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In natale domini nostri Jesu Christi

On the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

61.763 Whenever warm spring shines forth from the chilly winter, then the earth also puts forth green grass, and the trees are adorned with flowering branches, and the air, illuminated by the sun, is made splendid, and every choir of birds, flying through the ether, chirps with melodies. Then also the herdsmen and shepherds dwelling in the mountains, coming out from their huts, rearrange their gazes at the beauty of the air, and playing the lyre with many-toned reeds in imitation of the chirping of the sweet-voiced birds, delighting the senses of the irrational sheep, they bring the lambs to the grass with a gentle step.

Then also the farmer, having sharpened his sickle in the tent by the rock, goes to the vineyard to prune the barren branch of the vine. Then also seagoing sailors, seeing the sea without a surge, leaving the dry land, entrusting their own souls to wood and water and wind, riding the frolicking backs of the sea, fearlessly fly over. And simply, so that I do not prolong the discourse in the prologue, every art, and every pursuit made for the need of human life, when the calm air shines forth, has an unhindered movement toward the impulse of work. Come, therefore, since for us also the heavenly spring, Christ, has risen from a virgin's womb, and has scattered the cold and stormy mists of the devil, and with His divine rays has awakened the sleeping hearts of men from the smoke of ignorance, let us sharpen our minds toward the heavenly and blessed glory.

But the birth of Christ stops the course of my tongue, flashing forth divinity, and draws it to itself. For whenever I bring before my own eyes the infant born of the Virgin, and the virgin without a man, and remaining a virgin 61.764 after childbirth, I investigate the deed, and not finding the manner, I seal the matter with faith. For how is it not truly wondrous and surpassing all thought, for a virgin to give birth, and to be found a virgin after the birth? And that she gave birth, the infant who was conceived proved; and that she remained a virgin after the conception, the proper nature of her body taught. Behold, then, a mystery visible and invisible, held and not held, touched and not found. For who did not see and hold both the infant and the mother? But who, seeing the mother a virgin, and the infant a virgin's child, by investigating finds out the mystery? Oh, a mystery truly heavenly and earthly, held and not held, seen and not appearing! For such also was Christ who was born today, heavenly and earthly, held and not held, seen and invisible; heavenly according to the nature of divinity, earthly according to the condition of humanity, seen according to the flesh, invisible according to the spirit, held according to the flesh, uncontainable according to the Word.

But Christ, being almighty God. as He wished, being born, appeared to His own world; but the Virgin's birth-pang amazes my mind more, that a Virgin not having come down from heaven, but seen from the seed of David, not being of spirit, but consisting of body and soul, conceived in the womb? and the swelling of the womb accused the matter, and the sower of the infant within did not appear. For He dwells in heaven, and the infant in the virginal womb

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In natale domini nostri Jesu Christi

Εἰς τὴν γέννησιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

61.763 Ὁπόταν ἐκ χειμῶνος κρυεροῦ θερμὸν ἔαρ ἐκλάμψῃ, τότε καὶ ἡ γῆ χλοερὰν

πόαν προβάλλεται, καὶ τὰ δένδρα ἀνθοκόμοις πρέμνοις ὡραΐζεται, καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ ἡλίῳ καταλαμπόμενος ἀγλαΐζεται, καὶ πᾶς ὀρνίθων χορὸς, ἀνὰ τὸν αἰθέρα πετώμενος, ταῖς μελῳδίαις κλαγγάζει. Τότε καὶ οἱ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν οἰκοῦντες βουνόμοι τε καὶ ποιμένες, τῶν καλυβῶν ὑπεξελθόντες, τῷ τοῦ ἀέρος κάλλει τὰς ὄψεις μεταῤῥυθμίζουσι, καὶ ταῖς τῶν καλλιφώνων ὀρνέων κλάγγεσι πολυφθόγγοις δόναξιν ἀντίμιμα λυρῳδοῦντες, τὰς τῶν ἀλόγων προβάτων αἰσθήσεις ἡδύνοντες, ἐπὶ τὴν πόαν τοὺς ἄρνας πράῳ τῷ βήματι φέρουσι.

Τότε καὶ γεωργὸς, τὴν δρεπάνην ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ θήξας παρὰ τὴν πέτραν, ἐπὶ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα πορεύεται κεῖραι τῆς ἀμπέλου τὸ ἄγονον κλῆμα. Τότε καὶ πελάγιοι πλωτῆρες, ἄζαλον ὁρῶντες τὸ πέλαγος, τὴν χέρσον λιπόντες, ξύλῳ καὶ ὕδατι καὶ πνεύματι τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχὰς καταπιστεύσαντες, τοῖς τῆς θαλάσσης κυπρίζοντες νώτοις, ἀφόβως ἐφίπτανται. Καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς, ἵνα μὴ ἐν τῷ προλόγῳ μηκύνω τὸν λόγον, πᾶσα τέχνη, καὶ πᾶν ἐπιτήδευμα πρὸς τὴν χρείαν τῆς ζωῆς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις πεποιημένον, τοῦ γαληνοῦ ἀέρος ἐκλάμψαντος, ἀκώλυτον ἔχει τὴν κίνησιν πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἐργασίας ὁρμήν. ∆εῦρο τοίνυν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἡμῖν τὸ οὐράνιον ἔαρ Χριστὸς ἐκ παρθενικῶν λαγόνων ἀνέτειλε, καὶ τὰς ψυχρὰς καὶ ζαλώδεις ὁμίχλας τοῦ διαβόλου διεσκέδασε, καὶ τὰς καθευδούσας τῶν ἀνθρώπων καρδίας ταῖς θεϊκαῖς αὐτοῦ ἀκτῖσιν ἐκ τοῦ καπνοῦ τῆς ἀγνωσίας διύπνισεν, ἐπὶ τὴν οὐράνιον καὶ μακαρίαν δόξαν τὸν νοῦν ἡμῶν παροξύνωμεν.

Ἀλλ' ἱστᾷ μου τὸν δρόμον τῆς γλώττης ἡ Χριστοῦ γέννα, θεότητα ἀπαστράπτουσα, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἐπισπᾶται. Ὅταν γὰρ ὑπ' ὄψιν ἑαυτοῦ ἀγάγω τὸ βρέφος τὸ ἐκ τῆς Παρθένου τεχθὲν, καὶ τὴν παρθένον ἄνευ ἀνδρὸς, καὶ μετὰ τόκον παρθένον 61.764 τυγχάνουσαν, πολυπραγμονῶ τὸ ἔργον, καὶ μὴ εὑρίσκων τὸν τρόπον, τῇ πίστει σφραγίζω τὸ πρᾶγμα. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι θαυμαστὸν ἀληθῶς καὶ πᾶσαν ὑπερβαῖνον ἔννοιαν, τὸ παρθένον γεννῆσαι, καὶ παρθένον εὑρεθῆναι μετὰ τὸν τόκον; Καὶ ὅτι ἐγέννησε, τὸ κυηθὲν βρέφος ἤλεγχε· καὶ ὅτι μετὰ τὴν κύησιν παρθένος ἐτύγχανεν, ἡ οἰκεία αὐτῆς τοῦ σώματος φύσις ἐδίδασκεν. Ἴδε οὖν μυστήριον ὁρατὸν καὶ ἀόρατον, κρατούμενον καὶ μὴ κρατούμενον, ψηλαφώμενον καὶ μὴ εὑρισκόμενον. Τίς γὰρ οὐχ ἑώρα καὶ ἐκράτει καὶ τὸ βρέφος καὶ τὴν μητέρα; τίς δὲ ὁρῶν τὴν μητέρα παρθένον, καὶ τὸ βρέφος παρθένου τέκνον, τὸ μυστήριον πολυπραγμονῶν ἐξευρίσκει; Ὢ μυστηρίου ἀληθῶς ἐπουρανίου καὶ ἐπιγείου, κρατουμένου καὶ μὴ κρατουμένου, ὁρωμένου καὶ μὴ φαινομένου! Τοιοῦτος γὰρ ἦν, καὶ ὁ γεννηθεὶς Χριστὸς σήμερον, οὐράνιος καὶ ἐπίγειος, κρατούμενος καὶ μὴ κρατούμενος, ὁρώμενος καὶ ἀόρατος· οὐράνιος κατὰ τὴν τῆς θεότητος φύσιν, ἐπίγειος κατὰ τὴν τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος σχέσιν, ὁρώμενος κατὰ τὴν σάρκα, ἀόρατος κατὰ τὸ πνεῦμα, κρατούμενος κατὰ τὴν σάρκα, ἀκράτητος κατὰ τὸν Λόγον.

Ἀλλὰ Χριστὸς μὲν Θεὸς ὢν παντοδύναμος. ὡς ἐβούλετο, τῷ ἰδίῳ κόσμῳ τεχθεὶς ἐπεφάνη· ἐκπλήττει δέ μου πλεῖον τὸν νοῦν ἡ τῆς Παρθένου ὠδὶν, ὅτι Παρθένος οὐκ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατελθοῦσα, ἀλλ' ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυῒδ ὁρωμένη, οὐκ ἐκ πνεύματος τυγχάνουσα, ἀλλ' ἐκ σώματος καὶ ψυχῆς συνιστῶσα, ἐν γαστρὶ ἐλάμβανε; καὶ ὁ ὄγκος τῆς γαστρὸς κατηγόρει τοῦ πράγματος, καὶ ὁ τοῦ ἔνδοθεν βρέφους σπορεὺς οὐκ ἐφαίνετο. Οὐρανὸν γὰρ κατοικεῖ, καὶ τὸ βρέφος ἐν τῇ παρθενικῇ νηδύϊ