In theophaniam

A homily of Severian, bishop of Gabala, on the Theophany. Let every mouth be opened today for theology, and let every tongue hymn the Word of God who shone forth from the heavens. Let every mouth speak, let every tongue utter, let every soul dance, let the whole earth sing. For today words of light on the day of light illumine the sons of light. Let the earthly be in harmony with the heavenly, let the things manifest in the world sing with the supercosmic powers. For since truth has appeared and the heavenly king, everything must run together into a common confession of the master of all. The presence of Christ is the sojourn of true light; the presence of Christ is the benefaction of the whole world; the presence of Christ is the liberation of the entire cosmos. Christ is hymned and the world is sanctified; Christ is proclaimed and the world is illuminated; Christ is announced and every soul puts on the heavenly longing. The experience of events guarantees my word. Behold for me this godly order and the very condition of the church. Behold for me the inextinguishable lamp of heavenly longing. Behold for me the nature of the body flourishing together with the ministry of the angels. Men, being from the earth, dwelling on the earth, and moving about on the earth, vie with the heavenly ones. The world has denied the nature of the body and chosen the ministry of the angels. For such is the church of God: it conducts its life on earth, but it has the rank of heavenly orders. What is the work of the angels in the heavens? To serve God. What is the work of the holy ones on earth? To hymn God. Therefore, those whose ministry is of equal honor also have equal rank.

For this reason the blessed David, plucking the spiritual lyre and proclaiming the saving hymn of theology, said, as we were just now chanting: "God of powers, turn us back and show us your face, and we shall be saved." Not yet had the king of glory arrived, and the forerunners of the kingdom were proclaiming: "He who shepherds Israel, pay heed." "He who shepherds Israel"—tell us, prophet, clearly what you mean; clarify what you proclaim; what sort of shepherd do you mean? For many shepherded: Moses was a shepherd, Aaron was a shepherd, as you say—for it is said, "You shepherded your people by the hand of Moses and Aaron." David also was a shepherd—for it is said, "He chose his servant to shepherd Jacob his servant and Israel his inheritance." Why, then, do you conceal the dignity of the one announced under the title of shepherd? Correct clearly what you say; use a distinct and unambiguous voice for your proclamation. You say: "He who shepherds Israel, pay heed; he who leads Joseph like a sheep." But what sort of shepherd he is, you do not yet indicate; you conceal the dignity of the one proclaimed because of the homonymy with other shepherds.

What then? Have you not yet understood the dignity? I make the truth clear to you: "You who sit upon the cherubim, show yourself. Rouse your power and come to save us." Do you see how he has laid bare the entire dignity of the one prophesied? Do you see how he has proclaimed the King of Glory riding upon the royal and supracosmic throne, Jesus? Hence also the Saviour, confirming the prophet's prediction, cries out through the grace of the Gospel: "I am the good shepherd." For since, he says, as rational human beings you did not recognize God, at least as irrational sheep recognize the shepherd. Wishing to show the fruit of the shepherd's visitation, the prophet says: "Rouse your power and come to save us"; for the Saviour's manifestation is the source of every benefaction. The Redeemer of the world has therefore appeared, taking everything upon himself because of the goodness proper to him. For since he saw that all things among humans had fallen into ruin—both the priesthood which he gave in Israel, and the prophecy, and all the exceptional gifts—he himself renews his own gifts through himself.

And how? Listen: He becomes a prophet, since prophecy had been corrupted by the unworthy, as it is written: "The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers like me." He also becomes an apostle, according to what is said: "Consider the high priest and apostle of our calling, Jesus." He also becomes a priest, as it is written: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." He also becomes, brothers, a deacon, as the noble Paul says: "For I say that Christ became a deacon of circumcision for the truth of God, in order to fulfill the promises of the fathers." So he traverses every order; he also becomes a reader again: for taking Isaiah, he read it, as the Gospel shows, in order both to confirm the voice of the prophet and to honor the ranks of the Church. He also became a king, the king of those who reign, as Nathanael says: "Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the king of Israel." But perhaps one of those standing by will say: What then is this to me, a layman, if he put on prophecy and apostleship and priesthood? What is this to me, who am enrolled in the lay order? Indeed, the lover of mankind became man for all men; but if you wish to see him also undertaking the order of a layman for your sake, examine within yourself and consider what will be said: It is agreed that the one who baptizes is in the place of the priest, while the one being baptized is established in the order of a layman. Observe then John baptizing in the order of a priest, and Christ being baptized in the lay order.

Today, brothers, today he underwent the economy through the waters, not being sanctified from the waters, but providing sanctification to the waters. John was fulfilling the priestly role; the redeemer of the world approaches the one baptizing in water, the one who enlightens in spirit, the king to the forerunner, the god to the prophet. John, brothers, did not ignore the dignity because of the economy; the form of the body did not mislead him; the apparent flesh did not deceive him, but the hidden power shone around him, which the lamp of my Christ proclaimed through the prophet even to those who were ignorant. For he was a holy lamp, the marvelous lamp, concerning which it is said, "I have prepared a lamp for my Christ." And John was called a lamp, not because the divine Word, the true light, had need of the addition of the lamp's radiance—for he was the sun of righteousness—but because he made known the Christ hidden in flesh, flashing the lamp of divine speech as if in the night of the Jewish condition, he is rightly called a lamp.

And see the marvel, brothers: when the master who had come to us, the man who became such through love for humanity, passed over to the incarnate economy, there was a strange wonder—God among men, the master among slaves, the creator among his creations, the sanctifier among those being sanctified. Then John was proclaiming the worth, and it was possible to see a strange wonder: it was possible to see the lamp receiving the sun of righteousness, Jesus. The man in need of redemption was baptizing the redeemer of all, not emboldened by audacity but enslaved by command. Then, at that moment, two prophetic voices ran together: the voice of one crying in the wilderness and the voice of the Lord upon the waters. The herald of truth was crying out, and the God of glory was thundering, and there the worshiped Trinity was flashing forth its own glory—the Father from above proclaiming the Son, the Son from below fulfilling the divine economy, the Holy Spirit sealing the godly mystagogy. And such a voice arises from the Father above bearing witness to his only-begotten that the heavens are split; for it says that when Jesus came up from the water, the heavens were split, shuddering at the voice of such great witness to the divine economy.

But see the marvel: this voice split the heavens and did not frighten the heretics. "This is my beloved son; listen to him." Since the law had already proclaimed beforehand, and the prophets had announced the good news, so that no one, following the former state of Jewish worship, might shake off the yoke of evangelical grace, the divine voice distinguishes the servile from the masterly dignities. "Listen to him," that is, to Christ. For Christ is the fulfillment of the law; Jesus is the fulfillment of good things. For even if the blessings in the Mosaic law came first, they were not complete, awaiting our Lord, about whom Paul says, "Christ is the fulfillment of the law." And if you wish, I will present the truth to you from an evident fact as a guarantee of what has been said. Pay close attention. Moses the lawgiver commands that the twelve tribes of Israel be divided, and that six tribes be led up to Mount Gerizim, and the other six to Mount Ebal, and he commands that these bless and those curse: to bless those who uphold the law, and to curse those who transgress it. What then? In the case of all the curses, a concluding seal was added: "For the Levites will say," he says, "Cursed is the one who abandons the Lord God," and all the people will say, "Amen." "Cursed is the one who serves foreign gods," and all the people will say, "Amen." And upon each commandment, the "Amen" was imposed for the transgressors in the curse. But in the case of the blessing, he says, "The Levites will say: 'Blessed is the one who keeps the law of the Lord; blessed in the field; blessed in the city,'" and nowhere is the "Amen" found in any of the blessings.

Why then do the curses receive the seal, while the blessings do not accept the stamp? What does the signal intend? What does the riddle interpret? As best I can, I will attempt to go through it, winged by your desire. The law was the fulfiller of the curses, but Jesus was the confirmer of the blessings. Since it was necessary that the things proper to the law be distributed to the law, and the things of evangelical grace be preserved for grace, the blessings remained, thereafter seeking the addition of the "amen." Lest the word seem forced to some, but rather attested by truth itself, listen to Paul saying: For our Lord Jesus did not become "yes" and "no," but "yes" came to be in him. For as many promises as there are of God, in him is the "yes," and through him the "amen," to the glory of God. From this it is possible to understand again what was said by the apostle, that we, being dead in our transgressions and the uncircumcision of our flesh, he made alive together with us in himself, granting us all transgressions, erasing the hand-written bond against us, which was adverse to us. Since every hand-written bond is confirmed both by the dictation of the bond and by the signature of the borrower, it is necessary to seek the signature, and also when, and how, and where it occurred. You have, then, this very previously mentioned subject: for when the law dictated the curses, the "amen" of the people was the signature of the hearers. Jesus, then, was the fulfillment of the blessings, he who appeared at the Jordan, he who fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. For Isaiah said: "Let the deserts of the Jordan rejoice, because the glory of Lebanon was given to it, and the honor of Carmel.

The word is unclear, but it is clarified through grace. Scripture calls Jerusalem "Lebanon" at that time; and do not think the expression is forced. See what Ezekiel testifies: for he spoke concerning King Nebuchadnezzar: "The great eagle, the great-winged one, with wings spread wide and full of talons, came to Lebanon and took the choice parts of the cedar of Lebanon and carried them off to Babylon." And what were the choice parts of Lebanon? Since he bound Zedekiah and carried off the king and Jehoiakim and the high priests—these were the choice parts of Lebanon that he carried off to Babylon. What then is "the glory of Lebanon was given to her"? Since the priesthood of Jerusalem and all prophecy passed to John, and all Jerusalem, leaving the altar, went out to receive John's baptism, the prophet says in advance concerning the honor of the Jordan: "The glory of Lebanon was given to her, and the honor of Carmel." And what is the honor? Listen briefly: Elijah was the honor of Carmel. For Elijah was a prophet on Carmel. Since John came forth in the spirit and power of Elijah, therefore it says the honor of Carmel was given to the wilderness. For John was a new Elijah in the wilderness, as the Savior says: and if you are willing to accept it, this is the Elijah who is to come. Since then Elijah dwelt on Carmel, and now John in the wilderness, it fittingly says: "The glory of Lebanon was given to her, and the honor of Carmel.

Now, brothers, that glory has filled not only the desert but the entire inhabited world; for today hymns and theological praises are everywhere on earth. From evening until now, people have stood and conquered sleep with hymns. Grace was displayed, and nature was not reproached. And this is quite fitting: just as iron, when it comes into contact with fire, no longer appears as what it was, but puts on what it was not—not laying aside its nature, but receiving brightness within its nature—so we, having been deemed worthy of the Holy Spirit, have denied the weakness of the body and have put on the energy of the Spirit. The church stands, shining throughout, and the saying is fulfilled in it: "Evening came, and morning came, one day." The night had no darkness, being illuminated by theological praise; the night had no darkness, for it was shone upon by the divine word, according to what was said by David: "And night is illumination in my delight, because darkness will not be darkened by you, and night will be illuminated as day." Such light, such beauty radiates around the church.

It shines like a crown of a kingdom, a crown of seemliness worthy of the crown of the kingdom, which God has given to the inhabited world, having caused a good branch to bloom from a good root. When I say these things, I sing of the pair of brothers and the harmony of the kingdom, for which the divine saying also proves true: "A brother helped by a brother is like a fortified city and like a founded palace." These are the two sons of abundance, who stand by the lord of the whole earth, the flowers of piety, the towers of truth, those who wall the church, since their Christ also walls the kingdom. Seeing the branches with the root, I see the blessed king shining with his children; for the glory has not died; it is with the righteous; for it says, "A righteous man will be for a memorial." I see him shining through the living image; I consider what has gone before and shudder, how everything was scattered, the terror of war, by the faith of the great king. That faith of the father walls the children of the kingdom. God goes before that king first and also the fruits that have come from the noble root. Let us pray, brothers, that the luminaries of piety, the bulwark of the church, may be preserved. But let no one think that the word is flattery, but that the things are truth. Yes, it says, and a man walls the church; indeed, do you not know that God, giving great things to men, seeks small things from us? He gave manna in the desert and seeks loaves from the priests, saying: "Place for me on the table loaves before me.

gave a pillar of fire and says: "Place the lamp before me." Such a fountain of light he bestows and a lamp he lends, yes, so that through what I bestow I may show abundance, and through what you bring forward you may fulfill thanksgiving. The church again flashes forth, preeminently and through the holy fathers. But one must recognize proportion; for the measure of the discourse is not the speaker, but the hearer. Since you have wearied your bodies with unwearied zeal, it is necessary to moderate the discourse and stop here and be illumined by divine grace; for today the holy Trinity illumines us, the presidency of the fathers of the whole church, the abundance; and just as the bright and well-dyed parts of the royal garment, receiving the sun's ray, flash all around upon the surroundings, both walls and ceilings and the people standing around, and whatever the beauty of the dye may be, it produces such a good color of the air, either golden or green or purple or something else that the art of flower-dyeing adorns, so also the church at one time receives prophetic rays, at another the apostolic, at another the energy of evangelical grace, so that it stands according to the prophetic voice, shining with variegated beauties, according to "The queen stood at your right, clothed in a gold-embroidered garment, variegated." What is "stood"? So that Paul might speak truly, saying: "He presented the church to himself as glorious, having no spot or wrinkle or anything of the sort.

May it be that we, always illumined, sing, brothers, and send up glory to the all-holy God, to whom glory is due unto the ages of ages. Amen.