C. 969/970, John Geometres wrote:
But let us briefly turn our attention,
not only to sweet Jesus—through what could be more pleasant to speak about or
hear, or indeed be more beneficial?-but also to his mother. What sort of
promises did she receive from Symeon, and what were the prophecies of her
future trials that he pronounced? For he was a righteous man, and entered the
temple inspired by the Spirit, clearly the Holy Spirit, not only because he was
suddenly strengthened beyond his years and nature, since he was far beyond the
limits of an ordinary human lifespan, but also because he was moved to see the
promised child, and to receive him into his embrace and bless him, receiving
from him his freedom in return. Symeon is thus a double figure, for he was a
man like God for the God made man. For in truth he was an Ancient of Days,
holding in his arms the Son, who is contained in the bosom of the ancient,
timeless, and eternal Father, who also blesses him as he comes into the world.
Even though he was weak, he was now invigorated and divinely inspired, and at
the same time that he was embracing the child, he was being set free from the
toil of this earthly life, from our already aged and weak nature, which
received in its embrace the liberator or rather redeemer, being freed from its
ancient carnal bondage to the passions and the tyrannical enslavement to and
worship of demons, but being filled with the Holy Spirit. (John Geometres, Life
of the Virgin, chapter 48 [trans. Maximos Constas and Christos Simelidis;
Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library; Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press,
2023], 129, 131)
The
title “Ancient of days” in the Greek of Life of the Virgin is the same as that
used in Daniel 7:9 (LXX): Παλαιος ‘Ηυερων.
