179

The scribes answered and said, "We do not deny that all these things have been written, but we expect the God Logos who has not yet come." But Sylvester 1.487 said, "And how have you not heard Daniel who clearly foretold both the time and the divine coming of the Savior? For the angel speaking with him says, 'Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to seal up sins and to blot out iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and to anoint the most Holy. And you shall know and understand, from the going forth of the command to answer and to build Jerusalem until Christ the Prince shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks.' And perhaps concerning the other things, making excuses, you postpone what has been written to a future time; but what can you say to these things or oppose them at all, where indeed both the one who anoints is revealed and the one who is anointed is proclaimed not a man but holy of holies, and until his coming Jerusalem stood, and finally every prophet has ceased and vision in Israel? However, David and Solomon and Hezekiah were anointed long ago; but Jerusalem and the place stood, and prophets prophesied. Moreover, those who were anointed were themselves holy men and were not called holy of holies. And when did a prophet and vision cease from Israel, if not now, when the one who was prophesied and the holy of holies, the Christ, has come? Therefore, a truly great and manifest sign and token of the God Logos and of his coming is that Jerusalem no longer stands, nor is a prophet 1.488 active, nor is a vision revealed to them. And reasonably so; for with the coming of the one signified and prophesied, what is the need of those who signify and prophesy? For this is why they prophesied, until he should come who was prophesied and who redeems the sins of all. What leader, then, came out of Bethlehem and shepherded Israel? Whose going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity, his name endures before the sun, and his generation is unutterable, as it is written? For we know the generation of all the saints being recorded, and of the rulers of Israel it presents their birth and death. You ought to remember, therefore, O Jew, that I said the son of God is not subject to suffering at all; but the man united to him hypostatically without confusion from the holy virgin Mary, whom God promised to Abraham, saying, 'in your seed shall all the nations be blessed,' and to David similarly, saying, 'of the fruit of your loins I will set upon your throne,' this one we say was tempted, so that by conquering the devil who tempted him, he might take him captive, and suffered, so that he might subject all passions, and died, so that he might destroy the power of death." The Jew said, "Therefore there are two sons of God, one born of the virgin, and the other whom God almighty begot?" Saint Sylvester said, "Christ is one son. For just as he is truly the invisible son of God, so also is he the visible son of man; for being perfect God, he became perfect man 1.489 unchangeably, so that he might provide perfect salvation to men." The Jew said, "And how is it possible for the man who was assumed to suffer apart from the one who assumed him?" Saint Sylvester said, "Ought you not, then, to be taught by some example, so that you may know that of two natures united in the same, the one falls into outrage, while the other escapes it?" And the Hebrew said, "It is impossible to persuade me that in one there are two, and at the same time to be possessed and at the same time to suffer, and that one of these endures the outrage." Saint Sylvester said, "Listen, O Hebrew; is it possible for a tree, having in itself a ray of the sun, to be cut?" Tharra says, "It is possible." Saint Sylvester said, "Show us the ray of the sun that was cut off when it was being cut." And when Tharra was silent, the saint

179

γραμματεῖς ἀποκριθέντες εἶπον "οὐκ ἀρνούμεθα ὡς ταῦτα μὲν πάντα γέγραπται, προσδο κῶμεν δὲ τὸν μηδέπω παραγενόμενον θεὸν λόγον." ὁ δὲ Σίλβε 1.487 στρος ἔφη "καὶ πῶς οὐκ ἠκούσατε τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ προλέγοντος φανε ρῶς καὶ τὸν καιρὸν καὶ τὴν θείαν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίαν; φησὶ γὰρ ὁ προσδιαλεγόμενος αὐτῷ ἄγγελος «ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδες συνετμήθησαν ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἁγίαν τοῦ συντελεσθῆναι ἁμαρτίαν καὶ τοῦ ἐξιλάσασθαι ἀδικίαν, καὶ τοῦ σφραγίσαι ἁμαρτίαν καὶ τοῦ ἀπαλεῖψαι ἀδικίαν, καὶ τοῦ ἀγαγεῖν δικαιοσύνην αἰώνιον καὶ τοῦ σφραγίσαι ὅρασιν καὶ τοῦ χρῖσαι ἅγιον ἁγίων. καὶ γνώσῃ καὶ συνήσεις, ἀπὸ ἐξόδου λόγου τοῦ ἀποκριθῆναι καὶ τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἕως Χριστοῦ ἡγου μένου ἑβδομάδες ζʹ καὶ ἑβδομάδες ξβʹ.» καὶ πρὸς μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἴσως προφασιζόμενοι εἰς μέλλοντα χρόνον ἀναβάλλεσθε τὰ γε γραμμένα· τί δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα λέγειν ἢ ὅλως ἀντωπῆσαι δύνασθε, ὅπου γε καὶ ὁ χρίων δηλοῦται καὶ ὁ χριόμενος οὐκ ἄνθρωπος ἀλλ' ἅγιος ἁγίων καταγγέλλεται, καὶ ἕως τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ Ἱερου σαλὴμ συνίστατο, καὶ λοιπὸν ἅπας προφήτης πέπαυται καὶ ὅρασις ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ; ἐχρίσθη μέντοι πάλαι ∆αβὶδ καὶ Σολομῶν καὶ Ἐζεκίας· ἀλλ' Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ ὁ τόπος συνειστήκει καὶ προφῆται προεφήτευον. ἄλλως δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ χρισθέντες ἅγιοι ἄν θρωποι καὶ οὐχ ἅγιοι ἁγίων ἐκλήθησαν. πότε δὲ καὶ προφήτης ἐπαύσατο καὶ ὅρασις ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, εἰ μὴ νῦν, ὅτε ὁ προφη τευόμενος καὶ ὁ ἅγιος ἁγίων ὁ Χριστὸς παρεγένετο. σημεῖον οὖν ὄντως μέγα πρόδηλον καὶ γνώρισμα τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου καὶ τῆς αὐ τοῦ παρουσίας τὸ μηκέτι τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἑστάναι μήτε προφήτην 1.488 ἐνεργηθῆναι μήτε ὅρασιν ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι τούτοις. καὶ εἰκότως· ἐλθόντος γὰρ τοῦ σημαινομένου καὶ προφητευομένου τίς ἡ χρεία τῶν σημαινόντων καὶ προφητευόντων; διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο προεφή τευον, ἕως οὗ ἔλθῃ ὁ προφητευόμενος καὶ λυτρούμενος τὰς ἁμαρτίας πάντων. ποῖος τοίνυν ἡγούμενος ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ Βηθλεὲμ καὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐποίμανεν; οὗ ἡ ἔξοδος ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἀφ' ἡμερῶν αἰῶ νος, πρὸ τοῦ ἡλίου διαμένει τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνεκδιήγητος ἡ γενεὰ αὐτοῦ, καθὼς γέγραπται; τῶν γὰρ ἁγίων πάντων ἴσμεν τὴν γενεὰν ἱστορουμένην, καὶ τῶν ἀρξάντων τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ παρι στῶσαν τὴν γένεσιν καὶ τὸν θάνατον. μεμνῆσθαι οὖν ὀφείλεις, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, εἰρηκέναι με τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ πάθει τὸ σύνολον μὴ ὑποπίπτοντα· ἀλλὰ τὸν ἑνωθέντα αὐτῷ ἄνθρωπον καθ' ὑπόστα σιν ἀσυγχύτως ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου Μαρίας, ὃν ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ θεὸς τῷ Ἀβραὰμ λέγων «ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου εὐλογηθήσονται πάντα τὰ ἔθνη,» καὶ τῷ ∆αβὶδ ὁμοίως λέγων «ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοι λίας σου θήσομαι ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου σου,» τοῦτον πειρασθῆναί φα μεν, ἵνα τὸν πειράζοντα αὐτὸν νικήσας διάβολον αἰχμαλωτίσῃ, πεπονθέναι δέ, ἵνα πάντα τὰ πάθη ὑποτάξῃ, τεθνάναι δέ, ἵνα τὸ κράτος τοῦ θανάτου καταλύσῃ." ὁ Ἰουδαῖος εἶπεν "οὐκοῦν δύο εἰσὶν υἱοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἷς μὲν ὁ ἐκ τῆς παρθένου τεχθείς, ἕτερος δὲ ὃν παντοκράτωρ θεὸς ἐγέννησε;" ὁ ἅγιος Σίλβεστρος εἶπεν "υἱὸς εἷς ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἐστὶ θεοῦ υἱὸς ἀόρατος, οὕτως ἐστὶ καὶ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ὁρατός· τέλειος γὰρ ὢν θεὸς τέλειος ἄνθρωπος 1.489 ἀτρέπτως ἐγένετο, ἵνα τελείαν σωτηρίαν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις παράσχῃ." ὁ Ἰουδαῖος εἶπε "καὶ πῶς ἐγχωρεῖ τὸ ληφθέντα ἄνθρωπον πάσχειν χωρὶς τοῦ ἀναλαβόντος αὐτόν;" ὁ ἅγιος Σίλβεστρος εἶπεν "οὐκ οῦν ὑποδείγματί τινι ὀφείλεις διδαχθῆναι, ἵνα γνῷς ὅτι δύο κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἡνωμένων φύσεων ἡ μὲν μία περιπίπτει τῇ ὕβρει, ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα ταύτην διαφεύγει;" καὶ ὁ Ἑβραῖος ἔφη "ἀδύνατόν ἐστι πεῖσαί με ἐν ἑνὶ δύο εἶναί τινα, καὶ ἅμα μὲν κατέχεσθαι ἅμα δὲ πάσχειν, καὶ ἓν τούτων τὴν ὕβριν ὑπομένειν." ὁ ἅγιος Σίλβε στρος εἶπεν "ἄκουε ὦ Ἑβραῖε· δυνατόν ἐστι τὸ δένδρον ἔχον ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν ἀκτῖνα τοῦ ἡλίου τμηθῆναι;" Θάρρα λέγει "δυνατόν ἐστιν." ὁ ἅγιος Σίλβεστρος ἔφη "δεῖξον ἡμῖν τὴν ἀποκοπεῖσαν τοῦ ἡλίου ἀκτῖνα ἐν τῷ τέμνεσθαι αὐτό." τοῦ δὲ Θάρρα σιω πῶντος ὁ ἅγιος