(NOTE: The electronic text obtained from The Electronic Bible Society was
not completely corrected. EWTN has corrected all mistakes found.)
Transliteration of Greek words: All phonetical except: w = omega; h serves
three puposes: 1. = Eta; 2. = rough breathing, when appearing intially
before a vowel; 3. = in the aspirated letters theta = th, phi = ph, chi =
ch. Accents are given immediately after their corresponding vowels: acute =
' , grave = `, circumflex = ^. The character ' doubles as an apostrophe,
when necessary.
GREGORY THAUMATURGOS
FOUR HOMILIES.(1)
(Dubious or spurious)
[Translated by the Rev. S.D.F. Salmond, M.A.]
THE FIRST HOMILY.
ON THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE HOLY VIRGIN MARY.(2)
To-day are strains of praise sung joyfully by the choir of angels, and
the light of the advent of Christ shines brightly upon the faithful. Today
is the glad spring-time to us, and Christ the Sun of righteousness has
beamed with clear light around us, and has illumined the minds of the
faithful. To-day is Adam made anew,(3) and moves in the choir of angels,
having winged his way to heaven. To-day is the whole circle of the earth
filled with joy, since the sojourn of the Holy Spirit has been realized to
men. To-day the grace of God and the hope of the unseen shine through all
wonders transcending imagination, and make the mystery that was kept hid
from eternity plainly discernible to us. To-day are woven the chaplets of
never-fading virtue. To-day, God, willing to crown the sacred heads of
those whose pleasure is to hearken to Him, and who delight in His
festivals, invites the lovers of unswerving faith as His called and His
heirs; and the heavenly kingdom is urgent to summon those who mind
celestial things to join the divine service of the incorporeal choirs. To-
day is fulfilled the word of David, "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the
earth be glad. The fields shall be joyful, and all the trees of the wood
before the Lord, because He cometh."(4) David thus made mention of the
trees;(5) and the Lord's forerunner also spoke of them as trees(6) " that
should bring forth fruits meet for repentance,"(7) or rather for the coming
of the Lord. But our Lord Jesus Christ promises perpetual gladness to all
those who believe on Him. For He says, "I will see you, and ye shall
rejoice; and your joy no man taketh from you."(8) To-day is the illustrious
and ineffable mystery of Christians, who have willingly(9) set their hope
like a seal upon Christ, plainly declared to us. To-day did Gabriel, who
stands by God, come to the pure virgin, bearing to her the glad
annunciation, "Hail, thou that art highly favoured!(10) And she cast in her
mind what manner of salutation this might be. And the angel immediately
proceeded to say, The Lord is with thee: fear not, Mary; for thou hast
found favour with God. Behold,(11) thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and
bring forth a son, and shalt call(12) His name Jesus. He shall be great,
and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give
unto Him the throne of His father David, and He shall reign over the house
of Jacob for ever: and of His kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary
unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?"(13) Shall I
still remain a virgin? is the honour of virginity not then lost by me? And
while she was yet in perplexity as to these things, the angel placed
shortly before her the summary of his whole message, and said to the pure
virgin, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest
shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born
of thee shall be called the Son of God." For what it is, that also shall it
be called by all means. Meekly, then, did grace make election of the pure
Mary alone out of all generations. For she proved herself prudent truly in
all things; neither has any woman been born like her in all generations.
She was not like the primeval virgin Eve, who, keeping holiday(14) alone in
paradise, with thoughtless mind, unguardedly hearkened to the word of the
serpent, the author of all evil, and thus became depraved in the thoughts
of her mind;(1) and through her that deceiver, discharging his poison and
refusing death with it, brought it into the whole world; and in virtue of
this has arisen all the trouble of the saints. But in the holy Virgin alone
is the fall of that (first mother) repaired. Yet was not this holy one
competent to receive the gift until she had first learned who it was that
sent it, and what the gift was, and who it was that conveyed it. While the
holy one pondered these things in perplexity with herself, she says to the
angel, "Whence hast thou brought to us the blessing in such wise? Out of
what treasure-stores is the pearl of the word despatched to us? Whence has
the gift acquired its purpose(2) toward us? From heaven art thou come, yet
thou walkest upon earth! Thou dost exhibit the form of man, and (yet) thou
art glorious with dazzling light."(3) These things the holy one considered
with herself, and the archangel solved the difficulty expressed in such
reasonings by saying to her: "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the
power of the Highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also that holy thing
which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And fear not,
Mary; for I am not come to overpower thee with fear, but to repel the
subject of fear. Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God.
Question not grace by the standard of nature. For grace does not endure to
pass under the laws of nature. Thou knowest, O Mary, things kept hid from
the patriarchs and prophets. Thou hast learned, O virgin, things which were
kept concealed till now from the angels. Thou hast heard, O purest one,
things of which even the choir of inspired men(4) was never deemed worthy.
Moses, and David, and Isaiah, and Daniel, and all the prophets, prophesied
of Him; but the manner they knew not. Yet thou alone, O purest virgin, art
now made the recipient of things of which all these were kept in ignorance,
and thou dost learn(5) the origin of them. For where the Holy Spirit is,
there are all things readily ordered. Where divine grace is present, all
things are found possible with God. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee,
and the power of the Highest shall; overshadow thee. Therefore also that
holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." And
if He is the Son of God, then is He also God, of one form with the Father,
and co-eternal; in Him the Father possesses all manifestation;(6) He is His
image in the person, and through His reflection the (Father's) glory shines
forth. And as from the ever-flowing fountain the streams proceed, so also
from this ever-flowing and ever-living fountain does the light of the world
proceed, the perennial and the true, namely Christ our God. For it is of
this that the prophets have preached: "The streams of the river make glad
the city of God."(7) And not one city only, but all cities; for even as it
makes glad one city, so does it also the whole world. Appropriately,
therefore, did the angel(8) say to Mary the holy virgin first of all,
"Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee;" inasmuch as
with her was laid up the full treasure of grace. For of all generations she
alone has risen as a virgin pure in body and in spirit; and she alone bears
Him who bears all things on His word. Nor is it only the beauty of this
holy one in body that calls forth our admiration, but also the innate
virtue of her soul. Wherefore also the angels addressed her first with the
salutation, "Hail, thou that art highly favoured,(9) the Lord is with thee,
and no spouse of earth;" He Himself is with thee who is the Lord of
sanctification, the Father of purity, the Author of incorruption, and the
Bestower of liberty, the Curator of salvation, and the Steward and Provider
of the true peace, who out of the virgin earth made man, and out of man's
side formed Eve in addition. Even this Lord is with thee, and on the other
hand also is of thee. Come, therefore, beloved brethren, and let us take up
the angelic strain, and to the utmost of our ability return the due meed of
praise, saying, "Hail,(10) thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with
thee!" For it is thine truly to rejoice, seeing that the grace of God, as
he knows, has chosen to dwell with thee--the Lord of glory dwelling with
the handmaiden; "He that is fairer than the children of men "(11) with the
fair virgin; He who sanctifies all things with the undefiled. God is with
thee, and with thee also is the perfect man in whom dwells the whole
fulness of the Godhead. Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the fountain
of the light that lightens all who believe upon Him! Hail, thou that art
highly favoured, the rising of the rational Sun,(12) and the undefiled
flower of Life! Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the mead(13) of sweet
savour! Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the ever-blooming vine, that
makes glad the souls of those who honour thee? Hail, thou that art highly
favoured!--the soil that, all untilled, bears bounteous fruit: for thou
hast brought forth in accordance with the law of nature indeed, as it goes
with us, and by the set time of practice,(1) and yet in a way beyond
nature, or rather above nature, by reason that God the Word from above took
His abode in thee, and formed the new Adam in thy holy womb, and inasmuch
as the Holy Ghost gave the power of conception to the holy virgin; and the
reality of His body was assumed from her body. And just as the pearl(2)
comes of the two natures, namely lightning and water, the occult signs of
the sea; so also our Lord Jesus Christ proceeds, without fusion and without
mutation, from the pure, and chaste, and undefiled, and holy Virgin Mary;
perfect in divinity and perfect in humanity, in all things equal to the
Father, and in all things consubstantial with us, apart from sin.
Most of the holy fathers, and patriarchs, and prophets desired to see
Him, and to be eye-witnesses of Him, but did not attaint hereto. And some
of them by visions beheld Him in type, and darkly; others, again, were
privileged to hear the divine voice through the medium of the cloud, and
were favoured with sights of holy angels; but to Mary the pure virgin alone
did the archangel Gabriel manifest himself luminously, bringing her the
glad address, "Hail, thou that art highly favoured!" And thus she received
the word, and in the due time of the fulfilment according to the body's
course she brought forth the priceless pearl. Come, then, ye too, dearly
beloved, and let us chant the melody which has been taught us by the
inspired harp of David, and say, "Arise, O Lord, into Thy rest; Thou, and
the ark of Thy sanctuary."(3) For the holy Virgin is in truth an ark,
wrought with gold both within and without, that has received the whole
treasury of the sanctuary. "Arise, O Lord, into Thy rest." Arise, O Lord,
out of the bosom of the Father, in order that Thou mayest raise up the
fallen race of the first-formed man. Setting these things forth,(4) David
in prophecy said to the rod that was to spring from himself, and to sprout
into the flower of that beauteous fruit, "Hearken, O daughter, and see, and
incline thine ear, and forget thine own people and thy father's house; so
shall the King greatly desire thy beauty: for He is the Lord thy God, and
thou shalt worship Him."(5) Hearken, O daughter, to the things which were
prophesied beforetime of thee, in order that thou mayest also behold the
things themselves with the eyes of understanding. Hearken to me while I
announce things beforehand to thee, and hearken to the archangel who
declares expressly to thee the perfect mysteries. Come then, dearly
beloved, and let us fall back on the memory of what has gone before us; and
let us glorify, and celebrate, and laud, and bless that rod that has sprung
so marvellously from Jesse. For Luke, in the inspired Gospel narratives,
delivers a testimony not to Joseph only, but also to Mary the mother of
God, and gives this account with reference to the very family and house of
David: "For Joseph went up," says he, "from Galilee, unto a city of Judea
which is called Bethlehem, to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being
great with child, because they were of the house and family of David. And
so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she
should be delivered; and she brought forth her son, the first-born of the
whole creation,(6) and wrapped him in swaddling-clothes, and laid him in a
manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."(7) She wrapped in
swaddling-clothes Him who is covered with light as with a garment.(8) She
wrapped in swaddling-clothes Him who made every creature. She laid in a
manger Him who sits above the cherubim,(9) and is praised by myriads of
angels. In the manger set apart for dumb brutes did the Word of God repose,
in order that He might impart to men, who are really irrational by free
choice, the perceptions of true reason. In the board from which cattle eat
was laid the heavenly Bread,(10) in order that He might provide
participation in spiritual sustenance for men who live like the beasts of
the earth. Nor was there even room for Him in the inn. He found no place,
who by His word established heaven and earth; "for though He was rich, for
our sakes He became poor,"(11) and chose extreme humiliation on behalf of
the salvation of our nature, in His inherent goodness toward us. He who
fulfilled the whole administration(12) of unutterable mysteries of the
economy(13) in heaven in the bosom of the Father, and in the cave in the
arms of the mother, reposed in the manger. Angelic choirs encircled Him,
singing of glory in heaven and of peace upon earth. In heaven He was seated
at the right hand of the Father; and in the manger He rested, as it were,
upon the cherubim. Even there was in truth His cherubic throne; there was
His royal seat. Holy of the holy, and alone glorious upon the earth, and
holier than the holy, was that wherein Christ our God rested. To Him be
glory, honour, and power. together with the Father undefiled, and the
altogether holy and quickening Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of
the ages. Amen.
THE SECOND HOMILY.
ON THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE HOLY VIRGIN MARY.(1)
DISCOURSE SECOND.
It is our duty to present to God, like sacrifices, all the festivals
and hymnal celebrations; and first of all, the annunciation to the holy
mother of God, to wit, the salutation made to her by the angel, "Hail, thou
that art highly favoured!" For first of all wisdom(2) and saving doctrine
in the New Testament was this salutation, "Hail, thou that art highly
favoured!" conveyed to us from the Father of lights. And this address,
"highly favoured,"(3) embraced the whole nature of men. "Hail, thou that
art highly favoured"(3) in the holy conception and in the glorious
pregnancy, "I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people."(4) And again the Lord, who came for the purpose of accomplishing a
saving passion, said, "I will see you, and ye shall rejoice; and your joy
no man taketh from you."(5) And after His resurrection again, by the hand
of the holy women, He gave us first of all the salutation "Hail! "(6) And
again, the apostle made the announcement in similar terms, saying, "Rejoice
evermore: pray without ceasing: in everything give thanks."(7) See, then,
dearly beloved, how the Lord has conferred upon us everywhere, and
indivisibly, the joy that is beyond conception, and perennial. For since
the holy Virgin, in the life of the flesh, was in possession of the
incorruptible citizenship, and walked as such in all manner of virtues, and
lived a life more excellent than man's common standard; therefore the Word
that cometh from God the Father thought it meet to assume the flesh, and
endue the perfect man from her, in order that in the same flesh in which
sin entered into the world, and death by sin, sin might be condemned in the
flesh, and that the tempter of sin might be overcome in the burying(8) of
the holy body, and that therewith also the beginning of the resurrection
might be exhibited, and life eternal instituted in the world, and
fellowship established for men with God the Father. And what shall we
state, or what shall we pass by here? or who shall explain what is
incomprehensible in the mystery? But for the present let us fall back upon
our subject. Gabriel was sent to the holy virgin; the incorporeal was
despatched to her who in the body pursued the incorruptible conversation,
and lived in purity and in virtues. And when he came to her, he first
addressed her with the salutation, "Hail, thou that art highly favoured!
the Lord is with thee." Hail, thou that art highly favoured! for thou doest
what is worthy of joy indeed, since thou hast put on the vesture of purity,
and art girt with the cincture of prudence. Hail, thou that art highly
favoured! for to thy lot it has fallen to be the vehicle of celestial joy.
Hail, thou that art highly favoured! for through thee joy is decreed for
the whole creation, and the human race receives again by thee its pristine
dignity. Hail, thou that art highly favoured! for in thy arms the Creator
of all things shall be carried. And she was perplexed by this word; for she
was inexperienced in all the addresses of men, and welcomed quiet, as the
mother of prudence and purity; (yet) being a pure, and immaculate, and
stainless image(9) herself, she shrank not in terror from the angelic
apparition, like most of the prophets, as indeed true virginity has a kind
of affinity and equality with the angels. For the holy Virgin guarded
carefully the torch of virginity, and gave diligent heed that it should not
be extinguished or defiled. And as one who is clad in a brilliant robe
deems it a matter of great moment that no impurity or filth be suffered to
touch it anywhere, so did the holy Mary consider with herself, and said:
Does this act of attention imply any deep design or seductive purpose?
Shall this word "Hail" prove the cause of trouble to me, as of old the fair
promise of being made like God, which was given her by the serpent-devil,
proved to our first mother Eve? Has the devil, who is the author of all
evil, become transformed again into an angel of light; and bearing a grudge
against my espoused husband for his admirable temperance, and having
assailed him with some fair-seeming address, and finding himself powerless
to overcome a mind so firm, and to deceive the man, has he turned his
attack upon me, as one endowed with a more susceptible mind; and is this
word "Hail" (Grace be with thee) spoken as the sign of gracelessness
hereafter? Is this benediction and salutation uttered in irony? Is there
not some poison concealed in the honey? Is it not the address of one who
brings good tidings, while the end of the same is to make me the designer's
prey? And how is it that he can thus salute one whom he knows not? These
things she pondered in perplexity with herself, and expressed in words.
Then again the archangel addressed her with the announcement of a joy which
all may believe in, and which shall not be taken away, and said to her,
"Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God." Shortly hast thou
the proof of what has been said. For I not only give yon to understand that
there is nothing to fear, but I show you the very key to the absence of all
cause for fear. For through me all the heavenly powers hail thee, the holy
virgin: yea rather, He Himself, who is Lord of all the heavenly powers and
of all creation, has selected thee as the holy one and the wholly fair; and
through thy holy, and chaste, and pure, and undefiled womb the enlightening
Pearl comes forth for the salvation of all the world: since of all the race
of man thou art by birth the holy one, and the more honourable, and the
purer, and the more pious than any other: and thou hast a mind whiter than
the snow, and a body made purer than any gold, however fine, and a womb
such as the object which Ezekiel saw, and which he has described in these
terms: "And the likeness of the living creatures upon the head was as the
firmament, and as the appearance of the terrible crystal, and the likeness
of the throne above them was as the appearance of a sapphire-stone: and
above the throne it was as the likeness of a man, and as the appearance of
amber; and within it there was, as it were, the likeness of fire round
about."(1) Clearly, then, did the prophet behold in type Him who was born
of the holy virgin, whom thou, O holy virgin, wouldest have had no strength
to bear, hadst thou not beamed forth for that time(2) with all that is
glorious and virtuous. And with what words of laudation, then, shall we
describe her virgin-dignity? With what indications and proclamations of
praise shall we celebrate her stainless figure? With what spiritual song or
word shall we honour her who is most glorious among the angels? She is
planted in the house of God like a fruitful olive that the Holy Spirit
overshadowed; and by her means are we called sons and heirs of the kingdom
of Christ. She is the ever-blooming paradise of incorruptibility, wherein
is planted the tree that giveth life, and that furnisheth to all the fruits
of immortality. She is the boast and glory of virgins, and the exultation
of mothers. She is the sure support of the believing, and the succourer(3)
of the pious. She is the vesture of light, and the domicile of virtue.(4)
She is the ever-flowing fountain, wherein the water of life sprang and
produced the Lord's incarnate manifestation. She is the monument of
righteousness; and all who become lovers of her, and set their affections
on virgin-like ingenuousness and purity, shall enjoy the grace of angels.
All who keep themselves from wine and intoxication, and from the wanton
enjoyments of strong drink, shall be made glad with the products of the
life-bearing plant. All who have preserved the lamp of virginity
unextinguished shall be privileged to receive the amaranthine crown of
immortality. All who have possessed themselves of the stainless robe of
temperance shall be received into the mystical bride-chamber of
righteousness. All who have come nearer the angelic degree than others
shall also enter into the more real enjoyment of their Lord's beatitude.
All who have possessed the illuminating oil of understanding, and the pure
incense of conscience, shall inherit the promise of spiritual favour and
the spiritual adoption. All who worthily observe the festival of the
Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, the mother of God, acquire as their meet
recompense the fuller interest in the message, "Hail, thou that art highly
favoured!" It is our duty, therefore, to keep this feast, seeing that it
has tilled the whole world with joy and gladness. And let us keep it with
psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs. Of old did Israel also keep their
festival, but then it was with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, of which
the prophet says: "I will turn their feasts into afflictions and
lamentation, and their joy into shame."(5) But our afflictions our Lord has
assured us He will turn into joy by the fruits of penitence.(6) And again,
the first covenant maintained the righteous requirements(7) of a divine
service, as in the case of our forefather Abraham; but these stood in the
inflictions of pain in the flesh by circumcision, until the time of the
fulfilment. "The law was given to them through Moses" for their discipline;
"but grace and truth" have been given to us by Jesus Christ.(8) The
beginning of all these blessings to us appeared in the annunciation to
Mary, the highly-favoured, in the economy of the Saviour which is worthy of
all praise, and in His divine and supra-mundane instruction. Thence rise
the rays of the light of understanding upon us. Thence spring for us the
fruits of wisdom and immortality, sending forth the clear pure streams of
piety. Thence come to us the brilliant splendours of the treasures of
divine knowledge. "For this is life eternal, that we may know the true God,
and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent."(9) And again, "Search the Scriptures,
for in them ye think ye have eternal life."(10) For on this account the
treasure of the knowledge of God is revealed to them who search the divine
oracles. That treasure of the inspired Scriptures the Paraclete has
unfolded to us this day. And let the tongue of prophecy and the doctrine of
apostles be the treasure of wisdom to us; for without the law and the
prophets, or the evangelists and the apostles, it is not possible to have
the certain hope of salvation. For by the tongue of the holy prophets and
apostles our Lord speaks, and God takes pleasure in the words of the
saints; not that He requires the spoken address, but that He delights in
the good disposition; not that He receives any profit from men, but that He
finds a restful satisfaction in the rightly-affected soul of the righteous.
For it is not that Christ is magnified by what we say; but as we receive
benefits from Him, we proclaim with grateful mind His beneficence to us;
not that we can attain to what is worthy therein, but that we give the meet
return to the best of our ability. And when the Gospels or the Epistles,
therefore, are read, let not your attention centre on the book or on the
reader, but on the God who speaks to you from heaven. For the book is but
that which is seen, while Christ is the divine subject spoken of. It brings
us then the glad tidings of that economy of the Saviour, which is worthy of
all praise, to wit, that, though He was God, He became man through kindness
toward man, and did not lay aside, indeed, the dignity which was His from
all eternity, but assumed the economy that should work salvation. It brings
us the glad tidings of that economy of the Saviour worthy of all praise, to
wit, that He sojourned with us as a physician for the sick, who did not
heal them with potions, but restored them by the inclination of His
philanthropy. It brings us the glad tidings of this economy of the Saviour
altogether to be praised, to wit, that to them who had wandered astray the
way of salvation was shown, and that to the despairing the grace of
salvation was made known, which blesses all in different modes; searching
after the erring, enlightening the blinded, giving life to the dead,
setting free the slaves, redeeming the captives, and becoming all things to
all of us in order to be the true way of salvation to us: and all this He
does, not by reason of our goodwill toward Him, but in virtue of a
benignity that is proper to our Benefactor Himself. For the Saviour did
all, not in order that He might acquire virtue Himself, but that He might
put us in possession of eternal life. He made man, indeed, after the image
of God, and appointed him to live in a paradise of pleasure. But the man
being deceived by the devil, and having become a transgressor of the divine
commandment, was made subject to the doom of death. Whence, also, those
born of him were involved in their father's liability in virtue of their
succession, and had the reckoning of condemnation required of them. "For
death reigned from Adam to Moses."(1) But the Lord. in His benignity toward
man, when He saw the creature He Himself had formed now held by the power
of death, did not turn away finally from him whom He had made in His own
image, but visited him in each generation, and forsook him not; and
manifesting Himself first of all among the patriarchs, and then proclaiming
Himself in the law, and presenting the likeness of Himself(2) in the
prophets, He presignified the economy of salvation. When, moreover, the
fulness of the times came for His glorious appearing, He sent beforehand
the archangel Gabriel to bear the glad tidings to the Virgin Mary. And he
came down from the ineffable powers above to the holy Virgin, and addressed
her first of all with the salutation, 'Hail, thou that art highly
favoured." And when this word," Hail, thou that art highly favoured,"
reached her, in the very moment of her hearing it, the Holy Spirit entered
into the undefiled temple of the Virgin, and her mind and her members were
sanctified together. And nature stood opposite, and natural intercourse at
a distance, beholding with amazement the Lord of nature, in a manner
contrary to nature, or rather above nature, doing a miraculous work in the
body; and by the very weapons by which the devil strove against us, Christ
also saved us, taking to Himself our passible body in order that He might
impart the greater grace(3) to the being who was deficient in it. And
"where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." And appropriately was
grace sent to the holy Virgin. For this word also is contained in the
oracle of the evangelic history: "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel
was sent to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house
and lineage of David; and the virgin's name was Mary;"(4) and so forth. And
this was the first month to the holy Virgin. Even as Scripture says in the
book of the law: "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it
shall be the first month among the months of the year to you."(5) "Keep ye
the feast of the holy passover to the Lord in all your generations." it was
also the sixth month to Zacharias. And rightly, then, did the holy Virgin
prove to be of the family of David, and she had her home in Bethlehem, and
was betrothed rightfully to Joseph, in accordance with the laws of
relationship. And her espoused husband was her guardian, and possessor also
of the untarnished incorruption which was hers. And the name given to the
holy Virgin was one that became her exceedingly. For she was called Mary,
and that, by interpretation, means illumination. And what shines more
brightly that the light of virginity? For this reason also the virtues are
called virgins by those who strive rightly to get at their true nature. But
if it is so great a blessing to have a virgin heart, how great a boon will
it be to have the flesh that cherishes virginity along with the soul! Thus
the holy Virgin, while still in the flesh, maintained the incorruptible
life, and received in faith the things which were announced by the
archangel. And thereafter she journeyed diligently to her relation
Elisabeth in the hill-country. "And she entered into the house of
Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth,"(1) in imitation of the angel. "And it
came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe
leapt with joy in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy
Ghost."(1) Thus the voice of Mary wrought with power, and filled Elisabeth
with the Holy Ghost. And by her tongue, as from an ever-flowing fountain,
she sent forth a stream of gracious gifts in the way of prophecy to her
relation; and while the feet of her child were bound in the womb,(2) she
prepared to dance and leap. And that was the sign of a marvellous
jubilation. For wherever she was who was highly favoured, there she filled
all things with joy. "And Elisabeth spake out with a loud voice, and said,
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And
whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Blessed
art thou among women."(3) For thou hast become to women the beginning of
the new creation.(4) Thou hast given to us boldness of access into
paradise, and thou hast put to flight our ancient woe. For after thee the
race of woman shall no more be made the subject of reproach. No more do the
successors of Eve fear the ancient curse, or the pangs of childbirth. For
Christ, the Redeemer of our race, the Saviour of all nature, the spiritual
Adam who has healed the hurt of the creature of earth, cometh forth from
thy holy womb. "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of
thy womb." For He who bears all blessings for us is manifested as thy
fruit. This we read in the clear words of her who was barren; but yet more
clearly did the holy Virgin herself express this again when she presented
to God the song replete with thanksgiving, and acceptance, and divine
knowledge; announcing ancient things together with what was new;
proclaiming along with things which were of old, things also which belong
to the consummation of the ages; and summing up in a short discourse the
mysteries of Christ. "And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my
spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour," and so forth. "He hath holpen His
servant Israel in remembrance of His mercy, and of the covenant which He
established with Abraham and with his seed for ever."(5) Thou seest how the
holy Virgin has surpassed even the perfection of the patriarchs, and how
she confirms the covenant which was made with Abraham by God, when He said,
"This is the covenant which I shall establish between me and thee."(6)
Wherefore He has come and confirmed the covenant with Abraham, having
received mystically in Himself the sign of circumcision, and having proved
Himself the fulfilment of the law and the prophets. This song of prophecy,
therefore, did the holy mother of God render to God, saying, "My soul doth
magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour: for He
that is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name." For
having made me the mother of God, He has also preserved me a virgin; and by
my womb the fulness of all generations is headed up together for
sanctification. For He hath blessed every age, both men and women, both
young men and youths, and old men. "He hath made strength with His arm,"(7)
on our behalf, against death and against the devil, having torn the
handwriting of our sins. "He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of
their hearts;" yea, He hath scattered the devil himself, and all the demons
that serve under him. For he was overweeningly haughty in his heart, seeing
that he dared to say, "I will set my throne above the clouds, and I will be
like the Most High."(8) And now, how He scattered him the prophet has
indicated in what follows, where he says, "Yet now thou shalt be brought
down to hell,"(9) and all thy hosts with thee. For He has overthrown
everywhere his altars and the worship of vain gods, and He has prepared for
Himself a peculiar people out of the heathen nations. "He hath put down the
mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree." In these terms is
intimated in brief the extrusion of the Jews and the admission of the
Gentiles. For the elders of the Jews and the scribes in the law, and those
who were richly privileged with other prerogatives, because they used their
riches ill and their power lawlessly, were cast down by Him from every
seat, whether of prophecy or of priesthood, whether of legislature or of
doctrine, and were stripped of all their ancestral wealth, and of their
sacrifices and multitudinous festivals, and of all the honourable
privileges of the kingdom. Spoiled of all these boons, as naked fugitives
they were cast out into captivity. And in their stead the humble were
exalted, namely, the Gentile peoples who hungered after righteousness. For,
discovering their own lowliness, and the hunger that pressed upon them for
the knowledge of God, they pleaded for the divine word, though it were but
for crumbs of the same, like the woman of Canaan;(1) and for this reason
they were filled with the riches of the divine mysteries. For the Christ
who was born of the Virgin, and who is our God, has given over the whole
inheritance of divine blessings to the Gentiles. "He hath holpen His
servant Israel."(2) Not any Israel in general, indeed, but His servant, who
in very deed maintains the true nobility of Israel. And on this account
also did the mother of God call Him servant (Son) and heir. For when He had
found the same labouring painfully in the letter and the law, He called him
by grace. It is such an Israel, therefore, that He called and hath holpen
in remembrance of His mercy. "As He spake to our fathers, I to Abraham and
to his seed for ever." In these few words is comprehended the whole mystery
of the economy. For, with the purpose of saving the race of men, and
fulfilling the covenant that was made with our fathers, Christ has once
"bowed the heavens and come down."(3) And thus He shows Himself to us as we
are capable of receiving Him, in order that we might have power to see Him,
and handle Him, and hear Him when the speaketh. And on this account did God
the Word deem it meet to take to Himself the flesh and the perfect humanity
by a woman, the holy Virgin; and He was born a man, in order that He might
discharge our debt, and fulfil even in Himself(4) the ordinances of the
covenant made with Abraham, in its rite of circumcision, and all the other
legal appointments connected with it. And after she had spoken these words
the holy Virgin went to Nazareth; and from that a decree of Caesar led her
to come again to Bethlehem; and so, as proceeding herself from the royal
house, she was brought to the royal house of David along with Joseph her
espoused husband. And there ensued there the mystery which transcends all
wonders,--the Virgin brought forth and bore in her hand Him who bears the
whole creation by His word. "And there was no room for them in the inn."(5)
He found no room who founded the whole earth by His word. She nourished
with her milk Him who imparts sustenance and life to everything that hath
breath. She wrapped Him in swaddling-clothes who binds the whole creation
fast with His word. She laid Him in a manger who rides seated upon the
cherubim.(6) A light from heaven shone round about Him who lighteneth the
whole creation. The hosts of heaven attended Him with their doxologies who
is glorified in heaven from before all ages. A star with its torch guided
them who had come from the distant parts of earth toward Him who is the
true Orient. From the East came those who brought gifts to Him who for our
sakes became poor. And the holy mother of God kept these words, and
pondered them in her heart, like one who was the receptacle of all the
mysteries. Thy praise, O most holy Virgin, surpasses all laudation, by
reason of the God who received the flesh and was born man of thee. To thee
every creature, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under
the earth, offers the meet offering of honour. For thou hast been indeed
set forth as the true cherubic throne. Thou shinest as the very brightness
of light in the high places of the kingdoms of intelligence; where the
Father, who is without beginning,, and whose power thou hadst overshadowing
thee, is glorified; where also the Son is worshipped, whom thou didst bear
according to the flesh; and where the Holy Spirit is praised, who effected
in thy womb the generation of the mighty King. Through thee, O thou that
art highly favoured, is the holy and consubstantial Trinity known in the
world. Together with thyself, deem us also worthy to be made partakers of
thy perfect grace in Jesus Christ our Lord: with whom, and with the Holy
Spirit, be glory to the Father, now and ever, and unto the ages of the
ages. Amen.(8)
THE THIRD HOMILY.
ON THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE HOLY VIRGIN MARY.(9)
Again have we the glad tidings of joy, again the announcements of
liberty, again the restoration, again the return, again the promise of
gladness, again the release from slavery. An angel talks with the Virgin,
in order that the serpent may no more have converse with the woman. In the
sixth month, it is said, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a virgin
espoused to a man.(10) Gabriel was sent to declare the world-wide
salvation: Gabriel was sent to bear to Adam the signature of his
restoration; Gabriel was sent to a virgin, in order to transform the
dishonour of the female sex into honour; Gabriel was sent to prepare the
worthy chamber for the pure spouse; Gabriel was sent to wed the creature
with the Creator; Gabriel was sent to the animate palace of the King of the
angels; Gabriel was sent to a virgin espoused to Joseph, but preserved for
Jesus the Son of God. The incorporeal servant was sent to the virgin
undefiled. One free from sin was sent to one that admitted no corruption.
The light was sent that should announce the Sun of righteousness. The dawn
was sent that should precede the light of the day. Gabriel was sent to
proclaim Him who is in the bosom of the Father, and who yet was to be in
the arms of the mother. Gabriel was sent to declare Him who is upon the
throne, and yet also in the cavern. The subaltern was sent to utter aloud
the mystery of the great King; the mystery, I mean, which is discerned by
faith, and which cannot be searched out by officious curiosity; the mystery
which is to be adored, not weighed; the mystery which is to be taken as a
thing divine, and not measured. "In the sixth month Gabriel was sent to a
virgin." What is meant by this sixth month? What? It is the sixth month
from the time when Elisabeth received the glad tidings, from the time that
she conceived John. And how is this made plain? The archangel himself gives
us the interpretation, when he says to the virgin: "Behold, thy relation
Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is now
the sixth month with her, who was called barren."(1) In the sixth month--
that is evidently, therefore, the sixth month of the conception of John.
For it was meet that the subaltern should go before; it was meet thai: the
attendant should precede; it was meet that the herald of the Lord's coming
should prepare the way for Him. In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was
sent to a virgin espoused to a man; espoused, not united; espoused, yet
kept intact. And for what purpose was she espoused? In order that the
spoiler might not learn the mystery prematurely. For that the King was to
come by a virgin, was a fact known to the wicked one. For he too heard
these words of Isaiah: 4, Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a
son."(2 )And on every occasion, consequently, he kept watch upon the
virgin's words, in order that, whenever this mystery should be fulfilled,
he might prepare her dishonour. Wherefore the Lord came by an I espoused
virgin, in order to elude the notice of the wicked one; for one who was
espoused was pledged in fine to be her husband's. "In the sixth month the
angel Gabriel was sent to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was
Joseph." Hear what the prophet says about this man and the virgin: "This
book that is sealed shall be delivered to a man that is learned."(3) What
is meant by this sealed book, but just the virgin undefiled? From whom is
this to be given? From the priests evidently. And to whom? To the artisan
Joseph. As, then, the priests espoused Mary to Joseph as to a prudent
husband, and committed her to his care in expectation of the time of
marriage, and as it behoved him then on obtaining her to keep the virgin
untouched, this was announced by the prophet long before, when he said:
"This book that is sealed shall be delivered to a man that is learned." And
that man will say, I cannot read it. But why canst thou not read it, O
Joseph? I cannot read it, he says, because the book is sealed. For whom,
then, is it preserved? It is preserved as a place of sojourn for the Maker
of the universe. But let us return to our immediate subject. In the sixth
month Gabriel was sent to a virgin -- he who received, indeed, such
injunctions as these: "Come hither now, archangel, and become the minister
of a dread mystery which has been kept hid, and be thou the agent in the
miracle. I am moved by my compassions to descend to earth in order to
recover the lost Adam. Sin hath made him decay who was made in my image,
and hath corrupted the work of my hands, and hath obscured the beauty which
I formed. The wolf devours my nursling, the home of paradise is desolate,
the tree of life is guarded by the flaming sword, the location of
enjoyments is closed. My pity is evoked for the object of this enmity, and
I desire to seize the enemy. Yet I wish to keep this mystery, which I
confide to thee alone, still hid from all the powers of heaven. Go thou,
therefore, to the Virgin Mary. Pass thou on to that animate city whereof
the prophet spake in these words: 'Glorious things were spoken of thee, O
city of God.'(4) Proceed, then, to my rational paradise; proceed to the
gate of the east; proceed to the place of sojourn that is worthy of my
word; proceed to that second heaven on earth; proceed to the light cloud,
and announce to it the shower of my coming; proceed to the sanctuary
prepared for me; proceed to the hall of the incarnation; proceed to the
pure chamber of my generation after the flesh. Speak in the ears of my
rational ark, so as to prepare for me the accesses of hearing. But neither
disturb nor vex the soul of the virgin. Manifest thyself in a manner
befitting that sanctuary, and hail her first with the voice of gladness.
And address Mary with the saturation, 'Hail, thou that art highly
favoured,' that I may show compassion for Eve in her depravation." The
archangel heard these things, and considered them within himself, as was
reasonable, and said: "Strange is this matter; passing comprehension is
this thing that is spoken. He who is the object of dread to the cherubim,
He who cannot be looked upon by the seraphim, He who is incomprehensible to
all the heavenly(1) powers, does He give the assurance of His connection
with a maiden? does He announce His own personal coming? yea more, does He
hold out an access by hearing? and is He who condemned Eve, urgent to put
such honour upon her daughter? For He says: 'So as to prepare for me the
accesses of hearing.' But can the womb contain Him who cannot be contained
in space? Truly this is a dread mystery." While the angel is indulging such
reflections, the Lord says to Him: "Why art thou troubled and perplexed, O
Gabriel? Hast thou not already been sent by me to Zacharias the priest?
Hast thou not conveyed to him the glad tidings of the nativity of John?
Didst thou not inflict upon the incredulous priest the penalty of
speechlessness? Didst thou not punish the aged man with dumbness? Didst
thou not make thy declaration, and I confirmed it? And has not the actual
fact followed upon thy announcement of good? Did not the barren woman
conceive? Did not the womb obey the word? Did not the malady of sterility
depart? Did not the inert disposition of nature take to flight? Is not she
now one that shows fruitfulness, who before was never pregnant? Can
anything be impossible with me, the Creator of all? Wherefore, then, art
thou tossed with doubt?" What is the angel's answer to this? "O Lord," he
says, "to remedy the defects of nature, to do away with the blast of evils,
to recall the dead members to the power of life, to enjoin on nature the
potency of generation, to remove barrenness in the case of members that
have passed the common limit,(2) to change the old and withered stalk into
the appearance of verdant vigour, to set forth the fruitless soil suddenly
as the producer of sheaves of corn,--to do all this is a work which, as it
is ever the case, demands Thy power. And Sarah is a witness thereto, and
along with her(3) also Rebecca, and again Anna, who all, though bound by
the dread ill of barrenness, were afterwards gifted by Thee with
deliverance from that malady. But that a virgin should bring forth, without
knowledge of a man, is something that goes beyond all the laws of nature;
and dost Thou yet announce Thy coming to the maiden? The bounds of heaven
and earth do not contain Thee, and how shall the womb of a virgin contain
Thee?" And the Lord says: "How did the tent of Abraham contain me?"(4) And
the angel says: "As there were there the deeps of hospitality, O Lord, Thou
didst show Thyself there to Abraham at the door of the tent, and didst pass
quickly by it, as He who filleth all things. But how can Mary sustain the
fire of the divinity? Thy throne blazes with the illumination of its
splendour, and can the virgin receive Thee without being consumed?" Then
the Lord says: "Yea surely, if the fire in the wilderness injured the bush,
my coming will indeed also injure Mary; but if that fire which served as
the adumbration of the advent of the fire of divinity from heaven
fertilized the bush, and did not burn it, what wilt thou say of the Truth
that descends not in a flame of fire, but in the form of rain?"(5)
Thereupon the angel set himself to carry out the commission given him, and
repaired to the Virgin, and addressed her with a loud voice, saying: "Hail,
thou that are highly favoured! the Lord is with thee. No longer shalt the
devil be against thee; for where of old that adversary inflicted the wound,
there now first of all does the Physician apply the salve of deliverance.
Where death came forth, there has life now prepared its entrance. By a
woman came the flood of our ills, and by a woman also our blessings have
their spring. Hail, thou that are highly favoured! Be not thou ashamed, as
if thou wert the cause of our condemnation. For thou art made the mother of
Him who is at once Judge and Redeemer. Hail, thou stainless mother of the
Bridegroom(6) of a world bereft! Hail, thou that hast sunk in thy womb the
death (that came) of the mother (Eve)! Hail, thou animate temple of temple
of God! Hail, thou equal(7) home of heaven and earth alike! Hail, thou
amplest receptacle of the illimitable nature!" But as these things are so,
through her has come for the sick the Physician; for them that sit in
darkness, the Sun of righteousness; for all that are tossed and tempest-
beaten, the Anchor and the Port undisturbed by storm. For the servants in
irreconcilable enmity has been born the Lord; and One has sojourned with us
to be the bond of peace and the Redeemer of those led captive, and to be
the peace for those involved in hostility. For He is our peace;(8) and of
that peace may it be granted that all we may receive the enjoyment, by the
grace and kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ; to whom be the glory, honour,
and power, now and ever, and unto all the ages of the ages. Amen.
THE FOURTH HOMILY.
ON THE HOLY THEOPHANY, OR ON CHRIST'S BAPTISM,(1)
O ye who are the friends of Christ, and the friends of the stranger,
and the friends of the brethren, receive in kindness my speech to-day, and
open your ears like the doors of hearing, and admit within them my
discourse, and accept from me this saving proclamation of the baptism(2) of
Christ, which took place in the river Jordan, in order that your loving
desires may be quickened after the Lord, who has done so much for us in the
way of condescension. For even though the festival of the Epiphany of the
Saviour is past, the grace of the same yet abides with us through all. Let
us therefore enjoy it with insatiable minds; for insatiate desire is a good
thing in the case of what pertains to salvation--yea, it is a good thing.
Come therefore, all of us, from Galilee to Judea, and let us go forth with
Christ; for blessed is he who journeys in such company on the way of life.
Come, and with the feet of thought let us make for the Jordan, and see John
the Baptist as he baptizes One who needs no baptism, and yet submits to the
rite in order that He may bestow freely upon us the grace of baptism. Come,
let us view the image of our regeneration, as it is emblematically
presented in these waters. "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto
John, to be baptized of him."(3) O how vast is the humility of the Lord! O
how vast His condescension! The King of the heavens hastened to John, His
own forerunner, without setting in motion the camps(4) of His angels,
without despatching beforehand the incorporeal powers as His precursors;
but presenting Himself in utmost simplicity, in soldier-like form,(5) He
comes tip to His own subaltern. And He approached him as one of the
multitude, and humbled Himself among the captives though He was the
Redeemer, and ranged Himself with those under judgment though He was the
Judge, and joined Himself with the lost sheep though He was the Good
Shepherd who on account of the straying sheep came down from heaven, and
yet did not forsake His heavens, and Was mingled with the tares though He
was that heavenly grain that springs unsown. And when the Baptist John then
saw Him, recognising Him whom before in his mother's womb he had recognised
and worshipped, and discerning clearly that this was He on whose account,
in a manner surpassing the natural time, the had leaped in the womb of his
mother. in violation of the limits of nature, he drew his right hand within
his double cloak, and bowing his head like a servant full of love to his
master, addressed Him in these words: I have need to be baptized of Thee,
and comest Thou to me?(6) What is this Thou doest, my Lord? Why dost Thou
reverse the order of things? Why seekest Thou along with the servants, at
the hand of Thy servant, the things that are proper to servants? Why dost
Thou desire to receive what Thou requirest not? Why dost Thou burden me,
Thy servitor, with Thy mighty condescension? I have need to be baptized of
Thee, but Thou hast no need to be baptized of me. The less is blessed by
the greater, and the greater is not blessed and sanctified by the less. The
light is kindled by the sun, and the sun is not made to shine by the rush-
lamp. The clay is wrought by the potter, and the potter is not moulded by
the clay. The creature is made anew by the Creator, and the Creator is not
restored by the creature. The infirm is healed by the physician, and the
physician is not cured by the infirm. The poor man receives contributions
from the rich, and the rich borrow not from the poor. I have need to be
baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me? Can I be ignorant who Thou art,
and from what source Thou hast Thy light, and whence Thou art come? Or,
because Thou hast been born even as I have been,(7) am I, then, to deny the
greatness of Thy divinity? Or, because Thou hast condescended so far to me
as to have approached my body, and dost bear me wholly in Thyself in order
to effect the salvation of the whole man, am I, on account of that body of
Thine which is seen, to overlook that divinity of Thine which is only
apprehended? Or, because on behalf of my salvation Thou hast taken to
Thyself the offering of my first-fruits, am I to ignore the fact that Thou
"coverest Thyself with light as with a garment? "(8) Or, because Thou
wearest the flesh that is related to me, and dost show Thyself to men as
they are able to see Thee, am I to forget the brightness of Thy glorious
divinity? Or, because I see my own form in Thee, am I to reason against Thy
divine substance, which is invisible and incomprehensible? I know Thee, O
Lord; I know Thee clearly. I know Thee, since I have been taught by Thee;
for no one can recognise Thee, unless He enjoys Thine illumination. I know
Thee, O Lord, clearly; for I saw Thee spiritually before I beheld this
light. When Thou wert altogether in the incorporeal bosom of the heavenly
Father, Thou wert also altogether in the womb of Thy handmaid and mother;
and I though held in the womb of Elisabeth by nature as in a prison, and
bound with the indissoluble bonds of the children unborn, leaped and
celebrated Thy birth with anticipative rejoicings. Shall I then, who gave
intimation of Thy sojourn on earth before Thy birth, fail to apprehend Thy
coming after Thy birth? Shall I, who in the womb was a teacher of Thy
coming, be now a child in understanding in view of perfect knowledge? But I
cannot but worship Thee, who art adored by the whole creation; I cannot but
proclaim Thee, of whom heaven gave the indication by the star, and for whom
earth offered a kind reception by the wise men, while the choirs of angels
also praised Thee in joy over Thy condescension to us, and the shepherds
who kept watch by night hymned Thee as the Chief Shepherd of the rational
sheep. I cannot keep silence while Thou art present, for I am a voice; yea,
I am the voice, as it is said, of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye
the way of the Lord.(1) I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou
to me? I was born, and thereby removed the barrenness of the mother that
bore me; and while still a babe I became the healer of my father's
speechlessness, having received of Thee from my childhood the gift of the
miraculous. But Thou, being born of the Virgin Mary, as Thou didst will,
and as Thou alone dost know, didst not do away with her virginity; but Thou
didst keep it, and didst simply gift her with the name of mother: and
neither did her virginity preclude Thy birth, nor did Thy birth injure her
virginity. But these two things, so utterly opposite--bearing and
virginity--harmonized with one intent; for such a thing abides, possible
with Thee, the Framer of nature. I am, but a man, and am a partaker of the
divine grace; but Thou art God, and also man to the same effect: for Thou
art by nature man's friend. I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest
Thou to me? Thou who wast in the beginning, and wast with God, and wast
God;(2) Thou who art the brightness of the Father's glory;(3) Thou who art
the perfect image of the perfect Father;(4) Thou who art the true light
that lighteneth every man that cometh into the world;(5) Thou who wast in
the world, and didst come where Thou wast; Thou who wast made flesh, and
yet wast not changed into the flesh; Thou who didst dwell among us, and
didst manifest Thyself to Thy servants in the form of a servant; Thou who
didst bridge earth and heaven together by Thy holy name,--comest Thou to
me? One so great to such a one as I am? The King to the forerunner? The
Lord to the servant? But though Thou wast not ashamed to be born in the
lowly measures of humanity, yet I have no ability to pass the measures of
nature. I know how great is the measure of difference between earth and the
Creator. I know how great is the distinction between the clay and the
potter. I know how vast is the superiority possessed by Thee, who art the
Sun of righteousness, over me who am but the torch of Thy grace. Even
though Thou art compassed with the pure cloud of the body, I can still
recognise Thy lordship. I acknowledge my own servitude, I proclaim Thy
glorious greatness, I recognise Thy perfect lordship, I recognise my own
perfect insignificance, I am not worthy to unloose the latchets of Thy
shoes;(6) and how shall I dare to touch Thy stainless head? How can I
stretch out the right hand upon Thee, who didst stretch out the heavens
like a curtain,(7) and didst set the earth above the waters?(8) How shall I
spread those menial hands of mine upon Thy head? How shall I wash Thee, who
art undefiled and sinless? How shall I enlighten the light? What manner of
prayer shall I offer up over Thee, who dost receive the prayers even of
those who are ignorant of Thee?
When I baptize others, I baptize into Thy name, in order that they may
believe on Thee, who comest with glory; but when I baptize Thee, of whom
shall I make mention? and into whose name shall I baptize Thee? Into that
of the Father? But Thou hast the Father altogether in Thyself, and Thou art
altogether in the Father. Or into that of the Son? But beside Thee there is
no other Son of God by nature. Or into that of the Holy Spirit? But He is
ever together with Thee, as being of one substance, and of one will, and of
one judgment, and of one power, and of one honour with Thee; and He
receives, l along with Thee, the same adoration from all. Wherefore, O
Lord, baptize Thou me, if Thou pleasest; baptize me, the Baptist.
Regenerate one whom Thou didst cause to be generated. I Extend Thy dread
right hand, which Thou hast prepared for Thyself, and crown my head by Thy
touch, in order that I may run the course before Thy kingdom, crowned like
a forerunner, and diligently announce the good tidings to the sinners,
addressing them with this earnest call: "Behold the Lamb of God, that
taketh away the sin of the world!"(9) O river Jordan, accompany me in the
joyous choir, and leap with me, and stir thy waters rhythmically, as in the
movements of the dance; for thy Maker stands by thee in the body. Once of
old didst thou see Israel pass through thee, and thou didst divide thy
floods, and didst wait in expectation of the passage of the people; but now
divide thyself more decidedly, and flow more easily, and embrace the
stainless limbs of Him who at that ancient time did convey the Jews(1)
through thee. Ye mountains and hills, ye valleys and torrents, ye seas and
rivers, bless the Lord, who has come upon the river Jordan; for through
these streams He transmits sanctification to all streams. And Jesus
answered and said to him: Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us
to fulfil all righteousness.(2) Suffer it to be so now; grant the favour of
silence, O Baptist, to the season of my economy. Learn to will whatever is
my will. Learn to minister to me in those things on which I am bent, and do
not pry curiously into all that I wish to do. Suffer it to be so now: do
not yet proclaim my divinity; do not yet herald my kingdom with thy lips,
in order that the tyrant may not learn the fact and give up the counsel he
has formed with respect to me. Permit the devil to come upon me, and enter
the conflict with me as though I were but a common man, and receive thus
his mortal wound. Permit me to fulfil the object for which I have come to
earth. It is a mystery that is being gone through this day in the Jordan.
My mysteries are for myself and my own. There is a mystery here, not for
the fulfilling of my own need, but for the designing of a remedy for those
who have been wounded. There is a mystery, which gives in these waters the
representation of the heavenly streams of the regeneration of men. Suffer
it to be so now: when thou seest me doing what seemeth to me good among the
works of my hands, in a manner befitting divinity, then attune thy praises
to the acts accomplished. When thou seest me cleansing the lepers, then
proclaim me as the framer of nature. When thou seest me make the lame ready
runners, then with quickened pace do thou also prepare thy tongue to praise
me. When thou seest me cast out demons, then hail my kingdom with
adoration. When thou seest me raise the dead from their graves by my word,
then, in concert with those thus raised, glorify me as the Prince of Life.
When thou seest me on the Father's right hand, then acknowledge me to be
divine, as the equal of the Father and the Holy Spirit, on the throne, and
in eternity, and in honour. Suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us
to fulfil all righteousness. I am the Lawgiver, and the Son of the
Lawgiver; and it becometh me first to pass through all that is established,
and then to set forth everywhere the intimations of my free gift. It
becometh me to fulfil the law, and then to bestow grace. It becometh me to
adduce the shadow, and then the reality. It becometh me to finish the old
covenant, and then to dictate the new, and to write it on the hearts of
men, and to subscribe it with my blood,(3) and to seal it with my Spirit.
It becometh me to ascend the cross, and to be pierced with its nails, and
to suffer after the manner of that nature which is capable of suffering,
and to heal sufferings by my suffering, and by the tree to cure the wound
that was inflicted upon men by the medium of a tree. It becometh me to
descend even into the very depths of the grave, on behalf of the dead who
are detained there. It becometh me, by my three days' dissolution in the
flesh, to destroy the power of the ancient enemy, death. It becometh me to
kindle the torch of my body for those who sit in darkness and in the shadow
of death. It becometh me to ascend in the flesh to that place where I am in
my divinity. It becometh me to introduce to the Father the Adam reigning in
me. It becometh me to accomplish these things, for on account of these
things I have taken my position with the works of my hands. It becometh me
to be baptized with this baptism for the present, and afterwards to bestow
the baptism of the consubstantial Trinity upon all men. Lend me, therefore,
O Baptist, thy right hand for the present economy, even as Mary lent her
womb for my birth. Immerse me in the streams of Jordan, even as she who
bore me wrapped me m children's swaddling-clothes. Grant me thy baptism
even as the Virgin granted me her milk. Lay hold of this head of mine,
which the seraphim revere. With thy right hand lay hold of this head, that
is related to thyself in kinship. Lay hold of this head, which nature has
made to be touched. Lay hold of this head, which for this very purpose has
been formed by myself and my Father. Lay hold of this head of mine, which,
if one does lay hold of it in piety, will save him from ever suffering
shipwreck. Baptize me, who am destined to baptize those who believe on me
with water, and with the Spirit, and with fire: with water, capable of
washing away the defilement of sins; with the Spirit, capable of making the
earthly spiritual; with fire, naturally fitted to consume the thorns of
transgressions. On hearing these words, the Baptist directed his mind to
the object of the salvation,(4) and comprehended the mystery which he had
received, and discharged the divine command; for he was at once pious and
ready to obey. And stretching forth slowly his right hand, which seemed
both to tremble and to rejoice, he baptized the Lord. Then the Jews who
were present, with those in the vicinity and those from a distance,
reasoned together, and spake thus with themselves and with each other: Was
it, then, without cause that we imagined John to be superior to Jesus? Was
it without cause that we considered the former to be greater than the
latter? Does not this very baptism attest the Baptist's pre-eminence? Is
not he who baptizeth presented as the superior, and he who is baptized as
the inferior? But while they, in their ignorance of the mystery of the
economy, babbled in such wise with each other, He who alone is Lord, and by
nature the Father of the Only-begotten, He who alone knoweth perfectly Him
whom He alone in passionless fashion begat, to correct the erroneous
imaginations of the Jews, opened the gates of the heavens, and sent down
the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, lighting upon the head of Jesus,
pointing out thereby the new Noah, yea the maker of Noah, and the good
pilot of the nature which is in shipwreck. And He Himself calls with clear
voice out of heaven, and says: "This is my beloved Son,"(1) -- the Jesus
there, namely, and not the John; the one baptized, and not the one
baptizing; He who was begotten of me before all periods of time and not he
who was begotten of Zacharias; He who was born of Mary after the flesh, and
not he who was brought forth by Elisabeth beyond all expectation; He who
was the fruit of the virginity yet preserved intact, and not he who was the
shoot from a sterility removed; He who has had His conversation with you,
and not he who was brought up in the wilderness. This is my beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased: my Son, of the same substance with myself, and not
of a different; of one substance with me according to what is unseen, and
of one substance with you according to what is seen, yet without sin. This
is He who along with me made man. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased. This Son of mine and this son of Mary are not two distinct
persons; but this is my beloved Son, -- this one who is both seen with the
eye and apprehended with the mind. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased; hear Him. If He shall say, I and my Father are one,(2) hear
Him. If He shall say, He that hath seen me hath seen the Father,(3) hear
Him. If He shall say, He that hath sent me is greater than I,(4) adapt the
voice to the economy. If He shall say, Whom do men say that I the Son of
man am?(5) answer ye Him thus: Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God.(6) By these words, as they were sent from the Father out of heaven in
thunder-form, the race of men was enlightened: they apprehended the
difference between the Creator and the creature, between the King and the
soldier (subject), between the Worker and the work; and being strengthened
in faith, they drew near through the baptism of John to Christ, our true
God, who baptizeth with the Spirit and with fire. To Him be glory, and to
the Father, and to the most holy and quickening Spirit, now and ever, and
unto the ages of the ages. Amen.
Taken from "The Early Church Fathers and Other Works" originally published
by Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. in English in Edinburgh, Scotland beginning in
1867. (ANF 6, Roberts and Donaldson). The digital version is by The
Electronic Bible Society, P.O. Box 701356, Dallas, TX 75370, 214-407-WORD.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The electronic form of this document is copyrighted.
Copyright (c) Eternal Word Television Network 1996.
Provided courtesy of:
EWTN On-Line Services
PO Box 3610
Manassas, VA 22110
Voice: 703-791-2576
Fax: 703-791-4250
Data: 703-791-4336
FTP: ftp.ewtn.com
Telnet: ewtn.com
WWW:
http://www.ewtn.com.
Email address:
[email protected]
-------------------------------------------------------------------
