The True Nature of the King

They worship Christ, but those others fastened Christ's feet to the nails. Children bring wine, but these bring vinegar. Children offer honor to Christ, but these offer gall. Children wave palms, but these strike with a sword. Children hymn Christ upon a donkey, but these sell the one upon the donkey. The ox knew its owner born in the manger, and the new people of the Gentiles were subjected to their Lord, but only Israel did not know Christ their God. Tribes once God-loving have become unloving, the lawless have become lawful, and the lawful have become lawless.

Even if you did not love the prophets, killed priests, perverted the Scriptures, abolished the law, crushed the righteous, rejected Moses, slaughtered the sons, defiled the temple, ignored God, did not believe in Christ, insulted the divine signs, disbelieved concerning Lazarus, and did not believe the blind had regained sight; then what do you say about these children? What do you say about the hymn of the nursing ones, the lawgivers? Who, tell me, enlightened these? Who glorified them? Or who raised them? Who made them wise? Who suddenly gave speech to the infinite ones, if not Christ the eternal Word?

Now the young ones, children and infants together, hold branches with one hand and lift up an angelic hymn with their voice; holding with one hand, and with the other hand waving palms to Christ. The infinite nature has become theological. Immediately, offering the prophetic word as a hymn to the God of the incorporeal, they shout together, Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, God and Lord, and he has shone upon us. To what things do I, both rejoicing and being moved, answer these holy children with confidence? What do you say, O children of God, children without hymns? From where does the equal-flowing stream come to you?

Is this the one singing the cherubic hymn? How can they see Christ in a donkey in a human-like way? They shout 'Hosanna in the highest' in a God-like way. The seeing children say yes, and though Christ sits upon a donkey, he is never separated from the bosom of the Father; though he sits on a donkey, he does not leave the cherubic throne.

But he who is below with flesh is unceasingly with mortals, and he who is above is the same, God with the Father, without falsehood and true; he is the Pantokrator, the ruler of the cosmos, the ruler of the nations, the true God, the provider, the planter, the guide, and the Savior of all. He enters the lower Jerusalem but is not separated from the upper one; he is the maker of the ages, from the ages and unto the ages.

He alone stretched out the heavens; he is the one walking upon the sea as if upon dry land; he dispersed the sea with mist; he set the gates for men; he assigned boundaries to the seas; he suspended the earth upon nothing; he wisely mixed the qualities of the elements; he adorned the beauty of plants; he spread out the heaven like a garment; he adorned it himself with bright luminaries.

The cherubim tremble at him, the seraphim quake, the sun sings to him, the moon glorifies him, the stars praise him, the springs serve him, the abysses shudder at him, the Tartarians judge him, the beasts submit to him, the dragons tremble at him, the storms serve him, and the spirits revere him. He established the natures, he brought forth the creation, he ordered the ranks; he is the maker, God, our Lord, of the creation above and below; and to him be the glory and the dominion unto the ages of ages. Amen.