Methodius of Olympus — Symposium 8 (Word incarnate; dragon)
And as arch-shepherd and arch-prophet, the Word also became arch-virgin for the church by becoming human. John, taken by Christ, shows this to us in the book of Revelation when he says: “I looked, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion.”
Christ, long since conceived, was not snatched away to God’s throne the moment he was born out of fear that the serpent might harm him. Rather, for this he was born and himself came down from the Father’s thrones: to master the dragon while remaining as the dragon rushed against the flesh.
Greek
ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἀρχιπάρθενος, ὃν τρόπον καὶ ἀρχιποιμὴν καὶ ἀρχιπροφήτης, γέγονεν ὁ λόγος ἐνανθρωπήσας τῆς ἐκκλησίας· καὶ ὁ χριστόληπτος ἡμῖν παρίστησιν ἐν βίβλῳ τῆς Ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰωάννης λέγων· καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ τὸ ἀρνίον ἑστὼς ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος Σιών. ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς πάλαι κυηθεὶς οὐχ ἡρπάσθη ὁπότε ἐτέχθη πρὸς τὸν θρόνον τοῦ θεοῦ, φόβῳ τοῦ μὴ λυμήνασθαι αὐτὸν τὸν ὄφιν· ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἐγεννήθη καὶ κατῆλθεν αὐτὸς ἀπὸ τῶν θρόνων τοῦ πατρός, ἵνα τὸν δράκοντα χειρώσηται, μείνας προστρέχοντα τῇ σαρκί.