Homily II on Saint Mary the Mother of God
Homilia II de sancta Maria deipara
Annunciation§1
1The memory of the righteous is always praiseworthy, and every gathering of those who love God is glorious. All have excelled in piety, endured pains for the true confession, and been crowned with the wreaths of truth, intoxicated with the dangers they faced. But the present day of the feast is most glorious, for it celebrates the virgin who surpassed all others, even willingly receiving God the Word to be borne by her in a narrow space.
The archangel Gabriel was the first to cry out to her, saying 'Rejoice, favored one, the Lord is with you; behold, you will conceive in the womb and give birth to a son, and you will call his name Emmanuel' (Luke 1:31). This announcement was the beginning of joy for her, as it removed the painful consequences of the first virgin's transgression, which had enclosed all women in pain and bitterness. Through Gabriel's gospel, the second virgin stopped every source of pain in childbirth and scattered the cloud of sadness in childbearing, surrounding her fellow women with the lights of joy.
She did not quietly accept the greeting, but having heard such a voice and seen the archangel in her house unexpectedly, and her thoughts about the birth being shaken by the voice, she spoke some words to the archangel, saying, 'All things I see today are paradoxical and strange to me.'
She said, 'How did you dare to approach a virgin who is not betrothed and proclaim the message of your unbelievable words? You say I will give birth to a child without seed, without marriage, without union and conversation with a man, and the womb will bear fruit.' She also asked, 'Who has seen or heard from ancient times that the previously uncultivated earth has blossomed with a grain, or that an unplanted vine has produced a cluster, or that wine has been produced without a vine, or that a river has flowed without a source? No one has seen or heard such a thing from the beginning of time. How can I trust you when you are mocking me?'
The archangel said, 'I spoke what I learned, I say what I heard: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the one to be born will be called holy, the Son of God' (Luke 1:35), as the creator and maker of all things, as the father of the ages, as the generator of the world, as the poet of all, as the more ancient of the heavens, as the maker of angels, as the shaper of humanity, as the savior of the ransomed.
I was not commanded to speak in a particular way, but rather to serve the gospel to you, virgin.
Greek · §1
Homilia ii de sancta Maria deipara (homilia 6) Ησυχίου, πρεσβυτέρου Ἱεροσολύμων, εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν Μαριὰμ τὴν θεοτόκον 1 Πᾶσα μὲν μνήμη δικαίων πανεύφημος καὶ πᾶσα πανήγυρις θεοφιλῶν εὐκλεής, πάντες ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἠρίστευσαν, πάν τες τοὺς πόνους ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθοῦς ὁμολογίας ὑπεδέξαντο, πάντες διὰ τοὺς τῆς ἀληθείας στεφάνους τοῖς κινδύνοις ἐνεβάκχευσαν, ἡ δὲ παροῦσα νῦν ἡμέρα τῆς ἑορτῆς ὑπερένδοξος· παρθένου γὰρ περιέχει πανήγυριν, ἥτις τοσοῦτον ὑπερέβαλε πάσας ὡς καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν θεὸν Λόγον ἐθελοντὶ ὑποδέξασθαι χωρηθέντα παρ' αὐ τῆς ἀστενοχωρήτως. Πρὸς ἣν πρὸ τοῦ παντὸς ὁ τῶν ἀρχαγγέλων Γαβριὴλ ἀνεβόησε πρῶτος· «Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ κύριος μετὰ σοῦ· ἰδοὺ γὰρ συλλήψῃ ἐν γαστρὶ καὶ τέξῃ υἱόν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ» Ἐμμανουήλ. Χαρᾶς εὐθὺς ἀρχὴ πρὸς αὐτὴν τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Γαβριὴλ εὐαγγέλια· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ πρώτη παρθένος ταῖς τῆς ἀποφάσεως ἐπὶ τῇ παραβάσει περιεκέκλειστο λύπαις, καὶ τὰ τῶν στεναγμῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀνεβλάστανον πλήθη, καὶ πᾶσα γυνὴ δι' αὐτὴν ἐν ὀδύνῃ καὶ τόκος ἅπας δι' αὐτὴν ἐν πικρίᾳ, ἡ δευτέρα παρθένος διὰ τῆς προσηγορίας τὸ τοῦ θήλεος πᾶν θλι βερὸν ἀπώσατο καὶ πᾶσαν λύπης πηγὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς τόκοις ἐνέφραξε καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀθυμίας ἐπὶ τῇ τεκνογονίᾳ τῶν γυναικῶν διεσκέδασε νέφος καὶ τὰ τῆς χαρᾶς τὰς ὁμοφύλους περιήστραψε φῶτα, παρὰ τοῦ Γαβριὴλ ἐπακούσασα· «Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ κύριος μετὰ σοῦ.» 2 Οὐχ ἡσυχῆ τὸν ἀσπασμὸν ἐδέξατο ἀλλὰ τῆς τοιαύτης φωνῆς ἐπακούσασα, καὶ τὸν ἀρχάγγελον θεωρήσασα κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν παρὰ πρόθεσιν, καὶ τῆς περὶ τὸν τόκον τοὺς λογισμοὺς συγκλονη θεῖσα φωνῆς, τοιαύτας τινὰς πρὸς τὸν ἀρχάγγελον ὡς εἰκὸς προὐ βάλλετο ῥήσεις· «Ὅλα, λέγουσα, παράδοξα καὶ ξένα ὁρῶ σήμερον ἐπὶ σοῦ», καὶ τό· «Πῶς ἐτόλμησας μὴ μεμνηστευμένῃ αὐθάδως ἐπιβῆναι παρθένῳ καὶ τῶν ἀπίστων σου ῥημάτων τὸ κήρυγμα φάναι; Λέγεις γάρ με τίκτειν ἄνευ σπόρου παιδίον. Ἄνευ γάμου ἔφης συλλαβεῖν, ἄνευ συντυχίας καὶ ὁμιλίας ἀνδρὸς καρπογονῆσαι τὸ τῆς μήτρας χωρίον. Τίς εἶδε, τίς ἤκουσεν ἐξ ἀρχαιογονίας τὸ πρότερον ἄρουραν ἀγεώργητον ἐξανθήσασαν ἄσταχυν, ἢ γῆν ἀφύτευτον βότρυν βλαστήσασαν, οἶνον ἄνευ ἀμπέλου, ἢ ποταμὸν ἄνευ πηγῆς προϊόντα; Ὅπερ οὐδεὶς πρώτων αἰώνων ἢ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἤκουσεν, ἢ κατώπτευσε τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς γεγονός. Πῶς πι στεύσω σοι πρὸς ἐμὲ κωμῳδοῦντι;» 3 Τί οὖν ὁ Γαβριὴλ πρὸς αὐτὴν δυσπιστοῦσαν; – «Ὅπερ ἔμαθον εἶπον, ὅπερ ἤκουσα λέγω· "Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σέ, καὶ δύναμις ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι· διὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώ μενον ἅγιον κληθήσεται υἱὸς θεοῦ", ὥσπερ ὑπάρχων πρὸς οὗ, ὡς πρὸς ὃν πάσης κτίσεως, ὡς κτίστης καὶ δημιουργὸς τῶν ἁπάντων, ὡς τῶν αἰώνων πατήρ, ὡς τοῦ κόσμου γεννήτωρ, ὡς τοῦ παντὸς ποιητής, ὡς τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀρχαιότερος, ὡς τῶν ἀγ γέλων δημιουργός, ὡς τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος πλάστης, ὡς "τῶν ἀπολ λυμένων σωτήρ". Οὐδὲν πλέον τούτων ἀπαγγέλλειν ἰσχύω· οὐ γὰρ τὸ πῶς λέγειν προσετάχθην, παρθένε, ἀλλὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελισμοῦ πρὸς σὲ διακονῆσαι τὰ
The Magi and the Jews§2
2…matters. Marvel at the mystery with me and accept the gospels without hesitation. She says: 'Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.' We should learn from the archangelic words of Gabriel about the Lord's birth and follow his paths.
The Magi teach us to be pious, rather let us be instructed; they, searching for the child guided by a star, did not ask those being questioned: 'How is the conception divine? How is the womb without spot? How is the offspring incorruptible? How is the mother in virgins after the conception? How is the one before the ages in time? How did the nature of the one who contained the uncontainable enter the womb? How has flesh become without being subject to change for the incorporeal? How did the divine Word, having emptied himself in the virginity, take on the form of a servant through the unspeakable, most famous in the womb? How is the perfect child? How is the one who feeds on breasts? How is the one who encompasses all within his embrace? How is the "father of the coming age" (Psalm 2:7) an infant? How is the one above and below? How is the one in the heavens and upon the earth? How is the one who drives the cherubic chariots with steeds? How is the "one in the bosom of the Father" (John 1:0) in a manger? How is the "one who drives down the leveled ones in strength" (Psalm 18:4) in a manger? And all these other things, all of which it is a terror to speak?' But after receiving gifts, they silently understood the manger, and, presenting reverence appropriate to the King and God after the question, they were followers of Christ with joy, having been revealed as the first fruits of divine knowledge to the nations.
The nations envied them; but the Jews, being unyielding, rather stiff-necked, did not hasten to imitate those led from afar by a star, even after having seen the 'sun of righteousness' (Malachi 4:2) in their own places for recognition. I, seeing your eagerness for the divine words and your loving concern for those explaining them, overcome by your love of hearing, I am stirred by the desire for teaching, delighted by the harmony of your love; for you, as many students as you are, continually gather around those speaking, you guide the helmsman as passengers, you hold the reins of the tongue with prayers. Who will be able to announce your zeal worthily? Who will explain your hatred towards the Greeks? Who will unfold your boldness towards the heretics? Who will be able to announce your hostility towards the Jews? For Jews are truly detestable among the others, always hungering and thirsting, not for anything, but for innocent blood, taking pleasure in nothing except throwing people into the …
Greek · §2
πράγματα. Θαύμαζε οὖν σὺν ἐμοὶ τὸ μυστήριον καὶ ἀνενδοιάστως δέχου τὰ εὐαγγέλια.» Ἡ δέ φησιν· «Ἰδοὺ ἡ δούλη κυρίου· γένοιτό μοι κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου.» Τοῖς ἀρχαγγελικοῖς τοίνυν καὶ ἡμεῖς μαθητεύσωμεν λόγοις τοῦ Γα βριὴλ περὶ τῆς δεσποτικῆς γεννήσεως, ταῖς ἐκείνου τρίβοις κα τόπιν ὁδεύσωμεν, ὡς ἐκεῖνος ἐκθειάζωμεν ἀπεριέργως τοῦ τό κου τὴν δύναμιν. 1 4 Παρὰ τῶν Μάγων εὐσεβεῖν διδαχθῶμεν, μᾶλλον δὲ παιδευ θῶμεν, οἵτινες ζητοῦντες τὸ βρέφος, ποδηγοῦντος ἀστέρος, οὐκ εἶπαν πρὸς τοὺς ἐρωτωμένους· «Πῶς ἡ σύλληψις θεία, πῶς ἄσπο ρος ἡ νηδύς, πῶς ἄφθορος ὁ τόκος, πῶς μετὰ τὸν τόκον ἐν παρθέ νοις ἡ μήτηρ, πῶς ὑπὸ ἐνιαυτοὺς ὁ προών, πῶς ἐν χρόνοις ὁ πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων, πῶς ἡ τῆς μήτρας τὸν ἀχώρητον ἐχώρησε φύσις, πῶς γέγονε σὰρξ μὴ τραπεὶς ὁ ἀσώματος, πῶς ὁ θεὸς Λόγος ἐν τῇ παρθενικῇ κενώσας ἑαυτὸν νηδύϊ πανεύφημος πρὸς δούλου μορφὴν ἀρρήτως ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐσαρκώθη, πῶς ὁ τέλειος βρέφος, πῶς ὁ τρέφων θηλάζει, πῶς ὁ πάντα περιέπων ἀγκάλαις περιέχεται, πῶς "ὁ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος πατὴρ" νήπιον, πῶς ὁ ἄνω καὶ κάτω, πῶς ὁ ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς, πῶς ἐν σπαργάνοις ὁ τῶν χερουβικῶν ἁρμάτων ἡνίοχος, πῶς "ὁ ἐν κόλποις τοῦ Πατρὸς" ἐν φάτνῃ, πῶς ἐν σπαργάνοις "ὁ ἐξάγων πεπεδημένους ἐν ἀνδρείᾳ" καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἅπερ καὶ λαλεῖν φρικτόν;» Ἀλλὰ μετὰ δώρων σιγῇ καταλαβόντες τὸ σπήλαιον, μετὰ τὴν ἐρώτησιν τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ θεῷ πρεπῶδες προσκομίσαντες σέβας, πρὸς τὴν ἐνεγκαμένην μετὰ χαρᾶς ἦσαν φιλυπόστροφοι, ἀπαρχὴ θεο γνωσίας ἀναδειχθέντες τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. 5 Οὓς τὰ μὲν ἔθνη ἐζήλωσαν· Ἰουδαῖοι δὲ ἀκαμπεῖς, μᾶλλον δὲ σκληροτράχηλοι ὄντες, οὐδὲ τὸν «ἥλιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης» ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις τόποις φανέντα πρὸς ἐπίγνωσιν ἐσπούδασαν μιμήσασθαι τοὺς ὑπὸ ἀστέρος μακρόθεν ὁδηγηθέντας. Ἐγὼ δέ, ἀγαπητοί, πρὸς τὸ πρόθυμον ὑμῶν τῆς ἀκροάσεως τῶν θείων λογίων ὁρῶν καὶ τὸ περὶ τοὺς ἐξηγουμένους φιλόστοργον, τῇ φιληκοΐᾳ ὑμῶν νικώμενος πρὸς τὸν τῆς διδασκαλίας διανίσταμαι πόθον, τῇ τῆς ἀγάπης ὑμῶν συγκροτήσει τερπόμενος· ὑμεῖς γὰρ τοὺς λέγοντας, ὡς πολυΐστορες μαθηταί, συνεχῶς συγκρο τεῖτε, ὑμεῖς τὸν κυβερνήτην ὡς ἐπιβάται ῥυθμίζετε, ὑμεῖς τὰ τῆς γλώττης πηδάλια προσευχαῖς διακρατεῖτε. Τίς τὸν ζῆλον ὑμῶν ἀπαγγεῖλαι ἐπαξίως δυνήσεται; Τίς τὸ καθ' Ἑλλήνων ὑμῶν ἐξηγήσεται μῖσος; Τίς τὸ καθ' αἱρετικῶν ὑμῶν ἀναπετάσει θράσος; Τίς τὸ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ὑμῶν δυσμενὲς δυνήσεται ἀναγγεῖλαι; Βδελυκτοὶ γὰρ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀληθῶς Ἰουδαῖοι, οὐδὲν πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες ἀεὶ ἀλλ' ἢ φόνους ἀθῴους, οὐδενὶ χαίροντες ἢ τὸ λάκκοις, ἐρρίπτειν τοὺς
Condemning the Jews§3
3The prophets are being dragged and stoned, the righteous are being slaughtered with swords and divided by saws, and the hands and feet of the pious are being cut off. The defenders are being held by bloody hands, and the palms are being stained with the continuous slaughter of the righteous. Those who have come to such a level of impiety against our Savior that they dare to interrogate him openly are saying, 'We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from.'
Whenever I want to flee from their abomination, they clearly oppose me, either by accusing the words of the prophets, or by insulting the syllables of the law, or by railing against the books of the revered Gospels. As now the divine pages have brought them before us, they utter shameless voices and say boldly what you have heard. They say, 'We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from.' Oh, the shameless audacity! Oh, the uncovered gluttony of the robbers! Oh, the blind opposition of words!
Christ cried out to them, saying that he had played the flute for them, but they did not dance, and he had mourned for them, but they did not lament (Matthew 11:17). Who can reprove their ignorant and contentious attitude? Christ performed numerous miracles for them, healing the paralyzed, cleansing lepers, curing the afflicted, healing the demon-possessed, opening the eyes of the blind, raising the dead from their tombs, turning water into wine, and providing many other wonders, which are too numerous to mention. Despite all this, there is not even a spark of faith among them.
Let the Jewish scriptures be read and the pages unrolled. Do not accept the testimony of Peter or Paul, and reject the accounts of the evangelists. Instead, listen to Moses and what he wrote in the law. What did he write in the law?
Greek · §3
προφήτας, τὸ κατ' ἐδάφους ἕλκειν καὶ λιθάζειν δικαίους, τὸ μαχαίραις ἐκκεντεῖν καὶ μερίζειν πρίοσι τοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας κήρυκας, τὸ κόπτειν χειρῶν καὶ ποδῶν μέρη τῶν εὐσεβῶν, καὶ ταῖς χερσὶν ᾑμαγμέναις κρατεῖν τὰ πρὸς ἄμυναν ὄργανα, τὸ τὰς παλάμας φοινίσσειν τῇ συνεχεῖ ἀναιρέσει τῶν δικαίων· οἵτινες τοσοῦτον πρὸς δυσσεβεστάτην κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐληλάκασι τόλμαν ὡς ἀνέδην ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀνακράζειν· «Ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν ὅτι Μωυσῇ λελάληκεν ὁ θεός, τοῦτον δὲ οὐκ οἴδαμεν πόθεν ἐστίν.» 6 Ὢ τῶν τολμηρῶν πραγμάτων. Ὢ μίσους πρὸς Ἰουδαίους πρὸς φυγὴν ἀτονοῦντος. Ὁσάκις γὰρ ἂν τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς δραπετεῦσαι βουληθῶ βδελυρίαν, τοσαυτάκις μοι φανερῶς ἀπαντῶσιν, ἢ προφητῶν ἐγκαλούμενοι λόγοις, ἢ ταῖς τοῦ νόμου συλλαβαῖς ὑβριζόμενοι, ἢ ταῖς τῶν προσκυνουμένων εὐαγγελίων ἐνειλούμενοι βίβλοις, ὡς καὶ νῦν αἱ θεῖαι σελίδες ὑπ' ὄψιν ἡμῖν αὐτοὺς παρήγαγον, τὰς ἀναισχύντους περὶ τὸν δεσπότην τῶν ὅλων προβαλλομένους φωνὰς καὶ λέγοντας τολμηρῶς ἅπερ ἠκούσατε· «Μωυσῇ λελάληκεν ὁ θεός, τοῦτον δὲ οὐκ οἴδαμεν πόθεν ἐστίν.» Ὢ τῆς φανερᾶς ἀναιδείας. Ὢ τῆς ἀνακεκαλυμμένης τῶν λῃστῶν γλωσσαλγίας. Ὢ τῆς τυφλῆς τῶν λόγων ἐναντιότητος. Ὅτε μὲν γὰρ Ἡρῴδης «παρ' αὐτῶν ἐπυνθάνετο ποῦ ὁ Χριστὸς γεννᾶται», παρρησιωδέστερον ἔλεγον· «Ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας», καὶ τὴν τῆς προφητείας ἐπεδείκνυον χρῆσιν καὶ τὸν ἱεροφάντην μαρτυροῦντα παρῆγον· «Προφήτης μέγας ἐγήγερται» ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ νῦν κεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ κεκράγασι· «Μωυσῇ λελάληκεν ὁ θεός, 2 τοῦτον δὲ οὐκ οἴδαμεν πόθεν ἐστίν.» Ὄντως «οὐκ ἔγνωσαν οὐδὲ συνῆκαν, ἐν σκότει διαπορεύονται.» Ἀληθῶς οὗτος «λαὸς μωρὸς καὶ οὐχὶ σοφός.» Εἰκότως ὁ Χριστὸς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀνεβόα· «Ηὐλήσαμεν ὑμῖν καὶ οὐκ ὠρχήσασθε· ἐθρηνήσαμεν ὑμῖν καὶ οὐκ ἐκόψασθε.» Τίς πρὸς τὴν οὕτως κατ' αὐτῶν παρατάξηται ἀγνώμονα γνώμην; Τίς τὴν φιλόνεικον αὐτῶν δυσμένειαν διελέγξει; Τοσαύτας αὐτοῖς θαυματουργίας ὁ Χριστὸς περιήντλησε, τοὺς παραλελυμένους νευρῶν, τοὺς λεπροὺς καθαρίζων, τοὺς κακωμένους ὑγιάζων, τοὺς δαιμονιῶντας ἰώμενος, ἀνοίγων τῶν ὀμμάτων τὰ βλέφαρα, τοὺς νεκροὺς αὐτῶν ἀνιστῶν ἐκ τάφων, ὕδωρ εἰς οἶνον μεταποιῶν, καὶ ἄλλα μυρία παρέχων ἅπερ ἐργῶδες λαλεῖν. Καὶ πίστεως παρ' αὐτοῖς οὐδαμοῦ κἂν βραχύ. 7 Ἔστω ἡμῖν οὐ πείθῃ, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, τοὺς ἱεροφάντας ἀνάγνωθι, τὰς παρὰ σοὶ κειμένας σελίδας ἀνάπτυξον. Μὴ δέξῃ τὸν Πέτρον μηδὲ τὸν Παῦλον. Τοὺς εὐαγγελιστὰς ἀφωσίωσαι. Ἄκουσον γοῦν καὶ Μωυσέως. Τί ἐν νόμῳ προέγραψε; –
Prophecies of Jesus§4
4The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from your brothers, like me; you will listen to him, as Isaiah prophesied when he declared, 'Behold, the virgin will have in her womb and will bear a son, and they will call his name Emmanuel' (Isaiah 7:14).
Jeremiah also cried out, proclaiming, 'This is our God, and no other will be reckoned besides him' (Jeremiah 10:6-7, 10, etc.), and furthermore, he stated that after these events, God would appear on earth and live among humans.
Zechariah signified the coming of a man whose name would be the rising sun, and Malachi announced that the sun of righteousness would rise, bringing healing in its wings, saying, 'The sun of righteousness will rise for you who fear my name, and healing will be in his wings' (Malachi 4:2).
The hemorrhaging woman, who was healed after many years, confirmed the word of God, along with others, when she touched the hem of his garment and received healing.
To understand the prophecies, one must carefully read Ezekiel and the 'man of desires', where Ezekiel says, 'This is the gate of the Lord, and the Lord will enter through it and go out, and the gate will be closed' (Ezekiel 44:2).
Daniel, on the other hand, saw a vision of one like a son of man coming on the clouds of heaven, saying, 'I saw, and behold, one like a son of man coming on the clouds of heaven' (Daniel 7:13).
Jacob, when blessing his sons, said that a ruler will not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his loins, until he comes to whom it has been reserved, and he is the expectation of the nations (Genesis 49:10).
David, inspired by the Spirit, sang that a mother, Zion, will say, and a man was born in her, and he founded her, the Most High, and that the mother was a virgin and remained after childbirth, keeping the seals of virginity which nature had placed, unbroken.
Let us consider the words of David, who proclaimed that righteousness will rise in his days, and that he will rule from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth (Psalm 72:8).
This prophecy was foretold by one of our teachers, and written down by one of the Savior's disciples, and the children of circumcision, who preached about him before, proclaimed these things, as did the descendants of Abraham.
Should we not rejoice to believe in these things?
We should be ashamed, for even the demons cry out and say, 'What do we have to do with you, Son of the living God?' (Matthew 8:29, Mark 1:24, Luke 4:34).
All creation, including angels, humans, and demons, should be ashamed of their confession about Lord Christ.
But if we reject the testimony of these witnesses, we should accept the testimony of the Father, who thunders from heaven, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased' (Matthew 3:17, 17:5).
Glory to him forever and ever, Amen.
Greek · §4
«Προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει κύριος ὁ θεός, ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν, ὡς ἐμέ· αὐτοῦ ἀκούσετε.» Βλέπε τί προφητεύων Ἠσαΐας βοᾷ· «Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν, καὶ καλέσουσι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ.» Ἄκουσον Ἰερεμίου κεκραγότος μεγάλα· «Οὗτος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, οὐ λογισθήσεται ἕτερος πρὸς αὐτόν.» Καὶ ὑποκαταβαίνων φησίν· «Μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη.» Ὅρα πάλιν τί Ζαχαρίας ἐσήμανεν· «Ἰδοὺ ἀνήρ, <ἀνατολὴ> ὄνομα αὐτῷ» <καὶ Μαλαχίας· «Ἀνατελεῖ ὑμῖν τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸ ὄνομά μου ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης> καὶ ἴασις ἐν ταῖς πτέρυξιν αὐτοῦ.» Καὶ τὸν λόγον αἱμόρρους γυνή, μετὰ πολλὰ ἔτη ἰαθεῖσα, σὺν καὶ ἄλλοις ἐβεβαίωσε καὶ ἐσφράγισε, τῇ ἁφῇ τοῦ κρασπέδου δεξαμένη τὴν ἴασιν. Τί; Τὸν Ἰεζεκιὴλ καὶ τὸν «ἄνδρα τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν» φιλολόγως ἀνάγνωθι. Πῶς ὁ μέν; «Αὕτη ἡ πύλη» τοῦ κυρίου, ἔλεγε, «καὶ εἰσελεύ σεται κύριος δι' αὐτῆς καὶ ἐξελεύσεται καὶ ἔσται ἡ πύλη κεκλεισμένη.» Ὁ δὲ ∆ανιήλ· «Ἐθεώρουν», φησίν, «καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὡς υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενος.» 8 Παράστηθι τῷ Ἰακὼβ καὶ τί λέγει μεταξὺ τῶν εὐλογιῶν κατάμαθε. «Οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα καὶ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως οὗ ἔλθῃ ᾧ ἀπόκειται, καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία ἐθνῶν.» Ἅψαι τῆς κιθάρας τοῦ Πνεύματος καὶ θέασαι τί ∆αυὶδ ἀκριβῶς ἐμελῴδησε· «Μήτηρ Σιών, ἐρεῖ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἐγεννήθη ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτὴν ὁ ὕψι-στος.» Παρθένος γὰρ ἡ μήτηρ καὶ μετὰ τόκον διέμεινε, τῆς παρθενίας σφραγῖδας ἃς ἡ φύσις ἐπέθηκεν ἀπαρασαλεύτους φυλάττουσα. Πάλιν ὅρα τί λέγει ∆αυίδ· «Ἀνατελεῖ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ δικαιοσύνη», καὶ ἑξῆς· «Κατακυριεύσει ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἕως θαλάσσης καὶ ἀπὸ ποταμῶν ἕως περάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης.» Μὴ ταῦτά τις τῶν διδασκάλων τῶν ἡμετέρων προεμήνυσε; Μή τις τῶν μαθητῶν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐν δέλτοις ἢ χάρταις τὰ τοιαῦτα συνέγραψεν; Οὐχ ὅσοι περὶ αὐτοῦ προεκήρυξαν τὰ τῆς περιτομῆς ταῦτα περιεσάλπισαν τέκνα; Οὐχ οἱ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἔγγονοι ταῦτα ἀνεκήρυξαν; Ἐν τούτοις οὐ χαίρει πιστεύειν; Ἐντράπηθι τοὺς δαίμονας ἀναβοῶντας καὶ λέγοντας· «Τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί, υἱὲ τοῦ θεοῦ» τοῦ ζῶντος; Αἰδέσθητι ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀνθρώπων καὶ δαιμόνων καὶ πάσης ὁμοῦ τῆς κτίσεως τὴν περὶ τοῦ δεσπότου Χριστοῦ ὁμολογίαν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τούτους παραιτῇ, δέξαι τὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐπ' αὐτῷ μαρτυρίαν οὐρανόθεν βροντῶσαν· «Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα»· αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 3