπου ὁ νόμος, τίς χρεία ἀμνοῦ ἑτέρου αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ εὑρισκομένου. Τίνα οὖν δέοι λαβεῖν τὰς δύο † διαθήκας †; τὴν μὲν γὰρ μίαν προστάττει ὁ νόμος εἰς ὁλοκαύτωσιν προσφέρεσθαι, τὴν δὲ ἑτέραν ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν. Εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε, μετενέγκωμεν αὐτὸ εἰς τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον. Ἀληθῶς γὰρ ἐσταυρώθη ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος, ἐν τῇ οἰκείᾳ σαρκὶ τὰς διατρήσεις λαμβάνων τῶν ἥλων καὶ θυόμενος, κατὰ δὲ τὴν θεότητα τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν πταισμάτων τοῖς πᾶσι χαριζόμενος. Εἰ δέ τις ἀμφιβάλλοι ὅτι εἶπον· Ὁ θεὸς ἐσταύρωται ἐν σαρκὶ, ἐγὼ οἶδα τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸν ἥλιον σκοτίσαντα, καὶ τοὺς νεκροὺς ἐγείραντα ἐκ 66 τῶν μνημάτων, καὶ αὐτοῦ νεκρουμένου τὸ καταπέτασμα σχιζόμενον καὶ τὴν πλευρὰν νυττομένου, καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίναντος, τὸν θάνατον ἀπολλύμενον, τὰς διατρήσεις τῶν ἥλων λαβόντα, καὶ τὸν ἑκατόνταρχον βοῶντα· "̓Αληθῶς υἱὸς θεοῦ ἐστὶν οὗτος". Ποῦ εἰσὶν οἱ αἱρετικοὶ οἱ λέγοντες ὅτι οὐκ ἐσταυρώθη ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ; ὁ ἄπιστος πιστεύει, καὶ οἱ δοκοῦντες πιστεύειν ἀπιστοῦσι τὴν περὶ αὐτῶν οἰκονομίαν, μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν ὑπὲρ ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου γενομένην ἀθετοῦσιν. Ἐλευσώμεθα δὴ πρὸς τὸν Συμεὼν τὸν τοσούτῳ πόθῳ κρατούμενον εἰς τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ἀγάπην, οὗ θεωρήσασα τὸ θερμὸν τῆς πίστεως ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος χάρις διεβεβαιώσατο αὐτὸν "μὴ ἰδεῖν θάνατον πρὶν ἰδεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν Κυρίου". Καὶ γὰρ δοκεῖ μοι θεωρεῖν αὐτὸν καθεζόμενον ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἀναμένοντα τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν τὸν αὐτῷ προσδοκώμενον. Καὶ †ἀναβαίνοντα† εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα τῆς τε παναγίας παρθένου καὶ τοῦ ταύτης υἱοῦ καὶ θεοῦ ἡμῶν, νυχθεὶς ὁ Συμεὼν ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος χάριτος ὅτι ὅντινα ζητεῖ ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἐστίν, ἀναστὰς ἔτρεχεν ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερόν. Καὶ ὅρα μοι αὐτόν, ἀγαπητέ, τὰς χεῖρας προπέμποντα καὶ ὅλον ἑαυτὸν ἐκδιδόντα πρὸς δρόμον. Ἦν γὰρ ἰδεῖν γέροντα ἀγωνιῶντα καὶ τοὺς πόδας καταναγκαζομένους τοῦ τρέχειν καὶ μὴ δυναμένους κατακολουθεῖν τῇ προθυμίᾳ τῆς ψυχῆς· καὶ ἐπληροῦτο ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ λόγιον τὸ φάσκον. "Ἀνακαινισθήσεται ὡς ἀετοῦ ἡ νεότης σου", "Καὶ ἦλθε", φησίν, "ἐν τῷ πνεύματι εἰς τὸ ἱερόν· καὶ ἐν τῷ τοὺς γονεῖς εἰσαγαγεῖν τὸ παιδίον εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦ ποιῆσαι †αὐτοῖς† κατὰ τὸ εἰθίσμενον τῷ νόμῳ, καὶ αὐτὸς" δραμὼν ἐπεσπάσατο αὐτὸν, πρὸς ἑαυτὸν δὲ "δεξάμενος εἰς τὰς ἀγκάλας αὐτοῦ" ἀνεφώνησε λέγων "Νῦν ἀπολύεις τὸν δοῦλόν σου, δέσποτα, κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου, ἐν εἰρήνῃ· ὅτι εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου τὸ σωτήριόν σου, ὃ ἡτοίμασας κατὰ πρόσωπον πάντων τῶν λαῶν, φῶς εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν, καὶ δόξαν λαοῦ σου Ἰσραήλ". Πορεύομαι γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν τοῖς εἰς τὸν ᾅδην εὐαγγελίσασθαι ὅτι ἐτέχθη ὁ τὸν θάνατον λύων.

Καὶ πῶς ἐτόλμησας, ὢ Συμεών, θεὸν βαστάσαι, ὃν τὰ Χερουβὶμ τρέμει; εἰκότως 68 φησί· "∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐνηνθρώπησεν, οὐχ ἵνα μόνον ὑπ' ἐμοῦ βασταχθῇ, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ σταυρωθῇ. Πορεύομαι δὲ δεῖξαι τοῖς ἐν ᾅδῃ τὰς ἐμὰς ἀγκάλας μαρτυρούσας τοῖς ἐμοῖς λόγοις διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ ἀσφαλῆ τὰ εὐαγγέλια βεβαιῶν. Οὐκ ἔτι δειλιῶ τὸν θάνατον, νῦν γὰρ μετὰ χαρᾶς πορεύομαι, ἐμοῖς