In occursum domini

Of Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium, on the Theotokos and on Simeon and Anna. Many of the great men admire virginity; for it is indeed admirable as congenital to the angels, as a companion of the powers above, as a fellow-traveler of the incorporeal natures, as a torchbearer of the holy church, as conquering the world, as trampling on the passions, as bridling the appetites, as not partaking with Eve, as delivered from sorrow, as possessed of purity, as redeemed from groans, as not accepting the sentence of condemnation which says: I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your groaning; in sorrow you shall bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you. Admirable, therefore, is virginity as an unenslaved possession, as a free habitation, as an ascetic adornment, as superior to the human condition, as released from the passions of necessity, as having entered with the bridegroom Christ into the chamber of the kingdom of heaven. These and similar things are the glories of virginity. But honorable marriage is above every earthly gift, as a fruitful tree, as a most comely plant, as the root of virginity, as a cultivator of rational and living branches, as a blessing for the increase of the world, as a comforter of the race, as a creator of humanity, as a painter of the divine image, as possessing the Lord who blesses, as accepting to bear the whole world, as living for him whom it persuaded to become man, as able to say with boldness: Behold, I and the children whom God has given me. Take away honorable marriage and you will not find the flower of virginity; for from here and not elsewhere is the flower of virginity gathered. But in saying these things we do not introduce a battle between virginity and marriage; but we admire both as being mutually necessary. Since the Lord is the provider of both, He does not weigh one against the other; for in all things both sides hold to the fear of God. For without pious fear of God, neither is virginity venerable nor marriage honorable.

These things were brought forward by me in my discourse because of that which was written in the law and confirmed in grace and spoken universally and not found universally and fulfilled in the Lord alone; I speak concerning the first-born fruit of marriage. What is this? You just heard the evangelist saying: And it came to pass, when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived. And when the days of their purification were fulfilled, they brought him to the temple and presented him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord; Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. Did you see the blessing of marriage and that what was said in common was found in the Lord alone? That which is, ‘Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord,’ has reference to the Lord alone, and not to any other, even though it was spoken universally. For every nature of a virgin is first opened by intercourse with a man; the womb, and then she gives birth. But in the case of our Savior it was not so, but without intercourse He himself, opening the womb of the virgin, came forth in an ineffable manner, so that the phrase, ‘Every male that opens the womb holy to the Lord’

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In occursum domini

Ἀμφιλοχίου ἐπισκόπου Ἰκονίου εἰς τὴν θεοτόκον καὶ εἰς τὸν Συμεῶνα

καὶ Ἄνναν. Πολλοὶ τῶν μεγάλων ἀνθρώπων τὴν παρθενίαν θαυμάζουσιν· καὶ γάρ ἐστι θαυμαστὴ ὡς τῶν ἀγγέλων σύμφυτος, ὡς τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων συνόμιλος, ὡς τῶν ἀσωμάτων φύσεων σύνδρο μος, ὡς τῆς ἁγίας ἐκκλησίας λαμπαδοῦχος, ὡς τὸν κόσμον νικῶσα, ὡς τὰ πάθη πατοῦσα, ὡς τὰς ὀρέξεις χαλινοῦσα, ὡς τῇ Εὔᾳ μὴ κοινωνοῦσα, ὡς λύπης ἀπηλλαγμένη, ὡς ἁγνείας ἐπειλημμένη, ὡς στεναγμῶν λελυτρωμένη, ὡς τὴν καταδεδικασ μένην ἀπόφασιν μὴ προσδεχομένη τὴν φάσκουσαν· Πληθύνων πληθυνῶ τὰς λύπας σου καὶ τὸν στεναγμόν σου· ἐν λύπαις τέξῃ τέκνα καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα σου ἡ ἀποστροφή σου, καὶ αὐτός σου κυριεύσει. Θαυμαστὴ τοιγαροῦν ἡ παρθενία ὡς ἀδούλωτον κτῆμα, ὡς ἐλεύθερον ἐνδιαίτημα, ὡς ἀσκητικὸν ἐγκαλλώπισμα, ὡς τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἕξεως ἀνωτέρα, ὡς τῶν ἐπ' ἀνάγκαις παθῶν ἀπολυθεῖσα, ὡς συνεισελθοῦσα τῷ νυμφίῳ Χριστῷ εἰς τὸν θάλαμον τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας. Καὶ τὰ μὲν τῆς παρθενίας κλέη ταῦτα καὶ τὰ παραπλήσια τούτων. Ὁ δὲ τίμιος γάμος ὑπέρκειται παντὸς δώρου γηΐνου, ὡς ἔγκαρπον δένδρον, ὡς ἀστειότατον φυτόν, ὡς ῥίζα τῆς παρθενίας, ὡς γεωργὸς τῶν λογικῶν καὶ ἐμψύχων κλάδων, ὡς εὐλογία τῆς τοῦ κόσμου αὐξήσεως, ὡς παρήγορος τοῦ γένους, ὡς δημιουργὸς τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος, ὡς τῆς θεϊκῆς εἰκόνος ζωγράφος, ὡς τὸν δεσπότην εὐλογοῦντα κεκτημένος, ὡς πάντα τὸν κόσμον φέρειν δεχόμενος, ὡς ἐκείνῳ πολιτευόμενος ὃν καὶ ἐνανθρωπῆσαι ἐδυσώπησεν, ὡς δυνάμενος λέγειν μετὰ παρρησίας· Ἰδού, ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία ἅ μοι ἔδωκεν ὁ θεός. Περίελε τὸν τίμιον γάμον καὶ οὐχ εὑρήσεις τὸ τῆς παρθενίας ἄνθος· ἔνθεν γὰρ καὶ οὐκ ἄλλοθεν τὸ τῆς παρθενίας ἄνθος ἀναλέγεται. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγοντες οὐ μάχην παρεισβάλλομεν μεταξὺ παρθενίας καὶ γάμου· ἑκάτερα δὲ ὡς ἀλληλόχρεα θαυμάζομεν. Ἐπειδὴ τῶν ἑκατέρων ὁ δεσπότης προνοητής, οὐκ ἀντιταλαντεύει ἕτερον τῷ ἑτέρῳ· πρὸς πάντα γὰρ τὰ ἑκάτερα μέρη τῆς θεοφοβίας ἔχεται. ∆ίχα γὰρ τῆς εὐσεβοῦς θεοφοβίας οὔτε παρθενία σεμνὴ οὔτε γάμος τίμιος.

Ταῦτα δέ μοι τῷ λόγῳ προήχθη διὰ τὸ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ γραφὲν καὶ ἐν τῇ χάριτι βεβαιωθὲν καὶ καθόλου λεχθὲν καὶ καθόλου μὴ εὑρεθὲν καὶ ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ μόνῳ πληρωθέν· περὶ τοῦ γαμικοῦ φημι πρωτοβόλου καρποῦ. Ποίου τούτου; Ἤκουες ἀρτίως τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ λέγοντος· Καὶ ἐγένετο ὅτε ἐπλήσθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι ὀκτὼ τοῦ περιτεμεῖν τὸ παιδίον, καὶ ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦς, τὸ κληθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγγέλου πρὸ τοῦ συλληφθῆναι αὐτόν. Καὶ ὅτε ἐπλήσθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ καθαρισμοῦ αὐτῶν, ἀνήγαγον αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ παρέστησαν αὐτὸν τῷ κυρίῳ, καθώς ἐστι γεγραμμένον ἐν νόμῳ κυρίου· πᾶν ἄρρεν διανοῖγον μήτραν ἅγιον τῷ κυρίῳ κληθήσεται. Εἶδες τοῦ γάμου τὴν εὐλογίαν καὶ τὸ κατὰ κοινοῦ λεχθὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ κυρίου μόνου εὑρεθέν; Ὅπερ, πᾶν ἄρρεν διανοῖγον μήτραν ἅγιον τῷ κυρίῳ κληθήσεται, εἰς τὸν κύριον μόνον τὴν ἀναφορὰν κέκτηται, οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ εἰς ἄλλον τινά, εἰ καὶ ὅτι καθολικῶς εἴρηται. Καὶ γὰρ πᾶσα φύσις παρθένου πρῶτον ἐκ συνουσίας ἀνδρὸς διανοίγεται· ἡ μήτρα καὶ εἶθ' οὕτως τίκτει. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ χωρὶς συνουσίας αὐτὸς διανοίξας τὴν μήτραν τῆς παρθένου ἀφράστως προῆλθεν, ὥστε τό· Πᾶν ἄρρεν διανοῖγον μήτραν ἅγιον τῷ κυρίῳ

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