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spurious, purifies through the fiery trial of judgment-, that we may not be condemned with the world in the future. For it purifies from diseases and all kinds of visitations, as the divine apostle says: “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” And this is what he says: “Therefore, whoever partakes of the body and blood of the Lord unworthily eats and drinks judgment to himself.” Being purified through it, we are united to the body of the Lord and to his Spirit and become the body of Christ. This bread is the first-fruit of the future bread, which is the supersubstantial; for “supersubstantial” signifies either the future, that is, of the age to come, or that which is taken for the preservation of our substance. Whether in this way, therefore, or in that, the body of the Lord will be fittingly spoken of; for the flesh of the Lord is a life-giving spirit, because it was conceived of the life-giving Spirit; “for that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” But I say this not to deny the nature of the body, but wishing to declare its life-giving and divine quality. And if some have called the bread and the wine antitypes of the body and blood of the Lord, as the God-bearing Basil said, they did not say this after the consecration, but before the consecration, calling the offering itself thus. It is called partaking (Metaleipsis); for through it we partake of the divinity of Jesus. It is called communion (Koinonia) and truly is, because through it we commune with Christ and partake of His flesh and His divinity, and we commune and are united also to one another through it; for since we partake of one bread, we all become one body of Christ and one blood and members of one another, being called one body with Christ. With all our strength, therefore, let us be on guard not to receive communion from heretics nor to give it to them. “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs,” says the Lord, “neither cast ye your pearls before swine,” that we may not become partakers of their evil doctrine and their condemnation. For if it is indeed a union with Christ and with one another, we are certainly united by choice to all who partake with us; for this union is made of free choice, not without our consent. They are called antitypes of the things to come, not as not being truly the body and blood of Christ, but because now through them we partake of the divinity of Christ, but then intellectually through sight alone. 87 Concerning the genealogy of the Lord and concerning the holy Theotokos Concerning the holy, all-praised ever-virgin and Theotokos Mary, having discussed moderately in the preceding sections and having established the most essential point, that she is and is called Theotokos in the proper and true sense, let us now supply what is lacking. For she, foreordained by the pre-eternal, foreknowing counsel of God, and pictured and proclaimed in various images and words of the prophets through the Holy Spirit, in the appointed time sprang from the root of David on account of the promises made to him. “For the Lord,” it says, “hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne,” and again: “Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me, and as the moon established for ever, and a faithful witness in heaven,” and Isaiah: “There shall come forth a rod out of Jesse, and a flower shall grow out of his root.” That Joseph, therefore, is descended from the tribe of David, Matthew and Luke, the most holy evangelists, have clearly shown, but Matthew traces Joseph from David through Solomon, while Luke traces him through Nathan. But both were silent about the birth of the holy virgin. It is necessary, therefore, to know that it was not the custom for the Hebrews nor for the divine scripture to give genealogies of women. And there was a law that a tribe should not be betrothed from another tribe. And Joseph, being descended from the tribe of David, being a just man (for the divine Gospel bears this witness to him), would not have unlawfully the holy virgin to

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κίβδηλον, διὰ τῆς κριτικῆς πυρώσεως καθαίρει-, ἵνα μὴ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι σὺν τῷ κόσμῳ κατακριθῶμεν. Καθαίρει γὰρ νόσους καὶ παντοίας ἐπιφοράς, καθώς φησιν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος· «Εἰ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς ἐκρίνομεν, οὐκ ἂν ἐκρινόμεθα. Κρινόμενοι δὲ ὑπὸ κυρίου παιδευόμεθα, ἵνα μὴ σὺν τῷ κόσμῳ κατακριθῶμεν». Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὃ λέγει· «Ὥστε ὁ μετέχων τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ κυρίου ἀναξίως κρῖμα ἑαυτῷ ἐσθίει καὶ πίνει». ∆ι' αὐτοῦ καθαιρόμενοι ἑνούμεθα τῷ σώματι τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ καὶ γινόμεθα σῶμα Χριστοῦ. Οὗτος ὁ ἄρτος ἐστὶν ἡ ἀπαρχὴ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἄρτου, ὅς ἐστιν ὁ ἐπιούσιος· τὸ γὰρ «ἐπιούσιον» δηλοῖ ἢ τὸν μέλλοντα, τουτέστιν τὸν τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος, ἢ τὸν πρὸς συντήρησιν τῆς οὐσίας ἡμῶν λαμβανόμενον. Εἴτε οὖν οὕτως, εἴτε οὕτως, τὸ τοῦ κυρίου σῶμα προσφυῶς λεχθήσεται· πνεῦμα γὰρ ζωοποιοῦν ἐστιν ἡ σὰρξ τοῦ κυρίου, διότι ἐκ τοῦ ζωοποιοῦ πνεύματος συνελήφθη· «τὸ γὰρ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος πνεῦμά ἐστι». Τοῦτο δὲ λέγω οὐκ ἀναιρῶν τὴν τοῦ σώματος φύσιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ζωοποιὸν καὶ θεῖον τούτου δηλῶσαι βουλόμενος. Εἰ δὲ καί τινες ἀντίτυπα τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ κυρίου τὸν ἄρτον καὶ τὸν οἶνον ἐκάλεσαν, ὡς ὁ θεοφόρος ἔφη Βασίλειος, οὐ μετὰ τὸ ἁγιασθῆναι εἶπον, ἀλλὰ πρὶν ἁγιασθῆναι αὐτὴν τὴν προσφορὰν οὕτω καλέσαντες. Μετάληψις λέγεται· δι' αὐτῆς γὰρ τῆς Ἰησοῦ θεότητος μεταλαμβάνομεν. Κοινωνία λέγεταί τε καὶ ἔστιν ἀληθῶς διὰ τὸ κοινωνεῖν ἡμᾶς δι' αὐτῆς τῷ Χριστῷ καὶ μετέχειν αὐτοῦ τῆς σαρκός τε καὶ τῆς θεότητος, κοινωνεῖν δὲ καὶ ἑνοῦσθαι καὶ ἀλλήλοις δι' αὐτῆς· ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἐξ ἑνὸς ἄρτου μεταλαμβάνομεν, οἱ πάντες ἓν σῶμα Χριστοῦ καὶ ἓν αἷμα καὶ ἀλλήλων μέλη γινόμεθα σύσσωμοι Χριστοῦ χρηματίζοντες. Πάσῃ δυνάμει τοίνυν φυλαξώμεθα, μὴ λαμβάνειν μετάληψιν αἱρετικῶν μήτε διδόναι. «Μὴ δῶτε γὰρ τὰ ἅγια τοῖς κυσίν», φησὶν ὁ κύριος, «μηδὲ ῥίπτετε τοὺς μαργαρίτας ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων», ἵνα μὴ μέτοχοι τῆς κακοδοξίας καὶ τῆς αὐτῶν γενώμεθα κατακρίσεως. Εἰ γὰρ πάντως ἕνωσίς ἐστι πρὸς Χριστὸν καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους, πάντως καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς συμμεταλαμβάνουσιν ἡμῖν κατὰ προαίρεσιν ἑνούμεθα· ἐκ προαιρέσεως γὰρ ἡ ἕνωσις αὕτη γίνεται, οὐ χωρὶς τῆς ἡμῶν γνώμης. Ἀντίτυπα δὲ τῶν μελλόντων λέγονται οὐχ ὡς μὴ ὄντα ἀληθῶς σῶμα καὶ αἷμα Χριστοῦ, ἀλλ' ὅτι νῦν μὲν δι' αὐτῶν μετέχομεν τῆς Χριστοῦ θεότητος, τότε δὲ νοητῶς διὰ μόνης τῆς θέας. 87 Περὶ τῆς γενεαλογίας τοῦ κυρίου καὶ περὶ τῆς ἁγίας θεοτόκου Περὶ τῆς ἁγίας ὑπερυμνήτου ἀειπαρθένου καὶ θεοτόκου Μαρίας ἐν τοῖς προλαβοῦσι μετρίως διαλαβόντες καὶ τὸ καιριώτατον παραστήσαντες, ὡς κυρίως καὶ ἀληθῶς θεοτόκος ἔστι τε καὶ ὀνομάζεται, νῦν τὰ λείποντα προσαναπληρώσωμεν. Αὕτη γὰρ τῇ προαιωνίῳ προγνωστικῇ βουλῇ τοῦ θεοῦ προορισθεῖσα καὶ διαφόροις εἰκόσι καὶ λόγοις προφητῶν διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου εἰκονισθεῖσά τε καὶ προκηρυχθεῖσα ἐν τῷ προωρισμένῳ καιρῷ ἐκ ∆αυιδικῆς ῥίζης ἐβλάστησε διὰ τὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν γενομένας ἐπαγγελίας. «Ὤμοσε γὰρ κύριος», φησί, «τῷ ∆αυὶδ ἀλήθειαν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀθετήσει αὐτόν· ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας σου θήσομαι ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου σου», καὶ πάλιν· «Ἅπαξ ὤμοσα ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ μου, εἰ τῷ ∆αυὶδ ψεύσομαι. Τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μένει· καὶ ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐναντίον μου καὶ ὡς ἡ σελήνη κατηρτισμένη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ ὁ μάρτυς ἐν οὐρανῷ πιστός,» καὶ Ἡσαΐας· «Ἐξανατελεῖ ῥάβδος ἐξ Ἰεσσαί, καὶ ἄνθος ἐκ τῆςῥίζης ἀναβήσεται». Ὅτι μὲν οὖν ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἐκ ∆αυιδικοῦ φύλου κατάγεται, ὁ Ματθαῖος καὶ Λουκᾶς, οἱ ἱερώτατοι εὐαγγελισταί, διαρρήδην ὑπέδειξαν, ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Ματθαῖος ἐκ ∆αυὶδ διὰ Σολομῶντος κατάγει τὸν Ἰωσήφ, ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς διὰ Νάθαν. Τῆς δὲ ἁγίας παρθένου τὴν γέννησιν καὶ ἀμφότεροι παρεσιώπησαν. Χρὴ οὖν εἰδέναι, ὡς οὐκ ἦν ἔθος Ἑβραίοις οὐδὲ τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ γενεαλογεῖσθαι γυναῖκας. Νόμος δὲ ἦν μὴ μνηστεύεσθαι φυλὴν ἐξ ἑτέρας φυλῆς. Ὁ δὲ Ἰωσὴφ ἐκ ∆αυιδικοῦ καταγόμενος φύλου, δίκαιος ὑπάρχων (τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτῷ μαρτυρεῖ τὸ θεῖον εὐαγγέλιον), οὐκ ἂν παρανόμως τὴν ἁγίαν παρθένον πρὸς