the birthday of Christ on the eighth day before the Kalends of January. But to bring forward the citations of all at the present time, I consider superfluous. For our discourse is not now about this. But having brought forward one distinguished teacher, whom the divine Epiphanius himself also brought forward as supporting his words, I will leave it to the readers to choose the better. Ephrem the Syrian, therefore, no ordinary teacher of piety himself, 4032 in his sermon on the victory of the light, speaks thus: «In the bright month of Xanthicus was the conception of the bright fruit and light; then indeed the darkness, running swiftly, was not strong enough to obscure the luminous conception.» And after other things: «In the cave occurred the birth of the light, which scattered our darkness. And in the month in which the darkness diminishes, an intelligible and moving light has risen for us. The month of his conception interpreted for you the type which Moses declared through his writings; and the month of his birth likewise revealed the mystery to us.» Therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ is born in Bethlehem of Judea in the forty-second year of the reign of Augustus Caesar, in the aforementioned consulship, in the thirty-third year of Herod, son of Antipater, in the thirtieth year of the subjugation of Egypt, on the eighth day before the Kalends of January according to the Fathers, at which time the Magi also arrived in Jerusalem, seeking the newborn king, whose star from the East also guided them as far as Judea. But having entered the royal city and lost their guide, they lamenting asked the natives, making known to them also their heavenly guide. Whence Herod, being a terrible man, heard and understood that the sign was not human. For, he says, though many kings have been born in Jerusalem, for none of them did a star appear in the East. Therefore, having diligently questioned the Scribes, he learns from the prophecy that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem; and having secretly called the Magi, he ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance, and sent them away with guile, having promised them, as was likely, the greatest gifts, so that when they found the child, they might report it to him. And when the one who had guided them before appeared to them again, they followed it with great joy to Bethlehem, and having found the longed-for King, and having worshipped him with gifts, they were warned by an angel, and departed into their own country by another way. Then Joseph also, according to the divine command, flees into Egypt with the child and his mother, and was there until the death of Herod. Now two years are reckoned from the arrival of the Magi and the mocking of Herod and their return to their own country. Then Herod, being enraged, wrought the slaughter of the infants in the thirty-fifth year of his reign. And immediately the wrath of God came upon him, and being tormented by wicked diseases he ended his life, having held his rule for thirty-eight years. He left four sons as successors of his kingdom and his wickedness. Then indeed, by the command 4033 of the Lord, Joseph returned from Egypt with the child and his mother, when he was four years old, and dwelt in Nazareth, while Archelaus was tetrarch of Judea. For so were the sons of Herod called—this Archelaus, and Herod, and Philip and Lysanias—because each of them held a fourth part of the kingdom. In the eighth year of the reign of Archelaus, the Lord began to teach in the temple, having come into the midst of the teachers, being twelve years old in physical age. And having gone down with his parents by grace to Nazareth, not long after Joseph came to the end of his life, being thought by all to be the father of the Lord. And Archelaus, having lasted one more year, ended his life without leaving an heir. And Augustus Caesar, having completed fifty-six and a half years

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γενέθλιον ἡμέραν τοῦ Χριστοῦ τῇ πρὸ ὀκτὼ Καλανδῶν Ἰανουαρίων. Ἀλλὰ πάντων μὲν τὰς χρήσεις ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος παραγαγεῖν καιροῦ, παρέλκον ἡγοῦμαι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τα νῦν περὶ τούτου ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος. Ἕνα δὲ ἐπίσημον δι δάσκαλον παραγαγὼν, ὃν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ θεῖος Ἐπιφά νιος παρήγαγεν, ὡς συνηγοροῦντα τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ, καταλείψω τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν αἱρεῖσθαι τὸ ἄμεινον. Ἐφραὶμ τοίνυν ὁ Σύρος, οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς 4032 εὐσεβείας διδάσκαλος, ἐν τῷ εἰς τὴν νίκην τοῦ φωτὸς λόγῳ ὧδέ φησιν· «Ἐν τῷ Ξανθικῷ δὲ τῷ φαιδρῷ σύλληψις τοῦ φαιδροῦ καρποῦ καὶ φωτός· τότε δὴ δραμὸν ὀξέως τὸ σκότος οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἀμαυρῶσαι τὴν φωτεινὴν σύλληψιν.» Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· «Ἐν τῷ σπη λαίῳ γέγονεν ἡ γένεσις τοῦ φωτὸς, τοῦ τὸ ἡμέτερον σκότος διασκεδάσαντος. Καὶ τῷ μηνὶ ἐν ᾧ λείπεται τὸ σκότος ἀνέτειλεν ἡμῖν φῶς νοητὸν καὶ κινητικόν. Ὁ τῆς συλλήψεως αὐτοῦ μὴν ἡρμήνευσεν ὑμῖν τὸν τύπον, ὃν Μωϋσῆς διὰ γραμμάτων ἐμήνυσε· καὶ ὁ μὴν τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ ὁμοίως ἐδήλωσεν ἡμῖν τὸ μυστηρίον.» Γεννᾶται τοίνυν ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας τῷ τεσσαρακοστῷ δευτέρῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας Αὐγούστου Καίσαρος, ἐν ὑπατείᾳ τῇ προγεγραμμένῃ, ἔτους δὲ τριακοστοῦ τρίτου Ἡρώ δου τοῦ Ἀντιπάτρου, ὑποταγῆς δὲ Αἰγύπτου τριακο στῷ ἔτει, τῇ πρὸ ὀκτὼ Καλανδῶν Ἰανουαρίων κατὰ τοὺς Πατέρας, ὅτε καὶ οἱ Μάγοι παρεγένοντο εἰς Ἱε ροσόλυμα, ζητοῦντες τὸν τεχθέντα βασιλέα, οὗ καὶ ὁ ἀστὴρ ἀπὸ Ἀνατολῶν ὡδήγησεν αὐτοὺς ἕως τῆς Ἰουδαίας. Ἐπιβάντες δὲ τῇ βασιλευούσῃ πόλει καὶ τὸν ὁδηγὸν ἀπολέσαντες, θρηνοῦντες ἠρώτων τοὺς αὐτό χθονας, γνωρίζοντες αὐτοῖς καὶ τὸν οὐράνιον ὁδηγόν. Ὅθεν ἀκούσας ὁ Ἡρώδης, δεινὸς ὢν, συνῆκεν μὴ εἶναι τὸ σημεῖον ἀνθρώπινον. Πολλῶν γὰρ, φησὶ, γεν νηθέντων ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ βασιλέων, ἐπ' οὐδενὶ τού των ἀστὴρ ἐφάνη ἐν τῇ Ἀνατολῇ. Ἐμπόνως οὖν ἐρωτήσας τοὺς Γραμματεῖς μανθάνει ἐκ τῆς προφητείας, ὅτι τὸν Χριστὸν ἔδει γεννηθῆναι ἐν Βηθλεέμ· καὶ λάθρα καλέσας τοὺς Μάγους ἠκρίβωσε παρ' αὐτῶν τὸν χρόνον τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τοῦ ἀστέρος, καὶ δόλῳ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς, ταξάμενος αὐτοῖς, ὡς εἰκὸς, δω ρεὰς μεγίστας, ὅπως ἐπὰν εὕρωσι τὸ παιδίον, ἀπ αγγείλωσιν αὐτῷ. Ὡς δὲ πάλιν ἐφάνη αὐτοῖς ὁ πάλαι καθοδηγῶν αὐτοὺς, μετὰ χαρᾶς μεγάλης τούτῳ ἠκο λούθησαν ἕως Βηθλεὲμ, καὶ εὑρόντες τὸν ποθούμενον Βασιλέα, καὶ προσκυνήσαντες αὐτὸν ἐν δώροις, ἐχρη ματίσθησαν ὑπὸ ἀγγέλου, καὶ δι' ἄλλης ὁδοῦ ἀνεχώ ρησαν εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν χώραν. Τότε καὶ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ, κατὰ τὸ θεῖον πρόσταγμα, φεύ γει εἰς Αἴγυπτον μετὰ τοῦ παιδίου καὶ τῆς μητέρος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἕως τῆς τελευτῆς Ἡρώδου. Συν άγονται δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἀφίξεως τῶν Μάγων καὶ τοῦ ἐμ παιγμοῦ τοῦ Ἡρώδου καὶ τῆς εἰς τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν ἐπανόδου ἔτη δύο. Τότε θυμωθεὶς ὁ Ἡρώδης τὴν μιαιφονίαν τῶν νηπίων εἰργάσατο τῷ τριακοστῷ πέμπτῳ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ ἔτει. Εὐθέως δὲ μετ ῆλθε θεήλατος ὀργὴ ἐπ' αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐν ἀῤῥωστίαις πονηραῖς ἐξεταζόμενος κατέστρεψε τὸν βίον, τριά κοντα ὀκτὼ ἔτη κρατήσας τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτοῦ. Κατ έλιπε δὲ τέσσαρας υἱοὺς διαδόχους τῆς αὐτοῦ βασι λείας τε καὶ πονηρίας. Τότε δὴ διὰ προστάγματος 4033 Κυρίου ἐπανῆλθεν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου Ἰωσὴφ μετὰ τοῦ παι δίου καὶ τῆς μητέρος, αὐτοῦ ὄντος τετραετοῦς, καὶ κατῴκησεν εἰς Ναζαρὲτ, Ἀρχελάου τετραρχοῦντος τῆς Ἰουδαίας. Οὕτω γὰρ ἐκαλοῦντο οἱ τοῦ Ἡρώδου υἱοὶ, Ἀρχέλαος οὗτος, καὶ Ἡρώδης, καὶ Φίλιππος καὶ Λυσανίας, διὰ τὸ ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ἔχειν τέταρτον μέ ρος τῆς βασιλείας. Τῷ δὲ ὀγδόῳ ἔτει τῆς βασι λείας Ἀρχελάου, ἤρξατο ὁ Κύριος ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ διδά σκειν, ἐλθὼν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν διδασκάλων, ὢν ἐτῶν δώ δεκα κατὰ τὴν σωματικὴν ἡλικίαν. Κατελθὼν δὲ μετὰ τῶν κατὰ χάριν γονέων αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν Ναζαρὲτ, μετὰ οὐ πολὺ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ τέλει τοῦ βίου ἐχρήσατο, νομιζόμενος ὑπὸ πάντων εἶναι πατὴρ τοῦ Κυρίου. ∆ιαρκέσας δὲ ὁ Ἀρχέλαος ἔτι ἐνιαυτὸν ἕνα κατ έλυσε τὸν βίον μὴ καταλείψας κληρονόμον. Αὔγου στος δὲ ὁ Καῖσαρ πεντήκοντα ἓξ ἥμισυ ἐνιαυτοὺς πληρώσας

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