The Uniqueness of Christ's Sanctification
He is the one being offered, and he is the one receiving the sacrifice. He is the law, and he is the one now becoming under law.
But let us hear the rest concerning the day from the holy gospels. For the wonderful Luke says concerning Christ, that when the days of their purification were fulfilled according to the law of Moses (Luke 2:22), he led Jesus into Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord, just as it has been written in the law of the Lord, that every male opening a womb shall be called holy to the Lord (Luke 2:23). Samuel and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and others who were born from barrenness by hope and by opening the unfruitful wombs of mothers were called holy to the Lord; but Christ alone from a virgin, the only, the only-begotten, having been born and not having opened virgin gates, is not merely holy to the Lord, but holy of the holies and lord of lords and god of gods and firstborn of firstborns, ruler of rulers and king of kings; and he shall be called and believed and worshiped, and now in the temple shall be proclaimed by Simeon.
For there was, he says, a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon (Luke 2:25). And this man was righteous, and the Holy Spirit was in him. And it had been promised to him by the Holy Spirit not to see death before he saw the Christ of the Lord (Luke 2:26). And he came in the Spirit into the temple (Luke 2:27).
And when the parents brought the child Jesus in, to perform for them according to the custom of the law concerning him, Simeon himself received him into his arms and blessed God, saying: 'Now you release your servant, Lord, according to your word in peace (Luke 2:29-30), for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the presence of all the peoples, a light for the revelation of the nations and a glory for your people Israel (Luke 2:32).' Who shall speak the powers of the Lord, making all his praises heard? He who holds the whole earth is contained within the arms of an old man, and he who carries all things is borne by the word of his power.
Let Adam rejoice through Simeon toward Christ, saying: 'Now you release your servant, Lord, according to your word in peace (Luke 2:30). Now you release me from eternal bonds; now you release me from corruption; now you release me from death; now you release me from sorrow, my son and God.' Him, being embraced in the temple by Simeon and announcing to all the nations and to the Jews the strange mystery of the dispensation, shouts and rejoices, and with a bright and resounding voice has cried out concerning him, saying: 'This is the one who is and who is coming and who is always co-existing with the Father: consubstantial, co-throned, co-glorious, co-powerful, equal-in-power, almighty, without beginning, uncreated, unchangeable, uncircumscribable, invisible, ineffable, incomprehensible, untouchable, unthinkable, immeasurable.'
This is the radiance of the paternal glory. This is the character of the whole composition. This is the light of lights, rising from the depths of the fathers. This is the God of gods, and known from God as God. This is the fountain of life, proceeding from the fountain of the life of the Father. This is the river of God, proceeding out of the divine abyss, but not [...]
Greek
θυόμενος. αὐτὸς ὁ ἀναφερόμενος καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ τὴν θυσίαν δεχόμενος. αὐτὸς ὁ νόμος καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ νῦν ὑπὸ νόμον γινόμενος. 6 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ φέρε λοιπὸν τὰ περὶ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκ τῶν ἱερῶν εὐαγγελίων ἀκούσωμεν. φησὶ γὰρ περὶ Χριστοῦ ὁ θαυμάσιος Λουκᾶς, ὅτι, ὅτε ἐπληρώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ καθαρισμοῦ αὐτῶν κατὰ τὸν νόμον Μωυσέως, ἀνήγαγον τὸν Ἰησοῦν εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ, τοῦ παραστῆσαι αὐτὸν τῷ κυρίῳ, καθὼς γέγραπται ἐν τῷ νόμῳ κυρίου, ὅτι πᾶν ἄρσεν διανοῖγον μήτραν ἅγιον τῷ κυρίῳ κληθήσεται. Σαμουὴλ μὲν οὖν καὶ Ἰσαὰκ ὁμοῦ τε καὶ Ἰακὼβ Ἰωσήφ τε καὶ ἕτεροι οἱ ἐκ στειρώσεως παρ' ἐλπίδα τεχθέντες καὶ διανοίξαντες ἀκάρπους μήτρας μητέρων ἅγιοι τῷ κυρίῳ ἐκλήθησαν, Χριστὸς δὲ ὁ μόνος ἐκ μόνης, τοῦ μόνου μονογενής, παρθένου τεχθεὶς καὶ μὴ διανοίξας πύλας παρθενικὰς οὐχ ἅγιος τῷ κυρίῳ, ἀλλ' ἅγιος τῶν ἁγίων καὶ κύριος τῶν κυρίων καὶ θεὸς τῶν θεῶν καὶ πρωτότοκος τῶν πρωτοτόκων ἀρχόντων ἄρχων τε καὶ βασιλεὺς βασιλευόντων καὶ κληθήσεται καὶ πιστευθήσεται καὶ προσκυνηθήσεται καὶ νῦν ἐν τῷ ναῷ ὑπὸ Συμεὼν κηρυχθήσεται. 7 Ἦν γάρ, φησίν, ἄνθρωπος ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, ᾧ ὄνομα Συμεών. καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος δίκαιος, καὶ πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἦν ἐν αὐτῷ. καὶ ἦν αὐτῷ κεχρηματισμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου μὴ ἰδεῖν θάνατον πρὶν ἢ ἰδεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν κυρίου. καὶ ἦλθεν ἐν τῷ πνεύματι εἰς τὸ ἱερόν. καὶ ἐν τῷ εἰσαγαγεῖν τοὺς γονεῖς τὸ παιδίον Ἰησοῦν, τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτοὺς κατὰ τὸ εἰθισμένον τοῦ νόμου περὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Συμεὼν ἐδέξατο αὐτὸν εἰς τὰς ἀγκάλας αὐτοῦ καὶ ηὐλόγησε τὸν θεὸν καὶ εἶπε· νῦν ἀπολύεις τὸν δοῦλόν σου, δέσποτα, κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ, ὅτι εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου τὸ σωτήριόν σου, ὃ ἡτοίμασας κατὰ πρόσωπον πάντων τῶν λαῶν, φῶς εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν καὶ δόξαν λαοῦ σου Ἰσραήλ. Τίς λαλήσει τὰς δυναστείας τοῦ κυρίου, ἀκουστὰς ποιήσει πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις αὐτοῦ; ὁ κατέχων τὴν γῆν πᾶσαν δρακὶ ἀγκάλαις πρεσβύτου χωρεῖται, καὶ βαστάζεται ὁ φέρων τὰ πάντα τῷ ῥήματι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ. 8 Ἀγαλλιάσθω ὁ Ἀδὰμ διὰ Συμεὼν πρὸς Χριστὸν λέγων· νῦν ἀπολύεις τὸν δοῦλόν σου, δέσποτα, κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ. νῦν ἀπολύεις με τῶν αἰωνίων δεσμῶν νῦν ἀπολύεις με τῆς φθορᾶς. νῦν ἀπολύεις με τοῦ θανάτου. νῦν ἀπολύεις με τῆς λύπης, ὁ ἐμὸς υἱὸς καὶ θεός. Ὃν ἐν τῷ ναῷ Συμεὼν ἐναγκαλιζόμενος καὶ τὸ ξένον τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι καὶ Ἰουδαίοις εὐαγγελιζόμενος σκιρτᾷ καὶ ἀγαλλιᾷ, καὶ λαμπρᾷ καὶ διαπρυσίῳ φωνῇ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἀνακέκραγε λέγων· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ὢν καὶ προὼν καὶ ἀεὶ τῷ πατρὶ συμπαρών, ὁμοούσιος, ὁμόθρονος, ὁμόδοξος, ὁμοδύναμος, ἰσοδύναμος, παντοδύναμος, ἄναρχος, ἄκτιστος, ἀναλλοίωτος, ἀπερίγραπτος, ἀόρατος, ἄῤῥητος, ἀκατάληπτος, ἀψηλάφητος, ἀκατανόητος, ἀτέκμαρτος. 9 Οὗτός ἐστι τῆς πατρικῆς δόξης τὸ ἀπαύγασμα. οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ χαρακτὴρ τῆς πάντων συστάσεως. τοῦτο τὸ φῶς τῶν φώτων, ἐκ πατρικῶν ἀνατέλλον τῶν κόλπων. οὗτος ὁ θεὸς τῶν θεῶν, καὶ ἐκ θεοῦ θεὸς γνωριζόμενος. οὗτος ἡ πηγὴ τῆς ζωῆς ἐκ πηγῆς τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς ζωῆς προερχόμενος. οὗτος ὁ ποταμὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐξ ἀβύσσου θείας ἐκπορευόμενος, ἀλλ' οὐ
About this text
Cyril of Jerusalem on the Presentation / Meeting of the Lord.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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