PseudoDemetrius On the Birth Virgin Mary

A discourse which Apa Demetrius, the Archbishop of the city of Antioch, delivered, who presented the great Hos, the Chrysostom, the Presbyter, who delivered concerning the birth according to the flesh of God the Logos, on the twenty-third day of the month Choiak, and concerning Mary his mother, the virgin who bore him in a peace of God. The beginning of the month Choiak is a joy for us, and its end is a gladness for all humanity. For if we come to the beginning of this month, the whole year, our entire body rejoices, signifying to us a festival. For in this month the devil labored and was put to shame. The beginning of this month is the first of the fruits of the field, and its end is the establishment of our souls, all humanity in a festival. For the beginning of this month signifies to us the birth according to the flesh of God the Logos, and its end signifies to us manifestly that the Logos of the Father was born. Who is this that signifies to us in the beginning of this month a festival? This is David, the father of Christ according to the flesh, saying, "Blow your trumpets in your new moons," the day that is revealed, which is our festival, for it is a precept of Israel and a law of the God of Jacob. He revealed the matter, that which the virgin would bear.

He it is who will become the only-begotten of all humanity. For he also says, "The Psalm of David for the first day of the Sabbath." And again, "The Psalm of David for the commemoration concerning the Sabbath." On the day when this great mystery took place, that the holy virgin might bear for us the only-begotten of the Father, it was the first of Choiak of that year, which was the Sabbath, according to what we have found written in the Bibliotheke of the Chronos, in which his birth is recorded. He said, "The Psalm of David for the commemoration concerning the Sabbath, as it is the commandment of the entire creation: 'Make commemoration of this great festival, this great feast of the day. Do not neglect it.'" He said, "The fourth of the Sabbath. For I wish, O my brethren, to reveal to you a great and wonderful mystery. If a righteous man's making commemoration is good, then how much more good will come from the good commemoration of him through whom all the righteous have come into being? Let us therefore set aside the mystery and begin to speak of the glory within it of the only-begotten of the Father. Let us also bring to mind the birth of the virgin and the ark of the covenant, which came about through the Logos of the Father, that is, the holy virgin Mary. There was a man in Jerusalem whose name

Joachim had a wife there, whose name was Susanna. And the two of them had grown old; they had grown old in their days, and they were near to God. They were together, beseeching God, saying, "God, the good one and the lover of humanity, do not let my wife be called barren, but give us a seed of a man. For it is you who said, through the mouth of your servant Moses, 'There shall be no barren woman, nor any childless one in Israel.'" While he was saying this, behold, a man of light appeared to him in the night, saying, "Joachim, Joachim, what is the matter with you that you are so troubled in your heart?" He said to him, "My Lord, I have grown old in my days, I and my wife, and no child has come to us." He then said to him, "Behold, your wife will conceive and bear a daughter, one whom no woman has ever borne in her manner, nor will they ever bear in her manner. Set your heart to your gate, for the day that you are troubled within, a great joy will come to you. And you will bring her into the temple of the Lord, and you will call her name Mary." When the man had finished speaking with him, he arose and woke Anna, his wife, and told her all the words that had been said to him. And the woman answered him, saying to him,

...that the will of the Lord might be done. After these things, Anna his wife conceived and gave birth to this great gift. The day on which she was born was the Sabbath, the twentieth day of the month of Athor. For it was the custom on that day among the nation of the Jews. Her eighth day also was the Sabbath. They wrote her name and her gift, and they placed it in the temple, for it was a custom of the Hebrews to give a name to what they would name, according to the law.

...the eighth day. Because of this, they made a feast for her. When she had completed three years, they brought her into the temple. A great miracle occurred, such as had never happened from the foundation of the world until forever. At the time when Anna her mother placed her down upon her hands inside the doorway of the temple, before the priests, she walked by herself into the temple until she entered the inner sanctuary of the altar, where the sacrifices to the Lord are offered. And when she entered, she did not turn back to go out again. Nor did the thought of her parents enter her heart, nor any thought of this world. She progressed continually, and she gave herself to the service of the Lord more than the other virgins who were in the temple. After she had completed eight years, or ten, she served as a type of the priests, and they feared to approach her. For her entire body was pure, and her heart was steadfast in the Lord. She was undefiled in her body and her soul. She did not allow her face to be seen outside the door of the temple, so that she might not see a male stranger. She never endured to look upon the face of a man. She lived in chastity and in the service of God and in good order. Her clothing was in a state of modesty.

Her tunic came down over her garments, and her veil came down over her eyes. She was bound with a band around her tunic. The tunic never tore, nor did it wear out, nor did a fringe ever fall over her eyes, nor a fringe over her cheeks. She never put a shoe on her feet in deceit, nor cosmetics and jewelry on her hands. She never desired great portions of food, nor did she walk in the marketplace of her city.

... never. For she never desired the works of this world. She never let her mind wander. Nor did she stumble in a moment of weakness. Nor did she ever gaze upon the limbs of her body with desire. She was always in a state of reverence, in the fear of God. And Christ walked with her, guarding her from every side. For He knew that He had created her to be for Him an ark and a place of rest. She remained in the temple in these pure forms until she completed twelve years. When the priests in the temple saw that she had grown in her body, they feared, saying, "Perhaps the nature of women has come upon her in the temple." They did not know the economy of God that was to come to pass. Then the priests took counsel to give her into the hands of a man to guard her until they could see what would become of her. They said, "Let us cast lots." The lot fell upon the house of David. They cast lots upon all the houses there. The lot fell upon Joseph. Now he was an old man of eighty years in his craft, fearing God. He never ate bread in gluttony, and he had no wife there. For his wife had died, leaving him wise children and two daughters. And the priests called him.

They said to him, “Mary the virgin, the daughter of Joachim, the lot has come to completion, that she might become a wife for you. Behold, I place her into your hands. Guard her until the time of the marriage.” And the holy old man, whose branches are equal to the branches of the tree of paradise, which is the tree of life in the midst of paradise, drew her under the veil, where the stone of Markarites is hidden within it. He took her to Nazareth, and brought her into his house.

His house became a place of prayer and a monastery. He took a virgin into his house to be a wife for him. His house became a church. Psalms came to be in it, along with prayers and spiritual odes. He took a woman, and she became salvation for him. After he brought her into his house, she went into a cell and sat there. She did not put her hand to work, nor did she come down from the upper room until the day she went to the threshing floor, and the day Joseph took her to Bethlehem to register his name and that of her son. They registered in this manner: "Joseph, son of David, and Mary his wife, and Jesus their son." Behold then this great wonder, O my beloved. A woman who is a virgin, and they do not know what is within her. I marvel at you, O blessed old man of the temple, that what came into your heart to register this small child as yours. You do not know from where he is. You registered her as your wife, though she is far from you. You do not know what she is bearing. For the one who spoke with me is a faithful man, saying, "Take Mary, your wife, into your house. What will be born from her is not from outside, but from a holy spirit." So then, let the word not turn to the other side. The old man of the temple closed the door that was shut to his house. The one who took the price of the marriage kept watch.

He did not know a man ever. The father of children became a mouth for the Word of the Father. He who took the yoke of marriage in this world became a servant of the service of the altar, standing for the only-begotten son of God. Joseph took Mary into his house. The man became a mouth for God, he did not know her. But she sat in the house, working on the curtain of the sanctuary according to

The law of the virgin: she did not know any man, but angels came serving her, doing for her all the day, standing before her outside, for three years, giving her encouragement and consoling her. She sat in his house for three years, and the angels served her, her children around her at all times, desiring to stay near her because of her purity, being like three-year-olds or other pure children, while she was busy around the place where she sat, doing her handiwork, and they were above looking at her bed, desiring to hear her pure and sweet voice that was pleasing, as she blessed God, not letting her hands rest by day or by night, blessing her Creator. A great fear and awe of God surrounded the place where she was praying, and all the powers in the heavens marveled at her purity and her chastity, saying, "We have never seen anyone like this." Sarah, the wife of Abraham, was a woman who was modest, but she was not engaged in such deeds. Rebecca, the wife of Isaac, was a very beautiful woman, but she is not comparable to this virgin. Leah and Rachel were women who were in marriage.

to bear a child, but she did not happen to be in the honor of this virgin. Anna, the mother of Samuel, one day, she made it, while she was pouring out her tears before God, he granted her her request. The virgin, however, from the day she was brought into the temple, she did not let her hand go out from her manner of one, in her prayers and her fasts and her liturgies and her severe ascetic practices. After these, the time came for the Lord to be mindful.

the words of our holy fathers, the prophet. The Father took counsel with his holy Word, who came forth from him, who is consubstantial with him, who exists with him, in this same honor. From the beginning, with this same glory, this same power, this same energy, this same nature, speaking of his only-begotten son, who is one and the same with him in the essence of his divinity, saying, "The time has come, my beloved son, for you to go down and seek your scattered sheep in the world, because of sin. I wish you to take thought for Adam and open for him the gate of paradise. Remember, my son, that the time has come for you to fulfill the sacrifice of Isaac, for that one did not hasten to save the world. The daughter of Jephthah was indeed offered up, but her blood was what saved her. The blood of Abel cries out, looking out from your heart for you to go down into the world and pour out your blood, so that yours may cry out and his be silenced. All the prophets look out for you, saying, 'Until when, O Lord, will you turn and come down and fulfill our prophecies and our visions?' Now then, O my son, do not neglect your creation, lest it perish. Behold, your throne is prepared for you, O my beloved son.

until the devil is confounded. Behold, your dwelling place is prepared for you upon the earth, which is Mary the virgin, whom you fashioned with your own hands. Behold, I have prepared for you a father upon the earth, who is Joseph, the blessed old man of eighty years, who will be for you a deacon and a servant. When you go down upon the earth, he will rejoice with his two companions, and the devil will seek to flee. Go, my son, in peace. You will

again in peace, with no one compelling you to go. I am the one who commands you to fulfill my command. Do not neglect the work of your hands, lest it be destroyed. I declared from my mouth that no flood of waters would occur upon the earth. The flood of sin increased upon the earth; it drowned them all in the waters of lawlessness. The ark of Noah was hidden as a seed upon the earth. Behold, I have prepared for you the chamber of Mary the virgin, that you might dwell within her for nine months, that you might save the whole world through her. I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and all the cities surrounding them, and until now they have not ceased from sin. Now then, my beloved son, go down and save the rest of all humanity. I sent Jonah the prophet to Nineveh, the great city, to proclaim repentance to her, but his proclamation did not avail to save them after they repented; they were destroyed again. A portion of the world was destroyed, that the rest might fear and cease from sin, but they did not fear; rather, they continue to persist in their sins. Now then, O my beloved son, come, go down to the world and save the rest of humanity. I gave them the law through Moses, but until you go down to the world and deliver it.

...it will not be fulfilled. All the prophets prophesied concerning you, but their prophecies are nothing until you go down and establish them. The whole world looks to you; the entire earth has been shaken from the error of idols. If you do not go down and pour out your blood upon it, it will not be purified. Those in the depths below look to you, so that you may go and give them salvation. The time has come for you to open the gate of paradise and bring Adam back into it once more. Hail, mother of all the living! She looks to you, that you may go to Mary and take a human body from her holy place, and grant freedom to the whole race of mortals. If you go, my son, you will give rest to all the nations. Go, my son, and attend to my vineyard, that it may not become barren. After these things, the Only-Begotten listened to the command of his Father, and of his own will he prepared himself to come down upon the earth, to fulfill the things that were spoken concerning him in the Law and the Prophets. For the chosen vessel Paul said, "When the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, that he might redeem those under the Law." Who will hear these great and marvelous words and not be greatly amazed?

For if I think about what happened to this virgin, I become troubled and I let my hands fall, not knowing what to do. For many have desired to investigate these things, but they have fallen into error, not understanding them. For it is a matter that is beyond the nature of humanity to inquire how the Word became flesh, or how he became man. Only this is to believe in a perfect God, who is not separated from his Father. He is the only-begotten, from God the Father, the firstborn, and also born from the womb of Mary, his mother the virgin. For he is God who became man, and he is complete in all things of humanity except sin. He is consubstantial with his Father, and he is not divided from his Father according to the essence of divinity. He is man.

He is God, for he advanced in every work. In his youth he listened to his parents. When he wished to come to us, he spoke with Gabriel the archangel, saying to him, "Come, fulfill the command of your Lord. Come, be the servant of my ministry. Go to the holy virgin Mary. Announce to her my coming. Tell her that I will dwell within her. Prepare yourself to speak with her. Do not frighten her by your appearance. Do not disturb her by your speech. Do not trouble her mind. For she is a young girl; she cannot bear fear. It is a great wonder that a man should hear that a virgin will give birth without the seed of a male. Do not reveal to her a punishment like that of Zechariah. Appear to her with joy. Speak with her cheerfully. Tell her of the glory that will be hers. The mystery of the good king is hidden. But the works of God are revealed in glory." When Gabriel came to her, he did not appear to her in his glory, nor did he enter to her as a man. For he knew that it was not her custom to see a stranger. He stood outside the door of her chamber. He called to her, saying, "Hail, O one who has found grace, the Lord is with you." When she heard the stranger's voice,

She was troubled, saying to herself, "What kind of greeting is this?" And she was pondering over these things, and she was marveling at the voice which she had heard. He called again a second time, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you." When the angel saw that she was troubled at the word, he began to approach her with joy, saying to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor before God. Behold, the time has come for you to give birth to a son of God, who is called Jesus." The virgin marveled, saying, "And how will this happen to me? I have never known a man, for I am a virgin." The archangel answered her, saying, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor before God. It is possible, and it is certain that the one to be born is holy, and he will be called the Son of God. Hail, Mary, whose fruit will give salvation to the world and to all humanity. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Hail, Mary, the vessel without blemish, in whom there is no corruption. I, Gabriel, was sent to her, the chosen one, from the hand of God. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Hail, Mary, who will bear the whole world in a garment of salvation. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Hail Mary, through whom the salvation of the whole world came about by her walking on the earth. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, the one chosen above heaven and earth. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, the tower, where the treasure of the king is within. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, through whom she gave us a way to go up to heaven. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, through whom she opened for us the door of paradise, after they had closed it by the transgression of Adam and Eve. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail, the second ark that saved the world from destruction by impiety. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail, the heifer that gave us milk of the pure and the clothing of incorruptibility. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail, the golden lampstand.

Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail, she who took away the enmity, which is upright with God. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, the censer of incense that raises itself up before God the Pantocrator until it is joined to God of his own creation that he made. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail, the tabernacle of the divinity of the only-begotten of the Father, who rested within her. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, the ark gilded with gold on every side, in which God the Father enclosed his holy Word. Hail Mary, the bread that came down from heaven to the hungry, and to fill their souls with goodness. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, she who saves everyone from the storms of the devil, and brings them into the harbor of salvation. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, the bride without blemish, without stain, who prepared for us the way of salvation. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, through whom all the churches of the world found freedom, through her Lord and because of her. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, the holy table.

that is broken upon the altar of the rational sacrifice. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, the light of her son fills the whole world. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, at whom heaven and earth gaze from without, in her holy sanctuary. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, the good root, full of grace, who gave us fruit.

the fruit of righteousness. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, whose blessed seed gave us the fruit of righteousness from the tree of life. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, the lamp of gold. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Hail Mary, the new jar in which the warm water within caused those who are thirsty to drink. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with her. Truly, if the whole world were to come to one place, truly, if I were to turn to every side, I would not find the completion of your beatitude. The honor that is due to you, holy one, came forth from the monologue of the great king. She who gave birth to the bridegroom of the whole world. Even if all the wise men of the whole world, and the scholastics, and the rhetors of the whole world were to gather together, they would not be able to speak of your honor that is due to you, or even to say what is before the great glory that your son has taken hold of. If they were to say that the sky is high, they would not be lying to me. For your halo supports what fills the sky and the earth. If they were to say that the earth is great, I would say that the earth is the footstool of his feet. If they were to raise the image of the heavens, it is higher than them in their purity. They would call you the ark of the covenant of the time.

Hail, preserve the seed and its fruit. You, however, saved the entire world from destruction by impiety. You will be called the Ark of the Covenant. For that one indeed, the two tablets were within it, inscribed with the fingers of God. You, however, bore the whole burden in the word of his power. You will be called the golden vessel. For that one indeed became a small container of manna, a remembrance of

... the children of Israel. You, however, became the one who nourished the whole world with the manna of the intellect, which is the body of God and his true blood, which he gave for a price, until his redemption, because of our sins. After these things, Mary said to the archangel, "Behold, you have spoken to me with words that are exalted beyond the measure of all humanity, and you have revealed to me a wonderful mystery. For I am a virgin, and how can this happen to me? I have never known a man." The angel answered and said, "If you wish, I will explain the words I have spoken to you. Arise and go to Elizabeth, the wife of Zacharias the priest, who is in the city of Orine, for she is your kinswoman. And I will make known to you the truth of the words I have spoken to you through her. For indeed, I was also sent to Zacharias, and in the same days I revealed to him also a joy, that Elizabeth, your wife, will bear you a son, and you will call his name John. And when Zacharias did not believe my words, I imposed upon him a punishment, which is muteness. Elizabeth, however, bore the son. Zacharias himself became mute according to the word of my mouth. A great joy occurred in the house of Zacharias, and the sixth month is this from the time Elizabeth bore the small son, according to the word I evangelized to you.

You, O wise virgin, are exalted above the whole creation that God made, and I am not able to pronounce a condemnation upon you, as I did to that one outside, that you are the treasure chest of my Lord, of my Lord. For the mystery that happened to Zechariah happened to others before him. But the mystery itself happened there, and it will never happen from the beginning of the creation of the world, nor will it ever happen. When Mary heard these things, she said to Gabriel with a gentle face, "Behold, I am a servant of the Lord. Let it be for me according to your word." And the angel went away from her. But Mary did not pay any attention at all to what was said to her, but she arose quickly to go to the fountain, dwelling, dwelling after her, the daughter of Joseph, being a companion to her. She set out on the road of this great distance of this measure, from Nazareth to the fountain. She went into the house of Zechariah, greeted Elizabeth. I marvel at you, O virgin, that you know where the fountain is, or who it is that showed you the house of Zechariah, for we do not walk in the city by ourselves, nor are we strangers, nor are we wise to go into its door at all, for it is not our custom.

The virgin said, "I have come to see this great mystery, a wonder that was signified to me. If I find Elizabeth, I will see with my own eyes the barren woman who is pregnant, her belly swollen by the young child who carries himself under her heart. And I will see her breasts, which have been filled with milk. I will see the joy of motherhood in the house of the barren woman. I will see Zacharias standing mute, truly keeping his mouth shut. I myself also will believe these words that were spoken to me, that they are true. For I myself marvel at this, that I will give birth to a child without a man. The matter of a barren woman giving birth is not a wonder, for Isaac was given to Abraham when he was a hundred years old, while Sarah herself was in her ninetieth year. Isaac was sixty years old when he fathered Jacob and Esau, while Rebecca was in her sixtieth year. Rachel was a barren woman, yet she gave birth to Benjamin and Joseph. Hannah, the mother of Samuel, was a barren woman; she gave birth to a prophet. For a virgin to give birth without a man—this mystery is a wonder. Then Mary walked and went into the house of Zacharias. She greeted Elizabeth, and she found Elizabeth weeping. And she found Zacharias mute, with all the signs of astonishment. She also saw that Zacharias had received a condemnation.

that is the place of the foot, and he sits opening his mouth. She saw also the old woman of the vine, who had become young through the vigor of the young child. She saw also the jars that had grown old through time, which were broken and had split and scattered on the ground. And she found the kalahē that had split and grown old, and she scattered it abroad, standing up for the young child. She saw a festivity and a joyful disposition in the house of Zacharias. Immediately she went in to Elizabeth, greeted her, and bowed down like a young girl because of the Holy Spirit that had come upon her. When she stood on her feet, John moved with great joy within her. At once she cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, for who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Behold, when the sound of the greeting reached my ears, the young child moved with great joy within her, and blessed is she who believed that a fulfillment would come of what was said to her through the Lord. O Elizabeth, do you know where? For what child is it that bears witness to himself, that he moved within her? It has never happened thus that a woman should know what is in her womb before she gives birth, nor see what she will bear, saying 'What is it?' But rather, Zacharias is the one who told her of what the angel said to him.

For from now on, Zacharias was unbelieving of the word of the angel; he was struck with muteness. From

He was in the temple, and he did not turn himself to speak with Elizabeth. O Elizabeth, Elizabeth, you have taken care for what you would bear. Know where you are, for the things that the angel sent to Mary. She said, "Blessed am I, for I believed that a fulfillment would come to pass of the things that were sent to her through the Lord." Was she troubled at the time when Gabriel spoke with her? Not at all, but the Holy Spirit came down upon her; she prophesied concerning the hidden things. And the two little children knew each other from when they were in the womb of their mothers. They saw each other, they rejoiced, they delighted, they wished to come out before the time had come. Because of this, the Holy Spirit came down upon her, and she prophesied. But Mary, when she was confirmed in the words of the angel, said, "My soul has been exalted in the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God, my Lord, because he has looked down upon the humiliation of the servant. Behold, from now on, generations will honor me, because he who has power has done great things with me, and his name is holy. His mercy from strength to strength, upon those who fear before him. He has done a mighty deed in his humility; he has cast out the proud from the thoughts of their hearts; he has overthrown the dynasts and their thrones, and he has exalted the humble; he has filled the hungry with good things, and he has cast the rich into poverty; he has given a hand to Israel, his servant.

Remember the manner in which he spoke with our fathers Abraham and his seed forever. But Mary remained with her for three months, and she returned to her house. The matter is revealed outwardly, that she remained with her for three months. Indeed, she remained with her until she gave birth. And even if the evangelist did not reveal this explicitly, behold, what comes after these things informs us. But the days of Elizabeth were completed.

to give birth, he said. The matter is revealed outwardly, that she will not leave them out, the two of them, from the joy of the little child whom she will bear. She went away concerning this matter. For a man who is invited, who is called to an ariston, or a day of birth, or another day of joy, simply, in what manner would the man who is invited to his ariston leave it until he sees the completion of the joy and the festivity? So much the more, the mother of the living one, who fills heaven and earth, will not leave them out until she takes hold of the matter for which she came. She remained near her, indeed, until she saw the little child. And she spoke with Zacharias. After these things, he said, she turned back to her house. She was sitting, however, in a state of calm, of this kind, until she completed eight months. After these things, what happened? It happened, he said, in those days. A decree went out from the king, Augustus, that the whole inhabited world should register for its taxes. This is the first census that took place, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all of them, each one registered for his city, he went up, Joseph himself also. He spoke with Mary, "What shall we do? Behold, they are taking hold of us to go up to Bethlehem to register our name also in the census." She said to him, "And how shall I go up? For the days have been completed for me to give birth.

He said to her, the good old man: "I believe that God will guide us." They arose then to go out from Nazareth, and they set out on the road to go up to Bethlehem. They arrived at that place on the day of the Preparation, which is the great fast of the week of that day. Nor did they seek a place to rest. They found a cave.

into the city where strangers lodge. They also went in and lodged. But they did not find a place of rest in the lodging place because of the multitude of people. On the morning of the Preparation, which was the Sabbath of the first of Choiak, they were brought to a stable near an ox. The whole day there, they were waiting until the ordinance reached them to register their names. When those who were registering wrote in this manner: "Joseph the carpenter, from the tribe of David, and Mary his wife, and Jesus their son." Blessed are you, O Joseph, for what no man has ever attained, you have attained, to have the Word of the Father written after you as a son. From place to place, from when your tools were hung at your side while you worked at your craft of carpentry, until you became father to the one who created your entire creation. If a man attains a kingdom, or wears a crown, after a time his rank passes away and his rank passes with him. But you, not only does your kingdom not pass away after your death, but it endures forever. As for us, we who sit on the high thrones, when our days are completed, we sleep with our fathers, and our honor and our name are covered together. But you, O righteous old man, your name will remain forever. In what way will you be hidden, being a father?

And the deacon who built the entire structure with his own hands. After all these things, they wrote their names on the tenth of the month of Paope, the tenth of the month of Hathor being the great fast. They did not travel until the Sabbath came. On the morning of the tenth day of the small month, Joseph looked in upon her and saw that the entire cave was illuminated. For she was troubled, he said to her, with joy: "Why are you troubled today?" She said to him, with fear: "Help me, for the hidden fruit is about to come forth." He said to her: "Do not fear, but take courage, for the one who is coming forth from you is the one who will help you." After these things, she was even more troubled, for she was a virgin and a stranger. She had no one near her, no relative, nor had she ever seen a woman giving birth, nor was she instructed in matters of this kind. There was a great star in the midst of the sky, giving light to the whole world, and there was a great vision among the people in Bethlehem, as they spoke with one another, saying: "This is the star of the king who is about to be born." Mary and Joseph heard all these things concerning this matter. She rejoiced and marveled. For the place of the cave was there, where God and his angels dwelt within it. She spent the whole night there, troubled.

And she was in labor. At the time of the light of the tenth hour, the crown of light that had shone upon the good deacon said, "Do me the kindness and seek for me a woman who will take care of what comes forth from her." Joseph said to her, "Do not fear. The one who spoke with me said that she would bear a child, a faithful one. For he also spoke with me, saying that what would be born from her would be from a pure spirit." After he said these things to her, he went out from the place of the cave. He did not know where he was going. He looked and saw a tent outside the city, with some people dwelling in it. He went toward it, looked inside, and saw a woman sitting on her heels, with her hands on her knees, looking outward. Joseph called out to her, saying, "I adjure you, O woman, tell me of a woman in this place who knows about childbirth.

She sat with the little girl until she gave birth. And I will give her her reward. At that moment, the Holy Spirit came down upon her. She said to him, "You are Joseph, the righteous old man, the blessed husband of Mary, from whom the Word of the Father is coming forth." He said to her, "Come down at once." Through the Holy Spirit that had come down upon her, she descended. She put on her fine garments, knowing that she was going to meet God. She came to the outside of the door. She spread out her hands toward the sky, saying, "Jesus, the Word of the Father, as I opened my mouth, which was closed, I followed you. You will open for me also a place to dwell in your kingdom." When Joseph went out, the holy virgin Mary gave birth to her son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes. She gave birth to him in a stable of cattle, because there was no place for them in the inn. O this inn that became a church in which Christ dwelt! O this stable, the first altar in which Christ offered his sacrifice! O these swaddling clothes, the vestment of incorruptibility, which God the Word wore until he was hidden in his mouth with his father! O this stable! O this inn that came to be on earth and a temple!

He is holy, God the Logos. This place where he partook of food became a resting place for God and for men through the hospitality she offered until the year. O these lords who have protected us from destruction by the devil, so that he may not enter into me again. After these things, Joseph came walking with his wife who was there, whose name was Salome. They looked, they saw the little child in the place of the meal. They marveled. They also saw the virgin sitting in poverty, her face casting light outward. They saw a vision.

and the little child was playing. They saw the whole cave filled with joy, with the Son of God within it. Salome then went in to worship him, saying, "My eyes have seen your salvation, O Lord, who came to the aid of all sinners on earth, for I am their first." After this, she also went in to the virgin and worshipped her hands and her feet, saying, "Blessed are you, O Mary the virgin, who has made the whole world free from the curse upon us through the transgression of Eve. O Mary, you who look out for all the ages, they have brought light, and I too will remain at your feet forever. For this Salome is the first to know the Lord and to worship him, and she believed in him. When he came upon the earth, she did not remain at her house until the day of her death, but wherever the Lord went, she would hasten with his mother the virgin. She dwelt with him and his disciples until the day they crucified him and his holy resurrection, for she saw all of them and the mother of the virgin. If we wish, we could reveal to you the life of that woman and her conduct, and from where she came in her lineage, but we will not go into the life of that woman and her conduct.

and, "From where is her lineage? But rather, the word shall not be loosened from the other side by the washing of what lies before us. Concerning this, we turn to the word of this day which is spread out before us. Come now into our midst, O this great one among the prophets, Isaiah. You shall inform us today of the division of this food and these drinks and these beasts. He said, 'Does the ox know its master? Does the donkey know the food of its owner? But my people did not know me, and Israel did not find me. Who am I?' Then the evangelist said, 'There were some shepherds in that region dwelling in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. When they saw the light, they were greatly afraid, for they did not sleep that whole night, but they spoke with one another, saying, "This is a great mystery that has appeared to us." While they were saying these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to them. And the glory of the Lord shone upon them, and they were afraid with very great fear. And who would not be afraid, seeing an angel of the Lord standing before them, especially one wearing a garment of wonder, because of the journey the Lord had made to us? Immediately he took the fear away from them and said to them, "Do not be afraid. Behold, I proclaim to you a great joy that is about to happen."

of the whole people, "You have given birth to the Savior for us today, who is Christ the Lord in the city of David." And a sign for you is this: you will find a small child wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Immediately their eyes opened, and they saw a multitude of angels blessing God, saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and his peace on earth among men of his will." When the angels had given this confession, they immediately went up into heaven. But as for the shepherds, when their hearts came to themselves, they said to one another, "These are angels who spoke with us. Now then, let us arise and go to Bethlehem to see this great mystery which the Lord has revealed to us." And thus they came down.

to Bethlehem. The star led them until they came to the place where the small child was within. He saw the star with Mary his mother, and Joseph. They knew that the words spoken to them were true. Then the shepherds turned back, blessing and glorifying God for all that they had seen. But Mary kept all these words, storing them in her heart. When Herod saw the star, he knew that it was the star of a king. He was greatly troubled, along with all Jerusalem with him, saying, "What is this mystery that has happened?" Then some magi came from the east, inquiring, "Where is the king of the Jews who has been born? For we have seen his star in the east, and we have come to worship him." When Herod heard these things, he marveled. Then he summoned the magi secretly and inquired from them about the time when the star had appeared, saying to them, "Come, tell me by your art: who is the king who has been born?" The magi answered, "He is not a king of this world, but this is the king who cannot be dissolved forever. Nor will his kingdom ever end. This is the king who will depose all kings and also remove them. This is the king at whose command heaven and earth will pass away. This is the king who will judge the whole world with righteousness. This is the king who is high above all.

he was pure. If you wish to know, then we are the ones who will tell you. This is Jesus Christ, about whom it was written that he would be born in Bethlehem of Judea. When Herod heard these things from the Magi, he was greatly troubled and said to the Magi, "You are powerless until you find his resting place. Take gifts for yourselves in secret, go and search, and hasten with precision to the place where the great king was born. Give him gifts, and when you find his resting place, inform me also, so that I may come and worship him." But he said these things to them deceitfully, wishing to kill him. When they received the decree from Herod the king, they went, and when they had gone a little way outside the city, they saw the star in the place of the cave. It led them until they came to the place where the small child was within. They worshipped the one who created the whole creation, sleeping in a manger of animals, covered with rags like a poor man. For there was no place for them to rest in the cave. Nevertheless, they said, "A great lot has befallen us after our evil deeds. I too am amazed at you, O Magi, and I will say, 'From where to where?'

Since you have risen many times from the books of the Magi, you give glory to God, you give a gift to him until you come first and worship him. Since you destroy the soul of the kings and lead them astray, you confuse the soul of the multitudes until you first worship the King, the Christ. Because of this, when these great wonders were accomplished, they brought him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In the coming night, they were about to go to their house. Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to them suddenly, saying, “Where are you going?” They said, “You are the Lord who knows what we will do.” The angel said to them, “Do not return again to Herod, but depart for yourselves by another way to your country.” They said, “We do not know the way by which we will go.” He, however, took

He led them astray, and they did not know where they were going until he brought them to their city and the whole region of Persia. A great fear came upon Herod, and he did not dare to seek after Christ or the Magi. When each of the Magi went to his region, they hid and burned the books of their magian rank. They proclaimed Christ Jesus in the whole city and the whole region of Persia. Then the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph after the Magi had withdrawn, saying, "Arise, go down to Egypt, you and the young child and his mother, until I tell you. For Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." Joseph arose by night, took Mary and Jesus and Salome, and they journeyed down and went to Egypt. "Where are you going, O one whom God calls father? Or where are you going, O one for whom heaven and earth tremble at his presence and creation? Stop, you who flee before this confusion." "I am going," he said, "so that I may complete the whole creation of humanity outside, until sin alone remains." He who looks upon the earth to make it tremble to its foundations. He who touches the mountains and they give forth smoke. He flees before the one whose breath is in his hands. "I am not fleeing," he said, as if in fear, "but so that I may go to the region of Egypt, to uproot from it the service of idols, to prepare for myself a people who are pure.

Come into our midst today, O great prophet Isaiah, in the midst of this feast day, and tell us those things which you prophesied concerning Christ and his mother the virgin from the beginning. Behold, the Lord Sabaoth is coming down to Egypt, seated upon a cloud of light, and all the multitudes of Egypt will tremble before him. Then he said again, "And the Egyptians will become like women in fear and trembling.

concerning the hand of the Lord Sabaoth, which he brought to bear upon them. For before Christ came into the world, the Egyptians were a stiff-necked people, their pride set over many nations. For there is a nation that is stiff-necked, that will not hope for purification. For the Egyptians are idolaters, and they have no fear of God. Nor any nation. But when Christ came into the world, he came down to Egypt, and his fear and trembling came upon them; he purified them into a holy people, a purified nation. And he made the pride of all nations come down upon them. Therefore he says: "Egypt has suffered with the poverty of the reeds, and the wise, exalted men are at your feet, and they will pray at your door. For you are God, and they do not know the God of Israel, our Lord." You have seen the prophecies that were revealed. For when the Word of the Father came down upon the earth, he came in humility. He did not come in a high rank, nor did he wear a royal purple. For his kingdom endures forever, and his lordship to an end without end. He did not come riding in a chariot, but walking on his feet. For his chariot is the flesh of the animal, which gave us the way to go up to heaven, to the place of purple. Lords who wore it in the garment of indestructible glory.

Therefore, whoever is a servant to him has no power to walk in pride. Then again he said, "There will be an altar of the Lord in Egypt, near the regions of the sorcerers, and they will offer gifts to the Lord upon it." The sweetness of your words, O Isaiah the prophet, has caused us to repeat the remaining words of the rhetoric which we began concerning Herod, that he was mocked by the magi, nor did he find a way to seek after the magi.

He was filled with anger against his father the devil. For he was afraid of them, because they were magicians in their craft. Perhaps they would do him some harm. Nor did he know that Christ would be born. For he was seeking him. Therefore he remained in these two evil passions: the anger of the magicians who had mocked him, and his hatred toward Christ, desiring to kill him. He remained looking at them, to turn them to his side, so that two years might be completed. It was not he who endured it, but God who gave patience to his heart not to pursue Christ in haste until all that was written concerning him was fulfilled. For indeed, they prepared him on the eighth day, they made the law concerning him, they brought him to the temple, and Simeon the priest took him into his bosom and blessed him. He came down into materiality as a small child, obeying his parents and all the other things that were fitting for him to do. After these things, he went down into Egypt with Joseph. When Herod saw that the magicians did not return to him, he became very angry, and he sent and killed the young children who were in Bethlehem and its environs from two years old and under. For the evangelist said, "According to the time when he hid himself from the magicians.

It was revealed openly that he had grown weary, for he had not killed the young children. When the sacrifice took place, the people of Bethlehem and their neighbors were troubled over their small children who had been killed. But all those in the heavens rejoiced over the sacrifice of children that occurred after the departure of Christ, as he said to his father, rejoicing, "Behold, my first sacrifice I have offered up to you upon the earth. Now then, my father, receive from my hand my sacrifice to the place of the cattle that are being offered up outside the demons." Behold.

I sent to you a multitude of innocent blood. I granted you these honors, O my father, so that they might bless you and your holy angels until I come down to you. Do not abandon the world, O my father, and those who dwell in it. Remember that our hands made them, and all these are the work of our hands. When Herod saw that he had two sons, he called them by his own name, Herod. When he was about to give his spirit, those of his court asked him, "Which of your sons will rule after you?" He looked at his elder son and said to him, "Rule over your people." Immediately those of the court placed the diadem of the kingdom upon him, and they removed his former name, Herod, and called him Archelaus, according to what his father had given him. But the Lord turned his heart away from seeking Jesus. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, take the young child and his mother, and go up to the land of Israel. For those who seek the soul of the young child have died." Immediately the good old man arose. He took the young child and Mary his mother, and went up to the land of Israel. And he called him "my father." And he taught him as a son. And he himself listened to him as a chosen son.

There were two children of Archelaus. The elder was called Philip, and the younger Herod, after the name of his father. Philip had a wife whose name was Herodia. After a few days, Archelaus died, and Herod was established in his place. He was a young child, and the whole administration loved him. He had no wife. He committed a great transgression, sleeping with the wife of his brother while he was still alive, and no one knew this mystery except John, the son of Zacharias the priest. He was in the wilderness of Orine in those days, outside of that time when Herod killed the young children in Bethlehem, seeking Christ. He also sought the other Joseph to kill him. His mother took him and fled with him to the wilderness of Orine. He neglected, and sent to Zacharias his father at the temple, saying, "Tell me where your son is, so that I may kill him." Zacharias said, "I do not know. His mother took him and fled with him." Herod became angry and sent and killed Zacharias the priest at the altar of the incense of the holy place, upon the disturbance of the sanctuary. After these things, Philip died, leaving a daughter named Orchestriane. Herod, however, did not cease from sin.

And Joseph used to send him every month to the bathhouse, saying, "It is not fitting for you to take the wife of our brother. O Joseph, who did not rise from the birth of the women, the great one who goes to the bathhouse. I wish you would tell me who is the bathhouse attendant whom you send every month to Herod. For he has not appeared to any man, nor has any man dared to say anything of this kind in the presence of the king. But I think, O my brothers, that it is an angel who serves as his bathhouse attendant, going to Herod and speaking to him the mysteries of John. For this reason, he does not know where he is, nor can he seize the bathhouse attendant, for he does not see him, but only his voice is heard. Afterward, when the holy forerunner John appeared, he also was born, and he was unable to speak with him. According to

No one of the holy ones, concerning the multitude, because he did not take them as a prophet. I wish, however, to speak with you concerning the things that happened to Herod and Joseph. But perhaps we should speak concerning this, that we might reveal the mystery of this great thing which is spread out before us today, concerning the holy virgin Mary, who gave birth to God. Is there another great wonder like this upon the earth? You will find a virgin who is pure, and also she gave birth to a male child. Moreover, they betrothed her to a man, and when they gave her to him, he did not know her, nor did he scandalize her, saying, "Who is this pure one?" Rather, he was a father and a deacon to the one who bore him. Truly, if I were she, I would say to her, "I wish to know this betrothal that happened there." They took hold of me as a virgin to perform the marriage, but this did not happen. Now then, I walk with you, I see you pure and entering into childbirth. But none of these things rose up in his heart. O Isaiah, the great prophet and the one who spoke with God many times, and also the one who did not cease speaking many times concerning the wonders of this virgin. O the one who says it, he said before the pure one, "I will cause her to give birth." Before the bones of my mother came apart, she gave birth to a male child. Who has heard of a thing of this kind? Or who has seen that a woman gave birth and bore a nation at once?

For indeed, this is a great wonder, that she herself was weaned like all other women. For she gave birth without pain or disturbance, the labor that happens to all who give birth did not happen to her. O Mary, what was in your heart at that time, alone in the place of the cave, as a stranger, with no one near you who knew it? Nor did you find a place of rest in that place.

...not in a cave, but she was alone without disturbance, and without pain. Do not say in your heart, "I am a woman like all other women." For I see myself, that I am a virgin. It is a wondrous mystery that happened to me. I see the fruit moving. I see the pains coming upon me like the arrows of death. I see myself in great distress, a stranger, and I do not know what I will say. For I see no one among men who cares for me with oil, wine, and the other things that are done for childbirth. Especially since I am a stranger, and I am a foreigner, wandering in a cave. For all women who give birth for the first time, when they reach their ninth month, their parents take care of them. But I see none of these around me. Nor do I have any other house there to dwell in. Now why then should I be troubled, O Mary? Behold, the whole army of heaven stands before me in the place of my parents according to the flesh. Behold, God and the Lord of the whole creation has become a father to me in the place of brothers and relatives.

Behold, the one who created the whole world in his own hands alone is present there, sheltering that place with wine and oil and the other necessities of the body, which gives food to those in need. He comes forth from her to a place of a house and a bed. The heaven of heaven will become for you a house and a dwelling place, instead of places for sleeping and couches and rugs. Behold, the incorruptible heavenly garment has been prepared for you, instead of a servant and a deaconess. Behold, Joseph, the blessed old man, has been prepared for me as a deacon and a servant. Do not fear, O Mary, the Lord is with you.

For at the time when he revealed himself, the word that Gabriel spoke was, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you," and he rejoices over the holy one, every good thing of the heavens. And who in the whole world has found grace like this? O holy city, where the other thrones of the great king are in its midst. Truly, O holy virgin Mary, you are exalted far above all those who were exalted, both in heaven and on earth. Indeed, if I think about what happened to me, I am amazed, for I have been transported from the earth up to heaven. For a multitude of scribes, bishops, theologians, and God-bearing men desired to speak of her honor and her blessedness, but they labored in vain, for they did not find the completion of her honor and virtue; they were unable to do anything, for they were powerless before the exaltation of her perfections. Behold, the impious Nestorius opened his mouth to blaspheme, for he wished to close it in a fire of unquenchable burning in hell. He came to think about the great mystery that happened there; he was divided, he was amazed, he fell into the great pit of wickedness. But he received the condemnation he deserved; he became a stranger to the episcopacy of this world; he became a stranger to the glory of the kingdom of the heavens; his name was covered in darkness, and another took his episcopacy.

He who is alive received an anathematismos worthy of him and an exorcism according to his worth in shame. Because of this, then, O my beloved, do not doubt the economy of the Son of God, that it happened in some way. For he said in the parable, "If you draw words, a conflict arises." To say indeed that the virgin gave birth to the Logos of the Father without sexual union with a male—the matter is evident. But to doubt that he came down in some way.

He went in to the virgin, the matter being difficult for me to understand, and another mystery besides that which Gabriel told her, that a holy spirit is coming upon her, and the power of the Most High will overshadow her. Because of this, the one she bore is holy, and he will be called the Son of God. For this is what was revealed to him, that he might say it to the virgin, and we know nothing else besides this alone. For even she herself, the virgin, was amazed at her greeting, and she was troubled within herself, saying in her heart, "Behold, the annunciation indeed reached me through the angel, and behold, his word has been fulfilled. Behold, for I have become a mother, and behold, my breasts are full of milk. Behold, my veil has been loosened. But I do not know how this happened to me." Now then, O heretic of little faith, if you do not believe after all these words that are full of wonders, then arise, come with me, and let us go to the city of Bethlehem, that I may show him to you sleeping in a manger of cattle, and I will make you believe through the sight and the hour that overshadows him in the manger. Behold, the heavens will convict your impiety through the army of the sky, which will open to them blessing God, and all the powers of the heavens will rejoice at his holy birth.

Behold the magi who came from the east, from the place of the rising sun, until they arrived at Bethlehem. They saw the child, they worshipped him, and they saw the child. They presented their gifts to him, and they confessed their sins to him, for God had caused the virgin to give birth to him. The book of their sins was torn up by the books, by their magian status, for they had burned and anathematized the king of the earth. They confessed the king of heaven. Behold Mary the virgin sitting in the cave, giving suck to

The son of God, she bore him. Behold, Salome, she renounced her house and her garments first. Blessed are you, O Mary. A sword came out from within your soul, so that the groanings of many hearts might be opened. The sword that came out from the soul is the Word of the Father. Meditations are the heretics, vain-glorious ones, those who separate the divinity of the Only-begotten from the Father, and the impious Jews, those who deny his holy resurrection and all the other impious doctrines. That sword revealed them. I entreat you, O holy virgin, come, give me your hand in this great holy feast today, and do not hide your power from me, so that I may partake of the good things. Let us bring and rejoice, for the spiritual partaking is what I have placed before you, upon the table of your son, God. O David the psalmist, come, rejoice with us today in this great feast. I came, he said, crying out, "Set up a feast in the fiery places until the top of the altar. You are my God, I will glorify you, and I will reveal myself to you. You are my God, I will exalt you." Isaiah also, this great voice among the prophets, come, tell us what you first proclaimed concerning the virgin who bore God.

He said, "Open the gates, let the people go in, those who preserve righteousness, who preserve truth and justice, for they have hoped in you, O God, forever. Truly, this is a great day today, for a woman has given birth to God. He whom the earth cannot bear, he whom the earth cannot lift up to its mouth, the heart of Mary, the virgin, has borne him to her mouth. He whose word the heavens are strengthened by, and all their powers are in the breath of his mouth. Come, let us see him. Now he is hung upon the wood.

of Mary. The virgin gave him milk. He who brought forth water from a hard rock gave drink to those who were thirsty in the desert. Behold, now he takes milk, now as a small child in the milk of Mary the virgin, he who created the earth, and man came to be upon it. Behold, now he is in a place of a cave, having no place to rest his head. Well did he say, "The beasts of the field have their dens, and the birds of the sky have their nests, but the son of man has no place to rest his head." Christ was born for us today, O beloved ones. Let us also be born again through repentance. He came down to us through his own will, to enter into us. Let us also go to him in purity. He rested in a manger, which the animals eat from outside. Let us also become perfect in incorruptibility. He progressed in wisdom and age and grace before his Father in the heavens and before men on earth. Let us also progress in the age of perfection and virtue before God and his angels. He obeyed his father and his mother as a man. Let us also obey the commandments and the precepts which he gave into our hands. He ate and drank as a man, so that man might eat and drink at his table in his kingdom. He labored, walking on the path, to teach those who would endure labor with him.

until he went up with him into heaven. He rested himself upon the spring so that we too might rest upon the rivers of the water of life that flow forth from it. He spoke with a Samaritan woman so that we too might become children of the mother of the virgin. He opened the eyes of the blind from birth so that we might open the eyes of our heart and our soul to arise from the place of the devil. He raised the dead so that he might raise us from our transgressions. He endured being spat upon in his face by sinful men so that he might teach us to forgive those who sin against us. He endured being beaten by sinful men so that we too might receive honor before his father and his holy angels. They left him abandoned in his garments, they tore them by the soldiers so that he might clothe us in the garment of incorruptibility in the heavens. They placed a crown of thorns upon his head so that he might give us the good crown of his humility, which does not wither, at the time when he goes to meet his good father in the heavens. They placed a reed in his hand, mocking him through the faithless Jews, so that he might place in our hands the scepter of victory over the devil and his evil demons. They placed upon him a cloak of rags so that he might place upon us glory and honor.

and that he would make the devil cease, leaving him in a state of shame. He stood upon the stone so that we too might stand before him in freedom on the day of his holy resurrection. He was thrown into the prison so that he might bring us up from the prison of Hades, giving us as a gift to his good father. He mounted the wood of the cross so that they would kill him for us, so that he might destroy sin within us and teach us to stretch out our hands in prayer to him and his good father. He placed himself in a tomb so that he might raise us up with him, and forgive us our sins which we committed in ignorance. He rose from the dead so that he might teach us the type of his glorious resurrection. He ascended into the heavens so that he might take us with him in his second coming.

of his presence. He sat at the right hand of his father so that he might sit with him upon the throne on the day when he will judge the living and the dead. O my beloved, behold, we have come to know this great grace of the good thing that has happened to us today, through the holy virgin Mary, who gave birth to God. Come, all you women who have given birth to sons, and give glory to the virgin who gave birth to God. Come, you who have received the marriage, and give glory to the one who gave birth to God without male union. Come, you widows, and rejoice today, for the judge of widows and the helper of the poor has come. Come, you virgins, and behold the king of glory, and the honored virgin Christ, who gives glory to all virgins. He was born today from the womb of the holy virgin Mary, the queen and mother of all virgins, and the mistress of the whole creation. Come, you elders, and see the strong cherub, which you are unable to bear, as it comes forth today from the womb of Mary the virgin who has no stain. Come, you young men and young women, and see this young woman who gave birth to God. Come, you strangers, and see the one who became a stranger with his mother the virgin for your sake. Come, all you tribes of the earth and all the nations, and see the one who was born for us today in a cave.

He was a small child, and like a poor and needy one, for they clothed him in rags, and he was born in a manger of cattle. All the nations of the whole world, come, let you see what he has scattered among all the nations, that each one might not hear the language of his neighbor. He came forth from the womb of Mary the virgin. The whole earth rejoices today, for the one who created it has come down upon it. All the heavens rejoice today, for the one who made the heavens with his wisdom has come forth today from the womb of Mary the virgin. The prophets rejoice today, for the one who will fulfill their prophecies has come forth from Mary. Abel rejoices today, for the one who will avenge his blood and his brother has come. Once and for all, the whole creation rejoices today in this great feast that is spread throughout the whole world, for the Word of the Father has appeared from the small town of Bethlehem, for he has come to us from the holy virgin Mary. Now then, O my beloved, as long as we partake of this great mystery of today, which is the birthday of Christ the Word of the Father, and the King of kings, let us perform good deeds that are fitting for this holy feast. Let this feast be a delight and joy for us. First, because we are called Christians, and then, servants of Christ.

Do not let them come out of the church while we listen to the holy words that teach us among them, and let us put on the garment of the worthy one who has not reached the door of our house. Let us put on a garment that is fitting for the honor that pertains to this great feast of today, which is justice, mercy, and righteousness, and every good work. For this is the garment that is pleasing to God, and it is that which pertains to this feast, for he has placed it upon us. Do not let us neglect it through negligence. Woe to those whom the bridegroom will come and see them without a wedding garment upon them. And they are among all those who have been prepared according to their worthiness. He will threaten them with a great threat among all those who are lying down. He will say to them, "Friend, how did you come into this place without a wedding garment upon you?" And his mouth will be closed among them.

... those who are far off. The king of those who stand will command them to the service, to bind his fetters, and they will cast him out into the darkness outside. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there. Woe to those who sleep because of the melody of the voice, saying, "Behold the bridegroom! Come out to the door of the bridegroom." Let those who are prepared go in with him to the place of the bridegroom. He will not close the door. Those whose lamps are lit will come in, saying, "Lord, Lord, open for us." They will hear the voice full of the gate and fear, saying, "Truly I say to you, I do not know you." Now let these kinds of people hear the great teacher of the church, Peter, the pillar of truth. For these things, do not let the world outside become a place of deceit, sin, fear, and false images. But let the hidden man of the heart in the indestructible spirit of joy, who is before the honored God, be such that these kinds of people do not find an opportunity. They gave a sign to them through those who were before them, having inherited a great wealth, saying, "This is the way they adorned themselves, the holy women who hope in God like Sarah, the holy wife of Abraham, who listened to Abraham, her husband.

... those who are far off. The king of those who stand will command them to the service, to bind his fetters, and they will cast him out into the darkness outside. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there. Woe to him who calls to his mouth, "My Lord," for he has given them a demonstration in this word, saying, "This one for whom you will become a daughter, you will do good to her. You will not fear any fear at all, like a woman who will walk according to the good deeds of the noble women, like Sarah in the place where she is now in the kingdom of the heavens. And they will seize these same goods with her in the dwelling place of those who rejoice, the place from which sorrow and grief and groaning have fled. But rather, you will go to the church, you will reveal yourselves in vain deeds, you will boast in the manner of a reveler. And after that, you will come out of the church, you will go to your houses, you will see your tables laden with various goods, while a multitude of poor are outside your door, existing in need and lacking, and they are in need of food and clothing, hungry and naked, and you do not turn your face toward them, you do not look at them at all. What is the profit of this kind of revelry? For rather, Isaiah, this great voice among the prophets, recalled these things of this kind. He said in the person of God himself, "Your feasts and your revelries my soul abhors. Would that you had become for me a sign of your repentance.

Behold, then, now I see a multitude among you standing here in this place, their faces turned toward those who are listening to them, their eyes filled with tears. But when they go out from the church, they immediately forget those whom they have heard, and they return to their works again. Rather, they add to them. And I say, if they go out from the church—but they have not yet gone out from the tears that are in their eyes—they are found thinking about those who are going out. They do not look out from the church, for certainly they will find someone of their kind. They stretch out their fingers to one another, that they may observe the gold rings that are on their fingers, and they give their hands to them for a word, that they may not transgress them. They bind for themselves bonds in their mouths, while their heart is filled with forgetfulness. Their heart is weighed down by the abundance of their forgetfulness and their desire. Their lips speak of those who are weak. For they desire to go out from the church by reason of the abundance of their disturbance. They have not yet taken the peace, and these say, "We

Christians, you who stand in the church praying and serving until the coming of Christ. Let these of this kind come now, and let them listen to Isaiah the prophet as he says: When you stretch out your hands outside to me, I will turn my eyes away from you; and when you raise your supplication, I will not listen to you. For your hands are full of blood, and your lips are in lawlessness, and your tongue practices violence. Are these not the children to whom these things will listen? But if you wish, O beloved, and you are counted with the servants of Christ, first put away your deeds in the manner of a magician. Bless with the angels in the manner of the saints. Set your mouth open wide in the manner of Salome. Follow after him in the manner of Joseph, and you will partake of the remission of your sins in the manner of those there. Listen to Solomon as he says: Prepare your works for your way, and prepare yourself for your journey, and build your house. For the renunciation of former deeds is the taking up of the armor of salvation. Follow after Christ, for this is a new building. For what is it that we give in exchange for this great trouble that he has done for us truly, if we abandon the world and go into the desert? We will not be able to repay him the honor of this work alone, especially all the other labors that he has undergone for our sake.

Therefore, as long as we know that it is not possible for us to give an apology to him, nor any honor, let us receive grace from him in the matter of receiving toil with him, so that we may loosen the bond of the devil and his evil passions. But nevertheless, someone among those who are idle and lovers of pleasure will say to me: "How shall I be saved? For I have been corrupted, and it is not possible for me to endure toil for my body. For I am a politician." And

I am weak in my body, and I have become powerless in my old age. For what am I to do? For I will say to him, "You have found a pretext for your hardness of heart in saying these things to me." For it is the Word that thinks nothing of these things. For it is a single matter that he seeks from us, which is that we abandon the evil deeds that we did before, and that we not return to them again. For the Word of God summons us at all times, saying, "Come to me, my children who have gone astray, and I will receive you to me, and I will set you free." The Lord, the Pantocrator, said this. For it is not men who say these things, but God the Pantocrator who sent them through the mouth of his holy prophets. Behold, for the prophet Isaiah bears witness to what he said, saying, "For the mouth of the Lord Sabaoth spoke these things." For the Lord also says in another place through his holy prophets, "I live," said the Lord, "for I do not wish the death of the sinner, but that he turn away from his sins. He will live and be saved, entering into the kingdom of God." For even after a man has abandoned God and committed many sins, even to the point of serving idols, the Lord will not abandon him, but will look out for his repentance. For even many have perished, especially in this present time.

...they have become a disgrace through their evil deeds which they have done from the beginning, just as everyone who has heard of their evil deeds which they have done from the beginning, just as everyone gives ear to their own ears, and when God, the lover of humanity, has mercy, to incline their heart towards repentance, and to turn them away from their negligence.

...they do good deeds. Afterwards, the name that is within was hidden in the earth, and the good name remained with them, as is the case with everyone who desires to see them and to hear of their deeds, which are good, that happened to them in the end. Go outside this city a little way into a monastery, and you will see a multitude of men who first lived their life in the theaters and in the hippodromes in fornications. Afterwards, they abandoned their former life and became like angels in the end, and they performed wonders in all their deeds. Let us stand before him, O my beloved, so that we might be raised up to the chosen ones, and those who are near to salvation. We do not wish to speak these words of grief in the midst of this great feast which is spread out before us today in the whole world. But rather, the Word of the Father himself also, who deigned to come to us concerning the salvation of our souls, so that he might set us before him without stumbling. God of love, that is Christ our Lord, who came forth from this holy virgin today, will give us all the means to become chosen before him in our encounter with him. For we all have need of his mercy, whether those who speak or those who listen, whether small or great, whether male or female, whether old or young children. He who will give his heart to the teaching will reap good.

Come, my children, he said. Listen to me, that I may give you instruction, within the fear of God. For the fear of the Lord works for life and piety. It is the life of a person. Many have come to your love because of the coming to the door of God the Word and his mother the virgin. But rather, our negligence has increased concerning this.

Many words of the earth and heart. But let it be that all of us find a boldness before him outside, in our encounter with him. And after the turning outside of this life, may he make us to him within his tent forever. The glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever, amen. Bless us.