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from the Father, and to have been taken up, but also to have raised himself, and to have ascended again. The former are of His good pleasure, the latter of His authority. But you mention the things that diminish him, and you run past the things that 36.329 exalt him; and that he suffered, you reckon; but that he did so willingly, you do not add. What things the Word suffers even now! By some, as God, he is honored and confounded; but by others, as flesh, he is dishonored and separated. With whom should he be more angry? Or rather, whom should he forgive? Those who wrongly join, or those who sever? For it was necessary both to divide the one group and to unite the other; the one by number, the other by the Godhead. Do you stumble at the flesh? So did the Jews. Or do you also call him a Samaritan? and I will be silent as to what follows. Do you disbelieve in his Godhead? Not even the demons do this. O more faithless than demons, and more senseless than Jews! The former considered the title of Son a word of equal honor; the latter knew the God who was driving them out. For they were convinced by what they suffered. But you, you neither accept his equality, nor confess his Godhead. It were better for you to have been circumcised and possessed by a demon, to say something even jokingly, than in uncircumcision and health to be in a wicked and godless state.

16. A little later, then, you will see Jesus also being cleansed in the Jordan for my cleansing; or rather, sanctifying the waters by his cleansing (for he himself was not in need of cleansing, who takes away the sin of the world), and the heavens being rent, and being testified to by the kindred Spirit, and being tempted, and conquering, and being served by angels, and healing every disease and every infirmity, and giving life to the dead (O that he would give life to you also, who are dead in your evil opinion), and casting out demons, some by himself, others through his disciples, and feeding multitudes with a few loaves, and walking on the sea, and being betrayed, and being crucified, and crucifying my sin with him; being offered as a lamb, and offering as a priest, being buried as a man, and rising again as God, then also ascending, and he will come again with his own glory. How many festivals I have for each of the mysteries of Christ! Of all of which the one chief point is, my perfection and re-creation, and my return to the first Adam.

17. But now, receive for me the conception, and leap for joy; if not like John from the womb, yet like David at the resting of the ark. And reverence the census, through which you were enrolled in heaven; and venerate the birth, through which you were loosed from the bonds of birth; and honor the little Beth 36.332 lehem, which has brought you back to paradise; and adore the manger, through which you, being without reason, were fed by the Word. Know, like an ox, your owner, Isaiah commands you, and, like a donkey, its master's crib; whether you are one of the clean, and under the law, and chewing the cud of the word, and fit for sacrifice; or if you are as yet among the unclean, and not to be eaten, and not to be sacrificed, and of the gentile portion. Run with the star, and with the Magi bring gifts, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh, as to a king, and as to God, and as to one who is dead for your sake. With shepherds glorify him, with angels sing hymns, with archangels dance. Let there be a common festival of heavenly and earthly powers. For I am persuaded that they also rejoice with us and celebrate the festival with us today; if indeed they are lovers of humanity and lovers of God, just like those whom David introduces as ascending with Christ after his passion, and meeting him, and commanding one another the lifting up of the gates. 18. Hate one thing concerning Christ's birth, the child-murder of Herod; or rather, reverence this too, the sacrifice of Christ's own age, offered before the new victim. If he flees into Egypt, readily become a fellow-fugitive. It is a good thing to flee with Christ when he is persecuted. If he tarries in Egypt, call him out of Egypt, since he is well worshipped there. Pass blamelessly through all the ages and powers of Christ, as a disciple of Christ.

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παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ ἀνειλῆφθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἀνεστακέναι, καὶ ἀνε ληλυθέναι πάλιν. ἐκεῖνα τῆς εὐδοκίας, ταῦτα τῆς ἐξουσίας. Σὺ δὲ τὰ μὲν ἐλαττοῦντα λέγεις, τὰ 36.329 ὑψοῦντα δὲ παρατρέχεις· καὶ ὅτι μὲν ἔπαθε, λο γίζῃ· ὅτι δὲ ἑκὼν, οὐ προστίθης. Οἷα πάσχει καὶ νῦν ὁ Λόγος! Ὑπὸ μὲν τῶν, ὡς Θεὸς, τιμᾶται καὶ συναλείφεται· ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν, ὡς σὰρξ, ἀτιμά ζεται καὶ χωρίζεται. Τίσιν ὀργισθῇ πλέον; Μᾶλλον δὲ τίσιν ἀφῇ; Τοῖς συναιροῦσι κακῶς, ἢ τοῖς τέ μνουσι; Καὶ γὰρ κἀκείνους διαιρεῖν ἔδει, καὶ τού τους συνάπτειν· τοὺς μὲν τῷ ἀριθμῷ, τοὺς δὲ τῇ θεότητι. Προσκόπτεις τῇ σαρκί; Τοῦτο καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι. Ἢ καὶ Σαμαρείτην ἀποκαλεῖς; καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς σιω πήσομαι. Ἀπιστεῖς τῇ θεότητι; Τοῦτο οὐδὲ οἱ δαί μονες. Ὦ δαιμόνων ἀπιστότερε, καὶ Ἰουδαίων ἀγνωμονέστερε! Ἐκεῖνοι τὴν τοῦ Υἱοῦ προσηγορίαν, ὁμοτιμίας φωνὴν ἐνόμισαν· οὗτοι τὸν ἐλαύνοντα Θεὸν ᾔδεσαν. Ἐπείθοντο γὰρ ἐξ ὧν ἔπασχον. Σὺ δὲ, οὐδὲ τὴν ἰσότητα δέχῃ, οὐδὲ ὁμολογεῖς τὴν θεό τητα. Κρεῖττον ἦν σοι περιτετμῆσθαι καὶ δαιμονᾷν, ἵν' εἴπω τι καὶ γελοίως, ἢ ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ καὶ ὑγιείᾳ διακεῖσθαι πονηρῶς καὶ ἀθέως.

Ιςʹ. Μικρὸν μὲν οὖν ὕστερον ὄψει καὶ κα θαιρόμενον Ἰησοῦν ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ τὴν ἐμὴν κάθαρσιν· μᾶλλον δὲ ἁγνίζοντα τῇ καθάρσει τὰ ὕδατα (οὐ γὰρ δὴ αὐτὸς ἐδεῖτο καθάρσεως, ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου), καὶ σχιζομένους τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ συγγενοῦς Πνεύματος μαρτυρούμενον, καὶ πειραζόμενον, καὶ νικῶντα, καὶ ὑπὸ ἀγγέλων ὑπηρετούμενον, καὶ θεραπεύοντα πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν, καὶ ζωοποιοῦντα νεκροὺς (ὡς ὄφελόν γε καὶ σὲ τῇ κακοδοξίᾳ νενεκρω μένον), καὶ δαίμονας ἀπελαύνοντα, τὰ μὲν δι' ἑαυτοῦ, τὰ δὲ διὰ τῶν μαθητῶν, καὶ ἄρτοις ὀλίγοις τρέφοντα μυριάδας, καὶ πεζεύοντα πέλαγος, καὶ προδιδόμενον, καὶ σταυρούμενον, καὶ συσταυροῦντα τὴν ἐμὴν ἁμαρ τίαν· ὡς ἀμνὸν προσαγόμενον, καὶ ὡς ἱερέα προσ άγοντα, ὡς ἄνθρωπον θαπτόμενον, καὶ ὡς Θεὸν ἐγειρόμενον, εἶτα καὶ ἀνερχόμενον, καὶ ἥξοντα μετὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δόξης. Πόσαι μοι πανηγύρεις καθ' ἕκα στον τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ μυστηρίων! Ὧν ἁπάντων κε φάλαιον ἓν, ἡ ἐμὴ τελείωσις καὶ ἀνάπλασις, καὶ πρὸς τὸν πρῶτον Ἀδὰμ ἐπάνοδος.

ΙΖʹ. Νυνὶ δέ μοι δέξαι τὴν κύησιν, καὶ προσ κίρτησον· εἰ καὶ μὴ ὡς Ἰωάννης ἀπὸ γαστρὸς, ἀλλ' ὡς ∆αβὶδ ἐπὶ τῇ καταπαύσει τῆς κιβωτοῦ. Καὶ τὴν ἀπογραφὴν αἰδέσθητι, δι' ἣν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἐγρά φης· καὶ τὴν γέννησιν σεβάσθητι, δι' ἣν ἐλύ θης τῶν δεσμῶν τῆς γεννήσεως· καὶ τὴν Βηθ 36.332 λεὲμ τίμησον τὴν μικρὰν, ἥ σε πρὸς τὸν παράδεισον ἐπανήγαγε· καὶ τὴν φάτνην προσκύνησον, δι' ἣν ἄλογος ὢν, ἐτράφης ὑπὸ τοῦ Λόγου. Γνῶθι, ὡς βοῦς, τὸν κτησάμενον, Ἡσαΐας διακελεύεταί σοι, καὶ, ὡς ὄνος, τὴν φάτνην τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ· εἴτε τῶν καθαρῶν τις εἶ, καὶ ὑπὸ τὸν νόμον, καὶ μηρυ κισμὸν ἀναγόντων τοῦ λόγου, καὶ πρὸς θυσίαν ἐπι τηδείων· εἴτε τῶν ἀκαθάρτων τέως, καὶ ἀβρώτων, καὶ ἀθύτων, καὶ τῆς ἐθνικῆς μερίδος. Μετὰ τοῦ ἀστέρος δράμε, καὶ μετὰ Μάγων δωροφόρησον, χρυσὸν, καὶ λίβανον, καὶ σμύρναν, ὡς βασιλεῖ, καὶ ὡς Θεῷ, καὶ ὡς διὰ σὲ νεκρῷ. Μετὰ ποιμένων δόξα σον, μετὰ ἀγγέλων ὕμνησον, μετὰ ἀρχαγγέλων χό ρευσον. Ἔστω κοινὴ πανήγυρις οὐρανίων καὶ ἐπι γείων δυνάμεων. Πείθομαι γὰρ κἀκείνας συναγάλλεσθαι καὶ συμπανηγυρίζειν σήμερον· εἴπερ εἰσὶ φιλάνθρωποι καὶ φιλόθεοι, ὥσπερ ἃς ∆αβὶδ εἰσάγει μετὰ τὸ πάθος συνανιούσας Χριστῷ, καὶ προσυπαντώσας, καὶ διακελευομένας ἀλλήλαις τὴν τῶν πυλῶν ἔπαρσιν. ΙΗʹ. Ἓν μίσησον τῶν περὶ τὴν Χριστοῦ γένναν, τὴν Ἡρώδου παιδοκτονίαν· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ταύτην αἰδέσθητι, τὴν ἡλικιῶτιν Χριστοῦ θυσίαν, τοῦ καινοῦ σφαγίου προθυομένην. Ἂν εἰς Αἴγυπτον φεύγῃ, προθύμως συμφυγαδεύθητι. Καλὸν τῷ Χριστῷ συμφεύγειν διωκομένῳ. Ἂν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ βραδύνῃ, κάλεσον αὐτὸν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, καλῶς ἐκεῖ προσκυνούμενον. ∆ιὰ πασῶν ὅδευσον ἀμέμπτως τῶν ἡλικιῶν Χριστοῦ καὶ δυνάμεων, ὡς Χριστοῦ μαθητής.