John Chrysostom, On the Synaxis of Incorporeal Beings

Are you unsettling ancient rights, wanting to lead the Jews out from the yoke of the Persians? The matter is not new; I received them from the Chaldeans and the Medes. Slavery is the penalty for their impiety. For they themselves served foreign gods, having rejected the benefactor God who tormented the Egyptians with various plagues, who led them on foot through the sea, who illuminated the night with a pillar of fire, who cooled the day with the shadow of a cloud, who feasted them with food from the air, who gave them drink from gushing springs. For what of the most outrageous things did they not do: expelling strangers, committing unlawful marriages, being covetous, seizing orphans and widows and proselytes, making a calf, killing their children? Did they not saw Isaiah asunder? Did they not cast Jeremiah into a pit? Did they not slaughter Zechariah beside the holy altars? Did they not strike down the prophet Uriah? Did they not stone Naboth for gain? Having dared all terrible things against men, they finally turn their hands against God. Let them be tamed by slavery, lest living wantonly they do something worse. Instead of God, they worshipped demons; instead of demons, they will serve barbarians and having left the land flowing with milk and honey, they will work foreign lands, plowing for others, reaping fruits for others, fattening the bellies of the nations with their unceasing sweat, seeing their children emasculated, not by circumcision; For, he says, they will make eunuchs in the house of the kings of the Babylonians, seeing their wives defiled by licentious men, and ruled by harsh women, being ordered to carry water and to gather sticks, their daughters worn out by distaffs and looms. Rescued from the Egyptians, they were ungrateful; let them learn to be sober-minded by serving the Persians; they crossed the Red Sea, they will not cross the Euphrates again, returning to their ancestral hearth; for even if they should ever escape the Persians, a heavier master will not be lacking for their minds; having been freed from brick-making, they have not forgotten their villainy.

7 To this, Michael: Will you not cease attempting the impossible? Do you expect Israel to remain in bondage? The grim things have been limited to seventy years. As a father, God has disciplined them; he struck them when they sinned, he does not turn away from them when they return. For even if they are worthy of calamities, yet God has not forgotten the promises to Abraham, he does not break the covenants with David; he preserves the life-spark of the race, he warms the ember of the seed; he does not refute the mouths of the spirit-bearers. The awaited one must come; all nature stands agape because of the voice of Isaiah, eagerly awaiting the strange mystery, waiting to see a virgin in labor; For behold, he says, the virgin will conceive in her womb and will bear a son. Her infant even the Persians will worship; the intellectual powers will bend the knee, just as David said: And let all the angels of God worship him. What more must be said? The commander-in-chief conquers, he puts the adversary to flight. The Jews were freed from captivity at the appointed time, Zerubbabel led them back, being a descendant of David; they recovered Palestine, they rebuilt the temple, they renewed the sacrifices. Five hundred and forty-eight years having passed, an unwed virgin gives birth; a king without a successor is born; to him magi worshipped, being Persians, not foreigners. Angels glorified the birth; Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Christ is baptized <for> our redemption; and angels came and ministered to him. He endures a suffering that destroys death; and again angels bear witness to the resurrection, turning them away from seeking the living among the dead. He is taken up into the heavens; and again angels announce his second coming; For behold, he says, two men stood by them

παλαιὰ παρασαλεύεις δίκαια, τοῦ Περσῶν ζυγοῦ θέλων Ἰουδαίους ἐξαγαγεῖν; Οὐ νέον τὸ πρᾶγμα· παρὰ Χαλδαίων αὐτοὺς καὶ Μήδων παρέλαβον. Ἡ δουλεία τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐπιτίμιον. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ θεοῖς ὀθνείοις ἐδούλευσαν τὸν εὐεργέτην θεὸν ἀθετήσαντες τὸν ποικίλαις πληγαῖς Αἰγυπτίους αἰκισάμενον, τὸν διὰ θαλάσσης πεζοὺς ὁδηγήσαντα, τὸν στύλῳ πυρὸς τὴν νύκτα φωτίσαντα, τὸν σκιᾷ νεφέλης τὴν ἡμέραν δροσίσαντα, τὸν ἀερίαις τροφαῖς ἑστιάσαντα, τὸν αὐτομάτοις κρουνοῖς ποτίσαντα. Καὶ τί γὰρ τῶν ἀτοπωτάτων οὐκ ἔδρασαν ξενηλατοῦντες, ἀθεμιτογαμοῦντες, πλεονεκτοῦντες, ὀρφανοὺς καὶ χήρας καὶ προσηλύτους ἁρπάζοντες, μοσχοποιοῦντες, τεκνοκτονοῦντες; Οὐχ Ἡσαΐαν ἔπρισαν; Οὐχ Ἱερε μίαν ἐβαράθρωσαν; Οὐ Ζαχαρίαν παρὰ τοῖς ἁγίοις θυσιαστηρίοις ἐσφαγίασαν; Οὐ τὸν προφήτην Οὐρίαν κατηκόντισαν; Οὐ τὸν Ναβουθαὶ διὰ τὸ κέρδος κατέλευσαν; Τὰ δεινὰ πάντα κατὰ ἀνθρώπων τολμήσαντες κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ λοιπὸν τὰς χεῖρας φυλάττουσιν. Ἔασον αὐτοὺς τῇ δουλείᾳ δαμάζεσθαι, μή τι σπαταλῶντες δράσωσι χαλεπώτερον. Ἀντὶ θεοῦ δαιμονίοις ἐλάτρευσαν· ἀντὶ δαιμόνων βαρβάροις δουλεύσουσι καὶ τὴν μέλι καὶ γάλα ῥέουσαν γῆν καταλείψαντες τὰς ἀλλοτρίας χώρας ἐργάσονται ἀροτριῶντες ἑτέροις, θερίζοντες ἄλλοις καρπούς, τοῖς ἀλωφήτοις ἱδρῶσι τῶν ἐθνῶν τὰς γαστέρας πιαίνοντες, ὁρῶντες τέκνα οὐκ ἐκ περιτομῆς θηλυνόμενα· Ποιήσουσι γάρ, φησί, σπάδοντας ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τῶν βασιλέων τῶν Βαβυλωνίων, ὁρῶντες τὰ γύναια πρὸς μὲν ἀνδρῶν ἀκρατῶν μολυνόμενα, πρὸς δὲ χαλεπῶν γυναικῶν δεσποζόμενα ὑδροφορεῖν, φρυγανίζεσθαι προσταττόμενα, τὰ θυγάτρια ταῖς ἠλακάταις καὶ τοῖς ἱστοῖς ἐκτρυχόμενα. Αἰγυπτίων ῥυσθέντες ἠγνωμόνησαν· μάθωσι σωφρονεῖν Πέρσαις δουλεύοντες· τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν διεπέρασαν, τὸν Εὐφράτην αὖθις οὐ διαβήσονται πρὸς τὴν πατρῴαν ἑστίαν ἀναστρέφοντες· κἂν γάρ ποτε Πέρσας δραπετεύσωσι, οὐ λείψει ταῖς γνώμαις αὐτῶν δεσπότης βαρύτερος· τῆς πλινθουργίας ἀπαλλαγέντες, τῆς πανουργίας οὐκ ἐπελάθοντο.

7 Πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ Μιχαήλ· Οὐ παύσῃ τοῖς ἀδυνάτοις ἐπιχειρῶν; Τὸν Ἰσραὴλ προσδοκᾷς διαμεῖναι δουλεύοντα; Ἑβδομήκοντα χρόνους τὰ στυγνὰ περιγέγραπται. Ὡς πατὴρ ὁ θεὸς αὐτοὺς ἐπαίδευσεν· ἔπληξεν ἁμαρτάνοντας, ἐπιστρεφομένους οὐκ ἀποστρέφεται. Κἂν γὰρ αὐτοὶ συμφορῶν ὦσιν ἄξιοι, ἀλλ' οὖν ὁ θεὸς τῶν πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ ἐπαγγελιῶν οὐκ ἐπιλέλησται, τὰς πρὸς τὸν ∆αυὶδ συνθήκας οὐκ ἀθετεῖ· φυλάττει τοῦ γένους τὸ ζώπυρον, θάλπει τὸν σπινθῆρα τοῦ σπέρματος· οὐκ ἐλέγχει τῶν πνευματοφόρων τὰ στόματα. Παραγενέσθαι δεῖ τὸν προσδοκώμενον· πᾶσα φύσις κέχηνε διὰ τὴν Ἡσαΐου φωνὴν τὸ ξένον καραδοκοῦσα μυστήριον, ἰδεῖν ἀναμένει παρθένον ὠδίνουσαν· Ἰδοὺ γάρ, φησίν, ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν. Ἐκείνης τῷ βρέφει καὶ Πέρσαι προσκυνήσουσιν· αἱ νοεραὶ δυνάμεις γόνυ κάμψουσι, καθάπερ εἶπεν ὁ ∆αυίδ· Καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι θεοῦ. Τί δεῖ πλείω λέγειν; Ὁ ἀρχιστράτηγος νικᾷ, φυγαδεύει τὸν ἀντίπαλον. Ἰουδαῖοι κατὰ τὸν ὡρισμένον χρόνον τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἀπηλλάγησαν, ὁ Ζοροβάβελ αὐτοὺς ἐπανήγαγεν ἀπόγονος ὢν τοῦ ∆αυίδ· τὴν Παλαιστίνην ἀπέλαβον, ἀνῳκοδόμησαν τὸν ναόν, τὰς θυσίας ἀνεκαίνισαν. Ὀκτὼ καὶ τεσσαράκοντα καὶ πεντακοσίων παραδραμόντων ἐνιαυτῶν τίκτει παρθένος ἀνύμφευτος· τίκτεται βασιλεὺς ἀδιάδοχος· αὐτῷ μάγοι προσεκύνησαν Περσῶν ὄντες οὐκ ἀλλότριοι. Ἄγγελοι τὸν τόκον ἐδόξασαν· ∆όξα ἐν ὑψίστοις θεῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη, ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία. Βαπτίζεται Χριστὸς <εἰς> τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀπολύτρωσιν· καὶ προσελθόντες ἄγγελοι διηκόνησαν. Ὑφίσταται πάθος θανάτου καταλύσιμον· καὶ πάλιν ἄγγελοι τὴν νεκρεγερσίαν μαρτύρονται τὸν ζῶντα μὴ ζητεῖν ἐν νεκροῖς ἀποτρέποντες. Ἀναλαμβάνεται πρὸς οὐρανούς· καὶ τὴν δευτέραν αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν ἄγγελοι πάλιν χρηματίζουσιν· Ἰδοὺ γάρ, φησίν, δύο ἄνδρες παρειστήκεισαν αὐτοῖς