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De occursu domini

OF THE SAME, ON THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD, AND ON THE THEOTOKOS, AND ON THE RIGHTEOUS SYMEON.

Paul, who is exalted by the understanding of heavenly things, lofty by his contempt for earthly things, the God-inspired mind, the Christ-moved tongue, the most beautiful pen of a ready scribe, who finely wrote for the Church the dogmas of the truth, the divinely forged arrow in the hand of the mighty One, which inflicted a mortal wound in the heart of the world-ruler of darkness, the lightning that flashed from Jerusalem and in a circle as far as Illyricum, or rather to the ends of the earth, the most distinct and mighty voice of the divine thunder on the mystical wheel of the Gospel that rolled over the whole world; this one, as if speaking from the very inner sanctuaries of paradise, where he became a hearer of unspeakable words; or rather as if from the very throne of glory, high and lifted up, where he stands by; preparing an honorable procession for the present holy and master's feast, for the reception of the King of glory; just as for some most mystical assembly, the people of the Church, the royal priesthood, he prepares, one might say, line by line, the order of a seemly conduct, commanding rhythm and harmony, says, Brethren, do not become children in your minds, but be infants in evil; but in your minds be perfect.

For thus to the all-perfect and eternal God, for whom we celebrate the festival today, who for our sake according to the flesh became an infant in these last days; from whom is every gift and that which perfects; who supernaturally displayed the perfection of virtue according to nature even in His human state, we shall become of the same body and partakers, and to His honor and glory shall be the assembly of the Church. For thus the prophetic word, alluding to His newly-born bodily theophany, describes it with the characters of His divinely-befitting perfection. For: before the child knows, it says, good or evil, he rejects wickedness to choose the good, which is a sign of the highest and 46.1153 most perfect discernment and of true wisdom. To this likeness the great apostle, preparing us, spoke his aforementioned divinely-inspired saying; so that in this the attainment of the divine according to image and likeness is manifestly recognized in us, and the super-holiness of the beauty of the prototype is known. For just as when the armies under a king prepare a magnificent procession for him, it is fitting that those gathered for his bodyguard should be gold-roofed and chosen, and that the image of his appearance be most clearly displayed; so it is necessary for us, being transformed by the renewal of our mind, and having put off the old man, and bearing in ourselves the likeness of the divine image, as far as is possible for men, thus to approach the saving and spiritual feasts, so that for us, according to the word of the prophet, the fourth fast, and the fifth fast, and the seventh fast, and the tenth fast may become gladness and good feasts.

The fast, that is, being understood anagogically, in the manner of abstinence and continence from every defilement, both of flesh and of spirit. For through the fourth and fifth, and indeed the seventh and tenth, every carnal emphasis, and that which is attached to the easily-deceived senses, and is enclosed in the present life, is signified. For we learn of the more bodily and flesh-loving way of life through the number four, as bodies are composed of four elements; but that which is through

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De occursu domini

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΥΠΑΠΑΝΤΗΝ ΤΟΥ ΚΥΡΙΟΥ, ΚΑΙ ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΝ, ΚΑΙ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ∆ΙΚΑΙΟΝ ΣΥΜΕΩΝΑ.

Ὁ τῇ φρονήσει τῶν οὐρανίων μετέωρος, ὁ τῇ κατα φρονήσει τῶν ἐπιγείων

μετάρσιος, Παῦλος ὁ θεόλη πτος νοῦς, ἡ Χριστοκίνητος γλῶττα, ὁ τοῦ ὀξυγράφου γραμματέως ὡραιότατος κάλαμος, ὁ καλλιγραφήσας τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τῆς ἀληθείας τὰ δόγματα, τὸ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ δυνατοῦ θεοχάλκευτον βέλος, τὸ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τοῦ κοσμοκράτορος τοῦ σκότους καιρίαν ἐμπῆξαν πληγὴν, ἡ ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ κύκλῳ μέχρι τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ, μᾶλλον δὲ μέχρι τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς φάνασα ἀστραπὴ, ἡ τῆς θείας βροντῆς ἐν τῷ μυστικῷ τροχῷ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, τῷ κατὰ πάσης κυλισθέντι τῆς οἰ κουμένης, ἡ διειδεστάτη καὶ μεγαλόθρους φωνή· οὗτος ὡς ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν τοῦ παραδείσου ἀδύτων φθεγγόμε νος, ἔνθα τῶν ἀῤῥήτων ῥημάτων αὐτήκοος γέγονε· μᾶλλον δὲ ὡς ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ ὑψηλοῦ τε καὶ ἐπηρμένου τῆς δόξης ἔνθα παρίσταται· προπομπὴν ἔντιμον τῇ παρούσῃ ἁγίᾳ καὶ ∆εσποτικῇ ἑτοιμαζόμε νος ἑορτῇ, πρὸς ὑποδοχὴν τοῦ βασιλέως τῆς δόξης· καθάπερ τινὰ μυστικωτάτην σύγκλητον, τὸν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας λαὸν, τὸ βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα στιχηδὸν, ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι, παρασκευάζει τῆς εὐσχήμονος πολι τείας τὴν τάξιν, ῥυθμίαν τε καὶ εὐαρμοστίαν διατατ τόμενός φησιν, Ἀδελφοὶ, μὴ παιδία γίνεσθε ταῖς φρεσὶν, ἀλλὰ τῇ κακίᾳ νηπιάζετε· ταῖς δὲ φρεσὶ τέλειοι γίνεσθε.

Οὕτω γὰρ τῷ παντελείῳ καὶ αἰ ωνίῳ Θεῷ, ᾧ τὴν πανήγυριν ἄγομεν σήμερον, τῷ δι' ἡμᾶς κατὰ σάρκα ἐπ' ἐσχάτων νηπιάσαντι· ἐξ οὗ πᾶν δώρημα καὶ τελειωτικόν· τῷ τὴν κατὰ φύσιν ὑπερφυῶς τῆς ἀρετῆς τελειότητα καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀνθρω πίνῳ ἑαυτοῦ καταστήματι ἐπιδείξαντι σύσσωμοί τε καὶ συμμέτοχοι γενησόμεθα, καὶ πρὸς τιμὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ δόξαν ἡ Ἐκκλησίας ἔσται συνέλευσις. Οὕτω γὰρ τὴν ἀρτιγενῆ αὐτοῦ σωματικῶς θεοφάνειαν ὁ προφη τικὸς αἰνιττόμενος λόγος, τοῖς χαρακτῆρσι τῆς θεοπρεποῦς αὐτοῦ ὑπογράφει τελειότητος. ∆ιότι· πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι, φησὶ, τὸ παιδίον καλὸν ἢ κακὸν, ἀπειθεῖ πονηρίᾳ, ἐκλέξεται τὸ ἀγαθὸν, ὅπερ ἄκρας καὶ 46.1153 τελειοτάτης διακρίσεώς τε καὶ ὄντως φρονήσεως γνώρισμα. Πρὸς οὗπερ ἡμᾶς ὁμοιότητα διασκευάζων ὁ μέγας ἀπόστολος, τὸ προτεθὲν αὐτοῦ θεόπνευστον λόγιον ἔφησεν· ὡς ἐν τούτῳ τῆς κατ' εἰκόνα τε καὶ ὁμοίωσιν θεοτευξίας ἐμφερῶς ἐν ἡμῖν γνωριζομένης, καὶ τῆς τοῦ πρωτοτύπου κάλλους ὑπεραγιότητος γινωσκομένης. Καθάπερ γὰρ βασιλεῖ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ στρατευμάτων προπεμπτήριον ἑτοιμαζομένων μεγαλαυχίαν, χρυσορόφους τε καὶ ἐξειλεγμένους εἶναι τοὺς πρὸς δορυφορίαν αὐτοῦ συνειλεγμένους προσῆκε, καὶ τῆς ἐκείνου θέας τὸ ἐκτύπωμα εὐσημότατα προβεβλῆσθαι· οὕτως ἡμᾶς ἀναγκαῖον μεταμορφουμένους τῇ ἀνακαινίσει τοῦ νοὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀποθεμέ νους, καὶ τῆς θείας εἰκόνος τὴν ὁμοίωσιν, κατὰ τὸ ἐφικτὸν ἀνθρώποις, ἐν ἑαυτοῖς περιφέροντας, οὕτως ἐν ταῖς σωτηρίοις καὶ πνευματικαῖς ἀπαντᾷν ἑορταῖς, ἵνα ἔσωνται ἡμῖν, κατὰ τὸν τοῦ προφήτου λόγον, νηστεία ἡ τετάρτη, καὶ νηστεία ἡ πέμπτη, καὶ νηστεία ἡ ἑβδόμη, καὶ νηστεία ἡ δεκάτη εἰς εὐφροσύνην καὶ εἰς ἑορτὰς ἀγαθάς.

Τῆς νηστείας ἀναγωγικῶς δηλαδὴ νοουμένης, ἐν τῷ τῆς ἀποχῆς τε καὶ ἐγκρατείας παντὸς μολυσμοῦ, καὶ σαρκός τε καὶ πνεύματος τρόπῳ. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τετράδος τε καὶ πέμπτης, καὶ μὴν ἑβδόμης τε καὶ δεκάτης πᾶσα σαρκική τε καὶ τῷ εὐεξαπα τήτῳ τῶν αἰσθήσεων προσφυὴς, καὶ τῷ παρόντι βίῳ συγκλειομένη σημαίνεται ἔμφασις. Τὴν γὰρ σωματι κωτέραν τε καὶ φιλόσαρκον διαγωγὴν διὰ τῆς τετράδος μανθάνομεν, ὡς ἐκ τεσσάρων στοιχείων τῶν σωμά των συγκεκραμένων· τὸ δὲ διὰ