8

this man in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he too received him into his arms, and blessed God and said: Now you dismiss your servant, O Lord, according to your word, in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. O truly blessed and thrice-blessed elder! How blessed was that truly holy entrance of yours into the temple, through which you ran toward the exit of life! How blessed are the eyes of your soul and body alike! The one, having received the visible theophany; the other, not looking only at what was seen, but illuminated by the very light of the Spirit, and having recognized the God-Logos in the body, the ones that knew the divine salvation prepared in the presence of all peoples. How blessed are your hands that handled the Word of life! How blessed is your tongue that evangelized the revelation of the life-giving light! And why do I hasten to apply specific praise to you for each of your members, when the evangelist has already taught that you are entirely praiseworthy and blessed, and possessed by the Holy Spirit? But come, O blessed Father, by the inspiration of the Spirit within you, teach the nurslings as children of the Church the hidden treasure, as if in earthen vessels with your few words; since to you and those like you, adorned with the grey hair of heavenly wisdom and being truly elders, and being called Fathers of the Church, the divine word guides us to be taught the salvific doctrines, saying, "Ask your father, and he will show you; your elders, and they will tell you."

46.1173 Therefore, may the power of the Spirit which then moved his tongue to theology, also now give us utterance in the opening of our mouth. "Now," he says, "you dismiss your servant, O Lord, according to your word in peace." For since Christ became man and obliterated war-making sin, and reconciled us to the Father, the departure of the saints happens in peace. For great David, prophetically indicating this beforehand, said: "In peace I will both lie down and sleep;" alluding not to the present, but to what was to come at the advent of Christ. And since such hope (I mean the peaceful sleep in Christ) uniquely dwelt in the saints through the Spirit, he says: "For you, O Lord, alone have made me dwell in hope." But the blessed elder Symeon, seeing the time already present, says, "Now you dismiss your servant, O Lord, according to your word in peace;" showing the present reality of the divine promise. "For my eyes," he says, "have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples;" that is, the salvation that came through Christ for the whole world, and not for Israel alone. How then is it testified above that he was waiting for the consolation of Israel, but is now seen proclaiming God's salvation in the presence of all peoples? Because he knew by the Spirit that the consolation of Israel would be then, when the salvation was also prepared for all peoples. But see the precision of the divine inspiration. "For a light," he says, "for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel;" speaking things in agreement with the great Paul in his enumeration of Israel. "For when," he says, "the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then all Israel will be saved." Therefore, he too, having placed the calling of the Gentiles first, lastly, according to the prophecy, stored up the conversion of all Israel; even though the remnant has already been saved through those from the Jews who have already run to grace. Behold for me also the literal meaning of the sublime thoughts. For having said, "a light for revelation to the Gentiles," he gives us to understand the revelation of the divine salvation, as they had no radiance of the knowledge of God, being in complete darkness and utter gloom. For before the

8

οὗτος ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, καὶ ἐν τῷ εἰσαγαγεῖν τοὺς γονεῖς τὸ παιδίον Ἰησοῦν, τοῦ ποιῆσαι κατὰ τὸ εἰθισμένον τοῦ νόμου περὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐδέξατο αὐτὸν εἰς τὰς ἀγκάλας αὑτοῦ, καὶ εὐλόγησεν τὸν Θεὸν καὶ εἶπεν· Νῦν ἀπολύεις τὸν δοῦλόν σου, ∆έσπο τα, κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ· ὅτι εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου τὸ Σωτήριον, ὃ ἡτοίμασας κατὰ πρόσωπον πάντων τῶν λαῶν, φῶς εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν καὶ δόξαν λαοῦ σου Ἰσραήλ. Ὦ μακάριε ἀληθῶς καὶ τρισμακάριε πρεσβύτα! Ὡς μακαρία σου ἐκείνη ἡ ὄντως ἱερὰ εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν εἴσ οδος, δι' ἧς πρὸς τὴν τοῦ βίου ἔξοδον ἔδραμες! Ὡς μακάριά σου τὰ ὄμματα τῆς ψυχῆς ὁμοῦ καὶ σώμα τος! Τὰ μὲν τῆς ὁρατῆς θεοφανείας ἐν ἀντιλήψει γενόμενα· τὰ δὲ μὴ πρὸς τὸ ὁρώμενον ἀπιδόντα μόνον, ἀλλ' αὐτῷ τῷ τοῦ Πνεύματος κατηυγασμένα φωτὶ, καὶ τὸν ἐν τῷ σώματι Θεὸν Λόγον γνωρίσαντα, τὰ τὸ θεῖον εἰδότα σωτήριον, τὸ κατὰ πρόσωπον πάν των τῶν λαῶν ἡτοιμασμένον. Ὡς μακάριαί σου αἱ χεῖρες αἱ τὸν Λόγον τῆς ζωῆς ψηλαφήσασαι! Ὡς μακαρία σου ἡ γλῶττα ἡ τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν τοῦ ζωτικοῦ φωτὸς εὐαγγελισαμένη! Καὶ τί ἄν σοι καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν μελῶν ἰδικῶς ἁρμόζειν ἐπείγομαι ἔπαινον, ἤδη σε ὅλον ἐπαινετὸν καὶ μακάριον, καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύ ματι κάτοχον τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ προδιδάξαντος; Ἀλλὰ δεῦρο, ὦ μακάριε Πάτερ, τῇ ἐν σοὶ ὑπηχήσει τοῦ Πνεύματος δίδαξον ὡς τέκνα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὰ θρέμματα τὸν ἀποκεκρυμμένον θησαυρὸν, καθάπερ ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσι τοῖς ὀλίγοις σου ῥήμασιν· ἐπείπερ πρὸς ὑμᾶς τε καὶ τοὺς καθ' ὑμᾶς τῇ πολιᾷ τῆς ἄνω φρονήσεως κεκοσμημένους καὶ πρεσβυτέρους ὄντως ὑπάρχοντας, καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας Πατέρας χρηματίζοντας, ὁ θεῖος ἡμᾶς ὁδηγεῖ λόγος μαθητευσομένους τὰ σωτηριώδη διδάγματα, Ἐπερώτησον, λέγων, τὸν πατέρα σου· καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ σοι τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους σου, καὶ ἐροῦσί σοι.

46.1173 Ἡ τὴν ἐκείνου τοιγαροῦν γλῶτταν κινήσασα τότε πρὸς θεολογίαν τοῦ Πνεύματος δύναμις, καὶ ἡμῖν διδότω λόγον νῦν ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματος. Νῦν ἀπο λύεις, φησὶ, τὸν δοῦλόν σου, ∆έσποτα, κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ. Ἐξότε γὰρ Χριστὸς ἐνηνθρώπησε, καὶ τὴν πολεμοποιὸν ἁμαρτίαν ἐξηφάνισεν, καὶ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡμᾶς κατήλλαξεν, ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἡ τῶν ἁγίων μετάστασις γίνεται. Τοῦτο γὰρ προφητικῶς καὶ ὁ μέγας ∆αβὶδ προενδεικνύμενος ἔλεγεν· Ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κοιμηθήσομαι καὶ ὑπνώσω· τὸ μὴ παρὸν, ἀλλὰ μέλλον κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν αἰνιττόμενος. Καὶ ὡς μονοτρόπως τῆς τοιαύτης ἐλπί δος (τῆς εἰρηναίας φημὶ ἐν Χριστῷ κοιμήσεως), τοῖς ἁγίοις εἰσοικισθείσης διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος, φησίν· Ὅτι σὺ, Κύριε, καταμόνας ἐπ' ἐλπίδι κατῴκισάς με. Ὁ δὲ μακάριος πρεσβύτης Συμεὼν, ἤδη παρόντα τὸν καιρὸν θεασάμενος, φησὶ, Νῦν ἀπολύεις τὸν δοῦλόν σου, ∆έσποτα, κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ· τὸ ἐνεστηκὸς τῆς θείας δεικνύων ἐπαγγελίας. Ὅτι εἶδον, φησὶν, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου τὸ Σωτήριόν σου, ὃ ἡτοίμασας κατὰ πρόσωπον πάντων τῶν λαῶν· τουτέστι τὴν διὰ Χριστοῦ γενομένην παντὶ τῷ κόσμῳ σωτηρίαν, καὶ οὐ μόνῳ τῷ Ἰσραήλ. Πῶς οὖν ἀνωτέρω μεμαρτύρηται τὴν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ προσδέχεσθαι παράκλησιν, νῦν δὲ ὤφθη τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ σωτήριον ἐνώπιον πάντων τῶν λαῶν ἀναφθεγγόμενος; Ἐπειδὴ τότε τὴν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἔσεσθαι παράκλησιν ἔγνω τῷ Πνεύματι, ὅτε καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς λαοῖς ἡτοίμασται τὸ σωτήριον. Ὅρα δὲ τὸ ἀκριβὲς τῆς θείας ἐμπνεύσεως. Φῶς γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν, καὶ δόξαν λαοῦ σου Ἰσραήλ· ὁμόλογα τῷ μεγάλῳ Παύλῳ ἐν τῇ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὑπαριθμήσει φθεγγόμενος. Ὅτε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ, τότε καὶ πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται. Οὐκοῦν καὶ αὐτὸς προτάξας τὴν κλῆσιν τῶν ἐθνῶν, τελευταῖον κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν τὴν τοῦ παντὸς Ἰσραὴλ ἐταμιεύσατο ἐπιστροφήν· κἂν ὅτι ἤδη τὸ κατάλειμμα σέσωσται διὰ τῶν ἤδη ἐξ Ἰουδαίων προσδραμόντων τῇ χάριτι. Θέα δέ μοι καὶ τὸ τῶν ὑψηλῶν νοημάτων κυριόλεκτον. Φῶς γὰρ εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν εἰρηκὼς, τὴν τοῦ θείου σωτηρίου ἀποκάλυψιν νοεῖν ἡμῖν δίδωσιν, ὡς ἐν σκότῳ παντελεῖ καὶ τελείᾳ ζοφώσει μηδένα αὐγασμὸν θεογνωσίας ἔχοντα. Πρὸ γὰρ τῆς