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Silvester said, "Do you not see that the ray first receives the blow of the cutting iron, before the wood receives it? But the radiance, although it is there, can neither be cut nor severed. In this way, therefore, the divinity, being inseparable from Emmanuel, could not suffer or be cut. But this submitted to the passion which, just like the wood, could both be bound and held. For this reason the Lord deigned to take on flesh, intelligent and ensouled, from our own dough, so that he might make us partakers of the divine nature and unite our nature to himself. And I speak of a union that is unconfused, and unchangeable, and unalterable, and which he alone understands." And Sileon answered and said, "If our prophets 1.490 prophesied concerning your Christ, explain the reasons for such great insolence, of the mockery, of the passion, and of the death, so that we also, along with you, may confess that this is the promised Christ." Saint Silvester said, "From the beginning of the age, from when man was cast out of paradise by the envy of the devil and was condemned to death, from the dough of all humanity Abraham, being found holy and faithful, was deemed worthy of this promise by God, that in his seed all the nations would be blessed. Being chosen, therefore, because of the worthiness of his faith, he begot Isaac, and Isaac begot Jacob. And they were found so blameless that God the almighty, with heartfelt worthiness, willed his own name to be named among them, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob; this is my eternal name for generations of generations.' Causes then arose, which it would now be long to recount, so that the sons of Abraham went down into the land of Egypt under the reign of Pharaoh. But God, remembering his own promise, brought them out from there with a mighty hand and with a high arm, as you all know. And later, from the seed of Abraham, according to the flesh, the Son of God was born, from the holy virgin, so that we might be reborn from the womb of the virgin church. He was tempted, so that we might be delivered. He was sold, so that he might redeem us. He humbled himself, so that he might exalt us. He was seized by men, so that he might free us from the captivity of demons. Lastly, on the wood of the cross he was sacrificed, so that 1.491 he might wipe away the sin of the whole world. He rose, so that he might grant us 1.491 life. He ascended into heaven, so that he might raise us up with him. He sits now at the right hand of the Father, so that he might assent to the churches of the faithful. And he will come at the end of the ages to judge the living and the dead and to render to each according to his works."

When Saint Silvester had spoken at length, then, and with great precision was demonstrating from the divine scriptures the things concerning Christ, and the Jews were being greatly defeated, one of them named Zambres said to the other Jews, "If you listen to the words of Silvester, it will be necessary to abandon the ancestral laws and to follow a worthless man, whom our fathers condemned. But let the king listen to me, and let a wild bull be brought, so that I may show today before him the power of the name of our God; for I wish the truth to be shown not through words but through deeds." And Silvester, having urged that such a bull be brought, asked Zambres in the meantime, "For what reason do you seek the bull?" And he says, "Since no created nature will live after hearing the name of our God, I wish to demonstrate its strength clearly through the bull." To whom Silvester said, "And in what way did you learn this name? Was it by hearing from someone or by reading?" And he said, "Neither paper nor stone nor wood can receive this name; but I, having fasted and poured water into a new silver basin, have learned it." While these things were being said, the bull was also brought, dragged by 1.492 many men, bound on all sides

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Σίλβεστρος ἔφη "οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅτι τὴν πληγὴν τοῦ τέμνοντος σιδήρου ἡ ἀκτὶς πρώτη ὑποδέχεται, πρὶν ἢ τὸ ξύλον ὑποδέξασθαι; ἡ δὲ λαμπηδὼν καίτοι ἐκεῖ οὖσα οὔτε τμηθῆναι οὔτε διακοπῆναι δύναται. οὕτως τοίνυν καὶ ἡ θεότης ἀχώριστος τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ οὖσα παθεῖν ἢ τμηθῆναι οὐκ ἠδύνατο. τοῦτο δὲ ὑπέπεσε τῷ πάθει ὃ καθάπερ τὸ ξύλον καὶ δεθῆναι καὶ κρατη θῆναι ἠδύνατο. διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο κατηξίωσεν ὁ κύριος ἀπολαβέ σθαι σάρκα ἔννουν καὶ ἔμψυχον ἐκ τοῦ ἡμετέρου φυράματος, ἵνα κοινωνοὺς ἡμᾶς θείας ἀπεργάσηται φύσεως καὶ ἑνώσῃ ἑαυτῷ τὴν ἡμετέραν φύσιν. ἕνωσιν δὲ λέγω ἀσύγχυτον καὶ ἄτρεπτον καὶ ἀναλλοίωτον, καὶ ἣν μόνος αὐτὸς ἐπίσταται." ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Σιλεὼν εἶπεν "εἰ περὶ τοῦ ὑμετέρου Χριστοῦ οἱ ἡμέτεροι προφῆ 1.490 ται προεφήτευσαν, τὰς αἰτίας τῆς τοσαύτης ὕβρεως, τοῦ ἐμπαι γμοῦ τοῦ πάθους καὶ τοῦ θανάτου διασάφησον, ἵνα τοῦτον εἶναι τὸν ἐπηγγελμένον Χριστὸν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἅμα ὑμῖν ὁμολογήσωμεν." ὁ ἅγιος Σίλβεστρος ἔφη "ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοῦ αἰῶνος, ἀφ' οὗ ὁ ἄνθρω πος ἐκ τοῦ παραδείσου φθόνῳ διαβόλου ἐξεβλήθη καὶ θανάτῳ κατεδικάσθη, ἐκ τοῦ φυράματος πάσης ἀνθρωπότητος Ἀβραὰμ ἅγιος καὶ πιστὸς εὑρεθεὶς τούτου τοῦ ἐπαγγέλματος ἠξιώθη παρὰ θεοῦ, τοῦ ἐν τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ εὐλογηθήσεσθαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. ἐκλεγεὶς οὖν διὰ τὴν τῆς πίστεως ἀξίαν ἐγέννησε τὸν Ἰσαάκ, καὶ Ἰσαὰκ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ἰακώβ. καὶ οὕτως ἄμεμπτοι εὑρέθησαν ὥστε τὸν παντοκράτορα θεὸν ἐνδιαθέτῳ ἀξίᾳ βούλεσθαι τὸ ἴδιον ὄνομα ἐν τούτοις ὀνομάζεσθαι, λέγοντα «ἐγὼ εἰμὶ ὁ θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ὁ θεὸς Ἰσαὰκ καὶ ὁ θεὸς Ἰακώβ· τοῦτό μοι ὄνομα αἰώνιον εἰς γενεὰς γενεῶν.» ἀνεφύησαν οὖν αἰτίαι, ἃς νῦν μακρὸν ἂν εἴη καταλέγειν, ὥστε τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἀβραὰμ κατελθεῖν ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ ὑπὸ τὴν βασιλείαν Φαραώ. ἀλλὰ μεμνημένος τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἐπαγ γελίας ὁ θεὸς ἐξήγαγεν αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖθεν ἐν χειρὶ κραταιᾷ καὶ ἐν βραχίονι ὑψηλῷ, καθὼς πάντες ἴστε. ὕστερον δὲ ἐκ σπέρματος Ἀβραάμ, τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, ἐτέχθη ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου, ἵνα ἡμεῖς ἀναγεννηθῶμεν ἐκ γαστρὸς τῆς παρθένον ἐκκλησίας. ἐπειράσθη, ἵνα ἡμεῖς λυτρωθῶμεν. ἐπράθη, ἵνα ἡμᾶς ἐξαγοράσῃ. ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτόν, ἵνα ἡμᾶς ἀνυψώσῃ. ἐκρα τήθη παρὰ ἀνθρώπων, ἵνα ἡμᾶς ἐλευθερώσῃ τῆς τῶν δαιμόνων αἰχμαλωσίας. ἔσχατον ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἐθυσιάσθη, ἵνα 1.491 τὴν τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου ἁμαρτίαν ἀπαλείψῃ. ἀνέστη, ἵνα ἡμῖν 1.491 ζωὴν παράσχῃ. ἀνέβη εἰς οὐρανούς, ἵνα ἡμᾶς συνυψώσῃ. κάθη ται νῦν ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ πατρός, ἵνα ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τῶν πιστῶν ἐτινεύῃ. ἐλεύσεται δὲ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκροὺς καὶ ἀποδοῦναι ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ."

Ἐπὶ πολὺ οὖν διαλεχθέντος τοῦ ἁγίου Σιλβέστρου, καὶ σὺν πολλῇ ἀκριβείᾳ ἀποδεικνύντος ἐκ τῶν θείων γραφῶν τὰ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων μεγάλως ἡττηθέντων, ἔφη τις ἐξ αὐτῶν ὀνόματι Ζαμβρῆς πρὸς τοὺς λοιποὺς Ἰουδαίους "εἰ Σιλβέ στρου λόγοις προσέχετε, ἀνάγκη τοὺς πατρῴους νόμους καταλιπεῖν καὶ ἀκολουθεῖν ἀνθρώπῳ ματαίῳ, ὃν οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν κατεδίκα σαν. ἀλλ' ἀκουσάτω μου ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ ἐνεχθήτω ταῦρος ἄγριος, ὥστε με δεῖξαι σήμερον ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν· οὐδὲ γὰρ διὰ ῥημάτων ἀλλὰ διὰ πραγμάτων βούλο μαι δείκνυσθαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν." ὁ δὲ Σίλβεστρος παρακαλέσας τοιοῦτον ἐνεχθῆναι ταῦρον, ἠρώτησεν ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ τὸν Ζαμβρῆν "τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐπιζητεῖς τὸν ταῦρον;" καὶ φησίν "ἐπειδὴ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ἡμετέρου θεοῦ οὐδεμία κτιστὴ φύσις ἀκούσασα ζήσεται, βού λομαι διὰ τοῦ ταύρου τὴν ἰσχὺν ἀποδεῖξαι σαφῶς." πρὸς ὃν ὁ Σίλβεστρος ἔφη "καὶ σὺ ποίῳ τρόπῳ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦτο μεμάθηκας; ἆρα παρά τινος ἀκούσας ἢ ἀναγνούς;" ὁ δὲ εἶπεν "οὔτε χάρτης οὔτε λίθος οὔτε ξύλον ὑποδέξασθαι τὸ ὄνομα τοῦτο δύναται· ἐγὼ δὲ νηστεύσας καὶ εἰς ἀργυρᾶν λεκάνην καινὴν ὕδωρ ἐμβαλὼν τοῦτο μεμάθηκα." τούτων οὖν λεγομένων ἤχθη καὶ ὁ ταῦρος ὑπὸ 1.492 πολλῶν ἀνδρῶν ἑλκόμενος, δεδεμένος πάντοθεν