Λέγει Μωσαϊκῶς· Οὗτός μου θεός, καὶ δοξάσω αὐτόν, θεὸς τοῦ πατρός μου, καὶ ὑψώσω
αὐτόν. Ἐχόμενα δὲ τῶν εὐχαριστηρίων (45), ἐξετάσωμεν [χριστωτάτα], τίς ἡ ἐν
Βηθλεὲμ ἐξεγείρασα πρόφασις τὴν βασιλείαν τῆς δόξης. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐν Βηθλεὲμ
σωματικῶς γεννηθῆναι ἡ περὶ ἡμᾶς εὐσπλαγχνία ἐξεδίδαξε τὸν ἀθάνατον· τὸ δὲ ὑποκείμενον
τυγχάνοντα (44), τὸν ἐν χρόνῳ ἄχροον, καὶ τοῖς σπαργάνοις ἐγκεκλεισμένον ἀκαλύφως,
μετοικὸν τε καὶ μεταβάστην γενέσθαι, ποία ἄρα γίνεται ἀνάγκη; Εἰ δὲ βούλῃ γνῶναι
καὶ τοῦτο, ὦ θειότατόν μου καὶ θεόπνευστον σύστημα,
ἄκουε Μωυσέως διαπρυσίως κηρύττοντος τῷ λαῷ, καὶ εἰς γνῶσιν τῆς ὑπερφυοῦς γεννήσεως
ἐγκαινίζοντος αὐτούς, καὶ λέγοντος· Πᾶν ἄρσεν, διανοῖγον μήτραν, ἅγιον τῷ Κυρίῳ
κληθήσεται. (Methodius of Olympus, “Oration Concerning Simeon and Anna”
[Migne PG 18:353])
Moses says in the Mosaic manner: “This is my God, and I
will glorify him; the God of my father, and I will exalt him.” Next, after the
thanksgiving, let us examine as carefully as possible what the occasion was in
Bethlehem that brought about the kingdom of glory. For that he was born bodily
in Bethlehem was taught by the loving-kindness shown toward us; but that the
one who is timeless in time, and who was enclosed unseen in swaddling clothes,
should become a sojourner and an exile—what necessity could there be for that?
If you wish to know this too, my God-beholding and God-inspired
composition, listen to Moses proclaiming clearly to the people and
leading them into knowledge of the wondrous birth, saying: “Every male that
opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord.”
