But the Friend of the Bridegroom, standing before the bridal chamber, hearing the voice 3.65.2 of the Bridegroom, rejoices with joy". This is his "Fullness of joy" and of rest. 4.66.1 The Savior taught the Apostles, the first things typologically and mystically, the later things para bolically and enigmatically, and the third things clearly and plainly when they were alone. "When we were in the flesh", says the Apostle, as if already speaking outside the body. He says, therefore, that by 'flesh' he means that weakness, the projection from 4.67.2 the Woman above. And when the Savior says to Salome "death will exist until women bear children", he did not speak disparagingly of generation, it being necessary for the salvation of 4.67.3 believers (for this generation must exist until the predetermined seed is brought forth); 4.67.4 but he is speaking enigmatically of the Female above, whose passions became creation, who also projects the formless substances, on whose account the Lord also descended, to draw us away from the passion, and to make us his own. 4.68.1 For as long as we were children of the Female alone, as of a shameful union, imperfect and infantile and senseless and weak and formless, like abortions brought forth, we were children of the Woman; but having been formed by the Savior, we have become children of a Man and of a Bridal Chamber. Fate is a conjunction of many and contrary powers; and these are invisible and unseen, governing the motion of the stars and administering 4.69.2 through them. For insofar as each of them has arrived, being carried along with the motion of the cosmos, it has obtained dominion over those born at that very moment, as its own children. 4.70.1 Through the fixed and the wandering stars, therefore, the invisible powers that ride upon them, 4.70.2 dispense and oversee nativities; but the stars themselves do nothing, but show the activity of the ruling powers, just as the flight of birds signifies something, but does not cause it.

4.71.1 Therefore, the twelve signs of the zodiac and the seven stars that traverse them, sometimes accompanying, sometimes opposing, rising, setting **...; these, being moved by the powers, indicate the movement of substance for the generation of living beings and the change 4.71.2 of circumstances. And the stars and the powers are different, beneficent, maleficent, of the right, of the left, from which what is born is common; and each thing comes to be through them at its own proper time, with the ruling one accomplishing what is according to nature, one thing at the beginning, another at the end. 4.72.1 From this sedition and battle of the powers the Lord delivers us, and provides peace from the battle-line of the powers and of the Angels, in which some are arrayed for us, and others against 4.72.2 us. For the ones are like soldiers, fighting on our side, as servants of God; but the others are like robbers; for the Evil One did not receive and gird on the 4.73.1 sword from a King, but seized it for himself out of madness. Because of these adversaries who, through the body and external things, mount an attack on the soul and take it as a pledge into slavery, the ones on the right are not sufficient, following along 4.73.2, to save and guard us. For they are not completely provident, like the good Shepherd; but each is like a hireling, who sees the wolf approaching and flees and is not willing 4.73.3 to lay down his life for his own sheep. Furthermore, man also, for whom the battle is waged, being a weak creature, is prone to what is worse and is taken captive by those who hate him; whence also more evils belong to him.

4.74.1 For this reason the Lord descended to make peace, 4.74.2 the peace from heaven for those on earth, as the Apostle says: "Peace on earth and glory in the highest." For this reason a strange and new star arose, abolishing the old arrangement of the stars, shining with a new light, not a cosmic one, the one turning to new and saving paths, as the Lord himself, the Guide of men, who descended to earth in order to transfer those who have believed in Christ from Fate to his Providence.

Νυμφίου δὲ Φίλος, ἑστὼς ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ νυμφῶνος, ἀκούων τῆς φωνῆς 3.65.2 τοῦ Νυμφίου, χαρᾷ χαίρει". Τοῦτο αὐτοῦ "τὸ Πλήρωμα τῆς χαρᾶς" καὶ τῆς ἀναπαύσεως. 4.66.1 Ὁ Σωτὴρ τοὺς Ἀποστόλους ἐδίδασκεν, τὰ μὲν πρῶτα τυπικῶς καὶ μυστικῶς, τὰ δὲ ὕστερα παρα βολικῶς καὶ ᾐνιγμένως, τὰ δὲ τρίτα σαφῶς καὶ γυμνῶς κατὰ μόνας. "Ὅτε ἦμεν ἐν τῇ σαρκί", φησὶν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ὥσπερ ἔξω τοῦ σώματος ἤδη λαλῶν. Σάρκα οὖν λέγειν αὐτόν φησιν ἐκείνην τὴν ἀσθένειαν, τὴν ἀπὸ 4.67.2 τῆς ἄνω Γυναικὸς προβολήν. Καὶ ὅταν ὁ Σωτὴρ πρὸς Σαλώμην λέγῃ "μέχρι τότε εἶναι θάνατον ἄχρις ἂν αἱ γυναῖκες τίκτωσιν", οὐ τὴν γένεσιν κακίζων ἔλεγεν, ἀναγκαίαν οὖσαν διὰ τὴν σωτηρίαν τῶν 4.67.3 πιστευόντων (δεῖ γὰρ εἶναι τὴν γένεσιν ταύτην ἄχρις ἂν τὸ σπέρμα προσενεχθῇ τὸ προλελογισμένον)· 4.67.4 ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς ἄνω Θηλείας αἰνίττεται, ἧς τὰ πάθη κτίσις γέγονεν, τῆς καὶ τὰς ἀμόρφους οὐσίας προβαλ λούσης, δι' ἣν καὶ ὁ Κύριος κατῆλθεν, ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ πάθους ἡμᾶς ἀποσπάσων, ἑαυτῷ δὲ εἰσποιησόμενος. 4.68.1 Ἄχρι μὲν γὰρ ἦμεν τῆς Θηλείας μόνης τέκνα, ὡς ἂν αἰσχρᾶς συζυγίας, ἀτελῆ καὶ νήπια καὶ ἄφρονα καὶ ἀσθενῆ καὶ ἄμορφα, οἷον ἐκτρώματα προσ ενεχθέντα, τῆς Γυναικὸς ἦμεν τέκνα· ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ Σωτῆρος μορφωθέντες Ἀνδρὸς καὶ Νυμφῶνος γεγόναμεν τέκνα. Ἡ Εἱμαρμένη ἐστὶ σύνοδος πολλῶν καὶ ἐναντίων δυνάμεων· αὗται δέ εἰσιν ἀόρατοι καὶ ἀφανεῖς, ἐπιτροπεύουσαι τὴν τῶν ἄστρων φορὰν καὶ δι' ἐκείνων 4.69.2 πολιτευόμεναι. Καθὸ γὰρ ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ἔφθακεν τῇ τοῦ κόσμου κινήσει συναναφερόμενον, τῶν κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν ῥοπὴν γεννωμένων εἴληχεν τὴν ἐπικράτειαν, ὡς αὑτοῦ τέκνων. 4.70.1 ∆ιὰ τῶν ἀπλανῶν τοίνυν καὶ πλανωμένων ἄσ τρων, αἱ ἐπὶ τούτων ἀόρατοι δυνάμεις ἐποχούμεναι, 4.70.2 ταμιεύουσι τὰς γενέσεις καὶ ἐπισκοποῦσι· τὰ δὲ ἄστρα, αὐτὰ μὲν οὐδὲν ποιεῖ, δείκνυσι δὲ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τῶν κυρίων δυνάμεων, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡ τῶν ὀρνίθων πτῆσις σημαίνει τι, οὐχὶ ποιεῖ.

4.71.1 Τὰ τοίνυν δεκαδύο ζώδια καὶ οἱ ταῦτα ἐπιόντες ἑπτὰ ἀστέρες, τοτὲ μὲν συνοδεύοντες, τοτὲ δὲ ὑπαπ αντῶντες, ἀνατέλλοντες δύνοντες **...· οὗτοι, πρὸς τῶν δυνάμεων κινούμενοι, κίνησιν τῆς οὐσίας δηλοῦσιν εἰς γένεσιν τῶν ζῴων καὶ τὴν τῶν περιστάσεων 4.71.2 τροπήν. ∆ιάφοροι δ' εἰσὶν καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες καὶ αἱ δυνάμεις, ἀγαθοποιοὶ κακοποιοί, δεξιοὶ ἀριστεροί, ὧν κοινὸν τὸ τικτόμενον· ἕκαστον δὲ δι' αὐτῶν γίνεται κατὰ καιρὸν τὸν ἴδιον, τοῦ δυναστεύοντος τὰ κατὰ φύσιν ἀποτελοῦντος, τὸ μὲν ἐν ἀρχῇ, τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ τέλει. 4.72.1 Ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς στάσεως καὶ μάχης τῶν δυνάμεων ὁ Κύριος ἡμᾶς ῥύεται, καὶ παρέχει τὴν εἰρήνην ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν δυνάμεων καὶ τῆς τῶν Ἀγγέλων παρα τάξεως, ἣν οἳ μὲν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, οἳ δὲ καθ' ἡμῶν παρατάσ 4.72.2 σονται. Οἳ μὲν γὰρ στρατιώταις ἐοίκασι, συμμαχοῦντες ἡμῖν, ὡς ἂν ὑπηρέται Θεοῦ· οἳ δὲ λῃσταῖς· ὁ γὰρ Πονηρὸς οὐ παρὰ Βασιλέως ἐζώσατο λαβὼν τὴν 4.73.1 μάχαιραν, ἑαυτῷ δὲ ἐξ ἀπονοίας ἁρπάσας. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοὺς ἀντικειμένους οἵ, διὰ τοῦ σώματος καὶ τῶν ἐκτός, ἐπιβατεύουσι τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ ἐνεχυράζουσιν εἰς δουλείαν, οἱ δὲ δεξιοὶ οὔκ εἰσιν ἱκανοὶ παρακο 4.73.2 λουθοῦντες σῴζειν καὶ φυλάσσειν ἡμᾶς. Οὐ γάρ εἰσι τέλεον προνοητικοί, ὥσπερ ὁ ἀγαθὸς Ποιμήν· ἀλλὰ μισθωτῷ παραπλήσιος ἕκαστος, τὸν λύκον ὁρῶντι προσιόντα καὶ φεύγοντι καὶ οὐ προθύμῳ τὴν ψυχὴν 4.73.3 ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίων προβάτων ἐπιδιδόναι. Προσέτι δὲ καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὑπὲρ οὗ ἡ μάχη, ἀσθενὲς ὂν ζῷον, εὐεπίφορόν ἐστι πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον καὶ τοῖς μισοῦσι συλλαμβανόμενον· ὅθεν καὶ πλείω τὰ κακὰ ὑπάρχει αὐτῷ.

4.74.1 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Κύριος κατῆλθεν εἰρήνην ποιήσων, 4.74.2 τὴν ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς, ὥς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· "Εἰρήνη ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις." ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀνέτειλεν ξένος ἀστὴρ καὶ καινός, καταλύων τὴν παλαιὰν ἀστροθεσίαν, καινῷ φωτί, οὐ κοσμικῷ, λαμπόμενος, ὁ καινὰς ὁδοὺς καὶ σωτηρίους τρεπόμενος, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος, ἀνθρώπων Ὁδηγός, ὁ κατελθὼν εἰς γῆν ἵνα μεταθῇ τοὺς εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν πιστεύσαντας ἀπὸ τῆς Εἱμαρμένης εἰς τὴν ἐκείνου Πρόνοιαν.