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fulfilling that which was spoken by Isaiah; For he says, "In that day Israel will be the third with the Assyrians and with the Egyptians, a blessing shall my people be in the land, which the Lord of Sabaoth blessed, saying: "Blessed shall be my people in Egypt and those in Assyria and those in Israel." What do you say, O Jew? You who were first have become third? Egyptians and Assyrians were put first, and the firstborn Israel is numbered after? Yes; rightly the Assyrians will be first, since they too were the first to worship him through the magi; and the Egyptians after the Assyrians, since they too received him when he was fleeing Herod's plot; and last Israel is numbered, since after the ascent from the Jordan they knew him through the apostles. And he entered into Egypt, shaking the idols of Egypt, not simply, but because he had shut the gates of Egypt by the destruction of the firstborn; For this reason today he entered as the firstborn, in order that he might dispel the grief of the 56.392 old gloom. And that Christ is called firstborn, Luke the evangelist testifies today, saying: "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." He entered, therefore, into Egypt, in order that he might dispel the grief of the old gloom, imposing joy instead of scourges, granting the light of salvation instead of night and darkness. Profane then was the water of the river by the slaughter of untimely infants. He entered, therefore, into Egypt, he who long ago had turned the water red, and made the streams of the river bring forth salvation, having cleansed by the power of the Spirit what was cursed and profane in them. The Egyptians were afflicted, and raging they denied God. He entered, therefore, into Egypt, and filled souls beloved of God with the knowledge of God; and to the river he granted to nourish martyrs more fruitful than ears of corn. But because of the shortness of time, I wish to stop the discourse here; but here I will stop, having completed the discourse, how being the impassible Word, he became flesh, his nature remaining unchangeable. But what shall I say, or what shall I speak? I see a carpenter and a manger, and an infant, and swaddling clothes, a virgin’s childbirth destitute of necessities, all things connected to poverty, all things full of want.

Did you see wealth in great poverty? how being rich he became poor for our sake? how he had neither bed nor bedding, but was cast upon a bare manger? O poverty, spring of wealth! O immeasurable wealth, wearing the guise of poverty! He lies in a manger, and shakes the world; he is wrapped in swaddling clothes, and breaks the bonds of sin; he has not yet uttered an articulate sound, and he has taught the magi, and moved them to return. What shall I say, or what shall I speak? Behold, an infant is wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lies in a manger; and Mary is present, being both virgin and mother; and Joseph was present, being called father. He is called husband, she is addressed as wife; lawful names, but destitute of union. Understand me up to the words, but not up to the realities. He was only betrothed, and the Holy Spirit overshadowed her. Wherefore Joseph, being at a loss, did not know what to call the infant. To say he was from adultery he did not dare, he could not pour out a blasphemous word against the virgin, he could not bear to call the child his own; for he knew well that he did not know how or from where the infant was born; wherefore to him, being at a loss about the matter, an oracle was brought from heaven through the voice of the angel, that, "Fear not, Joseph; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." For the Holy Spirit overshadowed the virgin. But why is he born of a virgin, and keeps her virginity unharmed? Because long ago the devil deceived Eve when she was a virgin, for this reason Gabriel brought good news to Mary when she was a virgin. But Eve, having been deceived, brought forth a word that was the cause of death; but Mary, having received good news, gave birth to the Word in the flesh, for us the author of eternal life. The word of Eve pointed to the tree, through which she drove Adam out of 56.393 paradise; but the Word from the Virgin the

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ἀποπληρῶν τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου εἰρημένον· Ἔσται γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ Ἰσραὴλ τρίτος ἐν τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις, καὶ ἐν τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις εὐλογημένος ἔσται ὁ λαός μου ἐν τῇ γῇ, ἣν εὐλόγησε Κύριος Σαβαὼθ λέγων· Εὐλογημένος ἔσται ὁ λαός μου ὁ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ ὁ ἐν τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις καὶ ὁ ἐν Ἰσραήλ. Τί λέγεις, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε; ὁ πρῶτος τρίτος γέγονας; Αἰγύπτιοι καὶ Ἀσσύριοι προετάχθησαν, καὶ ὁ πρωτότοκος Ἰσραὴλ ὑπαριθμεῖται; Ναί· εἰκότως Ἀσσύριοι πρῶτοι ἔσονται, ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτοὶ αὐτὸν πρῶτοι διὰ τῶν μάγων προσεκύνησαν· Αἰγύπτιοι δὲ μετὰ τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους, ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτοὶ φεύγοντα αὐτὸν τὴν Ἡρώδου ἐπιβουλὴν ἐδέξαντο· τελευταῖος δὲ Ἰσραὴλ ὑπαριθμεῖται, ἐπειδὴ μετὰ τὴν ἄνοδον τὴν ἐκ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτὸν ἔγνωσαν. Εἰσῆλθε δὲ εἰς Αἴγυπτον, σείων τὰ χειροποίητα τῆς Αἰγύπτου οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἀπέκλεισε τῆς Αἰγύπτου τὰ πρόθυρα τῇ τῶν πρωτοτόκων ἀπωλείᾳ· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο σήμερον εἰσῆλθεν ὡς πρωτότοκος, ἵνα τῆς 56.392 παλαιᾶς στυγνότητος διαλύσῃ τὸ πένθος. Καὶ ὅτι πρωτότοκος λέγεται ὁ Χριστὸς, μαρτυρεῖ σήμερον ὁ Λουκᾶς ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, λέγων· Καὶ ἔτεκε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον, καὶ ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀνέκλινεν ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ, διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι. Εἰσῆλθεν οὖν εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον, ἵνα τῆς παλαιᾶς στυγνότητος διαλύσῃ τὸ πένθος, ἀντὶ μαστίγων χαρὰν ἐπιβαλὼν, ἀντὶ νυκτὸς καὶ σκότους σωτηρίας φέγγος χαρισάμενος. Βέβηλον ἦν τότε τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸ ὕδωρ τῇ τῶν ἀώρων νηπίων σφαγῇ. Εἰσῆλθεν οὖν εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον ὁ πάλαι τὸ ὕδωρ φοινίξας, καὶ ἐποίησε τὰ ῥεῖθρα τοῦ ποταμοῦ σωτηρίας γεννητικὰ, τὸ ἐναγὲς αὐτῶν καὶ βέβηλον δυνάμει καθαρίσας τοῦ Πνεύματος. Ἐκακώθησαν οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι, καὶ μανέντες ἠρνοῦντο τὸν Θεόν. Εἰσῆλθεν οὖν εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον, καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ ψυχὰς θεοφιλεῖς ἐπλήρωσε· τῷ ποταμῷ δὲ παρέσχε μάρτυρας τρέφειν σταχύων εὐφορωτέρους. Ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ στενὸν τοῦ καιροῦ ἐνταῦθα βούλομαι καταπαῦσαι τὸν λόγον· ὧδε δὲ καταπαύσω, τὸν λόγον πληρώσας, ὅτι πῶς Λόγος ὢν ἀπαθὴς, σὰρξ ἐγένετο, ἀμεταβλήτου μενούσης τῆς φύσεως. Τί δὲ εἴπω, ἢ τί λαλήσω; Τέκτονα καὶ φάτνην ὁρῶ, καὶ βρέφος, καὶ σπάργανα, λοχὸν παρθένου τῶν χρειῶν ἔρημον, ὅλα πτωχείας ἐχόμενα, ὅλα πενίας γέμοντα.

Εἶδες πλοῦτον ἐν πενίᾳ πολλῇ; πῶς πλούσιος ὢν δι' ἡμᾶς ἐπτώχευσε; πῶς οὔτε κλίνην, οὔτε στρωμνὴν εἶχεν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ξηρᾶς ἔῤῥιπτο φάτνης; Ὦ πενία πλούτου πηγή! ὦ πλοῦτε ἄμετρε, πενίας πρόσχημα φέρων! Ἐν φάτνῃ κεῖται, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην σαλεύει· ἐν σπαργάνοις ἐμπλέκεται, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας διαῤῥήσσει δεσμά· οὔπω ἔναρθρον ἔῤῥηξε φωνὴν, καὶ τοὺς μάγους ἐδίδαξε, καὶ ἐκίνησε πρὸς ἐπιστροφήν. Τί εἴπω, ἢ τί λαλήσω; Ἰδοὺ βρέφος σπαργάνοις ἐμπλέκεται, καὶ ἐν φάτνῃ κεῖται· πάρεστι δὲ καὶ Μαρία παρθένος οὖσα καὶ μήτηρ· παρῆν δὲ καὶ Ἰωσὴφ ὀνομαζόμενος πατήρ. Οὗτος ἀνὴρ λέγεται, ἐκείνη γυνὴ προσαγορεύεται· ὀνόματα ἔννομα συζυγίας ἔρημα. Μέχρι ῥημάτων νόησαί μοι, ἀλλ' οὐ μέχρι πραγμάτων. Μόνον οὗτος ἐμνηστεύσατο, καὶ Πνεῦμα ἅγιον αὐτῇ ἐπεσκίασεν. Ὅθεν ἀπορῶν ὁ Ἰωσὴφ οὐκ ᾔδει τί καλέσει τὸ βρέφος. Ἐκ μοιχείας αὐτὸς εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἐτόλμα, κατὰ τῆς παρθένου βλάσφημον καταχέειν λόγον οὐκ ἠδύνατο, τέκνον αὐτὸ εἰπεῖν ἴδιον οὐκ ἠνείχετο· ᾔδει γὰρ καλῶς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔγνω πῶς ἢ πόθεν ἐτέχθη τὸ βρέφος· ὅθεν ἀποροῦντι αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ πρᾶγμα χρησμὸς οὐρανόθεν διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἀγγέλου φωνῆς ἐπεφέρετο, ὅτι Μὴ φοβοῦ, Ἰωσήφ· τὸ γὰρ γεννώμενον ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐκ Πνεύματός ἐστιν ἁγίου. Πνεῦμα γὰρ ἅγιον ἐπεσκίασεν τῇ παρθένῳ. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ ἐκ παρθένου τίκτεται, καὶ τὴν παρθενίαν ἀζήμιον τηρεῖ; Ὅτι πάλαι παρθένον οὖσαν τὴν Εὔαν ἠπάτησεν ὁ διάβολος, διὰ τοῦτο παρθένον οὖσαν τὴν Μαριὰμ ὁ Γαβριὴλ εὐηγγελίσατο. Ἀλλ' ἀπατηθεῖσα μὲν ἡ Εὔα ῥῆμα ἔτεκε θανάτου αἴτιον· εὐαγγελισθεῖσα δὲ ἡ Μαρία Λόγον ἐν σαρκὶ ἐγέννησε, ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἡμῖν πρόξενον. Τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς Εὔας ξύλον ἔδειξε, δι' οὖ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἐκ τοῦ 56.393 παραδείσου ἐξέωσεν· ὁ Λόγος δὲ ὁ ἐκ τῆς Παρθένου τὸν