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neither had it received a curse of thorns and thistles, nor had it held the burial of a human body. Therefore, it was necessary for the new Adam to be born from the Virgin Mary, who was destined to conquer the conqueror of the first man, the tempting serpent. And since he conquered Adam through eating, he was defeated through fasting. He who conquered the devil, therefore, gave paradise back to us and opened the gates of eternal life." And the Jew said, "Having been asked not only about the birth of your Christ, but also about his mockery and betrayal and passion and death. You have taught a few things only about his birth. It is necessary, therefore, for you to make a defense concerning all things." Saint Silvester said, "Of whom did the great Isaiah say, 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,' which means, God with us. 'And before the child knows how to call 'father' or 'mother,' he shall take the power of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria. before the king of the Assyrians.' And Balaam, 'A star shall rise out of Jacob, and a man shall arise out of Israel, and shall crush the rulers of Moab, and shall plunder the sons of Seth, and shall have dominion over many nations.' That a man will appear, therefore, 1.485 is foretold by these things; but that he is Lord of all, the prophets again signify, saying, 'Behold, the Lord sits on a swift cloud, and will come into Egypt, and the idols of Egypt shall be moved. And behold, the Lord our God will come and save us, and then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened, and the lame man shall leap as a hart, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be clear.' The prophecy, therefore, says that God is visiting, and the signs make known also the time of his coming; for then these things were fulfilled which had never happened in Israel before. And concerning his passion, he says again, 'a man in suffering and knowing how to bear sickness, he was dishonored and not esteemed. This one bears our sins and is in pain for us. And we considered him to be in trouble and in suffering and in affliction; but he was wounded for our transgressions and was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him. With his stripes we are healed. And that his life is taken from the earth. But who shall declare his generation?' And Moses, 'You will see your life hanging before your eyes, and you will not believe.' And David, speaking in the person of Christ, says, 'They pierced my hands and my feet, and they parted my garments among themselves' and what follows. But that he was also the hope of the nations, Jacob said, 'A ruler shall not fail from Judah 1.486 nor a leader from his thighs, until he comes for whom it is reserved, and he is the expectation of the nations.' And Isaiah said, 'And there shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the nations; in him shall the nations hope.' And these are a few things for proof of what has happened, but the whole scripture is filled, refuting your unbelief. For who of the righteous and holy prophets recorded in the divine scriptures was ever born of a virgin alone? And at whose birth did a star run before in the heavens, and signify to the world him who was born? And what king, before he was able to call 'father' or 'mother,' reigned and took trophies from his enemies? Who, then, has become king in Israel in whom all the nations have placed their hope, and did they not rather oppose him from all sides? For as long as Jerusalem stood, there was an implacable war for them, and they fought against Israel: the Assyrians oppressing, the Egyptians pursuing, making war. Or did not David war against the Moabites and was warred against, and did not Josiah guard against his neighbors? And indeed Hezekiah feared the arrogance of Sennacherib, and the Amorites opposed Joshua, and Amalek campaigned against Moses, and truly the friendship of Israel with the nations was implacable, as the scriptures testify to this day." And the

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μήτε κατά ραν αὐτὴν εἰληφέναι ἀκανθῶν καὶ τριβόλων μήτε δὲ ταφὴν σώμα τος ἀνθρωπίνου ἐσχηκέναι. τοίνυν ἐχρῆν καὶ ἐκ τῆς παρθένου Μαρίας τὸν νέον Ἀδὰμ γεννηθῆναι, ὃς ὤφειλε τὸν νικητὴν τοῦ πρώτου ἀνθρώπου, τὸν πειράζοντα ὄφιν, νικῆσαι. καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὸν Ἀδὰμ διὰ βρώσεως ἐνίκησε, διὰ νηστείας ἡττήθη. ὁ γοῦν νικήσας τὸν διάβολον τὸν παράδεισον ἡμῖν ἀπέδωκε καὶ τῆς αἰω νίου ζωῆς τὰς πύλας ἠνέῳξε." καὶ ὁ Ἰουδαῖος εἶπεν "οὐ μόνον περὶ τῆς γεννήσεως τοῦ ὑμετέρου Χριστοῦ ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐμ παίξεως αὐτοῦ καὶ προδοσίας καὶ πάθους καὶ θανάτου ἐρωτηθείς. περὶ μόνης τῆς γεννήσεως ἐδίδαξας ὀλίγα τινά. ἀνάγκη οὖν ἐστὲ περὶ πάντων ἀπολογήσασθαι." ὁ ἅγιος Σίλβεστρος ἔφη "περὶ τίνος ὁ μέγας Ἠσαΐας ἔφη «ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν, καὶ καλέσουσι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ, ὅ ἐστι μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ θεός. καὶ πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα, λήψεται δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ καὶ τὰ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας. ἔναντι βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων.» καὶ ὁ Βαλαάμ «ἀνατελεῖ ἄστρον ἐξ Ἰακώβ, καὶ ἀναστήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ θραύσει τοὺς ἀρχηγοὺς Μωάβ, καὶ προνομεύσει τοὺς υἱοὺς Σήθ, καὶ κατακυριεύσει ἐθνῶν πολλῶν.» ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἄνθρωπος φανήσεται, 1.485 διὰ τούτων προκαταγγέλλεται· ὅτι δὲ κύριος πάντων, προσημαί νουσι πάλιν οἱ προφῆται φάσκοντες «ἰδοὺ κύριος κάθηται ἐπὶ νεφέλης κούφης, καὶ ἥξει εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ σεισθήσονται τὰ χειροποίητα Αἰγύπτου. καὶ ἰδοὺ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ἥξει καὶ σώσει ἡμᾶς, καὶ τότε ἀνοιγήσονται ὀφθαλμοὶ τυφλῶν, καὶ ὦτα κωφῶν ἀνοιγήσονται, καὶ ἁλεῖται ὡς ἔλαφος ὁ χωλός, καὶ τρανὴ ἔσται γλῶσσα μογιλάλων.» ἡ μὲν οὖν προφητεία θεὸν ἐπιδημεῖν λέγει, τὰ δὲ σημεῖα καὶ τὸν χρόνον τῆς παρουσίας γνωρίζει· τότε γὰρ ταῦτα πεπλήρωνται ἅπερ οὐδέ ποτε γεγόνασιν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ πρότερον. περὶ δὲ τοῦ πάθους αὐτοῦ πάλιν φησίν «ἄνθρωπος ἐν πληγῇ ὢν καὶ εἰδὼς φέρειν μαλακίαν ἠτιμάσθη καὶ οὐκ ἐλογί σθη. οὗτος τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν φέρει καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται. καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐλογισάμεθα αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐν πόνῳ καὶ ἐν πληγῇ καὶ ἐν κακώσει· αὐτὸς δὲ ἐτραυματίσθη διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν καὶ μεμαλάκηται διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν. παιδεία εἰρήνης ἡμῶν ἐπ' αὐτῷ. τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν. καὶ ὅτι αἵρεται ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ. τὴν δὲ γενεὰν αὐτοῦ τίς διηγήσεται;» καὶ ὁ Μωϋσῆς «ὄψεσθε τὴν ζωὴν ὑμῶν κρεμαμένην ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὑμῶν, καὶ οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε.» καὶ ∆αβὶδ ἐκ προσώ που τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγει «ὤρυξαν χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας μου, καὶ διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ὅτι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐλπὶς ἦν, ὁ μὲν Ἰακὼβ εἶπεν «οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα 1.486 καὶ ἡγούμενος ἐκ μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ὃ ἀπόκειται, καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία ἐθνῶν.» ὁ δὲ Ἠσαΐας ἔφη «καὶ ἔσται ἡ ῥίζα τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ καὶ ὁ ἀνιστάμενος ἄρχειν ἐθνῶν· ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσι.» καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὀλίγα πρὸς ἀπόδειξιν τῶν γενομένων, πᾶσα δὲ ἡ γραφὴ πέπλησται, διελέγχουσα τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀπιστίαν. τίς γάρ ποτε τῶν ἐν ταῖς θείαις γραφαῖς ἱστορουμένων δικαίων καὶ προ φητῶν ἁγίων ἐκ παρθένου μόνης ἔσχε τὴν γέννησιν; τίνος δὲ τῆς γεννήσεως προέδραμεν ἀστὴρ ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ τὸν γεννηθέντα διεσήμανε τῇ οἰκουμένῃ; τίς δὲ βασιλεύς, πρὶν ἰσχῦσαι καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα, ἐβασίλευσε καὶ τρόπαια κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν εἴληφε; τίς οὖν ἄρα γέγονε βασιλεὺς ἐν Ἰσραὴλ ἐφ' ὃν τὰ ἔθνη πάντα τὴν ἐλπίδα τέθεινται, καὶ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον αὐτῷ ἠναντιοῦντο πανταχόθεν; ἕως γὰρ συνίστατο Ἱερουσαλήμ, πόλεμος ἄσπονδος ἦν αὐτοῖς, καὶ διεμάχοντο πρὸς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ Ἀσσύριοι μὲν θλίβοντες, Αἰγύπτιοι δὲ διώκοντες, πολεμοῦντες. ἢ οὐχὶ ὁ μὲν ∆αβὶδ τοῖς Μωαβίταις ἐπολέμει καὶ ἐπολεμεῖτο, ὁ δὲ Ἰωσίας τοὺς πλησίον παρεφυλάττετο; καὶ μέντοι καὶ Ἐζεκίας ἐδειλία τὴν ἀλαζονείαν τοῦ Σεναχηρείμ, καὶ τῷ μὲν Ἰησοῦ οἱ Ἀμορραῖοι ἠναντιοῦντο, τῷ δὲ Μωϋσῇ ὁ Ἀμαλὴκ ἀντεστρατεύετο, καὶ ὄντως ἄσπονδον ἦν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ πρὸς τὰ ἔθνη τὸ τῆς φιλίας, ὡς μέχρι νῦν μαρτυροῦσι τὰ γράμματα." καὶ οἱ