2. Thus we are now speaking not of that heavenly birth, but of this lower, earthly birth, which had thousands of witnesses. And we will talk about it as much as it is possible for us to receive the grace of the Spirit. It is impossible to imagine this birth with all clarity, since it is also full of mystery. So, when you hear about this birth, do not think that you hear about something of little importance; but lift up your mind and be terrified, as soon as you hear that God has come to earth. It was so wondrous and wondrous that the angels, having made a laudatory countenance, gave glory for it for the whole world, and the prophets long before were amazed that God appeared on earth and spoke among people (Bar. 3:38). And truly, it is extremely wondrous to hear that the ineffable, inexplicable and incomprehensible God, equal to the Father, came through a virgin's womb, was pleased to be born of a woman and to have David and Abraham as ancestors. And what do I say, David and Abraham? What is even more amazing are those wives whom I mentioned earlier. When you hear this, arise, and do not suspect anything humiliating; on the contrary, it is especially surprising that the Son of the Father without beginning, the true Son, deigned to be called the Son of David, in order to make you the son of God, deigned to have a servant as His father, so that you, a servant, might make the Lord a father. Do you see what the gospel is at the very beginning? But if you doubt your sonship with God, then be convinced of him, hearing what happened to Him. According to human reasoning, it is much more difficult for God to become a man than for a man to become a son of God. Therefore, when you hear that the Son of God is the son of David and Abraham, then do not doubt that you, the son of Adam, will be the son of God. He would not have humbled Himself in vain and without purpose to such an extent if He did not want to exalt us. They were born according to the flesh, that thou might be born according to the Spirit; was born of a woman, that thou wouldst cease to be the son of a woman. That is why His birth was twofold, on the one hand similar to ours, on the other hand, exceeding ours. In that He was born of a woman, He became like unto us; but by being born not of blood, nor of the will of man, nor of flesh, but of the Holy Spirit, He foretells a future birth greater than us, which He had to bestow upon us from the Spirit. And so it was with everything else. Such, for example, was baptism. And there was something old in him, and there was also something new: baptism from the prophet showed the old, and the condescension of the Spirit signified the new. Just as a man, standing between two standing apart, stretches out his hands to both and joins them, so did the Son of God unite the Old Testament with the New, the divine nature with the human, His own with ours. Do you see the splendor of the city of God? Do you see with what brilliance it shone upon you at the very entrance? Do you see how immediately He showed you the King in your image, as if in the midst of the camp? And here, on earth, the king does not always appear in his greatness, but often, having folded his purple and diadem, he puts on the clothes of a simple warrior. But the king of the earth does this so that, having become known, he does not attract the enemy to himself; The King of Heaven, on the contrary, in order that, having become known, the enemy should not flee from the struggle with Him and not bring His own people into confusion, since He wished to save, and not to frighten. That is why the Evangelist immediately called Him by the appropriate name Jesus. This name Jesus is not Greek; He is called Jesus in Hebrew, which in Greek means Saviour (Swthr); And He is called the Saviour because He saved His people.

3. Do you see how the Evangelist enlightened his listener, how he, in ordinary words, revealed to all of us in them that which is above all hope? Both of these names were well known among the Jews. Since the events that were to take place were wondrous, the names themselves were preceded by images, so that in this way any reason for murmuring about the innovation would be removed beforehand. Thus, the successor of Moses, who led the people into the promised land, is called Jesus. Do you see the image? Consider also the truth. The one led into the promised land, this one into heaven and the good things of heaven; this one after the death of Moses, this one after the cessation of the law; this one is like a leader, this one is like a King. But so that you, hearing Jesus, would not be misled by the similarity of names, the Evangelist added: Jesus Christ, the Son of David. That Jesus was not the son of David, but came from another tribe. But why does Matthew call his Gospel the genealogy of Jesus Christ, when it contains not only one genealogy, but the entire economy? Because the birth of Christ is the main thing in the entire economy, it is the beginning and root of all the blessings given to us. Just as Moses calls his first work the Book of Genesis of Heaven and Earth, although he tells in it not only about heaven and earth, but also about what is between them, so the Evangelist called his book after the main of the works done (for our salvation). Most amazing of all, above all hope and expectation, is indeed that God became man; and when this was accomplished, then everything that followed was both understandable and natural.

But why did not the Evangelist first say, "Son of Abraham," and then, "Son of David"? Not, as some think, because he wanted to present a genealogy in an ascending line, because then he would have done the same as Luke, and he does the opposite. So why did he mention David first? Because he was a man on everyone's lips, both because of the fame of his deeds and in time, because he died long after Abraham. Though God had made promises to both of them, yet the promise given to Abraham as of old was little said, and the promise given to David, as recent and new, was repeated by all. The Jews themselves say: "Is it not said in the Scriptures that Christ will come from the seed of David, and from Bethlehem, from the place whence David was" (John 7:42)? And no one called him the son of Abraham, but everyone called him the son of David, because both in terms of the time of his life, as I have already said, and because of the nobility of his reign, David was more in everyone's memory. That is why all the kings who lived after David, who were especially respected, were called by his name not only by the Jews, but also by God himself. Thus Ezekiel and the other prophets say that David will come to them and rise again; but they do not mean the dead David, but those who imitate his virtue. Thus God says to Hezekiah: "I will guard this city, that I may save it for my own sake and for the sake of David my servant" (2 Kings 19:34); and he said to Solomon that for David's sake he did not divide the kingdom during his lifetime (1 Kings 11:34). The glory of this man was great both before God and before men. That is why the Evangelist directly begins the genealogy with the noblest, and then turns to the most ancient progenitor, Abraham, and considers it superfluous for the Jews to trace the genealogy further. These two men were especially astonishing; one as a prophet and king, the other as a patriarch and a prophet.

What needs to be decided first? The question of the descent of the Virgin from David. Now, how do we know that she is descended from David? Listen: God commands Gabriel to go to the Virgin betrothed to a man, named Joseph, from the house and homeland of David (Luke 1:27). What is clearer than this, when you hear that the Virgin was of the house and country of David?

4. From this it is clear that Joseph also came from the same family, because there was a law that commanded that a wife should not be taken except from his own tribe. And the patriarch Jacob predicted that Christ would arise from the tribe of Judah, saying thus: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the lawgiver from her loins, until the Mediator comes, and to Him shall be the obedience of the nations" (Gen. 49:10). This prophecy, you will say, really shows that Christ was of the tribe of Judah; but that He also came from the line of David, this is not yet shown. Was there not a single family in the tribe of Judah except David? No, there were many other families, and it was possible to belong to the tribe of Judah, but not yet descend from the line of David. Lest you say this, the Evangelist resolves your doubt by saying that Christ was from the house and homeland of David. If you want to convince yourself of this in another way, we will not hesitate to present another proof. Among the Jews, it was not allowed to take a wife not only from another tribe, but also from another clan or tribe. Therefore, whether we apply the words: from the house and homeland of David to the Virgin, what has been said remains indubitable; if we apply to Joseph, what is said about him will also apply to the Virgin. If Joseph was of the house and country of David, he took a wife not from another family, but from the same family from which he himself came. But what, you say, if he has broken the law? The Evangelist forestalled this objection by testifying that Joseph was righteous, so that, knowing his virtue, you can be sure that he would not have broken the law. Being so meek and devoid of passion that even being impelled by suspicion he did not want to subject the Virgin to punishment, would he have broken the law for the sake of carnal pleasure? By reasoning above the law (as it was characteristic of a man who reasoned above the law to let go and let go secretly), would he have done anything contrary to the law, and moreover without any motivating reason? Thus, from what has been said, it is clear that the Virgin came from the line of David. Now we must say why the Evangelist did not give Her genealogy, but Joseph. So, why? It was not the custom of the Jews to lead a genealogy through the female line; therefore, in order to observe the custom, and not to be a violator of it at the very beginning, and on the other hand, to show us the origin of the Virgin, the Evangelist, keeping silent about Her ancestors, presented the genealogy of Joseph. If he had presented the genealogy of the Virgin, it would have been considered an innovation; if he had kept silent about Joseph, we would not have known the ancestors of the Virgin. Thus, in order that we might know who Mary was, where she came from, and at the same time that custom would not be violated, the Evangelist presented the genealogy of Her betrothed and showed that he came from the house of David. And since this is proved, it is also proved that the Virgin was of the same lineage, because this righteous man, as I said above, would not allow himself to take a wife from another family. It is possible, however, to point out another reason, more mysterious, for which the ancestors of the Virgin are kept silent; But now is not the time to open it, because much has already been said.

If you keep all this, you will arouse in us a greater zeal for further explanations; and if you are careless and forget, then we will be less willing to explain the rest. For even the farmer will not care about the seeds, if the earth destroys from him what he has sown before. So, I ask you to deal with what has been said. From such occupations comes a great and salvific blessing for the soul. Having concern for such occupations, we can please God, and our lips, when we exercise them with spiritual conversations, will be clean from reproach, shame and abuse. We will also be afraid of demons when we arm our tongue with such conversations; to a greater extent let us draw upon ourselves the grace of God; our gaze will also become more penetrating. God has given us eyes, and lips, and ears, so that all the members may serve Him, that we may speak what is pleasing to Him, that we may do what pleases Him, that we may sing unceasing songs of praise to Him, that we may send thanksgiving, and thus purify our consciences. As the body, enjoying pure air, becomes healthier, so the soul, nourished by such activities, becomes wiser.

5. Have you noticed that even from the bodily eyes, if they are constantly in smoke, tears always flow, but in the fresh air, in the meadow, by springs and in gardens, they become healthier and sharper? The same thing happens with the eye of the soul. If it is nourished in the meadow of spiritual teachings, it is pure, clear and penetrating, but if it is immersed in the smoke of worldly cares, then it will constantly gnawing and shedding tears both in this life and in the life to come. Truly, human deeds are like smoke. For this reason someone said: "My days have vanished like smoke" (Psalm 101:4). But the prophet wanted to express with these words only the idea of the brevity and inconstancy of human life, and I would say that they should be understood not only in this sense, but also as an indication of the rebelliousness of life. Indeed, nothing oppresses and disturbs the eye of the soul so much as a crowd of worldly cares and a swarm of desires; it is the wood of the said smoke. Just as an ordinary fire, enveloping a damp and soaked substance, makes a thick smoke, so a strong fiery passion, taking possession of a sluggish and weak soul, produces a great smoke. That is why the dew of the Spirit and His light breeze are necessary to extinguish this fire, to dispel this smoke, and to give wings to our minds. It is impossible, impossible in any way, burdened with such evil, to soar to heaven. No; we need to be well girded to make this journey, or rather, it is impossible if we do not take the wings of the Spirit.

Is it not shameful, is it not ridiculous to the last degree, that we, having a servant, usually use it for necessary things, but when we have a tongue, we do not even treat our own penis as we do with a servant, but, on the contrary, use it for useless and vain deeds? If only in vain! And we make of it a disgusting and harmful use, from which we have no benefit. If what we say were useful to us, then our words would certainly be pleasing to God.

And yet we only say what the devil suggests: now we mock, now we wit; now we curse and offend, now we swear, lie, and break our oaths; now out of vexation we do not want to utter a word, now we talk idle and talk worse than old women, talking about things that do not concern us at all. Who among you present here, tell me, if asked, can read even one psalm or any other passage from the Holy Scriptures? None! And this is not only surprising, but also that you, being so lazy in spiritual matters, turn out to be faster than fire in the works of Satan. If anyone decides to ask you about the songs of the devil, about the tunes of the dissolute and voluptuous, he will find that many know them very well and will sing them with complete pleasure. And what is the excuse for accusing you of this? They say that I am not a monk, but I have a wife and children, and I am anxious about a house. It is from this that all the harm arises, that you think that the reading of the Divine Scriptures is proper only to monks, while you yourselves need it much more than they do. Whoever lives in the world and receives new wounds every day, for him is especially necessary healing. Therefore, to consider it superfluous to read the Scriptures is much worse than not to read them. Such a thought is a satanic suggestion.

6. Do you hear, as Paul says, that all these things are written for our instruction (1 Cor. 10:11)? And you, who do not dare to take up the Gospel with unwashed hands, do you not think that what is contained in it is extremely important? That's why everything goes upside down. If you want to know how great the benefits of the Scriptures are, observe what happens to you when you listen to the Psalms, and what happens to you when you listen to Satan's song; In what mood you spend time in church, and in what mood you sit in the theater. Then you will see the difference between the two states of the soul, although the soul is the same. That is why Paul said: "Bad talks[1] corrupt good morals" (1 Cor. 15:53). That is why we constantly need spiritual hymns. This is our superiority over dumb animals, although in other respects we are much inferior to them. This is the food of the soul, this is its adornment, this is its protection; on the contrary, not to listen to the Scriptures is hunger and destruction for the soul. I will give them, says the Lord, not a hunger for bread, nor a thirst for water, but a thirst for hearing the words of the Lord (Amos 8:11). Can there be anything more disastrous when you bring upon your own head the evil that God threatens as a punishment, torment your soul with a terrible hunger and make it the weakest in the world? Usually the word both corrupts the soul and heals it; the word also arouses anger in her, and it again tames her; a shameful word inflames lust, a decent word disposes to chastity. If the word has such power at all, then tell me, how do you despise the Scriptures? If mere exhortation is so powerful, much more so are exhortations accompanied by the action of the Spirit. A word spoken from the Divine Scriptures softens a hardened soul more than fire and makes it capable of everything beautiful. By this means Paul, when he learned of the Corinthians that they had become proud and haughty, humbled them and made them more humble. They exalted themselves with what they should have considered shame and disgrace. But listen to the change that took place in them when they received the message. The teacher himself testified to it when he said to them: "For the very fact that you have grieved for God's sake, see what zeal has produced in you, what apologies, what indignation [against the guilty], what fear, what desire, what jealousy, what chastisement! (2 Corinthians 7:11). By this means we can control servants, children, wives, and friends; we can also make our enemies friends. In this way, great men, friends of God, attained perfection. Thus, David, after committing a sin, as soon as he heeded the word, immediately manifested in himself a most beautiful example of repentance (2 Samuel 12:13), and the apostles, with the help of the word, became what they were later, and by the word they converted the whole world. But what, you say, is it good when someone listens and does not do what is told to him? There will be no small benefit from one hearing. At least a person will recognize himself, grieve, and someday he will come to the point where he will fulfill what he has heard. And who does not even know that he is sinning, will he ever cease to sin? Can he come to know himself? Therefore, let us not neglect to hear the Holy Scriptures. It is the devil's plot not to allow us to see the treasures, lest we become rich. He is afraid that our hearing will turn into action; therefore he inspires us that hearing alone has no meaning. Therefore, knowing this evil plan of his, let us guard ourselves on all sides, so that, having defended ourselves with the weapon of the word of God, we ourselves will not only not fall into captivity, but also crush his head, and, thus crowned with signs of victory, we may attain future blessings through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

CONVERSATION 3

1. This is the third conversation, and we have not yet finished the preface. Thus, it is not in vain that I have said that these reflections, by their nature, are very profound. Today we will try to tell you what remains. What is our question now? About why the Evangelist presents the genealogy of Joseph, who had nothing to do with the birth of Christ. We have already indicated one reason; it is necessary to discover another, which is more mysterious and hidden than the first. What is this reason? The Evangelist did not want the Jews to know at his very birth that Christ was born of a Virgin. But do not be dismayed if what I have said is frightening to you; I am not speaking here my own words, but the words of our fathers, wonderful and famous men. If the Lord originally hid many things in darkness, calling Himself the son of man; if He did not everywhere clearly reveal to us His equality with the Father, then why should we be surprised if He concealed for the time being His birth from the Virgin, arranging something wondrous and great? What is wonderful about it, you say? The fact that Virgo is preserved and freed from bad suspicion. Otherwise, if this had become known to the Jews from the very beginning, they would have misinterpreted the words, stoned the Virgin and condemned her as a harlot. If even in such cases, examples of which they often encountered in the Old Testament, they revealed their shamelessness (for example, they called Christ possessed when He cast out demons, considered Him an adversary of God when He healed the sick on the Sabbath, despite the fact that the Sabbath had already been repeatedly violated), then what would they not say when they heard about it? They were also favored by the fact that nothing like this had ever happened in former times. If, even after His many miracles, they called Jesus the son of Joseph, how would they have believed, even before the miracles, that He was born of a Virgin? That is why the genealogy of Joseph is written, and the Virgin is betrothed to him.

Whoever once believed that Jesus is the Son of God would not doubt it. But who considers Him a flatterer and an adversary of God, if he would not be even more tempted by this and would not have had this suspicion? That is why the apostles do not speak from the very beginning of the birth of a virgin. On the contrary, they often and much talk about the resurrection of Christ, because there were examples of resurrection in former times, although not such; and His birth from a Virgin is seldom spoken of. Even His Mother herself did not dare to announce this. Look at what the Virgin says to Christ Himself: "Behold, Thy father and I have sought Thee" (Luke 2:48)! Considering Him to be born of a Virgin, they would no longer recognize Him as the son of David; and from this many other evils would have resulted. Wherefore the angels also proclaimed this to Mary and Joseph alone; but when they preached the news of the birth to the pastors, they did not add about it. But why does the Evangelist, after mentioning Abraham and saying that he begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob, does not mention the latter's brother, while after Jacob he mentions both Judah and his brothers?

2. The reason for this is the wickedness of Esau, and the same is said of some other ancestors. But I will not say this: if this were so, then why does the Evangelist mention vicious wives a little later? Obviously, here the glory of Jesus Christ is revealed through the opposite, not through the greatness, but through the insignificance and baseness of His ancestors. For the lofty, this is the great glory if he can humble himself to the extreme. So, why did the evangelist not mention Esau and others? Because the Saracens and the Ishmaelites, the Arabs, and all those who were descended from those ancestors, had nothing to do with the people of Israel. For this reason he kept silent about them, but addresses himself directly to the ancestors of Jesus and the Jewish people, saying, "Jacob begat Judah and his brethren." Here the Jewish generation is already indicated. And Judah begat Perez and Zarah by Tamar.