after the ineffable knowledge of the divine conception, after the great display of miracles, 17.107 a certain turmoil will also come upon your own soul, you who have been taught from above about the Lord, and a certain questioning will touch it, that is, the “sword,” when you see so great a one being crucified and accepting a human death. “So that the thoughts may be revealed”; there were wicked thoughts in these men; they were then revealed, so that He who was dying for human sins might destroy them, once revealed. For as long as they were hidden, it was not possible for them to be completely destroyed; for this reason, if we sin, we are commanded to say: “I have <made known my iniquity, and my sin> I have not concealed.” 17.108 And the order is blameless; for the woman is not before the man, but Simeon is introduced first. Therefore, her speech was not written down verbatim, but that “she gave thanks <to God and spoke> concerning him.” And she seems to have rightly become a prophetess, since the Holy Spirit was able to find a place in her because of her purity and chastity; for “having lived for seven years from her virginity with a husband,” for this reason she became a prophetess; for the Holy Spirit did not dwell in her by chance. For it is good if one is able to remain a virgin; but if one is not able to do this, let her live as a widow, if some 17.109 human thing should happen, and let her keep this before her eyes even while with a husband, so that her virginity might be justified before God. 18.111 He could have said: he progressed, receiving wisdom, but since, when he began, “he emptied himself,” he said “being filled,” in order to show that what he emptied he filled, and he received again those things of which he had willingly emptied himself. 19.114 He “grew,” therefore, since “not considering it a thing to be grasped to be equal with God, he 19.115 humbled himself”; he “grew strong” “taking the form of a slave” and “bearing our weaknesses”; he was filled “with wisdom,” since “he emptied himself”; for before twelve years a mere man does not contain a fullness of wisdom; and the reason for his growing and becoming strong was his being filled with wisdom. 19.116 But why did they “seek him”? Was it because he was lost as a child or because he had gone astray? God forbid; this was not Mary's thought, who had received countless divine revelations concerning him, nor Joseph's. But just as you, if you seek a scripture, seek it in distress, not as one that has gone astray nor as one that is mistaken, but as one having the true and mystical word, yet not 19.117 yet revealed to you, so also they sought our Lord Jesus Christ, lest he had departed from them, lest he had left them. Therefore “in distress” they sought the Son of God, and seeking him they did not find him “among their relatives”; for he was beyond their kinship. wherefore also he said to them: “Why were you seeking me?” for can a savior be lost? Did you not leave me here? 19.118 And befitting a child, when Jesus was “in the midst of the teachers”; he did not teach, but “he was listening and asking questions,” which Jesus also did, giving to the young a model and an example not to be rash, but properly stirring them up to further questions. 20.119 [properly stirring them up to further questions] “Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” As for the saying, let us arm ourselves against the impious heresies that say that the 20.120 Creator is not the Father of Jesus Christ, nor is the God of the Law, nor the God of the Temple, this one the Father of Christ. For hearing his voice, let those from Valentinus be ashamed of his saying: “I must be in my Father's house,” if they accept the saying. For were they so without understanding as not to understand that he said: “I must be in my Father's house” instead of: in the temple? Or perhaps he hints at a mystery: 20.121 if any of you belongs to the Father, he has Christ in himself. For I see the good and virtuous man to be a living temple of the Father more than that temple; for “he went out” from that “temple,” saying: “Your house is left to you,” and he went away to the temple of the Father, the churches everywhere. 20.122 Giving an example to all sons, that they should honor their parents, not

ρίαν, μετὰ τὴν ἀπόρρητον γνῶ σιν τῆς θείας συλλήψεως, μετὰ τὴν μεγάλην τῶν θαυμάτων ἐπίδειξιν, 17.107 καὶ σοῦ οὖν αὐτῆς τῆς ἄνωθεν δεδιδαγμένης τὰ περὶ τοῦ κυρίου γενήσεταί τις περὶ τὴν ψυχὴν σάλος καὶ ἅψεταί τις διάκρισις, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἡ «ῥομφαία», ἐπὰν ἴδῃς τὸν τηλικοῦτον σταυρούμενον καὶ θάνατον ἀνθρώπινον ἀναδεχόμενον. «Ὅπως ἂν ἀποκαλυφθῶσιν δια λογισμοί»· διαλογισμοὶ ἦσαν πο νηροὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις· τότε ἀπεκαλύφθησαν, ἵνα ἀποκαλυ φθέντας αὐτοὺς ἀφανίσῃ ὁ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἁμαρτημάτων ἀποθνῄ σκων. Ὅσον γὰρ ἦσαν κεκρυμμένοι, οὐχ οἷόν τε ἦν αὐτοὺς ἀφανισθῆναι τέλεον· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐὰν ἁμαρτή σωμεν, κελευόμεθα λέγειν· «τὴν ἀνομίαν μου <ἐγνώρισα, καὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν μου> οὐκ ἐκάλυψα». 17.108 Καὶ ἡ τάξις δὲ ἀμώμητος· οὐ πρώτη γὰρ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἡ γυνή, ἀλλὰ πρῶτος ὁ Συμεὼν παρεισάγεται. Οὐκ οὖν ἐγέγραπτο [δὲ] αὐτῆς κα τὰ λέξιν ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ' ὅτι «ἐξω μολόγει <τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐλάλει> περὶ αὐτοῦ». Ἔοικε δέ γε δικαίως γε γονέναι προφῆτις, τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύ ματος χώραν δυνηθέντος εὑρεῖν ἐν αὐτῇ διὰ τὴν ἁγνείαν καὶ τὴν καθα ρότητα· «ἔτη» γὰρ «ἑπτὰ ζήσασα ἀπὸ τῆς παρθενίας αὐτῆς μετὰ ἀν δρός», διὰ τοῦτο γέγονε προφῆτις· οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἔτυχεν τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ᾤκησεν ἐν αὐτῇ. Καλὸν μὲν γὰρ εἴ τις δύναται παρθενεύειν· εἰ δὲ μὴ δύναται τοῦτο, χηρευσάτω, ἐὰν συμ 17.109 βῇ τι ἀνθρώπινον, καὶ ἐχέτω τοῦτο πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ μετὰ ἀνδρὸς οὖσα, ὥστε τὴν παρθενίαν αὐτῆς δικαιωθῆναι ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ. 18.111 Ἐδύνατο δὲ εἰπεῖν· προέκοπτε λαμβάνων σοφίαν, ἀλλ' ἐπεί, ὅτε ἤρχετο, «ἐκένωσεν ἑαυτόν», εἶπεν «πληρούμενον», ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι ὃ ἐκένωσεν ἐπλήρωσε καὶ ἐλάμβανε πάλιν ταῦτα, ἀφ' ὧν ἑκὼν κεκένωτο. 19.114 «Ηὔξανε» τοίνυν, ἐπεὶ «οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγησάμενος τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ ἐτα 19.115 πείνωσεν ἑαυτόν»· «ἐκραταιοῦτο» «μορφὴν δούλου λαβὼν» καὶ «τὰς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν φέρων»· ἐπληροῦτο «σοφίᾳ», ἐπεὶ «ἐκένωσεν ἑαυτόν»· πρὸ γὰρ ἐτῶν δώδεκα ψιλὸς ἄνθρω πος οὐ χωρεῖ πληρότητα σοφίας· τὸ δὲ αἴτιον τοῦ αὔξειν καὶ κραται οῦσθαι αὐτὸν ἦν τὸ πληροῦσθαι σοφίας. 19.116 Τί δὲ καὶ «ἐζήτουν αὐτόν»; Ἆρα ὅτι ἀπόλωλεν ὡς παῖς ἢ ὅτι πεπλά νηται; Ἄπαγε· οὔτε Μαρίας ἦν τοῦτο, τῆς μυρίας περὶ αὐτοῦ δεξα μένης θείας ἀποκαλύψεις, οὔτε τοῦ Ἰωσήφ. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ σὺ ἐὰν ζητῇς γρα φήν, ὀδυνώμενος αὐτὴν ζητεῖς, οὐχ ὡς πεπλανημένην οὐδὲ ὡς ἐσφαλ μένην, ἀλλ' ὡς ἔχουσαν μὲν τὸν ἀληθῆ καὶ μυστικὸν λόγον, μήπω 19.117 δέ σοι πεφανερωμένην, οὕτως κἀ κεῖνοι ἐζήτουν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, μήπως ἀπέστη ἀπ' αὐτῶν, μήπως καταλέλοιπεν αὐτούς. «Ὀδυνώμενοι» οὖν ἐζήτουν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ζητοῦντες αὐτὸν οὐχ εὗρον «ἐν τοῖς συγγενέσιν»· ὑπὲρ γὰρ τὴν συγγένειαν αὐτῶν ἦν. διὸ καὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔλεγεν· «διὰ τί ἐζητεῖτέ με;» μὴ γὰρ δύναται σωτὴρ ἀπολέσθαι; οὐκ ἐνταῦθα καταλε λοίπατέ με; 19.118 Πρεπόντως δὲ παιδίῳ, ὅτε «δι δασκάλων ἐν μέσῳ» Ἰησοῦς· οὐκ ἐδίδασκε μέν, ἀλλ' «ἤκουεν καὶ ἐπη ρώτα», ὅπερ καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐποίει τοῖς νέοις τύπον διδοὺς καὶ ὑπο γραμμὸν μὴ προπετεύεσθαι, κα λῶς διεγείρων πρὸς ἐπαπορήσεις. 20.119 [καλῶς διεγείρων πρὸς ἐπαπορή σεις] «Οὐκ ᾔδειτε, ὅτι ἐν τοῖς τοῦ πα τρός μου δεῖ εἶναί με;» Ὡς πρὸς τὸ ῥητόν, ὁπλισώμεθα κατὰ τῶν ἀθέων αἱρέσεων λεγουσῶν, ὅτι οὐχ ὁ ∆η 20.120 μιουργὸς πατὴρ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ οὐδὲ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ νόμου, οὐδὲ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ ναοῦ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τῆς γὰρ φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούοντες οἱ ἀπὸ Οὐαλεντίνου αἰ δείσθωσαν λέγοντος· «ἐν τοῖς τοῦ πατρός μου δεῖ εἶναί με», εἰ προσίεν ται τὸ ῥητόν. Ἆρα γὰρ οὕτως ἦσαν ἀσύνετοι, ὡς μὴ συνιέναι, ὅτι ἔλεγεν· «ἐν τοῖς τοῦ πατρός μου δεῖ εἶναί με» ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἐν τῷ ναῷ; Ἢ μήποτέ τι μυστήριον αἰνίττεται· 20.121 εἴ τις ὑμῶν τοῦ πατρός ἐστιν, ἔχει τὸν Χριστὸν ἐν ἑαυτῷ. Μᾶλλον γὰρ τοῦ πατρὸς ὁρῶ ἔμ ψυχον ναόν, τὸν καλόν τε καὶ ἀγα θόν, ἢ τὸν ναὸν ἐκεῖνον· «ἐξῆλθε» γὰρ «ἀπὸ τοῦ ναοῦ» ἐκείνου εἰπών· «ἀφίεται ὑμῖν ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν», καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν ναὸν τοῦ πατρός, τὰς ἐκκλησίας τὰς πανταχοῦ. 20.122 Παράδειγμα διδοὺς πᾶσιν υἱοῖς, ἵνα τιμῶσι τοὺς γονεῖς, μὴ