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the proclamation which follows, as the holy Isaiah himself says, “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he does not open his mouth. And who will declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth, and I will give the wicked for his burial,” and so forth. And see how he relates the first things last and explains the last things as having already happened, saying, “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter.” For it is said to be in the past tense; for he did not say, “he is being led,” and the one proclaimed by Isaiah had not yet been led. But it was spoken to the prophet as if the deed had already been done. For the divine mystery-initiation was unchangeable. But proceeding from this, he no longer spoke as of things that had happened, so that he might not again work deception, but says, “his life is taken from the earth.” And from the two statements he shows the truth, that the “he was led” was already being fulfilled and the “is taken” would afterwards be fulfilled, so that from what has happened you might understand the truth and firmness of God's promise, and from what is to come you might represent the time of the mysteries being revealed. 7. Thus also in the case of Mary the angel foretold what her father was about to receive from God upon entering his own house, what was requested through prayer by the petition of the father and mother, that “behold, your wife has conceived in her womb,” in order to firmly establish the mind of the believer in the promise. But this has become a deception for some. For it is impossible for anyone to be born on earth contrary to human nature. For he alone was pre-eminent * nature yielded to him alone. He, as fashioner and master of the matter, formed himself from a virgin as from the 3.482 earth, God coming from heaven, the Word clothed in flesh from a holy virgin; but not that the virgin should be worshipped, nor that he might make her a god, not that we should offer in her name, not that he might again show women to be priestesses after so many generations. God was not pleased for this to happen in Salome, nor in Mary herself. He did not permit her to give baptism, nor to bless disciples, nor did he command her to rule upon the earth, but only that she be a holy vessel and be deemed worthy of his kingdom. Not the one called the mother of Rufus, not those who followed from Galilee, not Martha the sister of Lazarus and Mary, nor any of the holy women who were deemed worthy to be saved by his presence, and who ministered to him from their own possessions, not the Canaanite woman, not the woman with the issue of blood who was saved, nor any of the women on earth did he command † to do this office. From where then again these coiled serpents for us, from where are the crooked counsels renewed? Let Mary be in honor, but let the Father and Son and Holy Spirit be worshipped, let no one worship Mary. I do not say to a woman, but neither is it commanded for a man to offer the mystery as to a god, nor do angels have room for such a doxology. Let the things badly written in the heart of the deceived be erased, let the stain of the wood be dimmed from their eyes; let the creature turn back again to the master, let Eve with Adam have reverence to honor God alone, let her not be led by the voice of the serpent, but let her abide by the command of God, “you shall not eat from the tree.” And the tree was not a deception, but through the tree came the disobedience of the deception. Let no one eat of the deception that is through the holy Mary; for even if “the tree is beautiful,” yet it is not for food, and if Mary is most beautiful and holy and honored, yet she is not to be worshipped. 8. But these women again “renew a drink offering to Fortune and prepare for the demon” and not for God “the table,” according to what is written, and they eat the food of impiety, as the divine word says, “and the women knead dough, and the sons gather wood to make cakes for the host 3.483 of heaven.” Let such women be muzzled by Jeremiah, and not

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κήρυγμα τὸ ἐπιφερόμενον, ὡς λέγει αὐτὸς ὁ ἅγιος Ἠσαΐας «ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείροντος αὐτὸν ἄφωνος, οὕτως οὐκ ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ. τὴν δὲ γενεὰν αὐτοῦ τίς διηγήσεται; ὅτι αἴρεται ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ δώσω τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀντὶ τῆς ταφῆς αὐτοῦ» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. καὶ βλέπε πῶς τὰ πρῶτα ὕστερα διηγεῖται καὶ τὰ ὕστερα ὡς γεγονότα ἑρμηνεύει, φήσας «ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη». παρῳχημένον γὰρ λέγεται εἶναι· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, ἄγεται, καὶ οὔπω ἦν ἀχθεὶς ὁ ὑπὸ Ἠσαΐου κηρυττόμενος. ἐλέγετο δὲ τῷ προφήτῃ ὡς ἤδη γεγενημένον τὸ ἔργον. ἀπαράβατος γὰρ ἦν ἡ θεοῦ μυσταγωγία. ἐξ αὐτῆς δὲ ὑποβαίνων οὐκέτι ὡς γενόμενα ἔλεγεν, ἵνα μὴ πλάνην πάλιν ἀπεργάσηται, ἀλλὰ φησίν «αἴρεται ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ». ἐκ δὲ τῶν δύο προφάσεων δείκνυσι τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ὅτι τὸ «ἤχθη» ἤδη ἐτελειοῦτο καὶ τὸ «αἴρεται» μετέπειτα ἐπληροῦτο, ἵνα ἀπὸ τοῦ γεγονέναι νοήσῃς τὸ ἀληθὲς καὶ τὸ πάγιον τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπαγγελίας, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἔσεσθαι τὸν χρόνον ἀπεικάσῃς τῶν ἀποκαλυπτομένων μυστηρίων. 7. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ Μαρίᾳ ὁ ἄγγελος προέλεγεν ὅπερ ἔμελλεν εἰσερχόμενος ὁ πατὴρ ταύτης εἰς τὸν οἶκον τὸν ἴδιον παρὰ θεοῦ κομίζεσθαι, τὸ δι' εὐχῆς αἰτηθὲν διὰ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τῆς μητρὸς αἰτήσεως, ὅτι «ἰδού, ἡ γυνή σου συνειληφυῖα ἐν γαστρί», ἵνα βεβαίως περαιώσῃ τὴν διάνοιαν τοῦ πιστοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐπαγγελίᾳ. τοῦτο δὲ γέγονέ τισιν εἰς πλάνην. ἀδύνατον γάρ τινα παρὰ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς γεννᾶσθαι. μόνος γὰρ διέπρεψεν * αὐτῷ μόνῳ παρεχώρησεν ἡ φύσις. οὗτος ὡς πλάστης καὶ ἐξουσιαστὴς τοῦ πράγματος ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ παρθένου ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τῆς 3.482 γῆς ἀνεπλάσατο, θεὸς ἀπ' οὐρανῶν ἐλθών, σάρκα ἐνδυσάμενος ὁ λόγος ἐξ ἁγίας παρθένου· οὐ μὴν δὲ προσκυνουμένης τῆς παρθένου, οὐδὲ ἵνα θεὸν ταύτην ἀπεργάσηται, οὐχ ἵνα εἰς ὄνομα αὐτῆς προσενέγκωμεν, οὐχ ἵνα γυναῖκας πάλιν ἱερείας μετὰ τοσαύτας γενεὰς ἀποδείξῃ. οὐκ εὐδόκησεν ὁ θεὸς τοῦτο ἐν Σαλώμῃ γενέσθαι, οὐκ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ Μαρίᾳ. οὐκ ἐπέτρεψεν αὐτῇ δοῦναι βάπτισμα, οὐκ εὐλογῆσαι μαθητάς, οὐ τὸ ἄρχειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐκέλευσεν, ἢ μόνον ἁγίασμα αὐτὴν εἶναι καὶ καταξιωθῆναι τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας. οὐ τὴν καλουμένην μητέρα Ῥούφου, οὐ τὰς ἀκολουθησάσας ἀπὸ Γαλιλαίας, οὐ τὴν Μάρθαν τὴν ἀδελφὴν Λαζάρου καὶ Μαρίαν, οὔτινα τῶν ἁγίων γυναικῶν τῶν καταξιωθεισῶν ὑπὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας σωθῆναι, ἐξυπηρετησαμένων τε αὐτῷ ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων ὑπαρχόντων, οὐ τὴν γυναῖκα τὴν Χανανῖτιν, οὐ τὴν αἱμορροοῦσαν καὶ σεσωσμένην, οὔτινα τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς γυναικῶν † τοῦτο ποιεῖν προσέταξε τὸ ἀξίωμα. πόθεν τοίνυν πάλιν ἡμῖν κυκλοδράκων, πόθεν ἀνακαινίζεται τὰ σκολιὰ βουλεύματα; ἐν τιμῇ ἔστω Μαρία, ὁ δὲ πατὴρ καὶ υἱὸς καὶ ἅγιον πνεῦμα προσκυνείσθω, τὴν Μαρίαν μηδεὶς προσκυνείτω. οὐ λέγω γυναικί, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀνδρὶ ὡς θεῷ προστέτακται προσφέρειν τὸ μυστήριον, οὐδὲ ἄγγελοι χωροῦσι δοξολογίαν τοιαύτην. ἐξαλειφέσθω τὰ κακῶς γραφέντα ἐν καρδίᾳ τῶν ἠπατημένων, ἀμαυρούσθω ἐξ ὀφθαλμῶν τὸ ἐγκίσσημα τοῦ ξύλου· ἐπιστρέψῃ πάλιν τὸ πλάσμα πρὸς τὸν δεσπότην, ἐντρεπέσθω Εὔα μετὰ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ θεὸν τιμᾶν μόνον, μὴ ἀγέσθω τῇ τοῦ ὄφεως φωνῇ, ἀλλ' ἐμμενέτω τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ προστάξει «μὴ φάγῃς ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου». καὶ ἦν τὸ ξύλον οὐ πλάνη, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ ξύλου γέγονεν ἡ παρακοὴ τῆς πλάνης. μὴ φαγέτω τις ἀπὸ τῆς πλάνης τῆς διὰ Μαρίαν τὴν ἁγίαν· καὶ γὰρ εἰ καὶ «ὡραῖον τὸ ξύλον», ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς βρῶμα, καὶ εἰ καλλίστη ἡ Μαρία καὶ ἁγία καὶ τετιμημένη, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς τὸ προσκυνεῖσθαι. 8. Αὗται δὲ πάλιν «ἀνακαινίζουσι τῇ Τύχῃ τὸ κέρασμα καὶ ἑτοιμάζουσι τῷ δαίμονι» καὶ οὐ θεῷ «τὴν τράπεζαν», κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, καὶ σιτοῦνται σῖτα ἀσεβείας, ὥς φησιν ὁ θεῖος λόγος «καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τρίβουσι σταῖς, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ συλλέγουσι ξύλα ποιῆσαι χαυῶνας τῇ στρατιᾷ 3.483 τοῦ οὐρανοῦ». φιμούσθωσαν ὑπὸ Ἰερεμίου αἱ τοιαῦται γυναῖκες, καὶ μὴ