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Let the birth also be extraordinary. But if the manner of the child's birth is common, let it neither be called a sign, nor let him be called Emmanuel. So if she who gave birth is not a virgin, what kind of sign is this? And if the birth is not more divine than that of the many, how is it the presence of Emmanuel? That the young woman was specifically named among virgins is clear from what is said in Deuteronomy thus: But if in the field he find the betrothed girl and having forced her, lie with her, you shall kill the man only, and to the young woman you shall do nothing, because for the young woman there is no sin worthy of death; for as if a man should rise up against his neighbor and kill him, so is this matter. In the field he found her; the young woman cried out, and there was no one to help. She therefore who cried out, before the violation, was a virgin, obviously. Therefore it is possible to say equally, the virgin cried out, and the young woman cried out. And in the third book of Kings, the Shulamite, who kept David warm, being a virgin and inexperienced with a man, is called a young woman. For (it says) they found Abishag and brought her to the king; and the young woman was exceedingly beautiful and ministered to the king, and the king did not know her. Therefore, Emmanuel is from a Holy Virgin, who said: How shall this be for me, since I do not know a man? To whom the Angel said, that the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. She is not subject to the law concerning purification. For it is written in Deuteronomy, that a woman, who shall be inseminated and bear a male child, shall be unclean for seven days. But since she, not being inseminated, became the mother of Emmanuel, she is pure and holy and undefiled, and after becoming a mother, still remaining a virgin. For since the first Adam did not come into being through the union of man and woman, but was formed from the earth, the last Adam also, renewing his corruption, received the body formed in the virginal womb, so that he might be in the likeness of sinful flesh. And so that this extraordinary birth might not be entirely unbelievable to those who are unfavorably disposed toward the divine economy, the creator created some animals able to give birth from the female alone, without the intercourse of males. For those who have written treatises on animals report such things about vultures. 7.203 He will eat butter and honey; before he knows or chooses evil, he will choose the good. Emmanuel uses childish food on account of the flesh, butter and honey. And yet, being in the state of an infant, on account of the power of goodness dwelling in him, before reaching perfection according to age, he will be disobedient to wickedness, but will choose the good. Because our nature has an equal inclination toward either side, and often inclines toward evil, and often also toward the good, as on a balance, now sinking toward the passions of the soul, now again being drawn up by reason toward the better. But not so the Lord; but his affinity for the good was apparent immediately from his first birth. For what is written? That before he knows or chooses evil, he will choose the good. And running back to what is written in Genesis concerning the knowledge of good and evil, you will find there that the state of Adam before sin was similar to what is now described; that he was in ignorance of evil by experience. Therefore the Lord, in his childlike disposition, imitated the still innocent and invulnerable state of Adam; and in rejecting wickedness, he corrected the transgression that came from disobedience. 7.204 But God will bring (he says) upon you and upon your people and upon the house of your father days such as have not yet come from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah, the king of the Assyrians. The word seems to allude to the last days, after the Passion of the Lord, when the siege of the Romans came upon Jerusalem. For after the coming of Emmanuel, the Lord will bring upon Ahaz

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παράδοξος ἔστω καὶ ἡ γέννησις. Εἰ δὲ κοινὸς ὁ τρόπος τῆς γεννήσεως τοῦ παιδίου, μήτε σημεῖον λεγέσθω, μήτε Ἐμμανουὴλ προσαγορευέσθω. Ὥστε εἰ μὴ παρθένος ἡ τεκοῦσα, ποῖον τοῦτο σημεῖον; Καὶ εἰ μὴ θειοτέρα ἢ κατὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἡ γέννησις, πῶς ἡ τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ παρουσία; Ὅτι μέντοι ἡ νεᾶνις ἐπὶ παρθένων ἰδίως ὠνομάσθη, δῆλον ἐκ τῶν ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ οὕτως εἰρημένων· Ἐὰν δὲ ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ εὕρῃ τὴν παῖδα τὴν μεμνηστευμένην καὶ βιασά μενος κοιμηθῇ μετ' αὐτῆς, ἀποκτενεῖτε τὸν ἄνθρωπον μό νον, καὶ τῇ νεάνιδι οὐ ποιήσετε οὐδὲν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι τῇ νεάνιδι ἁμάρτημα θανάτου· ὅτι ὡς εἴ τις ἐπαναστῇ ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ, καὶ φονεύσῃ αὐτόν· οὕτω τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο. Ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ εὗρεν αὐτήν· ἐβόησεν ἡ νεᾶνις, καὶ ὁ βοηθῶν οὐκ ἦν. Ἡ τοίνυν βοῶσα, πρὸ τῆς φθορᾶς, παρθένος ἦν, δηλονότι. Ἴσον οὖν δύναται εἰπεῖν, ἐβόησεν ἡ παρθένος, καὶ ἐβόησεν ἡ νεᾶνις. Καὶ ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν, ἡ Σωμανῖτις, ἡ συνθάλπουσα τὸν ∆αβὶδ, παρθένος οὖσα καὶ ἀνδρὸς ἀπείρατος, νεᾶνις προσαγορεύεται. Εὗρον γὰρ (φησὶ) τὴν Ἀβισὰκ καὶ ἤνεγκαν αὐτὴν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα· καὶ ἡ νεᾶνις καλὴ ἕως σφόδρα καὶ ἐλειτούργει τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτήν. Ἐκ Παρθένου τοίνυν Ἁγίας ὁ Ἐμμανουὴλ, τῆς εἰπούσης· Πῶς ἔσται μοι τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω; Πρὸς ἣν ὁ Ἄγγελος, ὅτι Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σέ, καὶ δύναμις Ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοί. Αὕτη ὑπόδικος οὐκ ἔστι τῷ περὶ κα θαρισμοῦ νόμῳ. Γέγραπται γὰρ ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ, ὅτι Γυνὴ, ἥτις ἂν σπερματισθῇ καὶ τέκῃ ἄρσεν, ἀκάθαρτος ἔσται ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας. Αὕτη δὲ ἐπειδὴ μὴ σπερματισθεῖσα ἐγένετο μήτηρ τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ, καθαρὰ καὶ ἁγία καὶ ἀμίαντός ἐστι, καὶ μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι μητέρα, ἔτι παρθένος διαμένουσα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ πρῶτος Ἀδὰμ οὐ τῇ ἐξ ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικὸς συνόδῳ παρῆλθεν εἰς γένεσιν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἀνεπλάσθη, καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος Ἀδὰμ τὴν ἐκείνου φθορὰν ἀνακαινίζων, ἐν τῇ παρθενικῇ μήτρᾳ διαπλασθὲν τὸ σῶμα ἔλαβεν, ἵνα ἐν τῷ ὁμοιώματι γένηται τῷ τῆς ἁμαρτίας διὰ σαρκός. Ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ τὴν παράδοξον ταύτην γέννησιν μὴ πάντη ἄπιστον ἔχειν τοῖς δυσπαραδέκτως περὶ τὴν θείαν οἰκονομίαν διακειμένοις, ἔκτισέ τινα τῶν ζώων ὁ δημιουργὸς δυνάμενα ἀπὸ μόνου τοῦ θήλεος, χωρὶς τῆς τῶν ἀῤῥένων ἐπιπλοκῆς, ἀποτίκτειν. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ ἱστοροῦσι περὶ γυπῶν οἱ τὰ περὶ ζώων πραγ ματευσάμενοι. 7.203 Βούτυρον καὶ μέλι φάγεται· πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι αὐτὸν, ἢ προελέσθαι πονηρὰ, ἐκλέξεται τὸ ἀγαθόν. Παιδικῇ τροφῇ χρῆται ὁ Ἐμμανουὴλ διὰ τὴν σάρκα, βου τύρῳ καὶ μέλιτι. Καὶ ὅμως ἐν τῇ τοῦ νηπίου καταστάσει ὑπάρχων, διὰ τὴν ἐνοικοῦσαν αὐτῷ δύναμιν τῆς ἀγαθότητος, πρὸ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν τελειώσεως, ἀπειθήσει μὲν πονηρίᾳ, ἐκλέξεται δὲ τὸ ἀγαθόν. ∆ιότι ἡ μὲν ἡμετέρα φύσις ἴσην ἔχει τὴν ἐφ' ἑκάτερα ῥοπὴν, καὶ πολλάκις μὲν πρὸς τὸ πονηρὸν, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἀποκλίνει, ὡς ἐπὶ ζυγοῦ, νῦν μὲν ἐπὶ τὰ πάθη τῆς ψυχῆς καταῤῥεπούσης, νῦν δὲ πάλιν ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου ἀνελκομένης ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον. Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ ὁ Κύριος οὕτως· ἀλλ' ἡ πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν αὐτοῦ οἰκείωσις, εὐθὺς ἐκ πρώτης γενέσεως διεφαίνετο. Τί γὰρ γέγραπται; Ὅτι πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι αὐτὸν ἢ προελέσθαι πονηρὰ, ἐκλέξεται τὸ ἀγαθόν. Ἀναδραμῶν δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ ἐν Γενέσει γεγραμμένα περὶ τοῦ γνωστοῦ καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ, εὑρήσεις ἐκεῖ τὴν πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατάστασιν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ παραπλησίαν οὖσαν τῇ νῦν ἀναγεγραμμένῃ· ὅτι ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ ἦν τοῦ πονη ροῦ κατὰ πεῖραν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν μὲν τῇ παιδικῇ δια θέσει τὸ ἀκέραιον καὶ ἄτρωτον ἔτι τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἐμιμήσατο· ἐν δὲ τῷ ἀθετεῖν τὴν πονηρίαν, τὴν ἐκ τῆς παρακοῆς παρα νομίαν ἐπηνωρθώσατο. 7.204 Ἀλλ' ἐπάξει (φησὶν) ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ σὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρός σου ἡμέρας, αἳ οὔπω ἥκασιν ἀφ' ἧς ἀφεῖλεν Ἐφραῒμ ἀπὸ Ἰούδα, τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων. Ἔοικε τὰς τελευταίας ἡμέρας, μετὰ τὸ Πάθος τοῦ Κυρίου, ἐκ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων πολιορκίας ἐπελθούσης τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὁ λόγος αἰνίσσεσθαι. Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ, ἐπάξει Κύριος ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀχὰζ