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to him. And when he again said in perplexity, "How can these things be?" Christ then speaks to him more sharply, saying, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and you do not know these things?" See how He nowhere accuses the man of wickedness, but rather of simple-mindedness and artlessness. And what does this birth have in common with Jewish matters? one might say. For what does it not have in common, tell me? For both the first man who was created, and the woman made from his side, and the barren women, and the things accomplished through water—I mean the events at the spring from which Elisha made the iron float, those at the Red Sea which the Jews crossed, those at the pool which the angel stirred, those concerning Naaman the Syrian who was cleansed in the Jordan—all these things proclaimed in type the birth and cleansing that were to come. And the things spoken by the prophets hint at this manner of birth; such as, "A generation to come shall be told of the Lord, and they shall declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born, whom the Lord has made"; "Your youth shall be renewed like the eagle's"; "Be enlightened, O Jerusalem; behold, your king comes"; "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven." And Isaac was a type of this birth. For tell me, O Nicodemus, how was he born? Was it by the law of nature? By no means. Thus this was a middle way between this birth and that; of that one, because it was from intercourse; of this one, because it was not born of blood. But I show that these types proclaimed not only this birth, but also that from a virgin. For since one would not have easily believed that a virgin gives birth, barren women came first, and then not only barren women, but also aged ones. And yet, much more marvelous than the barren woman was the woman being made from a side; but since that was ancient and old, again there is another way, new and recent, that of the barren women, preparing the way for faith in the virginal birth. Reminding him of these things, therefore, He said, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and you do not know these things?" "What we know, we speak, 59.156 and what we have seen, we testify, and no one receives our testimony." He added these things, making His word trustworthy from another angle, and condescending in his language to the other's weakness. 3. What then is it that he says: "What we know, we speak, and what we have seen, we testify"? Since even with us, sight is more trustworthy than the other senses, and if we wish to convince someone, we say this, that "we have seen with our own eyes, we do not know it from hearsay"; for this reason Christ also speaks to him in a more human way, making His word trustworthy from this as well. And that this is so, and that He wishes to represent nothing else, nor does He indicate a physical sight, is clear from what follows. For after saying, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh," and, "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit," He added: "What we know, we speak, and what we have seen, we testify." But this had not yet been born. How then does He say, "What we have seen"? Is it not evident that He speaks of precise knowledge, and of that which cannot be otherwise? "And no one receives our testimony." Now, "What we know," He says either concerning Himself and the Father, or concerning Himself alone; but, "No one receives," is not the utterance of one who is now vexed, but of one who is reporting what is happening. For He did not say: "What could be more senseless than you, who do not accept things so precisely reported by us?" but showing all gentleness both in His works and in His words, He uttered none of these things, but gently and meekly foretold what would happen, thereby leading us also into all mildness, and teaching us, when we speak with anyone and do not persuade them, not to be vexed, nor to become enraged. For it is not possible for one who is angry to accomplish anything, but rather to make one more disobedient. For this reason one must abstain from anger, and make one's speech trustworthy from every side, not only by not being angry, but also by not even shouting. For shouting is the material of anger. Let us therefore bind the horse, that we may overthrow the

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αὐτῷ. Ὧ καὶ ἀπορητικῶς πάλιν εἰπόντι, Πῶς δύναται ταῦτα γενέσθαι; λοιπὸν πληκτικώτερον πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Χριστὸς διαλέγεται, Σὺ εἶ ὁ διδάσκαλος, λέγων, τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ταῦτα οὐ γινώσκεις; Ὅρα πῶς οὐδαμοῦ πονηρίαν κατηγορεῖ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, ἀλλ' εὐήθειαν καὶ ἀφέλειαν μᾶλλον. Καὶ τί κοινὸν αὕτη πρὸς τὰ Ἰουδαϊκὰ ἡ γέννησις ἔχει; εἴποι τις ἄν. Τί γὰρ οὐ κοινὸν, εἰπέ μοι; Ὅ τε γὰρ πρῶτος γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος, ἥ τε ἀπὸ τῆς πλευρᾶς γενομένη γυνὴ, καὶ αἱ στεῖραι, καὶ τὰ διὰ τῶν ὑδάτων ἐπιτελεσθέντα, λέγω δὲ τὰ κατὰ τὴν πηγὴν ἐξ ἧς ὁ Ἑλισσαῖος τὸ σιδήριον ἐμετεώρισε, τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν ἣν διέβησαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, τὰ κατὰ τὴν κολυμβήθραν ἣν ὁ ἄγγελος ἐκίνει, τὰ κατὰ τὸν Σύρον Νεεμὰν τὸν ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ καθαρθέντα· ταῦτα πάντα τὴν γέννησιν καὶ τὸν καθαρμὸν τὸν μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι, ὡς ἐν τύπῳ προανεφώνει. Καὶ τὰ παρὰ τῶν προφητῶν εἰρημένα τοῦτον αἰνίττεται τῆς γεννήσεως τὸν τρόπον· οἷον τὸ Ἀναγγελήσεται τῷ Κυρίῳ γενεὰ ἡ ἐρχομένη, καὶ ἀναγγελοῦσι τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ λαῷ τῷ τεχθησομένῳ, ὃν ἐποίησεν ὁ Κύριος· τὸ Ἀνακαινισθήσεται ὡς ἀετοῦ ἡ νεότης σου· τὸ Φωτίζου Ἱερουσαλήμ· ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεται· τὸ Μακάριοι ὧν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι. Καὶ ὁ Ἰσαὰκ δὲ τύπος ἦν τῆς γεννήσεως ταύτης. Εἰπὲ γὰρ, ὦ Νικόδημε, πῶς ἐκεῖνος ἐτέχθη; ἆρα νόμῳ φύσεως; Οὐδαμῶς. Οὕτω μέσος ὁ τρόπος ταύτης κἀκείνης τῆς γεννήσεως οὗτος ἦν· ἐκείνης μὲν, ὅτι ἐκ συνουσίας· ταύτης δὲ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων ἐτέχθη. Ἐγὼ δὲ δείκνυμι ὅτι οὐ ταύτην μόνον τὴν γέννησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐκ παρθένου προανεφώνουν οὗτοι οἱ τρόποι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἄν τις ῥᾳδίως ἐπίστευσεν ὅτι παρθένος τίκτει, στεῖραι προέλαβον, εἶτα οὐ στεῖραι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γεγηρακυῖαι. Καίτοι τῆς στείρας πολὺ θαυμαστότερον τὸ ἀπὸ πλευρᾶς γενέσθαι γυναῖκα· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐκεῖνο ἀρχαῖον ἦν καὶ παλαιὸν, πάλιν ἄλλος γίνεται τρόπος νέος καὶ πρόσφατος, ὁ τῶν στειρῶν, προοδοποιῶν τῇ πίστει τῆς παρθενικῆς ὠδῖνος. Τούτων οὖν αὐτὸν ἀναμιμνήσκων, ἔλεγε· Σὺ εἶ ὁ διδάσκαλος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ταῦτα οὐ γινώσκεις; Ὃ οἴδαμεν, λαλοῦμεν, 59.156 καὶ ὃ ἑωράκαμεν, μαρτυροῦμεν, καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἡμῶν οὐδεὶς λαμβάνει. Ταῦτα ἐπήγαγε, καὶ ἑτέρωθεν πάλιν ἀξιόπιστον τὸν λόγον ποιῶν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀσθένειαν τὴν ἐκείνου συγκαταβαίνων τῇ λέξει. γʹ. Τί δέ ἐστιν ὅ φησιν· Ὃ οἴδαμεν, λαλοῦμεν, καὶ ὃ ἑωράκαμεν, μαρτυροῦμεν; Ἐπειδὴ καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν ἡ ὄψις ἐστὶ τῶν ἄλλων αἰσθήσεων πιστοτέρα, κἂν βουληθῶμέν τινα πιστώσασθαι, οὕτω λέγομεν, ὅτι τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν ἑωράκαμεν, οὐκ ἐξ ἀκοῆς οἴδαμεν· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἀνθρωπινώτερον πρὸς αὐτὸν διαλέγεται, τὸν λόγον κἀντεῦθεν πιστούμενος. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστι, καὶ οὐδὲν ἄλλο παραστῆσαι βούλεται, οὐδὲ ὄψιν αἰσθητὴν ἐμφαίνει, δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς, σάρξ ἐστι καὶ, Τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος, πνεῦμά ἐστιν, ἐπήγαγεν· Ὃ οἴδαμεν, λαλοῦμεν, καὶ ὃ ἑωράκαμεν, μαρτυροῦμεν. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐδέπω γεγεννημένον ἦν. Πῶς οὖν λέγει, Ὃ ἑωράκαμεν; Οὐκ εὔδηλον ὅτι λέγει περὶ τῆς ἀκριβοῦς γνώσεως, καὶ οὐκ ἄλλως ἐχούσης; Καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἡμῶν οὐδεὶς λαμβάνει. Τὸ μὲν οὖν, Ὃ οἴδαμεν, ἤτοι περὶ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τοῦ Πατρός φησιν, ἢ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ μόνου· τὸ δὲ, Οὐδεὶς λαμβάνει, οὐ δυσχεραίνοντός ἐστι τὸ ῥῆμα νῦν, ἀλλὰ τὸ γινόμενον ἀπαγγέλλοντος. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε· Τί δὲ ὑμῶν ἀναισθητότερον γένοιτ' ἂν, οἳ τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν οὕτως ἀκριβῶς ἀπαγγελθέντα οὐ προσίεσθε; ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔργων καὶ διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων πᾶσαν ἐπιείκειαν ἐνδεικνύμενος, τούτων μὲν οὐδὲν ἐφθέγξατο, πράως δὲ καὶ ἡμέρως τὸ συμβησόμενον προανεφώνησεν, ἐντεῦθεν εἰς πᾶσαν καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐνάγων πραότητα, καὶ παιδεύων ἡμᾶς, ὅταν πρός τινας διαλεγώμεθα, καὶ μὴ πείθωμεν, μὴ δυσχεραίνειν, μηδὲ ἐκθηριοῦσθαι. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἀνύσαι τὸν χαλεπαίνοντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπειθέστερον ἐργάσασθαι μᾶλλον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο χρὴ τῆς μὲν ὀργῆς ἀπέχεσθαι, πάντοθεν δὲ ἀξιόπιστον ποιεῖν τὸν λόγον, οὐ τῷ μὴ ὀργίζεσθαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ μηδὲ κράζειν. Ὕλη γὰρ ὀργῆς ἡ κραυγή. Συμποδίσωμεν τοίνυν τὸν ἵππον, ἵνα καταστρέψωμεν τὸν