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To regain for us the lost familiarity of God and to change our lack of confidence into boldness, the bodily birth of the Lord was established, sanctifying our birth, so that we would no longer be conceived in iniquities and be brought forth in sins by our mothers, but that we might have a sanctified birth, Christ having blessed human birth through his own birth; and a witness of such generosity towards humans is the divine apostle writing, "for your children would be unclean, but now they are holy." So when the first seal was opened, "I saw," he says, one of those spiritual holy living creatures urging someone on a white horse to come, having a bow, "and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering, that he might conquer." The white horse happens to be a symbol of the proclamation of the good news, as a benefit to be done for humanity. But the crown signifies power and victory. He went out bringing the crown to Christ, as to one who had begun to conquer the devil who had enslaved our race. "He went out," he says, "that the conqueror might conquer." And Christ was the one conquering, so that he might conquer completely, and he carried the crown for him as the symbol of victory. This then is the first. And a second benefit of Christ to us, which loosened the second seal of the book, also added the loosing of our shame, and brought back to us the divine vision; by the Lord being tempted and conquering the tempter so that the vagabond might know not only that he conquers, but that he is also defeated; not biting the heel of the horseman and tripping our 85 steps towards God, but also falling backwards and being sent away slavishly and hearing from a man whom he wrestled, though God was in him, "Get thee hence, Satan," and departing with shame, and now for the first time knowing his own weakness, he who boasted of placing his throne above the clouds, and imagined that he would be like the Most High according to the personification of Isaiah. When this happened, a red horse came out, urged on by one of the holy living creatures; and to the one sitting on the horse, he says, was given authority to take peace from the earth, so that they should slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. The red horse is a riddle of blood; wherefore also to the one sitting on it a sword is given, in order that he might divide and cut down the unanimity in evil of those on earth. And they had unanimity for idolatry and, as he says, "that they should slay one another;" that is, that they should destroy one another's pacts for the worse; for the Lord came not to bring peace on the earth, but a sword; and to set a son against his father, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; the new and godly against the old and condemned. "And when he opened," he says, "the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, 'Come.' And I saw, and behold a black horse; and he who sat on it had a balance in his hand." And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A choenix of wheat for a denarius; and three choenixes of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine." "And when he opened," he says, "the fourth seal, I heard the 86 fourth living creature saying, 'Come.' I saw, and behold a pale horse, and he who sat on it, his name was Death, and Hades will follow with him, and authority was given to them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword and with famine and with death and by the beasts of the earth." A third mercy of Christ to us loosened the third seal, and brought us to God the Father, who had been condemned to aversion. And this is his saving teaching, and the benefits through the divine signs; for these brought about an increase of the Devil's overthrow; for through them we knew who is by nature and truly God, so that we might not be infants tossed about by every wind of doctrine; and worship those things which our hands made, the corrupting demons, having exchanged the glory of God. For the divine teaching of the Lord drew to itself, like leaven draws flour, those who were being discipled, according to the voice of the Lord, and enjoying the miracles, which rather the souls

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ἀνακτήσασθαι τὴν ἀπολομένην ἡμῖν οἰκειότητα τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὸ ἀπαρρησίαστον ἡμῶν εἰς παρρησίαν μεταθεῖναι, ἡ τοῦ Κυρίου καθέστηκε σωματικὴ γέννησις, ἁγιάσασα ἡμῶν τὸν τόκον, ἵνα μηκέτι ἐν ἀνομίαις συλλαμβανώμεθα καὶ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ὑπὸ τῶν μητέρων ἡμῶν κυισκώμεθα, ἀλλ' ἔχωμεν ἡγιασμένην γέννησιν Χριστοῦ διὰ τῆς οἰκείας γεννήσεως τὸν ἀνθρώπινον τόκον εὐλογήσαντος· καὶ μάρτυς τῆς τοιαύτης εἰς ἀνθρώπους φιλοτιμίας ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος γράφων ἐπεὶ τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν ἀκάθαρτά ἐστιν, νῦν δὲ ἅγιά ἐστιν. τῆς πρώτης οὖν λυθείσης σφραγῖδος, εἶδόν φησιν ἐφ' ἵππου τινὰ λευκοῦ προστρεπόμενον ἐλθεῖν ἐκ τῶν νοερῶν ἐκείνων ἁγίων ζώων, τόξον ἔχοντα, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ στέφανος, καὶ ἐξῆλθε νικῶν, ἵνα νικήσῃ. ὁ μὲν λευκὸς ἵππος σύμβολον εὐαγγελισμοῦ τυγχάνει, ὡς εὐεργεσίας πραχθησομένης τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. ὁ δέ γε στέφανος κράτος καὶ νίκην αἰνίττεται. ἐξῆλθε δὲ Χρίστῳ κομίζων τὸν στέφανον, ὡς ἀρξαμένῳ νικᾶν τὸν καταδουλωσάμενον ἡμῶν τὸ γένος διάβολον. ἐξῆλθε δέ φησιν ἵνα ὁ νικῶν νικήσῃ. Χριστὸς δὲ ἦν ὁ νικῶν, ὅπως τέλεον νικήσῃ, καὶ τὸ σύμβολον αὐτῷ τῆς νίκης ἐκόμιζε τὸν στέφανον. αὕτη μὲν ἡ πρώτη. δευτέρα δὲ εἰς ἡμᾶς εὐεργεσία Χριστοῦ, ἥτις τὴν δευτέραν ἔλυσε τοῦ βιβλίου σφραγῖδα, καὶ προσέθηκε λῦσαι μὲν ἡμῶν τὴν αἰσχύνην, ἐπαναγαγεῖν δὲ ἡμῖν τὴν θείαν ἐποψίαν· τῷ πειρασθῆναι τὸν Κύριον καὶ νικῆσαι τὸν πειράζοντα ἵνα εἰδείη μὴ μόνον νικῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡττημένος ὁ ἀλητήριος· μὴ δὲ δάκνων πτέρναν ἱππέως καὶ ὑποσκελίζων ἡμῶν τὰ κατὰ Θεὸν 85 διαβήματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὀπίσω πίπτων καὶ πεμπόμενος δουλοπρεπῶς καὶ ἀκούων ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπου ὃν κατεπάλαισεν, εἰ καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ἐν αὐτῷ, ὕπαγε σατανά, καὶ μετ' αἰσχύνης ἀπιών, καὶ νῦν πρῶτον γινώσκων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀσθένειαν, ὁ ἐπάνω τῶν νεφελῶν θεῖναι τὸν αὐτοῦ θρόνον μεγαλαυχῶν, καὶ ἔσεσθαι ὅμοιος τῷ Ὑψίστῳ φανταζόμενος κατὰ τὴν Ἡσαΐου προσωποποιΐαν. οὗ γενομένου, ἐξῆλθεν ἵππος πυρρός, προτραπεὶς ὑπό τινος τῶν ἁγίων ζώων· καὶ τῷ καθημένῳ φησὶν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἵππου, ἐδόθη ἐξουσία λαβεῖν τὴν εἰρήνην ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἵνα ἀλλήλους σφάξωσι· καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ μάχαιρα μεγάλη. ὁ πυρρὸς ἵππος αἵματος αἴνιγμα τυγχάνει· διὸ καὶ τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ μάχαιρα δέδοται, ἐφ' ᾧ τε τὴν εἰς τὸ κακὸν ὁμόνοιαν τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς διελεῖν καὶ κατατεμεῖν. ὁμόνοια δὲ ἦν αὐτοῖς πρὸς εἰδωλολατρείαν καὶ ἵνα φησὶν ἀλλήλους σφάξωσιν· τουτέστιν ἀλλήλων ἀνέλωσιν, τὰς ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον σπονδάς· οὐ γὰρ ἦλθεν ὁ Κύριος βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν· καὶ ἐπαναστῆσαι υἱὸν κατὰ πατρός, καὶ νύμφην κατὰ πενθερᾶς· τὰ νέα καὶ θεοσεβῆ τοῖς ἀρχαίοις καὶ κατεγνωσμένοις. καὶ ὅτε ἤνοιξέ φησι τὴν σφραγῖδα τὴν τρίτην ἤκουσα τοῦ τρίτου ζώου λέγοντος· ἔρχου. καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος μέ λας· καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπ' αὐτόν, ἔχων ζυγὸν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν τεσσάρων ζώων λέγοντος· χοῖνιξ σίτου δηναρίου· καὶ τρεῖς χοίνικες κριθῶν δηναρίου· καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον καὶ τὸν οἶνον μὴ ἀδικήσης. καὶ ὅτε ἤνοιξέ φησι τὴν σφραγῖδα τὴν τετάρτην, ἤκουσα τὸ 86 τέταρτον ζῶον λέγον· ἔρχου. εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος χλω ρός, καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπάνω, ὄνομα αὐτῷ Θάνατος, καὶ ὁ Ἅδης ἀκολουθήσει μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἐξουσία ἐπὶ τὸ τέταρτον τῆς γῆς, ἀποκτεῖναι ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ καὶ ἐν λιμῷ καὶ ἐν θανάτῳ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς. τρίτη εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐλεημοσύνη Χριστοῦ τὴν τρίτην ἔλυσε σφραγῖδα, καὶ προσήγαγεν ἡμᾶς τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ ἀποστροφὴν κατακριθέντας. ἡ δέ ἐστιν ἡ σωτηρίος αὐτοῦ διδασκαλία, καὶ αἱ διὰ τῶν θεοσημειῶν εὐεργεσίαι· αὗται γὰρ ἐπίδοσιν ἐποιήσαντο τῆς τοῦ ∆ιαβόλου καταλύσεως· ἔγνωμεν γὰρ δι' αὐτῶν, τίς ὁ φύσει καὶ ἀληθῶς Θεός, ἵνα μὴ ὦμεν νήπιοι κλυδωνιζόμενοι παντὶ ἀνέμῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας· καὶ ἐκεῖνα σεβώμεθα ἃ αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐποίησαν, τοὺς φθοροποιοὺς δαίμονας, ἀνταλλαξάμενοι τῆς δοξῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ. ἡ γὰρ θεία τοῦ Κυρίου διδασκαλία εἰς ἑαυτὴν εἵλκυσεν, ὥσπερ ζύμη ἄλευρον, τοὺς μαθητευομένους, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου φωνὴν, καὶ τῶν θαυμάτων ἀπολαύοντας, ἅπερ τὰς ψυχὰς μᾶλλον