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they support them with prayers, with unanimity, with love; knowing that if they do not support in every way, even when sitting afar, those appointed by the grace of God and who have undertaken the care of so many, the chief thing of their life is lost to them, and all their wisdom has been mutilated. But that this is the greatest proof of love for Christ is clear from this; let us see also how he administered this episcopate. Or rather, there is no need of speech here anymore, nor of our voice, since your own zeal shows this very thing. For just as someone entering a vineyard, and seeing the vines flourishing with leaves, laden with fruit, walled on all sides with coping-stones and fences, will need no speech or other proof to learn of the excellence of the vinedresser and the farmer; so also here, someone entering and seeing these spiritual vines, and your fruit, will need no speech and teaching to learn of him who presides over you; just as Paul also says: You are our letter, written and read.

For the river shows the spring, and the fruit the root. It would have been right, then, to speak also of the time when he was entrusted with this office; for this is no small part of his encomium, but is also quite sufficient to show the man's excellence. For the difficulty was great then, when the persecution had just ceased, and the remnants of that most grievous storm still remained, and many things were in need of correction. And to this should have been added again, how the heresy of the heretics, having had its start under him, was checked, as his wisdom foresaw all things; but nevertheless our discourse hurries on to another necessary subject. For this reason, leaving these things to be said by our common father and zealous follower of the blessed Philogonius, since he knows all the ancient things more accurately than we, we will proceed to another path of discourse. For a feast is about to approach, the most venerable and awe-inspiring of all feasts, which one would not err in calling the metropolis of all feasts.

And what is this? The birth of Christ according to the flesh. 4. For from this, the Theophany, and the holy Pascha, and the Ascension, and Pentecost took their beginning and their subject matter. For if Christ had not been born in the flesh, He would not have been baptized, which is the Theophany; He would not have been crucified, which is Pascha; He would not 48.753 have sent down the Spirit, which is Pentecost. So that from this, as from a kind of spring, different rivers having flowed, these feasts were born for us. Not for this reason alone would this day be right to enjoy this precedence, but because what happened on it is far more awesome than all the others. For Christ having become man to die was a consequence; for even if He committed no sin, yet He took on a mortal body; and this too was indeed wondrous; but that He, being God, willed to become man and endured to descend so far, to a degree that the mind cannot even conceive, this is what is most awesome and full of astonishment. Which Paul also said in wonder: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness. What great mystery? God was manifest in the flesh. And again elsewhere: For He does not take hold of angels, but He takes hold of the seed of Abraham; wherefore in all things He had to be made like His brethren. For this reason I especially greet and love this day, and I set forth this love publicly, that I may make you sharers of the affection; for this reason I beg and beseech all of you to be present with all diligence and eagerness, each one having emptied his own house, that we may see our Master lying in the manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, that awesome and paradoxical sight. For what defense, what excuse will we have, when He Himself for our sake descends from the heavens, but we

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ἀλείφωσιν εὐχαῖς, ὁμονοίᾳ, ἀγάπῃ· εἰδότες ὡς εἰ μὴ τοὺς προβεβλημένους παρὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος, καὶ τοσούτων φροντίδας ἀναδεδεγμένους συγκροτοῖεν παντὶ τρόπῳ καὶ πόῤῥωθεν καθήμενοι, τὸ κεφάλαιον αὐτοῖς ἀπόλωλε τοῦ βίου, καὶ ἡ πᾶσα ἠκρωτηριάσθη σοφία. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν τῆς περὶ τὸν Χριστὸν φιλίας μέγιστον τοῦτο δεῖγμα, ἐντεῦθεν δῆλον· ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ πῶς τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ταύτην διῴκησε· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ δεῖ λόγου λοιπὸν ἐνταῦθα, οὐδὲ τῆς ἡμετέρας φωνῆς, τῆς ὑμετέρας σπουδῆς αὐτὸ τοῦτο δηλούσης. Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἰς ἀμπελῶνά τις εἰσελθὼν, καὶ τὰς ἀμπέλους ἰδὼν κομώσας τοῖς φύλλοις, τῷ καρπῷ βριθομένας, θριγκοῖς καὶ φραγμοῖς πάντοθεν τετειχισμένας, οὐδὲν δεήσεται λόγου τινὸς καὶ ἀποδείξεως ἑτέρας, ὥστε μαθεῖν τοῦ ἀμπελουργοῦ καὶ τοῦ γηπόνου τὴν ἀρετήν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, εἰσελθών τις καὶ τὰς πνευματικὰς ταύτας ἀμπέλους ἰδὼν, καὶ τὸν καρπὸν τὸν ὑμέτερον, οὐδενὸς δεήσεται λόγου καὶ διδασκαλίας, ὥστε μαθεῖν τὸν ὑμῶν προεστῶτα· καθάπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· Ἡ ἐπιστολὴ ἡμῶν ὑμεῖς ἐστε, ἐγγεγραμμένη καὶ ἀναγινωσκομένη.

∆είκνυσι γὰρ τὴν πηγὴν ὁ ποταμὸς, καὶ ὁ καρπὸς τὴν ῥίζαν. Ἐχρῆν μὲν οὖν εἰπεῖν καὶ τὸν καιρὸν, καθ' ὅνπερ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐνεχειρίσθη ταύτην· οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτο μικρὸν εἰς ἐγκωμίου μέρος, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἱκανὸν δεῖξαι τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὴν ἀρετήν. Πολλὴ γὰρ ἡ δυσκολία τότε ἦν, ἄρτι τοῦ διωγμοῦ παυσαμένου, καὶ τῶν λειψάνων ἔτι μενόντων τῆς χαλεπωτάτης ζάλης ἐκείνης, καὶ πολλῆς τῶν πραγμάτων διορθώσεως δεομένων. Καὶ τούτοις ἐχρῆν προσθεῖναι πάλιν, ὡς ἡ τῶν αἱρετικῶν αἵρεσις ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν λαβοῦσα ἐνεκόπτετο, τῆς ἐκείνου σοφίας πάντα προορώσης· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐφ' ἑτέραν ἀναγκαίαν ὑπόθεσιν ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν ἐπείγεται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τῷ κοινῷ πατρὶ καὶ ζηλωτῇ τοῦ μακαρίου Φιλογονίου ταῦτα καταλιπόντες εἰπεῖν, ἅτε ἀκριβέστερον ἡμῶν εἰδότι τὰ ἀρχαῖα πάντα, πρὸς ἑτέραν δημηγορίας ὁδὸν βαδιούμεθα. Καὶ γὰρ ἑορτὴ μέλλει προσελαύνειν, ἡ πασῶν τῶν ἑορτῶν σεμνοτάτη καὶ φρικωδεστάτη, ἣν οὐκ ἄν τις ἁμάρτοι μητρόπολιν πασῶν τῶν ἑορτῶν προσειπών.

Τίς δέ ἐστιν αὕτη; Ἡ κατὰ σάρκα τοῦ Χριστοῦ γέννησις. δʹ. Ἀπὸ γὰρ ταύτης τὰ Θεοφάνια, καὶ τὸ Πάσχα τὸ ἱερὸν, καὶ ἡ Ἀνάληψις, καὶ ἡ Πεντηκοστὴ τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ἔλαβον. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐτέχθη κατὰ σάρκα ὁ Χριστὸς, οὐκ ἂν ἐβαπτίσθη, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὰ Θεοφάνια· οὐκ ἂν ἐσταυρώθη, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὸ Πάσχα· οὐκ 48.753 ἂν τὸ Πνεῦμα κατέπεμψεν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ Πεντηκοστή. Ὥστε ἐντεῦθεν, ὥσπερ ἀπό τινος πηγῆς, ποταμοὶ διάφοροι ῥυέντες, αὗται ἐτέχθησαν ἡμῖν αἱ ἑορταί. Οὐ κατὰ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον δικαία ταύτης ἂν εἴη τῆς προεδρίας ἀπολαύειν ἡ ἡμέρα, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ γενόμενον τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων πολὺ φρικωδέστερόν ἐστι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἄνθρωπον γενόμενον τὸν Χριστὸν ἀποθανεῖν, τῆς ἀκολουθίας λοιπὸν ἦν· εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ θνητὸν σῶμα ἀνέλαβε· καὶ ἦν μὲν καὶ τοῦτο θαυμαστόν· τὸ δὲ Θεὸν ὄντα, ἄνθρωπον θελῆσαι γενέσθαι καὶ ἀνασχέσθαι καταβῆναι τοσοῦτον, ὅσον οὐδὲ διάνοια δέξασθαι δύναται, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ φρικωδέστατον καὶ ἐκπλήξεως γέμον. Ὃ δὴ καὶ Παῦλος θαυμάζων ἔλεγεν· Καὶ ὁμολογουμένως μέγα ἐστὶ τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον. Ποῖον μέγα; Θεὸς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί. Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ· Οὐ γὰρ ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμβάνεται ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἐπιλαμβάνεται· ὅθεν ὤφειλε κατὰ πάντα τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ὁμοιωθῆναι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα ἀσπάζομαι τὴν ἡμέραν ταύτην καὶ φιλῶ, καὶ τὸν ἔρωτα εἰς μέσον προτίθημι, ἵνα κοινωνοὺς ὑμᾶς ποιήσω τοῦ φίλτρου· διὰ τοῦτο δέομαι πάντων ὑμῶν καὶ ἀντιβολῶ μετὰ πάσης σπουδῆς καὶ προθυμίας παραγενέσθαι, τὴν οἰκίαν ἕκαστον κενώσαντα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, ἵνα ἴδωμεν τὸν ∆εσπότην ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῆς φάτνης κείμενον, ἐσπαργανωμένον, τὸ φρικτὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ παράδοξον θέαμα. Ποία γὰρ ἡμῖν ἀπολογία, ποία δὲ συγγνώμη, ὅταν αὐτὸς μὲν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν δι' ἡμᾶς καταβαίνῃ, ἡμεῖς δὲ