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of Jesus Christ, one of the uncreated and consubstantial Trinity. Oh, the unbreakable cord of threefold love; nothing tore them from the love of the teacher and master, not the unbelief of the Jews, not the disobedience of the Pharisees, not the barking of the Sadducees, not the scandals of the priests, but once grafted by faith into the good olive tree, they remained fruitful, unshaken and unmoved by every assault, knowing Christ as God, confessing the son of God as God and man undividedly and unconfusedly, proclaiming Emmanuel; 17 and then Martha said to him: “I have believed that you are the Christ, the son of God.” Lazarus confirmed this in himself, being buried with this faith and hope; for while he was still living and supplicating the one who is everywhere present, his sisters pleaded on his behalf, saying: “Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick.” And Mary, through her actions, showed her own piety to be in harmony with both her sister’s confession and her brother’s faith.

18 For taking the ointment, she did not anoint a lifeless stone for the house of God, as Jacob did for the one who appeared to him when he was fleeing Esau, but she anointed the living temple, united from the virgin Theotokos to the uncreated and creator God of all, not only preserving a likeness of kinship in these things to Jacob, as a true daughter, but also far surpassing the patriarch in faith and deed. Insofar as he prefigured the shadow, she touched and worshiped the truth itself.

19 For Jacob appears to have done this twice, both when fleeing the envy armed for murder, and when returning after the divine vision at Bethel. But not even so is he equal to his daughter’s piety in this respect; for he learned nothing more than to anoint a stone as a type of the cornerstone, but she not only touched and anointed the holy and living and God-built temple of the uncreated and eternal God, but also, by worshiping the God who is indivisibly in it, with it, and through it, she confessed one indivisible Lord, perceiving the invisible glory in the visible comeliness, and in the flesh that was touched, understanding the intangible and untouchable God the Word.

20 For his conformation to us did not diminish in their eyes the glory of the invisible God, the humility of his reclining with them did not insult in their eyes the magnificent authority of God, the weak covering of the flesh did not lessen their mind's judgment [towards] the excellence of the unapproachable, their love, made bold by his condescension, did not blunt their fear and trembling of his unbearable power, but being led from the visible signs to the invisible might, they exceedingly marveled at the paradox of his voluntary poverty, 21 and having their minds enlightened by the miracles performed by words beyond words, and being taught the authoritative power of his lordship, they shuddered all the more at the philanthropic incarnation, and seeing the abundance of healings given by the touch of his garments, they worshiped the God who works unhindered and pours forth aid from his own treasury, and understanding the resurrection of the dead, they were exceedingly amazed at death's sojourn among mortals.

22 Therefore, mixing affection with fear, they held to their insatiable longing, and the like-minded and like-faithed sisters, having divided among themselves the ministry to the one who is by union God [and] perfect man, the one ministered to his human needs on account of his condescension to us, while the other offered her God-pleasing and most fragrant devotion as a fruit-offering, pouring out ointment upon his life-bearing temple as upon an altar. And this not as an aside, but diligently kissing him, and with the natural covering

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Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἑνὸς τῆς ἀκτίστου καὶ ὁμοουσίου Τριάδος. Βαβαὶ τῆς ἐντρίτου ἀγαπῆς τὸ ἀρραγὲς σπαρτίον· οὐδὲν τούτους τῆς τοῦ διδασκάλου καὶ δεσπότου ἀγαπῆς ἀπέρρηξεν, οὐκ ἀπιστία Ἰουδαίων, οὐκ ἀπείθεια Φαρισαίων, οὐ Σαδδουκαίων ὑλακὴ, οὐ σκάνδαλα ἱερέων ἀλλ' ἐγκεντρισθέντες ἅπαξ τὴν καλλιέλαιον τῇ πίστει, ἔμειναν ἔγκαρποι, πάσῃ προσβόλῃ ἄσειστοι καὶ ἀτίνακτοι, θεὸν γνωρίζοντες τὸν Χριστὸν, θεὸν καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἀδιαιρέτως καὶ ἀσυγχύτως ὁμολογοῦντες τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ υἱὸν, κηρύσσοντες τὸν Ἐμμανουήλ· 17 καὶ τότε ἔφη πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ Μάρθα· «ἐγὼ πεπίστευκα ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ.» Τοῦτο Λάζαρος ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἐβεβαίωσεν, ταύτῃ συνταφεὶς τῇ πίστει καὶ ἐλπίδι· ἔτι γὰρ αὐτοῦ ζῶντος καὶ συνικετεύοντος τὸν πανταχοῦ παρόντα αἱ ἀδελφαὶ αὐτοῦ ἐδεήθησαν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ λέγουσαι· «Κύριε, ἴδε ὃν φιλεῖς ἀσθενεῖ.» Μαρία δὲ δι' ὦν ἔπραττεν τῇ τε τῆς ἀδελφῆς ὁμολογίᾳ καὶ τῇ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ πίστει σύμφωνον ἐνεφάνιζεν καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν εὐσέβειαν.

18 Λαβοῦσα γὰρ τὸ μῦρον, οὐ λίθον ἄψυχον εἰς οἶκον θεοῦ ἔχρισεν καθάπερ Ἰακὼβ τῷ ὀφθέντι αὐτῷ ἐν τῷ ἀποδιδράσκειν αὐτὸν τὸν Ἠσαῦ, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐκ τῆς θεοτόκου παρθένου ἑνωθέντα ἔμψυχον ναὸν τῷ ἀκτίστῳ καὶ δημιουργῷ τῶν ἁπάντων θεῷ ἤλειψεν, οὐ μίμημα μόνον ἀποσῴζουσα τῆς πρὸς τὸν Ἰακὼβ ἐν τοῖς οὕτω οἰκειότητος, ὡς ἀψευδὴς θυγάτηρ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπερβαίνουσα πολλῷ πλέω τῇ πίστει καὶ ἐργασίᾳ τὸν πατριάρχην. Καθόσον ὁ μὲν τὴν σκιὰν ἐτύπου, ἡ δὲ τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτὴν ἐψηλάφα καὶ προσεκύνει.

19 Φαίνεται γοῦν δὶς τοῦτο ποιήσας ὁ Ἰακὼβ ἔν τε τῷ ἀποδιδράσκειν τὸν πρὸς φόνον ἐξηρτυμένον φθόνον, ἔν τε τῷ ἐπαναλύειν μετὰ τὴν θείαν ἐν Βεθὴλ ὀπτασίαν. Ἀλλ' οὐδ' οὕτως ἐξισοῦται τῇ τῆς θυγατρὸς εὐσεβείᾳ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει· πλεὸν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἢ λίθον ἀλείφειν εἰς τύπον τοῦ ἀκρογωνιαίου μεμάθηκε λίθου, αὕτη δὲ οὐ μόνον τὸν ἅγιον καὶ ἔμψυχον καὶ θεόκτιστον τοῦ ἀκτίστου καὶ ἀϊδίου θεοῦ ναὸν ἐψηλάφα καὶ ἤλειφεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ ἀμερίστως ὄντα θεὸν σὺν αὐτῷ καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ προσκυνοῦσα, ἕνα Κύριον ἀδιαίρετον ὡμολόγει ἐν τῇ ὁρωμένῃ εὐπρεπείᾳ τὴν ἀόρατον κατανοοῦσα δόξαν, καὶ ἐν ψηλαφωμένῃ σαρκὶ τὸν ἀναφῆ καὶ ἀψηλάφητον καταμανθάνουσα θεὸν Λόγον.

20 Οὐ γὰρ ἐσμίκρυνεν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτῶν τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ τὴν δόξαν ὁ πρὸς ἡμᾶς συσχηματισμὸς αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἐνύβρισεν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτῶν τὴν μεγαλοπρεπῆ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐξουσίαν τὸ τῆς συνανακλίσεως αὐτοῦ ταπεινὸν, οὐκ ἐμείωσεν τὸ τῆς διανοίας αὐτῶν κριτήριον [πρὸς] τὴν τοῦ ἀπροσίτου ὑπεροχὴν τὸ τῆς σαρκὸς ἀσθενὲς περιβόλαιον, οὐκ ἤμβλυνεν τὸν φόβον καὶ τρόμον τῆς ἀστέκτου δυνάμεως ἡ πρὸς τὴν συγκατάβασιν αὐτοῦ πεπαρρησιασμένη αὐτῶν ἀγάπη, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῶν φαινομένων σημείων ἐπὶ τὸ ἀόρατον ποδηγούμενοι κράτος, περισσῶς ἐθαύμαζον τῆς ἑκουσίου πτωχείας τὸ παράδοξον 21 , καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐπιτελουμένων λόγων ὑπὲρ λόγον θαυμάτων φωτιζόμενοι τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ τὸ τῆς κυριότητος ἐξουσιαστικὸν παιδευόμενοι, σφοδρώτερον τὴν φιλάνθρωπον ἐνανθρώπησιν ὑπέφριττον, καὶ τὴν δι' ἁφῆς τῶν κρασπέδων ἐπιδιδομένην τῶν ἰαμάτων φορὰν ἐνο ρῶντες, τὸν ἀνεμποδίστως ἐνεργοῦντα καὶ ἐμβλύζοντα ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου θησαυροῦ τὰς ἐπικουρίας προσεκύνουν θεὸν, καὶ τὴν τῶν νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν κατανοοῦντες τὴν μετὰ τῶν θνητῶν συνδιατριβὴν τοῦ θανάτου ὑπερβαλλόντως ἐξεπλήττοντο.

22 Ὅθεν στοργῇ τὸν φόβον κεράσασαι, εἴχοντο τοῦ ἀκορέστου πόθου, καὶ τὴν διακονίαν τοῦ ἑνὸς καὶ αὐτοῦ ἑνώσει θεοῦ [καὶ] τελείου ἀνθρώπου διειλημμέναι εἰς ἑαυτὰς αἱ ὁμόψυχοι καὶ ὁμόπιστοι, ἡ μὲν τὰ ἀνθρώπινα διὰ τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς συγκατάβασιν ἐλειτούργει, ἡ δὲ τὴν θεοτερπῆ καὶ εὐωδεστάτην ὡς κάρπωμα προσῆγεν σπουδὴν, μύρον ἐπιχέουσα ὡς ἐπὶ θυσιαστηρίῳ τῷ ζωηφόρῳ αὐτοῦ ναῷ. Καὶ τοῦτο οὐ παρέργως ἀλλ' ἐπιμελῶς καταφιλοῦσα, καὶ τῷ ἐκ φύσεως περιβολαίῳ