5. First, let us examine why Jesus descended. Do not pay attention to my verbal ingenuity here. For it is sometimes possible to be deceived by wisdom. But if you do not hear the testimony of the prophets on every subject, do not believe the words. If you do not learn about the Virgin, and about the place, and about the time, and about the manner of birth from the Divine Scriptures, do not accept the testimony of men. For one who teaches now can be suspected; but who, having reason, will suspect him who has prophesied a thousand years or more? So, if you are looking for the reason for Christ's coming, turn to the first book of Scripture. God created the world in six days, but the world is for man. The sun shines with radiant rays, yet it was created so that man may shine, and all animals exist to serve us. Herbs and trees were also created for our use. All creatures are good, but not one of them is the image of God, but only man. The sun is formed by one command, but man is formed by the hands of God. Let us make man in our image and after our likeness (Gen. 1:26). The material image of the earthly King is venerated, how much more so is the spiritual image of God? But this most excellent creation, which triumphed in paradise, was driven out of it by the envy of the devil (Wis. 2:24). The enemy rejoiced over the fall of the one whom he envied, and could he wish that his enemy should remain in joy? Not daring to approach her husband because of his strength, he approached his wife as the weakest, who was then still a virgin. For Adam knew Eve his wife (Gen. 4:1) after his expulsion from Paradise.

6. The second tribe of the human race was Cain and Abel, and Cain was the first murderer. Later, because of the increased wickedness of the people, the flood flooded the earth (Gen. 6:13); Fire fell from heaven on the Sodomites because of their iniquities. In the course of time God chose Israel for himself, but this also became corrupt, and the chosen generation received a plague. For Moses stood before God on the mountain, and the people worshipped the calf instead of God. Then, as the Lawgiver, Moses said: "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14), a man, having ascended into fornication (Num. 25:8), dared to commit fornication. After Moses, prophets were sent to heal Israel, but these physicians wept, unable to stop their illnesses, so that some of them said: "For I am cruel, for he who is pious from the earth, and there is none that corrects men" (Micah 7:2)! and in another place: "Thou hast deviated from it, and together with it thou hast not strayed: thou shalt not do good, thou shalt not do one" (Psalm 13:3). Also: theft, and fornication, and murder were scattered over the earth (Hos. 4:2). He devoured his sons and daughters with demons (Psalm 105:37); they divined, sorcerered, foretold, and more: they bound their garments with snakes, they made veils, they held fast (Amos 2:8).

7. Весьма велика была язва, покрывавшая человечество. От ног даже до главы не было в нем целости, нельзя было пластыря приложити, ниже елея, ниже обязания (Ис. 1, 6). Посему пророки со слезами и сетованием говорили: кто даст от Сиона спасение (Пс. 13, 7)? и в другом меcте: да будет рука твоя на мужа десницы твоея, и на сына человеческаго, егоже укрепил ecu себе, и не отступим от тебе (Пс. 79, 18, 19). Другой пророк молился сими словами: Господи! преклони небеса и сниди (Пс. 143, 5), раны человечества превышают наше врачевание: пророки Твоя избиша, олтари Твоя раскопаша (3 Цар. 19, 10). Зло, которого мы не в силах исправить, требует Твоего исправления.

8. Господь услышал молитву пророков, Отец не презрел погибающего рода нашего, послал с небес Врача — Сына Своего, Господа нашего. Один пророк и говорит: Господь, Егоже вы ищете, грядет: и внезапу приидет.  Куда же? В Церковь Свою Господь (Мал. 3, 1), в которой вы камением бросали в Него. Потом, услышав об этом, другой пророк говорит ему: и ты, говоря о спасении от Бога, возвещаешь оное тихо! и ты, благовествуя пришествие Бога для спасения, говоришь об этом в тайне? На гору высоку взыди, благовествуяй Сиону; рцы градом Иудиным (Ис. 40, 9). Что же сказать? Се Бог ваш, се Господь с крепостию идет (Ис. 40, 10). Сам Господь также сказал: се Аз гряду, и вселюся посреде тебе, глаголет Господь (Зах. 2, 10). И прибегнут языцы многи ко Господу (Зах. 2, 11). Израильтяне отвергли спасение, совершившееся чрез Меня: Гряду собрати вся племена и языки (Ис. 66, 18). Ибо во своя прииде, и свои Его не прияша (Ин. 1, 11). Ты грядешь, и что даруешь языкам? Гряду собрати вся языки (Ис. 66, 18), и оставлю на них знамение (Ис. 66, 19). Ибо после подвига Моего на Кресте, каждому из Моих воинов Я дам Царскую печать для ношения на челе. Другой пророк сказал: и приклони небеса и сниде, и мрак под ногами Его (Пс. 17, 10). Ибо сошествие Его с небес для человеков было недоведомо.

9. Соломон, слыша сии слова отца своего Давида, когда построил чудесный храм и провидел Идущего в оный, с удивлением говорит: аще истинно поживет Господь с человеки на земли (3 Цар. 8, 27)? Давид, предупреждая сей вопрос, истинно так, говорит в надписанном на Соломона псалме, в котором сказано: снидет яко дождь на руно (Пс. 71, 6). Дождь — сим означается небесное Его происхождение, а на руно — Его человечество. Ибо дождь, падая на волну, падает без шума, так как и волхвы, когда неизвестна была тайна рождения, говорили: где есть рождейся Царь иудейский (Мф. 2, 2)? и Ирод смутившись, выведывал о Родившемся и спрашивал: где Христос раждается (Мф. 2, 4)?

10. Кто же есть Сей сходящий? Давид говорит тут же: и пребудет с солнцем, и прежде луны рода родов (Пс. 71, 3). Другой пророк также говорит: радуйся зело дщи Сионя, проповедуй дщи Иерусалимля: се Царь твой грядет тебе праведен и спасаяй (Зах. 9, 9). Царей много, о каком же Царе ты говоришь, пророк? Покажи нам такой признак, которого не имеют другие Цари. Если ты говоришь о Царе, порфиру носящем, то cиe отличительное украшение уже имеют; если ты говоришь о Царе, сопровождаемом воинами и сидящем на позлащенной колеснице, то и cиe другие уже имеют. Покажи нам особенный признак того Царя, которого пришествие ты возвещаешь. Пророк, ответствуя на cиe, говорит: се Царь твой грядет тебе праведен и спасаяй: той кроток и всед на подъяремника и жребца юна, а не на колесницу. Вот единственный признак приходящего Царя. Из всех Царей один только Иисус, сев на жребя, не бывавшее под ярмом, при хвалебных восклицаниях въехал во Иерусалим, как Царь. Что же делает пришедший оный Царь? И ты в крови завета Твоего испустил ecu узники Твоя от рова, неимуща воды (Зах. 9, 11).

11. Но и на жребя можно было сесть. А ты, пророк, покажи нам лучше тот признак, где остановится входящий оный Царь; и сей признак покажи нам не в отдалении от города, так, чтобы мы его не знали, но покажи нам признак вблизи, очевидный, чтобы и в городе находясь, мы видели то место. Пророк и на cиe отвечает, говоря: и станут нозе его в день он на горе Елеонстей, яже есть прямо Иерусалиму на восток (Зах. 14, 4). Ужели кто, находясь внутри города, не видит сего места?

12. Now we have two signs, but we want to know the third one. Tell us, what does the Lord who has come do? Another prophet says: "Behold our God" (Isaiah 35:4); and then: "He shall come and save us" (Isaiah 35:5). Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the deaf will hear. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the deaf shall be clear (Isaiah 35:6). May another testimony be presented to us. You, O prophet, speaking of the Lord to come, represent Him doing such signs as have never happened. What other sign will you show us? The Lord Himself will come to judgment from the elder of men, and from their princes (Isaiah 3:14). The Lord is subjected to the judgment of the slaves of the elders, and suffers.

13. The Jews do not hear this when they read, for they have shut the ears of their hearts so that they may not hear. But let us believe in Jesus Christ in the flesh who came and became man, since otherwise we cannot comprehend Him. Since we could not look upon Him and enjoy Him in His state in which He was, He became the same as we are, so that we might be counted worthy to enjoy Him. If we cannot see the sun created on the fourth day in its entirety, then how can we see God, its Creator? In fire the Lord descended on Mount Sinai; the people did not bear this, but said to Moses, "Speak thou with us, and we shall hear, and let not God speak to us, lest we die" (Exodus 20:19). If hearing the voice of God speaking is the cause of death, then how can the vision of God Himself not cause death? And why should we be surprised? Moses himself said: "I am afraid, and trembling" (Heb. 12:21).

14. And so, what would you want, that He who came for salvation should become the author of destruction, since men cannot bear His appearances, or that He should communicate His grace to us? Daniel could not bear the vision of the Angel, and can you behold the Lord of the Angels? Gabriel appeared, and Daniel fell. And what was the one who appeared, and in what form? His face was like the sight of lightning (Dan. 10:6), and not like the sun, and his eyes were like things of fire, and not like a furnace of fire; but the voice of his words is like the voice of the people, and not like the voice of twelve angelic hosts. And yet the prophet fell. The angel came up to him and said: "Do not be afraid, Daniel" (Dan. 10:12), arise, be of good courage, your words have been heard (Dan. 10:12). Daniel says: "The east trembles" (Dan. 10:11). But he did not begin to answer until something like a human hand touched him. When the one who appeared was changed into the form of a man (Dan. 10:18), then Daniel began to speak. And what does he say? O Lord, in Thy vision my womb shall be turned in me (Dan. 10:16): strength and breath shall not remain in me (Dan. 10:17). If the appearance of the angel deprived the prophet of his voice and power, then will the appearance of God leave you breathing? Until, says the Scriptures, "touch me as the sight of man" (Dan. 10:18), Daniel did not come to his senses. And so, when the experience of our weakness was shown. The Lord took upon Himself what man had need of. Since man could only hear from a person like him, the Savior took upon Himself a similar nature in order to teach people more conveniently.

15. Listen to another reason. Christ came to be baptized and sanctify baptism; He came to work miracles, walking on the waters of the sea. Since before His appearance in the flesh the sea saw and fled, the Jordan turned back (Psalm 113:3), the Lord took on a body, so that the sea, seeing this, would stop, and the Jordan would receive Him without fear. This is one reason. There is another one. Through the Virgin Eve came death, and through the Virgin, or rather from the Virgin, life also had to appear, so that as the serpent deceived her, so did Gabriel proclaim the good news. People, having abandoned God, made idols in human form. Thus, since the idol in human form was falsely worshipped as God, God truly became man in order to destroy falsehood. The devil used our flesh as a weapon against us, and Paul, knowing this, says: "I see the law in my mind, fighting against the law of my mind, and captivating me, and so on." (Romans 7:23). Thus, with what weapon the devil defeated us, by the same we are saved. The Lord took our likeness from us in order to save humanity; He took on our likeness, in order to grant greater grace to those in need, so that sinful humanity would be in communion with God. For where sin abounded, grace abounded (Romans 5:20). The Lord had to suffer for us, but the devil would not have dared to approach if he had known this. For if they understood, they did not crucify the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8). And so the body became the poison of death, so that the dragon, when it hoped to devour, would vomit out those whom it had devoured. Thou hast devoured death, and thou hast swallowed up: God hath taken away every tear from every face (Isaiah 25:8).

16. Did Christ become incarnate in vain? Is it possible that our teaching is the invention and wisdom of men? Is not the Divine Scripture our salvation? Aren't they prophetic predictions? Therefore, keep this pledge faithfully, so that no one will shake you. Believe in God, Who was made man. That it was possible for Him to become incarnate has already been proved. But if the Jews do not yet believe, let us ask them: What strange things do we proclaim, when we say that God became man, when you say that Abraham entertained the Lord? What strange things do we proclaim to you, when Jacob said: "For I have seen God face to face, and my soul is saved" (Gen. 32:30)? The same Lord who ate food from Abraham also ate from us. And so, what strange things do we proclaim? We will also present two witnesses who stood before the Lord on Mount Sinai. Moses was in the cleft of the stone, and Elijah was once also in the cleft of the stone. They were on Mount Tabor together with the transfigured Lord, and in the presence of His disciples spoke of His exodus, and He wished to die in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). That it was therefore possible for Him to become man, this has been proved, as I have said before. The rest of the evidence is provided to those who wish.

17. In my word I promised you to reveal both the time and the place of the appearance of the Savior. And we must not go out with a reproach of deception, and even more so we must let those who have recently entered the Church go confirmed. And so, let us examine the time in which the Lord came, inasmuch as this coming happened recently and is subject to reproach, and since Christ Jesus is yesterday and today, the same also forever (Heb. 13:8). To this the prophet Moses says: "The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brethren, as I am" (Deuteronomy 18:15). Let us leave this word for the time being, for it will be examined in its proper place. But when will this expected prophet come? Turn, he says, to my Scriptures, examine the prophecy of Jacob, which was said to Judas: "Judah, thy brethren shall praise thee" (Gen. 49:8), and so on. Let us not all say: "The prince shall not fail of Judah, nor the ruler of his loins, until he comes, whom it is laid aside: [1] and this is not the hope of the Jews, but of the tongues" (Gen. 49:10). Thus, he set the cessation of power among the Jews as a sign of the coming of Christ. If they are not under the rule of the Romans, then Christ has not yet come. If they have a prince from the tribe of Judah and David, then the Expected One has not yet come. I am ashamed to speak of the new establishment of the so-called current Patriarchs among them. What is their kind, and who is their mother, I leave this to those who know. But this Coming One, the Expectation of the tongues, what other sign does He have? James says further: "Bind thy lot to the vine" (Gen. 49:11). This is the lot that the 3achariah clearly announced!

18. But you are still looking for another testimony of time. The Lord said unto Me: Thou art My Son, Thou hast begotten Thee today (Psalm 2:7), and a little afterwards: Thou shalt shepherd me with a rod of iron (Psalm 2:9). And before I said that the Roman kingdom is clearly called the rod of iron, and what remains to be said about it, let us remember from the prophecy of Daniel. In announcing and explaining to Nebuchadnezzar the image of the statue, he speaks of the whole vision that pertained to it, and of the stone cut off from the mountain without hands, which was not made by human art, and which shall possess the whole universe. He also says very clearly: "And in the days of those kings God will raise up the kingdom of heaven, lest it be scattered forever: and His kingdom shall not remain frost among men" (Dan. 2:44).