In that country there were shepherds in the field, who kept a night watch over their flock. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone upon them; and they were afraid with great fear. And the angel said to them; Don't be afraid; I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all men: for this day is born unto you in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord; and this is a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there appeared with an angel a multitude of heavenly hosts, glorifying God and crying out: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men! The angel appears to the shepherds because of their simplicity of disposition and gentleness, since they apparently imitate the way of life of the righteous, for the ancient patriarchs, Jacob, Moses and David, were shepherds. The angel did not appear in Jerusalem to the Pharisees or the scribes, for they were the receptacle of all wickedness; and those, not being treacherous, were vouchsafed divine visions. The Lord showed by this that from the very beginning He chose and made preachers those who were simpler than others, for they went and began to preach about all these things. "The angel has preached great joy, which," he said, "will be for all people; actually for the people of God. For not all Jews are God's people. But the incarnation of God was a joy for the entire human race. - What does the song of the Angels mean? Without a doubt, the gratitude of the high ranks and the joy that we, who live on earth, have been blessed. For they say: thank God, peace has now come to the earth. Formerly, human nature was at enmity with God, but now it has become so reconciled that it has become in union with God and united with Him in the incarnation. And so, do you see the peace of God with man? It can be understood in another way. The Son of God Himself is the world, as He speaks of Himself (John 14:27; 16:33). Thus, the very world, the Son of God, appeared on earth. And "in men there is goodwill," that is, the repose of God; for now God has rested and found the pleasure of God in men, whereas before He did not favor and did not find in men the pleasure of Himself.

When the angels departed from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see what has happened there, what the Lord has announced to us." And they came in haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the child lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they told them what had been announced to them about this Infant. And all who heard were amazed at what the shepherds told them. These pastors are the image of spiritual pastors – bishops. Thus, the bishops must guard their flock and play, that is, sing something spiritual and teach the people, and then they will be worthy of divine visions and hearings. Bethlehem means the house of bread. What other house of bread is this, if not the church, in which this bread is stored? Thus, the task of verbal pastors is to seek the heavenly bread, and when they see this bread, it is their duty to preach to others, just as pastors, when they saw the Infant, communicated Him to others.

And Mary kept all these words, composing them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, praising and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, as they had been told. What words did the Virgin keep? Others say that those whom the angel spoke to her, and those whom the shepherds told her. She observed them and composed them in Her heart, that is, she discussed and found in all of them one concordant thought that Her Son is God. And it seems to me that here the words are called events; it is said as it were: Mary kept all the words, that is, those events of which I am now speaking, and through this I make them words. For an event, when it is spoken of, becomes a word. The pastors returned with gratitude to God for everything; for they were not envious like the Jews.

At the end of the eight days, when the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, which the angel had called before he was conceived in the womb. And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him before the Lord, as it is prescribed in the law of the Lord, that every male child that opens the bed should be consecrated to the Lord, and that two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, should be sacrificed according to the law of the Lord. When the Law gave commandments, then those who transgressed them were cursed. Thus, the Lord is circumcised, so that, having fulfilled the Law in this and omitted nothing of what it commanded, He may redeem us from the curse. Let them be ashamed of those who say that He was incarnate in a phantom, for how is he circumcised if he was incarnate in a phantom? It is useless to investigate where the cut part is located. For it is not proper to seek out that of which the Scriptures are silent. And it is completely useless. It can be said that after being cut off, it fell to the ground and sanctified it, just as the blood and water flowed from His side. And in a way known to Him, He preserved this particle unharmed, and after the Resurrection He took it up again, so that in this respect He would not be found to be lacking; just as we also in the resurrection will receive our body whole. Note that the Lord was conceived not immediately as the Angel said: "And behold, thou shalt conceive," but after this, when He willed. For see what here says, "That which was called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb." This is evident from the saying itself, for he did not say: "Thou shalt conceive," but "Thou shalt conceive." From this we can conclude that the Lord was conceived at that time, but not at the very moment when the Angel spoke, but perhaps when He finished speaking. However, we do not say this in the affirmative. "When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled." He said well, "according to the law of Moses," for verily the Virgin had no need to wait for the days of purification, which, in the case of a male birth, were forty. The Law says: "A woman shall conceive (conceive of seed) and bear a male child" (Lev. 12:2); but the Virgin did not conceive of seed, but gave birth of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, she had no need, but came to the temple with a desire to fulfill the law. Why, then, in the case of the birth of a male, are there seven days of purification, and twice as many days of purification for a female? "If a woman," it is said, "conceives and bears a male child, she will be unclean for seven days... But if she gives birth to a female child, she will be unclean for two weeks during her purification" (Lev. 12, 2, 5)? For she who gave birth to the male sex brings another Adam into the world, and she who gave birth to the female sex gives birth to another Eve - a weak and weak vessel, a broken clay vessel, a reed of deceit, a teacher of disobedience. - The words of the Law: "That every male child who opens his couch should be consecrated to the Lord" were fulfilled in Christ alone; for He Himself opened the bed of the Virgin, while in other mothers the bed is opened by the husband. - The law commanded that a pair of turtledoves should be brought to show that procreation was from pure marriage. For the turtledove is said to be a chaste bird, so that, having lost its male, it does not copulate with another. If the parents did not have turtledoves, then they brought two pigeon chicks, so that the life of this child would serve for many children; for the dove is a bird of many fruits.

At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was a righteous and godly man, seeking the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him, and it was foretold to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he saw the Christ of the Lord. And he came by inspiration to the temple. And when the parents brought the child Jesus to perform a lawful rite on him, he took him in his arms, blessed God, and said, Now dost thou let thy servant go, O Lord, according to thy word, in peace, for my eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all nations, a light for the enlightenment of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. but he was a God-loving man; he expected Christ to come, the comforter of the Jews and the deliverer from the slavery of sin, and perhaps even from the slavery of the Romans and Herod. For whoever believes in Christ is truly free and honored by kings and all men. Look at the apostles. Were they not slaves of the Romans? And now the kings of Rome revere and worship them. This Simeon, moved by the Holy Spirit, ascended to the temple when the Mother brought the Lord, and, taking Him in his arms, confessed that He was God. For to say, "Now Thou dost let Thy servant go, O Lord," could be he who confessed that He was the Lord of life and death. See how the saints consider the body to be bonds. Wherefore he says, "Now thou hast loosed," as if thou hast loosed from bondage. "According to Thy word": speaks of the prophecy he received that he would not die until he saw Christ. "In peace" instead of: in tranquility. For a man, as long as he lives, is troubled, as David says (Psalm 38:7); but the dead are in the world. "In peace" can be understood in another way, namely: with the receipt of what is expected. Before I saw the Lord, I, he says, was not calm in thoughts, but waited for Him, and always thought with care when He came: and now that I have seen Him, I have calmed down, and have ceased to think, I am departing. "Salvation" was the name given to the incarnation of the Only-begotten, which God prepared before all ages. He prepared this salvation in the presence of all people. For for this He became incarnate, that He might save the world, and that His incarnation might be manifested to all. This salvation is "a light for the enlightenment of the Gentiles," that is, for the enlightenment of the darkened Gentiles, "and for the glory of Israel," for Christ is truly the glory of the people of Israel, because from Him He shone forth, and the truly prudent find greatness for themselves in this. Thus says Simeon. And it seems to me that the words of David are also appropriate for this Simeon: "With long days I will satisfy him, and I will shew him my salvation" (Psalm 90:16).

Joseph and His Mother were amazed at what was said about Him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this one lies for the fall and for the rising up of many in Israel, and for the object of reproach, and for thy own soul the sword shall pierce thy soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. Simeon blessed both of them, and turned his speech to the true Mother, leaving the imaginary father. "Behold," he says, "this one lies for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel"; for the fall of the unbelievers, and for the believers to rise. Or in other words: the Lord lies for the fall of evil, nestling in our souls, and for the rising of good; Fornication falls, chastity rises. It can be understood in another way: Christ lies "to fall" instead of: He Himself has to suffer and be subjected to death, and through His fall many have to rise. So, after the words: "On the fall," put a full stop, then begin: "And on the rising of many." The sign is the cross, which to this day finds contradiction to itself, that is, is not accepted by the unbelievers. The Incarnation of the Lord is also called a sign, and a wondrous sign, since God became man, and the Virgin became the Mother. And this sign, that is, the incarnation of Christ, is contradicted. For some say that the body is from heaven, others that it is illusory, and others talk about something else. "And to Thee (the Virgin) the sword shall pierce thy soul." Perhaps He calls the sorrow that occurred during Her suffering a weapon, or perhaps the temptation that came to Her at the sight of the Lord crucified. For She may have thought how He was crucified, slain and spat upon, Who was born without seed, worked miracles, raised the dead. "Let the thoughts of many hearts be revealed." This means that the thoughts of many who are offended will be revealed and revealed, and when they are convicted, they will find a speedy healing. For example, You, Virgin, will open up and be revealed in your wisdom about Christ, then you will be confirmed in faith in Him. In the same way, Peter turned out to be rejected; but the power of God appeared, who again received him through repentance. And in other words: the thoughts of many hearts were revealed, when the traitor was revealed, and those who loved Him were revealed, such as, for example, Joseph, who came to Pilate, and the women who stood at the Cross.

There was also Anna the prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who had reached a very old age, having lived with her husband from her virginity for seven years, a widow of eighty-four years old, who did not leave the temple, serving God day and night by fasting and prayer. And at that time she came and glorified the Lord, and spoke of Him to all who were waiting for deliverance in Jerusalem. And when they had done all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their city of Nazareth. But the child grew and was strengthened in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. The Evangelist stops at the story of Annas, enumerates her father and tribe, so that we may know that he is telling the truth, since he invites as it were many witnesses who know the father and the tribe. Together with others, she "glorified" the Lord, that is, thanked Him, and conveyed to everyone about the Lord that He is the Savior and the consolation of us who await redemption. - And when all things had been done, they returned to Galilee, to their city of Nazareth, Bethlehem was also their city, but as their fatherland, and Nazareth as their place of residence. - Jesus grew in body. Although He could have reached the measure of manhood from the very womb, then He could have seemed like a ghost; therefore He grows little by little. With age, the wisdom of God the Word was manifested. For He was wise, not according to His success in teaching; Away with such a thought! Inasmuch as He revealed His innate wisdom little by little, it is said that He succeeded and was strengthened in spirit in accordance with His bodily age. For if He had shown all His wisdom in His very first age, He would have seemed monstrous. And now, revealing Himself, as much as possible, in accordance with His age, He fulfilled the economy, not accepting wisdom. For what would be more perfect than that which is perfect from the beginning? However, He reveals His inherent wisdom little by little.

Every year His parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they also came to Jerusalem for a feast according to custom. When, at the end of the days of the feast, they returned, the Child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother did not notice it, but thought that he was going with others. And when they had gone through the day's journey, they sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances, and not finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. And after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them, and questioning them; all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed; And His Mother said to Him, "Child! What have You done to us? Behold, Thy father and I have sought Thee with great sorrow. He said to them, "Why did you seek Me?" or did you not know that I must be in the things that belong to My Father? But they did not understand what He said. Jesus goes to Jerusalem with His parents to show that He does not resist God or the requirements of the Law. When they had completed the days, that is, the seven days of the Passover, He remained in Jerusalem. - He reasoned with the scribes, giving them questions from the Law. And everyone was "amazed". Do you see how He excelled in wisdom, so that to many He was an object of curiosity and wonder? For the manifestation of His wisdom is His very success. The Mother of God calls Joseph father, although she knew that he was not a father. No doubt she calls Joseph His father for the sake of the Jews, so that they may not have any impure thoughts concerning His birth. In other words, since Joseph applied paternal care and service in his upbringing, she appropriately called him a father himself, as if the Holy Spirit honored him with the name of father. - Why did they seek Him? Did they suppose that He, like a child, was lost or lost? Away with such a thought! For it could not come either to the all-wise Mary, who received innumerable revelations about Him, or to Joseph, to whom it was revealed that He was of the Holy Spirit. But they sought Him so that He would not leave them in some way, so that He would not leave them in some way. And when you have found Him, see how He answers them! Since the Virgin called Joseph His father, He says, "He, Joseph, is not My true father, although I was in his house; but God is My Father, and therefore I am in His house, that is, in His temple. But they did not understand what He had said to them, for it was a mystery.

And He went with them, and came to Nazareth; and was in subjection to them. And His Mother kept all these words in Her heart. But Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in love with God and man. Jesus obeyed our parents, giving us an example to obey our parents. - The Virgin observed all this; for the deeds and words of the Lad were divine and revealed in Him not a twelve-year-old lad, but a man of complete maturity. In order to explain what it means to "increase in wisdom," the Evangelist adds: "and in stature," for he calls the increase in age success in wisdom. "Both in love with God and with men," that is, he did what was pleasing to God and praiseworthy of men; but first he was acceptable before God, and then before men; for first we must please God, and then men.

Chapter Three

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor in Judea, Herod was tetrarch in Galilee, Philip his brother was tetrarch in Ituraea and the region of Trachonite, and Lysanias was tetrarch in Abilene, under the high priests Annas and Caiaphas, was the word of God to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went through all the country round about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. The time and the rulers are justly mentioned, in order to show that under Christ the succession of the leaders of the Jews ceased; since the hegemon was Pilate, a man of another people, the tetrarchs were the sons of Herod the Ascalonite, and therefore it would be taken as true that Christ had come, according to the prophecy of Jacob (Gen. 49:10)! "There was," it is said, "the word of God to John," so that you may know that he came to bear witness to Christ, not as an impostor, but because he was moved by the Spirit of God. By "word" you mean either the Holy Spirit, or the command of God. The word of God to John was "in the wilderness." Since the children of the abandoned church (in Church Slavonic, empty), that is, the church of the Gentiles, were more numerous than the children of the church with a husband (Isaiah 54:1), that is, the church of the Jews, the word and command of God was appropriate for John when he was in the wilderness. He preached to people the baptism of repentance, that is, confession. And this baptism helped them to forgive their sins, which is granted through the baptism of Christ. For the baptism of John did not have the remission of sins, but led to remission, that is, it prepared people to receive Christ's baptism, which has the remission of sins.

As it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, who says: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths; let every valley be filled, and every mountain and hill be made low, the crookedness straightened, and the rough paths made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. The "way" that commands to be prepared is a way of life according to the teaching of Christ; for the Lord soon had to preach. The "paths" are the commandments of the Law, as if already worn out. It is commanded to make them "straight" because the Pharisees corrupted the commandments. By "path" one can also understand the soul, and by "paths" - thoughts and deeds. Therefore, we must prepare our souls and make our deeds and thoughts right. Then, as if someone asked: how are we going to do this? For virtue is not easy to fulfill, and encounters many intrigues and obstacles, both from evil forces and from the passions that dwell in us? He replies that nothing will be difficult, but everything is comfortable. For the valleys will be "filled," that is, our natural strengths, weakened for good and reduced to a low state, will be replenished; "Every mountain and hill," that is, the opposing forces and desires that seem to us to be invested with nature, have truly weakened: and everything has become even, and the crooked has changed to a straight one. For Christ abolished the opposing forces, which are here called mountains and hills, and revived our natural impulses to good, which the Evangelist called the valleys that are filled. For He became incarnate in order to restore our nature to its own form. "All flesh shall see," it is said, "the salvation of God," not only the Jews and sojourners, but all flesh, for the Gospel has been carried throughout all the earth. Much more could be said, but let it be said more clearly.

John said to the people who came to be baptized by him: "Offspring of vipers! Who inspired you to flee from the wrath to come? Produce therefore worthy fruits of repentance, and do not think to say in yourselves, 'Our father is Abraham,' for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. Already the axe lies at the root of the trees: every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. He calls the Jews "the offspring of vipers," because they insulted their fathers and mothers; for this animal, they say, eats up the womb of the mother, and is thus born. Moreover, they killed prophets and teachers. "Future wrath" is called eternal punishment. "Worthy fruits of repentance" is not only a departure from evil, but also an exercise in good; for the accomplishment of good is truly the fruit and offspring of repentance. Do not begin to say in yourselves that you are of good lineage, and, trusting in your fathers, do not abandon virtue. God will be able to give children to the patriarch from these stones; for he had done much like this before. Sarah's womb, though harder than stones, yet she received the grace of childbirth. The "axe" is the divine judgment that tears out the unworthy from among the living. If, he says, you do not repent, you will be deprived of life. The axe lies "at the root" of your trees. By "root" is meant life, as we have said. But by "root" we can also understand kinship with Abraham. From this kinship with Abraham, according to the Apostle (Romans 11:19-21), those are cut off who are unworthy to be his branches. The punishment is twofold, for the sinful and barren one is not only cut off from kinship with the righteous, but is also cast into the fire.

And the people asked him, What shall we do? He answered and said to them, "He who has two garments, let him give to the poor, and he who has food, do likewise." The publicans also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher! What should we do? He answered them, "Do not demand anything more than what is determined for you." The soldiers also asked him: "What shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not offend anyone, do not slander, and be content with your salary." And when the people were waiting, and all were thinking in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ, John answered everyone: "I will crown you with water, but there is one stronger than me, from Whom I am not worthy to untie the strap of my shoes; He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire. His shovel is in His hand, and He will purge His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His garner, and the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire. He preached many other gospels to the people, instructing them. John admonishes three categories of those who came to him: the simple class of the people, the publicans, and the soldiers. He persuades the simple class of the people to be diligent in almsgiving, commanding that he who has two garments should give to the poor; he convinces the publicans not to exact, that is, not to demand anything superfluous; he urges the soldiers not to kidnap, but to be content with tributes, that is, the salary that is usually given from the king. See how John persuades the common class of the people, as if they were not malicious, to do something good, that is, to give to others, and to refrain from evil. For these were not yet capable, could not do anything good, and it was enough for them not to do evil. Some understand the command - to him who has two garments to share with those who do not - in a moral sense. That is what they say: the two garments signify the Spirit of Scripture and the letter; John urges those who have both to communicate to those who have absolutely nothing; for example, if anyone understands the Scriptures in both respects, in letter and in spirit, let him pass it on to him who does not have, let him teach him who does not know, and give him at least the letter. - John's virtue was so high that everyone thought about him, was he not Christ himself? Turning away such an opinion, he says: the difference between me and Christ is, first, that "I baptize" with water, and He with the Spirit and fire, and the other is that "I am not even worthy to untie the strap of His shoes." What is meant by the words, "to baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire," is quite clear; for he sent the Spirit to the apostles, and over them appeared tongues of fire divided (Acts 2:3, 4). And the words, "Unworthy to untie the strap of my shoe," evidently mean that I am not worthy to make myself even His last servant. In a more intimate sense, the shoes of both feet of the Lord are His appearance from heaven to earth and His descent from earth to hell. The method of these two phenomena cannot be solved by anyone, even if he is like John. For who can say how the Lord became incarnate or how He descended into hell? The words, "His spade is in His hand," mean that although He baptizes you, you do not think that you are already unpunished; but if you do not keep yourselves blameless in the life that follows, He will burn you with an unquenchable fire. A tares is one who has a barren mind and takes great care only for the things of life. "He preached many other gospels to the people, teaching them." For good teaching is truly consolation, and is rightly called the gospel.