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indicates the nature both taking and taken), he accepts in every way our sufferings except for sin, he is wrapped in swaddling clothes just like infants, and is nourished with milk, and is nursed, and is carried in arms, and is placed in laps, and is circumcised according to the law, and is purified with purification sacrifices, he, the new and only sacrifice of the world, the Lamb who took away the sin of the world; he is worshipped by Simeon, and is addressed as both Savior and Lord; he flees Herod with his mother and his guardian, he reaches Egypt, he returns again, he is anxious, he comes to Nazareth, he increases in stature and wisdom, he is subject to his parents, he deems worthy of all honor not only his mother, but also the one who was formerly his mother's betrothed, but afterwards her guardian and protector, he celebrates the feasts according to the law, he frequents the temple, he reproves the denseness of the Jews; and he does this when he was only twelve years old after his birth; he is sought by his relatives, having been left behind, he is reproached by his mother, he defends himself, and gently in a way he reveals his divinity. "For do you not know," he says, "that I must be in my Father's house?" Showing that he is not only what is seen, but also God hidden in what is seen, having come forth from the Father beyond time and before the ages; and to speak briefly, he comes to John the Baptist, he persuades him to baptize him when he refused, he prefigures our baptism in the Jor 75.1464 dan, he gives an end to the law, and opens the door of grace, he is proclaimed by the Father from heaven, he is shown by the presence of the Spirit, he is led up into the desert by the Spirit as into a fitting wrestling-ground, and he fasts, but not beyond the measures of nature, and he desires food, but he masters his appetite, he is not a slave to pleasures; and he calls the adversary to the struggle by his hunger, but he overcomes him by human wisdom, and not by the authority of divinity, he contends, he struggles, he conquers, he drives him out, he overthrows the tyranny, he exposes the weakness, he proclaims the defeat; "For take heart," he says, "I have overcome the world;" he exhorts all to virtue, he makes the legislation of the divine doctrines, he gives the new Covenant promised through the prophet, he promises the kingdom of heaven, he threatens the negligent with the flame of Gehenna. 25. A brief narrative of the Lord's miracles. What is said is confirmed by great wonder-working, bestowing uncultivated wine at the wedding, making wine from water without vines, graciously giving grapeless wine to the wedding guests, having changed the nature of the waters into wine, without the mediation of a vine, and having plundered the moisture of the earth, honoring the wedding not only by his presence, but also by his wonder-working; for since he sprang from a virgin's womb, and both practiced virginity and extolled it in his words, and honored celibacy in deeds and words, so that no one might think that marriage is intemperance, and might accuse marriage as being unlawful, he honors the wedding by his presence, he increases the honor by the munificence of the gift, he resolves the bridegroom's predicament, he astonishes the fellow-drinkers with the fragrance of the new thing, he proclaims himself through the gift. For being uncultivated, he has given the uncultivated wine. From there he heals the sick, and by a word he loosens diseases, and by a nod he releases the afflicted from their sufferings, he frees those possessed by demons from their rage, he shows the mad to be calm, he strengthens the paralyzed, he makes the lame to be sure of foot, he shows the sun to those deprived of sight, he opens the doors of the body through which the soul's power of sight is diffused to the outside, and now he does this by a word alone, the clay of the eyes
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φύσιν τήν τε λαβοῦσαν καὶ τὴν ληφθεῖσαν δηλοῖ), πάντως τὰ ἡμέτερα πλὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας καταδέχεται πάθη, σπαργανοῦται παραπλησίως τοῖς βρέφεσι, καὶ γάλακτι τρέφεται, καὶ τιθηνεῖται, καὶ χερσὶ περιφέρεται, καὶ κόλποις ἐντίθεται, καὶ κατὰ νόμον περιτέμνεται, καὶ καθαρ σίοις θυσίαις καθαίρεται, ἡ καινὴ καὶ μόνη τῆς οἰκουμένης θυσία, ὁ τοῦ κόσμου τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἄρας Ἀμνός· ὑπὸ τοῦ Συμεὼν προσκυνεῖται, καὶ Σωτὴρ ὁμοῦ καὶ ∆εσπότης προσαγορεύεται· φεύγει τὸν Ἡρώδην μετὰ τῆς μητρὸς καὶ τοῦ κηδεμόνος, καταλαμβάνει τὴν Αἴγυπτον, ἐπανέρχεται πάλιν, ἀγωνιᾷ, εἰς τὴν Ναζαρὲτ παραγίνεται, ἡλικίᾳ καὶ σοφίᾳ προκόπτει, τοῖς γονεῦσιν ὑποτάσσεται, πάσης τιμῆς ἀξιοῖ οὐ μόνον τὴν μητέρα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν τῆς μητρὸς πάλαι μὲν μνηστῆρα, μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ κηδε μόνα καὶ φύλακα, τὰς ἐννόμους ἑορτὰς ἑορτάζει, τῷ ἱερῷ προσεδρεύει, τὴν Ἰουδαϊκὴν ἐλέγχει παχύτητα· καὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖ δύο καὶ δέκα γεγονὼς μόνον ἔτη τέως μετὰ τὸν τόκον· ἐπιζητεῖται παρὰ τῶν προσηκόν των, ἀπολειφθεὶς ἐγκαλεῖται παρὰ τῆς μητρὸς, ἀπολογεῖται, καὶ ἠρέμα πως παραγυμνοῖ τὴν θεό τητα. «Οὐκ οἴδατε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅτι ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις τοῦ Πατρός μου δεῖ εἶναί με;» ∆εικνὺς ὡς οὐ μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ ὁρώμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ Θεὸς ἐν τῷ ὁρωμένῳ κρυπτόμενος, ὑπέρχρονος καὶ προαιώνιος ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς προελθών· καὶ ἵνα συντόμως εἴπω, παρα γίνεται πρὸς Ἰωάννην βαπτίζοντα, πείθει βαπτίσαι παραιτούμενον, προτυποῖ τὸ ἡμέτερον ἐν τῷ Ἰορ 75.1464 δάνῃ βάπτισμα, δίδωσι τέλος τῷ νόμῳ, καὶ τὴν θύ ραν ὑπανοίγει τῆς χάριτος, ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐρανό θεν ἀνακηρύττεται, τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ Πνεύματος δείκνυται, ἀνάγεται εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ὡς εἰς ἁρμοδίαν τινὰ παλαίστραν ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος, καὶ νηστεύει μὲν, οὐ πέρα δὲ τῶν μέτρων τῆς φύσεως, καὶ τροφῆς μὲν ἐφίεται, ἀλλὰ κρατεῖ τῆς ὀρέξεως, οὐ δουλεύει ταῖς ἡδοναῖς· καὶ καλεῖ μὲν τῇ πείνῃ τὸν ἀντίπαλον εἰς τὴν πάλην, περιγίνεται δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φιλοσοφίᾳ, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐξουσίᾳ θεότητος, ἀγωνίζεται, καταγωνίζεται, νικᾷ, ἐξελαύνει, τὴν τυραννίδα καταλύει, τὸ ἀσθενὲς ἐλέγχει, τὴν ἧτταν κηρύττει· «Θαρσεῖτε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον·» προτρέπει πάντας εἰς ἀρετὴν, τὴν νομοθεσίαν τῶν θείων δογμάτων ποιεῖ, τὴν διὰ τοῦ προφήτου ἐπηγγελμένην καινὴν ∆ιαθήκην δίδωσιν, οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν ὑπισχνεῖται, τοῖς ἀμελοῦσιν ἀπειλεῖ τῆς γεέννης τὴν φλόγα. ΚΕʹ. Σύντομος τῶν ∆εσποτικῶν θαυμάτων δι ήγησις. Πιστοῦται τὰ λεγόμενα τῇ μεγάλῃ θαυματουργίᾳ, οἶνον ἀγεώργητον τῷ γάμῳ δωρούμενος, οἶνον χωρὶς κλημάτων ἐξ ὕδατος ἐργαζόμενος, οἶνον ἀστάφυλον τοῖς τοῦ γάμου δαιτυμόσι χαριζόμενος, εἰς οἶνον μεταβαλὼν τῶν ὑδάτων τὴν φύσιν, μὴ μεσιτευούσης ἀμπέλου, καὶ τῆς γῆς τὴν νοτίδα συλήσας, τιμῶν τὸν γάμον οὐ τῇ παρουσίᾳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ θαυ ματουργίᾳ· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκ παρθενικῆς ἐβλάστησε μήτρας, καὶ παρθενίαν ἤσκησέ τε καὶ τοῖς λόγοις ἐξῆρε, καὶ τὴν ἀζυγίαν ἔργοις καὶ λόγοις ἐτίμησεν, ἵνα μή τις ἀκολασίαν εἶναι νομίζῃ τὴν συζυγίαν, καὶ ὡς παρανόμου τοῦ γάμου κατηγοροίη, τιμᾷ τὸν γάμον τῇ παρουσίᾳ, αὔξει τὴν τιμὴν τῇ τοῦ δώ ρου φιλοτιμίᾳ, λύει τοῦ νυμφίου τὴν ἀπορίαν, ἐκ πλήττει τοὺς συμπότας τῇ τοῦ καινοῦ πράγματος εὐοσμίᾳ, ἑαυτὸν διὰ τοῦ δώρου κηρύττει. Ἀγεώρ γητος γὰρ ὢν, τὸν ἀγεώργητον οἶνον δέδωκεν. Ἐκεῖ θεν τοὺς ἀῤῥώστους ἰᾶται, καὶ λόγῳ λύει τὰς νόσους, καὶ νεύματι τῶν παθῶν ἀπαλλάττει τοὺς κάμνοντας, τοὺς δαιμονῶντας τῆς λύττης ἐλευθεροῖ, δείκνυσι τοὺς μεμηνότας καθεστηκότας, σφίγγει τοὺς παρ ειμένους, ἀρτίποδας τοὺς χωλοὺς ἀπεργάζεται, δεί κνυσι τὸν ἥλιον τοῖς τὸ βλέπειν ἀφῃρημένοις, ἀνοίγει τὰς θύρας τοῦ σώματος δι' ὧν ἐπὶ τὰ ἔξω διαχεῖται τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ὀπτικὸν, καὶ νῦν μὲν λόγῳ μόνῳ τοῦτο ποιεῖ, τὸν πηλὸν τὸν τῶν ὀμμάτων