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perception is likely also to be deceived; but the grace of the Spirit provided an indeceptible decision.

7.6 And for what reason, they say, did he not add that the birth would be of the Spirit? What was said was a prophecy and had to be announced obscurely, as I have often said, because of the perversity of the hearers, so that they would not, by learning everything clearly, burn all the books. For if they did not spare the prophets, much more would they not have refrained from the writings. And that what was said is not a conjecture, another king in the time of Jeremiah took the very books, cut them up, and gave them to the fire. Did you see unbearable madness? Did you see irrational anger? It was not enough for him to destroy the writings, but he also burned them, wishing to satisfy his irrational passion. But nevertheless, though speaking obscurely, this wonderful prophet showed the whole thing. For a virgin, as long as she remains a virgin, from where else would she conceive, if not from the Holy Spirit? For to undo a law of nature belonged to no other but the creator of nature. So by saying that the virgin will give birth, he revealed the whole matter. Having thus spoken of the birth, he also speaks the name of the one being born, not the one given, but the one from the facts. For just as he calls Jerusalem a city of righteousness, although it was nowhere called a city of righteousness, but it had this name from the facts, because its change for the better and the protection of the just had become great (for when he calls it a prostitute, not as if the city was ever so called, but he gives the name from its wickedness; so indeed also after this from its virtue); the same thing therefore must be said also about Christ, that he has given him the name from the facts. For then especially God was with us, having been seen on the earth and associating with men and showing his great care for us. For no longer an angel, nor an archangel was with us, but the Lord himself, having descended, undertook the whole correction, conversing with prostitutes, reclining with tax collectors, entering the houses of sinners, giving confidence to robbers, drawing magi, going about and correcting everything, and uniting nature itself to himself. All these things therefore the prophet proclaims beforehand, speaking at once of the birth and of that unspeakable and infinite gain of the birth pangs. For when God is with men, there is no need then to be afraid, nor to tremble, but to be confident about all things; which indeed also happened. For those ancient and unmovable evils were undone, and the sentence against the common race was annulled, and the sinews of sin were cut, and the tyranny of the devil was destroyed, and the paradise inaccessible to all was first opened to a murderer and a robber, and the vaults of the heavens were opened up, and men were mingled with angels, and our nature was brought up to the royal throne, and the prison of Hades was useless, and death remained henceforth a name, deprived of its reality; and choirs of martyrs and women breaking the stings of Hades. Foreseeing all these things, therefore, the prophet leaped and danced and showed them to us through one word, prophesying to us Emmanuel. He shall eat butter and honey, that before he knows or prefers evil he may choose the good. Because before the child knows good or evil, he rejects evil, to choose the good. Since the child being born was neither a mere man, nor God alone, but God in man, the prophet fittingly varies his speech, saying now this, now that, and stating paradoxical things and not allowing the economy to be disbelieved on account of the excessiveness of the miracle. For having said that the virgin will give birth, which was beyond nature, and that he will be called Emmanuel, which itself was also greater than expectation, so that no one hearing Emmanuel should suffer the things of Marcion and be sick with the things of Valentinus concerning the economy, he expressly added also the clearest proof of the economy, confirming it from the table. For what does he say? Butter

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αἴσθησιν εἰκὸς καὶ ἀπατηθῆναι· ἡ δὲ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις ἀνεξαπάτητον παρείχετο τὴν ἀπόφασιν.

7.6 Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐ προσέθηκε, φασίν, ὅτι ἐκ Πνεύματος ὁ τόκος ἔσται; Προφητεία ἦν τὸ λεγόμενον καὶ συνεσκιασμένως ἀπαγγεῖλαι ἔδει, ὃ πολλάκις εἶπον, διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων ἀγνωμοσύνην, ἵνα μὴ σαφῶς πάντα μαθόντες καὶ τὰ βιβλία πάντα κατακαύσωσιν. Εἰ γὰρ τῶν προφητῶν οὐκ ἐφείσαντο, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τῶν γραμμάτων οὐκ ἂν ἀπέσχοντο. Καὶ ὅτι οὐ στοχασμὸς τὸ εἰρημένον, ἕτερός τις βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰερεμία αὐτὰ τὰ βιβλία λαβὼν κατέτεμε καὶ πυρὶ παρεδίδου. Εἶδες μανίαν ἀφόρητον; εἶδες ὀργὴν ἀλόγιστον; Οὐκ ἤρκεσεν αὐτῷ τὸ ἀφανίσαι τὰ γράμματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνέπρησε, τὸ ἀλόγιστον αὐτοῦ πάθος πληρῶσαι βουλόμενος. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ ἀσαφῶς εἰπὼν ὁ θαυμάσιος οὗτος προφήτης, τὸ πᾶν ἐνεδείξατο. Παρθένος γάρ, ἕως ἂν μένῃ παρθένος, πόθεν ἄλλοθεν κυήσειεν, εἰ μὴ ἀπὸ Πνεύματος ἁγίου; Τὸ γὰρ νόμον λῦσαι φύσεως οὐδενὸς ἑτέρου ἦν, ἀλλ' ἢ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τῆς φύσεως. Ὥστε εἰπὼν ὅτι τέξεται ἡ παρθένος, τὸ πᾶν ἐνέφηνεν. Εἰπὼν τοίνυν τὸν τόκον, λέγει καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τικτομένου, οὐ τὸ τεθέν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καλεῖ πόλιν δικαιοσύνης, καίτοι γε οὐδαμοῦ δικαιοσύνης ἐκλήθη πόλις, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων ταύτην εἶχε τὴν προσηγορίαν, διὰ τὸ πολλὴν γεγενῆσθαι τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον αὐτῆς μεταβολὴν καὶ τὴν τοῦ δικαίου προστασίαν (καὶ γὰρ ὅταν πόρνην καλῇ, οὐχ ὡς τῆς πόλεως οὕτω ποτὲ κληθείσης, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας τὸ ὄνομα τίθησιν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς)· τὸ αὐτὸ τοίνυν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λεκτέον, ὅτι τὸ ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῷ ὄνομα τέθεικε. Τότε γὰρ μάλιστα μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεὸς γέγονεν, ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὀφθεὶς καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συναναστρεφόμενος καὶ τὴν πολλὴν ἐπιδεικνύμενος περὶ ἡμᾶς κηδεμονίαν. Οὐκέτι γὰρ ἄγγελος, οὐδὲ ἀρχάγγελος μεθ' ἡμῶν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς καταβὰς ὁ ∆εσπότης τὴν πᾶσαν ἀνεδέξατο διόρθωσιν, πόρναις διαλεγόμενος, τελώναις συνανακείμενος, εἰς ἁμαρτωλῶν οἰκίας εἰσιών, λῃσταῖς παρρησίαν διδούς, μάγους ἐφελκόμενος, πάντα περιιὼν καὶ διορθούμενος, καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν φύσιν ἑνῶν πρὸς ἑαυτόν. Ταῦτα οὖν πάντα ὁ προφήτης προαναφωνεῖ, ὁμοῦ καὶ τὸν τόκον λέγων καὶ τὸ κέρδος τῶν ὠδίνων τὸ ἄφατον ἐκεῖνο καὶ ἄπειρον. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς μετὰ ἀνθρώπων ᾖ, οὐδὲν δὴ δεῖ λοιπὸν δεδοικέναι, οὐδὲ τρέμειν, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων θαρρεῖν· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐγένετο. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ ἀρχαῖα ἐκεῖνα καὶ ἀκίνητα ἐλύθη κακὰ καὶ ἡ κατὰ τοῦ κοινοῦ γένους ἀπόφασις ἀνῃρεῖτο καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὰ νεῦρα ἐκέκοπτο καὶ διαβόλου τυραννὶς κατελύετο καὶ ὁ πᾶσιν ἄβατος παράδεισος ἀνδρο φόνῳ καὶ λῃστῇ πρῶτον ἠνοίγετο καὶ οὐρανῶν ἁψῖδες ἀνεπετάννυντο καὶ ἀγγέλοις ἄνθρωποι συνανεμίγνυντο καὶ πρὸς τὸν βασιλικὸν θρόνον ἡ φύσις ἡ ἡμετέρα ἀνήγετο καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἄχρηστον ἦν καὶ ὁ θάνατος ὄνομα λοιπὸν ἔμενεν ὄν, πράγματος ἀπεστερημένον· καὶ μαρτύρων χοροὶ καὶ γυναῖκες κατακλῶσαι τοῦ ᾅδου τὰ κέντρα. Ταῦτα οὖν πάντα προορῶν ὁ προφήτης ἐσκίρτα καὶ ἐχόρευε καὶ δι' ἑνὸς ῥήματος ἡμῖν αὐτὰ ἐνεδείκνυτο, προφητεύων ἡμῖν τὸν Ἐμμανουήλ. Βούτυρον καὶ μέλι φάγεται, πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι αὐτὸν ἢ προελέσθαι πονηρὰ ἐκλέξεται τὸ ἀγαθόν. ∆ιότι πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακόν, ἀπειθεῖ πονηρίᾳ, τοῦ ἐκλέξασθαι τὸ ἀγαθόν. Ἐπειδὴ τὸ τικτόμενον παιδίον οὔτε ἄνθρωπος ἦν ψιλός, οὔτε Θεὸς μόνον, ἀλλὰ Θεὸς ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ, εἰκότως καὶ ὁ προφήτης ποικίλλει τὸν λόγον, νῦν μὲν τοῦτο, νῦν δὲ ἐκεῖνο λέγων καὶ τὰ παράδοξα τιθεὶς καὶ οὐκ ἀφιεὶς ἀπιστηθῆναι τὴν οἰκονομίαν διὰ τὴν τοῦ θαύματος ὑπερβολήν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ ὅτι τέξεται ἡ παρθένος, ὅπερ ἦν ἀνωτέρω φύσεως καὶ ὅτι κληθήσεται Ἐμμανουήλ, ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ μεῖζον προσδοκίας ἦν, ἵνα μή τις τὸν Ἐμμανουὴλ ἀκούσας, τὰ Μαρκίωνος πάθῃ καὶ νοσήσῃ τὰ Οὐαλεντίνου διὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν, διαρρήδην ἐπήγαγε καὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας τὴν σαφεστάτην ἀπόδειξιν, ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης αὐτὴν πιστούμενος. Τί γάρ φησι; Βούτυρον