493

But there was separation and enmity “in the forbearance of God,” but “He reconciled in the body of His flesh, through Himself making both one.” For “our peace” has come, and “having broken down the middle wall of the partition, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, the law of commandments in ordinances, that He might create in Himself the two into one new man,” “that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of the promise” He commanded, saying, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Therefore, “in what I was weak through the flesh,” a savior was sent to me “in the likeness of sinful flesh,” fulfilling such an economy, that he might “redeem” me from slavery, that me from corruption, that me from death. And He became for me “righteousness and sanctification and redemption”; righteousness, by loosing sin through faith in Him; sanctification, by setting free through water and spirit and in His word; redemption, His blood, the ransom of the true lamb, having given Himself for me, a propitiation 3.316 for the cleansing of the world, the reconciliation of all things, of heaven and earth, fulfilling at the appointed times “the mystery hidden for ages and generations.” The same “will transform the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of His glory, according to the working by which He is able even to subject all things to Himself,” “for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” 3. Therefore, the vessel of wisdom and of divinity, Christ, mediating, “reconciles all things to God in Himself,” “not counting sins,” fulfilling hidden mysteries by faith of His covenant, which was promised beforehand by the law and the prophets, proclaimed Son of God, called son of David; for both God and man, “mediator between God and men,” the true “house of God,” a “holy priesthood,” giver of the Holy Spirit who regenerates and renews all things again to God, “for the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father.” The rain, being made one nature with trees and plants, produces a body and of the fruits, each according to its likeness. And in the olive tree it becomes rich oil, taking from it its substance, and in the vine it is colored as sweet wine, and in the fig tree the fig is sweetened, and in each of the seeds it grows a plant according to its kind; so, I think, the Word of God became flesh in Mary and was found as a man in the seed of Abraham, according to the promise, “for we have found the Messiah of whom Moses wrote.” As Moses said, “Let my speech descend as rain,” and David, “He shall descend as dew upon a fleece, and as drops that fall upon the earth,” wool, then, receiving the dew, increases the growth of the fleece, and the earth, receiving the rain, increases the fruit of the farmers' hope, by receiving 3.317 the command of the master, offering its nature eagerly, having more zeal to receive from him, so indeed the virgin Mary, when she says, “How shall I know that this will be for me?” she heard, “The spirit of the Lord shall be upon you and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you. Therefore also that which is born of you shall be holy and shall be called the Son of the Most High.” Christ speaks in the angel, and the Master refashions Himself in His own creation, “taking the form of a servant”; and Mary draws up the word unto conception, as the earth does the rain, and the Word of God shows Himself a holy fruit, taking on mortal nature. This was He who was drawn up from her, as from earth and fleece, the fruit of true hope, for the saints in expectation, as Elizabeth said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb,” which He received from humanity, the Word, suffering while being impassible; This is “the living bread, which came down from heaven” and gives life; This is the fruit of the true olive, the oil of anointing and of composition, which Moses prefigured; This

493

διάστασις δὲ ἦν καὶ ἔχθρα «ἐν τῇ ἀνοχῇ τοῦ θεοῦ», «ἀποκατήλλαξε δὲ ἐν τῷ σώματι τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ, δι' αὐτοῦ ποιήσας τὰ ἀμφότερα ἕν». ἦλθε γὰρ «ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν», καὶ «τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ λύσας, τὴν ἔχθραν ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ αὐτοῦ τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασι καταργήσας, ἵνα τοὺς δύο κτίσῃ ἐν ἑαυτῷ εἰς ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον», «εἶναι δὲ τὰ ἔθνη σύσσωμα καὶ συμμέτοχα καὶ συγκληρονόμα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας» ἐκέλευσεν, εἰπὼν «δεῦτε πρός με πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς». τοίνυν «ἐν ᾧ ἐγὼ ἠσθένουν διὰ τῆς σαρκός», ἀπεστάλη μοι σωτὴρ «ἐν ὁμοιώματι σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας» οἰκονομίαν τοιαύτην πληρῶν, ἵνα με δουλείας «ἐξαγοράσῃ», ἵνα με φθορᾶς, ἵνα με θανάτου. καὶ ἐγένετό μοι «δικαιοσύνη καὶ ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις»· δικαιοσύνη μέν, διὰ πίστεως αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτίαν λύσας· ἁγιασμὸς δέ, δι' ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος καὶ ἐν ῥήματι αὐτοῦ ἐλευθερώσας· ἀπολύτρωσις δέ, τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ, λύτρον ἀμνοῦ ἀληθοῦς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ ἑαυτὸν παραδούς, ἱλαστήριον 3.316 καθάρσεως κόσμου, καταλλαγῆς ἁπάντων, οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, «μυστήριον τὸ ἀπόκρυφον πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων καὶ γενεῶν» πληρῶν καιροῖς τοῖς ὡρισμένοις. ὁ αὐτὸς «μετασχηματίσει τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι σύμμορφον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ δύνασθαι καὶ ὑποτάξαι αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα», «ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικεῖ πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος σωματικῶς». 3. Τὸ δοχεῖον τοίνυν τῆς σοφίας καὶ τῆς θεότητος ὁ Χριστὸς μεσιτεύων «καταλλάσσει τὰ πάντα τῷ θεῷ ἐν αὐτῷ», «μὴ λογιζόμενος ἁμαρτίας», ἀπόκρυφα μυστήρια πληρῶν πίστει διαθήκης αὐτοῦ τῆς προεπηγγελμένης ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν, υἱὸς θεοῦ κηρυσσόμενος, υἱὸς ∆αυὶδ λεγόμενος· ἄμφω γὰρ θεὸς καὶ ἄνθρωπος, «μεσίτης θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων», ἀληθινὸς «οἶκος θεοῦ», «ἱεράτευμα ἅγιον», ἁγίου πνεύματος δοτὴρ τοῦ ἀναγεννῶντος καὶ ἀνακαινίζοντος αὖθις τὰ πάντα τῷ θεῷ, «ὅτι ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ εἴδομεν τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, ὡς δόξαν μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός». ὁ ὑετὸς δένδρεσι καὶ φυτοῖς συμφυσιούμενος σῶμα ἀπεργάζεται καὶ τῶν καρπῶν καθ' ὁμοιότητα ἕκαστον. καὶ ἐν μὲν τῇ ἐλαίᾳ ἔλαιον πῖον γίνεται, προσλαμβανόμενος ἐξ αὐτῆς τὸ οὐσιῶδες, ἐν δ' ἀμπέλῳ οἶνος ἡδὺς χροΐζεται, ἐν δὲ συκῇ σῦκον γλυκαίνεται καὶ ἐν ἑκάστῳ τῶν σπερμάτων πρὸς τὸ εἶδος αὐτοῦ αὔξει φυήν· οὕτως, οἶμαι, ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν Μαρίᾳ σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐν σπέρματι Ἀβραὰμ ἄνθρωπος εὑρίσκετο, κατὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν «εὑρήκαμεν γὰρ Μεσσίαν ὃν ἔγραψε Μωυσῆς». ὡς δὲ Μωυσῆς ἔφη «καταβήτω ὡς ὑετὸς τὸ ἀπόφθεγμά μου» καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ «καταβήτω ὡς δρόσος ἐπὶ πόκον, καὶ ὡς σταγόνες στάζουσαι ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν», ἔριον τοίνυν δεχόμενον τὴν δρόσον αὔξει πόκου γονήν, γῆ δὲ δεχομένη τὸν ὑετὸν αὔξει καρπὸν ἐλπίδος γεωργῶν, τῷ δέχεσθαι 3.317 προστάγματι τοῦ δεσπότου, προσδιδοῦσα τὴν φύσιν προθύμως, τοῦ δὲ λαμβάνειν παρ' αὐτοῦ πλέον ἔχουσα σπουδήν, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡ παρθένος Μαρία «κατὰ τί γνώσομαι», ὅτε φησίν, «ὅτι ἔσται μοι τοῦτο;» ἤκουσε «πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπὶ σὲ καὶ δύναμις ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι. διὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἐκ σοῦ ἅγιον ἔσται καὶ υἱὸς ὑψίστου κληθήσεται». Χριστὸς ἐν ἀγγέλῳ λαλεῖ, ἀναπλάττει δὲ ἑαυτὸν ἐν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ πλάσει ὁ δεσπότης «μορφὴν δούλου λαβών»· καὶ Μαρία μὲν ἀνιμᾶται τὸν λόγον εἰς σύλληψιν, ὡς ὑετὸν ἡ γῆ, ἑαυτὸν δὲ καρπὸν ἅγιον ἀποδείκνυσιν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος προσλαμβανόμενος θνητοῦ φύσιν. οὗτος ἦν ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀνιμώσης, ὡς γῆ καὶ πόκος, ὁ τῆς ἀληθοῦς ἐλπίδος καρπός, ἁγίοις ἐν προσδοκίᾳ, καθὼς Ἐλισάβετ ἔλεγεν «εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξὶ καὶ εὐλογημένος ὁ καρπὸς τῆς κοιλίας σου», ὃν προσελάβετο ἐξ ἀνθρωπότητος παθὼν ἀπαθὴς ὢν ὁ λόγος· οὗτος «ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν, ὁ καταβὰς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ» καὶ ζωὴν διδούς· οὗτος ὁ τῆς ἀληθοῦς ἐλαίας καρπός, τὸ ἔλαιον τῆς χρίσεως καὶ τῆς συνθέσεως, ὃ προετύπωσε Μωυσῆς· οὗτος