Orations

for many hours: "Lord, have mercy." Suddenly the boy descended, as if sitting on a cloud, and in a loud voice admonished that the trisagion hymn was being sung to God by the choirs of the angels without the addition, "Who was crucified," but thus: "Holy God, holy mighty, holy immortal, have mercy on us." And immediately with these words he rendered his soul to God, and that shaking of the earthquake ceased. ^A

XXX. From the Greek Anthology, printed at Rome, 1598, 20th day of November.

Upon the pinnacle of the Church, as if a shining star illuminating those who chant, the Lord has truly placed you, O most celebrated Proclus, ornament of all the fathers.

XXXI. From the Greek Menologion, MS of Saint Andrew. Ode 9. Let us celebrate with hymns the shining and life-breathing torches... Eusebius and Proclus. ^B

XXXII. From the Roman Martyrology, 24th day of October. At Constantinople, Saint Proclus the bishop.

OF OUR HOLY FATHER PROCLUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE, ORATIONS.

ORATION I. Praise of the most holy Mother of God, Mary. ^C

1. The virgin solemnity today, brothers, calls our tongue to the proclamation of praise; and the present festival secures benefit for the assembly gathered here; and this is most fitting. For it has purity as its subject, and what is being celebrated is the boast of the whole female sex and the glory of women, on account of her who in time was Mother and Virgin. This gathering is lovely and extraordinary. ^D

^A For behold, earth and sea bring gifts to the Virgin: the one smoothing its back serenely for the vessels, and the other, without hindrance, escorting the footsteps of those who walk upon it. Let nature leap for joy, and let the human race exult, because women, too, are honored; let humanity dance, because virgins, too, are glorified. For "where sin increased, grace superabounded" (Rom. v, 20). For now the holy Theotokos, the Virgin Mary, has called us together here; the undefiled treasure of virginity, the rational paradise of the second Adam; the workshop of the union of natures; the festival of the saving contract, the bridal chamber in which the Word betrothed the flesh; the animate bush of nature, which the fire of divine birth did not consume; the truly light cloud, which carried Him who sits upon the cherubim ^B with a body; the purest fleece of the heavenly rain, from which the Shepherd clothed the sheep. Mary, I say, handmaid and mother, virgin and heaven, the sole bridge of God to men; the awesome loom of the economy, in which the tunic of union was ineffably woven; of which the weaver is the Holy Spirit; the spinner, the Power that overshadowed from on high; the wool, the ancient fleece of Adam; the warp, the undefiled flesh of the Virgin; the shuttle, the boundless grace of Him who carried [Him]; and the artisan, the Word who leaped in through the hearing. Who has seen, who has heard, that God dwelt in a womb ^C uncircumscribed, and He whom heaven could not contain, the womb did not straiten?

II. But God was born from a woman, not naked, nor was He mere man; and He who was born made the gate of salvation out of what was formally the door of sin. For where the serpent through disobedience had poured out his venom, there the Word, having entered through obedience, fashioned a living temple for Himself. Wherefore, from where the first Cain of sin emerged, from there Christ, the Redeemer of the race, sprang forth without seed. The lover of mankind was not ashamed of the travail of a woman; for it was Life that was being brought forth; the womb was not defiled by His dwelling in it, which ^D

^A He had Himself created without dishonor. For if the mother had not remained a virgin, the one born would be a mere man, and the birth not miraculous; but if she remained a virgin even after the birth, how is He not also God, and the mystery ineffable? He was born in an ineffable manner, He who also entered when the doors were shut, without hindrance; seeing whose union of the two natures, Thomas cried out, saying: My Lord, and my God.

^B III. O man, do not be ashamed of the travail, for this has become for us the occasion of salvation. For if He had not been born of a woman, He would not have died; and if He had not died, He would not have destroyed through His own death him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. It is not an indignity for the Architect to remain in those things which He Himself has built; nor does clay defile the potter, when he restores the vessel which he has molded; so neither does it defile the immaculate God to proceed from a virginal womb. For if He was not defiled in forming it, He was not defiled by proceeding through it. O womb, in which the document of our freedom was drawn up! O belly, in which the weapon against the devil was forged! O field, in which the husbandman of nature made the ear of corn sprout without seed! O temple, in which God became priest—not transforming His nature, but, out of compassion, putting on the One who is according to the order of Melchisedech! The Word became flesh, ^C even if the Jews do not believe the Lord when He speaks. Truly God assumed the form of man, even if the Greeks mock the miracle. For this is why Paul cried out: To the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness. For they did not know the power of the mystery, because the miracle is beyond reason; for if they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. For if the Word had not inhabited the womb, the flesh would not have sat upon the holy throne. If it were a dishonor to God to enter the womb He Himself had fashioned, then it would also be a dishonor to serve mankind. And if it were a dishonor to God to serve mankind, He would not, when He was rich, have become poor for our sake. ^D IV. He who was by nature impassible became, out of compassion, subject to many passions. Christ did not become God by progress. God forbid! But being God, out of compassion He became man.

^A We do not proclaim a man who has been deified, but we confess God made flesh. He enrolled His own handmaiden as Mother, He who by nature has no mother, and according to the dispensation on earth has no father; for how by Paul’s teaching is He both motherless and fatherless? If He is a mere man, He is not motherless; for He has a mother. If He is bare God, He is not fatherless; for He has a Father. But now, the same one is motherless as Creator, but fatherless as man.

V. ^A Reverence at least, O man, the appellation of the Archangel. For he who brought that joyful message to Mary was called Gabriel. But what does Gabriel mean? Learn by hearing: “God and man.” ^B Since, therefore, He whom he was announcing is God and man, the appellation anticipated the miracle, so that he might give assurance of the dispensation. Learn first the dispensation and the cause of the coming, and then praise the power of Him who was incarnate, since human nature owed much on account of sins, and was destitute for [the payment of] the debt. For through Adam we all signed the contract by sin; the devil held us as slaves; he carried about our bonds, ^C using our passible body as a parchment; that wicked forger of passions stood by, brandishing our debt and demanding from us the penalty. It was necessary, therefore, that one of two things happen: either that death be brought upon all in consequence of the condemnation, since all have sinned; or that such a price be given for restitution as might be equivalent to the whole debt for the sake of release. Man, indeed, could not save [himself], for he was subject to the debt of sin; nor could an angel redeem the human race; for he lacked such a ransom. Therefore, it remained that the sinless God should die for those who had sinned. For this alone remained as the undoing of the evil.

VI. ^D What then? He Himself who brought the whole of nature from non-existence into being, and who lacks nothing for providing, found for those condemned a most secure life and a most fitting dissolution of death. And He becomes man from a Virgin, as He Himself knows; for speech cannot fathom the miracle; and He dies in that which He had become; but He redeems that which He was, according to what Paul says: *In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins*. O extraordinary and great things! He procured immortality for others; for He Himself was immortal. For no one else by such a manner of incarnation either has been, or is, or shall ever be, except the God and man born of the Virgin: not at all weighing against...

^A the multitude of those who are under judgment, but surpassing them by every judgment. For in that He is the Son, He preserves the immutability toward the Father; and in that He is creator, He possesses the needlessness of power; and in that He is compassionate, He has made manifest an invincible sympathy; and in that He is high priest, He brings forward what is worthy of belief for His mediation, things to which one could find nothing equal or similar in anyone else at any time. For behold His philanthropy. Willingly condemned, He destroyed the death that was due to those who crucified Him, and turned the iniquity of those who slew Him into the salvation of those who had acted iniquitously.

VII. Therefore, to be able to save was something greater than the capacity ^B of a mere man; for even he himself needed a savior, according to Paul who says: "All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God," and so forth. Since, therefore, sin had bound the guilty one to the devil, the devil was driving him headlong into death. Wherefore our affairs were brought into the greatest danger, and there appeared to be no hope left of liberation from death. Those who were appointed as physicians declared us beyond hope. What then? The prophets, seeing that the wound was greater than human skill, cried out for the heavenly physician. And one indeed was saying: "Bow the heavens, and come down." Another: "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed." Another: "Stir up thy power, and come, that thou mayest save us." Another: "If in truth will God dwell with men?" Another: "Let thy mercies ^C quickly prevent us, O Lord, for we have become poor exceedingly." Another: "Woe is me, for the godly man has perished from the earth, and there is none upright among men." Another: "O God, look to my help; O Lord, make haste to help me." Another: "Yet a little while, and he who is to come will come, and will not tarry." Another: "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant who hopes in thee." Another: "God will come manifestly, our God, and will not keep silence." He, therefore, who is by nature King, did not look down upon the human race oppressed for so many years by tyranny. He did not permit, by His own mercy, ^D the human race to be held bound to the devil forever; but He himself, who is always present and everywhere, came, and poured out His own blood for our sake as the price of redemption; and the flesh which He had assumed from the Virgin, He delivered to death as a commutation for the salvation of the same; and He redeemed the world from the curse of the law, destroying death by death: whence also Paul cries out: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law."

VIII. He, therefore, who redeemed us, O Jew, is not a mere man; for the whole nature of men was held enslaved to sin. But neither is He merely God, destitute of human nature; for He had a body, O Manichaean. For if He had not put me on, He would not have saved me; but within the womb

^A of the Virgin, He clothed Himself in the condemned one. And there, a fearful exchange took place: for He gave the Spirit, and received flesh. The same One was with the Virgin and from the Virgin. For the one overshadowed her, while the other was incarnate from her. If Christ is one and the Word of God is another, then the holy Trinity is not a Trinity, but according to you, O heretic, it is a Quaternity. Do not rend the tunic of the economy, woven from above; do not become a disciple of Arius. For he, acting impiously, carves up the substance; do not you divide the conjunction, lest you be divided from God. Who, tell me, shone upon those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death? Was it a man? And how could he who was himself living in darkness, according to Paul who says, "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness," be able to do so? For we were once darkness, according to that which is written, but now light in the Lord. Who, then, shone upon us? David teaches you, saying, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Who is this? Speak clearly, O David! Cry out with strength, and do not spare; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell me who this is: The Lord, he says, the God of hosts; the Lord is God, and he hath shone upon us. For the Word became flesh. The natures came together, and the Union remained unconfused. ^B

Oration II

IX. He had come to save; but it was also necessary for Him to suffer. How then was it possible for both to occur? A mere man had no power to save; God alone, naked [of flesh], could not suffer. What then? Being Himself God, namely Emmanuel, He became man; and that which He was, He brought salvation; but that which He became, He suffered. Therefore, when the Church saw the Synagogue crowning Him with thorns, bewailing the audacity, she said: "O daughters of Jerusalem, go forth, and behold the crown with which His mother crowned Him." For He Himself wore the crown of thorns, and He loosed the verdict of the thorns. The same One was in the bosom of the Father and in the womb of the Virgin; the same One was in the arms of a mother and upon the wings of the winds; the same One was worshiped above by angels, and below He reclined with publicans; the seraphim did not look upon Him, and Pilate questioned Him; the servant struck Him, and creation shuddered; He was nailed to the cross, and He did not abandon the throne of His glory; He was enclosed in a tomb, and He extended the heaven like a curtain; He was numbered among the dead, and He despoiled hell; here, the deceiver was falsely accused ^C and slandered, and there, as holy, He was glorified.

^A X. O mystery! I see the miracles, and I proclaim the Divinity: I perceive the sufferings, and I do not deny the humanity. Yet Emmanuel, as man, opened the gates of nature [(22)]; but as God, He did not violate or break through the barriers of virginity: just as He came forth from the womb, so did He enter through the ear: He was born just as He was conceived. He entered without passion; He exited without any corruption, according to what the prophet Ezekiel says: "He brought me back," he says, "to the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. And the Lord said unto me: Son of man, this gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord the God of Israel hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut." Behold the clear declaration of the holy Theotokos Mary. Let every contradiction therefore be dispelled, and let us be enlightened by the doctrine of the Scriptures, so that we may also attain the kingdom of heaven in Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

ORATION II

On the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and on the infusions

^B I. Beautiful indeed is the lyre of the psalms; divinely inspired is the cithara of the Spirit; pleasant and at the same time terrible is the song of prophecy; always salutary is the melody of the psalms, stilling disturbed affections with its honeyed harmony. For as a sickle is to thorns, so is a psalm to sadness. For a psalm, modulated with song, amputates the sicknesses of the soul; it roots out sorrow; it wipes away disturbances; it calms mourning; it heals anxieties; it refreshes those fatigued by pain; it goads sinners to compunction; it excites to piety; it populates the deserts with the frequency of cities; it puts cities in order; it builds up monasteries; it teaches virginity; it instructs in meekness; it sanctions charity; it proclaims the blessed pursuit of poverty; it prepares for patience; it lifts those who are sublime into heaven; it fills the Church with a frequent assembly of men; it makes the priest holy; it puts demons to flight; it prophesies things to come; it proclaims mysteries; ^C it legislates for the Trinity, saying: "The Lord said unto my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool" [(50)]. He proclaimed the Son as a fellow-sitter: He did not brand the Only-Begotten with the ignominious name of a minister. For this very reason, the blessed David, lately singing of the indefatigable nature, the omnipotent substance, the unconquerable will, the grace that does not delay, the sovereign creator, the self-authoritative Son, the... ^D

God subject to no dictate, the Lord bound by no command, he proclaimed with clear acclaim: "How magnified are thy works, O Lord! In wisdom hast thou made them all." ^A Let Arius be put to shame, and Eunomius, and Macedonius and Nestorius, the four-horse chariot of the devil, the crags of heresies, the hidden reefs of blasphemy, the shipwrecks of souls, the treacherous rocks of impiety, the wicked weighers of the Trinity. Let them listen to David as he speaks: "How magnified are thy works, O Lord! In wisdom hast thou made them all." David magnifies the works, but the blasphemers diminish the Creator. For all the works of the Lord Christ are wondrous and paradoxical; they are the marvels of the Word of God, surpassing the speed of the tongue, yet manifesting the power of the One who created them.

II. All things in wisdom hath the Lord made

^D III. Truly all things in wisdom hath the Lord made. For whereas the creature was mute, He gifted it with a tongue, the

^A human being I say; and for the womb of the first-formed, He fashioned the dust from the untilled earth. For just as in the womb seed is cast; the body is molded; the clay is fashioned; the flesh is quickened; the living creature is completed; that which is according to the image leaps; the Word is born, and the fashioning remains without witness, and the birth ineffable: so too in the case of the first-formed Adam; instead of a womb, there were the divine hands; instead of seed, the earthly dust; instead of months, the agelessness of the Maker; instead of labor pains, the impassibility of the Creator; instead of childbirth, the divine ^B in-breathing; instead of milk, the fountain of paradise; instead of food, the table requiring no labor; instead of form, the image of the Archetype; instead of dignity, immortality through grace; instead of subjects, the creature fashioned together with him. And the birth according to the fashioning took place; but the toil did not dishonor the birth. Let the children of the Jews be ashamed, who ridicule the virginal birth, saying: If a virgin gave birth, she did not remain a virgin. O wretched and miserable man, Adam was brought forth into the world, and toil did not dishonor the framing; was God born according to the flesh, and did the birth suffer corruption? For this reason also the Lord Christ is called the second Adam according to the flesh; because the former Adam was a type of the Lord Christ. The clay sketched the Potter. But that Adam was a type, hear the blessed Paul saying: "Death reigned from Adam unto Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of him that was to come." And how Adam was ^C a type of the Lord Christ according to the flesh, hear: The servant is the beginning of nature; the Lord is the beginning of life that has no end. The former, the divine hands fashioned; the latter, as He knows, clothed Himself in flesh. The former was made according to the image; the latter is the uncreated image. The former was quickened through an in-breathing; the latter was seen in the form of a servant. The former's home is paradise; the latter's throne is heaven. The former is the tongue of the creation; the latter is the head of the Church. The former stretched forth his hand to the tree, and plucked death; the latter stretched forth His hands on the cross, and embraced the world; and He cries in the Gospels: "When I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto myself." The former had a woman as a conspirator; the latter had a Virgin as a bridal chamber. Adam's rib ^D was taken while he slept, and the woman was built, and nothing was lacking to Adam; Christ being crucified and buried according to the flesh, to the

^A end that His Church might be purchased by His blood, and yet His Divinity remained untouched by the passion.

IV. But it must be investigated why it was not while Adam was awake, but while he slept, that his rib was taken and the woman built. Would it not have been better and more fitting for him to be wide awake, so that he might be a witness to the formation, and struck with admiration at the art, and might offer doxology to the wisdom of the Creator—how from clay there came to be sinews and flesh, the articulation of bones, and the fineness of hair? But God did not allow this, for two reasons. The first is that he might not feel pain when deprived of it, and, having felt pain, hate the woman and the one of his own nature become hostile to him. The second reason, which is greater and more divine, is this: God knew that man is a creature fiercely eager for contentious dispute, and that, once formed, he would be a being with his own autonomy. Therefore, lest he begin to meddle in the birth of God, He casts a sleep upon him, reining in his audacity, saying to him, as it were: "If you were not permitted to see the fashioning of one of your own nature, do not dare to meddle in the ineffable power of God and His incomprehensible birth. You cannot understand how a man is born; will you be able to inquire into the dispensation of God?" ^B

V. But I see you are pressed for time, and it would be better to bring the discourse to a rest here; but if you are insistent—and it is the violent who take the kingdom by force—I will add a little to what has been said. It is likely that some Jew is present here, and that the fox of Judea lurks in the vineyard of Christ, and that, after the congregation has been dismissed, he will stand outside and mock these words, saying such things as: "Why, O Christians, do you introduce these novelties, and why do you boast of things that cannot be proven? Was God ever seen on earth? Never at any time, except only in the time of Moses." ^C But even then He was not seen, O Jew; and the witness of this is Moses himself, saying thus: "Take heed to thyself, and thou shalt gather into thy heart all the words which thine eyes have seen; and thou shalt teach them to thy sons, and to the sons of thy sons. Remember the day of the Lord thy God, the day of the congregation, when the Lord spoke to me, saying: 'Assemble the people to me, and let them hear my words, and let them teach their sons.' And you approached and stood under the mountain of Sinai; and the mountain was burning with fire up to the heaven; and you heard the voice of the Lord your God from the midst of the fire; you heard the voice of the words, but you saw no likeness." ^D Since you did not see it, then, why do you boast that you have seen it? "What then," he says, "do you bring against me, that a woman could give birth to God?" To this I answer you clearly: I do not say to you that a woman was able to give birth to God, but that God, having become incarnate, was able to be born of a woman; for all things are possible with Him. But surely, O Jew, if you do not believe my words, respect the books of the prophets; pore over them, and see the whole divine mystery inscribed in them: gaze upon the whole of the Virgi-

Virginic wonder ^A outlined in shadow. For the prophet says: *In that day, says the Lord Almighty.* First I shall read the prophecy, and then I shall provide the interpretation. *In that day, says the Lord Almighty, a man shall call his neighbor under his vine and under his fig tree.* And he says: *The angel who was speaking in me turned me, and roused me, just as a man is wont to be roused from his sleep; and he said to me: What do you see? And I said: I have seen, and behold a lampstand all of gold, and a lamp upon it, and seven lights, and seven pouring-vessels, and two olive trees above it.* And I asked the angel, and said: *What are these, Lord?* And he said to me: *Do you not know what these are?* And I said: *No, Lord.* And the angel who was speaking in me answered and said: *This is the Word of the Lord.* O the depth ^B of the riches, and of the wisdom, and of the knowledge of God! We have read the prophecy; let us now bring forward the interpretation.

VI. *In that day, says the Lord Almighty.* In what day, O prophet? In the day of the incarnation, when the Virgin presented a certain likeness of heaven: when rays sprang forth from the womb: when the sun, having become incarnate, broke forth from the matrix: when the light took on human form: when the birth of the one who was born was not a beginning, but a rising. *And he says: The angel who was speaking in me turned me and roused me, just as when a man is roused from his sleep.* Who is the angel? He who announced the glad and joyful tidings to Mary. What is the sleep? The time of the Law. ^C For just as in sleep the eyelid covers the pupil, so in the Law a veil covered the heart. *And he said to me: What do you see? And I said: I have seen, and behold a lampstand all of gold.* What then is the lampstand? Saint Mary. And why a lampstand? Because she bore the immaterial Light, God incarnate. But why "all of gold"? Because even after the birth she remained a virgin. For he says: *This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall pass through it, because the Lord God of Israel alone shall pass through it; and it shall be shut, because the prince shall both go out, and shall shut the doors behind him.* That the womb is called a gate, Job is witness, saying: *Why did he not shut the doors of my womb?* And just as the lampstand is not the cause of the light, but the vehicle of the light, so also the Virgin is not God herself, but the temple of God. *And the lamp, he says, upon it.* What is the lamp? God the Word incarnate, the light of the earth, he who says: *I am the light of the world.* But just as in a lamp the material receives the flame, so in the mystery and incarnation God took the form of a servant. And just as ^D a lamp sends down its brightness from on high, so the Lord descended from the heavens to the earth.

For this reason also the prophet cried: "Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us."

VII. ^A And the lamp, he says, is above, and the seven lamps. What are these seven lamps? They are an equal number of particular laws. Whence is this evident? Because David says: "Thy law is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths." And Solomon: "For the commandment of the law is a lamp, and a light." Here therefore the prophet signifies seven laws.

But that there were seven laws, listen. The first law is natural and innate, concerning which Paul says: "For when the Gentiles, who have not the law, do by nature those things that are of the law; these having not the law, are a law to themselves." The second law is that ^B which is visible; for the Creator whom the law proclaims, this the view through created things confirms. "For by the greatness and the beauty of the creatures, the creator of them may be seen, so as to be known thereby." The third law is the commandment concerning the tree; and the apostle Paul cries out: "So that the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." The fourth law is that in the time of Noah, in the cloud. The fifth is in the time of Abraham, that of circumcision. The sixth is the written law. The seventh is that of grace; and that grace also has a law, listen again to Paul saying: "Bear ye one another’s burdens; and so you shall fulfill the law of Christ." Isaiah also says: "Out of Sion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Here therefore he calls the seven laws seven lamps. Since indeed Christ came ^C to fulfill all laws, according to the blessed Paul, who says: "Christ is the end of the law unto justice"; for this reason he called the seven laws seven lamps.

And what are the seven funnels? The seven gifts of the Spirit. Whence is this evident? Isaiah says: "There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up from the root: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and of godliness. And he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord." And the seven funnels; and two olive trees above. What are these two olive trees? The two testaments. And for what reason did he name these olive trees? Because just as the olive tree keeps its leaves ever-green, so these two testaments ^D bear everlasting testimonies concerning Christ.

VIII. And I asked the angel, and said: What are these? And the angel said: Do you not know what these are? And I said: No, Lord. What are you saying, O prophet? You say: I saw a candlestick, and a lamp, and lamps, and funnels. Why then do you ask about what you have seen? Indeed: For I was seeing an image, he says, and I was investigating a miracle. For just as those who are sailing on the

those who navigate the sea, although they look upon the very ocean, yet do not see the pearl hidden in the depths; so too the prophet beheld the image, but searched for the hidden mystery. Therefore he says: "And I asked the angel, and I said: What are these?" What then does the angel do? He does not say that he saw a lampstand, and a lamp, and light-holders, and funnels; but, leaving aside the enigma, he proclaims the miracle and says: "This is the Word of the Lord." And the angel becomes an evangelist; for, setting aside the vision, he proclaims the miracle and says: "This is the Word of the Lord." What are you saying, O angel? You showed vessels, and you evangelize the Word? Yes; for the spectacle is an enigma, and the grace is a mystery. For since the Sovereign Lord was about to be born of a Virgin according to the flesh, and to be fashioned as a man, and to be made flesh as He willed, and since the ^B Jews were about to disparage the miracle, and to say: "How could the Word of God, the Word which was in the beginning, the Word which was with God, be born in the shape of a man, and be made flesh from His own creation?" wishing therefore to stop the mouths of the Jews, He showed the prophet, for the Virgin, the lampstand; for the gifts, the funnels; for the covenants, the olives; for the Savior, the lamp. And that the prophets call the Master Christ, the incarnate Word, the God who was not changed, a lamp, hear Isaiah saying: "My soul shall rejoice in the Lord; for He has clothed me with the garment of salvation, and with the tunic of gladness; as a bridegroom He has put a mitre upon me, and as a bride He has adorned me with ornaments; and as the earth bringing forth its flower, and as a garden its seeds, so shall the Lord cause righteousness and exultation to spring forth before all nations. For Zion's sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until ^C my righteousness goes forth as light; and my salvation shall be kindled as a lamp." To Him be glory and power and honor, together with the Father, and with the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ORATION III.

On the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I. Frequent and diverse solemnities of celebrations exhilarate human life, while through the cycle of festival days they convert the sad affliction of ^D this burdensome life into pleasure. For just as those driven by adverse storms, having crossed the surge of a hostile sea, rejoice at the harbors as in the surest bosom of life, so, after many burdensome trials, when man celebrates, he rejoices in the festival as in a mother of peace and security. For a feast day is an oblivion of troubles, a sleep of cares, a producer of joy, a herald of brightness, a time for prayer, a harvest for the poor, an adornment of the churches,

a famous gathering of cities, the shipwreck of enmity, the rising of friendship; it is heaven on earth. And why do I speak at such length? The feast is the fruit of the resurrection, according to the prophet who says: "Celebrate, O Judah, thy festivals; for he has ascended from the earth, breathing upon thy face ^A (35)."

^B II. But there are many feasts, as I have said; yet the gains of the feasts are not equal. For some were ordained by God, others were introduced by the devil. Therefore, some threaten the ruin of souls; others minister to the gluttony of the belly; and others traffic in the salvation of the human race. The Gentiles keep festivals; but by shamefully deifying their passions, they gather from them the mire of shame. The Jews also keep festivals; but they carry around their belly as their god, making the feasts an occasion for sins after being surfeited. Celebrating in the desert, they worshipped the golden image; they fasted for the sake of strifes and contentions; celebrating in Jerusalem, they hammered a cross against the Lord. O Jewish feasts! Where even the joy is an error, and the luxury is murder. But the solemnities of the Christians (36) are divine and admirable, and are truly fountains and treasures of salvation. For our first solemnity proclaims the advent of God to men. The one that follows it ^C depicts the sanctification of the waters and the womb of baptism. The third announces the destruction of death, the trophy of the cross, the gift of the resurrection, and the freedom given to the fathers by a joyful and auspicious announcement. The fourth cries out the ascent of our first-fruits into the heavens, and their session at the right hand. The fifth sounds forth like the proclamation of a trumpet the descent of the Holy Spirit and showers of thousands of graces. These are the feasts which the Lord has made; let us exult and rejoice in them ^D.

III. For what is there in it (35) that is not wonderful and paradoxical, which we celebrated yesterday, and which is not full of awe and glory? For what was the miracle of yesterday's feast? But I beseech you, listen with indulgence. For it is a muddy tongue that dares and attempts to translate the mysteries of God. What, then, is the miracle of yesterday's feast? It is the inexplicable mystery of divinity and humanity; offspring undefiled by any stains of birth; an incarnation, forming without any passion Him who admits no form or figure; an admirable birth (37): the beginning of the One born, and not a beginning; for it was the beginning of the humanity, but the divinity remained without beginning; a form taking on a form, and the Trinity did not increase into a quaternity; man from me,

nor beginning: for humanity indeed had a beginning, but divinity is eternal and without beginning. The Form assumed a form, nor did the Trinity grow into a quaternity. A union of two natures, and the birth of one Son. An unconfused union of Word and flesh; and He who was born yesterday in the flesh is God, that which is from the Father, and man, that which is from me. O mystery full of dread and wonder! Who has ever seen a king wearing the habit of a condemned criminal? Or what eye has comprehended the whole sun? And when was flesh united to God in substance immutably, except yesterday, when the holy Virgin lent her womb, and the Word slipped in through the ear; and the Holy Spirit fashioned the living temple; and the Highest emptied Himself into the form of a servant; and a Virgin's womb bore the mystery of the divine dispensation? O womb wider than the heavens! O burden of the birth of salvation! O belly, the bridal chamber of clay and the Potter! O birth, the ransom for the stain of cosmic sin! O mystery, the manner of which I cannot explain! O birth, not implying an origin for the existence of God, nor a change of nature, nor a diminution of power, nor finally a separation from the Father who begat Him without beginning, but a substantial union of God and flesh; a blessing of birth; a visitation of God; a wonder hidden from the ages in God; an indivisible mystery of natures; a loose for the curse; an overturning of the sentence; the beginningless existence of the one and only Son, and His birth in the flesh from the Virgin, and the adoration which every creature pays Him, He has bestowed upon the whole people and announced with joyful and auspicious gladness. To Him be glory and power, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ORATIO IV. In the natal day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

^{A B C D} [Regarding the text of the homilies and the references to Theodotus of Ancyra:] For Theodotus’s homily on the all-praised Theotokos and Simeon: "Greetings, O vessel of the smallest, containing Him who is uncontainable to all. And who shall recount the generation of the One older than birth? What shall we marvel at: the divine and ineffable birth-giving, or the uninterpretable labor? It wraps in words things that are beyond words; it does not delineate things that are beyond thought. For even if a writer writes of the mother of the dispensation, yet speech does not interpret the manner of the pregnancy. Shall we assign a beginning to the Offspring? But He does not exist without the Beginningless One. Shall we call the One born an infant? But He possesses the Ancient of Days as His precursor and cause. The intensity overcomes the remission, and flies above the description.

^A The subject is brilliant, because it brought back salvation to mankind; and paradoxical, because the birth conquered the law of nature. For nature indeed understands a mother who has given birth; but grace both demonstrated that she had given birth, and preserved her a virgin, and made her a mother, and did not harm her incorruptibility. O earth that brought forth a heavenly fruit without seed! O Virgin who opened paradise to Adam, or rather who exists more glorious than paradise! For paradise became the cultivation of God, but she cultivated God Himself according to the flesh. Come, everyone, let us not dance for the nuptials of the Mother of the Lord, for she is a virgin uninitiated into marriage and untouched by marriage; rather, let us honor her unwedded travail. For she became a mother even without marriage; she did not experience a husband, and the child is not found to be an orphan. Come, let us behold a Virgin's womb more spacious than the universe. For He who cannot be contained there, was contained here without restraint, and He who holds the one who bore Him together with all things in His hand, is held in the womb by her. Come, let us behold ^B the uncut stone carried in a supernatural way in the virginal fabric and web of the belly, not harming nature but supporting the world. Come, let us see the sightless path of the sea-faring ship, which sank the author of evil but fished out the first-formed man, whose entrance is unrecorded and whose exit is inexplicable. Come, let us see the intelligible serpent, who once conversed with the daughter of Eve, now annulling the document of disobedience. Come, let us also see the light of the Godhead, as if from a transparent body, sending forth the rays of grace.

^B Let women hasten, because a woman does not show a plant of death, but brings forth the fruit of life. Let virgins hasten together, because a Virgin has given birth, not [only] the ^C uncircumscribed. Such are the good gifts that our holy mother-virgin brings forth for us in her holy illuminations; for with her is the fountain of life.

ORATION ON THE BIRTHDAY OF THE LORD

(41) That which has brought back new salvation to men; but it is admirable that the birth has overcome the laws of nature. For nature (42) indeed recognizes one who has given birth; but grace produced both one who has given birth and kept her a virgin: and displayed a mother, and in no way harmed [her] integrity. O earth not sown, which brought forth a heavenly fruit! O Virgin, who unlocked paradise to Adam! Nay, rather, who stood forth more glorious than paradise itself. For paradise indeed was the cultivation of God; but she by the account of the flesh cultivated God Himself. Come hither therefore all, not indeed to celebrate with dances and revelry the nuptials of the Lord's mother: for the virgin is void of nuptials (43) and altogether without nuptials: but to follow with honors her unwedded birth-giving. For although innuptate, she was made a mother, and yet was not experienced by a man: and neither is the boy found an orphan, nor bereft of a father. Agite, let us look upon the Virgin's womb more ample than the world itself: for He whom that could not contain, this one containing him is not straitened: and He who carries both his own genitress and all other things with his hand, is the same carried by her in the womb. Agite, let us see the uncut stone, carried in the virginal tunic and spider-web of the womb, harming nothing of nature, but supporting the world. Agite, let us behold the path of the ship traversing the sea, which avoids the eyes; by which indeed He submerged the author of evil; but fished out the first-formed man, having extracted him from the lowest abyss: whose entrance is admirable, and his exit ineffable. Agite, let us contemplate the spiritual serpent conversing with the daughter of Eve, and annulling the scroll of contumacy. Agite, let us contemplate the very light of the divinity, as if emitting rays of grace from a pellucid body.

II. Let women hasten, because woman does not show the tree of death, but brings forth the fruit of life. Let virgins hasten, because the Virgin has given birth, not to mention that ^D [the remainder of the printed text here consists of textual notes on the Greek/Latin original: [alt-version omitted]].

^A without violating her virginity, but rather sealing her integrity. For the infant came forth, and left the tunics of the womb intact, having departed in such a way, with the addition of grace, as he had found the workshop of nature. Let mothers hasten, because the Virgin Mother has rectified the tree of disobedience through the tree of life. Let daughters hasten, because the obedience of the daughter has avenged the injury of the maternal disobedience. Let fathers hasten, because of the Father who was born at the end of the ages. Let infants hasten, because of the infant who is wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger. Let shepherds hasten, because of the shepherd who has come forth from the virginal ewe. For the Shepherd put on the strangely-wrought skin of the body; and the wolf, seeing it as a lamb, ran around with his mouth agape; but although he sharpened his teeth, he was not able to taste the flesh of the spotless One. For his flesh did not see corruption. (Ps. XV, 10; Acts II, 31). For the Lamb slew the wolf, and forced the belly of the ravenous beast to vomit forth those he had held from of old, ^B just as once when the whale pulled out the man like Jonah (Jon. II, 14). Let kings hasten, because the King of glory has put on swaddling clothes instead of a royal robe. Let princes hasten, because that Prince of peace (Isa. IX, 6), having forged the weapon of the body in the virginal workshop, and sharpened it with the immaculate divinity, killed the enemy devil through it. Let consuls hasten, because the heavenly One has overtaken the earthly consul; having as a beautiful and becoming curule chair the Theotokos Virgin Mary; and as a consular toga, the seedless flesh, having as precious stones the lives of the saints; as priceless pearls, the highly-prized predictions of the prophets; not scattering gold, which is the cause of disorder, but bestowing mercy, the mediator of salvation. Let the common people hasten, because the Judge has put on a commoner's garment, so that through it he might hunt down the thief, the devil, who is hiding, and despoil him armed. It is a wondrous and truly new garment (44); and the weaving is admirable, as it is without the aid of human art. O Virgin, maiden who has not known marriage, and mother who has not known the defilement of birth, from where did you take the wool to weave this garment which the Lord of the world has put on today? What loom of the womb did you find, wherein you wove that seamless tunic? ^C We must listen to nature instead of the Virgin, I suggest; for in order and reason, it will preserve the account of the virginal birth. I know not, she says, how to weave a garment of flesh without the intercourse of a man. My weaving makes unclean garments. Adam put it on, and was stripped, and clothed himself with fig leaves in shame. Hence for the correction of the destroyed tunic, Wisdom for itself ^D

assumed the tunic of the body in the virginal workshop of divine operation.

^B III. But it is pleasing for the sake of the unbelieving Jews to question the Virgin herself. Tell me, O Virgin, who made you a mother before the marriage? In what way did you become a mother, and yet remain a virgin? Convince the Jews that a virgin gave birth; stop the mouths of the unbelievers. She answers me by her power: How are the Jews surprised that a virgin gave birth, when they are not surprised at how a dry rod miraculously blossomed? They see a rootless staff sprouting under a roof, and do not ask whence or how; yet they constantly deliberate about me? Behold, ^C the virgin will conceive in her womb, and will bring forth a son. They see the infant, and weave plots against the one who bore him; and they seek a father, of whom they read that his mother is a virgin. Do you seek a father, O Jew, for the Son born today? Hear him crying out: The Lord said to me, You are my Son; this day have I begotten you. I am not the begetter of you before the ages, and another the father of him born today. Whether the one born today be called fatherless, as indeed he is, or whether he be called my Son. For one son is not born from two fathers. I have begotten you this day. For today the Sun of righteousness rose out of the virginal cloud. For the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. Today the unsown grain blossomed from the untilled field, and the starving world rejoices. Today, without mixture, the birth blossomed from the unwedded womb, and all creation offers gifts to the fatherless infant: the earth, the manger; the stones, the stone water jars; the mountains, the cave; the cities, Bethlehem; the winds, obedience; the sea, subjection; the waves, the calm; ^D the abyss, the fish; the fish, the stater; the waters, the Jordan; the springs, the Samaritan woman; the desert, John; the beasts, the colt; the birds, the dove; the Magi, the gifts; the women, Martha; the widows, Anna; the barren, Elisabeth; the virgins, Mary the Theotokos; the shepherds, the hymn; the priests, Simeon; the children, the palm branches; the persecutors, Paul; the sinners, the publican; the nations, the Canaanite woman; the woman with an issue of blood, faith; the harlot, the ointment; the trees, Zacchaeus; the woods, the cross; the cross, the robber; the sunrise, the star; the air, the cloud; the heaven, the angels; Gabriel, the salutation, namely, Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you, and from you, and before you; having entered into you, as he was well-pleased; and having come forth from you, as he willed; before you, in an inexplicable manner; that is, in an unspeakable and inexpressible manner, for he was born in an inexplicable manner.

[...] ineffably, without mediation, without any alteration, ineffably, and in a manner becoming to God, begotten of God and the Father; who in heaven is without a mother, on earth without a father. For glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men; now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ORATION V

A Laudation on the Holy Virgin and Mother of God, Mary.

1. All renowned assemblies ^B or celebratory festivals of the saints are indeed wonderful, and they truly imitate the splendor of the stars. For just as the stars are fixed in heaven in a certain position, and while many are distinguished, they all illuminate the whole world round about, and the same star is visible among the Indians and is not hidden from the Scythians; it shines upon the continent, illuminates the sea, and guides and directs those who sail—the names of all of whom we do not know due to their multitude, yet we admire their splendor because of their beauty—so, too, does each of the saints. For although their remains are enclosed by the circumference of their sepulchers, the earth itself does not circumscribe their power. And you might learn that what has been said is true from the very facts. Palestine possesses the remains ^C of Abraham, and his hut vies with paradise. For the God who pronounced judgment against Adam there was received in hospitality by the patriarch here. The bones of Joseph are encompassed by the narrow confines of a single tomb, and the ends of the whole world marvel in astonishment at his struggle with the Egyptian woman. As for Moses, not even his monument is found, yet even after his death he proclaims the One who divided the Red Sea with a rod. We do not know the place where Isaiah was buried, yet the whole Church cries out through his prophetic words: "Behold, the virgin shall have in her womb and shall bring forth a son." Daniel was buried in Babylon, and he cries out through the whole world: "Behold, as the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven." The youths with Ananias also fell asleep ^D themselves in Babylon, and yet the whole world daily resounds with their voices, saying: "Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord." Ezekiel was buried among the Persians, and with the

^A cherubim, he cries out with a content voice: "Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place." Thus, it profited the devil nothing to have inflicted death upon Adam in paradise; for God, through death, opened for the righteous the gate of boldness.

II. But although the memories of all the saints are marvelous, yet nothing is equal in glory to the solemnities of this present day. Abel is named for his sacrifice; Enoch is commemorated for being well-pleasing to God; Melchizedek is proclaimed as an image of God; Abraham is praised for his faith; Isaac is commended for his type; Jacob is called blessed for his wrestling; Joseph is honored for his chastity; Job is celebrated as blessed for his patience. Moses is extolled as a lawgiver; Joshua the son of Nun is remembered as a general; Samson is called blessed as a familiar friend ^B of God; Elijah is celebrated as a zealot; Isaiah is recorded as a theologian; Daniel is proclaimed as prudent; Ezekiel is admired as a spectator of ineffable things; David is spoken of as the father of the mystery according to the flesh; Solomon is admired as wise. But there is nothing of such sort as the Theotokos Mary. For whom they all saw in enigmas, she bore incarnate in her womb; and nothing hindered the ineffable economy of God the Word. Bulk? But this is a material affection; yet the Word is devoid of both bulk and affection. The magnitude of such a humbling? But the Divinity is not circumscribed. Filth? But He who formed her did not contract any filth, nor did He, having become incarnate in her and been born of her, contract any; rather, that humanity and clemency brings glory to the King. The bringing forth of birth? But birth did not diminish that which is without beginning. The incarnation? ^C But the divine nature underwent no change. To have a mother according to the flesh? But He did not lose being motherless according to the divinity. A manger? But He did not strip bare the bosom of the Father. A cave? But the Trinity never departed from the throne. There is, therefore, nothing in the world such as the Theotokos Mary. Go around, O man, through the creation with your thought, and see if there is anything equal to or greater than the holy and Theotokos Virgin. Travel around the earth; look around the sea; search carefully the air; examine the heavens with your mind; consider all the invisible powers, and see if there is any other such miracle in all of creation. For the heavens indeed declare the glory of God; and the angels minister with fear; the archangels worship with trembling; the cherubim, not enduring it, shudder; the seraphim ^D do not approach, but fly about; and they cry out with trembling, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Sabaoth; the heaven and the earth are full of His praise."

The lake did not bear the sound; the clouds became a vehicle for the resurrection in trembling; the sun, not bearing the insult, shuddered; Hades, in fear, vomited forth the dead; the gatekeepers of Hades, seeing this, were struck with terror; the mountain that received the descent smoked; the bush, not bearing the vision, burned; the Jordan, shuddering, turned backward; the sea, fearing the rod, was divided, having been tamed for the sake of the Master's type; the rod of Aaron, for the sake of the image which it bore, blossomed beyond nature; the fire in Babylon revered the number of the Trinity. Reckon, therefore, the paradoxes, and admire the victory of the Virgin; for He whom the whole creation praised with fear and trembling, she alone inexplicably received into the bridal chamber.

III. Blessed because of her are all women.

IV. Instead of all else, the prophet ^A suffices for you as a cumulative praise, who cries: Behold, the virgin shall have in her womb (Isa. VII, 14). He spoke of the miracle, but remained silent as to the manner. And she shall bear a son. He heralded the birth, but did not violate the relationship. And they shall call his name Emmanuel (Matt. 1, 23). He brought forth the mystery and thundered out the name; which is to say, interpreted: God is with us (Isa. VIII, 8/10). He proclaimed the God who was born, and shut the mouths of the Jews. God is with us, and error is extinguished; God is with us, and circumcision is abrogated; God is with us, and the demons are put to flight; God is with us, and the devil is rendered powerless; God is with us, and the font that gives birth does not weary; God is with us, and kings revere piety; God is with us, and churches are crowded; God is with us, and death has become sleep; God is with us, and the dead, ^B leaping for joy, proclaim their liberation: Not an angel, not an ambassador, but the Lord himself came and saved us (Isa. LXIII, 9, LXX). To Him be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ORATION VI. Laudation of the holy Mother of God, Mary.

I. The constant expectation of gain deceives and gently eases the labors of merchants; and a burning love of money makes men bold against fierce waves. Since, therefore, we too to-day are about to send forth from the portals of our zeal the small and humble vessel of our teaching into the calm and untroubled sea of the Virgin's history, let us hasten. Come, then, let us more genuinely venture into the deep ^C of the Lord's spiritual profit, driving off the slothful sluggishness of bodily infirmity; and having pulled in the ropes of worldly affairs, let us unfurl the sails of our debt of dutiful praise, so that, carried thus by the gentle breeze of the Spirit, we may be found to have reached the gold-bearing city of Evilat (Gen. II, 11). And what is Evilat, and the land, and the gold? Is it not the holy Virgin, and her pure and undefiled soul? And what, furthermore, is the coal (Isa. VI, 6)? Is it not the Lord, who says: I came to cast fire upon the earth (Luc. XII, 49)? And what, finally, is the green stone? Is it not the voluntary pallor of her bodily mortification, which, by the caustic and keen nature of that sort of leek, ^D twisted the death that had swallowed it up with its stinging bitterness? I ask, therefore, all who are to join as companions in this journey of ours, that they not...

^A neglect the customary rowing. For thus will the instructional path secure a fair voyage, and the brotherly alliance will demonstrate its goodwill. Yet I myself wish to remind you, brothers, from the very beginning, that it is not without danger to embark upon the sea of virginity, especially for those who are unaccustomed and strangers to such a journey. For even if many have dared to enter such a deep, few, however, have been saved from the tempests therein, arriving at the waveless and tranquil harbor of the will of God.

^B II. For truly divine and brilliant, and belonging to the transcendent and blessed order of the incorporeal beings, is the undefiled garment of virginity; since even the King of all deigned to clothe Himself in this most comely robe. For the Lord, he says, has reigned; He has clothed Himself with comeliness. And He has donned not only the untouchable tunic of priestly purity, but has also arrayed Himself in the precious stole of royal decorum. In which are clearly signified two orders, those of leaders and those led, practicing true virginity and pious temperance. For He was Himself both King and Priest after the order of Melchizedek. In the same way, moreover, as Aaron in times past was clothed in purple and fine linen—for the fine linen is a sign of the blameless and pure conduct of the priests, while the purple is a token of the laborious and virtuous way of life of kings, being dyed with the sweat of battle; so that through the garment, the piety of each status and the courage of the spirit might be demonstrated—so too the Lord, being in both, as Priest, propitiated the Father for all, and as King, defeated the devil who was arming himself against all.

^C III. Truly the words of virginity are a honeycomb of sweetness; having from the true faith

^A and from accurate action the sweetness. This is the rational paradise of God, in which is every tree beautiful to behold, that is, for spiritual contemplation; and good for food, for spiritual instruction; and the tree of life is planted therein, the saving dispensation of God: with which is also present the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; the virginal beauty, exercising and provoking the natural desire [in the willing part of the soul]. This is the land of the true promise, in which a rational and guileless milk, and a spiritual and incorruptible honey flows. For He says: "I will bring you into a land flowing with milk and honey." In order that those who are subject and living in this world may care for temperance; and that those who are rulers and dedicated to God may hold fast to purity. For the character ^B of the Church is double: clothed in golden fringes, variegated, and bringing all the glory of its beauty, according to what is written, from within. Bringing forth in worldly things, according to Solomon, like a fig tree, the green figs of dignity; and in ecclesiastical matters, according to the same Solomon, putting forth, like a vine, the blossoming clusters. "For our vines," he says, "are in bloom, and the fig tree has brought forth its green figs." According to this order, as I think, the apostles offered the Lord after the resurrection a part of a broiled fish and a honeycomb, signaling in the fish the rational fish caught by the hook of faith from the salty sea of evils, according to what was said by the Lord to Peter: "From now on you will be catching men." ^C And in the honeycomb, those who from the excellent flowers of righteousness store up in the innermost treasury of the heart the useful and pleasant fruit of piety, which kings and private men alike receive as food for the health of the soul. Thus, "Butter and honey he shall eat," that the child born of the holy Virgin is eaten by the conversion of the two orders, for the sake of those who are infants in malice after the mystical birth of the font.

IV. Therefore, John, nourished by this food, was deemed worthy to touch the sacrosanct head of the Lord; enjoying this sustenance, ^D he is enrolled in the order of angels. For food...

was his locusts and wild honey — the very height of an irreproachable way of life and the most pure of unstained chastity. And the Evangelist well called such a partaking "wild"; for the species of virginity is hard to capture, and this plant is situated far from the field of this world ^A; and perhaps few have been able to discern its quality. But let the eating of wild honey by the prophet be understood in another way as well: first, because he kept the eye of his mind unpolluted and purged from the fluttering vapor of carnal desires. For according to medical doctrine, honey uncontaminated by smoke is a unique and present remedy for a thick and clouded eye. After this, because not yet believing in the Lord, nor having yet bowed the neck of his soul under the Gospel yoke, he passed his life, which was remote from human custom and harsh and rugged, with pleasure, being nourished by the sweet spirit of legal training. For he did not come to the Jordan by his own design, but ordered by God. "For I," he says, "did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize in water, he said to me: Upon whom you see the Spirit descending like a dove, and coming upon him, this is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit." For this reason it is possible to say that his food was wild honey; ^B for wild is the honey of chastity. For Christ is the fullness of the law, for justice to everyone who believes; but without faith it is impossible to please. And, "He who does not believe in the Son, shall not have eternal life."

V. Therefore, as many as have kept the lamp of chastity unextinguished have put on the unfading crown of immortality. As many as have acquired the priceless tunic of temperance will be taken into the mystical bridal chamber of justice. As many as have become closer to the angelic degree will enjoy more genuinely the Master's beatitude. For this reason, as many as tasted the Master's sweetness grasped the evangelical height. As many as [abstain from wine and...]

of vicious pleasure and from strong drink, will rejoice in the new shoot of the life-giving plantation. As many as have acquired the bodily grape incorrupt, have gathered the spiritual fruit of the blessing in abundance. In what manner, he says, is the grape found in the cluster, and they shall say: Do not destroy it, because it is the blessing of the Lord (Isa. LXV, 8). Moreover, the divine discourse points to blessed John the Evangelist, who alone was preserved in the apostolic cluster stainless in body and spirit until the grape turned into a raisin, that is, until extreme old age. This is the first and preeminent gift of God; this is the illuminating oil of the intellect; this is the pure incense of sweet odor; this is the most precious ointment of the heart; this is the most approved aroma of the soul; this is the flower of the sweet-smelling body, which is most incorruptible. Because of this gift, Abel, though dead, still speaks (Heb. XI, 4). For the lamp of those whose virginity is not extinguished, the glory of their chastity remains immortal. Because of this gift, Melchizedek remains a priest forever (Heb. VII, 3). Because of this gift, Isaac becomes a type of the Lord’s passion. Because of this gift, Moses is appointed as god to Pharaoh. Because of this gift, Joseph receives the reins of secondary royal dignity (Gen. XLI, 40). Because of this gift, Elijah walks on the ether with bodily feet (IV Reg. II, 11). Because of this gift, Jeremiah is entrusted to root up and pull down kingdoms (Jer. I, 10). Because of this gift, Daniel shuts the mouths of wild beasts (Dan. VI, 22). Because of this gift, the three children are kept harmless in that terrible furnace (Dan. III, 49). Because of this gift, the two sons of Zebedee are called sons of thunder (Marc. III, 17). Because of this gift, John is established as the faithful friend of the heavenly bridegroom (Joan. III, 29). And, to speak briefly, because of this gift, she who drew her race from human beings and depended on the earthly mass, becomes the mother of the Lord of angels, parted from the clay. She was found to be pregnant, having [conceived] of the Holy Spirit (Matth. I, 18).

VI.

^A there is no God, He who was born and proceeded from the greater and more perfect tabernacle? And how, pray, was He a common man like us, He who was the stone cut without hands from the virgin mountain? He whom whoever tramples upon—that is, ranks among the clay of the earth—is condemned to implacable torments. For, says Paul, *of how much worse punishment will he be thought worthy, who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, and counted the blood of the covenant a common thing?* (Hebr. X, 29). Let us approach with confidence, if it pleases, the sanctified place of this second tabernacle, having loosened the mortal sandal of entangled habit: for neither does the priest enter the sanctuary, unless he has first cast off from himself all discordant thoughts; nor could Moses behold that great vision of the divine dispensation, unless he had first passed beyond all human affairs. For thus did the thorny nature of men learn from the nature of the Godhead—which does not burn, but illuminates—to have communion. For the bush appearing ^B to him then, mingled with the fire, bore the symbol of the Virgin who, without seed, conceived the true light: the Sun of righteousness, I say, who was to rise from that undefiled bridal chamber, that He might warm the waters of the nations, according to that which is written; that with the warmth of goodness, He might melt the ice of diabolical malice; that with the splendor of the Godhead, He might put to flight the night of ignorance; that with radiant beams, He might illumine the creation which He had molded; that no one might henceforth stumble against the virginal day of grace, but walk in the light of orthodoxy, according to the safely defined faith in the twelve-acre field of the apostles, as the Scripture says: *Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the light, he does not stumble* (John XI, 9).

VII. For there are many who not only set their mouth ^C against the heavens, as David says (Psal. LXXII, 9), but also bring their tongue upon the earth, and attack the integrity of the Virgin from afar. In order, therefore, that we might not fall away with the voluptuous and earthly-minded, listening to the evangelist speaking these words: *Before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit* (Matt. I, 18); *and he did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son* (Matt. I, 25); let us not, from these words, think that the blessed Virgin lost her virginity after the divine birth, or that Joseph possessed the marital consortium. I entreat, therefore, spiritual men to receive spiritual things spiritually, and not to be carried away into the ^D

^A carnal passion of those who are ignorant of the depth of the Scripture. For if we believe, according to the new creation in Christ, that there is neither male nor female, and that the counterfeit currency of bodily sin does not pass in the spiritual life, let us no longer curiously inquire into the earthly footsteps of the old man, nor again reach out for the fruit of that fig tree which the Lord withered from the roots by His own voice. For we cannot carry two tunics at the same time; it is not possible, while clothed in the garment of incorruptibility, to put on a tunic of skin. For what fellowship, he says, has light with darkness? Nor let us draw down the Gospel knowledge to bodily commixtion; nor let us interpret the mystical exposition as a marriage union. Why do we seek a physical standard for a dispensation that is above nature? ^B

VIII. Let us learn what meaning the ignorance of Joseph possesses.

^A Mary’s womb swelled, and Joseph’s heart was wounded. He saw the swelling of the belly, and he despaired of the mystery of chastity altogether. He observed her pregnant, and he fell into a great tempest; he paid heed to her burdened state, and he surmised that she had been violated. This was not a defect of knowledge, but a suspicion of intercourse, nay, rather an intensity of unbelief. The matter was one of accusation, not of long-suffering. He heard the angel saying: “Do not fear to take Mary your wife,” yet he meditated upon a still greater doubt. “I will not believe,” he said, “in the conception, unless I see the birth. Unless I behold the light, I shall by no means dispel the cloud of ignorance. Unless I see the firstborn ^B with my own eyes, I shall never shake off this most absurd thought. Unless I see the spiritual sun raised up, I shall never believe that the spiritual moon remains in the order of virginity. What then? Shall I cherish this thought, and not proceed to separation? I shall proceed, by all means! For thus, while I avoid the reproaches of men, she herself, by the established law, will escape punishment.” For let us ask, and let us hear with what words he began to address her when he was incredulous regarding the divine oracle. ^C IX. “Depart far from the Jewish kinship, you who have become a participant in Gentile impurity.” Then the holy Virgin, answering gently to the one assailing her with such grave upbraiding, said: “Do you think I am defiled, because you behold me with a swollen belly?” To this Joseph answered: “It is not for an honest woman to harbor thoughts that are foreign to the law of piety.” To whom the holy one replied: “You who judge of the ways of fornication, do you not grant room for an apology?” And Joseph said: “Do you persist in denying it, having become pregnant in such a way?” And the holy one said: “Seek faithfully the truth of the prophetic oracle, ^D and out of it you will learn clearly the wonder of the Lord’s conception.” And Joseph said: “Did you have no regard for our pious union? You will come to know, since you do not hope, the exact account.” And the holy one said: “Do you then wish to condemn, on mere suspicion, her who has not been defiled by any intercourse?” But Joseph said: “I may perhaps appear to be of tested life; how, then, can I deliver you into the hands of those who judge such things?” And the holy one said: “The Lord will judge me concerning this sin, the One who, as He knows, penetrated into my womb.” And Joseph said: “Does the irremediable nature of this reproach trouble you? Prove, then, the intactness of your chastity.” And the holy one said unto him: “Await the time for the infant's state in the womb, and you shall behold the sanctified birth of the Lord.” And Joseph said: “Do you think that from that swollen…”

of words you can circumvent the sense of my old age?” And the holy virgin replied: “These words seem strange to you, I know, until you see the wondrous and unexpected events.” And Joseph said: “I do not wish on account of my Davidic lineage to practice divorce, nor, on the other hand, can I depart in the slightest from the accurate observance of the law.” And the holy virgin replied: “Believe now that the root of Jesse has sprouted of its own accord the unfading flower of life.” And Joseph said: “I will repel the onslaught of absurd thoughts when I see the nativity of the Lord of all.” And the holy virgin replied: “I indeed love you truly as a spouse on account of the law, but I do not want you to rashly offend against the Savior on account of the birth.” And Joseph said: “Verily, fearing this, I have delayed until now in departing from you.” And the holy virgin replied: “Remember the promised advent of the Lord, and avoid that disbelief which has been brought upon you by the Evil One.” And Joseph replied: “Fearing the surpassing beauty of your body, I easily admitted a sinister suspicion of the matter.” And the holy virgin replied: “Employ then the approved denarius of patience, by which you may acquire the everlasting lodging of the kingdom.” And Joseph said: “I am counting the easily numbered days of the time to be fulfilled, so that I may behold the ineffable incarnation of the Lord.” And the holy virgin ^A replied: “Then, O Joseph, we shall be proclaimed blessed by the mouths of all when we are called the parents of the Creator of all.”

X. The Mystery Revealed to Joseph

X. ^B Tunc demum Joseph, quænam esset Virgo certo comperit, cum etiam quisnam esset qui natus erat, ab angelo didicit. Surgens enim, inquit, accipe puerum, et matrem ejus. Non jam amplius dicit, *Conjugem tuam*. Qui potest capere, capiat. Tunc animi timiditatem excussit, cum angelici chori tripudium vidit. Tunc beatum edixit uterum, cum stellam consideravit. Tunc carnalium nuptiarum cogitationes abjecit, cum Magorum orientis thesauros accepit. Tunc se ipse deplorabat, cum Simeon infantem gestabat, atque ut Deum glorificabat: quamque prius quasi incontinentem aversabatur, eam postea ut pudicam et castam complectebatur: cui ut impudicæ conviciabatur, huic ut irreprehensibiliter ac inculpate habebat laudem: quam ut profanam repellebat, supplex ut illibatam observabat: quam ut impudentem protrudebat, ^C ut piam ac religiosam sibi vindicabat; quam publice mænadam vocitaverat, ut agnam sanctam obsecrabat. Ita plane Joseph: Non cognoscebat dispensationis mysterium, donec Virgo peperisset Dominum. Hæsitavit anceps de incorrupta castitatis arbore, donec illa fructum salutis germinasset.

^A Ignorance of the righteous is a cause for accusation; nor is there condemnation, that she brought forth a complaint from ignorance at the divine conception. For indeed, if God bears witness to righteousness, who can bring folly against such a one? For so incomprehensible to human thought was the mystery, and so paradoxical was the result of that mystical birth, that even the holy Virgin herself carried the God-Word, and yet hesitated at the archangel's word; inwardly she rejoiced at the One being incarnated from her, but outwardly she answered the one conversing with her: she was embracing the treasure of life, and pondering the salutation of the voice in her soul.

^B XI. "How shall this be to me," she says, "since I know not a man?" I do not know the clear meaning of the word, and how shall I know the God-befitting nature of the matter? And the archangel to her: "Do you therefore demand that the angelic ranks divulge ineffable words?" And the holy one to the angel: "Does the inquiry cause any harm, if the matter of the conception might be revealed?" And the angel: "You see Gabriel announcing good tidings, and yet you doubt concerning Emmanuel, whom he happily announces?" To whom the Virgin: "Is it, then, of feminine nature, that nature should give birth to the Lord of creation?" And the archangel: "Possessing a worldly frame of mind, how can you know the heavenly counsel?" ^C And the holy one: "Shall I, then, accept your word without doubt, and not curiously inquire into the matter at all? And can He who cannot be parted from the Father be contained in a womb?" And the archangel: "You shall be taught the mystery, as far as it is possible, when you shall take the Lord into your hands." And the holy one: "Have you seen a field producing grain before receiving seed?" And the archangel: "You have received the joy that surpasses nature; do not further consider corruption according to nature." And the holy one: "I have never borne the yoke of a man, and how am I to be the mother of a child?" And the archangel: "Do you seek for the union of marital action, where there is an indwelling of the Lord's power?" And the holy one: "I wished to obtain full assurance, that I might be able ^D to depart entirely from all anxiety." And the archangel: "I have come to announce to you the things decided by the Creator of all; for am I to explain to you the things hidden from all?" And the holy one: "You are a faithful angel of God, and do you not know precisely the things that are in the power of God?" And the archangel: "Do you wish to know things that are above you? Believe in Him who willed to become like you." And the holy one: "Perhaps the form does not admit of being declared to me, as He is incomprehensible; yet show me at least a trace of the One desired." And the archangel: "Know that you are receiving the words said to you spiritually, and you shall see how you are found blessed in the things being accomplished mystically." And the holy one: "And shall I believe that the only-begotten Son of God becomes my kinsman; He who shares the throne of the Father, sharing the body of a woman?" And

^A the archangel: "The fruit of human nature is that supreme and magnificent power, rendered similar to human poverty in its passion." The holy one again: "I wonder greatly how the splendor of the Father is made the offspring of a woman." And the archangel: "Wishing to hide from the enemy, He who sits on the throne supreme with the person of the Father becomes of the same form and condition as the servant." And the holy one: "I would like to know how that supreme and magnificent power becomes similar in passion to our mendicancy." And the archangel: "Does He therefore, because He puts on the garment of a mortal nature, cast off the diadem of immortal power? Because He comes in earthly abjection, does He lay aside His royal dominion? Because He assumes the form of humanity, does He diminish the dignity of His divinity? Because of the condescension of supreme loving-kindness, is there a transmutation of substance? Is He separated from the Most High Father because you, the mother, carry Him? Does He leave the cherubic throne because He has occupied a mundane place? ^B Is He shaken from His majesty because He is placed in a manger? Will He who is without beginning and eternal not exist, because He is displayed as recently born in time? Is He not celebrated with hymns by the angels as the mighty Lord, because He is seen as vile by men? Does He not sit in the heavens, because He leads a life on earth? Does He not look after all things with His providence, because, having become man, He walks with all? Does He not aid all? Does He not exist as God, because He proceeds from the womb? Will He cease to be in need of nothing, because He has become a partaker of food? Will the Lord, who is every spirit, not be Lord if He has assumed a human form?"

XII. "Deposing, therefore, the doubt, receive the salutation gladly. Shake off feminine humility and put on a manly mind. Do you not know that, on account of the dispensation of this mystery, this name received this nomenclature from the beginning? For you interpret Gabriel as 'Man-God.' For because the immutable God was about to appear among men in a human form, He signaled His glorious coming in an angelic ministry beforehand: so that to the infidels, indeed, He might be thought of as a mortal man, but to the faithful, He might be made known as ^C immortal God. For in this way, even now, my embassy concerning divine things has not found faith. For not only have you alone not given faith to my words, but neither did Zacharias before you. And indeed, as for you, whom I have known as an infant in regard to the holier divine matters, or rather, whom I revere as the mother of the Lord, I would not dare to castigate [you], even though faith was not obtained; but to him, as one expert in the law, when he had not received the word, I inflicted a measure of punishment, and subjected him to the animadversion of the loss of speech, ^D and I indeed bound the organ of the husband's tongue; but I opened the workshop of his wife's sterility. For it has certainly come to your knowledge how Elisabeth, already an old woman, has been counted among mothers. Do you not know what things are contained in the figure of both? Do you not recognize that in you the Gentile Church is [represented], and in her the

^A Jewish synagogue is storied? It escapes you that, while from you, the free woman, the beloved Isaac is born, from her, the slave woman, a son is born, for the fulfillment of the law of slavery and the announcement of the birth of the Lord’s presence? Go to her, that you may know whose mother you are. For she, even if you remain set against my words, yet when she has seen the leaps of John, will know how, full of joy after a little while, she will be found called blessed in all the ends of the earth. The ascetic branch of that barren woman announces the fruit that is in you, the Virgin. The lamp set upon that wooden ^B bushel will point out the sun rising upon the golden lampstand. That desert pair of turtledoves will reveal the duality of the innocent doves. Taught by him, the mother of John, full of joy, will call you the Mother of the Lord. That swallow announces the spring to souls. For the earthly angel will proclaim the heavenly God, and from the womb, a man; the law [will proclaim] grace; the prophet, the Lord; the servant, the Master; the clay, the Potter; the silver, the gold; the soldier, the King; the mortal, the Immortal; the one who is on earth, Him who is in heaven; the infirm, the Physician; the sheep, the Shepherd; the temporal, the Eternal; he who is from nothing, Him who is forever; the minister, the Creator; the creature, the Creator; the baptist, the Maker; the announcer ^C of the Judge; he who was born of a mother in time, [Him who was] begotten of the Father before the dawn. For when the natural workshop had ceased, then that which is beyond nature worked the mystery in Elizabeth; when there was the wounding of old age, then there was the growth of the infant; when there was despair of expectation, then there was the confirmation of the angelic message; when there was the deadness of the womb, then there was the resurrection of childbearing; when the time was mature, then the fruit was early; when all hopes were cast away, then the infant was brought forth; when the branch had withered, then the cluster ripened; when the root had grown weak, then the shoot blossomed. For sooner than

^A one possesses the will, one possesses the power. Does, therefore, the legal fig tree bring forth its early fruit, according to what is written, and will the evangelical vine not put forth the insatiable cluster of salvation? Why then do you still doubt, and not learn, like us angels, to receive the words of God with simplicity? When you hear about mysteries, you ought to wonder, not to investigate; to beseech, not to dispute; to be pious, not to contend; to celebrate with hymns ^B, not to be over-inquisitive; to meditate, not to scrutinize; to seek what is fitting, not to be a busybody regarding the infinite; to be taught things that are profitable, not to pry into things that are incomprehensible.

XIII. Thus the Virgin was being fortified by the word of the angel, while she was contemplating the birth of the Lord; she was strengthened by the confirmation of Gabriel, but was pondering the conception of Emmanuel. Hence, divided between joy and sorrow, she encountered the uneven ^C scales of thought: at one moment being raised to the height of the Godhead, at another being brought down to the lowliness of humanity. Thus, as the balance of the mind was oscillating toward both sides, she was deemed worthy of the precise inclination of God. For He who kept the most pure workshop of her virginity unharmed, also made the middle and easily turned discernment of the heart steady; and having set the loosened strings of the soul’s lyre with the illuminating hands of the Holy Spirit, He made the melody from the wounding of reproach resound, saying: ^D "Are you still hesitant? Having the Governor of all, are you tossed by a storm more than all others? Bearing the Physician of souls, do you not cast away the infirmity of your thoughts? Did you not know that I am becoming flesh below from you, and worshipped above by the angels? Do you not wish the Lover of mankind to become man below for the sake of man? Do you not wish the promises of your fathers to be fulfilled through your womb? Do you not wish the disobedience of the woman to be undone again by the obedience of a woman? Since your virginity is sealed, is the economy for that reason called into doubt? Since the workshop of nature is undefiled, is the mystery of the birth for that reason incredible? Since the field is without seed, is the joy for that reason unacceptable? Does it seem incredible to you if the immortal God is contained in a mortal vessel? If He is united to a body, and is not changed in spirit? If He becomes flesh and is not altered like all flesh? If the Word, preached by angels and prophets, is found coming forth from your bowels as an infant? If the One who has no beginning begins? If the Invisible is seen? If the Rich becomes poor? If the One who feeds all is fed? If the Lord of all is asked for the end along with all? And if He who sits upon the cherubim has nowhere to lay His head?"

XIV. ^A Yet it is impossible that you should receive the Holy Spirit unless I assume a terrestrial body. Unless I become a participant in mortal nature, you cannot become participants in immortal power. Unless I bear the image of the earthy, you shall never obtain the form of the heavenly. Unless I endure the face of the servant which is done away with, it is impossible for you to reach the glorified likeness of the Lord. Unless I descend in body to the terrestrial place, you shall not mystically perceive the bosom of Abraham. Do you refuse to serve the birth of Him who is immortal, so that the empire of death might be destroyed? Do you refuse to receive in the womb Him who takes away the sin of the world? Do you not wish to offer the virginal breast, that I might suck out the diabolical venom? Unless I take upon myself the temporal beginning of humanity, you will not be able to ascend to the ancient beginning of divinity. Unless I sit upon the arms of a mother, you shall not sit at the right hand of my Father. Unless I be established in a sinful body, and through it be laid as dead in a new tomb, ^B neither can the testament be confirmed, nor can you be declared heirs of the kingdom of heaven. For thus indeed I have made all who are from Adam until this generation heirs dispossessed, because I, the testator, having not yet tasted death, had not yet put on your mortal flesh. Therefore, do not think, as you have supposed, that I would defile the royal footwear by walking upon the earthen creature. I am not about to inflict any injury upon the uncreated majesty by dwelling in a habitation that was created by me. For neither do muddy collections harm the rays of the sun; nor, likewise, do diseased wounds infect the hands of the physician. Learn that it is God who proceeds from you, yet He does not begin from you. The Word exists in you, yet He does not depart at all from the Father; and He is born, as if He were not, a child; and He is given, as He is, a Son, according to the Scripture. He is encompassed, and He is not comprehended; He is observed, and He is not seen with the eyes; He is contained, and He is not contained; He is born, and He is not measured; He appears to all, and He is not revealed to all; and He becomes what He is not, that is, man, ^C and He remains what He is, that is, God. Shake off, therefore, the dust of carnal thought, and put on the garment of mystical knowledge; cast away the sluggishness of the soul, and take hold [of] eternal life. ^D

^A Thus you shall be able both to be kept a pure virgin and to become a faithful mother; and not to be separated from the unmarried, and yet to be numbered with those who are joined in matrimony; and to bear Christ, whom the prophets foretold, and at the same time to trample upon the adversary and enemy; to praise the illuminating radiance of His presence, and to extinguish the raging flame of the tempter.

XV. For that one was not aggrieved to a minor degree from the time when the Virgin most especially received the joyful tidings. The world was in gladness, but the devil was in sorrow and sadness. The King within the palace was arranging the gifts of peace, and the tyrant without was forging the weapons of war for the world. The Lord was preparing the harbor of salvation, and the tempter was preparing the storm of ignorance. The Lord was establishing the day of the knowledge of God, and the deceitful one was fortifying the night of impiety. ^B The Creator was conversing with His creatures, and the robber was consulting with the demons. "It is overturned," said the devil, "the empire of death, if a virginal womb shall give birth. If an incorrupt nature has conceived, the nature of the demons has perished; if chastity shall hold sway, licentiousness is put to flight; if tranquility shall prevail, antipathy will flee; if incorruption shall hold boldness, sin will cover itself. Let us not lose the ancient pasture of desire; let us not receive the new ^C innovation of virginity; let us not fall through sloth from the law of iniquity; let the traffic of voluptuousness not cease; let the spark of pleasure not be extinguished; let the imprint of avarice not be cast away; let the workshop of malice not be closed; let the seal of pride not be counterfeited; let the wages of wickedness not remain idle. Let us set the storm of voluptuousness against the neck of the Virgin; the delights of gluttony against the firmness of temperance; the spark of falsehood against the splendor of truth; the tyranny of impiety against the foundation of piety. A great and bitter calamity threatens our demoniacal affairs. We are exposed to most grievous punishments unless we put on the most powerful armor. Let us learn the new mystery ^D of the Virgin: let us see the fearful and wonderful miracle of Him who was incarnate of her: how a damsel is a woman bearing in the womb, having had no approach at all to any man; how she did not put away her chastity, and yet acquired childbearing; how the bloom of her beauty was not plucked, and the field of her skill was cultivated; how the vine was not dug, and yet the cluster ripened; how the seal of virginity remains inviolate, and He who is contained in the womb is ineffable; how she is ignorant of the conception of a man, and yet worships the birth of the Child. An embryo which created nature, an infant...

XVI. "Who has ever seen a branch older than its root? A fetus enclosed in the womb, who has fashioned nature itself? An infant who is its own Creator, who...

is about to bring forth as a man, to Him she submits forthwith as God; she who has to nourish Him as an infant, honors Him with reverence as Lord. What then? Shall we cease from our intrigue, because she is deemed worthy of great protection? Shall we withdraw from our hostility, because she is sheltered by the help from above? For do I not also know that the strong man is perilously arming himself, when his treasure is being securely guarded? ^A Does the thief lie in wait in vain, because the master of the house does not sleep? Or is the war again against a second [Eve] for us? Is the battle line drawn up against an undefiled woman? Are we again forced to adore a second Adam? Are we again ordered to be ruled by one fashioned after us? Are we again commanded to bow down to the royal image? But that woman indeed, [drawn] from the dust, was easily overthrown by the spectacle of her eyes: ^B but she, having been taken into the hands of the Heavenly One, stands fortified as by a strong rampart. That one burned with desire for the wood; to this one, nothing of the sort even entered her mind. That one gladly accepted the counsel; this one quickly closed her ears. That one embraced the words of the questioner; this one abhorred even the words of the narrative. That one, captivated by the love of the fruit of the tree, imagined that she would become a goddess; this one, having been deemed worthy of the union of the Lord, prepared herself for doxology. That one, having partaken ^C of corruption, planned to seize a dignity surpassing her; this one, having entered into divine joy, does not forget human frailty. How, therefore, shall we toss such a vessel [in a storm], as if we had found within it a governor asleep? How shall we tear the sheep apart, as if we had deemed the shepherd negligent? How shall we plunder the city, as if we had supposed the king to be sluggish and idle? Shall the satanic company, therefore, not shake down this virginal wall? Shall we be frustrated in our hope, so that we do not desist from the toil? Shall we fall from our expectation, so that we do not withdraw from our contention ^D and persistent zeal? But when it has been impossible to lay an ambush for the virginal workshop, and we have been unable to disturb the field of her mind, and we have been unable to withstand the offspring she carries in her womb; then let us strike with the darts of calumny at the undefiled conception of the Virgin. Let us disparage the mystery [so as to drag it into judgment].

let us traduce purity, that we may bring on punishment! Let us slander the mystic conception, that we may offer it to Jewish severity. Let us use this race, which acts as an advocate for our own falsehood. Let us suggest diabolical malice to those who, unworthy of pardon due to the gravity of their sins, inquire into the trivial faults of others; to those who are utterly ignorant of the boundaries of compassion; to those who, before the truth is known, sharpen the sword of inhumanity; to those who sign the document of condemnation before the investigation; to those who hasten to judge others with an unjust judgment. Let the spotless shell be destroyed, so that the precious pearl within it may not be brought to perfection. But if the spear of our wickedness cannot wound the Virgin’s conception, ^A at least the sword of Herod’s envy will strike the birth of the Child who is being born. For He Himself will fight for us against our enemy, Christ.

XVII. With what colors of eulogy, then, shall I depict the virginal image? With what laudatory words shall I brighten the spotless character of purity? She is the sanctuary of innocence; she is the sanctified temple of God; she is the golden altar of burnt offerings; she is the divine incense of composition; she is the holy oil of anointing; she is the precious alabaster jar of nard; she is the priestly ephod, announcing the will of God; she is the golden lampstand bearing the seven-wicked lamp; she is the ark gilded within and without, sanctified in body and spirit, in which was [hi]

^A a golden censer, and the golden urn holding the manna, and the rest, about which it has been spoken before. She is that first-born unleavened bread, and the red heifer, whose ashes—the body of the Lord taken from her—cleanses those involved from the defilement of sin. She is the gate looking toward the east, shut for all time because of the entrance and exit of the Lord through it. She is the new scroll of the New Testament, through whom the power of the demons was quickly plundered, and the captivity of men was quickly rescued. She is the threefold measure of humanity—of Greeks, Romans, and Jews—in whom the ineffable wisdom of God hid the leaven of her own goodness. She is the field of the paternal ^B blessing, in whom the treasure of the Lord's economy lay. She is the royal ship that brings in the wealth from Tarshish, that is, she who from the region of the Gentiles brings the conversion of the nations to the King of the Jerusalem above. She is the beautiful Bride of the Song of Songs, who stripped off the old garment, washed her lawful feet, and with modesty received the incorruptible Bridegroom into her own bridal chamber. She is the tabernacle of the faithful, who carried the living ark of the economy, and through the first-born heifers, the two Testaments, was directed onto the straight path of salvation. She is the tabernacle of the testimony, from whom the true Jesus, being God, came forth after the nine-month period of the embryo. She is the basket daubed within and without with pitch, adorned with prudence and piety, in which the spiritual Moses is saved from the mystical Pharaoh; whose daughter, that is, the Gentile Church, nourishing him in her virginal arms, promises to give to the nursing mother herself the reward of eternal life. She is the fifth well of the true oath, in which the water of immortality, ^C through the coming of the Lord in the flesh, flowed forth in the fullness of the fifth covenant. For the first covenant was written in the time of Adam; the second in the time of Noah; the third in the time of Abraham; the fourth in the time of Moses; and the fifth finally in the time of the Lord: for He also went out five times to hire pious laborers into the vineyard of justice; namely, about the first hour, about the third, about the sixth, about the ninth, about the eleventh. She is the unblemished fleece placed upon the world’s threshing-floor, into which the rain of salvation descending from heaven dried up the entire earth from the immense flood-tide of evils; and again, the fleece itself, drying up from the subsiding moisture of afflictions, replenished the earth with a copious gift of good things. She is the fruitful olive tree planted in ^D

of the passions, and filled the earth with the abundant gift of good things. This is the fruit-bearing olive tree planted in the house of God, from which the Holy Spirit, having taken the physical branch ^A of the Lord, conveyed it to the human nature tempest-tossed, announcing peace from above. This is the flourishing and incorruptible paradise, in which the tree of life is planted and grants to all, without hindrance, the fruit of immortality. This is the celestial sphere of the new creation, in which the ever-shining Sun of Justice has chased away the night of sins from every soul. This is the boast of virgins, the exultation of mothers, the support of the faithful, the diadem of the Church, the mark of orthodoxy, the seal of piety, the currency of truth, the garment of temperance, the attire of virtue, the rampart of justice, the dwelling of the holy Trinity, according to the evangelical narrative: “The Holy Spirit,” it says, “shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; therefore also that which is born of thee shall be called holy, the Son of God.” To Him be glory, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ORATION VII

On the Holy Theophany

^A Christ has appeared to the world, and having adorned the unadorned world, He made it radiant; He took away the sin of the world, and cast down the enemy of the world; He sanctified the fountains of waters, and illumined the souls of men; He wove miracles with greater miracles. For today the earth and the sea shared the grace of the Saviour, and the whole world is filled with joy; and today’s feast shows the increase of wonders to be greater than the preceding feast. For ^B in the preceding feast of the Nativity of the Saviour, the earth rejoiced, carrying in the manger the Master of all; but in this present feast of the Theophany, the sea rejoices greatly; it rejoices, as it receives the blessings of sanctification through the Jordan. In the preceding feast, an incomplete infant was shown, displaying our incompleteness; but in today’s feast, He is seen as perfect, hinting at Him who is perfect from the perfect. There, the star appearing in the East indicated Him who was born; here, as He is baptized, the Father who begat Him bears witness from heaven. There, Magi from the East journeyed on foot and offered gifts as to a King; here, angels arriving from the heavens offered the service befitting Him as God. There, He was bound in swaddling clothes; here, He loosens the chains ^C of sins. There, the King was clothed in the purple of the body; here, the Fountain clothes Himself with the river.

II. A New and Stupendous Miracle

Come, then, behold the paradoxical miracles: the Sun of justice being washed in the Jordan, and fire being submerged in water, and God being sanctified by a human minister. Today, all creation, hymning, cries aloud: *Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord* (Ps. CXVII, 26). Blessed is He who comes at all times; for it is not just now that He has arrived for the first time. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; He who, by His providence, by which He provides for creatures, comes also; while He preserves the height of heaven firm and stable, steers the courses of the sun with consummate art, arranges the multitude of the stars like the ranks of centuries without that confusion, tempers the air conveniently and temperately for breathing, cherishes again the bosom of the earth with a just temperance for the fruitfulness of fruits, restrains and compresses the ferocity of the surging and fluctuating sea with the most minute sand, secretly thrusts forth springs from the abysses, and leads the currents of rivers without error. Seeing all these things, then, let us say: *Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.* Who is this? Speak more clearly, I pray thee, blessed David: *God is the Lord, and hath appeared unto us* (Ps. CXVII, 27). And not only does the prophet David say this, but also Paul the apostle, concurring with his testimony, declares in these words: *The grace of God our Saviour hath appeared to all men, instructing us* (Tit. II, 11)—not to some, but to all. For He bestows salvation through baptism to all, both Jews and Greeks alike, proposing baptism as a common benefit to all.

III. A New Flood

Come, behold a strange flood, far better and superior to the one that was in the days of Noah. For there, the water of the flood killed the human race; but here, the water of baptism, by the power of Him who was baptized, recalled the dead to life. There, Noah fashioned an ark from incorruptible woods; but here, Christ, the spiritual Noah, fashioned for Himself an ark of the body from the incorruptible Mary. There, Noah smeared the ark externally with bitumen and pitch; but here, Christ fortified the ark of the body with the firm protection of faith. There, the dove, bearing an olive branch in its mouth, indicated the fragrance of the Lord Christ; here, however, the Holy Spirit, coming in the form of a dove, shows forth the merciful Lord. But that excellent humility of the Lord strikes me with amazement: that it was not sufficient for Him who was perfect from the Perfect to be born as an infant from a woman, nor did He who was co-equal with the Father deem it sufficient to take the form of a servant (Phil. II, 7), unless He also approached baptism as if He were a sinner. But let not this common benefit become a scandal to those who hear. For Christ, the Lord of all, is baptized, not Himself having need of expiation, but so that He might provide for our utility in two ways: namely, first, that He might bestow upon the waters the power of sanctifying; and second, that He might allure all men to receive baptism.

IV. The Approach of the Lord

*For Jesus comes, it says, from Galilee to the Jordan, unto John, to be baptized by him* (Matth. III, 13). What was taking place then, brothers? It is impossible to grasp with the intellect. For they were greater than human sight;

^A the mind trembles, and the tongue flees from speech, not daring to utter that which is ineffable. Wherefore, seeing the Lord coming to him, John, held fast by a great anguish of heart, falling down and crouching, and embracing His feet, in supplication uttered: "Why do you constrain me, O Almighty One, to perform what is beyond the power of me, who am powerless? I cannot do these things. How shall I dare to baptize You? When is fire purified by stubble? When is the fountain washed by mud? In what way, as one liable to judgment, shall I baptize the Judge? How shall I baptize You, O Lord? I see no blemish in You. You have not fallen under the curse of Adam; You have committed no sin. For even though You have descended, You have not in anything transgressed. Why, O Lord, do You force me to do what exceeds my strength? Never have I dared to do anything that would cause You indignation. As a servant who loves his Lord, having anticipated Your coming, I made it known; while I was still in the womb, employing my mother's tongue, I proclaimed You as the God of the world; ^B I prepared all things for Your encounter."

V. "For tell me, O Lord: how will the sun be able to look on, seeing the Lord of all being insulted by a daring servant, and not straightway, as it did to the Sodomites with its fiery rays, burn me up? How will the earth bear it, seeing Him who sanctifies the angels being baptized by a sinful man, and not instantly open its mouth and swallow me up, like Dathan and Abiron? And how shall I baptize You, O Lord, who have not consorted with the defilements of birth? You came forth as fruit from an un-childbearing womb without seed. How, therefore, shall I, a filthy man, purify God, God the sinless? ^C I have need to be baptized by You, and You come to me? You sent me as a baptizer, O Lord; I have always been obedient to Your command. For, exhorting all to baptism, I said: 'Confess to the Lord, for He is good.' For He who has come is not an austere person; He is a good Son, begotten of the Good. He does not show goodness for a brief span of time and then immediately change; but, 'His mercy is for ever.' And because His mercy is immeasurable, for this reason the heavenly powers, praising Him, said: 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; God is the Lord, and He has appeared to us.' The Sun of righteousness has appeared, and has dispelled the darkness of ignorance. ^D The heavenly Shepherd has appeared, and has driven away the devil's wolves from the noble flock. The only-begotten Son of the Father has appeared, and through baptism has granted adoption to the faithful. The Life of all has appeared, and, having put death to death through death, as Immortal He has deemed the dead worthy of life.

through baptism has granted adoption to the faithful. The Life of all has appeared, and, having put death to death through death, as Immortal He has deemed the dead worthy of life. ^A Verily, when these things were being accomplished, the Father from the heavens, exulting in the overriding humility of the Son, immediately threw open the gates of heaven; and in the manner of thunder He sent down a voice, filled with paternal affection, saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And so that the mind of those hearing might not wander between the baptizer and the baptized, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, pointing out the baptized one and indicating that He is the one whom the paternal voice proclaimed. To Him be glory and power, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ORATION VIII

1. Come, beloved: today also let us eagerly invade the evangelical treasures, that we may draw from them, as is our custom, wealth that, although distributed abundantly to all, is never in any way consumed. Come, and let us again follow Luke, who is endowed with singular wisdom and who shows the way most excellently, so that we may see Christ ascending into ^B the high mountain and taking along Peter and James and John as witnesses of the divine Transfiguration. For He says, "Taking Peter and his companions, the Lord ascended into a high mountain." A high mountain, where Moses and Elias were conversing with Christ; a high mountain, where the Law and the Prophets were mingling their words with Grace; a high mountain, where Moses was, he who slaughtered the paschal lamb and sprinkled with its blood the doorposts of the Hebrews; a high mountain, where Elias was, who cut the ox into pieces before the same people and consumed with fire the sacrifice that had been drenched with water; a high mountain, where Moses was, who opened and closed the ^C deeps of the Red Sea; a high mountain, where Elias was, who held back and poured forth the rains; a high mountain, so that Peter, James, and John might learn that it is He, to whom every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. Yet the Lord took only three with Him as He ascended the mountain. He did not take everyone; nor did He leave behind everyone. He did not withhold the glory from the others; nor did He consider them more contemptible; nor did He sadden the nine. For since He is just, He does all things justly: He esteems all as one, and those whom He had yoked together in equality, He did not sever from their mutual charity. But ^D because Judas, who was to become the traitor, was unworthy of the divine vision and of that awesome spectacle, for this reason He left the others behind as well, so that they, both James and John, might learn. That we might learn, they had come to Martha and Mary.

qui futurus erat proditor Judas, hujus gratia etiam alios relinquit, ut licet ille non adesset, Petrus et Jacobus et Joannes discerent; ut discamus, ad Martham et Mariam venerunt ^A that he might not later bar all defense to the one left behind; and he draws [these] three witnesses of the transfiguration to himself according to the Law, for they carried the others [with them] in spirit. For he himself says: "Holy Father, keep them, that they may be one even as we are one." For Judas, seeing Andrew, Thomas, Philip, and the rest remaining with him at the mountain, and neither murmuring, nor becoming indignant, nor reviling, but rejoicing and sharing in common the grace from above for themselves and for those absent, was rendered entirely without excuse, having never been slighted in any of the miracles; yet he still held the money-box and, for the price of the ointment, was indignant without cause at the woman who anointed [him], and boldly betrayed the Master to his enemies.

II

to be here." ^B Let nothing human, nothing lowly, nothing earthly, nothing abject and crawling upon the ground revolve in your mind. "Mind the things that are above, seek the things that are above," as Paul advised, "not the things that are upon the earth." For how is it good for us to be here, where the serpent, having committed an outrage against the first-formed man, did harm and closed paradise? Where we heard that we must eat bread in the sweat of our brow; where we learned to groan and tremble upon the earth because of Cain; where there is nothing firm; where all things are shadows; where all things will pass away in a moment? How, then, is it good for us to be here?

If Christ were to leave us here, for what reason did He bow the heavens and descend? If Christ were to leave us here, for what reason did He share with us in blood and flesh? If Christ were to leave us here, for what reason did He descend to one who had fallen, and lift up the one who was lying low? If it is a good thing for us to be upon the earth, you have been called the key-bearer of heaven in vain. For what further use to you are the keys of heaven? Since you desire this mountain, hereafter renounce the heavens; if you wish to erect tabernacles, cease to be and to be called the foundation of the Church. For the Lord Christ was transfigured not without cause, but so that He might show us the future transfiguration of our nature, and His second coming in the clouds with angels in light. For He is the One who is "clothed with light as with a garment," being the Judge of the living and the dead. Hence He brought Moses and Elijah into the midst, representing the signs and seals of ancient visions.

III. What further does the great writer of the Gospels say? ^C "While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice from the cloud saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." While Peter was yet speaking, the Father answered from heaven, saying: "What are these things, Peter? Why do you waver and falter? Why do you allow yourself to be rashly carried away into these superfluous things, and call this place good? Have you forgotten yourself? Or do you envy the race, not knowing what you say? Are you not yet instructed? Have you not yet learned the true and solid doctrine of the Sonship? Are you not the one who said: 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God'? You have watched so many and such great miracles, you Bar Jona, and still you exist as Simon? He has made you the key-bearer of heaven, and have you not yet laid aside the garment of your lowly nautical life? ^D Behold, for the third time you resist the will of the Savior, not knowing what you say. For He said to you: 'It behooves me...'"

^A to suffer,' and you say, 'This shall not be for you.' He said again, 'All of you shall be scandalized,' and you say, 'Even if all shall be scandalized, yet I shall not be scandalized.' Behold, even now you wish to raise a tabernacle for Christ, similar to those for Moses and Elias? A tabernacle for Christ, who together with me stretched out the heavens? A tabernacle for Him who together with me founded the earth? A tabernacle for Him who together with me gathered the sea and fixed the firmament; a tabernacle for Him who lit the lights, who inflamed the ether, and who created all things with me before the ages? A tabernacle for Him who is from me and from you? A tabernacle for Him who is in me and with you? A tabernacle for Him who is the fatherless Adam? A tabernacle for Him who is the motherless God? A tabernacle for Him who accepted the tabernacle which He chose—the virginal womb? Since, therefore, you wish to raise three tabernacles, not knowing what you say, I, using a luminous cloud as a tabernacle and covering those present, cry out from the highest: 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' Not Moses and Elias, but this one; not another and another, but this one, one and the same, in whom I am well pleased: listen to Him.

^B IV. I justified Moses, but in this one I am well pleased. I took up Elias, but this one I sent into the Virgin as into heaven, and from the Virgin into heaven itself. For no one, He says, has ascended into heaven, unless He who descended from heaven. Frivolously, therefore, would He have descended to earth, if He were to remain forever upon the earth. Frivolously would He have emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, if, not remaining what He was, He had become what you are. If, not sustaining the cross for your sake and for the cause of your mortality, He had not redeemed the world with His own blood, the mystery of the incarnation would be utterly useless and vain, and the ancient oracles ^C of the prophets would remain unconfirmed. But cease, Peter, and do not think the things of men, but the things of God. For this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him. For I have used such a voice concerning Him twice: once among you, on this mountain; and a second time before John, in the river Jordan, that the prophet of old might be truthful in crying out: 'Thabor and Hermoniim shall exult in your name.' In what name? This: 'This is my beloved Son.' For He granted Him a name which is above every name, as Paul says. But you will certainly ask, beloved: 'What does it mean, "Thabor and Hermoniim shall exult in your name"?' Learn, therefore, intelligently. Thabor, this is the mountain where Christ, willing, was transfigured, ^D and was testified to as Son by the Father, as you have just heard. But Hermoniim (67) is a small mountain near the Jordan, from whence Elias was taken up; and near to which, in the streams of the Jordan,

testified, as you have just heard. But Mount Hermon is a small mountain near the Jordan, from which Elijah was taken up, and near which Christ was baptized by his own will, and the beloved Son of the Father was likewise testified. On these two mountains the undefiled and most pure Father, establishing the name and nature of the Son, both then and now again cries out: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear him." For he who hears him hears me also; and whoever is ashamed of him and his words, I also shall be ashamed of him in my majesty and that of the holy angels. Hear him, without deceit or pretense, without malice or fraud, without any hesitation, and without restriction; with all curiosity removed; seeking by faith, not measuring with the tongue; receiving by faith, not weighing the Word with words. For it is sufficient now for the great orator Paul, restraining and checking the curious, and teaching all men, to cry out without any hesitation: "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

ORATION IX

On Palm Sunday

1. The present season, beloved, has need of some greater diligence. Greater, I say, and more ready and more vigorous for the meeting of the heavenly King does it demand us to be. For this is what Paul also said, when he announced the good news: "The Lord is at hand; be anxious for nothing." But the Lord is found near, not by the swiftness of feet, but by the abundance of good things. Therefore it is worth our while that we also cry out again those words of Paul: "The night is far spent, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day." Let us light the lamps of faith; let us abound in the oil of mercy toward the poor, like the five wise virgins; let us receive Christ in watchfulness; let us celebrate with songs the palm of righteousness; let us embrace the ointment of Mary; let us hear the voice of the resurrection; let us send forth voices worthy of the divine majesty; let us proclaim with the crowds the shouts which the crowds utter: "Hosanna in the highest; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel." Well, indeed, [do we say] "who comes," for he is always coming, and he is never lacking. For he is near to all

^A who call upon him in truth. "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel." All that is happening now is a symbol; these are symbols, signs, and proofs of the royal procession.

ORATION ON PALM SUNDAY

^B II. There is present at the gate that gentle and quiet King: he who rides above the cherubim on high, but sits upon the foal of an ass below. Let us prepare the houses of our souls; let us tear apart every spiderweb of fraternal hatred; let there be no dust of blasphemy found in us; let us abundantly pour out the water of love; let us smooth down every swelling of discord; let us crown the portals of our lips with the flowers of piety; and together with the crowd, let us raise the crowd’s own cries and say: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel." Who would not exalt him with praises? Who would not marvelously proclaim these crowds—these, who were surely the enemies of the Jews but the friends of the Christians? They called the Lord "King," having beheld nothing worthy of a kingdom with their bodily eyes. They saw no gold-plated chariots, no white and glistening mules, nor the rest of that pomp of ostentation that temporal kings are accustomed to display when they process; no weapons, no shields, no standards, no robes of state, no long-haired men of great stature riding alongside, no flashy display of elephants, no senate going before. They saw nothing of the sort; on the contrary, they saw everything to the contrary. They saw a lowly little donkey, small, belonging to another, unadorned, and made ready for use, with only eleven disciples following him, for Judas was already occupied with the business of betrayal. Nevertheless, seeing such poverty, and as if they had been snatched up into heaven, considering the things above, and dancing together with the angels—having borrowed the mouths of the seraphim—they uttered those voices that were like theirs, saying: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel."

^D III. It embittered the chief priests and the Pharisees to hear from the crowds: "The King of Israel." They heard what they did not wish to hear. They called the Lord a demoniac, but these proclaimed him King: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel." Who suggested this voice to the crowds? Who put this praise into their hearts? Who placed the branches of palms into their hands? Who gathered and led them all together under one and the same sign?

^A Who taught this harmony of voices? Grace, truly heavenly: the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Hence they cried out with confidence: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel.” The soldiers of the world, the heavenly angels; the mortals and the immortals; those walking upon the earth and those dancing in the heavens: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel.” They turned away from the Pharisees; they abhorred the chief priests; they sang forth hymns worthy of God; they brought joy to creation; they sanctified the air; they made the dead to leap for joy; they threw open the heavens; they planted Paradise; they incited mortals to a similar ^B zeal. Wherefore, also, certain of the Gentiles at that time, impelled toward divine zeal by that divine voice and giving their minds to conversion, approached—as you have just heard—one of the apostles, named Philip, saying to him: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Behold the proclamation of the crowd, and how they moved the Gentiles to conversion! Immediately they spoke to the disciples of the Lord: “We wish to see Jesus.” Well did the Gentiles become disciples of Zacchaeus, not by climbing onto a sycamore tree, but by hastening along the path of the knowledge of God. “We wish to see Jesus”: not so much that they might behold his face, as that they might bear his cross. Whence Jesus, also, seeing ^C the intention of their minds, cried out openly to those who were present, saying: “The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified.” He called the conversion of the Gentiles "glory," which the children of the Jews had cast off, but which the nations took upon themselves as an adornment. Therefore, also, Jesus, reproaching the Jews through the prophet, said: “If I am a father, where is my glory? And if I am a Lord, where is my fear?” For this reason, he said regarding the nations: “The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified”; calling the cross "glory." For hence the power of God was made known, in that he transformed ignominy into glory, insult into honor, cursing into blessing, gall into sweetness, vinegar into milk, a blow into freedom, death into life. “The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified”; calling the cross "glory." For from that time until now the cross has been honored as a celebrated glory. For the cross itself even now and still glorifies kings, adorns the priesthood, preserves virginity, confirms religious life, binds together marriages, protects widowhood, defends the orphaned, increases fertility, endows the Church with many offspring, illuminates the people, guards the wilderness, opens Paradise, ^D guides the thief, banishes feuds, extinguishes hatred, exterminates demons, and drives away the devil.

IV. But let us also, taking the flourishing branches of palms, go forth to meet our Lord, and let us say to the chief priests: Are you not the ones who say...

is it that this is the son of the carpenter? God is strong, mighty. Run, hasten; with all together cry out to Him who raised Lazarus: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. To Him be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ORATION X. On Holy Thursday.

I. The solemn day of the sacred mysteries has arrived. The evening has shone forth, brighter than any day. For what in this present evening is not full of awe and wonder? The Lord Himself dined together with His servants; He opened the paradise of mysteries to them; He delivered His sinless flesh as food; He bestowed as a sponge to wash away sins the cup; in the form of a servant He washed the feet of the disciples, goading them toward the race; He gave the morsel ^A, marking out the traitor; He kissed the unworthy, that He might reclaim the grace from the impure; He came to the passion, showing that not by force was He compelled to endure the passion. For who, had He not willed it, could ever have held Him? Him, I say, who by His word rules the sea, bridles the winds with a command, draws up from the tombs the putrid dead, and is worshipped as Lord even by the demons, had He not, as He is philanthropic, willed to suffer—not as He was, but as He had become? Yet He was held and endured, for He did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. And the kiss became a sign of that very daring. Therefore, to the traitor drawing near, He says: "Judas (for you are full of poison), Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" By the name He strikes at the doors of his conscience, wishing to awaken him who was lulled to sleep by avarice, as if saying to him: "Judas, I chose you for the apostolate, how have you turned into a traitor? Judas, do you love money? You are richer than all kings. Demons do not revere kings, but your tongue they fear and dread as fugitive servants do. Diseases consume the rich; but your very shadow puts diseases to flight. Gold is the treasure of the avaricious; but for you, the heavenly inheritance is prepared. If you love money, cast away the power granted against ^B diseases; for the soul cannot contain the mire of avarice and the ointment of philanthropy simultaneously."

II. Nothing is worse, brothers, than avarice—it arms kinsmen against one another; it mows down nature, makes them rage in the manner of tyrants, digs through walls, levels cities ^C, ^D.

and obliterates the laws of nature. Let me say what the essence of the matter is: it invaded the apostolic choir; it exposed him who is more precious than any price to an impious attempt. The cause, therefore, of all evils is avarice. On account of this, Christ and God, bringing an accusation through the prophets, said that a sheep had acted in fury against its shepherd (79). Truly, the root of all evils is *cupidity* (1 Tim. vi, 10). Wherefore the prophet Zechariah said, as if from the person of the Lord: *And I will say to them*—that is, to the ungrateful ones of the people—*If it be good in your sight, bring hither my wages, or else forbear* (Zach. xi, 12). But what price could be established for Him who is greater than any that can be sold? What price for Him who surpasses every price? What sale for Him who exceeds every sum? *And they weighed*, he says, *my wages, thirty pieces of silver*. O precise prophecy! And in what manner didst thou, O Judas, become ecstatic over such greed! For even when that chaste and religious woman poured out the ointment at the supper, because of the avarice lurking within your soul, you said: *Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and given to the poor?* (cf. Marc. xiv, 5). But that son of thunder, John, refuting the sense of avarice with which your mind was filled with all wickedness and improbity, says most openly: *Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and having the purse, carried the things that were put therein* (cf. John xii, 6). The Lord Jesus Christ, therefore, as God, was all-knowing; and knowing that he was overcome by the wicked passion of avarice, and wishing to conquer that excess of an insatiable heart, He entrusted the human reward and price of that office to him. But he, not only—while receiving the gifts of the good Lord and lacking none of the God-given charisms—did he fail to be satisfied, but he exchanged thirty pieces of silver for those three hundred denarii. O perverse counsel of Judas! O madness of Judas, that, having heard from Christ, the author of life and teacher, *What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul?* (cf. Luc. ix, 25), yet, for the sake of thirty pieces of silver, taking delight for a brief time, he delivered the giver of life, Christ, to the unjust, and condemned his own soul to eternal punishments! Therefore also our Lord Jesus Christ said: *Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed: it were better for him, if that man had not been born* (cf. Matth. xxvi, 24).

III. Regarding the betrayal

Our Lord Jesus Christ was saying these things, wishing to bring him to his senses, so that, having returned to himself, he might abstain from that perverse and most wicked ambition of betrayal, and turn to repentance,

and salvation. But he, preferring disobedience to obedience, became a dwelling-place of the serpent, the author of evils. Therefore, the Lord also, seeing him persistently continue in the stubborn counsel of betrayal, delivered him over into the jurisdiction and power of him who had suggested to him the passion of avarice. For when the true and sincere disciples asked at supper who it might be that was plotting the betrayal, He answered them, saying: "He to whom I shall give the morsel when I have dipped it, is he who will betray me." And after the morsel was received, it says, Satan entered into him. And the Lord said to him: "What you do, do quickly." Do you see how willingly He who was by nature the Savior hastened, for the salvation of the human race, to come to His passion? Wherefore the preeminent and exceptional goods among men, which were brought into being by Him, are light and life. And He Himself was pleased to be called these things; for He is light as God, and life as He is immortal, even though He tasted death in the flesh, not in His divinity. ^D

IV. Let us all, therefore, flee from greed; let us vomit out hypocrisy along with avarice. Let us embrace and kiss one another from the heart when we are about to approach the divine mysteries; let us cast away all anger; let us be cleansed of all malice, so that when the Master enters into our souls, He may find no one full of hypocrisy like Judas, but all clean, according to John, setting forth the Father’s bosom with faith; according to Paul, crucified to the world; according to Peter, piously preaching and saying: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," so that we may attain to the Master’s blessing. For "Blessed," he says, "is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin, and in whose mouth there is no guile." "For upon whom," He says through the prophet, "shall I look, unless upon the meek and quiet, and him who trembles at My words?" And in the Gospels, the Savior also said, while teaching His own disciples: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Of which, would that we might all be found worthy to be partakers, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who willingly endured to be sold and betrayed for us, that He might deliver us from the slavery of the invisible enemy. To Him be glory, together with the Father and His holy and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ORATIO XI (85). On the Passion of the Lord, on Holy and Great Friday.

I. Terribilia are the mysteries of today’s conflict.

^A The trophies of the infernal war are horrendous; ineffable is this sudden overthrow of the ancient tyrant; greater than any thought is the victory which He who assumed flesh for our sake brought back for us. For He was joined in conflict with death as a dead man, but plundered Hades as a mighty and powerful God. For the Lord is mighty and powerful; the Lord is mighty in battle. What speech, therefore, could worthily serve such a miracle? Or what tongue shall speak and recount this terrible engagement? For today the seal of the prophetic voices has been fulfilled. Today Hades, unknowing, drank in the deadly poison. Today death received the ever-living One as dead. Today the bonds have been loosed which the serpent had forged in Paradise. Today those who had been slaves from the beginning of time have been vindicated into liberty. Today the thief excavated ^B Paradise, which for five thousand and five hundred years had been guarded by the protection of the flaming sword. Today the light shining in the darkness has emptied the whole treasury of death. Today a royal entrance into the prison has been innovated. Today He who was swallowed as a mere dead man, and set fire to Hades as God the Word, shattered the gates of bronze and broke asunder the bars of iron. Today Christ, the cornerstone, shook that primordial foundation of death, drew out Adam, saved Abel, and overturned the entire building of Hades. Today even those who formerly lamented, whom the prevailing death had swallowed, cry out with a great voice: Where, O death, is thy victory? Where, O Hades, is thy sting?

II. What do you say to these things, O Jew? Do you revile the cross? Do you mock the Passion? Do you deride death? Do you disparage the tomb? But fix your gaze upon the victory, and revere the Passion of Him who, being God the Word and impassible, suffered in the flesh by His own will. Death swallowed all the righteous with authority and power, and no one of the holy ones was a victor over death. Do you admire Abel? But death swallowed him. Do you speak to me of Noah? But he, too, rushed headlong into destruction. Do you hold up Enoch to me? But he, too, departed, and yet he did not abolish the law. Do you boast to me of Abraham? But death put even him to death. Do you mention Isaac? But once he had fallen, he did not rise again. Do you bring me Jacob? But the patriarch is dust. Do you glory in Joseph? But his memory is placed in naked and dry bones. Do you divinely extol Moses? But you do not even find his sepulcher.

^A Death snatched so many, and swallowed them all; but it swallowed one, and unwillingly, whether it would or no, disgorged the whole world. For see today the wickedness of the devil against Him who was guilty of no sin. He armed ministers to seize Him; he bought Judas for the betrayal; he tripped up Peter into denial; he inflamed the servant of the high priest to strike with a blow; he urged the soldiers to mockery; he stirred up Pilate to examine Him; he moved the crowd to sedition, wishing to know who the Lord was. But He stood long-suffering, bearing the audacity, that He might loosen the curse.

ORATION ON THE FRIDAY OF PREPARATION

^B III. Therefore, just as at the death of some king, all festive joy departs from the cities, so today the whole creation rejected and abandoned its splendor. The heaven donned dark garments of mourning for itself; the sun, like a servant most devoted to his Master, fled, drawing back its rays; the stars disturbed their natural order; the temple was rent on all sides because of the mourning; the earth, mourning and lamenting, did not strike its arms, but split the rocks; all the prophets drawing near asked the Lord, and said: "What are these wounds in the midst of your hands?" How did the passion dare to touch you? By your divinity? But the divinity is impassible. What therefore He suffers, He suffers in the flesh. But what of those who drove you to the cross? Did they not respect you, nor were they mindful of your benefits? What then does the Lord say to them? "These are the wounds with which I was willingly wounded in the house of my beloved." ^C "Out of Egypt I transplanted a vineyard; I irrigated it with the crossing of the sea; I dug it around with terrors; I pruned it with circumcision; I hedged it with prophets; I fenced it with the Law; and I waited for it to bring forth grapes; but it made thorns, and not justice, but a cry." And: "I became as a man without help, free among the dead."

IV. O passion, expiation of the world! O death, cause of immortality, and origin of life! O descent into Hades, a bridge for those dead from the ages back to renewed life! O midday, a revocation of the afternoon condemnation in Paradise! O cross, healer of the tree! O nails, fixing the world to the knowledge of God, and piercing death! ^D O thorns, the clusters of the Jewish vineyard! O gall, the promoter of the sweetness of the faith, and the accuser of the wickedness of the Jews! O sponge, which has wiped away and cleansed the sin of the world! O reed, which has inscribed the faithful in the register of heavenly citizens, and crushed the tyranny of the serpent, the author of evils! O mystery, to which faith is denied by infidels, but which is adored unceasingly by all the faithful! O sign, which is spoken against by infidels, and glorified by the faithful! O mystery, to the Jews indeed a scandal, but to the nations foolishness—

unto us [is] Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God, just as the apostle Paul says, "that the foolishness of God is wiser than men"; so that He might destroy death, spoil the underworld, and bring to life those who have been dead from the ages: by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and majesty, for ever and ever. Amen.

ORATION XII. On the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

^A 1. The flowers of the three-day burial shine bright; the lilies of the font glisten; stars have arisen from the waters. And with good reason: for the Sun has shone upon those who were sitting in darkness in the lowest pit and in the shadow of death. Glorious is the captivity of the Crucified. Behold the trophies, and doubt not of the victory. Admire the magnificence of the queen, ^B pouring forth spiritual blessings like a fountain for all. For in days of old, the Jews cast stones at Stephen, wishing to bury the foremost athlete and unconquered orator of the warfare of the Crucified; this virgin, however, consecrating herself to Christ, exhausted the treasures of her wealth for the sake of religion. She mortified the raging movements of her flesh; she placed the Crucified in her soul as in a bridal chamber; she beautifully adorned the earthly heaven, that is, this temple which we behold with our eyes. She confesses that the sepulcher is the treasure of salvation; she boasts in the cross, through which the ancient bond was torn; she embraces death, the dissolution of the ancient barrier; she proclaims the resurrection, the great gift of the Crucified; she admires the font of baptism, which brings forth so many and so great [ones], yet remains a virgin, through which lights have arisen; she is struck with wonder at the mystery, in which the devil was miraculously shipwrecked. These are the gifts of the Crucified; ^C these are the trophies of the sepulcher; these are the noble achievements of our common Lord. On the day [of creation], Adam drank the deadly poison in Paradise; on this night, the underworld vomited forth Him whom it had swallowed without recognizing Him. Who ever saw such things? Who ever heard of such a thing? The sepulcher has become the remedy for Paradise; the cross dissolved the curse of the tree; the creation shuddered at Him whom Judas sold, and held Him in trembling veneration.

II. What say you, O Jew? Both of these things brand your madness with public shame: the words of the prophets, and the elements of nature. If you do not blush at the words, at least shudder at the trembling of nature. For the servants mourned, unable to endure the injury to their Master. Heaven donned darkness; the sun fled the mystery; the earth ^D trembling, O Jew; two things brand your frenzy: the words of the prophets and the elements of nature. If you do not blush at the words, shudder at least at the trembling of nature. For the servants mourned, unable to bear the insult to the Master. The heaven put on darkness; the sun fled the mystery; the earth

[the preceding text... ^A] fled; the earth trembled at so audacious a deed; the temple mourned for the Christ-killers; Hades sent forth the dead as its embassy; the earth, shaking, cried out without a voice to the Jews: "How long will you remain heavy-hearted and hard-hearted?" All the dead, marvelling at the passion, proclaim auspiciously and say: "By his stripes we are all healed," we who were sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death under tyranny. ^B [But] through the tender mercy of God, he wrought strength with his arm; he who for our sake became poor, being rich, the Son of the living God, Christ Jesus our Lord, scattered the proud and exalted the humble; having smitten him who had the power of death, that is to say, the devil, the serpent who is the author of evils, and the crooked dragon, as that most excellent of the prophets, Isaiah, foretold. For this reason, all the earth, exulting with joy, celebrates with loud song the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, because in it freedom has been granted to those who had been captives from of old, and sight has been restored to the blind. For indeed, the true light, which lightens every man coming into the world, having incarnated from the holy Virgin immutably, unconfusedly, and indivisibly, through the cross cast down our adversary, who envied the human race and wished to despoil them of eternal goods, and through them also wished to reproach God, that—having despised your commandments—they might be dragged away by the pleasures of life. He, therefore, our Lord and God, bestowed upon us eternal life through his wondrous and adorable resurrection from the dead on the third day. To him be glory and power, together with the immaculate Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Oratio XIII. On Holy Pascha.

I. Let the miracle of this salutary celebration overcome even the abundant supply of speech. Let the magniloquence of every tongue be excelled and yield, acknowledging itself unequal to proclaiming the beneficence of the Crucified according to the dignity of the matter. For what has been done from the age of ages such as that which we now behold with the eyes of faith? When did a mind imagine, or a soul conceive, or an intellect form, or discourse express, or an eye behold, or an ear receive anything like that which Christ, now incarnate, has gifted to the world? Never did the sun behold the devil posted on a tree as though on a pillory; never did a cross redeem a nature from a curse; never was the price of the world's redemption sold for thirty pieces of silver; never has the passion of the innocent and sinless become a furnace for sin; never has Life hung upon a tree, triumphing over the tyrant in flesh born without a father; never did a tomb receive the spoiler of death; never did the heaven clothe itself in darkness at midday, lest it behold the spectacle enacted against God.

^A For never did Hades shudder at him whom it swallowed; never did the earth adorn itself with a life-giving tomb—or rather, not a tomb, but a bridal chamber. For he who was buried did not suffer corruption, but in descending, he celebrated nuptials. Never in three days and three nights did nature bring forth the birth of resurrection. For the selfsame One who, in the Virgin's womb, had fashioned for Himself His own body in a manner known only to Him, the same One also, in three days, reuniting His soul—which had been separated from His own body—to it again, manifested His own resurrection. There, time confirms the birth, that He is man; here, however, the tomb confirms the power, that He is God. Never was the Lamb who would take away the sins of the world [*] placed upon the altar, unless God had assumed the form of a servant; and He who had fashioned the dust, clothed Himself in that which He had fashioned, in an ineffable manner. ^B Of this, the flesh is life; the blood is the ransom; the Spirit is the seal; but the divine nature is without beginning.

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III.

III.

^A It is not the work of man's hands; for the wonder it contains is a work of art. But it is a work of sheepskin, in order that it might lure and deceive the man-devouring wolf.

^B IV. But immediately the Jew leaps upon these words, and mocks the prophet's magnificence, always fighting against the Holy Spirit. And what does he say? "I do not believe that God appeared on earth, or that he who is without form assumed human shape." But, O Jew, even if you disobey the law, and dismiss the prophets, and spit upon the Gospels, and disregard the apostles; let us question the elements, and let us see whom they acknowledge as the Lord who suffered in the flesh. And as is fitting, let us first question the sun. Tell us then, O sun, why did you withdraw your rays when the Lord was being crucified? Was it a mere man who was being crucified? Therefore, you should have done the same when righteous Abel was being slain. Let us also question the heaven. Tell us, O heaven, why did you put on darkness in the solid noon, when the Jews pierced the Lord's side? Was it because it was a mere man who was being crucified? Why then did you not also mourn when righteous Naboth was being stoned? Let us question also the earth. Tell us, O earth, why did you tremble when God's enemies dared these things? Was it because it was a mere man who was being crucified? How then did you not tremble when you saw Isaiah being sawn apart by Manasseh with a wooden saw? But let us also question the temple. Tell us, O temple, why did you rend the veil when Christ was being crucified? Was it because it was a mere man who was being crucified? How then did you not rend it when the blood of Zachariah was being poured out in your midst? All creation answers without voice, saying: "We proclaimed by our mourning the Lord. We did not mourn for the passion of a fellow servant, but we shuddered at the insult to the Lord." The heaven cries out: "It was God who became man, and was crucified in the flesh; he who as God bent me and descended." The sun cries out: "It was my Lord who was crucified in the flesh; for I, fearing the light of his divinity, withdrew my rays." The earth cries out: ^C "It was the Creator, wearing flesh, who was crucified in the flesh; for even though I embraced his flesh in a manger, I did not confine the power of his divinity." And the sea: "It was not my fellow servant who was crucified in the flesh. For while the footsteps of the fellow servant Peter weigh down and press upon my back, the feet of the Lord sanctify my nature." The temple also cries out: "The God who was once worshipped in me, this is he who is now insulted in the flesh; therefore, not bearing the insolence, I tore my garment." And Hades cries out: "It was not a mere man who descended here; I know what I have suffered; for if I received him as a captive, I found him as an almighty God."

sanctify my nature. The temple cries out: "He who was formerly worshipped in me as God, the same is now afflicted by a heavy injury in the flesh." Wherefore, not enduring such a bold crime, I have rent my veil. Finally, hell cries out: "He who descended hither was no mere man; I know what I have suffered: for Him whom I had taken as a captive, I found to be Almighty God." But do you not believe even the elements themselves? Let us ask the celestial virtues. "Tell us, O angels and archangels and all the powers of the heavens, who is this who has been seen on earth 13 crucified in the flesh?" And all will answer through the prophet David, crying out with a loud voice: "The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory." 14 To Him be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ORATION XIV

On the Holy Pascha.

^B I. Excellent indeed is the Paschal solemnity; excellent also is this present assembly. It embraces both old and new mysteries. But the festival of this week 95 has such a multitude, or rather such a joy, that not only do men on earth exult and rejoice, but even the supernal powers celebrate the festival with us and keep the feast with us, on account of the resurrected Christ. For now the angels and the hosts of archangels keep the festival, awaiting the King of the heavens, Christ our God, from the earth to the heavens, as though to receive Him as a victor. The choirs of the saints also keep the festival, proclaiming Christ as having risen before the morning star. 15 The earth also keeps the festival, washed by the divine blood. The sea also keeps the festival, honored by the very footprints of Christ. Let every person also keep the festival, who is reborn through water and the Holy Spirit; let the first man, Adam, also keep the festival, having been freed from the ancient curse.

II. But Christ has filled us with such grace of joy through His resurrection, that He not only makes us celebrate the feast, but also provides us with salvation from His passion; immortality from His death; healing from His wound; resurrection from our fall. And formerly, indeed, beloved, the Paschal sacrament was performed mystically in Egypt according to the prescription of the Law, in that it was symbolically signified by the sacrifice of a lamb 96; now, however, through the law of the Gospel, we celebrate the Paschal festival of the resurrection spiritually. For there, a lamb from the flock was sacrificed according to the law; but here, Christ Himself, the

^A Lamb of God is offered. There, it was a sheep from the fold; but here, in place of the sheep, there is the Good Shepherd Himself, who laid down His life for His sheep. There, the sign of the blood of an irrational animal became a protective amulet for the whole people; but here, the precious blood of Christ is poured out for the salvation of the world, that we might obtain the remission of sins. There, He slew the first-born of the Egyptians; but here, the manifold offspring of our sins are cleansed through confession. There, Pharaoh with his terrible army was drowned; but here, the spiritual Pharaoh with all his power is submerged through baptism. There, the children of the Hebrews, after having crossed the Red Sea, sang a song of victory to their benefactor, saying: "Let us sing to the Lord, for He is gloriously glorified"; but here, those who are accounted worthy of baptism sing the song of victory mystically, saying: "One is holy, one is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen." And the prophet cries out, saying: "The Lord has reigned; He has clothed Himself with majesty." The Hebrews, after they had crossed the Red Sea, ate manna in the desert; but now, those who have come out of the laver eat the bread that came down from heaven. For it is His voice that says: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven."

^B III. Therefore, the blessed Paul rightly cried out: "These things happened to them in a figure, but they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come." The children of the Jews clearly erred, not knowing the truth; for if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. The wretched ones did not understand that the typical oracles were to persist only until the truth should appear. For a sculptor who wishes to erect a statue of a king from gold, or silver, or bronze, first molds the image of the statue from clay, and until he completes the true statue—whether of gold, or silver, or bronze—the typical and clay image is preserved with care for the necessary use of the craftsman. But when he completes the statue according to the truth, then finally the typical and clay one is destroyed, as being henceforth useless and of no further benefit to the artist. So too the Jews: before the truth was revealed to men, they rightly kept the types; but after our ^C Lord Jesus Christ appeared, He who said: "I am the light of the world, and the truth, and the life, and the resurrection," they hold to the types in vain—which they do not even truly keep. Let the God-fighting Jews, therefore, henceforth cease, they who slaughter the irrational sheep for the redemption of the

spiritual Lamb, the Son of God, who takes away the sin of the world, has been sacrificed, and has redeemed us from the destroyer. Let them bid farewell to the old leaven, and receive the new dough of truth. Let them cease eating bitter herbs; for Christ drank the gall for our sake, in order that he might mix for us, from himself, sweet fountains of healings. Let them, therefore, keep the feast with us, not in the leaven of malice and wickedness, but in the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth; that, even after the departure from this life, we may unanimously praise the Lord of glory with the angels, saying: The Lord has reigned; he has put on splendor. To him be glory and honor, and adoration unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ORATION XV

On holy Easter, and on the text, "In the beginning was the Word."

1. The other evangelists have recounted the genealogy of our Lord and God Jesus Christ according to the flesh; but John, the most excellent of the evangelists, that lyre of theology, has theologized the beginningless existence of the Word of God, and has explained the pre-eternal and witnessless generation of the Son from the Father, saying: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him." These five stones are sufficient for the Church as a bulwark. He said, "In the beginning was the Word"; he did not say, "In the beginning the Word was made," but, "In the beginning was the Word." He showed the beginningless nature of the person of the Son, and his relation to the Father; and the foundation of our faith is very strong. "And the Word was with God." He showed the indivisibility of the substance; and great is the thunder of the evangelist against the Gentiles. "And the Word was God." He showed the immutability of the nature; and great is the wound against the Jews. "He was in the beginning with God." He declares his co-eternity with the Father; and grievous is the ruin of the Manichaeans. "All things were made through him." He shows the free and absolute power of creating; and he has stopped the mouths of all heretics. For indeed, all things were made through him. Heaven is his creature; the earth, his handiwork; the sea, his labor. The air was produced; light was made out of nothing; the angels are servants; the Powers are ministers; the Cherubim, a throne.

^A The Father is God, the Son is the Word and God; but the Holy Spirit also is God. The number of the Persons does not diminish the essence, nor does the Trinity divide the substance. But the Trinity is consubstantial in power, in deity, and in goodness, grounding, protecting, and preserving our faith; walling in the Church, sanctifying the inhabited world, rendering the devil inoperative, whipping and wasting the demons, deadening the circumcision of the Jews, driving away the error of the Gentiles, and stopping the mouths of the heretics.

^B II. Furthermore, the Evangelist auspiciously proclaimed the pre-eternal and unwitnessed generation by which the Son was born of the Father, saying in the Gospels: "The only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." And again: "Lo, a voice out of the heavens saying, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'" The generation on high before all ages is therefore unwitnessed, because he alone was begotten of the Only One. And no one knows how He begat, except the Father; and how the Son was begotten, except the Son. For there was no time; for He Himself is the creator of the ages. The angels were not present; for He is the one "who makes his angels spirits." Heaven was not; "For by the word of the Lord were the heavens established." The sun was not; for He Himself placed the great luminary to shine by day. The moon was not, nor the stars; for He Himself founded the moon and the stars. The earth was not; for He Himself said: "Let the waters be gathered together, and let the dry land appear." ^C In a wondrous manner, therefore, the Evangelist clarified the beginningless existence of the Word, and the pre-eternal and unwitnessed generation of the Son.

III. On the Theology of Saint John

III. Who taught you to say these things, O blessed John? The Lake of Gennesaret? But it does not teach dogmas. Fishing? But that does not handle divine matters. Zebedee? But he is an unlettered man. Your country? But it is of low repute. The village? But rustic people, not citizens, were there. The Jews? But they were transgresors of the law. The Law? But it had only a shadow. Moses? But he was slow of speech and slow of tongue. David? But he is a worm and not a man. How, then, did you say, "In the beginning was the Word"? Who lifted you to such a height? Who gave such wings to your mind? ^D For by faith, you left the earth and stood above the air; you surpassed the ether; you flew across the supermundane heights of heaven; you transcended the things above; you passed by the choirs of Archangels; you became equal to the Seraphim; you stood by the Cherubic throne of the Master. With faith you were fledged and became a sublime bird: you explained with the thunder of your voice a generation greater than thought; you preached an incomprehensible substance; you theologized the Word as beginningless; for you said: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

^A IV. Great is the grace, most beloved. A man of three cubits, with his mind and his thoughts, ascended into heaven following the Word. By faith he beheld him who proceeded from the paternal bosom without passion, and God begotten of God. He saw the Holy Spirit adored with the Father and the Son; the Trinity celebrated in unity, and distinguished in three persons, yet united in nature. And thus the Evangelist was found to be more sublime than the Seraphim themselves: for since they, struck by the coruscating splendor, cover their faces, he, trusting in the defenses of grace, has declared both his divine generation and his substance.

^B V. Thence again, in the sequence of his works, descending from the heavens to the earth, he said: "The Word became flesh." He saw the mystery of God, immune from conversion and change. He saw the Word incarnate on earth, and yet in no way separated from the heavens. He saw the Virgin who gave birth, and her virginity in no way corrupted. He saw a womb wider than the heavens. He saw a mother without the commingling of a man, and a birth devoid of pain. He saw him born as a man. He saw as an infant him who was perfect before the ages. He saw wrapped in swaddling clothes him who by his own command loosed the swaddling clothes of Lazarus. He saw the creature indicating the Creator. He saw the cave, made the propitiatory of the world. He saw the creature carrying the Creator. He saw him using nourishment, who nourishes the very one who gives him suck. He saw in a maternal bosom him who is never separated from the paternal bosom. He saw him adored by the Magi, who is praised by the angels. He saw him in the flesh fleeing into Egypt, he who holds the earth in his palm. He saw him baptized in water, who sends forth the fountains of water from the earth. He saw the Master betrayed by a disciple. He saw him bound who did not loose the virginity of his mother. He saw him standing before Pilate, who had fashioned Pilate from the clay. He saw him crowned with thorns, who had decked the earth with flowers. He saw him crucified on earth who was sublime in the heavens. He saw in the sepulcher the dead one, who had raised the dead from the sepulcher. He saw him rising again, who had foretold the resurrection. He saw him descending to the infernal regions, who ascended into the heavens. For the infernal region vomited forth him whom it had swallowed in ignorance.

^C VI. But who then is he whom he saw? Who, I say? It is surely he who inclined the heavens and descended without noise; who remains hidden from the very Powers above; who, by his incarnation from the Virgin, did not bare the paternal bosom; who in the heavens is without a mother, God from God, and on earth from a mother, the Son of the Virgin, the lover of men, who for the sake of men was made man; who sanctified the undefiled womb by his dwelling; who left its bosom pure and intact; who consecrated the parts of nature; who sealed the virginal birth. He, whom the spaces of the heavens do not contain, and whom no narrow ^D

complex is the womb. ^A He who before the ages, existed as the creator of the ages; who by his word finished the world with power; the ineffable Word of the Father; the Son consubstantial with the Begetter; the One without beginning, who admits no beginning, and yet he who received the beginning of being. These are truly marvelous and wonderful things, beloved; that the throne in heaven was not emptied, and this earthly world attained salvation. All these things the five words of the great thunder-speaking evangelist John encompass. For this reason, let the Greeks be put to death, let the Jews be abolished; let the Samaritans be put to shame, let the Manichaeans be dispersed; let the heretics perish, and all the enemies of the immaculate Catholic and Apostolic Church; for the hope of all those results in downfall and destruction, but our hope results in resurrection and eternal life; through our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, and honor, and power, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ORATION XVI.

On the Holy Pentecost.

^B 1. Today, beloved, the grace of the Holy Spirit has descended, which, having begun from this very day, and grown until this same day, is magnificently honored and celebrated. The grace of the Holy Spirit has shone forth, and suddenly the mouths of the mute became eloquent; and the tongues of the unlearned were sharpened; and the hearts of the fishermen were changed to boldness. Therefore, the grace that descended from heaven today also snatches my own destitute mind away from cowardice. For so it was that before the coming of the Spirit, Peter, trembling, denied the Master before a servant girl; but after the descent of the Spirit, he confessed Him before peoples and kings with great boldness, crying out: "We cannot but speak the things which we have heard and seen." Hence, the Jews also mistook that eloquence of the Holy Spirit for drunkenness, saying: "They are full of new wine." But Peter spoke out against them, he who was also confirmed by the Trinity at the hour of those who are tested. For ^C because at the third hour the cross was planted, and at the third [hour] the Holy Spirit sat upon the apostles in the form of fire, indicating that the Spirit is God. For our God is a consuming fire. And the coming of the Spirit happened like rain upon a fleece, since it was a symbol of the dispensation. But regarding the Spirit, so that it might be shown that the Spirit is God, a sound from ^D the Spirit... but regarding the Spirit...

is God, ^A learn this. For Isaiah says: "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and the seraphim stood round about him. And he said to me: Who shall go to this people, and whom shall I send to them? For the heart of this people has been hardened, and with their ears they have heard heavily, and they have closed their eyes, lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them." Do you want, then, you who fight against the Spirit, to know that the Spirit is the one who sat upon the throne that is high and lifted up? Listen to Paul the apostle, and be persuaded. He was sent to Nero at Rome; he came upon the multitude of the Jews there; he explained to them the word of salvation. Some believed, but others did not believe. And as they were not in agreement with one another, they departed, when Paul spoke one word: "Rightly did the Holy Spirit speak concerning you through Isaiah the prophet: You shall hear with the hearing and shall not understand." Do you see that the Holy Spirit is Lord and God? For where will you find the Holy Spirit not glorified in the Trinity throughout the law? Listen to the prophet saying: ^B "By the Word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the spirit of his mouth all their power."

II. But in the time of grace, when the Savior came to the saving baptism, ^C the Father bore witness to the Son from above, and the Holy Spirit came in the form of a dove. This Spirit today sat in the form of fire upon each of the apostles. Do you see that the apostles are also thrones? For God, he says, sits upon his holy seat. This Spirit punished Ananias with death for lying. This Spirit distributes the gifts of graces, dividing to each individually as he wills. Filled with this Spirit, Paul the apostle cast darkness and mist upon Elymas the magician. This Spirit Gabriel announced to Mary, saying: "The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you." May he also now come upon us and bless us. For he himself mingles with the water, and like fire consumes and destroys sins; and as he recently enlightened, he illuminates like the flashes of light; and he has mercy on us as God. For to him is due glory and power, ^D unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Oration XVII. Eulogy of the holy protomartyr Stephen.

^A 1. Sensible sunlight, rising above the earth, brings forth with it Arcturus, Orion, and the Pleiades, or even the morning star itself; but the Sun of Justice, shining forth from the virginal bosom, although He receives not the choirs of stars to join in the gathering of His light, has made the protomartyr Stephen to rise together with His immortal rays. The former travels from the northern region to the southern, at one time contracting and at another extending the measures of the day; but the latter, by His descent from the heavens to us, increased justice and kept its light pure and undiminished. The former succeeds the night; the latter is the adversary of death. The former puts the shadows to flight; the latter overturns sin. The former shines for twelve hours; the latter flashes for ages. The former progresses through the stars; the latter beams through the apostles. The former makes its way ^B through seasons and years; the latter is proclaimed through prophets and evangelists. The former weaves the hours with its course; the latter magnifies the Churches with the Word. Painters depict the former riding upon a chariot; theologians proclaim the latter resting in a manger: a manger, mimicking the heavens; a manger, surrounded by cherubim; a manger, compared to that ineffable throne; a manger, containing rational food; a manger, having received the Life of all; a manger, bearing Him who bears all things; a manger, broader than the whole of creation (for Him whom creation cannot contain, the manger, through grace, contained); a manger, indicated by a star moving by day; a manger, prefiguring within itself the altar; a manger, having transformed the cave into a Church. ^C

11. Come, therefore, let us also emulate the pious magi, and recognize the Church in place of Bethlehem; in place of the cave let us embrace the priestly sanctuary; in place of the manger let us worship at the altar; in place of the infant let us embrace the bread blessed through the infant; and above all these things, let us glorify the King announced today by Stephen. O marvelous deeds of a new King! Yesterday He was born, and today Stephen was offered to Him—Stephen, I say, crowned with the wreath of martyrdom according to the meaning of his name; Stephen, the living crown; Stephen, the self-woven diadem; Stephen, ^D the self-forged circlet; Stephen, the natural product of his own head

^A Stephen, the many-blossomed sprout of faith; Stephen, the most fragrant rose of love; Stephen, the unfading flower of hope; Stephen, the most flourishing ear of grace; Stephen, the fruit-bearing branch of that vine of everlasting life; Stephen, the honey-dropping cluster of immortality; Stephen, the heaven-reaching shoot of the Crucified; Stephen, the fullness of every good work and word; Stephen, the impregnable tower of confession; Stephen, the unshaken crag of endurance; Stephen, the cross-bearing soldier of temperance; Stephen, the invincible soldier of piety; Stephen, the animate leader of the army; Stephen, the bold orator against the Christ-killers. I have labored, I have labored weaving a crown for Stephen, and yet I have not even begun to bind it. Let us therefore permit the divine Scripture to crown Stephen.

^B III. "For Stephen," it says, "full of grace and power, did wonders and great signs among the people." By what manner of praise shall I crown Stephen, whom Grace itself wove with its own fingers? What shall I bestow upon Stephen, who crowns every head of the martyrs? What can I add to the crown woven by grace? With what power of speech shall I adorn him who is more splendid than the whole world? With what words shall I proclaim him wonderful, who is heaped with countless miracles? "For Stephen," it says, "full of grace and power, did signs and great wonders among the people." Grace and strength were weaving the crown for Stephen; by the hand of each he was composed for that good contest. The former prepared him for faith, the latter for martyrdom. The one led him to ministry, the other to the Word. The one regulated him for boldness in speech, the other for endurance. The one prepared him for miracles, the other for glorious deeds. Grace and strength, a plant of equal dignity; grace and strength, a coeval sprout; grace and strength, a stem of the same root; grace and strength, a companion union; grace and strength, the double shoot of faith; grace and strength, a harmonious concord; grace and strength, the eyes of orthodoxy adorned with the beautiful charm of eyelids; grace and strength, the twin breasts of the Church; grace and strength, the companion soldiers of Christ; grace and strength, ^C the vigilant guardians of Stephen. For Stephen, it says, was full of grace and power.

^D IV. Stephen was the censer of grace, exhaling the incense of holiness. He was the fountain of grace, overflowing abundantly with the perennial waters of virtues. He was a Nile of grace, irrigating all things on every side with the stream of piety bursting forth. He was a champion of grace, who opposed himself to every power of the adversaries. He was a soldier of grace, who rushed against every machination of the enemies, and all manner of commotions and incursions: meeting their shafts, enduring persecutions with a stout heart;

^A triumphing by miracles; dispelling sickness; putting diseases to flight; driving away demons; serving the poor; offering solace to the sick; defending widows from injury; protecting orphans; championing those who were suffering injustice; extending the preaching; spreading the faith; expounding the mysteries of the divine cross; glorying in the nails; extolling the reed in a divine manner; commending the bonds; pursuing the lance with celebrated proclamation; raising on high with highest praises the side pierced for the sake of the world; revering the passion that slew death; putting forward the manger; showing off the swaddling clothes; deeming the blow to the cheek an honor; not blushing at the tribunal of Pilate; not hiding the tomb; gloriously boasting of the resurrection; refuting the Jews; confounding the Pharisees with shame; upbraiding the Sadducees; obstructing the mouths of the scribes; interpreting the Law; searching the prophets; opening the Scriptures; disclosing Christ shining within them; insulting those who crucified Him; accusing the iniquitous; rising up against the impious; conquering the unbelievers by faith; engaging and disputing about the preaching and the Gospel with the Jews living everywhere among the nations. For there arose some from the synagogue that was called that of the Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those who were from Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen; and they could not resist the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. Many are the waves; but the helmsman is heavenly. The storms are frequent; but the vessel carries the cross. Squalls follow one another; but the keel is tightened from above. The waves ^B cannot rise up to heaven; a wicked spirit cannot wage war against the Spirit from above; a vessel that is steered by Life itself cannot perish.

^C V. And there arose some from the synagogue that was called that of the Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those who were from Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen; and they could not resist the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. And concerning what was the questioning? Concerning Him who was conceived in an ineffable manner; concerning Him who was born beyond the order of nature; concerning Him who was suckled beyond reason. How, indeed, the Virgin became a mother without intercourse; how, again, she was found a virgin after the birth; how nature yielded to the miracle; how in Mary it did not seek out its own laws; how He who cannot be contained contracted Himself into an infant; how He who formed all fetuses in the womb was Himself a fetus ^D inside the womb; how He was born, and provided the power of begetting to all; how He sucked milk, and provided the fountains of milk to all who suckle. How great and what is the difference between the Law and grace; how the one condemns, while the other forgives; the one punishes, while the other saves; the one serves, while the other

reigns; the one brings in sin, the other takes it away; the one brandishes the sword, the other exercises mercy; the one holds the position of a lictor, ^B the other decides with royal authority; the one fastens the rope upon the accused, but the other, with a kind and merciful hand, removes the symbol of death.

VI. Furthermore, as Stephen was discoursing on such great and many things against the Jews in the name of divine grace: "Invading," he says, "the enemies of God, and seizing him, they brought him into the council." Where there is a seizure, there is a Jewish gathering; where there is tumult, there the people who hate Christ are present; where an unjust slaughter is plotted, there the council of the scribes is present. Why, O transgressor, do you foul the chair of Moses? Why do you defile the seat which the Law adorned? The Law of Moses said: "You shall not murder; you shall not bear false witness." Therefore, either observe the Law or abandon the place. ^C But they set up false witnesses who said: "This man does not cease to speak words of blasphemy against this holy place and the Law. For we have heard him saying that Jesus the Nazarene here will destroy this place and will change the traditions which Moses handed down to us." Again, therefore, they suborned false men to say that they had heard him speaking words of blasphemy against Moses and God. Now, O sycophant, do you admire Moses? Now, as a lawgiver, do you honor the one whom you cursed while he was alive? Now do you grow hot as an emulator of the Law? Now are you indignant on behalf of God? Do you take vengeance as if blasphemy were being committed? Did you not, first of all, cast stones at Moses? Did you not always prefer stones, wood, and images to God? ^D And now, in order to commit murder, do you pretend to have religious devotion? In order to shed innocent blood, do you put on a mask of piety? You, I say, are both then and now a disturber of the truth; then equally audaciously injurious, and now a wicked and impious worshipper; a diligent and dishonest negotiator of the blood you shed, who always gather together a workshop of false witnesses. "For they set up," he says, "false witnesses who said: 'This man does not cease to speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God, and against this holy place and the Law.'" Which words? "For we have heard him saying that this Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place." What then? If you kill Stephen, will the place perhaps not be destroyed? On the contrary, it will be destroyed all the more, because you have murdered both the Master and the servant; because you have sacrificed the sheep along with the shepherd; because you have slaughtered the soldier together with the King. A city cannot stand when its king has been murdered within it. No honor is held for the temple any longer, where the slaughter of the Lord has been perpetrated. For did Stephen pronounce: "Behold, your house is left to you desolate"? Or did Stephen say: "There shall not be left in the temple stone upon stone"? O strange miracles! O absurd affair!

has been decided, and man is judged. Christ has passed sentence, and Stephen pays the penalty. The King spoke the truth, and the soldier is corrected. You are the cause of such a sentence, O Jew. You fixed the cross, and you overturned Jerusalem; you said, *His blood be on us and on our children* 78. Consider now what punishment you have pronounced upon yourself.

VII. *But when he was, he says, full of the Holy Spirit, Stephen, looking steadily into heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God* 79. But how does Paul say that He sits? *For He sits,* he says, *at the right hand of the throne of the majesty of God on high* 80. What, then, is the cause of His now standing? What solicitude so sedulous caused Him to rise from the paternal throne? He saw the combatant struggling in the stadium, and He rose to give him the prize of victory. He saw the pilot of the air hastening upward, and He opened the heavens to him instead of a harbor. Do not fear, He says, O Stephen. No one shall cheat you of the prize of your struggle. Desiring to offer you My right hand, I arose from the throne. Looking upon Me who was crucified, take courage in the conflict. I am He whom you saw hanging in the flesh upon the wood; by that fixing in the flesh, I shall reward you. I am the President of the contest; yet I myself have also become a martyr-athlete. Upon the cross, as in a wrestling-ground, I strove. While I was being seized, I crushed the opponent, the devil, with great force. Do not fear those who are stoning you; against their will they are setting up a ladder to heaven for you. Do not fear those who are stoning you; the stones shall become steps for you to heaven. Do not fear the stones, carrying within you the cornerstone, Jesus Christ God; to whom be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

Oration XVIII. Eulogy for Saint Paul the Apostle.

I. No one is weak when Paul is contending; for with his handkerchiefs, even memories cast off maladies. No one, then, is weak when Paul is contending. The struggle of the tentmaker is a strong medicine for maladies. For this reason Paul’s festival is brilliant and the spectacles of the Tarsian are wondrous. Everything exults when Paul, the athlete of piety, is contending; the paradise he inhabited; the heaven he took by force; the world he imbued with wisdom; the depths of the sea he sanctified; the sun with which he vied in his course; the basket he made illustrious; the creation he conquered; the Church he inundated with more abundant streams; the prison he illuminated; the tomb he adorned. Everything beholds Paul’s struggles; the courses of the tentmaker; the wrestling of the athlete; the stigmata of the boxer; the trophies of the soldier; the burden and hire of the captain; the vineyard of the husbandman; the apothecary of the physician; the flight of the eagle; the fall of the demons; the...

^A confusion of the devil; the desolation of the synagogues; the demolition of the idols; the power and victory of the cross; the bridle of the voice; the prey of the lightning; the boldness of the fury; the kindness of the calling; the orthodoxy of the answer; the surgery of the blindness; the travail of the pool; the boldness of the preaching; the forgetting of the law; the meditation of the Word. For he overcame in fighting, and thundered in speaking of the Lord everywhere, Paul, the invincible soldier. The creation shot arrows, and faith provided the breastplate. Tarsus brought him forth, but Paradise snatched him away. Damascus regenerated him, but the world proclaimed him blessed. Rome buried him, but heaven crowned him. His body was pierced with stigmata; but every tongue celebrated his struggle with praises. As soon as the rays of the festivals burst forth, all things are full of the miracle of Paul. His Epistles are nets of salvation; his handkerchiefs are sickles for diseases; his tongue is the trumpet of the Crucified; his fall is the resurrection of the world; his blindness is the clear-sightedness of faith; the basket is the dragnet of the Gospel; his stripes are the healings of the world; his journeys are the ushers of prizes; his shipwreck is the rudder of the Church; his chains are the bond of love; his blood is the libation of kindness; his tomb is the nobility of the Romans; his memory is the boast of the orthodox.

II.

the rulers raged, the peoples stood by, kings passed sentence, cities were troubled, Jews lay in wait, Gentiles were cut to the quick, swords were sharpened, bonds were prepared, and yet Paul stood fast, that rock of tribulations, crying out: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" ^A O head glorious not in hairs, but in victories!

III. Recall for me, then, the struggles of Paul, and you will be struck with wonder at his crowns. He won over the Romans by his epistle; he drew the Corinthians through the cross; he converted the Galatians by his rebuke; at Ephesus he laid low Diana; at Athens he netted the inhabitants through the altar; at Philippi he gained the jailer; at Antioch he spoke with great intensity; ^B at Iconium he was buried under the snowflakes of stones; at Lystra he made the lame man walk; at Troas he brought Eutychus back to life; on the island he triumphed over the viper; in Cyprus he blinded the sorcerer; at Jerusalem he argued for the cause of the cross. He had found a stadium, and the course did not fail. From all sides, as if from springs, dangers flowed upon him. Dangers of rivers, yet they did not wash away the pile of his virtues. Dangers of robbers, yet they did not plunder the treasure of his faith. Dangers from his own race; but a man of earth, he stood fast with a firm mind as if he were heavenly. ^C Dangers from the Gentiles; yet they did not tear down the wall of the Gospel. Dangers in the city; yet they did not overthrow the victor of the world. Dangers in the wilderness; yet the theatre of the Gospel beheld his victory. Dangers in the sea; yet they did not sink the skiff of his patience. Dangers among false brethren; yet he received angels from the Jews. Truly, the devil lacked the art of temptation, but the crown did not fail Paul.

IV. Let us, therefore, admire all the members of Paul, and let us say: O head, the citadel of virtues! O eyes that beheld the Holy Trinity! O tongue, the thunder of theology! O stigmata brighter than the stars! ^D O hands, the creators of members! O feet, the goal of the evangelical course! O words, healers of souls! O epistles, the nets of salvation! O breast, a sea of anxieties! O sweat, which irrigates the Church! O man, the pillar of faith! O treasure that enriched the world! O physician who cut away error with your own hand! O dead man who never dies! O apostle silent in the grave, yet crying out from heaven: "To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." His be glory and power, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.

ORATION XIX. Panegyric on Saint Andrew the Apostle.

I. Vigorous and valid is the net of apostolic preaching.

^A Admirable is the dragnet of Andrew’s memory; the net of the immortal dead is never broken nor torn. For the nets do not grow old with the passage of time—those that were woven not by art, but by grace. For although the fishermen have departed, the tools of those rational fishermen do not grow old with time, nor does the net with which they hunt the world. Those who draw them are not seen, and yet the nets are filled; they did not acquire a reed, which time corrupts; they did not cast a line, which age wears through; they did not forge a hook, which rust consumes; they did not set bait, with which to catch fish; they did not sit upon a rock, which the waves shake; they did not board a ship, which the storm dissolves; they did not hunt fish, that which is devoid of reason. But just as their art is marvelous, so too their tools are marvelous and strange. For in place of a reed, they extend the preaching; in place of a line, they cast forth the memory; in place of a hook, they lower the power; in place of bait, they present miracles; instead of catching from the earth, they fish from the heavens; in place of a ship, they occupied the altar; in place of fish, they hunt kings; in place of a net, they extended the Gospel; in place of art, they use grace; in place of the sea, they traverse the world; in place of nets, they use the Cross as a dragnet. Who ever saw those who are dead fishing for living men to be caught like fish? O the power of the Crucified! O the divine dignity! O the apostolic beneficence! For there is nothing in this life comparable to apostolic grace.

^B II. For life has seen many marvelous and paradoxical things. For see blood crying out after its shedding, and murder shouting without a tongue; and nature divided by envy; and the earth defiled by an impious deed; and a fratricide bringing death to him of the same womb, and the door of death opened by spite. He saw in the shipwreck the ark, the mother of nature. He saw an old man armed against his own bowels by faith. He saw one sacrificing and not slaughtering; offering a victim and not killing it. He saw a hut broader than the sky, and a tabernacle containing God. He saw the theft of blessings, and the struggle of the Creator with a servant, and envy rampant among brothers, and servitude the mediator of a kingdom. He saw a throne prepared by dreams, and famine brought upon the plotters. He saw the fire bedewing the bush, and a rod the mother of miracles. He saw the waves solidified and made firm, and the depths of the sea. He saw roads suddenly laid out, and a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night leading the famous multitude of the people. He saw a rod sprouting without soil, and the sky forming and raining down manna like bread. He saw the lawgiver commanding the elements, and the letter brimming with a curse. He saw a man restraining the sun by a word, and a barren woman conceiving a prophet through prayer. He saw of flour . . .

more opulent than any fruitful field of grain, and a cruet of oil, more abundant than the very springs. He saw a prophet taken up in an immaterial chariot, and the bones of a dead man become a remedy for life. The world saw these and many other wonderful things; but they passed away like a shadow and grass, and were extinguished like a lamp. For when the sun rises, the shadow immediately flees. For there is nothing of such a kind as the apostles. ^B

III. They were ministers of the Word of God; they handled Him who is without form, having clothed Himself in flesh; they followed Him who is everywhere present as He walked; they reclined with Him who is circumscribed by no place; they heard the voice of Him who made all things by His word. They enclosed the world itself with their tongue as with a fishing net; they circled all the ends of the earth in their course; they uprooted error like weeds; they mowed down altars like thorns; they mortified idols as if they were wild beasts; they put demons to flight like wolves; they gathered the Church into one, as a flock; they heaped up the orthodox like grain; they discarded heresies like chaff; they dried up Judaism like hay; they burned the sect of the Gentiles like a forest; they cultivated nature with the plow of the Cross; they sowed the word as wheat; they lit up all things like morning stars. Therefore, the Lord cried out to them: "You are the light of the world." You have as your rising, the virgin birth; as your dawn, the womb of baptism; as your splendor, the grace of the Crucified; as your rays, the strange and unusual tongues; as your day, the age to come; as your noon, the hour of the Cross; as your setting, the dwelling in the tomb; as your evening, temporal death; as your brilliance, the resurrection from the dead. "You are the light of the world." Look at the stars, and be amazed at their brightness. ^{C D}

IV. Therefore, today Andrew, having found the common Lord as a treasure of light, cried out to his brother Simon: "We have found the Messiah." O excellence of fraternal love! O reversal of order! Andrew was born into life after Peter, and yet he was the first to lure Peter into the Gospel, and as it were, to hunt him. "We have found," he says, "the Messiah." A word of truly overflowing joy; a glad and auspicious messenger of the discovery. "We have found," he says, "the treasure." Flee, Peter, the poverty of circumcision; strip off the tattered rags of the Law; cast away the yoke of the letter; reject all these present things as trifles; despise them all as dreams; cast aside Bethsaida as a base and abject village; the fishing net as an instrument of poverty;

a shipwreck, as a bridal chamber; the art of fishing, as exposed to turbulence; fish, as a traffic of ravenous gluttony; the earth, as a sea of confusion; the race, as branches of corruption; the world, as a marketplace of the belly; the temple, as a den of thieves; Jerusalem, as a cemetery of prophets; the nation, as one grieving against God; Caiaphas, as the father of a wicked council. We have found the Messiah, whom the prophets foretold; whom the Law sounded forth beforehand. We have found the treasure of the Law; flee, Peter, from the famine of the letter. ^A We have found the Messiah, whose signs were prefigured; whom Micah saw upon the throne of glory; whom Isaiah beheld upon the Seraphim; whom Ezekiel saw upon the Cherubim; whom Daniel beheld upon the clouds; whom Nebuchadnezzar saw in the furnace; whom Abraham received in the tent; whom Jacob would not let go unless he had been blessed; whose back Moses saw upon the rock. We have found this One, born from eternity, yet revealed in the last times; a treasure whose abundance cannot be exhausted, whose wealth no robber can steal, whose existence is eternal, yet his discovery is recent. We have found the Messiah, which is translated Christ. There have been many “christs,” but all were slaves to death. Abraham was a “christ,” but he was dissolved in the tomb; Isaac was a “christ,” but his memory lies in his bones; Jacob was a “christ,” but he became a mere appendix to death; Moses was a “christ,” but we do not even know where he was buried; David was a “christ,” but all were spoils of death. All were “christs,” but all were captives of death. But the one Christ, by nature God, and by mercy man, is He who sealed the Virgin’s womb by his birth, and made the fishermen fountains of healings. To Him be the power, the kingdom, and the glory, and the adoration, with the immaculate and consubstantial ^B and co-equal Father, and with the all-holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ORATION XX

I. Truly, beloved brothers, we give thanks to God that in an ineffable manner in His house, in which we devoutly ^C acknowledge the mysteries of Christ and the Apostles, or even of the Jews who were in the age of Christ the Lord, who were of a mind foreign to idols... ^D [alt-version omitted]

^A and filling the harbor with the flowers of orthodoxy, he could no longer bear to hear the lamentations of the people, nor remain untroubled seeing the Church fallen into schisms because Chrysostom was not mentioned in the diptychs. Seizing a favorable moment, he made these things known to the Emperor Theodosius the Younger; and he spoke in this manner: "Eudoxia was your mother according to the flesh, and by the will of a man; but you are the son of the Father Chrysostom according to the spirit, and by the font of baptism." Fortified by this, the God-bearing Proclus, with boldness for what was beneficial to the empire and what would establish the city and benefit the world, proposed this to Theodosius, interceding with him in these words: ^B "Seek, O Emperor, him who, when you were being renewed through fire and water via the Gospel, begat you; and who, like Simeon, received you according to the law of the Lord after baptism with priestly arms as a father. The Church cries out to you: 'My garment is torn; my mouth is closed; my beauty is darkened; a wild boar has ravaged the shepherd of my sheep, Chrysostom, and the autumn-thieves have defiled the fruits of my lips; envy of my liturgy has polluted the sanctification; as in a forest of trees, they have cut him down from me with axes (Ps. LXXIII, 5); they have cast him down together in a grave and a foreign land of exile. The tribes of the heretics have said against me: "We have stopped the mouth that spoke many things against us; we have shamed his golden eloquence; there is no longer one to teach, and he will not put us to shame hereafter." How long, O Emperor, shall the enemy reproach me for Chrysostom? Restore to me the representative of my bridegroom, Christ. Restore to me, thy mother, thy spiritual father. Even if your carnal mother Eudoxia cruelly robbed me of him, let not your nature be an emulator of the flesh, but emulate the holiness of the spirit, without which no one shall see the Lord (Heb. XII, 14). Eudoxia has passed away; the Church remains forever. I am your eternal mother; make my heart rejoice concerning Chrysostom, so that I may stand as an intercessor for you before God, and you may possess the soul of Chrysostom interceding for you. But become a son of righteousness, and be strengthened by a father's prayer.'"

^C Such were the things which Father Proclus, as if in the person of the Church, spoke to the Emperor Theodosius. And he said, "If you order the body of Chrysostom to be brought back promptly to his own throne, you will not only unite the churches but also strengthen the faith and settle the people in peace and harmony." The Emperor was persuaded by these entreaties, and having arranged for certain men known for their piety and of the senatorial order, and having entrusted his commands to them, he released the men to Comana, together with a coffin covered on all sides with silver plates. He ordered that they should proceed with all speed to that city; and that, raising the relics of the holy man with much honor, and with relays of torches and processions of psalms from place to place and province to province, along with other necessary equipment and escort along the way, ^D they should bring it back to him.

As that illustrious and famous Patriarch Proclus was governing the throne of the royal city, where by now four years had passed since the persecution of the saint, and the leaders of the Church—no longer able to endure the wailing of the people because the memory of Chrysostom was not held in the sacred diptychs, and uneasy at seeing the Church fallen into schism—seized a favorable time and brought these matters to the attention of the Emperor Theodosius the Younger. It was as if to say, "By the flesh and by the will of man, he was the son of Eudoxia; but by the spirit and the font of baptism, he was the son of the father Chrysostom." Fortified by this, as it were, with grounds for obtaining his request, he acts freely for the public good, and for the sake of the stability of the city and the benefit of the world, he proposes to Theodosius, as an intercessor praying to him: "Wherefore, Emperor, [restore] him who regenerated you through fire and water, when you were initiated through the Gospel; and him who, after baptism, received you with priestly arms in the temple of the Lord, as Simeon did, like a father. 'My garment is rent; my mouth is closed; my glory is extinguished; a singular boar (Ps. LXXIX, 14) has devastated my sheep, Chrysostom, as wild boars grazing on and consuming the fruits of my lips. Envy has polluted the sanctification of my minister; as in a thicket of wood they have cut him off from me with axes (Ps. LXXIII, 5). The tribes of the heretics said together: "We have silenced that mouth which would have spoken much against us; we have shamed his gold." There is no longer one to teach, nor one to stop our mouths henceforth. How long, O Emperor, shall the enemy reproach me for Chrysostom? Give back to me the one who keeps the person of my spouse, Christ. Restore to me, your mother, your spiritual father. Although your carnal mother Eudoxia was the author of my loss with cruel audacity, do not you be an emulator of the flesh, but emulate the holiness of the spirit, without which no one will see God (Heb. xII, 14). Eudoxia has passed; the Church remains forever. I am your eternal mother; fill my heart with joy regarding Chrysostom, that you may have me as your mediatress to God, and obtain Chrysostom’s soul to plead for you. For of a truth you are a child, and one supported by a father’s prayers.'

When Proclus the patriarch had prayed thus before the Emperor Theodosius, as if in the person of the Church, he said: 'If you order the body of Chrysostom to be brought back promptly to his own throne, you will not only unite the churches but also verify the faith and establish the people in peace and concord.' The Emperor applied his mind to the admonitions, and immediately appointing men who were notable for their piety and of the senatorial order, and entrusting mandates to them, he sent them to Comana with a coffin covered on every side with silver plates, commanding how quickly they were to repair to that city, and that, raising the holy relics with great honor, they should bring them to him [the Emperor], with relays of lights and succession of psalms from place to place and province to province, along with the other necessary equipment and escort required on the road."

He continues with many things: that the sacred body could not be moved until the supplicant Emperor wrote as if to one living: that the ship was brought to the vineyard of the widow, which had been the occasion for that tragedy involving Chrysostom; so that at the prayers of Theodosius, the shaking of Eudoxia’s body might cease, with Chrysostom being indulgent. Then he returns again to Proclus: "But what of Patriarch Proclus? He himself, grasping the righteous one with a holy kiss, cried out: 'Hail, O Christ-loving father, sweetest teacher! I am yours, and the produce of your milk-wells, and now I am a shepherd. For the sheep are mine; for from you, their flocks and the shepherds after you navigate the protection of your sheep. Therefore, they who longed for you could not bear to follow another after you with zeal, but from here and there [they came]..."

wandered and drifted from the flock. Show them your face; make your voice heard to them, and they shall again be one fold of your flock."

What, then, does the patriarch Proclus also say? Kissing the just man himself with a holy kiss, he began to exclaim in these words: "Hail, God-loving father, sweetest teacher. I am yours, and a nursling of the vessels that dispense your milk, and now also a pastor. For your sheep are mine; for from you is the flock of their first-fruits; and the pastors who follow you possess the transporting of your sheep as a labor set before them. Therefore, even those sheep, in their desire for you, not bearing to follow another after you with a calm mind, were wandering and turning away here and there from the flock. Show them your face; make your voice heard to them, and they shall again be one fold of your flock."

The author continues regarding the zeal of the people for the Father, and says that on the following day he brought [the body] into the most holy church—namely, the great church of Holy Sophia—and placed it upon the lofty throne of his preaching, that is, upon the seat of his teaching, from which he had been driven by the wicked arts of envious men. Riccardus is incorrect when he says the "Andriantas" (orations on the statues) were delivered in that temple of Holy Sophia, and directed against the empress. Nowhere, certainly, could you read or hear the *Andriantas* of Chrysostom delivered anywhere else than at Antioch, while he was exercising the office of preacher there under Flavian, on the occasion of the statue of Theodosius the Elder having been poorly handled by the citizens. Finally, the author says that the body of John, after a full day and vigil in the great church, was carried into the temple of the Holy Apostles and buried there. ^D

III. For this reason John now cries out with the most blessed Paul: "We are the good odor of Christ." For he freed every place from error. In Ephesus, he exposed the art of Midas; in Phrygia, he made the Mother who was called of the gods to be without children; in Caesarea, he despoiled the public brothel, empty of honor; in Syria, he emptied the synagogues that were attacking God; in Persia, he sowed the word of piety; everywhere he planted the roots of the orthodox faith. With his tongue he filled the world with the knowledge of God; he wrote books; he spread the nets of salvation; he theologized with John concerning the Father’s Word; with Peter he founded the pious confession; with Paul he poured forth his sweat for the faith; with the fishermen he cast the net for the sake of orthodoxy. O John, your life was indeed anxious, but your death was glorious, your sepulchre blessed, and your reward abundant.

I. Concerning the Ascension of our Lord

Grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ: (to whom) with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory, and power, and majesty, for ever and ever. Amen.

...and showing you with a long hand, [he] exclaims! etc. For this passage must be read thus, as we have restored it from the same Baronius, who described it from a codex written by hand.

NOTICE CONCERNING THE FOLLOWING HOMILIES

The first of these homilies was supplied by a tenth-century Vatican codex. The second, *On the Circumcision of the Lord*, I found in a palimpsest, lying hidden under a certain homily of Chrysostom: for it pleased I know not what scribe to delete the disciple and record the master. With difficulty I extracted this short discourse from the wrappings of the later writing, yet the result eventually proved successful. Three other homilies of Proclus, lost to us in Greek but preserved by Syrian interpreters, I had long ago announced in the catalogue of the Syrian Vatican codices (*Script. vet. t. V, part. II, p. 42-44*), namely, those existing in two codices, 568 and 569. Now, however, I shall demonstrate the fruit of that catalogue edited by me (as I have also done elsewhere), and I have taken care to present those three homilies—*On the Dogma of the Incarnation*, *On the Nativity of the Lord* (both of which are mentioned by Ephrem of Antioch, as I shall state below), and *On Saint Clement, the famous bishop and martyr at Ancyra in Galatia*—in Latin at least, from the Syriac language for the information of the Western Church. These five homilies of Proclus, indeed, have not appeared in any editions until now.

I. Sermon of Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople, on the Ascension of our Lord

^A I. Blessed be God! Although the nature of creation is divided into heaven and earth, nevertheless the grace of the present day, which has joined together things diverse, does not permit me to perceive this distinction now. For who would henceforth say that heaven is different from earth, since my image reigns both on earth and also in heaven? And below, indeed, we suffer the tyranny of corruption, and being consumed by tombs, we give joy to the devil; but when he looks up to the heavens, he puts aside his joy, seeing above the root of the resurrection of the dead who are below; he sees below the One delivered by him to the cross, now clothing our body and inhabiting heaven, and he is overcome with trembling, not understanding the power. O gain born to us from loss! We have gained heaven, having lost paradise; cast down, we have stood firm through the fall; pushed, we have been lifted up into heaven; wounded outside of paradise, we have found healing outside of the physician; having been made dead by the tree of life, we have been healed by the tree of Christ’s death; having been shipwrecked in the harbor, we have come to life in the midst of the waves of the sea.

^B II. Where, O sinker of ships, is your wickedness? The cross which you fastened to the helmsman has become the salvation for shipwrecked human nature, and has guided it to the harbors of heaven, dissolving the lamentation on earth which it had concerning the events before the Ascension. For just as the heavens declare the glory of God, singing of the craftsman by their structure, so also did the earth, as if with voices, lament with its sufferings;*

* Ps. XVIII, 1.

(57) Two very short verses are missing, that is, about six words, because the slip of parchment or decoration was cut away, as here, where this missing part of Proclus was in the back part of the little image.