Homily for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

In the sermon “A Homily for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord” (5 chapters) St. Sophronius of Jerusalem not only talks about the event of the meeting of the infant Christ by the elder Simeon and the righteous Anna in the Jerusalem Temple, but also reveals the deep theological significance of this event, its connection with the Old and New Testaments, and also exposes heretical teachings that distort the truth about Christ. The Feast of the Presentation is seen as the revelation of Christ as the Savior of the world, the Light of the Gentiles, and the Glory of Israel. This is the transition from the Old Testament to the New, from law to grace. The sermon contains a detailed polemic against various heresies: Nestorianism, Eutychianism, Monothelitism, etc. St. Sophrony defends the dogma of the God-manhood of Christ, of the union in Him of two natures - Divine and human - without confusion or division. He emphasizes that Christ is true God and true Man, and any distortion of this teaching is blasphemy. The conversation reveals the symbolic meaning of various elements of the feast of the Presentation of the Lord: lit lamps (a symbol of Divine light and radiance of the soul), the purification of the Virgin Mary (confirmation of the reality of the human nature of Christ), the sacrifice of turtledoves and doves (a symbol of purity, abstinence and gentleness; 2 turtle doves as an indication of the Divine and human nature of Christ). The work ends with a call to believers to come out to meet Christ with pure hearts, free from sin and worldly worries. This publication additionally provides an abbreviated and translated into Russian version of the “Sermon on the Presentation of the Lord,” published in the Minya edition. *The title of the work in Latin is De Hypapante. Chapter 1. Mysteries 1 Christ must be celebrated What is the current holiday? 1. This is another mystery of Christ; this is another splendor of Christ God. Because His miracles are always great; so that they surpass the hearing of all speech and all understanding and exceed the power of all wisdom, not only human, but also angelic invisible powers. For a certain mind and language, which we humans cannot understand, were given to the heavenly angels who are above. And therefore, with a great voice, together with Paul, I will exclaim: “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the questioner of this age” (1 Cor. 1:20)? Where is the eloquence of the speakers? Where are the problems of philosophers? Where is the sophisticated art of grammarians? Of course, God turned the wisdom of this age into madness and showed it to be of little value and empty, and therefore even more useless, for (it did not come from themselves, but) it was a gift and a gift of grace, and was given to the unfaithful pagans for the sake of honoring and seeking God and so that they would come to their senses from the vanity that He declared them to be because of their error. But because of the wisdom of this world the world did not understand God, “God was pleased by the violence of preaching to save those who believe” (1 Cor. 1:21). And therefore, together with Paul, I cry out, and myself, full of amazement, I will exclaim: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and understanding of God, for His destiny was not tried, and His destiny was not explored, and His ways were not explored” (Rom. 11: 33-34). Because how could a created thing comprehend the mind of the Creator or understand His ways and mind? Or will a creature be able to give advice to the creator who created it, the Creator, who, as it were, needs her advice and lacks and is imperfect in relation to perfection? Therefore, as it is said, madness has taken possession of the foolish, because human wisdom has gone astray. Therefore, Academy 2 fell asleep; the Stoic school fell silent 3 ; the peripathic classrooms are empty; sleeping Lyceum 4; Athens fell into decline so that, after they had all abandoned God, the Creator of the universe, they would not idolize the things created by Him. Because, in opposition to God and His wisdom, they considered the things that they saw to be greater than God Himself, and did not want to know God and their Creator. And therefore they were destined to fall silent and go into the abyss of oblivion. 2. From this time on, Nazareth, the place of God's Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin 5, enjoys greater glory; from now on Bethlehem is proclaimed, where God was born in the flesh... where (Christ) performed miracles in His life 6 . From now on, Golgotha ​​is famous, where God accepted the Cross; here the Resurrection is sung, when God rose from the grave; henceforth Zion is preached and the borders of Aquilon are marked, where Christ appeared when he rose from the dead; henceforth the Mount of Olives is glorified, from where, with His assumed human nature, God returned to heaven. The old was removed and the new was introduced; it, in justice, as not serving the glory of God, became despicable, and this is because it was given honor to God, as it should be, and itself was awarded glory. It served to mislead people; led them to destruction and brought them into the abyss of hell, and this serves to save people, and leads them from death to life, and returns them from earth to heaven. Having consigned it to oblivion, it is already revered as a holiday; we celebrate this today; This is where we start, as is natural. Because these are the holidays of God and His mysteries, which, when done correctly by human strength, then in a mysterious way they make the one who performs them perfect. 3. And what is this current mystery (because the current holiday is dedicated to it) or what is the splendor of Christ (because this is His triumph and growth) 7, one person constantly asks me, either obsessed with unbelief, or suffering from ignorance of the Faith. Because for the sons of the Church and those enlightened by the Holy Spirit, everything related to Christ is revealed and known, and there is nothing unknown to them from what is happening in the Holy Church. With a loud voice I will tell and proclaim what belongs to this Holiday. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,” as Paul exclaimed before us, thereby putting to shame the wisdom of those outside (i.e., the pagans). “The power of God, which cannot be comprehended, is for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). And, indeed, how could it be that I should be ashamed to proclaim the ineffable power of God? Let not our sacraments be condemned in vain by Aristagoras 8, Anaxagoras 9, Anaximanders 10, Pythagoras 11, Aristotle, Plato 12, the most learned champions of already corrupted human wisdom, who do not know what they are saying and what they say, they themselves do not understand, whom the fisherman’s cane has deservedly branded with censure 13, and the knife section 14 of the shoemaker's craft, and showed that this is all dead and senseless earthly scum. Having rejected them from our wise triumph (because they themselves rejected God’s wisdom and filled themselves with empty and vain nonsense), we all together, with theological lips, will appropriately honor the amazing works of God and will celebrate with pure minds. Because this corresponds to God’s holidays and needs this kind of admirers. 4. Christ was born in the flesh and, according to our custom, took for Himself the Mother, Who undoubtedly and ineffably gave birth to Him, and we, who, thanks to Her, acquired salvation, recently mysteriously celebrated that day. After this, the eighth day, as it was supposed to be, received His expected (according to the law) Circumcision, and then we, who had received God’s gifts and were so initiated into the sacraments, again mystically celebrated it. Another secret follows these and is given to mortals in the form of another gift. Because there is nothing that comes from the born God that would not be done for the benefit of people, because, of course, out of the desire to elevate the humble and outcast, He was born for the sake of us, people. So, what is this mystery that we now properly celebrate before God? This is – the Growth of Christ (progressus Christi) is very amazing. The Coming of Christ, which filled us with happiness; Christ's gift that surpasses explanation; the passage of Christ from one place to another; coming from the truly divine Bethlehem and coming to this city, Jerusalem. 5. And who is able to explain this Divine migration from one place to another? Because, O men, filled with the same wisdom as we are, the ineffable mysteries of Christ are of such a kind that the river of speech cannot comprehend them. Because he who has heard about the growth of the indescribable God and about His transition from one place to another, how will he not ceaselessly ridicule the one who asserts something like this, as if introducing something incredible for human understanding and completely unacceptable? And yet, the Indescribable One grows (although let the pagans condemn such a statement, considering it unreasonable); He grows who does not know the changes of what pertains to His nature (like God) and at the same time is unlimited in relation to nature and power, and (because our nature is limited and its powers are limited) He grows in the image of people (having taken on our flesh into His Incarnation) 16 ; although this unfortunate Nestorius is torn, who says that one is a Son who grows, and the other, how delusional he is, who does not grow, and thus invents for us a pair of Sons and Christs. But, better to say, he impiously drives this into his own head and, with criminal insolence, tears apart the secret of Christ. Because he wanted the concept of growth to apply only to the One born of the Virgin, but not also to the Son born of the Father, inherent in His Word 17 . But God truly and clearly grew. Because He became flesh and body and became comprehensible in carnal description; let the unfortunate Eutyches be branded, who denies the carnal nature in the incarnate Word, and considered His growth only as appearance, and not as reality 18. Because if the nature of the Word, which was incarnate, would remain only one, and what appeared to the eyes was only illusory (and not real) and this mystery of Christ would be only a shadow, then, consequently, the Word, in reality, was not at all incarnate. Because if the Word did not take on the nature of the flesh, then how did He invariably “become flesh” (John 1:14)? But the Word was a true thing, flesh, and at the same time did not at all undergo the conversion of Himself into flesh; and from the Immaculate Virgin he received the nature of flesh, according to which he was also born of Her. It also does not allow the dissection of natures (of which it consists, i.e. Divine and human) and is known in two natures (Divine and human); and is not divided on the basis of the differences between them, as the mad Nestorius raved; and does not confuse the beings of these natures, from which He completed their union according to Hypostasis (uniting both natures in a single Hypostasis). So, He who exists is one and the same, He who exists in one and the same Hypostasis, He is known as God and as Man, and reveals one Person, composed and combined of one and the other nature; however, without mixing the characteristic properties of both into one; because those natures from which He was composed without changing their properties, He revealed Himself inseparably in them; without confusing His mystery (that is, without mixing into one the two natures of which He consists); without dividing His Face (that is, preserving both natures inseparably from each other in His single Hypostasis). Chapter 2. The Presentation of the Lord. What do the lit lamps in the hands of the faithful mean on this day 19. Days of cleansing. 6. So this heavenly Bethlehemite increases; Thus, He Who is inaccessible to sight reveals Himself to the audience; thus the Ethereal One appears in the flesh; thus comes as the Described One Who cannot be described. And we, who thus piously honor and worship the mystery of His Incarnation, will all rush to Meet Him; Let's all go in good spirits. Who will be the first to run to Him? Who will be the first to see God with his own eyes? Who will accept God first? Who will be the first to carry God in their arms? Let no one hesitate to quicken his step; let no one shy away from running fast; let no one stop in pious deeds; let no one touch at the divine Meeting; let no one be left out of this excellent celebration; let no one remain aloof from the Sacraments; let no one deprive themselves of this bright joy; let no one turn out to be weaker in comparison with the rapid flow of Elder Simeon; let no one be seen as slower in running than Elder Anna; so that these old and truly elderly people not only would not condemn the one whom they would see as slow in running and lagging behind in their rapid progress, but also reproach him as a sloth, and perhaps even not faithful (to Christ). So, let it not be that anyone does not take part in the Presentation of the Lord; let no one remain aloof from the flow of light 20. 7. Let's add to the same glow of candles; on the one hand, revealing by this the Divine radiance of the Coming One, from Whom everything shines and those in the most evil and utter darkness are illuminated with an abundance of eternal light, and on the other hand, beautifully demonstrating the radiance of the soul with which we need to go out to meet Christ. Because, as the Immaculate Mother of God and Virgin carried the True Light in her arms and revealed It to those who lay in darkness; so we, gifted with His illumination and holding in our hands lamps that shed light for everyone, will hasten to go out to meet Him, Who is the True Light. Because, indeed, since the Light came into the world and illuminated the surrounding darkness, and since the East from Above visited us and shone on those sitting in darkness - and this is our Mystery - that is why we act in the procession, holding lamps in our hands; therefore, carrying lamps and rushing; on the one hand, thus denoting that the Light has shone upon us, and, on the other hand, symbolically representing the radiance that will be given to us from Him. And for this reason, let us all strive together. Let us all come out to meet God, so that if we delay, we do not become condemned for ingratitude towards Him, or for neglecting Him, which accusation is worthy of fear, and then we will hear the words that apply to those Jews who were also previously in darkness and, however, Christ’s illumination did not touch them, because “The light came into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light: for their deeds are evil” (John 3:19) (because evil always darkens the soul and does not allow it to see the light) 21; or we will hear these words spoken by the Holy Gospel: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot comprehend it” (John 1:5). So, This True Light, Which enlightens every person coming into this world, has come into the world. So, let us all, oh brothers, be illuminated! Let's all enlighten! Let none of us remain uninitiated into this light; let no one remain enveloped in the night, but let us all move forward in the radiance of our souls. Let us all go out to meet Christ illuminated, and together with Elder Simeon we will accept His shining and eternal Light, and together with him, rejoicing in our souls, we will gratefully sing a song of praise to the Parent and Father of Light, Who sent the true Light, and took away blindness from our eyes and made us all radiant. Because through him we also saw God’s Salvation, which he prepared before the face of all people and revealed It to the glory of us, the New Israel. And we also became decrepit as a result of this dark sin, and just as Simeon, when he saw Christ, was freed from this life, so we immediately became free (from the bonds of sin). And we, too, by faith, having taken into our arms Christ, who came from Bethlehem, from among the pagans we became the people of God (because He is the Salvation Who was sent to us from God the Father) and with the eyes of our souls we saw God and, seeing the coming of God and receiving Him in the hands of our minds, we are called “New Israel,” and this holiday, never having the intention of being forgotten, we celebrate today. 8. But is it really possible to say that Christ, who is everywhere, “comes”? or the Light that fulfills everything: “enters the environment”? 22 Because it seems completely unclear that He, whose nature is indescribable and cannot be limited by anything, wanted to fulfill the ancient law. But this is exactly the case, and He comes and foreshadows His Nativity in its entirety, announcing Himself through the mouth of Moses. And what is this announcement? “Every male child, opening his womb, will be called holy to the Lord” (Luke 2:23). And He alone fulfilled this commandment, or rather, the prophetic announcement, when He alone came from the womb of the Virgin in this way and, however, did not deprive Her of Her inherent virginity, so that even after He was born of Her, He did not resolve the bond (of Her purity), which was clearly foretold about Him alone. Because He Himself was the only one born of a single Virgin, and the only one who came from a seedless womb, and the only one who came from the womb of the Virgin and preserved Her as a Virgin. Being born without violating Her beauty, and coming into the world without diminishing Her luminosity, occurring without the bonds of Her virginity being resolved, which shows that He Himself, Born of Her, is God, and reveals the One who gave birth to Him in a fitting manner as the Mother of God. Based on this, Nestorius again appears impudent, who does not want to call Him Who was born God; neither allows the Mother of God to be called the One who gave birth to Him. Hence also Eutyches, who denied the Lord’s presence of flesh and the fact that He became a man like us, is seen as worthy of damnation. Because how is it that the Word, who for our sake took on flesh, truly “became flesh” (Jn. 1:14), if the nature of the flesh had not been truly received by Him from us, and would not have been united with Him in such a way as to clearly demonstrate it as such as we also have, and what nature the Word, which was previously incorporeal, received and thus truly became a Man like us; and if He did not have His body, which is of one essence with the bodies of our (human) race, nor His soul, which corresponds to our nature? And truly, “the Word made flesh” wants to save us, and God who is in Him, having truly become Man, did not present anything false and did not deceive us, people, but, having accepted our nature, gave us His 23. 9. Because if this were not the case as we believe, then how could the Evangelist who wrote this say: “And when the days were filled with her purification” (“Them”) (Luke 2:22)? What kind of cleansing can there really be, O disgusting Eutyches, if the flesh in Christ was not true? if human nature is not united with the Word? Because does the incorporeal Divine nature need any purification? What kind of contamination (contaminatio) can there be in the Divine ethereal nature? And by the fact that the Evangelist presented the demand that was presented to people, he humbly brought it in 24, perhaps mainly for your sake (Eutyches)! And because of your madness and your amazing, Manichaean-like 25 stupidity. Because the Redeemer of all, Christ, did not need any purification, because the flesh He assumed was the only immaculate one, and His Mother, the Immaculate and truly flawless Virgin, who gave birth to the Purification of all, did not need the purification prescribed by the law. But what is written “according to the law” is done so that Christ will not be considered a lawbreaker. Chapter 3. At the Presentation of the Lord, the Orthodox are accepted, and heretics are rejected. 10. And how would the Immaculate One herself carry Him in Her arms, or how would Simeon receive Him in His arms, if only He had not actually become flesh and body? And with reverent love, the prophet Simeon took God into his arms, and presented Him to His Father and God, and fulfilled the law in spirit: “Now,” saying with grateful lips, “Thou releasest Thy servant, O Master, according to Thy word in peace.” He says this because he was promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not see the coming of death until he saw Christ the Lord and received liberation from his bonds. law. Because this old man personified the law. “For,” he says, “my eyes have seen Your salvation. Because “Salvation” was not the Mosaic Law.” But the old and decrepit and weak law, when it saw Christ, i.e., “the Salvation of God,” returned from weakness to health and, renewed, according to the new state of things, freed itself from the decay that had attached itself to it, because the Light that liberates the old Israel from all decay, the Light that draws the pagans to Himself, became visible to the eyes. Therefore, the righteous Simenon, exclaiming, proclaims: “Now you are releasing Your servant, O Master, according to Your word in peace: as mine eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people: Light for revelation by the tongue, and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32). (New law arising from the old; Gentile Galilee is enlightened; New Israel appears) 26. 11. What did he see with his eyes, if not a body and appearance similar to us, which also serves to expose the madness generated by the sowing of Eutyches and the Manichaeans? Because the Divine, by His nature, is not accessible to sight and cannot be visible to the eyes of people. So, let Eutyches and Nestorius, the enemies and adversaries of this (our celebration), who have as their goal to disrupt its joy, retreat from this celebration of ours: the first, behold, dividing the indivisible Christ, and the second, wickedly mixing into one those elements that cannot be mixed, because our celebration will never tolerate having anything in common with such people. Purify yourself therefore; therefore adorn yourselves; therefore, as friends of Christ, glorify the mysteries of Christ, because otherwise He does not allow those who are present to meet Him and does not provide them with the opportunity to see Him with their eyes, but commands them to be expelled from His celebration and places them among the blasphemers and persons not allowed to meet Him. May the Eunomii and Eudoxia and Asterii also retreat with them, and with them the Manichaeans and Apollinarii, the Seviri and the Dioscorans and all that pitiful and truly headless plague of the Acephalians 27 . Thus, one of them, on the basis of the flesh of Christ, which is visible, is trying to reduce and nullify the invisible and perfect Divinity (i.e., the Divine nature of the God-Man) and assert that the Divine nature in Christ is different in nature and essence in comparison with the nature of the Father Who begat Him, thereby, i.e., denying the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father, boldly counting Him with the created creature, and they decide that Christ is the created God, and, according to both natures, I mean - Divine and human - He should be worshiped, and in no way should one recognize in Him one Person and one Hypostasis. And others, on the basis of the invisible Divine nature in Christ, also want to reduce His flesh to nothing and present it as illusory, thereby stealing those features of nature that belong only to Him, they invent a confusion into one of the natures united in Christ, and willingly accept the pitiful errors of Apollinaris and Polemon 28 . May the Ebions 29, the Samosata Pauls 30, and the Bardesans 31 be placed in a row with them; and let them be rejected from this holiday of ours. Some, for the reason that they believe that Christ is simply a man similar to us and does not have those characteristics that belong to the Divine, and in no way call Him God. And others do not recognize that Christ is the eternal God equal to the great Father, but argue that He became God only from the time of His ineffable Incarnation from Mary. 12. So, if there are those who have either gone mad on their own, having fallen into heresy, or have become wicked by following the madness of these heretics, then let them be driven away from the divine Meeting of Christ, so that we, who are sound (Orthodox) wise, all together honoring this holiday, not accepting in the slightest way the harm that comes from numerous heresies, go out to meet Christ God, and together with the elder Simeon and the old woman and prophetess Anna, they received Him. Because both of them grew old, and the law itself, like the prophets who followed it, awaited remission. Because right up to the luminous (repletam luminibus) appearance of Christ, the law was in force, and the prophets, prophesying, wisely foretold the mysteries being carried out by God regarding the coming of Christ and uttered amazing prophecies about Christ. We, brought from among the multitude of pagans into the “New Israel” and called the “New People of God,” for our part will clearly show this by singing the psalm: “Let us sing a new song to the Lord” (Psalm 97:1). We, wonderfully renewed and exalted by the coming of Christ, having rejected the tinsel and dilapidation of everything belonging to both pagan times and the law, and everything connected with carnal wisdom (worldview) and unworthy of this holiday of Christ, truly, “let us sing a new song to the Lord.” Because we have been renewed and from the old have become new, and we are commanded to sing a “new song” to God and the Father, who, by the coming of Christ, renewed us all and revealed us as His “new people.” Let us sing a new song to the Lord: for he has done a wondrous thing; and in truth, thanks to the coming of Christ, by virtue of which everything comes into renewal, what was lost in old age is restored even more miraculously, and it is seen as new and deified, and thus transferred to primitive youth. 13. And how all this is going to happen, this is clearly conveyed to us by the harp of the Spirit, saying: “His right hand and His Holy Arm will save him” (Psalm 97:1). And what else does “Hand of God and Parent” and “His Holy Arm” mean, I ask you, if not only Him, the Son of God, through whom He created all things? By Whom he created that which did not exist before and from non-existent brought into being, and which then suffered a creep into destruction and decrepitude (because every aging and deteriorating thing, according to the custom of its nature, always tends towards death and destruction) 32, He saved with His almighty Right Hand and His high and in all things Holy Muscle. Thus, enriched by the light of divine knowledge and most radiantly illuminated by both body, soul, and mind, they recognize that in these words of the psalm one should understand only Christ Himself, Who, for the sake of the restoration of all creation, came to us in the likeness of flesh, By whom we are clearly saved and freed from our ancient decay and By Whom we are redeemed and become “a new mixture” to God (1 Cor. 5:7); we who belonged to the old and already sour leaven. 14. Because we truly appear and are called: an unexpectedly saved creation by the Hand of God and renewed by His high Arm; about which David, prophesying sweetly singing, sang: “His right hand will save him and his holy arm” (Ps. 97:1), i.e., we needed salvation and longed to return and be redeemed from the disastrous decrepitude (which we suffered as a result of the Fall). And to us, who, together with him, needed the coming of Christ for salvation, he proclaims that we will be strengthened by the Right Hand and Arm of the Father for the purpose of the glorious renewal of man, as it is further stated in this divinely inspired song: “The Lord has spoken His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness before the tongues” (Ps. 97:2). This is what Simeon, that is, the law, meaning, after salvation was granted to him, cried out to God, that is, to Christ, who had shown him mercy: “Now do You let Your servant go, O Master, according to Your word in peace.” Because “world” for those in heaven and earth means Christ. “As my eyes have seen Thy Salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people: Light for revelation in the tongue, and the glory of Thy people Israel.” The prophetic word is given in its entirety; promise fulfilled; that which was in error was enlightened; that which was in disgrace has been clothed with glory; and I myself (and the law in my person) departed from old age, and not only became new, but also saw Your, O Lord, Salvation, and looking with old eyes at Your glory, I received strength for youth, which does not know aging. Because Christ became the Light for the Gentiles, and clothed the new Israel, who became and was called “new,” with excellent and wonderful glory, giving them a truly ageless glory and illuminating them with a light that never wears out and never grows old because of the law. Chapter 4. Explanation of the prophecy of Simeon and Anna. 15. And in truth, the great elder Simeon, saw God’s Salvation, spoke to Him with these grateful speeches, carrying in his arms this Godly and Salvation coming from the Father, to whom He sent salvation for all and granted perfect redemption. Turning also to the Virgin, Who gave birth to this Salvation and gave birth to it in the flesh, and to Joseph, who was thought to be the father of this Light and, as is known, was completely uninvolved in the matter of the birth in the flesh of this Light: “Behold,” he says, “this one is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel”; for the fall of the servants of the letter, for the rise of the sons of grace; for the fall of hitherto worshipers of the law old age, the rebellion of those who love the gospel of novelty; the fall of those who are proud of their carnal origin from the father of Abraham, the rebellion of those who have clothed themselves in the wisdom (way of thinking) of the old Adam; the fall of those whose worldview is based on earthly things and those that belong to the dust; Because the first Adam, created from the earth, belonged to dust and had an attraction to the earth. This Second Adam, Who now in the flesh rests in my arms, and at the same time carries (contains in life) me, who bears Him, came to us from without, from heaven, and to all who with faith accept His coming and with contempt reject the clothes of the first Adam, but who want to be reborn according to the New Adam, grants them heavenly citizenship (censum). Because to all who would accept Him with faith, He gives immortal adoption from God and the Father, who are not created on the basis of the will of the flesh and not on the basis of the desire of a husband, but are born of God by grace, but do not come from His being or nature. 16. Because only He, O Virgin and Immaculate Mother, was by nature born of God and He is consubstantial with God the Father. The only one born of God, His Parent and Only Son, is known as His Son, and, of course, from You, the Virgin, having become incarnate, He received human origin from You. And Your own soul - You, Who contemplated the great mysteries of God and gave birth to this Treasure of grace for us - will be pierced by a two-edged sword, and Your mind, struck by confusion (stupore), will be pierced by the edge: when You see Him with Your eyes, by Your will, nailed to the cross and hanged among the thieves, and dying the same death, just as we were dying, but dying so that we, who were deservedly subject to death, could be given life, and, having bound the legions of demons, resolve the bonds of the sins of man, who had been bound by the devil since ancient times. But this piercing sword will not remain and will not remain in Your heart forever, because never, O Mother of God, will You come into oblivion about the Divine conception and miraculous birth that took place in You. Of course, you will experience a certain human confusion in the face of those events that will occur during the indescribable crucifixion of Christ. How will God, who by His nature cannot die or suffer, endure suffering on the cross? How can He, Whom the angels exalt with eternal glory, be crucified among thieves and subject to insults? How can He who provides food for all who are hungry and gives drink to all who are thirsty drink gall and vinegar? How can That Life, which gives life to all who do not have it, endure being killed? How will the ribs of the One be pierced, Who will pierce death with a spear that surpasses all comprehension? How can He who destroys death and corruption, who frees the dead from their graves, who gives life to those who descended from Adam and who bear the same dead bodies as he, dead because of the filth with which they were infected from the forefather Adam, by awakening them from death and endure a three-day stay in the tomb? And seeing all this, you will become confused, and you will not experience confusion for a long time, because your soul and mind will be pierced by the sword of such great and such terrible (tamque terribilium) shocks. But he will not remain in You and will not find his place of residence in You, because in the shortest possible time he will be cast out by the One conceived in You without a seed and born of You in an ever-virgin birth. 17. There is nothing that would be more terrible or incredible for the eyes of those who do not understand (the meaning of what is happening). Therefore, the thoughts of many hearts will become revealed, which cannot comprehend Your divine and amazing mysteries, which even the heavenly powers could not see. Therefore, he who does not believe the announcement (or the announcer) falls; the one who believes in Your Child rises and is illuminated for life and immortality, and with his lips proclaims (confesses) that He is God, and recognizes You, His Mother, as the Mother of God. Therefore, Christ, thus born of You, is truly placed “as a sign that cannot be contradicted” for those who do not know His secret; and they suffer a fall from which they cannot rise, having become involved in unbelief; and, because of their lack of belief in eternal life, they will never see (experience) the awakening from the dead and the life that is in heaven. Having said this, he (the righteous Simeon) retreats, and seeing that the rule of the law has come to an end, since the Lawgiver Himself has already come and established His own law, he, along with it (the old law), comes to naught. Because Christ comes, the Fulfillment of the law; and there is no one who would object to the saying of the Apostle Paul, who says that in truth “the power of God is for salvation... to him who believes,” but for him who is possessed by unbelief - to destruction and fall (Rom. 1:16, 9:32). 18. Anna was also present at this event, approaching with senile legs. Because she too was called by the mystery, which had to fulfill the prophetic ministry at a time when she testified with the prophetic spirit that God had revealed His Salvation and that in the face of the pagans He had revealed His truth, and that the law, which prevailed in the form of a shadow and an image, imposing unbearable burdens on people, would cease to exist, now that grace had appeared, possessing a good yoke to wear and a convenient and light burden. And the fact that the law will end was announced by the prophets when they spoke about Christ, saying that this would happen when He, Who inspired them with prophecies and sent them to prophesy, would Himself come. When Hannah explained this with prophetic authority and announced it to the people who were looking for the redemption of Israel, she gave them in every way the consolation (proclaiming) that the Redeemer of all had come; that the Savior of the universe has appeared, Who wants to redeem His image and wants to grant salvation to man, created by Him. Because for this reason Christ was called “Jesus,” which translated means Savior. 19. And, behold, when all this happened in the very thing itself and was expressed in words, Mary, the Mother of God, was amazed, and together with Joseph, who was with Her, was amazed at this. However, after everything that was prescribed by the law was fulfilled, because everything that belonged to the law, Christ came to fulfill and then put an end to the prescriptions of the law 33, they returned to Nazareth, where She received a kiss and the Annunciation from the Archangel Gabriel, 34 who announced to Her that she would give birth to the Savior of the world, and also that She would conceive without seed, being a virgin and after the birth of Christ. And proclaiming Him to all who saw, She made it known that the salvation of God was fulfilled, the Light for the pagans shone and the truth of God and redemption appeared in all the ends of the earth, and those who expected Him were clothed in divine glory and eternal radiance, not knowing any diminution or lack. Chapter 5. Explanation of the Mystery of Sacrificing Doves and Doves. Epilogue. 20. What do turtle doves mean, and why are the chicks of pigeons accepted, which Christ, coming to Jerusalem to present Himself to God the Father, sacrificed? and for what reason was a pair taken from both kinds of birds, if She who gave birth to Him was a virgin? On His behalf He sacrificed to the Father these animals, which are considered pure and excellent among birds, and in addition, for the reason that both kinds of these birds are pure and not without holiness, and both taken together or each of them separately contains a certain virtue inherent in each of them. And these birds show something excellent and chosen, an innate quality that can be of no small benefit to those who spiritually understand things. Because the commandments commanding us to keep the law contain not only the letter, but also have a greater meaning than the visible form and which was of incomparably greater value. Therefore, if I follow only the letter, that letter kills me; “The Spirit gives life” when I obey spiritual things well (2 Cor. 3, 6), and when the letter is somewhat freed from the veil that covers it, the spirit makes visible the foundation on which it is based and reveals the treasure hidden in it, and thereby opens up limitless possibilities (embedded in the commandments of the law). Turtle doves and pigeons were pure birds, as it was said. And so, turtle doves demonstrate the highest abstinence, which is so observed that if the spouse happens to die, then the surviving bird does not allow itself to get together with another, but spends a celibate life, honoring widowhood more than entering into a second marriage with another. Pigeons, on the other hand, are the purest of the spirit of malice and are alien to harming anyone, and because of such meekness and lack of malice, Christ calls them “simple,” and even in relation to their pursuers, as if they had not experienced any harm from them, they, having flown away, will soon return to them, which is a sign of gentleness and an indicator of great, so to speak, simplicity (harmlessness). And so, chaste turtle doves spend their lives alone and in solitude, and harmless pigeons are not only gentle and home-dwellers, but also love people. Let this most faithful dove be convinced of this, who returned to Noah in the ark, carrying an olive branch in her mouth and proclaiming the mercy of the Lord and the end of the flood, in a mysterious sense - the beneficent coming of Christ, which, by the good pleasure of the Father and the Spirit, moved by love full of mercy, He realized in the last times. Because it was “in the evening” when the dove returned to Noah, this second, after the head of our race, Adam, the parent of life, prophetically bringing him a blossoming branch (Gen. 8, 10-11), and thereby foreshadowed the mercy of Christ God, which would be towards us at the end of the age (i.e. in the last times). 21. So, Christ showed quite clearly that He wants those who approach Him to possess, together with the first, the purity of abstinence and, (together with the second), to have in their souls the radiance of gentleness, and with this they would even more shine and delight Christ Himself, Who created them and, out of mercy for people, condescended to save them, so that He would see and rejoice and accept them with readiness, meeting Him together. Because nothing else pleases God more than perfection in abstinence and chastity, and all kindness. It is worthy, pleasant and calm to be free from the years of life and, as far as possible for a person, to cling to God and not allow oneself to be too bound by any thing, namely: to be abstracted, that is, torn off from any attachment to worldly pursuits, to which people the following psalm song is presented and addressed: “Abandon yourself, and see that I am God” (Psalm 45, 11), as if addressing people who, living in solitude, will abolish themselves (i.e. - to free oneself from all attachment to one’s “I” and to everything that consumes a person, earthly, following the call of the Church: Let us now put aside all worldly cares) 35, always ready to show them His holiness that illuminates them. Meekness, sociability and mutual love also shine in the most worthy way, so that a person can act correctly, in an appropriate manner, showing mercy to his neighbor, with which love for mankind is naturally connected, which expresses the great likeness of man in relation to God. 22. Why was the pair of birds sacrificed? Because the law prescribed so, and this for the reason (to symbolically represent) that one and the same Christ is seen in two natures, from two natures, in truth, combined, and in two natures - both Divine and human, in which He is composed - without dividing them and without mixing them - knowable. But we ourselves, composed of soul and body, are subsistent, that is, existing both in spirit and in body, so that we can act honorably in both; so that we would not be deprived of the radiance of virtues if we followed virtue in one of the two aspects of our existence, but in relation to the other we turned out to be inexcusable. And the Lord Himself, Who is known as the good Giver of every virtue, confirmed this in His teaching, saying: “Be ye... perfect, even as your heavenly Father was perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Because if something is not perfect and not fulfilled, then that same thing is therefore considered not acceptable to God. 23. So, knowing this also, we, beloved ones, will all come out together in this way to meet Christ, offering Him self-control, exalting chastity, bearing kindness, showing unforgettable malice, withdrawing from worldly worries, and showing ourselves pure before God, meek in disposition, having good will and mutual love for everyone, awarding to all this a spirit of compassion for to all, and abounding in mercy springing from a compassionate heart. And thus let us accept Christ who comes to us; thus we will see Christ; Thus, in a certain divine sense, let us embrace Christ with our hands and before His face we will confess (glorify) Him with prophetic words, praising His coming to us, and we will proclaim the mercy that He showed with our lips and a loud voice, so that we may receive the Kingdom of Heaven and enjoy eternal blessings in Christ Himself, our Redeemer and Savior God, with whom the greatest God the Father and To the Holy Spirit, glory, honor and worship be in everything, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Now there is a different mystery of Christ, and a different glorification of Christ our God. But His miracles are always so great that they overcome the possibility and power of every word and surpass the valor of all wisdom, not only human, but also angelic. Therefore, I will exclaim with a loud voice along with the great Paul: “Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the questioner of this age” (1 Cor. 1:20)? Where is the eloquence of rhetoricians? Where is the sophistication of philosophers? Where is the subtle art of grammarians? In truth, “God took away the wisdom of this world” (1 Cor. 1:20) and showed it to be vain and useless, since this wisdom, as a gift of mercy, was given to unbelieving peoples, so that they would seek God and, through vain wandering, understand their powerlessness. “Because the wisdom of God did not understand the world through the wisdom of God, God deigned to save those who believe by the violence of preaching” (1 Cor. 1:21). Having rightfully exclaimed this with Paul, I will now begin to exclaim with amazement the following: “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and understanding of God! for His judgment has not been tried, and His ways have not been explored.” Who understands the mind of the Lord? or who was His adviser (Rom. 11:33)? For how can a created thing comprehend the thought of the Creator or know His mind? How can a vessel give advice to the one who made it, even if (the poor man) agreed to it and needed the imperfect for his perfection? And so human wisdom is turned into madness. The academy 37 disappeared, stood silent 38, the Peripatetic school 39 is empty, the lyceum sleeps 40, Athens was rejected - because, leaving God, the Creator of everything, they deified the objects created by him - because they fought against God and divine wisdom, considered visible things higher than God and did not want to see the very Creator of these things. That is why they fell silent and were consigned to deep oblivion. Therefore, now the first thing that is glorified is Nazareth, where the gospel of God was proclaimed, Bethlehem, where the Lord was born in the flesh, Jerusalem, where He lived, working miracles. Therefore, now Calvary, where the Lord suffered on the cross, is primarily remembered, the resurrection of the Lord from the tomb is sung, Zion is glorified, and the “ribs of the north” are praised (Psal. 47:3), where Christ appeared when he rose from the dead, the Mount of Olives is glorified, from where the Lord ascended to heaven along with human nature. So, the first (pagan wisdom) disappeared, and the other (Christian teaching) appeared; then it became a fool, but this was revealed as the truth; this one was cast into the dust, and this one rose up; that was rightly recognized as of little importance, since there was no reverence for God there, but this rightfully and gradually acquired glory, since here glory was given to God, as it should be. This brought misfortune to people, carried them to destruction and cast them into the abyss of hell, but this serves people for salvation, brings them from death to life and lifts them from earth to heaven. This is consigned to oblivion, and this we honor with festivals. And on this day throughout the entire universe we celebrate a solemn celebration. For festivals and sacraments belong to God and, performed decently and in relation to human conditions, mysteriously raise those who celebrate to perfection. What is now the sacrament, and what is the glorification of Christ? - someone obsessed with unbelief or religious ignorance may ask us; for to the sons of the Church, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, everything that concerns Christ is open and known, and nothing that He has done remains unknown. Therefore, I will begin to proclaim and preach things related to this holiday. I am not ashamed, as the Apostle Paul said, of the gospel of Christ: “For the power of God is for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). The eternal Christ was born in the flesh and, according to our nature, had a Mother who truly and ineffably gave birth to Him. After this, on the eighth day, according to custom, he received circumcision of the flesh. Now a new sacrament has occurred and the Lord has given mortals a different gift. What kind of sacrament is now being glorified by us, befitting of God? The very amazing appearance of Christ, His coming, filled with perfect success, the sacrifice of Christ, very difficult to explain, that Christ who appeared from divine Bethlehem and arrived in this Jerusalem, His transition from one place to another. And who can explain this migration of God from one place to another? The mysteries of Jesus Christ are ineffable to such an extent that even a river of eloquence cannot explain them. For the indescribable One appears, He comes who, like God, is not subject to natural movement, Who is infinite in His nature and power - but He appears according to human custom. But let us all hasten to meet Him - all who piously honor His sacrament and revere Him, let us all go with perfect readiness. Who will be the first to meet Him? Who will be the first to see God with his eyes? Who will accept God first? Who will be the first to carry Him in their arms? Let no one be slow to meet the Lord, let no one turn out to be indifferent to this sacrament, alien to the light that it brings. Let us increase the light of our lamps, both to indicate the divine radiance of the One who came, from Whom everything receives light, by Whom deep darkness is dispersed and everything is abundantly illuminated by eternal light, and especially to testify to the light of our soul, without which it is impossible to meet the Lord. For just as the Mother of God and the Immaculate Virgin brought the true light in her arms and bestowed it on those who were in darkness, so we, enlightened by His radiance and holding in our hands the light visible to all, will hasten to meet Him who is the true light. For, truly, “like light came into the world” (John 3:19) and enlightened one who was completely surrounded by darkness, and since the East from above visited us, “to enlighten us in darkness and the shadow of death that sits” (Luke 1:78-79) - this is our sacrament. Therefore, let us go, having lamps, let us hasten, carrying light, pointing to the Light that has shone to us, and to the radiance that will be given to us by Him; Let us hasten together and begin to greet God all, so that no one will be accused by Him of ingratitude or fear of Him. Let us understand what was previously said to those sitting in darkness and unenlightened Jews: “For light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light; for they have done evil” (John 3:19), and this “light shines in the darkness, and darkness cannot comprehend it” (John 1:5). And this “true light, which enlightens every man who comes into the world” (John 1:9). So, brothers, let us all be enlightened, let us all shine. Let none of us find ourselves not participating in this light, let no one remain engulfed in the dark night, but let us all emerge in radiance and, enlightened, go to meet him and, together with Elder Simeon, receive this clear and eternal light. Rejoicing in spirit, together with this Simeon, let us sing with gratitude hymns to the Father of light, Who sent the true light, dispersed the darkness and illuminated us all. For God belongs to salvation, which he “prepared before the face of all nations” (Luke 2:31) and revealed for the glory of us - the new Israel, and through him we came to know ourselves, since we were in that ancient and dark sin, as if in the shackles of this life, but were freed from it after Simeon saw Christ. Having accepted with faith Christ, who came to us from Bethlehem, we became the people of God, saw God in the flesh, became the new Israel, and we glorify His presence among us with annual celebrations. Christ appeared from Bethlehem to Jerusalem in order to fulfill the injunction of the Law of Moses, according to which “every male child, when he opens his womb, shall be called holy of the Lord” (Exodus 13:2; Luke 2:23) - since He alone was born of a Virgin, without however violating Her virginity. And Simeon took God, who had taken flesh, into his arms. Having taken Him by divine inspiration, he placed Him before the Father and thus fulfilled the law. With grateful lips he said: “Now you are releasing your servant, O Master, according to your word” (Luke. 2:29), because “it was foretold by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he saw Christ the Lord: (Luke 2:26) and was freed from the bonds of the law. And this old man held the Executor of the Law, as he says, “My eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:30). For the law of Moses was not salvation, but this ancient, old and weak law was raised from imperfection to salvation by Christ - the Salvation of God and was freed by Him from its inherent decay through renewal, since Christ is the light that liberates ancient Israel from all decay and brings the nations to itself. Therefore, Simeon exclaimed: “Now you are releasing Your servant, O Master, according to Your word in peace, because mine eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people: a light for the revelation of tongues and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32). He saw in Christ a new light emerging from the ancient. And all of us who think right will go out to meet Christ our God and receive Him together with the elder Simeon and the widow and prophetess Anna. We have become the new Israel from all the multitude of nations and are called the new people of God, therefore let us confess this, shouting psalms, “let us sing a new song to the Lord” (Psalm 97:1). We have been completely renewed and raised to heights by Christ, therefore, having rejected the old light and everything that deceives the flesh and is unworthy of the brilliant light of Christ, let us sing a new song to the Lord. We have been renewed, we have become new from the old, and we are prompted to sing a new song to God and the Father, who renewed us all by the presence of Christ among us and revealed us as His new people. Let us sing a new song to the Lord, since He performed miracles and, through the presence of Christ, not only miraculously renewed everything, but returned to Himself the lost old things. About this the prophet says: “his right hand and his holy arm saved him” (Psalm 97:1). And who is this, the right hand of God the Father and His holy arm, if not the Son, through whom He created everything that did not exist before, and brought everything from non-existence into being? Through Him we too are preserved, freed from our former decay, reacquired and made a new mixture (1 Cor. 5:7). In truth, the Lord said his salvation: “Reveal your righteousness before the tongues” (Psalm 97:2). And righteous Simeon proclaimed something similar to this, as if saying: “The prophecy has been fulfilled, the promise has been fulfilled, what was in error has been enlightened, what was ignominious has been covered with glory; and I (since the Light is Christ in me) was freed from old age, appeared renewed, having seen Thy, O Lord, true light and with old eyes beholding Thy glory, and acquired youthful strength, since Christ became a light for the nations and with His amazing glory created a new Israel, gave him unfading glory and undiminished light.” The aged Simeon, seeing the Salvation of the Lord and taking It in his arms, after uttering words of thanksgiving, turned to the Virgin, who gave birth to this Salvation of God in the flesh, and said: “This is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel” (Luke 2:34), that is, for the fall of the servants of the letter and for the rise of the sons of grace, for the fall of those who hitherto revere the old law and for the rebellion of those who love the gospel new law, against the fall of those who boast of their carnal birth from Abraham and against the uprising of those who became sons of Abraham by faith, against the fall of those who philosophize about the corruptible and earthly, and against the uprising of those striving for the sublime and heavenly. For the first Adam, created from the earth, was corruptible and had a desire for earthly things. This second Adam came to us from heaven and generously bestowed a desire for heavenly things on all who welcomed this appearance, rejected their previous attire and desired rebirth. “The little ones received him, and gave them the power to become children of God, who believe in his name, who were not born of blood, nor of the lust of the flesh, nor of the lust of man, but were born of God” (John 1:12-13). And a weapon will pierce your very soul, Simeon further said to the Mother Virgin: “for let the thoughts of many hearts be revealed” (Luke 2:35), that is: your soul, struck by amazement and fear, will be pierced, as it were, by a sword, when you see Him voluntarily nailed to the cross and hanging among the thieves, in order to kill the death by which we were killed, to give us life and free a person from bonds sins with which the devil bound him from ancient times. For how could God, who by nature can neither die nor suffer, be crucified on the cross? How did He, who was surrounded by the constant praise of angels, end up among the reproaches of robbers? How does He who gives food to all who are hungry and drink to those who are thirsty drink gall and ocet? How does Life Itself, which gives life to all who love it, accept death and then burial? You, Virgo, will be amazed to see this, and a weapon will pierce your soul. But you will not remain in this state, and the sword will very soon be torn out of your soul. The thoughts of many hearts will be revealed to those who cannot perceive Your divine and wondrous mysteries, Virgin, and contemplate the heavenly virtues. Therefore, the one who does not believe in Your glorification perishes, but the one who recognizes You as the Mother of God is elevated and enlightened to eternal life. - Anna the prophetess, who had reached a ripe old age, was also present at this, “and she at that hour came and confessed to the Lord, and spoke about him to all those who hoped for deliverance in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). What, finally, do the turtle doves and dove chicks mean, which Christ, having come to Jerusalem to present Himself before God the Father, sacrificed? These birds are recognized as pure, moreover, turtle doves are distinguished by extreme moderation, chastity and solitude, and pigeons are distinguished by simplicity (Matthew 10:16), gentleness, harmlessness and affection for people. So, Christ was pleased to show very clearly that those who come to Him should have moderation, purity, gentleness, splendor and shine primarily with these qualities, and that Christ Himself, who created all people and in His mercy came to earth to serve them, rejoiced contemplating this, and willingly accepted all those coming to meet Him. For nothing else renders such great worship to God as through gradual improvement in moderation, purity and complete gentleness. And to cleave (as far as possible) to God is a respectable, pleasant, calm thing, free from business worries and worldly pursuits. “Abandon yourself,” says the Psalmist, “and understand that I am God” (Psalm 45:11). Also venerable are meekness, unity and mutual love, with which compassion and humanity are united and through which perfect likeness to God is achieved. Why did Christ bring a pair of birds? Because the law commanded so, since Christ had two natures. And we ourselves consist of body and soul, therefore we must do what is virtuous with both body and spirit; Christ, the giver of every good, taught us this, saying: “Be ye... perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). “And when they (the Virgin Mary and Joseph) had completed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their city of Nazareth” (Luke 2:39). So, we, beloved, knowing this, will go together to meet Christ our God, having self-control, bringing purity and kindness, showing oblivion of offenses, freeing ourselves from worldly worries, presenting ourselves pure before God, distinguished by meekness of disposition and goodwill, having mutual love for everyone, as well as sympathy and compassion. By doing this, we will meet the coming Christ, we will see Him, we will take Him in our arms, we will confess Him with a prophetic word, praising His coming to us, and with a majestic voice we will glorify the mercy He showed to us - so that we may reach the kingdom of heaven and enjoy eternal blessings in Christ our Redeemer and Savior God, to Him with the beginningless God the Father and the All-Holy Spirit. glory, honor and worship, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. At St. Fathers, by the “Mysteries” or “Sacraments” of Christ, they often mean events associated with the earthly life of the Savior, as filled with the secret power of grace in the redemption of people, and on the other hand, as filled with a meaning that exceeds the ability to understand the human mind, and are accepted by faith, and for those who do not know the truth, remaining impenetrable mysteries. “Academy” is a philosophical school founded by Plato around 387 BC in Athens, which existed, in its various currents, until 529 AD, when it was closed by Emperor Justinian I as a hotbed of Neoplatonism, a kind of mixture of philosophy with religion and a movement hostile to the Christian faith. See about this in our work on Michael Psellos. Stoic school - from the “stoa poikile”, “patterned portico” in Athens, where the philosopher Zeno founded his school at the end of the 4th century BC. After him there were a number of Stoic philosophers who combined the philosophy of Aristotle and Plato with the teachings of Zeno and Chrysippus. The most famous Stoics in history were Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, who lived already in the era of the emergence of Christianity. Their writings breathe deep morality, a call to goodness and to patiently enduring all suffering in life, to indifferently accepting everything that fate sends to a person; the Stoics called for recognition of the equality of all before God and taught very sublimely about virtue, which brings them closer to Christian morality (there is even apocryphal correspondence between the Apostle Paul and Seneca). However, the same Marcus Aurelius, who wrote beautifully as a philosopher, as a Roman emperor showed himself to be a fierce persecutor of Christians, mercilessly destroying his most worthy and virtuous citizens just because they professed the name of Christ. Indeed, human wisdom has “bankrupted”! The Lyceum and the Peripatetic School were founded by Aristotle in Athens around 335 BC. Its name, “peripateic,” comes from the verb “peripateo” (to stroll), because Aristotle used to stroll with his students in the garden of the Lyceum during his lectures. This school existed for 8 centuries. Orig. here: “Where God’s Gospels are read aloud,” but the meaning here is precisely that Nazareth was the place of God’s good announcements, that is, the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary. There is a gap in the text here. The publisher believes that there may be a reference to Jerusalem. Texts in brackets belong to the original. In the last phrase I am not sure of the correctness of my translation; the original contains the word “progressus”; this word has a number of meanings; in its primary sense it means "moving forward." The same word is found further in relation to Christ and can mean “the advancement of the Lord Jesus Christ in age.” I have no opportunity to compare it with the Greek text; in the Vulgate this word is used only once, in the Old Testament and in a text that has nothing in common with the text we quote. However, it seems to me that progressus in our text should be translated as the “increase” of Christ in age, since He took on the human body and its physical laws. (See the meaning of the word "progressus", "4. - development and growth in the years." Oxford. Latin Dictionary, edit G W Glare, 1982 p. 1480. Aristagoras was an ancient diplomat under the Persian king. He was responsible for the war between the Greeks and Persians in ancient times. He had nothing to do with philosophy. It is possible that there is a typo in the text, and St. Sophronius was referring to the famous Epicurean philosopher Aristippus. Died in 497 BC. Anaxagoras (500–428 BC), famous as the last Ionian philosopher; friend of Pericles and teacher of Euripides. He was the first Athenian philosopher. He was highly respected until an investigation was brought against him because, contrary to popular opinion, he maintained that the sun was a red, incandescent mass of matter, and the moon had an earthly essence. Although he was condemned to death, however, thanks to influential friends, he escaped execution and was helped to escape from Athens. He taught about the Great Mind (Nus), Which created everything, but It is completely unlimited and does not mix with anything. Anaximander (610–547 BC). He was the first to draw maps and build some astronomical instruments. His approach to studying the world was based on science and experience. His main work is “Nature,” where he says that man came from an animal, namely from a fish, and he himself was once a fish. Pythagoras (578–510 BC). His origins are unknown; it is possible that he came from the island of Samos, and then moved to live in southern Italy, where in 538 he founded his philosophical school, which covered religious and moral concepts, as well as mathematics. His bright ideals are believed to have influenced both Plato and Plotinus in their philosophical worldview. His rules of conduct are as follows: first of all, honor God; respect your oath; honor your parents; bear everything patiently; help your neighbor; conquer base passions in yourself, such as gluttony, laziness and anger; be righteous in your deeds and words, and remember that everything passes away and you must die; if a person achieves righteousness, then when you leave the body, you will move into the higher ether, and then you will become immortal, blissful and cease to be a mortal man; in the evening, do not allow yourself to sleep until you have examined in your thoughts three times how you spent your day: have I sinned? What did I do during the day? what duty did you fail to fulfill? And if you did something bad, reproach yourself, and if you did something good, rejoice. St. Sophronius speaks with contempt of Aristotle and Plato, meanwhile, they were highly respected by many saints. Fathers, and then their names grow into a whole cult of them. Aristotle's methods are used by St. John of Damascus, bl. Patriarch Photius and the entire Western theological world. The passion for Plato is also characteristic of Byzantium; Among the most famous Platonists, Michael Psellus, John Italou and Gemist Pletho should be mentioned. St. also speaks with respect of the Greek philosophers. Gregory Palamas, calling them the "fathers" of philosophy. Plato is recognized as the founder of all philosophy, and Aristotle as the founder of all sciences. One Byzantine bishop, whose poem is reproduced in Ming, turns to the Lord Jesus Christ with a prayer for the Greek philosophers and asks Christ to show them mercy (he especially intercedes for Plato and Plutarch), reminding the Lord that these people taught good; if they made mistakes and did not achieve perfection, it was for the reason that they did not yet have within themselves the grace that came with the appearance of the Lord on earth and without which no perfection could be achieved. Min. P. Gr. v. 120, count. 1156–1157. "Fisherman's cane" is a small harpoon for catching fish. Here we mean St. apostles and, possibly, ap. Peter. "Shoemaker's knife." I think that what is generally meant here is a craftsman’s knife, and in this case an ap. Paul. I'm sure that in Greek. The original is “invariably” and not “undoubtedly”. That Christ was incarnate “unchangeably” St. Sophrony speaks repeatedly in his sermon on the Annunciation. Christ took on human flesh without changing His Divine nature. The texts in this phrase in brackets belong to the original, except for the last one added by us. Nestorius denied the unity of the Hypostasis of the God-Man. The God-man consists of two natures, but existing in one Hypostasis. Nestorius did not understand this, and this was the source of his heresy, which is why he rejected the name of the Most Holy Virgin as the Mother of God. For more details about this, see note. 44 to the previous sermon. Eutyches, Dioscorus, Sevirus and similar Monophysites denied the human nature in Christ, and taught that in the God-Man there is only one nature - Divine. See note 20 to the previous sermon. In the original there are only two words “Lumina collata”. We have given a more complete explanation based on §8 of this sermon. From the testimony of St. Sophrony shows that the custom of blessing candles on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord dates back to ancient times. Here the Latin test refers to the Greek. (inaccessible to us) original: “Let no one be alien to the luminescence” (φωτοφοπίας αλλότοιος). That is, let no one be left out of taking part in the procession with candles in their hands. The text in brackets belongs to the original. What is meant here, as the publisher of the manuscript notes, is only the Divine nature of Christ, and St. Sophrony polemicizes with heretics who think wrongly about her. This should not be understood in the sense that man became God, but in the sense that he was enriched by Divine grace and, reconciled with God, became by grace the son of God, and the image and likeness of God was renewed in him. See note. 62 to the previous sermon. This phrase is freely translated by us; the word “more humble” indicates that the evangelist speaks more humbly about Christ, pointing to His human nature, than Eutyches and other Monophysites who completely deny the human nature in the God-man. Manichaeans, see about them in note 58 to the previous sermon. The phrase in brackets belongs to the original. How this phrase got here, interrupting the presentation, is difficult to say. It is possible that it should have been removed from the text altogether. For all these heretics, see the notes to the previous sermon (on the Feast of the Annunciation); approx. 12, 13, 14, 58, 52, 16, 51, 20, 17 and 60. Polemon, see note. 53 to the previous sermon. Ebionites, heretics of the 1st century. "Ebionites" means "poor" in Hebrew; whether they called themselves that because of the material poverty of their members, or whether they were so called in the concept of their feeble-mindedness, and were so called by Christians, is not known. The Ebionites, although they considered themselves Christians, were completely alien to the Christian Church, because they did not recognize God and the Son of God in the Lord Jesus Christ, but saw in Him only a great prophet. As Judaizers, they considered it necessary for salvation to observe the entire law of Moses in its entirety, and therefore they especially hated the Apostle Paul for his teaching that Christ freed us from the letter of the law and the Mosaic law was abolished by the coming of the new law in spirit and life, which Christ gave us. Pavel Samosatsky, see note. 45 to the previous sermon. Bardesan, a Gnostic who lived between 154–225. in Edessa. The heyday of his glory falls during the reign of Abgar IX, who converted Edessa to Christianity. In his youth he was interested in Gnosticism, and subsequently lived with the Church, although his Christianity was not completely orthodox. He wrote up to 150 church hymns, which were in use in the Church even during the time of St. Ephraim the Syrian († 373). All of Vardesan's works have been lost, so his teaching can only be judged by the reviews of ancient Christian Arab writers. Modern science sees in Vardesan a Christian who was interested in astrology and was prone to docetism (i.e., to the opinion that the body, like all matter, is unreal, ghostly, therefore the body of Christ was also ghostly). It is possible that the teaching of Vardesan was closer to the teaching of the Church, and it was his disciples who should deviate into heresy, which casts a shadow on Vardesan himself, as their teacher. Vardesan is also reproached for the fact that he taught about the two-part nature of the soul in man: the lower is subject to the influence of the current of the stars, and the higher is free in self-determination. He considered sin to be the result of free will in man, and not an original necessity. Orig.: “Received greetings from the Archangel Gabriel.” The text in brackets is given by us. Abridged and translated into Russian from the text found in Migne, Patrologiae cursus completus, series graeca, t. LXXXVII, pars. 3, col. 3287–3302. In the Russian translation the real word is unknown. The school of the Greek philosopher Plato, located in the gymnasium and garden of the hero Academus, in Athens. The school of Stoic philosophers opened by Zeno in the portico (basilica) "Stoa" in Athens. Peripatetics (walking philosophers) were the followers of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. In the Athens Gymnasium Lyceum (Λύκειοv), dedicated to Zeus, there was an Aristotle school. You might be interested in: