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He spoke, not feeling this way; but it turned out more as he said than as he thought. But he leaves the servants behind, so that he might not be forced by a violence that fights against God; lest they, thinking the old man had suffered some senile affliction, might restrain his impulse to offer the sacrifice, saying, what are you doing, O master? Are you sacrificing the one of promise, the beloved, the God-given, the staff of your old age, the heir, your successor, the son of Sarah? Consider what you are doing, consult with your wife, the partner in his birth, the one who endured the birth pangs for him; slaughter us first, and then your son. But the wise old man does not take with him those who would hinder him, but makes the victim carry the wood, so that he might have the type of the Savior carrying the cross. And the child, carrying it and speaking, moves his father's heart, but does not turn him from his desire for God. For what does he say? Father. But consider what a sound that was, Father. For even when we are about to sacrifice a lamb or some other animal, and we see it bleating, and speaking to us with a quiet voice, we pity it, we feel compassion for it uttering an inarticulate sound. Consider then what this sheep would have done, if he had been speaking to a weak man; Father, behold the fire and the wood, where is the sheep for the burnt offering? But he himself, according to his father's mind, was the sheep speaking, provoking the priest to compassion. For he had not been a disciple of Christ who said: He who loves father or mother, or son or daughter, more than me, is not worthy of me. But he imitated the Father about whom it is said: He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all. Where is the sheep? the child asked intelligently. What then does the father say? God will provide for himself a sheep for a burnt offering, my child; not a servant, but a Son. He was an only-begotten, and God is only-begotten; he carried the wood on his shoulders, and Christ the cross on his shoulders; he, having sinned in nothing, was about to be slain, and the Son of God, having sinned in nothing, was crucified; he was both slain and was not slain, and the only-begotten Son of God was both slain and was not slain, and died and did not die; for as far as intention was concerned, he died, but as far as the outcome of events, he did not die; but the Son of God died in the flesh, but the divinity remained impassible.

3. For God always, when he is about to administer a great matter among men, anticipates it, and sketches out its shadow beforehand, so that when the truth comes, they might not disbelieve it, so that, with the image having come first, they might not disbelieve the truth. For instance, what I mean is this: the all-holy virgin was about to give birth, and the matter was incredible; how will a virgin give birth contrary to the law of nature? for what was to be born was contrary to the sequence of nature. Who from the beginning of time has seen a virgin give birth? So that the Jews might not fall into great unbelief, 50.742 he anticipates and sketches in Sarah the truth, so that when they are at a loss, how the virgin gave birth, they might rather remember and say, how did Sarah give birth? Or rather, by that reasoning, how did the earth, being a virgin, give birth? There was no spade, there was no one to farm it, no rain came down, no plant came up in it, its furrow was not cut, it was barren, it did not receive the casting of seeds, no drop of rain gladdened it. Tell me then, how, being a virgin, did it sprout the myriad kinds of plants? But you cannot explain what happened, but you say, as God willed. In the same way then concerning the virgin, since you are at a loss, learn not to be overly curious when God is at work; do not ask about things according to nature, when the craftsman of nature is at work; do not be a busybody. He said, Let the earth sprout, and immediately the word entered into the womb of the earth, and stirred up its birth pangs, and the virgin gave birth. One word it was that went forth, and it sprouted a myriad kinds of plants, and the earth took up its own adornment through the word; And one could see the earth waving, the birds, the creatures in the water, the land animals, the meadows, the flowers, the trees, the vine, the olive, the myriad kinds of

4

Εἶπεν οὐχ οὕτως ἔχων· ἀπέβαινε δὲ μᾶλλον ὡς ἔλεγεν, ἢ ὥσπερ ἐφρόνει. Τοὺς παῖδας δὲ καταλιμπάνει, ἵνα μὴ βιασθῇ θεομάχον βίαν· μὴ νομίσαντες πρεσβυτικόν τι πάθος ὑπομεμενηκέναι τὸν γέροντα, ἐπισχῶσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν πρὸς τὸ θῦσαι ὁρμὴν, εἰπόντες, τί ποιεῖς, ὦ δέσποτα; τὸν ἐξ ἐπαγγελίας θύεις, τὸν ἀγαπητὸν, τὸν θεοδώρητον, τὸν γηρώκομον, τὸν κληρονόμον, τὸν σὸν διάδοχον, τὸν Σάῤῥας υἱόν; τί ποιεῖς σκόπησον, ἀνακοίνωσαι τῇ συμβίῳ, τῇ κοινωνῷ τῆς γονῆς, τῇ ἐπ' αὐτῷ τὰς ὠδῖνας ὑπομεινάσῃ· ἡμᾶς σφαγίασον πρῶτον, καὶ οὕτως τὸν υἱόν. Ἀλλ' ὁ σοφὸς πρεσβύτης οὐ παραλαμβάνει τοὺς ὀφείλοντας ἐμποδίζειν αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ ποιεῖ βαστάζειν τὸ θῦμα τὰ ξύλα, ἵνα τὸν τύπον ἔχῃ τοῦ τὸν σταυρὸν βαστάζοντος Σωτῆρος. Βαστάζων δὲ ὁ παῖς καὶ φθεγγόμενος, κινεῖ τὰ πατρῷα σπλάγχνα, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐξίστησι τοῦ πρὸς Θεὸν πόθου. Τί γάρ φησι; Πάτερ. Ἐννόει δὲ οἵα ἦν ἡ φωνὴ, Πάτερ. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς ὅτε θύειν μέλλομεν ἢ ἀρνίον ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν ζώων, καὶ εἴδομεν βληχώμενον, καὶ ἠρεμαίᾳ φωνῇ πρὸς ἡμᾶς φθεγγόμενον, ἐλεοῦμεν, οἰκτείρομεν ἄναρθρον προφέρον τὴν φωνήν. Ἐννόησον οὖν τοῦτο τὸ πρόβατον τί ἐποίησεν ἂν, εἰ πρὸς ἀσθενῆ διελέγετο· Πάτερ, ἰδοὺ τὸ πῦρ καὶ τὰ ξύλα, ποῦ ἐστι τὸ πρόβατον τὸ εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν; αὐτὸς δὲ ἦν κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς γνώμην ὁ λαλῶν τὸ πρόβατον ἐρεθίζον τὸν ἱερέα εἰς εὐσπλαγχνίαν. Οὐκ ἐμαθήτευσε γὰρ Χριστῷ τῷ λέγοντι· Ὁ φιλῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα, ἢ υἱὸν ἢ θυγατέρα, ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος. Ἐμιμεῖτο δὲ Πατέρα περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· Ὅς γε τοῦ ἰδίου Υἱοῦ οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάντων παρέδωκεν αὐτόν. Ποῦ ἐστι τὸ πρόβατον; νουνεχῶς ὁ παῖς. Τί οὖν ὁ πατήρ φησιν; Ὁ Θεὸς ὄψεται ἑαυτῷ πρόβατον εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν, τέκνον· οὐκ οἰκέτην, ἀλλ' Υἱόν. Ἐκεῖνος μονογενὴς, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς μονογενής· ἐκεῖνος ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων τὰ ξύλα, καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων τὸν σταυρόν· ἐκεῖνος μηδὲν ἁμαρτήσας ἤμελλε σφάζεσθαι, καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ μηδὲν ἁμαρτήσας ἐσταυρώθη· ἐκεῖνος καὶ ἐσφάγη καὶ οὐκ ἐσφάγη, καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ μονογενὴς καὶ ἐσφάγη καὶ οὐκ ἐσφάγη, καὶ ἀπέθανε καὶ οὐκ ἀπέθανεν· ὅσον μὲν γὰρ εἰς προαίρεσιν, ἀπέθανεν, ὅσον δὲ εἰς ἔκβασιν πραγμάτων, οὐκ ἀπέθανεν ἐκεῖνος· ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τῇ σαρκὶ ἀπέθανεν, ἀλλ' ἡ θεότης ἀπαθὴς ἔμεινεν.

γʹ. Ἀεὶ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, ὅταν μέλλῃ πρᾶγμα μέγα διοικεῖν παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, προλαμβάνει, καὶ τὴν σκιὰν αὐτοῦ προζωγραφεῖ, ἵνα ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἡ ἀλήθεια, μὴ ἀπιστήσωσι περὶ αὐτῆς, ἵνα, τῆς εἰκόνος προλαβούσης, μὴ ἀπιστήσωσι τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. Οἷόν τι λέγω· ἔμελλεν ἡ παναγία παρθένος γεννᾷν, καὶ ἄπιστον ἦν τὸ πρᾶγμα· πῶς παρθένος γεννήσει παρὰ τὸν νόμον τῆς φύσεως; τὸ γὰρ γεγεννημένον παρ' ἀκολουθίαν φύσεως. Τίς ἐξ αἰῶνος εἶδε παρθένον γεννήσασαν; Ἵνα οὖν μὴ εἰς ἀπιστίαν πολλὴν χωρήσωσιν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, 50.742 προλαμβάνει καὶ σκιαγραφεῖ ἐν τῇ Σάῤῥᾳ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἵνα ὅταν ἀπορήσωσιν, πῶς ἡ παρθένος ἐγέννησε, μᾶλλον ἀναμνησθέντες εἴπωσι, πῶς ἡ Σάῤῥα ἐγέννησε; μᾶλλον δὲ ἐκείνῳ τῷ λόγῳ, πῶς ἡ γῆ παρθένος οὖσα ἐγέννησε; Σκαπάνη οὐκ ἦν, ὁ γεωργῶν αὐτὴν οὐχ ὑπῆρχεν, ὑετὸς οὐ κατῆλθε, βοτάνη εἰς αὐτὴν οὐκ ἀνῆλθεν, αὖλαξ αὐτῆς οὐκ ἀνετμήθη, χέρσος ἦν, σπερμάτων καταβολὴν οὐκ ἐδέξατο, ψεκὰς οὐκ ηὔφρανεν αὐτήν. Εἰπέ μοι οὖν, πῶς παρθένος οὖσα τὰ μυρία γένη τῶν βοτανῶν ἐβλάστησεν; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔχεις ἑρμηνεῦσαι τὸ γεγενημένον, ἀλλὰ λέγεις, ὡς ἠθέλησεν ὁ Θεός. Τὸν αὐτὸν οὖν τρόπον καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς παρθένου, ἐπειδὴ ἀπορεῖς, μάθε μὴ περιεργάζεσθαι ὅταν Θεὸς ἐργάζηται· μὴ ἐρώτα τὰ κατὰ φύσιν, ὅταν ὁ τῆς φύσεως τεχνίτης ἐργάζηται· μὴ πολυπραγμόνει. Εἶπε, Βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ, καὶ εὐθέως εἰσῆλθεν ὁ λόγος εἰς τὰς λαγόνας τῆς γῆς, καὶ διήγειρεν αὐτῆς τὰς ὠδῖνας, καὶ ἡ παρθένος ἐγέννα. Λόγος εἷς ἦν ὁ προελθὼν, καὶ μυρία γένη τῶν βοτανῶν ἐβλάστησε, καὶ ἡ γῆ τὸν ἴδιον ἀνελάμβανε κόσμον διὰ τοῦ λόγου· Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν τὴν γῆν κυμαινομένην, τὰ πτηνὰ, τὰ ἔνυδρα, τὰ χερσαῖα, τοὺς λειμῶνας, τὰ ἄνθη, τὰ δένδρα, τὴν ἄμπελον, τὴν ἐλαίαν, τὰ μυρία γένη τῶν