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provides, that after having purely ministered to the birth of the Lord, which was accomplished through the Holy Spirit, Mary did not refuse the customary works of marriage. But we, even if nothing is damaged in the account of piety (for virginity was necessary until the service of the economy, but what followed is not to be curiously examined in the account of the mystery), nevertheless, because the hearing of the Christ-loving does not accept that the Theotokos ever ceased to be a virgin, we consider those testimonies to be sufficient.

As for the statement, "He knew her not until she had borne her son," the word, "until," in many places seems to suggest a certain limitation of time, but in truth it indicates what is indefinite. Such is what was said by the Lord, "And behold, I am with you all the days, until the end of the age." For surely the Lord was not not going to be with the saints after this age; but the promise of the present signifies what is perpetual, it is not a cutting off of the future. In the same way, then, we say that "until" is used here also. And since it is said, "firstborn," the firstborn is not in every case compared to those who are born after, but he who first opens the womb is called firstborn. The story concerning Zechariah also shows that Mary remained a virgin always. For there is a certain account, and this has come to us from tradition, that Zechariah, having placed Mary in the section of the virgins after the Lord's conception, was murdered by the Jews between the temple and the altar, having been accused by the people of thereby establishing that paradoxical and much-hymned 31.1469 sign, a virgin giving birth and not destroying her virginity. "Now when Jesus was born," it says, "in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?'" The magi were a Persian nation, attending to divinations and incantations and certain natural antipathies, and had been occupied with the observation of celestial phenomena.

Balaam also seems to be of this art of divination, he who was summoned by Balak, so that through certain rites he might curse Israel; who also in his fourth parable says such things concerning the Lord: "A man who sees," he says, "hearing the oracles of God, knowing the knowledge of the Most High, and seeing a vision of God in sleep; his eyes are uncovered. I will show him, and not now; I bless, and it is not near. A star shall rise out of Jacob, and a man shall rise up out of Israel." For this reason, seeking the place of Judea, in memory of the ancient prophecy, they came to learn where the king of the Jews who had been born was. And perhaps also the opposing power having become weaker at the epiphany of the Lord, perceiving their own power being nullified, they testified to the great power of the one who was born. For this reason, having found the child, they worshiped him with gifts. The Magi, a nation alienated from God and strangers to the covenants, were the first to be deemed worthy of worship, because testimonies from enemies are more credible. For if the Jews had worshiped first, they would have been thought to be honoring their own kinship; but now those who are in no way related worship him as God, so that his own people might be condemned, having crucified him whom foreigners worshiped. Since, however, they were devoted to the movements of the heavenly bodies, they did not idly observe the paradox of the celestial sights, a new and unusual star having risen at the birth of the Lord. And let no one draw the construction of astrology into the rising of the star. For those who introduce nativity from already existing stars, that such a configuration of these is the cause of events in one's life

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παρέχει, ὅτι μετὰ τὸ καθαρῶς ὑπηρετήσασθαι τῇ γεννήσει τοῦ Κυρίου τῇ ἐπιτελεσθείσῃ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου, τὰ νενομισμένα τοῦ γάμου ἔργα μὴ ἀπαρνησαμένης τῆς Μαρίας. Ἡμεῖς δὲ, εἰ καὶ μηδὲν τῷ τῆς εὐσεβείας παραλυμαίνεται λόγῳ (μέχρι γὰρ τῆς κατὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν ὑπηρεσίας ἀναγκαία ἡ παρθενία, τὸ δ' ἐφεξῆς ἀπολυπραγμόνητον τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ μυστηρίου), ὅμως διὰ τὸ μὴ καταδέχεσθαι τῶν φιλοχρίστων τὴν ἀκοὴν, ὅτι ποτὲ ἐπαύσατο εἶναι παρθένος ἡ Θεοτόκος, ἐκείνας ἡγούμεθα τὰς μαρτυρίας αὐτάρ κεις.

Πρὸς μὲν τὸ, ὅτι «Οὐκ ἐγίνωσκεν αὐτὴν ἕως οὗ ἔτεκε τὸν υἱὸν αὑτῆς,» ὅτι τὸ, «ἕως,» πολλαχοῦ χρόνου μέν τινα δοκεῖ περιορισμὸν ὑποφαίνειν, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἀλήθειαν τὸ ἀόριστον δείκνυσιν. Ὁποῖόν ἐστι τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου λεχθὲν τὸ, «Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος.» Οὐ γὰρ δήπου μετὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦτον οὐκ ἔμελλε συνέσεσθαι τοῖς ἁγίοις ὁ Κύριος· ἀλλ' ἡ ἐπαγγελία τοῦ παρόντος τὸ διηνε κὲς σημαίνει, οὐκ ἔστιν ἀποκοπὴ τοῦ μέλλον τος. Τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τρόπον φαμὲν κἀνταῦθα παρ ειλῆφθαι τὸ, «ἕως.» Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἴρηται, «Πρωτό τοκον,» οὐ πάντως ὁ πρωτότοκος πρὸς τοὺς ἐπιγινο μένους ἔχει τὴν σύγκρισιν, ἀλλ' ὁ πρῶτον διανοίγων μήτραν πρωτότοκος ὀνομάζεται. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ καὶ ἡ κατὰ τὸν Ζαχαρίαν ἱστορία, ὅτι μέχρι παντὸς παρ θένος ἡ Μαρία. Λόγος γάρ τίς ἐστι, καὶ οὗτος ἐκ παραδόσεως εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀφιγμένος, ὅτι ὁ Ζαχαρίας, ἐν τῇ τῶν παρθένων χώρᾳ τὴν Μαριὰμ κατατάξας μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου κύησιν, ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατεφονεύθη μεταξὺ τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τοῦ θυσιαστη ρίου, ἐγκληθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ ὡς διὰ τούτου κατα σκευάζων τὸ παράδοξον ἐκεῖνο καὶ πολυύμνητον 31.1469 σημεῖον, παρθένον γεννήσασαν καὶ τὴν παρθενίαν μὴ διαφθείρασαν. «Τοῦ δὲ Ἰησοῦ γεννηθέντος, φησὶν, ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ἐν ἡμέραις Ἡρώδου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἰδοὺ μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν παρε γένοντο εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, λέγοντες· Ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ τε χθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων;» Ἔθνος Περσικὸν οἱ μάγοι, μαντείαις καὶ ἐπαοιδίαις καὶ φυσικαῖς τισιν ἀντιπαθείαις προσέχοντες, καὶ περὶ τὴν τήρησιν τῶν μεταρσίων ἐσχολακότες.

Ταύτης δὲ τῆς μαντείας ἔοικε εἶναι καὶ Βαλαὰμ, ὁ μεταπεμφθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ Βαλὰκ, ὥστε διά τινων τελετῶν καταράσα σθαι τὸν Ἰσραήλ· ὃς καὶ ἐν τῇ τετάρτῃ αὐτοῦ πα ραβολῇ τοιαῦτα λέγει περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου· «Ἄνθρω πος ὁρῶν, φησὶν, ἀκούων λόγια Θεοῦ, ἐπιστά μενος γνῶσιν Ὑψίστου, καὶ ὅρασιν Θεοῦ ἰδὼν ἐν ὕπνῳ· ἀποκεκαλυμμένοι οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ. ∆είξω αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐχὶ νῦν, μακαρίζω, καὶ οὐκ ἐγγίζει. Ἀνατελεῖ ἄστρον ἐξ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ ἀναστήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ Ἰσραήλ.» ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπιζητήσαντες τὸν τό πον τῆς Ἰουδαίας, κατὰ μνήμην τῆς παλαιᾶς προ φητείας, ἦλθον μαθεῖν ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Τάχα δὲ καὶ ἀντικειμένης δυνάμεως τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἀτονωτέρας λοιπὸν γενομέ νης, αἰσθανόμενοι καταργουμένης τῆς ἐνεργείας αὐ τῶν, μεγάλην δύναμιν τῷ τεχθέντι προσεμαρτύρουν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εὑρόντες τὸ παιδίον προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ ἐν δώροις. Μάγοι, τὸ ἀπηλλοτριωμένον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ξένον τῶν διαθηκῶν ἔθνος, πρῶτοι τῆς προσκυ νήσεως ἠξιώθησαν, διότι αἱ παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μαρ τυρίαι ἀξιοπιστότεραί εἰσιν. Εἰ γὰρ Ἰουδαῖοι προσ εκύνησαν πρῶτοι, ἐνομίσθησαν ἂν τὴν ἑαυτῶν σε μνύνειν συγγένειαν· νῦν δὲ οἱ μηδὲν προσήκοντες ὡς τῷ Θεῷ προσκυνοῦσιν, ἵν' οἱ οἰκεῖοι κατακριθῶσι, τοῦτον σταυρώσαντες, ὃν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι προσεκύνη σαν. Ἐπεὶ μέντοι προσέκειντο ταῖς τῶν οὐρανίων κινήσεσιν, οὐκ ἀργῶς ἐθεώρουν τὸ παράδοξον τῶν κατ' οὐρανὸν θεαμάτων, ἀστέρα καινὸν καὶ ἀσυνήθη τῇ γεννήσει τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπανατείλαντα. Καὶ μηδεὶς ἑλκέτω τὴν τῆς ἀστρολογίας κατα σκευὴν εἰς τὴν τοῦ ἀστέρος ἀνατολήν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τὴν γένεσιν παρεισάγοντες ἐκ τῶν ἤδη ὄντων ἀστέ ρων, τῶν τούτων τοιόνδε σχηματισμὸν αἴτιον εἶναι τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον