The Sword of Thoughts and the Sign of the Cross

a sign of contradiction

Simeon called forth the sword of the Virgin's thoughts as striking the inward parts, as approaching scandals, just as the Lord foretold: 'All shall be scandalized in me in this night' (Matt 16:4). Therefore Simeon also brought forward, saying: 'And from her soul a sword shall pierce' (Luke 2:35), so that thoughts might be revealed from many hearts. Do you see how he called the inexperienced thoughts a sword of thoughts striking the inward parts, approaching the kidneys and marrow? But the Virgin was surrounded by these, not yet knowing the power of the resurrection and that the resurrection does not yet come from neighbors. Therefore after the resurrection, the sword is no longer biting, but joy and gladness.

Thus the sign of the cross was called forth by Simeon as a sign of contradiction, at that time the sword of thoughts pierced the soul of the Virgin. And where is the proof for us? From the teachings of the Lord himself. Listen to him saying: 'This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet' (Matt 12:39). For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights (Matt 12:40). Do you see how the cruciform passion was called forth as a sign, not only in the new covenant, but also in the old? For the old agrees exceedingly with the new, since he is the one and the same God who there legislated and here rewarded. And who is witness to this? The Lord himself. Listen to him saying in the prophet Ezekiel to the harvesting angels, indicating the universal conclusion: 'Do not spare your eyes, and do not have mercy, neither an old man nor a young man nor a maiden nor a child, but kill women to complete them; but those coming upon the foreheads, do not touch the sign' (Ezek 9:6). See the sign of the old and the new. For it is the cross that saves the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to him be the glory and the power unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Greek

Ἄκουε συνετῶς. Τοῦ Συμεῶνος εἰρηκότος περὶ τοῦ κυρίου εἰς ἐξάκουστον τῶν παρθενικῶν ἀκοῶν τό· Ἰδοὺ οὗτος κεῖται εἰς πτῶσιν καὶ ἀνάστασιν πολλῶν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ εἰς σημεῖον ἀντιλεγόμενον, ἠγανάκτησεν εἰκὸς ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ κυρίου κατὰ τοῦ Συμεῶνος λέγουσα πρὸς αὐτόν· Οὐκ οἶδας τί διαγορεύεις, ἄνθρωπε. Ἐπὶ τὸν Χριστὸν σκυθρωπὰ καταγγέλλεις; Οὐκ οἶδας τὴν σύλληψιν τοῦ παιδίου καὶ ὡς περὶ κοινοῦ τόκου σημεῖον ἀντιλογίας μηνύεις. Οὐδεμία πτῶσις ἐν αὐτῷ, ὕψωσις δὲ πολλὴ καὶ συγκατάβασις τοῖς εὐεργετουμένοις. Τί οὖν οὐκ εὐλογεῖς φάσκων· Ἰδοὺ οὗτος κεῖται οὐκ εἰς πτῶσιν, ἀλλ' εἰς ἀνάστασιν πολλῶν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ· διὰ τί δὲ Καὶ εἰς σημεῖον ἀντιλεγόμενον; Ὁ δὲ Συμεὼν πρὸς τὴν παρθένον· Ἀρκεῖ σοι, παρθένε, τὸ μητέρα σε κληθῆναι· ἱκανόν σοι τὸ τροφὸν εὑρεθῆναι τοῦ τρέφοντος τὸν κόσμον· μέγα σοι τὸ σαρκὶ βαστάσαι τὸν τὰ πάντα βαστάζοντα. Ὁ ἐν σοὶ νῦν Χριστὸς κατοικήσας καὶ ἐν ἐμοὶ νῦν ὁ αὐτὸς τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ λαληθῆναι παρεσκεύασεν ὅτι Οὗτος κεῖται εἰς πτῶσιν καὶ ἀνάστασιν πολλῶν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ· εἰς πτῶσιν τῶν ἀπίστων Ἰουδαίων, εἰς ἀνάστασιν δὲ τῶν πιστευόντων ἐθνῶν. Ἰδοὺ οὗτος κεῖται εἰς πτῶσιν καὶ εἰς ἀνάστασιν πολλῶν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ εἰς σημεῖον ἀντιλεγόμενον· σημεῖον ἀντιλογίας τὸν σταυρὸν προσαγορεύσας. Ἐπειδὴ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ σταυρῷ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀπίστων ἀντιλογίας ῥήματα προσήνεγκαν τῷ κυρίῳ λόγοις καὶ ἔργοις κωμῳδοῦντες, καλάμῳ τύπτοντες, ὄξος ποτίζοντες, χολὴν προσάγοντες, ἀκάνθινον στέφανον περιτιθέντες, λόγχῃ τὴν πλευρὰν νύττοντες, χερσὶ ῥαπίζοντες, ὀνειδιστικοῖς λόγοις βοῶντες· Ἄλλους ἔσωσεν, ἑαυτὸν οὐ δύναται σῶσαι. Τοῦτο οὖν ἑρμηνεύων ἔλεγε· Καὶ εἰς σημεῖον ἀντιλεγόμενον. Πολλοὶ ἀντεῖπον ὅτε Πέτρος ἠρνεῖτο καὶ πάντες οἱ ἀπόστολοι ὡς ἀποίμαντα πρόβατα διεσκορπίζοντο. Ἐν τῷ οὖν σταυρικῷ σημείῳ καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς παρθένου ἐπεπλήρωτο ἡ καρδία λύπης· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγε· ∆ιὰ τί μὴ προετελεύτησα; ∆ιὰ τί δὲ τὴν ἡμέραν ταύτην κατέλαβον; Παρθένος μεμένηκα καὶ μείζονα μητέρων τοῖς σπλάγχνοις δάκνομαι. Τούτους τοὺς ἀπείρους διαλογισμοὺς τῆς παρθένου ῥομφαίαν ὁ Συμεὼν προσηγόρευσεν ὡς νύττοντας τὰ ἐνδόσθια, ὡς σκάνδαλα προσοίσοντας, καθὼς ὁ κύριος προεῖπε· Πάντες ἐν ἐμοὶ σκανδαλισθήσεσθε ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ. Ὅθεν καὶ ἐπήγαγεν ὁ Συμεὼν φάσκων· Καὶ σοῦ δὲ αὐτῆς τὴν ψυχὴν διελεύσεται ῥομφαία, ὅπως ἂν ἀποκαλυφθῶσιν ἐκ πολλῶν καρδιῶν διαλογισμοί. Ὁρᾷς πῶς τοὺς ἀπείρους 4 διαλογισμοὺς ῥομφαίαν προσηγόρευσεν ὡς νύττοντας τὰ ἐνδόσθια, ὡς ἁπτομένους νεφρῶν καὶ μυελῶν; Τούτοις δὲ περιέπεσεν ἡ παρθένος μηδέπω τὴν δύναμιν τῆς ἀναστάσεως εἰδυῖα καὶ ὅτι ἐκ γειτόνων ἡ ἀνάστασις οὐδέπω ἐγίνωσκεν. Ὅθεν μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν οὐκέτι ῥομφαία δίστομος, ἀλλ' εὐφροσύνη καὶ ἀγαλλίασις. Σημεῖον τοίνυν ἀντιλογίας τὸ σταυρικὸν σημεῖον ὁ Συμεὼν προσηγόρευσεν, ἐν ᾧ καιρῷ ῥομφαία λογισμῶν τὴν ψυχὴν τῆς παρθένου διῆλθεν. Ἔστι δὲ πάντως εἰπεῖν τινα· Καὶ πόθεν ἡμῖν ἡ ἀπόδειξις; Ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν τοῦ κυρίου διδαγμάτων. Ἄκουε αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη γενεὰ πονηρά ἐστιν· σημεῖον ἐπιζητεῖ καὶ σημεῖον οὐ δοθήσεται αὐτῇ, εἰ μὴ τὸ σημεῖον Ἰωνᾶ τοῦ προφήτου. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἦν Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας, οὕτως ἔσται καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας. Ὁρᾷς πῶς τὸ σταυρικὸν πάθος σημεῖον προσηγορεύθη, οὐ μόνον ἐν τῇ καινῇ διαθήκῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ; Σφόδρα γὰρ τὰ παλαιὰ συμφωνεῖ τῇ νέᾳ. Ἐπειδὴ εἷς καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς θεὸς ὁ κἀκεῖ νομοθετήσας καὶ ὧδε βραβεύσας. Καὶ τίς τούτου μάρτυς; Αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος. Ἄκουε αὐτοῦ λέγοντος ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ Ἰεζεκιὴλ πρὸς τοὺς θεριστὰς ἀγγέλους, τὴν καθολικὴν συντέλειαν μηνύοντος· Μὴ φείσησθε τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὑμῶν καὶ μὴ ἐλεήσητε πρεσβύτην μηδὲ νεανίσκον καὶ παρθένον καὶ παιδίον καὶ γυναῖκας θανατώσατε εἰς ἐξάλειψιν, τοῖς δὲ ἐπιφερομένοις ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων τὸ σημεῖον μὴ ἅψησθε. Ἴδετε τὸ σημεῖον τῆς παλαιᾶς καὶ τῆς νέας. Αὐτὸ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ σταυρὸς ὁ τὸν κόσμον σῴζων, διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν, αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 5

About this text

A bishop explores the Virgin Mary's purity and its connection to Christ's divinity through scriptural analysis and spiritual insight.

Catalogue & scope

Khazarzar scan

Witnesses

Copy-text PG 39 (Khazarzar) (Greek)

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.