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I might lay down your body? With what sort of robes shall I cover the corpse? How shall I sing to you the local dirges? Whose hands will bury you, O Child? Alas, what shall I do? What shall I, the all-suffering, become? Why do I wander in mind? I must be persuaded by your words and deeds, which you showed as a testimony, that everything is willed and possible for you. God is the steward of many unexpected things, and many things God often accomplishes unexpectedly, but what was expected did not find its end; but you yourself would find for me a way out of the unexpected. {THEOLOGIAN} And indeed, here comes Joseph walking in haste, perhaps having some new thing to tell. But here is another wonder and beyond hope, a disciple of the night somehow running with him, carrying equipment suitable for the taking down. O blessed one, who knowing the mysteries of God sanctifies his own life and joins the sacred band with purifications of the soul, and shaking off from the body all defilement and crowning his head with a circle of all virtues, he hastens always to serve God. For to be of sound mind and to revere the things of God, I think is the most beautiful and wisest possession for mortals who use it. {JOSEPH} O dearest one, when I heard your voice, a wise one from a wise man; I have come from a long journey, ready, having this equipment in haste, so that I might bury the beloved corpse. For it is necessary to revere him, being even before a venerable friend, as far as we are concerned, also as this corpse. How must we take him down? How carry him to the tomb and wrap him in robes? Now you lead me, young man to an old man, virgin, for you are wise; for I would not grow weary, whether at dawn or in the evening, until I might place the corpse in my new tomb. For as much as is fitting for a disciple not having communion of kinship, I too pity him. {THEOLOGIAN} This man himself will lead you without toil, and gives all ease into your hands. {JOSEPH} O all-beautiful creation of God, my lady, why do you stand, leading your Child to this desolation, lamenting to him your own mournful things? And with you is only the virgin disciple, having left his brother in the chorus of initiates; but the other followers, filled with lamentations, flee, shuddering with great fear, nor did they see any of the more recent evils; but you did not shudder at the folly of the enemies. I fear that the hostile, ill-willed, murderous crowd may plan something new; for a heavy heart will not even endure to hear, even if we should give the corpse an honorable burial. {THEOLOGIAN} For have they not yet ceased, nor had their fill of murder and evil counsel? {JOSEPH} I envy you; the woe is in its beginning and not yet in its middle. {THEOLOGIAN} What is it, O old man? Do not be silent, tell me. {JOSEPH} I heard someone saying, not seeming to hear, having approached the seats, where the elders indeed sit, around the august portico of Solomon, that the crowd of elders does not allow this corpse, approaching the ruler of this land, to be buried. Whether this story is indeed clear, I do not know, but I would wish that these things were not so. For he gave him to me as to a friend, when I myself prevailed upon him to take the corpse. {THEOLOGIAN} All is lost, if we shall add a new evil to the old, before we have exhausted this one, as he himself said, on the third day for the sorrowful things to receive an end with gladness of heart. The Father will not endure the Child to suffer this. Old things fall short of new cares for the dead and he is not a friend to these decrees. Indeed he might do it to them; for he will not cease from anger; he said clearly even to burn the city. Yet it is enemies, not friends, that the avenging, defending eye of the Father might do something to. For no, by the lady, whom always revering I have now chosen from the Son as mother, will any of them get away with this murder rejoicing. For he is God, as we have learned from the portents, of which you yourself saw many and see now; nor were you unaware of the sun's great darkness, when he bowed his head and willingly gave up his spirit; for fate was never superior, unless, being commanded, it yielded to the bowing of the head. From then on it was a more dreadful sight to see; the foundations of the earth shaken, rocks rent, and you saw the tombs of the dead opened. And as someone came brandishing a spear, standing by, he pierces his lowest side with a sword, a vigorous man; for I perceived the deep blow of the cut, seeing the furrow of the wound. This one indeed pushed the spear somewhere along the side, and from the pierced side wondrously dripped water straightaway and blood unmixed; for double

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καταθείμην σὸν δέμας; οἵοις τε πέπλοις κατακαλύψω νέκυν; πῶς καὶ τἀπιχώρια μέλψω σοι μέλη; τίνος σε κηδεύσουσιν, ὦ Τέκνον, χέρες; Οἴμοι, τί δράσω; τίς γένωμαι παντλάμων; Τί ταῦτ' ἀλύω; πειστέον τοῖς σοῖς λόγοις ἔργοις θ', ὅσ' ὑπέδειξας εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ὡς ἔστιν ἅπαν σοι θελητὸν δυνατόν. Πολλῶν ταμίας ἐστὶν ἀέλπτων Θεός, πολλά τ' ἀέλπτως πολλάκις κραίνει Θεός, τὰ δ' αὖ δοκηθέντ' οὐκ ἐφεῦρε καὶ τέλος· σὺ δ' ἀδοκήτων αὐτὸς εὕροις μοι πόρον. {ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΣ} Καὶ μὴν ὅδ' Ἰώσηπος ἐν σπουδῇ ποδὸς στείχει, νέον τι πρᾶγμ' ἴσως ἔχων φράσαι. Ἀτὰρ τόδ' ἄλλο θαῦμα καὶ παρ' ἐλπίδα, μύστην νύχιον τῷδε συντρέχοντά πως, σκεύη φέροντα προσφυᾶ τῇ καθόδῳ. Ὦ μάκαρ, ὃς τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ μυστήρια εἰδὼς ἁγιστεύει θ' ἑαυτοῦ βιοτὰν καὶ θιασεύεται καθαρμοῖσι ψυχάν, δέμας τε παντὸς ἀνατινάσσων ῥύπου κύκλῳ τε πασῶν ἀρετῶν στέφων κάραν, ἀεὶ θεραπεύειν θοάζει τὸν Θεόν. Τὸ σωφρονεῖν γὰρ καὶ σέβειν τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, κάλλιστον οἶμαι δ' αὐτὸ καὶ σοφώτατον θνητοῖσιν εἶναι χρῆμα τοῖσι χρωμένοις. {ΙΩΣΗΦ} Ὦ φίλταθ', ὡς σὴν γῆρυν ᾐσθόμην κλύων, σοφὴν σοφοῦ παρ' ἀνδρός· ἐκ μακρᾶς ὁδοῦ ἥκω δ' ἕτοιμος τήνδ' ἔχων σκευὴν τάχει, ὅπως νέκυν θάψαιμι τὸν πεφιλμένον. ∆εῖ γάρ νιν ὄντα καὶ πάρος σεπτὸν φίλον, ὅσον καθ' ἡμᾶς, καὶ νέκυν τοῦτον σέβειν. Πῶς χρὴ κατάγειν; πῶς δὲ πρὸς τύμβον φέρειν πέπλοις ἐνειλίσσαι τε; Νῦν ἡγοῦ σύ μοι νέος γέροντι, παρθένος, σὺ γὰρ σοφός· ὡς οὐ κάμοιμ' ἄν, εἴθ' ἕως εἴθ' ἑσπέρα, ἕως νέκυν θήσοιμι καινῷ μου τάφῳ. Ὅσον δέον γὰρ μὴ γένους κοινωνίαν ἔχοντι μύστῃ, τοῦτον οἰκτείρω κἀγώ. {ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΣ} Ὅδ' αὐτὸς ὑμῶν ἀπόνως ἡγήσεται, καὶ πᾶσαν εὐμάρειαν ἐν χεροῖν διδοῖ. {ΙΩΣΗΦ} Ὢ χρῆμα παγκαλὲς Θεοῦ, δέσποιν' ἐμή, τί Παῖδα πρὸς σὸν τήνδ' ἄγουσ' ἐρημίαν ἕστηκας, αὐτῷ θρεομένη σαυτῆς λυγρά; καί σοι μόνος πάρεστι μύστης παρθένος, λιπὼν ἀδελφὸν ἐν χορῷ μυστηπόλων· ἄλλοι δ' ὀπαδοὶ τῶν γόων πεπλησμένοι φεύγουσι, πολλῷ τῷ φόβῳ πεφρικότες, οὐδ' εἶδον οὐδὲν τῶν νεωτέρων κακῶν· σὺ δ' οὐ πέφρικας δυσμενῶν ἀβουλίαν. Ἐγὼ δέδοικα μή τι βουλεύσῃ νέον ὅμιλος ἐχθρός, δυσμενής, μιαιφόνος· βαρεῖα γὰρ φρὴν οὐδ' ἀνέξεται κλύειν, κἂν νεκρὸν ἢν δοίημεν ἐντίμῳ ταφῇ. {ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΣ} Οὔπω γὰρ οὐκ ἔληξαν, οὐδ' ἔσχον κόρον μιαιφονίας καὶ κακῆς ἀβουλίας; {ΙΩΣΗΦ} Ζηλῶ σ'· ἐν ἀρχῇ πῆμα κοὐδέπω μεσοῖ. {ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΣ} Τί δ' ἐστίν, ὦ γηραιέ; μὴ σίγα, φράσον. {ΙΩΣΗΦ} Ἤκουσά του λέγοντος, οὐ δοκῶν κλύειν, θώκους προσελθών, ἔνθα δὴ παλαίτεροι θάσσουσι, σεμνὰν ἀμφὶ Σαλομὼν στοάν, ὡς τόνδε νεκρὸν οὐκ ἐᾷ πρεσβυτέρων ὄχλος, προσιὼν τῆσδε κοιράνῳ χθονός, θάπτειν. Ὁ μέντοι μῦθος εἰ σαφὴς ὅδε, οὐκ οἶδα, βουλοίμην δ' ἂν οὐκ εἶναι τάδε. Ἐμοὶ γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐξέδωκεν ὡς φίλῳ, αὐτὸν δυσωπήσαντι λαβεῖν τὸν νέκυν. {ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΣ} Τὸ πᾶν ὄλωλεν, εἰ κακὸν προσοίσομεν νέον παλαιῷ, πρὶν τόδ' ἐξηντληκέναι, ὡς αὐτὸς εἶπεν, ἤματι τρίτῳ πέρας τὰ λυπρὰ λαβεῖν γηθοσύνῃ καρδίας. Οὐ τοῦτο Πατὴρ Παῖδ' ἀνέξεται παθεῖν. Παλαιὰ καινῶν λείπεται κηδευμάτων κοὐκ ἔστ' ἐκεῖνος τοῖσδε φίλος δόγμασιν. Αὐτούς γε μὴν δράσειεν· οὐ γὰρ παύσεται χόλου· σάφ' εἶπε καὶ κατεμπρῆσαι πόλιν. Ἐχθρούς γε μέντοι, μὴ φίλους, δράσειέ τι ἔκδικον ὄμμα Πατρὸς ἀμυντήριον. Οὐ γὰρ μὰ τὴν δέσποιναν, ἣν ἀεὶ σέβων ἐξ Υἱέος νῦν εἱλόμην ὡς μητέρα, χαίρων τις αὐτῶν τοῦδε διάξει φόνου. Θεὸς γάρ, ὡς ἔγνωμεν ἐκ τῶν τεράτων, ὧν καὐτὸς εἶδες πολλὰ καὶ τὰ νῦν βλέπεις· οὐδ' ἠγνόησας ἡλίου τόσον σκότος, ἐπείδ' ἔκλινε καὶ μεθῆχ' ἑκουσίως ψυχήν· μόρος γὰρ οὔποτ' ἦν ὑπέρτερος, εἰ μὴ κελευσθεὶς εἶκε τῇ καρὸς κλίσει. Τοὐνθένδε μᾶλλον φρικτὸν ἦν θέαμ' ὁρᾶν· γῆς γεῖσσα σαλευθέντα, ῥαγείσας πέτρας, τάφους τε νεκρῶν εἶδες ἠνεῳγμένους. Ὡς δ' αὖ τις ἧκεν ἀνατινάσσων δόρυ, νύσσει παραστὰς νειάτην πλευρὰν ξίφει, ἀκμαῖος ἀνήρ· τῆς τομῆς γὰρ ᾐσθόμην πληγὴν βαθεῖαν, ὦλκα τραύματος βλέπων. Οὗτος μὲν ὦσε κατὰ πλευρᾶς που δόρυ, πλευρᾶς νενυγμένης δὲ θαυμαστῶς ὕδωρ ἔσταξεν εὐθὺς αἷμά τ' οὐ πεφυρμένον· διπλοῦς γὰρ