John Chrysostom, On Christ's Birth

In Christi natalem

Of the same Saint John, Archbishop of Constantinople, Chrysostom, on the Nativity of Christ.

Today's day is full of fear and trembling, and of great astonishment and infinite joy. For the Lord comes forth from a virgin bride, having found the maiden a wondrous chamber. For He who above [...] was begotten without corruption, He below [...] is born without seed. And He who above dwells in the bosom of the Father, He is carried in the arms of a virgin mother. If anyone 20therefore20 considers today's day, [...] he shrinks in terror; for it is full of fear and terror, as has already been said. Today is the refutation of the unbelief of the Jews and of all [...] the first-fruit and progress. Those girt with leaves and wearing skins, they, by his being borne, wear Christ.

Today, therefore, is a day of joy and of turmoil; [for it is] war for the demons; [and] disturbance for the devil; [And] destruction of the idols; death to death, and from this the beginning of freedom for the whole world. But you, for me, see the holy virgin (fol. 49v) [...], and consider the matter, how infinite it is. For how is she not torn apart carrying the Lord; for how is her very womb not utterly dissolved, But she bears the creator in her womb [...] [...] of the womb, as he himself knows how. And if Egypt could not bear [to carry] the finger of God, how did a virgin bear the right hand of God? [And] if a man did not carry a small weight of gold, how did the maiden carry the treasure of the Father? And if it were possible to enter into conversation with Christ and say: "When you were in the maiden's womb, Did you not have an immeasurable nature and invincible strength? Did you not say that heaven is your throne? And so, in short, being thus uncontainable by all things, you have the virgin's womb as your dwelling place. And how, you who are in the bosom of your immaculate Father, are you in the womb of an unwed maiden?" "[Yes, he says], Adam was corrupted; the world was flooded; Sodom was burned; the law was trampled; Prophets were insulted; I, God, was not heard; the dragon held sway; the demons were in power; The world was perishing; an angel did not have the power to be incarnate and save it [...]. For this reason [...]; I take the form of a servant [...] [...]."

O, the wonder [...]; I am astonished and I tremble, my mind tossed as on waves by so many wonders. I find I am able to say only this: O 20the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge20 of God." For this is extraordinary and exceedingly wondrous: the maiden is found to be both mother and virgin. She is not sown, and she begets; she is not ploughed, and she gives birth; she does not await passion; she does not admit of corruption. Not the corruptible [...] [...] receiving is she weakened in her limbs, Because after giving birth to the Lord without seed so much as of the Lord, a child not of the bridal chamber ... Truly, 20how great are your works, O Lord; in wisdom20 [...] [...] 20you have made them all20". But consider for me also Adam dancing, being clothed, and greatly reproaching the beast [...] And saying something with joy: "O most wicked one, what did you gain by plundering me? What did you ever achieve by plundering me?" ......... See; he who wore fig leaves around his loins and was formerly clothed in <the> dead tunics, See him now being clothed with the life-bearer; whence, he says, has such confidence been given? Whence, "20The Lord said to me: You are my Son?20 [...] For so that you may reckon the birth to the [holy] Virgin and consider her a true mother of the flesh, I now signify my Lord [...]; for he himself also of the [blessed] Mary

In Christi natalem

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἁγίου Ἰωάννου ἀρχιεπισκόπου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου Εἰς τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ γένναν.

Φόβου γέμει καὶ φρίκης ἡ σήμερον ἡμέρα, καὶ πολλῆς ἐκπλήξεως καὶ

χαρμονῆς ἀπείρου. ∆εσπότης γὰρ ἐκ νύμφης παρθένου προέρχεται παράδοξον θάλαμον τὴν κόρην εὑράμενος. Ὁ γὰρ ἄνω [...] δίχα φθορᾶς γεννηθείς, οὗτος κάτω [...] δίχα σπορᾶς γεννᾶται. Καὶ ὁ ἄνω ἐν κόλποις [τοῦ] πατρὸς αὐλιζόμενος, οὗτος [ἐν] ἀγκάλαις μητρὸς παρθένου βαστάζεται. Εἴ τις 20οὖν20 κατανοήσει τὴν σήμερον ἡμέραν, [...] τρόμῳ συστέλλεται· φόβου γὰρ καὶ τρόμου γέμει, ὡς ἤδη προείρηται. Σήμερον τῆς ἀπιστίας τῶν Ἰουδαίων [ὁ] ἔλεγχος καὶ τῶν ἁπάντων [...] ἀπαρχὴ καὶ πρόοδος. Οἱ φύλλα ἐζωσμένοι καὶ φοροῦντες δέρματα, οὗτοι ἐν τῷ φορεῖσθαι αὐτὸν φοροῦσι Χριστόν.

Σήμερον οὖν χαρμονῆς ἡμέρα καὶ ταραχῆς· [ἔστι γὰρ] τῶν δαιμόνων πόλεμος· [καὶ τοῦ] διαβόλου θόρυβος· [Καὶ] τῶν εἰδώλων ὄλεθρος· τοῦ θανάτου θάνατος, καὶ τοῦ κόσμου παντὸς ἐκ τούτου ἐλευθερίας ἀρχή. Σὺ δέ μοι τὴν παρθένον (φολ. 49ῃ) τὴν ἁγίαν ἴδε [...], καὶ σκόπησον τὸ πρᾶγμα, πῶς τυγχάνει ἄπειρον. Πῶς γὰρ οὐ διασπᾶται τὸν Κύριον φέρουσα· πῶς [γὰρ] αὐτῆς καὶ ἡ γαστὴρ ὅλως οὐ διαλύεται, Ἀλλὰ φέρει ἐν γαστρὶ τὸν κτίστην [...] [...] τῆς γαστρός, ὡς ἐπίσταται αὐτός. Καὶ εἰ δάκτυλον θεοῦ [βαστάσαι] οὐκ ἤνεγκεν Αἴγυπτος, πῶς ἤνεγκε παρθένος τοῦ θεοῦ <τὴν> δεξιάν; [Καὶ] εἰ ὁλκὴν οὐκ ἐβάστασε μικρὰν χρυσίου ἄνθρωπος, πῶς ἡ κόρη ἐβάστασε τοῦ Πατρὸς τὸν θησαυρόν; Εἰ δὲ ἦν καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ εἰς ὁμιλίαν ἐλθεῖν καὶ εἰπεῖν· «Ὅθ' ὑπῆρχες τῆς κόρης ἐγγάστριος, Οὐκ ἄμετρον εἶχες φύσιν καὶ σθένος ἀνίκητον; οὐκ ἔλεγές σου θρόνον ὑπάρχειν τὸν οὐρανόν; Καὶ ὅλως οὖν οὕτως ὑπάρχων ἀχώρητος τοῖς πᾶσιν, τὴν νηδὺν τῆς παρθένου ἔχεις ἐνδιαίτημα. Καὶ πῶς ὁ ἐν [τοῖς] κόλποις ὢν τοῦ ἀχράντου σου Πατρὸς κόρης ἀπειρογάμου ὑπάρχεις ἐγγάστριος;» «[Ναί, φησί], παρεφθάρη ὁ Ἀδάμ· κατεκλύσθη ὁ κόσμος· ἐφλέχθη τὰ Σόδομα· ἐπατήθη ὁ νόμος· Προφῆται ὑβρίσθησαν· οὐκ ἠκούσθην [ἐγὼ] ὁ θεός· ἐδέσποζεν ὁ δράκων· ἐκράτουν οἱ δαίμονες· Ὁ κόσμος ἀπώλλυτο· ἄγγελος σαρκωθῆναι καὶ σῶσαι οὐκ ἴσχυεν [...]. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο [...]· ἐγὼ ἀναλαμβάνω τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφήν [...] [...].»

Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος [...]· ἐκπλήττομαι καὶ φρίττω ὑπὸ τοσούτων θαυμάτων τὸν νοῦν κυματούμενος. Ἐκεῖνο μόνον εἰπεῖν ἱκανὸς εὑρίσκομαι τό· Ὢ 20βάθος καὶ πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως20 θεοῦ.» Καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ ἐξαίσιον καὶ σφόδρα παράδοξον· καὶ μήτηρ καὶ παρθένος ἡ κόρη εὑρίσκεται. Οὐ σπείρεται καὶ γεννᾷ· οὐκ ἀροῦται καὶ τίκτει· οὐκ ἀναμένει πάθος· οὐκ ἐκδέχεται φθοράν. Οὐ τὸν φθαρτὸν [...] [...] ἐκδεχομένη χαυνοῦται τοῖς μέλεσιν, Ὅτι μετὰ τὸ γεννῆσαι ἀσπόρως τὸν Κύριον τοσοῦτον ὅσον τοῦ Κυρίου ἀθαλαμεύτου παιδός ... Ἀληθῶς 20ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθη τὰ ἔργα σου, Κύριε· πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ20 [...] [...] 20ἐποίησας20». Λογίζου [δέ] μοι [καὶ] τὸν Ἀδὰμ χορεύειν φορούμενον καὶ πολλὰ ὀνειδίζειν τὸ θηρίον [...] [Καὶ] χαιρόμενόν τι λέγειν· «Παμπόνηρε, τί ὤνησας συλήσας με; Τί ποτε ἐπραγματεύσω συλήσας με;» ......... Ἴδε· ὁ φύλλα συκῆς περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν φορῶν καὶ <τοὺς> χιτῶνας νεκροῦ ἐνδεδυμένος τὸ πρίν, Ἴδε νῦν φορούμενον τὸν ζῳοποιοφόρον· πόθεν, φησίν, τοσαύτη δέδοται παρρησία; Πόθεν, «20Κύριος εἶπεν πρὸς μέ· Υἱός μου εἶ σύ;20 [...] Ἵνα γὰρ τῇ [ἁγίᾳ] Παρθένῳ τὴν γένναν λογίζεσθε καὶ νομίσητε μητέρα ἀληθινὴν τῆς σαρκός, Σημαίνω νῦν τὸν ἐμὸν Κύριον [...]· αὐτὸς γὰρ καὶ τῆς [μακαρίας] Μαρίας