Gregory of Nyssa, On the Meeting of the Lord

having set it in our mind through the investigation of the present subject, let us see what she also was discoursing to those expecting redemption in Jerusalem.

For according to the sequence of thought from the prophetic words, she was making her discourse concerning the Lord; since these also, to whom the Gospel said she was speaking these things, had certainly learned from the divine oracles uttered in the prophets to expect redemption. Surely the word of the great Isaiah was ready at hand for her for an outline of the mystery: A child is born to us, a son is also given to us, whose government was born upon his shoulder, and that his name is called Angel of great counsel. And indeed, Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. And David the great was brought forward: Mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other; and, All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. And pointing to him: Before the sun his name endures, and in him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed. All nations will call him blessed, and they will serve him and worship him; and that the Lord has made known his salvation to the sons of Israel. And again the precious and angel-like voice of the wise Malachi: Behold, I send my angel, and he will prepare the way before your face and the Lord will suddenly come to his temple, and the angel of the covenant, whom you desire. And with other mystical flowers of prophetic oracles from various places she wove the theological and blessed crown, with a hand still weak and trembling, as one advanced in many days. For at that time the narration of the lofty thoughts concerning the Lord was not received by those who heard, when even after so great a demonstration of signs and the proclamation of the divine mysteries Christ, the steward of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, said to his own disciples: I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

Nevertheless, even if the aged prophetess spoke dimly concerning the Lord, as having the person 46.1180 of the Law, which, having grown old and aged and having come near to vanishing, gave way to the New Covenant; but still the discourse from her was not incomplete for discerning listeners, just as neither was the proclamation of the great mystery from the Law in shadows and riddles. Come then, you also, spiritual Fathers and brothers, who have been taught to celebrate in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of the letter, you who ought to celebrate the precious and life-giving Passover of the sacrifice of Christ with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth; you who by the divine regeneration of holy baptism have put off the old man, who is being corrupted according to the desires of deceit, and have put on the new man, who is being renewed unto knowledge according to the image of the one who created him; Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, let us shout for joy to God our Savior. Let us say, How awesome are your works, O Lord! even though in the greatness of your power your enemies have lied to you, willingly having closed their eyes to your divine light which appeared to the world. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and let us shout for joy to him with psalms. Let us offer a sacrifice of praise continually to God, that is, the fruit of lips confessing his name, and let us not forget doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased so that we may wash away the filth of sin, and our spiritual youth will be renewed like an eagle's; just as also that of the blessed elder Simeon, so that we too, peacefully and joyfully, in good confidence and saving hope, may run to the departure from life, and not depart from the present life with shame and fear, and in a way unwilling, just as those who are conscious of evil deeds in themselves, have the visitation of the king as unpleasant and hateful.

τῆς διανοίας ἐνθέμενοι διὰ τῆς παρούσης ὑποθέσεως ἐρεύνης, ἴδωμεν τί καὶ αὕτη διελέγετο τοῖς τὴν λύτρωσιν προσδεχομένοις ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ.

Κατὰ γὰρ τὸ τῆς ἐννοίας ἀκόλουθον ἐκ τῶν προφητικῶν λόγων, τὴν περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐποιεῖτο διάλεξιν· ἐπεὶ καὶ οὗτοι, πρὸς οὓς ταῦτα λαλεῖν αὐτὴν τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ἔφησεν, πάντως ἐκ τῶν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις ἐκφερομένων θείων χρησμῶν προσδέχεσθαι λύτρωσιν μεμαθήκασιν. Πάντως αὐτῇ πρόχειρος εἰς ὑπογραφὴν τοῦ μυστηρίου ὁ τοῦ μεγάλου Ἡσαΐου λόγος καθέστηκε· Παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν, οὗ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐγεννήθη ἐπὶ τοῦ ὤμου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅτι καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μεγάλης βουλῆς Ἄγγελος. Καὶ μὴν, Φωτί ζου, φωτίζου, Ἱερουσαλήμ· ἥκει γάρ σου τὸ φῶς, καὶ ἡ δόξα Κυρίου ἐπὶ σὲ ἀνατέταλκεν. Καὶ ∆αυῒδ ὁ μέγας παρήγετο· Ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθεια συνήντησαν, δικαιοσύνη καὶ εἰρήνη κατεφίλησαν· καὶ, Εἴδοσαν πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. Καὶ ἐνδεικτικῶς εἰς αὐτόν· Πρὸ τοῦ ἡλίου διαμένει τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐνευλογη θήσονται ἐν αὐτῷ πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς. Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη μακαριοῦσιν αὐτὸν, καὶ δουλεύσουσιν αὐτῷ καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτῷ· καὶ ὅτι Ἐγνώρισε Κύριος τὸ σωτήριον αὑτοῦ τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ. Αὖθίς τε ἡ τιμία καὶ ἀγγελοπρεπὴς τοῦ σοφοῦ Μαλαχίου φωνή· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστελῶ τὸν ἄγγελόν μου, καὶ ἑτοιμάσει ὁδὸν πρὸ προσώπου σου καὶ ἐξαίφνης ἥξει εἰς τὸν ναὸν αὐτοῦ Κύριος, καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος τῆς διαθήκης, ὃν ὑμεῖς θέλετε. Καὶ ἄλλοις ἄλλοθεν προφητικῶν λογίων μυστικοῖς ἄνθεσι τὸ θεολόγον καὶ μακάριον στέφος ἐπλέξατο, ἀσθενεῖ μὲν ἔτι καὶ ὑποτρόμῳ χειρὶ, ὡς δὴ προβεβηκυῖα ἐν ἡμέραις πολλαῖς. Οὐ γάρ που ἐχωρεῖτο τότε τοῖς ἀκούουσιν ἡ τῶν ὑψηλῶν περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου νοημάτων ἀφήγησις, ὅτε καὶ μετὰ τὴν τοσαύτην τῶν σημείων ἐπίδειξιν καὶ τῶν ἐνθέων μυστηρίων ἀνακήρυξιν ὁ τῶν τῆς σοφίας καὶ τῆς γνώσεως θησαυρῶν ταμίας Χριστὸς τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ἔλεγε μαθηταῖς· Πολλὰ ὑμῖν ἔχω λαλῆσαι, ἀλλ' οὐ δύνασθε βαστάζειν ἄρτι.

Ὅμως εἰ καὶ ἀμυδρῶς ἡ γηραλέα καὶ προφῆτις τὸν περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐποιήσατο λόγον, ὡς τοῦ νόμου 46.1180 ἔχουσα πρόσωπον, ὅπερ παλαιωθέν τε καὶ γηράσαν καὶ ἐγγὺς ἀφανισμοῦ γεγονὸς, τῇ Καινῇ ∆ιαθήκῃ παρεχώρησεν· ἀλλ' οὖν οὐκ ἀσυντελὴς ἡ παρ' αὐτῆς διάλεξις τοῖς συνετοῖς ἀκροαταῖς γέγονεν, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ἡ παρὰ τοῦ νόμου ἐν σκιαῖς καὶ αἰνίγμασι τοῦ μεγάλου μυστηρίου προαναφώνησις. ∆εῦτε οὖν καὶ ὑμεῖς, Πατέρες καὶ ἀδελφοὶ πνευματικοὶ, οἱ ἑορτάζειν δεδιδαγμένοι ἐν καινότητι πνεύματος, καὶ οὐ παλαιότητι γράμματος, οἱ ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καὶ ἀληθείας τὸ τίμιον καὶ ζωοποιὸν Πάσχα τῆς θυσίας Χριστοῦ ἑορτάζειν ὀφείλοντες· οἱ τῇ θείᾳ ἀναγεννήσει τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀποθέμενοι, τὸν κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης φθειρόμενον, καὶ τὸν νέον ἐνδυσάμενοι, τὸν ἀνακαινούμενον εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν κατ' εἰκόνα τοῦ κτίσαντος· ∆εῦτε, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἀλαλάξωμεν τῷ Θεῷ τῷ σωτῆρι ἡμῶν. Εἴπωμεν τὸ, Ὡς φοβερὰ τὰ ἔργα σου, Κύριε! εἰ καὶ ἐν τῷ πλήθει τῆς δυνάμεώς σου οἱ ἐχθροί σου ἐψεύσαντο, ἑκουσίως πρὸς τὸ φανὲν τῷ κόσμῳ θεῖόν σου φῶς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀπομύσαντες. Προφθάσωμεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐξομολογήσει, καὶ ἐν ψαλμοῖς ἀλαλάξωμεν αὐτῷ. Ἀνενέγκωμεν θυσίαν αἰνέσεως διαπαντὸς τῷ Θεῷ, τουτέστι καρπὸν χειλέων ὁμολογούντων τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ, τῆς τε εὐποιίας καὶ κοινωνίας μὴ ἐπιλαθώμεθα· τοιαύταις γὰρ θυσίαις εὐαρεστεῖται ὁ Θεὸς ἵνα τὸν ῥύπον τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπονιψώμεθα, καὶ ἀνακαινισθήσεται ὡς ἀετοῦ ἡ πνευματικὴ ἡμῶν νεότης· καθάπερ καὶ τοῦ μακαρίου πρεσβύτου Συμεῶνος, ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰρηνικῶς τε καὶ περιχαρῶς ἐν ἀγαθῇ πεποιθήσει καὶ σωτηρίῳ ἐλπίδι πρὸς τὴν τοῦ βίου ἔξοδον δράμωμεν, καὶ μὴ μετ' αἰσχύνης καὶ δέους τὸν παρόντα βίον ὑπεξέλθωμεν, καὶ τρόπον τινὰ μὴ βουλόμενοι, καθάπερ οἱ πονηρὰ ἑαυτοῖς συνεγνωκότες, ἀηδῆ τε καὶ κατεστυγημένην τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν ἐπιστασίαν ἔχουσι.