42

and having the power of water. But when I progressed, my soul having been turned by you to the paths of righteousness so as to be comforted by your rod and your staff, I became a man. For this reason you no longer prepared green pasture, but a table, and before me you revealed to me its beauty, the nourish63ing, the edible. Your wisdom prepared this table for me. "having slaughtered her own victims" she placed on it. and "her own wine" she placed, "having mixed it," on this table and calls all to eat and drink from this table. And we call the table of wisdom here the divine teaching. And victims are placed upon it; for when we consecrate and slaughter the doctrines of piety, in order to make them ready for food, then the victims are placed on the table. And no other sacrificed them but wisdom herself, who "prepared her own table"; for it did not simply say, "she prepared a table," but "her own." And the table of wisdom has no other foods placed on it than wise teachings. Then also "she mixed her own wine." She added water to it, so that we, being unable to receive it unmixed, might receive mixed wine. There are certain ineffable words, which not . Let these be wine. When someone is able to bring these into expressible teaching, he has mixed it, having mixed perceptible water with them; the examples from scripture, the words reported in parables. Again, since wisdom is God the Word, and we were not able to receive the Word unmixed, he mixed it with the incarnation, and we then received mixed wine, from both the word of the incarnation and the majesty of the only-begotten. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory." Behold the mixture. It was for no other to mix this than wisdom herself. You know that the one mixing sometimes makes the mixture according to the constitution of the one drinking. And so wisdom mixed her own wine and does not give the same mixture to all, but what each can receive. There are, then, infantile ones, in whom this mixture seems to be more watery. The part of the incarnation predominates. But when someone "beholds his glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the Father," the wine predominates. Therefore, he prepared this table not behind the back of the one who calls, not far from him, but before him and in the presence of those who afflict him. The apostle, changing this riddle to something clearer, writes: "For a great and effective door has opened for me, and there are many adversaries." When someone has a word and a door of the word that is strong and effective, he has many adversaries. And the devil himself opposes, wishing to hinder the benefit from the effectiveness of the word, and sophist men and other evil men. They do not oppose so much, then, as to ever plot against the one being benefited. "In the presence of those who afflict me" he prepared the table. I once said regarding that saying about the infant Jesus: "that before he knows to call father or mother, he will take the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria in the presence of the king 64 of the Assyrians." It was not a great thing, if he had taken the spoils subject to the king in the king's absence, but in front of him, in his presence, he snatched away what he held under himself. Or did he not despoil the magi in front of the king of the Assyrians? For they were engaged in magic. They did not come to the child after having first repented, but while the demons were still at work. For something like this has been observed ecclesiastically, that when they had performed the customary rites to call demons, not having them as obedient subjects, they knew that magic had been destroyed by the child signified by the star that had appeared. And so, when something like this came to me, these who afflict were present, and in their sight the acts of beneficence took place. And "in the presence of" can be like this: they were present with a contrary intention, wanting to hinder, as much as was in them, or wanting to harm him. 5

42

καὶ ὕδατος δύναμιν ἐχόντων. ὅτε δὲ προέκοψα ἐπιστραφείσης τῆς ψυχῆς μου ὑπὸ σοῦ ἐπὶ τὰς τῆς δικαιοσύνης τρίβους ὥστε ὑπὸ τῆς ῥάβδου καὶ τῆς βακτηρίας σου παρακληθῆναι, ἄνθρωπος γέγονα. διὰ τοῦτο οὐχ ἡτοίμασας ἔτι χλοήν, ἀλλὰ τράπεζαν, καὶ ἐνώπιόν μου ἐφανέρωσάς μοι αὐτῆς τὸ κάλλος τὸ τρό63 φιμον, τὸ ἐδώδιμον. ἡ σοφία σου εὐτρέπισέν μοι τὴν τράπεζαν ταύτην. "σφάξασα τὰ ἑαυτῆς θύματα" ἐπέθηκεν αὐτῇ. καὶ "τὸν οἶνον τὸν ἑαυτῆς" ἐπέθηκεν "κεράσασα" ταύτῃ τῇ τραπέζῃ καὶ πάντας ἐπὶ τὸ φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς τραπέζης καλεῖ. καὶ λέγομεν τράπεζαν ἐνταῦθα τῆς σοφίας τὴν θείαν παίδευσιν. ἐπίκειται δὲ ταύτῃ θύματα· ὅταν γὰρ ἱερουργήσωμεν καὶ σφάξωμεν τὰ δόγματα τῆς εὐσεβείας, ἵν' ἕτοιμα πρὸς τροφὴν αὐτὰ ποιήσωμεν, τότε ἐπίκειται τὰ θύματα τῇ τραπέζῃ. καὶ οὐκ ἄλλος γε ἔθυσεν αὐτὰ ἢ αὐτὴ ἡ σοφία ἡ "ἑτοιμάσασα τὴν ἑαυτῆς τράπεζαν"· οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν· "ἡτοίμασεν τράπεζαν", ἀλλὰ "τὴν ἑαυτῆς". σοφίας δὲ τράπεζα οὐκ ἔχει ἐπικείμενα ἄλλα ἐδέσματα ἢ τὰ σοφὰ παιδεύματα. εἶτα καὶ "τὸν ἑαυτῆς οἶνον ἐκέρασεν". προσέλαβεν αὐτῷ ὕδωρ, ἵν' ἡμεῖς ἀκράτου μὴ δυνάμενοι δέξασθαι κεκερασμένον λάβωμεν οἶνον. ἔστιν τινὰ ἄρρητα ῥήματα, ἃ οὐ . ἔστω ταῦτα οἶνος. ὅταν τις δύνηται ταῦτα εἰς διδασκαλίαν ῥητὴν ἀγαγεῖν, ἐκέρασεν, αὐτοῖς αἰσθητὸν ὕ δωρ ἐπιμείξας· τὰ παραδείγματα τὰ τῆς γραφῆς, αἱ λέξεις αἱ ἐν παραβολαῖς ἀπαγγελλόμεναι. πάλιν ἐπεὶ θεὸς λόγος ἐστὶν ἡ σοφία, οὐκ ἠδυνάμεθα δὲ ἀκράτους λαβεῖν τοῦ λόγου, ἐκέρασεν αὐτὸν τῇ ἐνανθρωπήσει, καὶ ἐδεξάμεθα λοιπὸν κεκραμένον οἶνον ἔκ τε τοῦ λόγου τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως καὶ τῆς μεγαλειότητος τοῦ μονογενοῦς. "γενάμενος δὲ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ". ἰδοὺ τὸ κρᾶμα. οὐκ ἄλλου δέ τινος ἦν τοῦτο μεῖξαι ἢ τῆς σοφίας αὐτῆς. οἶδας ὅτι ὁ κεραννύων ἐνίοτε πρὸς τὴν ἕξιν τοῦ πίνοντος τὴν κρᾶσιν ποιεῖται. καὶ ἡ σοφία τοίνυν τὸν ἑαυτῆς οἶνον ἐκέρασεν καὶ οὐ πᾶσιν τὸ αὐτὸ κρᾶμα δίδωσιν, ἀλλ' ὃ χωρεῖ ἕκαστος. εἰσὶν οὖν νηπιώδεις, ἐν οἷς δοκεῖ τοῦτο τὸ κρᾶμα μᾶλλον ὑδαρέστερον εἶναι. πλεονάζει τὸ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως. ὅταν δέ τις "θεάσηται τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός", ὁ οἶνος πλεονάζει. ταύτην οὖν τὴν τράπεζαν ἡτοίμασεν οὐκ εἰς νῶτον τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου, οὐ μακρὰν αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξ ἐναντίας τῶν θλιβόντων αὐτόν. τοῦτο τὸ αἴνιγμα ἐπὶ τὸ σαφέστερον ὁ ἀπόστολος μεταβαλὼν γράφει· "θύρα γάρ μοι ἀνέῳγεν μεγάλη καὶ ἐνεργής, καὶ ἀντικείμενοι πολλοί". ὅταν τις λόγον καὶ θύραν λόγου ἔχῃ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ ἐνεργῆ, ἀντικειμένους πολλοὺς ἔχει. καὶ αὐτὸς διάβολος ἀντίκειται κωλύειν θέλων τὴν ὠφέλειαν τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἐνεργείας τοῦ λόγου, καὶ ἄνθρωποι σοφισταὶ καὶ ἄλλοι κακοὶ ἄνθρωποι. οὐ τοσοῦτον γοῦν ἀντίκεινται ὡς ἐπιβουλεῦσαί ποτε τῷ εὐ εργετουμένῳ. "ἐξ ἐναντίας τῶν θλιβόντων με" ἡτοιμάσατο τὴν τράπεζαν. ἔλεγόν ποτε εἰς ἐκεῖνο τὸ ῥητὸν περὶ τοῦ βρέφους Ἰησοῦ· "ὅτι πρὶν γνῶναι καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα λήμψεται δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ καὶ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας ἔναντι βασιλέως 64 Ἀσσυρίων". οὐ μέγα ἦν, εἰ τὰ σκῦλα τὰ ὑπὸ τὸν βασιλέα τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπόντος ἔλαβεν, ἀλλὰ ἀπέναντι αὐτοῦ, παρόντος αὐτοῦ ἀπέσπασεν ἃ εἶχεν ὑφ' ἑαυτόν. ἢ οὐκ ἀπέναντι τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐσκύλευσεν τοὺς μάγους; ἐν τῷ μαγεύειν γὰρ ἦσαν. οὐ μετανοήσαντες πρότερον ἦλθον πρὸς τὸ παιδίον, ἀλλ' ἔτι ἐνεργούντων τῶν δαιμόνων. τοιοῦτόν τι γοῦν τεθεώρηται ἐκκλησιαστικῶς, ὅτι τὰ συνήθη ἐκεῖνοι ποιήσαντες ἐπὶ τῷ καλέσαι δαίμονας, μὴ σχόντες αὐτοὺς ὑπηκόους ἔγνωσαν ὅτι κατελύθη ἐκ τοῦ παιδίου τοῦ σημαινομένου διὰ τοῦ φανέντος ἀστέρος ἡ μαγεία. ἐλθὼν γοῦν εἰς ἐμὲ τοιοῦτό τι οἱ θλίβοντες οὗτοι παρῆσαν καὶ ἐπ' ὄψε̣σιν αὐτῶν γέγονεν τὰ τῆς εὐεργεσίας. δύναται καὶ τὸ "ἐξ ἐναντίας" οὕτως· ἐναντίᾳ προαιρέσει παρῆσαν κωλῦσαι θέλοντες, τὸ ὅσον εἰς αὐτούς, ἢ βλάψαι αὐτὸν θέλοντες. 5