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what they set for each of the occurrences; but here none of the existing stars signified the royal birth, nor was it itself one of the usual ones. For those established with creation from the beginning are either always motionless, or they have ceaseless motion; but this one that appeared is seen to have both, both moving and standing still. And among those that already exist, the fixed ones never move, and the wandering ones never stand still; but the one having both in itself, both motion and stillness, is clearly related to neither. For it moved from the east as far as Bethlehem; and it stood over where the 31.1472 child was.

Therefore, the magi, having set out from the east following the guidance of the star, upon arriving in Jerusalem, troubled the whole city by their presence, and instilled fear in the king of the Jews. Finding then the one they were seeking, they honored him with gifts, with gold, and frankincense, and myrrh; perhaps here too following the prophecy of Balaam, who said such things concerning Christ: “He crouched and lay down as a lion, and as a young lion. Who shall rouse him? They that bless thee are blessed, and they that curse thee are cursed.” Since therefore through the lion the word indicates the royal nature, and through the lying down the passion, and through the power of blessing the divinity, the magi, following the prophecy, offered gold as to a king, myrrh as to one who would die, and frankincense as to God. Nor is it possible for those who curiously interpret the events of the birth to say that the star was similar to the comets, which especially seem to stand in the heavens indicating successions of kings. For these also are for the most part motionless, the burning occurring in a circumscribed place. For comets and beams and pits are different shapes, and the names are proper to the shapes. But the origin of all is the same. For when the air around the earth floods, and overflows into the ethereal region, and, as it were, providing matter to the fire—the thick and turbid part of the exhalation from here—it provides a clear image of a star. However, the one that appeared in the east, having moved the magi to the search for the one born, was again invisible until it appeared a second time to them as they were perplexed in Judea, so that one might hear whose it was, and whom it serves, and for whom it has been born. For having come, it stood over where the child was. Wherefore also the magi, seeing it, rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. Let us, therefore, also receive this great joy in our hearts.

For the angels announce this joy to the shepherds. With magi let us worship, with shepherds let us glorify, with angels let us dance, “For unto us is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. The Lord is God, and has appeared to us,” not in the form of God, lest he terrify the weak, but in the form of a servant, that he might set free that which was enslaved. Who is so sluggish in soul, who so ungrateful, as not to rejoice and exult and be made glad by these things? A common festival of all creation; this one bestows on the world things beyond the world; it sends the archangels to Zacharias and to Mary; and it establishes choirs of angels saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Stars run across from heaven; magi 31.1473 are moved from the nations; the earth receives him in a cave; no one is without contribution, no one is ungrateful. Let us also utter a voice of exultation; let us give our feast the name Theophany; let us celebrate the salvation of the world, the birthday of humanity. Today the condemnation of Adam was loosed. No longer, “You are earth, and to earth you shall return;” but joined to the heavenly one, you will be taken up to heaven. No longer, “In sorrow you shall bring forth children;” for blessed is she who was in labor with Emmanuel, and the breasts that nourished him. For this reason “A child was born

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συμπτωμάτων ἑκάστῳ τί θενται· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδεὶς τῶν ὄντων ἀστέρων τὴν βασιλικὴν γέννησιν ἐσήμαινεν, οὐδ' αὐτὸς τῶν συν ήθων ἦν. Οἱ γὰρ τῇ κτίσει συγκαταβληθέντες ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἤτοι ἀκίνητοί εἰσι διὰ παντὸς, ἢ τὴν κίνησιν ἄπαυστον ἔχοντες· ὁ δὲ φανεὶς οὗτος ἀμφότερα φαί νεται ἔχων, καὶ κινούμενος καὶ ἱστάμενος. Καὶ ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἤδη οὖσιν οἱ μὲν κατεστηριγμένοι οὐδέποτε κι νοῦνται, οἱ δὲ πλανῆται οὐδέποτε ἵστανται· ὁ δὲ ἀμ φότερα ἔχων ἐν αὑτῷ, καὶ κίνησιν καὶ στάσιν, δῆλός ἐστιν οὐδετέροις προσήκων. Ἐκινήθη μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν μέχρι Βηθλεέμ· ἔστη δὲ ἐπάνω οὗ ἦν τὸ 31.1472 παιδίον.

∆ιὰ τοῦτο κινηθέντες οἱ μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατο λῶν τῇ ὁδηγίᾳ ἀστέρος ἑπόμενοι, ἐπιστάντες τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις, πᾶσαν μὲν ἐτάραξαν τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἐπι δημίᾳ τὴν πόλιν, φόβον δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐνῆκαν. Εὑρόντες οὖν ὃν ἐζήτουν, δώροις ἐτίμησαν, χρυσῷ, καὶ λιβάνῳ, καὶ σμύρνῃ· τάχα που τῇ προ φητείᾳ τοῦ Βαλαὰμ ἀκολουθοῦντες καὶ ἐνταῦθα, ὃς περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοιαῦτα εἶπε· «Κατακλιθεὶς ἀνεπαύσατο ὡς λέων, καὶ ὡς σκύμνος. Τίς ἀνα στήσει αὐτόν; Οἱ εὐλογοῦντές σε εὐλόγηνται, καὶ οἱ καταρώμενοί σε κεκατήρανται.» Ἐπεὶ οὖν διὰ μὲν τοῦ λέοντος τὸ βασιλικὸν ὁ λόγος ἐνδείκνυται, διὰ δὲ τῆς κατακλίσεως τὸ πάθος, διὰ δὲ τῆς τοῦ εὐλογεῖν δυνάμεως τὴν θεότητα, ἀκολουθοῦντες τῇ προφητείᾳ οἱ μάγοι, ὡς μὲν βασιλεῖ τὸν χρυσὸν, ὡς δὲ τεθνη ξομένῳ τὴν σμύρναν προσήνεγκαν, ὡς δὲ Θεῷ τὸν λίβανον. Οὐ μὴν οὐδ' ἐκεῖνο τοῖς περιέργως τὰ κατὰ τὸν τόκον ἐκλαμβάνουσιν εἰπεῖν ὑπάρχει, ὅτι ὁ ἀστὴρ τοῖς κομήταις παραπλήσιος ἦν, οἵπερ μάλιστα δοκοῦσι βασιλέων διαδοχὰς δηλοῦντες κατ' οὐρανὸν ἵστασθαι. Ἀκίνητοι γὰρ καὶ οὗτοι ὡς ἐπίπαν εἰσὶν, ἐν περιγραπτῷ τόπῳ τῆς ἐκκαύσεως γινομέ νης. Κομῆται γὰρ καὶ δοκίδες καὶ βόθυνοι διάφορα σχήματα, καὶ προσηγορίαι οἰκεῖαι τοῖς σχήμασι. Πάντων δὲ γένεσις ἡ αὐτή. Ὅταν γὰρ πλημμύρῃ ὁ περὶ τὴν γῆν ἀὴρ, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰθέριον τόπον ὑπερ χυθῇ, καὶ οἱονεὶ ὕλην τῷ πυρὶ παρασχόμενος τὸ παχὺ καὶ τεθολωμένον τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ἀναφορᾶς, ἀστέρος ἐναργῆ φαντασίαν παρέχεται. Ὁ μέντοι φανεὶς ἐπὶ τῆς ἀνατολῆς, κινήσας τοὺς μάγους πρὸς τὴν ζήτη σιν τοῦ γεννηθέντος, πάλιν ἀφανὴς ἦν ἕως οὗ ἀπο ρουμένοις αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς Ἰουδαίας δεύτερον ἐξεφά νη, ὥστε ἀκοῦσαι τίνος ἦν, καὶ τίνι ὑπουργεῖ, καὶ διὰ τίνα γεγέννηται. Ἐλθὼν γὰρ ἔστη ἐπάνω οὗ ἦν τὸ παιδίον. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἰδόντες οἱ μάγοι ἐχάρησαν χαρὰν μεγάλην. ∆εξώμεθα τοίνυν καὶ ἡμεῖς ταύτην τὴν μεγάλην χαρὰν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν.

Ταύτην γὰρ εὐαγγελίζονται τὴν χαρὰν τοῖς ποιμέσιν οἱ ἄγγελοι. Μετὰ μάγων προσκυνήσωμεν, μετὰ ποιμένων δοξά σωμεν, μετὰ ἀγγέλων χορεύσωμεν, «Ὅτι ἐτέχθη ἡμῖν σήμερον Σωτὴρ, ὅς ἐστι Χριστὸς Κύριος. Θεὸς Κύριος, καὶ ἐπέφανεν ἡμῖν,» οὐκ ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ, ἵνα μὴ διαπτοήσῃ τὸ ἀσθενοῦν, ἀλλ' ἐν μορφῇ δούλου, ἵνα ἐλευθερώσῃ τὸ δουλωθέν. Τίς οὕτως νω θρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν, τίς οὕτως ἀχάριστος, ὡς μὴ χαίρειν καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθαι καὶ φαιδρύνεσθαι ἐπὶ τοῖς παροῦσι; Κοινὴ ἑορτὴ πάσης τῆς κτίσεως· αὕτη τῷ κόσμῳ δωρεῖται τὰ ὑπερκόσμια· τοὺς ἀρχαγγέλους πέμπει πρὸς τὸν Ζαχαρίαν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν Μαρίαν· καὶ χοροὺς ἀγγέλων ἵστησι τοὺς λέγοντας· «∆όξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη, ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐ δοκία. Ἀστέρες διατρέχουσιν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ· μάγοι 31.1473 κινοῦνται ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν· γῆ ὑποδέχεται ἐν σπηλαίῳ· οὐδεὶς ἀσυντελὴς, οὐδεὶς ἀχάριστος. Φθεγξώμεθά τινα καὶ ἡμεῖς φωνὴν ἀγαλλιάσεως· ὄνομα θώ μεθα τῇ ἑορτῇ ἡμῶν Θεοφάνια· ἑορτάσωμεν τὰ σωτήρια τοῦ κόσμου, τὴν γενέθλιον ἡμέραν τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος. Σήμερον ἐλύθη ἡ καταδίκη τοῦ Ἀδάμ. Οὐκέτι, «Γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ·» ἀλλὰ τῷ οὐρανίῳ συν αφθεὶς πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἀναληφθήσῃ. Οὐκέτι, «Ἐν λύ παις τέξῃ τέκνα·» μακαρία γὰρ ἡ ὠδίνασα τὸν Ἐμμανουὴλ, καὶ μαστοὶ οἱ ἐκθρέψαντες. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο «Παιδίον ἐγεννήθη