Беседа на Спасительное Рождество во плоти Господа и Бога и Спаса нашего Иисуса Христа 530

1. Now is the festival of the Virgin Birth: and by the greatness of the Feast, the word, by force of necessity itself, will rise into the depth of the mystery and embrace it, as far as is achievable and permissible and time allows, so that something of the meaning contained in it becomes revealed to us 531. You too, brothers, I pray, intensify your attention and elevate your thoughts, so that, as if brightly lit by the heavenly, divine Light, they, as a result of this, perceive divine knowledge. Because today I see that heaven and earth enjoy equal honor, and (I see) the elevation of all things below to things beyond, as if in some kind of competition with the heavenly, which, as it were, is humbled and diminished: since if there is a certain heaven of heavens and if there are certain upper waters covering the heavens, and if there is a certain place or institution or super-peaceful order, yet there is nothing that would be more wonderful and honorable Nativity Scene and Manger and Baby Baths and Swaddles; because of everything created by God from all eternity, there is nothing that would be more useful or divine than the Nativity of Christ, which we celebrate today. 2. Because the eternal and unlimited and omnipotent Word, as homeless, bloodless, homeless, is now born in a den according to the flesh, and as a Baby is laid in a manger and seen with the eyes and touched with the hands, and wrapped in swaddling clothes; not due to the fact that a spiritual being preceded in the creation of a being that did not exist before, or, having accepted flesh for existence, then soon parted with it, or flesh and spirit merged into one to form a single rational living being, but – due to the fact that through the Mind (or: Spirit) God and flesh united unmixed into the being of the one God-human Hypostasis, which descended to the virgin womb, in which and from whom, by the favor of the Father and the assistance of the Spirit, the prehypostatic Word came into being, is now released from the womb and is born as a Child, without violating, but preserving unbroken the signs of the Mother’s virginity, being born dispassionately (painlessly), as it was conceived dispassionately, because the One who gave birth appeared above both the passionate pleasure in conception and the painful pains in birth: therefore that, as Isaiah says: “Before pain came to Her, She, having escaped suffering, gave birth” ( Is. 66:7 ) in the flesh to the eternal Word, Whose not only Divinity cannot be investigated, but also the image of His union with the flesh is incomprehensible, and condescension is limitless, and the divine and ineffable height of perception 532 surpasses every mind and word, so that it cannot at all have any comparison with creation. Because if you look in the flesh at the One who is now born of the Unskilled Young Lady, however (you will see that) even here comparison is not available; because He, as the Psalmist says, “is more beautiful in kindness (beautifulness) than the sons of men” (Ps. 44:3); he did not say: “more beautiful,” but simply: “Beautiful,” so as not to make comparisons with those who cannot be compared: with ordinary people - the nature is one with God. 3. “O God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy, more than Your partakers” (Ps. 45:8) the Psalmist further says 533.. He is both God and perfect Man; The same God is both the anointing and the anointed. Because it is said: “O God, Thy God hath anointed Thee”: because as Man, the Word is anointed by God the Father, and anointed with the co-eternal and consubstantial Spirit: because this is the “oil of joy”; therefore, again, He is both God and the Divine Anointing and the Anointed One: because even if He is anointed as a Man, but as God, He has in Himself the source of the anointing. Therefore, all those anointed by God, seeing divinely, he 534 saw and foretold them as partakers of Him; because it is characteristic only of God alone not to take part (in something with others), but to Himself be the Subject of participation for others and to have as partakers those who rejoice in the spirit. Behold, this is the One Who is Now Born in a wretched cave, and is glorified by us, like a Baby lying in a manger. 4. Because the One who brought everything from non-existence into being, everything on earth and in heaven, having looked at His rational creations 535, which, due to the aspiration for more 536, have rendered themselves unusable, gives Himself to them, - which there is nothing greater, neither equal nor approaching, - and offers Himself to those who wish to be partakers of Him, so that from then on we were able to safely use for ourselves the desire for the better, as a result of which desire at the beginning, we exposed ourselves to extreme danger, and so that each of us, wishing to become God 537, would not only be innocent (for such a desire), but would also achieve what we want. In a miraculous way, He removes the reason that was from the beginning for falls; this reason was: the superiority and inferiority observed in creatures, and as a result of this envy and deceit, as well as obvious and hidden hostility, arise. Thus, the leader of evil, desiring to be no lower than any of the Angels, but in superiority to be equal to the Creator Himself, the first in the world, without anyone preceding him, experienced a terrible fall; then, possessed by envy and attacking by deception, he dragged Adam into the depths of hell, on the basis of a thirst similar to his for more, and thus became difficult to restore and in need of a special Coming of God for his call, which has now taken place, having once and for all caused an incurable fall to himself, as having acquired pride not by succession (from someone before him), but having become self-evil and fulfillment evil and offering himself to those who wish to participate in evil with him... So, having now deigned to abolish the basis for pride, which destroys 538 His rational creation 539, God is completely likened to it: and since in His nature He is equal to Himself and unchangeable 540, He makes the creation be equal in nature to itself and unchangeable 541. And how does he do this? - Because God the Word Himself is from God, having ineffably exhausted Himself 542 and descended from the heights (of His) into human badness 543, and uniting it inextricably with Himself, and having humbled itself and become impoverished in our image, He has made those things that are below to be above; It’s better to say: he brought both of them into one: combining the Divinity with human nature; and thus showed everyone the path leading to what is above, and this path is humility: offering Himself today as an example to people and the holy Angels. 5. On the basis of this, the Angels have now accepted steadfastness (in a good dispensation), having learned in practice from the Lord the path of height and likeness to Him, which consists not in pride, but in humility; on this basis, people have an easily accessible means for well-being, learning that humility is the path to restoration; on the basis of this, the evil principle, the very essence of pride, is shamed and overthrown: who previously seemed to have stood firmly and represented something of himself: as having conquered himself and carried away with him (the thirst for more, aroused in them by his action), while hoping to conquer others with the excess of recklessness - now he seems to be a toy, clearly caught by those who were previously maliciously deceived by him. And now, when Christ was born, he is trampled upon by those who were previously under his heel, who now do not become arrogant (proud), as this accursed one suggested (Gen. 3:1-5), but imitate the humble, as the Savior set the example of by deeds, and through humility acquire a premium height. 6. For this reason, God, seated on Cherubim (Ezek. 1:25–26, 10:1–2), is presented on earth as a Child today; Invisible to the six-winged Seraphim - not only His nature, but even the radiance of His glory, who are completely unable to contemplate, which is why they cover their faces with wings (Is. 6: 1-2), - now appears to earthly vision and is presented to carnal eyes, having become Flesh; Defining boundaries for everything and Unlimited by anything, it is surrounded by hastily made and small mangers; He who contains everything and makes it solid with a handful 544 is swaddled with small swaddling clothes and compressed with small bandages; He who possesses a wealth of inexhaustible treasures voluntarily exposes Himself to such poverty as to not even have a place for himself in his home - which is why he accepts the den, and in such conditions the One who is born of God is born outside of time, passionlessly and without beginning. And (oh, what a miracle!), not only by His birth is clothed in a defeated nature, He who is of the same nature as the Most High Father, and not only accepts this extreme poverty, having been born in a wretched cave, but immediately, while still in the womb of the Mother, he perceives the extreme sentence that was from the beginning on our nature 545, and is numbered and recorded with the slaves of He who is by nature The Lord of the whole world is his own, completely making (earthly) slavery no more dishonorable than (earthly) dominion; it is better to say: showing slaves more deserving of honor than the ruler who was at that time 546, if only they will heed and submit to the Majesty (Kingdom) of grace; because he who then presented himself as the ruler of the earth did not count himself among the King of Heaven, but only all those subject to him; and the one who ruled the earth at that time was not included in their number; The Heavenly Lord counted Himself among them. 7. The forefather David in one place sings to God because of the one now born from his fatherland: “Thy hands have made me and created me, give me understanding and I will learn your commandments” (Ps. 119:73). Why is he saying this? – Because only the Creator can bestow true intelligence. A person who has felt and realized the honor that our nature has received from God, having been created by His hands in His image, who has reflected on His love for mankind, will run to Him and listen and learn His commandments; how much more will he (do this) if he realizes, to the best of his ability, this great Mystery of our re-creation and proclamation? Because, since He created our nature from the earth with His hand and breathed life from Himself into it, He who created everything else with a single word, produced it (this nature) as a rational creature, and illuminated by free will, so that it was governed by its thoughts and according to its movement; having combined itself with the advice of the evil one, stolen and powerless to resist the deceit (of the evil one), it did not retain its inherent dignity, but slipped into that which is contrary to its nature, therefore now not only He miraculously recreates it with His hand, but also holds it, not only Himself having accepted and raised it from the fall, but also incomprehensibly clothed in it and inseparably united with Him being born from a woman, God and Man together, in order to exalt the same nature that He created in the Forefathers (Adam and Eve); He receives this nature from the Virgin in order to make a new man. 8. Because if He had come from the seed, then He would not have been the New Man, and being an old coin and the heir of his deficiency, could not have absorbed into Himself the fullness of pure Divinity and become the Source of inexhaustible sanctification, so that with an excess of power not only would wash away the defilement of these Ancestors, the defilement that came from sin, but also be sufficient for the sanctification of subsequent people. Therefore, just as for the constant watering of a city, and even some very large city, the water available in the reservoir would not be sufficient, but it is necessary that the city have a source of water within itself (because in this way it will never surrender to the enemies, forced by thirst), so neither man nor the holy Angel could suffice for the constant sanctification of all, so as to sanctify everyone by communicating with them in the grace they have acquired, but it is necessary that the creature has in source itself, so that those who partake of it and drink from it remain invincible from the infirmities and shortcomings that have taken root in it. Therefore, not an Angel, not a man, but the Lord Himself came and saved us, becoming for our sake a Man like us, remaining unchanging God. Because by building the New Jerusalem and already erecting a church for Himself from animated stones, and gathering us into the sacred and universal Church, He affirms at its foundation - which is Christ Himself (Eph. 2:20) - the ever-flowing Source of grace. Because the full Life and the sovereign and ever-present, all-wise and omnipotent Nature unites with the nature, which through foolishness was led into deception and through weakness enslaved to the evil one: and, due to the lack of divine life in itself, lay in the depths of hell - unites in order to assign to it wisdom and strength and freedom and unceasing life. 9. And look at the immediate signs of this ineffable union and the benefit that flows from this and at those who are far away. The star travels to the Magi, stopping when they stopped to rest; and when they move, she goes along the path with them, or better to say: she herself draws them on the road and calls on them, starting the march and leading them: when they move, she presents herself as a guide, and at a time when they give a break to the body, she gives in to them and herself remains in place, so that, if she left them, she would not be upset by her absence from the idea that she left her guide to them unfinished; because, indeed, she upset them quite a bit by hiding from them when they came to Jerusalem. Why did she hide when they got there? - In order to relieve suspicion, due to questioning, of the heralds of Christ who was born according to the flesh at that time. If they insisted on finding out from the Jews: where, according to sacred prophecies, is Christ born? - however, at this time the divine star again appeared to them, teaching us to no longer seek from the Jews what is in the law and the prophets, but to strive for the heavenly teaching that came from heaven, so that we would not be deprived of the highest grace and light. When they left from there (from Jerusalem), appearing again, she rejoiced them and led them, walking in front of them, “having come to the hundred above where the Child was” (Matt. 2:9), of course, worshiping with them the Earthly and together the Heavenly Child. And she, truly, brought them first, as a Christmas gift to God born on earth; and because of their Assyrian people, according to the words of Isaiah: “And in those days the Assyrians will be the first people of God, and after these the Egyptians, and the third is Israel” (Is. 19), - which, as you see, is now coming true: because the worship of the Magi was immediately replaced by His flight into Egypt; thanks to which He freed the Egyptians from idols (Is. 19:1), and after returning from there, He chose the people of God worthy of His inheritance from among Israel. And, behold, this was clearly foretold by Isaiah; The Magi themselves fell on their faces, bringing gold and frankincense and myrrh to the One who, by His death, the symbol of which was myrrh, gave us divine life, of which frankincense was the image, and gave us divine illumination and the kingdom, which represented the gold brought to the Chief of everlasting glory. Because of the One who was born today, the shepherds, together with the Angels, form a common choir and the same one sings a hymn of praise and begins a common song; not because the Angels took the shepherd's pipes into their hands, but because the shepherds were illuminated by the light of the Angels and found themselves in the midst of the heavenly army and learned from the Angels the heavenly hymn, or better to say: together the heavenly and the earthly. Because they proclaim: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace” (Luke 2:14). Because He who dwells in the highest and Holds the heavenly heights now has the earth as His throne, and is glorified on it and in equal measure, as there (in heaven) He is glorified by His Saints and Angels 547. 10. But what is the reason for this common praise of angels and people and what is this much-praised and so joyful good news for shepherds and all people? “Behold,” says the Angel to the shepherds, “I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people” (Luke 2:10). So, what is this and what is this worldwide joy proclaimed by the gospel hymn, which says: “Peace, good will toward men” - listen to the end, and you will find out. – For God, Who was angry with the human race and subjected it to terrible curses, has now come in the flesh, having His peace to bestow on them and reconcile them with the Most High Father. Because the Angel announces to the shepherds: “He was not born to us, the Angels, although now on earth we see Him, Whom we sing in heaven, but to you, people, i.e. “For your sake, and also in your nature, the Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in the city of David.” – What does God’s favor inherent in the world desire? - Inherent in peace, because: “peace,” says the Angel, “good will among men.” It happened before that He showed examples of peace to people: because God also spoke to Moses as if someone spoke to his friend (Ex. 33:11); and He found David after His own heart (Acts 13:22); and He showed signs of peace to the entire Jewish people himself, descending for their sake onto Mount (Sinai) and speaking to them from the midst of fire and darkness, but not in good will: because good will is the pleasing in itself and the previous and perfect will of God. So, the previous and perfect will of God in relation to certain people or one of the nations does not consist in the benefit (provided to them), and it was not “perfect”; therefore, as God called many “sons,” the One is the One “with whom He is well pleased” (Matthew 3:17); So many times He gave His peace to people; there is only one peace, which also contains His benevolence, a peace which, thanks to the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, is given as perfect and unchangeable to every people and to everyone who wishes. 11. Let us preserve such peace, brethren, in our midst, as far as is in our power: because we have received it as an inheritance from our Savior who has now been born and the Giver of the spirit of adoption to us, thanks to which we have truly become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17). Let us be at peace with God: doing what is pleasing to Him, being chaste, being truthful, doing righteousness, “enduring with prayers and supplications” (Acts 1:14), “making melody and singing in our hearts” (Eph. 5:19), and not just with our lips. Let us be at peace with ourselves: subduing the flesh to the spirit and choosing a way of life according to conscience and having an internal order of thoughts 548 well-ordered and reverent; because in this way we will extinguish the genuine internecine (internal) discord that exists within us. Let us be at peace with each other: “accepting one another and forgiving ourselves, if anyone has reproach against anyone, just as Christ also forgave you” (Col. 3:13); and showing mercy to each other, arising from mutual love, just as Christ, only out of love for us, had mercy on us and came down to us for our sake; because in this way, having been called by His help and grace from the fall of sin and having risen high through the virtues, “we will have citizenship in heaven” (Phil. 3:20), on the basis of which we look forward with hope to liberation from corruption (Rom. 8:21) and the enjoyment of heavenly and eternal blessings, as children of the Heavenly Father, which may we all receive in the future in the glory of the Coming and appearance of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ, To whom be glory forever. Amen. In the 1861 edition it is listed as No. 58. pp.224–234. Orig.: “tis en toito dynamoos.” “perception” i.e. a human being who was perceived by the God-man. “Therefore, O God, Your God has anointed You with the oil of joy more than Your fellows”: That is to a proud desire to compare with God. Although the word refers to people, in the original it is written with a capital letter. Orig.: “pulls down.” Orig.: “solely honest”, i.e. unchangeable in His dignity. See previous note. Those. God makes sure that our nature remains faithful to its original honor, damaged as a result of the Fall. “Divine exhaustion” is a theological term, see above in the 1st Discourse on the Entry into the Church of the Mother of God, note to section. 4. Orig.: “tin anthropinin eschatian”, extreme. This probably means that the God-Man assumed a mortal body, subject to infirmities as a result of the Fall of people. This refers to the Roman Emperor Augustus, at whose command there was a census of the population of the Empire. Luke 2:1. There are a number of interpretations regarding the gifts of the Magi to the born Savior, among which the interpretation of St. Gregory Palamas. Bl. Augustine and St. Gregory the Dvoeslov see in the offering of the Magi a recognition of Christ: by the King - why gold is brought, by God - why incense is brought. A person who has the ability to raise death - why is myrrh brought, which serves to anoint the dead. St. John Chrysostom also sees the following in their gifts: they brought their science, obedience and love to Christ. St. Gregory the Dvoeslov also says that these gifts also symbolized: wisdom (gold), the power of prayer (incense) and the mortification of the body in asceticism (myrrh). See also the interpretations of St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Basil the Great and Blessed. Photia. You might be interested in: