incarnate God, and Christ the Son and Word of God and God, because He wore the form of man. Question 18. And what reason, or what need did God have, that is, the Son and Word of God, to be incarnate, and as a man to walk on the earth? Answer. God had no need to be incarnate, but humanity was in need of healing. For since God made the heaven and the earth, and all things in them, He also formed man, and placed him in the midst of paradise, and appointed him king over all created things, so that all might serve him, and for him to dwell in paradise, as the image of God. Knowing this, the devil, and envying the dignity of man, advised man himself to disobey God, so that through disobedience he might cast him out of paradise and from the dignity of God, and make the immortal one mortal. But man, having no experience of the evil one’s malice, listened to the counsel of the devil, and disobeyed God, and from then on received the death of sin, likewise also all men born from him, having received sin from their ancestors, held fast to it; and sin prevailed against men. But God sent prophets and teachers into the world; to teach the world, that is, men, and to turn from sin; and the prophets were not able to set things right. For this reason God said to Himself: I will descend, and I will wear flesh, and I will become in human form, and I will teach my creation, and it will turn from the counsel of the devil, and every man will be as God, not by nature, but by adoption. And God, having willed this by the good pleasure of the Father, and the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, 789 the Son and Word of God descended, and entered into the pure womb of a virgin woman, and taking flesh from her, became man; and again coming forth from the woman, and leaving her a pure and sealed and undefiled virgin, just as before, He walked in the world with men, as a man, and then He was called Christ, because of being anointed and wearing the flesh of man. And this is Christ the Son and Word of God, who wears the flesh. Question 19. And how was it possible for a virgin to give birth to flesh, and again to remain a virgin? and this seems to us wondrous and utterly extraordinary; teach us about this also, we pray. Answer. Although this seems wondrous to us, yet it is not the work of man, but of God; for where God wills, the order of nature is overcome; and again: “Wonderful is God,” and “Wonderful are His works.” Nevertheless, hear various and most clear symbols concerning the Virgin who gave birth; remember that Adam, being a virgin, brought forth Eve; and again he remained a virgin, just as before. And just as Adam, a virgin, brought forth and remained a virgin, so also the Theotokos Mary, being a virgin, bore Christ, and again remained a virgin. But also hear another mystery concerning this. Just as a house enclosed on all sides, having on the east a clear and very thin little window of glass, when the sun has risen, its rays pass through the glass and enter, illuminating the whole house; and again, as the sun passes and its rays exit, the glass is not shattered, but remains unharmed by the coming in and going out of the impacts of the sun's rays; so understand me also concerning the ever-virgin Mary. For this all-holy one, being like an enclosed house, the Son and Word of God descending like a divine ray from the Sun of Righteousness of the Father, and entering through the glass-like little window of her ears, illuminated her all-holy house, and again, as He Himself knows, He went forth, not harming her virginity at all; but as before the birth, and

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σεσαρκωμένος Θεὸς, καὶ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς καὶ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Θεὸς, διότι ἐφόρεσε τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μορφήν. Ἐρώτ. ιηʹ. Καὶ τίνα λόγον, ἢ τίνα χρείαν εἶχεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἤγουν ὁ Υἱὸς καὶ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα σαρκωθῇ, καὶ ὡς ἄνθρωπος περιπατεῖν ἐν τῇ γῇ; Ἀπόκ. Θεὸς οὐδεμίαν χρείαν εἶχε τοῦ σαρκωθῆναι, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀνθρωπότης ἐδέετο ἰατρείας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἔπλασε δὲ καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἔθηκεν αὐτὸν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ παραδείσου, καὶ ἔταξεν αὐτὸν βασιλέα εἰς πάντα τὰ κτίσματα, ἵνα πάντα δουλεύωσιν αὐτῷ, καὶ κατοικεῖν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ παρα δείσῳ, ὡς Θεοῦ εἰκών. Εἰδὼς τοῦτο ὁ διάβολος, καὶ φθονήσας τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀξίαν, συνεβούλευσεν αὐτῷ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ παρακοῦσαι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα διὰ τῆς παρακοῆς ἐξώσῃ αὐτὸν τοῦ παραδείσου καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀξίας, καὶ θνητὸν τὸν ἀθάνατον ἀπεργά σηται. Ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος, ὡς μὴ ἔχων πεῖραν κακίας τοῦ πονηροῦ, ἤκουσε τῆς συμβουλῆς τοῦ διαβόλου, καὶ παρήκουσε τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἔκτοτε ἐδέξατο τὸν θάνατον τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ὁμοίως καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐξ ἐκείνου γενόμενοι ἄνθρωποι, ὡς ἐκ προγόνων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν λαβόντες, ἐκράτησαν ταύτην· καὶ ἴσχυσεν ἡ ἁμαρτία κατὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἔπεμψε δὲ ὁ Θεὸς προφήτας καὶ διδασκάλους εἰς τὸν κόσμον· ἵνα διδά ξωσι τὸν κόσμον, ἤγουν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, καὶ στρα φῶσιν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας· καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν οἱ προφῆται τοῦ διορθώσασθαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἑαυτῷ· Καταβήσομαι, καὶ φορέσω σάρκα, καὶ γε νήσομαι ἀνθρωπόμορφος, καὶ διδάξω τὸ πλάσμα μου, καὶ στραφήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου συμβουλῆς, καὶ ἔσται πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ὡς Θεὸς οὐ κατὰ φύσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ θέσιν. Καὶ τοῦτο βουληθεὶς ὁ Θεὸς εὐδοκίᾳ τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ συνεργείᾳ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, 789 συγκατέβη ὁ Υἱὸς καὶ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς καθαρὰν κοιλίαν παρθένου γυναικὸς, καὶ προσ λαβόμενος σάρκα ἐξ αὐτῆς, ἐνηνθρώπησε· καὶ πάλιν ἐκ τῆς γυναικὸς ἐξελθὼν, καὶ ἐγκαταλείψας αὐτὴν καθαρὰν καὶ ἐσφραγισμένην παρθένον ἀμόλυντον, καθάπερ τὸ πρότερον, περιεπάτησεν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ μετὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὡς ἄνθρωπος, καὶ τότε ὠνο μάσθη Χριστὸς, διὰ τὸ χρισθῆναί τε καὶ φορέσαι τὴν σάρκα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Καὶ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς καὶ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ σάρκα φορῶν. Ἐρώτ. ιθʹ. Καὶ πῶς ἦν δυνατὸν σάρκα παρθένον γεννῆσαι, καὶ πάλιν μένειν παρθένον; καὶ τοῦτο θαυ μαστὸν ἡμῖν καὶ πάνυ ἐξαίσιον φαίνεται· δίδαξον ἡμᾶς καὶ περὶ τούτου, δεόμεθα. Ἀπόκ. Εἰ καὶ θαυμαστὸν ἡμῖν δοκεῖ τοῦτο, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἔργον, Θεοῦ δέ· ὅπου γὰρ βούλεται Θεὸς, νικᾶται φύσεως τάξις· καὶ πάλιν· «Θαυμαστὸς ὁ Θεὸς,» καὶ «Θαυμαστὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ.» Πλὴν ἄκου σον περὶ τῆς γεννησάσης Παρθένου ποικίλα καὶ ἐναργέστατα σύμβολα· μνήσθητι, ὅτι παρθένος ὢν ὁ Ἀδὰμ τὴν Εὔαν ἐγέννησε· καὶ πάλιν παρθένος διέμεινε, καθάπερ τὸ πρότερον. Καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ Ἀδὰμ παρθένος ἐγέννησε καὶ παρθένος διέμεινε, οὕτω καὶ ἡ Θεοτόκος Μαρία, παρθένος οὖσα, ἔτεκε τὸν Χρι στὸν, καὶ πάλιν παρθένος διέμεινε. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλο πρὸς τοῦτο μυστήριον ἄκουσον. Ὥσπερ οἶκος περι πεφραγμένος πάντοθεν ἀνατολικὸν ἔχων ὑέλινόν τε καθαρὸν καὶ λεπτότατον παραθυρίδιον, ἀνατείλαντος τοῦ ἡλίου αἱ ἀκτῖνες αὐτοῦ διαπερῶσι τὸν ὑελὸν καὶ εἰσέρχονται πάντα τὸν οἶκον καταφωτίζοντες· καὶ πάλιν παρερχομένου τοῦ ἡλίου καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ ἀκτίνων ἐξερχομένων, ὁ ὑελὸς οὐ συντρίβεται, ἀλλ' ἀβλαβὴς ἐκ τῶν εἰσερχομένων τε καὶ ἐξερχομένων προσκρούσεων τοῦ ἡλίου διαμένει ἀκτίνων· οὕτω μοι νόει καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀειπαρθένου Μαρίας. Αὕτη γὰρ ἡ πάναγνος, ὡς οἶκος οὖσα περιπεφραγμένος, ὁ Υἱὸς καὶ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ καθάπερ ἀκτὶς θεϊκὴ ἐκ τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης τοῦ Πατρὸς κατελθὼν, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ὑελίνου παραθυριδίου τῶν ὠτίων αὐτῆς εἰσελθὼν, τὸν πανάγιον οἶκον αὐτῆς κατεφώτισε, καὶ πάλιν ὡς οἶδεν αὐτὸς, ἐξῆλθε, μὴ λυμήνας τὴν παρθενίαν ἐκείνης τὸ σύνολον· ἀλλ' ὡς πρὸ τοῦ τόκου, καὶ

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