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to have become the source of these streams. For if they, he says, had not sinned, they would not have received the penalty of death; and not being mortal, they would have been superior to corruption; and with incorruption, impassibility would certainly have been present; and with impassibility reigning, sin would have had no place. But since they sinned, they were handed over to corruption; having become corruptible, they also begot such children; and with such beings, desires and fears and pleasures are associated. Against these things reason also struggles, and when it is victorious it is proclaimed, but when defeated it incurs shame. But Symmachus, instead of "She kissed me," has put "She conceived." [For behold, you have loved truth. Thus, he says, you judge, and some you punish, and others you crown, since you cherish the truth. And cherishing the truth, and knowing the weakness of nature, grant pardon to those who ask for the remedies. And the hidden and secret things of your wisdom you have made known to me.] Leaving aside mention of the kingdom, he speaks of prophecy. Thus you honored me, your Son you revealed to me and made known. I learned that you have a Son, that you have one who shares your throne, I learned that he is to become man. We have preached the Gospels to the world, the cross, the tomb, the resurrection, the ascension; I spoke of his descent, I spoke of his ascent, I spoke of his session at the right hand, I spoke of the calling of the Church, I spoke of the salvation of the nations, I spoke of the casting out of the Jews, I spoke of the election of the apostles. For behold, "The hidden and secret things of your wisdom you have made known to me." Thus you honored me, thus you loved me, that even the greatest mystery, your Son, you revealed to me. And where did he make these things known? Hear the prophet himself, how he speaks of his descent from heaven. "He shall come down like rain upon a fleece." What is this? Since when the Son of God came, he did not come shaking the world, nor casting lightning, nor sending thunderbolts, nor in his naked divinity; for all things would have been destroyed, if he had come in his naked divinity; the mountains would not have borne it; since, "He looks upon the earth, and makes it tremble, because he touches the mountains, and they smoke." If he had shown his naked substance, the sun would have been extinguished, the moon would have vanished, the sea would have been dried up, the earth would have perished, our nature would have been paralyzed. For this reason he put on flesh, coming gently and without a sound, with no one knowing, not even the devil himself; but he came gently, and dwelt 55.584 in a virgin's womb. O new and paradoxical things! A stone melts, and a womb does not melt; the mountains are destroyed, and the womb bears God. How shall I explain? How shall I present it? O madness of the heretic! How did the handmaiden bear the Master? You who scrutinize the things above, tell of the things below; he who is everywhere present, how was he in the womb, and was not confined? For he was both in the womb, and he was seated on the throne. But how, I do not know; I accept it by faith, I do not scrutinize it with reason. But that he is to come without a sound, not disturbing, nor making a noise, "He shall come down like rain upon a fleece." He did not say, "Upon the earth," but, "Upon a fleece." For rain coming down upon the earth makes a sound; but coming down upon wool and a fleece it makes no sound; for the softness of the wool absorbs the force of the downpour of the rain. 8. And that you may learn that he came without a sound, not disturbing, not making a noise, not destroying, not doing harm, "He shall come down like rain upon a fleece." You spoke of his descent that happened without a sound; speak also of his betrayal; "He who eats my bread has lifted up his heel against me." Speak of the envy of the Jews; "They hated me without a cause." Speak also of his judgment; "Why did the nations rage, and the peoples plot

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γεγενῆσθαι τῶν ῥευμάτων τούτων πηγήν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι, φησὶ, μὴ ἥμαρτον, οὐκ ἂν ἐδέξαντο τοῦ θανάτου τὸ ἐπιτίμιον· θνητοὶ δὲ μὴ ὄντες, κρείττους ἂν ἦσαν φθορᾶς· τῇ δὲ ἀφθαρσίᾳ πάντως ἂν καὶ ἀπάθεια συνῆν· ἀπαθείας δὲ πολιτευομένης, χώραν οὐκ ἂν ἔσχεν ἡ ἁμαρτία. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐξήμαρτον, φθορᾷ παρεδόθησαν· φθαρτοὶ γενόμενοι, τοιούτους καὶ γεγεννήκασι παῖδας· τοῖς δὲ τοιούτοις ἐπιθυμίαι καὶ φόβοι καὶ ἡδοναὶ συμπαρέπονται. Πρὸς ταῦτα καὶ λογισμὸς ἀγωνίζεται, καὶ νενικηκὼς μὲν ἀνακηρύττεται, ἡττηθεὶς δὲ αἰσχύνας ὀφλισκάνει. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, ἀντὶ τοῦ Ἐκίσσησεν, Ἐκύησε τέθεικεν.[Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἀλήθειαν ἠγάπησας. Οὕτω δὲ, φησὶ, κρί νεις, καὶ τοὺς μὲν κολάζεις, τοὺς δὲ στεφανοῖς, ἐπειδὴ τὴν ἀλήθειαν στέργεις. Τὴν δὲ ἀλήθειαν στέργων, καὶ τῆς φύσεως εἰδὼς τὴν ἀσθένειαν, μετάδος συγγνώμης τοῖς αἰτοῦσι τὰ φάρμακα. Καὶ τὰ ἄδηλα καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῆς σοφίας σου ἐδήλωσάς μοι.] Ἀφεὶς εἰπεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν, λέγει τὴν προφητείαν. Οὕτω με ἐτίμησας, τὸν Υἱόν σου ἀπεκάλυψάς μοι καὶ γνώριμον ἐποίησας. Ἔμαθον ὅτι Υἱὸν ἔχεις, ὅτι σύνθρονον ἔχεις, ἔμαθον ὅτι μέλλει γίνεσθαι ἄνθρωπος. Εὐηγγελίσαμεν τὰ Εὐαγγέλια τῇ οἰκουμένῃ, τὸν σταυρὸν, τὸν τάφον, τὴν ἀνάστασιν, τὴν ἀνάληψιν· εἶπον αὐτοῦ τὴν κατάβασιν, εἶπον αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀνάβασιν, εἶπον αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐκ δεξιῶν καθέδραν, εἶ πον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὴν κλῆσιν, εἶπον τῶν ἐθνῶν τὴν σωτηρίαν, εἶπον τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὴν ἐκβολὴν, εἶπον τῶν ἀποστόλων τὴν ἐκλογήν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, Τὰ ἄδηλα καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῆς σοφίας σου ἐδήλωσάς μοι. Οὕτω με ἐτί μησας, οὕτω με ἐφίλησας, ὅτι καὶ τὸ μέγιστον μυστή ριον, τὸν Υἱόν σου ἀπεκάλυψάς μοι. Καὶ ποῦ ταῦτα ἐδήλωσεν; Ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ τοῦ προφήτου, πῶς λέγει αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατάβασιν. Καταβήσεται ὡς ὑετὸς ἐπὶ πόκον. Τί ἐστι τοῦτο; Ἐπειδὴ παραγενόμενος ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἦλθε σείων τὴν οἰκουμένην, οὐδὲ ἀστραπὰς ἀφεὶς, οὐδὲ κεραυνοὺς πέμπων, οὐδὲ γυμνῇ τῇ θεότητι· πάντα γὰρ ἂν ἀπώλετο, εἰ ἦλθε γυμνῇ τῇ θεότητι· οὐκ ἂν τὰ ὄρη ἤνεγκαν· ἐπειδὴ, Ἐπιβλέπει ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ποιεῖ αὐτὴν τρέ μειν, διότι ἅπτεται τῶν ὀρέων, καὶ καπνίζονται. Εἰ γυμνὴν τὴν οὐσίαν ἔδειξεν, ὁ ἥλιος ἂν ἐσβέσθη, ἡ σελήνη ἂν ἠφανίσθη, θάλαττα ἂν ἐξηράνθη, γῆ ἂν ἀπώλετο, ἡ φύσις ἡμῶν παρελύθη. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο σάρκα περιεβάλετο, ἠρέμα καὶ ἀψοφητὶ ἐρχόμενος, οὐδενὸς ἐπισταμένου, οὐδὲ αὐτοῦ τοῦ διαβόλου· ἀλλ' ἦλθεν ἠρέμα, καὶ ᾤκησεν 55.584 εἰς μήτραν παρθενικήν. Ὢ καινῶν καὶ παραδόξων πραγμάτων! Λίθος τήκεται, καὶ μήτρα οὐ τήκεται· τὰ ὄρη διαφθείρεται, καὶ ἡ μήτρα Θεὸν βαστάζει. Πῶς ἑρμηνεύσω; πῶς παραστήσω; Ὢ ἀπόνοια τοῦ αἱρετι κοῦ! Πῶς ἡ δούλη τὸν ∆εσπότην ἐβάστασεν; Ὁ ἐξετάζων τὰ ἄνω, εἰπὲ τὰ κάτω· ὁ πανταχοῦ παρὼν πῶς ἐν τῇ μήτρᾳ ἦν, καὶ οὐ συνεκλείετο; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐν τῇ μήτρᾳ ἦν, καὶ ἐν τῷ θρόνῳ ἐκαθέζετο Τὸ δὲ πῶς, οὐκ οἶδα· πίστει δέχομαι, οὐ περιεργάζομαι λογισμῷ. Ἀλλ' ὅτι ἀψοφητὶ μέλλει παραγίνεσθαι, οὐ ταράττων, οὐδὲ θορυ βῶν, Καταβήσεται ὡς ὑετὸς ἐπὶ πόκον. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, ἀλλ', Ἐπὶ πόκον. Ἐπὶ γὰρ τὴν γῆν καταβαίνων ὁ ὑετὸς ψόφον ποιεῖ· ἐπὶ δὲ ἔριον καὶ πόκον καταβαίνων ψόφον οὐ ποιεῖ· τὸ γὰρ ἁπαλὸν τοῦ ἐρίου ἐκλύει τὸ ῥαγδαῖον τῆς καταβολῆς τοῦ ὑετοῦ. ηʹ. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ἀψοφητὶ ἦλθεν, οὐ ταράττων, οὐ θορυβῶν, οὐκ ἀπολλύων, οὐ λυμαινόμενος, Καταβήσεται ὡς ὑετὸς ἐπὶ πόκον. Εἶπες αὐτοῦ τὴν κατάβασιν τὴν ἀψοφητὶ γενομένην· λέγε αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν προδοσίαν· Ὁ ἐσθίων ἄρτους μου, ἐμεγάλυνεν ἐπ' ἐμὲ πτερνι σμόν. Λέγε τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὸν φθόνον· Ἐμίσησάν με δωρεάν. Λέγε αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ δικαστήριον· Ἵνα τί ἐφρύα ξαν ἔθνη, καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν