Homilia ii de Hypapante

A homily of Hesychius, presbyter of Jerusalem, on the meeting of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you not know that the Spirit established Symeon as a prophet and addressed to him an oracle, "You shall not see death before you see the Christ"? "Now you release your servant, O Master, according to your word, in peace." Was it not by his agency that he blessed Joseph and Mary? Was it not by his command that he said to Mary, "Behold, this one lies here for the fall and rising of many in Israel"? Was it not through him that Anna was possessed as a prophetess? Was it not from him, filled, that she announced the coming redemption through the infant? I ought to have woven for you the detailed explanation of these things, but perhaps the time has been spent, and it is fitting to cut short the discourse out of regard for your patience. But if the word is not bearable to you, since you are insatiable fellow-banqueters at the table of the sacred teachings, then from where the evangelist began the narrative, from there it is fitting for us also to cut short the interpretation, so as to be suitable both to the time and to your desire. "And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Symeon." The Spirit wove no small encomium for this Symeon in the prologue: "For behold," it says, "there was a man in Jerusalem," whom the prophets long sought and the law desired, but grace found, and having found him, crowned him with what follows. From where is the crown woven? Pay attention.

And this man was righteous and devout, awaiting consolation for Israel. It was fitting to emulate Symeon and count him blessed, for he was not only righteous but also devout, refraining from all vice. And as for "awaiting consolation for Israel," he did not grow weary in toiling at virtues, nor did he tire of abstaining from vice. "And the Holy Spirit was upon him." This too is marvelous and consistent with what was said before; for he was a temple, he kept the bridal chamber of his flesh pure, and the canopy of his soul was cleansed of every worldly cobweb; from there he drew the dwelling of the Spirit to himself. "And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before seeing the Christ of the Lord." Do you see how great it is to be a temple of God? Those who have thus trained their life pass from life to life. Hence it was "revealed to Symeon that he would not see death before seeing the Christ of the Lord," that is, before he sees the one who abolishes death, before he sees the one who raises the dead, before he sees the one who transforms tombs into a bridal chamber, before he beholds the one who makes his departure from here fearless.

And he came in the Spirit into the temple." This too is not worthy to be passed over or bypassed; for it is a demonstration that he acted according to the command of the Spirit dwelling within him, and he did not at all cast himself into marketplaces or any actions without it; since even into the temple he comes not otherwise, but indeed with it leading him by the hand. "And when the parents brought the child Jesus to do according to what was customary in the law concerning him, he himself received him into his arms." Who revealed to him the infant whom he did not know? But it is clear that it was the Spirit dwelling in him and giving oracles, and somewhere saying to Symeon: "Run, old man, run, hasten now, quickly seize the blessing, before the star appears, before the Magi arrive, lest we be insulted. For the light from me must anticipate the arrival of the star in Bethlehem, so that it may be known that from me both its course is guided and its ray is borrowed. But do not be deprived if the uncircumcised reap the firstfruits of the blessing." "And he blessed God and said: Now you release your servant, O Lord, according to your word in peace." He blessed God the Father together with the Son, the Son together with the Spirit, since the Spirit was the one giving oracles, while he held the Son in his hands, who deigned to appear in flesh and become an infant for our sake; and the Father himself was also effecting such great and so great mysteries. But for what did he offer the thanksgiving?

Now," he says, "you release your servant, master," when there is no fear of death for me, and I go with joy to the dead, announcing life to them. "You release according to your word in peace," that which David the prophet, having borrowed from you, said: "In peace I will sleep and slumber together." "Because my eyes have seen your salvation," which many of the prophets desired to see; but now, by this very experience, you have presented to the human race the Most High, who for our sake became so humble as to become an infant; for the potter could not otherwise save the corrupted clay, but was to be mixed together with it himself. "My eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared before the face of all peoples," but of all, since you, being the creator of all, set before all the mystery of salvation necessarily. "Light for the revelation of nations and glory for your people Israel": first the nations are enlightened, and after this Israel is glorified; for he was born for whom first the last, and last the first, the primacy of those before having been forfeited through negligence, have become. "And his father and mother were marveling at the things spoken about him." Why do you call Joseph father, O evangelist and writer of the divine genealogy? For you showed Gabriel saying to the virgin, when it was being arranged how the conception would be and in what manner the virgin would give birth: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." – "I have not forgotten myself," he says;

For even if I were to forget, the Spirit would remind me. But the Word made flesh wished Joseph to be called thus at that time, so that the one lying in wait for the mystery of our salvation might be deceived." "And they marveled at what was said about him," since the old man was carrying an infant, yet he uttered hymns of God. "And Symeon blessed them"; for it was necessary that those who had ministered the blessing to those acting under a curse be blessed. "And he said to Mariam his mother: Behold, this one lies for the fall and resurrection of many in Israel"; for this is the one concerning whom Peter, taking up the prophecy of Esaias, wrote to the churches: "Behold, I place in Sion a cornerstone, chosen, honorable, and he who believes in it" will not be put to shame. Then he adds, interpreting the prophecy and speaking in agreement with Symeon: "To you, then, the honor, to those who believe; but for the unbelieving, the stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner and a stone of stumbling and a rock of scandal; all who stumble are those disobedient to the word." Therefore, he lay for the fall of the unbelieving and for the resurrection of the faithful; for those who thought they stood according to the law cast themselves down by their unbelief, while these, though among the fallen due to the multitude of their sins, having run to the staff of faith, raised themselves up.

Behold, this one lies for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a disputed sign." What is this? — The cross; for that sign, since it was full of both sufferings and wonders, was disputed: for it was bare and hid the sun, it was pierced with nails and shook the rocks, its side was opened by a lance and it opened the tombs of the dead. Hence the sign was disputed: for the unbelievers, leaving these things, looked at those; the faithful, together with the sufferings, beheld the wonders. Thus the multitude of the Pharisees then mocked him as an impostor, but the centurion called him son of God and, having said this, worshipped him. The following are consistent with these: "And a sword will pass through your own soul, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." "A sword through your soul" — discernment will pass through at the time of the cross; for you will marvel seeing on the cross the one born without corruption, the one conceived without a man, the one who did not open the womb and who effected his own birth without suffering and incorruptibly.

What then will come of this? "So that the deliberations may be revealed from many hearts"—perhaps also of others, but much more of those who were disciples of the Lord and who observed the sufferings concerning him and the wonders from him, and who endured a storm from the deliberations on both sides, such as Cleopas suffered from what Christ, meeting him on the way to Emmaus, revealed to him. For when Cleopas was asked why they were gloomy and their hearts were troubled, having spoken a little about Christ and as much as the occasion permitted, not knowing to whom he was speaking, he added: "But we had hoped that he was the one who was to redeem Israel," that is, contrary to our hope, things have turned out differently regarding him. The deliberation of Mary Magdalene was also uncovered, being weak; when Christ was crucified, she was weak, at which time she also said to him: "Lord, if you have carried him, tell me where you placed him, and I will take him up." Let the tongue of the Gospel narrative run through what is missing: "And there was Anna, a prophetess, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher; she had advanced in many days, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and she was a widow of about eighty-four years." Splendid is the wealth of Anna; from all sides the treasure of good things is gathered for her: first, that she was a prophetess; for having a weak vessel, as a woman's, she purified it, and drew the Spirit of God to dwell in her; then, that she was an old woman, and having aged in body, she did not age in mind.

Third, that she was a widow, and not merely a widow, but having lived with her husband for seven years in number, and having advanced many days and drawn the yoke of widowhood for so long a time, she did not surrender her bed to a second bridegroom, for what reason then did she drive her life's age to the eightieth year? But since she certainly saw the one clearly announced by the Spirit in the eighty-fourth psalm, she sought to speak about him such things as David, the psalmist, chanting forth, sang: "You have been pleased, Lord, with your land; you have turned back the captivity of Jacob; you have forgiven the lawless deeds of your people; you have covered all their sins. You have caused all your anger to cease; you have turned back from the wrath of your fury. Truth has arisen from the earth, and justice has looked forth from heaven." For in these things is "the redemption of Jerusalem," which the woman is then related and prophesied to proclaim as follows; for it says: "She did not depart from the temple." Many dwell in the temple, but dwelling they insult it, all those who do not dwell in it as Anna happened to dwell, "serving with fasts and supplications night and day." For by fasts she cleansed the body, and by supplications she lifted up the mind of the soul, and she happened to dwell as a temple in the temple.

And at that very hour she arrived"—for the Spirit led her, just as it led Symeon, to the glorification of the infant. "She gave thanks to God"—she did not simply glorify, but gave thanks, uttering words similar to those spoken by Symeon. "And she spoke about him to all who were awaiting redemption in Jerusalem." Saying what and of what sort? "Do not be deceived by the flesh, do not stumble at the form of a servant, do not let the infant trouble you." The one who fashions infants appearing as a child, an infant, the father of the ages seen as a child; for otherwise we could not behold the Redeemer, otherwise we could not receive him. For our sake he humbled himself, for us he descended; out of consideration for our eyes, he conceals the glorious, and puts forward the humble. To him be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.