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in Jerusalem, having lived after the Savior's ascension for twenty-four years, more or less, being -- years old, having been struck on the head with a fuller's club, cast down from the pinnacle of the temple and having come down and been in no way injured, but bending his knees and praying for those who cast him down and saying: Forgive them; for they know not what they do, as also Simeon, standing afar off, his cousin, the son of Clopas, said, "Cease, why do you stone the just one? And behold, he prays for you the best things." And thus his martyrdom came to be. 15. If, then, his child was of so many years, how then did his father, seeing dreadful things, angels attending the birth of the son, singing from the heavens and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men," and the shepherds coming to the cave, where he was born, and announcing these things, and Joseph hearing, the old man and advanced in age, so many signs and wonders, how did he dare to act wantonly and to outrage a holy body, in which God dwelt? from which very body was gathered for us the economy of the incarnate presence, 3.466 whence the holy, undefiled flesh was built up for us in the divinity of the Savior, as the angel Gabriel there says, speaking, "The Spirit of the Lord shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." How then did he dare to be united with so great and such a holy virgin, Mary? And what would it profit us to inquire about this, if he was united with her—which may it never be? Which is more preferable, to entrust matters to God or for us to compel worse things? For it is clear that it was not written to us that, if we do not believe that Mary was united again, we do not have eternal life, but come into judgment. But it was written to seek what things are good, but what things are just, what things are honorable, "that we may give grace also to those who hear." But men have left aside the necessary things, the things concerning the truth of faith, the things in the glorification of God, and from wherever they might find them they procure for themselves things to their harm, which, alas, are even to be thought of, especially since Scripture does not say so. 16. For if Scripture said it, we would have rendered * the truth and would not have thought anything of it. For is marriage not honorable? Is the marriage bed defiled? Is not "the marriage bed undefiled"? Is marriage counterfeited? But from prophets and high priests it is withheld on account of service to the greater thing. For after Moses prophesied, he was no longer united with a woman, he no longer begets children, such a one no longer gives birth. For he had a life more at leisure for the master. For how could he, being given to marriage, have spent "forty nights and forty days" on Mount Sinai? Or how could he have been ready for forty years in the desert for the economy of God, and to be at leisure for the priesthood? And how could he, being united in marriage, continue to recount the mysteries and to converse with God? For if the holy apostle speaks plainly concerning us and says * "for a time, that they may devote themselves to prayer," how much more will this word be true concerning the prophets? Mary, therefore, is also a prophetess. For it says, "he went in to the prophetess and she conceived 3.467 and bore a son. And the Lord said to me, call his name Spoil quickly, plunder swiftly" and the rest. And this signifies here the entrance of Gabriel to Mary, when he went out to announce to her the good news that she was about to bear a son of God, a savior to the world, not from the seed of a man, but through the Holy Spirit. But also Philip the evangelist "had four daughters who prophesied"; and they prophesied, therefore, because they were deemed worthy to have virginity. And Thecla meets the holy Paul and dissolves a marriage, having a most handsome fiancé, a chief man of the city, exceedingly rich, most noble in life and most distinguished; and the holy one despises earthly things, that she might become a master of heavenly things. If therefore

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Ἱεροσολύμοις, βιώσας μετὰ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἀνάληψιν ἔτεσιν εἴκοσι τέσσαρσι, πλείω ἐλάσσω, ὢν ἐτῶν ˉˉ ὑπὸ τοῦ γναφέως τῷ ξύλῳ παισθεὶς τὴν κεφαλήν, ῥιφεὶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πτερυγίου τοῦ ἱεροῦ καὶ κατελθὼν καὶ μηδὲν ἀδικηθείς, κλίνας δὲ τὰ γόνατα καὶ προσευξάμενος ὑπὲρ τῶν αὐτὸν ῥιψάντων καὶ φάσκων· συγχώρησον αὐτοῖς· οὐ γὰρ οἴδασι τί ποιοῦσιν, ὡς καὶ Συμεὼν πόρρω ἑστώς, ὁ τούτου ἀνεψιός, υἱὸς δὲ τοῦ Κλωπᾶ, ἔλεγε «παύσασθε, τί λιθάζετε τὸν δίκαιον; καὶ ἰδού, εὔχεται ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν τὰ κάλλιστα». καὶ οὕτως γέγονε τὸ αὐτοῦ μαρτύριον. 15. Εἰ τοίνυν ὁ τούτου παῖς τοσούτων ἐτῶν ὑπῆρχε, πῶς ἄρα ὁ τούτου πατὴρ βλέπων φρικώδη πράγματα, ἀγγέλους τὴν γέννησιν τοῦ υἱοῦ δορυφοροῦντας, ὑμνοῦντας ἀπ' οὐρανῶν καὶ λέγοντας «δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη, ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία», καὶ τῶν ποιμένων ἡκόντων εἰς τὸ σπήλαιον, ἔνθα ἐγεννήθη, καὶ ταῦτα ἀγγελλόντων καὶ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἀκούοντος, τοῦ πρεσβύτου καὶ ὑπερβάντος τῷ χρόνῳ, τὰ τοσαῦτα σημεῖα καὶ θαύματα, πῶς ἐτόλμα ἐμπαροινεῖν καὶ ἐνυβρίζειν σῶμα ἅγιον, ἐν ᾧ κατῳκίσθη θεός; ἐξ οὗπερ σώματος συνελέγη ἡμῖν ἡ τῆς ἐνσάρκου παρουσίας οἰκονομία, 3.466 ὅθεν ἡ ἁγία ἄχραντος σὰρξ ἡμῖν ᾠκοδομήθη ἐν τῇ θεότητι τοῦ σωτῆρος, ὡς ὁ ἄγγελος ἐκεῖσε ὁ Γαβριήλ φησιν λέγων «πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σὲ καὶ δύναμις ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι· διὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἐκ σοῦ ἅγιον κληθήσεται υἱὸς θεοῦ». πῶς ἄρα ἐτόλμα συναφθῆναι τῇ τοσαύτῃ καὶ τοιαύτῃ ἁγίᾳ παρθένῳ Μαρίᾳ; τί δὲ ὠφέλησεν ἡμᾶς, εἰ καὶ συνήφθη ὅπερ μὴ γένοιτο, περὶ τούτου ζητεῖν; ποῖον δὲ μᾶλλόν ἐστιν αἱρετώτερον, τὸ παραδοῦναι τὰ πράγματα θεῷ ἢ τὸ βιάζεσθαι ἡμῖν τὰ χείρονα; ὅτι μὲν οὐκ ἐγράφη ἡμῖν ὅτι, ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύσωμεν ὅτι συνήφθη πάλιν ἡ Μαρία, οὐκ ἔχομεν ζωὴν αἰώνιον, ἀλλὰ εἰς κρίμα ἐρχόμεθα, δῆλον. ἐγράφη δὲ ζητεῖν τί καλά, ἀλλὰ τί δίκαια, τί σεμνά, «ἵνα δῶμεν χάριν καὶ τοῖς ἀκούουσιν». εἴασαν δὲ οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὰ ἀναγκαῖα, τὰ περὶ πίστεως ἀληθείας, τὰ ἐν δοξολογίᾳ θεοῦ, καὶ ὅθεν δ' ἂν εὕρωσιν ἑαυτοῖς προσπορίζονται πρὸς βλάβην, ἃ φεῦ καὶ διανοεῖσθαι, μάλιστα τῆς γραφῆς μὴ λεγούσης. 16. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἔλεγεν ἡ γραφή, ἀπεδιδόαμεν ἂν * τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ οὐδὲν διενοούμεθα. μὴ γὰρ ὁ γάμος ἄσεμνος; μὴ βέβηλος ἡ κοίτη; μὴ οὐκ ἔστιν «ἡ κοίτη ἀμίαντος»; μὴ παραχαράσσεται γάμος; ἀπὸ δὲ προφητῶν καὶ ἀρχιερέων ἐπέχεται διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸ μεῖζον ὑπηρεσίαν. μετὰ γὰρ τὸ προφητεῦσαι Μωυσῆν οὐκέτι γυναικὶ συνῆπται, οὐκέτι τέκνα κυΐσκει, οὐκέτι γεννᾷ ὁ τοιοῦτος. σχολιαίτερον γὰρ τὸν βίον ἔσχε πρὸς τὸν δεσπότην. πῶς γὰρ ἠδύνατο ἐν ὄρει Σινᾷ «τεσσαράκοντα νύκτας καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας» διατελεῖν γάμῳ προσανέχων; ἢ πῶς ἠδύνατο τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ πρὸς οἰκονομίαν θεοῦ ἕτοιμος εἶναι, πρὸς ἱερωσύνην τε σχολάζειν; καὶ πῶς τὰ μυστήρια διηγεῖσθαι καὶ τὸ συνομιλεῖν θεῷ τῷ γάμῳ συνημμένος διατελεῖν; εἰ γὰρ περὶ ἡμῶν φάσκει ὁ ἅγιος ἀπόστολος διαρρήδην καὶ λέγει * «πρὸς καιρόν, ἵνα σχολάσωσι τῇ προσευχῇ», πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον περὶ προφητῶν ἔσται οὗτος ἀληθὴς ὁ λόγος; προφῆτις τοίνυν καὶ ἡ Μαρία. «εἰσῆλθε» γάρ φησι «πρὸς τὴν προφῆτιν καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔλαβε 3.467 καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱόν. καὶ εἶπε κύριος πρός με, κάλεσον τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ταχέως σκύλευσον, ὀξέως προνόμευσον» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. σημαίνει δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὴν τοῦ Γαβριὴλ εἴσοδον πρὸς τὴν Μαρίαν, ὅτε ἐξῆλθεν εὐαγγελίσασθαι αὐτῇ ὅτι μέλλει γεννᾶν υἱὸν θεοῦ σωτῆρα τῷ κόσμῳ, οὐκ ἀπὸ σπέρματος ἀνδρός, ἀλλὰ διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου. ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ Φιλίππῳ τῷ εὐαγγελιστῇ «τέσσαρες ἦσαν θυγατέρες προφητεύουσαι»· ἐπροφήτευον δ' ἄρα δι' ἣν κατηξιοῦντο ἔχειν παρθενίαν. καὶ Θέκλα μὲν συναντᾷ Παύλῳ τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ διαλύεται γάμον, ὁρμαστὸν ἔχουσα εὐειδέστατον, πρωτεύοντα δὲ πόλεως, πλούσιον ἄγαν, εὐγενέστατον δὲ ἐν τῷ βίῳ καὶ διαφανέστατον· καὶ περιφρονεῖ τῶν ἐπιγείων ἡ ἁγία, ἵνα τῶν ἐπουρανίων ἐγκρατὴς γένηται. εἰ τοίνυν