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He called it because of its innocence and 79 its resourcefulness. For just as the lamb is resourceful by the annual yield of its wool, so also the Lord opens his hand and fills every living thing with his good pleasure. And so prophecy also calls him, speaking through Isaiah, as a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer, he was silent; and through Jeremiah: I, he says, like an innocent lamb being led to the slaughter, did not know. But the lamb was not slain, but as though slain. For Christ came back to life, having trampled death, and despoiled Hades of the souls held by it; so that the death of Christ was not truly a death, but as a death, because of the swiftness of the resurrection. Since the Lord, after the resurrection, also bore the symbols of his death, the mark of the nails, his life-giving body reddened with blood, according to Isaiah who says in the person of the holy angels: Why are your garments red, and your clothes like one who has trodden the winepress, full, trodden down? For this reason, it was as though slain in the sight of the vision. The seven horns testify to his great strength, in that seven, being a perfect number, signifies many things, as has been said before; and the horns are a symbol of power, according to the prophet who says: And I will break all the horns of the sinners, and the horn of the righteous will be exalted; and Habakkuk, horns are in his hands. But Isaiah interprets for us the seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth, saying, And the spirit of wisdom and understanding shall rest upon him, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and piety; the spirit of the fear of God shall fill him. Which spirits, that is, spiritual 80 gifts, are sent indeed to every person from God, but no one received them so that, having grown weary, so to speak, in their journey to all, they might rest upon Christ. And what was happening was beyond word and thought. For the spirits which he himself sent from above as God, these he himself received below as man, since he was both this and that. To him be glory for ever and ever, amen #556 [Fourth Discourse] Therefore, when all those in heaven and on earth and under the earth were at a loss to open the book or to look into it, according to what was seen before, Christ alone, the Son of God, who for our sake became as we are and remained who he was, took the book. And when he took the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints; and they sing a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the book and to open its seals, for you were slain and have purchased us for God with your blood from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made them kings and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth." And I saw, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, and their number was ten thousand times ten thousand, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and wisdom and wealth and strength and honor and glory and blessing." When the Lord took the book, all 81 worshiped him, knowing beforehand the salvation he was about to accomplish for men, and the punishment for the unclean demons, And the elders having harps signifies the harmony and sweet sound of their confession to God, according to what is written: "Sing praises to our God, sing praises." And the incense alludes to the offering from all the nations; for Malachi says in the person of God to the disobedient Israel: "I will not accept an offering from your hands, because from the rising of the sun even to its setting my name has been glorified among the nations, and in every place incense is offered in my name, and a pure offering." proclaiming through these things the faith and offering of the nations. And they sing a new song; for new is the one to the incarnate God

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ἐκάλεσε διὰ τὴν ἀκακίαν καὶ τὸ 79 ποριστικόν. ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ἀρνὸς τῇ ἐτησίᾳ τῶν ἐρίων φορᾷ ποριστικὸς ὑπάρχει, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἀνοίγει τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐμπιπλᾷ πᾶν ζῶον εὐδοκίας. οὕτω δέ γε αὐτὸν καὶ ἡ προφητεία καλεῖ, διὰ μὲν τοῦ Ἡσαΐου λέγουσα ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη, καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείραντος αὐτόν, ἄφωνος· διὰ δὲ Ἱερεμίου· ἐγώ φησιν ὡς ἀρνίον ἄκακον ἀγόμενον τοῦ θύεσθαι οὐκ ἔγνων. ἦν δὲ τὸ ἀρνίον οὐκ ἐσφαγμένον, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐσφαγμένον. ἀνεβίω γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς πατήσας τὸν θάνατον, καὶ σκυλεύσας τὸν Ἅδην τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ κατεχομένων ψυχῶν· ὡς τὸν Χριστοῦ θάνατον μηδὲ εἶναι θάνατον βεβαίως, ἀλλ' ὡς θάνατον διὰ τὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως σύντομον. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἦν καὶ τὰ σύμβολα τοῦ θανάτου ἐπιφερόμενος μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ὁ Κύριος, τὸν τύπον τῶν ἥλων, τὸ πεφοινίχθαι τῷ αἵματι τὸ ζωοποιὸν αὐτοῦ σῶμα κατὰ τὸν λέγοντα Ἡσαΐαν ἐκ προσώπου τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων· διὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ τὰ ἐνδύματά σου ὡς ἀπὸ πατητοῦ ληνοῦ, πλήρους, καταπεπατημένης; διὰ τοῦτο ἦν ὡς ἐσφαγμένον ἐν τῇ ὁράσει τῆς ὀπτασίας. τὰ δὲ ἑπτὰ κέρατα τὴν μεγάλην ἰσχὺν αὐτῷ μαρτυρεῖ, καθ' ὃ τὰ μὲν ἑπτὰ τέλειος ὑπάρχων ἀριθμὸς τὰ πολλὰ δηλοῖ, ὡς καὶ πρόσθεν εἴρηται· τὰ δέ γε κέρατα δυνάμεώς ἐστι σύμβολον κατὰ τὸν λέγοντα προφήτην· καὶ πάντα τὰ κέρατα τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν συνθλάσω, καὶ ὑψωθήσεται τὸ κέρας τοῦ δικαίου· καὶ τὸν Ἀμβακοὺμ κέρατα ἐν χερσὶν αὐτοῦ ὑπάρχει αὐτοῦ. τοὺς δέ γε ἑπτὰ ὀφθαλμοὺς οἵ εἰσι τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὰ ἀπεσταλμένα εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ὁ Ἡσαΐας ἡμῖν διερμηνεύει, λέγων καὶ ἐπαναπαύσεται ἐπ' αὐτὸν πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ συνέσεως, πνεῦμα βουλῆς καὶ ἰσχύος, πνεῦμα γνώσεως καὶ εὐσεβείας· πνεῦμα φόβου Θεοῦ ἐμπλήσει αὐτόν. ἅτινα πνεύματα, τουτέστιν πνευματικὰ 80 χαρίσματα, ἀπέσταλται μὲν πρὸς πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, οὐδεὶς δὲ ἐδέξατο ὡς κοπιάσαντα μικροῦ τῇ εἰς πάντας περιαγωγῇ, ἐπαναπαύσασθαι Χριστῷ. καὶ ἦν κρεῖττον λόγου καὶ ἐννοίας τὸ γινόμενον. ἃ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἔπεμπεν ἄνωθεν πνεύματα ὡς Θεός, ταῦτα αὐτὸς ἐδέχετο κάτω ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ἐπεὶ τοῦτό τε ἦν κἀκεῖνο. αὐτῷ πρέπει ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, ἀμήν #556 [Λόγος τέταρτος] πάντων τοιγαροῦν τῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς, καὶ ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς ἀπορησάντων ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον, ἢ ἰδεῖν εἰς αὐτὸ κατὰ τὰ πρόσθεν ὁραθέντα, μόνος ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ υἱός, ὁ δι' ἡμᾶς καθ' ἡμᾶς γεγονὼς καὶ μείνας, ὃ ἦν, ἔλαβε τὸ βιβλίον. καὶ ὅτε ἔλαβε τὸ βιβλίον, τὰ τέσσαρα ζῶα καὶ οἱ εἰκοσιτέσ σαρες πρεσβύτεροι ἔπεσαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀρνίου, ἔχοντες ἕκασ τος κιθάραν καὶ φιάλας χρυσᾶς γεμούσας θυμιαμάτων, αἵ εἰσιν αἱ προσευχαὶ τῶν ἁγίων· καὶ ᾄδουσιν ὠδὴν καινὴν λέγοντες, ἄξιος εἶ λαβεῖν τὸ βιβλίον καὶ ἀνοῖξαι τὰς σφραγῖ δας αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐσφάγης καὶ ἠγόρασας τῷ Θεῷ ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς καὶ γλώσσης καὶ λαοῦ καὶ ἔθνους, καὶ ἐποίησας αὐτοὺς τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν βασιλεῖς καὶ ἱερεῖς, καὶ βασιλεύσουσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἤκουσα φωνῆς ἀγγέλων πολλῶν κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν ζώων καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, καὶ ἦν ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτῶν μυριάδες μυριάδων, λέγοντες φωνῇ μεγάλῃ, ἄξιόν ἐστι τὸ ἀρνίον τὸ ἐσφαγμένον λαβεῖν τὴν δύναμιν καὶ σοφίαν καὶ πλοῦτον καὶ ἰσχὺν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν καὶ εὐλογίαν. λαβόντα τὸν Κύριον τὸ βιβλίον προσεκύνησαν ἅπαντες 81 προεγνωκότες ἣν μέλλει σωτηρίαν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπιτελεῖν, κόλασιν δὲ τοῖς ἀκαθάρτοις δαίμοσιν, τὸ δὲ ἔχειν τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους κιθάρας, τὸ ἐναρμόνιον δηλοῖ καὶ εὔηχον τῆς εἰς Θεὸν ὁμολογίας αὐτῶν κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· ψάλατε τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν, ψάλατε. τὰ δὲ θυμιάματα τὴν ἐκ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν προσφορὰν αἰνίττεται· φησὶ γὰρ ὁ Μαλαχίας ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς τὸν ἀπειθῆ Ἰσραήλ· θυσίαν οὐ προσδέχομαι ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν, διότι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου καὶ μέχρι δυσμῶν τὸ ὄνομά μου δεδόξασται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ θυμίαμα προσάγεται ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου καὶ θυσία καθαρά. προαναφωνῶν διὰ τούτων τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν πίστιν καὶ δωροφορίαν. καὶ ᾄδουσιν ὠδὴν καινήν· καινὴ γὰρ ἡ εἰς Θεὸν σεσαρκωμένον